#so it took a little bit for us to figure out what was going on because this isn't how we normally experience flashbacks

[l4ndoflove]

birthday pastry

@ oscar piastri

caption can oscar live up to his infamous nickname?

tw tooth rotting (literally and figuratively) fluff

wc 1,220

l4ndoflove this is my (very belated) birthday gift for @vettelsvee 🫶🫶🫶 love you girl, feliz cumple <333

p.s. i hope this helps after the race :)

OSCAR PIASTRI HAD NEVER BEEN A GREAT COOK. Everybody was painfully aware of that: you, his family… even Lando knew it by now. Still, the McLaren content team, who’d witnessed countless of his culinary disasters, didn’t seem to care one bit.

That was the reason why your boyfriend currently found himself seated at a table scattered with toppings, a whole crew filming him.

“So,” he cleared his throat, eyeing the ingredients as if they were little bombs about to go off. “We are here at Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix, and as you can see, we’re going to decorate some waffles.”

“Uh huh,” his teammate confirmed, already stacking three of them on his plate.

Meanwhile, just off camera, you were bracing yourself for the inevitable chaos that was about to unfold judging by Lando’s grin and Oscar’s lost look — the one he usually gave you whenever you asked him for a hand in the kitchen.

“I think I’m going to start with…” His eyes roamed over the colorful garnishes, landing on a small bottle that he immediately picked up. Then, without missing a beat, he held it up and showed it to you. “You like chocolate sauce, right?”

Saying that he caught you off guard would’ve been an understatement.

You blinked at him, confused, not sure if you’d imagined it or he’d actually asked you something before the soft ‘hm?’ which left the back of his throat confirmed the latter. He was waiting for an answer. The one you gave him was barely audible, a whisper you hoped the microphone wouldn’t catch, but it was enough to bring a faint smile to his lips.

“Coming right up,” he muttered to himself as he squeezed a generous amount of said syrup on the plate in front of him. Well, tried to. When nothing came out, he frowned, eyebrows drawn together — partially in concentration, mainly in confusion — and used both hands to apply more pressure. Still nothing. “What the…”

Despite his visible distress, you couldn’t help but snort. Because the way Oscar always struggled with literally anything that didn’t involve racing cars had something comically endearing to it, even though you would’ve never admitted it. Not that he hadn’t figured it out on his own, anyway.

“Baby,” you called out, stifling a laugh, “you’re supposed to–”

“Remove the foil! Thank you,” he finished your sentence right as he popped open the bottle and revealed the thin material sealing it, which he then proceeded to peel off. After that, he managed to pour a drizzle of chocolate on his dish with a dramatic flick of the wrist, just like an artist painting on white canvas.

Once he was done, he cocked his head to the side and gave his… whatever it was a better look.

“Does this look like a heart to you?”

Lando, who had been sneakily stuffing his pockets full of Kinder Schoko-Bons for the last five minutes, glanced down at his teammate’s failed attempt at drawing and scrunched up his nose at the sight.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

He paused.

“It does look like an ‘O’, though. ‘O’ for Oscar.” He nodded at the crew, clearly pleased with himself for coming up with such a brilliant last-minute save.

So brilliant that it earned him a deadpan stare from you and a very judgy side eye from the Brit next to him.

“Whatever you say, mate. Whatever you say.”

The Aussie ignored him, already scouting for his next victim in the crowd of bowls laid out on the counter. It took him a surprisingly short amount of time to find one because, as soon as he recognized the mini chocolate candies that Lando kept avoiding, his eyes lit up. Bingo.

“These are my girlfriend’s favorite,” he beamed, taking a handful of the Crispy M&M’s he was referring to. “I always carry some with me for when she gets hungry.”

Somewhere beside him, Lando sighed. “Ah, love. Couldn’t relate.”

Oscar’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink at his comment. He fumbled with the waffles that he was clumsily attempting to pile up in the middle of his chocolate decoration, and, of course, he dropped them right away. Swearing under his breath, he rushed to fix the mess, ears as red as some of the sweets still clutched in his fist.

“Uh, this is not good,” he chuckled awkwardly. “But I’ll make it work. Hopefully.”

‘Hopefully’ was definitely the right word because hope was the only thing holding together your boyfriend’s creation when he finally sat back, gave it a proud once over, and considered himself happy with the result.

He sounded almost relieved when he spoke again.

“Hard part’s done. My teammate here might disagree, but I think I did a pretty good job.” He shrugged. “And, umm... yeah, that’s it for today.”

Apparently, it wasn’t.

The camera was still rolling when he stood up, lifted his precarious construction from the table, and walked out of frame — straight toward you.

In two strides, he was there.

“Hi,” he murmured with a sheepish smile.

“Hi,” you echoed him, tilting your head back to see his face. “What are you doing?”

“I made you something.”

Your heart did a stupid, little somersault in your chest. “Really?”

“Mhm. Do you like it?”

You followed his gaze as it settled on the plate squished between the two of you, where a leaning tower of waffles was miraculously defying gravity. A bunch of colorful M&M’s were tucked into its square holes, and the white porcelain beneath it was dotted with crooked hearts. The bright orange writing running along the edge, however, was the first thing that caught your attention:

Happy birthday, I love you

You didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. Just stared at what was quite literally the sweetest gift anyone had ever given you.

Unfortunately, Oscar couldn’t read your mind.

“I know we ate a real cake with the team this morning, and it probably tasted way better than this, but I wanted to do something for you, and I can’t exactly bake, so–”

He never finished the sentence — not everyone is able to when they have another person’s mouth pressed against theirs.

Your lips captured his in a kiss that was meant to shut him up yet spoke louder than words ever could, tongues deep in a conversation of their own.

It wasn’t rushed. You took your time with it, breathing in the delicate cocoa scent that clung to him, a mix of his deodorant and the sauce streaking his skin as your fingers trailed up his arm, slow and deliberate, and wiped away a remnant of syrup from his jaw. He melted under your touch.

“You guys are disgusting.” The sound of Lando’s voice momentarily drowned out that of your breaths intertwining, reaching you from his place in the background. “Get a room.”

Oscar smirked. “Might as well,” he muttered lazily into your mouth, eyes half-lidded with affection. You rolled yours, amused.

“Later,” you cooed, pulling away only to give him another quick peck on the lips. Then another one. “Ask me again.”

“What?”

“If I like it.”

He exhaled, already preparing for the worst. “Be honest. Do you like it?”

Your fingertips grazed the light stubble on his chin, as gentle as your next words.

“I love it.”

[anonymous-dentist]

Pangi seems to be growing his hair out. It’s past his chin now, just long enough to be tied back with a ribbon he picked up off the road.

Lukey, though? He likes his hair short. Easy to manage. (Hard to grab on to.)

Two days after the escape from Blue City, Lukey pulls a pair of scissors out of his null space and sits next to a pond, using it as a mirror as he gets to work.

He’s used to doing his own hair. He never even lets Newt touch it, not since getting moved to the castle. And he was never really allowed sharp objects without supervision, but he’d been allowed a pair of blunt scissors and an armed guard once every couple of months (otherwise, he’d start breaking mirrors again.)

The horse and cart are a bit away, over by tonight’s campsite. Pangi has affectionately named the horse ‘Bin’, not that it ever actually responds to that; it snaps at his hand every time he tries petting it, much to his dismay.

“Fuck!!” he screams as Bin actually manages to get him.

Lukey giggles, his reflection smiling even as it’s disrupted by chunks of cut hair.

Pangi jumps around the campsite for a bit, swearing, before coming to sit by Lukey with a groan.

“You want some help?” he offers.

His reflection looks at Lukey’s; his ears twitch as a fly tries to land on one.

