#I HAD MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

[riaki]

HES… POUTING……….. SOMEBODY SEDATE ME

[seongwars]

more lads dad!au because dad!zayne and dad!caleb beef would be hilarious. spinoff from this drabble

The thing about heart surgeons was that they spent years in medical school, training relentlessly to save lives. But despite Zayne’s expertise, the one thing he couldn’t mend was his four-year-old daughter’s broken heart.

“Elsa, sweetheart, why are you crying?” he asked, crouching to her level as she hiccuped between sniffles.

“Because Archer doesn’t want to be married to me anymore,” Elsa sobbed, rubbing her fists against her red-rimmed eyes. 

“He said he likes Cece.”

Oh. His heart.

His daughter was barely out of preschool, and she was already experiencing the crushing weight of betrayal. While he remained calm on the outside, Zayne was seething on the inside. How dare this boy break his daughter’s heart? Who did he think he was?

“Archer?” 

“Caleb’s son,” you chimed in from the doorway, setting Elsa’s backpack down on its hook.

Oh. It all made sense now.

There were rumors that Caleb had been Mr. Popular back in high school, then again in college, and even at the academy. The kind of guy who could walk into a room and instantly become the center of attention, effortlessly drawing in mobs of adoring fangirls. His son, apparently, had inherited those same infuriatingly charming qualities.

Zayne clenched his jaw. No one, not even another four-year-old, was going to trample on his baby’s feelings and walk away unscathed. He turned back to Elsa, brushing a damp strand of hair from her cheek.

“Sweetheart, listen to me,” Zayne said gently, wiping away the last of Elsa’s tears with his thumb. “You don’t need to be married to Archer. You’re the most brilliant, kind, and incredible little girl in the whole world.”

Elsa sniffled. “Really?”

“Absolutely. Now, let me ask you something: does Archer know medical terminology?”

Elsa frowned, thinking hard. “No,” she admitted, shaking her head.

Zayne gasped dramatically. “See? That right there is a red flag, sweetheart. You’re already smarter than him! Do you know how many medical words you know?”

Elsa sniffled again, but a tiny smile started forming. “A lot.”

“That’s right! And what’s the big one you learned last week?”

“Myocardial infarction!”

Zayne’s eyes widened in exaggerated amazement. “That’s incredible! Now, tell me, does Archer know what a myocardial infarction is?”

Your daughter scrunched up her nose, thinking. Then she clapped her hands. “No!”

“Sweetheart, how could you possibly be married to someone who doesn’t even know what that is?”

Elsa giggled, wiping at her damp cheeks.

“What other big words do you know?” Zayne encouraged, leaning in.

She tapped a finger against her chin before her face lit up. “Hippocampus!”

“That’s my girl!” Zayne grinned, nodding approvingly. “Anything else?”

Elsa’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Gluteus maximus!”

She giggled so hard at the meaning of gluteus maximus that she nearly toppled over, but Zayne caught her just in time, lifting her up and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Just minutes ago, she had been devastated over some preschool betrayal, and now she was giggling about medical jargon like the brilliant little girl she was.

It was far better than pining over a boy who didn’t even know what a myocardial infarction was.

☾⋆

“Hey, I saw Zayne today at drop-off, and he was squinting at me the whole time,” Caleb said, pulling Eden out of his high chair.

“Huh. Did he have his glasses on?” his wife asked, refilling Stella’s sippy cup. 

Caleb furrowed his brow. “Now that I think about it…no, he didn’t. Oh! That makes so much sense! I waved at him, like, three times, but he just kept squinting. Poor guy was probably struggling to see without them.”

Cece - Sylus' daughter Eden & Stella - Caleb's twins

[the-apple-of-my-eye0-0]

Nobody’s business

Part 2 of teachers pet!

Warnings: degrading, Mean! Dom! Zayne, overstimulation, fingering, semi public sex, professor/student, age gap, unprotected sex, spanking, power dynamic, choking, dumbification, uses of: sir, baby, daddy. (I hope I’m not forgetting anything)

Im honestly brain dead after writing this all day, so the ending is quite messy. (Don’t say I didn’t warn ya)

Not proofread (I’ll get to it I promise)

🔞 !! MDNI !! 🔞

───୨ৎ──── ୨ৎ─────୨ৎ────୨ৎ──

It’s been 3 days since your last lecture with professor Zayne. You couldn’t wait to see him again, the activities of your last meeting replaying in your mind nonstop.

Today you were finally going to see him again, and you were determined to make this game the both of you had more fun.

You made sure to wake up and hour earlier, spending a little extra time on you makeup and hair, making sure it was flawless before getting dressed into an extra revealing outfit.

A tight black blouse, first few buttons undone, exposing just enough of your laced blue bra, paired with an extra short plaid skirt. You stood in front of the mirror for a short while putting on your jewellery while contemplating if you should wear some thigh highs, you decide to after saying ‘fuck it’ and sliding them up your legs.

Gathering all your things and slipping on some black Mary Jane’s you head out the door — usually you wouldn’t dare wear such an outfit but your heightened ego gave you a confidence boost.

You walk into the lecture hall. Immediately making eye contact with the man you’ve been plotting against for the past few days.

He looked as juicy as ever. Black button down, sleeves pulled up — showing off his veiny forearms. Tight, straight dress pants that hugged every inch of his legs lusciously, and black leather shoes you wouldn’t mind if he stepped on you with.

‘It’s show time’ you think to yourself, determined to make him break, taking note of the empty hall.

“Good morning professor” you greet him with a wink. Walking to the front row of seats, making sure to sway your hips with each step.

“Good morning Y/N” he replies, his breath slightly hitched. Eyes fixated on your chest.

You had him right where you wanted him.

‘Oh this is going to be fun’ you thought to yourself.

Just as he opened his mouth to say something, another student walked in, instantly he regained his composure. “Good morning Jayden” he greets them before turning to the board, writing today’s lesson outline.

Slowly, students flooded in, each taking their seat, some of their eyes landing on you and your scandalous attire. But you didn’t care, how could you when it had such an effect on your professor?

“Good day class, for today’s lesson we will be working in groups of 2, everyone please select a partner to collaborate with” he explained, trying not to look at the way you leaned forward, letting your shirt hang just enough to expose more of your breasts, while you play it off as looking through your notes.

A few soft cheers could be heard as people paired up. You looked around the room to see Jayden — sitting by himself on the far left side of the front row.

Standing up, you walk around the outer side of the long table and slowly pass Zayne, not missing the way his eyes bore into you, and his nostrils slightly flaring at the scent of your perfume.

When you’re in front of Jayden, a handsome man with green eyes, you rest your hands on the table — allowing your back to arch a little and your panties to slightly peek through from under your skirt.

“Hey, you wanna be partners?” You watch as his eyes flicker from your breasts to your face. “Uh, yeah sure” he smiles up at you and moves to the side, giving you enough room to sit beside him.

You thank him and sit beside him. Your attention snapping back at your professor as he clears his throat before talking.

“You and your partner will discuss how you would differentiate between stable angina and myocardial infarction based on clinical presentation, ECG findings, and management. You will need to write down your discussion and hand it in by the end of the class. Please begin”

The class listens and their murmurs fill the room. Jayden starts going through his notes, leaving a blank page for the both of you to write on.

‘This is the perfect time for phase two’ you think to yourself before turning your attention to Zayne once again. “Um professor?” Your voice catches his attention immediately.

“Yes Y/N?” His eyebrow cocks up.

“I forgot my pen at home, could I please borrow one?” You pout and flutter your lashes.

His breath hitches once again, evidence of whatever lustful thoughts running through his mind. “Yes of course”

He walks to his desk, picking up a blue pen. That’s when you notice a silver ring on his right hands ring finger.

"I haven't seen him wear that before" you think to yourself, brushing off the thought as he walks toward you.

"Here you go Y/N" he says as he places the pen in front of your to grab. Your fingers graze as you feign taking the pen from his grasp. He lets go, not knowing any better and watches as the pen falls on to the ground, rolling underneath the table.

Jayden looks up at the sound of the pen hitting the floor, thinking nothing of it before busing himself once again with his notes.

Zayne glares at you as you smile innocently while twirling your hair in your fingers. Taking the hint he crouches down to pick the pen up.

You take that as your cue to spread open your legs, exposing your matching blue, laced panties to him, before leaning back and watching him with a smirk.

His eyes are fixated on your clothed core, expression darkening. You feel his breath on your inner thigh, sending shivers down your spine. He makes eye contact with you as he places a soft kiss on your thigh, Instantly making you wet. He notices and lets out a soft chuckle.

Before long he stands back up, giving you the pen and you take it this time. Ignoring as he walks back to his desk and pretends to busy himself with finished assignments.

"Okay, lets start with clinical presentation" you start the conversation with Jayden, pretending to not notice the way he looks at your body, while jotting down the notes of your conversation.

"Sure, stable angina happens during exertion or stress, yeah?" he utters out, playing right into the plan of your next phase.

"Exactly, and it goes away with relaxation or... what was it?" you act confused.

"Nitroglycerin" he smiles at you.

"Oh that's right! I knew you were the best person to do this project with!" you fake excitement. Bringing a smirk to his face.

After the both of you complete the assignment, there is still 10 minutes until the end of the lecture. You take advantage of this extra time to flirt with the man beside you.

"So, what do you do outside of studying?" You ask him, not really interested in anything he has to say but you needed to get onto Zayne's nerves. After all, you've only seen the surface of his anger, and you were hungry to see more.

...

After a little while longer of biting your lip at Jayden and shared glances with a certain enraged professor, the class is dismissed.

You watch as half of the students hand in their assignment, making sure to take your time with packing your things away, you're left alone with your professor once again.

"Lock the door." He orders, and of course you listen. Only now taking in the weight of consequences to come. You weren't sure if you were aroused or nervous.

You hand him your paper, expecting him to toss it to the side, but he reads through it instead. Letting out a pitiful laugh. "I thought you were smarter than this" he mocks. His voice nothing like it was during class, it was brutal, scornful.

"Stable angina and MI show ST elevation? You know that's wrong, or are you just trying to piss me off even more?" he stands, showing the bulge in his pants.

"It was all Jayden," you resort to "I promise."

"Why'd you even pair yourself with that dumbass anyway? Trying to make me jealous perhaps?" His frame is towering over you now, daring you to speak.

"U-Uh, yes." You admitted.

"Pathetic, really. Flashing your panties during class, dressing like a fucking slut, I should've known better" he unbuckles his belt and frees it from the loops. Holding it in his hands.

"Bend over the fucking desk, now" you obey and lean over the desk, allowing your skirt to ride up your ass.

"Since you want to act like a fucking slut, I'll treat you like one." he grabs your skirt and pulls it up before removing your panties and tossing them to the side.

You bite your lip in anticipation.

"You will count each spank, I advise you don't lose count or else we start again." he raises the cold leather, slamming it against your ass. The pain travelling through you, "O-One". He repeats the motion again, leaving red marks on you. "Fuck, t-two".

He doesn't stop until you make it to twenty. Your legs quivering, ass red and bruised.

"This is just the start of your punishment." A deep groan escaping his lips.

The feeling of cold leather snakes around your neck, looping through the clasp, creating a collar for Zayne to control.

"Keep quiet and you get to breathe, moan? And I'll choke you." he grins at you. "Now turn around and undress yourself".

You listen, getting off the desk and unbuttoning your shirt, letting to fall to the ground, your bra and skirt following. You stand there, not daring to move. Embarrassed at the way his eyes linger on every curve, darkening with desire. "Fuck, get back on the desk" he demands.

You find yourself laying on the cold wood again. Flashbacks of the last time you were in such a position running through your mind, making your cunt drool and ache with need.

"Remember what I said, dirty girl." The feeling of the collar slightly cutting your air off, making you gasp. "Yes sir" you reply, obeying his orders.

He kisses your bruised cheeks gently before hearing a quiet buzzing sound. You don't look, afraid of what he may say. "I know you must've been wondering about this ring." He says, "It's a vibrating ring, I thought you might like it, since you're so filthy." he explains.

He doesn't let you reply, pushing is vibrating finger into your sloppy cunt, earning a gasp from you. "Yeah I knew you'd love it" he groans.

His fingers abuse your sweet spot, the ring sitting perfectly on your sensitive clit. The sensation going right though you. You try to hold in your moans but one quietly slips out, before you can even realise what you've done, Zayne pulls on the belt, cutting off your air supply while lifting your neck off the desk.

You let out a choked cry, the mixture of feelings making you fall into a mindless haze, with only one thing on your mind — to cum.

“Don’t you even think about cumming until I give you permission” he spits, fingers pumping into your dripping cunt at a ferocious speed.

He softens the grip on your collar, guiding your head onto the desk. His face moves to your neglected tits, tongue lapping on your nipple, you let out a choked sob.

“Please, please, please sir, please let me cum, I promise I’ll be a good girl” you’re squirming beneath him.

“No. If you can’t control yourself, I’ll stop.” His words muffled against your swollen nipple.

You whine, unable to hold on any longer. Another choked sob leaving your lips.

With that he removes his fingers from your pleading cunt. “I told you I’d stop if you can’t control yourself.” His face now plastered with a wicked grin.

“Love watching you struggle, I’m gonna have so much fun breaking you” his voice low and calm.

He removes the vibrating ring from his hand, placing it on your other nipple before bringing his slick coated hand to your mouth. “Suck.”

You open your mouth, tasting yourself on his fingers. You watch as he bites his lip, feeling his erection grow even more against your leg.

After sucking his fingers clean, you let him remove his fingers as you bite your lip. The new sensation on your nipple sending waves of pleasure throughout your body.

“Please sir, want you to fuck me.” You ask shamelessly. Praying he’ll give in and give you what you want.

“I’m sorry for acting like a dumb whore, I promise I won’t do it again” you ramble, not thinking before you speak.

“Aw, now you’re sorry? That’s too bad” he coos, “you should’ve thought about that before you started acting like a fool”

You whined at his response, and he didn’t like that one bit. Pulling on the belt, you felt yourself being lifted once again, unable to breathe. “You’re going to take what I give you and you’re going to be fucking happy.” The threat going straight to you cunt.

“But since you want it so bad, I’m gonna give it to you, and you better milk my cock. Alright?”

You nod frantically, just wanting to feel him inside of you. “Good girl, I expect nothing less from my favourite slut” his words sounding like a growl.

He lets go of the belt, your head crashing back at the motion as he unbuttons and unzips his pants, pulling down his clothes to expose his long, hard, throbbing cock, already dripping with precum.

He pumps it a few times, letting out a soft groan, “gonna fuck you so good you’re never gonna think of any other man again”. He wraps the leather around his hand and pulls you up once again. “I know that’s what you crave, isn’t it darling?”

You’re unable to talk so you just nod pathetically. “You’re already ruined, it’s only a matter of time before you’re fucked dumb” he guides your head down and removes the collar from your neck before tying your hands together with the expensive leather.

“Wanna hear those poor feeble moans come out of your mouth, can you do that for me?” Voice dripping with faux sweetness.

“Y-yes sir.” “good girl”.

He finally gives what you’ve waited for, sinking his cock into your core. Earning a loud moan from you and a deep growl from Zayne.

