#But he's so delightfully preoccupied

[touchyluffy]

Luffy would ruin every last one of the undercover missions because as soon as he sees you, no disguise of yours fooling him, he would wave at you excitedly, calling your name and saying, “cool costume!” the marines surrounding him looking between him and you in confusion and then realization as they saw who was within their grasps, not only the straw hat captain but a crew member too. Luffy paid them no mind, his excitement only growing as he stretched his arm to wrap around your waist and pull you towards him, you hit his chest with a thump, your stolen marine hat falling off your head. he laughs delightfully and you cannot help the blush that tents your cheeks, the growing smile on your face. the marines surrounding you both said something about surrendering but luffy was preoccupied with peppering kisses all over your forehead, cheeks, nose, and neck. how could he not? it’s been hours since he saw you, touched you, kissed you. he kept praising you, saying how awesome it was that you went undercover with the marines. as you told him how you did it a marine's gun gets pointed at your head and his smile turns to a scowl and he remembers where you both are. he punches the marine threatening your life so hard his body dents in the ceiling, then he stretches his leg and spins in a circle, taking out the rest of the marines surrounding you both. he turns to you and smiles, "let's go!" you hold onto his shoulders and he Gum-Gum Rocket's right out the window. you both laughing as you run back to the Sunny.

[oodlyenough]

apollo justice: ace attorney thoughts

over the weekend I finished playing AA4 so I wanted to try to put my thoughts in order. much to think about etc

spoilers for the whole game obv, but i haven't played AA5 or AA6 yet so any mention of those are speculation lol

I had heard some pretty mixed reactions to AA4 and I had a lot of reservations going in. It's also probably the AA game I've played that I've been the most spoiled for, which is a shame but probably an unavoidable consequence of waiting for the port while engaging with the fandom. I don't usually like being spoiled but I think knowing the broad strokes of what to expect actually helped here. I can imagine an AU where I blitzed through the first trilogy and onto 4 with no idea of what was coming and being... very upset and disappointed by the direction it took. Having several months to brace for things like Phoenix's disbarment, the 7 year gap, Trucy, etc definitely softened those blows and made me more amenable to them than I would've been otherwise.

Cases

For the most part I thought the puzzle solving was good and the pacing was solid. The puzzles were mostly challenging enough to be satisfying to solve but not so challenging as to be infuriating, and I don't think I needed a walkthrough at all. 4-1 is one of the best tutorial cases in the franchise so far (though I'd give the edge to 3-1) and 4-4 was a really cool finale. The middle two cases tbh I also found fairly charming, and there's usually a least one case in the middle that seems to drag forever, so that was a pleasant surprise. I played Investigations 1 right before this, and I thought both the puzzles and pacing in that game were frankly horrible, so AA4 won a lot of points just with that.

I did think Turnabout Corner and Serenade would be more relevant in the grand scheme of things. The half-spoilers I knew had me expecting a much bigger web of conspriacy than we ended up with -- I expected it to be more than coincidence that Phoenix got hit by a car, more than coincidence that the Borginian egg coccoons are related to poison etc ... like... I fully assumed this was going to tie into the atroquinine plot. But I guess not ... ? Lol

Characters

The new main cast are all very likable, despite my initial reluctance to have a new main cast to begin with. Klavier was an interesting change of pace as prosecutor, in that he wasn't particularly antagonistic outside of the court, nor was he particularly preoccupied with winning, but he was still fun and challenging enough to face off against. Trucy was fun and delightfully bonkers as all assistants should be. Apollo's longsuffering exasperation was hilarious. Ema is the BEST I loved having her as the detective I wish she was there all the time.

I loved Beanix, for the most part. I can see why he rubs some people the wrong way, and tbh I'm glad his last canon outing isn't ... this. But I didn't find him wildly out of character, or at least, when he was feeling "out of character" vs the trilogy it made sense given the intervening events. I also thought it was fun to see him from the outside and see what a galaxybrain 5d chess master he is. I do wish we'd gotten to see more genuine moments of him with Trucy.

Kristoph was fun as a villain, though I have to say fandom led me to believe he was much more of a mastermind puppeteer than he seemed to be in reality. I was expecting a whole decade worth of conspiracies! Instead he fucked up once and struggled to fix it for seven years, lol. I also found the Kristoph/Phoenix relationship a) very fascinating, b) not really what I'd been led to believe by fandom (shocker). I like the canon more though -- I like that instead of being a retread of the Dollie betrayal-from-someone-you-love it was two guys who hate each other being forced to play nice as part of their own schemes.

Criticism

I think it's fairly obvious AA4 was meant to be a soft reboot of the series, to pivot away from the trilogy cast and set up our new heroes in Apollo, Trucy, and I guess Klavier. I think this is probably the entire explanation behind Maya and Edgeworth (and others but lbr those are the big two)'s conspicuous absence... but that doesn't make their absence any less conspicuous. I can squint and forgive neither of them being there when Phoenix is accused of murder, even though I find that insane. I can squint around Maya maybe being off in Kurain during the Enigmar trial, even though I think they could've used a line of dialogue to explain it. But then we started playing past-Phoenix for huge portions of investigation and that started to fall apart for me. Sure, maybe he's pushing his friends away because he's depressed, or maybe he wants to keep Maya out of things because he thinks it's dangerous, or whatever -- you could at least throw in a line or two saying as much. Not mentioning them at all and setting AA4 so closely after AA3, where Phoenix fell through a bridge to save Maya and Edgeworth chartered a private jet, just feels ridiculous.

I also think, at the end of the day, the story here was focused on and pivoting around Phoenix. The core question of the game is "what the hell happened to/is up with Phoenix Wright?" I love Phoenix, so that alone isn't a negative -- except that I think it meant Apollo, Klavier and even Trucy felt underwritten. Trucy and Klavier have such personal stakes in the unfolding events with the Gramaryes and Kristoph, but we only spend a little time and hints on how that might influence Trucy, who mostly falls into the AA weird girl pattern of brushing off major trauma instantly. (Maya got this a lot too in the original trilogy.)

Klavier ... I like Klavier, but they did not do much with him. How did he feel about Kristoph going to jail? He doesn't seem to hold it against Apollo, which is uh, noble, but perhaps not believable. He says he values honesty and truth but do we know why?

Apollo, likable as he was, felt like a passenger in his "own" game, rather than a major character. He doesn't even solve much of the stuff happening in the big overarching mystery -- he is Phoenix's avatar in court, presenting evidence and clues Phoenix left for him. Unlike Trucy and Klavier, who I am pretty sure take a back seat from now on, I guess Apollo still has two more games to try and flesh himself out ... lol but I also know fan reception of those two is not great, so my expectations there are minimal.

Overall

A really solid game that I enjoyed playing, though I can see why it's controversial and not some people's favourite, if they really loved the trilogy. I think it's debatable whether this was the best/only way to continue the series after AA3. And I am excited to read and write a billion 7 year gap fics now.

[atinylittlepain]

I'm Your Venus - A Robin Buckley Story

Robin Buckley x f!reader

Robin really likes candy, and also the new girl in town.

warnings | 18+ nothing specific, just queer angst (sigh)

a/n | this is just a little intrusive thought I had inspired by Bananarama's "Venus" - highly recommend listening to the song as you start reading - also this doesn't follow the timeline of the show's plot, just a lovely indulgent snapshot

update: read how Steve's night went here :)

another update: I'm turning this into a series! find the masterlist here

Robin has always had a weakness for candy. Specifically, the kinds of candy that take you a while to work through. Taffy, caramels, gobstoppers, lemonheads, even those nasty hard candies shaped like root beer barrels. Her most preferred option, however, were lollipops. She liked these tooth-rotting confections because so long as she had something sweet to roll around in her mouth, she could keep herself from going off on some long rambling tangent, preoccupied with the sugary sensation. Tonight, arms hanging over the half-wall of the roller rink, she was working on a cherry tootsie pop, no interest in how many licks it’d take to get to the center, keeping it pocketed in her cheek. 

She wouldn’t normally be spending her time at the new Hawkins’ rink, except Dingus was going as a chaperone to his scraggly, adopted brood, and where Dingus went, so too did Robin follow. Somehow Max had goaded Steve into putting on a pair of skates and was now dragging his very rigid body around the ring. The kids had no such luck getting Robin onto wheels, she sometimes still had trouble walking straight, there was no way skating was in the cards for her. So, she relegated herself to the sidelines, watching everyone rolling to blaring, glossy pop music. It was packed tonight, the middle of summer, and everyone just bored enough to go skating. 

Even amidst the crowd, there was one person Robin couldn’t stop looking at. She had come into Family Video the other day, Steve had set her up with an account, Robin eavesdropping as she restocked shelves. Steve was laying his so-called “Harrington charm” on thick, very shamelessly flirting with the girl. She told him that her family had just moved to Hawkins, she'd be a freshman at Indiana State next year, going to the same college as Robin. Even Robin was shocked by how forward Steve had been with her, asking her out as he handed her her tapes. But, she had politely declined, and Robin knew it was silly but her heart did a little kick at that, because what heterosexual girl in her right mind would turn down the hair? She hadn’t even realized that she’d crunched right through the cinnamon-y fireball she’d been sucking on until the girl was out the door. 

Robin watches her skating, making it look effortless as she links arms with a friend, laughing, glossy lips glinting under the disco lights. Bananarama is blaring through the speakers.

A goddess on a mountain top

Was burning like a silver flame

The summit of beauty and love

And Venus was her name…

Robin feels like such a guy, but she can’t stop looking at her legs, perfectly sun soaked and framed by cut-offs. She tells herself it’s just because she’s checking out her technique, in case she herself wants to skate later. Yeah right. 

She's got it

Yeah, baby, she's got it

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire…

After she made sure Steve wasn't watching, Robin had looked up the girl's account at the store, seeing that she’d checked out Young Frankenstein, Gone With the Wind, Rocky Horror, and Cleopatra. It was classic, it was bizarre, it was delightfully eclectic. Robin was smitten, and she hadn’t even talked to the girl.

Just then, she caught sight of Vickie, skating cozily with her boyfriend who was home from college. It still stung, to see the girl she’d been pining over completely oblivious to her feelings, but Robin had gotten good at avoiding it, avoiding her. She pressed up off the rink barrier, getting ready to meander over to the snack bar and drown her romantic sorrows in plasticky nacho cheese. As she spun around, however, she ran smack into someone on skates, a blur of gorgeous legs and cut-offs. Lord help me, she thought. The girl shrieked, giggling a little as they both held onto each others’ forearms to steady themselves.

“Oh god, sorry about that! Totally wasn’t looking where I was going,” she’s smiling so widely at Robin, who for maybe the first time in her life is rendered completely speechless, lollipop dangling loosely from her lips.

“Hey, I saw you working at Family Video, Robin right? I think that’s what that dude with all the hair called you,” Robin wills herself to nod at that. The girl was still holding onto her forearms, cracked cherry red nail polish contrasts against her freckled skin. 

Robin finally tries to speak, to say anything, but all that comes out is “I– you– um, I–” mumbling around her tootsie pop. The girl’s smile softens.