“Nah,” Lukey replies, “don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not worrying, I’m asking.”

“And I’m fine.”

He’s so fine, in fact, that he only groans a little when he cuts a little too much off of a side chunk right above his ear.

Pointedly ignoring Pangi’s smarmy little face, he hands the scissors over and tries not to shake too obviously as Pangi scoots over and takes over the trimming.

“I’m kind of an expert at this, I’m not gonna lie,” Pangi brags. “I’ve been cutting hair since I was a kid.”

“Really?” Lukey asks.

(He’s been asking more and more questions since Blue City. Doesn’t hurt to find out what his- wait, what are they? He’s Lukey’s… fiancé? Partner? Friend?

…It doesn’t hurt to find out what his Pangi is actually like.)

“Mhm. I figured out how to cut mine with a knife when I was little. I took, what, a foot off?” Pangi shrugs. “It’s been a while, but you get the idea.”

Lukey tries to imagine Pangi with hair that long and accidentally imagines him also shirtless and standing under a sunset. Whoops.

Innocently, nonchalantly, he asks, “Are you going to grow it out that long again?”

Pangi’s face wrinkles up. “Ew, no. Probably just to my shoulders, I can’t lie. Anything longer would just get annoying after a while.”

“Makes sense.”

Pangi is, unfortunately, really good with a pair of scissors. He fixes Lukey’s mistake and even manages to style his hair a bit with, like, angles. It’s crazy!

(His hand brushes along the underside of Lukey’s jaw as he finishes up, and Lukey swears that it was purposeful.)

In which Lukey is thrown in the deepest, darkest cell of the Yellow Kingdom’s prison for daring try and defend himself against a woman he met at the local marketplace after she tried to stab him to death in front of a fruit stand

He isn’t alone in there, he notices. There’s another man: sprawled across a wooden bench and looking bored out of his mind

Lukey, still very sore from the Architect’s murder attempt, smiles to himself.

“Hey, friend!” he calls, mindful of the volume of his voice (can’t attract too much attention!) “What say we get out of here?”

He paces the length in front of the cell nonchalantly, hands in his cloak’s pockets. His clothes are, frankly, of poor quality. His cloak is stolen and a bright vivid green. His goggles are dangling around his neck, but his pockets are empty of every bit of alchemical supply he had

But, well. The guards can’t search what they can’t see.

The man on the bench slowly looks at him, doubt written across his face

“I’ve already tried, man,” he says. “They even made me cut my claws.”

He frowns, flexing his hand in the air. Blunt nails

Lukey just smirks. “Well, watch this.”

He ducks into the corner and closes his eyes, one hand reaching out into the air in front of him. He can hear the man’s surprised grunt as his hand, of course, completely disappears from sight

A few moments of digging around later, Lukey is proudly displaying a couple of vials of acid and an explosive potion, much to the man’s obvious delight

“Gimme that,” he happily says, snatching the explosive potion

He grins, all sharp teeth and fangs- fucking fangs!

“I know where they keep the prisoners’ stuff,” he tells Lukey, eyes squinted up in delight. “Follow me”

(There’s an engagement ring hidden in Lukey’s null space, completely disregarded and purposefully forgotten about. He’s sure the Green Prince won���t mind him not wearing it; after all, he had already vanished by the time the ring arrived.)

[deansimagination]

Golden

Azriel x Reader

Part four of Warms Hands and New Flavors

Plot: Azriel and Reader are sent to Autumn court to obtain more information about Beron’s plans. Beron has a little surprise of his own, which forces reader to reveal a new gift. Azriel and reader are blurring more lines as they work together.

Word count: 2554

Other parts:

Part one: Warm Hands and New Flavors

Part two: Too Sweet

Party three: Pretty in Pink

Warnings: harsh words, desire lol

Rhysand had decided to send you and Azriel to Autumn Court. He wanted to figure out for sure what was going on. He wanted to play nice with Beron, so he asked him to host dinner to introduce his new emissary to the court. The plan was simple, Beron would have his nobles with him at dinner, which you would then make conversation with everyone and extract information.

~

Azriel had winnowed part of the way and flew the rest to get you both to Autumn Court. When you arrived, you found that they were finishing preparing for a party, which was confusing given Rhysand's plans. The servants you spoke to let him know of your arrival and guided you to your rooms. You and Azriel had rooms directly across from one another, but you thought everything was so strange. You were not planning on staying here, this was just supposed to be dinner. You were glad you had decided to dress well for dinner, since apparently you were attending a party now as well.

As the servant walked away, you and Azriel eyed each other warily as you stood by your respective doors.

"Do you know what's going on?" You fidgeted with your hands, nervous about the unexpected change of plans. Azriel walked to your door, "No, but we can go find out" he said as he held out his hand. You took it, and he led you to the ballroom.

On your way there, you spoke to a handmaid and determined that this was last minute and that you and Azriel were not the only special guests. Headed the rest of the way to the party, Azriel has his hand on the small of your back, guiding you through the palace. It gave the rest of your body goosebumps, as your attention zeroed in on his warm palm.

There was a long table at the front of the room, with a vast open space in front of it, which you assumed to be a dance floor. Your eyes tracked the faces of the guests, recognizing some from the Winter Court ball, but your eyes caught on some more particularly recognizable faces. Your steps slowed as you glanced between your father and Keir, and some of his other nightmare nobles. Your body tense underneath Azriel's hand, to which he started moving his thumb in sooth circles, effectively calming you down, just a little bit. You found your seats closer to you father and Keir. Azriel pulled your chair out for you, and you caught your father sneering, which of course Azriel noticed and glared back at him. You just smiled up at Azriel, his eyes softening as he looked back down at you. He then quietly took his seat, silently dragging it a little closer to yours.

"Let us begin eating" Beron stood up, addressing the table. He had an almost imperceptible smug look on his face at his little surprise. Your hands were shaky as you reached for your fork, causing Azriel to take hold of your other one under the table and give it a squeeze. The food itself looked extravagant, the plate covered with roasted meats and sauteed vegetables. The aroma alone was mouth-watering, but your appetite was minimal.

Everyone began eating, but you could feel your father's eyes boring into you. You picked at your food as you tried to listen to the conversation that Keir and Beron were having. Growing impatient, you decided to insert yourself.

"Beron, your court is so lovely, and this party is so tasteful! It was a bit surprising, but enjoyable nonetheless" you remarked as you raised your glass to him, other nobles following suit. Beron eyed you in what seemed like approval, but also in assessment.

"Oh, it's so nice of you to join our gathering. Especially after you dipped out of your own court" Keir sharply interjected. Keir didn't know why Rhys had pulled you from his court, but he didn't like it one bit. Your dad threw you a pointed stare at the comment.

"Oh please, I did not dip out. I have a job now. I didn't realize it was a crime to take a job and want to make a living" you laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension. Some of the nobles laughed, the main party did not, however.

"It is no crime, but your company is in bad taste" it was your father now who spoke up. His eyes held fire, but you knew his comments were based on resentment at you for leaving. You stiffened in discomfort, not happy about his comment.

*I happen to like the company I keep. But I didn't realize we were here to sold me like a teenage girl" you rolled your eyes and turned your attention to some of the nobles you recognized.

"I thought I would be meeting Beron's family, but I am happy to see you all. I did quite enjoy your company at Kalias ball" You smiled at them, voice dripping in charm. You had successfully cut Keir's and his ghoul's unpleasant conversation at the bud.

"You will. They are out doing a task I gave them" Beron pulled your attention back to him. You furrowed your brows in question.

"And what would be more important than this wonderful get together" you asked, trying to sound more curious than interrogative.

