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railingsofsorrow · 1 year

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hiii could i request a cute lil fic of the origin of spencer’s purple scarf? maybe reader is in the bau too and they’re secretly dating and maybe for their one month she gives him the purple scarf cuz she notices turtle necks bother him so she opted to get something that warms him up, is his favorite color, and reminds him of her if there’s ever a change they’re apart ….

he loves it ofc and starts wearing it to work and the team realizes it’s his thing now to wear the scarf if he’s cold and the reader feels all happy cuz he likes it but maybe during a tough case reader gets hurt protecting the team and in the hospital he’s like fidgeting with the scarf and morgan asks what’s up and he’s like “y/n gave me this scarf she said it would remind me of her if we’re ever apart but i don’t ever want to be away from her” AND IT ENDSS IN FLUFF PLS TJANK UUUU

maybe a cute lil recovery scene where the reader is cold and he gives her the scarf to wrap around her neck mwahhahaha and some team comments mwahahhhaha

Purple Scarf

[spencer reid x reader]

A/N: can I just say how in love with this request I was when I saw it my heart BURST. hope I granted your wishes anon <3

summary: in which yours and spencer's secret relationship is not as secret as you thought it was.

pairing: s.reid x f!reader

w.c: 3.5K

warnings/content: allusions to sexual content (you blink and you miss it); cm usual violence and confrontation; mentions of blood, hospitals and injuries; angst; teasing; fluff fluff fluff.

navi

masterpost

[requested]

•°. *࿐•°. *࿐•°. *࿐

September 8 of 2007.

Day 30.

It's officially a month that you and Spencer are dating. More specifically 720,000 hours, 43,200 minutes and 2,592,000 seconds — Yes, he counted. It's not that surprising, his brain never stops.

“Did you finish Dandelion Wine last night again?”

Unless it's your voice. That angelic sound slipping out from your throat that resembled the A Major key in a piano; a warm blanket draping over him that soothed his mind to a less frantic place.

The way your lips curl in a smile tells him you're not phased by his nod of affirmation. Leaning on his desk with your hip, you place down his mug in front of him, coffee vapor fluttering out.

“I'm not surprised.”

His grin is hidden by sipping on the hot liquid. “Why would you be?”

“Right.”

Spencer wanted to kiss you. He'd be bashful and red at the mere thought of it a few months ago, a complete mess if your gaze so much as crossed. But he's known you for two years now, you've been friends since you entered the BAU, and he's been in love with you for half of that time. He's allowed to think that in a work environment. He's just not allowed to do it.

He's very inclined to break the rules when he feels cold fingers running through the nape of his neck. Spencer's instinctive reaction is to shrink his shoulders but he quickly relaxes.

“Don't know how you can even think about cutting it,” you say, pulling softly at his strands.

He gave you a look. “It's too long.”

“So?” you shrug. “It's pretty,” you traced her thumb across his jaw, halting on his cheek. “You're pretty.”

He doesn't know how to react to compliments first thing in the morning. Scratch that, he doesn't know how to react to compliments at all.

“You're prettier.”

“That's not possible.”

And he's about to shut you up with a kiss because frantically? How could you disagree with him on this. But you retract your hands and pull some space between you. His hurt expression isn't present for long until he notices where your gaze falls.

Derek is talking to someone behind the glass doors, his hand wavering over the entrance announcing that the conversation is ending.

Your relationship being a secret was a mutual decision. None of you wanted the attention or the teasing that would eventually come from your friends — not that that didn't occurred before. Less alone the issues with the Fraternization Policy, they'd rather leave that to the fine line in Morgan and Garcia's work calls.

“Don't cut it.” She nudges his arm. “How am I supposed to pull it?”

Spencer choked on his coffee, inciting a chuckle out of you as you rubbed his back gently. He blinked up at you in shock.

“What?”

“Great scarf. Love the color.”

He officially hates you. Yes.

Except that he doesn't. Not even a little bit.

Your menacing smile is the last thing he sees before you walk off to Penelope's office. Of course you love it, you gave it to him as one month anniversary gift that morning, while he had given you a book you've been mentioning for a while and a necklace with your birthstone in the pendant.

“I know turtlenecks bother you but I know you get cold easily so I thought you'd like it.” Spencer hadn't given you a reaction. From the moment he opened your gift box, he sat emotionless on the sofa, staring at it as his fingers stroked the soft fabric.

It was a handknit purple scarf. Spencer couldn't believe it. You made it yourself. He vaguely remembers you always knitting something in the jet when a case was over, he thought you had adopted a new hobby, not that you were doing this for him.

And in his favorite color.

He felt like crying upon seeing the S.W.R on one of the extremities. His initials.

“You didn't like it.”

His head snapped up and he's met with your uneasy gaze. He hadn't said anything.

Spencer crossed the room in a sprint and crashes your lips to his, you respond with a ooof! in surprise but quickly kisses him back just as fervently.

“I love it.” He says after you split apart. “It's the best gift I've ever gotten.” He keeps peppering your face with kisses which makes giggles to erupt out of you. “Thank you, thank you, sweetheart.”

“It's for you to remember me when we're apart.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “That was cheesy but I knitted it that so I get to be cheesy.”

Spencer fiddled with the soft fabric of his scarf, loosening it slightly. It was suddenly too warm.

He blames you for it.

The two of you were supposed to spend the rest of the day in a Contemporary Art Museum after your paperwork was done. You weren't called in for a case, so it was a last minute decision because of your hectic schedule.

“Why are you all flushed?” He turns to Derek with widened eyes.

“What?”

Derek narrowed him down suspiciously. Hotch interrupts them by calling them in for the conference room. Spencer inwardly groans but he takes it to slip away from Derek's pestering.

“Oh, that's beautiful.” JJ points at your neck as you meet in the roundtable. “Where did you get it?” Your fingers brushed against the necklace mindlessly, the edge of your lips quirking up slightly.

“It's a gift.”

JJ silently studied your features as you say down beside one another, waiting for Garcia to present the new case. That fond gaze, the sparkle in your eyes and the way your body demeanor instantly relaxed was the indication she needed to understand what you weren't saying.

“Oh,” her grin widened and she leans closer. “Who's the lucky someone?”

Your eyes lowered to your lap and you tried to pretend you were interested in your shoes. She could see you getting flustered and that made her shook her head in disbelief. JJ has never seen you that shy or even blushing. That was new.

Spencer walked in with Derek and Emily on his trail. They started discussing the case when Rossi arrived. You didn't spend ten minutes in the room before Hotch announced wheels up in thirty.

“Did you know that poor sleeping habits can interfere in your sleep quality? A study showed that daily coffee consumption and using the cellphone in bed are two of the largest factors associated with poor sleep quality. Besides stress, anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, and chronic health conditions.”

Spencer rambles on before you can settle down in one of the seats, covering a yawn with your hand.

“I'm glad you know too much caffeine is bad for your health, baby. Maybe you should follow your own advice.” You heard his snicker as he sits down with a smug smile. You chose the window seat, Emily takes your side and Derek sits across from you. Rossi and Hotch are in the seats beside yours while JJ takes the couch.

The air shifts. You feel it. It's sudden, out of nowhere and you can't figure out the reason. All eyes are set on you which makes you shift uncomfortably, sleepiness vanishing.

“What?”

“Baby?” Derek lifts a brow questioningly and you cast him a confused look. But Spencer buried his face in the file and all is clear.

“You have petnames now?” Emily teases, nudging your feet with her shoe. “That's sickening.”

“That's cute!” Penelope yells from the computer scream.

You clear your throat in a foolish attempt for cover your embarrassment. You called him baby in front of the whole team? Nice. Very nice. You stupid idiot.

“It's manner of speaking,” You shrug, grabbing the crime scene photo haphazardly.

Emily quips back a comment and Derek follows her on it. Fortunately, Hotch begins to detail what everyone else will do as they land. JJ and Reid are going to the morgue to analyse Victmology, Rossi and Emily are going to the police station and that leaves you Hotch to the crime scenes.

It took a while for you to grasp the UnSub's intentions. You spent the entire afternoon with the wrong profile to then figure out he was hunting people that had a certain face shape and visible scars. Nothing related to gender, contrary to what you believed.

When you found him, he had a knife to a woman's neck, the last victim that had disappeared two days ago. Apparently you got there exactly on time because he kept his victims for two days to bury them alive in the last one.

But he didn't want to let her go, despite the ensuing confrontation. Either he surrendered or he died, there was no in between. You wouldn't let him hurt anybody else.

“Let her go.”

Aaron's assertive tone reverberated through the warehouse. The SWAT team was blocking every exit possible, at least twenty firearms aimed at him but he still wouldn't budge.

“Can't do that,” the UnSub lowered the knife closer to the victim's neck. He seemed too calm for someone that cornered. No. You could see the slight shake in his hand that he was trying to cover. “You get back from where you came from or I'll slash her throat.”

“You won't do that.”

For some reason, you thought it was Emily speaking, attempting to get into his head. Until Derek hissed for you to stay back and you realized the voice belonged to you.

“You can get out of this, just let her go and surrender. No harm has to be done.”

“Right. So that I can spend the rest of my life tossed up behind bars? I don't think so, Agent.”

The smugness in his tone was betrayed by the twitch in his left eye and that's when you knew you were almost there.

“We can make a deal. One that'll be comfortable for you,” you promised, stowing your weapon in your holster as your eyes kept locked on his. You didn't want to find out what would happen if you even breath the wrong way. “There's twenty people with you in their line of fire. Only one way out. Let her go, we'll figure this out.” You finally reached a position close enough to the victim but not at all safe for you. You were right at his aim if he wanted to shoot you, his gun right behind the woman's head.

“Only one way out?” He scoffed, cocking the weapon to the side.

Emily said his name in a warning. Everyone yelling for him to drop the weapon. He didn't.

You should've known better.

Your ears rang with Spencer calling out your name before you were thrown on the floor roughly without a single warning. The feeling of dread crippling in your chest when you felt something wet between your fingers.

“Hey, hey,” Derek forced you to look at him. “You okay?”

You blinked down at your arm, the bullet grazed the skin, it barely touched you. A breath of relief escaped you and he shook his head in disbelief.

“You're insane,” he uttered, hugging you to which you let out a groan. Your shoulder hurt, you couldn't move it.

At least it wasn't a bullet. Derek had pushed you away on time.

•°. *࿐

The thing you hated the most about hospitals was the fluorescent lights. Your eyes were sensitive to light which was the reason you used sunglasses anywhere you went — reading glasses as well, but you didn't bother with those. No matter how many times Spencer would list the permanent harm done to your sight every time he saw you squinting at a book.

You were stubborn. To say the least.

He thought it was cute, for the most part. You listened to him although you liked to do things you own way. Okay, he respected that. Spencer loves every part of you, from the scrunch of your nose when you laughed to the rare times you'd forget the wet towel on the bed.

Sometimes, however, he wants to crawl out of his skin. How could you let your guard down in front of a madman that was ready to lose it all? Why couldn't you just stay back like Derek had asked and waited patiently on how it would play out?

But no, you wouldn't do that. You were as stubborn as a mule. And that's how you got shot in the arm and dislocated a shoulder.

“It grazed her forearm, Spence.” JJ explained for the tenth time. “She just needed some stitches.”

“But it wasn't just the grazed arm, though was it? There's also the dislocated shoulder and the almost concussion she gained as she fell on the floor.”

JJ sighed and turned to him. “You're concerned, but she's fine. It wasn't exactly wise what she did,” she said with a wince. “But it's done and thankfully didn't evolved to anything serious.”

“She reminds me of you.”

Both heads snapped around to see Derek approaching with his coffee. He pointed the plastic spoon he was stirring the coffee with directly at Spencer's face.

“What does that mean?” Spencer pulls away from the threatening spoon, the pitch of his voice raising.

Derek looks at JJ with a pointed look, she seems to understand and chuckles, nodding shortly.

Oh, they're communicating through telepathy now?

“You're both reckless.” Derek pats his shoulder, mentioning for something behind him. Just as Spencer is about to retort, he sees you through the transparent doors of your room, chuckling at something the doctor said. “See? She's awake.”

Spencer can't tell how long he stood there, staring at you until JJ nudged him.

“I've never seen you wearing scarves. Is that new?” She eyes the purple fabric around his neck with a little smile. His fingers brush against it absentmindedly.

“Uh, yeah. It's a gift. She gave it to me.” JJ blinks up at him in surprise, she was not expecting Spencer to just blurt it out like that. “... said it was something to remember her when we're apart.” His lips spread into a soft grin. He didn't even notice he was speaking out loud. “As if I can ever forget her.”

“Go see your girl, pretty boy. Stop staring.” Derek walked back towards them, pushing Spencer towards your room with a slight shove. Safe to say he hadn't heard anything Spencer said.

At first, JJ tries not to demonstrate her excitement too much. She thought that when Penelope told her they were seeing each other out of work it was a big fantasy created in her head. Everyone knew they had feelings for one another but nobody would dare think they were already past the friends phase. Oh, but JJ was so wrong. That fondness in Spencer was something new. A good something. And she couldn't be happier for the two of you.

“Hi,” you beam at the sight of your boyfriend entering the room.

“Hi.” Spencer kisses the top of your head and wraps an arm around your back as to not touch your injured arm. “How do you feel?”

“Ready to enter the jet and sleep the two hours we have until we land in Quantico.”

He cracks a smile, shaking his head. “You're unbelievable.”

You let out a half laugh, when your eyes met you saw a pinch of concern between his brows as he scanned you over.

“Spencer, I'm fine.”

“Can you maybe try and be more careful next time?” He says. “Don't lower your weapon while being on the aim of a serial killer?”

You hummed softly, adjusting the collar of his shirt behind the vest he was wearing. “Okay. Can you promise to do the same then? Cause you're just as reckless as me.”

He gaped at you. “I am not—”

“Spencer.”

He clips his mouth shut, blinking. “Fine? Okay. Yeah, fine.” He breathes out. “Just don't scare me like that again, please?” He pointedly says, brushing a stray strand behind your ear.

Your line of work was tough, especially if someone you deeply cared about was in the field with you. You couldn't just disconnect work and personal life in these kind of situations, as hard as you tried. Your heart leaped in your chest every time anyone from the team so much as got a minimum scratch. They're your family through and through.

And Spencer... Spencer was the love of your life. No doubt in that.

That's why it wasn't worth it to dwell on what happened in the field but focus on the after. Night outs to a bar, karaoke night, dinner at Rossi's — he makes a killer pasta — or, in this case, an Art Museum date with your boyfriend. Those moments made everything worth it.

The air shifts again. You study the room as you sit beside Spencer, trying to find any hints from what it might have caused that feeling. But everyone is paying attention to their own things and things seems normal. Or your profile skills are clouded by your exhaustion.

Something fuzzy wraps around your neck and the smell of amber and cinnamon took you to a familiar place.

“You forgot to bring a coat,” he said, tucking your hair behind your ears gently, adjusting the scarf on you. “It looks good on you too.” He shrugs, lips curling in a pout.

Can you blame yourself for wanting to kiss him so badly?

You don't do it, aware you were under profilers’ watchful eyes. Spencer lifted the arm of the seat so you could rest your head on his shoulder as he read — one time you revealed you liked the sound of page turning as he read and he made sure you always could rest against him. You might have missed the collective cooing around the jet as soon as you fell asleep but Spencer didn't and he tried to hide the tinge of red in his cheeks behind the book.

“Pay up.” Derek ordered with his hand outstreched to Emily, who promptly slapped it.

“You don't know how long.”

“My bet was that they were already seeing each other.”

“That's not fair,” Rossi chipped in. “We didn't established a period of time.”

Derek shrugs, “Not my problem. I won either way.”

“Penelope said the same thing.”

“Well, then babygirl and I won—”

“We still need a time.” Emily said thoughtfully, giving Derek his money with a huff. “This is extortion, Morgan.”

He chuckled, waving the twenty dollar bill in front of her. JJ rolled her eyes at the childishness. At the end, Derek had earned sixty bucks between grumblings of unfairness.

“When do you think?” Hotch broke the conversation, eyes not even lifting from his reports. Emily asked him what he was talking about. “I'd say that it became official in about a month.” He hadn't participated in the bet, but he could share a thing or two on the topic. God knows how long you you two have been pinning over each other.

Rossi narrowed his eyes at him, suspiciously, “You know something we don't, Aaron?”

“Just mere assumptions.”

It didn't take long for another bet to ensue. When the jet landed, each one stretched their limbs and prepared to go home, before anyone could move towards the exit, however, Spencer broke the silence.

“Hotch is right.” He said, grabbing both of your go-bags and following you out of the door.

“Did he just?” Emily froze half way standing up.

“That little shit.”

He didn't hold back the chuckle as a faint argument started.

“What are you laughing at?” You glance at him at the corner of your eye. He brushes you off, pulling you at his side by wrapping a hand around your waist. “Are you aware they can see us or...?” You queried, confused at his actions.

Spencer shrugs, kissing your temple. “They know.”

You bury your nose in the scarf and lean into his side, not even daring to ask what he means by that and neither do you look back at your friends. You'd rather face the teasing in the morning anyway.

#spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x reader #reader insert #criminal minds fanfiction #requested #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid fluff

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ironstrange1991 · 1 month

Text

A Night Like No Other

+18 Smut

Pairing: Doctor!Strange, Defender!Strange, Supreme!Strange x Female!Reader

Synopsis: It's Valentine's day night and you prepare a special night for your Stephens.

Word Count: 9,5k

Warnings: Polyamorous relationship dinamics, a little jealousy, mostly brain rot SMUT: oral sex with male and female receiving, vaginal and anal sex, double penetration, creampie, cum eating (There's probably more but I don't remember)

A/N: I'm so happy to finally be posting this fic. I know it's two months late, but I've put so much work into it that I really can't believe it's ready. I really hope you guys like it and have a great read ;)

"Not this one." You murmured, looking at your endless collection of heels in your closet. "No, definitely not this one. Maybe… this one." You took a pair of red sandals in your hands, but then changed your mind when your eyes found the perfect pair you knew you were looking for. A pair of black Christian Louboutin pumps.

You stood on tiptoe to reach them and then you smiled mischievously to yourself heading to the bedroom bench and put them on. It had been a while since you wore those and you couldn't deny that you felt so powerful in them.

You folded your legs on the bench, positioning your feet so that your heels were clearly visible and took a photo, sending it directly to your three main contacts and giggling to yourself while writing the most cliché pick-up line you could think of at that moment.

WHEN YOU GUYS GET HOME TONIGHT, THIS IS ALL I'LL BE WEARING. ♥️

You replicated the message to the other two Stephens, reading it out loud to make sure the message was clear enough: You were waiting for the three of them that night to celebrate Valentine's Day.

You remembered perfectly the fiasco that was the last one. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it definitely could have been a lot better. It had all happened because you weren't clear enough about what you wanted for the night, or at least you convinced yourself that it was your fault. You found you always put the blame on yourself so you didn't need to blame one Stephen or the other, but the truth was that navigating between the ego and jealousy of the three of them was the hardest thing you've ever had to do in your life.

It didn't take long for your cell phone to buzz with a response.

I WOULD ENJOY SO MUCH MORE IF THE SURPRISE WAS JUST FOR ME, BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO GET HOME TONIGHT.

You didn't need to read the name at the top of the message to know it was Supreme, but even if it was hidden behind jealousy, you could capture the anxiety he felt about returning home and it made you smile from ear to ear. God, you had been with the three Stephens for a little over a year and a half, but you seriously doubted you would ever get used to the way they made you feel. Every time they came home you felt butterflies in your stomach, each loving message made your heart flutter in your chest. It was beautiful and scary at the same time.

You left your shoes on the floor next to the bench and went back to the closet, slipping into jeans and a jumper.