“Here, let me hold onto that for you, then you can say what you wanna tell me,” it happens so quickly, Robin thinks she’s having an aneurysm. The girl lets go of her arms and reaches up, taking the lollipop right out of Robin’s mouth before sliding it between her own glossy lips, grinning around the quickly dissolving treat. 

Robin lets out a stuttering exhale, “I’m Robin.” Nice, real smooth. The girl’s grin just widens, she speaks around the tootsie pop. “It’s really nice to meet you, Robin.” She extends her hand, and Robin stumbles to shake it as the girl tells her her name. Robin’s brain immediately starts to chant it like a prayer.

“You seem cool, can I give you my number? It’d be rad to hang out with you sometime.” Rad. Normally Robin would roll her eyes at a word like rad, but now she’s just nodding frantically, “yeah, uh-huh.” The girl smiles, “you don’t happen to have a pen do you?” Robin pats at her jeans, and thanks the merciful universe when she finds one in her back pocket. 

When she takes the pen from her hand, their fingers brush and it feels like the tiniest fire running up Robin’s arm. She glances around briefly, worried that people are watching them, but then she figures they just look like two really good girlfriends chatting. But when the girl holds her forearm again, turning it over and scribbling out her number, nothing about it feels platonic, not even with a lower-case p. I’m never washing this arm again. 

She hands Robin back her pen before taking the lollipop out of her mouth. She holds it out in front of Robin for a moment, quirking her eyebrow until Robin understands what she wants her to do. Robin feels her entire face burning as she jerkily moves forward, taking the tootsie pop back into her mouth, swiping it into her cheek.

“Call me soon, okay?” Robin nods, mute again, as she watches the girl flash her one more smile before she’s rolling back into the rink.

Robin thinks she needs to find Steve immediately. He has her inhaler in his stupid fanny pack and suddenly, Robin can’t really breathe.

[trecomics]

Ken Wants to be Alone for Christmas

Ken wanted to be alone, but Ryu finds him. Gen fic, about 800 words.

---

Ken wanted to be alone on Christmas eve.

Stay in, eat canned ravioli, and let the memories of family Christmas parties with the loneliness that came with that engulf him. Even with the windows closed he could hear everyone outside celebrating or last minute shopping fights. Something stirred in him to go out, be reminded what his life used to be like.

With his coat hood covering his recognizable hair, he walked around his neighborhood. Watching small children play with their parents, he could feel his mouth crick into a smile. He remembers when Mel was a just a tot and playing in the snow together. He was such a cheerful kid. Then images of only speaking to him on video phone, his disinterested tone wanting to end the call… His heart began to hurt the more the memories flooded in. He subconsciously gripped his pendant, telling himself these thoughts were proper punishment for him. 

After looping around the park he felt it was enough. Walking home, he’d turn into the coffee shop he lived above. It was packed—so packed the usual clerks who’d always welcome him and chitchat and give him a free treat were too swamped to even glance at him.

The fear someone would recognize him on the street was always in the front of his mind. However being squished like a canned fish, everyone preoccupied to keep cutters from cutting, looking at their phones to kill time—it felt comforting to him to be around so many people without ever being recognized. He really was a people-person.

“Ken?”

Ken whipped his head to the voice and didn’t even have the space to jump out of his shoes seeing Ryu’s face just centimeters from his own.

Ryu stepped back a bit.

“Ryu…” Ken gawked.

“Ken, it is you!” Ryu spoke in Japanese. He smiled the same warm smile Ken remembered. He could look at that face forever.

After a long second, Ken snapped out of his gaze and grabbed Ryu and pulled him out of the shop.

Ken wanted to be alone on Christmas Eve. But he couldn’t even convince himself of that. Deep down he didn’t. Now the last person he wanted to see him like this found him.

What else could Ken do after the awkward greetings but invite him home.

Ryu didn’t question Ken about his situation. He didn’t question the run-down apartment, with only a cot by the window and a small table and a chair that Ken offered to him while he sat on the bed.

Nor did Ken question why Ryu was in Metro City or how he found him.

Ken knew Ryu wasn’t much of a talker but he was strangely chatty. Ken couldn’t help but think Ryu was stepping up to put him at ease. To open up about his situation.

But Ken couldn’t. He told himself he wouldn’t fall for it. 

To give himself a break from Ryu gabbing about how his student finally taught him how to use the phone Ken bought for him years ago, he offered to make a Christmas dinner with what he had. Ryu was surprised it was already Christmas.


But as Ryu does with Ken—he delightfully accepted.

Ken wasn’t worried about having to entertain Ryu while he looked around what to make. Even when they were young and in training, Ryu was more than happy to meditate to kill time. Seeing a box of spaghetti noodles, a memory flooded back from those days.

“Remember when I’d buy pasta when I wasn’t supposed to and Shishou would get mad?”

Ryu opened an eye and grinned. “Yeah, but…you never really knew what to do with it until made it more Japanese-style.”

Ken saw Ryu peek up from the counter. “…Is that what you’re making?” He made a child-like face, maybe in anticipation.

Ken smirked at Ryu’s reaction. Still his same self about food. “Sorry, best I can do it load it up with egg sauce and toss in some frozen veggies.”

Ryu relaxed back into the chair, completely satisfied with that option too.

As Ken prepped dinner he took over talking duties without realizing. It came so easily to him and the more he talked the better he felt. And as he was finishing stirring in the egg sauce his smile was no longer fake.

Ryu gobbled up his plate and immediately asked for seconds. Ken served him up. He paused from his own plate to watch Ryu slurp up dinner. Ryu enjoy his meager food, Ryu forever patient with him even at this point, where Ken couldn’t even confine to him after all these years in hiding. To Ryu, who always was patient…

Ryu looked up, noticed Ken’s hand trembling.

“Ken…”

Ryu got up and walked to the counter where Ken was hanging his head. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders as Ken muttered “I’m sorry” over and over.

END

[fruitytrollroll]

Just finished reading chapter 2 ✌️😙 took me a whole day since it making me go insane.

I LOVE how bipolar Nightmo is and WOO did his scenes done something to me.

I also enjoyed the contrast between the light projection and the shadow. Prismo be doing the aftercare for his emo twin.

YOU'RE SO GOOD TO ME, THANK YOU...! ☺️💗 Nightmo is a ROLLERCOASTER and so fun to write for?? Because if you think to yourself, what kinds of things do people not say because it gets caught by their impulse control or emotional regulation? It evinces a whole breadth of human behavior that is breathtakingly inconstant and delightfully disorienting.

So cruel mockery, vulgarity, and perverse impulse are all on the table—but so is crying? And emotional vulnerability?? Obviously Scarab isn't in a position to take advantage of that, but as a writer you get a LOT of flexibility in writing for what is essentially a living intrusive thought, hahaha.

And I'm so glad to hear you found the contrasts between Nightmo and Prismo striking! The narrative is principally preoccupied WITH that contrast through Scarab's obsession over/hatred for Prismo, and how Nightmo is in some ways a reflection of that... But whereas Scarab is choosing to define himself by his negative obsession with Prismo, Nightmo can't actually help being like that because he's part of Prismo. So there's a lot of irony in these two encountering each other when they're both defined by Prismo in the worst, warped ways.

[kisskissbanggang]

Jumpspace Renegade - ep. 9 ✨🚀

[7k words, 25 min. read - Brief Jisung x Fem. Reader, Brief Seungmin x Fem. Reader - Stray Kids Multi Fic, Scifi!au, Choose Your Own Adventure - SFW/Suggestive/Smut in Other Chapters - Changlix, Somewhat Tough Relationship Talk, Seungmin is a Flirt and a Fiend, Jisung is a Flake but What Else is New, Chan is a Dick but What Else is New, Banter and Tension and Light Fooling Around, Dumb and Unusual Punishment, Dating Philosophy Crisis, Finally Landing on Phaborus, Intense Action Near the End, Kidnapping, Scifi Gun Violence, Always Check the Tags]

[Special Season 2 Premiere! See A/N. Polling for this episode will close at 7PM PST on Sunday, June 18, 2023. Episodes will resume posting on Fridays 7pm pst with polling closing on Saturdays 7pm pst. 💕]

[A/N: Welcome back space chasers! This has been Season 2 in my head while developing and writing, so Season 2 it shall be. I hope you enjoy our continued adventure with our lovable crew 💕✨🚀]

[Series Masterlist | Come Say Hi!]

“Well?” Jisung asked you. “What do you want to do?”

You scanned the eyes of the men at the table while you stalled with a hefty glug of your coffee. 

“Well,” you repeated, “I think seeing the market sounds fun, to be honest.”

Not to mention it’d theoretically give you a little space from Seungmin, who only sort of looked a little smug at your decision. Almost like he’d won a wager with himself. 

Jeongin finally emerged from Changbin’s cabin. 

“Come on, bro,” Jeongin urged him. “What’re you gonna do, just stay in there all day?”

Changbin's reply was indecipherable from inside his room. Seungmin got up from the table, clapping Jeongin on the shoulder and venturing in to see if he could cajole the mechanic himself. The cabin boy promptly gave up and tiredly shuffled downstairs. That left you, Hyunjin, and Jisung. 

“Well,” Hyunjin grinned, getting up before following suit. “Gotta get back to work. Nova, you’ll want to watch us land, won't you?”

And now it was just you and Jisung. You poked the angry love bite Minho left on his jugular.

“He got you good,” you laughed. 

Jisung spitefully grabbed the collar of your shirt and pulled you closer to search for any marks of your own. “Yeah, well, what about you? He suddenly ended up back in the brig after giving me hell all day?”

“I'm painfully misunderstood,” you pouted, squealing when Jisung grappled you into his arms. 

“So what I'm hearing,” he teased while he pecked kisses into your neck, “is there's free real estate.”

“In your dreams!” you squawked, retaliating despite letting Jisung’s lips catch yours a couple times. You were, embarrassingly enough, on the verge of making out a little, but that’s what being friends with Jisung would entail for you both, right? He absolutely seemed like the casual type, and you were all about that in this time of your life. But it was right then, when Jisung halfway moaned, halfway whined into your mouth, that you came to your senses, pushing your hand into his face and climbing out of the galley booth while you caught your breath. 

“Come on,” the pilot teasingly pleaded. “Chan and Minho can’t have all the fun.”

“Fat chance!” you defiantly refused.

“Hey, at least it’d make Chan stop giving me shit!” Jisung called after you. 

“What, so he can give me shit instead?” you razzed back on your way out. 

You were in a good mood, all things considered. The sheets on your bed were nice and refreshing, your cabin having fully cooled down after Minho’s shenanigans. You grabbed your shower supplies, scampering off to the head in hopes that everyone was too preoccupied to be in there at the moment. The water was delightfully warm, your skin still reeling from profusely sweating in the ship despite your shower the previous night. You honestly had to badger yourself to leave, but your pruney fingers were thankful for it. 

And on top of everything, the Ambler was pleasantly cold in contrast to your hot shower. Everything was simply serene. 