"Nothing of concern" he answered as he held your eye contact, but your mouth filled with the familiar metallic taste. You needed to question further, but didn't want to raise suspicion.

"And your wife?" You questioned further. His eyes held fire in them now as he responded, "She's in her room, she does not like these types of events." You sensed this was a sore subject, so you moved on.

"Well, I look forward to meeting your sons later.on. Perhaps even dancing with them" which was not a lie. If you could get them talking, they would be easier to pull information from than Beron.

As everyone finished their dinner, they moved on the dancing and having drinks. Beron's sons had finally arrived, and you had to pretend to have never met Eris for obvious reasons. The rest of his brother were not as charming as Eris or Lucien; you did not like being near them at all.

"Can I have your first dance" Eris asked, mischief dancing in his eyes, likely remembering your last conversation about dancing together.

"I'd be delighted" you grinned at him and took his hand as he led you to the dance floor.

"'ve been looking forward to this" Eris smiled as you stood at a respectable distance from one another, his hand on your waist, and yours on his shoulder.

"Me too, and I've been wanting to see autumn" you looked around you at the warm colors in the ballroom that matched the hues you would find as soon as you stepped out the front doors.

Eris looked at your dress, which you had picked to go with autumn.

"Well, you dressed perfectly. Your dress is almost as exquisite as you" he complimented, making you look down at your feet. He didn't make you nervous, but you didn't know what to do in the face of a compliment.

"Where were you at the start of the evening" you looked back up at him and his posture straightened.

"My father needed us to extract some information" Truth. You were silent, urging him to continue talking.

"We were below the castle. But enough about that" he looked very uncomfortable, obviously not wanting to continue thinking about whatever Beron had just made him do. Below the castle likely meant that they were getting information from a person they were either interrogating or torturing.

"Can I cut in?" Someone asked from behind you, causing Eris' eyes to widen. He quickly stood back, and the presence of someone new sent a chill up your spine. You turned your head only to make eye contact with your father. He walked around you and took Eris' place. As you began dancing, a new song started. It sounded a little ominous, which went perfectly with the situation at hand. You could feel your father's anger, disappointment, and what seemed like hurt rolling off him in waves.

"You look lovely" your father started, trying to calm the tension between you two.

"Despite the company I keep" you snapped. For some reason you could not let that go, the way he had looked at you but especially at Azriel was burned into your brain.

"You know how I feel about Rhysand and his lapdogs" your father's glare drifted across the room, which you followed, and your eyes landed on Azriel. He was watching like a hawk, and likely using his shadows to listen in as well. His shadows were dancing across his shoulder and whispering in his ears, but his eyes remained fixed on you and your father.

"Don't call them that. They're not so bad" you tried to casually deflect, but his disgust hurt your heart.

"Oh, so now you're one of his lapdogs too" he sneered, making your jaw drop slightly, but he continued, "I should have known. You always showed weakness throughout your training and even as a child. I would've hoped you'd grow out of it by now." Your eyes widened at him, sad at first but anger quickly took root. Your father has said some harsh things when he trained you, but you had no idea he felt this way about you. What was more upsetting was the lack of metal taste in your mouth. You didn't know what to say, so you did your job.

"What was going on with Beron's sons?" You asked, knowing in your gut him and Keir were involved.

"Why would I know that?" He deflected, his hand in your tensing a bit. Your mouth once again tasted like you had eaten a silver coin. Your heart filled with even more anger at his dishonesty.

You just wanted an answer and wanted to skip your usual enchanting conversation with the person in front of you.

"Tell me" You all but growled at him, baring your teeth like an animal. You imagined squeezing the truth out of him, your hands growing hot as you crushed your father's hand and shoulder in your own hands. Your father looked at you now with fear and began sputtering, "they were torturing someone from the Night Court. Someone who knows about the hidden city" his voice strained. As he spoke, his veins in his neck were popping, his face red. You kept glaring at, willing him to keep talking.

"'ll take it from here" you heard the familiar deep voice as someone lightly held your elbow.

You let your fierce grip of your father relax, letting him go. Azriel stepped between you, his hand sliding around your waist, bringing you closer to him. When your father was out of sight you asked,

"Why did you do that? I was getting good information from him" you whispered, frustrated that he interrupted.

"I know, I heard. But darling, your eyes were glowing, and your body was so tense. I needed you to stop before anyone noticed" your eyebrows shot up in surprise, but Azriel's eyes held nothing but admiration.

"That's never happened before," you looked down in thought, "maybe it has something to do with my gift. I literally felt like I was squeezing the truth out of him, and he was struggling against me" you looked back up at him as you finished. He hummed at that. "Try it on me" he said, pulling you closer, likely so his body would block you from anyone's view.

"Hmmmn... tell me, what do you think of my dress" you demanded, eager to hear his answer.

As you willed him to respond, you imagine a golden rope wrapping around him and pulsing, urging him to tell you the truth. His neck grew red as he fought himself, "it's stunning, but everything on you is more than beautiful" he inhaled, almost as if he was holding his breath.

The rope left your mind, and you just looked at him stunned.

"You think so?" You asked breathily, like you couldn't believe your ears. Azriel looked at you with reverence.

"Yes, Y/N, you are the most beautiful being I've ever seen" he whispered, eyes trailing the planes of your face. Your mouth filled with the most exquisite flavor, like a dessert that nearly brought you to your knees.

"I forgot you make that face at compliments" he watched, his voice a bit husky. His pupils were the widest you'd ever seen them.

"Only yours" you couldn't help but admit. His eyes somehow darkened as he pulled you impossibly closer to him. His hand drifted from your waist, up your spine. His hand drifted to the exposed part of your dress, his fingers lightly brushing the bare skin on your back, giving you goosebumps all over.

You were aware of lines being crossed, but you honestly didn't care. Not wanting to be here anymore, you said "let's leave, we have the information we need." Your words a breathy exhale.

That was all he needed to hear.

~

Azriel carried you, flying from Autumn. The tension between you two was palpable, but the sky had opened up and began to rain, giving both of you a much needed cold shower.

"Maybe we should just stop for the night" your teeth chattered, your breath fanning his neck.

You were almost high on the smell of mist and cedar; your face turned toward his neck. The rest of you were freezing though. You had just crossed the border of Winter Court, and you were definitely feeling the chill. His arms squeezed your body closer to him.

"Yeah, we can do that" he whispered, starting to fly lower to look for somewhere to stay. After looking for about twenty minutes, Azriel spotted an inn. You both went in, surprised that the place was bustling. There were people already in line to check in before you. When it was finally your turn, Azriel spoke for you both.

"Do you have two rooms available?"

"Afraid not, we only have one more." At that, Azriel just pulled out some coins and got the info for the room. You made your way through the old inn, the place smelling very homey, like cinnamon and tea leaves. You felt at ease in this little place, and you were ready to sleep off the day. You got your room, Azriel opening the door for you to peer in. It was so cute, all the furnitures dark wood, the bedding a soft blue. Wait... your eyes caught on the bed. It was a good size, but it was just one. You looked up to Azriel, who had his eyes locked on you the whole time.

"I'll sleep on the floor" he said as he stepped into the tiny room. You rolled your eyes behind his back.

"Absolutely not. We are adults and there's space for both of us. Also, I'm scared I'll freeze to death in this court without your body heat" you giggled, even though it was the truth. He laughed at that, and you both began getting ready for bed.

Taglist: @lilah-asteria

[anon-sect2]

Picture source: internet

Alvin saw there were three new positions that had opened up in the department. He thought this was his time for a big promotion on the job. He saw that the new job was waste management positions. He saw that the position would be permanent. He would not have to worry about being fired from it. He was curious that there was three positions available in waste management. He applied anyway. He was sure he would get one of them. The fact that the position could come with higher pay was the motivation. He also saw that each position would get it's own office space. He had been so used to being in a cubicle that he often wondered what it would be like to have an actual office in the company. He looked over at the other two cubicles.