As you were grabbing your bag and keys and heading to the doors to leave you heard the familiar hiss of a portal opening and a smile played on your lips before you saw it was just Wong.

"You shouldn't look so disappointed every time I come in. It's offensive." He said. You never knew when Wong was being serious or not, so you rushed to defend yourself.

"Today is Valentine's Day. I have reasons to be anxious for my boyfriends to get home."

Wong nodded as he dragged some boxes and then closed the portal. "Good thing you reminded me. That's reason enough for me not to want to be less than half a planet away from this Sanctum tonight. As if three Stranges wasn't reason enough."

"You say that, but I know deep down you can't live without Stephen, Wong." You smirked, unable to hold your tongue.

He scoffed "Yeah, right. Defender isn't that bad. The other two are the problem."

"Do not tell me that." You agreed "I'm going to the grocery store to get some things to prepare dinner. Do you want me to bring you something? I'm going to go near the Sandwich bar that sells that tuna melt that you love so much..."

"It's very kind of you to offer, but unfortunately - or fortunately - I'm returning to Kamar Taj."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye."

"Bye."

When you parked in parking lot you heard your cell phone ringing and ran to answer it when you saw Stephen's name on the display.

"Hello you"

"Sending indecent photos to distract me from work. You should be embarrassed, sweetheart."

"Really? And what's indecent about the photo of my feet wearing those shoes?"

You can almost see him smirking on the other end of the line before replying, "Other than the message you sent with it, you mean?"

You giggled to yourself "And how effective was my attempt to make you want to come home sooner?"

"Hm, very effective."

You were surprised by the sound of a horn and two drivers fighting each other.

"Where are you?" Stephen asked.

"Walmart’s parking lot. I came to get some things to prepare for our romantic Valentine's Day dinner that you guys have been owing me since last year."

"That's great. And how romantic will this dinner be?" He teased.

"Very romantic. The kind where you have to dress all nice for me and wear that cologne of yours that I love."

"Noted. It's a shame I'm going to have to share you tonight, I'd much rather have you all to myself."

You found yourself rolling your eyes and agreeing one hundred percent with Wong, Stephen and Supreme were indeed the problem.

"Behave yourself" You scolded him, taking your bag and walking towards the store entrance. "It's important for me to have you three tonight. I've wanted this for so long..."

"You just had us together last week" He groaned in frustration.

"I'm not talking about... sex, Stephen" You had to lower your voice to say the word as you picked up the cart and headed towards the produce section.

"Really? I must have been fooled by the photo and message you sent half an hour ago."

"Shut up. Of course sex is a big part of tonight, but it's not just about that. It's about being together, talking, listening to music and having good wine."

Stephen hummed "Romance."

"Exactly. Just because you've already won over the girl doesn't mean you don't need to be romantic anymore, Stephen."

He chuckled "I leave the romanticism to Defender, he's better than me at that... and pretty much everything else apparently."

You sighed, finishing picking up the vegetables and heading towards the refrigerators where you hoped to find a good piece of meat to roast with them.

"I love you, Stephen, but please, no display of jealousy tonight. Please?"

"Okay, I'll behave, I promise."

"Thank you."

"I need to go. See you tonight, love."

"See you, Steph."

You turned off your cell phone and put it in your pocket and dedicated yourself to getting the rest of the things that were missing and walked towards the cashier.

...

You weren't exactly a great cook like Defender, but you always had a willingness to learn and some skill so you could even say that you were good in the kitchen.

You chopped the vegetables that consisted of carrots, onions, green beans, broccoli and tomatoes and dedicated yourself to seasoning the meat and put everything together in a pan wrapped with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for what you knew would be at least 2 hours.

While you waited, you decided to take a shower and took the opportunity to shave every inch of your body to make it smooth to the touch. You blow-dried your hair and used a styling mousse and put it in curlers. You took the opportunity to do all the steps of your skin care and applied lotion all over your body, taking the opportunity to use some body oil to give your skin a little shine. You didn’t even notice time passing while you were distracted taking care of yourself and being surprised by the alarm you had set on your cell phone so as not to let you forget about the roast in the oven.

You put on a robe and went downstairs.

The roast was practically done, so you got rid of the aluminum foil, drizzled the meat with more olive oil and just a little fleur de sel and returned to the oven to brown.

When you heard your cell phone buzzing you wiped your hands and rushed to read the message and smile to yourself feeling your heart fluttering in your chest.

ALWAYS A TEASE, BABY. CAN'T WAIT TO GET HOME, JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES AND I'LL BE IN YOUR LOVELY ARMS. LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

You dedicated yourself to preparing the sauce for your pasta and left the pan full of water and salt on the stove, but besides that, everything needed to be put on hold because it was already past 6pm and you knew they would arrive at any moment and although the dinner was an important part of your evening, you were determined that sex should come first.

You turned off the roast, but kept it in the oven and prepared the table with a beautiful red tablecloth, positioning the plates and cutlery, glasses, and, of course, the candlesticks. A romantic dinner needs candlelight.

Once everything was organized, you went upstairs to finish getting ready. You let down your hair that fell in perfect waves to the middle of your back and put just a little gloss on your lips deciding that there was no reason to wear makeup since soon you would be with your face being pushed into the mattress. You smiled mischievously to yourself feeling the desire built inside you. You put on your heels and kept your promise not to wear anything other than them, keeping only the robe on until at exactly 7pm you heard the familiar squeak of a portal.

You smiled, feeling your cheeks get slightly warm and, taking off your robe, you left the room towards the entrance hall.

...

Stephen smiled to himself as he read the text you sent him. He would have replied it instantly if he hadn't been stuck in a meeting with the Avengers. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were going over all the details about the next mission and although Stephen knew the importance of resolving the problem as soon as possible, he was not at all happy about having to participate.

Supreme was at the meeting too, and Stephen could see the smile on his lips as he read a message on his cell phone that Stephen was sure was exactly the same as the one he had read. You wouldn't make the mistake of not being democratic in your provocation, not after the events of last Valentine's Day. It was extremely important to you that the three of them knew that you loved them equally.

Supreme quickly typed a response without bothering to be discreet, but Stephen preferred something more intimate, so he just put his cell phone back in the pocket of his robes.

"We will be in unknown territory, dealing with forces of which we have no knowledge..." Steve Rogers was pointing out the importance of concentrating on every detail of the plan, but was then cut off by Stark.

"Yeah, yeah, supernatural stuff. That's why we'll be taking with us not one, but two wizards."

Stephen rolled his lips, uncomfortable with the use of the wrong term. He wasn't a wizard and Stark knew that because he had already explained the difference a hundred times, but now Stephen was almost certain that Stark was referring to him that way to provoke him. Supreme, on the other hand, interrupted him, deciding to explain to the small Avengers audience.

"The correct term is sorcerer. Wizards are born with magic, we learned it with a lot of study and effort, although for us it came almost naturally."

Stark rolled his eyes, but continued with the explanation.

When the meeting ended Stephen managed to sneak into an empty room and call you. He wanted much more than just calling, he wanted to leave immediately, but first he needed to get back to Kamar Taj.

Once he and Supreme managed to leave the Avengers Tower, they headed directly there where they met with Wong and Defender and discussed matters relating to the maintenance of the Kamar Taj itself, the teaching and training of students, and the protection of the three Sanctums of power of the Earth. When the small informal meeting ended, Stephen looked at the clock realizing that it must already be almost 7pm in NY and was quick to decline Wong's offer to stay for tea.

"We have an appointment at home." Stephen explained evasively, but Wong smirked as if he knew more than Stephen could imagine.

"Sure, sure. Valentine's day and all. Y/n is planning a special night, I imagine."

Stephen nodded. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"You can call us if anything happens, as always." Defender added to what Supreme contradicted.

"Definitely not tonight. There are dozens of other masters you can call, Wong. We're off for the night and probably a good part of tomorrow as well."

Wong didn't bother to respond. He just closed some books that were on the table and organized them into a pile, picking them up and heading out the door.

"What a fucking day! I thought it would never end." Supreme complained.

"Let's go home" Defender said with a tired sigh and Stephen opened a portal being welcomed by the delicious smell of food and the realization of finally being home.

...

Defender Strange was sure that nothing in the world could be better than coming home and being greeted by his wife, but when he saw you coming down the stairs completely naked wearing only the heels you showed him in the photograph you sent earlier, he didn't know what to think. That fulfills all his fantasies.

You were beautiful. You are beautiful. The curvaceous body, the full breasts, the long hair cascading down to the middle of your back, little or no makeup other than a pink gloss on your lips and the typical smile of someone who promises and wants to be extremely provocative, but in reality it’s a shy little thing.

He didn't know how he was looking at you, much less how the other Stephens were reacting to that vision of paradise in front of them, but you stopped at the bottom of the stairs and your cheeks turned red.

"So?" Your voice sounded low.

Supreme took the initiative and approached you and touched your face affectionately and kissed your lips. Defender felt a pang of jealousy when you and Supreme were close, but he was used to not showing it and on the other hand - however contradictory it was - he couldn't deny that he liked seeing you with the other Stephens, that always turned him on.

"You look beautiful, honey."

Your cheeks turned a darker shade of red that Defender found charming.

"I confess the idea seemed sexier when I sent the message. Now I'm too self-conscious."

"You look beautiful" Defender and Stephen responded together and then laughed softly at the situation.

"Come here, give me a kiss, sweetheart. I loved the reception you prepared for us. You know I always love everything you do for us."

You took the hand he offered you and walked closer. Stephen grabbed the back of your head and pulled you to his lips and Defender felt his cock throb inside his pants. He wanted you so much. Ever since he saw that message, all he could think about was the moment he would have you on his lap riding him.

"I made dinner. Well, it's almost ready. There are still a few things to finish."

"I guess we can think about food later, don't you think?" Supreme suggested. "You have other needs that I want you to satisfy first." He smirked "That text... did things to me, honey."

Defender smirked. Supreme was so cheesy sometimes.

He finally approached you and touched your face.

"So bold sending us that photo when I know at home you're super shy, baby."

You blushed even more.

"Did you like it?"

"I loved the surprise. I loved that you prepared something special for our Valentine's Day. I love you so much, Y/n. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for having you in my life."

You wrapped your arms around his neck. "Defender Strange... how can I not love you when you say those things?"

He chuckled watching you hold his hand and take Stephen's hand and adjust it to hold them in one hand, while taking Supreme's hand with the other "Come on, let's go up stairs."

...

The master bedroom, Stephen's room, was the largest room in the Sanctum. Supreme had a hard time accepting Stephen staying with it, but he was aware that it made sense. For better or worse, Stephen was the Doctor Strange of that universe. That room was the setting for almost every night you had sex together for obvious reasons, it was the biggest room, it had the biggest bed and it felt the most right somehow and Supreme felt the familiar twist in his stomach caused by anxiety when you led the three of them directly to that room.

It was something difficult to explain and he never talked about it with the other Stephens - although he was sure the others felt the same way - but the reality was that he loved sharing you. He loved watching the other Stephens fuck you even though it also filled him with jealousy. Jealousy was hot.

Supreme still remembered the first time, it was your birthday and you had sex together for the first time. It was unforgettable, but everyone was so nervous and insecure that it was not possible to fully appreciate the moment. Now it was different. Foursomes became a common thing in your lives and every time it was incredible. Supreme always had the best orgasms when you let him cum in your mouth while he watched Defender and Stephen fucking you. It was so fucking hot. He was sure he could get stressed and jealous sometimes, but he could never be bored with the life you led. He often felt like he was living inside a porn movie. In the best way.

"Tell me, honey, what do you want to do with us tonight?" He teased when he realized how unsure you were about your next steps.

You bit your lip and then glanced to the two levitation cloaks still tied to his and Stephen's shoulders.

"Could you leave us alone for a moment?" You asked, gently stroking his blue cloak.

The two sentient relics flew out the door and slammed the door on the way out. His cloaky looking particularly offended at being left out.

"I'm pretty sure he wanted to stay and watch." Supreme joked, drawing a soft laugh from your lips.

"He's a brat. So different from Cloaky."

"The relic acquires the owner's behavior." Stephen teased.

"It's explained then" You said, approaching Supreme and kissing him with the passion he would never get used to. Sometimes it was impossible to understand how you could love him so much when he knew how complicated he was. But you loved him and that was always very clear in the way you touched him and especially kissed him.

You broke the kiss and smiled at him, "I love you. I know I say it every day, but today it's even more important to say it."

Supreme opened his mouth to respond, but you were ripped away from him by Stephen's arms, who pulled you to his chest in a clear display of jealousy. You giggled. You loved that. Supreme knew very well. You hated it when they fought - and they fought all the time - but you loved it all the same. You loved the triple attention you received, the kisses, the caresses and vows of love you received every day.

"Now you're going to have to say that to me too, sweetheart. You know I'm a jealous man." Stephen teased and you let out small giggles.

You held his face in your hands and spoke softly. "And I thought Supreme was the most jealous of the Stephens."

"Don't underestimate me, love."

You smiled openly, "I love you, Steph. You know how much."

He smiled proudly, "Then show me, kiss me and call me what you call me when we're alone."

Supreme felt the familiar tightening in his chest that jealousy caused in him and you gave Stephen a reprimanding glare.

"Come on, sweetheart. They know."

Supreme rolled his eyes when you smiled in surrender and kissed Stephen hard.

"I love you Steph. My Stephen."

He smiled smugly, but it was cut off by your direct order. "Now get in that shower, because I love you, but you're all sweaty."

He chuckled nodding in agreement "Yes ma'am."

Supreme even tried to stop himself from laughing, but he couldn't. However, you approached him right away.

"You too, Stephen. You three are sweaty."

He smirked "Want me to get in the shower with him?"

Defender chuckled, but said nothing.

"The idea is temptingly sexy, but I think you'd better use your shower."

He agreed, but couldn't help but point out "I thought we would get straight to the best part, that you were missing us so much and couldn't wait to have us in your arms."

"I am and that was the idea, but reality often prevails over fantasy and the three of you are smelling the heat of Kathmandu."

Ouch. "Okay, I'm coming." He said surrendering. Stephen was already in the shower, the sound of the water indicating that Supreme was behind in the race to get back into your arms first.

...

You were super self-conscious about being the only naked person there and wearing those heels on top of that. The sexy image of the situation that popped into your head when you sent the text to them was long gone, but all it took was a smile from Defender to make you feel better.

"I'm still surprised by how naturally you can deal with the three of us, you know? It's almost as if you were made for us." He said pulling you into his arms.

"Almost?" You asked with a raised eyebrow, to which he smiled in surrender.

"Definitely made for us." He corrected and kissed you tenderly.

"Practice makes perfect."

"In our case, I would say that time has helped a lot. Do you remember last year?" He teased to which you grimaced.

"Don't even remind me."

He laughed softly "I'm going to take a shower too. Wait for me. Promise?"

You smiled throwing yourself onto the bed "I'll be right here. Don't be long."

You lay down on the bed, pulling Stephen's pillow close to your nose so you could bask in his scent and a victorious smile played on your lips as you realized for the thousandth time that you were about to go to bed with three Stephens. Sex was important. God, the sex was incredible, but what really enchanted you about it was the realization of being loved by Stephen. Some people are never loved, you were loved and not just once but three times and by the same man. That meant something.

Defender always talked to you about how he believed that the love you felt for each other went beyond the barriers of universes and you couldn't say how, but you were sure he was right. You loved Stephen the moment you first saw him and it was like that with Defender and Supreme and god help you, you would never say that to them, but if ten more Stephens appeared in your universe, you would have no choice but to love them too.

You were so absorbed in your own thoughts that you even noticed that Stephen had gotten out of the shower, only realizing it when his baritone voice pulled you out of your reverie.

"A penny for your thoughts." He teased and you smiled, rolling over on the bed so you could see him. He was wet from the shower, the towel tied around his waist but hanging dangerously below his v line, his hair wet and carelessly pulled back.

"God, you're a beautiful bastard."

He raised his eyebrow and a cocky smile played on his lips.

"So that's what you were thinking about? How beautiful I am?"

You rolled your eyes dramatically. "Don't be cocky. Come on, put your tongue to do something more productive than bragging."

He threw himself on the bed, crawling over you and tickling the sides of your ribs, which made you giggle.

"No, please Steph, I can't..."

"Not so bossy now, are you?" " He teased "Then tell me how you want me to use my tongue then."

You held his face in your hands. “Like this.”

You kissed him hard and he hummed adorably on your lips, but soon after he took control of the kiss and started to grind an obvious erection on your thigh.

"Look what you do to me. You haven't even touched me yet and I'm already like this. To be honest, you've made me hard since you sent me that photo. You have no idea how much I wanted to abandon what I was doing and come home to fuck you."

You smiled smugly and kissed his lips again "It worked then."

"You have no idea" He said on your lips "But I would rather have this night just for the two of us."

You pouted "Behave. You know how important it is for me to have these moments for the four of us, especially on special dates like today."

He smirked "I know you're dirty and insatiable, that's why you need three of me to handle you."

You felt your face flush, but there was no reason to deny it. "It's true, but it's only because I love you so much. That's what I was thinking actually, how I love you so much to the point of loving three versions of you."

He kissed you and went back to grinding himself on your thigh. He was trying to hold back, but you knew he was dying to have you and knowing that made you feel so powerful.

"Sometimes I think I don't deserve so much love..."

"Shhh, of course you do. You deserve that and more. And you can accuse me as much as you want of being insatiable for wanting three of you, but we both know that you like sharing me in bed."

Now it was his turn to blush and that made a petulant smile appear on your lips.

"Do not tease me." He warned, but you weren't about to go back on your words.

"Why not? What are you going to do? Fuck me senseless? Hard and rough? Thank god, that’s what I want."

He held your chin tight. "That's what you're going to get if you don't behave."

"Then I won't behave." You threatened and Stephen pulled you into his lips, but the two of you were interrupted by the creak of the door opening and Supreme's voice.

"And why won't you behave, honey?" He asked and you just smiled watching him approach. He was only dressed in sweatpants and his face was slightly flushed showing that he had shaved before coming back to you. He threw himself on the bed and opened his arms waiting for you to throw yourself into them and Stephen rolled to the other side of the bed letting you have your moment together.

You hugged him and he wrapped you in his arms kissing you hard and then looked at Stephen waiting for an answer.

"She's being a brat and I warned her there will be consequences." Stephen informed Supreme and you laughed, turning to face him, but letting yourself be enveloped and pulled closer by Supreme's arms.

"Maybe I want to be punished." You confessed and Supreme groaned, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

"What did we do to deserve a girl like you, honey?"

You let out a small laugh "I hope you mean that positively."

He giggled "Always."

Stephen laughed softly and Supreme pulled you into his lips again. You let yourself be guided, your hands touched his face and a satisfied hum escaped your lips.

"You shaved. I prefer it like this." You said with a smirk to which he chuckled.

"You live with a Stephen who has a goatee and another who has a full beard but can't handle a little stubble?

You shook your head, stroking his face. "It's not the same. I like having a clean shaved Stephen." You rum your index finger on his chin "It's smooth"

Stephen giggled and you rolled closer to him pulling him to your lips “I like the differences.”

"Yeah, we know" They both laughed softly and you took turns holding their lips and hands and that felt like heaven to you. There was no other word to explain it.

Defender arrived a minute later, his hair loose as it rarely was and wearing a pair of pajama pants that made his v line and a prominent erection very visible. You wondered if he had been hard the whole time or if seeing you in bed with Stephen and Supreme had immediately left him in that state. You knew well that Defender liked to observe. All three liked it.

"We've been waiting for you, baby. Come here." You reached out to him and sat on the bed between the Stephens to welcome him with a kiss. Your arms wrapped around his neck and he let himself be pulled on top of you, your legs opening for him to settle between them to which he moaned softly.

