#I think a lot of her thought processes are hm I wonder if I can do this -> does it to test that -> okay yay ^_^

[lynxfrost13]

This is your opportunity to share any info that you have about Cadena 👀✨

HI SOSA!!! I’m sorry to disappoint but I don’t have too much more on her yet.. since I made her for the group I do lethal company with I knew I wanted someone very different in demeanor to Kabel, so Cadena is almost her inverse? She’s got that mynah sweetness but with an additional twist of danger not really registering in her head? Like compared to Kabel who’s a second away from kicking someone in the head out of fear of potential harm to herself, Cadena is able to remain unnervingly calm in a lot of situations. She’s cheerful and nice but under that is a layer that’s too chill for her own sake…

I don’t have to much on her life before being sent to L13’s timeloop hell since I’m still working on it , but she definitely killed someone which is what got her sent to L13. I think before that she was a respected but quieter member of her cadre, and earned the name Cadena because she was a silent but strong link in her facility, like a chain! I’ve also been thinking of adding a chain as an accessory on like one of her mynah handles/tied around two of them, I think it’d be cute. Design wise I also think she got her visor damaged from the murder she committed (which is why right now I’m partial to saying it was a fellow mynah, I don’t know what else could break that like that!).

Once she’s reassigned to L13 she also becomes fast friends with @/otterkitty’s starling Neo and we’re still working out dynamics but Cadena is quite fond of her! I think she generally tends to view other replikas as cute/has cuteness aggression about them except for in the case of my Kabel. I think this dialogue gives the best idea of how Cadena talks and thinks if that makes sense? She’s very aware of her strength and what she can do with it, but is also very lighthearted. There’s something wrong with her though <3 I am going to make her worse <3

[rekino2114]

Messing with the chainsaw man girls hair

This was requested by @shikitohnoskk

The request:Hey, is it okay for me to request it again? I've noticed that most of the Chainsaw Man girls (Makima, Asa, Kobeni, and Quanxi) wear a ponytail.

Headcanon: Have S/O see their hair down and compliment it, and perhaps personally tie their hair into a ponytail.

Note: for the other girls who haven't ponytailed or short hair like Power, Himeno, and Fami (does Yoru count since she is in Asa's body)?. What are your ideas on them?

A/n:I couldn't come up with a good title that fit all the girls' scenarios, so you get that. Also, sorry if I posted this later than usual again. School sucks

Makima

Living with makima, you've gotten used to the morning routine you have. She always wakes up before you and prepares everything you need. She wakes you up with a kiss, and you do your morning routines together, helping each other get dressed, washing your faces, and putting each other's ties on. It's a really sweet and domestic moment that you love.

Doing this so many times, you started to notice something, whenever you woke up makima already had her hair done, even if she was still in the lingerie she wore to bed.

You weren't surprised. Her ponytail looked like it took a lot of time to get done, and she probably didn't want to "bother" you, but you still wanted to see her with her hair down, so one day you woke up by yourself, without needing her to kiss you.

You yawned and stretched, then made your way to the bathroom where you saw just what you wanted to see, your girlfriend in front of the mirror messing with her hair.

She noticed you behind her in the mirror but did nothing and waited for you to come near her, you did and hugged her tightly, still a bit groggy

"Good morning darling, why did you wake up early today?"

"Wanted to see you"

Makima giggled at your sleepy tone but turned around and hugged you back kissing you in the process

"Your hair looks beautiful like this"

"Does it? I think it looks unkempt"

"It's still beautiful"

"Thank you love"

She kissed you once more and pulled away from the hug, turned around again towards the mirror, and grabbed her hair tie

"Do you want me to help you?"

"Hm?"

"I can help you tie your hair if you want"

"That would be wonderful, my love, are you sure?"

"Of course, I'd love that"

Makima smiled brightly at you and handed you the hair tie. You took it and gently grabbed her hair and started to tie it up, trying to imitate the form you always saw it in.

"You're amazing, my darling, i don't know what I'd do without you"

"What do you mean? You do this alone every morning"

"No, I meant in general. You give me a reason to wake up and get ready every day"

"That's so sweet to hear, but you know you'll always look beautiful to me, no matter what"

"Thank you sweetie, but I still want to do this, you really didn't have to"

"But I wanted to"

"And that's what makes you so wonderful"

You finished tying her hair, and she looked at it. She thought it was even more beautiful than when she made it

"It looks amazing thank you so much"

"Don't worry about it, it's the least I could do"

She turned around one last time to kiss you, even more passionately this time. When she pulled back, her beautiful golden eyes looked back at you with so much love

"I don't think words can describe how much I love you"

"The same goes for me makima"

Power

"Get your hands off of me, filthy human"

"......power please calm down"

You and the rest of division 4 were supposed to attend a meeting with makima and some important members of the government, so your boss advised you to dress nicely, this was no problem for you and your other friends, but it kinda was for your girlfriend power.

She only accepted to take a bath when you joined her and even then didn't wash very well and she struggled a lot while you were helping her put her suit on.

"Ugh! This is so uncomfortable"

"I know, but you have to wear it"

"Said who?"

"Makima"

"...........ok"

She sat in front of you again as you put her tie on

"OK I'm done"

"Finally!"

She started to get up but you stopped her

"Wait, we're not finished, you have to tie your hair"

"What? Why?"

"I dunno, I guess it makes you look more....... civilzed"

"Are you saying I'm not civilized normally?"

"Listen, we need to make a good impression, or makima is gonna dock our pay. Just put this on, please,"

The blood fiend pouted and turned around dramatically

"Never! I refuse!"

"I'll give you cuddles when we get back"

"..........."

"With meowy"

Power turned towards you again, still pouting but with a blush on her face"

"Fine, you win"

"Thanks"

She grabbed the hair tie you were holding in your hands and looked at it for a while before trying to tie her hair.....unsuccessfully

"Do you.....need help?"

"O-of course not! How dare you say that!"

She proceeded to continue failing to tie her hair

".........can you help me?"

You giggled but quickly got up and went behind her, taking the hair tie and starting to tie her hair

"Have you ever tied your hair before?"

"Y-yeah but it's really hard doing it alone"

"Don't worry, I get it. You can ask me for help when you're struggling"

"R-really?"

"Of course, I'd love to"

"......thanks"

"It's no problem"

As you finished tying her hair you looked at it and smiled

"You look beautiful like this"

Hearing this power smugly grinned and turned around to look at you

"Of course, did you have any doubts the great power would look beautiful in any hair style?"

You laughed again and kissed her cheek, causing it to glow red

"No, I definitely didn't, now let's go, denji and aki are waiting for us"

Himeno

After waking up and doing everything you needed to, you were waiting for himeno to wake up as she usually slept late. You heard a big yawn coming from your bedroom and knew that she woke up so you waited patiently for her to come out of the bathr-

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

You immediately sprinted towards the bathroom

"Himeno, what's wrong?"

"O-oh hiiiii y/n, n-nothings's wrong I just-"

"Why are you covering the left side of your head?"

"......whaaaaaat? No I'm not"

"Seriously hime, what's wrong you know you can tell me"

Himeno sighed and took her hand off of her hair

"OK, just don't laugh"

She turned around and you started staring at her hair, at first you saw nothing wrong but then

"Wait, is the left side of your hair completely cut off?"

"Yeah"

"How did that even happen?"

"I-i dunno I was drunk last night and-"

"You had scissors while you were drunk? You could have hurt yourself"

"I know.....sorry"

"It's fine, at least you're ok"

"Yeah, my hair isn't though, you think I'd look good with a hat?"

You both laughed softly at that, you put a hand on her head and started stroking her hair

"While I think you'd look good with anything, I don't think you need to put one on"

"Hm? Why? You got a solution?"

"Maybe, what if you cut the other side too so it's even, you have shot hair anyway so it'll grow back fast"

"I guess that could work, but to be honest, I don't really trust myself with scissors anymore, even sober me"

"I can help you"

"Really?"

"Yeah of course"

"Awww, thanks so much baby, you're the best"

"It's nothing just go sit somewhere, I'll grab the scissors"

Your girlfriend gave you a thumbs up and grabbed a chair to sit in while you took the scissors. You then stood behind her and started cutting her hair carefully

"This is just like being at an hairdresser"

"Don't exaggerate, I'm not a professional so it may come out ugly"

"Please, if you do it, then it possibly can't be ugly"

"You're giving me too much credit"

"Nah, it's you who's giving yourself too little credit"

"Well thanks"

"No problem"

After you finished cutting her hair, you told her so, and she went to the mirror to see how it looked. After she stared at herself for a few seconds, she smiled widely and went to hug and kiss you

"You're amazing y/n, this looks great"

"Oh please it's not-"

"Hey! Stop that. You're amazing, ok? That wasn't a question it was a statement, so don't try to argue with it"

"Hehe, alright thanks, I'll accept it"

Himeno smiled again and kissed you passionately

"Great, because I'll say it as many times as I need to"

Kobeni higashiyama

(The person who requested this actually sent me this picture saying it inspired them to request, I really appreciate that so thanks)

You put the keys in the door of your shared apartment and turned them, as soon as you opened it, kobeni weakly walked through the living room and let herself fall on the sofa heavily sighing in the pillow

"The mission was hard wasn't it?"

She got up and turned towards you, her expression softening a bit but still clearly irritated

"Yes, well, the mission itself was supposed to be easy, but power was insufferable. She kept being so loud and annoying and reckless-"

You quickly pulled her into a hug, which caused her to relax and nuzzle in your chest

"I know I know, don't worry I'll ask makima to pair us up together next time ok?"

"T-thanks"

"How about we just relax now, let's cuddle and watch a movie"

"Yes please, I'd like that"

You two smiled at each other, and you went to the kitchen to get the snacks ready while kobeni changed into something more comfortable. You came back after a while and brought the blankets with you, you saw kobeni with her pjs on

"You look good"

"E-Eh?"

"I'm just saying, you look cute when you're comfy, I like seeing you relaxed"

She blushed and looked away for a moment before smiling again at you again

"Thank you"

You smiled even brighter as you sat near her and you started watching the movie

"Why do you still have your hair tied?"

"Hm?"

"I thought you'd let your hair down, to help you get more comfy"

"I-i guess"

She raised her hands to her hair, but you grabbed them and held them in yours, kobeni started blushing but looked at you with confusion

"No, let me do it, I want to"

"W-what?"

Before she could protest, you started untying her hair and grabbed her hairpins, putting them on the table along with the hair tie

"There you go beni"

"O-oh thanks"

"It's nothing, I just want nothing more than to help you relax in any way possible"

"You're really the best I love you"

Your girlfriend started to relax more and laid her head on your shoulder. You smiled at this and started playing with her now free hair

"Your hair looks beautiful"

"U-uh? Oh, thanks, really"

"Every part of you is beautiful to me, especially right now. You're always so stressed and tired, I love seeing you like this"

Kobeni turned to look at you a bit surprised but quickly smiled as she felt her cheeks getting even hotter

"Thank you really, thank you so much, I cannot describe how much I love you"

"Me too beni"

Quanxi

"I'm taking a shower. Do you wanna join me?"

You looked up from your phone to see quanxi starting to take her blood-soaked suit off

"Oh no, thanks, I'm not really in the mood right now"

Quanxi nodded silently and continued to take her clothes off in front of you, something you had gotten used to as she had little to no trouble walking around the house in very little clothes

"Then can you wash the suit? The blood got in pretty deep"

"Yeah sure"

You got up and grabbed the clothes she threw on the ground, you started walking but were stopped by quanxi, putting a hand on your shoulder

"Wait"

She untied her hair and shook her head, making her white hair flow and fall behind her head, despite her being in nothing but her eyepatch, her hair was still the thing that caught your attention the most.

"You don't need to wash this, just give it to me when I'm done"

"OK"

She smiled at you and gave you a kiss on the forehead

"Thank you, sweetheart"

After you put her suit in the washing machine, you resumed doing what you were doing before while you listened to the water fall in the bathroom until the sound stopped, and you heard the door open.

"Love, can you give me the hair tie back?"

You looked up again and saw your beautiful girlfriend in a tank top and shorts and still with her hair down

"Oh yeah, here you go"

You got up again and handed her the hair. she rewarded you with another forehead kiss

"You look beautiful"

"Uhm?"

"Your hair, it genuinely looks beautiful like this"

"Oh, thanks, I guess I don't let them down often, so I'm glad you like it"

"Do you mind if I tie your hair?"

"Sure"

Her answering with such little hesitation confused you a bit, as did her handing you the hair tie and turning around as well as bending over a bit.

But you quickly did what you wanted to and tied her snow like hair, admiring how genuinely beautiful it looked

"You really like my hair, don't you?"

"Yeah, I love it, like every part of your body"

"I'm glad"

When you finished your job, quanxi turned around and suddenly kissed you passionately and wrapped one of her arms around you, sliding the other one under your shirt, feeling your stomach

"I love you so much, my sweet"

"I love you too"

Asa mitaka/yoru

Having two girlfriends in one body sometimes made it difficult to distinguish who was in control of the body in one specific moment, but you found a method to do it. If you can't see the face directly, because the scars and eyes would give it away pretty fast, you look at the hair, if it's a ponytail then it's probably asa and if they're down then it's probably yoru.

For some reason, one of the first things yoru does when she takes over is untying her hair and throwing the hair tie somewhere in the room making it hard for asa to find it later, one of this occasions resulted in you currently tying asa's hair

"Thanks for helping me"

"It's nothing, don't worry, you should probably get more hair ties though, how did this one end under your bed anyway?"

"I don't know ask yoru"

The girl said in a passive-aggressive tone, hoping to get the attention of the devil in her head who just ignored her

"I guess I could try to ask her to be more careful about it"

"Please do"

"Hehe, ok, I'm finished by the way"

"Thanks"

"You're welcome"

Asa stood up and turned towards you but was surprised to see your lips approaching hers, and before she could react, you kissed her. After a bit of confusion, she reciprocated your kiss that lasted for a bit before you pulled back

"So do you wanna eat something? I have some chips if you want"

"Yeah thanks"

You gave her a thumbs up and went to the cabinet, grabbed the bag of chips and two bowls and put it on the table, you looked back at asa only to see her......with her hair tied down

"......yoru? What are you doing here?"

"I took over"

"Yeah why?"

"I wanted to see you"

"*sighs* OK....but take the hair tie back"

"Eh? Why?"

"Cause then asa will have to spend hours searching for it"

"Fine, here"

She handed you the hair tie she surprisingly still had

"You didn't throw it away?"

"No....I heard what you said"

"Oh thanks"

Surprised by her thoughtfulness, you kissed her like you did with asa, which caused her to blush slightly but kiss back quickly, more aggressively than her host. She let the kiss go on for a few more seconds before she pulled back

"I'm gonna tie your hair now"

"Why? I like them better like this"

"Cause asa just tied them, I don't want her to have to do it again"

"It's always asa this and asa that, what about me? I like my hair like this"

"It's not your hair in the first place"

"..........ok that's fair"

"I'm glad you understand"

The war devil reluctantly turned around and let you tie her (asa's) hair again. After you finished, she turned back only to not have the scars and ringed eyes anymore

"Oh hey, welcome back asa"

"Thanks"

"I'm surprised yoru let you take over"

"She didn't, I think she's still yelling at me in my head"

"Oh, you're fighting over me?"