“So much better than what I’ve imagined” his head throws back, fucking into you slowly at first, allowing you to adjust to his size before slamming into you.

His curved tip kissing your cervix, making you melt.

“Mhm~ right there, feels soooo good~ thank you~” you mewl out

“That’s it, wanna hear more of those pretty sounds baby” he keeps fucking into you, feeling your walls flutter around him.

“Want you to make me yours, want everyone to know who I belong to” your common sense disappearing with each thrust.

“Yeah? You want me to make you scream? Want me to mark you? Want me to make you mine, hm?” He coos.

“Yes, need it, please, I need it~” you beg.

“Took a lot less than I thought it would to make you lose your mind” he lets out a breathless laugh.

You don’t even care about the teasing, it just turning you on even more. Besides you knew he was right, he could see right through the mask you tried to hide for so long right from the start.

The familiar feeling bubbles up inside you once again, begging for release.

“You’re gonna come already? How pathetic. Cum for me, since that’s all you’re good for” he mocks. Feeling your walls clench around his cock.

Your eyes roll back, body shaking from the release, “fuck yes, thank you, thank you” you sob out. Tears welling up from the pleasure.

“That’s it, you belong to me now, no one else can have you, is that right darling?” He moans, chasing his own release.

“Mhmm~ belong to you~” you repeat dumbly. Unaware of anything except the feeling of his cock inside of you.

“Tell me how good I make you feel, tell me how no one can fuck you as good as I can” his restraint slowly breaking.

“Feel so good daddy~ mm~ never felt this good before~” The name caught Zayne by surprise, “you really are a filthy girl, aren’t you baby?” His eyes growing darker.

You don’t even realise what you called him, too caught up in the overstimulation. “Mhmm~” you whine.

“Gonna take all my cum like a good girl? Gonna be mine forever?” He asks, on the edge of release.

“Y-yes sir, yes please, let me milk you, fuck, please”

“Here you go baby”. You feel his warm cum filling you up. You gasp at the newfound feeling, biting you lip and pulling him in for a kiss.

You both melt into the kiss, until his cock softens inside you.

After controlling your breathing you lay there, limp from the pleasure.

“Fuck you’re gorgeous” he praises, removing his cock and putting his pants back on and unbinding your hands, before helping to make you presentable again.

“I don’t have any more classes today, why don’t I drop you off home?”

You nod sheepishly, earning a chuckle from him.

“Here, let me help you” he takes your arm and wraps it across his shoulders.

He gathers his and your belongings before guiding you to his car.

(A/N: Thanks to everyone who wanted a part two! Hope y’all enjoyed it!! 💋)

[psychopomp-namine]

YE6's butterfly effect. AKA: how did vein "die"?

I'm trying to puzzle out the butterfly effect in YE6, and here is my interpretation so far. if this theory is correct, it would also answer the question of who has the faking death ability and what exactly was liu xiao doing during the whole arc.

of course, feel free to correct me if I got this wrong. I could be missing some key information. I'm just writing this in an attempt to figure it out myself. also, this is gonna be a long post, sorry.

a lot of people are speculating that lu guang directly killed vein somehow through an ability, but I don't think that's what actually happened (although I wish that was the case). I also don't think the situation is as simple as "lu guang wanted vein dead" because I also think that liu xiao is interfering with the same events. there are two puppeteers in YE6, imho.

let's start with lu guang. for one thing, we know he can't directly kill vein with any of the abilities he has, since both scanning 12 hours of photo history and diving into the past require, well, a photo, which lu guang did not have. yingdu even stressed the rules of how both abilities work. if lu guang directly killed vein through ability use, this would imply he has another ability up his sleeve, and I really don't think we've been given enough evidence that points to that. if he always had this ability, why hasn't he used it before on vein in other timelines?

remember that yingdu has a lot of visual metaphors in its storytelling compared to other seasons. I believe lu guang caused the chain of events to happen in such a way that vein would die, but he was not the one to kill him, and that's why there's the animation of him orchestrating vein's death through wang qing, like a ventriloquist would control a puppet. in fact, I would go even further: lu guang and wang qing never got the chance to kill vein, although lu guang certainly thinks he did. we will circle back to this under the cut later, once we've built up the evidence to reach this conclusion.

another thing is the info we learned from an interview with director li. it is unfortunate, imo, that we had to learn this through an interview and not from the show itself (I feel this is yingdu's biggest writing flaw), but whatever. here are the key points to know though:

vein doesn't have an ability during yingdu arc

liu xiao has more than one ability (we know one of them already, which is interestingly enough, heartbeat related)

(not from the interview, but hinted in the show) someone has a "faking death" ability

before we go into the butterfly effect and how vein died, let's go over the details of his death:

from the autopsy report: vein's cause of death is myocardial infarction. aka a heart attack

xia fei later says there were no external injuries and no signs of poison

also, tiny detail, but vein was holding something like a tranquilizer gun in the clinic. the "bullets" he fired on both wang qing and cheng xiaoshi were meant to put them to sleep, not to kill them.

finally, let's lay out some character motivations. this will be important later.

liu xiao wants to get the notebook that belonged to cheng weimin. vein is working with him on this.

lu guang wants to avoid cheng xiaoshi's death node, and he plans to do it by killing vein

now, for the analysis. how did vein "die"?

let's establish something first. since xia fei doesn't know what happened to vein and is looking for the true culprit, we can rule out his involvement. he probably doesn't have the faking death ability, since it was used on vein. and vein doesn't have an ability. so the most likely person to have this ability would be liu xiao. he is also most likely the one to open the body bag with vein in it.

so we can now assume that liu xiao has two abilities:

he can sense someone's emotions and intentions through hearing their heartbeats

he can "fake death" (it is unclear how this works)

well. what an interesting combination! let's put a pin on that for now. remember this for later.

okay. now. let's switch over to lu guang. the big important question here is this: how did lu guang know that delaying vein from entering the clinic would lead to his death through a butterfly effect?

for full context, let's look at what lu guang says in his conversation with vein (I'm using ani-mi's translation, but I watched the bilibili one first and there aren't any drastic changes imo):

do you know the butterfly effect? in a dynamic system, event the smallest changes in initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes. I've been wondering, how do you alter a destined ending? what would happen if, before the conclusion, we added another fixed point? another unchangeable node? instead of avoiding deviations, why not let it deviate completely? I know I can't stop you. but I can make you stay a bit longer. now, you can go in.

two things here. first, the mention of an unchangeable node. aka a death node. lu guang for sure wanted vein to die. because if vein dies first, he can't kill cheng xiaoshi. simple logic; great plan.

next, from this speech, we can infer that lu guang planned to create a small change (a butterfly effect) that will lead to a big consequence (vein's death).

it's the second part that should clue us in. he said, "I can make you stay a bit longer. now, you can go in." he knows he can't stop vein from entering the clinic. but he can stall him. he can add a small bit of delay, long enough that it actually matters that vein went into the clinic later than usual.

lu guang knows the effect he wants (vein's death) so how does he know what event (stalling him) would cause the domino effect that leads to it? why does that small delay matter?

let's look at what that extra bit of time actually changed. by delaying vein, another important event happens: cheng xiaoshi has extra time with wang qing, long enough for him to meet his mom, shao yuanyuan. cheng xiaoshi then learns that shao yuanyuan is trying to save cheng weimin. he promises to wait for them and to stop investigating. it is after he makes this promise that vein enters.

we can now infer one more thing here: cheng xiaoshi did not meet his mom through wang qing in the original order of events. this event only happens because lu guang stalled vein.

most likely, in the original order of events, vein incapacitated wang qing too early for her to do anything to him. we don't know what her ability is, but it doesn't matter for this post. all we need to know is that lu guang believes wang qing could kill vein if she was never put to sleep. that is the point of stalling vein from entering the clinic early.

so here's part one of my theory. from lu guang's perspective, this is the plan to kill vein:

stall vein from entering the clinic

because vein entered late, wang qing was possessed by someone with better fighting abilities, allowing her to hold out during the fight

she is then freed from possession, and is still awake when vein tries to leave with the notebook

I don't think we have enough information to really explain what happens next, but what's supposed to happen, imo, is that wang qing kills vein, either through her own ability or someone else uses her to do it. it doesn't really matter how, but this is what is supposed to happen. this is what lu guang wanted to happen. for the sake of this post, we will assume wang qing has an ability to kill vein

vein dies, therefore he can't go to the time photo studio in the future to kill cheng xiaoshi

that's lu guang's butterfly effect. stall vein -> vein dies -> cheng xiaoshi lives.

simple? not quite. I did mention there's another person interfering with these events.

everything I mentioned above is from lu guang's perspective, and that this is what's supposed to happen. but let's look at the actual order of events.

wang qing wakes up (is freed from possession), notices the notebook on vein, and calls his name (interesting point: she knows his full chinese name). at this point, her eyes have NOT changed color yet.

vein gets a heart attack

only after that does wang qing's eyes change color

we know that changing eye colors is not diegetic, meaning this is more for the audience's benefit. their eyes don't really change color in-universe. sometimes they don't even show us eye colors changing. but when they do show us, we have to pay attention.

therefore, I believe that the timing of the shift in eye color matters.

so here's part two of my theory. liu xiao knew lu guang is going to interfere, so he already arranged a "fake death" for vein in advance (which he doesn't tell vein about lmao, but he seems to have figured it out when he gets the heart attack)

this is how, I believe, yingdu happened from liu xiao's perspective:

he wants cheng weimin's notebook. wang qing has it, but would never give it to him. but she might for cheng weimin's son

he baits cheng xiaoshi into going to bridon

he heard lu guang's heartbeat in the airport, which tipped him off that he's someone he should watch out for

he confirmed that cheng xiaoshi and lu guang are investigating cheng weimin

he assigns xia fei to keep an eye on their progress

he planned to use cheng xiaoshi to bait wang qing into giving up information about the notebook. this is why when xia fei told him that cheng xiaoshi was about to meet her, liu xiao reacts like this is the expected outcome

he assigns vein to get the notebook because wang qing is about to reveal the location. but he also knows that lu guang is kinda shady, so when lu guang stalls vein (and tells him! bro don't tell your plans to your victims! don't tell him you're trying to make a butterfly effect!), liu xiao either just knew this would happen or vein tipped him off before going in

now, notice that vein gets a heart attack before wang qing uses an ability (or is used, whatever) to kill vein. and what have we established before at the beginning of this post? liu xiao has a heartbeat related ability and can fake a death. we don't know the mechanics of the second ability, but we know that compatible abilities can combo with each other. it's not far-fetched to think that liu xiao can fake death with a heart attack

later, we see vein wake up after someone (most likely liu xiao) opens his body bag

so now who's fooled? the police arrives and even does an autopsy. they declare vein dead. lu guang is relieved, and for years he believes this. vein doesn't even visit the studio in 2021 (though li tianchen does, through liu min, but that's neither here nor there). he avoided a death node by creating another one. we can let him believe this lie for a little while...

TL;DR lu guang created a butterfly effect by stalling vein, and that creates a domino effect that should have led to vein's death. except he's not the only one interfering with the timeline. while this is happening, liu xiao orchestrates a fake death for vein before his supposed death actually happens, allowing him to act dead during the autopsy and "revive" later

EDIT: this post was written before the interview translation came out, though I don't think this it contradicts anything here; if anything, this post is in line with the interview.

if you're interested, additional thoughts on vein's death can be found in the following links:

reblog of this post: the fake death ability might be wang qing's, or an effect of a combination of wang qing and liu xiao's ability. I posit in this post that I think liu xiao has the ability; in hindsight, it probably relates to wang qing, though I still think that the "heart attack" is related to liu xiao

thematic analysis (as opposed to plot analysis) on vein's death. I am a huge believer that link click is best analyzed through themes than plot tbh

additional thoughts on lu guang's characterization throughout all of this

[sirfrogsworth]

@haveabowlofweedies I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. I am genuinely curious.

Where did you get this information?

Why did you believe it?

Did you ever think to verify what you were told?

You seem to be very confident and I would like to understand why.

Aside from that, I'd like to give you some accurate information.

In 2020, there were 3,383,729 total deaths reported in the US.

COVID-19 was directly attributed to 350,831 deaths.

The number of deaths with COVID-19 as a contributing factor was 33,705.

So, despite your ALL CAPS declaration, over three million deaths were attributed to something other than COVID. 697,000 were attributed to heart disease.

You can verify that here.

I'd also like to briefly explain how death certificates work.

A U.S. death certificate typically includes two parts.

Part 1 is the immediate cause of death, along with a chain of underlying causes.

Part 2 is significant conditions that may have contributed to the death, but were not part of the causal chain.

So, for example, a certificate might say:

Part I a. Acute respiratory distress syndrome b. Pneumonia c. COVID-19

Part II a. Hypertension b. Type 2 diabetes

COVID-19 caused the pneumonia and the pneumonia caused the respiratory distress and the distress caused death. A clear chain of events.

The hypertension and diabetes were extra things that made it harder for the body to fight the infections.

This is a COVID death. If the person did not have COVID, they would probably still be alive. But all of those factors worked together to cause the deadly outcome.

Now let's say someone died of a heart attack while infected with COVID. The death certificate might look something like this...

Part I a. Myocardial infarction

Part II a. COVID-19

It's very possible that COVID put the body into distress and was a factor in the heart attack. But the immediate cause is still listed as a heart attack. So this would be classified as a contributing factor and not a direct COVID death.

Many people came up with conspiracies because COVID-19 was put on death certificates in this way, but they did not understand that almost all deaths are multifactorial. For the sake of accuracy, the death certificates list every factor that may have contributed.

The truth is, many COVID deaths were probably not counted in the total.

If we eliminate COVID, we still had 130,000 excess deaths in 2020.

Data scientists believe many of these were COVID deaths that were improperly classified.

TL;DR

3.4 million people died in 2020.

700,000 people died of heart disease.

350,000 people died of COVID-19.

Not all deaths were attributed to COVID—a fraction of them were.

And that fraction is probably smaller than it should be.

[wildestdreamsblog]

Latibule Spinoff: Elysian

Pairing: Doctor/Mafia!Kim Seokjin x Intern!Reader 

Warnings: Yandere behavior, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.

A/N: If you like this, kindly consider reblogging

Masterlist, Part III of __

The drive back to the hospital was blurry to Seokjin. He reminded himself to give Yoongi a call, after all, he did break a lot of traffic rules and regulations just to arrive at the hospital to…why exactly? Why was he so adamant on driving back to the hospital in such a hurry? What was he to do once he saw the reason for his misery?

What exactly was he to do once he got to you? Once he saw you? And what if you didn’t want anything to do with him anymore?

He didn’t have to think long because there you were- smiling so sweetly at the hospital staff, your absence definitely felt not just by him. Everyone noted your absence. You were the sunshine of the hospital and when you left, he felt…unbelievably cold. Nothing was right in his world and he even found a pimple on his glorious forehead this morning! The audacity of such thing to grow on his otherwise lovely and godly face! All because he stayed up all night tossing and turning! It was all because of you that he wasn’t getting his beauty sleep!

He almost believed that he was really affected by your absence, and he wasn’t…was he??? 

“Oh, Doctor Kim! You’re back!”