Until you found Felix in the workshop. 

He was too preoccupied to notice you come in, roughly packing the boat, the four-wheeler and the speed bike at the same time. A scowl cut into his sharp features. Felix didn't acknowledge you when you crept closer. He was stubbornly attempted to loop a strap around a crate in the boat from where he was standing on the floor. 

“... Hey,” you attempted. 

No response. 

“That was rough in there,” you awkwardly commiserated. 

Still nothing.

You set your things on the workbench and hopped up into the boat, grabbing the strap from him and lashing down the crate yourself. He refused to meet your gaze when you jumped back out. 

After a tense beat, though, came a sniffle.

You pulled Felix in for an impromptu hug, wrapping him into your arms and rubbing his back. It took a moment before he let out a shaky breath, and then the tears came. Felix clutched onto the sleeves of your hoodie. 

“I’m sorry, dude,” you consoled him.

“I’m so stupid,” came his muffled voice from your chest. 

You grabbed his face and made him look at you, his freckles shiny wet with the residue of blotted tears. “You’re not stupid,” you scolded him. This whole thing wasn’t really your wheelhouse, but you at least had common sense. “You know that. You’re the one who’s hurt, he's the one that did something monumentally stupid.”

Felix dragged the back of his hand across his face as he nodded. “I know,” he sniffled. “I feel dumb for still wanting him.”

“It hasn't even been half a day!” you gently reminded him. You tried to sound confident. It, at least, felt like the right thing to say. “Sit in it for a bit, you know? When one day at a time is too long, try one hour at a time.”

“Thanks, Nova,” Felix nodded appreciatively. He tried to square his shoulders and neutralize his expression again. “Now get out of here. Watch the landing.”

It felt bad to leave Felix be, but maybe you were projecting. You preferred to have company when shit hit the fan, but it was likely Felix was the opposite. In all likelihood, he’d let you know when he felt better on his own. You ventured back into your cabin and changed, loving how welcome your comfy leggings felt now that the ship’s internal temperature righted itself. Phaborus was well within sight outside your window now that the Ambler had turned to let the planet fill your view. You leaned your palms onto the windowsill, enjoying the clouds swirling over the ocean’s surface.  

A beep in your cabin made you jump. 

“Phaborus approaching,” crackled Jisung's voice over the intercom. “Crew, prepare landing protocol.”

Adrenaline balled in your chest. This wasn’t like leaving T’kaarm, despite how similar it felt. In the case of leaving the spaceport, you were leaving behind everything familiar. Going to Phaborus was your first time going somewhere entirely new. You slipped your ratty sneakers on again and jogged out of your cabin. 

Most everyone was assembled on the bridge already by the time you arrived. Jeongin was sitting in Seungmin’s office, paging through old charts with his feet kicked up on the desk. Chan was hanging out at the console behind the pilot's station. Hyunjin was lounging back in the small library, lazily reading his tablet while Changbin was finally out of his cabin, now up overhead on his ladder and working inside another ceiling panel.

Felix climbed up the stairs at that moment, wiping his work gloves off on his trousers when he spied the mechanic. He seemed to think about this for a solid beat, and then promptly turned around and left before you even thought to protest. Your gaze following him back down the stairs brought you to the couch in the back of the bridge. Seungmin was seated there, cozied up under a blanket and fiddling with the packing tubes for his charts.

“Finally done?” you brightly asked him.

Seungmin’s expression cracked. “The first one is done.”

Jisung rocked in his chair at his station and grabbed his headset again. He glanced back over his shoulder.  Even though it was originally his ship, you had to admit that the pilot’s chair fit him like a glove. “Everyone better get their butt in a seat,” he nagged. “Or don’t, I don’t care.”

The navigator patted the couch beside him, beckoning you to come sit down. You lingered for a second. Why not sit with Hyunjin? Or Changbin, or Jeongin? You were hesitant for some reason, until you saw the mischievous edge to Seungmin’s grin. This alone shifted your pause to intrigue. You settled down onto the couch, trying to keep your wits about you and still enjoy the view of the planet looming in your view. 

Until Seungmin poked the spot in the crook of your neck, practically on your shoulder. It was the one mark you'd managed to get since you came on board, one dumb little hickey that Chan had sloppily left in his fervor when you two hooked up in your cabin. You clapped a hand to the bite and effectively swatted Seungmin off in the process. He only grinned in response. 

“Got a problem?” you cheekily interrogated. 

“Just a shame you’re so disloyal,” Seungmin winked back. “I was betting you're fun on dates.”

“What,” you smirked, “so now you can’t date me?”

The ship’s engines roared further back in the ship, likely boosting the Ambler into Phaborus’ atmosphere. On the bridge, most anyone who wasn't already belted fumbled around to do so. Craning your neck to see, you spotted Changbin sitting on the desk of the nav office, casually chatting with Jeongin. Seungmin seemingly pulled a belt out of the couch and clicked it on. At the pilot’s chair, Jisung flipped on some music to concentrate, the volume at a subtle roar. You searched your side of the couch but came up empty-handed. 

Right on cue, Seungmin slid his hand down into the couch between you. He fished out one end of the belt that Jisung had no doubt installed himself, and then reached across your lap. The move brought his face mere inches away from yours. Your breath caught in your throat again. 

“Date? I’m afraid not,” Seungmin shrugged, aloof. “Not really into dating.”

“Then what are you into?” you asked, your eyes darting down for a second when you heard him work the clasp of your seatbelt.

Seungmin’s grin was infectious, but now you caught yourself scanning the room again. With how low you were talking and the ambient noise of the ship, no one was bound to hear you two, and with how you were sat in the back of the bridge, you were in no one’s sightline. “Maybe,” he chuckled under his breath, “I’m into seeing how far I can push you, since you seem to love games so much.”

Your lip curled into a small smirk. “Now I'm playing games with you?” 

He poked the spot on your neck again, the pad of his finger pausing for a moment. “Seems like it. You’ll only flirt with me but it looks like someone already took a bite out of you.”

“And you know it’s a bite?” you pouted, feigning innocence. 

What happened next surprised the ever living hell out of you. Seungmin leaned closer in, his lips gently pressing to your pulse, inches away from Chan’s hickey. You shivered then, your hand jumping to clutch Seungmin’s knee. Still, no one was the wiser. In front of you, Jisung was plenty preoccupied, accelerating the ship a bit more and bobbing his head to his music. Chan was donning a headset, shielding the mic and chatting away with Fed Patrol to keep the landing clear while he tapped away on his console keyboard with his free hand. Who knew what Changbin or Jeongin or Hyunjin were up to. 

Who cared?

Seungmin capitalized on how startled you’d been and snuck an arm down around your waist, huddling you closer. He surreptitiously passed the edge of his blanket over your lap. His teeth grazed your neck then, before you felt him briefly nip and suckle at your skin. You pulled away with a gasp now, voice far more hushed than it needed to be. “Jeez,” you laughed breathlessly, trying to get an accusing eye on Seungmin. “Not even a kiss first?”

The navigator scoffed. “You’ve had plenty of chances to try and get one the old-fashioned way.”

“You don’t seem too old-fashioned to me,” you retorted, gasping again when Seungmin reeled you in closer.

“What,” he chuckled in your ear, his lips tickling you again, “you’ve never fooled around the old-fashioned way?”

The ship rocked hard when the Ambler finally entered Phaborus’ atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Seungmin’s hand mirrored your own on his knee, except it only took a second for his fingers to drift further up to your thigh. Almost instinctively, you parted your legs an inch, if only to see what his next move would be. 

“You enjoying this?” Seungmin taunted you, determination outlining the gruffer tone of his voice. “You loving how anyone could just turn around and see how crazy you make me?”

“I’ve hardly even done that much,” you defended, your voice lower now to match his. Seungmin’s hand slid from the top of your thigh to the inside. His lips and teeth were still working your neck over.

“And you’ve done just as much to stop me,” he softly challenged.

“You want me to stop you?” you shot back. Your own hand on his knee followed suit, slinking up his thigh.

Seungmin jumped, unintentionally squeezing your leg in the process. “Not at all,” he shook his head. “Like I said, I’m really good at playing chicken.”

“And now that I’m all warmed up,” you smirked in reply, “so am I.”

The navigator’s warm hand brazenly caressed your heat over your leggings, nearly making you scramble off the couch. 

This was undeniably hot.

It was deliriously fun.

And it was unmistakably gross.

Fooling around in the potentially full view of the crew was dizzyingly exhilarating.

The last thing you wanted was to be bested by Seungmin, so your own hand ventured towards the noticeable bulge under his coveralls. Hopefully this was all imperceptible in the dim cabin, and under your blanket for added measure. Seungmin bit down a gasped curse.

“You’re fun, you know that?” he grinned, breathless.

“Enough to kiss me?” you taunted.

Seungmin instead kissed your neck for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Maybe later, if you play your cards right,” he offered. 

You wriggled in Seungmin’s grip, the way he was practically holding you down so he could work you up and tease you driving you mad.

When the cabin lights snapped back on. 

The two of you bashfully slid a solid foot apart from each other, at least as far as the confines of the couch and your seatbelts would allow. You tossed your end of the blanket back at Seungmin, who caught it and stuffed it into the corner of the couch. It was hard to tell if the red tinting his cheeks was him being mortified at being interrupted or him trying to catch his breath after being so lost in the moment.

“Touchdown in ten…” Jisung announced to the cabin before counting down, casually shouting over his music.

Chan spun around in his chair, setting his headset on the console and getting out of his seat. He stretched for a moment and tucked his tablet back under his arm.

“What now?” you asked.

“Watch,” he directed you nonchalantly, pointing out the window. The lights lining the top arm of a large gate came into view as the ship settled down underneath it. What sounded like static rushed over the hull. “Sterilizing,” Chan explained, swirling a pointed finger upwards. “Now we wait.”

“We don’t get to go outside yet?” you asked, almost whining. The port came into view once the Ambler fully landed. There wasn’t much to make out in the night, but the sparse lights out in the port town silhouetted buildings and walkways. The urge to explore was itching at you.

Chan giggled as he beeped open his cabin back at the top of the stairwell. “‘Fraid not, dude. Gotta sit overnight per quarantine protocol. Not much to see until sun-up anyway.”

“Says you,” you sighed, rolling your eyes. You tried not to keep staring outside. Instead, you glanced back at Seungmin. 

It seemed that, with the lights back on, the navigator had officially begun thinking with his top brain again. Self-conscious didn’t begin to explain his expression, but he still looked a bit smitten.

“Well?” you grinned. “You have any plans?”

Seungmin smirked back at you, about to say something when–

“Yes,” Jisung suddenly cut in, dropping his headset around his neck. “He does! I’m helping him and Hyunjin make sure we’re all prepped to get everything done in a day cycle tomorrow. Now, shoo, go to bed.”

“Bed?!” you complained. “We just got up!”

“We slept in,” Jisung argued. “If we land on a planet, that’s the new day cycle for us. Now, Nova, sweetheart, again: shoo. Away. Begone.”