"Ben and Henry, you two heard about the new positons that are available?" Alvin asked them. Ben and Henry were his best friends on the job. They always had lunch together as often as they could. They just struck up a good friendship that hs been going on for the past few years.

"Yeah, it comes with office space, permanent post, and possible pay raise." Henry said next. "Definitely would be an upgrade from this cubicle." He added.

"The fact it is three positions means all three of us could move up at the same time." Ben added to the conversation. "Wee should all apply. What do you guys think?"

"Duh, it's no brainer." Alvin said as he had the application opened up and ready to put in his resume. "Let's get out of these cubicles and into an office." He added.

"And with better pay." Ben added as all three began to submit their resume with the appllication to move up further in the company.

A few weeks later, all three were shocked and surprised. All three of their names were picked out of twenty applicants. They were estatic over their new promotions. They could not wait to move into their new offices and celebrate. They were called into the supervisors office for a brief meeting on their promotion.

All three walked into their supervisor's office. He motioned for them to have a seat on the three chairs in front of his desk. "Before you three move into your new offices, I wanted to congratulate you on recieving the promotion. Let's have a little toast to your success." He spoke to them as he brought a small trey with four glasses on it. He handed them each one before taking the last one for himself. He took several sips of his glass while he watched the three drink theirs down rather quickly.

"That was delicious," Alvin said, still tasting it on his tongue.

"Yeah, what was that drink? I would not mind having another." Henry added. It was the most delicious drink he had had in a long time.

Ben felt a little wosey moment later. "What was in that drink, sir? I am starting to feel a little strange."

Alin and Henry then noticed they were feeling the same way. They saw a smile on their supervisor's face.

"That was just a concoction to prepare you for your new position." Their supervisor paused in statement as he saw all three slowly losing consciousness. "You need to be durable to handle your new position of waste management." He laughed as all three lost full consciousness and slumbed over on the chairs. He made the call all as three strong men came and dragged all three out of his office to install them in their new offices.

Henry woke up feeling his body in a different form. He was connected to the floor and wall. He had a lid over him that was also a part of his body. He tried to speak, but no sound was uttered. He couldn't move a single bit. It was so disconcerting. He then heard a voice coming. It sounded like a good friend that he started to get to know at work. He felt a hand lift up the lid. He saw it was Drew just as he figured. What happened next horrified him. He saw Drew closing some door, pulling down his pants and underwear, and sitting on his face. There was something coming from his ass. "No, please, not this!" He mentally screamed as poop dropped into his mouth. Even though water was in his mouth, he could taste the poop. It was so disgusting. Poop after poop came, leaving a foul stench in its wake. When he saw that Drew was done, he felt him pull down a lever. He was forced to swallow all his poop and pee. He saw Drew go wash his hands, leaving him in misery. It was like he didn't even recognize him. He used him like he was just a toilet. It then dawned on his mind what he was. He was a literal toilet. The waste management was for human waste. He started to hate that he ever applied for the position now.

Henry heard the flushing of a toilet. He realized that he was in a restroom. He then saw his nightmare come true as one guy he hated at work was coming in the restroom. He heard him complain about the foul odor that was left behind by the previous occupant. He saw his lid lifted up as Terrance pulled out his dick and began to pee in his mouth. The water did nothing to take away the taste of his piss. He tried to scream for help, but no sound or words were spoken. As he saw Terrance pull the lever, he was forced to swallow his hated rival's piss. It really was a nightmare now. He was a human waste management literally. He watched as the guy didn't even wash his hands, but just left him like a toilet that he was.

Ben was disgusted with himself for not realizing it before. There had never been a waste management position ever in the department. The fact that all three of them fell for it at the same time. His nightmare came in the form of one of the larger size department heads. He wanted to run or do something to get away as his fat ass sat on his face. First, he urinated in his mouth. Next came large tards dropping in his mouth one after the other. The smell and taste were intense. He could do nothing as the guy used him like an object in the restroom. When he finished, swallowing all his shit and pee made him wished he had ignored the position notice. His new existence was nothing he ever wanted to be, but he was powerless to change it.

The supervisor walked in a few hours later. All three had been used several times over by different coworkers and employees, completely unaware that the toilets were former employees. He looked at each toilet and saw the abuse they had already taken. "You three are doing a great job in waste management." He laughed and walked out. He was satisfied that the new toilets were working out great, at least until they needed to replace them again. In that case, those three would be tossed in the trash and discarded as though they didn't even exist.

[preemptivejustice]

Arthur allowed himself to be tugged down without resistance, the corners of his mouth twitching faintly as Kane pulled him in with more strength than he was probably supposed to use. He made a faint sound solely to be dramatic, hitting the bed with a soft oof, but he quickly settled right where he was wanted. Laying on his side, his back curved just slightly, one arm slung loosely around Kane’s neck. 

At first, he didn’t say much of anything at all; he just existed, breathing quietly, listening to the storm roll on outside. It was still a bit loud, raindrops hitting the roof of the van in large, scattered pats, thunder rolling in the distance; Arthur had never been frightened of storms, though. He liked them, were he honest - there was something calming about rain and thunder, the gentle purr of the universe as it once again cleared the earth around them. 

Rain was a reset, a new beginning - it only felt fitting that they would discover something so big in the middle of a rain storm. 

... It was nice to be held like this.

It was something that Arthur had rejected for a bit, just because it took him time to get used to it; but now having Kane’s limbs draped around him felt as natural as a blanket. The body heat was nice, as was the leg flopped over his own. It wasn’t suffocating, even if he was usually more picky about weights against his legs - any ache didn’t matter. 

Arthur exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. One of his hands went to Kane’s hair, content to toy with the damp curls - the other wrapped around Kane in return. He wasn’t as clingy as Kane was, but he was happy to be close. Happy to touch. 

“… Yeah,” he answered. “I’ll make a spreadsheet. Two, actually - one for the twins, one for you.” It still felt odd to say the word ‘twins’, to acknowledge that they were going to have children. 

His lips pressed to Kane’s forehead without thinking much about it; just a brief, warm kiss, pulled from the affection at the thought.

“I’ll record… weight. Pulse, blood pressure, vitals, nausea…. Appetite changes. Uh… probably your temperature, mood, sleep. Other symptoms. When we get there, I’ll focus on their movements. Size comparisons, make sure they’re growing right.” 

The twins would have each other as a control, which was nice; if one of them was notably smaller or moving notably less, then they would have a reason to be concerned. They would have to figure out a plan for what to do, in that scenario; Arthur would have to poke around, would have to find people they could rely on. 

Despite being a rather closed off person, deep down, he could come off as extremely charismatic and trustworthy at surface level. 

“I need to find a better machine,” he continued. “Something better quality. We’re too far out for hospital equipment - but I wouldn’t take you near one even if we weren’t.” He let out a soft breath. “It’ll be tricky to source something without flagging us, but… I’ll figure it out.” He always did. He was the one who did that - the one who figured things out, the one who found solutions. The one who took care of them, he liked to think. 

Another pause passed - he was still running through the mental checklist. Medication, food, access to supplements, daily check-ins - but Kane’s fingers were warm, and the little circles being drawn on his stomach were enough to make his brain soften into affection rather than strategy. 

“… You just focus on taking care of yourself, and taking care of them,” he settled on. “I’ll take care of the rest.” 