"We kinda have to when we share a body"

"Well, I'm flattered"

"Thanks for tying my hair again by the way, I know it can be annoying"

"Oh no not at all, I love it"

"I'm glad, I really love everything you do for me well for us"

Fami

A/n:So, since we're talking about hair and fami, I wanted to bring up something I've been thinking about for a while. What color is fami's hair actually? I always thought it was pink (maybe because i associate her with kirby) but in the volume cover she's in, you can't really see the color because the lighting is weird (or they're more purply) and in the fanart I've seen she's with either pink, purple or white/cream colored hair similar to quanxi. I guess we won't know for a while, but I'll still keep writing her as if she has pink hair. Also, sorry if this is shorter than the other ones, I didn't have that many ideas

"Fami can you......take off your hat for a while?"

You had been staring at the famine's devil hair for a while, something that she noticed but didn't seem to mind. You were confused by it and wanted to confirm something, which prompted you to ask the question

"Why?"

"I just wanna see your hair"

Fami shrugged and did as you told her, revealing her pink hair full of crumbs and stains

"What........happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your hair is dirty, like really dirty"

"Oh yeah, some food fell on me"

".......how?"

"I was trying to get it in the cabinet and it fell on me"

"......*sighs* I'll go get a hairbrush"

You went to the bathroom and took a hairbrush out of a cabinet, going back to the living room and standing behind fami while she was still eating, starting to brush her hair carefully

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to clean your hair"

"Oh........thanks"

"No problem, just tell me earlier next time"

"Ok, I just didn't want to bother you"

"You could never bother me. In fact, I love your hair, and I love brushing them"

"......thanks again"

"It's really nothing but geez, a lot fell on you, I think we'll have to wash it"

"I guess I don't mind if you join me"

"*sighs* sure if you want

[synthetickitsune]

Jun (SVT) | Not Jealous fluff | 0.8k | gn!reader A/N: i once again blame @hanniedream and her silly bf jun ideas for making me stuck in jun brainrot >:(

“You’re doing it again,” you accuse him with a pout when you join him again at the bar. 

“Hm?” he frowns, turning his body towards you.

“You’re not jealous at all,” you sigh, “Someone flirts with me and you don’t care at all.”

It’s a tradition at this point - someone lowkey flirts with you with Jun in sight, you decline them, and life goes on. Your boyfriend hardly ever so much as comments on it anymore.

You’re not actually bothered by it, but today you wish he’d show a little more feeling at someone flirting with his partner. He senses you’re upset, and even if he thinks it’s more the late hour getting to you than you actually being mad, it’s always safer to check or at least distract you.

“Wanna know my secret?” he smiles, gently putting his hand over your knee and slowly stroking your skin to soothe you.

“Yeah,” you jump at the opportunity. He huffs at your sudden enthusiasm, then takes a couple of deep breaths. He meant to pull out some lame joke, but he’s not so sure he can do it anymore. His mind just goes a little blank when you look at him like this. And so the painful truth is his only way.

“I imagine they’ll flirt with me next.”

“...come again?”

“I’ll think they’ll be flirting with me next and how I’d feel in that situation,” he rephrases carefully, feeling his ears beginning to burn up.

“Jun, look, I love you but what the actual fuck. Please explain the thought process,”

“You always say I’m hotter than you,” he gives you an expectant look, and you play along and nod, “Say it.”

“Yeah, you’re hotter than me,” you roll your eyes, and you definitely do not smile seeing the happy grin on his face.

“Well then naturally, they’ll see you and be interested and flirt, but when they see me, they’ll come right over instead,” he explains, slowly growing embarrassed and looking to you for support. You’re a little too focused on the fact that this sounds a lot like when a long time ago it was you explaining why you’re insecure when people see you together. He seemed so confused about it, and you wonder if it actually caused some damage. “And yeah, I just think that and how uncomfortable I’d be if someone came onto me like that when I already have you and you’re everything I want and need. And you’re out of their league too!”

You jump a little when you realize how close Jun leaned towards you while you were trying to comprehend what he’s telling you. His skin looks adorably flushed, and you know it’s definitely not from the very much non-alcoholic juice and vodka cocktail he’s been drinking. You close the gap between you, resting your forehead against his.

“I think I want to marry you,” you sigh, closing your eyes before you can see the relieved smile that you know would make you propose right then and there. 

“So are you still mad at me?” he asks, taking your hands in his.

“I wasn’t mad, I just think it’s unfair,” you shake your head before kissing him. He hums into the kiss, sliding a hand behind your head. It moves to rest around your shoulders when you pull away.

“But you know, Jun, that last guy was kind of hot,” you mention off-handedly as you swirl the drink in your glass.

“Hm, yeah, he had a nice body,” Jun leans back, tilting his head in thought.

“And you still thought I was out of his league? Still thought you’d mind him flirting with you?” you’re just teasing, your reward being his laugh.

“Honestly, I’m so annoyed someone is flirting with you that it’s not hard to only find the ugly things on them,” he shrugs, smirking when he notices your surprised face, “I get jealous, I just try not to show it if it’s stupid.”

You push his shoulder and groan. You cross your arms on the table and put your head on them, glaring at your laughing boyfriend. 

He’s right though. Whenever you feel uncomfortable, he’s right there to protect you and take care of sending the offender away. Whenever they cross a boundary, he will show them you’re his, the same as when you make it clear you want him to be possessive about you. He just never makes a scene if there is no need. 

“I can-”

“No,” you stop him before he can continue, smiling as he rubs your back gently, “You’re perfect. I’m just stupid sometimes.”

“Always,” he coughs to tease you, but that’s alright. 

You’re grateful to have him - bickering and all.

[voraciousvore]

The Tiny (Chapter 6)

Chapter 1 | Previous (5) | Next (7)

Content Warning: semi-willing mouthplay

Word Count: 2.3k

------ Chapter 6: Restraint ------

If I’m going to successfully resist my carnivorous cravings, I need to get some actual meat in my belly. I start frying up one of the steaks I bought earlier, glancing furtively over my shoulder towards the couch in the other room. She hasn’t budged an inch. I sigh, hunching my back, and direct my attention back to cooking. She’ll never trust me again; she’ll probably never face me by choice. 

Over the serenade of sizzling, I hear a high-pitched yelp. I spin around to behold Jackie sprinting for her life across the floor, followed by a harmless little fuzzy spider. I imagine the insect must be a lot more threatening to a person so small—and maybe even aggressive enough to bite her—so I hurry over and stomp on it. The vibration of my steps through the floorboards knocks the woman off her feet. She lands between my boots and doesn’t get back up. I grow worried, so I crouch down to check on her. 

“Are you alright?” I ask. “Did that spider hurt you?” 

“I’m—I’m okay,” she stammers faintly. “I d-don’t want to stay under the c-couch anymore." She sits up, hugging her knees to her chest. To my surprise, rather than running away from me, she gazes up at me with relief. What she says next genuinely floors me. “I’ll be okay with joining you for dinner now.” 

This statement was the last possible outcome I expected, and I’m elated. “Wonderful,” I declare. Before she can change her mind, I carefully corral her into my welcoming palm, stand up slowly, and chauffeur her to the dining room table. I take my steak out of the pan and slap it on a plate with a baked potato. I pour myself a glass of red wine, to maximize the sensuality and opulence of the meal, and set the table.  

I give the sweet girl a bit of my potato, and I’m heartened to see her bite into it this time. I pour sauce on my meat, wishing I could garnish it with an extra topping of live prey. My dinner guest pales when I pick up my serrated knife, but I pretend not to notice. I slice into the steak, revealing the rare red center as sanguine juices gush out onto the plate. 

“Listen...” Jackie brings up, breaking the tense silence between us. “I’ve been thinking...” 

“Hm?” As much as I’m focusing on absorbing the essence of my meal, I give her my full attention. 

She seems like she’s having difficulty speaking with how her mouth flaps open and closed. I chew on my potato patiently, waiting for her to overcome her mental stumbling block. Finally, she forms words. “I’ve been trying to come up with a solution to our little predicament. And I think I have an idea.” 

I’m intrigued, but she doesn’t elaborate. I raise a brow, taking another bite of my potato, all while training a curious eye on her shivering form. She steels herself with a labored breath. “I was thinking... I was thinking maybe...”  

She’s so adorable, struggling to be brave while so helpless and tiny. I love all the quirks of her diminutive features: the quivering of her pink lips, the twitching of her eyebrows, how her soft brown eyes search my face and hands and body, how her dainty hands compulsively smooth down the wrinkles of her clothes even while twisting the fabric to make new folds, how she shuffles from one foot to another in a nervous dance. She thaws the cold, rational beast within me and turns me into a puddle at her feet, despite lacking the strength to even wrestle my pinky finger into submission.  

What she says next completely derails my train of dulcet thoughts. “I’ll let you eat me for dinner!” 

The bolus in my throat gets caught mid-swallow as my eyes bug out of my head. I choke and wheeze while pounding my chest to dislodge the obstruction, until I can finally wash it down with a big draught of wine. I cough roughly, processing what she said through my shock. “Are you serious?” 

Her face turns waxen with dread, and I can plainly tell she’s not the most enthusiastic regarding her brilliant idea. “Well...I’m not willing right now to be swallowed again. So please—please don’t do that. But I figure your cravings will only get worse the longer you try to hold them back. So maybe...” A violent tremor courses over her. “M-maybe if you just hold me in your mouth while you eat dinner, you can t-taste me, right? And you can pretend like you’re swallowing me, when you consume the rest of your food?” She lets the question float for a moment before resuming, “this is the best compromise I could come up with. Nobody gets hurt, and you get... me. Just not inside your belly.” 

Now, if I were a perfect gentleman, I’d flatly refuse such an offer, as much of an extraordinary opportunity as it may be. She’s obviously less than willing, and putting her in my mouth is exceedingly risky. Expecting me not to swallow might be too much of a stretch. However, though I may look the part... I am far from a gentleman. My eyes light up with ravenous intent. “I’m willing to try it.” 

I ogle her delicious little body with a fiery yearning: her plump little drumstick legs, buxom chest, chubby cheeks, just blossoming with temptation. She is discomfited by my intrusive stare, but her agitated wriggling only sharpens my appetite further. “It won’t be quite the same, since I won’t get the pleasure of feeling you, my little Jaclyn, thrash around in my stomach. We giants do enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and the conquest of our prey. But I think this will be minimally sufficient, for the time being.”   

Jackie nods, although she looks like she’s about to throw up. She hesitates before reluctantly trudging over to my plate. I can’t believe my eyes as she hauls herself over the edge of the dish, then climbs up on my steak and crawls to the middle, entirely of her own volition. Am I dreaming? Have I died and gone to heaven? She sits down in the sauce with a soft squelch, wincing as her shorts get soaked. She looks irresistible, truly a feast for the eyes. I smack my chops hungrily. 

She meets my gaze with fear, yet a sharp edge of commendable determination. I can tell she’s planned this out, fortified herself mentally for this moment. Her resolve turns me on even more. “Go ahead and… eat me. I’m ready.” 

I flash her a toothy, dripping smile, unable to contain my unabashed glee. “With pleasure, my dear.” Instead of gulping my dinner down right away, I savor the moment, eating around her, carving a winding path through the slab of meat with my knife. She’s deathly pallid, but I don’t have sufficient self-control to stop myself. I’ve never had willing prey before; I can’t wait. My pulse races and my lungs swell with elevated puffs. 

I’m slobbering profusely now, to the point where I have to keep draining my spit down my throat to keep from drooling all over my food. I creep closer and closer to my prey, bite by bite, completely fixated. I hardly even taste the chunks of steak, with how exhilarated I am to imbibe her flavor. At long last, I cut the meat she’s sitting on into a cube, and gently raise her up to my lips. As tempted as I am to scarf her down, I move slowly, to ease her into the process. She releases a whine of terror. 

“No need to be afraid,” I coax with the lightest inflection, keeping my voice muted since she’s so close to my lips. “I promise, with all my heart, I won’t swallow you.” I hope she doesn’t recall that I already broke my other promises not to eat her. I intend to keep this one—if I can contain myself. 

The best approach would be to let her feel my lips with her fingers, before I open my jaws gradually, and allow her to crawl into my mouth at her own pace. However, I doubt she’ll be able to overcome her fear enough to venture inside me on her own, and I don’t want her to chicken out at the last minute when I’m so hungry. I don’t think I’d be able to stop at this point, as much as I want to respect her wishes. So I don’t permit her that control: I part my lips and slide my fork inside, along with her and the steak cube. 

She drops off the fork, and a lavish kaleidoscope of notes dances on my tongue, like a lightshow in my mouth. The sauce that she marinated in accentuates her taste, producing a potent concoction of decadence. I separate her from the other fodder and masticate it to a pulp with my molars, keeping her cupped on my tongue away from my teeth so I don’t accidentally chew her. I gulp down the inanimate portion of the mouthful, humming with pleasure. 

Normally, I prefer to swallow my prey whole and alive, so I can feel the living creature battle my insides before being reduced to nutrients. While I would love to ingest Jackie in the same manner, I have a vibrant imagination, and I can pretend I’m fully eating her every time I shuttle food down to my belly. I’ve killed prey with my teeth before, so it’s not terribly unusual for it to not move. This arrangement works well for me, as I can relish her at my leisure for as long as I desire. I’m in paradise as I rub her over every inch of my oral interior, from my tongue to my teeth to my cheeks to my palate.   

She trembles, and occasionally pushes back when I get too overbearing. I temper my licking and sucking, softening my touch. I want the dinner to last as long as possible, so I eat slowly, one bite at a time. I take in a sip of wine, swirling it in my mouth along with Jackie. The wine compliments her marvelously, as she sweetens the dry, tannic undertones to create a more balanced palate. I drink it down, pressing her up to the roof of my mouth so she doesn’t get swept into my gullet. 

I continue to eat modest bites of steak and potato, and drain my wine in small mouthfuls, drawing out the minutes into at least an hour. It’s a wonder she hasn’t drowned, with how much I’m salivating. The velvety softness of her skin, with the delicate curves of her body, creates a special delight, like a rich dessert with a pleasing shape and texture. I’m tempted to pinch her limbs between my teeth playfully, just to nibble, but I don’t want to make the experience any worse for her. Her trust needs to be earned first. 

The rest of my dinner dwindles down to nothing, as I finish off my glass of wine and absorb the last piece of steak. I don’t want to relinquish her so soon. I slurp on her like an after-dinner mint, shuffling her from one cheek to the other. The devil in me surfaces an ugly thought—to swallow, to fatally consume, to assimilate her into my larger body—but I’m sated enough to resist without too much difficulty. To my relief, this stratagem was more successful than I anticipated.  

When I decide I’ve had my fill, I insert my fork between my teeth and wait. I remove it when I feel her insubstantial weight on the tines. I examine her as I lower her down to my empty plate, still slick with meat juices. She’s disheveled and saturated with various fluids, but unharmed. Her clothes are ruined, stained with sauce and wine, and cling heavily to her frame, accentuating her natural shape. She scrabbles off the fork once it clinks onto the plate, but doesn’t bolt. Yet again, I find myself marveling at her courage. 