He blinked when he heard his staff greeted him, her eyes holding confusion at his sudden appearance. Seokjin understood her, though. After all, he just left not more than an hour ago. He should be at home resting his beautiful face.

He watched as your back stiffened before slowly, and Gods, ever so slowly turned to him. For the life of him, he didn’t know why his breath hitched when you met his eyes. Or why his heart beat faster when he could finally see you. Or why his heart felt uncomfortable when you left.

Was he experiencing a minor myocardial infarction?!

And heavens, why did his cheeks feel a lot warmer when you smiled at him?! Did he now have to pay his dermatologist a visit?!

“Do you need anything, Doctor Kim?” his staff asked him to break the silence when enough moment had passed and yet, the hospital’s director was merely looking at you.

Kim Seokjin finally blinked, wrenching his eyes from your beautiful ones. Your eyes seemed so soulful. He didn’t know why there was a sudden fluttering in his heart, and he did not care to know why at the moment. Instead, he cleared his throat, his gaze briefly dropping on the table of his staff. “I…left my pen.”

“Your pen,” you repeated with a heavy tone of confusion and disbelief.

And there it was, your first words to him after your week-long absence. He was such an idiot, he thought. In his beautiful life, he never thought he would be reduced to calling himself an idiot when he was brilliant! He was always the top in his classes! He was always quoted in the medical research for his intelligence! He was so clever and for the life of him, he didn’t know why he blurted out that sorry excuse.

But there was no way to get himself out of the hole he dug. “Yup. And look, there it is!” he leaned in to grab the pink and glittery hello kitty pen from the staff’s table. “It has sentimental value,” he murmured as though it was all it took to explain the bizarreness of his presence. “I don’t feel comfortable being without it.”

His staff frowned, her mouth opening to protest. “Sir, that’s my daughter’s-”

“Anyway, now that my presence is perfectly explained,” he quipped up and effectively cutting of his staff, he clapped his hand once before turning his full attention on you, completely ignoring the other person. “Where have you been?”

“I’m sorry?” your head tilted at what you heard. Did you hear him right? Never once did he ask you anything, so why start now?

You looked up at his expressive eyes, his plump lips hanging agape as he grappled for words to explain his unusual question. “I-I mean, the hospital is so understaffed and as the chief, it is my responsibility to make sure that this institution runs smoothly. After all, lives depend on us.”

“Sir, my leave was approved by my direct superior,” you said, trying to reason calmly at him.

“But still, one week is still too long. Next time, don’t be gone for a whole week,” he replied back with an air of finality that you definitely did not appreciate. In your barely restrained annoyance, you walked ahead and pushed the elevator button a little too hard before turning to him. You took a deep breath as he only looked down at you, the ridiculous hello kitty pen still clutched in his hand.

“Doctor Kim,” you started with an emphasis to his title. “I’ve only ever been gone one week a year. One. I work even when I’m sick, I attend to my patients even when it’s holiday, even when it’s my birthday, even during the death anniversary of my parents, or even when I’m not scheduled to be at the hospital. Never once did I careless about any of my patients. So please, don’t make it seem like I don’t care.”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“But that’s what you’re implying, Sir,” you snapped back, locking eyes with him, a resolute expression on your face. He didn’t like it, he realized later on. He had grown accustomed to your soft gaze, accustomed to your face lighting up when you looked at him. And now that you were looking at him with the absence of what he was used to, it didn’t sit right with him.

Kim Seokjin would later on realized that he had always ever wanted you to look at him like that, with that undeniable focus and intensity, solely for him.

You averted your gaze away from his as soon as the elevator bell chimed. You were resolute on entering the elevator and getting away from his vicinity when it opened, revealing a patient along with several nurses and doctors bustling to exit and you were on the verge of being caught in the commotion. You were about to get hit when Seokjin encircled your wrist, swiftly pulling you away from the oncoming gurney pushed by the rushing nurses. His hold on your wrist was firm and your brows inevitably pulled together, a flash of pain passing through your face.

None of that went unnoticed by Seokjin.

Seokjin frowned, his eyes trained on your wrist covered by your white coat while you were watching as they hurried to the operating room. He knew he didn’t pull that hard, too aware of his own strength and too unaware of his desire to never hurt you. You didn’t even feel when he pulled up your sleeve. He did it so softly, a glaring proof how terrified he was of further bringing pain on you, regardless of how he never meant to.

And there they were.

Several bruises of varying intensity marked your beautiful skin. Scattered on your forearms were day-old scrapes that looked like they had started healing after causing you pain.

Seokjin's heart clenched with a mix of remorse and an anger that surged within him, fierce and unbridled.

You finally noticed him when the nurses passed, the gentle way he was holding you was too contrast on how hard his jaw was clenched, his face almost impassive as he glared down at your scrapes and bruises as though they offended him. Your eyes widened as your injuries were exposed to his eyes that you pulled your arm away from his grasp. A silent acknowledgment passed between you, recognizing that he had allowed the release only because his grip had been secure.

“I-I have to go, Doctor Kim,” you couldn’t even meet his eyes as you bade him goodbye. His intensity, a stark departure from his usual demeanor of avoidance, left you unsettled. The memory of his comical attempt to escape you in the hospital lobby flashed in your mind, highlighting the irony of the current situation.

Literally.

He ran away from you once in the hospital lobby and there were several witnesses as the Chief ran as though there was an emergency.

You were about to enter the elevator when he spoke, his voice emotionless, his eyes bore into you with an unsettling coldness. And you could have sworn right then and there that he was an entirely different person that day.

“Who did this to you?”

The question hung in the air, laden with an ominous weight. In that moment, the stark transformation in Seokjin left you grappling with the realization that beneath the goofy and childlike facade you had come to know, there existed a man capable of chilling intensity and a protective instinct that seemed poised to unravel a hidden side of him you had never witnessed before.

You averted your eyes before letting out an awkward chuckle, hyperaware of the eyes on the two of you. “Don’t worry about them.”

It was apparent that that was not good enough explanation for him and you found yourself gulping from the force of his eyes that you were left no choice but to supplement your explanation. The words tumbled out in a hurried confession, “I was cleaning my house, lifting those boxes when I missed my step and fell down the stairs, okay?”

For a moment, Seokjin blinked, and in that subtle shift, the cold intensity dissipated, replaced by a flicker of understanding. There it was—the familiar Seokjin, the one you knew. The tension in the air lifted, and as his features softened, you couldn't help but marvel at the duality that existed within him.

He let out a soft sigh, before taking your wrist in his hand. He looked down at the bruises with heaviness and a touch of sadness in his eyes, his thumb softly running back and forth on them as though he could sooth them.

As though he could take the pain away and make it his own. And in that very moment, Seokjin knew that that was what he wanted- and that strangely, he never wanted to see you in pain. Without a word and uncaring of anyone that was looking at the two of you, he pulled you to his office.

---

“This is really unnecessary, Doc,” you winced as he gently put cream on your healing wounds, his face that of concentration as he sat in front of you.

You found yourself in an uncharted territory. You had never been this close to him knowing full well hat your attraction to him was one-sided. While it was fun for you to chase him around the hospital, you knew there could be nothing more to it. The line between lighthearted pursuit and genuine emotion was a boundary you were careful not to cross. There could be nothing more to it, you reasoned, convinced that your damaged self wasn't fit to be with someone as seemingly perfect as he was.

You knew where you stood.

“Y/N,” he spoke with a kind voice, his eyes still trained on his task. “Can I ask a favor from you?”

“Of course!”

It took a moment for him to answer, and he only did once he deemed his task complete and flawless. Gently, he reached for your sleeves, pulling them down with a delicate touch. His beautiful eyes met yours, a sincerity in his gaze that tugged at the edges of your guarded heart. “Can you please not get hurt anymore?”

The simple plea hung in the air, laced with a genuine concern that touched the depths of your soul. In that moment, the walls you had carefully constructed around your emotions quivered. His earnest request left you grappling with the realization that, perhaps, the line you had drawn between you and Seokjin wasn't as rigid as you had thought.

You wanted to cry, you thought. No one had ever cared if you got hurt. Not once. And here stood the perfect angel you perceived him to be, asking you to not be hurt anymore.

And so, for the first time, you lied to him.

You flashed him a faux smile, fronting your, nodding your head as you said, “I promise, Doctor. Wouldn’t want to disappoint the most handsome man in this hospital.”

His blush was definitely worth it, though.

---

“What are you even doing here?!” Kim Seokjin finally had it here and shouted as he heard Jungkook sighed so loudly again for the twelfth time and he could no longer focused on the research paper he was reading! He was even sure that his secretary outside could hear him behind the wall.

This was such a waste of time, he thought. Their golden maknae was wasting his time when he should have been done with this an hour ago.

“I’m just existing here, hyung. Go back to your work,” he mumbled from his position faced-down on the couch.

“You’re existing so loudly!”

Jungkook suddenly sat up, turning to face his hyung with an indignant expression, “Ah, so when you were the one pestering me in my office, it’s okay? But when it’s me, it’s not?!”

Seokjin responded with a smirk, a touch of mischief in his eyes. "Exactly!"

“How does that make sense! That is hypocritical and I’m going to sue you!”

“Dibs on Namjoon as my lawyer!”

“You can’t just call dibs!”

“I just did!”

“Well, Namjoon hyung likes me more!”

“Are you sure?! Or it’s you that like him more?!”

“You-“

Their banter was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door. Both heads turned towards the entrance, watching as the door slowly opened, revealing you. Your eyes shifted between the two handsome men, assessing the situation that seemed like a mid-battle exchange.

“Am I interrupting?”

Seokjin's demeanor shifted almost imperceptibly, a master at maintaining composure. He flashed you a reassuring smile, only to shoot Jungkook a discreet glare when your attention was diverted.

“No. Everything is good,” Seokjin affirmed, keeping his smile intact while subtly warning Jungkook with his eyes. The unspoken tension lingered in the air, leaving you to wonder if you had just stumbled into the aftermath of a friendly dispute or something more significant. “Do you need anything?”

You blinked before showing him the form you needed him to sign. He smiled as he gestured for you to come in. He was looking over the form as Jungkook observed you.

It was you, he noted. He was sure it was you that was making his hyung lose his mind little by little. His mischievous side won and he stood up, walking to you with his hand outstretched.

“Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Jeon Jungkook, his little brother,” he introduced himself. You shook his hand once, smiling at the polite and charming man.

“I’m Doctor Y/N, nice to meet you.”

And then out of nowhere, Jungkook said the most absurd lie Seokjin ever heard him say. “It’s my birthday today. Eat dinner with us?”

“Jeon Jungkook!”

---

You and Seokjin walked behind Jungkook as he skipped merrily to one of his favorite restaurants, the streetside stall that he passionately swore served the best grilled pork. The randomness of the situation left you questioning how you ended up here, but it was undeniable that saying no to Jungkook and his enchanting doe eyes was practically impossible.

“You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to,” Seokjin mentioned casually beside you. His hands were in his slacks, his eyes trained ahead. He was matching your steps, your surmised.

“Do you not want me to be here?” you asked in that small moment of courage. You looked on the other side, your heart skipping a beat from the anticipation of his answer as you watched the flow of traffic. Silence reigned for so long that you were sure he wasn’t going to answer, or if he was, you were sure that he was going to gently turn you down once again.

You were waiting for the blunt from his kind rejection, yet this time, it didn’t come. The air remained pregnant with unspoken words, and for a moment, you were suspended in the quiet tension until he said something that made you fall for him just a little bit deeper.

“I want you here.”

The shocked from his words left you reeling that you stopped walking altogether just to stare at his broad back. He hadn’t noticed yet that you stopped walking until he was few steps ahead of you. He frowned before turning back to look at you.

And that moment, a genuine smile spread across your face as you noticed telltale hint of red on his ears. The man couldn’t even meet your eyes, instead, his simple admission reduced him to blushing man that shuffled from foot to foot.

Uh oh.

You were in big trouble.

You were surely and slowly falling for Kim Seokjin. And this time, it was beyond a harmless crush.

You were, as the folks said, fucked.

Part IV

[lokisprettygirl]

Step Out Of Line (Bill Skarsgard! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (Alternate Universe) (18+)

Read chapter 3 here

Chapter 4

Summary : In Dolly's absence Eric opens up to you about how he fell for your mother. A confession slips out of your mouth, something bad happens to Eric.

Warning: 18+, smut, mention of drug addiction, grooming, mommy kink, age gap relationship, emotional cheating, marital abuse, sexual abuse, consumption of weed

“Are you Dolly Draven's relative?” The doctor asked you so you nodded.

“I'm her daughter”

“Alright there are some forms you need to fill out” he said to you so you nodded again.

“How's she?” You asked him so he cleared his throat.

“She's in a comatose state for now” you looked at him shocked as he said that.

“Coma? When will she wake up?” You questioned so he informed you that it was uncertain, it could be tomorrow or a month from now.

“How did it happen? The heart attack” you asked him.

“The same way it happens 80 percent of the time, Bad lifestyle, drinking, smoking etc“ he told you as he shifted his attention to Eric who stood behind you, staring in the distance as if he wasn't even there.

“Ahhh that's her husband” you told him so he raised his brows but then he shrugged.

“Then he should fill these forms” he said so you nodded.

“I'll make sure he does, thank you”

As the doctor left you took him to the waiting area and made him sit down, he wasn't even crying anymore, he was just quiet, too quiet.

“Eric?” You called out to him so he looked at you.

“What if she dies y/n ..i can't..what will i do if she dies..i can't lose her, she's all i have”

He had you. But perhaps you weren't what he thought he needed.

Live your own fucking life is what you wanted to say to him but you couldn't, not at a time like this.

“I'll fill the form..then you can sign it” you said to him so he hummed in response. He then went to see her and didn't leave her side until the visiting hour had ended. As you saw him cling to her and cry like a child your heart clenched for him, you were starting to see how fucked up his relationship was with her, he didn't just see her like a wife, he thought of her as a guardian, a motherly figure because he never had it in his own mother.

When he stepped out of her room he signed the forms, there was nothing you two could have done for her and you couldn't stay at the hospital either, on the way back home he was quiet again. And he wasn't talking to you at all even at home, he felt guilty, he didn't know for what, but he did, maybe this was his fault, maybe if he hadn't stressed her out so much none of this would have happened.

The next few days consisted of you two going back and forth from the hospital to home. One afternoon you sat down in the waiting room with him, both of you were exhausted and you didnt even remember when you had fallen asleep on his shoulder, a few minutes later he rested his head on yours and then he was out too, but as soon as he leaned into you and you felt his weight you woke up immediately, you didn't move though, you kept your eyes closed and allowed him to rest.

He needed it desperately.

“Awn such a cute couple” you heard a female staff member talking from a distance which piqued your interest. They probably thought you both were asleep.

“No he's her stepfather..the woman in 411 with myocardial infarction..that's his wife”

“Oh wow..i guess love knows no bound” they giggled together as they gossiped.

Well if they knew that she had fucked him when he was eighteen and she was forty, perhaps they'd draw a boundary there.

If the situation was reversed this would look so much worse, but because he was a guy people didn't really care about it.

That night at home Eric knocked on your door, you were sorting through your laundry so you gave him a smile.