A hand lifted and curled lightly over Kane’s back, tucking him closer, his thumb brushing a small back-and-forth pattern there. It was odd to be this calm, he was distantly aware - they had no idea how this had happened, no explanation, no guarantee that things would be fine. But he felt okay - he felt steady. 

“I am gonna make you piss in a jar for me, every week,” he continued, entirely serious yet aware of the humor paired with it. “Just to make sure everything looks right.” 

─── ⋆⋅𓍝⋅⋆ ─────────────────

They just exist for a while, with Arthur moving, putting the ultrasound away, gathering clothes Kane is going to wear - it makes sense, since his cargo pants have already felt a bit too tight on his thickened frame, means that those few jeans he owns probably won't fit at all anymore.

Kane's been wearing shorts lately, the only pair of pants he owns that have an elastic waistband - that might be why the change to his belly is feeling so sudden for them...

---Quite the surprise it has been indeed, thinking about it: Going from their usual van-life to being pregnant with twins, just like that; The storm is still raging outside, rain colliding with the windows and the van's aluminum roof, accompanied by thunder and lightning... One cracks at that very second, causing Kane to jump again, followed by him rolling his eyes and bringing a hand up to his face, fingers rubbing along cheekbones, the curve of a nose, through unruly, slightly moist curls. He should know by now that they're safe here, that the thunder won't cause them harm...

But nature can be violent, and storms have a power to them that leave Kane a bit tense around the shoulders. As much as he is fascinated by the mere existent of such intense weather, he prefers to... not be subjected to it, actually.

A hum, with Kane feeling the mattress dipping in next to him; That hand falls away, brown doe-eyes on his partner, belly twitching a bit when the other cleans him up - removes the gel, as much as somehow possible, while speaking about that he is glad, that he trusts the universe... yet wants to keep in control, wants to check on Kane---

"...Of course I want you to keep an eye on things. Run checks and ultrasounds and... whatever you can do, really." Honestly, Kane wants it too - as said, he does trust his body and the universe, but then, he has no idea who - or what - he really is, in the end. Doesn't know how far his organism can go, or... how exactly things are going to progress, in general. It makes him feel a lot more relaxed if Arthur keeps doing what he always does - planning, checking, making sure.

It keeps him sane, keeps Kane feeling... secure.

A blink, a swallow, and then Kane moves - rolls onto his side, reaches out, and pulls his partner down against the mattress in one rather enthusiastic tug of a shirt, fingers curled into the fabric. A smile stretches over full lips as Kane is taking what he wants, gets the love of his life into a lying position, then cuddles close.

A soft noise of content, an arm that curls around a middle, a leg that throws itself across Arthur's own - and here Kane is, with his cheek to the other's shoulder, eyes closing, happy. As cool as his lover usually is, they'll both warm up in no time when resting like this - Kane's own body heat will make sure of it, create a comfortable bubble...

...Because yes, he's actually also starting to feel a little bit cold now.

"...I know I'm special." Soft, gentle, a little playful; Kane presses a kiss to the fabric of Arthur's shirt, then inhales, exhales, lies back down against that sturdy shoulder - eyes cracking open, heavy-lidded, gazing toward the window by their side. The outside world brightens significantly, just for a second and a half; Thunder cracks moments after once again, but this time, Kane does not get startled by the sudden, loud noise.

"---So are you. I hope you're aware of it." And Kane means it. "And I know you will keep track of everything. You will... check on me, on the babies, and plan everything out. ---I know I can count on you; Honestly, I'm glad you're doing it, because... well, look at me. I would make a huge mess of whatever data I'm trying to collect and end up having nothing, in the end." A chuckle, a smirk, with Kane's hand rubbing circles into Arthur's clothed belly. ... "...Tell me about it? Like, what... are we going to do from now on? What will you do, how will you keep track of everything? You're gonna make a spreadsheet of sorts, or---"

A bit of a tease, but genuine interest; Kane's always been fascinated by Arthur's methods - and his resilience - to make sure he's staying in control of everything that has to do with them. ---That's probably how he keeps them safe from... them, Kane assumes. The ones who are still searching, most likely - hoping to find out where that alien and the doctor had disappeared to after breaking out of the facility.

[seiwas]

instagram dump with your selfship! (model/actor!au sel x satoru ver.)

seltoru behind-the-scenes dump — work days and winding down~

liked by sstoru and others

sellybelly last week's shenanigans ✨ 1: shoot day! 📸 2: nails sponsored by mr. gojo satoru 💅 3. loved our outfits for the awards 🥺 (thank you dior! 💫) 4. that feeling when you change into home clothes tho >> 5. maybe he's pretty sometimes 🙄 6. caught him in the act (texting me during a meeting 😭) 7. satoru in hair & makeup (some good sleep he's had there 🤧) 8. our lil treat to end the week 🍓😋 9. phone hijacked by mr. gojo satoru 🧿🧿 👁️👁️

sstoru knew you were obsessed with me 😌

thanks for the tag my love @tteokdoroki this was so so fun 🥺 tagging: anyone else who wants to do this!! it's so pretty and so fun 🥺

[frankensteindotpdf]

as a recovering "people pleaser" its reeeeeally hard to figure out if i actually mean it when i say "oh i dont care, whatever's fine!"

[kenzan-kiwami]

one of the reasons i enjoy keiji zero so much is that it dares to ask the question of "what if your traumagenic alter had autism"

[canis-constellate]

"man, why do we feel like such shit? hardly anything's even happened."

...

"oh wait this is an emotional flashback isn't it?"

[keeps-ache]

my HOUSE.png

[what-even-is-sleep]

Can’t wait for my drivers license to arrive so I can be driving legally again for the first time in 1.5 years!

[vampmira]

open up what you got in your mind to me. [pt.2 – saja boys.]

they've never met someone like you — a mortal who almost knew them .. better than they knew themselves. for the boys, it's annoyingly intriguing. for the girls, it's comforting.

paring(s): huntrix & saja boys x demon expert!gn!reader

warning(s:) EVERYTHING IN HERE IS A PART TWO TO THIS !! some movie changes, probably effected lore that makes no sense for the sake of the narrative, a little angst at the beginning

request | tags: @blueberrysquire @akariis4snowball @j0ykill

a/n: this is part 2 !! i had sooo many ideas for huntrix that i had to make another part for the saja boys so that it wasn't so long . this part isn't as good but i liked it so ☆☆☆

that night huntrix defeated gwima was a blur. all you remember was the zombie mob of fans, half of the fight, and the use of your aura vision to raise the saja boys above the honmoon before it glimmered in gold. jinu, who gave his newly found soul for rumi, was practically reincarnated through her sword – standing in front of her post-concert, arms open for her to fall into with tears from the both of them. everyone else? well, they felt lost.

the saja boys weren't sure what to do anymore. jinu was overjoyed, of course, but the boys knew nothing more beyond gwima and their mission. they didn't care much about music, nor their fans – which huntrix still couldn't wrap their minds around – and it's not like they had secret human hobbies. they never had time for that. until now.

post-gwima, they stayed in an apartment near the huntrix penthouse, trying to figure out their new lives. for the most part, they spent most of their time under your watch – to make sure they didn't go cause chaos – but also .. under your study.

you were weird to them

they weren't used to someone other than them.. knowing them

their capabilities, their knowledge, their origins.

actually jinu found your extensive understanding of what he is to be kind of comforting

he noticed how you never really drooled over them

you'd stare, sure, but in the same way an art critic would stare at a painted blue canvas with a smeared red dot in the middle

he felt like that red dot – unexplained but you somehow understood

when he told you about his past, it was a lot for him – talking about his cruel choice

but you.. didn't judge him.

in fact, you wrote it down in your notebook immediately, the one you never let the boys get too close to

he accepted you into his life when he entertained your interest in his history

unlike him, however, the other boys were uninterested

at first anyway

thank jinu for getting them to talk to you btw

it took a little bit of convincing – telling them that you wanted to give them something more than just gwima

even though they didn't want it ...

