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blackenchanting · 2 years

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Welcome to ravens borough episode 9

Somewhere in the unheard of town of Raven's Borough…

The contents of this story are nsfw therefore not for children

In Foggy Rock

A tag sat that said police chief Robin on it. As a feminine hand flipped it over to not be viewed as

Robin sat sleep deprived with his head on his desk surrounded by missing reports for Salein as the bell to the building rang singling some had entered.

".. welcome to foggy rock police department. Our job is to make sure everyone goes home safely at night. How can I help you?" Robin said

"We hit a snag while investigating Lucy's. Need a warrant." Rob said.

"..cool just put it on the file over there." Robin said gesturing his head to it.

"I'll read it eventually" Robin added

"Hey, we'll get whatever closure we can provide." Eva said, noticing Robin's demeanor.

"What's the point?" Robin asked.

"Hey, something happened didn't it?" Rob asked, putting the file where it was supposed to go.

"...probably.." Robin replied.

"Tell us. We're here to help. We took the investigation because it's what we do."" Eva said.

"I guess.. I just thought things would be different this time.. that maybe I could actually find one…. But nope I'm a failure as always" Robin said

"Well, you're not. You're Robin, the light in the dark. Now, tell me what happened." Rob said, putting his hands on the desk.

"I just wanna find her dammit." Robin said

"Who?" Rob asked.

"How long?"Eva asked.

"Any leads on where?" Eva asked.

"She doesn't deserve this.. she's mute and deaf… she has the whole world against her… if anyone deserves to be found.. it's her..." Robin said

"Then we should get looking huh? We'll find her. Or at least, get some leads that you can have others look into." Rob said.

"Gah.." Robin grunted standing up from his desk, his eyes were bloodshot and he clearly hadn't slept in days.

"Hey, let us help look for her. We'll do what we can to make sure she gets home." Rob said. As Robin walked over to the door and turned

"..I have been called. And I will ..answer always.." Robin said leaving them behind

"Not alone you won't." Rob said as he and Eva went after him.

On the other side of town

Ameila slowly walked through the foggy town, a thing she hadn't done since she left. She came to a familiar bus stop as she stopped

"Been awhile.. how have you been? '' she said walking up to the gate for silver oak university which was shut with a sign on the front that said condemned. Climbing over the fence she made her way through the courtyard which had majorly fallen into disrepair in the last few years. The brick pathways have cracked and fallen apart and the lanterns were smashed to bits as she came to a stop at the place she'd met yuko. She looked up remembering back a young Ameila did a little satisfactory twirl in the street when with a thud she fell back against the pavement..

"Yeah.. first impressions and what not" Ameila said moving on through the streets of silver oak as the empty and abandoned place brought her chills out of a whole university of students only two survived.. or so she believed.

"I guess through all the darkness and stuff I kinda forgot how beautiful this school used to be," Ameila said, looking around as her thoughts flashed before her eyes pictureing Ruby standing alone at the end of the road in front of her.

".. I'm sorry I don't know why I didn't say anything" Ameila said as her vision flashed red remembering all the memories she had here as she continued walking along Yuko flashed across her mind the bird girl who had an obsession with her. She walked over to the old convenience store as the doors opened allowing her entrance, surprisingly it was still open despite the school closing. She remembered how it was said to have everything you needed. But she quickly moved along passing the rundown theater as she made her way up the stairs and around the bed to a door With a creak she opened the door to her old apartment. The couch and bed were still there but the room was empty. As she sat down on the bed and took a sigh.

"My first day in this room I said this would be home for the next few years… never felt so wrong in my life." Amelia said to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on the ajar door.

“Hello? knock knock?” A familiar voice called out.

"Huh? Come in." Amelia said.

“It’s only me.” Ruby said with a sorrowful chirp in her voice.

"Ah.. hi." Amelia said, staring up at the ceiling.

“I saw you earlier and… I thought maybe we could hang out.” Ruby said.

"Cool," Amelia said, holding a thumbs up.

“I… also have my sister waiting outside, she… um, she refused to let me walk alone in the fog.” Ruby said, slightly embarrassed.

"I can't say I blame her considering." Amelia said.

“I’m not fifteen anymore though and even if I was, we both know I can handle it.” Ruby said.

"I know you're not fifteen your twenty three and you have a nice ass but still I'm glad that there are people who care about you" Amelia said sitting up.

“And I’m the less rounded one of the two of us.” Ruby said before laughing.

"I'd eat you for a snack however I'm taken by the vice mayor's daughter.. and I'd rather not screw that one up so I guess I'm just the tease today" Ameila said.

“While we’re in the university grounds, would you like to go into the main building itself? Maybe even find our old classrooms.” Ruby suggested.

“Yo Rubes, you’ve been in there a while, everything alright?” A voice called from downstairs.

“I’m fine! Don’t worry!” Ruby called back.

"Heh Rubes, that's cute but honestly kid.. I can barely stomach being in this room.. I can't imagine the pain of going through the school…" Ameila said.

“If we’re together, we can stomach it… it’s nothing we haven’t managed before and this time there won’t be a crazy person hunting us .” Ruby assured, placing her hand on Amelia’s shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"If I weren't taken I'd grab that hand and cuff it behind your back. And fuck your ass dry.." Ameila said, licking her lips like a cat.

“D-Don’t say things like that, my sister is downstairs and can probably hear you!” Ruby replied embarrassed.

"What's the matter, Yah , scared?" Ameila said, taking her hand up Ruby's ass and putting her on the bed.

"Don't be the kitty, don't bite.. well she does but only if you ask" Amelia said licking her lips.

“A-A little. But mostly about being caught and that you’re already taken. Ruby said.

"Fair enough." Amelia said,

“I’m not sure if I could live with myself if I ruined your relationship.” Ruby said. While Amelia rubbed her behind.

"Mate i wouldn't portray a soul even in the event that we did fuck." Amelia said.

“Is it alright if I let my sister come in? She’s probably getting bored out there on her own.” Ruby said.

"Maybe" Ameila said, continuing to mess with Ruby's booty, taking her fingers up and down her gluteal cleft of her panties.

“A-Are you sure you want to do it here? With the bad memories of the past. Ruby said, starting to get wet from the teasing.

"How cute she's wet. you up for a quickie? Or do you really wanna get into it hehe?" Ameila asked.

“Quick. So we aren’t walked in on.” Ruby said, her breaths getting heavier.

"As you wish ma'am" Ameila said, flipping her over on her back and throwing her legs up over head.

“Please be gentle though… it’s my first.” Ruby replied.

"I was just gonna eat you out but if you wanna go that far." Ameila said, smoothly sliding her panties up around her feet.

“If we’re doing this, we might as well go all the way.” Ruby said.

"Oooh I like you already," Ameila said, spreading Ruby.

“I-I’m a little nervous… but I know I’m in good hands.” Ruby said to reassure herself.

"I'd have been funnier if you said you're in good hand… because you know" Ameila said lifting up her prosthetic limb.

“I know… but it just didn’t slip my mind at the time.” Ruby replied.

"Understandable" Ameila said licking her ass

Ruby let out a gasp and her body tensed as Amelia made the first move on her.

"Mhhhh." Ameila moaned as she continued licking.

“I-I didn’t expect you… to lick there!” Ruby exclaimed between moans.

"What can I say, I'm an ass person" Ameila said, continuing to lick l.

“I can tell you… have done this a lot.” Ruby said while trying to find something to muffle herself.

"Only about six years." Ameila said, giving it a sloppy kiss.

“Mffh!” Ruby moaned, choosing to use her hand to quiet herself.

"Tasty." Ameila said.

“Yknow, if you told me this is what ya were gonna be be doing sis, I would’ve left and gone solo explorin’ while ya have fun.” an unfamiliar voice said to the two.

Ameila made a scared cat sound and leaped out the window

*********

The sign for the hearts of steel flickered and buzzed as Rob, Eva and Robin walked down the stairs and entered. The bar was packed with people as the music shook the room and lights spun. They made their way over to the bar not expecting to find Katelyn behind the counter.

"Well that's unexpected." Rob said.

"Where's Ameila? Is she alright?" Eva asked.

"Boss said she was going to foggy rock earlier but hasn't come back yet. But as the hearts of steels sleazy manger it's my duty to pour the drinks when she's gone" Katelyn said

"Fair enough." Rob said.

"Hope she's alright. We're here to take a short break." Eva said.

"Welcome to the hearts of steel, your one stop shop for all the paranormal and unexplainable shenanigans." Katleyn said.

"Well that's at least fitting considering our jobs and occasional pass time." Rob said.

"What will it be.. a beer mug of our finest. Or one of our specialties" Katelyn asked.

"Mug." Eva said.

"Same." Rob said.

"Two beer mugs and a full metal alchemist" Katelyn said looking at Robin as she walked away.

"Interesting. So whatcha thinking so far Robin?" Rob asked.

"She already told you." Robin said sitting down on his usual stool

"Not about the drinks. Kinda figured that last one was yours." Rob said.

"I'm thinking I'ma drink the night away and try and fail to pick up a chick for company" Robin said

"Fair. I mean I could be your wingman if you need me to." Rob said.

"Last time that happened you two ended up dating." Eva joked.

"I don't need a wingman. I never did I just need to find someone who likes my style" Robin said

"I'm sure you will sooner or later." Rob said.

With a clack two beer mugs were placed on the bar as foam slid down the side both of which were vintage looking with a chevy belair stamped on the front.

"Of course she has vintage cars on her mugs." Rob said grabbing one as Eva grabbed the other.

"And for my favorite perverted asshat a full metal alchemist" Katelyn said sitting in down In front of Robin

"Heh… you always did have a way with words" Robin said picking it up

"Cute." Eva said, taking a sip from her mug.

The contents where strong

"I know I'm cute you don't have to tell me" Katelyn said as the phone rang.

"If it's another fuckin haunted call I'm shooting that fuckin phone." Rob said.

Katelyn walked over and picked it up

"Katelyn's house of horror you grab em we stab em" she said

"I like it. If only we were allowed to answer the phone like that…" Eva said.

"It's for you" Katelyn said handing the phone to them

"Huh?" Rob said, taking the phone and putting it to his ear. Only the sound of clicking could be heard

"Hello." A familiar ai voice said

"What do you need?" Rob said.

"I am calling in regards to seven fifty eight darkwatterton road one nine seven four code named Lucy's Outlaw SteakHouse" it said

"Right, what about it?" Rob asked.

"For your own safety.. Losh inc has requested you never step foot here again" it said.

"Well that was quick. Understood." Rob said.

"We mean you no harm however you have no idea what you're getting involved with" it said

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Guess that's it then huh?" Rob said.

"Failure to comply will result in the suing of a multi million dollar company.. that we know you won't survive" it said

"I get the point." Rob said.

"You may still drop by for steak. But if you're caught trespassing on an investigation you know what will happen" it said

"Yeah. I get the fuckin point. No need to keep the threats going." Rob said, handing the phone back to Katelyn.

"Thank you and remember to smile. You.. are the face of northwest's best western desternation in america" it's muffled voice said hanging up

"Well. In short. We're not allowed to investigate Lucy's anymore under threat of being sued. And I need to talk to someone about that place anyway." Rob said.

"I called in about a warrant. but they said it was unimportant so the earliest you can except it is december" Robin said

"Understandable. So until then this investigation is shelved. Or if the place gets nuked or something, whichever happens first." Eva said.

"Don't look at me I'm just a police officer" Robin said

"Yeah, guess we'll wait for other cases. Though they're clearly hiding something. But that's not our concern for the time being." Rob said.

"Yeah! Let's unwind and try not to think about the corporate bullshit that just happened." Eva said, raising her mug as a short brown haired woman in a suit walked past katelyn.

"Aye. Let's have some fun." Rob said.

"Oh! Drink idea, a chocolate milkshake with chocolate liqueur and coco puffs blended with the milkshake." Eva said.

"Yeah that makes sense that you'd come up with it you chocolate fiend." Rob said with a chuckle.

"We have something like that. But I can't make it" Katelyn said

"Well then, I'll have to get Ameila to make it later." Eva said.

"Sure" Katelyn said as the brown haired girl walked over with a rag over her shoulder like a traditional bartender

"Got a premium customer over here." She said as her beautiful blue eyes glanced at the two detectives

"I see" Katelyn said crouching down behind the counter

"They ordered the scarlet overkill" the matured business like bartender said

"Someone's compensating" Katelyn said pulling up a fancy spiral shot glass up and handing it to her who then walked away with it

"Scarlet overkill?" Rob asked.

******

Outside the El Camino smashed through a set of trash cans coming to a stop behind the Impala. As Ameila laid back in her seat, making a sigh, placing her hand on the door and opening it as she got out. Pushing the door closed as she walked through the alley towards the staircase she quickly changed into her barmaid outfit and made her way down the stairs and into the bar

"Ah my favorite lady's" Ameila said slapping both Katelyn and the other bar maids asses as she made her way down the bar

"Ah! There's my favorite cat girl." Rob said.

"Ameila! You just missed my drink idea." Eva said.

"I'm sure it was glorious" Ameila said

"Chocolate. Lots of chocolate." Eva said.

"Ah…." Ameila said

"Chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream,coco puffs and vodka. Blended together." Eva said.

"I see.." Ameila said grabbing a few Ingredients from the fridge below her as she whipped something up in a few minutes

"Behold my mom's secret signature chocolate liquor" she said pouring some in a triangular wine glass

"Oooo." Eva said.

"And there's your Marshmallows" Ameila said dropping them in

"I love it." Eva said.

"So what'd you get up to?" Rob asked as Eva eagerly drank her drink.

"Went back to foggy rock to find the part of me I lost back in silver oak university" Ameila said

"Did you find it?" Eva asked.

"I don't think I'd be here if I had…" Ameila said

"Fair enough. Well, if it's any consolation, glad you're back. And I'm sure you'll find something better than what you lost in time." Rob said.

"Doubt it but anyway I'ma go so you guys have fun" Ameila said walking off as the brown haired woman came over she threw her rag over her shoulder and planted herself In front of them with her hand on the side of her face.

"And you are?" Rob asked.

"I'm the real sleazy manager" her very mature voice said

"Name. The writers have trouble describing strangers for long." Rob said, sipping his drink.

"You can call me Cylis" she said

"That's a very unique name." Eva said.

"I also go by Cy." Cylis said

"So how'd you end up working here?" Rob asked.

"Honestly I didn't know there were other bartenders given Ameila's love of drink making." Eva said.

"We're on rotation. I'm always around your just early" Cylis explained

"Ah. Makes sense." Rob said as Cylis placed her rag over her shoulder like a traditional bartender

"I pour the drinks and listen to your tale of woe Basically, I’m for anything that gets you through the night be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniel’s…" Cylis said taking her hand over the shaved side of her head

"Makes sense." Eva said.

"Can I get you two a refill?" Cylis asked as Ameila walked past her stopping. As she slowly backed up to look at the photo of Ava on the shelf.

"... Yeah I'm a horrible person" Ameila said walking away

"Definitely could use one." Eva said.

"No. You're not." A voice said to Ameila.

"Oh you're too kind" Ameila said.

"Hard not to be, eh full metal." The voice said followed by the sounds of a metal arm moving around.

Ameila came to a stop recognizing the sound as she froze in place

"You look like you've seen a ghost." A chubby partly see through bearded man with a robotic right arm said, stepping into her view.

"Too many of late" Ameila said getting woozy

"Well, I wish I could catch you but as you can see, I can't touch shit. But, I'm here to tell you that you gotta stop blaming yourself. Things happen. Love is a weird thing." The ghost said.

"I'll never stop blaming myself" Ameila said

"You can. You just gotta learn to love yourself." The ghost said.

"You misunderstand the fact that I don't blame myself for your death. I couldn't have known Yuko was gonna kill you. I blame myself for kai's death because I did know had I said something then at least id have the satisfaction of being able to say I tried. But you wouldn't understand that because you're my subconscious!" Ameila said

"And yet. You still can do something about. There's two detectives over there and theor friends with the fuckin police Chief, you tell them everything you'll probably get off relatively free. Maybe a long night of questions but otherwise you'll probably be fine." The ghost said with a reassuring smile.

"Mate I just cheated on my future wife I've got more important things on my mind then a Psycho bird with a knife" Ameila saidb

"Then focus on staying faithful." The ghost said.

".. ah god dammit not again.." Ameila said as her vision went black

"Welp. Looks like I gotta get back to haunting a psycho bitch bird." The ghost vanished while Ameilas body cracked against the floor as she bled out to Mary on a cross played in the background and Rob and Eva rushed over to Ameila.

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hmspogue · 3 years

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Outer Banks season 2 Official Trailer shot-by-shot rundown

A comprehensive post where I scream about analyze the entire trailer frame by frame for clues, theories, and plot. Just my own opinions and general tin foil-hatting

These are screenshots from Netflix’s trailer for Outer Banks season 2. I do not claim or own any of these.

note: this post is tagged as a long post if you wish to avoid having to scroll until your thumbs break.

“My old man used to tell me, ‘it’s best to never say you’ve hit rock bottom’.”

(Putting all of these shots together since they’re scenes we already know but-) Holy shit, okay let’s just....start off like this I guess, damn.

“'Trust me’, he said...”

Kiara looking back and forth between the boys like this really just feeds the headcanon I have that her form of grief this season is going to be her trying to hold it together for their sakes (and eventually just snapping).

JJ just looks fucking furious someone give these kids a hug? I already know this scene is going to ruin me.

“You can always go...”

JJ back working at the hotel. He looks literally so angry again in this scene I could see him self destructing at work and losing his job? (Please do not be isolating yourself you beautiful son of a bitch even though I know you’re going to).

Pope in the Twinkie (costuming wise they all are in warmer looking clothes for some of the shots, so just confirming it’s a little bit into the school year when this all takes place).

“Lower”

Big John was real big into pep talks, I see. (seriously can you imagine Big John having this conversation with like 8 year old John B after he fucking dropped his ice cream cone or some shit I shouldn’t be laughing).

I’m just-

These poor kids, I wanna know how the police all the way down in the Bahama’s knew about them?

Their calves....

“RUN!”

Are going to be so fucking jacked by the end of this season I stg.

Fuck you.

“The gold from the Royal Merchant....it’s here.”

For a while, I had thought that maybe they didn’t even make it to the Bahama’s at the front of the season and ended there (because everyone had been filming in there). But I guess they’re going to be making two trips.

If I were a bird from this POV I’d shit right on that house no questions asked.

oooooh ho hokay. Just so we’re clear. Ward Cameron not only get away with murder and about two dozen other felonies, but-

“Half a billion.”

HE STILL FINDS THE GOLD IN THE CRAIN HOUSE AND GETS TO KEEP IT?

Not the polo with the snap back, I just know this man has a playlist called Sad Boi Hours that is just Juice WRLD’s top 5 songs on Spotify and he tells his friends they wouldn’t know the underground artists he listens to.

Sh, you have lost screaming privileges. Go inside and take a nap maybe.

“John B, we are fugitives in a foreign country.”

So, previously, I was talking about how I was confused how they would still be trying to find him is everyone thought he was dead, but here the wanted poster clearly says “presumed lost at sea”. I think that will be interesting to see how the Pogues all interpret that.

Especially because they already had a memorial for John B and everything, I wonder if there will be any part of the Pogues holding out hope that they both could still be out there OUCH.

I’m going to circle back to this, but it looks like John B and Sarah are going to get separated for a little while in this man hunt, I could see my idiot himbo son trying to sacrifice himself so Sarah can get away but in reality just....stranding her.

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?”

Oh, sweetie....

“Well, Sarah Cameron, I do stupid things all the time without realizing it.”

The volume of his self awareness is astronomical. sir, that is your whole character summed up in your own words.

GOD, IT’S ME AGAIN. PLEASE LET THEM LEAN INTO COMPLETE HIMBO JOHN B THIS SEASON I’LL DO ANYTHING-

nyyooooOOOOOOOOOOOOM-

“Hold on!”

The complete abject terror I would feel having John Booker Routledge driving get-away and then saying the words “Hold on” while reaching fro the gear shift? The english language fails me.

Sarah, bestie, I’m so sorry.

I just wanna know-

what the plan or objective was in this situation. What was the reason for being this dramatic.

Rest in piss, bozo <3

“Ward’s still out there...”

Okay, same conversation they were having as before. I wonder what makes them decide they need to get back to the OBX for this tho.

“I can clear my name. This can all be over in one shot.”

It looks like Topper watching this but way more concerningly, correct me if I’m wrong but this 100% looks like....John B gets caught. And the DEATH PENALTY?! He did have a mug shot for the fliers in s1 and the one above but he was never brought in? Plus he just looks super dirty and dishevled in this one so I-

Jail break anyone?

I also still want to know if they’re going to go with a Topper redemption arc this season. like, does he know more than he should just from being around Rafe and his big fat mouth? Is he going to help out the Pogues even if it’s just for Sarah?

This shot just suddenly made me really sad. The thought of this all started because Big John left one last thing for his son to find, his literal life’s work. And when it all started, it was just a fun adventure John B and his best friends were going on together and having fun with. Then it all got dragged to absolute shit and turned into what it did, including the remaining 3 Pogues thinking that this treasure hunt took their two best friends away from them. And it’s nothing like Big John intended it to be.

Why my eyes wet?

Now we’re edging into what I was talking about earlier with John B and Sarah getting separated.

“If you think there is anything I wouldn’t do...”

Once again, John B is no where to be found. Also, just in case y’all didn’t already know or forgot Ward is an actual psychopath.

I believe this one of the new character, played by Jontavious Johnson (Stubbs). Based on the voice over it lowkey sounds like they’re implying Ward maybe hired Stubbs and Cleo to find and bring Sarah back. My theory would be I bet they do go to retrieve her, but she somehow convinces them that it would be more beneficial for them in the end to be on the Pogue’s side instead.

Miss Girl you gotta be keeping your head on a SWIVEL. Especially when you’re a FUGITIVE of the LAW-

“...you haven’t been paying attention.”

My guy, who are you clarifying this for?

It’s what you deserve for monologuing.

in all seriousness, the idea of them coming to face to face with Ward in Nassau after thinking they finally escaped him is genuinely terrifying.

“SARAH!”

It kind of looks like they’re either hiding their faces or covering their noses? I don’t know maybe it was from some tactic to get away from Ward.

What did I literally jsut say about yelling privileges, you unhinged mother fucker?

“I’m calling the shots now. I’m driving.”

The following progression of scenes made me actually snort-

“I can’t drive stick.”

PLEASE THE FINGER GUNS LAUNCHED ME INTO ORBIT I LOVE THEM, YOUR HONOR.

Alright, so now it looks like we’re in Charleston. This is the same scene with Heyward’s truck that got leaked from BTS (read: JJ and Kie shoulder touch).

One of the main things that stuck out to me in the following scenes which, you will see, is it lowkey looks like Pope is kind of heading up this part of the operation, or even going in alone? The following clips are just very Pope focused.

I don’t know what it means, it’s just an observation.

“John B was not the only one that Ward double-crossed.”

LIMBRY-

Bro, we have been hearing about this woman for literal months and I just have....so many questions?

Who the hell is she? How is she connected to Ward? Why is she in South Carolina instead of the OBX? How do the Pogues even learn about her and how to track her down? How is she meant to “help” them? GAH I JUST WANNA KNOOOW. I already know I don’t trust her though and no I will not be offering up supporting evidence.

Sir, that is my son please unhand him.

“I think you know what I want.”

.......no? But feel....free to explain yourself?

The print on the paper is the same one that’s on the ceiling tiles in the following scene. Obviously, with a key on it that most likely goes to the place a few shots from now.

Hell yeah, son, let’s get SLEUTHING.

“The treasure belongs to the Pogues.”

DAMN STRAIGHT.

Bestie’s I’m not going to lie, I stared at this frame for a solid 10 minuets and I have no idea what it says on there I’m sorry. Someone in the comments is welcome to enlighten us.

“We gotta find it first.”

I can’t tell if that’s just dirt or if he hurt his head? But he look GOOD right now for one thing. For another, same outfit as the one in the Twinkie from the beginning of the trailer.

Look at her. LooK AT HER! LOOK! AT! HER! I MISSED HER SO MUCH even in that damn smiley face top that continues to haunt my waking hours she is in it so much and it stresses me out for literally no good reason I’m sorry-

I could literally cry right now and I think that speaks volumes to how little we actually see him genuinely happy. Have I mentioned how much I love that red hat?

Also, probably not that important, but this is not from the same scene as the shots of Pope and Kiara were. This is from the next one-

“Woogity-woogity?”

“Give me some woogity, baby!”

Yeah, this pushed me over the fucking edge, the way that they’re actually happy and laughing? The fact that they kept woogity-woogity and made it A Thing? Yes.

I am, however, going to be intentionally ignoring what appears to be the very intentional stagingof having such an obvious space between where Kiara and Pope are sitting adn where JJ sits, even including the level they’re sitting on because I don’t have the emotional capacity to face those implications right now. Thank you for your time.

Yes yeeeeEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

GIVE ME ALL OF THE SCENES OF THEM ACTUALLY GETTING TO BE TEENAGERS AND JUST BREATHE AND LAUGH AND HAVE A GOOD TIME AND NOT BE RUNNING FOR THEIR FUCKING LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!

before Rafe comes in and literally starts shooting because they can’t breathe for more than 7 seconds but we’ll....get to that.

They refer to Sarah as a Pogue this season or I burn Netflix to the ground. Your move, Jonas.

50 bucks says John B is driving the Twinkie again for the first time since being back.

I deadass think the Pogues JUST got Sarah and John B back and they’re just having the time of their life. Kie was in her smiley face outfit when Pope was in this one a few clips ago, and I still hold to the belief that that one still they released of JJ and Kie hopping over a fence is the Pogue reunion so-

Ward? I have no idea what he’s looking at behind the wall paper and I’ll be so honest I don’t care my eyes are only seeing Pogue content right now.

“This is a map of the whole island.”

This fit, when will John B learn how to operate buttons, stay tuned for season 5. Also my previous theory of this being their reunion outfits and stuff because Pope is in the back in the same jacket as before.

The plot thickens and so has JJ’s hair, Rudy drop the shampoo brand.

Please, dear God, tell me they’re back in the sex church. For @jiaaraa sake.

Kiara, your Madison is showing.

Okay, I really did try but all I can make out is Something to the tomb begin something something.

You’re welcome.

I am no expert but I do not believe boats operate on land.

John B looks like he is in the same outfit here that is in his mug shot we saw on the TV screen so I have a sneaking suspicion this is where he gets caught.

“John B is back-”

Once again with the damn sexual tension that’s always between Barry and Rafe in every scene they do are we about to kiss right now?

“-it’s him or me.”

First of all, no.

Second of all, I’m just....so very confused about this time line this season. It kind of looks like Ward and Rafe follow and find Sarah and John B in Nassau (unless those scenes by the truck were actually back in the OBX). So did they....go to Nassau, then just come right back when they did? I’m just confused.

Put that thing back where it came from or so help me.

Literally when will you stop at this point I am begging you.

This looks like the same scene the Pogues were, ya know, literally just having a good time at so fuck me, I guess.

Yeah, no, it’s going to be a no from me, I’m just going to pretend like I’m not seeing this and moving on.

I have simply no idea what is going on here or who that is on the bike but maybe JJ? Maybe Luke even? I think that’s JJ’s bike.

The sewer scene. The SEWER SCENE-

For months sicne that tiktok leaked this damn scene has been genuinely all I could think about. So (obviously) it seems like they’re sending Kie down into the sewer to go do seomthing and things go horribly, horribly wrong.

If you haven’t seen the tiktok, essentially all it was was JJ and Pope screaming and trying to lift up the man hole cover while Kie is begging for them to hurry from inside. I’m cheating a little bit as this isn’t a shot from the trailer but this picture was posted and it’s from the same scene.

I’ll just....leave this here. Back to the trailer shots.

Nice. Also, same shirt as mugshot.

Hey, um, what?

Kiara’s car, she’s driving, I can’t tell who’s in the back seat or the front.

Holy God what is going on and how can I as an audience member put a stop to it?