“I’m not gonna sleep a wink,” you huffed, still getting up regardless. Seungmin looked like he could murder Jisung at any second. 

“My condolences,” shrugged Jisung. He cheekily grabbed Seungmin’s chart out of his hand and wagged it at him. “Come on, Seung, follow the map.”

Seungmin stiffened his jaw and firmly shoved his hands in his pockets before reluctantly following Jisung. He looked back, though, as if to give you a chance to change his mind. You offered a small wave farewell before you left the bridge, heading back downstairs.

The spraying seemed to stop the moment your feet hit the galley floor. This was agonizing, simply thinking of a whole new world outside that you’d have to wait to explore. You crossed back into the workshop. Apparently, you weren't the only one wanting to enjoy the view. Up overhead in the loft, Felix was spreading out a blanket over the couch. 

“Needed some space?” you called up to him. 

He silently nodded. His arms extended up over his arched back in a tall stretch before he crawled into his blanket nest. The bay window was open, giving you a peek at the gorgeous night sky that you’d just descended from. 

“I’ll see you in the morning?” you tried adding. 

Felix only stuck up a thumb from where he was cocooned. 

You brushed off any remaining fretting that you could manage. Felix had to cope with this in his own way, even though you still weren't all too sure how to help, anyhow. Instead, you pushed open your cabin door, and were now faced with the lights of the port illuminating the ocean behind the ship. You crowded the window. The dark waves outside in the night ominously lapped at the shoreline, white seafoam lining the tide like lace trim. 

All this, and you were remarkably tired the second you attempted to even sit on your bunk and will yourself to sleep. It was instant, the quiet rush of waves outside lulling you to close your eyes and rest. 

🚀✨🚀✨🚀

Sleep didn’t last too long this time. The night cycle really only lasted about six hours, and that had already started before the Ambler touched down. You blearily scrunched your eyes open, only to be immediately startled fully awake.

A bird was sitting on a beam outside, squawking. You stared. Again, as embarrassing as it was to admit, you’d never seen a bird in person. You bolted out of bed and grabbed your toiletries, making a mad dash to the central head and opting to brush your teeth in the shower. Another shower seemed a little redundant, sure, but you knew that if you threw off your routine more than you already had, you'd be a goner. The light shirt you picked out was sticking to your still-damp back when you finished getting dressed and ran back into the workshop, boots untied. 

The boys all stood in front of the bay door, with Changbin waiting to push the button in the outfit you helped pick the other day. You were about to join them when a finger hooked into the collar of your jacket. 

“Hey-!” you jolted, wriggling until you noticed it was Chan holding you in place. 

“Hold on a second, cadet,” he grinned. 

Manhandling you to sit down on a crate, Chan grappled your arms up so he could slip a ridiculous armored vest onto you. He next plonked a laughably big laser rifle into your hands before you could protest. Your eyes darted around. Aside from you, no one else was noticeably armed except for Changbin, who had a zap gun clipped onto his belt. Felix was wearing a much slimmer armored vest and had his blaster safely holstered. 

“Dude,” Seungmin gawked. “What the hell are you doing?” He attempted to step forward when Chan got in the way, stooping to rest his hands on his knees with that shit-eating grin directed at you. This wasn't good. 

“I second that, Chan,” Felix shifted uncomfortably. “You know the Phaborians are weird about outward hostility, especially after Fed Patrol took over the Hatchery. Subtlety’s key, bro.”

“And someone needs to learn that the hard way,” Chan nodded enthusiastically. He didn't take his eyes off you. “You wanna act like a hotshot? Think you're a professional, Miss Nova?”

You attempted a lighthearted laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude–”

“I’m talking about how you FUCKED THE BOUNTY, NOVA.”

“I– uh, well…” you trailed off. Out of the corner of your eye, the boys all displayed different levels of surprise. 

Except for Seungmin. He shook off his momentary shock with a scoff before busying himself with his packed charts. Meanwhile, Jisung was looking everywhere but at you. In fact, he was currently very interested in the ceiling. 

Chan, that asshole, he knew that Jisung slept with Minho too, didn’t he?!

“Well, how the hell do you know?!” you flustered.

“You know what Lee likes to do when I go to check on him?” Chan asked, crazed and exasperated. “He’ll talk at me ad nauseam until I leave. Will not shut the fuck up. Most annoying son of a bitch we’ve had down there in a while.”

“So he’s annoying,” you huffed, “what about it?”

“So guess what he won't shut up about today?” 

You remained steadfastly quiet. 

Chan clasped his hands together. “Allow me to rephrase. So, guess who’s apparently a terrific lay?" The captain was so proud of himself. “Now, as you know, I already know. I don’t even care that you nailed Jisung. But the bounty? Have some standards, cadet.”

By now, Seungmin’s cheeks were fully flushed. His frantic, wordless gaze darted from Chan, to you, to Jisung, all in a miserable triangle. You felt like shit, plain and simple. 

“Still doesn’t explain the dramatics,” Felix argued behind him. 

“If Nova is gonna be part of the crew,” Chan shrugged before putting his hands on his hips, “then she has to learn to be a bit more discerning. She was reckless, so she’s going to learn the hard way what difficulties that can lead to.”

With this, Chan strode over to Changbin and pushed the button for the workshop door that he was still holding. The heavy surface unsealed and rolled up, its gears grinding and squeaking in the mechanism. Outside, it was a gorgeous day on the Phaborian surface. 

“We clear, cadet?” the captain grinned back at you. 

You understood why Jisung liked the ceiling so much now. “Affirmative, Captain.”

“Next time,” Chan giggled while he pulled the lever for the workshop ramp, “if you have the chance to shoot him in the dick, do that. Now go, have fun being in the sun all day.”

The boys watched the captain stroll back towards the weapons rack. Meanwhile, the ramp extended out and reached out to the ground below.

“What about you?” Jeongin scoffed. “What’re you doing all day?”

“Me?” laughed Chan. He glanced back at you, and then at Jisung before grabbing an arm cannon off the wall. “Since I’m the only one I can trust to not fuck the bounty, I'm keeping watch. Have fun.”

You finally let out a deep sigh when the workshop door slammed shut behind Chan on his way out to the galley, but now there was a new presence to be wary of. A trio of Fed Patrol officers walked up the ramp, the misters on the slipdock’s gate activating overhead when they approached. Changbin engaged a crane arm to grab the four-wheeler and hoist it up and onto the ramp. The officers scanned everyone’s faces, checked the licenses, manifests, and inventories in Seungmin’s hands while they rummaged through Hyunjin’s pack, and then split up to check out the saddlebags on the four-wheeler while they inspected Seungmin’s charts. Each of the officers shot a hefty glance at you and the huge rifle in your hands. You quickly slung the ridiculous weapon over your shoulder by the strap to try and look less menacing. Seungmin was still not looking at you. When he was finished, he simply thanked the Fed Patrol officers and stalked down the ramp while Changbin brought down the boat through the sanitation mist to be moved onto another arm to lower the vessel into the water next to the slipdock. 

Jisung waved you over to follow him then, and you got up, really feeling the weight of the stupid vest and gun on your shoulders. 

“So, that was torture,” Jisung flippantly greeted. He slipped off his eyepatch before putting on a pair of sunglasses. “Chan must’ve been in a mood this morning.”

You nodded absently. Beyond the port, the island that made up one third of the Hatchery extended up into a mountain, covered in forest. However, these weren’t the kinds of trees you were expecting. You’d been predicting you’d finally see palm trees, but these were thick, fluffy evergreens, like Christmas trees. To be fair, you’d only seen these potted or simulated as well, but you were hoping to see a more tropical region of the planet. Morning haze gathered from evaporating condensation, giving the woods beyond the port a dreamy look.

“Sunny out,” Jisung blithely observed while he walked down the ramp with you. “It’s usually pissing rain. Phaborus has been dealing with mass evaporation from the oil drilling that started a few years ago, so that might be why it feels dryer around here, lately.”

You vaguely nodded. Just off the slipdock, Seungmin was hopping into the boat with Changbin and Jeongin. The navigator accidentally caught your eye, judging by the way his cheeks reddened again and he sharply turned his gaze away. 

“Close your mouth,” warned Jisung. You were about to question why when you both passed through the cloud of mist. Weirdly enough, it smelled artificially sweet instead of strictly sanitary.

The second your boots touched the solid ground of the slipdock, you were suddenly caught off-guard by how instantly you nearly crumpled at the knees. Jisung immediately shot out a protective hand to grab your elbow and steady you for a moment. You paused then, straightening back up. Simply the weight in your body felt different away from the magnetized floors of the Ambler, away from any magnets. This was your weight naturally held to the ground, and it somehow felt even more natural than your day to day life, only knowing dumb magnets since the day you were born. 

Minho was right. Nothing beat real gravity.

It was hard to marvel at this properly though, not with the Phaborians working the dock all staring at the weapon strapped to your back.

“You good?” Jisung asked, but he wasn’t looking at you. His gaze was focused back at the ramp behind you, with Felix now guiding the speedbike on the crane arm through the sanitation mist.

“I’d be better if you took this stupid gun,” you cracked a sardonic grin at him.

The pilot sneered right back at you. “What, because I let Minho catch me in a moment of weakness?”

You reached over, pinching one of the purple spots on his neck. “Looks like it was a real fun moment of weakness.”

“Look, I’m grateful that you didn’t put any more heat on me in front of the guys,” Jisung placated you, even leaning over to kiss you on the cheek. “And,” he added, “I’d repay you right now, but I have no room.”

“No room?”

Jisung shrugged helplessly when the bike touched down on the ramp. He walked up to it and easily straddled the seat.

You gawked at him. “I thought you were coming to the market with us!”

“I am!” chirped Jisung with a rev of the accelerator. “I’ll see you guys there!”

Of course, you didn’t get a chance to retort. Jisung already stomped on the clutch and zoomed off, leaving a haze of vapor behind him.

“Come on, dude,” called Felix behind you. You whipped around, seeing the weapons specialist already seated on the four-wheeler. Hyunjin was packing a saddlebag before waving you over. He carefully seated himself on one of the mudguards behind Felix and patted the other one across him.

“No sidecar, huh?” you teased.

“Afraid not,” Felix shook his head. He reached a hand out to you. “Now come on, give me the stupid rifle before you take somebody’s foot off.”

“... You sure?” You looked around the slipdock again. Something about the Phaborians’ expressions told you they really didn’t like the look of you carrying this thing around.

“What,” Felix smirked, “would you rather hold it? A professional is offering to get you out of a bind here.”

“He has a point,” Hyunjin added. “I’d honestly rather throw it off the fucking dock but if we’re taking it, I’d rather Felix carry it.”

“Fine,” you finally resigned. “If you want to go against the captain's orders so badly, be my guest.” You slipped the strap off your shoulder and handed the rifle to Felix, who checked the safety switch and shouldered the gun himself. Huynjin reached a grabby hand over to you, unclipped the bulky armored vest, and started pawing it off of you to stow in one of the saddlebags. The thing practically took up a whole bag by itself. Once again, Hyunjin patted the mudguard in front of you, urging you to sit down.