"She's so greedy" Stephen told Supreme "...and so fucking perfect. Fuck, sweetheart. I need you."

You smiled smugly on Defender's lips and gently pushed him to let you stand up.

"So tell me what you guys want. I confess I spent the day thinking about sucking your cocks."

"So fucking dirty." Defend hissed.

"She was never a saint, but I admit she got a lot worse with your arrival." Stephen replied with that beautiful smile on his lips.

You loved that. You loved it when they talked about you like that between them, you loved seeing them understanding each other and talking to each other as if they were a single person - which in fact they were - it was a strong turn on for you.

Supreme smiled seeming to read your mind. "I think she might start with that, don't you? I can only speak for myself, but I've been dying for a blowjob ever since I saw that text."

Stephen nodded "Yeah, me too. But I'm going to want more than a simple blowjob and she knows that."

Defender chuckled and you pouted feigning innocence.

"Are you going to let these two mean Stephens abuse me, baby?"

He cupped your face in his hands and hummed condescendingly, "More than that, baby. I'll love watching."

You could have cum with just those words. You were so wet between your legs that your thighs were sticking together and you could smell your arousal. All that teasing, the game you played was exactly what worked for you, it was what made you love having the three of them at the same time and it worked perfectly when they behaved themselves and tonight they were more than determined to behave, apparently.

"I think I saw a blush on these cheeks." Stephen teased and you stuck your tongue out at him.

"Shut up and get comfortable you three."

They laughed and got comfortable on the bed, sitting next to each other and that sight never failed to impress you. It was so pornographically glorious. You smiled to yourself and tied your hair in a bun with the same determination as a warrior preparing for a fight. You were definitely a woman on a mission.

"Come here, sweetheart, I want to be first." Stephen asked, extending his hand to you. You crawled over to him and kissed him sweetly and your hands freed him from the towel. He raised his hips enough for you to pull and throw it on the floor. He was so hard already. The tip was red and slightly sticky with precum. You couldn't resist, so you held him tight and kissed his head feeling your eyes close and a moan of satisfaction escape your lips as the other Stephens giggled.

"Don't get cock drunk yet, honey, there are two more cocks to suck." Supreme teased.

Stephen held your face, taking his cock in his hand and impatiently directing it into your mouth. "Take it, sweetheart. Give me a hard suck."

You opened your mouth big for him and did as he asked, emptying your cheeks to suck hard, which made him moan outrageously loud. "Oh yeah, sweetheart. Show me what you can do."

But he didn't give up control, on the contrary, he held the back of your head and pushed you against his dick making you swallow it whole and gag in the process.

"Look at that!" Supreme exclaimed and you couldn't see him now with your eyes closed, but you'd bet all your chips that he had his cock in his hands, jacking off as he watched. He was dirty like that, and you loved that about him.

You could barely breathe with your mouth stuffed with Stephen's cock like that, tears welled up in your eyes and ran down your face.

"She takes it so perfectly." Defender pointed out. "She was made for us, wasn’t she?"

Stephen moaned in satisfaction, taking his cock out of your throat to let you breathe.

"I could cum in your throat right now. That's how good this mouth in my cock feels, sweet girl."

You coughed and ran your hands over your face to wipe away the tears and smiled. "I love when you call me like that."

Stephen smirked, "Yeah? You love everything I do to you, sweetheart. Now come here and give me a kiss before I let you go with them."

You let yourself be pulled to his lips and kissed him hard, your fingers tangling in his hair.

"I love you." You said between his lips.

"I love you too. Go now and make me proud."

"Always" You assured, letting yourself be enveloped by Defender's arms. He kissed you hard. Harder than usual and his fingers tangled in your hair and your knees went weak.

"Seeing you with them drives me crazy, baby. I can't deny that I like this more than I should." He confessed in your ear, but loud enough for the others to hear.

"They like it too" You teased throwing a mischievous glance at the other two. "Let's give them something to watch."

Defender smirked letting you free him from his pants. He wasn't wearing any underwear and you doubted there was anything sexier than a handsome man wearing pants without underwear. You threw his pants on the floor and planted a kiss on his lips before spitting into your hand and holding him, moving up and down slowly, keeping eye contact with him the entire time.

One of the things that became increasingly clear to you as time went by was that they were different in almost every way even though they were the same person. With Defender what worked was calmness, glances, affection. He might fuck you harder eventually, but almost every time you made love it was slow, calm and delicious. And that was how he liked to be touched.

He bit his lip to hold back a moan when you bent down and gave a long lick from the base to the tip, stopping to flick your tongue on the head.

You smiled proudly. "Don't hold back, baby. Let me hear you. I like hearing how happy I'm making you." You asked, taking him in your mouth and sucking slowly, using your tongue all the time the way he liked.

He moaned louder, but still restrained. One of his hands grabbed your hair, but he didn't push. Defender never pushed. "So, so happy, baby. Shit... this lips feels so good wrapped around my cock like that."

You felt his cock throbbing in your mouth and you took it out of your mouth smiling your best smile at him. "Yeah? Your cock feels amazing pulsing in my mouth too. But I don't want you to cum yet, baby."

He shook his head "It doesn't matter, you know I have as many rounds as you want to give you."

"Shit, that sounded presumptuous even to us, but coming from him it sounds even weirder." Supreme teased, but Defender completely ignored him pulling you into his lips.

"Tell me you love me." He asked softly on your lips and you buried your face in his neck, surrendering to his charm.

"More than anything, baby. Love you so much."

Defender held your chin and kissed you softly. "Better not let Supreme hear that." He said with a provocative smile on his lips that wasn't really like him, but that made him even more handsome.

Impatient, Supreme took your hand pulling you from Defender's lap gently but insistently. "Come here, honey. I've waited too long."

You couldn't help but giggle at the serious way he said it. As if you were somehow making him suffer by waiting his turn.

You let yourself be manhandled and he positioned you straddling his lap. "Always you, isn't it, Supreme Strange?"

He smirked positioning his shaking hands to the sides of your neck and pulling you into a hungry kiss.

"You complain, but you love the way I am, honey."

You could have rolled your eyes, but you didn't want to provoke him so you didn't. "If what you want is for me to suck your cock, you should try to be less cocky."

He gave you that beautiful sideways smile of his, "But I know you want to blow me as much as I want it."

"Seriously, just for tonight, can't you be less of yourself, Supreme?" Stephen complained and although you weren't looking at him, you could almost hear his eyes rolling.

"You better get to work, honey."

You let out a small giggle and dismounted his lap, helping him get rid of the pants he was wearing and immediately took him in your hands. He was so deliciously hard for you, the tip wet with precum from being stimulated by his own hands. You licked the tip to savor the salty taste and this time you couldn't stop your eyes from rolling back, but for an entirely different reason.

"Oh fuck, honey. Put it all in your mouth, please. Suck it hard, make me cum. I don't care. You know I'm going to stay hard for you anyway."

You did exactly what he asked, adding one hand to his balls, stimulating him as much as possible, rotating the other hand at the base while sucking and licking. Taking your time and enjoying it as much as him.

"So delicious... fuck, honey, keep going just like that. Gonna fill your mouth with milk. I spent all day thinking about doing that."

You hummed contentedly and went even deeper, taking him all the way to the back of your throat and hearing the sounds of approval from the other Stephens at the same time as you felt the mattress dipping and Stephen moving in your peripherals.

"Get your pretty ass up for me, sweetheart." Stephen asked, slapping your ass cheek and you obeyed, moaning loudly when you felt his tongue lapping your folds, the friction of his goatee making you see stars. You immediately started moving your hips against his mouth and he grabbed your thighs, correctly taking the action as encouragement.

Supreme grabbed your hair with one of his hands and pushed you against his cock making you swallow him completely.

"F-Fuck... take it, honey. Take all of it. Oh shit." He moaned loudly spilling down your throat and making your eyes water. He took his cock out of your mouth allowing you to vocalize the pleasure that Stephen's fierce tongue was providing you now that he was sucking your ass.

This was new for you and you didn't understand how it could be so pleasurable, but Stephen had the gift of addicting you to new and different things and you loved it. Sex with them could never get boring.

Supreme patted your cheek and ran his hand through the hair that insisted on falling across his forehead. "That mouth of yours is otherworldly, honey. I just put my dick inside it and I cum."

You smiled, but before you could respond a moan broke through your lips when Stephen added his fingers to the sum of the stimulation, penetrating you with them.

"That's it. Moan loudly for us. Let us hear how good it feels." Supreme teased, holding your chin with one hand and making you suck his index finger.

“Delicious,” Stephen rasped. "I could spend the whole night like this."

But contrary to what he said, he pulled away enough to direct his cock at your entrance and forced it slowly. "So fucking tight. No matter how many times I fuck this pussy, it's always so tight."

You moaned loudly feeling yourself being impaled by his cock and Supreme smirked at something Defender said and walked away letting him get closer to you.

"I want your mouth a little more, baby. Please." He asked, kneeling on the bed in front of you. You placed your hands on his thighs and took him in your mouth again, sucking voraciously. It was hard to be gentle when Stephen was fucking you so hard.

Defender took your hair in his hands and let himself be carried away by the moment. "Fuck baby, so good. You suck my cock so good."

You kept your eyes open to watch him, he had his eyes fixed on Stephen fucking you and you knew that was exactly what was making his dick throb so hard in your mouth. The obscenity of it all.

"Oh God, baby. I love watching you get fucked like this. So fucking hot."

Stephen slapped your ass in agreement. "Come on, sweetheart, suck his cock and make him cum in your mouth. I want to see it." He ordered, increasing the strength of his thrusts, which became increasingly irregular.

Defender moaned loudly and you felt his thighs shaking. "Oh baby... gonna cum... oh yeah baby, can I cum in your mouth?"

You hummed positively and a part of your brain thought it was cute that he had even bothered to ask.

"F-Fuck... oh come on baby... take it..." His voice sounded broken as hot cum filled your mouth. A lot of it.

"So fucking good..." He mumbled between moans, caressing your face and taking his cock out of your mouth. "Let me see it."

You obeyed, opening your mouth so he could see his cum inside and then swallowing and sticking your tongue out at him dramatically so he could see.

"Beautiful. So fucking beautiful." He murmured, bending down to kiss you and Stephen moaned loudly, giving two harder thrusts and then spilling himself inside you.

"Oh fuck, sweetheart... You're too good to be true." He confessed breathlessly and then pulled out. His cum dripping down your abused pussy.

Your legs shook and you fell face down on the mattress, but Supreme pulled you into his arms.

"Look what you do to us. It's impossible to last when you're so irresistible."

You smiled, pulling him to your lips. "Is this a complaint?"

You heard Defender and Stephen giggling and the sound filled your heart with such great love with the realization that you were having this moment together and they weren't fighting each other, on the contrary, you could swear that at that point they were practically united against you and you didn't know if you could take it.

"And what man would be crazy to complain about having a woman like you, honey?"

You pulled him back to your lips while squeezing your thighs together. They could have had theirs, but you needed to have yours and if possible, you wanted to have it more than once.

Supreme got the message quickly and got between your legs, spreading them with his arms and holding them open while he eat you. He didn't care that Stephen had cum in you seconds before and the notion of that only made the oral even more pleasurable. Your back arched and your eyes closed immediately and a pornographic moan escaped your lips. You could cum right then if he continued, but Supreme had other plans. He licked your ass, leaving enough saliva there and directed his dick at your entrance, penetrating it slowly.

You still remembered the first time you had anal, it was with Supreme and you were so uncertain about the whole thing, but now you loved it, you loved the strange sensation and the peculiar pleasure that took over once he was inside you. . You liked it so much that you wondered if there was something wrong with you since women aren't supposed to enjoy it that much.

Supreme moaned loudly, laying on top of you slowly and giving your body time to get used to the sensation, then he grabbed your thigh and pulled it so that you intertwined your legs around his waist, allowing him to go even deeper.

"Oh Stephen... feels so good." You confessed, wrapping your arms around him. "Move, please."

He did as you asked, moving slowly at first, but gradually increasing the intensity of his thrusts until he reached a frantic rate.

"Y-Yes, oh yes, Steph, just like that, fuck me just like that..."

He took your lips in a desperate kiss, fucking you at the same rhythm incessantly, the bed creaked, the headboard hit the wall and your moans were so loud. Next thing you know, you had one of your hands between you rubbing your clit to get as much stimulation as possible and your legs were shaking and you felt like you were about to cum. No one could be more sexually fulfilled than you at that moment, but that was exactly the problem, you didn't want to finish, not yet.

"Wait... Stephen... wait. Gonna cum... don't make me cum yet."

He stopped and pulled out with a cocky smile plastered on his lips. "That good, uh? Want me to stop for a bit and let the others have fun with you now?"

You nodded biting your bottom lip. Something about the way he said it sounded so dirty.

He rolled to the side running his hand through his hair "You can barely handle one, how can you handle the three of us?" He teased and you found the strength within you to tease back "I can take it. I always do."

He chuckled in satisfaction at your response and you opened your arms allowing Defender to snuggle into them.

"Baby, I need you. Tell me you're ready for me again."

He let himself be hugged and kissed you hard. His lips moved up to your ear and he confided. "I haven’t even softened, baby."

You pulled him to your lips again, but pushed him away so you could get on top of him. He hummed contently letting you take control and direct him inside you. It was to be imagined, given the rivalry that existed between them, that Defender would not like to be in a submissive position when the other Stephens were around. In fact, it was like that at first, but now he didn't care and you were sure the others loved watching. Before Defender you weren't used to being in that position, but with him you got a taste for it and there was nothing in the world that made you feel more powerful than riding him.

His shaking hands grabbed your waist and he moaned loudly feeling you sink down onto his dick. You grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him to your lips, kissing him desperately as you began to move up and down and gyrating your hips sensually as you did so. You lolled your head back, letting yourself be carried away by the pleasure you felt and Defender took the opportunity to bury his face between your breasts. The other Stephens watched attentively and Stephen, unable not to intervene, grabbed your chin and kissed you.

You kept your pace fast and steady, your body responding to the sensations in all the right ways.

"Oh god, baby, cock feels so good inside me, make me wanna cum so hard." You confessed between moans and Defender pulled you back to his lips.

"Cum for me then, baby. Don't hold back. We've all had one, it's your turn now. You can use me to have it. Fuck me any way you want."

How sweet. He was always so sweet and wonderful all the time that it didn't surprise you that the others were a little more jealous when compared to him and to be honest, you loved it.

"Oh shit, baby. Gonna cum." You moaned loudly, riding him faster and harder, feeling the familiar knot tighten in your stomach.

You placed your hands on his shoulders and your pussy contracted tightly around him.

"Fuck baby... squeezing me so hard... gonna make me cum too."

You were so lost in your pleasure that you could barely form a complete sentence "Please... with me."

Defender moaned loudly, wrapping his arm around your waist and helping you move on top of him and your hands got lost in his hair, pulling him to your lips in one last act of passion and ecstasy until you both came together amidst moans and loudly breathing.

You both came down from your high slowly and there was a proud smile on Defender's lips. He kissed you gently and helped you dismount him.

"Come here, sweetheart." Stephen asked, sitting down and pulling you onto his lap. "Let's play a little, what do you think? Me, you and Supreme. You always feel so tight with two dicks inside you."

You bit your bottom lip feeling your cheeks flush, but you let yourself be manhandled. He positioned you on top of his dick and entered you slowly. The squelching sound it made from you being filled with cum was so obscene and so good. You moaned loudly. It didn't matter that you had just cum, you wanted more.

Stephen kissed you and moaned into the kiss. Supreme came from behind, positioning himself in the best way to make the three of you comfortable. The tip of his cock poked your ass and you closed your eyes feeling him slowly penetrate you. It was always a strange sensation, you felt too full and uncomfortable before the pleasure appeared, but it appeared and was always very strong.

"Oh yeah, honey, such a tight ass... squeezing my dick so hard."

You moved slow. Stephen held your waist and helped you slowly move up and down and Supreme carefully moved back and forth. The thing with double penetration is that it's not like it is in the movies, for all parties involved to feel pleasure you need to do it slowly, but once you learn how to do it, it's addictive.

"Oh Stephen... feels so good."

You let yourself be pulled into Supreme's lips and then back into Stephen's as they both thrust into you at a lazy, infectious pace. You loved being fought over like that, there was something devilishly sexy about taking turns between two men's lips. "So fucking good... fucking me... good."

The two laughed softly, observing that you could barely formulate a sentence at that point.

Supreme placed one hand on the headboard and the other on your shoulder and increased the strength of his thrusts and you and Stephen moaned together with the increased stimulation.

"Shit, gonna cum in your ass, honey. Its too good... too tight... I can't..."

He moaned loudly and the grip of his hand on your shoulder also tightened and you felt him cuming inside you.

"F-fuck yes..." He gasped "Oh shit." He grabbed your chin and pulled you into a hard kiss and then pulled out and threw himself on the bed.

Stephen took the opportunity to hold you around your waist and place you underneath him with your face on the mattress and your ass in the air. He quickly penetrated you again and you moaned loudly feeling the delicious sensation of being fucked from behind. But he wasn't gentle, he was too far beyond that, too lost in his own pleasure.

Thrust after thrust he fucked you, pushing your face against the mattress and moaning loudly, completely surrendered, looking for his release.

"You love this, don't you?" He teased "Tell me how much you love taking it from behind."

You moaned loudly feeling like you were close to cumming again. That was something that before the Stephens you thought was impossible, but anal orgasms were possible and were usually the most intense ones you had.

"Steph... gonna make me cum... again." You confessed, completely surrendering to him.

"Yeah? Are you going to cum with my dick in your ass? So fucking dirty. You love being a dirty girl for us, don't you? That's why you sent that text to the three of us, because you wanted to be fucked like that... like a fucking whore."

“Y-yes” You stammered feeling his teasing push you over the edge.

"Then be a good girl and cum with daddy's cock in your ass. Show the other Stephens how much you enjoy it. Come on, sweetheart, I'm right behind you. I'm going to fill this sweet ass with cum."

You moaned loudly, letting yourself be pushed towards the oblivion of everything earthly and launching yourself into ecstasy. Your legs shook beneath him, your entire body shook with the force of your orgasm.

Stephen gave three more thrusts and stopped completely, moaning and letting himself spill inside you. When he was done he brushed your hair away from your face and kissed the top of your head gently and then pulled out and rolled it to the side.

It took you a few seconds to catch your breath and finally turn around and face the ceiling with a silly smile on your lips.

"This was amazing." You praised before giving in to the giggles. "I doubt there is a woman in this world who is more sexually fulfilled than I am tonight."

The three giggled and you felt yourself being pulled into Stephen's arms. He kissed the top of your head before pulling you to his lips. "I can say the same, sweetheart. No man could be happier than we are to have you."

You wrapped your arms around him and felt the tiredness domination you.

“Tired?” Stephen teased.

You smiled lazily “ I think I need a shower, I'm dripping cum."

The three of them burst into laughter and Defender took the lead, extending his hand to you and helping you stand up.

...

"The pasta is ready, baby, we can add it to the sauce now." Defender reported being extremely helpful. He had offered to help you finish dinner while the other Stephens were in the shower and you couldn't refuse to have that sweet domestic moment with him.

"The sauce is already boiling. Can you add the pasta for me while I stir?"

He did as you asked and came back with the parmesan cheese he had magically grated for you to use.

Without holding back, he stole a strand of pasta to try. "It's divine, love. I love the food you make, the seasoning you add... divine." He praised searching for your lips. You kissed him softly and then pulled away, handing him the platter with the roast and vegetables. "Can you take this to the table for me, baby?"

He nodded, taking the dish and walking away and you couldn't help but laugh when you realized how you both were dressed. So different from what you had planned and yet so perfect. He was shirtless, barefoot, with his hair in a bun and was only wearing pajama pants.