So, same scene as we will see and was in the teaser but, for some reason, they’re all jumping off of a giant ass boat into the little life raft where it looks like JJ gets hurt later but don’t you worry we’re getting to that.

JJ AND KIARA WITH THE POGUE HANDSHAKE JJ AND KIARA WITH THE POGUE HANDSHAKE THEY BOTH LOOK SO DAMN GOOD AND THEIR LITTLE SMILES SPARE ME-

Cleo 🥵

I’m so excited to see her arc and what it brings this season you guys have no idea.

Please for the love of God be about to get Ward Cameron’s ass like he deserves literally punt him into jail right from Tanny Hill.

Sarah at My Druther’s with what looks like a bloody bandage on her side? Same outfit she’s wearing when they’re running from the police on the beach and she has the bandage there too so. Interesting.

Topper hugging who I’m pretty sure is Sarah, being a general douche because he’s clearly looking at John B like 😏

Clips like these serve to remind me just how many of my worldly posessions I would gladly give up to be able to punch Topper Thorton in the throat one time.

I think this is Cleo jumping off the boat with Pope after John B and Sarah.

Absolutely busting a lung at Pope’s form in this one.

John B and Sarah waiting in the life raft, still Cleo and Pope coming after them. The obvious next question is where are JJ and Kiara. The scene I’m sure you all have been waiting for is coming up and clearly takes place in the life raft as well.

So, I really think JJ and Kie get left for last, something horrible happens as they’re trying to jump (my head instantly goes to JJ maybe like pushing Kie out of the way and getting hit on the head instead or even just some accident).

And, oh my GOD a scene of him falling off the boat after it happens and Kiara diving in after him immediately, having to desperatly try to stop him from sinkingand get to the life raft holy shit-

Girl CATCH HIM?????

Because why wouldn’t this be Rafe’s fault. Part of me wonders if this isn’t related to JJ being hurt.

I am going to try and unpack this as calmly as possible because behind my computer screen I am vibrating at a frequency that could shatter glass but respectfully.

WHAT IN THE FUCK IS TIAUEWFHLAILA

Okay, so scene wise, JJ’s hit his head somehow (probably while he was jumping with Kiara) it looks like and now they’re back on the raft.

In my opinion, this is either:

A) JJ is in really, really bad condition after getting hurt in the jump and they’re not sure he’s going to make it. So this is a “Please stay with me, stay awake, please don’t die” hug OR

B) They very narrowly just avoided a deadly situation (my first thought is JJ hits his head while jumping, passes out in the water, maybe almost drowns but Kie and the others get him onto the life raft in time) and this is more of a “Oh my God, you’re okay, you’re safe now, we’re okay” hug.

I honestly lean more to the second one based on the little bit of Sarah’s face we saw in the background. To me, it almost looked like she was smiling thru tears, which, fits way more with the second option than the first.

Anyways. Moving on before I burst a lung again.

(also, before anyone comes at me, no, I’m not happy JJ is hurt, obviously.

(Once again, arrest outfits). You can still see the bandage but it looks like Sarah’s limping now too so...good Lord give the girl a break maybe?

Everything in this trailer just went to shit so fast I think I have whip lash, can we go back to the Pogues hanging out and being happy now pkease I liked those scenes.

“I get it. You guys are scared.”

“No.”

She’s cute but, uh, hello sewer scene outfits. Seems like them planning to do whatever the hell they were going to do in the sewers but the boys are starting to get cold feet as maybe they should but hind sight is 20/20 I suppose.

“It’s kind of cute.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You should’ve just led with that.”

I will never be able to express how much I adore Pogue banter and general dumbassery and I have a feeling this season will not be lacking in either department

I high key don’t think these two are actually going to be there for this scene to go down but I’ll let it slide this time because-

They do be kinda cute.

It both feels like I’ve been waiting for this damn show for 3 years and also like I just watched season 1 last month explain that to me.

Either way holy shit. I missed this dumb show and these dumb kids so much it physcially hurts and WE GET THEM BACK IN T-MINUS 16 DAYS.

Also. Where The Hell Is Wheezie Cameron And When Will She Have The Rights She Deserves.

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undyingskies · 4 years

Text

With You

request: yes,

“hi okay so i was wondering if when you write more requests and have the time(so no rush whatsoever) if you could write a fic based on i'm only me when i'm with you by taylor swift? in my head it seems like a very owen vibey song BUT write it with any of the JATP cast or character you see fit! thanks! love your work, keep it up!”

a/n: it took me a little to be able to write this but once I got into it I really loved it! I hope you enjoy!

warnings: none

tagged: @mah-gah-lee , give her blog a look she is amazing!

___________________________

It was like any other Friday night; you and your best friend Owen were hanging out as usual. He had dragged you along for one of his last minute adventures, deciding that he refused to do it alone and that you had no choice but to come with him.

It’s not like you would refuse anyways but watching the blonde boy on your porch explain to you why you had to go was too entertaining so you let him go on for a few minutes.

That’s how you ended up driving on the highway to god knows where, with a bag packed in the back seat of Owen’s trunk and driving under the night sky.

You have your leg stretched out against the dashboard, your window open and arm stretched out enjoying the summer air breezing by.

The radio was softly playing in the background as the two of you just enjoy each other’s company, making small talk here and there.

Your heart full and happy, you would be forever grateful for the small town boy that wiggled his way into your life and heart.

After months of Owen being gone, filming his Netflix show you were scared that he would forget about you. You were just a girl from a small town, like him, but you didn’t catch the big break he did.

You smile over at him, grateful that he didn’t forget about you, grateful that he was still your best friend the one you knew everything about . The months and distance between the two of you made you realize your feelings for him and that you never wanted to live without him.

Nobody gets you like him. You don’t know why it took you so long to realize that.

“We’re here.” Owen pulls you from your thoughts, the goofiest smile on your face.

You look out your window to see where you guys were, your jaw drops in awe of it.

Owen had taken you to this lake that you had been talking about for weeks now. You had never been but the moment you found out about it you wanted to go.

You had found it a few months back but refused to go without Owen so you waited until he got home to tell him about it.

Down the bank there was a dock that sat in the middle of the lake. It was decorated with tiny lights; the light was bouncy off the water making it feel like you were in a fairy tale. It was beautiful.

“Ready to go down?” He breaks your trance from the scene in front of you, you nod yes in response.

You hop out of the car, the warm summer breeze feeling like a blanket around you. You stand there for a minute letting the breeze flow by you as it lifts your dress a little, a smile gracing your face.

Owen stands by a few feet away from you smiling at you in admiration. He had loved you for some time now.

He walks up beside you, taking your hand in his and begins to walk down towards the dock.

When you reach the end, Owen pulls out a blanket, some snacks, and a speaker. He sits down and pats the spot beside him, smiling.

You follow his lead and sit next to him. You lay on your back, looking up at the night sky, enjoying the light all the stars provided.

The best part about the small town life is that you can actually see the stars and they lit up the sky.

You smile softly as you hear the song that’s playing through the speaker, “This is my favorite song.”

Owen turns to face you a smile on his face, “I know.” You smile wider at his words.

“You remembered.” You can feel your heart swell at your own words and the thought of Owen thinking of you and purposefully putting this song on the playlist.

“Of course I did, I remember everything about you!”

“Oh really? Everything?” You laugh, “even my secrets, or my deepest fears?” You wiggle your eyebrows at him laughing.

“Oh of course, I have to remember so I can protect you from any Ferris Wheels.” You both laugh and you lean over to smack his chest playfully.

“You better watch it Joyner, don’t think I forgot about yours.”

A comfortable silence follows the end of your conversation, both of just enjoying the warm air and the sound the crickets chirping.

You spend the next few minutes quietly connecting the stars, making pictures out of them.

“You see that one right there?” You point to a section of the stars to the left of you guys, “they kind of look like a heart.”

Owen follows your hand and looks to where you’re pointing. “Dang, you’re right they do!”

“Wait look, that one right there!” He’s the one pointing now, “I think that one’s the big dipper!”

He’s very excited about finding it and you can’t contain the smile on your face watching him.

He turns to look back at you, catching you staring at him. You can feel your cheeks heat up, embarrassed that he caught you.

“You know, I feel like you’re the only person I can be myself with.” His confession not helping the pink tint on your cheeks fade.

“This may sound bad but I can tell when you’re around other people.” Owen feigns a shocked face, laughing at your confession.

“It’s just nobody gets me like you do Y/N.”

You knock your shoulders into his, smiling.

“I can say the same thing about you Joyner.”

He smiles at you, another silence falling over you. As much as you two can enjoy the silence, you can see the wheels turning in his head. His forehead wrinkled in between his eyebrows.

“I don’t think you get what I’m trying to say here Y/N.”

This time you’re the one with the wrinkled eyebrows.

“What do you mean then O?”

“It’s just...” He starts to fumble over his words, nervous at the thought of finally confessing his feelings, “It’s just that I mean it, you’re seriously the only person in this world I feel safe around. You’re the only person who I feel like I can be the real me around and still be loved, I can tell you everything my secrets, my fears, it all. I even cry in front of you without hiding it Y/N. You’re just my person ya know? No one gets me like you.”

A smile makes its way onto your face, his words warming your heart.

“I know O, you’re that same person for me too! That’s why we’re best friends!”

Your words cause Owen to let out a frustrated sigh. He’s pushing himself up to sit, he’s now turned away from you. You can see how tense Owen is, and now you’re confused.

You sit up and sit criss cross just like Owen and place your hand on his back trying to help calm him down.

Owen moves making your hand fall off his back, his actions really confusing now.

“What’s wrong?”

Owen sighs at your words again, he knew sometimes you could be clueless to obvious things but he just hoped this time it wouldn’t be the case.

“You know you drive me crazy like half the time?” He asks turning to look at you, he catches you scrunch up your face at his words, which causes him to laugh softly. “I’m here trying to tell you how I feel and you just think I’m talking about us being best friends.”

Again he lets out a laugh, it’s almost comedic how hard he was trying to tell you about his feelings and how clueless you were about them.

“Your feelings?” Owen turns to look at you again, rolling his eyes at you.

The two of you just sit and stare at each other, the only sound coming from the speaker. It seems like the world around you froze in time with the two of you as you just look at one another.

Owen starts to lean in closer to you, your knees now knocking into each other. You take a breath in and he is so close now that you can smell his cologne. You feel your eyes close for a second enjoying the moment.

Your eyes open though when you feel two warm hands move up and cup your cheeks. Your eyes make contact with his blue ones, you watch as he continues to lean in closer slowly. Your breath catches in your throat as he stops just centimeters from your lips.

Your eyes drop from his to his lips and then back up to his eyes. That’s all it took.

His lips are then on top of yours, moving softly against them. Sparks flying everywhere.

You pull apart softly, your eyes opening slowly as his hands drop from your cheeks and land on your thighs.

“Those feelings.” He whispers out.

You just stare at your best friend shocked. You didn’t expect this or even except him to reciprocate your feelings back. You feel your hand move up to your face and your finger softly trace your bottom lip, basking in the feeling of remembering his lips on yours.

Owen smiles at your actions.

“So?” He says, “Anything?”

Your brain is moving a 100 miles a minute, not knowing how to formulate a sentence. All

your feelings are running through your mind and you can’t seem to get a word out.

Your next move shocked you as much as it did Owen, you lean forehead a little harder than you intended and knock Owen down. Owen on his back and the two of you chest to chest.

Owen let’s out a huff and a laugh at your actions, confused but also entertained.

Then your lips are on his this time. You taking lead this time around, letting your lips move in sync with one another.

You pull apart smiling.

“I’m only me when I’m with you O.”

His smile grows at your words.

“And I’m only me when I’m with you Y/N.”

Then yours lips are pressed together again, the two of you enjoying the moment, enjoying your time together, and enjoying the fact that you both were able to confess your feelings for one another.

You two were meant for each other, like two puzzle pieces that fit together. You were your truest forms when together and you could not be happier being with one another.

#owen patrick joyner #owen joyner #owen x reader #owen joyner imagine #owenjoynerimagines #owen joyner x y/n #owen joyner x reader #owen joyner fic #owen joyner fluff #owen joyner fanfiction #owen joyner one shot #julie and the phantoms #jatp

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midnightmoonkiss · 4 years

Text

The Lure Of Nightfall [2]

Izuku Midoriya X Fem! Reader

Summary: After accidentally flying in on your best friend jerkin his meat to the thought of you, things get out of hand, and you’re thrown into a weekly routine.

WARNINGS!: Voyeurism, Masturbation

Category: Smut, Smut, Pure Smut.

Word Count: 8.7k+

A/N: You all wanted this! >.< I hope I delivered~

Just To Clarify:

This is a continuation!

panties are a bitch.

Part One

Tag List: @zylith-imagines-and-fics @birds-have-teeth @my-bnha-things.

The morning after carried on just as any Sunday would have.

Izuku woke up refreshed and ready to start his daily work out.

The strange bird encounter completely slipped his mind as he ran laps, pushing his legs to run faster and faster with each completed circle.

He was always one to push his limits, always one to ignore the burning in his calves and thighs as his legs became a blur of motion beneath him.

All he could think about was how many laps he had run, and how many more he had to go.

You could only ever push yourself so far. He learned that lesson the hard way not too long ago when he didnt stop running until his legs gave out and a student had to come and get him.

His legs were practically dead weight for the following few hours.

Sighing at the memory, he went on, arm coming up to wipe the sweat from his brow.

It was 9:00AM when he finally finished his workout routine, a little later than he was used to. But who could blame him? He did go to bed later than his schedule recommended, after all.

But..

That wasn’t..

His fault..

He frantically shook his head, scarred palms slapping his redding cheeks as what got him so riled up in the first place flickered through his mind.

He did not need to have such thoughts at this moment.

Heading back to his dorm, he grabbed his shampoo and body wash, as well as a fresh change of clothes before skipping down the steps. He felt gross and sticky with sweat, and he couldn’t wait to feel the rush of water against his skin.

Oh!No one’s here!

He thought happily as he practically skipped into the bathroom, putting his clothes in the locker beside the shower stall he chose.

He hopped into the shower, not bothering to turn the heat on as cold showers always seemed to snap him out of any dirty thoughts. Plus, not only did they help make someone more alert after an intense workout, the cool water always left a heated body feeling much better.

Once done, he quickly dried off and changed, making his way to the sinks to brush and fully dry his thick, damp hair.

Such fluffy hair regrettably required a stay-in conditioner, or else it would look simply dreadful - frizzy hair galore. No one, especially him, wants that. Though it took away that masculine scent of body wash guys apparently are supposed to thrive in, it did make him smell pretty sweet. It all fit together perfectly in a way. Sugar n’ spice made everything nice, right?

As he was spraying the stay-in conditioner, running a wooden comb through the damp, curly green locks, he let his mind wander.

He forgot something, didn’t he?

It felt like he did.

He chewed his pouty bottom lip, eyes narrowing as he let his arms run on autopilot so his thoughts could drift.

He wasn’t usually so forgetful, so what on Earth was he forgetting?

Something the other day, surely.

He didn’t have anything planned today.

Just relax and enjoy life for a second. They didn’t get breaks often, and last Sunday he was at the mall all day with you and his friend group.

You..

What about you?

He felt like you were the key to his confusion and forgetfulness, but why?

He hadn’t had an interaction with you yesterday that would require his immediate attention, so-

Wait.

His movements stopped as he stared wide-eyed at his reflection in the mirror.

Most birds sleep at night, that was common knowledge.

So why the hell was there one on his balcony so late last night.

He dropped his comb, wood clanging loudly onto the floor, the noise echoing around his suddenly deaf ears.

Birds don’t nuzzle fingers.

Birds fly away when a human approaches.

That wasn’t any ordinary bird.

That wasn’t a bird at all, was it?

No.

There was only one person who could turn into a bird..

And that person was..

You.

Oh god.. Oh god, no!

Izuku collapses to his knees, arms wrapping securely around his head as he blushes and whines like a mad man.

You saw him! You had to have seen him!

He was!

He was naked-!

You didn’t… you didn’t see and hear him in the act, right!?

He shakily inhaled, shameful tears blurring his vision.

You heard him moan out your name, didnt you!

You must hate him now! Think he’s disgusting..

What type of person masturbates to their best friend!

But he couldn’t help it!

He’s been in love with you for so long..

He knew his dreams would never come to fruition, that you would never like him as much as he liked you, so he took to his mind to live out a life he’s always wanted.

One his body so desperately craves.

It was so humiliating!

How could he face you..?

Fat tears streamed down his face, heart breaking at the thought of you never speaking to him again. His mind fled to a dark place, completely ignoring the fact that the bird had been so gentle with him and seemingly uncaring.

So, imagine his surprise when you happily greeted him at one of the tables as he walked out of the bathroom for water.

Upon seeing his tear stained face, worry quickly consumed you, face contorting as you jumped up and rushed over to him.

“Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong, ‘Zuku? You were crying?”

You bombarded him with questions, hands coming up to delicately cradle his burning face between them.

His head felt fuzzy as he stared into your (E/C) eyes glimmering with concern.

A whimper built up in the back of his throat, fearful that you’d still leave him.

But why were you acting like last night never happened? That you didnt watch him defile your name?

Well, to be honest, you currently clung onto the hope that he never realized it was you. He wasn’t acting angry or upset like you’d expect him to if he did find out, so it was obvious you were in the clear.

Except, you weren’t. And he did know.

He just didn’t know why, why you were there or why you watched him. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel as creeped out about as he probably should have, it was like there was a small bell of honor ringing in his chest.

All in all, he figured you wanted to hang out, that’s why you were there in the first place.

But he wanted to know why you watched him - why you didn’t leave the moment you no-doubt saw him pleasuring himself.

God, he felt stupid.

He should have paid more attention to the time he chose, you always came to his dorm around that time during the weekend!

He wanted to facepalm, hide his ashamed face beneath his palms.

But for now, he’d soak in the feeling of your soft hands holding his face, thumbs brushing away stray tears.

You were trying to hide it. Hide the fact that you saw him. He’d indulge you, pretend he didn’t know anything

“Y-Yeah! I’m alright..!”

He smiled.

And so the show began.

He never stopped hanging out with you, and the shame soon melted away into desire as the days trudged on.

He didnt know why, but the thought of you watching him do something so intimate.. It thrilled him to his very core, sent tingles down his spine and left him breathless for a moment or two.

It actually gave him quite a few boners in class, much to his embarrassment. Lord, did his mind wander too much. He was just a hormonal teenage boy, after all.

Funnily enough, he could feel that the majority of the time you spent around each other, your stare was directed towards him. It was as if he was your center of attention throughout most classes these days, the apple of your mesmerizing eyes, and it felt amazing.

Like.. like he was the only thing you cared about. Only thing you needed.

He loved that feeling.

He wanted more.

He wanted you to, in a way, need him as much as he needed you.

He wanted it to happen again, wanted to know what it would feel like if he was actually aware of it occurring rather than only finding out about it the next day when his senses came back.

So, he decided he’d try touching himself every Saturday at the same time, since that is when you last showed up, leaving his window and curtains open just so you could, theoretically, get a good view.

He knew how wrong it was, wanting his best friend to watch him do something so sinful at nightfall whilst holding innocent conversations during the daylight.

He was too horny for his own good. Could you blame him?

The first attempt was unsuccessful, and he never did feel your piercing gaze on his trembling body as he worked himself to completion.

It was disappointing, but he had hope, and an unexpected outlet for his sexual frustrations.

Meanwhile, you were going crazy.

It felt like you were holding onto a dirty little secret, one Izuku had absolutely no idea about.

Everyday you had to force yourself to not let the image of him writhing sinfully around on his sheets float to the surface of your overactive mind.

You definitely did not need any soaked panties, especially considering you’d have to walk around all day like that.

It was truly a blessing in disguise.

Was it strange to say that in a way you got off on talking innocently to Izuku now?

Staring into his beautiful green eyes, talking about the math homework you forgot to do, all you could think about was how those eyes were glazed over with lust, pupils blown ridiculously wide as he came all over himself.

Such a messy boy.

Gah!

You aggressively shook your head in class, hands rubbing aggressively at your closed eyes to try and erase the image..

“(Y-Y/N)? Are y-you okay?” Izuku stuttered nervously, hands outstretched, ready to place them on your shoulders if you needed to be steadied.

You were simply talking, but suddenly you had such a violent reaction when he asked what answer you got for question three on the homework!

Had you not done it? Maybe you had had quite the trouble with it and didn’t want to remember the minutes wasted on chewing on your mechanical pencil as tears of frustration streamed down your face? He’d seen it occur before, It was a very weird and.. sad.. sight.

“Ah!” You yelped, ripping your hands from your face as you suddenly remembered where you were - you couldn’t just pull that sort of stunt in class, it’d make people think you were weirder than you already clearly are!

But that was just the start of it all.

You so desperately wanted to see him in that state again, wanted to hear your name slip from his spit-slicked raw lips in a wanton moan.

The fact that he was your best friend slowly started to fade from your mind, replaced by lustful desires. What’s shame? Never heard of that.

Who could hear anything over your moans anyway?

Night fell into a routine of your hands stuffed down your panties, fingers covered in your own slick rubbing roughly at your puffy clit as two of your fingers thrust in and out of yourself.

You constantly wondered just what that pretty boy imagined in that oh-so-obviously dirty mind of his as he pumped his cock.

Was he imagining you riding him, face smothered by your tits, mouth latched onto one of your perky buds, sucking the red flesh into his mouth as you bounced up and down on his long, painfully hard and throbbing cock?

Your breath caught in your throat at the image, fingers speeding up.

Or perhaps was he imagining pounding into your tight little pussy, your legs wrapped around his slim hips, fingers clawing red marks into his back so that he could show them off whilst changing into his gym clothes the next day in the locker room?

You squealed as you suddenly clenched down on your two digits, the coil wound tight in your stomach from all the dirty images whizzing past your head snapping unexpectedly, cumming all over your fingers.

You laid there panting, eyes staring deliriously up at the star-covered ceiling.

You had to see him in the act again, no question about it.

It was unfortunate how you passed out from exhaustion Saturday before the time Izuku would ultimately begin going mad in his bed.

It was hard not to beat yourself up over it, especially since you now had to suffer through another week of not seeing his pretty face drenched in sweat, mouth wide open and tongue flopping out.

Grr!

More suffering for the both of you.

It was still so very funny how despite all of these lewd thoughts the both of you possessed for one another, you still got along just as well as before.

It was as if nothing had happened at all.

Honestly, it was a great relief to the both of you.

Originally, you had thought that since you saw him in that new light, you’d be unable to have a decent conversation with him, and he thought that you’d be too disgusted with him to ever even think about speaking to him.

Of course, that was bullshit.

He knew you purposely stayed there to watch him.

That was part of the reason he wanted it to happen again.

He was clinging onto the hope that you liked him back, and that’s why it seemed as if you ignored the whole thing.

No, wait. He didnt want it to happen again… he needed it to happen again. Not just to satisfy him, but to just see if it wasn’t a mistake. A clarification. Something he could cling to in his mind. Something that told him there was an even bigger chance that you might miraculously like some gross nerd like him back.

He was still insecure, even after all the body changes he has gone through.

The scars didnt help much, either.

He could look at his body and feel proud of how much stronger he was, but those rough scars that would permanently taint his skin always left him feeling a bit shy.

He openly showed them, of course, not afraid considering they were marks of his growth and a reminder that he was able to save someone, but they didnt exactly feel nice.

His skin was once silky smooth all over, but now it wasnt, and it would never be the same again.

You knew him without the scars for the longest, but that also meant you knew the whimpy Deku, and not the Hero Deku he was becoming.

So many thoughts were constantly racing around in his mind, it was hard to keep track of them at times.

He blocked out the thoughts with a heavy heart, going back to his previous activity.

And of course, for you, well, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t visit him in your bird form during the night on weekdays, curious to see if, by chance, he was up - which he often wasn’t, and if he was sinning.

To no avail, of course.

It was hard to place if you were missing it by some misfortune, or if he just wasn’t doing it. So Saturday was your best guess. You saw him do it that day, so you figured from the beginning you’d see him to it again on all Saturdays. That’s what you hoped, anyway.

The next Saturday, though, you were proven correct.

The scene was similar to the one from last time, you, perched on the railing, sliding glass door open, curtains pushed to the side, and Izuku moaning like a slut on his bed covers.

Your feathers ruffled up in excitement, it looked as if he just came from the shower, towel discarded on the floor.

Things were going to be much different this time, unknown to you, of course.

Because this time, Izuku knew you were there.

He knew you were watching him.

And he knew it was on purpose because earlier that evening you stopped by to play video games before ‘retiring’ for the night.

Naughty girl, did you expect him to believe that when he’s been able to see through your lies ever since childhood?

He could feel your piercing gaze, and it thrilled him, making his cock slathered in lube he recently purchased twitch against his toned stomach.

Currently, he was rubbing up and down his twitching thighs, trying to calm himself down since, in his excitement at hearing you drop by, he almost came.

You eagerly watched as he did so, black eyes following his beautiful hand movements.

His thighs were so, so glorious.

Was it a bad thing to want to be trapped between them whilst you sucked his pretty dick?

To have them suffocate you was a dream. You’d give just about anything for them to squeeze your head as he came closer and closer to unraveling.

His legs were always nice, but ever since he began using them to smash incredibly large and sturdy objects, your fixation with them grew.

Hell, who were you kidding? You loved every aspect of that boy.

You wanted to lather his perfect body in searing kisses, whispering praises under every breath you took.

Your toes curled, clinging onto the raining as you leaned forward eagerly, watching as his hands traced down his inner thighs, just to drag across the underside of his dick.

He gasped once his fingers ran over his slit, head shoving itself into his pillow.

He wanted to put on a good show for you, gauge your reaction from the corner of his half-lidded eyes.

Surely you’d be too transfixed by his lower half to notice dark green eyes gazing over at you.

And he was right.

Because you couldn’t tear your attention away from his crotch, his hips lifting off the bed as he slowly thrusted into the tunnel he made with his hand.

It was as if he was teasing himself by going slow, his whines for more being a clear give away, that and the twitch of his hips as he sought a faster pace but held himself back.

“A-ahh~ (Y/N).. S-so good.. To me..”

How could he not imagine his hands as your own?

Yours were so small, too.. Could they even fully wrap around his thick length? He was all too eager to find out, but that’d have to be for a later date. Hopefully.

As time flew by, his impatience grew.

He wanted to put a good show on for you, truly, he did! But he couldn’t help himself, he wanted to cum oh-so badly.

To have that knot that was already building up in his system before you flew in to finally burst.

Sobs tore from his throat as he finally gave in, aching cock slamming into his fist with a wet squelch as his hand squeezed and twisted down on his length.

He didn’t last long, soon releasing his seed all over himself once again with a shrill cry, body arching up beautifully off the bed.

Whilst regaining his breath, he shakily looked over at you, joy sparking in his system to see you leaning forward as if you were enraptured by him.

It felt so good.

This occured more often than either of you would like to admit, but yet, there was no complaints.

Like before, life carried on normally in the light of day, but Saturday night? Showtime.

It was always something new, much to your enjoyment.

One night, which just so happened to be one where a new moon hung high in the inky black sky freckled with stars, you had the pleasure of witnessing him fuck a pillow.

So sweet. A true jackpot.

Since the tranquil, silvery beams of moonlight were absent on this particular evening, an Allmight night light of sorts illuminated the room in a yellow glow. It was brighter than the times before, ultimately giving you a better look at just what he was doing.

That wasn’t all, though.

Before, with the pale light of the moon, he was always submerged in a sinful atmosphere.

But now, you see, he looked so very soft in this light. It showered his perfectly toned, freckled and sweaty body in such a warm glow. It radiated innocence, despite his downright dirty acts of self-care.

His face was pressed to the side of the mattress, drool dripping past his parted lips as he gasped and moaned, cheeks burning red, eyes closed and brows arched upward as he chased that sweet, sweet release he so anticipated. His hips rutted into the soft pillow like a bunny in heat. Scarred hands had a death grip on it, forcing it down on his cock to provide an addicting combination of pressure and pleasure. Though you couldn’t quite see his flushed dick in action, his adorable face and moans made up for it.