“Chan’s such a hypocrite sometimes,” Felix rolled his eyes.

“Yeah,” Hyunjin agreed. “You should ask him about the bounty we picked up from the Caravan.”

With the weight of the gun and vest off of you, you let your skin and bones settle into the gravity again. This was almost indulgent, feeling how natural it was just to stand like this, not feeling anchored to the ground through your feet. Easing down onto the mudguard across from Hyunjin, you practically savored the way the four-wheeler shifted on its suspension to carry all three of you. The appraiser grinned at you when Felix revved the engine and sped off. You followed suit, bracing one hand on the small cargo basket behind Felix, currently holding Hyunjin’s bag, and leaning into the acceleration. 

There was almost too much to take in, as the four-wheeler sped along the coast. The Phaborians, while humanoid in stature, stood tall and lithe, with retractable fins for swimming at their backs, arms, hips, and feet. Apparently, as you passed by, some of the denizens of the Hatchery, mostly feminine, liked to keep their fins out, decorating the semi-opaque appendages with tattoos or jewelry. A street vendor you zipped past was selling airbrushing and glitter just for fins, just like the little stalls that would pop up back home on T’kaarm. Summers growing up, you would occasionally treat yourself to a little glitter design on your shoulder or ankle. Tourist traps were the same everywhere.

This wasn’t even mentioning the ocean. There were boats upon boats out in the gorgeous bay of the Hatchery. Cruisers idled with sunbathing tourists stretched out on their spacious decks, while casual fishing boats milled around, leaving minimal wakes. Meanwhile, jet skis and speedboats weaved in between and around all these vessels, enjoying the morning waves and sun. 

This was sublime. The air was thick but felt good to breathe. 

Hyunjin reached over and gently got your attention by squeezing your hand. “It’s really your first time off the spaceport?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, still a bit dumbstruck.

“Well, you’ll know your way around the market,” he smiled. “They’re the same anywhere. Haggle hard. They tend to start really high here, even by tourist trade standards.”

You were about to ask when you were finally going to see this market, when the buildings suddenly gave way to a massive square, completely filled with stalls and tents. As opposed to T’kaarm’s markets, which were mostly tucked away into sprawling systems of alleyways, this was a labyrinth of shops and vendors all occupying a remarkable plot of land right on the waterfront. Phaborians and off-planet tourists and traders alike milled about in the busy square, bartering and shopping and chatting. Felix parked the four-wheeler under a tall evergreen and pinched his long-sleeved shirt away from his chest as much as he could with his armored vest in the way. 

“I should’ve dressed lighter,” he grimaced. “I don’t remember the last time it was hot here.”

You nodded in commiseration, yanking off your jacket and tying it around your waist. Felix quickly gave up, opting to take off his gear to remove the shirt entirely before putting the armored vest back on, but leaving the front unbuckled to allow for more ventilation.

“I have to offload some of this inventory first,” Hyunjin explained, rummaging around his bag. “You guys go have fun, I'll catch up with you in a bit.”

You nearly sprinted off, but didn't want to lose Felix. Despite him following close behind, you grabbed onto his hand and ventured deep into the market, almost immediately overwhelming yourself with the sights and smells amidst the heat. Felix dutifully kept up, occasionally reeling you back to show you something. A shopkeeper sold small robotic birds on perches. A roving vendor with a cooler was offering fishing bait, the mechanical, wind-up kind or the traditional bait made of meat scraps. Further down, a food stand carried fried crabs the size of volleyballs. You were looking through a rack of sunglasses when you finally looked through your hip bag to count your measly credits. 

Felix reached over and pushed your hand down. As it turned out, he had another pair of shades in his other hand. He leaned over to the vendor, immediately haggling down the price and then handing over his own credits instead. The vendor thanked him, but muttered something when you both left.

“What did they call you?” you surreptitiously asked. 

Felix looked back over his shoulder to you while he slipped on his new sunglasses. “What did it sound like?”

“... Clishaur?” You winced, positive you weren't close to replicating the word you just heard. 

“Glizhorr,” Felix simply corrected you. He handed you your new glasses. 

“What does it mean?” you asked, feeling awkward while you put them on. 

Felix stiffened his jaw down through his shoulders to stand tall while he walked the market with you. “War dog,” he curtly explained. 

You felt bad, letting Felix take Chan’s stupid punishment for you, but you had to admit, he definitely carried the gun like a pro. If anything went down, you’d rather he be the one carrying it. 

“Let’s change the subject,” Felix offered with a tired smile. “What were you doing at the spaceport? Aside from gigs, I mean.”

There wasn’t much to share, you explained while you walked together. Felix bought a meat skewer for you two to split. You dropped out of school when you were old enough that your parents wouldn't get fined for it, worked a bunch of tourist gigs, your siblings ran away in search of a better life, your mother ran after them, and your father was drafted. When you suddenly found yourself alone, that was when you played more fast and loose with how you made money. Your whole life had turned upside down in the space of a very long year, years ago. You did a little bit of time, got saddled with Klave for a parole officer, and that eventually led you here. 

You tried to cajole Felix into opening up as well, but he was far more guarded. His mother had said “military school or reform school” and he chose military school, which turned into a short stint in the marines before he brushed far too close to an early grave than he would’ve liked. 

No wonder he ended up with Chan.

Felix couldn’t hide the small grin he had when he told you about meeting Changbin. They were actually working together when they got recruited. Felix had been working at a host club, and Changbin was fixing slot machines when they met, and soon they were shaking down tourists and running jobs together before Chan scooped them up. 

“Changbin was the first person to never ask me to change,” Felix smiled to himself. 

“That’s because he’s smart,” you nodded. “You’re fine the way you are, dude. We’re not our choices, you know?”

“Unless you’re into murder,” Felix dryly shrugged. 

You playfully shoved his shoulder. “Thanks for ruining my point.”

A small stall at the end of one of the market’s rows was selling little hand-painted boats. The vendor started you at 50 credits and you immediately argued down to 30, praising the workmanship but citing the multiple other stands you’d come across with similar little boats. As expected, the vendor tried 40 before you pushed 30, and when he agreed, you were able to get it down to 25.

“You’re a natural,” Felix praised. He jumped, patting a hand down onto his pocket before grabbing his communicator. He read while you eagerly awaited an update. “We gotta go,” he ruled. “Hyunjin found a temple. It’s a couple blocks away so let's move the four-wheeler.”

You tucked your small souvenir into a padded pocket of your waist pack and trotted after Felix. Thankfully, as you both had been weaving in and out of aisles of the market, you weren’t too far from where you’d parked. You hopped back onto your seat on the rear mudguard of the four-wheeler before Felix took off, ducking and dodging through traffic with a practiced ease until you came upon a pretty stone courtyard only a couple minutes away. This was a more organic structure at the back of the entry, looking like it could very well be a sea stack that’d been hollowed out to serve as a temple. The space was tranquil, a quietly regal escape from the commotion only down the road.

However, this wasn’t quite the case when you and Felix entered.

“Eyes on the ground unless spoken to,” Felix furtively directed you. 

You quickly turned your gaze to the floor, a beautifully carved stone surface with complex, iridescent designs interweaving and circling each other. 

The tension in the space was palpable.

“–I’m afraid I’m not explaining this well,” Hyunjin said ahead of you. “I didn’t steal this.”

“But someone did,” came a stranger’s voice, gravelly yet feminine. “The viscount’s son has been refused marriage rites because this pendant had been taken.”

“Yes,” Hyunjin patiently acknowledged, “and that’s terrible, and that’s why I came to return this.”

“Forgive me, tradesman, it is just that it feels very convenient that the viscount’s son described the assailant as a human that shares a resemblance with you.”

“I respect that, your holiness,” refuted Hyunjin, “but I’m not a unique looking human. I’m literally just returning this and expect nothing back.”

“Nonsense,” the priest fired back. “You are familiar with our culture. You know these pendants are valuable and that we are a people who will always repay a good deed. And now you’ve brought reinforcements?”

Felix straightened up beside you, grabbing your arm and leading you behind him. “Our apologies,” he bleakly attempted. “We can wait outside.”

The attendees by the priest froze when Felix turned to leave, all staring at the rifle on his back.

“Interesting. An innocent good deed yet you’ve brought this hound to help you.”

“You misunderstand!” Hyunjin pleaded.

You looked up now, ready to intervene somehow, but Felix was already coming up to grab Hyunjin.

Except that the temple attendees suddenly had their own firearms now.

The elder priest grimly folded her arms. “Careful of your next move, tradesman,” she firmly warned.

“We’re not doing anything!” Hyunjin panicked, reaching in his bag, “just let me show you–”

Two shots rang out. One grazed Hyunjin’s hand, making him drop his messenger bag and the pendant in his hand immediately. The other came from Felix’s blaster, his aim carefully missing the firing attendee on purpose. 

The next minute was pure chaos. A firefight ensued on the spot, with you and Hyunjin making a break for the entrance while Felix covered for you. However, another attendee got in your way, raising their fins in an attempt to block you. You were thrown back into Felix, who quickly caught you with a free hand–

But left him open to catch a shot, right in his exposed waist. Felix barked out a curse and crumpled to the floor but you managed to get an arm around him, yanking the rifle off of him to try and make him easier to drag along with you. You frantically scanned the room for Hyunjin, only to see him thrashing and uselessly trying to fight in the midst of getting dragged away into a back chamber by the temple attendees. Another couple attendees reached for you then, but you quickly grabbed Felix’s blaster. You fired a warning shot at the feet of one attendee before ducking out the door and slumping Felix over the cargo basket of the four-wheeler before peeling out of the courtyard. 

This was a nightmare, but you just needed to get back to the ship.

That is, until two temple attendees came screeching onto the tight street with their own four-wheelers. You revved harder and tried to figure out what the hell to do. 

It was at that precise moment that you realized that, despite what he’d assured you, Jisung never met up with you at the market. He had no idea this was even going on. You had to find him.

Right?

But, then again, Jisung was smart and had his own ride. If you got back to the Ambler, Chan would know what to do. And Minho was a medic in the marines, wasn’t he? He might even be able to help Felix.

[gamethecry]

@cameraxshy || cont'd from [ x ]

hugh watches with a tentative gaze as nathan is rightfully so preoccupied with work . there were so many bobs and whistles to freddy's that a new hire such as huey could only imagine how intense it was for nate , someone who seemed well seasoned at the job . the hazel eyes then move back towards to screen , trying to take in each move and click of the mouse the raven made to try and be formidable in this position . the brunet was always a social butterfly , initially he'd been told that he would be working alone ; so , when he came in for his first week and there was someone ELSE there , someone who seemed well versed in the position at that , it made huey almost immediately attach to the raven , most definitely becoming a painful thorn in the other's side .

at the murmured words , barely intelligible in the practically silent room , hugh can't help but giggle again . a part of his mind is sure he seems bizarre as this bubbly man in the midst of what seemed like a death trap , but honestly ? from the animatronics he saw flash across the screen , huey honestly wasn't all that scared , almost more so INTRIGUED ! delightfully so it would seem as a fair hand juts out towards the music box that flashed onto screen , hazel eyes flashing over to nathan . " hey , hold off on the doors really quick , the music box is practically gonna POP over there . we can honestly save the power , put our resources to making sure there's . . . less characters walking around . " it seemed behind that joyful , bubbly expression there was an intellectual , someone attentive and analytical .