"What is it?" He asked confused.

"Nothing" You said "I just realized that we're going to have our romantic dinner dressed like we're having a sleepover."

He smirked "I like seeing you in my old t-shirts."

You smiled hearing the familiar chatting of the other Stephens approaching. "And I love wearing them. Now take these and come back to get the pasta."

He smiled “Yes, love.”

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing!

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@thealleydog @anadlockfan @pinkthick @loverofallbroken @butchers-girl @ironstrangeheart @asgards-princess-of-mischief @slytherinqueen4life @spideybv28 @pxanonymous16-blog

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fortheloveofbuddie · 9 months

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Fuck it Friday

Tagged by the lovely @watchyourbuck 💗

Didn’t quite make it for Friday but anyway here’s my first ever attempt at posting some of my writing ahhh

Also I apologize for any typos lol, I have not read it through ✌🏻

Eddie was barely awake when his phone vibrated on the night stand right next to his head, casting a blue hue onto the ceiling.

He normally put it on silent during the night but this night was different. He had had an argument with Buck a few days ago and they hadn’t made amends. So he didn’t want to miss a single opportunity to talk to him.

2:47 AM

“Really?” Eddie mumbled to himself and put his phone in front of his face, the words on the screen fading into one another the longer that he looked at them.

His eyes started to slowly close again but shot open as his phone vibrated once more. And again. And again.

6 unread messages

Eddie sat up further in the bed, trying to make sense of Buck’s texts that mostly just looked like he had typed while almost dropping his phone. Or had it in his back-pocket. Or a combination of the two.

Rubbing his eyes made the words or at least, letters, in front of Eddie become clearer by the second and by his third, possibly fourth re-read, Buck’s messages started to make sense. It wasn’t Eddie’s first time decoding Buck’s drunken texts.

I know that it was my fault

I’m sorry

I was wrong

Eddie don’t answer now

I need to say this

I love you

The last message was the only one without any spelling errors and it was like Eddie’s heart stopped in his chest, his mouth dried up and his phone suddenly weighed the same as a brick, his palms dropping to his thighs. He lifted the phone back up to his face, thinking that the words on the screen might have changed since then.

I love you

They had said it before but that was before they got together and it just held so much more meaning now. Yet the first time that Buck told him this was in a drunken haze and suddenly it didn’t feel that great anymore.

So he left the messages unanswered. Read but unanswered. He crawled back under his duvet but wasn’t able to sleep.

I love you too, Buck

The words were typed out, staring him right back in the face, almost provoking him to do it. Not like this.

He didn’t remember falling asleep but he was woken up by knocking on the front door. It became more and more persistent when he tried to ignore it.

Eddie got out of bed and pulled on a shirt, his head heavy after tossing and turning all night.

He unlocked the door and right as he was about to open it, someone in the hallway pushed it open and Buck stood in front of him with a sheepish expression on his face.

“Buck” Eddie breathed out like he wasn’t expecting to see him and the well of feelings that had come over in him in the night hit him like a wave. He swallowed harshly and took a step backwards into the living room, letting Buck walk past him. Eddie crossed his arms firmly across his chest, letting his eyes wander over Buck’s body and face.

“I didn’t know if you’d want me to use my key or not” Buck smiled briefly and held the key out in his hand before placing it back in his pocket.

“No, it’s fine” Eddie said, nodding slightly before he dropped his arms to his sides and walked into the kitchen.

Buck was freshly showered, the scent of his cologne following him like this delicious smelling cloud that Eddie couldn’t help but to discreetly inhale. He could never get enough of that. Buck’s baby blue eyes were however glassy and somber, now showing how he truly felt as he stepped closer to Eddie.

“You left me on read” Buck stated as he leaned against a counter, his eyes dropping to the floor.

“Yes” Once again, Eddie’s voice sounded harsher than he intended for it to be but he also couldn’t help it. “I did” He continued, leaning against the counter opposite Buck.

“I’m sorry. For all of it. I shouldn’t have said what I did the other day, it was out of line. And last night, I shouldn’t have..” Buck hesitated as he caught Eddie’s eyes with his.

The pause in Buck’s sentence didn’t help the uneasy feeling that Eddie had in his stomach and he rubbed his hands across his face to hide how it was affecting him. The only problem with that was that Buck knew him well enough to know why he was acting like that.

Buck took a few more cautious steps towards Eddie, closing the distance between them by gently placing his hands on Eddie’s hips, watching for a reaction and when Eddie didn’t move, neither did he.

“Eddie, what I said last night, I shouldn’t have written that in a text. I don’t want you to think that I only said it to end an argument because that’s not why. I said it because you make my life better. I said it because the way that I feel for you, I don’t and have never felt for someone else. Because you help me heal. In here” Buck took Eddie’s hand and placed it above his heart, Eddie keeping it steady there.

Eddie dropped his hand and moved it under Buck’s shirt, tracing the soft skin right above his hipbone. His heart was pounding against his ribs and he was almost convinced that Buck was able to hear each individual beat.

“You left me on read” Buck chuckled lightly, the tension between them slowly becoming less tangible as Eddie finally dared to make eye contact with the man in front of him.

His boyfriend. The man that he loves.

“I did” Eddie confirmed once again and Buck wrapped his arms around the back of Eddie’s neck, letting their chest touch against one another and Eddie knew that Buck would have to be able to feel his heart racing like crazy. And he was right. It didn’t take more than a few seconds before Buck glanced down between them and then back into Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie felt his cheeks slowly becoming heated and he leaned slightly away from Buck but it was too late.

“I just..” The words got caught in the back of Eddie’s mouth and he had to close his eyes briefly to compose himself. Buck closed the distance between them once again by planting a gentle kiss on Eddie’s pink lips, it was so gentle that it almost tickled instead of anything else.

Eddie ran his hands over Buck’s back, let them move across his shoulders and up to the back of his neck, his fingertips touching the soft curls that he loved so much. He kissed Buck a bit more firmly and when they broke apart, Buck’s eyes were looking softly back at him.

“Eddie?” Buck said, now feeling his pulse rise too.

“Yes?” Eddie replied, watching Buck’s body language change, his shoulders tensing slightly as he got nervous.

“I love you” Buck’s voice was filled with joy and nothing but confidence radiated on his face as he finally spoke. He loves Eddie Diaz. He loves him so much that it makes his entire body ache for more all the time. He loves him so much that he’s almost scared to say it out loud.

“I love you too, Buck. You have no idea how much” Eddie eventually said as he got over the initial shock of hearing it for the first time instead of just reading it on a screen. He loves Evan Buckley and every fiber of his being.

Tagging: @buckleyobsessed @eddiediaztho @buckleydiaz @belovedbuddie @barbiediaz @cinematics123 @buddiex 💗 (lemme know if you don’t wanna be tagged in the future)

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lizardonatoadstool · 3 months

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Oakie the Acorn is the Best Mascot Ever

I don’t even go to this school I just love them. Here’s an interview they did for SUNY Mascot Madness.

Oakie - SUNY ESF

Who are you, where are you originally from, and where do you do your mascot thing? I'm Oakie Acorn (they/them), proud representative of ESF and its Mighty Oaks athletic teams! I was “born” when I fell out of ESF's Robin Hood Oak which means my roots go back to the Major Oak in England's Sherwood Forest. Maybe that's why I'm so merry! While most of my mascot duties have me in Syracuse, I also pop in at our Ranger School in Wanakena and our satellite campuses in the Adirondacks and Thousand Islands.

What's a unique new thing (building, club, activity, employee, etc.) on your campus that you treasure? The newly renovated Marshall Hall is wonderful! Open since 1933, Marshall underwent a major two-year reno re-opening in 2023. We kept the classic features, such as the spiral staircase and auditorium, while updating the building to a state-of-the-art learning center with spaces tailored to the needs of today's students. The building is home to our Landscape Architecture, Environmental Studies, and mathematics programs. Along with great classroom and studio space, there are plenty of study nooks for students to tuck in and do work between classes or meet with friends.

If you could start your own club or major on campus, what would it be? Wow! Difficult question because ESF has so many unique clubs, activities, and majors already! That said, I'd love to start an a capella group – Oak-apella! I don't speak, but I have a song in my heart and would love to hear ESF students sing. Maybe I could do some interpretive dance while they sing.

What's your hidden talent that you haven't told anyone about yet? Anyone on campus at night might have seen me skateboarding. The other day I landed a kickflip over the gap and was pretty stoked. Sadly, no one was around to see it. Flicks or it didn't happen, right? We do have some talented campus artists who have drawn me and my board though.

What campus cheer gets you pumped up and why? (with great enthusiasm) O-A-K-I-E! They're our acorn can't you see? Sprouting strong through day and night We've got bark and we've got bite! ESF Orientation Leaders chant this while they lead our newest acorns to convocation. I love hearing it echo off the campus buildings!

What sport would you play if you were a student-athlete? I would join the Bass Fishing team in a heartbeat! I know when you think “acorn,” you think “land-based,” but I'd love to get out on the water and drop a line or two. There's so much more to me than most people know. I would look awesome in one of the Bass Fishing team jerseys – provided they could get me an XXXXXL.

Read any good books lately? The Climate Optimists Handbook by environmental activist Anne Therese Gennari is a great read. Her book is about empowering people to get excited about changing the narrative on climate change so we act from courage and excitement to co-create a better world. She totally gets the ESF vibe! She was our commencement speaker last May and inspired our graduates and their guests to Improve Our World! And of course, Braiding Sweetgrass by our own Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer is always close at hand to read again and again!

Favorite pizza topping? Mushrooms. I love to top my pie with things I've foraged in the woods. Remember, you have to be very careful with mushrooms. I always take along a friend who has taken Dr. Alex Weir's mycology course to ensure I don't eat anything that could make me sick or worse!

If you were SUNY Chancellor for a day, what would you do? I would declare every day Earth Day in SUNY and plant pollinator gardens on every campus. I would also help other campuses set and reach their own Zero-Waste goals. Sustainability is a key component to helping the environment. I would then ask to be Chancellor for a couple more days to visit as many campuses as possible and see all the great things SUNY students are doing. I don't know how Chancellor King does it all! Does he ever sleep?

How would you celebrate being named SUNY Mascot Madness Champion in 2024? The same way I celebrated in 2017 when I won the title – surrounded by the best students, faculty, and staff ever! We had a party that the whole campus attended. My friend, Victor E. Knight from SUNY Geneseo, was gracious enough to come and present me with the trophy and join the festivities. I think it would be great to host Wolfie on campus this year.

#oakie the acorn #SUNYESF #mascot #mascotmadness #queer #nonbinary #acorn #theySKATEBOARD #voteforOakie #environment #climate change #poll bracket

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writertitan · 6 months

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Perennial // Part 1

A/N: Hello! This is also being posted chapter by chapter on AO3. I'll be posting 2 to 3 chapters at a time here on Tumblr, just to keep things a little more condensed and organized for this platform. Enjoy!

pairing: levi x fem!reader

overall themes: fantasy AU, strangers to lovers, traveling through realms, explicit content

part 1 themes: traveling through realms, first meeting, reader's on the verge of a mental breakdown

word count: 4.9k

There was nothing left for you here and you knew that. Still, it was hard to look around at the place you’d called home for nearly five years and see nothing but pain and moving boxes. Your whole life was packed away in those boxes and yet there were still memories scattered around the house. The faded wine stain on the carpet from two years ago after you’d gotten too drunk and spilled a newly opened bottle was where it always was. On the top right corner of the front door, you could see the little flower your friend drew; you hoped the landlord wouldn’t notice it so that it could stay.

You’d lived here since you were 18 years old and now it was done.

The movers would be done soon. They were finishing up here and meeting you at your new place. Any second now, you’d be driving out of town to begin the newest chapter of your life.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive with you?”

You blinked and then there was Pieck, looking concerned and sad.

“I’ll be okay,” you assured her quietly, your arms hugging your torso. “Besides, it’ll be stormy soon. I know you hate driving in the rain.”

Her frown deepened and you knew she was going to press the issue with you, say something about how she’d drive in the rain for you any day, but you weren’t having it.

“I’ll share my location with you, so you know I made it safely. I’m kind of looking forward to the drive,” you said. It was a lie – you were dreading the drive. You were dreading this whole thing.

Pieck knew that but kept her mouth shut, nodding once with sympathetic eyes before turning her attention to the movers.

“Be careful with that box! It says ‘fragile’ on every side, can’t you read?” she nagged, stomping away to deal with them.

You smiled sadly and turned back to the front door, eyeing that little flower in the corner again. With a sigh, you bent down to grab your backpack from the floor, plucking your car keys from the top of it. You took off the apartment key and walked to the kitchen counter, leaving it there for your landlord, and you could feel tears sting along your lash line as Pieck approached you again.

“I’ll see you soon,” you promised her, pulling her in for a tight hug. She returned it and your heart broke at her sniffles.

“Be safe,” she whispered in your ear before breaking away, wiping her eyes. “I can stay here and see the movers out.”

You nodded and swallowed thickly, taking one last look around. You could only hope that the new tenants would make as many memories as you did. This was a good home, a good apartment. It had kept you safe for so many years.

Before you could really break down, you hurried out of the door with your backpack slung over your shoulder, smiling weakly at Pieck before closing the door.

Thunder rolled across the sky as you ran to your car, still parked in its designated space, and you took a deep breath as you unlocked it and tossed your backpack in the passenger seat. Just as you shut your door and put the key in the ignition, lightning flashed, and a few droplets of rain splattered across your windshield. You turned your car on and drove away from your home, and it took everything in your power to not look in the rearview mirror.

The rain started out as a drizzle, a peaceful and steady patter over your car that lulled you as you drove on the highway. You’d turned the radio on, keeping it at low volume, a mellow song playing quietly as your mind drifted between concentrating on the road and thinking about all the new changes in your life. It felt like you were always on the verge of spiraling these days.

As the rain picked up, your car also alerted you that you were low on gas, and you had to pull off the highway and enter the edges of a small town. The only option for gas that you could see was a dingy gas station, so it would have to do. Parking at a pump, you got out after pulling your hood up on your jacket, shivering as the humid, cold air hit your face. Usually, you liked the rain, but having to drive in it and get wet with a long drive still ahead was not helping your mood at all.

“Ah, fuck,” you cursed as you stood in front of the pump. There was a soaking wet note taped to the pump where the card machine was and, upon inspecting the only other pump available, saw that it held the same taped note.

CASH ONLY – PAY INSIDE.

Sketchy. So sketchy.

Still, you couldn’t make it that much farther on the little gas you had left, and there didn’t seem to be another option at the moment. However, one look at the gas station made you dubious that this was even a good option, either. The inside looked closed and desolate, and you weren’t sure you could see anyone inside.

You reached into your car to grab your backpack before locking it, just to be safe, and headed to the little gas station, where only dim fluorescent light flickered out from the windows, swallowed by the buzzing neon lights outside. The door wasn’t locked and so you entered slowly, a little startled when the bell above you jingled to signal your arrival. There was no one at the counter. Boring oldies music played faintly throughout the little store, and it smelled like someone had recently mopped. A good sign, then.

“Hello?” you called out, maybe not as loud as you could have, but hopefully loud enough that somebody could have heard you. It wasn’t like you were in a particularly large space.

You took another step toward the counter, wishing and yet dreading that someone would appear. To keep yourself occupied, you shrugged your backpack off your shoulder and unzipped the smaller pouch to grab your wallet, relieved to see that you had enough cash for a full tank.

However, you were still all alone, and another step towards the counter told you why.

Another note lay on the counter, this time with a different message that made you groan.

BACK IN 20 MINUTES.

How long that note had been there, you had no idea. However, considering it didn’t seem like someone had stepped away that long ago, you had some hope that the wait would be fairly short.

“As long as I’m here…,” you muttered to yourself, looking around. You were already running out of road trip snacks, so it would be smart to stock up again.

You perused each aisle, occasionally glancing back at the counter while you grabbed some chips, then some candy bars, before moving on to the drinks. As you took in the limited selection, fingers brushing over some off brand ginger ale, your ears perked up at a new sound. It wasn’t the sound of someone coming back to their post, but it was a sound you hadn’t noticed before. And it was indescribable. It was like a pulse, but more electric, but not like a buzzing sound. At first there didn’t seem to be an origin to it, but as you turned your head, you realized it was probably coming from outside.

It was like you couldn’t help yourself. You moved towards the door like you were possessed, feeling more and more in a daze the closer you got to the door. It didn’t make any sense, but you could have sworn that the door itself was the cause of the noise, and even though it was impossible, it looked off. It looked like it was warping, a little distorted if you looked too hard, but then back in focus once you realized something was wrong.

Without thinking, and without hesitation, you pushed it open.

You had no idea what to expect from opening the door. In fact, it hardly felt like it was your own choice at all, but more of a compulsion, like you had to do it.

At first, you were blinded by the neon lights outside, which didn’t make sense because they hadn’t been all that bright to begin with. But your vision was assaulted by those vibrant yellows and oranges and reds until you suddenly just felt…different.

You squinted your eyes to relieve them of the brightness, noticing that the pulsing sound seemed to be all around you, inside of you, in your head, until it all just stopped. The light slowly faded, until you were able to blink your eyes open again, and what you saw made no sense.

Your car was gone, the gas station pumps were gone. When you turned to look behind you, the dingy gas station was gone as well. In its place was a small wooden building painted red, with a white wooden door. When you tried to open it and go inside, you found it was locked. The only thing that proved you’d ever been inside a gas station was the armful of snacks you were still holding, which you promptly dropped out of pure shock.

“What the…,” you whispered. It was taking everything in you not to freak out.

This didn’t make any sense. Had you been drugged? Were you tripping out right now? Were you dreaming? Were you hallucinating? Were you dead?

You turned back around, blinking hard, but the view didn’t change. Your car was gone, the little road leading to the highway was gone, and now you were looking at a narrow street with colorful buildings pressed against one another, as if leaning on one another. If you weren’t so shocked, you would have admired how it looked.

You swallowed thickly, trying to get your bearings, and the only thing you could think to do was gather your dropped snacks and stuff them into your backpack, feeling a little bad that you’d taken them without paying. It was a silly worry, considering it should have been the last thing on your mind.

Fear and panic radiated down to your very bones as you stiffly craned your neck to look around, afraid to even take a step forward, but another attempt at the white door was useless. There was a window next to it, though it was impossible to look inside because a thick curtain blocked the view.

There was only one thing to do and you knew it. As much as you hated to admit it, you knew you had to venture out and figure out what was going on. The only way to get answers was to solve this very jarring and horrific mystery.

You weren’t the courageous type. Taking risks was nausea-inducing and having a predictable routine was your idea of nirvana. That’s why uprooting your entire life was more stressful and painful than you could admit out loud; the unknown had always been too scary. So this? This was going to fuck you up for life.

You swore loudly and banged on the door, the only time you’d allow your emotions to show physically, before taking a deep breath to calm yourself.

Once your backpack was securely on both shoulders, you gripped the straps tightly and took a tentative step forward, a shaky breath of relief leaving you once you realized you hadn’t exploded.

The street’s concrete was worn but looked sort of maintained, no potholes or deep cracks. You looked to your left, then to your right, unsure of which direction to go. To your left, the road and buildings seemed to open up around a circular marketplace, empty and quiet right now, which was unnerving. To your right, the street continued, even seemed to connect with other small streets and, in the distance, you could see that this little town eventually gave into a forest. That’s where you would go first.

“Wait…why would I go there first?” you asked yourself out loud, hesitating in the middle of the street. It seemed so counterintuitive, and yet…your heart tugged towards that forest. It looked so serene and inviting. Plus, there wasn’t much going on over at the market square.