Was it too bold of you to say he was imagining the pillow was you?

The way your name rolled off his tongue certainly would lead to that blissful assumption.

Another night you had gotten there early.

It was a particularly breezy night, the wind making his curtains dance and hair sway slightly. It was still hard to believe he liked having his sliding-glass door open. Did he like the fresh air when he was left gasping from his ministrations? Or did he thrive on the possibility that someone could hear him cry out?

How alluring that thought was.

But, how foolish of you to assume you were being sneaky.

To your luck, getting there early meant you got to see him set up the act, anticipate just what he was about to do. Predictions flooded your mind as you watched him with a tilted head as he poured lube onto his shaky fingers.

Whatever he was about to do, he seemed nervous. A first time thing, perhaps? Or was he shaking with desire?

You’d later come to realize you never wanted to be in front of this man more than that night.

Because, to your utmost delight, that was the night you witnessed him finger himself for no-doubt the first time.

He was cautious and tense, you could easily tell from so far away. You couldn’t see what he was doing exactly, but it wasn’t too hard to put pieces of a puzzle together.

In the beginning, he was trying to ease himself into it, one hand languidly stroking his erection, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat, whilst the other seemed to tease at his opening.

He bit his bottom lip the moment he decided it was time to quit shitting around, thighs splaying wide open once again for better access - and to you, a better view. His eyes slipped closed as he tried to focus on what he was doing, momentarily stopping the strokes on his cock so his attention would be on the feeling of a single digit slipping in and out of his virgin hole. He stayed tensed for a while, obviously trying to adjust. It wasnt until a few minutes later that he started to get really into it, slipping in another finger as his hips started to rock to the slow beat set.

His weeping dick was given attention again not long after that, hips wiggling and high-pitched cries of ecstasy tears from his throat at the two hands working in unison.

You couldn’t help but hop from one foot to the other that night as you eagerly drank in the sight.

“A-ahh! O-h oh god! (Y-Y/N)! F-faster- oh! Ple-ase f-fahh! Uhn! Ha-ah- ah- ah!”

Were you fucking him in this fantasy? A strap on, maybe? You wouldnt oppose doing so, he’s so cute begging like this. Begging for a plastic cock to pound into his tight ass with each whine, whimper, and moan.

He finished quite quickly, fingers probably finally finding that sweet spot deep inside of him. His eyes shot open, going cross as he practically screamed into the night.

And most recently, you witnessed him cum so hard he passed out for a few moments.

And you knew exactly why.

Because earlier that day, your boredom once again got the best of you, and you couldnt help but notice Izuku was lost in his thoughts during a break period. So, being the cheeky shit you were, you waltzed on over to him, leaning down to whisper in his ear “Hey.”

It was funny how he had to slap a hand over his mouth, obviously hiding a whine. You knew your voice had an effect on him, especially when it was lowered an octave. Pair that with your hot breath fanning over his overly sensitive ear? The man was pudding.

“(Y-Y/N)! I-I told you to stop doing that..!” He blushed, eyes squeezing shut to avoid your smirking face.

But that wasn’t all, no. You sat in his lap after that. He almost died, face a cherry red as his hands were held up, not sure where to put them.

It was honestly a rare occasion, for Iida was out with Momo for class president and vice president duties. You had to take advantage of that.

“What? I don’t want to stand this whole time!” Came your pouty response, and he most definitely couldn’t refuse those puppy-dog eyes you used on him.

To his horror, you wiggled in your fleshy seat, trying to get ‘comfortable’ whilst pretending you had no idea what you were doing to him. You knew damn well what it was you were doing, you were grinding your ass on his crotch - just for an agonizing moment.

It was hard to get him to form a sentence that wasn’t broken with stutters the whole time you sat atop his lap. He was so cute, all blushy like that. A little strawberry.

The second Iida and Momo came back from their duties, you jumped off his lap, startling him once again. To your ‘misfortune,’ you dropped the pencil which was tucked into your shirt pocket. So, you promptly bent down to get it, giving the perverted Izuku behind you a glorious view of your round ass covered by a pair of lacy white panties.

It was a wonder how he didn’t pass out as you expected him to, honestly.

You never heard him cry out your name as much as you did that very night.

Who knew such a shy and bashful boy could be so.. Lewd?

It was a major turn on, you could only imagine what it would be like to be there with him.

Oh, how glorious that would be.

To stare into his eyes blown wide with lust and glazed over with desire, knowing full well you were the true reason behind it - and not just his hands.

You wanted to..

You wanted to do so many things to and with him.

But you couldn’t.

Because at the end of the day, you were still only best friends.

He may call your name in the dead of night, he may beg for you in his dreams, but that doesn’t make you more than what you were when the sun rises yet again over the grassy hill coated in morning dew.

Just friends.

Friends until actions occur that change the definition of the word.

‘Friends’ brought a bitter taste to your tongue when it came to describing Izuku. You wanted to be more than just…. ‘Friends.’

But that was selfish of you.

You couldnt always get what you wanted, even if both parties want the exact same thing.

You could never live with yourself if you forced yourself onto him when he wasn’t ready to accept it. You knew very well how easily overwhelmed he could get. You worried that if.. your Saturday night activities got around to him, that he’d never want anything to do with you again. You were playing a dangerous game.

It was a hard concept to grasp, really.

But little did you know, he would be perfectly okay with it. More than okay, actually.

In fact, he craved it so, so much. With each Saturday that came, with every show he put on for you, he so desperately wished you’d revert back to your human form and come join him on his messy bed. He wanted to feel your soft skin brush against his overheated body. He wanted that intimacy.

He knew you wanted it too, he’s seen you almost fly right on into his room with particular moments.

He loved being watched by you, gaining validation every week by your intense, infatuated gaze, but he didn’t know how much more he could take. It was driving him absolutely insane. He noticed himself becoming more brash and reckless during training, his frustration taking over his senses and causing absolute mayhem.

In the beginning, speaking to you outside of these downright shameful acts was exhilarating, but now it was simply infuriating. How could you act like nothing was happening? How could you stay so innocent whilst he was out here losing his marbles?

The rubber band holding his sanity together was stretched too thin, he had no doubt that it would snap any day now and his carnal desires will be let loose.

Such a risky thing he had willingly got himself into.

But that band snapped much sooner than he predicted, and there was no going back after that.

It’s been nearly two months since this whole act started.

It’s gotten progressively hotter outside, it was almost as if the sun itself had something personal against anyone and everyone who walked in it’s brilliant light.

The training has gotten harder thanks to the sweltering heat. Primetime to exercise until you feel like throwing up, yeah?

They were supposed to progress on their workouts throughout the year, but damn did this heat wave come at an unconventional time. Poor Tokoyami almost had a heat stroke.

The intensity of the workouts was making everyone antsy. The weekdays were hell on Earth, so the weekends became an even bigger godsend to the poor hero students working to achieve their dreams.

That being said, what better way to distress than too..?

This week was particularly stressful, and after the hell Izuku and his fellow classmates were put through, he craved that certain destresser he’s been hooked on for far too long.

It was unfortunate that he cracked a bit earlier than his scheduled 11 PM rub out, making it only to 10:41 PM before his dirty thoughts overtook his being and made his dick twitch to life in his shorts. He wanted to wait, but he became increasingly uncomfortable, hips shimmying, trying to find a comfortable position to wait around in.

After promptly giving up, he leaned back on his bed, tugging his shorts off and letting his eyes slip shut as he palmed himself through his boxers.

Things always felt better for the green-eyed boy if he took it slow, working himself up to the point of desperation.

And that’s what he did.

He knew you wouldnt be there for a while, he knew his heart wouldnt be pumping like it always did when you showed up, so he fell back onto Plan B, fully emerging himself in a fantasy.

He hadn’t done that since you first showed up. A trip on memory lane.

But now he had a chance.

Though he had to admit, he’d much prefer it if you were there..

In his mind, he wasn’t in some silly dorm.

He was a pro-hero living in a large apartment with pristine windows that reflected the night lights of the mesmerizing city below like lanterns in the sky. The interior lights were off, the room cast in a soft orange glow by a gentle flame flickering in the sandstone fireplace situated in front of the satin burgundy couch he sat upon. Soft moans filled the atmosphere, paired with the lewd sound of skin slapping against skin echoing throughout the complex.

You were in his lap, arms wrapped tightly around his neck as you hung on for dear life. Your nails gave him an addicting sting as they dug into freckled skin, his name escaping your parted lips like a prayer, moans much louder than his own accompanying the pleas. He was in heaven, surely, for how else could there be such a beautiful angel in his lap?

You were glowing, cheeks blazing a deep maroon color, the light of the fire behind you encasing you in a soft, golden gleam.

A heavy breath blew out Izuku’s nose, closed eyes scrunching as he finally decided to rip his boxers off. His rough hand immediately wrapped itself around his cock, hissing in pleasure and thanking the heavens just this once for being such a heavy pre producer - he was far too enraptured by this fantasy to even think about trying to get his trusty bottle of lube.

Avoiding the flushed head, his hand squeezed and twisted it’s way up and down his slicked up shaft, hiding the wet noises with his pathetic whines.

He dived back into his mind.

You were kissing him fervently, tongues dancing in hot caverns as your noises of pure pleasure molded together. Though you were on top, you were far from having control. Izuku’s hands squeezed your hips in a death grip, bouncing you on his throbbing member, green sparks illuminating his body as to ensure a delicious yet inhuman pace.

He could feel you. He swore he could, even from on this bed, he could feel you. You were so warm, and so, so very tight.

He couldn’t handle it.

No.

He needed more.

He whined desperately on his bed, back arching as he chased his fantasy but soon lost it as the familiar fluttering of small wings blocked out all other sounds.

He gasped, trying to catch the breath that seemed to constantly slip past him. He was too worked up.

He was too needy. He was aching, body shaking with anticipation and eagerness.

He craved you like a man craved water after stumbling through a burning hot desert all day.

You were so close to him, he could reach out and swear he could feel your feathers beneath his fingertips.

He was past the point of no return, his fantasy just couldn’t do it for him.

He needed you, god he needed you so so bad it hurt.

Sobs tore from his throat, hands stuttering as his eyes finally flew open,

“(Y-Y/N)! Please!” He cried out with a strangled moan, vision wavering from the pain of not having you with him despite being right there.

Swallowing all of his pride, he looked towards your perched form, tears slipping from his sparkling viridescent eyes glazed over with lust.

His chest was heaving, thighs quivering and body trembling as he called out to you with a salacious plea, “I can’t..! I can’t do this anymore, please! Please, I-I need you!”

He was begging, begging for you whilst simultaneously thrusting into his hand.

Such an erotic display.

At the moment, you couldn’t even care about the fact he clearly knew it was you there. In fact, it didn’t even come to mind as a jolt of electricity coursed through your body, returning you to your human form as you eagerly jumped off the railing to him, all too willing to join his lascivious activities.

He moaned with delight the second your knee hit his bed, dipping his body towards you. His filthy hand shot off his dick, joining the other with gripping at your baggy sleepwear, pulling you towards his burning body.

You fell onto him, not given a chance to collect your thoughts before a hand buried itself in your messy hair, yanking your hair so that he could easily smash his lips against your own.

The kiss was nothing like how you pictured your first with him to be. Instead of sweet and gentle, it was downright dirty and sloppy, but you couldn’t care less at the moment. You were both clearly inexperienced, but that didn’t matter. You just wanted to feel him, same as he wanted to feel you.

Your hands, shaking with the sudden extreme boost of adrenaline, cupped his chubby cheeks as your lips met again, and again, and again, drool mingling with his own as you tried to get the hang of this.

Eventually, your lips stayed connected, tongues fighting for dominance.

You couldn’t even tell, due to the heat of the moment overtaking your senses, but the entire time you made out, Izuku’s curious hands dragged ever-so-slowly down the sides of your body, feeling those curves that drove him absolutely insane. Just as it seemed as if you’d win the short battle, his large hands came over your plump ass, squeezing the soft flesh and causing you to gasp. With your mind distracted, he quickly smooshed his lips against your own once again, tongue defeating your own and giving him complete access to your mouth.

He explored it, the tip of the wet muscle seemingly grazing over and massaging in just all the right places, drawing a little moan from you that shot straight down to his neglected cock. It twitched against his stomach, and suddenly he wasn’t interested in just making out anymore. He needed more, and he’d fucking get it.

He’s waited so long for this moment, dreamt of it so often it became normal for him to wake up covered in sweat and with a raging erection straining against his shorts.

His grip on your ass moved to your hips, dragging them down onto his member and grinding you down against him.

You both moaned, hips involuntarily jerking against one another, starting up a grinding fest.

Moans melted together as you both continued to kiss before a particularly rough thrust sent your head flinging back and a mewl spewing from you.

“A-ah.. Izuku..!” You shivered, eyes closing as you gripped at his hair. He stared up at you, eyes full of love but darkened by immense desire as you shamelessly moaned above him. His hips ground his rock-hard erection against your soaked panties, brushing roughly against your clothed clit. Your body seemed to jolt with every brush against it, your senses completely overloaded as you were driven mad with lust.

You shrieked with surprise as you were suddenly flipped over, body slamming onto the mattress as Izuku crawled over on top of you.

He continues to grind himself against you, hands moving your legs up so they could wrap around his hips. Whilst kissing at the side of your neck, his nose brushed along the skin, searching for that special spot.

Amidst your onslaught of noises, you made a sound clearly indicating he had found what he had been searching for. His hot tongue licked at the sensitive skin before he bit down on it.

You cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure, jumping in his arms as an intense shiver rolled down your back, hands coming up to clutch at his broad shoulders smothered in freckles and burning with a blush.

You felt so, so tingly, so good, so.. So everything.

Perhaps that’s simply because of how worked up you currently were, every single touch lit your body aflame again and again. Besides, how could you keep quiet when he was rubbing against you in just the right place?

He sucked harshly at the tender flesh before kissing it lovingly as if to apologize for the brutal treatment, licking the pain away and continuing to nibble along the area, leaving a bruise that was sure to remain in the morning.

In fact, he decided, he was going to leave many. Just..not today.

He couldn’t deny, though, it did feel pretty good that his mark was on your soft skin where all could potentially see.

But for now, you had too many layers on for his current liking.

Izuku drew back, stopping the grind sesh - much to your apparent dismay, tugging at the hem of your shirt, silently asking for permission, and you willingly lifted your arms.

Had you not been so consumed with sheer desire, you would have covered your bare chest. Instead, you nodded your head, giving the man panting as if he had just run a mile permission to kiss his way down to the soft mounds he previously couldn’t help but bashfully stare at.

His lips lavished them both in kisses, praises unknowingly slipping out between his teeth until he finally decided to take one bud into his mouth.

He was sloppy, messy, and all-around inexperienced, but you couldn’t deny the fact that it still felt good.

He spent surely less than a minute giving attention to each perky nipple, but it was made up for by a sweet kiss. You eagerly returned it, body arching as if trying to bring him closer.

It was so strange how he took control so easily, he had been begging only a few minutes ago.

Not that you minded, of course.

After all, who doesnt like being pampered by their long time crush?

“May I?” He whispered breathlessly, trembling fingers hooked around your panties, ready to pull them off.

You nodded immediately, oh-so desperate to have him actually touch you. You needed to feel him. All this grinding did was leave you with a throbbing clit, pussy so wet your juices were close to flowing down your ass, and the want for more.

He smashed his lips back against your own, practically ripping the fabric off of you and flinging it to only god knows where in this dark room.

His lips didn’t leave yours as his hands traveled down your sides again, squeezing your ass just to hear you gasp.

You couldn’t tell if he was teasing you, or hit with a sudden wave of embarrassment as his fingers seemed to stutter on your thighs.

“It’s okay.. It’s okay..” You cooed against his lips, eyes opening to stare into his.

He gulped, swallowing his insecurities as he ran an index finger along your sit.

You bit your lip, eyes slipping closed once more and hips twitching forward at the foreign touch against heated flesh.

Izuku took this as a sign to go further, so he did.

Staring at your face, he pushed the finger past your lower lips, ignoring the intense throbbing of his dick as he felt how wet you were. The digit trailed down, searching for your clenching hole. When he found it, he couldnt help but teasingly trace around it, adoring the scrunch of your flushed face and the whine that followed suit.

“Please, Izuku..” You whimpered, and how could he say no to that?

He slowly pushed his finger in, nearly cumming on the spot from just how tight and warm you were. He openly moaned, watching as he sunk the finger all the way down to his knuckle.

Clouded eyes flickered back up to your face, noting how you didn’t seem to be in pain.

Licking his lips in anticipation, he pulled the finger out, then pushed it back in, over and over and over again as your thighs twitched around him, mouth falling open as you breathed heavily, moaning ever so softly.

His heart pounded in his chest as he added another finger, continuing the motions for before.

Your hips shimmied at the stretch, his fingers much larger than your own slim once, but so much nicer, because it was him, and not you. Your hips involuntarily chased the rhythm he set.

“Ahh.. haa..h.. Oh! Ah! Ahhhghh!” your eyes shot open as his fingers curled inside you, brushing against that spongey spot in your clenching walls. “Oh! T-There Iz-Izuku~!” You moaned out his name, and it was as if his body got put on autopilot, fingers thrusting in and out of your sopping heat, curly against that spot that had you moaning.

A particularly loud squeal left your parted lips, and he snapped. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed you so bad it hurt. Watching your body react violently around only his fingers? The cherry on the cake!

He needed his dick in you, to feel those soft walls clenching around him, to hear you cry out his name more as he brought you to the peak of madness.

But he was worried about how long he’d last.

He was so close before, what if he came nearly immediately?

Pulling his fingers out fully, which drew your attention back to him, he lifted them to his mouth, shoving them in and putting on a sinful display of licking them clean for you

He smiled at you with half-lidded eyes as you stared at him with astonishment. Lurching forward, you took him by surprise by gripping his sweaty hair and pulling him down for another passionate kiss, moaning around his tongue as you tasted your essence on him.

Keeping his focus on the kiss, Izuku’s hand blindly felt around his bedside table, opening the drawer and somehow managing to find the single condom he kept in there.

You noticed it from the corner of your eye, the moonlight reflecting on the silver wrapper.

“When did you get that?” You pulled away from the kiss, indulging in your curiosity as you stared at the condom between his fingers.

He chuckled nervously, looking to the side in embarrassment, “I- I got a pack from the corner store.. Not long ago..”

He left out the motivation behind it, not ready to reveal he knew you were watching him the entire time - thus bringing forth his precautious side as he fumbled with measuring himself and getting the right size.

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait any longer, princess..” He whispered under a heavy breath, ripping open the packaging, grabbing the latex and rolling it on himself, ignoring your eyes practically burning holes into his heated skin as they watched with eagerness.

Now that it was on, he looked back up to you, hand coming to gently caress your face, thumb smoothing over your blushing cheek as he leaned down to kiss you once more.

Yes, he wanted to pound you into next tomorrow right this instant, be he couldnt ignore the fact that this was your first time together. He wanted it to be.. Sweet.

As sweet as he could make it, anyway.

He jumped in his own skin when he felt your cold fingers wrap around his cock, bringing his oozing head towards your entrance. He was quick to replace them, though, just so he could rub himself between your folds and teasingly against your clit.

“..ready?” He asked nearly impatiently as he guided his tip to your entrance once more.

He slowly pushed in the moment you nodded your head.

Oh god! He thought to himself as he moaned loudly. He was only in by an inch and already it felt like his world was spinning! You were so damn tight!

He nearly collapsed on top of you, bringing his hands up just to hold your own against the bedsheets.

He was being much too slow for your liking. You were so aroused on, so ready for him that, though you appreciated him going slow for you, you couldn’t handle another second with this agonizing pace.. So, without warning, your legs, which were still wrapped around his hips, tightened, and you forcefully drove his hips forward, fully sheathing him inside you.

He screamed in pleasure, head involuntarily being thrown back as his eyes rolled back. You moaned along with him, the feeling of being full outweighing the slight stinging pain that it brought with it.

His fingernails dug into your hips as he tried to control himself, his body vibrating from how much he was shaking. You held him flushed against you, eyes squeezing shut as you fought to relax around him and get used to his length. Which was pretty damn big! Perhaps you bit off more than you could chew..

But it didn’t take long for the pain to slowly subside, and you were back in business. Meanwhile, Izuku was staring cross-eyed up at the ceiling, holding himself back from exploding.

“Izu-”

“I-I Don-t think I c-can last long, (Y/N)...” he whimpered out, chest heaving and heart hammering.

You nodded in understanding, he was quite busy with himself before you showed up anyway.

And now all this? It certainly must be sudden.

Plus, Izuku has always been a sensitive boy, so no doubt his nerves were on fire.

Nonetheless, he was quick to catch on to your ‘okay’ for him to move.

So, he pulled himself out halfway, nearly sobbing as he thrusts back in.

You felt so good.. So good.. sogood- “So good.. Ahh! A-ahh nnghjnn S-so go-goo- gahn! Hahhh!” The sheer velocity of his moans overpowered your own as he soon found himself uncontrollably drilling his cock into your pussy, absorbed by the feeling of you sucking him back in like a black hole just to squeeze the life out of him.

That hot coil that had been winding up in his stomach all this time was soon to burst, he could feel himself getting closer and closer with every slap of skin against skin, edged on by your beautiful moans.

“(Y-Y/N)!! I-I’m gonna! I-!” He could barely form any sentences, all that spilled out of that drooling mouth were moans and mindless babbles and praises.

You were just as close, but you wanted more.. So, you ripped one hand free from his grip, licking a digit before thrusting it down just to furiously rub at your puffy clit aching for attention.

You both moaned simultaneously, him at the sight, and you at the combined stimulation.

He was about to break, about to hit the point of no return when he found your G spot. You cried out in ecstasy, body practically arching of the mattress as he focused deep, powerful thrusts on that area.

And by some miracle, you reached your high before he did.

A wave of electrifying pleasure washed over you as your body tensed beneath him, back arching impossibly high off the mattress as your walls seemed to clamp down on his cock like a vice just as that burning hot coil wound tight in your belly burst. Stars bloomed in your eyes as your vision went black, Izuku’s name tearing from your throat.

Your hot, wet walls clamping down on him threw him into his own long-awaited and intense orgasm. His thighs tensed as he cried out in ecstasy into the night air, hips slamming into your fluttering cunt once more before thick, hot cum shot from his dick, filling up the condom deep inside of you.

You both stayed like that for a moment, basking in the afterglow of something you both waited weeks for.

He inhaled shakily before pulling his softening member out, rolling the condom off in a sleepy haze before tying it off and throwing it into the trash bin.

He flopped down beside you, far too sleepy to even think about getting up.

You were already fast asleep, and he couldn’t wait to join you. Wrapping his scarred arm around your waist, he pulled your warm body to his chest, tangling his legs with yours and falling asleep within moments to your soft breaths and the crickets singing outside his glass door.

There was a lot to talk about tomorrow morning.

You’d both have to explain yourselves, talk about what happened, what was next, and confirm feelings for each other. That this wasn’t just a ‘one night stand’ between friends.

And, of course, you’d be hit with a truck of pain between your legs, rendering you unable to walk properly. At least Izuku is there to take care of you, and that it was a Sunday.

Until you both come to the horrifying realization that Izuku, in the heat of the moment, accidentally flung your panties out the open window, which was then miraculously carried by a stray gust of wind just for Kaminari to find in a bush by the side of the building the following morning when taking the trash out.

Thank god nobody recognized them, but you could only hope you’d get the chance to get that back before he, along with Mineta, no doubt do something with them.

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deadlyglacier · 3 years

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20 Questions tag~

I was tagged by @mythicamagic thank you senpai~<3

How many works do you have on AO3?

40 right now, plus 1 that is still hidden because of the SOFA Exchange event. (I’m still a lil fish.)

What’s your total AO3 word count?

486,920! That’s so amazing to me!

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

InuYasha - A Feudal Fairytale (18)

FullMetal Alchemist (18)

Mass Effect Trilogy (3)

Let’s Play (Webtoon) (1)

Kingdom Hearts (1) But I hope to write for many more fandoms in the future! I have ideas for fics for Castlevania, Skyrim, Fallout 4, Last of Us Part II, and more!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

#1. Stardust FemShep/Garrus, Mass Effect Trilogy, Rated Explicit. A retelling of the Shepard/Vakarian love story, with lots (and LOTS) of sexiness, from Garrus' point of view. Starts from before the Omega-4 and will end sometime after the end of ME3. Trying to stay as true to the game as possible, while adding some things happening off camera and a new ending.

#2. Flamingo Sess/Kag, Inuyasha, Rated Explicit Kagome's method of beating the summer heat attracts a certain demon lord...

#3. Hawk Sess/Kag, Inuyasha, Rated Explicit Kagome and Sesshomaru discover they have a mutual attraction for each other after a battle and a slight comedic incident brings them together. At first their relationship seems entirely sexual, but eventually evolves into something real. What will this romance mean for Naraku? Or even the future? *TRIGGER WARNING FOR CHAPTER 6! MAJOR VIOLENCE AND TRAGEDY* Very, very loosely based on "A Mere Digression" by elle6778

#4. Daisy Sam/Charles, Let’s Play, Rated Mature Sam wakes up somewhere unfamiliar with a splitting headache with no memory of the night before. Takes place right after the S2 finale. First chapter was my prediction for what would happen next, and then three other “wishful thinking” chapters happened, lol.

#5. Chemistry Ed/Winry, FullMetal Alchemist, Rated Mature A look at how the relationship between Ed and Winry developed after Brotherhood ended. Cute, sweet, funny, and hot (eventually—y'all that know me know I gotta have some NSFW in there).

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to respond to everyone, especially when a fic of mine has just been posted, but sometimes I just forget. If I haven’t responded to your comment, please know it’s just because I’m a big dumb and forgot! I love getting comments, and I reread them all the time! I just feel like there’s a time limit to when I can respond to them--if I let too much go by, it’s awkward if I reply. Gah, but that’s just me getting in my own head, I guess. I’ll do better!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oof, definitely Psychology, a fic I wrote for RoyEdOTPoly this year. The prompt I got was dark, and I didn’t see any way around an angsty ending. Read at your own risk!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Well, aside from the last fic, I try to write happy endings for all my fics! But, if I have to name names, I’m torn between Zoology (another FullMetal Alchemist fic, RoyEd, for RoyEdOTPoly this year) and Stardust (my Mass Effect fic, which is long, but so worth it, in my opinion). Both are very fluffy in the end!

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Argh... I don’t really like crossovers, to be honest. I actively avoid them when looking for fics to read. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought of writing them myself. (I’m a total hypocrite, I know.) I had an idea for an Inuyasha x The Sims fic, years ago, that I never did anything with. The premise was basically Inuyasha and Kagome would get trapped in the game somehow (via the jewel or magic or something), and they’d be controlled by Souta, Kagome’s friends, Hojo--all sorts of different people who think the fact that Kagome and Inuyasha are in the game is just some kind of silly mod. I probably won’t write it, so if anyone is interested in that crazy idea, have at it! You have my blessing. <3 I also have a crazy crossover idea for what I call an “Ultimate OT3″ of mine that I’ve mentioned to my friends, but I haven’t actually written down yet: Sesshomaru/Alucard/Sebastian Michaelis. So be on the lookout for that!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I wouldn’t call it “hate” so much as “mansplaining,” but I have gotten a couple of comments that made my eyebrow twitch on Stardust--both on AO3 and FFN. Just dudes (and I’m fairly certain they were dudes, just from their tone) trying to explain why a certain plot twist wouldn’t work, or tell me how to save Sidonis in the actual game (which I already knew, that person just didn’t read what I wrote). I’ve also gotten a comment on one of my more controversial fics, Hippology, on FFN, where the person asked me if I thought my summary was K-Rated (which, admittedly, it does need to be for the site, and mine wasn’t--because of a single word). I changed it and messaged them saying it was fixed. Going to that commenter’s profile, however, proved to be fairly enlightening... They’re nuts. They have another profile, too. Read at your own risk. Yikes. There’s also a team of people on FFN who make it their life’s mission to report stories with rule violations. I’ve gotten a comment from one of them as well. These people are not mods, they just like to pretend they are--one of them even made their name look official! “CU Administration,” gtfo dude. I also recently got one of my fics removed from FFN. It wasn’t even one of my sexiest ones! They put me in timeout for 48 hours, and when I was finally able to publish something new on the site again, I posted Hippology (my centaur smut), and it’s still up as I type this. (Wonder how long it’ll take them to notice?) And since the fic that got taken down was a SessKag fic, I’m thinking it might have been a petty SessRinner who reported it to the “authorities” of FFN, because another friend of mine got hers taken down not long after mine, and it was also SessKag. Just my tinfoil theory, anyway!