[whataboutmyfries]

Wildest dreams (come to life)

Right, so i understand why you'd think this was a paraphrased/mutilated taylor swift song used to hint at a TS songfic but I can promise that this is not that. Instead, have an un-betaed fic that I wrote in multiple fits of midnight/way-too-early-morning fits of inspiration. a wee bit nsfw but no actual explicit-ness

This is, of course prompt number nine (!!!) from this prompt list! the whole collection can also be found on Ao3 here! enjoy!

9. unbuttoning your lover's shirt, pressed against the wall

~

Remus grinned at his husband, wine-drunk and laughing as they stumbled out of the cab, drunkenly waving at the man driving away. Remus could scarcely believe how incredibly happy he was, married to the love of his life, and his best friend (though Lily would kill him if she ever found out. Remus repeatedly promised her she was a very close second, almost tied for first, and she just laughed, elbowing him in the ribs) 

“Thank you, mister Taxi man! You’re the best!” 

Remus laughs, slipping his hand into Sirius’s, twining their fingers together, stealing his husband’s (husband’s) warmth. Sirius turned, the streetlights bringing out the midnight-blue tones in his hair. Remus’s heart did funny things in his chest at the sight of those devastating dimples flashed in his direction. He grinned right back, his knees going a little weak and his heart taking to fluttering happily, thumping unsteadily at the thought that he got to bring this stunning man home (to their home)

Sirius’s wink was all the warning he got before he yanked Remus into his side, his strong arm coming to catch Remus around the waist, the two of them laughing and stumbling (just a little) to the front door, Remus doubling over in laughter when Sirius dropped the keys (twice).

Sirius glared at him, bending over to get the key into the keyhole, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he squinted at the handle. 

Remus, meanwhile, was far too preoccupied observing the delicious curve of his husband’s (Husband!!!!) arse. He grinned, his face scrunching up with joy as he gently patted Sirius’s ass through his jeans. 

“Hmmmmm” Sirius stood up triumphantly, having finally gotten the door open. He turned to look at Remus, stumbling just a little with how quickly he spun on his heel. 

“Remus John Lupin-Black, did you just hum and pet my arse like it’s some sort of absurd…..cat-creature?” Sirius chuckled at the end of his sentence, awfully pleased with himself at his little joke. 

Remus shrugged, leaning forward to wrap his hands around Sirius’s shoulders (damn, his husband had some nice shoulders.), “Well, it’s a very nice arse. It’s not like I could just stop myself.” 

Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus’s waist, trying and failing to hide the amusement in his voice as he pulled his husband closer. 

“Oh, you just couldn’t stop yourself, huh? My mistake then, carry on.” 

Remus grinned, tipping his head to lean closer into Sirius’s space, their lips brushing as he said, “Ask nicely, and maybe I will.” 

Sirius’s eyes heated, the hands at Remus’s waist gripping tighter as his heart raced, his breath hitching at the fire in Remus’s words. 

Remus cocked an eyebrow, grinning against his husband’s lips as Sirius tugged him into their house, kicking the door shut behind them (and pinning Remus against it), never parting their lips for so much as a second while he devoured Remus like a man starved. Remus grinned devilishly, exceptionally pleased with the effect he had on his husband; Sirius bit playfully at his lip in return and Remus groaned into the kiss, scrambling to un-tuck the half of Sirius’s shirt that was still tucked neatly into the (sinfully, delightfully, deliciously) fitted trousers he’d worn for the special occasion. Sirius caught on, and Remus let out a debauched moan as Sirus’s head dropped to his neck, sucking at where his pulse ratcheted against his husband’s positively sinful mouth. 

“Bedroom, darling?” Remus gasped out as Sirius did unholy things‌ to his neck and collarbones, his warm hands finding their way up Remus’s shirt, nimble fingers tracing the dips in his spine. 

Sirius just hummed, tracing a path up Remus’s neck only to capture his lips in a devastating kiss, his weight pinning Remus to the door as his nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons of Remus’s shirt, warm hands eagerly shoving the fabric off of warm skin to let Sirius mouth at the newly exposed skin. 

Remus couldn’t help his choked moan as Sirius mouthed a trail down his body, stopping only when Remus’s head thunked gently against the door. 

Mercury eyes met hazel, and Sirius smirked. 

“Eyes on me Lupin” 

(Holy fucking mother of god fucking CHRIST motherfucking fucking god how is he so ho—) 

Remus could have sworn his brain fused out when he saw Sirius on his knees, looping up at him as he unfastened Remus’s trousers. He took a second to marvel at how gorgeous his husband looked like this; utterly debauched, his shirt hanging open on his (positively edible) shoulders, the tie he’d untied and slung around the back of his neck brushing against his muscled torso as he looked up at Remus (he was on his knees. For Remus. Formeformehe’sallmineforever)

Remus’s heart burst into a thousand shimmering pieces as Sirius pressed reverent kisses to his thighs, pausing only to suck bruises into the muscle of Remus’s v-line and Remus groaned, already imagining how pretty they’d look the next day. His hips thrusted involuntarily as Sirius bit gently at the spot he’d just licked and Remus twined his fingers through Sirius’s hair, tugging him up to kiss him desperately. 

“Bed. Definitely bed.” 

Sirius laughed, the sound pressed into the soft skin of Remus’s shoulder. For just a second, Remus could have sworn he could feel it fill him up with a glowing warmth, spreading from Sirius’s lips all the way into his very soul. 

“Bed it is.” 

Remus let out a choked gasp as Sirius picked him up in one smooth motion, Remus’s legs going around his waist almost on instinct. Sirius smiled, pulling Remus impossibly closer as he reached up for a soft, slow kiss. 

“Happy five years, mister Lupin-Black” 

Remus looked down at the face of his most fantastic dreams come to life. He smiled, incandescently happy as he cupped Sirius’s face in his hands to kiss him again. 

“Happy five years, mister Black-Lupin”

~

Comments and reblogs are stored in a jar on a shelf to help bring this author joy and glee when the motivation runs dry :))

[dukeoftheblackstar]

мσяиιиgѕ ωιтн ρℓσ кσσи ♥ ~

Plo Koon, as a significant other, will duet an old song with you while he makes panna cakes (pancakes, pastries) while you dance your groupie little heart out ♥

And if you're wondering what song I have in mind, it's this beautiful gem by Mickey & Sylvia ♥ OG Vid/Song.

Self-Insert ficlet ♥ ρℓσ∂υ¢н ♥ OC / reader ♥

Rating: Fluff with like idk, some nsfw words ♥ Nothing too heavy ♥

Pairing: Plo Koon x Reader / OC / ρℓσ∂υ¢н ♥

Wifey loves dancing. Will dance her lil' lil' groupie heart out ♥ Will sing her lil' lil' heart out for beloved, babylove ~ Plo.

In turn, he would hum or sing a few words in with that good-god-fuck-me voice ♥ He'll get comfy and maybe do his old man swing of the hips that screams old money and morning pancakes ♥

He'd have the pan in one hand and the other on your hips ♥

He would turn and you would too. In perfect sync, with the pan in the air so you don't burn your pretty crown and break your rhythm ♥

Talon-clad hands would slide along your hip and stomach as you two turn and swap places ♥ Plo now plating morning pastries for the two of you ♥ You behind him doing your silly, lovey-dovey, dance as you pine to the tune of 2:07. ♥

Your hand would, undoubtedly slide from his abdomen down because, come on bestie, who tf wouldn't? ♥

But Morning!Plo is soft-Sunday-vibes!Plo ♥

He'd catch your hand, give it a squeeze, drag it up to his chest where his heart would be and keep it there ♥ Cause baby, you are his heart ♥

His itty, bitty, naughty, little heart-tart ♥ ~

And as the song plays and you sing this silly, sweet, duet with him while rocking the both of you side to side ♥ Plo would lace his claws ever-so carefully with yours and bring you to the front with a slow turn as he steps back ♥

He would then take you into a proper hold with the pan no longer keeping his hand preoccupied and the panna cake tarts that you love so damn much, delightfully plated on the counter ♥

With a hand on your hip and the other in his, you best believe that smooth Kel Dor god would lead a few steps and keep you so close against him you swore you'd give him the sloppiest head for dessert ♥ as he sings the rest of the words and literally sashay you across the floor with his mad old man dancing skillz ♥

OKTNXBYE ♥

Thank you for constantly indulging me with my baby girl, Duch ♥

@amorfista @saengak @starrrgazingbunny @eyecandyeoz @plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows @exosorcery @veny-many @kimiheartblade @eloquentmoon @bananas33

[lyutenw]

ACOD| Chapter XVI

The night was unforgiven to Aria and her dreams were getting more and more twisted as the hours passed. Raven wouldn't leave her alone and was present in every single fragment of the dreams, haunting her. She would wake up almost every hour drenched in sweat and mistake the shadows of the furniture in front of her for Raven's back walking away from her.

After a feverish night, the morning sun came to salvage Aria, waking her up immediately. The room felt delightfully empty, and Aria calmed down when she realized Ellian was not sleeping by her side and wouldn't be for 6 more days. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder how waking up to Raven by her side would feel like; would it be serene, passionate, happy?

"Not that I have any chance to find out..." Aria murmured and rubbed the sleep off her eyes. She was drenched in sweat and eager to have a bath, but more than that was eager to see Raven's eyes and face.

As Aria got up from her bed and ragged herself to the bath, her thoughts raced. She wondered how she could be thinking of a man she barely knew. Was it because he had helped her so readily?

She shook her head trying to make the thoughts disappear. The corridors were surprisingly full of people and the maids and servants were running up and down in a frenzy. She noticed Marina and quickly cornered her.

"What's going on?" Aria asked, physically blocking Marina from moving on ahead with her arm extended to the wall.

"Good morning my queen!" Marina smiled happily and shifted the basket she was holding from her right to her left side. Whatever the basket contained, it smelled of roses.

"Princess Zaya will be returning to Celenial tomorrow, so per request of the king we are loading the ship with gifts for the royal family." Marina continued, this time with less enthusiasm as with every word she could notice Aria's scowl deepen.

"I see..." Aria trailed off, thinking of how her sister hadn't let her know of anything, especially her departure.

"Do you require my assistance, my queen?" Marina noticed that Aria was heading to the bath and visibly blushed; she had been so preoccupied with everything she had forgotten to assist her master.

"No, it's okay Marina." Aria murmured and let her arm fall to her side, freeing up the way for her maid.

"Go on ahead." She smiled at the girl and took a heavy step forward.

"Princess Zaya is also in the bath, my queen." Marina said quickly before Aria had a chance to walk away.

"It's okay." Aria answered and quickened her pace.