REGARDLESS they hang out around the penthouse

because they're no longer saja boys (uninterested and unsupported by any demon staff anymore)

they really had nothing to do but mildly annoy your personal space

including being the center of your attention when the girls are out

mira gave you one rule, "living room and bathroom. only." and you've succeeded so far. abby and romance were talking by the large scale windows, mystery was playing some game with baby (and obviously winning), and jinu sat in the middle of the couch, watching whatever movie rumi put on for him. you sat beside him, sketching in your one and only personal researcher book. your pencil drew out what you felt like was the final line in mystery's hair ... before you huffed, erasing it, and trying again.

that was... until the littlest demon startled you.

"mystery, they're drawing you." bored of his game, baby peered over your shoulder, only passively curious and really wanting to mess with you. heads turned at your exposure to the room, especially jinu, who looked over your other shoulder at the sketch you did of him earlier.

"you're.. sketching us?" the direct ask made you a bit nervous, especially being under so many eyes. (kind of. mystery was more just.. generally facing your direction.) "'weakness.. chest?' are you taking notes on us?" you stood up, nearly defensive, turning around to face the couch trio.

"if it weren't for your old friends, i wouldn't have to write it all down again." the boys went quiet, remembering the origin of your knowledge and powers. "i'm just.. tired of keeping it all inside. i need to get it out somewhere."

romance, true to his name, leaned over your shoulder, putting you both in a proximity much closer than you've ever had to experience before.

"then why don't we do something.. a little more fun .. to help you get it all out?"

normally sentences like that from him sound way more suggestive than he means them to be

but this time he came up with an actual solution to release your closed up, ready-to-pop-out-of-your-skin knowledge

they gave you a one way trip to infodump station ! an interview !

they wanted to learn more about you anyways

their fellow demons down below were the ones to wipe out your ancestors

not them

and they make sure you know it too

but they can't help but feel .. a little, tiny bit bad that you're now just a living library

a time capsule, holding onto so much information that you're about to burst 24/7

they had never met a researcher honestly

you intrigued them as much as they did for you

how much did you really know ?? did you know anything or is all this antsy behavior a ploy to make it look like you knew everything when you really knew nothing ??

their disguises were perfectly created to make every little fan fall for their attractiveness the second they looked at the boys

but you never drooled at them or had your eyes pop out of your head

you just always... stared. processing. tracing mindfully.

they didn't know what you were really abut. but they were about to find out. and really test your persona.

romance sat relaced in a chair as you circled him, pencil taking note of everything you noticed. how his markings were sharp, not rounded like rivers, how his skin was cooled, not burning hot. all things you already knew, but you found small comfort in knowing not much changed. you took a deep breath around his hair, nose scrunching up. he smiled, taking your cheek in his hand.

"new cologne." his voice was smooth, gentle. traditionally alluring. "just for you. do you like it?" he turned up his flirtatiousness, pulling you in closely, testing the waters of your focus.. before you turned away to start writing, completely uneffected.

"so many generations and you guys still smell like flames.." you mumbled to yourself.

"would you rather we smell like bubblegum?" baby tried to sass you, but you were too focused on the sharpness of his teeth to care. you stepped towards him, eyes widened.

"can demons still tear apart brick with the force of their canines?" you asked, rather close to his face. for a moment, he almost felt like the flustered one.

"yes..? no? i-i don't know." he crossed his arms, childishly. "i don't go around biting bricks." you jot it down still as you move towards abby. he's deeply relaxed, leaning back on the couch, comfortable shirt riding up to expose his famously toned abs. your eyes trail off of your notebook and they think.. they've got you.

"like what you see?" he teases. "you can touch them, you know." a bold move that brings you closer, nails tracing his skin. they're almost disappointed that abby is the one who stole your attention.. before they realize you're attention isn't stolen at all. you're drawing his markings with careful detail.

"where did yours come from? rumi's started forming on her arm when she was a kid, but they haven't reached her stomach yet. they grow with time, right? how old would that make you then..?" you dissolve into mutters they can barely decipher. "oh!! mystery!" he almost jumps behind the couch when you race over to him, making jinu laugh from the sidelines of their attempts to flirt with you. "i've never seen a demon sparkle! that's new.. is that just you? or is there a whole subspecies of sparkling demons? or is it your human disguise..?" your questions nearly overwhelm him, enough to make him forget how he's supposed to flirt with you, but romance pulls you away, whispering in your ear.

"it's not just him." he smiles, hand on your shoulder. "you're sparkling, too, sweetheart." if anyone could fluster anyone, it'd be him, even if it takes two rounds. his thumb runs against your chin. "you look so cute in this lighting, like a rose."

"speaking of which, what's the flora like down there? are there any? do they eat demons or are they like.. regular flowers? we knew more of demons than of gwima's realm. did they smell? i bet they might have.. would it be nostalgic or torturing?"

the boys share a look, and sigh. you went off into high speed muttering again.

you really were everything you said

uninterested in their flirts and more in knowledge

that almost made them like you more..

in the following times after the interview, they greeted you a bit more casually – sometimes cheerfully, asking if you had any new drawings or trivia you wanted to get off your chest

how did you . tame them !? does the whole hard to get thing actually work !?

it confused the girls wildly

but to see them adjusting to being here through someone who actually understood them instead of lying around, empty and lost, was a pick-me-up in the mornings

one morning, after being delivered a coffee, handsigned by the boys, you felt something click in your head, a sensation you had never felt before, and reached to put it in your notebook immediately

"demons, when properly befriended, like to be understood. they brought me coffee. do demons like coffee??"

[navydoves]

Mermaid!Rafayel and his strange affectionate habits

being in a relationship with a mermaid is pretty weird, rafayel has some weird habits!

✎ᝰ a/n: alright, back by popular demand (somewhat), we have the rafayel version of this. i could make this into a series… i could just not gaf… i could also make a “habits while in heat”, but idk!

dragon sylus version

⭐︎

❥ he chirps! mermaid rafayel trills and chirps in various patterns as a subtle way of communication. you’ll hear soft, cute squeaks come from him when he’s happy or deep in thought. or when you pet his tail, he trills from the feeling of your warm hand on his cool scales.

you didn’t understand where the noises came at first until you realized rafayel was the one making them. the sounds are so different in pitch than his normal voice that it was surprising he could make them. but they were so cute that you never really questioned them, instead you took the time to learn what each chirp meant.

❥ he brings you many gifts. a common trait amongst mermaids is that they’ll go out of their way to collect trinkets to either court someone or make their current mate happy. rafayel isn’t really sure what you like as a human, but he definitely tries to figure it out!

he’ll bring you lost shoes or baby crabs or pretty candy wrappers in hopes that you’ll take some liking to them. but when you stare a bit confused at the piles of scrap that he gifts you, he decides he has to try harder. he learns that human women are not that different from mermaids—in that they both like shiny, pretty things. so rafayel’s makes it a habit to find coins and jewels buried in the sea and bring it up to you frequently as he can. you have no real use for these miscellaneous items, but you can tell rafayel is trying really hard to please you so you accept graciously. he chirps in excitement!

❥ he quite literally, suffocates you. never intentionally, no, but rafayel doesn’t know his own strength. human bodies are comprised weaker than lemurian bodies, making you the victim in rafayel’s affectionate embraces. it’s during these times that you’re reminded of just how big rafayel is. 8 feel tall in length, you’re constantly reminded that you’re a peewee who could be crushed by this mythical being at any moment.

rafayel does try to be gentle with you, though. he intentionally tries to tone down how passionate he is so as to not knock the air out of your lungs. he really can’t help it though, you’re so small and adorable he just wants to cuddle you and eat you up.