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes, yes, yes. It’s practically all I write. I do all sorts of smut, from romantic, sensual stuff, to specific kinks, to monsterfucking--all that good stuff. Can’t change me~<3

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

God, I hope not!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don’t think so. No one has asked me if they can translate one, anyway.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet! I’m open to the idea, and I’ve had little discussions with my fic-writing buddies about it, but nothing’s come out of it just yet. Keep your eyes peeled!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh, now come on! I can’t pick just one! But I’ll give you a top 3 (in no particular order, because they change places a lot, depending on how obsessed I am with them at the moment). Inuyasha: Sess/Kag FullMetal Alchemist: Roy/Ed Mass Effect: Garrus/FemShep

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I have a couple of stories that I deleted from my original FFN account that I’d like to re-write and re-post on AO3, but I don’t think I’ll ever get around to it. There were a couple of Inu/Kag fics I had in-progress, and then a Koug/Kag fic. I recently rewrote and reposted my SessKag fic from years ago, Hawk, on FFN, AO3, and Dokuga! So maybe all hope isn’t lost. I’m even writing a sequel for Hawk! All the stories I have in-progress right now I plan on finishing. At some point, lol.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, without a doubt. It’s my favorite thing to write, aside from smut, of course--which is another strength of mine.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions, ugh. I try to do them well, but I always feel like they get stale. So I keep them somewhat vague, because in my mind, I think readers will fill in the gaps themselves whether you describe something immaculately or not--they’ll see what they want to see, and that is totally fine in my book! Or maybe I’m just making excuses, lol. I’ll only describe something in a lot of detail if I want the reader to focus on that--usually an outfit, accessory, or weapon--otherwise, I leave it up to their imagination (I don’t want manipulate it too much, I suppose).

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Wildly unnecessary unless that author speaks the language as well, or if certain words already exist in the fandom’s translations (ex. “youkai,” “alkahestry,” etc).

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Inuyasha, and the fic(s) I wrote in the beginning were terrible. I want to burn all traces of them off the face of the earth. I was in middle school. I was young and stupid.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I gotta go with Stardust. It’s the longest fic I’ve ever completed at more than 160k words. I was so immensely proud when I typed “The End,” and I was able to say to myself “I did it.”

I tag: @glassesmcfancyhair @willowsrain

#SessKag #RoyEd #SamCharles #Shakarian #Inuyasha #FullMetal Alchemist #Let's Play #Mass Effect #fanfiction #writers supporting writers #q and a #I don't know what else to put so here

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senadimell · 3 years

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Fic writer tag game thing

I was tagged to do this by @rockymountainrattlesnake--you rock!

How many works do you have on a03?

5 at the moment. Someday I will finish the Martha Jones character study I’m working on...

What’s your total a03 word count?

107,733 officially, but one of those is an exerpt taken from a longer fic, which puts me at 105,782, and then we’d need to subtract out the poetry exerpts in Promises, so...

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

HA.

But I have Promises to Keep

The World in Ten Seconds

Growing Where Planted

Suspended Between Moments

Black and White are Also Colors

The order seems very logical.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Pretty much always. Sometimes I forget and write back months later, but I get really enthusiastic when people like my work (I swear I will answer my inbox soon!) Most of my stuff involves some degree of character analysis, so I enjoy continuing that discussion in the comments. (And compliments make my day, not gonna lie.)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

That would be The World in Ten Seconds, I think. Looking at my work (published and unpublished), it’s a lot easier to be angsty when I’m doing an analysis-focused piece, because those tend to be snapshots in time. Narrative stories tend to end on a more hopeful note.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

But I Have Promises to Keep by virtue of being finished. It’s not totally happy, but there’s a lot of catharsis in there.

Do you write crossovers? if so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Yes because my brain connects dots fast enough to make even a kangaroo court cringe. However, I haven’t published/finished any. I do have a Discworld/Doctor Who piece that’s a meditation on death, survivors, and moving on. The title will involve the word “Grandfathers.”

Then of course there’s the Q/Master epic enemies-to-lovers that I don’t have the guts to write.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No! Very grateful for that. There was one awkward incident involving a commenter shaming non-commenters, but that’s behind us now.

Do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Nope.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of...? Seems unlikely TBH

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

well...there was that one Eragon set-in-Alegaesia OC epistolary back in high school...

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

hm hm hm hm. So I’ve found that I really like very very close platonic intimacy, except that sometimes looks like “you are the most important person in my life and I would die for you but we haven’t put a name to this thing we have and we don’t really kiss etc. but we might hold hands/cuddle/whatever and it doesn’t mean anything and I know random mundane things about you like your shoe size or soda preference (did I mention I would die for you?)” which sounds kind of like shipping?

So I’d have to say Nine/Rose or angsty Ten/Rose, with an emphasis on healing (see: RockyMountainRattlesnake’s Polyergus, A Wretched Ark, Terminarch, V762CAS’s Than All the Blue in the World).

I usually stick more or less with canon in most fandoms--if it’s not there, I don’t/can’t imagine it happening since romance is kind of weird and foreign to me. I tend to go for established relationships rather than “will-they-won’t they” stuff (Tevye/Golde, Vimes/Sybil etc. Though if we’re going musicals, I do actually like Elphaba/Fiero. I’ve never read anything about it, though.)

OH! I forgot! I don’t know if this counts, but I’m obsessed with sixbeforelunch’s Vulcan OCs, T'Lin and Veral, in the Pi’maat series.

Also the very specific way Erik/Christine works in Antiquarianne’s Phantom of the Opera piece The Sum of Earthly Happiness.

What’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish the Grandfathers piece...it’s Discworld-primary from a stylistic perspective, and uh...I am not Terry Pratchett. I want to finish it, but I’ve got to be in the zone (reading a lot of Discworld stuff to get a feel for the style) and have SO MUCH PATIENCE because mimicking him is like writing poetry, if poetry was an accepted form of forced confession to be read for ridicule on live TV.

What are your writing strengths?

Purple prose.

yes i know that’s not supposed to be a compliment

Seriously, though I do tend to wax fruity in my writing, and I have a lot of fun with it. I think I’m also pretty good at writing conversations and arguments.

What are your writing weaknesses?

hehehehe

kill your darlings.

Editing? Who is she?

Which is funny, because I also do that stupid thing where getting words-on-paper is more painful than drawing a fishhook out of the fish’s throat when it’s mangled deep in the flesh. Is it perfectionism? I don’t know. Not in the anxious sense, certainly, because I can’t be chuffed to do a line edit before publishing. It’s more like I have two modes:

“Susan mad Grandfather confused insert Wrinkle In Time reference exept Uriel weird out of context IT vs keys of Marius brains fight”

“He’d known what Jackie was going to pull before Rose even passed on the invite, and he went and acted like Rose’d saddled him with an old ticket stub fished from her pocket. Trifling. Something you tossed in the first bin you saw. You think pretending it was only ever ‘her choice’ will wash away the guilt when you finally kill her?

That and...actually writing. Lost my mojo a while back and haven’t been able to get back into a routine since. Balancing life stuff and creative hobbies is a work in progress.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think I generally would limit it to well-known exclamations or phrases for the most part. I’m familiar enough to use some Mandarin and not utterly fail, but I know I don’t have the rhythm or grace of a native speaker and it’s not something I have in mind to pursue right now.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Hm. Fortunately that is all tucked away in hand-written notebooks before I got perfection-scared off of writing past the 7th grade. I’ve been doing the whole fanfiction in my head consciously since 2nd grade, but the first stuff I think I wrote down was either Snape stuff or Eragon/Alagaesia stuff. Not exactly worldshaking.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

The World in Ten Seconds! Gah, I’m so proud of that thing. Also I really adore Black and White are Also Colors, though some of my favorite bits aren’t published yet. That one’s a lot more idiosyncratic...a lot of infodumping about color and language and ideas in translation. I’ll probably get the next chapter of that up before I’m able to start working on Growing Where Planted.

Tagging (feel free to answer or not as you have desire or energy--also I’m sorry if I have misremembered your fic-writing tendencies or lack thereof) @pazithigallifreya @phoenixrisesoncemore @forever-food-and-fandoms@loupettes @elialys @onlycosmere

#asks #rockymountainrattlesnake #answers #fic stuff #writing #fandom #fanfiction

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pengychan · 4 years

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[Coco] Nuestra Iglesia, Pt 21

Title: Nuestra Iglesia Summary: Fake Priest AU. In the midst of the Mexican Revolution, Santa Cecilia is still a relatively safe place; all a young orphan named Miguel has to worry about is how to get novices Héctor and Imelda to switch their religious vows for wedding vows before it’s too late. He’s not having much success until he finds an unlikely ally in their new parish priest, who just arrived from out of town. Fine, so Padre Ernesto is a really odd priest. He’s probably not even a real priest, and the army-issued pistol he carries is more than slightly worrying. But he agrees that Héctor and Imelda would be wasted on religious life, and Miguel will take all the help he can get. It’s either the best idea he’s ever had, or the worst. Characters: Miguel Rivera, Ernesto de la Cruz, Héctor Rivera, Imelda Rivera, Chicharrón, Óscar and Felipe Rivera, OCs. Imector. Rating: T

[All chapters up are tagged as ‘fake priest au’ on my blog.]

A/N: First off, unlike Ernesto, I gotta give some credit! The song that features in this chapter was written by @eldathe, who has a gift I sorely lack (but whom I'll definitely not murder for it). Also, @lunaescribe wrote the bulk of the scene in which Ernesto and John discuss the scriptures. I only made some minor edits with her permission (watch and learn, Ernesto). Art is by @swanpit, who is a gift as always!

***

“So it… worked? It actually worked?”

“Why the surprise? I told you I could sell it.”

Sofía made a point to cross her arms and look just a little insulted, but she didn’t really put a lot of effort in it: relief was too great. Sure, she had been pretty certain she’d managed to back the gringo into a corner and force him to keep the secret, but she couldn’t entirely discount the chance he’d decide screwing Ernesto over was more important.

“Right, right-- you did a great job,” Héctor replied, laughing a little in sheer glee. “Well, it’s sorted! We’re safe!”

Imelda rolled her eyes. “From the Federales, yes. Not from boredom now that Juan will be the one to say mass.”

“Let’s be honest, Sunday mass was never a party when Padre Edmundo led it, and we somehow survived.”

“Fair enough.”

“Huh, Ernesto? Why the long face?” Héctor spoke up, blinking. Now that he mentioned, Ernesto did rather look like he’d just announced Juan had opted to personally hang him in the plaza first thing after the evening mass.

As a response, Ernesto made a face. “He wants me to study the Bible.”

“Well, there are worse punishments--”

“And learn Latin.”

“... Ah.”

“Oh.”

“My condolences.”

“Would you like me to send a telegram now for the Federales to come pick you up at their earliest convenience?”

Ernesto scoffed. “You know, this is the part where you’re supposed to be telling me Latin is not too bad.”

“But it is,” Héctor said, matter-of-factly.

“What, you’d have me lie to you?” Sofía gasped in moc horror, hand to her mouth. “Me? A nun?”

“... I hate all of you,” Ernesto informed them, only to yelp and laugh when Héctor threw an arm around his shoulders and ruffled his carefully combed hair.

“Ay, don’t be like that. We survived it, and you will too,” he declared. “But I have just the thing that will make you feel better!”

“You managed to sneak in a bottle of tequila?”

“Better - I have an idea for a new song, and I know you’re going to love it.”

“Hah! If I’m left with any free time for music now.”

“Well, Juan is going to be busy, no? Saying mass and confessing and whatnot. He can’t be watching you all the time,” Héctor pointed out, and patted his shoulder. “... It’s good to know you’re safe.”

Ernesto chuckled, reaching up to fix his hair. “We all are.” The rest of the sentence - for now - hung unspoken in the air, but none of them said anything. In the end, it was Héctor to speak.

“Well-- I’ll go looking for Miguel. I need to talk to him. And don’t you think I forgot you also owe him an apology,” he added, jabbing a finger against Ernesto’s chest before he was off... though not without giving Imelda a dreamy smile as he left the room. Ernesto scoffed.

“What, is apologizing is my new job now?” he called out, but none of them bothered to reply.

***

Héctor found Miguel at the stream, throwing flat rocks over the water and trying to make them bounce all the way down to the bridge while Dante jumped in the water over and over again, trying to catch them in mid-air and failing miserably.

The chamaco was breaking the rules in several ways - skipping his laundry duty day, staying out past the time he was allowed to be out, and in a place where he was not supposed to be - but Héctor wasn’t about to give him a lecture now that he had to try and extend the olive branch.

… Oh, who was he kidding, he wouldn’t have given a lecture under any circumstances. He walked up right behind Miguel, grinned, and strummed his guitar with a grito.

“Ayyyyyyy!”

“GAH!”

Miguel jumped a couple of feet up in the air, almost landing in the stream right along with Dante; the only reason why he didn’t was that Héctor reached out to grasp the back of his shirt quickly enough to spare him an unplanned bath.

“Careful, chamaco!” he laughed, pulling him back onto solid ground. “My new song may need a little polishing, but it’s not so bad to jump in the stream over.”

Miguel blinked, taken aback, then grinned. “A new song? What is--” he exclaimed, only to trail off. He made a face, crossing his arms. “I’m still mad at you.”

Héctor sighed. “I know, I know. I’m sorry I didn’t keep my word, Miguel, but it wasn’t a secret I could sit on. I had to make sure Santa Cecilia was not in danger.”

“Ernesto is not dangerous,” Miguel protested, but ay, Héctor would hear the slight hesitation in his voice, notice how quickly he averted his gaze. He frowned.

“Miguel…?”

“I just-- he was really mad that I told you. He yelled at me, hit Dante - I mean, he did growl at him, but…” he bit his lower lip. “He said he should have let me drown the day we met.”

He said what, Héctor thought. I’m going to kick his ass, he thought. With an immense effort, he managed to let neither of those thoughts show.

“He is sorry, and he will apologize,” he said instead. He’d better, or else. “He was under a lot of pressure, and said things he didn’t mean. He-- we were afraid word got out.”

Miguel looked back up at him, alarmed. Héctor, the nuns and everyone else had done their best to shield children from the harsh reality that was the ongoing war outside Santa Cecilia, but any child could tell that would have been bad, bringing the Federales down on Ernesto and Santa Cecilia like wolves on cattle.

“What? But it didn’t, right? It wasn’t me, I told no one else but you, I swear--”

Héctor smiled. “No, it was a false alarm. All is well,” he promised, and strummed the guitar again. “And I have the new song. Want to be the first to hear it, chamaco?”

It had been a while since Héctor had the time to write a new song, even longer since Miguel had been the first to get to hear it, and the thought was clearly enough to chase away the lingering fear and anger. “What is it called?”

“Cómo está tu Padre - it’s about Ernest-- Padre Ernesto and Padre Juan.”

Miguel bit his lower lip. “Padre Ju-- John is not too bad,” he declared.

“Oh?”

“He talked to me. Put in a good word for you when I was mad.”

Well. With how their recent interactions had gone, that was not something Héctor had expected to hear. “Oh. Well then, I suppose I’ll thank him for that.”

“The song isn’t too mean to him, is it?”

Héctor’s smile turned a bit sheepish. “Not excessively. Just some light-hearted fun.”

Miguel seemed thoughtful for a few moments, then he clearly decided it wouldn’t be too bad - or, more likely, that being decent for once was not enough to make up for the huge pain in the neck the gringo had been in the past few days. He perched up on a rock while Dante climbed out of the stream, a rock in his mouth, and flopped in the dirt at Miguel’s feet.

Ah, there was the public. Héctor cleared his throat. “When you're a Man of God, the people come to you to check in on the church…” he spoke, and strummed the guitar before singing.

“As I walk through the plaza, A señora comes my way From her lips falls a question Cómo está tu Padre? Ay, now what do I say? The Church of Santa Cecilia Watches with cynicism An American man hell-bent on Sharing blanco egoisms. Lone, he thinks he's the one! To have Divine Right to bear down on! He'll show dismay When his own way, Can't stay long. Such is life, with Padre-”

***

“John--!”

“Don’t John me. It’s Father Johnson, and you’ve had your break, Ernest. Now, read aloud--”

“It was three hours ago!”

The protest gained Ernesto a single, insufferable arched eyebrow from the gringo sitting across the table. He had his own Bible open, which looked… significantly more beat up than last time Ernesto had seen it.

“Oh, no,” he said flatly. “Three straight hours of study. No man has ever endured such torment.”

“Well, it is more than enough for me!”

“Unsurprising, considering you seem to be barely literate in Spanish--”

“Hey! I can read, write and do maths, for your information--”

“-- But if you are to learn any Latin before the end of days comes--”

“-- And I can read music sheets! Can you read music sheets?”

The gringo sighed and shook his head. “Not that it is relevant, but as a matter of fact, I received piano lessons as a boy,” he said. His expression, like that of a man who sucked on a lemon, made Ernesto suspect they had not gone too well. “Now, I ask you to focus until at least the end of the page.” He pushed the book back towards Ernesto. “Go ahead, translate the next part.”

Holding back a groan, Ernesto looked back down at the page. If he did what he asked, maybe they would be done soon. “All right, so, uh. Pray for us sinners, which is ora pro nobi--”

“Nobis.” Juan - since using his real name got him no leniency, may as well keep calling him that - cut him off for the eleventh time in the past five minutes. “It is nobis. Which case is that?”

“Uhhh… ab… gen...” Ernesto glanced up, trying to gauge his reaction.

All he got was a raised eyebrow. Again. He was more and more tempted to rip those ridiculous stripes of yellow hair off his face. "Think. Nos, nostri or nostrum, nobis. Nominative, genitive…?"

Something clicked in Ernesto’s head. “Oh! Dative! That would be dative, right?”

An approving nod. “Dative plural, correct. Now, what else did you get wrong?”

Ernesto looked back down at the page, trying not to think that if he’d just let him call the Federales he would now be hanging by the neck from a tree and none of this would be his problem anymore. “Peccatoris?” he guessed.

“Exactly. Peccatoris is genitive singular of peccator, first of all, so at least you didn’t entirely make it up. But in the sentence it refers to nobis, which means it must be…?”

Ernesto gave him a blank look. Juan sighed, but did not lose his nerve. “Think of the same sentence in Spanish - ruega por nosotros pecadores. Why not ‘nostros pecadora’?”

“Because nostros is plural and pecadora is singular. And feminine.”

“And what is the issue there?”

Well, that was a dumb question even a kid could answer. “That it’s got to match.” Ernesto frowned, thinking it over, and-- oh. Oh. “Wait. It’s got to match nobis, so-- dative plural as well?”

A nod, something that almost resembled a smile. “Very well,” Juan conceded, and Ernesto grinned. There, that wasn’t too bad, after a-- “And that would be?”

“Huh?”

“Dative plural of peccator. What is it?”

Ah. “Er… peccatorum?

"That’s genitive."

“Peccatores?”

“Nominative. Or accusative, could be either.”

“Uuuugh.” Ernesto let out a groan, and his head dropped on the desk with a distinct thunk. He could almost hear a smirk in Juan’s voice when he spoke again.

“Peccatores, peccatorum, peccatoribus,” he said, taking a cigarette out of the case. “Ora pro nobis peccatoribus. We’ll go through the third declension again before we call it a night.”

“What-- you said this was the last page!”

“I asked you to focus enough to finish it, didn’t say it’d be the last. You clearly need more prac--”

“It’s almost two in the morning!”

“Then we better be quick.”

Forehead still pressed on the desk, Ernesto groaned. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

“Not without a clear conscience, which is to say not until I’ve done my duty,” Juan replied, and pushed a notebook full of notes in front of Ernesto again. “It’s not difficult. You need to memorize it and, with enough practice, it will come naturally. You should have an edge on me there.”

Was he mocking him? Ernesto raised an eyebrow himself. “... Do I now?”

“Spanish is one of the closest languages to Latin, whereas English has different roots. It was difficult for me to pick up Latin at first. You’re doing quite--” he paused, stopping short of saying ‘well’. “... Passably, for someone entirely ignorant.”

“Hey!” Ernesto protested. He may not be a bookworm, or a scholar, but that was going too far.

“It is not meant as an insult. It comes from Latin ignorare, which simply means ‘not to know’--”

Ernesto dropped his head back on the table, and rather wished the Federal Army would come to put him out of his misery sooner rather than later.

***

“So, we’re marching south?”

“Jesus Christ, we have literally just arrived, I was hoping we could rest…”

“We will, I think they said we’re not going for at least another week--”

“Two weeks. If you’re going to eavesdrop, at least do it properly,” a voice suddenly spoke up, causing the gathered soldiers to wince and turn.

“Commander Hernández!”

“We were just, uh, we--”

“I was not eavesdropping, I only… er… walked by, and… sort of… overheard what they were telling you...”

The newly appointed Commander Santiago Hernández waved a hand, clearly unbothered by the very obvious lie, and they all breathed a little more easily that no punishment would be doled out. That was something they appreciated about Hernández, even though they didn’t know him well: he had been one of them until recently, when his actions in Veracruz and his show of loyalty in refusing discharge had gained him a promotion. He was above them, but didn’t flaunt it nearly as much as others would.

“It will be announced soon, so it is no secret,” he was saying. “Our battalion will remain here for a further week or two, in case reinforcements are needed around Mexico City, but it seems unlikely the current standstill will break. Once we receive the all-clear, we finally head south.”

That word - finally - sounded like a sigh of relief, and the men exchanged a few glances. It was no mystery that Commander Hernández had been itching to lead them down south for a good while, growing increasingly frustrated with the skirmishes and changing tactics that kept them in their current position. He was hellbent on finding a deserter who had shot a friend of his and had fled south, which was understandable but… a touch loco, really.

South is a very vague hint to finding a man who had run off months earlier. This Ernesto de la Cruz may have joined the rebels or been killed by them, died in the desert he’d escaped into, be hiding into some hole or even have crossed the border into Guatemala or British Honduras; chances of running into him were slim to none.

But of course, none of them was foolish to say as much aloud in his presence.

“This will be no stroll in the park,” the Commander was going on. “We will need to get through Zapata’s territory to get there, but it is necessary. We cannot let them push their control all the way to Veracruz and cut the country in two. We will have reinforcements for that part.”

“... And after that?”

“After that, the battalion splits. Some units will go towards Yucatán, while I will lead you towards Oaxaca and then down to Chiapas. There are some very active rebel groups in both regions who support Zapatistas, but few enough they can be dealt with. There is belief they have widespread support among the civilian population, and that is what we need to crush.”

If Commander Hernández noticed any of his men shifting uncomfortably, he pretended not to. His voice was cold, his eyes unyielding, the world reduced to friends to fight alongside with and enemies to be destroyed.

No, not friends - comrades. Santiago Hernández had no friends, not anymore. The last he had left were shot dead, by a deserter and by Americans. His fellow soldiers could show him obedience, show him respect and even camaraderie, but there was no one left to show him friendship.

And no one left who could talk reason into him.

***

“Since he rode in with swagger And a crass sort of charm, His unconventional ideas Keep our town safe from harm He draws in crowds To the church, old and young Quick to bestow, He'll make his blessings come We were fatherless, and Hey, presto! We were gifted with Padre-”

“Miguel.”

“-- Huh? No, Ernest-- gah!” Miguel let out a yelp, trying with very little success to hide the guitar behind his back and acutely aware of the fact the small crowd of children who’d been listening to him was dispersing very quickly; out of the corner of the eye, he could see Óscar and Felipe leaping over a fence like thoroughbred horses. Within moments the only ones in the yard were himself and Dante, with Father John towering over them.

… Well, at least he didn’t look too mad. Only rather tired. Miguel was suddenly very glad he’d decided to only sing the part about Ernesto and not the bit about him. Even so, seeing children shrieking and running off when he approached probably was… not very nice. Miguel gave a smile he hoped would come across as charming but that was actually very, very sheepish.

“Hola, Father John,” he said, making sure to pronounce his name as correctly as he could. The priest’s thin lips curled for a moment in something reasonably close to a smile.

“Hola, Miguel. That was… an interesting song.”

“It was just… just a bit of fun.” Miguel shifted a little, hoping he wouldn’t find out about the rest of it, or who had written it. Thankfully, the gingo didn’t prod for more details.

“... I do apologize. It was not my intention to spoil your fun. I am searching for my Bible - I seem to have lost it,” Father John said, letting his gaze wander around the yard, on the low stone wall and the few benches - but there was no sign of a Bible anywhere. “It is quite old and ruined, but it has a sentimental value. Could you spread the word and let me know if you find it?”

Ah. “Of course. I can go look for it. I will now,” Miguel spoke quickly, and turned to leave - but Father John spoke first, causing him to pause.

“... You do miss Father Ernest, I gather,” he said, and well… there was no point in lying there. Ernesto had even apologized to him for snapping, as Héctor said he would, even though he’d offered no explanation, and Miguel had accepted the apology. So all was well now… right?

“We kinda miss him at Mass,” he admitted. “I know you said he’s busy with other things, and-- I like how you say Mass,” Miguel added quickly, hoping he had not noticed how he’d almost dozed off and dropped the incense the previous Sunday. “It’s just-- well-- you know--”

“It’s all right, I understand. I’ll ask him to say Mass this Sunday,” he said calmly, and walked back to the church. As he watched him go, more of Héctor’s song echoed in Miguel’s head.

Like oil and water Their teamwork does seem strained And so I often am questioned Cómo está tu Padre?

***

Father John Johnson lit his next cigarette against his best judgment.

He normally practiced more restraint, even with a vice, especially considering rolling papers and tobacco felt like something immoral to spend his small allowance on in such hard times. That, and it was the last in his tin - which meant that in order to get more he’d have to go on an unpleasant trek up the hill, to the small stand on the edge of town, with the little gruff man who clearly overcharged and quipped about John reminding him of Spaniard colonizers each time.

John’s family was actually of Dutch ancestry - not a drop of Spanish blood as far as he was aware - but it was a fight John had decided not to pick. He’d just take the scathing remark and be content that the man wouldn’t go telling the rest of the town that the gringo priest bought tobacco from him. By far not his most shameful secret, but still one he’d tried to keep hidden.

“And what’s the point of that anymore,” John mused aloud, leaning back against a tree.

As much as he’d tried to avoid the thought, he feared his worse sin would leak to this town sooner or later, due to Ernest’s continued existence here. Granted, the man had all the more reason to keep John’s secret now that his own had been found out, but a slip of the tongue was all it would take.

And if that happened, well, he would no longer have to worry about keeping his smoking habit hidden. Who’d be bothered by a priest having a penchant for foul-smelling habits when it’s common knowledge he has an even stronger penchant for men in his bed? Perhaps Brother Hector would write a song about that, too. The thought terrified him, knotting up his stomach, and yet he couldn’t hold back a bitter laugh before he took another drag.

Such thoughts circling endlessly in his mind were part of the reason for his irresponsible rationing of cigarettes, along with Ernest’s gauche behavior ever since he showed divine and priestly mercy.

That morning’s breakfast had made him nearly reconsider indulging Sister Sophie’s plea for Ernest’s pitiful life. The man had been edging toward familiarity ever since John had given him the gift of mercy allowing him to remain in the parish, so long as he did his best to behave like a real priest so no one else learned his secret - which meant listening when John assigned him scripture to study, so his sermons no longer consisted of him improvising stories he thought he remembered from childhood.