The sun was setting, and a gorgeous golden glow bathed your surroundings, making you realize that it wasn’t raining anymore. Or, rather, it wasn’t raining here, wherever you were. Maybe it was still raining where you had been before.

As scared and wary as you were, you had to admit that this place emitted a very calm energy. Peaceful. Though you couldn’t find traces of a single other person as you walked, you could hear crickets and some birds singing to each other, echoing each other’s song. You peeled your hands off your backpack straps and pushed your jacket hood off your head, tilting your head up to the sky. It was a beautiful sunset, the colors rich and bleeding into each other effortlessly. It felt different from other sunsets you’d seen before, as if you’d only ever seen watercolor sunsets and this was your first oil painting.

You passed by a few other streets that formed intersections with the street you were on, paying no mind to them. The buildings all looked the same, crammed together and cozy and as picturesque as the next. As the sunset faded and twilight arrived, the part of town you were in grew darker, while something about the forest seemed to beckon you, because it seemed to come alive. As you looked around, you noted that the buildings that were all squished together didn’t have lights of any kind. The only things lighting your way were the old-fashioned streetlamps, flicking on one by one, as if guiding you towards your destination.

The fear that had ebbed and flowed within you was coming back now that night was approaching, and you quickened your pace, hands grasping at your backpack straps again. You surprisingly felt more relieved the closer you got to the forest. Fireflies swirled at the edges of the forest, where civilization met the trees and greenery, and a sense of invitation called you closer and closer. Birds still chirped, and the crickets were even louder, and everything seemed so vibrant even as the sunlight died.

And then, finally, as the stars twinkled and took the sun’s place, everything came to life.

It startled you, going from being all alone and scared to being surrounded by people and scared. They spilled from the forest and bustled around you, busy and determined and loud. Throngs of them emerged from the trees, laughter and chatter filling your ears. Fireflies flew around them, creating an amazing light show, but you felt stuck in place as everyone moved past you. You didn’t know what to do. You wanted to scream at the top of your lungs for someone to help you, but then what would you tell them? That you teleported? That you’d been drugged? That maybe you were on some alien planet after an alien abduction gone wrong?

You felt invisible. Everyone pushed past you and barely seemed to notice you at all. It didn’t matter that you radiated panic or that you looked scared and desperate for even an ounce of attention from somebody, anybody. And the more you looked at the people around you, the more you realized that they also seemed strange. They looked like normal people, yes, but were dressed oddly, nothing modern at all, but more like period costumes. Maybe this was some type of movie set? A weird Edwardian LARPING session?

When you tried to move, you found it difficult to maneuver around the swarms of people. Finally, when you pushed your way through the crowd to get some leeway, you drew attention to yourself. Suddenly, being ignored hadn’t seemed so bad, after all.

More and more eyes landed on you, staring in shock or confusion or both, and it made you shrink into yourself. Again, you wanted to use your voice and ask for help, but your throat felt like it had closed up so no sound could come out.

“Hey! What are you doing here?!” a voice asked, and then it felt like the crowd was closing in on you.

You gulped and then made a run for it, barreling past people and running fast, not even knowing where you were running, exactly. The only clue you got was hitting a few branches as you ran, a hint that you were entering the forest. Hopefully you could find some seclusion and get your bearings again, away from all those people.

So, you were unwelcome. That was good to know.

Eventually, the trees became larger and taller, and there were less traveled dirt paths to follow, and the sounds of people became faint. At the same time, it became darker, less fireflies and less moonlight reaching your eyes. That fear of the unknown pricked at your chest again. You dared to take a few steps farther before leaning against a gigantic tree trunk to catch your breath, tears pricking at your eyes.

What a horrible day. It felt like your mind was breaking. It didn’t even feel like any of this was real. Was any of this real? Why was everyone so…startled by you?

“There you are,” a voice spoke up from your right, making you jump in surprise and whirl your heard in that direction.

At first, you didn’t say anything, only took the sight of the man in. There was just enough light to see he had black hair and piercing eyes, a short but strong build, his gaze calm and collected, different from the shocked looks you’d been getting.

At last, you finally found your voice.

“Can you help me?” you asked, disregarding the way he’d greeted you, as if he’d been looking for you. “I’m…I’m lost, I think.”

“I’ll say,” the man scoffed, taking a slow step towards, probably in order to not frighten you more than you already were. “How did you even get here?”

“I don’t know,” you choked out, the tears coming back full force. “I think I was drugged or something, and then maybe someone tried to traffic me, or kidnap me? Because I was at a gas station and then suddenly, I was here instead, and all I did was open a door, and I didn’t pay for my snacks—”

The man lifted a hand in a gesture that was meant to shush you, and you did so immediately.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“My name is…,” you began, your voice barely above a whisper, but you hesitated, unsure of whether or not you wanted to trust him. But there was no use in delaying it – you needed help.

But the man suddenly gave you a curious look, a look of bewilderment flashing through his grey eyes before it vanished just as quickly.

“Embla,” he muttered, sounding a little surprised.

“That’s definitely not my name,” you told him, confused at what he’d called you. But even when you told him your name, he seemed to disregard it.

“My name is Levi,” the man, Levi, said. “I can help you, but you have to trust me. Can you do that?”

Slowly, you nodded once, after a moment of thought. There was no other way. You couldn’t get out of this by yourself. You had no idea where you were or what was going on.

“Why are you helping me?” you asked, taking a step towards him.

It was his turn to ponder your question, until he eventually just shrugged. “I’ll ease you into everything as slowly as possible.”

That wasn’t much of an answer, but you let it slide for the time being.

“Everyone knows you’re here now, so we’re going to have to take some less traveled paths to get you someplace safe,” Levi explained.

“Why? Is it bad that I’m here?” you asked, worry creeping back into your bones.

“Not bad, per se, just…unexpected,” Levi answered, not looking at you. “Try not ask too many questions right now. It’s better if you dip your toes in. I think that’s the right phrase.”

It took a lot of willpower, but you swallowed back your millions of questions and let Levi lead you farther into the forest. You felt like you were rats in a maze, twisting around these enormous trees and tripping over logs and bushes and whatever else, until the trees began shrinking in size and volume and you finally stepped into a clearing.

You blinked in wonder, in awe at the vastness of the clearing.

Even in the night, the field was a rich green, pockets of wildflowers dotting it. Up above, the moon, full and bright, glowed proudly amongst the stars. Beyond the field, thin trees like the ones surrounding you subtly hid a very large lake that didn’t seem to end, it could have even been an ocean. Moonlight glinted off of it, and you were sure you saw fireflies dancing on the water’s surface. But in the middle of it was a short and bulky building. It looked more like a glorified shed than anything else, sitting on top of a small tuft of land that poked out from the water.

“That’s where we’re going,” Levi said.

The two of you stepped out into the field, the moon bright overhead, and you suddenly felt exposed. Strangely, you found yourself scooting a little closer to Levi, hoping for some added protection. You hadn’t come across any animals just yet, and you hoped it stayed that way. The last thing you needed was a run-in with a wolf. Or even something worse.

You tilted your head up to the sky, blinking once in surprise when you finally took a good look.

You’d never seen so many stars in all your life, and it seemed as though a falling star shot across the sky every couple of seconds. The moon looked so big, too. Had it always been this big? Or maybe in this place, the moon was bigger? The deeper you looked into the sky, you could have sworn you saw more…

“Hey. Embla,” Levi called out, snapping you out of your thoughts. “Keep up.”

You blinked again and tilted your head down to look at him. You hadn’t realized you’d stopped walking; you’d been so entranced with everything.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, jogging up to where he was and matching his pace, your eyes back on the lake and the little hut you were headed toward.

Then you realized what he’d called you, and you asked, “Why are you calling me that? I already told you my name.”

Levi seemed reluctant to answer you, and only gave you the brief response of, “It’s what you are.”

Huh. Maybe it was some term here in this strange place. But you didn’t know what it meant.

You pondered that for a while and then turned to Levi again, nodding your head in the general direction of the shed-thing, then asked, “What’s in there?”

“I told you not to ask too many questions,” Levi answered curtly, and you huffed a little in response, slightly offended.

“I’ve barely asked any even though I have a million of them,” you protested, frowning at him. You tripped a little on a small rock and felt your face grow hot, but Levi didn’t comment on that.

Levi debated for a moment, then gave you a sidelong glance as he answered, “That’s the Norchek Temple. It’s just a…pit stop. It’s going to take us someplace safe.”

“Take us someplace safe,” you repeated, a little confused. Was there some sort of underground tunnel there? You couldn’t even see a way to get to the temple from where you were, no bridge or boat of any kind. Did Levi expect you to swim? And why were you not safe where you currently were?

You mulled over his words as you approached the edge of the lake, your eyes scrutinizing the temple. Before you could say a word, a ripple in the water caught your attention, and you watched in disbelief as a small stone bridge slowly rose from the water. It rose high enough for the narrow path to not be submerged in water, and then it stopped, and the water was as still as if the bridge had always been there.

“Ladies first,” Levi said, and you hesitated for a moment, looking towards him with a scrunched-up brow.

“Is it safe?” you asked.

“Haven’t you ever heard the term ‘act now, ask later’?” Levi quipped, and you gave him a glare.

“I can’t say that I have,” you snapped back, but gulped down your fear and squeezed your backpack straps for comfort as you took a hesitant step onto the bridge. When you realized it would likely hold your weight, you stepped onto it with both feet, your pace already hurried as you crossed the narrow bridge. It was so narrow that you couldn’t stand side by side with Levi, but he was close behind.

As soon as the two of you stepped onto the small tuft of land harboring the temple, you turned to see that the bridge was lowering itself once again, slowly submerging itself back into the moonlit water. And, only a small ripple happened before the water was as still as ever, like nothing had ever disturbed it. You stood there, mesmerized by the way the surface reflected the night sky and those trillions of stars and meteors flashing by, until Levi cleared his throat and snapped you out of it.

“You have to keep moving,” he instructed. “Don’t get too moon-eyed over everything and freeze up like that. There’ll be plenty of time to do that later.”

He led the way into the temple, and you stayed quiet, taking in the wooden structure. The sun-bleached panels splintered and glistened with droplets of water, and the inside of the temple smelled humid, but also faintly of incense.

You could barely see inside the temple and felt that surge of panic inside of you again, gripping your insides and squeezing tight. You were so caught up in the panic that you accidentally bumped into Levi.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, a hand over your thumping heart. “I can’t see that well and I’m kind of freaking out.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Levi said.

A second later, you were surprised to see a glimmer of light in front of you. Your eyes adjusted until you could make out what was emitting the light: a mirror.

How strange. It didn’t help your panicky attitude at all.

“How is it doing that?” you asked, mostly to yourself, knowing Levi was probably going to be too vexed to answer another question.

There was something strange about the mirror, other than the fact that it was somehow lighting up the little room. It held your reflection in it, and you could see Levi right next to you, his arm brushing against yours, but it was like there was something behind your reflection. Like a two-way mirror.

All it took was two small steps to be right in front of it, close enough to reach up and tough the glass. Before you could do that, however, Levi’s fingers wrapped around your hand and yanked it back down to your side.

“Not yet,” he said, his reflection staring at you.

Still holding your hand, he outstretched his other hand towards the mirror, his eyes closing as though he were concentrating very hard on something. You were surprised to see him break out into a sweat, until slowly, the mirror began to emit even more light, until you also had to close your eyes.

“Do you feel it?” you heard Levi ask from beside you.

You were about to ask what he meant, since you felt nothing but anxiety, but then you paused. Something stirred in your chest and mind, like something was waking up inside of you. It felt familiar and you tried to place the feeling to no avail.

“I feel it,” you whispered, a hand moving to your chest.

It felt electric inside of you now, and somehow it felt loud, and –

You froze, recalling the last time you’d had this feeling. It was the same thing you’d experienced when you went from the gas station to wherever you were now.

“Step through,” Levi urged you, and you felt that prick of fear again, the fear of the unknown. You knew what he meant. Step through the mirror. It was some type of doorway. But your feet didn’t want to move at first, until the feeling got stronger inside of you and it felt like you were compelled to walk forward, a hand outstretched in front of you, waiting for the feeling of your fingertips pressing against glass, but it never came. Levi’s hand was the only thing that even felt tangible at that moment. The light snuffed out as soon as you felt yourself pass through some invisible barrier, and the electric feeling inside of you faded quickly. It felt too much like last time. Finally, you opened your eyes, and were stunned.

read part two here

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman fic #aot fanfiction #attack on titan fanfiction #snk fanfiction #levi fanfiction

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thewatercolours · 3 months

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King's Quest Ficlet: "Everything Changes"

Sixty nights since the prince’s abduction. Somehow the time never gelled into weeks or months. For Royal Guard Number One it was only night upon night, searching hill and dell, patrolling corridors with the tripled guard, lying in a cold sweat in bed and replaying the night Manannan came, over and over. Each time he added yet more precautions he could have taken, moments he could have seized. Every new master plan taunted him.

But failure that he was, he was still needed. He wore himself to a ravelling, implementing every new defense he could think of. Every door was lined with magic-absorbent silver, and every lock refitted to require two keys. Guards no longer filled in on the staff’s day off by serving at table or making beds. They could not be spared from the watch. Able-bodied young people from the town and surrounding valley were invited to join a new militia. They trained in the courtyard on Saturdays, drilling in basic maneuvers.

In his heart, Number One knew none of these measures could make things right. But neither could he fail the royal family again.

One Saturday morning, as the villagers gathered round Number Two to learn how to improvise household items into weapons, Number One caught sight of the last person he expected to see. Queen Valanice.

When Alexander had been taken, the Queen had dogged his footsteps, whenever she was not out and about searching herself. She asked constantly if there was any news, whether this-or-that had been tried. On one occasion had smashed everything round her before curling up on the floor with her nose to her knees, sobbing. She’d fallen asleep there, face smeared with tears and the dust of the floor. Number One had carried her back to her apartments.

Since then, he had hardly seen her. She had disappeared with Graham and Rosella into the inner rooms of the old royal suite, just to escape. Graham came out frequently – he had to – but Valanice almost never did. Eventually, she had permitted Bramble Fey to come in sometimes, but to the rest of the world, the queen simply disappeared.

Until today. Now she came striding across the courtyard, with her purple gown gathered up to the knee, and rugged boots on her feet. Her gaze was hammer and anvil. On her hip she carried her tiny daughter, and she was trailed by Guard Number Three, dumbstruck for once.

Number One inclined his head respectfully, unsure what to expect. “Your Majesty,” he murmured.

“Please,” she said without niceties. “Teach me how to use this.” And for the first time he saw that while her one arm supported Rosella, in the other hand she carried a sword.

He considered, playing a nervous piano over the hilt of one of his own two rapiers. “My queen,” he said carefully, “You have no need. We have been giving our warning – or no, I shouldn’t say warning. Much worse than a warning. But what warning it has given us, we’ve taken. We’ve made ourselves ready. Every one of us would die for you and your family.”

“I don’t want everyone dying. I want my girl safe,” said Valanice sternly. “You’re training all these people, who don’t even have swords. Well, I’ve got one. Here, do you mind?” She handed off the baby to Number Three, pressing a kiss to the little princess’s head, then looked up at him, softening a little. “Come on, Number One,” she said. “Make me ready too.”

She shouldn’t have to. In his time as captain, he had known many great women who fought, but they had all been those naturally drawn to the role of protector, who knew a certain ferocity. But Valanice was a girl who couldn’t bear to see even a predatory wolf shot. Stars, he had once caught her giving a “proper burial” to a spider Graham had crushed. One they had all sat around the hearth discussing the looming war across the sea in Tamir, and it had quickly become clear that all Valanice’s ideas of war were either grandiose tales of old myths or tears for the stories of burned villages. No, she didn’t need to learn the blade. The protector should not be kept from protecting, but neither should the gentle have to become hard. Certainly not because those who should have protected had failed.

“My lady,” Number One said. “You don’t have to. The king-”

“Can handle a sword,” Valanice interrupted, putting a hand on Number One’s wrist, “but we both know he’s best with a bow and arrows. Long range. We’ll be a much better team if I’m good at fighting up close.”

He nodded. “Yes, I could see that. But -”

Valanice held out the sword to him. A light longsword, practical in design, but clearly of high craftsmanship. “I asked Roberta here what the best sword for me might be. We tried out a couple, and this one worked out all right.”

Number Three cleared her throat. “We chose it because it’s easier to handle without lots of strength training, and for a shorter reach. If I can butt in, sir, she picked up the knack of the first three positions rather well.”

Number One turned to Number Three. “If you’re willing to train her, then why -”

Once again, Valanice interrupted. “Because you’re the best. And it’s what Rosella deserves.”

There was a long silence. “You can’t go into it thinking you’ll be some kind of prodigy who masters it in three weeks,” Number One said at last. “Knacks don’t go very far. It will be a commitment. And swords change people. I hope you know that.”

“Everything changes people,” said Valanice quietly. “Having babies changes you. Loving them changes you. So. Teach me.”

And he did.

#valanice #royal guards #fanfiction #king's quest #my writing

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genavere · 8 months

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Fairy Tail - RE:Script

Episode One: Hargeon

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Two

“Miss Lucy, are you certain this will be enough?”

While Capricorn tended to enjoy his tailored suits and proper manners, he could understand why she had asked him to change his clothes for this particular mission. And why she had not asked Taurus to assist her.

“As long as we keep your head hidden and we keep a low profile, I think it will work perfectly. There! All set.”

The young woman stepped back and nodded in approval of the hood that covered most of the ram’s inhuman looks and the ragged clothes that he donned. They matched hers quite well, which he was pleased with.

“What form of mission will we be performing today for such appearances?”

She attached her key satchel to the belt that held up her three-sizes-too-big torn jeans and swiftly covered them with an even larger sweatshirt. They were not the most flattering of clothes, but literal beggars could not be choosers in this world. “Well, the owner of the magic shop said that the docks needed some help moving cargo boxes.”

“Are you certain you will be capable of such manual labor, Miss Lucy?” Concern for his charge left him wondering if she had been pushing herself too hard the last couple of months. Without the protection or clearance of an official guild, she could not get jobs that would have fit her caliber of a Celestial Wizard. But with the threat of being found hovering over her head constantly, he understood her reluctance to approach any.

They had discussed many times several options of guilds, but her heart would only settle for one. “But how do I even get into an official guild? Is there a test? Do I have to tell them my last name? What if they reject me?”

Such needless worries his young mistress fretted about when he knew the value of a Celestial Wizard, especially one of her bloodline. Since the days of her ancestor, Anna, he had served the Heartfilia women through all their struggles and achievements. Any guild she deemed worthy to have her would be honored for such an esteemed line to enter their ranks.

Convincing her of that high praise remained to be the difficult part.

While she held grace and beauty like those before her, she also had a brilliance none could deny. Unfortunately, her lack of confidence and traumas of the past held her back from a greater purpose.

Lucy lifted her arms and flexed, the sleeves of her sweatshirt hanging down like stretched skin made the action rather unconvincing. “I’m fit as a fiddle and ready to prove that I have what it takes to be on my own!” The smile on her lips died before they could reach her crinkled eyes, and they both knew it.

Neither said anything, and to keep her bravado up, he flexed his own arms and offered a smile. “Then let us tackle this challenge together-r-r!”

Gathering the bag that held all her belongings in it and her own cloak, she led the way out of the rundown inn they had managed to stay at for the night. It had been the cheapest, and they required no documents, both of which they were short on—the documents due to her current status, and the jewel after the purchase of a silver gate key the day prior.

Even after working in the magic shop, translating several books that the owner had been scammed to purchase, and getting a large discount, they had just enough money for food and a place to stay for the next couple of nights. It had been like this since she had called upon her spirits for help to run away from the place she had once called home.