“Hey”

“Hey..i uhh..i wanted to apologise l-” he said to you hesitantly so you straightened up.

“Why?”

“For being so distant..I was so occupied with my own worries. I forgot that she's your mother and you just lost your father and this isn't what you needed” he said softly so you walked towards him.

Truth to be told you didn't feel anything, sure you didn't want her to die, but her being gone for a few days didn't make that much of a difference in your life. As a child she'd leave you for days at a time and you took care of yourself.

“You don't have to apologise” you said as you walked towards him before you wrapped your arms around his slender waist to hug him.

An hour later you sat down in their bedroom as he lit up a joint, he needed an escape but he didn't want to fall back to his old ways so weed would have to do.

“Eric?” You mumbled softly so he hummed in response.

“How did it happen?” You asked him hesitantly so he looked at you with a confused expression.

“What?”

“You and mom”

He shifted a little as you questioned him.

“Don't you remember her toast at our wedding??” he chuckled so you smiled too.

“I do …but I want to hear your side” he smiled as you said that, though it faded slowly as he thought about his life there.

“Boys at the rehab, they were older than me, I had just turned eighteen, they were older and bigger, it started small like everything else, they'd make jokes, pass comments, call me a gaunt looking vampire” he chuckled as he said that. You didn't find it funny though.

They were probably just jealous, he was so beautiful, he always had been, he had such a pretty face, so unique and hauntingly beautiful, he seemed otherworldly.

“Then it escalated, they'd corner me in the bathroom, shove my head in the toilet, stuff like that” you linked your fingers around his own as he said that. He looked down at your conjoined digits, his heart raced at the gentle hold.

“What happened then?” you asked him as you nudged him to continue.

“I'd often walk around with cuts and bruises and she'd tend to them, at first she didn't care much but then I opened up to her, told her about my life, my parents, she was the only person i would talk to there”

“Did you tell her everything about your life?” You asked him, and by that you wanted to confirm if he had told her that he was loaded with a trust fund.

“Yeah.. everything. One night I was in my room just drawing random things when she came” he said hesitantly, his cheeks flushing at the memory.

“And?”

“It's personal”

“You had sex?” he squeezed his eyes at your bluntness.

“No..not at first but she uhh she uhhh went down on me, it blew my mind, I had never been touched like that before, she was soft with me, she'd praise me, call me pretty, tell me how much she was starting to love me and well yeah that's how it happened”

So you were right, she was the one to seduce him, being the broken little boy that he was he fell for it, and you didn't blame him for that, he just wanted to be cared for and loved.

“Is there a part of you that feels wrong about this whole thing?” You asked him so he looked at you curiously.

“No, why? I was an adult”

“Barely Eric. Barely”

“No she uhh she cares for me y/n, i know you have your own thoughts about her but-”

“If I was eighteen and in rehab, and some 40 year old guard there entered my room and licked my pussy, how would you feel about it Eric? Even if this man claims to love me deeply. What I said just now, does it sound right to you?” his eyes teared up as he thought about it. No he didn't think it would be right, he'd even find that man predatory, a criminal.

“It's different ..I'm a man” he argued as if that would change anything.

“That means nothing”

You said as you got up from the floor.

“Goodnight Eric..do try to sleep tonight”

Later that night you were in bed, unable to sleep yourself, thinking about eighteen year old Eric being groomed by your mother. You knew she used men like bed sheets but how could she do this to a boy? A boy who was not even two years older than her own daughter? Was she really that desperate?

At the cusp of sleep you heard a knock on your door, you were about to get up but then you heard the knob twisting so you just laid back down and pretended to be asleep.

“Y/n?” He called out to you so you opened your eyes and sat up a little as if you had just woken up.

“Can't sleep?”

He shook his head as you said that so you removed the covers and tapped the side of the bed, shifting to give him space so it won't be awkward.

He scratched the back of his neck in nervousness before he slipped into the bed next to you.

“Tell me about you, how was your life in New york?” he asked as he propped himself on his elbow, the moonlight coming from the window reflected perfectly on his face, his eyes were glassy from the weed, a curl of hair resting on his forehead made your fingers itch, you wanted to push it back and tell him how pretty he was.

“It was okay.. nothing interesting happened” you told him honestly.

“You didn't fall in love with anyone?”

“No..not really”

How could you when you often found yourself thinking of the man your mother had married?

He placed his head down on the pillow, his lids becoming heavier with sleep now, all he needed was to be next to you, he wanted to feel safe.

“She'll be okay right?” He asked you, his voice carrying a sense of hope as if you'd know whether she'd wake up or not.

“Yeah..she will be” your eyes remained glued on his face as he slowly drifted off.

When you were assured he was deep in sleep you finally pushed that strand away from his face.

“So pretty..it hurts” you murmured softly before you shifted away from him as far as you could without falling off the bed.

You had to, you'd have done something really stupid if you hadn't.

For the next week, Eric had a routine, he'd wake up, get ready and then take you to the hospital. Everyday he'd buy your mother's favourite flowers and change the old ones from the vase in her room.

Then he'd just sit down and talk to her as if she'd hear his voice and wake up. You'd often find yourself feeling jealous of your own mother, the attention he gave her, the love he had for her made you feel uneasy but also made you feel terrible for him. He might have aged a little but deep down he was still just a boy who thought he was in love with this woman who had done nothing but hurt him, perhaps you'd have accepted this fucked up relationship if she was nice to him, if she had given him the love and care he deserved after that horrific childhood but she didn't. She only wanted to use him.

She abused him, she hit him, she hurt him, she broke his confidence and made him believe that he wasn't good enough to do anything but be her husband, she was destroying him and she had convinced him that this was all he deserved in life.

Two days later she woke up from the coma, and when she did, her doctors told you both to keep her away from stressful situations and to take the best care of her.

When she came home, Eric became her private nurse. You tried to do whatever she asked but she didn't really ask much from you, only him. She'd keep him on her beck and call from morning till night, and he'd do it all with a smile. Thanking the gods that they didn't take her away from him.

One night he was in the bed, massaging her legs as it ached when she looked him up and down with suspicion in her eyes.

“What did you two do behind my back?” She asked him as she placed her feet on his shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean”

“I don't..me and y/n ..she's my stepdaughter..I'd never even think of it, we just took care of each other like a family”

He said to her as earnestly as he could. It wasn't the whole truth though, he had thought about it but he wouldn't act on it.

“Like a family huh? Did it involve fucking each other?” his eyes widened in horror as she said that.

“Dolly-”

“Shhhh” she placed her toes on his lips to cut him off.

“I see the way she looks at you babyboy, she's my daughter, i know her well” he was going to say something, defend you but she pushed her toe into his mouth, wanting him to suck on it but he tilted his head back, that's when she got up and slapped him harshly.

She then grabbed him by the hair and pushed him down on the bed,

“When mommy wants you to do something you don't push her away..have you forgotten how to show me love?” She asked him so he shook his head in response, eyes tearing up, he didn't want to stress her out.

That night went like most of the nights whenever he would do something she didn't like.

“I love you so much baby boy and you make me do this to you, i hate to be the one to teach you what it means to be a man but who else will hmm? Mommy gotta do what's best for you isn't it?” She asked him once she was done fucking him and slapping him around to her heart's content so he nodded in response.

“Now wipe those pathetic tears and bring me a cup of coffee” she said to him as she laid back against the bed so he immediately got up “Doctor said to not give you caffeine” he said softly as he pulled up his pants.

“Then make it decaf? Do you need a manual??” She asked him, for some reason she was extra mean today. As he stepped out of the bedroom you were on the couch watching a movie, the moment you saw his red cheeks you followed him into the kitchen.

You didn't say anything, you just stood there and stared at him as he prepared the coffee for her,

“You want one too?” He asked you so you shook your head.

“Did she hit you again?” You asked him so he sighed.

“I'm not having this conversation with you y/n”

You walked towards him as he said that, without saying a word you just cupped his cheeks and caressed it before you got on your tiptoes and hugged him as tightly as you could.

“Y/n I'm okay” he chuckled softly as he hugged you back.

But you hugged him as if you were hugging him for the last time. And that was partially true.

Next morning you packed your bags and informed your mother that you were moving someplace else. Eric's eyes teared up as he heard that. You were leaving him again weren't you?

Your mother though, she was happy as ever, her eyes twinkled as she hugged you tightly, asking you to stay in touch.

As you ran upstairs to grab your bags Eric followed you, he heard Dolly's voice calling out to him but he pretended to not hear it for once. He needed to convince you to stay.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked you as he grabbed you by the arms and turned you to face him.“What did I do? Did I do something wrong?” He asked as his eyes welled up with fresh tears

“You didn't do anything Eric, that's the problem” He looked at you, feeling ashamed of himself as he had disappointed you.

“I can't..be here and watch you like this, watch you get hurt every other night and then have you act as if it doesn't bother you at all” your voice cracked as you spoke.

“Please don't leave us ..we need you” he said softly, pleading with you to not go.

He didn't want to be all alone again. He didn't want to be all alone here with just her. He wasn't a child, he knew she hurt him sometimes, and it hurt him too , it always did the way she'd flip and change, but since you had came back he didn't feel so bad about it. Every time she hurt him he wanted to cry but the moment he saw you, the moment he found you around the house, just existing, it made him feel happy again, just having you in the same space as him was enough. It made his pain bearable.

“No she doesn't need me Eric, you know that very well” you raised your voice as you tried to pull yourself away but he didn't let go.

“I do..i need you..y/n please..i need you ..don't leave me” he begged as he held onto you tightly so you looked up at him.

“I love you Eric..i love you so much and I can't watch you like this, I can't stand here and watch her ruin you the way she ruined my father”

The moment the words left your mouth you regretted it. The look on his face changed completely, he let go of you as he repeated the confession in his head, he seemed shocked, surprised and terrified and pleased. So pleased.

He was going to respond but then you both heard Dolly screaming murder down there so he ran back to her like he always did. He thought she had gotten herself hurt or that she had another attack, so he ran, he ran with all his might and that's when he tumbled down the stairs.

And that's when she screamed for real this time, as you stepped out of your room and saw him laying motionless on the ground below, blood dripping from his head, you felt as if your heart would cease to beat.

Your mom just stood there, tearing up, looking scared, for once you saw something on her features that resembled concern for him but was that because she feared he was dead or was it something else?

“I didn't..i didn't want him to fall I swear, he just slipped” she mumbled mindlessly, you immediately ran down the stairs and turned him on his back, you checked his breathing and pulse and he seemed okay in that regard.

“Don't just stand there, call the fucking ambulance” you screamed at her so she snapped out of the catatonic state and picked up her phone.

“Eric.. oh god” you couldn't stop the tears from streaming down your face as you looked at him.

An hour later you stood in the hospital again, this was the third time you had been here in the past few months and for three different people.

Two of them that you loved so dearly.

He had hit his head but he was fine, the doctor informed you that his MRI was clear and there was no internal bleeding. He had broken both of his arms though and would have to be in a cast from his fingertips to his shoulders for weeks which seemed terrible but at least he was okay. That's all you needed.

The nurse gave you a prescription slip so you walked towards the medicine counter, your Mom was in the waiting room, you wanted to ask her if she'd like to eat something since she had to take her medicine as well but you halted at the door as you heard her talking on the phone.

“God Beth I was so scared. I thought he died” you heard her speaking to her friend so you just stood there and listened. Perhaps this incident would awaken something in her and she'd start to love him the way he deserved. That's what you had hoped for but then she said something that made the hair on your neck stick up.

What did she even mean?

“No no he's fine now.. broke both of his arms like the little piece of shit he is. Whatever.. I'll just have to keep an eye on him until he's twenty five..then he can go to hell for all i care..just two more months”

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Note: she keeps getting worse 😭

Taglist @mariaenchanted @malenoradgn @loushaw131460 @wiseyouthinfluencer @muchwita

[femininenachos]

10 years of Clexa kisses (Make America Gay Again edition)

“Look, Lexa, I get that you’re reluctant to resort to underhand tactics but destroying his reputation might be the only way to bring him down. If you haven’t got the stomach for it…”

“I didn’t say that.” Lexa’s jaw tightens. A few seconds elapse then she lets out a long, drawn out sigh. “Whatever I think of his politics or his character, it’s hard not to retain some affection for the man who raised me.”

Lexa places her untouched glass of water on the coffee table. She stares at her lap, adjusting the hem of her skirt.

“He wasn’t always like this.” Her voice is sadder, more subdued when she adds, “After my mother passed away, he changed.” She appears to fold in on herself a little, spine sagging under the weight of this admission. “Not that he was ever an open-minded, tolerant person but he was more… moderate, I suppose. Less entrenched in his views.” A muscle ticks in Lexa’s cheek. “Grief transformed him beyond recognition.”

Clarke is up and moving before it really occurs to her what she’s doing. She sinks into the seat beside Lexa, like her presence, the nearness might bring comfort.

“Part of me always hoped he’d mellow,” Lexa continues. “That eventually he would come around to scientific fact over religious dogma. Or, I don’t know, he’d be swayed by an appeal to his sense of humanity or whatever shred of common decency remains.”

“It’s still possible.”

A wan smile tugs at Lexa’s mouth. “I think we both know that isn’t true.”

There’s a lull.

Until Clarke speaks up. “I lost my Dad when I was seventeen. Natural causes. If you can say that about an outwardly fit and healthy forty-two year old man. He was fine one day and the next,” she puffs out her cheeks and blows out a slow breath, “gone. He suffered a massive myocardial infarction while he was out running. Rare genetic heart disorder. Nobody knew.”

Lexa reels back slightly, brows shooting up. “Genetic…?”

“I got tested. I don’t have it.”

The relief that drains through Lexa’s face is instantaneous, but Clarke refuses to dwell on what it means.

“I’m so sorry, Clarke. Were you close?”

A nod. “We loved watching soccer games and old movies together. We had the same dorky sense of humour and it drove Mom crazy.”

The way Lexa looks at her now, eyes glowing with soft sympathy, makes Clarke’s throat constrict, a hard lump of emotion wedging itself in her esophagus. But she finds the strength to keep going.

“Bereavement affects people in different ways. There’s no timetable, no universal coping mechanism. My Mom—she’s a surgeon—threw herself into work. I hardly saw her for the first six months afterwards. Any time I tried to talk about Dad she shut down, stopped the conversation and left the room. It took her years just to get to the point where she could even mention his name in front of me. We’re in a better place now. We talk. But it was kind of a fraught journey to get there.”

Clarke allows Lexa to process the exposition dump in silence for a moment.

She sighs at last. “I guess what I’m saying is: it’s never too late for personal growth, even for Titus fucking Woods.”

They share a wry glance and the tightness in Clarke’s throat recedes, the band of pressure around her ribs loosening.

“I hope you’re right,” Lexa says, so softly. And there’s something about the brittleness of her smile that tugs at Clarke in a way she can’t explain.

“Would it be too weird if I hugged you?” Seeing the surprise register on Lexa’s features, Clarke quickly backtracks. She waves it off. “Yeah, of course. It’s weird. Stupid question. Never mind.”

“Clarke.”

“Forget I said anything.”

Lexa puts her hand on Clarke’s wrist and, clichéd as it is, Clarke feels a spark shoot up her arm at the touch of their skin.