Even so, he regretted allowing Ernest to occasionally say mass to keep people from questioning the change. It took all the restraint in John’s body not to stand up in the middle of mass that day to correct him that Jesus never ‘set a temple on fire for revenge’ and certainly did not ‘condone’ arson in the ‘right situation’. Indeed, John 2:14 was his first assignment for that little mishap.

Clearly, the lesson Ernest had taken from it was not precisely the one John had hoped he would. Instead he seemed quite coy at breakfast declaring loudly to all the sisters and impressionable Hector how reexamining the bible was such a ‘good reminder’ that Jesus simply ‘doesn’t care much if we sin!’.

“He was a bit of a hell-raiser himself! A rebel!”

Each phrase announced with a strongly targeted grin toward John in an obvious attempt to excuse his own behavior, which nearly caused John to flip a table himself. But he had shown restraint, and channeled that anger into what was now his last cigarette, which he would attempt to savor as slowly as possible.

“There you are!”

The voice burst seemingly from nowhere, causing him to yelp. “Lord have mercy!”

John startled, nearly dropping the cigarette and turning to glare up at that man. In response, he just grinned.

“I thought you had better reflexes than that,” Ernest began, the forced friendliness and warmth radiating off him just as strongly as it had during breakfast. He either wanted something from him, perhaps more foul carnal acts - in which case he would be sorely disappointed - or was trying to make sure his little stunt that morning hadn’t cost him John’s silence and mercy.

John inhaled, his voice coming out strained with fragile control. “I have… given you respite, patience, and lessons. I can not fathom a reason you must accost me in private when I have been explicit that unless it is in the parish for lessons we are not to--”

Ernest didn’t seem to be listening: the next moment he was plopping into the grass beside him, leaning on another side of the tree. “I know, I know,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m not going to take up much time, it’s just that you rather rudely ran off at breakfast--”

“You cannot fathom how close I was to strangling you over the nonsense you were spouting, you should count yourself lucky that I left--”

“But,” Ernest cut him off, “you left before I made my point about my, uh, study of scriptures.”

“I’m not grading you,” John replied flatly.

“I am aware. But I think I found something that could bring you, uh…” a vague gesture. “I just think it’d be something you’d like. I don’t think what you-- we are is such a big deal. In case you missed it--”

Missed it - now that was nothing short of an insult, and John’s composure broke. “I’m the real priest, Ermest - what could you possibly teach me that I don’t know about scripture!” he barked. Ernest didn’t even flinch, but lifted a Bible he’d seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Had he kept it hidden under his robes for a dramatic reveal just now?

“What, don’t like to think I can get something you didn’t?” Ernest made a face. “I am pretty smart, if I say so myself. Even you admitted I’m getting the hang of Latin.”

His boldness was coming back each day he awoke to see John had not yet cast him out it seemed. “Pride is a sin,” John muttered, making an effort not to release a slew of profanity he would have to confess to - God knew who to, since he was the only priest in the village. Instead, he pressed the cigarette between his lips and inhaled as though the smoke was oxygen.

Ernest shrugged. “Anyway. I’ll have you know that according to Romans 3:23--”

“Yes, yes. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’,” John replied without missing a beat. “I’m well aware. Is this a case to prove why you deserve full forgiveness and a return to--”

“Well, if you shut your mouth and let me finish, maybe you’ll see.”

Oh, John would love to be a pettier man, to make some empty threat about changing his mind to get Ernest on his toes again. But, well… God was watching, and he’s sinned enough lately. Far more than enough.

“Well then,” Ernest was going on. “Since he’s saying we’re all sinners, there’s no reason to feel particularly bad if we--”

“Priest. I’m a priest,” John cut him off again, stressing the words just enough to remind Ernest that he was not one, regardless of the cloth he wore.

“Huh?” He seemed honestly confused. “I know you’re--”

“Do you just keep forgetting priests are on another level of standard than--”

“Cálmese one minute, will you?”

“I am calm!” John snapped. “But if you don’t cease blaspheming, I’ll have you study so much--”

“So anyway,” Ernest barreled on before he could be scolded for the disrespect. “That verse reminded me of one I heard as a boy, and it took some digging to find it, has anyone ever thought of alphabetizing this thing?”

“This thing would be the Holy Bible, it would be appreciated if you showed some respect towards the Word of--”

“Anyway, it was a Psalm,” Ernest continued, clearly having made a habit of not acknowledging John’s attempts at educating him that day. “And it went, ‘for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made - your works are wonderful’, and so on, right? God made us and all that, and makes no mistakes. You told me - and I’ve watched - you tried everything to avoid these desires, so… why would God make a mistake with you?”

John was silent for a moment; it mirrored a touch too closely to the argument Father Joseph had given him years ago. Shaking off the alarm, he turned his gaze on Ernest’s face for the first time in the conversation. “You have mistaken the Devil’s influence for divine design.”

“Didn’t you tell me you’d felt this way since you were a child - an innocent?”

“I was not that young, I was…” Almost a man, he’d thought then, but looking back now… oh, he truly had been barely more than a child. Something ached in John’s chest and throat, and he swallowed before speaking. “The devil, he… he works in deceitful ways.”

“Me too, you know.”

John scoffed. “Yes, you certainly do work in deceitful ways too, but that is no reason--”

“No, I mean-- being like that. As a boy.”

Ah. John fell silent, and turned back to Ernest. His hands were crossed, and he looked… uncharacteristically uneasy, no longer looking at him. “Even before my… experiences in, uh…” a sigh. “I said it was seminary, but of course that was not it.”

“Where…?”

“In the army. Overall unpleasant.” A bitter chuckle, but he didn’t elaborate. “But well before then, I would look at men. Other boys, really, well before I knew what sodomy was. Like you, correct?”

John had only ever looked that way at one boy when so young, but the memory of Walker Underwood - leaning back on the grass beside him to look up at the stars, talking and laughing, so unaware of John’s reddening skin and uneasy thoughts - still hurt all those years later, and he chose not to remark on that.

“... Correct,” he murmured instead, and Ernest nodded before speaking again.

“And it was not lust exactly, was it? Too young for that. So… why’d God make you like that if his design is divine? Either of us?”

A somewhat smug smirk was emerging on Ernest’s face, like that of a pupil who had turned in an immaculate report despite the teacher’s mediocre expectations. John turned his attention to the grass, his smoking hand lingering in the air as Father Joseph’s kindly voice and words echoed in his head.

Perhaps it is in God’s plan that it remains your cross to bear.

Ah, but Ernest did not think of it as a cross to bear. He accepted it, embraced, revelled in it… and God had not struck him down for it. He’d struck down neither of them.

He was quiet so long that Ernest’s look of confidence began to waver, as though he feared that perhaps he had simply broken him further as opposed to-- ah, was comforting him what he’d meant to do? His way to apologize for his deception? John suspected as much.

The thought sat warmly in his chest, and that feeling in itself should have concerned him, but… he wanted to revel in what comfort that knowledge gave him, if only for a little while.

Without a word, slowly, John’s free hand landed on the one Ernest rested in the grass. A delicate pat, the kind of gratitude a widowed parent shows to the child who thinks they can console them with a false belief the dead will return, knowing full well it is not to be. But the key there was that he... he recognized the attempt.

“You’re dreadfully naive about scripture theory.” John remarked, his voice somber. Before he could pull his hand free Ernest took hold of his index finger, forcing him to linger.

“Either I’m right, or God has messed up a lot of kids in his design.”

The notion God may mess up in any way, shape or form was another blasphemy, but it was probably the point Ernest was clumsily trying to make. So John didn’t rebuke him, nor did he try to pull away from his grasp, which was loose enough for him to be able to do so effortlessly. There was a doubt that may be just a ploy from Ernest’s part to remain in his good graces, or maybe even slither back into his bed, but even so it was difficult not to appreciate the gesture.

Perhaps he means it. Father Joseph surely did.

John gave a single nod, and allowed his hand to be clasped as he finished the remainder of the cigarette - Ernest’s presence no longer quite as stressful as it was before. Then the cigarette was done, he blew out the last of the smoke, and he pulled his hand away.

“We ought to head back--”

“Here,” Ernest said suddenly, pushing the Bible in his hands. John blinked, taken aback, and glanced at him to see he was looking away. What in the world…?

“You know I can quote the Bible in my sleep, don’t you?” he pointed out, just a little offended. “I know exactly which passages you’re quoting. I simply don’t think your simplistic interpretation--”

“No, I mean--” Ernest fidgeted, uncharacteristically uneasy with words. “That’s yours.”

“... I beg your pardon?”

“Your Bible. I, uh, got someone to fix it up. As a, you know. Apology.”

Ah. John looked down at the Bible in his hands, truly focusing on it for the first time. That wasn’t his Bible, it couldn’t be; he’d ruined it slamming it down on the camera, until the spine broke, the leather cover came off and several pages came loose. The one he held in his hands was newly bound, now, with a new cover and all pages firmly in place. Still, when he opened… that was his handwriting at the margin, his notes. His Bible, indeed. So that was where it’d gone.

“I see,” John heard himself saying, his throat a little tighter. He instinctively flipped the pages, searching for-- yes, there it was, right where he’d left it: his father’s letter. Disowning him, telling him he no longer had a son, to never be in touch again, so he wouldn’t taint them. But for the first time, seeing that letter did not fill him with shame. It filled him with anger.

“Didn’t you tell me you’d felt this way since you were a child - an innocent?”

I did nothing. I was a boy, I only thought of kissing another. His own child, cast out over nothing.

“I noticed it looked kind of ruined, and I figured old Raúl could fix it up,” Ernest was saying, seemingly unaware of his thoughts. “He owed me a favor, so--”

“Thank you,” John said, very quietly, and smiled, the restored Bible - his keepsake of Father Joseph, the man who had called him his son despite everything - clutched to his chest. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know. I-- I have no words.”

Ernest smiled back. “Not even in Latin?” he asked.

And, for the first time since the truth had become clear to him, John Johnson laughed.

***

Well, getting Juan’s Bible fixed up hadn’t saved Ernesto from his daily Latin lesson, but at least he’d been allowed to go to sleep at a reasonable enough time, so there was that.

Not that he had hoped to fall asleep soon or easily, because he never did, not when he had to sleep alone. In the dark and the silence, falling asleep to find himself back in the barracks - or in a battlefield, or marching under the sun, or about to gun down civilians - was all too easy. So far, he found that some company was the easiest way to keep all of that away at night.

He’d tried to casually suggest Sofía to spend the night with him, but of course, she’d shrugged him off and said she had plans. She was probably living it up with Sister Antonia right now, who was pretty but, in Ernesto’s opinion, nothing to write home about. Unlike him, of course. He was very much something to write home about. Or to the Archdiocese. Thanks for that, Juan.

Ah, yes. Juan. Asking him for nightly company was now entirely out of the question for obvious reasons, but Ernesto found that the thought of him helped a little just now. Namely, the thought of the look on his face when presented with his fixed-up Bible; the surprise, the smile, the laugh. It had been… nice, to hear that laugh again.

Not that it had been the goal, Ernesto thought, but he was not entirely sure what the goal had actually been. He’d just eyed Juan’s Bible on the table after the gringo left to deal with some confessions, and thought that it looked in terrible shape, like he’d dropped it from a great height. He vaguely remembered Juan telling him that the old Bible was a gift from Father Joseph and very dear to him, much like the crucifix around his neck.

Grabbing it had taken a moment, and the walk to Raúl’s shop only minutes. The man was mostly a leatherworker, but was good at book binding and also the father of a woman finally expecting a child after years of fruitless marriage thanks to Ernesto’s, er, blessing - so he owed him a favor. When he’d returned to pick it up, the Bible looked new and he’d actually flipped through it to check Juan’s notes and make sure it was the same one he had left.

What am I doing?, he’d asked himself then, and he did again now. ‘Getting a book fixed’ was technically the right answer, but why would he bother was another matter entirely. He told himself it was vital he remained on the gringo’s good side, and that also was technically true. So there, that had been it - no motive but self-preservation, as always. End of story.

Ernesto turned to the wall, pulled the covers up to his chin, and closed his eyes. His thoughts did keep drifting back to Juan’s smile, which was annoying, but when he finally fell asleep no soldiers, screams or gunfire disturbed his dreams. All in all, it could be worse.

***

You no longer have a father. I only ever had one son. For both of our sakes, never write again.

For a long time, John stared in silence at Reverend David Johnson’s neat handwriting in the flickering light of the candle barely lighting up his room. He had read that letter every morning upon awakening, and every night upon going to sleep, for well over a decade. A reminder of his sin, of his failure as a son. It hurt, each time, and it hurt him now.

Only that the hurt was different that night, the disdain no longer entirely against himself. The letter was written on Christmas Eve, a brief unfeeling response to a heartfelt plea. Cold. Cruel.

I was a child. I was his child. How could he?

John pressed his lips together, the letter in one hand and his Bible in the other. A father’s rejection, ink more and more faded, and a Father’s gift - now restored. John’s eyes drifted towards the candle and, while he did not burn the letter, he did think about it.

He thought about it for a very long time.

***

“A flying machine! What in God’s name were you two thinking??”

“That we wanted to build a flying machine. It worked pretty well, except for the part where it didn’t fly.”

It took every ounce of Imelda’s patience, plus some she probably borrowed directly from the Almighty, not to grab Felipe by the front of his shirt and shake him hard enough to make his teeth chatter - and if not for the fact he had a broken left arm in a cast, she may not have been able to hold back.

“Maybe we should have picked someplace less high for the first test,” Óscar was conceding, all bruises and skinned elbows but with his bones still all in one piece. “We’ll choose better next time.”

“Next-- there is absolutely not going to be a next time.”

“Yes, yes, that’s what mamá said.”

“Papá as well.”

“So we knew you’d say that, too.”

“But you need not worry, because the next flying machine will actually fly!”

Imelda groaned, reaching up to rub her temples. “Was a broken arm not enough for you?”

“Nope! I still have the other one,” Felipe quipped, flexing the arm in question to show off absolutely non-existent muscle.

Óscar laughed. “And on the bright side, if the Federal Army comes looking for new soldiers, they won’t take him! Huh, maybe I should break my own arm--”

“Don’t say that,” Imelda cut him off, her voice suddenly sharp. It was the sort of thing she’d been having nightmares about. “Not even as a joke.”

“... The arm thing or the army thing?”

“The Federales. Actually, both. But mostly the Federales.” Imelda found she couldn’t entertain the thought even for a moment and something had to show on her face, because both of her brothers stopped smiling at exactly the same moment.

“Hey, we… we didn’t really mean it.”

“We won’t say that again. Promise.”

Imelda sighed and finally nodded, managing a smile. “... Good. And if you want to entirely reassure me, you may also promise you will not keep trying to build flying contraptions and launch yourselves--”

“Oh look, it’s getting late!”

“We should be home in five minutes!”

“We should have been home five minutes ago!”

“Wait a moment--” Imelda began, only to trail off when her brothers took off running in the direction of their home. She sighed, making a mental note to let her mother and father know they should keep all tools under lock and key next time she saw them. Not that she thought it would stop them, but at least it would slow them down. Possibly until Felipe’s arm healed.

Their joke about Federales passing by to pick men to replenish their ranks rang through her mind as she walked back towards the parish, impossible to entirely ignore.

If they took them, I don’t know what I’d do.

Her thoughts turned for a brief moment to the loaded pistol she kept hidden in her room. She paused mid-step, clenching her jaw. No, that wasn’t entirely true, was it?

She knew exactly what she’d do.

***

“He left, didn’t he?”

“Yes, Commander, as you said he would. We watched him take a horse and ride off.”

“Of course. To warn his friends down south of what he heard in the cantina, no doubt.”

Santiago took a swig of his drink before setting down the glass, eyes glued to the map. It had been a grueling business, pushing past Zapata’s forces immediately south of Mexico City, but they had made it and now the battalion had split, leaving him in command of a couple of units… heading for the area where Ernesto de la Cruz had fled, leaving behind Alberto’s body in the smoldering sand.

I’m getting closer, I know I am. It’s only a matter of time.

And he could wait, of course. He could bid his time; being in the army had taught him discipline… something many of his men severely lacked. They were unruly, prone to talk and drink and then to talk even more after a drink… and that small village was full of ears. Thank God, said ears were also very bad at spying without being entirely too obvious.

Sergeant García scowled. “Do you want us to follow him and take him out before he can warn them of our itinerary?”

“No, let him warn them. Let those traitors waste time rallying around San Luz while we take another route right past them.” With some luck, they may even be able to catch them by surprise from behind. He’d come up with another itinerary, and avoid sharing it with anyone who didn’t strictly need to hear it.

“I see. Do you need any further help…?”

“I think I’ll be fine, thank you. You’re dismissed.”

The sergeant left and Santiago focused on the map again, slowly working his way through the glass. There were several alternative routes they could take, but he settled for one that went through some hills and a small village barely marked on the map, the name printed in such tiny letters he had to squint to read it.

Santa Cecilia.

***

A/N: yes, I had to study Latin and had nightmares about it from time to time. But it's cool, they're fading. Ancient Greek, on the other hand, shall haunt me to my grave.

***

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#pixar coco #ernesto de la cruz #hector rivera #miguel rivera #imelda rivera #coco #fake priest au

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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The Loud House Reviews: The Cow-Pie Kid and Saved by the Spell

Welcome back Loudiacs.. I .. don’t know what the fandom calls themselves. And given I dont’ know anyone personally in the fandom and the going into the tag is like living in a living nightmare.. it’s easier to keep workshopping a name till either someone tells me or I find one that sounds right. Loudites.. there we go that didn’t take long. Point is we’re back in The Loud House, In The Loud House for the first regular coverage, i.e. when I cover a show as It comes out of the season. And I was lucky enough to actually see the episode same day this time and with a promo that at least gives me images to work with, so yeah, i’m pretty pumped. And not just because I can cross this one off because SOMEBODY has a birthday tommorow.. no not me, that was last month.

There ya go. But yeah the show’s back. I’m excited, your excited, i’m scared because nick dosen’t give a clear schedule out ahead of time so i’m left wondering when one’s going to pop up and when to get it on my schedule now I have one... it’s a good time. Seriously though Nick needs to get their scheduling in order. So i’m happy to be back, your happy to have me here, but probably not happy to have spoilers so let’s take this under the cut and we can talk about cow pies, magic, and ... how this block is weirdly almost all lincoln episodes.

The Cow-Pie Kid: Yeah.. this was the only bit from cow pie kid I could find. Tons of stuff to mine from for saved by the spell. Nothing for that one. Weird. Anyways our story opens with Lynn’s baseball team, who we’ve met before.. and include friends who have played other sports with her and that guy she had a crush on for all of five minutes because the writers kinda forgot L is for Love happened for anyone but Luna and Luann.

Okay look MOST of the love intrests introduced there were not great and while Lincoln needs one NOW, at the time he really did not as the Ronnie Anne thing had not, and still has not, been properly resolved. Still vastly prefer him with Stella and her with Sid, i’m just saying closure would be nice. Look i’m getting off topic point is one besides Sam, who was great out of the gate and not just for being gay.. though that was a lot of it, and Benny, whose objectively a really sweet kid and damn likeable. Luaggie shippers feel free to boo me, I understand.. dosen’t change my mind or the fact Poly exists to fix that. I mean why not both I ask you. Besides them, we had Chazz, a loveable chubby guy who Leni was into and worked at clothing store and knew his fashion stuff. and was charmed by her romantic gesture. He just seemd sweet and it was implied via background stuff they were still dating.. but he hasnt’ shown up since despite her working AT the mall and that being her main arc for the last two seasons.

Just why? What’s wrong with the chubby fashion boy? Why? Did they decide they had too many romance arcs.. at exactly two? I get focusing on sam, because duh, and because that was awesome.. but you’ve had 2 full seasons since then and again Leni and him now work in the same location if not the same store, which in itself is a plot. I don’t ask much from you show.. well okay I do but let me clarify I don’t ask much from you that you could actually do: I know i’m never getting my a diffrent world style spinoff with lori and bobby. I know Zach is going nowhere and i’m just going to have to get over it, I will not, but I DO know you could include chaz and just won’t. So do that at least. I will put up with several more seasons of Zach if it means this adorable love story continues. It’s even easy enough to pick up this late: they are both stupid. Work with that. Gah... coach if you’d please.

Thanks coach. Okay so one tangent later we’re back to the episode. Point is her team is loosing even though Lynn’s the captain now, and while she’s perfectly encouraging it’s not winning games. Lynn is understandably dejected in the car not helped by the sports commentor guys from the game... commenting about it on the radio...

I mean.. I get sports can have dry spots and all that but who covers a middle school basketball team on the radio that isn’t the middle school radio station. I mean I genuinely can’t decide which is more sad... a radio personality doing a children’s baseball game on his own show, or having so much trouble getting one that he’s apperaing on the middle school radio show. And I COULD say it’s just a guest spot but he’s talking like he knows what’s going on intmatiley> Did his daughter ask him to? I mean I know radio’s fallen pretty far but I dind’t think it was that much in the basement. Do a podcast at least man.

Okay before I go on another Tangent point is Lynn feels it’s her fault as Captain.. which granted whoever the coach is should be .. but it genuinely looks like they don’t HAVE a coach. Maybe they had to sack him to pay for the newly refrubished av department? I dunno. Point is she feels bad and Lynn Sr vows to cheer her up.. before stopping for farm fresh eggs. Which.. yeah can’t blame him. He’s a cook, and Liam’s family likely has good prices. He can buy for both home and restraunt at once. I mean he has a van and only one occupant at the moment. Don’t judge him. But this little detour DOES help Lynn’s mood. Her problem is the team lacks a decent pitcher, since Lynn herself was banned for throwing one at a heckling goat. The Lawsuit is ongoing and that made me laugh a lot. But Lynn finds Happy Gilmore style that Liam.. has a really great arm. Granted instead of actuall balls it’s with cowpies because this series really loves a shit joke, hence the title and the new nickname for liam, the cow pie kid.. but compared to some of the series toilet humor it’s a lot less in your face. But with Liam being so good Lynn can’t help but sign him to the team and Liam being a sweetie pie is happy to agree. I have.. not hid even for a second how much I liked Liam or wanted him, and Stella, to show up outside of Lincoln episodes more often, or even get his own again. That day.. has come. Not only does LIam now have a roll entirely outside his friend group, but this episode’s about him and Lynn together.. not in that way.. yet. Someday.. Point is my boy is in the spotlight and I could not be happier. And thankfully.. Lynn’s at her best. What I feared would be an episode about her overtraining him and making him not enjoy the game, htat old chesnut instead.. she just genuinely helps mentor him. She’s tough but fair as she helps him get his aim right as he’s used to firing Cow Pie’s, so the weight distrbution is off. So she helps train him and .. it’s really cute honestly, with her genuinely helping him and showing a softer side and later realizing she had him thinking about it too hard and just having him not think.. and going by instinct naturally works for a carefree and easygoing guy like liam. Wouldn’t be suprised if he went ultra instinct eventually.. but that’s for another episode. They also have a pig pile together.. which sounds bad but is just pigs piling on liam and lynn gladly gets on top of the pigs and god that sounds worse. next scnee.

So Liam gets ahead and becomes the star pitcher for the zanarkand abes.. I mean the Royal Woods Kangaroos, and they just keep wining and wining and wining. Their like glomgold: all they do is win... but probably with less attempted corpse dancing. Problem is as we see during the montage Liam’s arm is slowly but surley getting cramped and while he wins hte next game.. his arm gives out from noodle arm. The good news is with rest, he can fix it, as her injury prone friend Paula, whose somehow allowed to play with crutches despite ALL the legal and moral issues that raises explains. but they don’t have days to rest it. So insane plans it is! So Lynn goes to her sisters for herlp..specifically lisa int he hopes her mad science can either fix his pain or turn him into the hulk. Neither happens.. yet. I mean LIam is so sweet if he IS a hulk, we won’t know yet. But the green door will.. it always knows. IT ALWAYS KNOWS. Lynn bemonas her luck.. before Lucy appears!

I JUST said last month when reviewing 11 louds a leapin that I missed the duo of her and lynn and lo and behold here we are. While we dno’t get much of the two fo them, it is still nice to see Lynn suprised by her scares and Lucy trying to use the dark arts to heal his pain.. which actually works. Lucy’s upgraded from wants to be a witch to full witch.

So yeah her dark magic works and now Liam is fine just fine as the championship game approaches. Until naturally it isn’t. While Lucy STOPPED the pain, she didn’t make anything better, just numbed it so Liam’s arm’s pretty bad and Lisa suggests there’s a 70 perfecnt chance he’ll wreck it if he does so.. and while Lynn is naturlaly, given one of her main traits is asshole, ready to risk that.. she realizes she can’t. Rusty is on her team following her orders.. and no matter how good a W feels.. she can’t trade in someone’s health for one. Honestly bettter than most sports managers ngl. So Paula subs in and misses, loosing them the game.. but Lynn. takes it in stride, having realized she can win next year and having finally realized what being the leader REALLY means. She can work on paula’s curve, give Liam a break, and win next time... which she’ll have because time dosen’t work normally in this show’s dimension and a solid timeline is just a pipedream, so she probably has another year of being 14 to redo this and has become aware of it. I’m scared and excited for what that means. Liam celebrates with a pig pile of two and we get a REALLY fucking cute shot of the two being happy and what not before a pig jumps on them still though.. yeah I ship it now. Liam taps into the space where I thought a black void of misery and douchebaggery was but ti turns out is in fact a heart, something few can do with Lynn and Lynn can protect him form bullies and is perfectly suited for his rough hewn farmboy styles. Point is their cut.e And so was this episode. IT was a really nice return to the series and it was again REALLY fucking great to see one of Lincoln’s firend,s and one of the GOOD ones at that, get a starring roll without him. HOpefully this keeps up and hopefully we see more of these two.

Saved by the Spell:

RUSTY SPOKES IS TRASH (Ring) I don’t have a saved by the spell font that’ll have to do. Point is he is but before we get to Rusty being Rusty, Lincoln is doing magic tricks at the table.

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Point is he’s excited to do it at the talent show. The next day his friends discuss doing something to make them look cool to everyone. WHich.. kids. i’ll level with you. You. are. NERDS. As a massive one in both size and nerdiness myself, there’s nothing wrong with that. 2/3 of you are lovely people. You’ll be fine. But you are geeks, and should be proud of that.. not so proud you evolve into an incel or it’s adjacent form of assholes mind you, but still proud of who you are. You are never going to be that cool by trying to appeal to everyone. Just be yourslef and the cool comes naturaly. Like kool aid, which is naturally made by milking the Kool Aid man. Be you.

But instead they decide to do a dance routine which.. let’s face it.. is probably just this spread across 6 people...

Point is maybe don’t do that. Also when Clyde does a dorky but endearing dance and says their going to shake their groove things, Rusty pipes in with “But cool”... and while sadly not as glorious as EVERYONE looking enitrely done with him like last time we saw this tool, Clyde clearly still does while the rest of hte Lincrew have no idea what the hell he’s on. I think their just.. numb to his stupidity and ego at this point. But when Lincoln shows off his magic they all hide him, fearing that magic.. is well for younger kids and this won’t play so well. Which isn’t an invalid fear: this is middle school and from personal experince, middle school can be hell.. and also one of hte best years of my life which shows the vast gulf between the two schools I was in but was also not the point. the point is kids can be cruel and maybe don’t do this. But lincoln gonna do it anyway because he has confidence.. and frankly given there was an ENTIRE episode about being yourself instead of putting on an asshole suit of armor to avoid being hurt, which Lynn finally took off again last episode, he’s right.. but the rest of them all feel THEIR ALL GOING TO LAUGH AT YOU. and since they don’t know if he has latent psychic powers or not can’t risk him getting pigs blood dumped on him so they plan to find some way to trick him out of it.. Clyde of course gets his stomach in nots because he’s not good with schemes or lying ot his best friend, both of which this is and requires.