“Miss Lucy.” Capricorn kept his voice low as they moved through the darkened streets of early morning. A quick glance down the alleyways showed those who were down on their luck or had slept where they passed out from whatever pleasures they had sought out the night prior. Having his young charge so close to such realities soured his pride. “You did not explain to me why you are not going back to the magic shop.”

In the chill of the morning air, the baggy layers she wore to keep warm and the hat hiding her hair kept him from noticing each of her body movements from behind. But he had been by her side from the day of her birth even as he served her mother, and the slightest rise in her shoulders caught his attention.

At the magic shop, her spirits had stopped coming out while she worked on translating and working in the back after she promised each of them that she could handle it. With translating, she needed all her energy to stay focused and concentrate on the task. Even after years of tutoring and study, learning different languages and translating them had been a stumbling point for her.

“I did everything I could do there,” her reply came, soft and tired. “All the books he needed had been translated, the accounting books had been cleaned up, everything had been organized and set up in a way that would make things easier for him.”

Under the weight of her bag, he watched her shoulders shrug. “He said he would give me a good word to other shops, and suggested the docks until others asked for help.”

Knowing her tutelage and her attention to detail, none of what she explained surprised him. Being trained to take over the family estate when she grew up had left her with knowledge most in the small harbor town would never receive. Taking a page from Aquarius’ page, he straightened his back and strolled faster to walk beside her. “Then, might I suggest we make haste to the docks?”

Her eyes lifted and met his. The smile that had refused to surface in the brown eyes earlier finally made an appearance. “Sure!”

#####

A belch escaped Natsu and he held his stomach in desperation. Still green from the train ride, he leaned against a wall and took several deep breaths. “Never,”—he fought back another belch that he knew would not just be air— “I am never riding the train again.”

“You always say that.” His companion, a blue cat named Happy, looked up at him and offered a handkerchief. “It has peppermint on it. Teach said it would help the nausea.”

“Gettin’ rid of transportation would do the same…” He pressed the piece of fabric against his mouth and nose, fighting the urge to throw up. Then the strong scent of the crushed leaves in the fabric hit him. “So…strong…!”

Tears welled up in his eyes and he itched his nostrils.

“You weren’t supposed to shove it against your face like that, Natsu,” Happy said and shook his head.

“You could have told me that before I did!”

“You didn’t give me time!”

High-pitched squeals caught their attention as a pair of women took off running in a direction away from them. While people running from them, mostly due to Natsu’s actions, occurred frequently enough for them to not think much of it, the giddiness of the sounds they made did. They shared a look and decided to head toward the commotion.

Outside the rows of buildings on the cobblestone streets, a courtyard with a large flowing water fountain had a large group of people huddled around it. With keen eyesight, he could tell that most of the people in the group were women, though there were men, too. They all stared upwards at a man dressed in a bright violet cape standing on the edge of the fountain.

Arms stretched out wide with the sleeves of an immaculate white shirt rolled up to his elbows, purple flames bounced between his open palms and swirled around in spectacular fashion. The crowd ate it up, cooing and cheering. When the fire disappeared, he would reach out to adoring fans and touch their outstretched hands. Many of the women let out a breathy scream, fainting against their jealous friends

“I don’t get it,” Happy frowned, having flown his way up onto Natsu’s shoulder to watch the scene. They could see he had fairly tanned skin from their advantage point, but that made it harder to discern if there were identifying tattoos or guild marks. “Why are they so happy?”

“I dunno, buddy,” he frowned.

“Do you think he’s our target?”

“Heh,” he cracked his knuckles and grinned, “only one way to find out! Let’s get closer.”

As he ran down the cobblestone roads towards the crowd, another figure stalked towards the preening male from the opposite direction.

Fists clenched, the anger boiling inside had set her on the path of violence. Before he had ventured back to the Celestial Realm, Capricorn asked her not to do anything she would later regret. No promises had been made. They both knew in her current mood, there would be no other choice than to confront the pompous asshole who stole a day’s work and pay from her.

When Lucy arrived at the docks that morning, the lack of ships concerned her. For a harbor town, fishing and trade ships were in and out of port all year round. If there were no ships, that meant no products to fill the shops or for merchants to take inland to the other cities. And if the vanity products were not important, produce certainly was! But along the large harbor, only small fishing boats came in using the smaller docks on the far edges.

She shared a concerned look with Capricorn before going to a couple of men who looked like dock workers. “Excuse me, I was sent here by the gentleman at the magic shop in town. He said there would be work to do?”

The men looked her over and shrugged. Travelers usually came looking for side jobs to fill their wallets until the next city. And the docks were the best place to go that always needed more hands. “I’m ‘fraid yer luck is just rotten, miss.”

She looked at the dock worker who spoke to her, meeting his squinted eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he scratched the back of his balding head, “if ya had come by yest’rday, yer’d been in luck, but some wizard threw in lots of jewel late yest’rday and rented up the ‘hole place.”

The others nodded and added to the conversation. “I heard he even flew in. Big cloud of flames under him.”

“Yeah, and the dock mister got so mad. Face just red! All thought he’d have a heart explosion,” another added, laughing. She did not know exactly why the thought of someone dying would bring laughter, but in that moment, it did not matter.

“But why would there be no work?”

“Yeah, with that guy renting up the docks, no one but the army can use them,” the dockhand shrugged. “We were all told we’d be given part of a day’s work of pay, so that’s nice.”

That was nice for them, she thought bitterly. Who had the power and money to do such a—An icy hand gripped her heart and caught her breath. Had he found her? Did he send a wizard to track her down and they were limiting the escape routes?

A hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed. The pressure calmed her as Capricorn stepped next to her. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but do you happen to know why they rented the docks out, and if they have a name associated with them?”

Not for the first time since she had received Capricorn’s key did she realize how blessed she was to have him by her side. Being a runaway would have been near impossible without his patience and steady nature.

The first dockhand pushed his lips out, she thought it resembled a pout or a duck-face, and nodded slowly. “’Ell, this ship’s ‘is.” He motioned to the large ship in the dock. Lights were strung around the decks and boxes of crates labeled ‘Wine’ sat on the upper decks. A party ship. Great.

“Yeah, and from the rumors I heard,” the third dockhand leaned in, ready to tell them a secret, “he went around boo-sting he’s some famous lizard from a fairy place.”

A famous lizard? Fairy place? Rolling around the words in her head, the latest edition of Sorcerer’s Weekly had mentioned the great success Salamander of Fairy Tail had achieved with destroying an abandoned village that needed to be cleared. It briefly mentioned other points of damage he had done that had not been requested, but they tried hard to keep those as footnotes near the bottom of his article.

“Do you mean, Salamander of Fairy Tail?” They had to have heard wrong. Why would such a renowned wizard come to a place like Hargeon to throw a party? Fairy Tail was located on a giant lake that near resembled an ocean. He could have stayed there and not disrupted people trying to work.

“That’s it!” The other dockhand gave his friend a narrowed look. “Really? Lizard from a fairy place? You drinkin’ on the job again?”

“Yeah—no!”

If Salamander of Fairy Tail was here…she worried her lower lip between her teeth, zoning out the arguing of the dockhands. Fairy Tail held all her dreams of becoming a wizard. If there were any guild strong enough to protect her, it would be them. But could she convince him to let her join?

“”Ey, miss?”

She blinked rapidly and looked at the first dockhand. “Sorry, I was thinking a bit. What did you say?”

“He said that you might want to steer clear of that guy,” the second answered.

“Why’s that?”

“Yeah, well…he was saying that he will only accept the most beautiful of men and women, and you lookin’ a bit young,” the third shrugged.

Brows furrowed, she glanced at Capricorn and then the men. “I don’t understand…”

The three men leaned in closer to her, and instinctively, her and Capricorn did the same. It felt like they were sharing secrets with her, and if there had been work available, she felt that they would have been some great personalities to pass the day by faster.

“’Hat guy’s a snake,” the first hissed.

“He’d ruin you any chance he got. Don’t let him even look your way,” the second warned.

“Yeah, he bad news! Gonna try sleepin’ with all the women,” the third shook his fists.

“Listen to your uncles,” the second pulled her attention back to him. “Don’t approach him and don’t go on that ship.”

Their warnings had been sincere, and even Capricorn agreed with them, but the thought that someone she looked up to turned out to be such a creep clouded all rationale.

Anger flushed her cheeks, and her footsteps quickly turned to huffed stomps on the cobblestone. Salamander of Fairy Tail or not, the fact he threw around his reputation and ease of money in the face of those who had to work for theirs added to the fire building. He was an entitled jerk who looked down at those less fortunate. Just like those from the life she ran away from.

It had not taken long to find where he had been gathering his potential ‘guests’ for the party; one only had to follow the giddy laughter and excited squeals that led her directly to him. He stood high and mighty on his water fountain throne, using his magic in a way no respectful wizard should.

Her eyes narrowed. He had ruined her plans to earn enough money and potentially find additional work, and he dared to dress like some half-baked noble. That shade of purple had been out of fashion in the upper class since she had been a child!

Whether it was from the fury she exuded or her ragged appearance, the crowd parted easily for her. The disturbance to his show caught his attention, and she saw the way his nose wrinkled and the judgement that passed over his features. Fine by her. He was certainly no looker himself.

A perfect showman, the look disappeared in a blink and he smiled at her. “My, what a lovely—!”

Without a thought, her legs had taken the step up onto the fountain right to him and mete out her vision of justice. Water splashed over the edge of the fountain from the mass of his body falling into it. The skin of her knuckles burned and instantly turned red from the abuse of meeting the thin flesh under his chin.

Shoulders shuddered with each breath. Every fiber screamed that it had not been enough.

“You uncultured swine!” her voice rose above the murmuring of the crowd. From her raised perch on the edge of the fountain where he had been, she shoved her fists against her hips. “Using your magic like it’s some paltry magician’s trick and taking away work for those who need it!”

Her annoyance only grew when she turned to the crowd of overzealous women who returned her glare. While they outnumbered her, she knew that if they decided to jump her the water in the fountain would play a huge role in washing them all away—herself included.

“Do none of you have any self-respect? Why are you throwing yourselves at—” Words caught in her throat as arms wrapped around her chest, pinning her arms tightly against her sides. At first, she tensed at the thought that she would be thrown to the ground. If she managed to roll as Capricorn had taught her, she would be able to walk away with only a few scratches.

Then, she tensed for a completely different reason. The arms around her loosened enough that one of them began to move upwards in a way that sent a shudder through her. Through the fabric of her clothes, she felt an arm pressed up into her breasts and a breath of air slithered across her cheek.

“What is this hidden under these clothes?” His voice, only a whisper, echoed loudly in her ear. With a wince, she tried to pull away from him, but the movement against her side brought a strange sensation over her. Her heart pounded against her chest, but it fluttered at the feel of his arms wrapped around her. Heat rose up in her chest, spread over her cheeks and to the tips of her ears. What…what was happening to her?

A new face broke through the crowd, pulling her attention to it. No, she realized, it was not a face, but a shock of pink that adorned the head of the person rushing toward her. The heat that pooled in her chest diminished and a different sort of heat fixated on the wrist the newcomer grabbed.

Inside, something shattered and left her breathless as she was dragged through the crowd.

“Come on, weirdo!”

They ran through the courtyard and down a few back alleyways, dashing around each corner until she felt she would be sick from how fast they were going. Still, through the entire way, not once did the grip on her wrist loosen or tighten to the point of pain. And the heat from him traveled all the way up her arm. Just that touch alone felt warmer than the chill of Salamander.

When they finally came to a stop somewhere in the back alleys of the port city, he let her wrist go and fell forward. She followed suit and gasped for breath. It had been a long time since she had to full-out run like that.

After a few mouthfuls of oxygen, she pushed her hair back from her face and combed her fingers through it. It always got unruly under her hat to the point that it often took an hour to get the knots out. Her eyes widened.

Patting the top of her head, she looked at the ground for any sign of her hat, but only sludge and garbage filled the narrow space between the buildings. Panic surged upward. Without her hat, anyone hired to track her down would have an easier job of it. The last time she had been found, it had been nearly the end.

Hands grabbed her shoulders, jolting her from the panic clawing at her sanity and back to her surroundings in the alleyway. A shaky breath filled her lungs and she focused on the noise coming from the person who had dragged her there. Blinking, the corner of her lips tugged down as the person in front of her…laughed?

With his head bent downwards, all she could make out of his features were the pink locks she noticed earlier and his shoulders that bounced along with his laughter. A large travel pack with a bedroll gave her some clues that he was also a fellow traveler looking for work in the area.

Maybe a wizard down on his luck, or someone also on the run.

“That…” he took a deep breath and threw his head back with more laughter. With his mouth wide, she took notice of the sharp fangs. “That was great! You really socked him!”

Except for her self-defense training with Capricorn, she had never been praised for punching someone. That had been something completely frowned upon. She still remembered the stern talking to she had received as a child after hitting a boy who had pushed her.

A familiar warmth covered her cheeks, and she realized it felt really nice to be complimented by someone with no obligations to praise her.

“Thanks.” She offered him a smile and scratched her cheek in embarrassment, “I wouldn’t have normally done that, but…he really made me mad.”

“You looked ‘bout ready to end him,” he cackled, wiping his eyes of tears. “I know a few others who are just as scary as you. I bet they would be thrilled to meet you.”

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dropped over her head and the bucket followed soon after. Had this been a trap to lure her away from a public place and kidnap her? Anyone could have been hired by her father, or someone who wanted to use her for ransom.

Self-consciously, she tugged on her hair and looked up and down the alleyway. Were there others who were around there? Waiting for the signal to jump out and grab her? She reached down with her free hand toward her keys.

“By the way,” he pulled back from her and held out his hand. The grin on his face startled her at how large it was. If she were to describe it, she’d say it was encompassing, spreading over his entire face from his crinkled eyes, his revealed dimples, and the slight crunch of his nose. It made her reconsider her previous misgivings and feel a spark of hope. “My name’s Natsu Dragneel, what’s yours?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

I realized after publishing the first chapter that I completely forgot to thank my betas for what they were able to do so far to help me on this.

Kiri and @legendoftheotherside did fantastic while dealing with life. Sorry that I love screwing up dialogue and action beats!

My favorite part of this chapter (besides Lucy punching Bora) are the Uncles at the dock. They came out of no where while writing this and they became my favorites. I hope you all enjoyed them, too!

At some point, I hope to actually have a banner for this series. Will need to work on that. Until then, I will use Fairy Tail gifs!

Reminder that chapters come out every two weeks! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will see you on October 6th!

Links: AO3 (Is locked to registered AO3 users) | FF.net

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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batboyblog · 1 year

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Nagging potential voters while offering them nothing has been a losing political strategy every time it's been tried. If you actually care about wresting political power from fascists - yes I am questioning your commitment - you'll get involved in on-the-ground organizing instead of acting like an asshole online. Because I cannot stress this enough: what you're doing here on tumblr? That hurt us in 2004. And 2016. And a bunch of the off-years too. Knock it off. And before you complain about my tone: I'm using the same one you did in your post. If reading this made you upset, maybe sit for a while and think about the implications of that.

lol, I honestly can't tell you how much this makes me laugh so thanks for the early morning comedy

I don't actually have any idea which of my MANY posts you found and decided to have an issue with.

Any ways, I have a Tumblr, which is mostly non-serious because in real life, my real life my real work is very serious and political and this generally is a decompression space away from that were I can express other interests, US Senators generally don't want to hear my take on comic books (well Pat Leahy....)

I'm not gonna lay out chapter and verse what I've done or do because I'm not doxing myself for an anon troll, but last election I knocked over 2,000 doors for Democratic candidates, I've been pretty open that I was HFA in 2016 and OFA before that

so generally in most of my posts I'm asking, basically begging people, to get as involved as I am, well maybe not AS involved, you don't all need jobs In politics someone has to drive the buses after all. But its very easy as a volunteer to make a huge huge impact on your local Democratic Party and on elections around you and it's amazingly healing to get out and talk to voters, a day of walking around knocking doors and talking to voters will cure you of wanting to dive bomb a strangers in box with nonsense like this.

any ways since I was you know, there, in 2004 and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume (since you assumed quite a lot about me) We lost that election because the Bush team totally shamelessly claimed our famous war hero candidate had in fact faked his Purple Hearts and hadn't earned his Sliver and Bronze Stars. Also they pretty shamelessly implied that a vote for Democrats was a vote for terrorism and stressed to evangelical voters that they'd ban gay marriage forever and always if Bush won re-election, which I think was very key to pulling Bush over the finish line in Ohio (and the election as a whole)

Not that that matters the "Nagging" narrative is silly, and mainly used by people who want to not feel bad for not voting being engaged. That its somehow Democrats fault for asking them to vote and pointing out the negative things that will happen if Republicans win. Thats how all campaigns since the dawn of time have worked however. All Campaigns are a mix of two things "here are the good things I would like to do" and "here are the bad things my opponent will do if they win" there's no way to campaign without the latter duh.

any ways like I said Tumblr is my silly happy place, but I'm still me, so sometimes I shoot off about the real life topics that matter to me. And here on Tumblr sometimes I can be blunter and ruder than I might on social media linked to my real life, thats not gonna change or anything I'm just saying.

finally I hope everyone gets involved, its fun its easy it makes a big difference, google your city or county and "Democrats" to find a local meeting, Everyone should check out The Sister District project, Swing Left, and Run For Something as I've said else where there are important elections happening all the time, Democrats have a chance to win the Governorship in Mississippi a dear friend of mine is down there right now working that and I couldn't be more proud of his unwavering efforts to blue the south (he helped get Andy Beshear elected in 2018) so random troll anon I hope you're doing more than uh... whatever this is, I'm gonna keep doing my thing.

#politics #elections #vote #voting #2024 election #ask #answered

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anitaawhitney · 1 month

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Some of my 4 favourite lines in 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Fortnight

All of this to say, I hope you're okay But you're the reason And no one here's to blame But what about your quiet treason?

The Tortured Poets Department

But you're in self-sabotage mode Throwing spikes down on the road But I've seen this episode and still love the show Who else decodes you?

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Put me back on my shelf But first, pull the string And I'll tell you that he runs Because he loves me (He loves me)

Down Bad

In a field in my same old town That somehow seems so hollow now They'll say I'm nuts if I talk about The existence of you

So Long, London

And you say I abandoned the ship, but I was going down with it My white knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment And my friends said it isn’t right to be scared Every day of a love affair, every breath feels like rarest air

But Daddy, I Love Him

I'd rather burn my whole life down Than listen to one more second of all this bitchin' and moanin' I'll tell you something about my good name It's mine alone to disgrace

Fresh Out The Slammer

Splintered back in winter, silent dinners, bitter He was with her in dreams Gray and blue and fights and tunnels Handcuffed to the spell I was under

Florida!!!

Little did you know your home's really only A town you're just a guest in So you work your life away just to pay For a time-share down in Destin

Guilty as Sin?

I hadn't heard it in a while My boredom's bone-deep This cage was once just fine Am I allowed to cry?