“I don’t usually—I’m not really one for—” Lexa presses her lips together. She shuts her eyes briefly. Resets and tries again. “If the offer is still open, I think I’d like that hug. Please.”

It’s the thin, strained ‘please’ that gets to Clarke most.

Awkwardness ensues. There’s a bit of logistical trial and error, a wordless negotiation of whose arm goes where, an exchange of sheepish smiles. But as soon as Clarke’s arms wrap around Lexa’s shoulders and she feels Lexa’s hands slide across her back through the fabric of her sweater, it’s like something clicks into place.

The sensations hit her dizzyingly all at once. If she thought Lexa smelled incredible before, it’s overwhelming now. Her hair and her perfume and the scent of her skin. As covertly as possible, Clarke breathes it all in. And it strikes her how warm Lexa is. Warm and soft, despite her thin frame, and Clarke wants to melt into it. Attuned to the pressure of each finger against her spine, she’s hyper aware of every place that they’re touching: chests flush, knees knocking, the soft strands of Lexa’s hair tickling her cheek. Clarke’s chest aches with the urge to pull Lexa tighter against her, to press her nose against Lexa’s throat, to let her mouth—

A light expulsion of air close to her ear sends a tingle rolling down Clarke’s spine. She can’t hide her body’s reaction, can’t prevent the sharp intake of breath. It’s a reflex; beyond her control.

It snaps her out of this haze.

God, what the fuck is she doing?

There isn’t really a graceful way to disengage, especially when Lexa seems reluctant to let go. They both inch back, arms still loosely looped around one another, and Clarke makes the stupid mistake of catching Lexa’s eye.

There’s a moment.

An infinite moment of stillness where neither of them move.

A look on Lexa’s face that shakes Clarke to the core, that causes her stomach to plummet, heat coiling low in her belly. It’s that same hot gleam in Lexa’s eyes that Clarke glimpsed on the train but magnified to the extreme, pupils large and black enough to swallow her whole.

Lexa’s half-lidded gaze keeps flicking between Clarke’s mouth and her eyes.

She can’t remember anyone looking at her with this much thirst.

It makes her head spin.

“Clarke.”

Her name from Lexa’s lips seems like the most loaded word in the English language, a 12-gauge round that obliterates the last of Clarke’s self-control.

She isn’t sure who reaches for the other first, her own hand sliding across Lexa’s jaw as Lexa’s palm cups the back of her neck.

All that matters is that Lexa’s mouth is soft and eager, and she makes a noise that sends a warm flood of excitement through Clarke when she licks inside.

Read on AO3

[miyakazashi]

The Burning Hell that is Yingdu Episode 6

(Part 2)

So then Cheng Xiaoshi literally gets tranquilized ?!?!?!!?! Excuse me ??????????What !!?!?????!? This scared me, like sh*t was going down, and going down fast, and that isn't a good sign...

Then they fight, and oh my gosh was this scene intense, like, wayyy to intense, I can't find a way to describe how I felt, but damn was this intense. And I was thinking- no way Wang Qing ( or Cxs's mother ) is having the upper-hand here, and just when I thought so

"Thank you for your cooperation, sweetie."

Chills, literal chills. Just chills. Oh gosh.

And all this sh*t happens, I had SO much question, like, so Lu guang is controlling Wang Qing now ? Why does Wang Qing know Vein's real name ? What even "killed" Vein ? But there was clearly not enough time for me to think about all that cause the most trauma inducing scene is just about to come up😀

When I say this scene absolutely messed my up, it did, it traumatized me for good- thank you Director Li😀 I felt the grief and sadness through the screen, and was jumping from getting emotional to not being emotional, literally was gonna develop my own sudden myocardial infarction 😀😀 help me- this was so sad but so sudden I didn't even know how to react, I was recording my reaction too, and if you just heard the voice recording, I don't think you could tell whether it was someone watching Yingdu Episode 6 or someone having a legitimate panic attack, but damn this scene, really messed me up

[itsuki-minamy]

RED CASE FILES: HOMRA IN LAS VEGAS

CHAPTER 6.5: FUSHIMI GOURMET IN LAS VEGAS

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun

 Twenty-four hours had passed since the paranormal weapon attack and the arrival at the "Pyramid Hotel".

Leading the "Tokijikuin" agents who had appeared out of nowhere, the first thing Tanaka did was to build a "fortress". The "Pyramid Hotel" has yet to be discovered by the "enemy", but it is only a matter of time. Sooner or later, they will take some kind of action. Tanaka's plan was to establish surveillance, control, and defense postures until then.

Of course, Fushimi Saruhiko's work was also included in the plan.

Fushimi got out of bed and stretched his body.

He looked at the clock. Apparently he slept for about two hours. He thought he had a dream in which he was being chased by an ostrich, but he didn't remember exactly. He staggered to the bathroom. After washing his face, brushing his teeth, and drinking a glass of water...

He felt hungry.

Returning to his room, Fushimi opened the refrigerator and frowned.

Inside was a half-eaten sandwich. He bought some from the hotel convenience store, took a bite, and it was so disgusting that he never ate it again. It was barely food, consisting of limp lettuce and thin ham sandwiched between dry bread. If there was one good thing about coming to Vegas, it was that it made him realize how delicious Japanese convenience store food is.

Fushimi closed the refrigerator.

The hunger didn't go away. Just seeing the food, even indirectly, had only increased his curiosity. What should he do? Given the level of the convenience store, he shouldn't expect much from the restaurant either. If he had known, he would have brought some instant noodles from Japan.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

Fushimi cautiously leaned over and looked through the peephole.

It was Tanaka.

"Good morning, Fushimi-san."

When he opened the door, Tanaka greeted him politely. The usual side-parted hair and suit, in the style of the old Japanese office worker. Fushimi had yet to see his bright smile waver. It's surprising that it continues to do so even when they're attacked by the military.

"Thanks to your support, we've been able to establish the first phase of our defense line. We're currently planning the initial work for the second phase. We appreciate your continued cooperation."

Fushimi nodded briefly, and immediately afterward, his stomach growled.

Tanaka tilted his head slightly.

"Oh, you haven't had breakfast yet?"

"...The food at the convenience store tastes so bad that I don't feel like eating it."

Tanaka smiled at Fushimi's calm response. No, he had been smiling up until now, but this smile seemed genuine.

"It's a perfect time. I'm going to eat now, would you like to join me? It's a bit far, so we'll have to go by car."

"By car...? Are you sure you want to leave work and go?"

"I've already given my subordinates the direction to follow, so there will be time to eat. How about it?"

Fushimi thought.

He doesn't particularly like eating with other people. But, he was hungry anyway, and he didn't want to bother looking for a restaurant in Las Vegas, where he didn't know the place. If Tanaka knows a good restaurant, it might be a good idea to take his advice.

"Alright then, let's go."

Fushimi would regret his answer for the rest of the day.

++++++++++

The name of the restaurant was "Heart Attack Grill".

"Heart Attack (myocardial infarction)?"

At that moment he had a bad feeling. It's a fairly well-known restaurant in Las Vegas, and he's long dreamed of going there. While Tanaka happily (and probably sincerely) talked about it, Fushimi silently investigated the restaurant next to him.

According to the reviews, it has a 4.2 stars rating. Hashtags include "hospitalization", "blood pressure", and "coronary artery bypass surgery". Not a good tag for a restaurant review.

He wondered if he could go home now.

Fushimi was already thinking that while riding in the car. Meanwhile, Tanaka parked, took his ticket, and closed one eye, saying, "I'll hide this from "Tokijikuin"." He was so frank with him that he couldn't help but say something.

A replica ambulance was parked in front of the "Heart Attack Grill". Through the glass, waitresses in nurse uniforms could be seen walking back and forth inside the store. Apparently this store is based on a hospital motif.

Next to the entrance was a scale, and a white man who looked to be about three times Fushimi's volume was standing on it and looked dejected. Fushimi thought it was too late to be depressed about his weight, but according to Tanaka, the man was depressed because he was "light". That means any customer who weighs more than 350 pounds (about 160 kg) can get a free item.

By this time, Fushimi had also begun to understand the concept of this burger joint. This is a restaurant whose purpose is to stuff one's stomach with an inordinate amount of food, known as a binge-eating establishment.

"Shall we measure ourselves too?"

"No, that doesn't make sense."

Unlike the happy Tanaka, Fushimi's goal had changed to "get back to the hotel as soon as possible". There's no way he can enjoy himself here. Fushimi had that confidence.

The two of them entered the shop.

At the reception counter, a female clerk in a nurse's uniform was listlessly playing with her blonde hair. Looking at her completely open chest, Fushimi suddenly thought of his Lieutenant.

Her darkly shadowed eyes looked at the two of them.

Tanaka spoke to her in fluent English with a bright smile on his face.

"I'm Tanaka, I made a reservation."

The receptionist looked at Fushimi and Tanaka with an appraising gaze. Looking at the two of them, who are particularly thin even among Japanese, she gave a half-smile.

"Are you okay? Do you know the rules of this shop?"

"Yes, right."

The receptionist shrugged exaggeratedly and muttered "Okay, okay." in a mocking tone, then…

"Guide for two people."

"Clap, clap!", she clapped her hands.

Two more nurses appeared from the back of the shop. For some reason, they were pushing a wheelchair. He was shocked and looked at Tanaka, who explained it to him while laughing.

"That's also a rule of this restaurant. When customers come in, they are taken to their seats in a wheelchair."

Fushimi stared at Tanaka.

However, Tanaka just tilted his head and gave a confused smile. This guy is no good. Fushimi turned to the receptionist and announced.

"I don't need it. My feet move."

The receptionist pursed her red lips and cried out in a pitiful voice.

"Oh... what a selfish boy. No, the patient has to follow instructions. If you hit your head, there's no turning back."

"It's you who need to have your brain examined...!"

Although he said that in a hoarse voice, the receptionist simply laughed and didn't take it seriously. As she poked Fushimi in the stomach with her index finger,

"Okay, can we leave the store now? Your stomach probably can't hold our burger. Oh, maybe you can finish the kids' menu?"

He was almost about to pull out his hidden weapon.

However, at the last moment, Fushimi managed to endure it. If you resort to violence, you will lose. And the one thing he absolutely did not want was to lose to them.

Fushimi sat in his wheelchair with the determination of Christ carrying his cross. Tanaka followed suit.

Then the nurses gently placed aprons on both of them. Imitating a surgical gown for a patient.

"Then have fun!"

With a signal from the receptionist, the wheelchair began to move forward. Fushimi thought that this must be how a criminal must feel after being paraded around the city and then executed.

The inside of the shop was a world of madness.

Customers wearing surgical gowns roam around the place. Each and every one of them is so large that it makes Kamamoto look small. He was surprised to see a customer receiving an IV drip, but it looked like there was a drink in the IV bag. Some people even drink milkshake-type drinks directly from syringes designed to look like real syringes. He thought that he would look better in a straitjacket than in a surgical gown.

However, Fushimi is now one of the patients in the ward.

The two of them took a seat and sat across from each other. Tanaka looked at the menu in amusement. Fushimi stared at him and muttered,

"Do you like places like this?"

"Very much."

A side-parted hairstyle, a suit, and a smile that seemed pasted on. That was the "Tanaka Hitoshi" that Fushimi knew. It's like he doesn't know anything. Everything surrounding Tanaka is a lie; he's nothing more than an icon, an agent of "Tokijikuin".

But Tanaka is different now. Now he looked like he was really enjoying it.

"Perhaps this will surprise you, but I really love these kinds of shops."

His eyes behind his glasses narrowed as if he were looking into the distance.

"As you know, our organization has a heavy responsibility. To govern the nation, ensure the safety of the people, and keep paranormal abilities a secret. If we make a single wrong move, order will be lost in an instant. Of course, that heavy responsibility also falls on us, the "rabbits". It's a tremendous amount of stress."

Tanaka lovingly strokes the menu that appears with an assortment of blasphemous burgers.

"And this is how I release it. Ramen with extra garlic oil, a five-tiered pork chop tower bowl, a super-greasy buttermilk shake... only when I eat things like this can I forget about the heavy responsibilities of everyday life."

Fushimi said with a serious face.

"You will die eventually."

"We will all die one day. What is important is how we live."

Tanaka spoke as if he had realized something and Fushimi looked at him with the gaze of a monster. It was a moment where the dark side of "Tokijikuin", the largest and most powerful clan in Japan, was glimpsed. Well, it's hard to call it a proper clan if they make its members dress up like "rabbits".

"Which one would you like, Fushimi-san?"

Tanaka turned the menu over in his hand and handed it to Fushimi. Fushimi looked with gloomy eyes at the dishes on the menu, each loaded with a nuclear warhead of calories.

"...This one."

He then pointed at a double bypass burger (in this restaurant, all burgers have the word bypass on them), the second smallest burger. Although it is ranked second from the bottom, it is several times larger than a Japanese burger. The reason he didn't choose the smallest one was because he remembered the receptionist's mockery.

"Is that so? Well then."

Tanaka raised his hand and called the waitress over. He placed Fushimi's order first, then said his own.

"I'll have this Octuple Bypass burger with the Flatliner set."

The order form slipped from the waitress's hands.

"I'm sorry, did I hear you wrong? What did you say?"

Tanaka repeated his order, a little louder than before.

The waitress nodded slightly with her eyes wide open and wrote the letters on the order form. Then she quickly walked to the center pillar of the store, grabbed a hand bell that was hanging there, and rang it to her heart's content.

"One Octuple Bypass, on its way!"

At that sound, the store fell silent for a moment... and the next moment it erupted with excitement.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you serious? What kind of crazy person is this?"

"That Asian guy?! That's ridiculous! There's no way he could eat it!"

"Hahaha, that's a bad joke. He didn't order it because he wanted to be punished, right?"

Shock, admiration, mockery. Theirs emotions were tinged with such colors. This is how people react when they see someone attempting the impossible.

Fushimi looked blandly at the menu.

The "Octuple Bypass Burger" looked less like a burger and more like a layered city built from meat and cheese.

Octuple (eight times). Four times double.

The total calories are over 20,000.

Fushimi looked at Tanaka.

"Are you crazy?"

Tanaka smiled and steepled the fingers of both hands.

"I’m looking forward to it."

There was no pretense in that voice. Tanaka was in such a good mood that it seemed like he was about to start humming. His expression says that he can't wait for the delicious food that's about to arrive.

Meanwhile, Fushimi and Tanaka were the center of attention in the shop. If anything, they were in a bad situation. No matter how you looked at it, Tanaka doesn't look like someone who could finish an Octuple Bypass burger. There's malice in their gazes, as if they were going to watch some stupid Asian choke to death on some meat.

The awkward moment didn't last long.

Their orders were carried out.

The way the waitress brought it to him looked like something out of a comedy. The meat and cheese, piled like a mille-feuille, gently swayed as it approached. When it was placed in front of Tanaka, his figure was completely hidden from view.

"......"

Fushimi stared at his double bypass burger. It's a huge thing that could feed him for three days, but compared to Tanaka's thing it's like a giant or a dwarf.

"Fushimi-san, please come over here."

Tanaka said as he handed him a pair of latex gloves. He was already adapted. Fushimi did the same. If you wipe your hands after every meal, you'll need a box of napkins.