“That was exquisite,” I purr. “Best dinner I’ve had since... last night.” I wink roguishly. I hope she accepts my comment with good humor this time. 

“I’m glad it worked out for you,” she mutters, wringing out her shirt with distaste before quickly giving up. She looks up at me with an inscrutable gaze. At least she doesn’t have that frightened electricity in her eyes that I’ve grown so accustomed to.  

I can’t quite read her, so I feel compelled to say more. “In all seriousness though... thank you. I know that wasn’t easy for you. It means a lot that you were brave enough to voluntarily go in there.” Since she’s not as afraid of me, I decide to be blunt with her. “If you hadn’t... I don’t know if you would have survived the night, to be honest.” 

I can tell she’s deeply unsettled by my remark, despite her incredible fortitude. Maybe I’m being a bit manipulative with the implication of my statement, but I hope to push her into allowing me to “eat” her again. Tasting her for a prolonged period really did help to reduce my cravings. I feel satiated, not so desperate to consume. However, I don’t know how long that feeling will last. 

“You look like you could use a bath and a set of clean clothes.” Even though I’ve never enjoyed such a unique arrangement with my prey, I understand the importance of aftercare. Tonight, I will pamper her and make her feel special. She needs to understand how much I appreciate her—how much I care about her. 

Perhaps even... something more. 

Chapter 7

[exoticalmonde]

The Evealia Guide Through Babel (event) - Part IV

Man, why do all of you have the most terrible names to remember? This is what actual witchcraft sounds like. Aefanyl. I'm going to scramble him like I'm scrambling these letters trying to make the name Logos out of this Scrabble.

Even more interesting is the aspect that she used magic to preserve the way she looks, so she can be eternal in his memory. It's kind of sweet, kind of... sad. Very sad if you think about how it seems like she doesn't have a long time left. I wonder if I can find anything else about her--

O, lady,

THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW, LOOK AT THIS

SHE IS ONE OF THE SIX HEROES????

That makes... Her, Theresis, Theresa, Kal'tsit....? Two more are missing. It might be obvious but I genuinely forgot right now. I'm sure when Dr. Pinkie sees this she's going to beat me over the head since we spoke about this.

Anyways,

Ascalon is fighting with Theresis this time. It's a bittersweet goodbye too.

Theresis is still respected by Ascalon, so it's a struggle for her to face him truly. He's also giving her some fair pointers as a last goodbye.

[You still don't know what you seek, do you? To protect? That's just empty self-deceptive sentimentality. When you're unsure of your path, you merely project your motivations onto vague ideals.] <I really like this quote. Can you tell?

[I-I've thought about it carefully.]

[Perhaps. Then follow Theresa and protect her, but don't blindly adopt her ways. Think for yourself. Manfred found his answer long before you did.]

Then, Ascalon falls to one knee and turns to a mist that closes around Theresis. When it disperses, he's left with a stone knife in his hand.

As terrifying as that conversation was, nothing could prepare me for the one Theresa and Theresis had - basically agreeing that if any of them comes in the way of the other, they will have to be killed.

The Babel procession stretches far as the eye could see, past the disdainful crowd. Theresis walks towards the crowd and stand with them. He has left Theresa's side for the first time in two centuries.

They say their goodbyes.

Then something occurs, enough the silence the restless onlookers and momentarily halt the procession.

[A mercenary steps out of the line to embrace his best friend in the procession. No one can hear the whispers exchanged between the two friends by the ruins of Babel, but all are willing to wait and give them their moment of farewell.]

[A farewell between the people and their city, and between two peoples of the same blood.]

With them, Odda also part ways. With his family. His home.

For Theresa's eyes only, there's a letter. A functional ship has been excavated from Rim Billington. On it, she found something that could change the tide of history.

Given its importance, Kal'tsit has a lot of faith in its utility for their plan.

---

BB-ST-2

Awakening in Exhaustion

[Things have not gone according to plan.]

PRIESTESS???

Can I be honest? I'm going to be honest.

I don't really like Priestess. I think yesterday Dr. Kryo asked what we all think about her and my immediate response is 'I hope she died'. Which, I think if somebody (not me) has read Vigilo they might confirm what happened with her.

If anything, I think I'm going to go and have a little dip in Vigilo since it's one of those episodic stories and I checked out the Wiki long enough to figure out which episodes will be important to understand.

But overall, yeah, I don't like her and I've been struggling to understand the Doctor for long enough to know that I probably never will agree with their ideas. As Priestess says, us lower-intelligence lifeforms can't even hope to understand their greater plans.

And speaking of plans, we should move on with the Babel story.

Four Years Ago...

Summer, 1090

We're opening with Closure and Scout, how wonderful. Hm... Interesting, why do I have this nagging feeling that there's something inherently sad about the situation?

Ah.

Well, they are on a mission. Closure imparts with us the detail that she and Kal'tsit have secured the ship and have been working on dealing with the defence system for a specific package that is on board.

Snapping to Kal and Theresa, they're talking about a specialist in Originium, the only person who can help with their task. They stand before a set of doors that have not been opened for a long time, reminiscing in the fact that Kal'tsit, no matter how careful she is, still cannot predict all the contingencies.

But they open it anyway.

And this light, we're familiar with. There was once an event, where we witnessed this same feeling, the same occurrence and that same red light shining down on Kal'tsit. Though, this is a couple of years prior.

In Lone Trail.

[Search: Preserver... No signal.] [Search: Caerula Arbor... No signal.] [Search: Celestial Fulcrum... No signal.] [Search: (Unknown static noise)... No signal.] [.......] [Search complete. No signal detected on any channel.] All these spots we are familiar with and for me it was bone-chilling to see them. Preserver is a reference to the Preserver Project, which was created by the "First Civilization" at some point after the "disaster from above" that resulted in the Civilization's near-total annihilation. They are meant to act as overseers of the Sarcophagi where the Civilization's survivors are kept in stasis until they can be awakened when the situation stabilizes in the distant future so they can restore their civilization. [Image above]

Caerula Arbor is our current IS4. Known also as the "Creeping Branch" is a dying tree-like Leviathan representing the power of "Growth" who had lost His struggle in controlling the kin, causing Him to fall from grace from the Many. His roots grow towards the core of Terra and feed on the energy of the magma beneath the surface, and is said to have the potential to consume the entire planet if allowed to grow unchecked, but currently, the Arbor is acting as a mere food source that nourishes microscopic Seaborn cells in the ocean.

Celestial Fulcrum is uh...

:)

And actually, we know a little bit more about the unrecognisable static, because we have already seen it part of a concept trailer. We were actually JUST shown this, so I did such a good job strategically stalling just so I can put this in the script.

Voila, if you have not seen it yet.

This is very kindly provided by the Wiki.

[Last update: Four million, seven hundred fifty-five thousand, nine hundred and fifty-four days ago.]

Me thinks it's around 13K years and that's quite a bit since the last update.

So the Doctor was woken up rather early, with Originium still abound. Interesting part is, they're surprised about the way it has managed to survive/has evolved - through the Sarkaz and Oripathy.

Oh no this is so endearing....

It's so endearing and sad at the same time. Doctor learning about Theresa, holding her warm hands. She was so excited to learn the language of the past from Kal'tsit, but instead Doctor hits her with 'my world is lost'.

For those like me who missed it entirely SOMEHOW, Civilight Eterna is the Crown of the Sarkaz, although I'm not sure how Doctor recognises it when he was not present during it's... release(?) and whether he understands the significance of it differently to what I know.

She's showing the Doctor different parts of their... life, I suppose.

This quote stuck out to me a lot:

Before I'm immediately on my knees because of the mentioning of a pioneer chasing the stars is pushing forward with his fallen ally on his back.

This is UNFAIR,

THEY'RE BEING MENTIONED AGAIN.

After witnessing the way Terra is right now, the Doctor seems to take it in rather well. In their view, it's all moving in the right direction, a mix of ignorance and progress that feels nostalgic and beautiful. Within Theresa, the Doctor spots somebody who loves Terra, not just a single nation. Her ideals are pure, but ultimately, way too different. She might be loathed for that, because her people aren't ready for this kind of step.

Thus the Doctor is willing to cooperate and help by first exploring the land itself to learn about the way Originium has influenced life, culture and the environment.

Ascalon is being sent after them both for protection and with a secret little task from Theresa - to explore the things other nations have, because the Sarkaz don't have the luxury to choose.

[ejzah]

A/N: I hope everyone celebrating had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

***

Gratitude

Deeks dumped the boiling water from a massive stock pot into the sink, recoiling from the rush of stem billowing up towards him. When most of the water was drained, he set the pot to the side, and added several tablespoons of butter.

“Rosalie, how’s it going?” he asked, joining her at the counter where she had cutting boards, bowls of ingredients, and a large platter spread out in front of her.

“The fiambre is almost ready,” Rosa said, delicately placing folded pieces of ham atop a very colorful salad. It contained a truly impressive number of vegetables, cheese, meat and other ingredients that somehow worked together.

“It looks fantastic.” She smiled at the compliment, offering him an olive. Deeks accepted it, chewing as he looked around the busy kitchen.

“The potatoes are ready to mash, and Mama Deeks is basting the turkey for the last time. Do you need any help?” he asked. “I could cut some more radish roses.

“No, I think I have everything. Thank you, though.”

“Mama?”

Roberta huffed from her spot by the oven, looking over her shoulder. “Marty, you know I can cook a turkey in my sleep,” she said dismissively.

“Yeah, let’s not have a repeat of that, please,” he requested.

Rosa raised an eyebrow, tilting her head at him, and he shook his head quickly mouthing, “Don’t ask.”

Rosa shook her head, continuing with layering her salad. He expected that story would come up sometime tonight. The Thanksgiving they’d eaten pizza for dinner because Roberta slept through an alarm was hardly the most scandalous story she’d shared.

Leaving Rosa and Roberta to their devices, he walked out into the living room and right into some twins shenanigans.

“Hey Kiddo, where you think you’re going?”

Caleb, in the process of pulling himself up from a chair onto the dining room table opened up and set to accommodate their guests. He jumped, spinning around with a startled look. Grabbing him under the armpits, Deeks swung him down into the floor. He turned to Sophia, who clung to one of the table legs.

“And what are you up to, Miss Sophie?”

She offered him a wide, innocent smile that spelled nothing but trouble.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said. Picking them both up around the waist, he deposited a kiss on each of their heads. “C’mon, let’s get some of your toys.”

Deeks had just got them set up in the front room with piles of blocks when Kensi came rushing out of the bedroom.

“Caleb, Sophia!”

“They’re in here, baby!” Deeks said, leaning over so she could see him around the table.

“Oh, thank goodness. I left them in the bedroom while I went to the bathroom,” she explained, regarding the twins with fond exasperation. “I thought they’d be ok for a couple minutes, but apparently someone figured out how to open the door.”

Wado,” Caleb replied with a grin.

“Of course you’d say that,” Kensi replied, and bent to kiss him. She sat down opposite Deeks, settling Sophia between her legs. “How’s everything in the kitchen? I didn’t hear any shouting.”

“Everything’s almost ready. We should probably go check if there’s anything else we can help with before everyone else gets here.”

“Ok. Come on Sophie. Let’s make sure Grandma Deeks doesn’t spike the cranberries again.” Kensi settled Sophia on her hip.

“Oh, I already hid the vodka, bourbon, and scotch,” Deeks told her. He poked his head through the kitchen door, smiling at what he saw.

Roberta and Rosa’s head were bent over a saucepan. She offered a spoon of the contents to Rosa, who tasted it and tilted her head.

“Hm, it might need a little more pepper.”

“Yeah, you might be right, kiddo. You got good taste,” Roberta replied, giving her an approving pat on the shoulder.

“It’s a lot different than our first Thanksgiving together, isn’t it?” Deeks murmured. He didn’t want to interrupt the moment between the two.

“You mean when our mom’s were ready to battle it out to cook dinner?” Kensi asked wryly.

“Yeah. Not to mention the three kids.” He watched Rosa and his mom for a few more moments. “Is it cheesy to say this is what I’m thankful for?”

“Mm, yeah. But I feel the same way.” Sighing contentedly, Kensi leaned her head against his.

Yeah, grateful didn’t even begin to cover it.

***

A/N: Based on a little research, fiambre is a common Thanksgiving/holiday dish served in Guatemalan families.

[mochi-kiks]

More more MORE

☆ Korro lore ☆

◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

The next couple days with this man was…weird. But calming in a sense. His name was Jackson, and he was retired. He used to be an antique seller. No wonder he had so much old china and decor.

He never spoke often, though he always made sure Korro would eat properly. Lots of protein. He had lots of meat stocked up in his freezer.

“Jackson…sir, where did you get so much meat? What kind is it?”

Korro asked one day. Curious.

“Ah- well I like to go hunting. It’s peaceful, and I don’t have to waste a bunch of money on a poor piece of steak or some over processed jerky when I can do it myself for better prices.”

Korro didn’t seem surprised. He did have a couple dear skulls on the wall.

“I’ve went hunting before, it seems a bit dull doesn’t it? Though I get the appeal..”

“Eh, I like how calming it can be. Not much bothers me around in these woods.”

Korro nodded softly. Taking a bit of the scrambled eggs and sausage patties he made. She couldn’t disagree. The meat tasted better than the stuff in the groceries.

The longer Korro stayed in the small yet dull house, she learned the rules quickly. I mean, they were decently easy. Don’t enter his bedroom or the closet. No Tv past 9pm. Don’t cook a meal and leave the dishes. Some basic things, even though it seemed a bit childish with the no tv, but Korro knew Jackson went to bed by 9. So perhaps he needed pure silence to sleep. Though, the, never go in the basement rule, well. Korro knew curiosity killed the cat.

Yet, one night, at 1 in the morning. She found herself at the basement door, contemplating. Was she really going to?

Ultimately she didn’t. Walking back to her room. Yawning a bit as she curled up…the room she stayed in felt cramped…yet homely in a sense. Though a bit too childish for her, how could she complain? Jackson had given her a place to stay, fed her, made her life no longer a living hell from job to job. She could finally relax…

Weeks past, and she’s finally healthy again, no longer sluggish or hungry. She even started taking laps around the house, pruning around the house, and caring for the lawn and cleaning the house.

“What are you up to now kid?”

“Hm? Oh, I’m deep cleaning the cabinets”

Jackson watched from the door of the kitchen.

“You’re quite the energetic thing huh?

This was about the average interaction now. Yet she spoke up again.

“…I was thinking, could you help me get a job, I, feel like I’m leaching off of you at this point and-“

Jackson cuts her off quickly. Almost stern.

“No, no you’re not a Leach Korro. And why a job, I think it’s quite nice to have company. No need to worry about such”

“Well- I- don’t want to have to ask you for money if I want something…and staying in your home rent free feels like I’m practically wor-“

“Do not finish that sentence young lady.”

Jackson spoke even more stern-fully. She hadn’t heard him speak this way before. And instantly looked down.

“I-I’m sorry…”

The next thirty minutes was just him scolding her. A whole lecture about how she should appreciate what he’s gifting her. And how she’s anything but a parasite. Reassuring, but out of character. She’s never experienced him being so forceful about a subject…but she relented that thought to the back of her head.