Also Stella’s in the lead, as she should be. And she helps as her positive attudie makes what their doing come off as it should: KINDA douchey, but not intentionally so, they just worry about hteir freind getting pummled.. possibly by his own sister but now sh’es possibly with Liam that’s probably not as much of a worry. Or Chandler but frankly he’s going to do that no matter what.. and is probably getting his ass kicked himself by older kids who won’t toldeate his bs, so your clear. But their fears while a bit unfounded are understandable and well inteitoned if misguided, as we don’t know LIncoln’s act at this point or how well it’d go over with a mostly tweenager crowd, who can be the best as we’ve seen in recent tv.. or aboslutel monsters.. same deal. You either get Luz or you get BOscha, the inbetween is rare.

So cue our usual setup of a bunch of attempts to do something in a row, but like I said while i’m not a fan of reptition if it’s done well enough it works and with it’s rather sizeable supporting cast , LIncoln and Friends episodes usdually do make it work. In this case it does as each of the sensational 6, lincoln and clyde asid,e try their hand at it. Liam, being the golden child, just has the most direct and obvious route: swipe his magic stuff.. and runs off without letting them talk it out but unlike Rusty in the next attempt, his plan was actually viable.. he just gets tangled up in the scarves and taps out. Rusty is next ....and his idea is to.. show lincoln his killer dance moves to convince him normally.

Yup pretty much that. And somehow out of the four plans, RUSTY’S is the only one that dosen’t bring up any serious moral quandries. I know i’m shocked too. He just thinks his moves will do it when no they won’t, please stop it hurts to watch and I can’t turn the fuck away. This is my job you redheaded kanker sore! Gah it thankfully ends and is unsurisingly unsuccesful.

Also unsuprisingly, i’ve been waiting since i got that image to use it on Rusty. And as a third dollop of unsuprise I did not have to force it in any way shape or form. Point is it’s Zach’s turn as during the last two he’s been pushing really hard to use some form of brainwashing on his friend.. yes .. really.

Thought Rusty would be the first loud house character to get that one but hey if the shoe fits. Seriously I thought rusty was the creep among them but at least you know.. altering someone’s throughts to suit your own isn’t his go to move. Being excetsivly cocky and coming on too strong is but still better to take THAT out of the Zach Morris playbook than “brainwash people into dooing whatever you say because tha’ts not creeptagious.” And unsurpsingly it does not work.. on Lincoln it woroks on Meyrl for some reason. Thankfully it dosen’t though just.. Zach needs no power epsiecally over the mind.

So UNSUPRSINGLY, Stella has the working plnan.. and also unsuprisingly the last three just did theres by running off, running off and shouting the loudest. Again somehow Rusty is NO LONGER the most obnoxious one of the group. Zach won that title this episode. He’s still the most pathetic.. but i’m the most done with Zach who adds nothing to the dynamic or the planet or anything and I wish would just go away. Your home planet needs you.

But yeah Stella has the winning idea: pretending to be “Yodel Boy”, a student who was humilated at a talent show last year, proving sh’es not only a decent actress (I mean it’s obvious i’ts stella in a wig, padding and lederhosen, but points for the accent being okay and hey she’s in middle school), but also the smartest of them. Only one of those is a suprise. It works and Lincoln agrees.

So the night of the talent show they’ve caught him up to speed and prepare to celebrate, only for clyd eto open the wrong locker and reveal the yodel boy suit. WHy it was in there instead of at Stella’s house where this wouldn’t happen?

But yeah the cat’s out of the bag and lincoln leaves, depressed his friends think that little of him and lied to him. Which.. yeah completely fair. They tried talking to him, it did not work.. they shoudl’ve just left it at that. It would’ve SUCKED if he got bullied true, but it was his choice to go out there and take a risk and do what he loves. As someone whose constnatly self concious and had to fight to start writing like i’m doing now, I envy that kind of youthful confidence and thus wholly support him.

And finally.. so do his friends. Realizing they’ve been kinda crappy, they introduce lincoln instead and work as his assitants.. and.. it works. Stella gets sawn in half, Zach gets astounded by a card trick, and Liam wears a bunny outfit which is just.. precious. Good boy. Best boy. It’s a huge hit.. and we also get to seesome of the new background kids including one with pink hair who looks kinda nb. I’m just saying one of you should take a crack at them, they seem nice. But for now our heroes are haield as heroes, and the other 5 apologize to lincon and they do their now cemented and fucking adorable group hug. Happy ending to a pretty great episode, with decent gags, a good relatable plot, and Rusty being just the right amoutn of obnoxious. Good stuff. So that does it for this week. If you liked this review like or reblog it, check out my other work and come back later today for some duck content. and every week once the show returns. Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure.

#the loud house #lincoln loud #stella zhau #clyde mcbride #lynn loud jr #liam honeycutt #who finally has a last name!#FINALLY #zach gurdle #rusty spokes #lucy loud #lisa loud #saved by the spell #the cow pie kid #animation #reviews #nickelodeon

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blossom-hwa · 4 years

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WIP Tag (rip me)

So. I got tagged by @wingkkun for this and Kai, I’m just going to let you know that this was a mistake. I have more wips than I care to count

Update: I forgot to tag people bc I'm dumb I'm tagging @lewsr, @chaninfused, and @maaneskin have fun

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Rules: post the names of all the files in your wips folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous

hahahahahahahahahahahHA I don’t care about the rules I'm leaving out several where it’s a doc with literally 1 line in it. I'm also not putting up the drabbles I'm writing for unbeleafable bingo those will be a secret until the end of October

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Current SKZ WIPs:

WIPs I’m actually working on:

breathe, and live - chan single dad au :D very fluffy and soft! I've only written like the first 2 parts but it’s already very long and I may release it in chapters

for you - heavy angst slice of life childhood friends jisung :( I don’t recommend reading this if you don't like sadness there will be triggers for suicidal thoughts and death

no one knows - more heavy angst slice of life high school au jisung, no death but still angsty. by the end of it you will be able to tell how much I fucking loathed high school

time and time again - a changbin soulmate au that came to me in a dream. again I haven’t gotten too far but I will write this one if I have to die for it

quietude - hyunjin water nymph :)

brave - chan forest guardian :D

WIPs that are essentially abandoned but that I won’t delete

minho - yes the doc name is minho. it’s some college au thing I started. dunno if it’ll ever be finished

producer and classical - changbin producer, mc classical pianist college au set in the same universe as minho

prince chan - yeah just another one of the royalty aus I love and hate to write about corrupt kingdoms and a shining prince. gah. I will never finish this one so I don’t feel guilt about sharing it

delinquent au - I actually don’t know where this is going so I'm not going to elaborate

assassin au - don’t ask me about this one

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Current NCT WIPs:

WIPs I’m actually working on:

phoenix fire - the avatar au I'm working on :) it’s for mark! I haven’t gotten far into it but I like it

break a demon - YES it’s taking a long time but I swear it’ll get done

betray an angel - AGAIN it’s taking a long time but! it! will! get! done!

WIPs that are essentially abandoned but that I won’t delete:

I'll be your home - a blurb sorta thing for mark based off the song dear dream but I haven’t looked at this since last march. the original notes for it are still on my phone tho

fearless - this thing I started to write for xiao gui when nine percent existed and then rebranded for Haechan but I deadass haven’t updated it since last December

sicheng mermaid au - also exactly what it sounds like. this has changed hands MANY times (it was for sicheng then jiayi then renjun and now sicheng again). I have no idea if I will ever finish it

challenge - this dumb thing with Johnny??? some sort of knight au that I haven’t thought about since last year

jeno knight - exactly what it sounds like. it will never be updated

jisung demigod au - some pjo thing I started but I don’t like it anymore

library doyoung - yeah idk what this is anymore

snow white au yuta - I watched Snow White: a tale of terror like two years ago and got inspired and never finished it oops

magic in your fingers - I posted chapter 1 after heavy inspiration from watching fantastic beasts but that inspo is gone now. also as much as I like fantastic beasts fuck jk r*wling

#lina talks #nas #tagged for me :)#kai do you see the mistake you've made??????????????????????????????

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botan-shirabuki · 4 years

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Summer of Smut Writing Challenge: Exposure

Pairing: SLBP Sanada Yukimura x MC (OC)

Theme: Day 2 - Applying Sunscreen

Summary: Smut, but it’s propaganda from the Skin Cancer Foundation and the person who commissioned it thinks Yukimura is a bottom.

Rating: NC-17/Explicit (for heavy petting, handjobs, diet femdom, and dirty talk)

Word Count: 4.3k

Notes: My second entry into @voltage-vixen ‘s writing challenge! Day 2 came and went, but I couldn’t not post this one! I honestly had no shot at making it, but I figured it counts as banging on the beach anyway. shhhhhh I know it’s past midnight

I sincerely thought this would be way shorter, but my writing style had different plans. Either way, I had a BUH-LAST writing this and I hope you enjoy it too!

Again, I wrote this with my own MC Botan. But if your MC vibes with this too then that’s wonderful!

Ao3: here

"Oi, Botan!"

With a start, her eyes opened. The sound of crashing waves accompanying Yukimura's voice.

"Damn, I must have fallen asleep," she mumbled to herself as she sat up on her towel. She had decided to tag along with him for his morning workout on the beach. Apparently, sand was a great surface for resistance training. She didn't care much for that, honestly. Her plan was to workout by getting a decent swim in before the beach got too crowded. Unfortunately, the waves had been too choppy that morning to risk swimming in, so she decided to lay on her towel and catch up on some reading. Somewhere along the way, she fell asleep with her magazine on her chest. Luckily for her, her phone said it was only 9 in the morning, so the sun wasn't at full blast. She slowly sat up, noting how hot her skin felt before she turned to her husband. "How's that sand treating you?"

He was jogging towards her thoroughly drenched in sweat and flushed. Despite his appearance, which would normally be paired with exhaustion, he had a huge satisfied grin on his face. "It's great! I could run so much further. I wish we had some to run in at home." He slowed down once he made it to their towels and briskly sat down on the towel next to her. "I love it here, it's so quiet. I can only imagine what it was like for you growing up here."

"Mmhmm," she nodded along as he started talking; About how much he liked her hometown, about the benefits of sand training, but her attention kept getting drawn to the beads of sweat pooling on and trickling down his skin. He didn't seem to notice her eyes on his glistening collarbone though. However, as much as she loved ogling him, Botan's nurturing instincts took over and she reached for her bag where she had kept a smaller towel and a cold water bottle waiting for him.

"Ah, thanks!" he said when she handed them to him. He put them in his lap and peeled his sweat soaked shirt off before he started to towel down.

Okay, back to ogling.

Botan found herself heating up even further as she watched him wipe himself down. She couldn't look away from the way his soft skin pulled over taut muscles. As she watched him, she noticed the blurred line near across his back where he had started to turn a light shade of pink. An alarm bell went off in her head, but before she could voice her concern, a light bulb went off too, putting the beginnings of a mischievous smirk at the corner of her mouth.

"Yukimura," she began in a worried tone, "how long has it been since you applied sunscreen?"

He stopped drinking his water so he could think. "Hmm, I put some in when we got out here so...An hour ago?"

"Well, you know," she leaned in towards him, nothing too suggestive, "You're supposed to reapply sunscreen every two hours. And immediately after excessive sweating."

Yukimura blinked at her, "But it's only been an hour."

Botan blinked back, "But the last part."

There was a pause as he thought about it, "Oh...right," he looked down in the sand like he was ashamed. So cute.

Botan laughed a little as she got up on her knees, "And even then, you probably wiped it all off your face just now," she swept aside a damp lock of hair that was clinging to His forehead. Her gentle touch caused him to blush. Now was her chance, "Here, I'll help you put it on."

"W-What? You don't have to do that," he turned his head towards her, but quickly turned away when his eyes accidentally made contact with her backside as she went to dig through her bag.

"No, don't worry about it," she pulled out a large bottle of sunscreen along with a smaller tube. "Your arms are probably all worn out from your workout, it's the least I can do."

"But....the....well, um, okay," He couldn't really protest at that point because she had already squeezed a coin-sized amount of sunscreen into her hand from the small tube.

She kept a warm smile on her face as she scooted closer to his side, "Here, I'll just start with your face." She applied small dollops of the white cream to his forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. She almost cracked up at the way his eyes darted everywhere and anywhere except down in the hopes of avoiding a glance at her chest. He was lucky she had decided against straddling his lap, honestly. He did close them once she started to rub it into his skin, which made him relax. She gently massaged it in until the purple tint it left was no longer visible. "Oh, almost forgot your neck," she murmured to herself more than anyone.

"Mm, okay," he responded. His eyes didn't open when she reopened the bottle. This time, she rubbed it between her hands before carefully rubbing it on his chin and neck. He looked so calm and serene then, the sun hitting his face from the east. Once she had finished, she found herself sliding her palms up either side of his neck until she was holding his head by his jaws.

His baby blue eyes opened, curious to why she stopped. "Botan?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just wanted to get a good look at you." her voice was so gentle, but her eyes could have eaten him alive.

"Oh..." he started to stammer, but decided to just look away to the side.

Her fingers that had been in his hair pinched together and tugged. "Eyes on me, Yukimura."

Her voice was still just as gentle, but he knew to listen when she spoke like that. He swallowed his nerves and looked right into her dark eyes. He could feel his heart rate climbing steadily again as he did so.

Slowly, Botan lowered her head to his so she could plant a single soft kiss, lips on plush lips. She heard his breath hitch as she pulled away, and she saw that his cheeks were back pink again. His eyes were back on her though, waiting for her next move.

"Lay down on your back, alright?" she murmured, still close enough to his face so that he could hear her.

"Alright..." he nodded, reluctantly leaning back so he could reposition himself accordingly.

After squeezing a generous portion from the larger bottle, Botan began to massage the sunscreen over his broad shoulders and the back of his neck. Luckily for her, this sunscreen took a little more effort to rub all the way in, so she had extra time to enjoy how solid he was. Every once in a while, she would purposefully let her fingertips press into a muscle so she could gauge how tight it was. Each time she did, he would let out a little pleased grunt, which sent an instant jolt of intrigue to her core. This was already going so well.

With the next large blob, she took care of his back, rubbing up and down along the expanse of it, her thumbs meeting in the dip above his spine.

"Ack! Um, I mean..." he jumped when her hands made it to his lower back. She tutted to herself, as she hadn't even dipped below the waistband of his trunks like she wanted to. She went extra slow, liking the way he started to squirm and wriggle beneath her touch.

"How about I get the back of your thighs too? Or would you rather do that yourself?"

"Um, I can get that myself."

"Alright then, can you turn over?"

".......Actually, can you get the back of my thighs?"

Botan had to stop herself from laughing out loud. "I mean, I can but I'll still want you to turn over after that."

She could see the deep flush on the tip of his ear. "Just...you know what, I'll, um...do the rest myself."

Botan feigned being upset, "Aww," she cooed, leaning up against his back, so that her chest pressed against him while she spoke in his ear. "Are you sure you can? I'd hate for you to miss a spot, and I'm nothing if not thorough."

He tensed up beneath her, "Gah! Fine! Just don't put those-- those--" they both knew he couldn't say it, and they both knew he fucking loved how they felt. Which is why when he finally turned over, she wasn't at all surprised to see him straining out of his shorts. Seeing him already hard made her head swell up with a totally healthy combination of pride and lust, but she kept the smile on her face even though Yukimura was back to blushing and looking away from her.

"I'll start with your arms, okay?" she said in her saccharine sweet voice as if she had never been so brazen in the first place.

Yukimura closed his eyes and nodded wordlessly. It looked as if he was desperately trying to focus on quelling his arousal. She decided to spare him just a little by making quick work of his arms. She had plenty of chances to casually grope those whenever she wanted anyways. Although she did enjoy the way his eyebrows furrowed when her thumbs massaged at his biceps.

His legs were a similar situation, at least for his shins. As she worked her way up past his knees, she noticed that his thighs were trembling from how tightly he was clenching them. Surely enough, his thighs were so tight she could barely squeeze them when she ran her hands over them.

"You're going to pull something if you stay this tight, you know," she couldn't help but tease him.

"I-I'll be just fine--!!" he choked on his words when her thumbs rubbed at the comparatively softer skin of his inner thighs right where his trunks ended. The way the bulge in them twitched was absolutely unmistakable.

"Don't even worry about that, I'm almost done," she assured him, but they both knew good and well what the last area she needed to cover was.

Botan took her time squeezing out enough sunscreen for his torso. She watched the way his fists were clenched tight as he attempted to steel himself for her touch. This was exactly what she had been waiting for and she wanted the savor moment. She methodically rubbed her hands together before placing them flat on his stomach. His abs clenched beneath her, sending a rush through both of them. She focused on the way his skin and muscles rippled beneath her hands as she rubbed up and down his abdomen until her mouth was watering. She specifically watched the way he twitched as she followed suit on his sides. She had to swallow when he grunted because of her fingers circling around his Apollo's belt.

With what remained, she slid her hands up and over his chest. There wasn't much on her hands by then, but she was eager to feel his nipples harden beneath her palms. His heart was racing as she groped and squeezed at his pecs until she ran out of product. She had looked away to get one last squeeze when he spoke up again.

"Botan, I-- Guh!" he choked on his spit and started having a coughing fit.

She was genuinely worried now, "Are you okay?"

"I'm--" cough, cough, "It's--" hack, hack, "Your--"

She quickly had him sit up and passed him his water bottle. Once his coughing settled, she asked him, "What was it you were about to say?"

His eyes were looking to the side so intensely it must have hurt. "Your....your--"

"Look at me."

He listened, but he was now staring at her face so intensely His gaze could have burned a hole in her forehead. "Y-Your, your top is..."

Botan looked down, sure enough, while she was bent over him, she had begun to spill out of her bikini top. "Ah! Thanks." She quickly adjusted herself, looking around to see if they were still alone on the beach. To their left lone lifeguard was posted up far enough away that she could really only tell they were a lifeguard by them being up in the chair and a couple had walked past them to their right but hadn't paid them any attention.

If there was ever a time to strike, it was now.

"Yukimura," she started once she finished adjusting, "please tell me what you need."

"Huh?!" he looked like a deer in headlights when she straddled his lap. "What are you doing?!" His voice was a scandalized whisper.

She squeezed the sunscreen in her hand and slowly began to spread it across her palms as she spoke, "I can tell there's something bothering you, and I believe we're at our best when we're honest with each other," she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him so he was on his back again. "Don't you agree?"

"I--" Yukimura closed his eyes and hissed through his teeth when she gave his chest a deliberate and forceful squeeze before she started rubbing again. Despite how blatantly aroused he was, his hands clenched at the towel by his sides.

"C'mon, tell me," she encouraged him. She even positioned herself so that she was barely brushing against his erection to coax the words out of him. "I can't help you if I don't know what's going on in your mind."

When his eyes opened again, they were brimming with lust, exactly what she wanted to see. "I need to touch you," he breathed, finally not looking away. "I need to touch you so bad I don't know how long I can take it!"

Botan's hands made it up to his shoulders. As she gripped them, she lowered her face towards his. He closed his eyes in anticipation. Yukimura knew not to touch her until she said so when they got like this. The fact that he stayed true to that rule even when he was as worked up as this made her so very proud.

"Well you're in luck," she purred once their noses brushed against each other. Her tone instantly changed to an innocent and upbeat one when she sat up and handed him the bottle. "Because it's my turn now!"

"Oh?" After the haze he was in faded a little, he sat up and got onto his knees. "Where do you want me to start?"

She was already on her stomach next to him with her hair swept to the side, "Do me exactly the way I did you."

"O-okay," he took a deep breath as he prepared his hands with sunscreen, "So you want me to start on your back?" His voice was tense with restraint as he waited for further instruction.

"Yes, that would be perfect," she smiled at him, giving him the say so.

His hands on her were clumsy and rough. It was as if he was fighting his awkwardness about touching her, his desire to please her, and his need to take things further all at once in an underground cage match. She could hear his labored breathing and him muttering to himself to stay focused. Unintentionally, she let out a small gasp when he squeezed too hard around her lower back.

"Sorry...I know you're sensitive there," he was truly apologetic and she knew he meant it.

"It's nothing, just keep going."

"It's just..." he began as he started on her calves, "you're just so soft..." he worked his way up her legs until he was halfway up the back of her thighs. Sensing his hesitation, she reached back and swatted at his thigh.

"I'll need you to cover everything." her voice was still sweet, but there was a stern undertone to her words, "I'd be pretty upset if that area in particular got burned."

"Botan..." he paused, but his hands didn't leave her until he finally took more from the bottle. Slowly, his hands slid up until they finally left a trail of white over her butt.

"Mmm, good job," Botan moaned as his hands worked back downwards. "Make sure you rub it in properly too, I don't want a whitecast either."

"Yes, Botan," he sounded like he was in a trance by then. In that same state, he covered her arms and the front of her legs once she turned over. She stopped him once he had his hands on her thighs.

"You know, Yukimura, you've done a pretty good job so far," she held herself up on her elbows, "I ought to reward you for being so diligent."

"What? Now?" he was surprised that she even brought rewards up now. In the morning. In public. He gasped when she reached out to pull at the drawstring on his swim trunks. "Are you sure?"

"I mean, unless you want to walk around with that going on," she directly gestured to his tent, "then we better take care of it while no one else is around."

He looked around to confirm what she said before leaning in as if he was suddenly trying to hide something. "What do you want me to do....?"

Botan grinned at his compliance, "I need you to finish covering me first."

Eager to see what she had in store for him, he started to rub her legs again. She started moaning again when his hands were on the uppermost area of her thighs, which made him squeeze them harder.

"Get on top of me," she tugged at his loosened waistband, "just like I did." She smiled once she felt his weight on her hips. "And get the sunscreen."

He wasn't sure why she specifically told him to get some sunscreen until he noticed her reaching into her bag for yet another small bottle. She squirted a small amount into her right hand before rubbing it across her palm with her fingers. He was about to ask her what it was when she deliberately put it in his pants and it made direct contact with his throbbing erection. He yelped out loud when her fingers cinched tightly around the base.

"Keep rubbing me and I'll keep rubbing you." The way she was able to look so sweet and gentle while she said such things was truly beyond him, but he was close to his limit as far as being teased was concerned, so he quickly put his hands on the soft curves of her stomach.

He let out a choked breath as his hands slid up towards her rib cage, as hers slid slowly up his shaft, her thumb rubbing the underside of the tip once it made it there. Curiously, she mirrored his movement, slowly sliding back down to the base as his hands slid down towards her bikini line.

"Ahh, Botan..." he caught himself moaning as they continued, "Could you please go faster?"

After humming for a moment, she replied, "I'll give what I get."

And so he kept rubbing the sunscreen into her stomach, his pace slowly picking up and making hers do the same in return. After one particularly embarrassing moan from him, Botan kept her fist around the tip of his dick and started to rub at the slit with her thumb until it oozed precum.

"I love feeling your hands all over me," she moaned, catching his eyes. "But there's one spot you haven't gotten yet, and that's where I want to feel them the most."

"Ahhhh, b-but the same way?" he asked, referring to how she shamelessly groped him.

She nodded, gesturing for him to get one last dose of sunscreen. "You're going to need a lot."

One final generous portion was on his hands when he placed them on her shoulders. His breath caught again when he rubbed across her collarbone because her strokes quickened a considerable amount. Her wrists started to expertly flock in sync with her strokes once his palms found the tops of her breasts beneath the straps of her bikini.

"Botan, I'm close...!" She could already tell because he was getting to be a little loud, but she put her free hand over his to reassure him.

"Do it then. Touch me, and I'll let you cum."

That word alone could have done it to him if she hadn't tightened her grip around the base in anticipation. He took another shaky breath before he let his hands slide into the cups of her top.

"Mmm, yes, perfect," she groaned out once his hands finally grasped at her chest. "Ah, your hands feel perfect, keep rubbing them."

Yukimura was going through a sensory overload. Her breasts felt amazing. Her soft skin even more slippery beneath the sunscreen. And as he rubbed it in, the way they glistened in the sun reminded him of glaze on fresh donuts. At the same time, her hand stroking him was relentless. She had even used her other hand to pull his head down towards her so she could whisper in his ear.

"You did such a good job." Her ministrations were now focused mainly towards his tip. "Maybe tonight I'll let you have at me until neither of us can take it anymore."

His brain was all but shut off at this point, "Ahhh, yes, please..."

"Ooh, if we weren't here on the beach, I'd let you have me right now. Would you like that?"

"Mmph," his replies had been reduced to nonverbal moans and grunts by then, but the way he groped at her breasts until they were falling out of her top again indicated his positive answer.

"But we couldn't do that here, no," she licked at the shell of his ear, making a shiver run through him, "because if we did, you'd totally give us away when I'd make you scream out like you always do."

"You're so-- ahh! I can't hold it anymore!" he grunted out as her thumb quickly swept up and down the sensitive underside of his dick and her fingers did the same around the head. He came in multiple hot spurts that she felt oozing through her fingers. She kept at it and claimed his mouth in a searing kiss so that his cries of pleasure would be hers to hear alone. Her hand at the back of his neck wove into his still damp hair as she held him close. They stayed like that, kissing and still gently rubbing each other until a certain familiar voice called them back to reality.

"Try playing with his ass next time."

"Wha--?!" Yukimura jumped up off of her in an instant. There stood Saizo, holding a bag and a beach chair, smiling and apparently unbothered by what he had just witnessed. "How long have you been standing there?!"

Saizo merely shrugged, "Who's to say?"

"This isn't what it-- We were--! I need to go clear my head!" Beet red, Yukimura sprinted off until he was deep in the water and dove under a wave head first.

Saizo chuckled to himself as he set his chair up. "Productive morning, huh?"

With a wistful sigh, Botan sat up and adjusted her top accordingly before she wiped her hands off on the discarded sweat towel. "For the most part, yeah. He's still pretty jumpy though."

"Some things never change," Saizo sat beneath their umbrella. When they looked out into the surf, they saw Yukimura was now wading alone, looking out to the sea. Further down to the right, Little Sasuke and his dad were playing catch and more people were beginning to populate the beach.

"I should go check on him," Botan gave Saizo an apologetic smile, though she knew he probably didn't need it. "Will you watch our stuff or me?"

Saizo nodded wordlessly before he began to write in some kind of notebook. With that being all the communication she'd probably get, she made her way out into the water.

"How are you feeling?" she asked once she was standing next to Yukimura amongst the waves.

"I'm alright," he sounded fine, but there was a certain distance in his eyes.

"Was all of that okay for you?" she placed a gentle hand on his back. "If it wasn't, then I totally understand. I probably shouldn't have taken it so--"

He shook his head so hard a few droplets of water got in her mouth making her stop. "No, it was....it was great, actually."

Botan's eyebrows raised in joy, "It was?"

"Yeah, I think it was something to do with you taking care of me after a workout....and then," the sun was glistening against his pink cheeks, "I you felt so good...and you smelled so good...and everything you said made me not care that we were out here." Even though he was still blushing, he looked towards her with a smile, "You shouldn't worry so much, you know. If I didn't like what you were doing, I would have stopped you like we practiced."

Botan felt like her heart could have burst at the sight of that face. She leaned on his shoulder, linking her hand with his. "You're right. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did."

They stayed like that, swaying along with the calmed down waves before Botan lifted her head to whisper in his ear.

"Besides, you owe me an orgasm now."

Yukimura tensed up at first but smiled back at her, "I guess I do."

She left his side and walked further out into the water. "Luckily for us, we'll need to reapply after we're finished swimming anyway!" she said before diving underneath an incoming wave.

Yukimura followed after her with a grin. They ended up being too tired to stay on the beach for much longer, but that night, he paid her back in full and then some.

#slbp fanfic #summer of smut #summer of smut writing challenge #slbp yukimura #my writing #art coming soon I've learned my limits OTL #MC: Botan

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twokinkybeans · 4 years

Text

FALLEN LIKE SNOW - CHAPTER 3: FITFUL SLEEP

Written by @jeranasblog and Kinkybeanlien

Moodboard by @jeranasblog

Peter switches his means to get down the mountain, Tony has a rough night and Peter's lips become quite loose after a few too many drinks.

Notes: Adult Peter Parker, Fake dating, One sided nemies to lovers, No powers!AU, Mutual pining, Sugar daddy!Tony, Sugar baby!Peter, Fluff, Smut and Angst.