"Well then, let's eat."

He cupped his latex-gloved hands together and made that statement with dignity.

Tanaka started eating.

First, he removed the symbolic bun from the top. Then he took the burger on top. He opened his mouth and took a bite. After repeating that a few times, the burger disappeared. He took the next burger, opened his mouth, took a bite...

He's not at all someone who eats quickly. Rather, Tanaka takes his time to savor each burger. He lovingly takes a palm-sized sheet of meat with both hands and bites into it. Every time he does that, his face lights up as if he just tasted something heavenly.

Meanwhile, the Octuple (eight times) became a sextaple (six times).

Tanaka's face didn't change color. The speed at which he ate and the things he did. Take, open, bite. He went about his routine monotonously, like an office worker completing paperwork.

The mocking laughter on the faces of the audience slowly began to fade away.

Fushimi also imitated Tanaka, removing the bun, grabbing a burger and stuffing it into his mouth.

His eyes widened.

Delicious. He thought it would be cooked dry, but contrary to his expectations, every time he put the burger into his mouth, juicy meat juices gushed out. Cheese has a slightly unusual taste, but when combined with the hot fat, it rises to an exquisite taste.

At that moment, Fushimi finally remembered that he was hungry.

Eat with pleasure. Patty. Cheese. When the fat gets too much, put the bread in your mouth and add ketchup to change the taste. Apparently, the store doesn't stock any plant-based foods, like pickles or lettuce. Apparently the French fries that Tanaka eats to cleanse his palate (although they're not that good) are all fried in lard. Hence the cardiac arrest. It's crazy.

Tanaka's burger had already quadrupled.

Tanaka's speed didn't change. Calmly and solemnly, he grabs it, opens it, and takes a bite.

The customers began to murmur. The sneer of malice slowly turned into astonishment.

Fushimi was also starting to get a new view of Tanaka. He didn't see any value in gluttony, but he still ate with pleasure. Besides, even though this place was crazy, it was definitely a hit. It was the first time he had tried something so delicious since he came to the States.

Double and then single.

When he finished the last burger, Tanaka placed it between the remaining buns. Then he started chewing it like it was a normal burger (although it was much bigger than that). There was no slowing down in that speed. As Fushimi, the other customers, and the waitresses looked on, Tanaka finished eating without slowing down at all, right down to the last bite.

Tanaka wiped his mouth with a napkin, took off his dirty gloves, and clasped his hands together again.

"Thanks for the food."

And so he finished eating.

The inside of the shop erupted with excitement.

"Hey, hey! Is that guy really Japanese? He really ate it!"

"A ninja? Hey, hey, is that guy a ninja?"

"Idiot!" He's a samurai! The last samurai of Japan!"

Despite receiving thunderous applause, Tanaka merely smiled coldly and bowed slightly. The customers became even more excited by this refined gesture and the waitress blushed and muttered, "Wow..."

Fushimi felt awkward.

Although he respected Tanaka, he was still full. Fushimi's Double Bypass Burger wasn't even a simple burger yet. It was still delicious, but since it was so greasy, he quickly got tired of it. After swallowing it and giving a small sigh, Tanaka called out to him in concern.

"Are you okay, Fushimi-san?"

"...Yes, well."

His low groan seemed like nothing more than an attempt to cope with the situation. He thought so too. He politely took a bite of the burger, but his speed noticeably slowed down.

Well, even if he can't eat it all, he can just leave it as it is. Tanaka's ability to eat a lot is admirable, but he sees no reason to join in. Unlike Kamamoto, Fushimi wasn't interested enough in food to eat until his stomach burst.

The one who blew that naive thought away was the receptionist.

"Hey, Japanese boy. How are you?"

Before he knew it, she was standing by the table. While playing with her blonde hair, she looked at Fushimi with a mocking look.

"This glasses-wearing gentleman seems like a really tough guy. But you seem to be having a hard time."

"Shut your mouth. Don't talk to me while I'm eating."

"Aha, what a strong-willed boy. But do you know what happens if you can't finish it?"

"What?"

Fushimi gave her a suspicious look. A sadistic smile appeared on the receptionist's red lips. She pointed her thumb at a large pillar. The bell that rang earlier is hanging.

Fushimi noticed that there were several whips lined up beside him.

"Apparently you didn't know? In this restaurant we have a policy of disciplining any naughty child who leaves their food lying around. Oh, speaking of rumors..."

A white man who was sitting far away from Fushimi and the others stood up at the waitress' insistence. For some reason he was slumped over. He then grabbed the pillar's ​​railing with both hands and slightly spread his legs. The waitress took the whip from the pillar.

The waitress lifted him up and brought it down with all her might on the white man's buttocks.

"You naughty child for leaving your food behind! Reflect on your actions! Repent!"

Twice, three times. Each time the whip hit his buttocks, the white man writhed in joy and screamed. The surrounding customers laughed loudly at this.

Fushimi had a cold, expressionless face.

"What is this?"

Tanaka explained apologetically.

"Well, it's the rule of this restaurant. Like she said, if you leave your burger here, you'll be punished with a beating like that."

"Hey, I haven't heard anything about that!"

Fushimi forgot to use honorific language and lashed out. Tanaka scratched his cheek apologetically.

"Sorry, I didn't say anything. I didn't think you'd be punished so..."

That's probably true for him. Fushimi gritted his teeth and barely managed to swallow his complaint. There was no point in complaining to Tanaka now. Fushimi was already on the verge of death.

The receptionist said jokingly.

"Don't worry, there's no time limit. But in my experience, it gets harder as time goes on."

Fushimi looked at his burger.

There's still more than half left. He was fooled by Tanaka's eating style, but Fushimi's Double Bypass burger would be considered gluttony in Japan. Even halfway is quite hard.

The receptionist leaned close to Fushimi's ear and whispered.

"Give up quickly, okay? I'll train you personally. My hobby is tormenting unruly boys like you."

That voice ignited Fushimi's fighting spirit.

He reached out with his latex-covered hands, tore off a burger, and stuffed it into his mouth. He swallowed without chewing properly. His esophagus was screaming, but it didn't matter. Like the woman said, this is a race against time. He must figure it out before his satiety center sends a signal.

"......"

The receptionist frowned cautiously.

Fushimi's pace continued to get faster and faster. Grabbing, pulling, swallowing. He finished the entire burger in no time. He thought he heard a crunching sound as his stomach tightened, but he thought it was just his imagination. Fushimi continued to eat, the temples of his glasses getting wet with sweat.

"Fushimi-san, you shouldn't do anything reckless..."

"Shut up, you bother me. We're desperate right now."

Fushimi yelled at him with his eyes. At this point he didn't want to use his mouth for anything other than eating.

At this point, he was swallowing the burger without chewing much.

Before long, his consciousness began to fade. He was starting to lose track of why he was there. He didn't leave Japan and come to Las Vegas just to choke on a burger.

Several memories began to spin in his mind. The richest man in the world. Otsuchi. "Homura". Death Valley. Shit. Ostrich.

The rapidly spinning memories soon began to emerge. Sparks burned forming a flame.

That is the flame called anger.

(Why did this happen to me?)

(I wish I hadn't run away from "Tokijikuin".)

(I wish I hadn't brought that story home.)

(I wish those idiots hadn't been so stubborn and gone home.)

The man in a blue uniform with a cold smile behind his glasses said that as if it were nothing.

"Then, Fushimi-kun, this is an order. Go save the world."

(Damn it!)

The mind sometimes overtakes the body. The flames of rage engulfed Fushimi's stomach, which was about to burst, and burned the hamburger to ashes. There was no feeling anymore. Fushimi had become a machine that simply tore, spewed, swallowed, and repeated the cycle.

Clang.

Finally, that sound reached his ears.

In his blurry vision, the plate containing the hamburger wobbled and vibrated. With his outstretched fingertips there was no food to touch. The buns, the burgers, the cheese. Nothing was left

It was over.

Fushimi thought vaguely in his hazy consciousness. He felt as if his entire body had turned into a burger.

At that moment, a faint sound hit Fushimi's ears.

Clap, clap, clap.

He shifted his gaze and saw the receptionist and Tanaka in front of him, both clapping.

The receptionist smiled brightly.

"You won, Japanese. No, kamikaze boy. I was shown the Yamato Soul."

Tanaka smiled brightly as well.

"Thank you for your hard work, Fushimi-san. Ah, what would you like for dessert?"

He couldn't open his mouth. If he did, bad things would happen.

Then...

Fushimi took off his latex gloves, which were covered in ketchup, grease, and cheese, and carefully threw each of them at the receptionist and Tanaka's faces.

[bullshit-usa]

A list of side effects and risks for mtf estrogen:

This is thanks to a friend, she gets full credit for this post.

"Some takeaways: almost none of the studies report that estrogen does anything positive to male bodies, except lowering blood pressure in young people and stopping balding

Essentially most of the articles were freaking out about how we need more high quality data to determine if estrogen is safe or not, but of the studies I went through:"

Risks associated with estrogen use by men found:

Heart Risks: Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): 9 articles

Myocardial Infarction (MI): 5 articles

Ischemic Stroke: 5 articles

Other Cardiovascular Events: 6 articles

Fertility Risks: 6 articles

Cancer Risks: 8 articles

Key Dangers that evidence found in MTF people:

Dangers to the Heart:

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): Increased risk reported across multiple studies.

Myocardial Infarction (MI): Elevated risk associated with estrogen therapy.

Ischemic Stroke: Increased incidence observed in studies.

Other Cardiovascular Events: General cardiovascular disease risks

Dangers to Fertility: Impacts on spermatogenesis and testicular health, with some studies noting fertility preservation in a portion of trans women.

Dangers to Cancer Risk: Potential increased risk for breast cancer and other hormone-sensitive malignancies. Dangers that are suspected based on know qualities of estrogen:

Cancer Risks: Potential increased risk for specific cancers beyond breast cancer, such as papillary thyroid cancer and other hormone-sensitive malignancies.

Liver Toxicity: Concerns regarding hepatotoxic effects and liver integrity due to long-term estrogen use.

Cardiac Arrhythmias: Suggested increase in the rates of cardiac arrhythmias in some studies, although direct causation remains unclear.

Gallbladder Issues: Potential association with gallstones and pancreatitis, but more research is needed for conclusive evidence.

Long-term Bone Health: Uncertainty about how long-term estrogen use affects bone density and overall bone health.

Psychiatric Effects: Speculation about possible mood changes or psychiatric effects, though this is often individualized and not well documented.

Metabolic Changes: Concerns about changes in metabolism and body composition, including the risk of obesity, but conclusive links remain to be established.

On regaining fertility after estrogen:

After an average of three years on estrogen, ony 40% of trans women will still be fertile. After discontinuation of hormones, 66% will get their fertility back (with the span of the study), and most of the people observed had impaired semen quality after stopping. The contributing factor may be the age when hormones were started, with older people being more protected.

But hey, I'm just an alarmist.

Sources:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0090429519306302 https://www.cell.com/cell-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(22)00422-0 [1:12 PM] Bock, M. E., et al. "Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Transgender Women Prescribed Estrogen." Clinical Chemistry, vol. 65, no. 1, 2019, pp. 57-66. https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/65/1/57/5607952.

Keshavarz, M., et al. "Spermatogenesis in Transgender Women." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2020. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0090429519306302.

Bhasin, S., et al. "Estrogens and Tumorigenesis." Prostate, vol. 79, no. 9, 2019, pp. 1027-1033. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pros.23322.

Kearney, T., et al. "Prostate Cancer in Transgender Women." JAMA Network Open, vol. 2, no. 7, 2019. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2820386.

Kley, M. A., et al. "Estrogen and Testicular Health." BMC Urology, vol. 18, 2018, p. 68. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13256-018-1894-6.

Chen, C. L., et al. "Cardiovascular Risks in Transgender Patients." American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, vol. 324, no. 4, 2023, pp. H674-H688. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpheart.00299.2022.

Lee, D. L., et al. "Hematologic Complications of Estrogen Therapy." Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 167, no. 1, 2017, pp. 46-55. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M17-2785.

Van Kesteren, P. J., et al. "Long-term Cardiovascular Risks of Hormone Therapy." Circulation Reports, vol. 5, no. 4, 2023. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/circrep/5/4/5_CR-23-0021/_article/-char/ja/.

Naderi, H., et al. "Risks of Cardiovascular Disease in Transgender Women." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vol. 104, no. 8, 2019, pp. 3505-3514. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623820301295.

Mehta, A., et al. "Estrogen and the Liver." American Journal of Gastroenterology, vol. 115, no. 1, 2020, pp. 15-23. https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2020/10001/S2417_The_Skinny_on_Estrogen_and_Liver_Fat.2417.aspx.

Miller, L. J., et al. "Venous Thromboembolism in Transgender Women." American Journal of Health Promotion, vol. 78, no. 18, 2022, pp. 1674-1680. https://academic.oup.com/ajhp/article-abstract/78/18/1674/6264946. Smith, C. R., et al. "Bone Density in Transgender Patients." Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 37, no. 4, 2022, pp. 643-650. https://academic.oup.com/jbmr/article/37/4/643/7516770.

Tam, D. Y., et al. "Implications of Estrogen on Cancer Risk." Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 12, 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.718200/full.

Gupta, A., et al. "Estrogen Therapy and Pancreatitis." The American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 125, no. 12, 2020, pp. 1836-1842. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623820301295.

Johnson, J. E., et al. "Long-term Effects of Estrogen on Metabolism." Cell Medicine, vol. 9, no. 4, 2022. https://www.cell.com/cell-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(22)00422-0.

[nice-bright-colors]

Sunday Seven: June Ed.

Today I had to write actual, physical, paper checks for my estimated 2025 tax payments. I can’t remember the last time I did that. Adulting is hard.

I’m so sick of being in a frazzled state, and then she’s on egg shells asking too many questions. Are you hungry? Do you want stir-fry or tacos for dinner? Do you want these pants in the dryer? I don’t fucking care, make a decision without me.

I’ve had either severe heartburn, indigestion, stress pains in the chest, or a myocardial infarction occurring for the last 3 days. I’m beginning to think being home is causing me pain. As are shitty contractors. My life is pain.

The Wife™️ will be taking a couple trips this month also. So there will be days when we get home and I’m all alone, just like when I get back to my hotel…all alone. That is except for those of you here.

Another aspect that is stressing me the fuck out is the current status of our country. It’s all so exhausting to watch everyday. Then be somewhat surrounded by the same idiocy at the Texas project. I can only hope the New Orleans project isn’t the same way.

I’m about to do the right thing and figure out how to pay myself as a W2 employee. So I can contribute my fair share into Social Security. It hurts doing the right thing because: A) chances are good that will become null and void….OR…. B) I’m going to flat out die somewhere between Denver -San Antonio - New Orleans, or in an airplane. Therefore I will not get to use any of the money I’ve paid into SS for my entire working life.

I’m coming up on another trip around the sun as well. I’m in a much better state than last year, but change is hard. Being agile is hard. Juggling everything in our finances is hard. Being the only source of income is hard. Trying to figure out how to balance everything in my world is beyond my comprehension.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Sabra Gibbens, MD

It wasn’t always lonely out here. I have been the only permanent doctor in my little country clinic north of Kingston for eight years now, and I previously felt tremendous camaraderie and connection with my hospital-based specialist colleagues and other family physicians in the area. But in the past two years, I have begun to feel alone.