Weeks went on and it was the same. Her asking about finding a job, getting declined. And her cleaning and essential finding anything to do to cure her boredom. Once again, late at night. She found herself standing at the basement. She explored most the house. All but the bedroom, closet…and the basement. The bedroom and closet she understood privacy. But the basement? Why? Was that where he would butcher and for and skin the deer he hunted? Was it just a mess? Did he simply keep the rest of his old antiques there?

Curiosity was killing her.

So….she reached above the door to grab the key. Unlocked the door, and opened it. The door gently creaking as she pushed it open. The steps down were dark, of old red wood. Yet it was completely dark down there. So silently…and step by step snuck down. Squinting her eyes to just barely see the next step. She should have brought a flashlight.

As she got to the bottom of the stairs. She felt the wall, finding the light switch…and switched it on.

What she found horrified her

✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Do you guys even like Korro lore or is she better being just a silly? Either way I’m posting it more for myself. But I do hope it’s at least interesting to you guys. ❀(*´◡`*)❀

And yes, CLIFF HANGER ψ( ` ∇ ´ )ψ

[starsisstars]

☆ My Top 10 Game Scenes: Honorable Mentions ☆

A little bonus round so I can finish the list tonight!

Navigation: ☆ Intro ☆ 10 ☆ 9 ☆ 8 ☆ 7 ☆ 6 ☆ 5 ☆ 4 ☆ 3 ☆ 2 ☆ HMs ☆ 1 Spoilers For: Please Be Happy, The World Ends With You, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Part 1), In Stars and Time Content Warnings: Death and mortality

Honorable Mentions

I have a few different items that didn't make the list that I still felt like including here! These aren't in any particular order aside from matching the order in the collage above.

Juliet at Cosette's Grave (Please Be Happy): A very raw emotional scene that stands out in an otherwise pretty cozy game. I've seen lots of immortal angst, but personally have yet to see it through the lens of a parent watching their child grow old. While mainly here just because the scene is a very good cry, it does also do an excellent job of explaining a lot of the issues Juliet has when you explore them later in her route.

Joshua's Composer Reveal (TWEWY): I like the final showdown between Neku and Joshua in general, but specifically the reveal of Joshua as composer always stands out to me as one of the only plot twists in media that really really got me, haha. I was so convinced this mfer was the Composer until he "died," so getting narratively juked by this will always stand out in my brain.

Sector 7 Plate Aftermath OR Honeybee Inn (FF7R): I'll be real with you. Honeybee Inn might have made this list if not for the fact I would have felt so guilty putting in that scene when the same game has such an emotional sequence after the plate collapse. I just really like seeing that edgelord humiliated, okay?! Is that so wrong?! I was absolutely hysterical watching it for the first time and laughed so hard when I played it proper I had to reload a save for the sake of my perfect combo in the minigame. Anyways, as for the sector plate fall I love Barret (my favorite when playing the original back in the day, possibly still now) so his reaction searching for Marlene in the remake makes me feel things. He's such a good dad... Generally while I'm not sure about how I feel about the plot changes in the remake it does the emotional scenes and dialogue (funny or serious) quite well.

Suspicious Quest Finale (In Stars and Time): Definitely the closest item to making my list, and the lack of ISAT here is probably a shock to anyone who knows me. That said, I tend to enjoy ISAT more as a whole than finding any particular scene exceptionally better than the rest. The final hug, boss fight, and ending as well as the SAY IT sequence are all quite good contenders but I think if any scene tends to crop up in my brain the most from ISAT it would actually be the ending of the sus quest. For such an emotionally repressed character, it feels like a great reward for a quest that requires a good deal of effort to let him have ONE moment of actual self-reflection as he wonders why they don't want Odile's help. It really says a lot about both Odile and Siffrin's characters and is perhaps one of the most telling moments in the entire game about what Siffrin's thought processes are like and how their repression actually functions; he not only doesn't voice his opinions but also refuses to let them in at all. They truly haven't realized their wish in this scene but still in their gut hate themself for it.

[tanukitsuneko-suki]

kabuto episode 10 thoughts:

- yacchan about to have the crashout of the century

- i like the dynamics between all potential riders in this show. it's so interesting!!

they're acquaintances, not quite close friends. they're not at the point of being affectionate with each other but their shared fates as riders also mean that coworkers is too formal of a term (and yaguruma would probably gag before considering tendou a coworker anyway). kagami begrudgingly relies on tendou because his desire to defeat worms surpasses any potential misgivings he has on tendou's character, yaguruma loathes tendou for making her lose her sense of self (for breaking down this carefully curated image she built up) though honestly i think what yaguruma loathes more is their own person, and now yaguruma has to struggle with being surpassed by kagami (of all people) when prior to this she only entertained his motivations insofar with what was convenient to her.

so far tendou is a static character (he happens to other characters rather than the plot happening to him) and i like that he's practically unshakeable, which means that it's up to the other two to be driven into the blender of a character arc. while both yaguruma and tendou are to some extent, aware of how zecters operate (there is that layer of seniority they have over kagami, who's new to this whole rider business), it's not a guaranteed thing. yacchan knew and still managed to slip up. in a way it feels like all three of them are operating on a tightrope, trying to balance their goals, their desire to protect or save the world, and their interpersonal relationships. very interesting

- ah

- i'm watching this while having the worst acid reflux known to man and i am barely handling the nausea while there's food on screen

- YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFULLLLLL

- what are the chances of hiyori being a zecter

- squinting at kagami's dad being so amicable to tendou and hiyori lmao. i'm getting hives. there's gotta be a reason why kagami dislikes you a lot....he can be dense but i trust his instincts

- is kagami's dad the fucking leader of Zect. huh. HUH?????? DOES HE KNOW ABOUT THATTTT?????????????????????

- I'M STIFLING THE WORST GIGGLES LIKE HOW DID WE GO FROM FUWA FUWA SWEET PIANO TINKLING MUSIC TO THIS DRAMATIC DROP

tendou: what do you want to do to the owner of the belt :)

hiyori: i think i'll maim him

tendou:

- damn fucking straight, keep your mouth SHUT tendou

- KAGATEN FRIENDSHIP. BIG SMILE

- though i feel like that's wrong. "as long as i am thebee, i must eliminate kabuto" but that's the surefire way to lose thebee's contract, isn't it? because thebee's path is to protect everybody. zect is staging this so that kagami loses the contract, aren't they

- hm... i wonder if kabuto's contract is about freedom.. free.. from desires? if it can be related to buddhism (not that i'm very familiar with it, so this is speculation. i want to see the comparisons later after having watched most or all of the show), maybe something about wishing for nothing and getting everything

- THE FIRST TIME WE'RE GETTING INSIDE HIS HEAD LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO

- if kabuto was an rpg game, picking thebee as you hero definitely gives you a condition that your team should not sustain injuries after a certain threshold

- what the fuck

- tendou i refuse to believe this. you made this shit up

- near the episode end i have concluded that 1) there's something volatile brewing between these two guys and 2) i will not be touching it with a ten foot pole

- wait let me like process this. so tendou was goading kagami, kagami bit the bait, kagami failed to finish him off, tendou calls him 'an interesting fellow after all', though prior to this and during the fight, he called him disappointing. WAIT HE JUST SHIELDED TENDOU. OH TENDOU CALLED HIM INTERESTING BECAUSE HE KNEW KAGAMI WOULD GIVE UP THEBEE RATHER THAN GIVE UP HIS PRINCIPLES.

- holy fucking shit it really is his dad

- the lore of this clumsy hardheaded newbie officer character is unexpectedly heavy

- NEW ZECTER

[turtlecleric]

What.... did I just write? Hey @justalotoffanfiction this is your fault, I think.

bay!mikey x fem reader, nsfw I guess but the vibe is more... melancholy?

cws: drugs/altered state of mind, negative thoughts/view of self

---

"Bad day?"

It takes you a moment to fully process that he's there. Another moment to fully process the words. You just nod, and the way his bandana falls over his shoulder captures your attention. Spilling down his plastron, swaying in the air as he bends down. Strange, you think. That it's orange like fire but flows like water.

Yeah, okay. You're definitely feeling it.

You feel gentle fingers brush your hair away from your eyes, and you realize they had fallen shut at some point. When they open again, Mikey is still there. He looks concerned. You wonder why.

"You wanna talk about it?"

A lot of answers run through your mind. Yes. No. Will it always hurt like this. Do you think I'm pretty. When does it stop.

You settle with shaking your head.

"What did you take?"

You sigh, stretching your arms above your head and blinking slowly. What did you take?

"Just some... edibles."

The question makes you smile. He always asks, and you've always responded with the same thing, ever since the beginning. "I'd like that, Stranger."

He hums, and it sounds sad. Again, you wonder why. Is he thinking of her again? The vibrations of his voice tangle with your heartbeat. You feel your pulse in his mouth. Your chest hurts.

"Can I stay with you?"

He tucks his arms beneath you and holds you close, carrying you to the bedroom. You always love the way he does this. Handles you like you're precious. Like you matter. You sigh when he places you on the bed and pulls the blanket over you.

Soft. Warm. Safe. Such a pretty lie.

The world flows around you. Like the air is water. But that would make his bandana like the air, and that's not quite right, is it? You hear Mikey moving around the room, then a song starts to play beneath the waves. Hm. Your record player. He must've pulled it out.

The bed dips, and you open your eyes to see him settle over you. His eyes are unbelievably blue. You want to dive in headfirst. He kisses you, and you let your eyes flutter shut. Slow and wet and cool, stealing your breath like there's water in your lungs. Maybe you did dive in.

Could you ever love me?

Treacherous thought. Dangerous, in fact, because it would be easy to pretend that he could. To imagine that you're anything to him other than a way to get what he wants. To feel his lips on your neck and his hand on your waist and interpret that as love.

Could you ever love me? Could you?

His hand massages your side, your hip, your thigh. You let him do what he wants. Let yourself relax. Might as well give him the one thing you're apparently good for, right? Before he leaves again?

Would you stay? If I asked, would you stay?

You're losing time, you think. You said something, didn't you? Or was that him? Him. His hands, his lips, his tongue. It's hard to think past what you feel, what you hear. Oh, he is talking.

You focus on the rumble of his voice, and his words echo in your head long after he says them. Beautiful. Tight. Perfect. Love.

Love? You're imagining things again. Focus on what's real, silly girl. Stop wishing on the stars you keep seeing in his eyes.

More even than the drugs, he manages to silence your thoughts. To fill you up so completely, to replace everything else with only him and you and the feeling of flying. You wish you could stay in this forever. With him.

But you can't.

He's always sweet. Kind. Gentle and respectful and consistent with his aftercare in a way no other man has ever been with you. But he always leaves right after, which means you can never fully enjoy it.

There's a stillness, now. A silence. Is he even there? Or did he leave you already?

"Hey, Stranger," you mumble softly. A hand finds yours. Not yet, then.

You must be quiet for too long, because he calls your name. Your thumb brushes across the back of his hand. The texture of his scales is pleasant, and you wonder if anyone has ever told him that. You wonder if she ever told him that.

You wonder if he's drowning in the air, too, or if he's learned to swim without you.

He says your name again, like a question. You want to ask him to stay. You want him to stay. You want...

"Nothing," you whisper into the water. "Be safe, okay?"

He hesitates. Swallows. Presses a kiss to your forehead. And it would be so easy to see that as love. So easy, if you weren't you. If you were worth anything at all.

"I will. Good night."

You hum, and his hand lingers for a moment more before it pulls away from your own. The world still spins, even now, and it's not fair. It's never been fair.

When you're sure that he's gone, you let yourself cry.

___

Tag list: @yorshie @khayalli @thejudiciousneurotic @mxalmighty @thelaundrybitch @luckycharms1701

[ninjastar107]

Decisions - a megaman AU oneshot Ft. Blues, Tempo, and Vesperwoman

"Talk about dated..." Vesperwoman whispered to her sister, who returned a frustrated sigh. The wasp bot cleared her throat and hovered over to Blues with a cheery smile, "So you're the boy bot she's so obsessed with~!"

Blues gave a shocked expression, "Obsessed?"

"Vesp, come on," Tempo rolled her eyes, "Sorry for her, Mom built her to purposefully get on my nerves."

"Teehee!" She buzzed around and landed, "So, you're one of Light's boys hm? I never knew he was into retrofitting! Hm, the aesthetic is a little too clunky looking for my tastes," She shrugged.

Blues straightened his lips. "I wasn't built recently."

Tempo went to stop her when she realized where the conversation was going, but it was too late, "Really? How come I've never heard of you before?"

"I was dead."

An uncomfortably long dead air hung between the three, only combated by a subtle ticking of Lalinde's living room wall clock.

Vesp made a nail picking action despite not having any, "uh huh?"

Blues folded his arms, "Seems like she was built to get on everyone's nerves."

Tempo shifted on her feet, "Don't take it too personally, Blues. She's helped me a lot through my emotional endeavors. Did you warp in just to hang out? I have a few hours to spare before my shift starts."

"You mean before our shift starts~! We're going to be looking at carpenter bees! You can join if you'd like~" Vesperwoman corrected with a finger waggle.

He decided to take a seat on arm arm of the sofa, pulling the tails of his scarf around to the front, "No thanks. I'm here to," Blues hesitated, "I want to run something by Lalinde before I run it by Thomas. It's about my memory. I figured that she would have experience in that..."

Tempo nodded, "I understand, but she's not in right now. Is it urgent?"

"Um..." Blues looked down, "I guess not."

"I have experience with that!" Vesper chirped, "Are you recalling things you didn't previously?"

"No," he chuckled dryly, "I'm losing them."

Tempo froze. "How fast? Do you know your name?"

"N-not like that," He tried to soften the metaphorical blow with a hand wave, "More like, I dunno. Even before I died I think I ran into this problem. I keep some memories but lose the details, days blend together, some lost completely, sometimes I forget how to talk..." Maybe that last one was a bit too severe, judging by the look both of them gave him. "At first I thought it was because my core was faulty, but now... I'm wondering if it's my memory banks being full. When.. when I ran away, it was because Thomas wanted to switch out my 'core components'. He worried that I would 'run out of space' eventually, but he also worried that doing so would 'reset' me. I didn't want that."

"I see..." Tempo played with her hair, "She'll be back by tomorrow, she had a conference. Would you be okay until then?"

"Wait, he actually died? I thought he was just being dramatic!... what was that like?" Vesper asked.

"Vesp!" Tempo snapped, "You think someone wearing a scarf and sunglasses means that they're dramatic??"

"Duh! It's badboy 101." She playfully poked Tempo's flared nose.

Blues couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of his own sibling banter he's sat in on. He decided to play into her reading, leaning in and flipping the scarf back around, "You really want to know?"

"Yes! I've heard that it's no different than sleeping, at least from Woodman's account!" She sat down next to him, enthralled.

Tempo on the other hand held her elbows uncomfortably, caught between manners and curiosity, "You don't have to if you don't want to..."

"Ive thought about it a lot these past few weeks, and came to better terms with it." Blues assured with a nod before beginning. He looked to the far wall, recalling the time in the process.