Smut tags (some for later): Wet Dream, Dry Humping, Daddy Kink, Mirror Sex, Dom/Sub Undertones, Bondage, Humiliation, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Fingering, Edging, Lingerie, Dom/Top!Tony, Sub/Bottom!Peter

Read Fitful Sleep on AO3!

The next day started with another delicious breakfast buffet. Everyone was there to discuss their skiing trip of the day and Peter couldn’t help but feel like he was a nuisance after Mr. Osborn mentioned it was a waste Tony wouldn’t be able to enjoy the lovely weather on the Platten. Though, once again, Tony immediately jumped in. “Peter’s here for just the week. I’m not leaving him by himself.” Peter couldn’t help the blush warming up his cheeks. Tony was either very good at pretending to be Peter’s boyfriend, or he didn’t want to hang out with his other friends. Peter guessed the first one, since that was the kinder option of the two, to everyone. He hoped it truly was the case. The first half of the morning was dedicated to the trek to Königsleiten. It wasn’t long, per se, but for someone with only one day of experience, it was quite the workout. When they got out of the chair lift, Tony took one glance at Peter and smiled kindly. “Up for a drink at the Umbrella bar?” Peter immediately shook his head. “I can go a little longer.” “It’s still a vacation, Pete, and you don’t have to prove anything to me.” Tony rolled his shoulders, poking his poles into the snow. “Or anyone for that matter.” Peter nodded gratefully and looked up the mountain. “One lift up further and then some cocoa?” “Gah, kid, please- I’d kill for a hot cocoa with cream. Sounds perfect.” They took the lift up, huddled together next to each other, surrounded by a couple of other people whose language Peter couldn’t quite figure out yet. Most of Peter’s fear came from the guy next to him being a snowboarder. They usually get out of chair lifts a little diagonally, so if he bumps into Peter, they’ll fall over for sure. Right? “Oh, kijk uit, je stok valt bijna!” Peter looked at the guy next to him wide-eyed and confused. What did he say? The man suddenly moved in to grab Peter’s pole, which he only now noticed was only hanging by the strap. He nearly dropped it. “Eh, Entschuldigung, my German isn’t very good. English?” The guy then said. His accent was a little funny. “American,” Tony quipped with a smirk. Leaning forward to glance past Peter. “Cool!” The guy smiled brightly and he wiped the lenses of his ski glasses with his mittens. “Which part?” “New York,” Peter answered politely. “And you go skiing all the way over here?” “There’s no place like Tirol,” Tony sighed dreamily. “Tell me about it!” The man relaxed, leaning back into his seat. The chair lift wobbled a little. It was quiet for a few seconds. “So, where are you from?” Tony interrogates. “The Netherlands! It’s super flat over there, so I love going here.” “Your English is pretty good,” Peter said with a smile. “Thanks!” The man turned his head. “This your first time?” “Yeah,” Peter admitted, slightly embarrassed. “I’m having difficulty getting a feel for the skis.” “It takes some getting used to, for sure.” “How’d you start boarding?” Peter asked, genuinely interested. “Ah, I skateboard at home.” Peter didn’t reply and stared ahead. The Dutch man cheerfully continued: “Made the transition from skis to board pretty easy, actually. The biggest difference is that the board is attached to your feet.” “I… I skateboard too.” “For real? That’s awesome! Might wanna try a board then.” Oh, for fuck’s sake, how did Peter not realize the similarities? Now Tony has bought him expensive skis. “I probably shouldn’t,” Peter chuckled awkwardly. “Why not?” Tony asked, surprised. Peter pressed his lips together, hiding his mouth in his balaclava and nodding at his skis. “I literally just got these skis.” “If that’s the only thing stopping you, we’re headed to the shop.” “To-” Peter stopped himself from saying the man’s name. Their outfits gave them enough anonymity that nobody recognized them and they liked to keep it that way. “No biggie, kid.” When they neared the top, the man politely thanked them for the fun chat and, surprisingly, him getting out of the chair lift went way smoother than Peter had thought it would. Maybe switching to snowboarding wasn’t that bad of an idea… … They made their way back to the Isskogel after an early lunch and Tony immediately arranged some private boarding lessons for Peter since he wouldn’t be able to teach Peter that himself. Though, instead of going skiing on his own, Tony stayed at the Arena next to the kiddie hill to watch Peter’s lessons with a whiskey in hand. Peter’s progress was unexpectedly quick. It was evident Peter knew how to handle a board below his feet. Most of the mistakes he made were based around the urge to step off, which he couldn’t cause his feet were stuck. It made for some pretty funny faceplants. By four o’clock, when the snow had gone a little soggy from all the sunlight hitting it, Peter excitedly made his way to Tony, with the snowboard tucked under his arm. “That felt so much better?” He seemed almost surprised. “Glad it did. The board looks better on you too.” Tony said with an approving nod, chugging the rest of his drink, a typically Austrian Alm Dudler. “It does?” “Yeah, it’s more… I dunno, graceful? It fits-” Tony tossed his handwear into Peter’s face. The boy laughed and sat down with Tony, tossing it back. “Like a glove.” “You’re terrible.” “I know.” … After a particularly long nap and a lovely warm bath, Peter rocked up at the dinner refreshed and strangely confident. He sat down next to Tony and immediately put his head in his hand, looking at Tony with a wide, goofy grin. The entire evening went by so smoothly Peter barely noticed Tony had started holding his hand halfway through. They shared some bites of their meals and for a minute Peter wondered if Tony forgot that all of this was fake. Just like Peter did. Tonight they all went to bed relatively early. The weather would be particularly bad tomorrow, so they all wanted to be well-rested to go up the mountain. Snowy weather meant hard work and bad sight. It made Peter slightly nervous, but with how well today went, he was certain he’d do just fine. … “No-” Peter opened his eyes confused. He had no idea how late it was, but a voice had woken him up. Who was that? Tony? “No, please, stop-” That’s Tony. That’s definitely Tony. And Peter could hear him through the walls. Peter moved to sit up straight, flinching at his sore muscles. Tony’s whines were growing louder by the second. It sounded like he was in pain. Peter tiptoed to Tony’s bedroom, the door was half open and when Peter peeked through he felt a sudden rush of empathy. Tony was asleep, bare-chested. His skin was covered in a cold sweat, glowing under the moonlight. His breath was shaky. It seemed like he wasn’t actually breathing. Tony’s face was twisted in pain. “Oh, God, no- no!” Peter couldn’t stop his feet from moving forward. The fingers of his left hand curled around Tony’s upper arm and his other hand cupped the man’s chin. “Tony, Tony- wake up. I’m right here, you’re right here-” Tony’s eyes flew open and the man grabbed Peter tightly, squeezing Peter’s arms, convulsing. He gasped for air and shook and Peter’s heart sank as he saw the man’s sudden vulnerability. Tony’s jaw was tightened and Peter’s thumb caressed soft circles over it in an attempt to help him relax. Tears started to form in the corners of Tony’s eyes and Peter helped him sit upright properly. “Hey,” he said softly, trying to find the gaze Tony was now directing elsewhere in shame. A soft disapproving noise fell from Tony’s lips before he spoke. He was still panting, having trouble regaining control over his breathing. “Sorry you had to see that.” “Don’t say that.” Peter sat down next to Tony on the bed and it took them a little bit before they realized they were still holding on to each other. Neither of them wanted to let go, though. Tony still seemed too out of it to be left alone again. “I didn’t mean to wake you up…” Peter scoffed at that. “Literally the only time you’re allowed to be unapologetically selfish is when you decide my well-being is more important than yours.” “I…” Tony slowly let himself sink back into the mattress. His grip on Peter softened but never left. He stared at the ceiling, seemingly looking for something, but not finding it. He never finished the sentence he started. Peter frowned slightly before moving to stand up. “Let me get you some wat-” “No-” Tony exclaimed suddenly, surprising Peter when his grip tightened again. “No, please, don’t leave me alone.” He pleaded. His voice cracked and he looked like he was close to breaking down. “It was just a dream, Tony, you’re not alone, I’m right here. I’m just getting you something to drink.” “Don’t go… Please-” Peter quietly sucked in a breath when a tear glided down Tony’s cheek. He’d never seen the man like this before. So fragile and small. Peter pressed his lips together and nodded once. “Mind if I lay down with you?” Tony shook his head slightly and his shaking hands finally let go of Peter. He shuffled to the side and pulled back his sheets for Peter to join him. Peter crawled into the bed and laid on his side to look at his boss. The man’s eyes were still strained on the ceiling. “I was back in Afghanistan,” Tony whispered. Peter hadn’t expected the man to be so open about what had frightened him like this so soon. However, Peter immediately understood what Tony meant. About ten years ago, he was abducted by terrorists. General James Rhodes’s team managed to free him, but that’s about everything the media got to hear about it. Soon after that, Stark Industries completely closed down its weapons department and started focussing on renewable energy. Stark’s famous Arc Reactor is what saved the company and also what made Peter so utterly interested in working for Stark Industries. It’s a piece of biochemical engineering genius that Peter wanted to study and improve even further. He hoped to get that chance one day. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” “I have to. Have to get it out.” Tony’s reply sounded resolute. “They were waterboarding me- I, I couldn’t-” He took a breath and closed his eyes. His body started shaking again and Peter immediately moved to put his hand on Tony’s arm to ground him. The man opened his eyes, but he seemed to stare right through Peter. The younger man shuffled closer and gently placed his hand on Tony’s chest. With his other hand, he grabbed Tony’s to hold it against his own chest. “Look at me,” Peter whispered. “I am.” “You’re not.” At that comment, Tony’s eyes seemed to refocus. “What are you doing?” Tony asked quietly. Peter slowly sucks in air, raising his chest and with that, both his and Tony’s hand too. “Breathing.” The fingers of Peter’s other hand twitched on Tony’s chest. “As are you.” A faint smile spread across his face. “You’re in Gerlos, Austria, in the Alpina hotel. It’s about 3am on a Monday night. You’re in a giant king bed with me, Peter Benjamin Parker, the most annoying intern you’ve probably ever had.” “You’re not-” Tony frowned for a second and Peter was happily surprised to hear the soft chuckle and see the corner of Tony’s mouth curl up. “You’re distracting me.” “Duh.” Peter laughed softly but quieted down quickly. “Is it working?” It was silent for a little bit while their breathing started to go in sync. Slow and steady. The lights were still off, but Peter could see the reflection of the moon in Tony’s dark eyes. The man seemed to be studying him and Peter let him. “Yes.” They spent a bit of time talking. Tony explained that usually, he’d go to his lab after nightmares and that he wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if Peter wasn’t there to snap him out of it. He was grateful, though still shaken up. Peter listened to him talk and in return, Tony listened to Peter. Their conversations were deeper, more existential, than the ones they had before. Which automatically made them more meaningful to both men too. At one point, Peter’s eyes started falling shut, exhaustion washing over him once more. He tried to stay awake, for Tony, but his boss started speaking more softly and monotone. Peter quietly disliked how the man was aware of Peter’s tiredness, and that Tony was trying to make him fall asleep. Unfortunately, Tony was winning. Tony’s choice of words and manner of speaking lured Peter closer to the sweet embrace of sleep. Peter’s replies came out slower. Slightly slurred. He jolted back awake a few times, but it never lasted longer than a minute before his eyelids started giving up on him again. Peter could faintly feel Tony’s hand caress his face as he slipped into a dreamless sleep. Right before he lost himself to his exhaustion, he heard Tony mumble. “Thank you.” … They didn’t talk about the nightmare the next morning. Tony acted as if nothing had happened and Peter didn’t want to force him to talk about it. The billionaire had already shared more about himself than Peter could have ever imagined, and he was thankful for the sign of trust. Instead, they left around the usual time after breakfast and walked to the ski lift. Skiing was a short affair that day. Half an hour after they had started, the weather turned, and snow clouded their vision. Peter couldn’t see even a meter ahead and when he almost knocked over a young child, Tony decided to call it a day. Osborn had asked him if he wanted to catch up on certain business affairs anyway and both of them were quite glad once they were back inside. “You can come with me,” Tony offered, but Peter shook his head. He didn’t want to spend his day talking about stock prices and company buyouts, and although he knew it wasn’t Tony’s favorite topic either, business was business. Instead, he decided to try something new and searched on the hotel’s homepage for activities inside. Yoga class at 12. He wanted to try it out anyway, so he decided to give it a shot. Spending time with Tony was fun, but he might need to relax, take a little time for himself. Dressed in some yoga pants he had found in his suitcase, Tony had literally bought him a stupid amount of everything, he left the room to search for the hotel gym.

‘Yoga for beginners’ wasn’t how Peter had imagined it. He had assumed an elderly spiritual woman would light up some candles and talk about finding your inner center, but instead, a woman not older than him was guiding the class. She explained how yoga could be both a way to relax as well as the opportunity to strengthen the core and the body. Peter found himself liking the class and he decided to maintain the habit once he’ll come back home. After a small warm-up, the woman showed them some exercises, and Peter noticed how his thoughts slipped away. It was the first time since they arrived that Peter was truly alone besides sleeping, and he started to process everything he had experienced. He was surprised to realize that his feelings regarding the billionaire had changed from hatred to sympathy and he actually enjoyed spending time with him. Of course, he had his flaws, but who hasn’t? He didn’t even care about pretending to be Tony’s boyfriend anymore and against all odds, he wasn’t counting the days until he could go back home, either. Time flew by and way too soon he found himself lying on the floor, a pose the woman called ‘Savasana’, and he was focusing on his breathing for three minutes. Yoga had been more fun than expected. “You had fun?” A familiar voice tore him from his thoughts and Peter could see Tony standing in the doorway of the small gym. Peter smiled at him, actually glad to see the billionaire. When he approached Tony, he could see that the man’s gaze was focused on his thighs and Peter realized how tightly the pants were hugging him. He didn’t comment on the billionaire’s slip, a little flattered by the intense stare. “Yes, it was pretty great. Definitely wanna do it again when I’m back home.” Tony cleared his throat, his eyes reluctantly wandering higher until he looked at Peter’s face. His eyes were dark, almost black, filled with suppressed hunger. “Great, let’s go. It’s almost dinner time. I wanted to pick you up,” Tony’s voice was actually a little deeper. … Peter was staring at himself in the mirror. The black cashmere turtleneck hugged his body in a way that clothes have never hugged his body before. He tugged at the long sleeves and straightened his back, took a quarter turn and looked at how the tartan pants cupped his ass. He swallowed and let his hands roam his torso for a bit. The fabric was soft. It even felt expensive. And somehow, that was what made it feel strangely good. And the fact that Peter was wearing Tony’s money made it feel even better. His boss spent this money on him specifically. He made sure Peter looked good and that had Peter feeling things he couldn’t quite place. MJ’s words from before the vacation emerged from the back of his head. Sugar daddy. Peter sucked in a breath, feeling his cock stir at the thought. Everything about Tony’s and Peter’s fake relationship was a perfect example of everything… Sugar. The only thing Peter hadn’t done yet was ask for something rather than just receiving and the longer he stood in front of that mirror, staring at himself, the more he was warming up to the idea. Quite literally. A small voice in the back of his head told him to not indulge too much. All of this was still fake. It would be over after this vacation. Right? “And there’s me thinking I’m the vain one.” Tony’s voice right behind Peter made him jolt and whip around. Tony chuckled. “It’s just me-” “I’m not… I’m not vain, I’m just-” Peter slowly turned back to face the mirror again and he cocked his head. He’d styled his playful curls to be a tiny bit more controlled, but he wouldn’t admit it took him over half an hour to get it that way. Vain? Him? Of course not. “Pete, you’re hitting minute seven of ogling at yourself in that mirror. It’s okay, you look great.” Tony stepped a little closer until he was standing right behind Peter. The younger man couldn’t help but stare at the two of them in the mirror. Together. Tony’s gaze was dark, almost as if the man was undressing him with his mind. And where Peter would’ve scolded Tony for it before, he definitely didn’t mind the attention now. The pants were getting tighter around his member and Peter hoped that Tony didn’t notice. “You’re a pretty boy.” Tony’s voice was low, vibrating through Peter’s body as the billionaire’s lips nearly touched the shell of his ear with each spoken word. Peter blinked at their reflection, certain that the mirror in front of them was the Mirror of Erised from the Harry Potter universe. This couldn’t be real. He must’ve been imagining things. But no. He could feel Tony’s chest pressing against his back and the warm breath tickling his skin. Peter couldn’t stop a soft gasp from escaping his lips. “Did I say something wrong?” Tony asked quietly. Peter shook his head and replied softly as he folded his hands in front of him in an attempt to hide his growing hard-on. “No, Mr. Stark, it’s- It’s okay.” Neither of them moved, both unsure of what situation they were currently in. “I guess I like being pretty?” Tony chuckled. “Lucky you…” His hand rested on Peter’s arm for a few seconds before he completely stepped away from Peter, breaking the moment with a clearing of his throat. “You’re always pretty.” Tony quickly left the room and Peter was certain the man muttered some swear words. Did he not mean to say that? Peter swallowed and turned back to the mirror to look at himself one more time. If Tony’s a Sugar Daddy… Maybe Peter’s the Sugar Baby? … A few minutes later Tony and Peter entered the dining room, the billionaire’s arm wrapped around his middle. Peter was still a little agitated from their conversation, unsure of what he should think about Tony. He had hated him until recently and now he was already telling him he liked to be pretty? Dreaming about calling him Daddy and wanting to be his Sugar Baby? It was a little much and Peter struggled with feeling anxious. His own mind was making it so much harder for him and he wished he could turn his thoughts off for a minute. Luckily, their dinner company was way lovelier than it had been the days before. Hammer and Osborn senior were signing some contracts and only Pepper, her husband and Osborn junior were left. Peter sighed in relief. Pretending to be Tony’s ‘significant other’ could be stressful sometimes and he was more than glad that he didn’t have to keep up with difficult people as well. The conversation was easier tonight, more personal and less focused on business. Peter learned that Pepper’s husband Marcus was a child therapist while Harry Osborn was studying law. Tonight, he didn’t decline the server’s offer to bring him wine, loosening up from the pleasant company. He touched Tony more casually and he realized that the billionaire was more relaxed as well, almost carefree. Eventually, Peter lost track of how many glasses he’d downed. “-and then I accidentally blew up the lab.” Tony was telling one of his favorite stories, about when he had forgotten to turn off the Bunsen burner, and Pepper added some snarky remarks. “You can’t imagine how badly the whole lab stank. The smell lingered for days.” Peter giggled and emptied his glass of wine. Was it the second, the third? Fourth? He wasn’t even sure anymore. “I was so mad at him,” Pepper continued. “Didn’t talk to him for days. Unfortunately, I forgot that I had promised him to help him with an experiment the next day and he went all rough on me, telling me I couldn’t break my promises just because I was a little mad.” The whole table was laughing, the mood light, and Peter felt fuzzy all of a sudden. The effect of the alcohol hit abruptly and the world dissolved into its colors. The feeling of being carefree and airy was too strong and Peter realized only vaguely that he had drunk too much. Maybe that was the reason for his next words. “I like it rough.” Everyone looked at him. Tony with surprised hunger, his fingers twitching around his fork, while the other three stared at him with amusement. “Well, it’s good you’re with Tony then.” Pepper smiled at him. “He can be quite- overwhelming sometimes.” “I love to be overwhelmed.” Peter put most of his weight on Tony, leaning all over him. He hid his face in the crook of Tony’s neck for a second, but quickly pulled up again to continue his babbling, feeling the urge to tell the world all his secrets. “And I love to feel pretty as well.” He proudly looked at his boyfriend. Boyfriend… Yes, that’s it. It was the first time he could actually see the billionaire blush and his fuzzy brain convinced him to call him out on it. No coherent words fell from his lips, but his index finger gently pressed into Tony’s cheek. Tony blushed even harder. The look on his boyfriend’s face made Peter frown a little and the same hand he touched Tony with traveled down to his tight tartan pants. Were they… Tighter? “I think I’m getting hard.” “Alright, that’s our cue.” Tony patted Peter’s shoulder and gently pulled the younger man’s hand off his growing member. “Pepper, Marcus, Harry, it was nice talking to you.” Pepper tried to hide her grin behind a fist, while Harry was openly laughing at them. “But Tooony,” Peter drew out his name, the world starting to spin around him. The man slowly lifted them from their seats, having to carry nearly all of Peter’s weight. “We didn’t even have dessert.” “You can have dessert in your room,” Harry’s voice was dirty and he winked at him, playfully wiggling his brows, but Peter didn’t get what he was talking about. He grinned anyway, turned to Tony again and leaned in. “Can you overwhelm me later?” Peter whispered in Tony’s ear, at least he tried to, but a loud chuckle from Harry made evident that he talked louder than he intended to. “Anything, honey, if you just leave with me right now.” Tony’s voice was a deep growl, and it lit up every cell of Peter’s body, making him burn even more than the alcohol did. “Yes, Sir.” Tony’s loud groan echoed through the room. Peter didn’t remember how they got back to their room, but in the next moment, Tony was unlocking the door to the penthouse. Peter stumbled through the doorway, Tony’s arm wrapped around his middle, keeping him upright. Everything was colorful, swirling around him like a carousel and he reached out, trying to catch a haze of color. His fist closed around nothing. “Let’s get you in bed, Pete.” Tony pulled at his clothes, stripping him, and Peter felt good, so good, so crazily good. The billionaire would finally overwhelm him, show him what Pepper was talking about. Peter was guided to his bed, wobbling a little before he fell face-first onto the mattress. He waited for Tony to join him, to hold him down, to whisper filth into his ears, but nothing happened. After a few seconds, Peter turned to his back, trying to find Tony, only to realize that he had left the room. Loneliness filled him all of a sudden. It was so devastating that Peter scrambled to his knees and pushed himself up, determined to walk to Tony’s bedroom. He was swaying and stumbling, following the rush of colors to the door at the other end of the penthouse. Without knocking, he opened the door. “Peter?” Tony was already lying in bed. “Don’t wanna sleep alone,” Peter slurred and dropped onto the bed. It felt warm here, so much warmer than his own bed, but the confused haze of the other man was bugging him, stopping him from giving in to sleep. “M’tired. Don’t wanna leave ya. Nightmares.” Peter snuggled against the strong chest, savoring the closeness to Tony. It felt right in this moment. There were no concerns left, no doubts or restrictions, only the warmth of the billionaire. His boyfriend. “Mr. Stark, do you like me pretty? Do ya wanna dress me in ling-lingerie, keep me in your bed and m-make me call you Daddy?” The chest he was lying on suddenly tensed and a low groan buzzed in his ears. Did Tony like to be called Daddy? “Daddy?” Peter tried it again, for experimental purposes, of course. Just to see how the older one would react. This time, he even heard a little moan. “Pete, you’re drunk. Just sleep, all right?” Peter grinned broadly and buried his face in the billionaire’s chest. “Yes, Daddy. ‘m gonna sleep. Protect you from the nightmares.” Tony groaned again but didn’t comment on the name. “Night, baby boy.” It barely took a minute before Peter drifted to sleep, carried by the carefree feeling. He felt as if he was flying on a cloud, looking at the sky while he was snuggled against his Daddy. Life was pretty great.

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anistarrose · 5 years

Text

The Liching Hour (TAZ Balance AU)

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/22963831

Summary: Taako is a lich, but he doesn’t die alongside Barry when his memories start to fade. In fact, he doesn’t die for another whole decade… until he arrives in Refuge, and first hears the clock strike noon.

Characters: Taako, Lup, Barry Bluejeans, Kravitz, Magnus Burnsides, Merle Highchurch

Relationships: Lup & Taako, Kravitz/Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Lup

Additional tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Major Character Undeath, Angst with a Happy Ending, relationships listed in order of focus

“Taako is a lich too” is definitely an AU that’s been done before, but I couldn’t resist giving it my own unique twist! I actually started writing this fic exactly eleven months ago, when I was still fairly new to TAZ, but I forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when I came back to dust it off and finish the last few scenes.

(if you want an accompanying soundtrack for this fic, then I strongly recommend Lifetime Achievement Award by Lemon Demon! the song has big lich energy)

***

The set of planar systems traversed by our IPRE was indescribably vast, but far from the only one of its kind. Over eons, countless other universes are forged and then left to their own devices by elusory, non-interventionist creators — and in more than one of those universes, a ship called the Starblaster takes flight, propelled between planar systems by the strength of the bonds between its crew. In more than one of those universes, members of the IPRE put enough faith in those bonds to undertake a great risk — fusing their life forces with their magic and becoming liches, constructing a failsafe to protect their family from the Hunger that pursues them.

In one of those universes, Taako joins Lup and Barry in taking that risk. The ceremony goes as smoothly as the transformation into a lich can go, and the three of are all able to hold themselves together, thanks to their love for each other and their crewmates...

But when Lucretia feeds her records of their journey to the Voidfish, when Lup is already trapped in the Umbra Staff and Barry cleverly cheats amnesia by falling to his death off the deck of the Starblaster, Taako stays in his living form. Being undead isn’t the first thing he forgets — no, it’s Lup that he loses first, for Taako’s bonds with his twin are more carefully documented in Lucretia’s journals than anything else he’s done or cared about over the century — but the second that awareness of lichdom vanishes from his mind, the second he forgets the safety net he has in place in case of death, a self-preservation instinct kicks in again after nearly two decades of lying dormant. No need to go charging into uncharted and potentially deadly territory — Taako’s good out here.

For over a decade, he avoids death, and he never remembers what happens to him when he dies. Sometimes animals will shy away from him for no apparent reason, and maybe that faint burning sensation that fills his chest whenever Merle channels Pan to cast a healing spell on him is a little weird — but there’s no dogs on the moon and Merle hardly ever casts healing spells in the first place, so Taako just... tries to forget about it when he can, and convince himself it’s normal when he can’t.

He has a vague suspicion that he hasn’t been like this forever, but he can’t remember a clear date of onset for these symptoms, so he just brushes them off and keeps them to himself. It’s no one’s else’s business, anyways.

Or so he thinks, until he meets the Grim Reaper one fateful Candlenights.

***

There are two presents left under the shrub, both in similar silver-wrapped boxes — but one is addressed to all three Reclaimers, and the other is specifically labeled for Taako. Neither indicates the name of the sender.

Magnus and Merle don’t even attempt to hide the jealousy in their stares as they watch Taako pick up his gift, but something compels them to all stay silent and open the boxes as subtly as possibly while the Director makes conversation with Johann on the other side of the room. There’s nothing inherently suspicious about them other than the lack of a “from” name, though the handwriting on the tags is extremely familiar, but Taako still positions his arm to shield the box from the view of the others before he opens it and sees the contents…

The interior is plush purple velvet, cushioning two items: a coin and a note. The coin is golden and about as big as the circle made by Taako’s index finger and thumb when curled to meet at the tip, and it’s engraved with runes he doesn’t recognize — but he can read the accompanying note, though he has no idea what to make of what it says.

Keep this to yourself. If you ever encounter a situation in which you need it, you’ll know what to do with it when the time comes.

A quick use of Detect Magic reveals that the box and note are completely mundane, but the coin is enchanted. Nothing feels inherently volatile or dangerous about the complex divination spell it’s imbued with, but it still gives Taako a sinking feeling, like it’s something he should be forbidden from possessing.

So he casually slips the coin into his pocket and pops the note into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as he peers over Merle’s shoulder to examine the other gift — an identical box, this one holding three circular blue patches with twelve smaller circles embroidered around the circumference and an unreadable acronym word lying in the center. There’s another accompanying note here too, this one simply reading: “For your eyes only.”

Then, three different noises happen in very quick succession: Magnus turns to Taako and whispers “What was in yours?” and a second later, the Director echoes “What is that? What did you guys get?”

But before any of the boys can blurt out some lie despite not knowing why they feel so compelled to hide the gifts, the Director’s necklace unexpectedly interrupts the conversation, glowing faintly as a staticy, panicked voice yells “Lucretia!” The Director instantly whirls away from the boys, angrily whispering into her pendant which replies with words that are hard to make out from a distance.