My diagnosis of long COVID came in 2022, after months of investigations. The results of the bloodwork, pulmonary function tests, sleep study, head CT, Holter, and exercise stress tests all came back normal. When I met with a cardiologist to review my symptoms and the abnormal echocardiogram, she confirmed that the persistent shortness of breath, postexertion malaise, insomnia, headaches, and brain fog were caused by long COVID. She never attributed them to anxiety. I was grateful for the validation.

Thankfully, my symptoms have largely improved over the past two years, but because of this experience, I take prevention seriously. I am the weirdo who still requires masks or respirators for all staff and patients in the clinic. I am the outlier who has HEPA filters in the waiting room and exam rooms, who monitors CO2 with my air quality monitor, who cracks the windows, and who asks patients with respiratory symptoms to do rapid SARS-CoV-2 tests at home before they come in.

The primary focus of public health throughout the pandemic has been to prevent severe acute disease and to preserve hospital capacity. Prevention of long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), has always seemed like an afterthought, if it gets mentioned at all.

Why do emergency department reports and hospital discharge summaries not mention that my patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (or had “a really bad cold” or “the worst flu ever”) 1 month before they presented to hospital with weakness, falls, confusion, dyspnea, heart failure, acute kidney injury, or non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction? Doesn’t that seem relevant? It does to me.

With the blessing of provincial medical officers of health and regional public health units, most institutions and the general public have adopted the “vax and relax” strategy, When it comes to COVID-19, most public health officials seem more concerned with meeting people where they are and with keeping people calm than with informing and guiding people about risks to their health. I wish I didn’t, but I now have doubts about the willingness of these officials to inform and guide physicians and the public about the next epidemic or pandemic.

The department of family medicine where I trained, as well as most family medicine clinics in my area, made masking and other precautions optional long ago. How quickly optional became rare, then peculiar.

In February 2023, I attended a recruiting event with dozens of local family physicians and residents. Rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections and wastewater levels were very high in our region at that time, so I wore a KN95 respirator. I did not expect to be the only one, but I was. Dang. Awkward.

Social media constantly reminds me that most of the medical community has moved on. It’s a steady stream of pictures of parties and crowded conferences and medical school classes with no one masking. My feed is occasionally interrupted by posts from similarly COVID-conscious physicians who are trying their best not to get COVID-19 or transmit it to patients under their care. Scattered across the Twitterverse, each one of us is a little island of perseverance.

I stopped attending in-person medical events because it is psychologically too difficult. I expect to be the only one masking in the movie theatre or grocery store, but among physician peers? Did they not get the memo? Did I not get the memo?

It wasn’t just one memo; 24 000 papers on the sequalae of COVID-19 have been published since the pandemic started.1 The British Medical Journal published an update on long COVID for primary care in September 2022, and guidance includes a time- and resource-intensive protocol for bloodwork, stress tests, pulmonary function tests, CT scans, and specialist consultations.2 Ontario Health published summary guidance for primary care regarding PASC in December 2022, but it has not been updated.3 The absence of any newer guidance suggests that interest in or funding for this topic has dwindled.

Anyway, I’m headed to a conference in a sunny place next week. It’s mostly an excuse to get away with my family while I brush up on some topics of interest. Of course, I am packing respirators, a CO2 monitor, and a portable HEPA filter. Weirdo? Outlier? Yep. Don’t care. Maybe I feel comfortable doing that for this conference because I’m unlikely to have any ongoing relationship with the other conference attendees. I care more about preserving my health so that I can continue practising medicine, taking care of my community, and enjoying my family than what others might think of me.

I do miss the camaraderie. What would it take to get that back? I had been hoping that the whole medical community would come together to advocate for clean-air standards, masking to protect against airborne pathogens, better vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for PASC. I now realize this is unlikely to happen. I cannot wait for the world to change. I’ve got to find something in me, a mindset that will enable the reconnection, the old sense of belonging and shared purpose. I’m looking. I’ll keep looking.

References ↵Al-Aly Z. Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place — the picture is unsettling. The Conversation 2024 July 18. Available: theconversation.com/long-covid-puzzle-pieces-are-falling-into-place-the-picture-is-unsettling-233759 (accessed 2024 July 25).

↵Greenhalgh T, Sivan M, Delaney B, et al. Long covid: an update for primary care. BMJ 2022;378:e072117. doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-072117.

↵Post-COVID-19 condition: guidance for primary care. Toronto: Ontario Health; 2022. Available: www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2021-12/PostCovidConditionsClinicalGuidance_EN.pdf (accessed 2024 Aug. 5).

[sk1fanfiction]

stop trying to monetize fic i'm literally as serious as a myocardial infarction

Okay so not only have I had to deal with the Artstation scammers constantly messaging me since October, to the point where my blocklist on FFN is 100 users long and I've had to block people on AO3 for the very first time, but today I got a review from someone asking if they can use my fic as content on their doubtlessly monetized Youtube channel (there are several of these accounts that send near-identical messages!), with a grating AI-generated voice reading the fic and stock or AI-generated footage playing behind it. I guess at least they are not trying to get me to pay them and are polite enough but this is quite literally I.L.L.E.G.A.L. if they are getting any AdSense money!

Illegality and swindling aside, not every hobby has to become a hustle and even though my writing might not be high art, that doesn't mean it deserves to be turned into soulless slop just because ChatGPT and Midjourney bros on Twitter who couldn't even write a fucking for loop gave you the bright idea. And I am personally sick of the recent deluge of scammers, trolls, and bots. What is happening to the moderation of both FFN and AO3?

Lastly, this has genuinely ruined reviews/comments for me. Every time I get a notification these days, I'm thinking 'please be a real person, please be real' because a full 50-60% of the time it's some auto-generated, mass-mailed message that has nothing to do with the fic. Hell I would even take a 'u suck' comment over this crap.

EDIT: I just remembered that the FFN app already has a reader built-in with a pretty natural-sounding voice, which is much higher quality than any of these channels, which makes them even more useless!

Okay, rant over. As you were.

[darklydeliciousdesires]

London Will Burn - Chapter Four.

Thanks to my little audience for your continued readership :) I get such joy from reading your comments, my darlings!

Previous chapters - One Two Three

Tag list - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed

Words - 3,745

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI.

There were dirty girls, and then there were dirty girls. Those who revealed themselves to be anything but vanilla, those who thrived on filth, who in this instance enjoyed riding a tongue while the bearer of it worked a well-lubed glass dildo in and out of her arsehole and sucking hard upon her clit.  

He’d already made her come twice, but there was no way Sean was allowing her to dismount yet, her cunt streaming against his mouth, soaking him as he ate her with fervour.  

“I think you have another for me, don’t you, you dirty girl,” he groaned, gently nipping at her folds, rutting the bobbled glass phallus a little deeper. She couldn’t even form words, just gritted gurgles as her heart pounded like a war drum. “Yes, you do. Come on, little vixen. Come hard all over my tongue.” 

The heat of each lick drove an absolute nirvana through her, Rin trembling as she choked on the cries that flooded her throat, his free hand spanking her repeatedly as he made another release surge through her. He gentled thereafter, though granted her no clemency in stopping.  

He at least waited until her trembles had subsided slightly before licking her with the same gusto as before, loving the feel of her dew bathing his tongue as once again it became incessant. He had her lit up like a grid, her nerves gleaming as the warm wells of pleasure pooled and tipped, the heat roaring once again and leaving her a panting, shaking wreck.  

“I want you so fucking badly right now,” she purred, climbing back, taking the dildo from him and pulling it out to cast onto the floor.  

“And how do you want me, exactly?” he asked, propping himself up on his elbows, raising an eyebrow at her.  

“I want you to hold me down and fuck my arse bareback, then come in me and watch it drip out all over my pussy.”  

She chuckled immediately at the look on his face, his mouth dropping open slightly as he screwed his eyes tightly shut, mouthing ‘you absolute devil’ as her giggles escalated. “Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack, Catherine, telling me something like that? Twenty-five years old is much too young to suffer a myocardial infarction.” 

“But will you do it?” 

His pupils were so blown, barely any blue remained as he moved, grasping her throat and pulling her close. “Of course, I bloody will.” Five minutes later, and with the assistance of a lot of lube from the bottle which had come from the box of sexual goodies beneath her bed, and he was steadily filling and emptying her, his hand clutched tight at the back of her neck, holding her down as she’d requested. 

A forest fire roared through him as he watched his cock slide back and forth, the sight of her fingers stroking over her folds, dipping into her cunt and reaching to stroke slippery swirls over his balls as he rutted her arsehole deeply perhaps the greatest sexual sight he could remember viewing in a long time. The filthy hedonism of it made him feel mindless, his groans steeped in grit and gravel, the tight clutch upon her rounded bum leaving red crescents behind, as well as a spanked handprint. 

As for Rin, she was swimming in the heaven of it, finally finding a man as dirty as her to indulge with. She’d found that the reveal of her toy box had daunted some men of her sexual past, but when Sean saw it, all he’d done was smile and call her a filthy deviant. He’d also added that he was especially partial to filthy deviants, too, him being one himself.  

“No, no, little vixen,” he told her balefully, gripping her neck tighter when she tried to move. “You will stay right where you are, and fucking take everything I have to give. Understand?”  

Oh, the glimmers that shot through her, to hear the aroused rumble of his cadence, his authority over her, the feel of his cock sinking back into her fully. “Mmm, yes I do. I want you to give it harder, though. I need it. Please.” 

Who was he to argue with that? The noise she made as he began to pound into her hard had all the hairs on his arms standing on end, knowing he was doomed to last for any good length of time, the constriction around him too hot and tight. He at least managed to hold back right to the point her orgasm raged through her, spilling into her deep, withdrawing to do just as she’s suggested and watch his load begin to trickle out.  

Their sweaty, bliss-buzzed bodies came to rest for a while in the tangle of messy bed linen, Rin eventually crawling out and staggering to her ensuite, turning on the shower and stepping in once the water had warmed. It was mere moments before two arms wrapped around her, a set of sumptuous lips kissing the side of her neck.  

She turned, reaching to stroke his cheeks, her smile curling her pretty lips. “You’re not going home tonight, are you?” 

He shook his head, his mouth meeting hers. That was exactly the answer she was hoping for.  

Once showered and dried, they returned to the bedroom, Rin pulling open her bedside table drawer and fetching herself a cigarette, wandering out onto the stone balcony and lighting up. The spring night was cool without being cold, Sean joining her, stealing the cigarette to take a couple of puffs.  

“Didn’t know you smoked.” 

Handing it back, he looked out across the rolling lawns. “Only on certain occasions. Trust me, after that, I bloody need it.”  

She hummed softly. “Same here. A cigarette after a good fuck or a good fight and that’s it. It’s a filthy habit in truth, then again so is getting anally railed by a hot redhead.”  

“Probably a little less addictive, though.” 

Nudging him, she took another long drag. “Don’t sell yourself short, Wallace. Trust me, whenever you want me, if I’m available then all you have to do is say the word. I don’t let sex as good as that out of my clutches easily.”  

His stomach pinched a little, looking away into the ink of the night, silence abounding. “That second part of your statement I said we’d return to earlier, prior to my teasing you over questionable boyfriend choices. Does your mother know about Maximus?” 

Another question she truly hadn’t been expecting. Maximus “Max” Diaz had been the onetime ringleader of a Spaniard gang outfit there in London, one who had dealings with her father on an export basis. Translation? They ran his guns to their network back home, which then headed for Africa and into the hands of the various terrorist fractions who depended on them.  

Those dealings turned sour over accusations of deceit and swindling, as was often the way in gang culture. In this instance, the smaller fish had attempted to take on the shark, and duly discovered – with much savagery - just how sharp the shark’s teeth were. 

Max’s retaliation against Kevin for this? Kidnapping his daughter. Kevin’s retaliation once he and an armed team of associates – including Finn and Sean – had located her? Handing a gun to Rin and allowing her to put a bullet in his head, before said armed team then eradicated the Spanish in their entirety. 

Sean remembered how she’d done it so coolly, anyone could have been mistaken for thinking her a lot more hardened than she was at such a tender age. Fifteen. It truly was no age for a child to have blood upon their hands, but it was the way of their world. They both knew and lived it. He’d only been a year younger himself when his father had demanded he take a life, his elder brother seeing Sean didn’t have it in him and stepping up to do the job instead. 

Rin’s eyes narrowed a fraction as she remembered it, her thoughts transporting her back into the memory of that night. “Of course, she does. It’s who we are, but equally who I think she sometimes tries to kid herself that we aren’t. She likes being Lady Mulford and all that comes with it, but she is what she chose, and she chose to be a gangster’s wife.” Pausing, she took a long drag on the cigarette, holding the smoke before it plumed from her nostrils. “We didn’t get to choose though, did we?” 

“We did not,” he spoke, his tone flat as he took the cigarette from her and drew upon it fiercely.  

She jerked her head back in the direction of the bedroom. “You know you can just go and help yourself to one, don’t you?” 

He shrugged, handing it back. “Then there’d be no fun in taking yours, would there?” She nudged him, Sean laughing quietly as he exhaled the smoke through his nose. “You came through it all alright, didn’t you? While we were there in the warehouse, I did want to check, but your father got you out of there before I could. Plus, it didn’t feel right since I didn’t really know you. I still don’t, I suppose.”  

“There’s nothing stopping you getting to know me now.”  

Yes, there was. Right there on the balcony was the first time Sean experienced it, an inner voice telling him to go back inside, locate the recording on his phone from that afternoon and delete it. She didn’t deserve it, to be used to cruelly. However, he didn’t deserve her tight fisted, greedy cunt of a father to welch on a deal so important to him, just because he thought he could get away with it.  

It was his first solo deal for the Wallace Corporation, both above and below board dealings tied into one agreement. The fact that Kevin Cavanagh knew that and had decided to screw him purely because he thought he could wasn’t lost on him. He would not lose face or standing by running to his father for assistance either, just as Kevin expected.  

What he’d intended all along, and what he had to follow through on, was to remind the reluctant shit of a man exactly who he was dealing with, and what would befall him if he didn’t comply. There was truly no room for lamentation, and no going back. 

His jaw tightened a fraction, nostrils flaring as the annoyance rose up in his stomach like a wave of fire. How fucking dare Kevin make his demands for more. The cut he would be receiving long term from his investment in the new apartment blocks being built would more than make the initial outlay worth it, as well as the kickback he would be receiving in order to allow the vast cargos of heroin port in his docks.  

Kevin always did enjoy the upper hand, though. 

Sean could not allow him to have it in this instance, however. In any instance for that matter. Weakness was not an option, especially this late in the game, the funds needing to be secured by midnight that Sunday, lest the bid be handed over to the next corporation vying for the project. He couldn’t afford to lose.  

“You’ve gone very quiet.” 

Her words roused him, his face softening, turning to kiss her shoulder and smack her on the bum. “I think I’m still partially delirious. Partial isn’t good enough. I requite full delirium or nothing at all.” Rin found herself promptly tossed over his shoulder, managing to flick her cigarette over the balcony before she was taken back inside and promptly thrown upon her bed.  