"It was fall when it began to affect me in the daytime. There was a period of time where I could no longer function until the sun rose, usually around noon on a cloudy day I would 'wake up'." There was a pause, the words rolling in his head. His speakers emitted a slight hum before starting again, less enthusiastically, "The fault in the core effected the latency of motor functions, as well as software functions. About a few steps were made between leaning for balance against whatever object was around. Time becomes distorted- fast, too fast. At the very end, There was little response from the motor functions.... I.. watched many days pass while being unable to move. Eventually even those days became a repeating sunset. I saw snow, and that was it."

Vesperwoman tried to put herself in the situation, being unable to move or unable to function properly. She squeezed her eyes shut and shivered, "Sounds bad..."

"Did it hurt?" Tempo had kneeled beside him on the floor, staring at the same wall.

"no." Blues put plainly.

"You want your memory units updated." Vesper concluded.

"I don't know yet." Blues was quick to correct, "I don't know if I'm ready. I think I am, but...I want a second opinion. I want to know my options. I don't want to lose any more than I have already..." Though it seemed highly likely. Transferring data from one chip of the same make is one thing, but transferring data from an old set of failing banks to a new one was another. Who knows how much defragging and restoring was truly needed, and the dwelling thought of it all laid heavy in his chest.

Tempo wanted to promise him it would be fine, but she too wasn't certain. Not even all of her old memories were restored, just the majority of them- which happened to be the best and one of the most unlikely outcomes of the restoration.

"There's nothing to worry about!" Vesper stood up, cutting through the dread-filled air. She spun around to face Blues directly with a big grin to boot, "Even if you lose everything, you'll still have us to help you learn!"

"Y-yeah!" Tempo followed suit, "When you were around before my memory was put back in, it helped me a lot with relearning the world. I would do the same for you any day!"

"heh," He straightened up, "Thanks, but lets hope it won't come to that."

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: MISSBERRYCAKE! They have six fics posted to AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and five of them posted to the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by Missberrycake:

When the Sun is High (I'll Meet You in the Woods)

An Act of Grace

If I Loved You Less.

Blackbird

The Wonder

"I'm nominating missberrycake for a spotlight because I've loved a number of her works that I think have been underappreciated. Her pieces can be quite melancholy, but I think are really lovely and always leave me feeling content. She writes dialogue and characters in a very believable and layered way. I first came across her after her most popular fic, though I think she's done some fabulous ones since!" -- anonymous

Below the cut, Missberrycake answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Ooh, I have a long and storied past with shipping and, while I've been a Stranger Things fan since the start, I hadn't really picked up any shipping threads until S4. I think Steve and Eddie have a great mix of that jock and loser dynamic and enemies to lovers vibe that works really well - but also the ending to S4 was really ripe for some good angst storytelling. A little reminiscent of Stucky or Reddie.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Hm. I'm not sure. I am a sucker for time travel, but I don't think I've red too much of that. Probably slow-burn - I just love being frustrated!

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Well … according to my most used tags on Ao3, it's AUs and Time Travel, and Friends to Lovers shows up there as well, which all sound right. I know that I'm enjoying a book or show or whatever when I think, I need to write and AU of this!

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

Ahh! That's too hard - I have a lot of bookmarks for fics I love! It’ probably a battle between Lovesick in Loch Nora by red0aktree and standing up the dead by heartofwinterfell. The first is so gah, you know? So romcon. The latter, I love the concept. Even though it's Max-led, Eddie is fabulously done in that fic, for sure.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Not really - ideas tend to swoop in when I'm not actively thinking about it. I have had a niggling little thought about a folklore esque cryptic came back wrong story, something creepy, you know. But we'll see!

What is your writing process like?

Overly organised! I'm a planner, so I need to know what the ending is before I start - I will generally map out acts and scenes and character arcs before I write the first sentence, which I think helps me immensely so that I don't have to do so many edits later.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I'm sure I must do, but I don't know about them. I guess - I'll tend to write all my dialogue in a scene first as a but of a template and then fill in the gaps.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Oh, when I've finished for sure. The only time I've ever abandoned a fix was when I posted as I was going on a schedule and it really killed the enjoyment of it for me - too much pressure on timing and the lack if ability to go back and fiddle with things.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I'll stick to my Steddie fics, so it would have to be An Act of Grace, for the Bigbang. I adore that fic, honestly, and worked really hard on it. I think it came out almost exactly how I wanted it and I was so excited when posting finally arrived!

How did you get the idea for An Act of Grace?

It was two things, really - firstly I had watched ‘Howards End’ with Joseph Quinn in and fully needed to see Eddie in the similar time period, I could not get it out of my head - the idea of a servant Eddie and aristocratic Steve came to me pretty quickly after that and was too perfect. Also, though, I wanted to do something with a distinctly English vibe to it (I am English!) - I sometimes feel a bit at sea writing USAmerican characters and settings, so something more familiar I though might work better for me.

When writing When the Sun is High (I’ll Meet You In the Woods), what was something you didn’t expect?

For it to be so popular, actually! Particularly as it was being posted. It's my most popular Steddie fic by a country mile and I'm really fond of it - trying to get a version of Steve and Eddie who had a history to work with canon was a fun challenge.

What inspired If I Loved You Less?

Well, its an Emma AU, so Emma! I was watching the most recent film adaption and NEEDED to write it, but I also loved Clueless growing up, so putting a modern twist on it made the most sense to me. The placement of characters in that story was very fun!

What was your favorite part to write from Blackbird?

The tree decorating scene, for sure. I love that part of Christmas myself, so I had a great time adding in little bits and pieces from people I know and traditions they have.

How do/did you feel writing When the Sun is High (I’ll Meet You In the Woods)?

Gosh, it feels like it was so long ago! I was just excited to get something out into fandom, I think, and to become part of the community.

What was the most difficult part of writing The Wonder?

Ooh, probably knowing that it wasn't going to do very well? 😄 I completely love that little fic, so to kind of keep it contained to just Eddie and Wayne - even mostly Wayne - was tricky. Sometimes less is more!

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

Hm. In the epilogue of An Act of Grace, Claudia gives a little speech about Steddie. I think I like that a lot for the way it kind of sums everything up so nicely. A bit of a snapshot of them as characters.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Nope! I've taken a bit of a break from writing at the moment, buy I've been at it for 13 years, so I'm sure I'll be back at it in the future.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Just to say thank you to whoever submitted my name! It's made my month, probably!

Thank you to our author, Missberrycake, and our anonymous nominator! See more of Missberrycake's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Burnin’ Up - Firefighter!Chris AU (Part 18: Moving On and Up)

Summary: While you continue to recover and move on, Chris has one last demon to face. 

Word Count: 9.9k

Warnings: Angst! Fluff! Language! SMUT! 18+ ONLY! MINORS DNI!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics​​

Meet the Characters!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 18: Moving On and Up

You had been attending therapy twice a week now for three weeks and despite how against it you were in the beginning you were so glad Chris had convinced you to give it a shot. Each session left you feeling emotionally raw and exhausted but after each session Chris would be there to wrap his arms around you and help nurse you through your emotional hangover.

You’d began to open up to him too, telling him more stories from your childhood. He would try his best not to let his anger show but you’d remind him that it was okay for him to get angry. You were angry too and it felt nice to know he was that protective over you.

On the days Chris had to work, Ben would visit if he could. The pair of you would sit down on the couch together and stick on a film or two only to pay very little attention to it as you talked about pretty much anything. He would tell you about Matt and the fun they had been getting up to together, you’d tell him how you were doing, he’d then apologise for not saying anything about your father sooner, you’d tell him that he’d had nothing to apologise for and that you understood why.

He'd asked you when you thought you might return to work but you just didn’t have an answer. When he would tell you about the cases he was working on you felt envious, you didn’t like that you were missing out on the action but you just didn’t feel like you could just walk back into work right now. you weren’t sure where you stood with policing anymore.

“is there anything bothering you that you want to discuss during our session today?” Sally asks pulling you from your thoughts.

“Hm?” you hum glancing up from the sleeping pup that was currently curled up in your lap “I uh I dunno really” you admit with a small shrug of your shoulders.

“has anything been playing on your mind?” she continues.

You nibbled your lower lip, nodding your head as you looked down at the puppy in your lap, its silky golden fur calming you as you stroked it “I guess I’ve been thinking about work a bit recently” you confess.

Sally nods her head gently “Okay, what about it?” she questions.

“well Benny has been visiting me whenever he can, keeping me company while Chris is on shift and we’ve started talking more about what he’s been up to and the cases he’s worked on” you explain.

“Okay, and how have you felt discussing work again?” she asks you.

You give her another small shrug of the shoulders “Fine I guess, you know it's been nice and it felt almost normal because a lot of time we are talking and discussing the cases we’re working on but…” you say trailing off at the end.

“this time he’s working them without you and you feel like you’re missing out” Sally finishes for you, you let out a long and deep sigh, nodding your head in confirmation “Have you thought about returning to work?” she then asks

“a little but… I just don’t think I’m ready yet” you admit with a shake of your head looking down.

“and why’s that? What do you think is holding you back?” Sally asks you.

You take a deep breath, worrying over your lip as you glanced out of the window beside you. Sally remained quiet as you gazed out of the window, allowing you time to process your thoughts and find a way to verbalise them.

“I just- I worry that I’ll be watched” you admit “Which part of me knows is stupid because my father knows he’s been caught and like any other… criminal,” you say struggling over the word criminal because it just didn’t feel right “he would have gone to ground, lying low until it blew over, but then I also worry that other people will look at me differently, they won’t know why I’ve been off work for over a month but they’ll wonder and they’ll gossip” you continue shaking your head, face pinching together in frustration “and I just don’t know where I stand with being a cop anymore”

Sally frowns slightly, her head tilting as she looked back at you “What do you mean by that?” she asks.

“well I- it was my father that got me into policing” you explain “It was something I could ask him about as a kid and he’d openly talk about it with me, he’d be happy to take me on stakeouts or ride around in his patrol car, it was him that made me fall in love with it”

“And do you think you might have chosen a different career if things had been different? If your mother had survived?” Sally questions.

“I don’t know” you admit weakly with a small sniffle as you look down.

You hear Sally get up from her chair making you glance up and you see her grabbing a box of tissues, holding them out for you. you whisper a thanks as you take a couple and start dabbing away your tears. She then sits back down and gives you a few minutes just to compose yourself.

“Okay firstly I want you to know that the anxieties you are feeling are completely normal for anyone who has experienced a work-based trauma,” she tells you reassuringly “and there is also nothing wrong with starting from scratch in a new career”

You nod your head “I just don’t know what else I’d want to do” you admit.

“that’s okay we can sort that, there’s lots of quizzes and resources out there that can help you find out what kind of career might suit you” she reassures you “So what I want you to do in between now and the our next session is for you to just do some research into other careers and see if any of them excite you, do you think you can do that?” she asks.

“yeah, I can do that” you nod, earning a warm smile in response.

As usual, Chris made sure you had a comfy and cosy evening following your session. He ran you a bath, one that you both enjoyed together, you relaxing back into his chest and nearly falling asleep.

He then made you one of your favourite comfort meals and you both sat down to sit down to watch one of your favourite sit-coms. Once you had eaten you grabbed your laptop and started researching different careers like you promised Sally you would.

When Chris questioned what you were doing you explained what you had talked about in your session today. You could tell by the small pinch of his brows and the way the corners of his lips twitched downwards that he didn’t like what he was hearing. You knew he didn’t like the idea that your father was potentially pushing you out of the job you loved, the one that helped bring you and Chris together. But he then put on a smile that you knew was sincere and promised to help you in any way you could.

Over the next couple of days, you continued to research different careers and industries hoping that one of them would catch your attention and spark something but there was nothing. You took a couple of quizzes but all they told you was that you suited a career in the emergency services.

You were starting to think maybe you just needed to switch to a different emergency service but you weren’t sure. You wondered about switching to being a firefighter, you thought about talking to Chris about it, but you weren’t sure how he would react. He could love it because it meant you could actually work together, but he could also absolutely hate the idea because he knew just how dangerous it was.

The doorbell ringing pulled you from your worrying, you breathed a sigh of relief for the moment of reprieve that it gave you. pushing your laptop off your lap you make your way over to the front door, surprised to find Robert stood the other side holding a box.

“hi Y/N, sorry for dropping around unannounced but Chris asked me to drop this around to him” Robert smiles nodding down to the box in his hands.

“oh, he’s out at work at the moment,” you say as he passes you the box.

“I know they’re doing an emergency first aid refresher today, I just was in the area and thought might as well” Robert explains with a small shrug of his shoulders.

“yeah of course, I’ll let him know you dropped by” you smile putting the box down just inside the house.

“Sure, oh um before I forget I noticed one of your car tires is flat” Robert says gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

“oh really? I haven’t driven it in a while” you say frowning in confusion.

“Probably just a slow puncture then, easy to miss but it's completely flat now” Robert sighs glancing over towards your car.

You whisper a small curse “Okay, thanks for letting me know I’ll call a garage and see if they can come pick it up”

“oh don’t waste your money on recovery, why don’t I help you change the tire now and then you can just drive it to the garage when you’re ready” Robert suggests.

“oh no it's okay, I’m sure you have lots of other important things to be getting on with,” you say waving the idea off.

“nonsense, it won’t take long at all some get some shoes on and we’ll get started” Robert smiles already walking off towards your car.

You let out a small sigh before sliding on some trainers and grabbing your car keys from the small dish by the front door. As you shut the front door behind you, you spot Robert standing on the other side of your car hands on his hips as he looked down at your flat tire with his lips pursed. You couldn’t help but chuckle as you recognised all the same mannerisms that you saw in Chris, they might not look very similar but they definitely acted in the same way.

Walking over you join him on the other side of the car letting out a low whistle when you saw just how flat your tire was “Jeez, almost looks like it’s been purposefully flattened” you comment as you bend down to get a better look.

“uh yeah, have you done this before?” Robert asks, scratching the back of his neck.

“no never got taught how to, figured I’d just google it if I got a flat while on the road” You shrug as you stand back up, you expected to see a sympathetic smile after revealing something else your father failed at, but as you look back over at Robert but all you saw was a fatherly smile.

“Well, it's never too late to learn a valuable skill, c’mon” he smiles patting you on the shoulder.

For the next half an hour Robert taught you how to change a tire, showing you how to jack up the car and loosen the bolts. He got you to do a couple of the bolts after he’d show you how. He was kind and patient and answered any questions you had without making you feel stupid for asking them.

He was just putting the damaged tired back in your car ready for whenever you took it to the garage when you decided to ask him a question “Do you think I’d be a good firefighter?”

Robert pauses for a moment, his eyes scanning over you before he stands back to his full height and closes the trunk “Why’d you ask?” he questions.

“I’ve been considering leaving the police force after you know… my therapist suggested doing quizzes to find out what I might be good at and all of them said a job in the emergency services so I thought maybe joining the fire department” you explain wrapping your arms around you as you spoke.

Robert nods his head a couple of times “Well honestly I think you’d be a great firefighter, we’d be extremely lucky to have you” he tells you “but I think you’d be a better detective” he finishes catching you by surprise.

“Really?” you mutter your eyes still wide in surprise.

“yeah, Chris talks about you a lot and I’ve seen the work you’ve done and it's incredible, there’s so many bad apples that the community needs an officer like you” Robert nods as he puts a comforting hand on your shoulder, “I think if you leave the police force you’ll regret it, especially because it means he won,” he says squeezing your shoulder.