Almost on reflex, Taako slips one of the patches into the same pocket as the coin and disposes of the second note with the same method he’d used for the first, cleansing his palate with an elderflower macaron immediately afterwards. He doesn’t think about the patches or the coin for a long time after that — but then again, he ends up getting distracted by a lot over the course of the next few hours. With the impeding crystal apocalypse, and the floating lab, and the death crimes and all.

***

“Well, that’s weird,” Noelle says. Her satellite dish is blinking green as it rotates, scanning the perimeter of the Cosmoscope two, three, four times. “At first, I thought it musta just been interference, but… one of you guys isn’t a lich, are you?”

“A what?” Magnus asks.

“A lich. The signal was real faint at first, but it just got stronger, and now it’s fluctuating a whole lot…”

“Nope, not me!” Magnus declares, with surprising confidence considering that he doesn’t appear to have any understanding of what being a lich means.

“Well, not that I’m aware of,” Taako answers slowly. “But I think even ya boy here would know if he was a lich. Right?”

“I’m friends with a few liches!” Merle adds. “They’re fun at parties.”

Noelle sighs at Merle’s comment, and then continues: “Yeah, Taako, I guess you’d hafta know if you were one. Guess my scanner’s just on the fritz.”

***

“Now Taako, Taako, Taako,” Kravitz mutters from within the sapphire mirror, and the pure exasperation on his face is almost adorable. “Care to take a guess what your bounty is for? I would really hope that you, at least, would know.”

Taako has a feeling he’s been saved for last because his crimes are the worst, but he’s got no clue why — there’s no way he’s died more than fifty-seven times, right?

“I dunno, is it about that tentacle thing? 'Cause don’t worry, my dude, this is a safe and non-judgmental environment where you don’t need to be afraid of being yourself —”

Kravitz's eyebrows raise and he looks aghast for a moment, but recovers quickly. “Taako, you've died twelve times — but alone, that makes you practically a law abiding citizen, compared to the company you keep! I never thought I’d see the day that I’d thought Magnus, with his 19 deaths, would be the least of the evils present, but — but —”

He sputters. “But you three all seem determined to make your crimes as unprecedented as possible —”

“Unprecedented, that’s me!” Taako laughs, and tries to ignore the half static-drowned screams of all his instincts, telling him to run as far away from Kravitz or any portal to the Astral Plane as he can get. “But uh, what is the deal with my bounty if —”

“Playing dumb about dying is one thing,” Kravitz growls, “but you’re really playing dumb about being a lich?”

“But I am dumb,” Taako blurts out, before the accusation really sinks in. “I’m just a humble idiot wizard!”

Kravitz bursts into bitter laughter. “An idiot necromancer, more like. Do you really —”

“There’s no way,” Magnus cuts in. “If Taako was a lich, we would have to know!”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that you would, given how long the three of you have been cheating death together!” Kravitz replies.

“Okay, first of all — how do you know we’ve actually been cheating death for that long?” interrupts Merle. “We could’ve just died all those times in the span of, I don’t know, a month or two! We’re really incompetent.”

Magnus and Taako nod in enthusiastic agreement as Kravitz sighs.

“And second of all?”

“Uh... I forgot what I was going to say second.”

“Of course you did! What won’t you three conveniently forget — GAH!”

A giant skeletal hand reaches out of the Eternal Stockade and grabs Kravitz by the robe, dragging him inside the Eternal Stockade. It slams the door of the prison with a force that Taako winces at, all the way on the other side of the sapphire mirror.

“Did we solve the lich puzzle?” Merle asks. “Are we free to go?”

“Gonna be honest — just personally, I’m not too worried about the lich puzzle!” Taako shouts back, as a high-pitched hum emanates from the crystals around them and the room begins to shake. “Mostly just thinking about how much I don’t want to remember what dying feels like!”

“You know, that’s fair,” Merle agrees as he watches a complete skeleton materialize behind the hand, wading through the Astral Sea and towards the mirror. “That’s pretty fair.”

***

“Look, you saved my bacon back there,” Kravitz tells them after Legion is defeated. “Not just my career, but the world too. Things would have gotten very, very nasty, in a way that I wouldn’t have exactly wanted to put on my résumé…”

He sighs. “And Merle, Magnus… I would be willing to let you off with a warning, because you’ve technically never escaped the Astral Plane, and that leaves a convenient little loophole in the law for you two to slip through. Even Lucas — he’s learned his lesson with necromancy, it looks like. But Maureen, Noelle, and especially you, Taako — you’re all going to have to come with me. I can’t make exceptions for those of you who have succeeded in a jailbreak — nor can I do so for a lich.”

This time, he doesn’t spit the word lich with any of the disgust or outrage that were in his voice before, but rather speaks slowly and solemnly — and if Taako didn’t know better, he might think Kravitz actually felt bad about having to lock him up.

“Look, Ghost Rider.” Taako’s heart is racing just a little bit faster than he’s comfortable with, and the worst part is he doesn’t know why. It’s tempting to blame it on the slight crush may or may not be developing, but his crushes — although few and far-between — definitely never send his pulse up this fast this early in the relationship.

“You seem like an okay fellow who’s just trying to do your job, so I’ll be honest with you — I can’t remember ever touching necromancy with a ten-foot pole. Look, I used to make my living as a chef, and when you’re cooking the last thing you want is your meal coming back to life in front of you. I’ve got no motive!”

“Does your book with the bounties say anything else about the charges against him?” Magnus asks. “The charges against any of us, actually?”

“Not a single thing, I’m afraid. The bar’s not very high, but you are some of the… less unsavory bounties I’ve hunted, which is why I genuinely hate to say this, but —”

“Oh, so it’s savory you like? Let me take you out for an evening at Taako’s Bar and Café, and I’ll cook you up as many savory dishes as you like —”

“The — the bar,” Kravitz stammers, slipping out of his Cockney accent, “is so not high —”

“He just wants to help you broaden your horizons!” Merle chimes in. “You must not get out of the — the, uh, whatever your plane is called very often, do you?”

Kravitz sighs. “It’s the Astral Plane, and — and look, we just… we need to get going, alright? Taako, I… I could give you the benefit of the doubt, I suppose, and let you stay here until you die and return to your lich form, but I still need those two souls in the robots to come with me —”

“Wait!” Magnus interrupts. “Gambling with death is a trope for a reason, right? Can we play cards for their souls?”

Kravitz shrugs. “You know what? Sure! This day can’t get any wilder!”

***

Boyland’s rites of remembrance aren’t until tomorrow, but Taako is down in the Voidfish’s chambers ahead of time, Umbra Staff clutched tight as he stares at the twinkling galaxy pattern within the jellyfish’s bell.

“Uh… do you need something?” Johann asks after Taako’s stands there silently for about a minute.

Taako twirls his umbrella and shifts it from hand to hand, half expecting it to fire on its own again like it had when talking to Angus, but it stays dormant.

“Can your jellyfish pal, like… I dunno, choose what it innoculates you for?”

“Uh… no? At least, I think we woulda noticed if it could… why are you asking?”

“I was bored.” Taako turns to leave, but before he can get back in the elevator, he hears the Voidfish sing a short tune — not quite as loud as when Magnus had touched its tank, but definitely the same three notes.

***

Taako dies a few times in Refuge before he notices anything weird about it — well, not that dying and being revived continuously isn’t weird albeit familiar, but at first he’s just immediately whisked off to the white space alongside Merle and Magnus. No special treatment for him — until the first time that they die before the hour ends, and everything starts unraveling.

Magnus leans away from locker as he opens it, but it proves to be a futile precaution as the sound of an explosion blows out their eardrums and shockwaves tear through the room, sending the floor beneath their feet blasting towards the ceiling at the same time that massive boulders rain down from above, crushing the cave’s occupants before there’s even a chance process what happened.

As the dust settles and the roar of the explosives and falling rocks dies out, Taako blinks — except it feels strange, like it’s not his physical eyelids moving as much as it is his vision shifting into another spectrum, as if someone had just cast True Seeing on him.

Huh, he thinks. Thought that would’ve killed me.

And then: Of course it killed me. I’m a lich.

(Well, there goes any chance I had with Kravitz —)

I’m a lich like the Red Robe — no, like Barry. And like —

Like Lup.

How could I forget Lup?!

The sensation of incorporeality hits him on a delay and doesn’t stop hitting him, harder and harder until he feels like he’s about to disintegrate. His red-tinged skeletal hand drifts through the air, catching the silver threads that hang lazily like cobwebs in the space all around him as his spectral fingers curl into a fist. He clutches those bonds with every ounce of strength he has but they’re unraveling now, just like his robe, like his magically deformed essence…

He’s ready to disintegrate, to unravel, to crumble into ash just like Lup’s skeleton in Wave Echo Cave, because of course it was her, it was all that was left of her —

I found her but she was gone — everything was gone, except for her robe and —

“Taako?”

Lying just a few feet away from the hem of his robe is Lup’s Umbra Staff, pulverized into a dozen smoldering fragments — and above it floats another red-cloaked figure, eyes blazing red like miniature versions of the explosion that freed her.

“Taako, I’m here!” she assures him, and her echoing voice is a chorus of too many simultaneous emotions to count — it’s worried, and desperate, but joyous and relieved and comforting all at once. “Don’t break down on me now, Taako! It’s okay!”

Something solidifies in Taako, a grounding sensation so powerful he feels almost corporeal again, but words are failing him, motion is failing him. He stays frozen as the bonds he’d clung to wind back into place, stretching from his arms to Lup’s and pulling them together into the closest thing to a hug that liches can achieve, and he feels warm.

“You idiot,” he finally chokes out. “You didn’t think that absorbing magic shit would make a bad combo with being a fucking lich?”

Lup is literally beaming with happiness, emitting beams of light that would blind someone with physical eyes. “You didn’t exactly realize either, you dingus!”

They stay in the embrace for a few more minutes — and Taako may or may not let out an ugly, messy sob or two, complete with tears and snot made of pure magical energy that crackles like lightning when it strikes the rubble below — before he finally feels stable, and Lup quietly asks:

“How much time do we have? Forty minutes? Thirty-five?”

“What?” Her words don’t sink in immediately, but the second they do, Taako immediately feels like the victim of a sick joke. “Oh, shit. The Umbra Staff’s gonna get fixed next loop, and — and I’m not gonna remember you’re in there —”

“It’ll be okay,” Lup assures him. Taako can tell from the tone of her voice that she’s just as frustrated as he is with the irony of the paradox, except trying to redirect that anger into stubborn optimism. It’s a lifesaving skill for liches of their particular breed, that ability to channel destabilizing negative emotions into sustaining positive ones — a skill Taako hasn’t had much practice with, lately.

“There’s got to be some way to cheat the loops — you know, a loophole.” Lup laughs — a rasping, echoing noise that would probably be terrifying to anyone who didn’t know her, but is a massive relief for Taako to hear. “It’s practically in the name. We’ll figure something out — we always do. Let’s just think — and besides, I’m sure Magnus will get you blown up at least another two or three times, so we’ve technically got even more than forty minutes.”

“Right, right, okay. Physical objects are a no-go, Magnus figured that out after his bank robbing stunt —”

“Yeah, I think I caught that. So we’ll have to try something magical —”

“Wait.” A thousand different realizations are slowly coalescing together all at once in Taako’s mind, and he struggles to find words to articulate any of them. “How much could you, like — how much could you see from in there? You helped me out fighting the vine monster, right, and — and ruined Ango’s cookies, so… you musta been pretty aware to do all that —”

Lup looks down at the remains of the Umbra Staff, now reduced to mostly ash.

“I could see and do plenty, if I put enough effort into it,” she explains, “but it wore me out quickly, especially casting spells. After I spelled my name, I was just… clinging to consciousness for the next few weeks. That stunt might not have been the best idea, since I’d figured out by then that you couldn’t remember, but… I had to try.”

“Did you see Barry, in… let’s see, Goldcliff and the Cosmoscope? He, uh… wasn’t doing so great that second time…”

“He’ll be able to hold it together,” Lup declares confidently. “He’s stubborn like that.”

“Do you think he realized… your situation? He was pretty stable until he saw you —”

“He would have done something about it by now if he’d known, though…”

“Yeah, of course, you’re right. But he definitely seemed like he had some kinda plan — wait, I think I got it! Where’s my body?”

“Wait, got what?”

Taako levitates a few boulders out of place, and summons two Mage Hands to rifle through the pockets of his corporeal form. “Our way out of this time paradox shit, courtesy of Barold himself! As long as it didn’t get crushed — ah, here we go!”

One of the Mage Hands procures a familiar golden coin, imbued with a divination spell of Barry’s own engineering that Taako finally recognizes. “Well, I guess I don’t know for sure that Barry sent it to me, but it’s his spell and came alongside some IPRE patches, so I’m gonna say it sure wasn’t from Lucretia.”

“Is that — is that the spell he made when Magnus was worrying about the Temporal Chalice overwriting things without us knowing?”

“Yeah, storing info across timelines is its whole gimmick! He knew we were going to go after the Chalice eventually, and musta realized that I would forget anything I did as a lich if a time loop like this revived me —”

“Gods, I love him!” Lup shouts, laughing and lighting up with joy all over again. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s send Amnesiac Taako a message!”

***

Taako faceplants in the dirt alongside Merle and Magnus, alive again and holding an unbroken Umbra Staff. As always, Roswell stands guard outside the gate, and Taako and Magnus immediately start running through their explanation.

“Great job, Maggie!” Merle mutters under his breath. “Now we’ve gotta go through this whole shebang again.”

“We’ll be able to make a great speedrun video on Fantasy Youtube by the end of it, though!” Taako whispers back, and Roswell tilts their bird head in confusion.

“What? What’s a speedrun?”

Taako opens his mouth to reply, but a slightly muffled yet incredibly familiar voice from within the pocket of his skirt beats him to it.

Yo, Taako! T to the double A-K-O! I’m you from half an hour ago now, so listen up!

“What the fuck?” he blurts out, digging out the coin. “That’s — that’s not me! I never said —”

I know you don’t remember recording this, but there’s something you’ve really gotta do, the coin goes on, still in Taako’s voice, and he drops it to the ground and stares at it in horror. It’ll make sense later — well, maybe a long time later. Eventually, I hope!

“I don’t trust you!” Taako shouts, not sure if he’s expecting the coin to respond or not. “I don’t know who’s behind this, but I know a trick when I hear —”

You need to break the Umbra Staff, Taako, a second speaker explains, and Taako goes stiff at the sound of her voice. And you need to break it again in every new cycle — or every loop, I should say, until you get out of here. Please, Taako, trust us. We’ll explain as soon as we can, I promise.

Magnus kneels on the ground and pokes the coin gingerly, as if expecting it to explode. “Taako, where did you get this? Do you know what triggered it to —”

Taako snaps the Umbra Staff with his bare hands, and a column of fire erupts around him.

As his vision turns into an orange blur, he can just barely hear Merle yelp in shock and Magnus shout in concern over the roar of the flames, but he doesn’t feel afraid — which is itself a deeply unsettling feeling, because he should really be terrified out of his mind — but he just can’t fear this fire no matter how hard he tries. The warmth of the flames that weave so deftly around him is not harsh, but rather, comforting — almost fiercely comforting, in a way Taako wasn’t prepared to be comforted, a way that makes his heart seize up just like the woman’s voice that he couldn’t help but trust.

The blaze consolidates into a spectral figure in red who floats in front of him and nods, face obscured by the cowl of her robe but a smile manifesting clearly in her voice nevertheless.

“Thank you so much, Taako. I knew you’d come through.”

Then Magnus swings Railsplitter through her — harmlessly, of course — and she turns to face him.

“What do you want from this town, Red Robe?” Magnus yells. “Why did you bring Jack and June here?”

“Magnus, calm down! Really, I should be asking you about Jack and —”

She pauses, noticing Magnus’s disoriented expression. “Shit, was that static? You know, that’s probably for the best. Let’s start over: Magnus, Merle, Taako, earth elemental who’s name I missed —”

“I’m Roswell. Could you please identify yourself?”

“Magnus, Merle, Taako, Roswell — but mostly you Tres Horny Bois, or whatever you call yourselves these days — first things first, I’m not the Red Robe you met before. Second and on a related note, yes, I’ve been in Taako’s umbrella this whole time. Yes, it sucked. And third…”

She sighs. “You’re just going to have to take my word on this one, but I literally can’t explain who I am or why I’m on your side. It might seriously damage your minds, but I should be able to tell you my name, which is Lup.”

“Lup, why do I trust you?” The name feels strange in Taako’s mouth — familiar, except it shouldn’t be, except it is, except it couldn’t be, except…

The contradiction just spirals on forever, boring a hole in his mind that aches like hell and makes his stomach churn.

“Taako — oh, Taako, you’re not thinking about it too hard, are you? You can’t think about it too hard — you see why I can’t try and explain anything else. I would if I could…”

Slowly, with help from Lup’s Mage Hand, Taako stands up. He can’t even remember when he fell to his knees, but… he tries not to think too hard about it. Just take things one step at a time.

“Lup can help get us out of here,” he tells Magnus and Merle. “I don’t know why, but I’d trust her with my life even outside of a time loop, so… we’re doing what she says now.”

Magnus shrugged. “You know, I guess we could do a lot worse than putting a competent woman in charge, even if she’s undead. Lup, whatever your plan is, I’m down for it.”

***

By the time the purple worm dives back down beneath the earth with her children, Taako’s just about ready to collapse. Physically, he’s uninjured — he had a lich and an earth elemental watching his back, after all — but mentally, he’s a wreck. The persistent roar of static in the back of his mind has taken its toll, especially since the loop where he died before anyone else, and woke up to find Magnus and Merle giving him the two most confused and concerned looks he’d ever seen on their faces.

So when Avi freezes, glowing red, and everyone’s Stones of Farspeech go dark, Taako barely has the energy to wonder why until another robed figure materializes, holding a finger to his lips —

“DID YOU RETRIEVE THE…”

Every fold of fabric freezes in place, as lightning washes over the Red Robe’s form.

“LUP?!”

“Hey, babe,” Lup whispers, unfazed by the lightning bolts as she floats forward to wrap her arms around the other lich. “Thanks for the coin.”

“But — but how?” the Red Robe stammers. “How are you finally —”

Several curls of hair, made up of ghostly orange fire, escape from under Lup’s hood as she explains, and the Red Robe gently twirls a coil of flames around one of his skeletal fingers. “How are you really here?”

“You’re not gonna believe this,” Lup explains, “but it turns out that magic-absorbing staffs and beings made of pure magic aren’t actually the best combo.”

“Oh my god, we’re idiots,” the Red Robe gasps. “We’re magical undead idiots.”

“Love you too, Barry,” Lup murmurs.“God, I missed you so fucking much.”

“Wait, like Barry Bluejeans?” Magnus asks, at exactly the same time that Taako mutters: “Ugh, get a room.”

Barry whispers something to Lup that Taako doesn’t catch, and then both liches turn around.

“So, slight change of plans,” Lup announces. “It looks like the bubble isn’t quite down yet, but once we get that taken care of… anyone else up for a moonbase infiltration?”

“I’ve got one condition,” Taako immediately announces.

“What’s up?”

“If we run into the Grim Reaper, neither of you crimson lovebirds know me.”

#taz #taz balance #taako taaco #lup taaco #kravitz taz #taakitz #barry bluejeans #blupjeans #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #taz balance spoilers #rosalia writes fic

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yue-muffin · 4 years

Text

The muffin watches Love and Redemption (insert preemptive crying here)

Aright, I finally FINALLY finished live blogging this episode. @mejomonster my thoughts are aplenty! I actually wrote way too much!

Edit: I’m an idiot, I forgot to mention a prediction/observation.

Episode 1:

The CGI is actually very nice in this drama, I’m pleased. I will definitely watch dramas with cringe-worthy CGI, but it’s always nice when they manage to integrate it with the actors and set pieces well, which is even harder to accomplish in Xianxia.

Wait, what did the god of war do to deserve the reincarnation out of the heavenly realm punishment? Didn’t she defeat the Asura/Mosha guy? Was it because she used his weapon or something? And in the first place, why does that half of the Mosha guy’s soul qualify as a celestial that can be reborn? I suppose everyone is subject to reincarnation, but this batch is explicitly for those who have committed crimes in the heavens and wasn’t he on the demon/asura side? Or…maybe he was a celestial who betrayed them? Who knows, I’m just wildly speculating…

The scene definitely suggests there is a lot the narration is not telling us about how these two ended up being reincarnated - yet.

If she lacks the six senses, then why can she see and hear just fine? She apparently can’t feel pain, which would count for the deficiency of touch. Hm.

Xuanji, I relate to just wanting to go back to sleep and not deal with visitors so much lol.

HA, that little look of alarm one of the shixiongs (Liuzi?) has on his face when Linglong tries to convince Xuanji it’ll be fun because they get to check out the handsome guys. So is Linglong supposed to be her twin since they’re both 16 years old?

The dragon wolf thing moves a little funny, but at least it doesn’t look glaringly out of place and the camera doesn’t focus on it for too long, as is typical of CGI monsters. Kudos to them!

Cheng Yi is low-key really good looking in action scenes, just putting that out there. I didn’t think I would adjust to him in period clothing and long hair so quickly, since it usually takes me a while to make the switch (after seeing him in The Lost Tomb 2), but nope! He looks really good!

Ah, so this is the ruthless sect. I love how their first rule, which is literally more important than anything else they may value or encourage in their members, is to not show their entire face when outside the sect…also, what’s the point in hiding only half your face?? Sifeng’s mask only covers one eye, his forehead, and cheek on one side…at least have it cover the entire upper or lower half like everyone else in the sect (I know it’s so we can actually see the actor’s face and not supposed to make sense in-universe)?? I actually do like how they designed it though, it’s far less clunky than the full-face masks we saw in the opening sequence, probably due to the curves.

Sect leader…Sifeng is 16, he IS little pfft. Even adjusting for the times, he is a BABY haha. As I grow older, I realize more and more how young a lot of protags in fantasy stories really are. Also, sect leader is a drama queen, like he’s just lounging on his chair with this dramatic laid-back pose, takes a deep breath, and turns his chin up. So extra.

Aw, yes, I want to see more of Cheng Yi’s easy smiles. He’s so serious in TLT2, except when the warmth seeps into this expression when he’s smiling fondly at Wu Xie…

These devil/asura people have a weird bowing pose. I can’t help but think their hands make them look like…eagle claws or something lol.

Ah, a classic ‘I forgot my invitation’ situation. Well, Xuanji doesn’t have to feel too bad, apparently none of the other Shaoyang disciples know how to fly on a sword either lol. Her sister was tied down by that spell, but could none of the others have attempted to chase after the jerk who grabbed her? (Side note: I really love the color of his sect’s outfits.)

:3 I like Xuanji’s expressions, they’re just cute? So cute. Like her little huff when she’s defending her big sister from the jerkass. Also, I love characters who are like little kittens who puff up and try to protect their friends/family even though the one they’re trying to protect is probably more capable than them.

Jerkass really does take it too far when he just DROPS HER FROM THE SKY. Like, I can accept if youthful teasing goes a little far in that he snatched her and took her for a joy ride, but when it’s apparently that she really can’t summon a sword, it’s 100% not okay to just drop her and laugh it off. If Sifeng didn’t catch her, she could’ve died, and how exactly do you plan on explaining THAT to her father, huh Mr. Jerkass? He had like a dozen witnesses too.

Well, what can you expect from a guy who forgot to bring his invitation and literally was too arrogant and entitled to wait for his teacher to come out and let them in. :p Not the smartest cookie, is he. Even if you got in trouble for forgetting your invitation, you’d get in x10 more trouble for murdering a girl. Good thing she has plot armor and Sifeng was conveniently in the right spot to catch her lol.

Small note, he left her on his sword and she fell off after a bit - so…how exactly is HE flying? Can people fly without the help of their sword? Is he able to make more than one?

Lol Xuanji tugs at him like she does to her sister, it’s cute. But he’s so PANIC every time she touches him haha poor guy. He’s so awkward…why is it so endearing…

It took me a second to realize that he stutters, also that he has a voice actor this time! Idk why, Cheng Yi has a good voice. It would’ve fit this role just fine, unless there were parts they were concerned he couldn’t do. They did a good job matching the VA to his lip movements though, it’s really hard to tell it’s not his voice. It’s been a while since I heard Cheng Yi on video, but listening and comparing, now I can tell that it’s not his in this drama. Anyways, this might be my only complaint lol. Both he and his VA do a good job conveying the stuttering though!

Cheng Yi, you’re playing another character who’s good at disappearing in the blink of an eye lol…

Aah, so normally her sister’s personality type is the annoying sort, which is why she works well as a supporting character. I love how she turns her brattiness up to eleven in order to help Xuanji get out of a scolding by their father. I just really love how these two are so supportive and defensive of each other.

Edit: Alright, but Xuanji did you really just raise a flag for yourself so early in the show. ‘I think tears are the most precious things’. I WILL EAT MY HAT IF THIS DOES NOT BECOME RELEVANT LATER.

And instead of holding onto Sifeng’s name tag for like 50 episodes, she remembers she has it and goes to give it back + some birthday snacks because it’s his birthday too! GAH Xuanji is too cute.

I love how the guy who answered the door just his back only to turn around and smoothly give an explanation for his friend’s disfluency lol (so it’s a language thing!). AND THEN HE GOES ‘carry on!’ AND TURNS AROUND AGAIN. Idk why I find this funny but.

? Why all that effort for dew from a peach blossom tree. Is this one a special peach blossom tree. Why is he making tea with it. OH OK it’s good for cultivation.

He’s so vicious ha, he’s clearly perplexed by her - I mean, he’s the top disciple in his sect, so likely he doesn’t get how she can live so carefree and not have any desire to cultivate or anything. It’s perplexing and kind of total opposite to his worldview, so he reacts harshly.

Ah, I really like Cheng Yi’s acting! He goes from flat/indifferent face to reacting angrily to her picking the snake up, then a subtle worry as his eyes drop down from her to the snake.

I don’t know why I like this snake scene but I dooo. xD Also, it’s interesting how she doesn’t feel any strong emotions (she’s actually rather intensely curious tho!), while he puts on a mask literally/figuratively to seem like he doesn’t and yet gets worked up quite easily.

I’m glad she stops imitating him when he tells her to and is explicitly angry/upset, I get enough of people being assholes and making fun of others for things they can’t help like their speech impairments or mannerisms, it’s just kind of a personal thing that irks me.

AW HE’S SO PROTECTIVE OF HIS LITTLE SNAKE.

Why is it always the peach tree forests?? They’re always weird places that trap people. I can think of two other dramas where this happens haha. I know peaches do have significant symbolism in Chinese culture, so maybe that explains it.

Lol he still flips out a bit when she gets close. Poor girl, getting dropped from the air AGAIN.

Ah, this is the lake! Where they sealed part of that Mosha guy’s soul! This can’t be good.

Aw, look at his face, he’s genuinely worried for his little snake. CHENG YI YOUR RANGE OF EMOTIONS. GAH.

I CAN’T OPEN IT. Oh wait.

WHY DID YOU GO IIIIN YOU JUST SAID YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING AND HE TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT, YOU LITTLE IDIOT. If he’s Little Stutterer, you can be Little Idiot, ok.

Here’s an idea, she finds the snake, you fight the dragon, and then all three of you get out of there.

OH the mask comes off!! Ok, but you have seen like most of his face already…Hahaha the look on his face ‘wait…why do I feel a hand why is she touching me there…OH NO’

Ah, a nice detail I didn’t think they’d think to add in: his stuttering got way worse without the mask on, since he was so upset/shaken.

?? What just happened with her blood lol.

Final Thoughts:

An interesting start, with nice character dynamics revealed and a dangerous situation to move the plot right along. I have been informed the drama really differentiates itself from the typical setup that has been supplied thus far, and I’m excited to see it unfold.

For now, I have a tiiiiny crush on Cheng Yi and I’m interested in where they take Xuanji’s character. Also, what disasters will result from their little excursion into the super lake where a demon lord thing was sort of sealed away a long time ago...

#the muffin's liveblogging adventures #love and redemption

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