Zaya was completely under the surface of the water once Aria found her. She had been doing it since they were little kids; she would always say that under the water everything would become quieter, and she would feel smaller and way more insignificant that their father made her out to be.

Aria let her nightgown fall to the marble floor and slowly went into the bath, careful not to disturb her sister. But Zaya felt the change in the water and opened her eyes, then resurfaced. She quickly brushed her hair back with her hands and looked at Aria who was washing her own hair with the herbal water.

"How did you know I was here?" Zaya asked, her voice trembling in the slightest.

"I didn't, I just wanted to have a bath." Aria answered, not meeting the eyes of her sister, and continuing to slowly wash her hair.

"Oh... Do you know?" Zaya bit her lip and lowered her gaze to her watery reflection; a distorted and unknown woman looking back.

"Yes." Aria said and floated on her back, her eyes closed and ears deep into the water. Zaya had been right all these years; the water did muffle the world. Her not saying anything more was a sign she didn't want to learn anything about it, not even hear it for fear it was made true, but Zaya didn't pick up on it; she thought her sister was mad that she was leaving.

"I'm so sorry Aria, Ellian told me that I should get back and how our father had written him a letter when I came here that I should not stay any longer, I'm so sorry, you know I don't want to go back." Zaya said in one breath, her voice now trembling along with her entire body. Aria realized that her sister had it just as bad and went near her. She threw her hands around her shoulders and hugged her.

"I know, it's okay." Aria said and caressed her sister's hair, Zaya hugging her back tightly. Aria knew the future of her sister, even though she didn't have the same power as Raven. She knew that she was to marry the man that their father had picked out for her, she would have no choice, just as she hadn't had one.

The two sisters remained in a tight embrace for a long while, until the warm water had turned cold, and they were forced to exit the bath and wrap their bodies in their towels. They didn't say anything else to each other, Zaya because she didn't know what to say other than 'sorry' and Aria because she had nothing to say. Deep down she knew that the day she would be forced to be alone again would come, she just hadn't expected it to be so soon.

Aria walked back to her room quickly, thinking of what to do next. Zaya was to depart the next day before noon, so there was no chance to help her escape her wedding unless she was to come back soon. But the trip to Celenial was almost a week long, so it would be at least a month away before she would be able to come back, if she ever did.

"One more broken promise..." Aria murmured as her heart shattered into a million pieces. She had no chance to help Zaya escape with her lover. As much as it saddened her, Zaya was a lost cause; she would have to marry the man their father had picked out for her or face the consequences. And the consequences would usually be dire.

Her mind raced; whether she liked it or not she would have to focus on her escape. She didn't know when she would see Raven again, but at least she knew she had her papers ready. The only thing left was the money to buy the ticket for the ship and that would be easily acquired in a few days. She looked at herself in the mirror focusing on the necklace adorning her neck. Ellian's gift. She lifted her hand and tugged at it, thinking on whether she wanted to pawn it or not, but as much as she looked at it, the more she couldn't let it go. It wasn't burning her skin like something that didn't belong there, it was stuck, like it had found its missing place like a puzzle piece.

Aria sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked around defeated and let her body fall back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finding some minutes to relax made everything hit her at once; all these months she had been cruising through life like a bystander, not the one that everything was happening to. Before she could register it, her tears had escaped her eyes and were streaming down, more with every second that passed. She placed her hands on top of her ears, pressing them so she could hear nothing but her own heartbeat.

Vivid images of Ellian's dark eyes looking at her flooded her mind and she gasped, jerking up from the bed. She was heaving, the air around her not enough for her lungs. The imaginary Ellian was not gone, he was still there, fucking her in that bed despite her screams and cries. Aria curled into a ball and sunk down on the floor. She wanted to become as small as possible, non-existent, so that Ellian couldn't find her again.

❋

When she was done crying, the sun had gone down, and the room was deadly still and silent. She didn't know how long she had been crying, but after a while there were no more tears left and she was just gasping for air. The ghost of Ellian was still lingering, but now it was just his scent and not him.

Aria slowly got up from the floor, her limbs were numb, and she felt exhausted. Her hair had dried completely and was a mess of knots and curls. A knock on the door snapped her out of her trance and she tried to fix her hair before the one on the other side entered.

"Hey." The soft voice of Zaya echoed around the room as she entered and closed the door behind her. She was dressed in her nightgown while Aria was still in her cold towel messily wrapped around her body.

"Hey." Aria answered her voice not coming out right, it sounded chocked, raspy, and anxious. Zaya noticed her sister being in distress and inched closer, grabbed her freshly washed nightgown that had been laid down on the bed by her maids and quietly helped her into it.

Aria was a ghost. Her otherwise plump body, with her soft curves and full hips had grown into a skeletal remain. Zaya didn't comment on anything, she knew that with everything her sister must have been going through, eating had been the last thing on her mind. For the first time, Zaya also noticed her scars, healed and going way back. She didn't know what had caused them, and she didn't have the guts to ask.

Her mind went back to all the times she had seen Aria tiptoe around at nights, leaving her room and going to the unknown for years as they grew up. She had noticed her grow up with deepened black circles under her eyes and had noticed their father developing them as well. She shook her thoughts away; Aria hadn't told her, so she didn't need to know.

"Thank you." Aria croaked out and despite trying not to, she started crying again. She knew she had to be the older and stoic sister, but her emotions were too much. She was losing her one person to hold on to before she drowned.

Zaya didn't know what to do' she could count the times she had seen Aria cry on the fingers of one hand. She internally panicked, but she managed to make Aria lie down on the bed and hugged her.

They stayed there, hugging, until Zaya fell asleep, but Aria was still awake.

"I'm so sorry Zaya, I'm so sorry." Aria cried out, knowing that Zaya couldn't hear her as she was fast asleep. Aria felt so selfish not being able to help her sister escape and live her life. Her heart was heavy thinking that Zaya would go back to Celenial, and she would marry a man she didn't love. She had to save herself and despite knowing that most of her tears fell for her poor little sister that had been birthed a few minutes later.

When she was younger, Aria would keep thinking that everything that was happening to her was because she was the first born. Growing up she had realized that it was because she had been the daughter of the servant. Her life had been decided as she had exited her mother's womb; she would be the sacrificial bride that would unite the two kingdoms that had been at war for 100 years. It hadn't mattered that Zaya had been the one the king of Oceana had wanted as a bride; it had always been her fate to wed Ellian, whether she ended up dead or not.

There had been a rumor circulating the palace of Celenial for years after the birth of Zaya. It was said that the queen had induced her labor by punching and hitting her stomach after she had learnt that Aria's mother had gone into labor. Aria had always wondered how bad one must want power to risk harming their own child, but now she understood.

She would do anything to kill Ellian and be the queen, but would she do it, she would be dead. Her only chance was escaping. Her only fighting chance was Raven.

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

Tag List: @angie-j-kay @mysticstarlightduck @boundedsea @pheonix-thefirebird @quillinhand @lottierae1 @puckpuckett @aalinaaaaaa

[daedalusdavinci]

HELLO I love your work and am requesting dialogue options 21 and/or 21 for bruharvey? I think I might pass out for either 🤧🤍

Anonymous asked: meaningful gestures dialogue 21 “Every part, no matter how you feel, is amazing to me. I could spend all day explaining everything I love about you” seems like something Bruce would tell 2F

send me a meaningful gestures prompt!

well i guess its gotta be 21 then

Bruce woke slowly, limbs loose with the kind of rest that only came once a year. The bed felt so soft, so cozy, the blankets weighing him down just right, it felt like he could just drift right off again, perfectly comfortable. He could hear the soft crackle of fire and smell coffee not far off. When he reached blindly across the mattress, his hand came across a delightfully bare thigh, scarred and warm. The fondness that rolled over him was as warm as the bed. He brushed his thumb along the hem of boxers and squeezed, just to hear the owner snort quietly.

For a while, Bruce was content to just lay there, soaking it all in. Snow fell softly over the gardens. Light from the all of the blinding white outside spilled through the open curtains, bright enough that it must have been around noon, or perhaps past it. The room was warm enough from the fire that Harvey, or Two Face, or whoever it was today seemed comfortable enough sitting up in bed without a shirt, sipping absently at his mug while he read.

Today was one of those rare, quiet days where there was nothing that needed being done. There was no work, and with the kids taking over the vigilante business in Gotham, Bruce rarely had any cases anymore. The manor was empty and quiet, and Bruce could sleep in as long as he wanted, his only responsibility in the world to the man in bed beside him.

But, eventually, Bruce pushed himself up, ignoring the way his back groaned dimly with pain. It subsided again when he sank back against the pillows propped up against the headboard, pulling the blankets up around his shoulders and reaching for Dent’s mug as he leaned into his side.

Dent made a quiet, disapproving noise, but let him have it regardless.

The silence between them was comfortable- familiar. Bruce rarely found his voice this soon after waking up, and Dent didn’t push him. It was nice just to be close, and Dent seemed pretty preoccupied with his book, anyway. Bruce read passages over his shoulder as he sipped at the coffee, trying to guess what book it was.

After several minutes, Bruce found his voice. It was barely more than a murmur in the quiet. “Got any plans for today?”

Dent hummed absently. His eyes were still on his book, tracking words across the page. But as Bruce waited, he finished, sticking a bookmark between the pages and leaning back into the pillows. “Not really. I feel exhausted.” His voice was low and rough, raspier than Harvey’s. Two Face, then.

Bruce let his head rest on Two Face’s shoulder, his thumb rubbing absent circles into his thigh. “Didn’t get enough sleep?”

“It’s not that kind of exhausted.”

Bruce hummed, understanding.

After a pause, Two Face sighed, leaning his head against Bruce’s. “I know I’m fronting because Harvey needs me to be, for some goddamn reason or another, but I don’t want to be. I’m tired. I feel shitty. I feel like no one wants me here, including myself, and I’m trying to move past it, but it’s hard.”

It was a conversation they’d had before. Bruce knew better than anyone how hard Two Face was trying, but that didn’t make it easy, and progress was never linear. There were days where it was hard to see past his own self-loathing, just like there were days when it felt impossible for Bruce to let go of his paranoia. But there had been days where it had been so bad that Two Face had left, and the fact that he was here, admitting it, letting Bruce get so close, said a lot on its own.

Bruce pressed a kiss into Two Face’s shoulder, squeezing his thigh. “I want you here.”

Two Face cracked a smile. It was small, but there. “I know. It just feels like that.” That, too, was progress.

“What do you feel like doing right now?”

Two Face heaved a sigh. “Hiding in the kitchen. Going for a smoke. Leaving. Worse.”

“What do you need?”

“Whatever you’ll give me.” It was as honest as Two Face would let himself be, right now. He’d never felt like he deserved anything from Bruce, and he struggled to ask for it, even when it was small. But he was trying.

Bruce set aside the coffee and moved his arm around Two Face’s shoulders, pulling him in against his chest. The way Two Face sagged into him was nothing short of relieved, hands fluttering against his sides, and then settling, some confidence bleeding back into him with the kiss Bruce pressed to his temple. Bruce sighed at him, fond, pulling Two Face’s thigh across his hips to settle him in more comfortably. “You act like you’re so difficult.”