You take a deep shaky breath realising he was right, your father had given you an ultimatum. Choose Chris or your job. By staying with Chris and leaving the police force you would be letting him win, he would be getting his way. You wanted both.

“I understand why you’d be hesitant to jump straight back in but you’ll get there because your one strong gal, and I don’t mean the way you nailed Chris with that softball” Robert smirks making you let out a watery laugh.

“thank you Robert” you smile over at him.

“it's nothing, and if you ever need anything just let me know okay?” He tells you squeezing your shoulder.

“I promise” you nod, for a second you went in to hug him but hesitated.

Robert must have seen your hesitation because he then pulled you in and hugged you instead. You instantly breathed out a sigh of relief as you hugged him back, getting the first fatherly hug you’d had in years.

Things felt normal. Or as close to normal as things could be. Chris could see you coming more and more out of your shell every day, smiling, laughing and even playfully challenging him. You still had moments when you would disappear into yourself a memory that you didn’t want to remember unearthing itself. But you would just make your way over to him and seek comfort from him. He’d ask if you wanted to talk about it, sometimes you did, and sometimes you just wanted him to hold him, either way, it wasn’t long until that dark cloud disappeared and a genuine smile would return to your face.

You had even begun to get out more, you and Chris spending the day with the kids at the park, or going over to Ben and Matt’s for dinner. You had admitted to him that you still felt hesitant going out, paranoid that your father was still watching you. But you were done with letting him control your life, so Chris watched as you stepped out the door with your head held high, proudly holding his hand. Giving your father a metaphorical middle finger and Chris was insanely proud. You were so much stronger than he felt he’d ever be.

Chris was just clearing up all the plates from dinner while you were in the living room with the kids helping them pack up all the stuff they brought over. Chris was just drying his hands when he heard you and all the kids laugh loudly, walking back out he found you all sat on the couch. Stella was sitting in your lap, the two boys on either side all playing with the face filters on your new phone.

“What are you troublemakers getting up to?” Chris asked as he leant over the back of the couch and into frame of the camera, the kids all screaming with laughter when the filter moved onto his face making him look like an old lady “Oh gahd I look like Nana Lisa” he comments making the kids laugh hysterically.

“you’re a very pretty old lady” you chuckle looking over your shoulder at him.

Chris winks back at you “Glad to hear it” he smirks, leaning down to peck you on the lips just as the doorbell went “That’ll be your dad” he tells the kids.

“aww already? Can’t we stay longer?” Miles whines pouting up at Chris.

“Sorry pal we’ll hang out soon I promise, make sure you have everything while I let him in,” Chris tells them as he moves towards the door.

As he goes he hears the kids whine some more but then he heard Stella asking you to help put her shoes on, something that made his heart melt and a warm smile grow on his face. when he opened the front door he greeted Ryan with a handshake as he let him in.

“Thanks for having them again, they been good?” Ryan asks as the two of them walk back towards the living room.

“oh they were terrible” Chris sighs dramatically, trying not to laugh when the kids all shouted and called him a liar “Absolute terrors, I think they should go to bed with no dessert” Chris continues as the boys jump onto his back trying to cover his mouth “I’m joking, I’m joking” he finally caves, laughing as he pulls the boys off him.

“They were good as gold as always” You smile, your arm around Stella’s shoulders as you walked over.

“glad to hear it, c’mon kids it's getting late say goodbye to Uncle Chris and Y/N” Ryan says as he began to herd the kids back to the front door.

“Bye Uncle Chris! Bye Auntie Y/N!” The kids all called out as they dashed back out to the car.

Chris’ brows rise in surprise a wide smile creeping onto his face as he glanced over at you to see you biting your lower lips to stop yourself from smiling too widely. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side and pressed a kiss to your temple which made your smile fully break out.

The two of your wave goodbye to the kids, watching as the car drives down the drive and onto the main road. Once out of view Chris closed the door and turned around to face you “Glass of wine?” he suggests.

“sounds perfect” you smile with a content sigh.

Chris grins back down at you, pressing a kiss to your forehead “Okay you go get comfy and I’ll go pour us some” he says his hand moving to the small of your back as he stepped away.

Walking into the kitchen he grabbed the bottle of white that was already in the fridge and poured out a serving for the both of you. when he made his way back into the living room you had already made yourself comfy, a blanket draped over your lap.

You smiled warmly up at him as he passed you your glasses and sat down next to you, your legs moving to rest over his lap. He smiled lazily as he tugged the blanket over your legs before resting his hand on top of your knee.

“cheers Auntie Y/N” Chris smirked as held his glass up in a toast.

You smiled bashfully but lifted your glass to meet his “Cheers Uncle Chris” you chuckled lightly, Chris smiling warmly back his eyes never leaving your face as he took a sip.

For the next half an hour or so you just relax, sipping on your wine. The TV was on but neither Chris nor you were paying much attention. You were just quietly chatting, you telling him about what the kids got up to when he was out of the room, Chris smiling warmly over at you, his hand running up and down your leg.

The sound of the doorbell ringing disrupted your tale, making you and Chris frown and look at each other in confusion “One of the kids must have left something” Chris sighs moving to get up.

“Relax, I’ll go get it,” you say putting your hand on his chest and getting up from the couch, putting your wine glass down on the coffee table.

Chris went to protest but you were already on your way to the front door, so instead he began scanning the room trying to spot whatever it was that the kids left. He was just about to get up from the couch to look underneath it when he heard a pair of footsteps approaching.

Looking over he frowned in confusion as you walked in with his dad who was still in his Chief’s Uniform “Sorry to burst in on your night off but I’ve got some bad news” Robert sighs apologetically.

“is it about my father?” you ask quietly, standing off to the side your arms wrapping around your waist making Chris want to rush over and hug you.

“no, no it's not don’t worry” Robert is quick to reassure you, Chris noticed the sigh of relief you breathed out “It's about Captain Jeffords,” Robert says turning to look at Chris.

“What happened?” Chris asks his brows furrowing in concern.

“he was clearing out the guttering on his house and took a nasty fall, shattered his hip” Robert explains with a sigh.

“shit. Is he okay?” You mutter your eyes wide with shock.

“yeah he was lucky, but his hip was so damaged they’re having to completely replace it so he’s going to be on medical leave for an extended period of time” Robert explains.

Chris internally curses, his dad’s visit suddenly making sense. He was here to promote Chris to captain, something Chris had been trying to avoid. He’d been using the excuse that he didn’t want to take charge of a different crew thinking that there was no way Jeffords would leave or retire, meaning there was no way for Chris to be promoted.

“Dad I-“ Chris starts taking a deep breath ready to convince him not to do this.

“Chris I’m not automatically promoting you, but I do need you to be acting Captain until I can organise a more permanent replacement” Robert interrupts holding his hand out with a knowing look in his eyes.

Chris couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that escaped his lips, he also didn’t miss the way your brows furrowed slightly in confusion “How long?” Chris asked.

“only a couple weeks, 3 at most” Robert answers “So is that a yes?”

“yeah, yeah sure” Chris managed to say, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest, he could do this, it was only two or three weeks, and the chances of something going wrong in that time were small.

“Good, I’ll let you explain the situation to the rest of the crew and I’ll give Jennings a heads up as well” Robert nods before glancing over at you “I’ll you get back to your evening, see you at the station Chris”

“yeah- sure see you at the station” Chris says his voice still hoarse as he awkwardly nodded.

Robert gives Chris one last small smile before saying he’d let himself out and making his way out of the living room. As soon as he was gone you made your way across the room, sitting down and resting your hand on his arm.

“wanna talk about it?” you offer softly.

He knew he shouldn’t but he instantly closed up “There’s nothing to talk about,” he said quickly, shaking his head at the idea.

You just gave him a knowing look and said “Chris…”

“It's fine, it's just a bit of a surprise that’s all, I’m worried about Jeffords he must hate not being able to work for months” Chris shrugs trying and failing to sound convincing.

“Chris, you are a terrible liar” you say shooting him another knowing look making him sigh deeply “C’mon tell me what’s on that mind of yours” you say gently tapping his forehead “You’ve helped me work through so much so let me repay the favour”

“I’m scared, I’ve never wanted to be a Captain” Chris admitted quietly, looking down at his lap.

“Okay, why is that?” you ask softly, your hand moving to run up and down his arm soothingly.

“well my dad has always wanted me to work up the ranks, he didn’t want me to make the same mistakes that he did, the higher up you are the more flexibility you have and the balance is better” Chris explains “For a really long time I didn’t need that balance, I didn’t think that I would be lucky enough to find someone that I’d want that balance for, until you that is” he looks over at you and see the soft smile on your face “I’ve always pushed back against every promotion, only took them when I felt ready and deserving, especially when my dad became chief”

“I get that, I was the same with my father, I didn’t want anyone to think I was getting special treatment when really it was the complete opposite” You sigh shaking your head as you looked down.

Chris reached out to take your hand, squeezing it gently “I knew my crew would get it because they knew me but other crews in the city would just see me as the chief’s son so I said I’d consider it if Jeffords retired since everyone knows that Jeffords would never retire so I thought I was safe but clearly not” he sighs.

“what do you mean by safe?” you ask frowning slightly as you tilted your head.

“that I wouldn’t ever have that responsibility on my shoulders, the responsibility to keep everyone safe and ensure we save everyone… if something went wrong it would be my fault and I don’t think I could handle that pressure” Chris finally admits “I mean just hearing how much my crew rely on me already just freaks me out and it would only get worse if I became captain”

You let out a long sigh as you run your thumb back and forth over the back of his hand “I understand, it’s scary taking on that responsibility but you wouldn’t have been asked to do so if they didn’t think you could do it” you reassure him “I’ve seen you on the job and you practically command the team already and they trust you, they’d know that you wouldn’t lead them in blindly”

“but what if I make a bad call, like at the apartment building fire when I got hurt” Chris argues shaking his head.

“well let me ask you this, would you have instructed anyone else to do what you did?” you ask him shifting to face him more.

Chris didn’t even need to think about it “fuck no” he states shaking his head.

��Exactly, you would never risk someone else’s life if you weren’t sure it was safe,” you tell him with a knowing look “You were only reckless with your own life, which I hope I won’t be doing any more”

Chris couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle “No I won’t I promise” he smile gently over at you.

You smile back at him, reaching up to cup his cheek and kissing him softly “Good, now I know you don’t believe it but they believe it you, I believe it you, and like your dad said it's only for a couple of weeks so if you really hate it, it’s not forever if you don’t want it to be”

Chris let out another long sigh as he took in your words, he knew you were right but he still didn’t feel completely comfortable with it. He couldn’t stop himself from worrying that this was going to be a massive mistake.

“Just give it a shot, you might end up loving it and you won’t know if you don’t try,” you say your thumb brushing over his bearded cheek.

His gaze rose to meet yours. Your eyes shone with unfiltered faith in his, it wasn’t that long ago that those same eyes appeared dull and empty. You were bravely facing demons and working through decades of trauma, it made his issue seem insignificant. So even though he still wasn’t convinced he nodded his head.

“thank you babe” he whispered leaning in to rest his forehead against yours to help ground him.

“Anything for you” you muttered back, kissing him softly.

Walking through the grocery store list in hand, you worked your way through the list making sure you had everything you needed for tomorrow. Chris had done so much for you the past few weeks, in many ways he’d saved your life. Brought you back from the darkness and the storm that your father had brought upon you. so you decided you wanted to treat him to say thank you, because just saying the words didn’t seem enough.

You were just picking up some fresh fruit when you felt your phone ringing in your pocket. Gently putting the melon you were holding in the cart, you grabbed your phone, frowning when you saw it was Paul that was calling you.

“hey Paulie is everything okay?” you ask trying not to worry yourself too much before you found out why he was calling you mid-shift.

“Hi Y/N, um yeah it’s Chris” he greeted making your heart stop for a split second “he’s fine he’s not hurt,” Paul said quickly when he heard your breath catch “Something just seems up, he’s practically locked himself in his office, isn’t even letting Dodger in”

“oh” you mutter your brows pinching together “Have you spoken to him? Has he said anything”

“I tried but just said he was fine and just had a lot to get on with but I could just tell he was lying, and I’m just worried his head isn’t in the right place” Paul sighs.

“of course, look I’m actually nearby I’ll pop over now and just see if he’s okay, he might just be busy like he said but better safe than sorry,” you tell him letting out a small shaky breath.

“great thank you Y/N, I’ll see you in a few” Paul breathes a deep sigh of relief.

You mumble a goodbye as you pocket your phone and abandon your shopping, you were just about to leave the store when you passed a promotional stand full of jellybeans. Knowing those were Chris’ favourite you grabbed a couple bags, paid for them and made your way out towards the station.

Once you arrived Dodger instantly greeted you, his tail wagging furiously as he jumped slightly to say hello. You bent down to give him some fussing “Where’s your dad hey?” you murmur as you scratch behind his ear.

Dodger lets out a small whimper and whine, nuzzling his snout into your arm.

“Don’t worry Bubba I’ll sort him out” you promise, kissing the top of his head before making your way towards the Captain’s office.

You didn’t bother knocking, just pushed open the door instantly spotting Chris with his elbows resting on the desk, hands running up and down into his hair. His head snapped up when he heard the door open, his hair pointing in all different directions telling you just how many times he’d messed it up. His eyes widened for a split second in what you could only describe as fear before instantly relaxing into a warm gaze.

“babe, hey, what- what are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Chris asks standing up from his desk.

“I’m good, was just in the area and thought I’d pop in,” you say smiling up at him warmly as he walked over to press a soft kiss to your lips, as he pulled away you reached up to smooth out and fix his wild hair “are you okay though?”

You feel Chris tense under your touch for a moment before nodding stiffly “Yeah I’m fine” he says his voice strained.

“Chris we both know fine doesn’t mean okay,” you tell him gently, your hand moving to rest on his chest feeling his thundering heart beneath your fingertips.

“I-“ Chris stutters as he looks down, his hand moving to rest over yours, fingers weaving together “I just feel on edge, like my body is preparing to go into fight or flight mode and I’m scared it’ll pick flight” he admits quietly.

“Okay, that’s normal” you reassure him “Look let's sit down and you can tell me everything that’s racing through your mind” you suggest pointing over to the small brown leather couch in the corner.

Chris just nods his hand slipping into yours as he led you over to the couch. He sat down first and before you even had the chance to sit next to him he had pulled you down so you were sat across his lap. He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, breathing in deeply before letting out a long ragged sigh, pressing a soft kiss to your exposed skin.

Your hand found his that had been resting on your lap, gently picking it up and softly massaging his fingers, rubbing circles around his fingertips. A technique your therapist had taught you to help focus, recentre yourself and relax.

It was clearly working as Chris began to speak without you needing to prompt him “I thought I’d be okay, I thought I’d managed to talk myself into it but just this morning at the briefing, all their eyes on me…” he said quietly, his voice drifting off at the end as he shook his head “I’m used to a couple of them looking at me for leadership when I’m leading a team inside a building, but all of them… it just felt too much and that was just a briefing, how the hell am I gonna cope when I have to keep all of 10 of them safe and the countless civilians” he admits lifting his head enough so you could see his watery eyes.