“I think it’s about time I used something quite interesting I noticed in your little Pandora’s box of iniquity.” Reaching from the side of the bed where he kneeled straddling her thighs, he picked up the leather cuffs attached by a short length of chain, reaching forward to buckle the first upon her wrist.  

He then looped it behind the bedpost, attaching the other, hands running in slow glide down her arms as he leaned to kiss her. His hands slid to clutch at her waist, pinning her, eyes glinting a wicked glitter as his mouth broadened with satisfaction. “At my mercy completely, little vixen. I shall enjoy this.”  

The press of his lips against her sternum and the wet, dragged circle of his tongue to follow evoked an instant flurry of goose pimples to rise over her skin, Rin softly exhaling as her body arched like a bow. 

“Not taking anything else from the box?” she inquired, Sean shaking his head, skimming a lick over the pebbled peak of her nipple.  

“I don’t need to for what I have in mind, darling. Trust me, I’m enough.” She didn’t doubt that for a moment, but as his mouth moved over her body, she knew proving it without a shadow of a doubt was where his intention lay.  

He did not disappoint. 

He mapped the art of his pleasure over her body, mouth and hands devoted to lavishing every dip and curve, each rise and fall, until she quivered beneath him. It was like liquid sunshine, poured warm over her bones, his mouth not missing a single inch of flesh with the dedication of kisses, soft bites and licks. 

Well, there was one place he very deliberately missed.  

She felt herself aching with the need to be touched, her sex dewy and longing for the attention his mouth gave to her everywhere but between her apex, kisses rained over her legs, her feet, her toes sucked, her hips caressed with licks as he watched her writhe.  

“How does it feel, to be so riddled by anticipation you can barely stop quivering?”  

She moaned, feeling him blow upon her nipple before sucking it once more. “Halfway between heaven and hell.”  

He chuckled, moving to her neck. “Exactly as I planned.”  

He didn’t want to give her what she craved too quickly, but the truth was he wanted it just as much. Pleasuring a woman with his mouth was an act he truly thrived upon. Nothing much got his cock harder than feeling his tongue becoming wetter with a woman’s silken arousal. Working his mouth and hands all over her again, until her trembles intensified and her moans escalated, he finally settled between her legs.  

Skimming a few teasing licks over her slit, kissing her bare pubic mound a few times, he let her truly simmer on it before finally, granting what she had been waiting for. The flat drag of his tongue between her folds had soft cries pouring from her mouth like wine, each lick then focusing directly upon her clit. He bathed it in soft heat, flicking up and down slowly, lightly, the heat of his breath teasing whenever he paused, watching her through lust blown eyes. 

His tongue continued to rove through her hot, viscid flesh, circling, harder pressure replaced with soft, thumbing her clit hood to make her little bundle stand out against the rapid circles he placed upon it. The sound of her cries and the noise of chain scraping against the wood of her bedpost sent hot daggers directly to his cock, loving the feel of her swelling against each lick.  

He then surprised her by moving to unfasten her cuffs, answering the questioning look she gave after kissing her with hunger. “I want to feel your hands on me while I eat you alive.”  

Good enough reason as any, she thought.  

His mouth returned, lips wrapping her clit in the pillowy warmth of a suck, groaning against the sweet, petal soft of her, his hands touring her thighs as he felt hers graze over his scalp and down his arms. Her hips bucked against the suck he was yet to release, increasing the pressure, having her crying out when he added his tongue to flick firmly at the same time.  

He had cascades of pure ebullience skittering through her as she tensed, Rin panting hard as she felt her clit tingle and throb, coming hard with a feral cry against his mouth, dying for the spear of his thick cock to further sate her. As if guessing her thoughts, he emerged to trail kisses up her body, her legs remaining draped over his shoulders as he reached her mouth and sank his cock into her wet warmth.  

“Erm, pardon me, sir,” she began, grasping his hips and pushing him back, laughing when he growled in annoyance and rooted himself deeper. “You appear to be forgetting a little bit of latex.” 

“I know,” he sighed, looking pained. “Do I really have to wear one? Fucking can’t stand the damned things.” 

“Well, I suppose you don’t have to,” she mused, loving the feeling of his bare cock inside her. “The seventy-two-hour pill exists for a reason, so I can just go and get that. As long as you don’t have anything that’ll give me fanny rot.” 

He snorted with laughter. “Fanny rot? Is that the technical term?”  

“Don’t take the piss,” she warned, pointing a finger, one that he bit with a little growl. For someone so stoic in demeanour, it made her tummy flip pleasantly when she experienced the rarity of a playful Sean. “You know exactly what I mean.” 

“I do, and no. I’m clean as a whistle.”  

“Mmm,” she purred, exchanging kisses of sugary sin. “Good. You can utterly flood me with cum, then.”  

He raised an eyebrow, gently biting her cupid’s bow. “That’s a given, darling.”  

Every time he called her darling, even though she knew it to be his standard greeting for women, she experienced a little flutter in her chest. There he was, the perfect man of her dreams, and he couldn’t get enough of her. Maybe their dalliance mightn't be as casual as she’d first expected, and she certainly did not want to give that up.  

Feeling goddess worshipped by a man like him was addictive; the way he fucked her, how he looked at her while he fucked her, the longing, the heat, how he moaned so deeply just before he came. Sean Wallace would be a tough act to follow if he didn’t become her lover, that was for certain.  

Oh, if only the poor girl knew... 

Little shocks skittered through her as he set about filling and emptying her wet heat slowly, stirring a moan that rocked through his entire chest when she reached to pinch his nipples. That action resulted in the infliction of his cock thrust sharply within her, arrowing deep. He then resumed the slow drag, all in, almost all out, her insides fizzing with bliss as each stroke made the ecstasy radiate.   

He teased her a little by pulling all the way out, pausing, sliding back in again, then out once more, stimulating her slit with the tip of his erection before entering her and repeating it all again. 

“Yes, you like that, don’t you?”  

“Mmm.” That was the only sound she was capable of making, pulling him to her mouth, kissing him wantonly. It was all sugared embers and slow, rolling pleasure as they panted against one another’s mouths, Sean sitting back up again, moving his thumb to stroke over her clit.  

He paused, pulling her legs up to rest over his shoulders, a fluttered rumble of the word fuck leaving his throat as he slipped deeper into her, grinning while his tongue licked a circle at her ankle. “You’re literally pouring wet, little vixen. God, it feels incredible.” He groaned, taking her foot and kissing it, sucking her toes, overcome by how she felt stretched around him.  

Fixing a lustful gaze into the hypnotic blue of his stare, she ran her hand down to where they were fused, letting her fingers slip either side of his cock, her arousal throbbing strongly at feeling him thrusting so savagely. He had her mewling softly, leaning to suck her nipples in turn, his hips beginning to piston a little faster as the need to chase the lightning cracking beneath his skin became uncontained.  

Her moans escalated as his mouth founds hers, kissing one another with furious need. “Fuck, you’re so bloody hot.” He winked in reply as she pushed her fingers into his mouth, watching him suck her wetness from them, biting gently, his groans vibrating against her hands as she ran them over his neck and chest. “Fuck me harder. Please, please give me that fucking perfect cock so hard, I scream.” 

He relented to her command, cock speeding up its pace, Rin crying out, the thick heat of him absolutely incredible as he fucked her into the bed. It was almost inconceivable, how good he felt.  She was utterly assailed by him, his chest heaving as that lightning beneath his skin began to gain heat and streak, thumb still rubbing on her clit as he stroked an explosion of sparks, pleasure sizzling through her.   

The slick grip encasing him began to flutter madly, the sweet, heady rush capsizing them both, Rin lost in the huge wave that was the undoing driven into he as her nails gripped his shoulders, tearing down over his back. He collapsed to her, grunting at the pain of it, the pleasure throbbing through him, his spasming cock flooding her as he shuddered through his release. He rested his head to her chest, lungs heaving with effort, Rin moving her hands to stroke his face.  

“Have I knackered you out?” 

He turned his head, kissing her palm. “Not fucking yet, you haven’t.” 

It was gone 3am before they fell asleep that night, Rin resting her hand to his chest as she drifted off. A moment passed, feeling his fingers curl around hers, moving it onto the pillow beside her head before he turned away from her.  

“Hmmm, really just sex, then.” she thought, sighing softly and turning onto her front. If that was all it would be, she was fine with it. The confliction she felt as she turned to get comfortable was prompted by fact that at several points since his arrival, it hadn’t felt like that. Far from it. Or was she just looking into it too much? “Fucks sake. Just enjoy his dick and don’t stress.”  

If she was ever going to take her own advice, that moment would have been a good time to start.  

[notallthoseinheadspace]

Little hurt/comfort speculative post-canon TBB piece since I suspect canon is going to be all hurt.

Echo and Tech talk out their time under enemy control. PG, Gen.

CWs: PTSD, panic attacks, grief, mentions of injury

STRONGER

“It doesn’t get better if you don’t talk about it, you know.”

Snarling, Tech whirled around, unaccustomed anger biting under his skin. “You don’t - ah.” Wincing, he ducked his head and leaned back against the wall, ignoring the lights flickering to life across the island as he pushed his repaired goggles up to rub at the scars that spiderwebbed across his face. “Apologies, Echo. I did not realize it was you speaking. And, if you will forgive the insensitivity of the statement, it is… easy to forget that you were once The Algorithm.”

“Really,” Echo answered drily, gesturing to himself with his scomp link. Tech shrugged, slipping his goggles off entirely and letting them dangle from his wrist as he rubbed at his scars further.

“To me, you are as I have always known you, simply in better health than when we… initially met.”

“When you unplugged me from a cryo-tube I was wired into being forced to calculate plans to kill as many of my brothers as possible, you mean.”

“Well… yes.” Wincing, Tech slid down to sit against the sun-warmed paving stones, propping his back against the wall. After a moment, Echo settled beside him, close enough to very gently knock their shoulders together.

“I am aware that discussion of traumatic events can help reduce their psychological impact,” Tech began hesitantly, staring down at the goggles he was restlessly twisting in his hands rather than looking at Echo. “However, that would first require me to have a greater understanding of both my own prior psychological state and recall the conditioning I was subjected to on Tantiss, which I do not, and also comprehend why Crosshair was immune to such conditioning when I was not, and-”

The frantic, ever-hastening tumble of words was halted by Echo’s hand gripping his shoulder, giving him the lightest of shakes - everyone was treating him as though he was fragile, now, as though his scars had not healed.

“Tech, breathe.”

Tech sucked in a deep breath, then winced and coughed weakly, one hand rising to rub at the starburst scar high on his left pectoral, the bacta patch on it not entirely removing the pain. Perhaps everyone’s current treatment of him was not unwarranted.

Echo kept the hand on his shoulder, the gentle grip grounding, until Tech’s breathing had regained a more normal rhythm, and for several minutes they sat in silence, watching the moon-yos scampering about in the trees.

“I don’t imagine Crosshair’s going to use his rifle again,” Echo said softly, apropos of apparently nothing, and Tech exhaled sharply with another wince.

“I am certainly fortunate to have survived. A direct hit from a Firepuncher rifle bolt, particularly one modified as Crosshair’s has been, would typically result in death regardless of the quality of one’s armor.”

“I don’t think he’s ever been grateful to have missed a target,” Echo remarked, “even if you did pop up and declare ‘Crosshair, you missed,’ you little shit.”

“It was an accurate observation! I have not known Crosshair to miss a target without injury being involved, and I was unaware of his tremor at the time, so I had no basis for comprehending such a phenomenon! Also, I did not ‘pop up’ - ”

“No, you stayed down long enough to give all of us heart attacks, because your damn helmet fell off - ”

“I do not understand what the - truly inadequate, I might add - state of the Empire’s armor has to do with inducing myocardial infarctions in the squad - ”

“ - and we saw your face on the assassin Crosshair had just shot - ”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“….he would not be the first of us to kill a clone,” Tech said softly, leaning a little more heavily against Echo’s shoulder. “I would not, in fact, even be the first clone he had killed, and I was willing to give my life to ensure the survival of the squad previously. His actions were objectively correct, even if he had been aware of my identity at the time.”

“If he’d been aware of your identity, he never would have taken the shot,” Echo countered, shifting enough for his head to rest ever-so-gently against Tech’s.

“Not taking the shot would have been illogical. I was a threat to the lives of the squad at the time.”

“Feelings aren’t logical or objective, Tech.”

“I am aware, which is why they are often difficult for me to process. I am struggling to even categorize the emotions my experience as a CX-trooper have left me with, although I have identified guilt, inadequacy, anger, resentment, and what I believe to be grief. I was unable to resist the programming as Crosshair was, despite having been deliberately engineered for my intellect, for the strength of my mind, while Crosshair, who was created to - to shoot accurately - was able to resist the entirety of the reconditioning, and to escape Tantiss with Omega’s help, while I was so fully under the command of our enemy that I not only destroyed our home, I returned our sister to them!”

His voice had been steadily rising throughout, and it shattered into sharp gasps on the last words, prompting Echo to turn and gently pull Tech against his chest, wrapping him gently in an embrace and rocking them gently from side to side, stroking Tech’s hair as the other clone trembled against his chest.

The moon had fully risen by the time Tech’s breathing slowed again and he drew back slightly from Echo’s embrace, turning so that he was resting with his shoulder against Echo’s chest and his head tucked under his chin.

“I should have been stronger.”

“You were plenty strong, Tech.”

“Echo, I am aware you have not been present for significant portions of my - ”

“Tech. I can read a damned report whether I was present for something or not. And I’m not focused on what you did, I’m focused on what you didn’t do.”

“…please elaborate.”

“You landed the charges on the Marauder while Wrecker and Gonky were outside of it and gave them time to get clear, rather than blowing it up with them inside. You didn’t shoot Hunter, you shot down the pilot of the ship he was trying to hijack and let him swim away. You scared the civilians here, but you didn’t hurt any of them.”

“I killed numerous members of Rex’s team on Teth.”

“Do you want me to tell you how many deaths I’m responsible for? Because I’ve calculated that, you know. Should I have been stronger?”

“Echo, our situations were completely different and comparing them would be pointless. Furthermore, you were not deliberately mutated specifically to have a significantly increased intellect which should have offered immunity to - ”

“Have you considered that it wasn’t intellect that protected Crosshair?”

“Clearly it was not a matter of his intellect, as mine did not… ah.”

“He didn’t outsmart it, he out-stubborned it.”

“That hypothesis seems entirely reasonable, yes. However, I shall not endeavor to test it.” Wincing, Tech sat up slowly, bracing himself on one of Echo’s knees to rise to his feet, then offering a hand down, which was calmly accepted.

When they were both standing, Echo jostled their shoulders together gently. “So, feeling better?”

Tech blinked. “…somewhat, yes, thank you.”

“Anytime, brother.”

FIN

Short and kinda bad but I just needed them talking it out and Echo being his good ori’vod self. Tech is Not Coping Well and needed a hug.

The initial idea of this had less talking and Cody was there at the end telling them they both now understood how regs felt after Order 66, but that version failed to materialize when I got to my keyboard.