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

So tell me everything is not about me, but what if it is? Then say they didn't do it to hurt me, but what if they did? I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

They shook their heads saying, "God, help her" when I told them he's my man

But your good lord didn't need to lift a finger I can fix him, no, really, I can (No, really, I can) Woah, maybe I can't

loml

What a bland goodbye The coward claimed he was a lion I'm combing through the braids of lies I'll never leave, never mind

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

I can hold my breath I've been doing it since he left I keep finding his things in drawers Crucial evidence, I didn't imagine the whole thing

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Were you a sleeper cell spy? In fifty years will all this be declassified? And you'll confess why you did it And I'll say, "Good riddance"

The Alchemy

Hey, you, what if I told you we'rе cool? That child's play back in school Is forgiven under my rule I haven't come around in so long

Clara Bow

Only when your girlish glow flickers just so Do they let you know It’s hell on Earth to be heavenly Them's the breaks, they don't come gently

The Black Dog

I am someone who until recent events You shared your secrets with And your location, you forgot to turn it off And so I watch as you walk

imgonnagetyouback

And I'll tell you one thing, honey I can take the upper hand and touch your body Flip the script and leave you like a dumb house party Or I might just love you 'til the end

The Albatross

"One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen" Locked me up in towers But I'd visit in your dreams And they tried to warn you about me

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

I changed into goddesses, villains, and fools Changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules All to outrun my desertion of you And you just watched it

How Did It End

Guess who we ran into at the shops? Walking in circles like she was lost Didn't you hear? They called it all off

So High School

Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me It's just a game, but really I'm bettin' on all three for us two Get my car door, isn't that sweet?

I Hate It Here

Secret gardens in my mind People need a key to get to The only one is mine I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child

thanK you aIMee

And it wasn't a fair fight, or a clean kill Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave And then she wrote headlines In the local paper, laughing at each baby step I'd take

I Look in People’s Windows

I look in people’s windows In case you’re at their table What if your eyes looked up and met mine One more time

The Prophecy

Feeling like the very last drops of an ink pen A greater woman stays cool But I howl like a wolf at the moon And I look unstable

Cassandra

They all said nothing Blood’s thick but nothing like a payroll Bet they never spared a prayer for my soul You can mark my words that I said it first

Peter

Once found us beguiling She said she was trying Peter, was she lying? My ribs get the feeling she did

The Bolter

But as she was leaving It felt like breathing All her fuckin' lives Flashed before her eyes

Robin

The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean You’ll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline But now, we’ll curtail your curiosity In sweetness

The Manuscript

The only thing that’s left is the manuscript One last souvenir from my trip to your shores Now and then I re-read the manuscript But the story isn’t mine anymore

#taylor swift #ttpd #the tortured poets department #lyrics #I would pay for many poetry books from taylor #this was so much to digest and I've finally found love with all of the songs #“Some” because I have more than just this

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rueitae · 11 months

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Season 2, Episode 10: the deep dive caper for @csweekly

On the surface, this seems like an underwhelming title, but it really does describe the deep dive Carmen takes in the ocean and into her past.

This is such a serious moment but I honestly can’t help but laugh at how dramatic Carmen is to Player. He knows exactly where she’s going they’re nearly there. He chartered their flight. But I understand it’s a nice parallel to the end of last season where she promised never to go back, as Zack kindly reminds us.

Protective Ivy is also a fav, even if it’s just from Zack’s big mouth lol. But honestly this is just another in a long line of instances where Zack is legit just trying to relate and make Carmen feel better. She said she’d never go back? Yeah but circumstances change. That’s what he’s (probably) trying to say. Since he used the same tactic to cheer her up after Carmen’s altitude sickness. Great line tho about the peppers and onions 😂

“It’ll be just like old times” SOBBING Carmen remembers those days fondly.

Player concerned enough that he actually suggests calling in ACME. For all they know, everything is still intact on VILE island. Carmen would need to sneak past or fight the Faculty the Cleaners and untold operatives. On their home turf. Player remembers how hard it was for Carmen to escape the first time. He does not want to risk losing Carmen again. He is fully aware at how serious this is. This is his last chance to change her mind. What must have been going through Player’s mind as he watches Carmen’s hat on his map go from (presumably) Casablanca to the Canary Islands? The opposite of what he watched her do the night of the graduation caper and when she left with the coat and hat.

Player didn’t get a chance to tell Carmen that he tracked Chief until now 👀 She’s surprised, but isn’t mad. Nice for later in the episode. The guilt when he admits it was Shadowsan’s idea is excellent.

Carmen just finishes telling Player that if VILE knew she was coming they’d destroy the evidence. Thank you for confirming exactly what happened because you asked for help (1) time and stole a key card (though for legit information gathering)

She missed it by two weeks. And this would have been right before Botswana. Coach Brunt leaves from here to go to the mine. Carmen arrives before Brunt, as she’s there to observe Brunt taking a tour. Poetic that (it could just about work) Carmen wakes and is restless at the same time across the world, VILE Academy is destroyed?

The scenes of the empty halls of the Academy…this is what happened before they destroyed the Castle-ship in VLD. It’s super effective on my heart.

I love the Faculty plotting haha. Cleo is utterly gleeful at Maelstroms suggestion.

Boris’s teddy bear 🥹 goodness i LOVE the Cleaners as characters.

Okay so if Devineaux is on the island all scruffy and angry, he’s been there a day or two. He missed VILE by DAYS. The one time his bad luck wasn’t of his own doing. This is the best comedy. I also like the insinuation that he explored every inch of that island that he could get to before deciding to leave. He didn’t check his gas and he didn’t check his phone he literally went looking for VILE first.

Weather satellites my beloved.

Considering that Roundabout would have needed to put bribes in the right places for governments around the world to not notice that explosion.

The way Carmen pauses at Shadowsan’s old classroom.

Listen, I know it would have ruined the mood but how FUNNY it would have been for Carmen to rescue Chase off of the island. I still can’t believe they were there at the same time. I really want to be a fly on the wall post series when Chase and Julia finally get to compare notes with Ivy and Zack.

THEY ARE AT A DiNER IN TEXAS I'M HOWLING. (Or somewhere in the southern U.S. I don’t know my dialects well enough). So sinister and yet completely in place. I bet they’re at a Waffle House, no one would bat an eye at this behavior.

And Roundabout joins the Faculty. It’s almost not fair, how could any other operative top his resources. He does a cool job though plot wise! I was entertained.

Devineaux’s entire castaway montage is gold. I don’t know what else to say. I bet there’s a storyboard out there where he talks to a coconut. He is at his lowest of the low here. Even no longer an Interpol employee. He has nothing. Which means, it can only go up from here. He had to be humbled first.

Ahhhh and VILEs side of the story comes out. The absolute pain in Players face and voice when he’s about to tell Carmen her father was Faculty. I love that Player is reading this to her in real time. She’s been on the comms waiting patiently. The AGONY.

This whole rest of the episode is pain. The angst literally overflows. It’s amazing.

Carmen first thought, her first HOPE is that her father was Interpol. The way she rambled off that theory. When Player confirms he’s VILE you can tell in her voice and eyes that she goes through the five stages of grief and then tries to hide it by focusing on the facts. ‘Okay if he’s VILE, then it’s a code name’. And her SHOCK at finding out he was Faculty. Magnificent scene.

*grabs popcorn* Carmen confronts Shadowsan. Carmen’s anger finally comes out. She has been waiting. And she finds out he was indeed still withholding secrets. No more.

“Your silence. Is like Thunder” rate this the coolest line ever. It sets the stage SO well with fading to Carmen standing stiff in the doorway. I’m trembling.

Shadowsan’s so good at masking his emotions, even turned away from Carmen, that i really can’t tell how much this does or does not blindside him. Goodness the man is hiding emotions from HIMSELF.

“Did you take my fathers life?”

Shadowsan’s truthful answer is immediate. Carmen, however, doesn’t have the full story yet and in defense of her considering Shadowsan’s track record, doesn’t believe him.

“If you run, I will find you” is this the most dangerous sounding that Carmen’s been to date? Because it sure feels like it.

The way he says “no more running no more secrets” with such resignation but also guilt in a dignified way.

Where do I even BEGIN to unpack this.

Okay first of all, Dexter Wolfe. Wolfe is an interesting code name as it is one of singular strength but also very pack oriented. So that combined with the “lone wolf” moniker suits him well, as he didn’t like to be on the island and didn’t fit with the rest of the Faculty. They thought it was VILE as the pack, but his pack is really Carmen and her mother. Next, Dexter. I always wondered why *Dexter*. I think it’s a play on “dexterity”, as in his agility and thieving fingers.

Listen, it honestly kills me that Carmen is absolutely her father’s daughter. He can’t sit still. Loves the thrill of the hunt. Beat of his own drum. Was willing to defy VILE for the sake of others. As Carmen is listening to Shadowsan tell his side of the account, she has to be thinking this. He was the best. And was never caught. Until VILE caught him.

Omg younger Faculty. I like how Cleo and Bellum really dig into their code names lol, they scream “new Faculty members testing the waters”. I am eternally interested in how they all became Faculty. I get the sense that Maelstrom is senior and that’s why he does a lot of the speaking for the others. 100% betting that they both cut their hair because of Black Sheep.

ANYWAY. Young operative Shadowsan is so interesting. Because of his skill set. Implies that they don’t have the Cleaners yet? But they are there by the time Black Sheep is grade school age. I’m thinking Shadowsan the operative was a test run for wanting to hire someone like the Cleaners. Also how did Shadowsan get to VILE Academy? I’d say it’s pretty clear that they’ve got business ties to the yakuza, and Shadowsan literally was an exchange student, a promising young star that could do bigger and better things for both parties benefits. Just a theory.

The INCREDIBLY soft way that Shadowsan says “you”, and the way the music shifts. I LOVE.

Okay, baby Carmen can stand briefly, point, and sit up very well. Crawls like a pro, ready to take first steps but not quite there. My estimate is 9 months old, give or take. Now a parent myself, I get it. First 3-4 months Carmen wouldn’t have been doing much, eating sleeping and pooping mostly, but after that she’d have really started to become aware and want to engage in the world. That lines up to close to half a year that Dexter might want to be away to be with her more frequently, because first laugh, smiling at her primary caregivers. Dexter would have craved that. Badly. So it’s part of his slip up. And that lines up to when VILE begins to notice something is off. I’m not emotional.

THE WAY BABY CARMEN FINDS SHADOWSAN AND LIKES HIM IMMEDIATELY. “Play with me,” she’s saying. And he does, 20 years later, to take down VILE.

Dexter cocky that he isn’t paranoid at all.

The way they build up to Dexter’s fate is so tense. Like, Shadowsan told us that it wasn’t him, and never has he technically lied, but as an audience we don’t trust him either. Carmen is emotionally compromised that she can’t consider anything else right now. Brilliant writing. The music and scene transitions are so effective as always.

And Carmen isn’t angry any longer. Not really. She’s just really really sad. Overwhelmed.

Dexter promised to return for Carmen. Despite that, I don’t really understand what his plan was. Was he going to escape, let Interpol find her, and then kidnap her back? Was he going to bring the car around? Did he know Shadowsan was there and knew he wouldn’t hurt the baby? Did he have plans with the nanny that she would return in just this situation? Stressful situation for him, so he probably was not thinking clearly, as Shadowsan says next.

In the other light, Carmen now knows without a shadow of a doubt that her parents loved her and did not abandon her on purpose. This is the important takeaway. I’m sure it was always in the back of her mind considering the story she was told. And the forefront of late after Player shared his experiences with her.

Dexter had a red car. Color theory. Also, the inner house is yellow as Shadowsan watches, that’s typically a color used for team red Allies (most of the civilians of the day have some yellow prominence in their outfits, while Julia has a red shirt, Devineaux has both red and yellow stripes on his tie, less prominent than Julia’s shirt). It bathes young Shadowsan in yellow, already showing that he is on Carmen’s side.

Chief no 😭 and in this very moment, as if nothing else were crashing Carmen’s world around her, this is the cherry on top. Trying to trust a new ally. SMH but yes, this is why ACME uses gas guns.

I love Chief’s angry face, she keeps her temper.

That’s how the doll got burn marks *sobbing mess on the floor*

Did anyone write the fic detailing young Shadowsan’s trip across the Atlantic with baby Carmen? Please inform me where.

“Why would you make me find out on my own?” REAL. This scene is so emotionally charged I literally cannot keep up. ANGRY as she validly should be.

Shadowsan is CRYING. He has held this to HIMSELF for TWENTY YEARS

Carmen understands. Despite the emotional turmoil she just went through, she understands Shadowsan’s feelings enough that she takes pause and decides to prove him right or wrong. Which makes me think that despite it all, Shadowsan’s instincts on Carmen questioning herself were valid. That’s interesting.

However, she chooses now to channel what she knows into an even fiercer conviction. And that’s strength. Something that perhaps she might not have had at the beginning. Something she gained in Ivy, Zack, Shadowsan, and everyone else she’s met since Player.

COMMANDER let me scratch you and rub your little toe beans.

Okay I wasn’t crazy. Chief has gold ish eyes. (That’s yellow color theory fans)

Ivy and Zack: 0

Coffee Machine: 1

Maybe VILE needs whatever disguise Ivy and Zack have, because the chief of ACME, a covert organization that has been following and collecting any and all information on Carmen Sandiego and her “partners” has NO idea who they are (yet).

The way Carmen comes in, locks the door, and changes the sign to closed.

“Lost my pen” is a good neutral way of saying “my childhood mother figure who once tried to kill me kidnapped me and while doing so fried it. It also electrocuted me.”

“You must be ready to enlist” oh Chief. I’m sorry.

Carmen is so neutral and cool, completely unlike when she last chatted in Botswana, when she was hopeful that this partnership could work. It almost hurts to see it all go backwards.

Chief needs to take IT security training. She failed before Carmen even asked.

I’m so sorry Julia. You had nothing to do with this. Chief didn’t have to loop you in.

This is where Chief hits her downfall. Her desperation to prove VILE exists makes her not think clearly and ignore every corporate safety rule.

I do love to see Player in action though, so it’s fine : D “I’m on a shopping spree”. I’m 90% sure that Carmen told Player that they needed to get ACME’s files. He says he needs a Trojan, and she’s like “we have an empty VILE hard drive” and Player says “I’ll have it ready and mailed to you asap”

And confirms Shadowsan’s account of what happened that night.

1999. Given that Vera Cruz “died” two weeks prior, and that Carmen is nearing one year old, Carmen is a 90s baby. And I think that’s a beautiful homage to the 90s cartoon that they specify her age that way. 99% sure that’s the reason.

The absolute relief on Carmen’s face as Shadowsan reveals the empty coffin. The PEACE. She realizes that her parents were that close to starting a new hidden life with her in the middle of it. It’s comforting and heartbreaking at the same time. She knows her story. She can move forward now with conviction.

“I have a mother who may or may not know I’m alive.”

“Are you with me?”

“To the end of the line”

Let’s go s3

Oh yes, can’t forget to bring our favorite walking disaster back to the fold. Time to bring him around and for Julia to put her foot down.

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego 2019 #carmen sandiego weekly #csweekly #cs weekly #cs liveblog #the deep dive caper

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n1ghtcrwler · 4 months

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In a different post, I mentioned a discussion I had with a friend about a discussion I had with Carol in which Carol said I had too many mob ties, and @thenightisbrightastheday added the tag

On a recent drive, we had been talking about how my parents' mental states while I was a child had come up in my recent therapy session, and this had caused my therapist to ask about my grandmother's murder. So I told the therapist a very abridged version of the story, but my wife obviously already knows significantly more detail than that, and some of these details spun off into another conversation; so to make that conversation make sense, you need to know those key details.

The first is that, while my grandfather was born in America, his parents and older brother had come over from southern Italy. The area where they (and I, later) lived in PA was high in mob activity, with the mafia holding significant power in the unions at the steel mills. This did not change for a very long time, even as the mills died out; I remember when a number of officials, including a county sheriff and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, just over the state line were arrested on charges of bribery and racketeering (among other assorted charges) related to their involvement in the mob in 2002. I was updated a couple years ago that gangs from Detroit had noticed a lack of gang claims in the urban areas around my hometown and decided to move in, only to get run out by the mob. So they're still at least a little active.

Anyway. My grandpa was significantly older than my grandma (he had, we learned after he died, already had another family he'd ditched in Michigan, and his oldest son was the same age as my grandma), and was an alcoholic, which combined into a pretty abusive situation. She eventually had her fill, packed up their four kids, and moved south to be with family (including the great-grandma from my last story). When he left, he told her that if she ever came back to PA, he'd kill her. She eventually did move back to PA, and the day he heard about that, he went out and bought a gun. A little while later, he arranged to come over to drop off some final divorce paperwork while my mom and her sister were in school. When he came over, he killed her, dug a hole in the backyard, dropped her in, put a piece of plywood over her, and then had the youngest two kids (who were home) help him put dirt in the grave by telling them he needed help "burying some garbage."

First degree murder. Obviously, no doubt about it. But then, one day, there was apparently a meeting involving the judge and the prosecutor and some unknown other individuals, and the charges were changed to third degree murder. He didn't roll over on anyone. He didn't give anything up. It's unclear what sort of legal deal could have been made; but all the same, he was found guilty, and sentenced to five years of prison. He was there when I was born, and somehow managed to get his hands on a pure silver cup, fork, and spoon set and send it to me in Alabama. I don't know how he got that gift while in prison, how he got it out of prison, or how he got our address to send it.

There were suspicions right away, of course. Most of them centered around my great-uncle, since he'd apparently had money no one could explain, and since grandpa was kind of stupid (like, a lower IQ than the one they used for Forrest Gump to show how stupid he was) and dealing with significant back problems that made some people suspect another person must have been involved, and it was at my great-uncle's house after he'd died that our family finally found some items that had gone missing from the crime scene. On the other hand, the kids that were home don't seem to remember their uncle being there and the plan isn't all that complicated, so some suspicions assume it was my grandpa's own connections that got him out of an obvious life sentence. As it was, he got out a little early on good behavior and died of a heart attack in a halfway house.

Either way, it looked like something shady was going on. Carol determined that, if he was connected to the mob, and clearly okay with involving small children in burying bodies, and invested enough to send me a gift at my birth, he would have absolutely put effort into getting me connected if he hadn't died. She said she was sure I would have ended up in the mob, but I pointed out my dad would not have let that happen without a fight. A literal fight. He hated the mob, and had at least two encounters with them. One was minor on a job site. The other involved someone with apparent mob connections threatening him with said connections, and my dad pointing out that all he had to do was make one phone call to the mountains and pay for a pack of beer and everyone that person knew would be dead in a matter of hours.

We knew this to be true. My hillbilly cousins have killed before. I recalled a story one of them (I don't remember who) had casually mentioned about tracking down a guy accused of assaulting one of our female cousins and drowning him in a river while a few guys stood around with guns in case he surfaced.

Carol noted that some of what I was saying about them sounded awfully similar to mafia behavior as well. We talked a little about how I was raised to be comfortable with, and even glorify, a certain amount of violence (a mindset I still have to try hard to keep in check sometimes), and one incident came up in which we thought we might have a real problem arise.

See, my aunt's brother was a drug dealer, and had made quite the enterprise for himself. He was deep enough that when he was finally caught by the feds, the people he worked with and was rolling over on in his plea deal weren't street-level dealers, but cartel members in Columbia. When it came out that he'd given valuable information, we discussed exactly how prepared we were to deal with the possibility of cartel members looking to punish him by going after close family, like his sister and mother (the latter of which wasn't technically related to the rest of us at all, but always part of family gatherings, and therefore under family protection). We had enough people and firepower available that the actual handling of a fight wasn't a concern, but finding out if and when they came was. So I contacted some drug dealers I knew and passed around word that if any Columbians started suddenly sniffing around, they needed to quickly and quietly get word to me. Nothing ever came of that.

Carol, at this point, noted that our conversation had turned up some level of connection to the Italian mafia, a violent sect of hillbillies, AND a Columbian drug cartel; she joked that it was only a matter of time before we learned my Irish family is somehow connected to Whitey Bulger. We decided at that point that it was best I never went through with running for Congress when I'd considered it, as someone would surely have dug at least some of this up. And then we got where we were going and the conversation dropped.

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nirikeehan · 11 months

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first lines

rules: share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able to and see if there are any patterns!

I got tagged by @rowanisawriter! Thank you for the tag, this is always a delight to do.