❥ he stares at you. rafayel isn’t too adverse in the human body, so at the start of your relationship he was very very curious as to what a human female looked like. it’s for this reason he the hates the fact that you wear clothes. all he wants to do is stare at you and ask what certain things are. to rafayel, this is a normal thing to do when you’re curious. to you, this is a little embarrassing.

the especially embarrassing part is when he stares at your intimate parts. he pokes around at your vagina with a curious look and the intent to investigate what the hell was going on in there. sure, mermaid anatomy was similar to human anatomy, but he’d never really seen a human female up close until you. the weird part is, he think it’s all completely innocent.

“so… this is clit right? lot smaller than i what expected…”

lick.

“rafayel!”

❥ he sings to guide you. it’s no secret mermaids have beautiful voices. you’ve heard some distant melodic voices from the sea in your time dating rafayel—but nothing compares to rafayel’s voice itself. the first time you heard it you felt like you were floating on air and transcending your body. it was that powerful. now that you’ve grown accustomed to the hypnotizing sound, though, rafayel uses his voice as a way to guide you.

when you’re on the beach looking for him or under the sea by the grace of his power, he sings melodiously to guide you in his direction. every time it happens you feel as if you don’t even need to think about the direction you’re going, that your feet just automatically know where to go even if you’re unfamiliar with the place.

❥ he has a cycle problem. rafayel goes through many physical changes throughout his lemurian life and that makes him constantly be in kahoots. one day he’s whiny and splashing everything with water, another day he can’t get his hands off of you and is extremely clingy, maybe one day he’s just really depressed and needs to be alone. it’s hard to tell what’s coming next with him.

but it’s also not just an emotional problem, it’s a physical problem too. sometimes, you’ll meet him and see that he’s two times bigger than usual (god almighty). other times, you’ll go in for a cuddle and feel his skin is all slimy and sticks to you. every time you ask about his issues, he always has a different explanation. it leads you to think, just how many cycles do lemurians go through?

❥ he has many nicknames for you. whenever you’re upset, he’ll laugh at you and call you a “baby pufferfish.” if you’re look extra pretty that day, he’ll call you “my pearl.” if you’re struggling within his grasp he’ll call you a “cute little minnow.” rafayel is incredibly affectionate and loyal, so all the pet names he uses on you he doesn’t use with any one else—even the human ones he’s adopted like “cutie” or “darling.”

one of his favorites, though, is the one he calls you when he’s in heat. “my nest,” he says whenever he has full intention of filling you with his eggs. it’s his way of telling you that the most precious and vulnerable part of him belongs to you, because you are a nest for his babies <3.

⭐︎

[thebubblesareevil]

Mistaken identity

We’ve all seen Danny getting mistaken for a bat. But what about a bat being mistaken for a Fenton.

When Danny took responsibility for Dan the first thing they did was get him a human form that wasn’t his corpse. Between vlad, clockwork, and his parents they managed to get him a new body that had him looking more alive than ever.

He was a bit tanner than expected, but they figured that came from Danny’s ghostly side.

When it came time for Danny to go to Gotham for school, he refused to leave Dan behind. Instead, using the funds he got from the ghost kings treasury and child support from Vlad, Danny got them a studio apartment close to campus.

His parents outfitted the apartment with all the latest security, of course.

Everything was going great, all expect for one thing…

People in amity park accepted Dan and adapted almost immediately, having gotten used to the many quirks of ghosts long ago. Gotham….was a bit less understanding.

Luckily for him, unlucky for the rest of Gotham, the police there were incredibly corrupt and easy to bribe anytime he had to bail Dan out or, in the case of that one Karen that decided to give Dan shit for painting his nails, bail himself out of any trouble they came across.

Danny did his best to spend plenty of time with Dan, even when he was exhausted, he refused to ignore his little brother.

So after going through hell during finals week, Danny decided to take Dan to the zoo. Danny did his best to keep an eye on Dan, he really did! He had only sat down for a moment, just to rest his eyes, next thing he knew though he could hear someone yelling about violent kids.

Danny immediately jumped to his brother’s aid.

“I’m sorry,” Danny started as he interrupted the screeching woman. “Is there a problem here?”

Dan tried to speak up but the woman wouldn’t let him.

“This brat pushed me out of the way while I was looking at the exhibit and then spewed profanities at me!” She howled.

Danny flinched at the offensive noise on his sensitive hearing.

“No offense mam, but somehow I highly doubt that. My brother may not have the best manners, but he sure as hell wouldn’t push someone for no reason.” He couldn’t comment about the language, Dan knew more curse words in more languages that this woman could speak thanks to ghost speech, and he used every one of them.

“You little brat! How dare-“

“Of course, if you feel that strongly about it, we could always ask to see the cameras.” Danny suggested with a smirk. “I for one would LOVE to see what they have to show us.”

The woman paled before turning away in a huff. “I don’t have time to deal with annoying brats like you.” She said before turning away.

Danny’s eye twitched, “Good, because I don’t have time to deal with an entitled bitch like you.” Danny replied, ignoring the woman’s offended screech.

“C’mon Dan, let’s go get a snack and go see the penguins.”

——

Damien was thoroughly confused by what was going on. This was not how he was expecting this day to go.

He had snuck out of the Manor earlier, desperate to get away from his families judging eyes. The night before, he had encountered a smuggling ring, and after seeing the state the animals were in, he didn’t hold back against the traffickers. It was only because of his training with father that they hadn’t died.

His father called it overkill, he called it Justice.

After what he saw the previous night he decided to spend the afternoon at the zoo and bask in the presence of the animals, knowing that they were all well cared for.

And then the annoying shrew decided to ruin his day. He was ready to verbally eviscerate her when a large man stepped in. One that decided to claim him as his brother.

The man grabbed him by the hand after chewing out the woman and walked him over to the penguin exhibit, only stopping to pick up snow cones.

“I could have handled her on my own.” Damian said, before taking a bite of his treat, “you didn’t need to lie.”

Damian took a good look at the man before him, he had basically collapsed onto the bench when they stopped, the bags under his eyes made drake look well rested.

“What are you talking about?” The man asked before releasing a massive yawn. “I didn’t lie. Believe it or not, you’ve improved a lot since you came home to us. Sure, I could see you pushing someone out of the way a few years ago, but now?”

The man grabbed him by the arm, tugging him into a hug. Damien was too stunned to push back as the man gave him the most comforting, caring hug he had ever had.

“We’re all so proud of you Dan, you’ve come a really long way.”

Damien suddenly felt a pit form in his stomach as realization struck.

He carefully extricated himself from the hug.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding, my name is not Dan.” Damian explained, pulling down the hood on his hoodie.

The man looked at him confused before rubbing his eyes. Taking a second look, his eyes went wide.

“Fuck.” He then proceeded to pull out his wallet. “Do I have enough to bribe a cop?”

Damian frowned, “why exactly would you be bribing the police?”

“Because I apparently just kidnapped a kid.” The man shrugged. “My names Danny by the way.” He said before sluggishly getting up from his seat. “Let’s go see if we can find your parents and my brother.”

“My father is not aware of my current location.”

Danny paused, giving Damian a long look before nodding, “We’ll if your gonna sneak out, at least you went someplace educational.”

Damian looked at him confused as the man stretched.

“Well then, let’s go find Dan and get something to eat before we get you home. I’m sure your father is worried sick.”

Danny then grabbed Damian by the hand and started to lead them back the way they came. The crowds parting at the sight of the large man.