Two Face grunted against his collar, splaying his hands over Bruce’s ribs. “I can be.”

“You’re not. Not to me.” Bruce rubbed his hand along Two Face’s thigh, setting his cheek on top of his head. “Twos, baby, every part of you, no matter how you feel, is amazing to me. I could spend all day explaining everything I love about you. I’m happy you’re here. I’m proud of how much you’re trying and how much progress you’ve made. And I’ll tell you that as many times as you need me to before you believe it.”

Two Face sighed, shutting his eyes. Slowly, Bruce could feel some of the tension start to bleed out of his shoulders. He kissed Bruce’s collar, and then his neck, hands sliding to squeeze his hips. “I love you.”

Bruce hummed, squeezing him back. Two Face was warm, and the covers were soft. There were worse ways to spend the day than in bed with him.

[blaqueswanzaghouliishiilikeda]

Headcanons for drunk Lestat?

Lestat is a loquacious lush! Very chatty and a performative pleasure to witness. He’s got a lot to say when his inebriation is driving the boat. at best he’s endlessly charming. He’s funny in the retelling of a centuries worth of untapped tea. piping hot too. when he spills he spills. its always stuff you had to be there for and you wish you were the way he’s telling it. He’s been around for a lot and has a lot of bizarre experiences Louis is a living breathing ear for. when he gets into it he’s delightfully clumsy. He can never find the word in english or french for that matter. he cant quite sequence the order of the events. this happened before that. no that was after…ah merde it doesn't matter! He giggles a lot. and he’s sweetly satisfied anytime Louis doubles over in a adorable nose crinkled laughter. it encourages him and he gets real theatrical.

at better than best he’s all that and never a victim of whiskey dick. he fucks like inhibitions was striked from meaning anything all together. banished from being a word they ever knew. he never really needed liquid courage to divulge in the nastiest displays of pleasure. but he fucks into louis like waves crashing on the shore. his stroke is lax and fluid and he goes deep diving for every mellifluous moan he can draw out of Louis. He slurs unabashed appreciation for the pressure and feel of louis with that same level of descriptive wordiness in his story telling only it’s very filthy. hes very horny with it for obvious reasons. you already know, come on

at worst he’s belligerent. he says what he wants anyway but that clumsiness is carelessly callous on this side of the spectrum. he’s quicker to yell and more likely to be a stubborn obstacle to deescalation. he’s always handsy but his physicality is heavier and less controlled. he says things that make Louis clench with anger, or embarrassment or trepidation or all three. the effects of alcohol dehydrates patience from them both. he’s both predictable and unpredictable so Louis knows all the warning signs and the direction where things are headed but its hard to know how to redirect when he gets flush with drunk rage. truly best to stay out of his way. but he never wants Louis to leave him so the countdown to him passing out is what Louis preoccupies his mind with on nights like this.

lil extras:

also i think he sings Louis’ name a lot. he sings a lot in general. but melodically elongating Louis name is his favorite. and singing it over and over. even if louis answers him. hes alway looking to get his attention. its kind if adorable. idk. louis be cheesing too! he try not to. but he’s always beside himself when lestat does this.

also he very specifically calls him pretty. “you’re so pretty. do you know?” in french. in english. every time he lookes at him.

[starjynx]

@barrenstars' Ran was spotted!

The aroma of coffee beans and pumpkin spiced baked goods hung heavy in the air as Yuzuha entered the cafe. The season change seemed to put her in a good mood. She gently slid her headphones off her ears to let them hang around her neck with some soft humming to the tune of the song she last listened to on her way here. Eyes delightfully looking up at the menu as she got in line. But her gaze kept flicking over from the menu to the tall guy in front of her. 

She recalled what Emma said just the other day to Yuzuha. About how autumn brings out the fashionable hot guys, or something like that. Yuzuha mostly remembered how the girls agreed over how attractive guys can be when they wear long coats & colder weather attire. A subtle rosy shade dusted the girl's face now as she took in this guy's appearance. She can appreciate the jeans and boots combination. His long hair gave even more charm. She just hoped he wouldn't turn around to find her blatantly checking him out, that'd be embarrassing.

Luckily it didn't take long for the line to move forward & she was able to order her usual autumn favorites. Now she just had to get through waiting for her coffee & muffin, hand reaching to fish her phone out of her pocket to text Emma about how right she was about the season. She had been so preoccupied with her conversation with Emma that when the barista called her name Yuzuha without properly looking just grabbed the first drink her hand felt on the counter. Eyes staying glued to her phone's screen with a small smile, but as she walked away & her lips took a drink of the beverage the taste caught her by surprise. This was definitely not what she ordered & glanced down at the cup to see a different name written across it. A spin on her heels almost led her to collide into the woman behind her who was also heading for the cafe's door. ❝ I'm so sorry! Excuse me. ❞ an awkward apology as she scanned the other coffee cups around the cafe. 

Relief found her when she noticed partial scribbling of her name across a coffee cup on a table close to the counter. Only issue was it was in possession of the individual she had been texting Emma about noticing while in line. Just her luck. As she slid her phone back into her pocket she casually strolled over to his table & waved a hand in front of him in hopes of capturing his attention. An awkward smile graced her features & a soft chuckle to boot with the greeting. ❝ Um, hi. I'm so sorry to interrupt you. I think we accidentally grabbed each other's orders. ❞ She turned the cup of coffee in her hand around to display the name scrawled across it.

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: Reflective and Thoughtful Reads

Activities of Daily Living by Lisa Hsiao Chen

How do we take stock of a life - by what means, and by what measure? This is the question that preoccupies Alice, a Taiwanese immigrant in her late thirties. In the off-hours from her day job, Alice struggles to create a project about the enigmatic downtown performance artist Tehching Hsieh and his monumental, yearlong 1980s performance pieces. Meanwhile, she becomes the caretaker for her aging stepfather, a Vietnam vet whose dream of making traditional Chinese furniture dissolved in alcoholism and dementia.

As Alice roots deeper into Hsieh’s radical use of time - in one piece, the artist confined himself to a cell for a year; in the next, he punched a time clock every hour, on the hour, for a year - and his mysterious disappearance from the art world, her project starts metabolizing events from her own life. She wanders from subway rides to street protests, loses touch with a friend, and tenderly observes her father’s slow decline.

Moving between present-day and 1980s New York City, with detours to Silicon Valley and the Venice Biennale, this vivid debut announces Lisa Hsiao Chen as an audacious new talent. Activities of Daily Living is a lucid, intimate examination of the creative life and the passage of time.

The Poet’s House by Jean Thompson

Carla is stuck. In her twenties and working for a landscaper, she’s been told she’s on the wrong path by everyone - from her mom, who wants her to work at the hospital, to her boyfriend, who is dropping not-so-subtle hints that she should be doing something that matters.

­Then she is hired for a job at the home of Viridian, a lauded and lovely aging poet who introduces Carla to an eccentric circle of writers. At first she is perplexed by their predilection for reciting lines in conversation, the stories of their many liaisons, their endless wine-soaked nights. Soon, though, she becomes enamored with this entire world: with Viridian, whose reputation has been defined by her infamous affair with a male poet, Mathias; with Viridian’s circle; and especially with the power of words, the “ache and hunger that can both be awakened and soothed by a poem,” a hunger that Carla feels sharply. When a fight emerges over a vital cache of poems that Mathias wrote about Viridian, Carla gets drawn in. But how much will she sacrifice for a group that may or may not see her as one of their own?

A delightfully funny look at the art world - sometimes petty, sometimes transactional, sometimes transformative - The Poet’s House is also a refreshingly candid story of finding one’s way, with words as our lantern in the dark.

Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black 

As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob's tumultuous relationship with Isaac's mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob's role as a father and his reaction to Isaac's being gay.

But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.

With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is compulsively readable, Don't Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love's hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.

Three Rooms by Jo Hamya 

“A woman must have money and a room of one’s own.” So said Virginia Woolf in her classic A Room of One’s Own, but in this scrupulously observed, gorgeously wrought debut novel, Jo Hamya pushes that adage powerfully into the twenty-first century, to a generation of people living in rented rooms. What a woman needs now is an apartment of her own, the ultimate mark of financial stability, unattainable for many.

Set in one year, Three Rooms follows a young woman as she moves from a rented room at Oxford, where she’s working as a research assistant; to a stranger’s sofa, all she can afford as a copyediting temp at a society magazine; to her childhood home, where she’s been forced to return, jobless, even a room of her own out of reach. As politics shift to nationalism, the streets fill with protestors, and news drip-feeds into her phone, she struggles to live a meaningful life on her own terms, unsure if she’ll ever be able to afford to do so.

[yggdrasilushxrt]

Dim as an Ember

“Ratatoskr!” Dvalinn vaulted over the mossy boulder to approach the fellow Spirit, braids bouncing around her shoulders. The Currier’s golden hues landed on the Hart and he grinned. His arms opened in greeting. 

“Dvalinn! My favorite little doe! I knew those braids would look beautiful on you!” A chuckle left him as one of his arms was captured in a hug, “They soften your face so delightfully. Mortals will find you quite approachable now.” 

“Heh, you were right. The children weren’t as put off as they were before.” Dvalinn released her embrace just long enough to reposition herself to have their arms linked.

“Any luck finding clues about your siblings? New memories about them?” The question made her deflate a little, “I’m afraid not on either front. It’s possible they’re not on Midgard. I could ask Heimdall for a Bifrost to other-”

“Heimdall has been a bit preoccupied lately. You should keep working on perfecting your Bifrost skills- that’ll be key to finding the other Harts.” The Squirrel flicked his tail to brush at her face, “For now, though, there is a midwinter solstice festival to visit. Got to have a little fun every once in a while.”

Dvalinn was briefly hesitant to drop the matter, but the charming smile did well to put her worries to rest for the time being. “A bit of dancing and mead couldn’t hurt.”

“That’s my little doe! Let’s go dance and be merry!”

[tvstarkuma-a]

“And with that cookies are done!”

"Wahoo! Cookie time!"

Teddie had tried his best to be patient while the cookies were being prepared. He switched between multiple channels to take away his attention from the baked treats to no avail. His eyes and ears may have been preoccupied, but his nose kept smelling cookies. Every minute that passed only exuberated the smell. They were baking delightfully well.

Throughout the day he kept getting kicked out of he kitchen. Supposedly the type of cookies was supposed to be a surprise. But helping bake cookies was the fun part! Besides eating them, that is. Even while they were baking there always seemed to be watchful eyes ready to turn away hungry bears.

When Hana finally announced their completion, Teddie ran into the kitchen as fast s his feet could carry him. If anyone in this household was getting the first warm bite, it was him.

"Hana-chan, I've been waiting patiently for oh so long! Everything ever since my eyes woke up to this beautiful day have led up to this moment." He had a bounce in his step as he stood close enough to the tray to acquire a close look at the treats, "Can we eat now?"