You let out a quiet sympathetic sigh as you cupped his cheek and gently brushed away the stray tears with your thumb “You can do it because you’re an amazing firefighter, and because they’ll call you out on your bullshit if they need to” you say succeeding in getting a weak chuckle from him.

That small moment of reprieve soon disappeared as his brows furrowed again “But what if I freeze, forget what I’m supposed to do, fuck my head is swimming at the moment I’d probably order water on an electrical fire” he says shaking his head.

“no, you won’t because you know just as well as I do that we’re trained so much that its all second nature, as soon as you’re on-site and you know what you’re dealing with all that training will kick in and you’ll know exactly what to do to the point you won’t even be thinking, you’ll just be acting and saving lives” you reassure him, making sure you met his gaze to drive your point home.

He still didn’t seem convinced though as he let out a shaky “I dunno”

“yes, you do and I’ll prove it,” you tell him firmly making his brows furrow slightly in confusion "What do you do when responding to a bonfire out of control”

“Y/N-“ he starts with a sigh, shaking his head.

“Just tell me, what do you do?” you press, squeezing his hand.

He lets out a small huff but does as he’s told, telling you step by step what needs to happen when responding to that sort of call out. When he was done you then continued to quiz him on all the different types of fire and emergency situations he could possibly face. The more he answered the more confident he got, even talking about different external factors and how they should be managed if they should crop up.

“See?” you say once he was done “You know so much, all you need to do is take a deep breath, calm your mind and think, don’t let panic blind you,” you tell him resting your hand back on his chest his heartbeat much steadier than before “and you know you can do it, you’ve stepped up before, you can do it again and again and again, and maybe for the rest of your career if you really want to”

“let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this is still Jeffords’ job when he gets back” Chris said with a small chuckle.

“of course” you smile knowing deep down that once Chris got himself stuck in he would end up falling in love with it “And since today is such a big day and you’re gonna be super brave, I got you a little treat,” you say reaching into your jacket pocket and pulling out the bags of jellybeans.

Chris lets out a warm unfiltered laugh as you put the jellybeans in his hand, smiling warmly over at you “Thank you sweetheart, I don’t know what I did to deserve you” he smiles leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against yours before softly pressing a kiss to your lips.

For the next half an hour you helped Chris relax and ensure that little voice in his head was well and truly silenced. You watched as the smile on his face got warmer and more relaxed, his shoulders becoming less tense as you rubbed your hand over them. His boisterous laughter echoed through the room as he stuffed his face with the jellybeans you brought him.

He was just about to show you the private sleeping quarters attached to the office when an alarm rang through the station. You felt the hand you held tense, his shoulders minutely hunching at the sound. You turned him to face you, his eyes widening slightly as you reached up and cup his cheek.

“take a deep breath, calm your mind and think, you can do this,” you tell him firmly before reaching up to press a kiss to his lips “Now go be a hero, I’ll be right here when you get back”

Chris blinked a couple of times, the hint of fear disappearing in his eyes “I could be gone for hours” he muttered.

“that’s okay, I’ll wait here with Dodger and then we’ll celebrate your first successful call out as acting Captain” you grin up at him “now go”

A smile tugs at Chris’ lips as he nods, pressing a quick kiss on your lips before rushing out of the office to go join his team.

Two hours later you were playing fetch with Dodger in the area of the station that usually held the trucks. The sound of the ball echoed in the vast empty space as it bounced highlighting just how quiet it was when they were out on duty. A stark contrast to how loud and rambunctious it could be.

You had already banned yourself from looking at the clock. For the first hour, you’d kept looking at it expecting hours to have passed when it was only minutes. Each time you had to take a deep breath and focus on something else, try and not to worry about Chris.

You hadn’t realised just how long callouts could be until you were the one waiting for them to return. The hours would fly by for Chris but for you, they’d drag giving you too much time to think.

As time dragged on you fought that voice in your head that worried and thought in what ifs. What if something had gone wrong, what if the reason they were gone so long was because someone was hurt, what if that someone was Chris?

The two members of Chris’ crew that had stayed back to man the station in their absence tried to distract you and entertain you. You had asked them how they thought Chris was doing as Captain, both of them reassuring you that he was killing it already. But all the talk of Chris just made you miss him more.

You considered calling Lisa or Sally, just to have someone to get all these thoughts and fears off your mind. You knew Lisa would understand exactly how you felt, she’d probably drive straight over to keep you company.

You were just about the ring Sally when you heard the engine pull onto the street. A big sigh of relief escaped your lips as the truck parked up and the crew began to climb out. None of them looked despondent which was a good sign, but you still were holding out to see how Chris looked.

He was the last to climb out of the truck, his eyes scanned the area, a wide smile breaking out when he laid eyes on you. He jogged straight over to you, catching you by surprise when he wrapped his arms around you tightly, picking you up and spinning you around.

You let out a squeal of surprise clinging onto him, the smell of smoke clinging to his jacket, giggling as he continued to spin you around. To the point that when he finally put you down he had to steady you because you were so dizzy.

You didn’t even get the chance to ask him how it went. His large hands cupped your cheeks and kissed you deeply. So deeply that you were completely breathless.

“I take it went well then,” you say with a breathy chuckle.

“So good, so so good” Chris grinned “and all because of you”

You smile up at him softly, shaking your head “I didn’t do anything”

“You did everything, you had confidence in me when I had none, it was your voice in my head telling me to breathe and think, you got me through it and showed me I had nothing to be afraid of” Chris’ eyes fixing on yours as he spoke, his thumb gently brushing over your cheekbone.

You felt the lump in your throat grow, to the point you were almost rendered speechless “I’m so proud of you” you croaked, tears welling up in your eyes.

Chris just smiled softly as he leaned down to kiss away the stray tears that fell down your cheeks. He then wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his side as he turned to face his crew.

“Right, you guys know what to do, I want all the equipment refreshed and ready for the next call out by the time I’m done with my report” he ordered his eyes scanning over his crew.

“On it Cap” Jamie said giving him a small salute.

“Good dismissed, and nobody bothers me while I do this report,” Chris says as he glances down at you, a mischievous look in his eyes “Gotta get it right so ai need to focus”

His crew nod in response before breaking away to go do their jobs. You expected Chris to say goodbye to you then so he could focus on his report. But he kept his arm around you and led you back to his office.

You were just leaving the Truck area when Chris looked over his shoulder and called out “Hey Paulie, mind giving Dodger a bone for me?” He didn’t even wait for a response, Dodger already dashing off towards Paul.

You just faintly heard Paulie grumble “Reports my ass”

Once you were inside his office, Chris locked the door behind him, peeking out between the blinds before turning to look at you with a hungry look in his eyes.

You knew that look on his face all too well. It was a look that had your toes curling and heat blooming in your core. A look that told you that writing his report was the very last thing on his mind.

You nibbled your lower lip as he closed the distance between the two of you in two large steps. He shrugged off his jacket as he went, allowing you to see his rippling biceps in all their glory, your eyes fixated on them as he threw his jacket onto the small couch.

Your breath hitched when he reached you, his arms snaking around your waist tugging you into his chest. One large hand splayed across your back, the other gently cradling the back of your head. His head dipped as his lips met yours for a deep, commanding kiss, one that left no argument as to who was in charge.

His tongue swiped across the seam of your lips, begging for entrance which you happily obliged. You couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped your lips, your fingers clutching his suspenders as he walked you back towards the desk.

You let out a small squeak of surprise when the back of your legs hit the edge of the desk, Chris quickly and easily picks you up and sets you back down on it. Pushing away the odd piece of paperwork and pencil holder.

Your legs parted and Chris stepped into the space between, a smirk growing on his face as you wrapped your legs around his waist trapping him in. His lips began to travel across your jawline and down your neck, your head rolling back and to the side to give him better access.

Through your hooded eyes, you then spotted something that made you rest your hand on his chest “As much as I’d love to continue this, I don’t think I can do it with Jeffords’s family watching” you admit.

Chris’ head reared back in surprise his brows furrowing in confusion before he followed your gaze and spotted the framed picture of Jeffords and his family on the desk. He let out a snort of laughter his head falling to the crook of your shoulder.

You laughed along with him, fingers running over the nape of his neck and up into his hair. He lifted his head, eyes full of mirth as he leaned back in to press a soft kiss to your lips “How about the private captain’s quarters?” He suggests.

“Can’t think of a better way to celebrate and make your mark” you smirk making Chris laugh, his head thrown back.

He shook his head as he smiled warmly down at you “You are trouble” he murmured against your lips.

“I’m your trouble” you grin back at him.

“That you are” he smirks kissing you once more as he lifted you from the desk, wrapping your legs around his waist.

He carried you through to the attached private quarters that he’d shown you earlier. The bed wasn’t large, only being a small double, built for purpose rather than comfort.

As soon as he settled you down on the bed, you shifted up onto your knees. You ran your hands over his chest before wrapping my fingers around his suspenders and pulling his lips back down onto yours. You heard him let out a small hum as you pushed the suspenders off his shoulders, and began working on the buttons of his shirt.

Once you pushed his shirt off your shoulders you ran your nails down his bare chest to the waistband of his trousers and began to unbutton them. His breath hitched and you could have sworn you heard a small growl escape his lips when you reached inside and wrapped your fingers around his proud erection and freed it from the confines of his trousers.

You gazed up at him through your lashes to see him lick his lower lips as your own neared his tip. His eyes shuttered closed when you licked a long stripe up the underneath of his shaft. As you wrapped your lips around his tip his hand gripped the back of your head, fingers weaving into your hair. There was a small twinge of pain as he gripped your hair but it only encouraged you to take in more of him.

One of your hands moved to his thigh which was rock hard and as tensed, holding himself back. You moved your hand to the back of his thigh, squeezing and encouraging him to let himself go. He let out another growl as he gripped your hair tighter and began to thrust.

You pulled his trousers down more, pulling his boxers down with them so you could cup his balls. A hiss escaped his lips when you did so, a hiss that turned into a long drawn-out moan which made heat pool at your core, your own thighs pressing together to provide some friction.  

You could feel him growing close but he just let out a groan as the hand that held the back of your head pulled you off him. You looked up at him to see his chest heaving and a pained expression on his face.

“I-I wanna finish inside you” he panted.

The corners of your lips curled up in a smirk “We’re celebrating your first call out and we both know you don’t need long to recover” you say as you gently lick his swollen tip.

Chris let out another shuddering breath but didn’t protest when you wrapped your lips around him once more. You took it further down your throat, moaning as he completely filled you up. He echoed your moan with his own as he began thrusting with more verbosity, chasing his end.

You cupped his balls once more, which was what finally drove him over the edge. His thrusts became sloppy as he began to unload himself down your throat. You swallowed every drop that you could, pulling off of him and wiping up the cum that escaped your lips with your thumb, Chris groaning in between his pants when he saw you lick your thumb clean.

Chris cupped your cheeks and leaned down to capture your lips with his, his tongue swiping over your lips tasting the remnants of his spend. He kicked his boots off as you push his trousers and boxer all the way off. Once he was completely naked before you, you pulled him down to sit on the bed, moving to straddle his hips.

One of his hands snake down your body from your cheek all the way to the wet patch of arousal on your leggings “fuck” he groaned when he felt it.

You couldn’t help but smirk as you pushed yourself off of him, taking a couple of steps back “Top or bottom first?” you question pointing to your clothes.

Chris’ lips curl upwards as he leans back ready to enjoy the show “Top and no teasing” he smirks.

“don’t ask me to make promises we know I can’t keep” you wink making Chris huff out a laugh.

You keep your eyes on his watching as his gaze turned hungrier as you lifted the lightweight sweater you wore off, revealing that you only wore a tight cotton crop top underneath. Chris began to nibble his lower lip as you then removed the crop top leaving you just in a lacy bra in his favourite shade of blue.

You kicked off the Converse you wore before turning your back on Chris, you heard him let out a small protest that soon died on his lips when you looked over your shoulder at him, your thumbs hooking into the waistband of your leggings. You saw him swallow, his cock twitching as you began to slowly push down your leggings, a groan escaping his lips as you bent over giving him the perfect look of your ass.

Slowly turning back around to face him you began to saunter over to him “Wanna finish the job?” you offer as you come to stand between his thighs.

Chris doesn’t respond, he just wraps his arms around the back of your thighs tugging you even closer. You run your fingers into his hair as he leans forward to press his lips to your abdomen for a wet kiss. He continued to press kisses down your abdomen, nipping at your skin as he went. When he reached the waistband of your matching blue panties he began to pull them down your legs, your breath hitching when he presses a kiss to the apex of your thighs.

He then hooked his hands behind your knees pulling you down to straddle his lap. Your back arched and you let out a breathy gasp when you felt his erection press against your heated core. The arch of your back gave Chris perfect access to your chest. He easily unhooked your bra, giving him full access to your breasts and erect peaks.

Leaning in he pressed a wet kiss to your sternum before moving outsides towards your stiff peaks. You moaned as he wrapped his lips around your sensitive nipple, your hand clutching the back of his neck as he dragged his teeth over it.

You could feel jolts of electricity travelling through your body with every suck and nip at your breasts. You couldn’t resist the urge to roll your hips, Chris’ moan reverberating against your chest as you did so.

You could stay forever in this position, let him worship you and bring you to your peak. But you were here to celebrate him, so you pushed on his shoulder trying not to whine when his lips left your skin.

Chris’ gaze met yours, his pupils blown to the point that there was only a small ring of blue remaining. He arched his brow minutely in a silent question.

“Lie back down” you instruct him.

A smile tugs at his lips as he does as he’s told. Shifting back onto the bed more, closer to the headboard. He kept you straddled across his lap as he moved, his hands remaining on your hip and thigh as he lay back, head resting against the pillow.

You smile lazily down at him as you rest your hands on his abs, feeling them tense beneath your touch. You begin to run your hands up his chest, exploring the wide expanse of muscle, fingers tracing over his tattoos. As you did so you leaned down closer to him until you were close enough that he could lift his head and kiss you softly. His hand moved to cup your jawline, fingers tip’s gently stroking your neck as he angled your head to deepen the kiss.

It almost pained you to pull out of the kiss as you sat up but you soon forgot that as you reached between your bodies and lined him up with your entrance. Your breath hitched when you slowly began to sink down onto him, your eye’s rolling back at the sensation of him filling you up. Chris moaned, fingers clutching your hip and the sheets until his knuckles turned white.

You waited a few moments, just savouring the moment. The only noise being the sound of both your heavy breathing. Gazing down at Chris you admire his chisel chest beneath your, the way his eyes fluttered shut and his mouth hung open as he panted. Your lips twitched upwards as you slowly began to move your hips, moans falling from his lips.

You brace your hands against his chest as you began to pick up the pace. Chris moves both his hands to your hips guiding your movements, his hips thrusting up to meet yours.

When you leaned down you let out a moan as the angle and movement brought friction to your clit. Your moans were swallowed by Chris as he captured your lips with a deep kiss. Your walls clenched around him when his hand cupped your breast, squeezing it.

You weren’t sure how much longer you could continue, that coil inside you twisting impossibly tight, thankfully Chris groaned “Fuck I’m close”

“Me too” you gasp “Let go I’m right behind you”

Chris shook his head “Wanna feel you come on me” he grunted.