“I do not need an escort, I am more than capable of returning home on my own.”

“That may be so,” the man started. “But I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep tonight if I didn’t make sure you got home safe. You wouldn’t want me to be deprived of sleep, would you?”

Damian considered the statement. The man was clearly on the brink of collapse. “Very well.” He nodded.

The approached the tiger exhibit to pure chaos as the animal handlers tried to retrieve a boy from the tiger cage. Danny sighed before Damian could try to sneak away and jump into action.

“And here I thought I wouldn’t have to bribe anyone today.” Before he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted “DAN FENTON! IF YOU DONT GET OUT HERE IN THE NEXT 2 MINUTES, ILL TELL JAZZ!!”

The zoo keepers nearly panicked as the boy immediately jumped up, completely ignoring the tigers and climbed out to join his brother.

[homeofthelonelywriter]

Pt. 2

Simon had never been so glad that the boys decided to stay on base and leave him alone in the dingy pub they usually went to after missions. After all, there was no way he could focus in on you, the way he was now if Johnny was talking his ear off.

You looked so pretty, sitting at the bar, nursing a fancy-looking cocktail, while scrolling through your phone. He couldn’t help but let his eyes trace over your figure, his fingers twitching with the need to touch you, grobe you, hold you. The moment you glanced at him over his shoulder, was the moment he knew you were going to be his.

For the rest of the evening, he watched you. Silently sipping his drink, he watched your every move, not taking his eyes off you even a second. Occasionally, he noticed you glancing at him, your eyes wide, lips slightly apart. He couldn’t decipher if you were curious or intimidated. And he couldn’t decide which he would prefer.

By the time he noticed you finishing your last drink, he already had a plan. He’d follow you home, take some time off, and just watch you. Learn your routine and use the time you were gone to install some cameras. He wanted - no needed - to keep you safe after all, right? So, he paid his tab and walked out of the pub, leaning against the wall, waiting for you to leave and ready to follow you.

A few moments later, the wooden door opened again and you walked out, looking a bit frazzled. Hurriedly, you looked around until your eyes met Simon’s. A look of relief washed over you and you quickly made your way over to him. Simon wasn’t sure whether he should leave or stay. He didn’t want you to know him just yet, after all.

Just as he pushed off the wall and started to walk in the other direction, did you call out to him. “Uhm, I’m sorry, Sir?” He stilled. Why the bloody hell were you talking to him?

Slowly, he turned around, just to come face to face with your coy smile. He raised an eyebrow, even if his heart was beating a mile an hour with your proximity. You closed the gap until you were only an arm’s length away, still smiling up at him.

“I-I’m sorry, I hope this isn’t too direct, but I wanted to ask if I could have your number? You’re really handsome and seem like a nice man. Of course, it’s okay if not, I don’t want to pressure you or anything. I-” He stopped you, holding out his hand. It took you a second to realize what he wanted, but when you did, you quickly, and clumsily, fished out your phone, unlocked it, and placed it in his hand.

Simon wasn’t sure how he kept his hand from shaking, especially when your fingers brushed against his. As nonchalantly as possible, he saved his number, called himself so he had yours as well, and handed you your phone back. You grinned and locked it, slipping it back into your bag. “Thank you…well…have a good night.”

You were about to turn around and walk away when he gently caught your elbow. “Wanna go eat something?” Surprised, you looked up at him, before nodding with a giant grin and following the big scary man.

And that’s the story of how you two met. At least, it’s Simon’s version. If one were to hear your version, the true one, one would know how Simon was blushing the entire time. How his hands were shaking so much, he almost dropped the phone, and how his hands were so sweaty, he had to dry them off on his jeans the entire evening.

A/N: Just a little something I wrote when I was actually supposed to be studying for my exam. Oops.

[the-palelady]

You were a nurse at what could barely be called a clinic, simply a little office inside the just as meager town hall. However, you still took your job seriously, tending to your patient’s one by one, never allowing any of them to step outside of the clinic until they were glowing like the afternoon sun sitting high in the sky when it was right at its peak.

You didn’t hear the trudge of his boots, and the jingle of his spurs when he first stepped inside your corner of the building. Your focus was settled on the woman before you, one palm resting idly on her swollen belly whilst you went about the regular check of her vitals.

“How are you doing besides all this?” you asked her with a smile, grabbing your notes, and tapping them on the table beside you.

“Everythin s’alright. Just can’t wait for this little stinker to hurry on out.” You and the young woman giggle together at her statement, your hand pressing against the hand sitting on her belly.

“Any day now and they’ll be with us. Just take it easy, and leave the heavy lifting to that husband of yours, hm?” Joining hands, you help her stand while she lets out another laugh. The two of you exchange a few more words before she bids you goodbye.

The office was now silent save for the tap of your pen meeting paper as you wrapped up the rest of your notes, and your hushed murmuring.

But when you turned to face the rest of the office, the dark figure sitting on a chair in the corner of the room hardly registers to you.

First you do a double take, then you squeal. The book that housed your notes clambers to the floor, bouncing once and then lying open on the wood floors.

"How...How long have you-"

"Not long, ma'am."

Ghost he called himself. Fitting since that is how he showed up in town; metastasizing from nothing, joining the daily squabble of the little town you called home as if he had lived there his entire life.

Now here he sat in your office, handkerchief wrapped around the palm of his hand, the tanned fabric fading into a dark shade of red.

You barely paid any mind to his words, your brain solely fixating on the wound that he had lazily wrapped. Your feet moved with a mind of their own, leading you to the sterile needles and thread that sat on the doctor's surgical tray.

Blood was no stranger to you. This was the west. People came and went with wounds of different calibers every week, so a simple gash to the palm of someone's hand was nothing.

You go into autopilot, paying no mind to the curious look Ghost gives you when you pull up a chair in front of him, grabbing his wrist with a delicacy you gave all of your patient's bleeding or not.

The wound itself was still bleeding, however not as much as it clearly had been before. It was a nasty, deep cut that made even you wince at the sight.

"I'm going to clean this up as best as I can. Just be still. It might sting a bit." You peeked up from under your lashes, not expecting him to already be staring at you, his dark gaze forcing your skin to heat up a few degrees.

"Do what ya need to do, doc."

A breathy laugh left you, "Hardly a doctor. I'm just a nurse. The doctor's out doing house calls at the moment."

He hums in response, and observes you silently while you go about tending to the gash. You've done this long enough that it doesn't take much time for you to get the wound cleaned up and sutured, wrapping gauze around the width of his hand.

"Work just s'well as a doctor. Maybe faster."

His words pull you from your haze, a deep rumble that has your grip on his warm hand loosening.

"O-Oh...I've just done this a lot." You bite the inside of your cheek at the sound of your stuttering.

The silence that follows isn't uncomfortable, but it's unwelcome. You can hear the blood flowing in your ears, your brain working overtime to get you to speak up. You're painfully aware of his hand that is still resting in the palm of yours.

"Thanks for the patch up," Ghost stands, and that's when the words finally find you.

"No need to thank me," your movements match his, coming to your full height, "just make sure to keep it cleaned. Try to avoid doing anything that'll open the sutures. If it does open and starts bleeding again cover it with these."

You press some gauze into his unwounded hand, and he gives you a simple nod.

Taking a step back your able to fully see him, his amber colored eyes that were once so easy to see now hidden by the shadow of the hat that rested on top of his head. The rest of his face was obscured by a black bandana, the fabric dirtied from a long day of work.

"Well then," you start, "if you need anything else feel free to come back in. I'm sure the doctor would be more than happy to help you."

He considers your words for a moment, arms crossing over his chest as he looks down at you.

"And what if it's not the doctor I want help from?"