IDK if recently updated fics technically count but I'mma do it anyway bc I am lazy.

Upon reviewing them: I really love starting out with a setting detail. I'm gonna blame Inquisition for being fucking gorgeous for that one. Also I am impressed only two start out with dialogue – so often that has been my go-to way to start a scene lol. I am most impressed with the lines that put you right into the action... I should maybe work on doing that more.

Tagging, if interested: @theluckywizard | @oxygenforthewicked | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @melisusthewee | @bluewren

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These are all Dragon Age btw, the brainrot that keeps on going since 2020

Kingdom Come; Thalia x Thom Rainier

He has imagined her return a thousand times and a thousand times more.

2. Two Songs; Truth, Sadness, Sacrifice; Cullen & Samson

“Staring at the cards all night won’t change ‘em, kid,” Samson said.

3. World-Weary Assholes; Garrett Hawke & Thalia

“Where did that damned Inquisitor go?” Hawke asked Varric.

4. The Wingman at Griffon Wing; Rylen & Thalia

The blazing sun hung low on the horizon, washing the forbidding landscape in hues of blood red.

5. The Greater Good; Cullen & Samson

Cullen stood in the Gallows courtyard, sweating into his armor.

6. Desert, Dragon, Soldier, Spy; Rylen x non-Inquisitor OC (exchange fic)

His first impression of her is a flash of white in a sea of orange.

7. But Never a Key; Cullen x Thalia, Cullen & Pravin

The Hinterlands were ablaze with autumn color.

8. An Unquenchable Flame; Cullen x Thalia, Cullen & Pravin

The wind howls through the night.

9. Things my heart used to know (things it yearns to remember); Cullen x Neria Surana Lavellan (exchange fic)

The argument in Josephine’s office was significant, from the sound of it.

10. Through a Glass, Darkly; Cullen x Thalia, Samson x Thalia

The sky hung low like a threat.

#first lines game #writing nonsense

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daltoneering · 2 years

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god your answer has me giggling and shit, these two are so in love and it's been beautiful to see! there's two moments that also stood up for me as important in their story idk what you think, the first one is kimm cleaning porsche's arm wound and that moment when they lock eyes for 2 seconds (i feel like so much is happening there, they are both realizing something, the way porsche looks at kinn GOD truly breathtaking) and the second one is kinn going to see porsche when he gives him the gun and that mood change from horny bastards to "i'm-so-deeply-in-love-with-you the mere thought of losing you makes me wanna kill everyone in this room and then myself" there's like an even deeper realization there right?

you have such a beautiful way with words and such clever perspectives i wanted to know what do you think about those moments

GOSH yeah whew. the first one you're talking about, the wound-tending and associated Significant Eye Contact, is a key moment in the kinn taking care of porsche agenda. porsche is prodding at him to try and confess that he wants him back, and kinn is saying that everything belongs to him anyway (implying that porsche does too), and then they get this long, heavy eye contact, and see each other. porsche can see that kinn cares about him, can see right through him, and kinn notices that ah! he has been spotted!, and immediately withdraws. he is not ready to be perceived at this time. i think it's an important moment in porsche's understanding of kinn and the fact that kinn is treating him very differently to how he treats all his other bodyguards.

the second scene you mentioned, the "two guns" scene in episode 7, is one of my faaaaavourite from the episode. the emotional shift! it actually starts out pretty emotional--the last time porsche saw kinn, he was acting very dismissive towards him in front of vegas, and then on the phone he was continuing in the same way--so for him to show up unexpectedly behind enemy lines and tell porsche he has something for him is quite the shift. and then it's something as meaningful as his lucky gun?! yeah. me and porsche are both overwhelmed by this, especially when it becomes clear that the gun is also a metaphor for his heart. this little pre-horny conversation is so important because kinn makes it clear that he wants (needs!) porsche to come back to him after this is over, because he loves him.

that's a lot of emotions for a single mafia man and his bodyguard to process on an evening without even the support of an emotional handy, so naturally kinn has to break the tension and make his gun dick joke--turning it into a different kind of tension altogether. porsche reacts perfectly, joining in with him in the horny teasing, making jokes of his own, and it's just a reminder of how perfect they are for each other. porsche does this adorable little "i'm a naughty brat hehe making jokes and teasing you, what you gonna do about it" face, and instead of escalating the sexual tension further, kinn goes suuuper soft and we get this gorgeous emotional shift.

i think what's happening here is that kinn is deeply in love. like i said in my first ask, he has liked this teasing, bratty aspect of porsche since the very beginning, and seeing it here just serves as a further reminder of why he loves him so much. but he's emotional about having to let porsche do this and he's emotional about having to extend his trust boundaries and he's still so scared!! kinn is still so scared that he is gonna lose porsche so he has to take every moment he can get to show him how much he doesn't want that to happen. hence the emotional shift, and the incredibly tender forehead kiss. he doesn't want to let him go, but he has to; he doesn't want to lose him, but that's the risk he has to take.

#kinnporsche #anon #reply #kp*

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kaiowut99 · 1 year

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Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episodes 93 and 94 Subbed (Finalized)

(Previously: Episodes 91 and 92 Subbed [Finalized])

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-93: A White Night Duel! Judai VS Asuka (Part 1)

The two personalities within Saiou are at odds with each other--one is a spirit impacted by the Waves of Light and now aims to destroy the world, while the other is a good spirit trying to prevent that. In order to prevent the world’s destruction, the good spirit hands two important keys over to Judai and Ed--upon learning of that, the Saiou impacted by the Waves of Light sends in Asuka to face Judai in order to retrieve his key. With the powerful deck she was given by Saiou, Asuka begins her offensive on Judai with her White Night Queen.

TURN-94: The White Night Dragon! Judai VS Asuka (Part 2)

Asuka’s deck, enhanced by Saiou, gradually drives Judai into a corner. Struggling, Judai appeals to Asuka’s heart as he tries to return her to her old self, but few of Judai’s words sink into her as she finally summons her strongest card, White Night Dragon. At an impasse, Judai uses a trump card packed with the “feelings for Asuka” that Manjoume and Fubuki entrusted him with, but...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My subs for episodes 93 and 94 are revised and finalized!

Things start amping up a bit here as we get into the last 11 episodes of the season: we’re given more indication that Saiou isn’t all bad, but the bad that is there gets Asuka fully under his control in order to make sure his world-destruction plan stays on course. 93 does establish a bit more to Asuka and Fubuki’s relationship, while Manjoume gets brought up to speed on how relentless he was with Asuka (shame Ojama Yellow opted against doing it after Judai beat him to keep him deluded), along with showing how cold Saiou’s full control has made Asuka with her new... freezing-cold deck, but her three-part lockdown combo is interesting. 94 builds on that as Judai tries to warm up Asuka’s dormant fighting spirit, to some effect once White Veil gets destroyed, leading up to the great “Impossible Victory” scene as he has Flare Neos defeat her and get the job done.

In terms of my translations this go-around, I did want to make sure I more clearly showed Asuka’s coldness while under Saiou’s influence, having her use “shall” or “It is my turn” among other word choices; you’ll notice that once White Veil’s destroyed, I slowly make some livelier choices with her lines like using her contracted “It’s my turn” again and eventually some emphatic italics once she snaps at Judai. (The dub, for their part, made Alexis even ruder than she had been, which is... a choice given she’s supposed to be a cold puppet at the moment...)

Edit-wise, not as many animation errors to fix in both episodes, but still a fair amount, the bulk of them in 94, with a mix of card error and quality-of-watching ones like some quick split-screen fixes. Due to Tumblr’s dumb link limit in posts yeeting them out of the tags used for them and limiting their reach, and since I still wanted a visual element to it, I’ve made a separate post with my usual fix/edit breakdown for the interested!

(In some quick housekeeping news, I also gave episode 3 a quick revision, as helping with some work on a special project I hope to force into a tag on here sometime soon made me realize that the one “You were tricked by a letter into casually coming here” line as Junko and Momoe interrogate Shou in the Girls’ dorm was actually said in two parts by them rather than one as I’d had it; going back to check on it, it was subtle, but you can definitely notice the voice change as Junko and Momoe speak. That correction will be up in the Masterpost and NAC soon.)

Anywho, enjoy; with Asuka out of the Society of Light, we’ve got Shou confronting Hell Kaiser Ryou next time in 95--a great episode for Shou’s character--and an enlightening science duel Judai takes on in 96 (a bit... too enlightening for a certain someone); stay tuned!

#yugioh #ygo #ygo gx #GX #yugioh gx #yu-gi-oh gx #yu-gi-oh! gx #yu gi oh gx #Asuka Tenjoin #Judai Yuki #my subs #[i guess the nice thing about splitting the breakdown from the main release post is i can make the release post less wall-of-texty lol]#good two-parter tho #plus the Tea Sun In's team working on the art/animation for 94 definitely helps it #especially those Gil bo Noh cuts in there looking good #want to say the classic 'Neos butt' clip was his work #and maybe some of the stuff leading up to the Impossible Victory scene

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leftoverenvy · 2 years

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Tastes Like Sugar (ch. 12)

Summary: India Mae, or Indi, is a music major, struggling to pay bills, tuition, work, and make good grades. Emily Prentiss is a BAU profiler, as well as a DC socialite thanks to her huge family fortune. The two enter into a mutually beneficial arrangement: Emily will pay for Indi's school if Indi accompanies Emily to her social functions for a few months, posing as her girlfriend. As weeks go by, the lines between their arrangement and their true feelings start to blur. But money can't buy love, right?

Pairing: India Mae Banks x Emily Prentiss; OC x Emily Prentiss

Warnings: eventual smut; sugar baby relationships; age gap (16 years - but all over 18)

Word Count: 2.2k

Read on Wattpad | Ao3 | Previous Chapters

Taglist: @ssa-sapphic 🧸; @5raysofsunshine 🌮; @reidselle 🦭; @milfprotector 🐝💚; @gaelic-symphony 🎻 ; @scargarcia-magshotchner 💜; @sadgirlml 🌻💌; @hotchs-bitch ; @multiverse-mxdness ; @spencersendgame

Chapter 12 - Make You Feel My Love

I peeked up over my book surreptitiously once again. I couldn't help it. Emily looked so cute at the other end of the couch completely engrossed in her own book. I wished I could get into mine, but after five minutes of reading the same page over and over again, I deemed it a lost cause. How could I keep my eyes on my book when she looked that precious? I loved Emily in a suit, but there was something so carefree and adorable about her in jeans and a tank top with her hair piled on top of her head. Not to mention those damn reading glasses perched on her nose. Those did it for me every time.

No matter how long I stared at her over the top of my book, she didn't seem to notice. So I stared unabashedly. With my eyes, I traced the lines of her lips, her jaw, the slope of her nose. She was so pretty it hurt. Without looking up, she asked, "Play for me?" I froze. "Since apparently you aren't going to read," she teased. I shoved her thigh with my foot from across the couch. I should have been embarrassed, but I couldn't really find it in me.

"How did you know?!"

"Profiler, remember?" she asked, pointing to herself, her mouth twisting up into a smirk. I got lost looking at her sweet smile. "So?" she asked again, tickling the bottom of my foot.

I screeched and wrenched it back. "So what?"

"Are you going to play for me? It's been over a week since I've heard you play."

I chuckled. "I can't help it if you're always leaving to go on a case, Em," I said hopping up from the couch. I needed to work on my recital piece anyway. I crossed the room, pulled the bench out, and sat down to play. It was unnerving to feel Emily's eyes on me. As I warmed up with some classics, I felt self-conscious about my every movement. Emily had never watched me play. She was often home when I played, but she had never been in the same room. What would she think? Why was I so hung up on this?

I started in on my recital piece. I needed it to be perfect by next week. The pressure was increasingly weighing down on me. It didn't help that Emily was watching.

When I finished the song, I heard her softly ask, "Do you sing too?"

I looked down, embarrassed. "Yes," I whispered. I was hoping she wouldn't hear.

"Sing for me." It wasn't a question. "Please," she said softly.

I drummed my fingers over the keys frantically trying to come up with a song to sing for Emily. I was sure it was no coincidence that the first one that came to mind was Adele's version of "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan. As I started singing the lyrics, I knew this had been a mistake. It was too telling. Surely she would understand my feelings after I finished. I had made a grave error choosing this song; everything would change after this.

As I got to the last verse, something in my heart shifted. I couldn't do this anymore. I needed her to know. I just needed her. She had changed my life completely. I wished I could look in her eyes as I sang the last bit, but I was too much of a coward. My choice in lyrics would have to suffice for now. "I could make you happy, make your dreams come true. Nothing that I wouldn't do, go to the ends of the Earth for you, to make you feel my love."

I let the last notes hang in the air, the gravity of the moment pressing down on me. I didn't know if it was just me or if she felt it too.

"Indi," she gasped reverently. I stood up, about to leave the room, too embarrassed to stay. "Hey wait! Where are you going?" She snagged my arm and pulled me down next to her on the couch. "That was so beautiful, Indi. You're so talented, I am constantly in awe of you."

Me? Surely I had heard her wrong. Her hand softly brushed my hair away from my face, her thumb brushing over my cheekbone. "I mean it, India Mae. You are something else."

"Thank you," I said shyly.

Sensing my discomfort, she changed the subject. "Look, I know it isn't on the schedule, so you don't have to say yes, but will you go to this dinner at the country club with me next week? It's going to be dreadful – so many of those insufferable women there. I don't want to go alone."

You make it sound so appealing, Em, I thought dryly. "What day is it?"

"Next Friday night." She looked so hopeful; I was sorry I had to decline her request.

"I can't that night. I have a recital," I responded.

"Why didn't you tell me??" she asked, genuinely upset I hadn't told her. I suddenly was nervous I had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry, Emily. It slipped my mind until recently. And I saw the schedule was empty, so I didn't think-"

"You misunderstand," she interrupted. "I'd like…I'd like to come to stuff like that," she said nervously. I sat back, shocked. Just last week I had been lamenting the fact that Emily wouldn't be there to support me. I was upset with myself for even wanting that, because she wasn't my girlfriend, and I wasn't entitled to her support. "That is, if you want me there…" She seemed nervous, as well.

I don't know what emboldened me – the song, her closeness – but I grabbed her hand and said, "I didn't ask, because I didn't think you would want to come. It's just a boring, old piano recital."

"Are you going to be performing?" she asked softly.

"Yes…?"

"Then it isn't a boring old anything," she said firmly. My breath caught in my throat at the feel of her finger lifting my chin. I stopped breathing. "So can I come?"

"What about your dinner?" I asked breathlessly.

"This is way more important. I can always reschedule."

"You really want to?" I asked trying to tamp down the hope blooming in my chest.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said softly.

______________________________

I stared up at the ceiling, willing myself to fall asleep. The recital was tomorrow night, and I couldn't sleep. My bed felt huge, empty, and cold. I was anxious about tomorrow, and my usual calming remedies weren't working. Normally, on a night like this, I would beg Penelope for a cuddle during a movie night. But she wasn't here. I was all alone.

I threw the covers back with a huff. There was no hope of sleeping any time soon, so I sneaked downstairs to read or watch TV. I laid down on the couch, anxiety swimming through me. It was completely ridiculous to be this anxious. This was my third year in school, and I'd had a million recitals before this, often for much higher stakes. Entrance and scholarship auditions were far more important than this mid-semester recital. This should mean nothing to me.

But it wasn't nothing. Because Emily had never been to one of my recitals before. I cared about her opinion more than I should. But I couldn't lie to myself and say this recital wasn't important. It would be my first performance with her. I wanted to be perfect for her.

I squirmed around on the couch, not quite sure what it was I was missing. I was craving something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to hold myself together. How could I be craving something I couldn't name?

This was insane. I needed to get a grip. I flopped on my side and groaned. I guess a little too loudly because I heard Emily call out, "Indi?" She popped her head around the corner. I sat up in shock. I drooled at the sight of Emily in tight leggings and a tight pullover as she walked in the living room. Her outfit left little to the imagination. It was the perfect distraction from the chaos in my mind. "What are you doing up?" she asked coming to sit down next to me.

My heart rate increased by her close proximity, as it always did. She smelled incredible, even at the end of the day. "Uhh what are YOU doing up?" I hedged.

"I asked you first."

I sighed. "I couldn't sleep," I admitted softly. She flopped her arm over the back of the couch, enclosing me in her space. My breathing increased. I needed her even closer – when had I gotten so needy?

"Why's that?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

"I don't know, just normal jitters," I downplayed my feelings.

"Jitters for what, baby?" I melted at her pet name. Why was she using them so much recently? It was playing games with my head.

"It's nothing important, Em. Honest," I dismissed.

"Indi," she said disappointed. "It's not nothing. I want to be here for you."

My heart swelled. I smiled softly. "It's stupid."

She cupped my face and stared deep into my eyes. "Nothing keeping you up could be stupid. Let me help."

"I-" I swallowed thickly. I had never really expressed my fears with anyone but my mom and Penelope before. This felt incredibly personal and vulnerable. "I'm just nervous."

"For what, baby?" Her thumb started tracing over my cheekbone, and I closed my eyes at the comfort. Now that she was touching me, I felt safe and at home. I never wanted it to end.

"I'm nervous about tomorrow. Which is so stupid because I've done a hundred recitals before. Some with even harder pieces. This piece is easy! This recital shouldn't be any different than the others!" I ranted.

"Hey!" Her other hand lifted to my cheek to sandwich my face between her hands. "Look at me. It's not stupid to be nervous, but you have no reason to be. You are incredibly talented. I know you are going to blow everyone away, tomorrow. And I'm really looking forward to it."

"Thank you." I felt better just hearing her reassurances.

"Of course, angel." Her hand fell and tickled my side. I shrieked loudly, trying to move away from her, but her arm circled around my waist and pulled me closer. I was trapped between her and the couch. And her fingers were relentless. "I like seeing you smile like that," she admitted quietly.

The air shifted; it charged into something intense. Her fingers stilled. She was looking at me so intently. And it clicked for me: the yearning I had felt earlier that I couldn't identify was a yearning for Emily, for her touch. I was addicted to Emily, and I needed her.

She leaned in, closing the gap between us. The electricity sparked between us, nearly scorching me. "Em," I gasped breathlessly. And her lips were on mine. If I thought the electricity between us was strong before, it was nothing compared to now. Involuntarily, I leaned forward to deepen the kiss. All kisses before this were nothing. Emily felt like heaven. Emily's lips were divine.

Her tongue sneaked out to trace the edge of my lower lip. I opened my mouth, and her tongue caressed my own. Before I could hold it back, I moaned into her mouth. Emily's kiss was magic. I was frantic for her, desperate. Her hand dug into my hip, drawing me closer. I swung a leg over her lap and straddled her, tightening my hand in her hair. I pulled back, gasping for air, "Emily." Her lips never left my skin, falling instead to my neck where she continued her barrage of kisses.

I felt her hot tongue trail up from my collarbone to behind my ear. "Fuck, Em," I gasped again. I had never been this vocal before, but I couldn't be embarrassed. I was too lost in the moment. She felt incredible below me. I had never wanted someone so badly. I rocked my hips into hers and reclaimed her lips. Her hand fell to my ass, pulling me closer, helping me grind into her faster. "Em, please!" I begged, though I couldn't identify for what.

"India, my god," she said just as breathless. I rested my head against her forehead. Her thumb traced patterns into my hip. I shuddered at the feel. She reached up to peck me once again on the lips.

I stared into her eyes, my chest still heaving from her kisses. "Em, what are we doing?"

"I don't know," she said with earnest eyes. "All I know is that I need you. And I'm tired of ignoring it."

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Continue to next chapter

#🌬 fics #tastes like sugar #emily prentiss #emily prentiss x oc #emily prentiss fanfiction #emily prentiss smut #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds au #wlw writing

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