You went to argue but it died on your lips as his hand sneaked between your body and found your clit. All touch from his callused fingers have you coming undone in an instead. Your walls pulsed around him, milking him dry when he found his second peak shortly after you.

Once your muscles began to relax you reluctantly lifted yourself off of him, before collapsing down onto him. Chris let out a small chuckle as moved the duvet to cover to both of you and wrapped his arms around you. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head, nuzzling his face into your hair and taking a deep breath.

You could very easily fall asleep listening to Chris’ steady heartbeat, but even though your body has been fully sated, your mind was still running. Even though you had done nothing but wait around, being back in this environment felt exhilarating, it made you miss work for the first time in a while.

Lifting your head so you could look at Chris, you studied him silently for a few moments. He seemed like a completely different man, all the weight was off his shoulders and he just looked so free. You felt a wave of envy, you wanted that feeling.

“What are you thinking?” He hummed, his fingers lazily running up and down the column of your spine.

“That I’m so goddamn proud of you for facing all your demons,” you say making a bashful smile grow on his face “and it got me thinking that I want to go back to work”

His smile faulted for a second, his brows creasing in concern as he shifted beneath you “Are you sure?”

You nodded “Yeah, not straight away, there’s things I need to do first but I want to start that process” you admit your gaze dipping for a second before meeting his once more.

“And what are the things you need to do?” he breathed out, his heart beating heavily in his chest beneath you.

“I don’t know exactly, I’d have to talk to Sally to work it all out, but I need some sense of closure with my father, I can’t go back to work without it, whether it be we manage to work things out, come to some kind of arrangement or truce or…” you say taking a deep breath “or I cut ties completely”

Out of those three options you weren’t sure which of them you wanted. Your father had completely betrayed your trust, showing his true colours. He had been the root cause of so much of your trauma, there was no way things could just go back to normal.

But the idea of cutting all ties with him. Losing the last remaining family member you had, it caused a painful pang in your chest. Just the thought of it made you feel incredibly lonely. If your grandparents were still around maybe it would feel different, you would still have someone.

Realistically though, you couldn’t see how you could reach a truce. Even if your father apologised and swore to never do anything like this again, you wouldn’t be able to trust him, not completely. You’d be looking over your shoulder and just waiting. Just the thought of it all was enough to make your head hurt.

You feel Chris take a deep breath, his eyes scanning your face. You could see him trying to process and work out what he was going to say. He finally let out a deep sigh, his hand moving to cup your cheek.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll be right there beside you, supporting you all the way” he promises.

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Series Masterlist / Masterlist

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[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #407

Brain Curds are barely-edited fiction, poetry, or just about anything else - drafted in a day or less. How can I forgive myself if I can’t forgive him?

She instantly regretted picking up the phone, and in fact, regretted it in the split second before she swiped the screen to answer. That was when her brain processed what it was seeing - a name she dreaded, a name she had not seen in quite some time. It was the name of her ex, who was appropriately named Richard. How tragic that the brain and fingers were not connected by faster wiring.

“I didn’t think you’d pick up.” He said, matter-of-factly. As one does with matters of fact. He knew, or must have known, that he was the last person on Earth she ever wanted to speak to.

“I didn’t either.” She scowled, even though he obviously wouldn’t be able to see. “What do you want? You obviously must want something.”

He sighed. “Cammy…”

“Don’t be so familiar, Richard.”

“Fine. Cameron, I know I did a lot to deserve your negative impression of me. And I’m sorry.” He was quiet for a moment.

She filled the air. “… But?”

“But I don’t have anyone else to turn to. My family… we’re not on the best terms nowadays…”

“Hm. I wonder why.”

“I came out as trans.”

Cameron’s jaw dropped. “Huh?”

It was entirely baffling to her that this could have happened. He was always the most macho dickhead in any room. He was misogynistic beyond belief. He never wore a damn shirt!”

“Yeah, uh…” His… uh, her voice cracked. That was weird. “I’ve been going by Justine, actually.”

Cameron was still skeptical. “I find it hard to believe you’ve turned over a new leaf, Justine. But I’m not hanging up just yet. Convince me.”

“Thank you. Really, uh, it all started when you left. So I guess I have to thank you, in a way. But I guess I just sorta started to realize I didn’t like the person I was. And, to tell the truth, I’m not sure I ever did? But I thought it was what you wanted…”

“Don’t go blaming me, Ri… Justine.”

“No, no, not, like, you you. Everyone. And in the case of, oh, just about everybody else… I was right. You, Cameron, may be the only person who likes this me any better.”

“Who says I do?”

“You still haven’t hung up. So that’s gotta count for something.”

“Not much.”

“Well… you’re the only person from my old life who’s bothered to share more than a few slurs with me.”

“What exactly do you want?”

Justine sighed. “I ask myself that every day. But I think what I want from you…” She took a deep, nervous breath. “No, nothing. I don’t want anything.”

“You’re allowed to want something. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna give it to you, but you’re allowed.”

“In that case… all I ask is… all I’d like…”

“Spit it out.”

“I’d like it if we could talk again. Sometimes.”

Cameron bit her lip. She was on the edge of a choice she’d made well over a year ago, peering over the edge with a flashlight and a coil of rope. Should she throw it down the chasm?

“No.” She hung up. Sometimes change just didn’t seem like enough. But the pit in her heart crumbled and sank lower into that deep place. Maybe she’d never come back.

Penned 2025.05.14

Please reblog, like, and follow if you enjoyed, and leave a reply even if you didn’t! See you again soon!

[the-whispers-of-death]

Betrayed & Lied to

Hehe. I was reminded of a specific event that happens into the Ranch AU and then thought "Hm, I wonder what would happen if it was found out?" And so here it is. Because I want angst.

Word Count: 1,838

Ashok had been confused when he had been called by a detective who worked at one of the numerous police precincts in the city, but he had gone after the detective insisted it was urgent and it was about his late parents. He feared for the worst, that their graves were robbed and their eternal peace was disturbed.

The reality was much more confusing.

"Wait, so you exhumed my parents?" he asked, his mind struggling to process what was being said. Annoyance sparked inside him, upset that his consent hadn't been asked for in this instance. "How did you do it without my consent? Why did you even exhume my parents? They've been dead for several years."

The detective managed to look brave despite how anger Kali was slowly getting and she took a deep breath before saying, "We have reason to believe that your parents were murdered."

Ashok growled, unable to help himself. "They were in a car accident. They died upon being hit by a runaway driver."

"That's what the people who arrived on the scene thought too, that they had died upon impact," the detective answered, "But when we exhumed the bodies, our medical examiner saw that there was a bullet hole from a small caliber gun on both your parents head. It wasn't noticed the first time because you opted not to do the autopsy."

"Because I thought they did in a simple car accident." Ashok stopped his train of thought before he got too distracted, feeling so frazzled by this news. "You still haven't said why you exhumed their bodies."

The detective opened a file folder and took out a photo, sliding the photo towards Ashok. He didn't even need to look at it for more than a few seconds to recognize it was a photo of one of Jason's mafia friends: Caden. It was a rather blurry picture, but Ashok could make out the howling wolf tattoo Caden has on his right upper arm as Caden was wearing a sleeveless shirt in the picture.

How stupid for a man who boasts that he keeps his identity a secret and stays under the police's radar.

Ashok knew better than to admit he knows the man and instead asked, "Who is he?"

The detective cleared her throat before taking the photo again to place it back in the file folder. "We don't know his real name, but Interpol calls him The Diamond Torturer, His exact number of victims is unknown as there are a lot of victims that we can tie to him due to various reasons but there is sparse evidence to back our claims," she said, making sure Ashok understood what she was saying.

"And why do you think he killed my parents?"

He couldn't make sense of it. Was the police just making connections where there was none?

He didn't know Caden well, but he knew Caden didn't kill people who had family to miss them. It made more sense to him that the police were just grasping for straws.

"We found the serial killer's car when we raided a safehouse of his, hoping he was hiding there. He wasn't, but I recognized the car from this footage."

She took out a picture of a car Ashok knew was one of Caden's as Caden had dropped Death off at the ranch one day for some reason or the other. She then turned on the tablet she had nearby and clicked on the screen a few times before turning it around when it was on a video. She played a video, the video of car accident.

For the first time since his parents' death, Ashok was seeing what had actually happened. And as his parents' taxi had collided with the runaway driver's car and flipped over, the driver's car became clearer when it skid to a stop and the nail on the coffin that it was Caden's car was the image of Caden stepping out of the car. Again, the image was too blurry but it was enough for Ashok to know.

And it sent his mind reeling. He stared at where the video had stopped, which was on the image of Caden stepping close to the car just as the taxi driver had crawled out of the wreckage to safety. His parents were still in the backseat and that must've been when Caden shot them.

But why?

"I know that was very disturbing to watch, Mr. DeAngelo, but I want to assure you of something." The detective put the tablet to the side so she could lock eyes with Ashok. She reached over to grab his hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "Interpol will find The Diamond Torturer and they will get justice for your parents. I plan on personally helping them."

"Why would he kill them?"

"Do your parents have any enemies? Particularly in the Russian mafia? The Diamond Torturer is known to do the dirty work of the Russians."

Everything seemed blurry to him as he bid goodbye to the detective and made his way outside and to his car. The image of Caden in front of the taxi kept flashing in his mind's eye as he tried to process it.

As he drove home, he kept thinking about what the detective said.

Caden was employed by the Russian mafia and he mostly only killed nowadays for the mafia. So someone in the mafia must've put a hit out on his parents. But his parents hadn't been in debt to any mafias or gangs, so it had to be someone who knew them.

And the only person in the mafia who knew them was Jason and Jason had no reason to put a hit on them.

Unless someone had asked him to put a hit out on them.

The pieces of the puzzle were coming together and Ashok gripped the steering wheel painfully tight. He knew who did this.

He was furious now, upset that the bastard had gone to the lengths he did. How dare he kill Ashok's parents?

As soon as Ashok parked his car outside the ranch house, he got out of the car and locked it, storming up the porch steps and unlocking the front door. His brown eyes scanned the foyer as he stepped inside the house, finally locking on the man who had his ire lounging on the couch.

"You fucking bastard," he said, growling at the man in question.

He didn't let the man respond before he lunged at him, taking the taller man by surprise and grabbing him. He didn't stop at grabbing Vikram, no, he used the anger inside of him to be able to slam Vikram onto the coffee table in the living room.

He usually wasn't so violent, but this about his parents.

"What the fuck? Ashok!" Fariz yelled, jumping up from his position on the couch to intervene.

Vikram surprisingly shook his head at his boyfriend and said, "Don't." He then looked at Ashok, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What is it that you think I did?"

Ashok still had a tight grip on Vikram and he pulled him up to slam the bigger man into the nearest wall. "You had my parents killed, you son of a bitch."

Nearby, Ashok's husband, Adam came inside after having taken care of his horse and he grimaced, having heard what Ashok had said. He opened his mouth.

"Ash—"

Ashok cut off his husband, too focused on the man in front of him and too focused on his anger. "I know you had them killed; I just came from a police precinct and told that not only were my parents exhumed, but it was found out that they had bullet holes. They also showed me footage of the car crash and I saw not only Caden's car, but the man himself. And you're the only one who knows Jason enough to get him to take out a hit on my parents."

Vikram's brown eyes went to Adam, the two of them knowing the truth. However, the action had been noticed by Ashok.

"Don't look at him!" he snarled, shaking Vikram to regain his focus. "I know he's not a part of this, you're the only one dumb enough to do something without thinking about how it may affect the other person!"

"You're right," Vikram said, his voice hard but lacking any emotion. He had retreated to the part of him that he knew well, the emotionless part. "I had them killed and I did it of my own volition. Not even Jason knew I did it, as I had approached Caden without him knowing. But I did it for you."

Ashok bared his teeth at Vikram, looking like he was about to bite him.

"Don't bullshit me, Vik. We both know I didn't want them dead and you promised not to kill them. You knew my parents were a line you shouldn't cross. I loved them!"

Vikram finally reached up and pushed Ashok's hands off of him, taking a step forward to make the shorter man give him some space. "Your parents weren't even half of the people you thought they were. They didn't even treat you like a son, but like a servant for them to order around. They were going to ruin your relationship with Adam, all because he was a man. So yeah, I broke the promise and I don't regret it."

Ashok nodded at Vikram's last words, giving a bitter laugh. He moved away from Vikram before he could punch him. "Classic. You always think you're in the right. Fuck you. Fuck you for killing my parents."

He turned to go into his bedroom and after a few minutes of clothes being shuffled around, he came out with a duffel bad hanging from his shoulder.

"Where are you going, Ash?" Vikram asked, knowing better than to move towards Ashok.

"I'm going to stay at Ivan and Rahul's house. I can't look at you right now and I don't know if I ever can," Ashok answered, pointedly not looking at Vikram. "I can't forgive you for this, they were my parents."

Fariz finally got the courage to speak up. "Wait, don't go—"

Ashok ignored everyone else and walked out the door. He unlocked his car and got in, driving away from the ranch.

Everyone else inside the house was silent, stunned by what had just happened. By the friendship falling to ruins right in front of their very eyes.

Adam clenched and unclenched his job, looking at Vikram. "You didn't have to cover for me," he said, knowing that Vikram's part in Ashok's parents' death had been minimal at best and he hadn't even been the one to want to kill them in the first place.

Vikram didn't answer, simply rubbing his sore back and moving to tend to the bruises. He hadn't even done it to protect Adam anyways, he had done it for Ashok.

Not that it did anything but cause him to lose Ashok anyways.

MDNI & Reblog banners made by @/cafekitsune

I looked back on the asks I sent about Kali's parents dying and technically, neither Stone nor Butcher really were the ones to first propose Kali's parents dying (I did that, my bad), but shh. So I modified how it came about just a little, it's fine.

I just wanted to write Kali and Butcher having angst in their relationship that wasn't due to their six month separation and I remembered this and well. I thought it would be juicy to have Butcher feel guilty about basically ruining Kali and Stone's friendship.

It'll all be okay in the end.

Also shoutout to the saga of people yelling at Stone continuing. Even though this time, Stone didn't really deserve it.

Requests are open! Please look at "Rules for Requesting NSFW" before requesting anything NSFW!

[theboywithburninghands]

Greetings. I got Funnybunny and Buttonblossom. So this is a direct sequel to my last story. If you know anything about shipping, you can probably see the direction these tidbits are taking. But hopefully it’s a welcome direction! Anyway, enjoy, it was a while in the works I know… sorry!

Friends Who Kiss: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Doll

Pomni never thought she’d get stir-crazy in her bedroom. Her one safe haven in this rainbow-colored madness was starting to bore her. She supposed it was inevitable, people tended to get bored of doing nothing, even if doing nothing was what they wanted with all their heart. Jax, Kinger and Zooble got carted off to enjoy their “reward” of a day at the amusement park after that day’s adventure, so she couldn’t go talk to her boyf-

…

Her friend that she kissed. So, instead of letting time slow to a crawl as she laid in bed, probably getting her depressed in the process, she decided to get up and go for a walk.

The circus grounds were pretty, but in the same way that N64 or PS1 games were pretty. Vibrant, phony green grass, hills that were smooth enough up close but jagged and blurred at a distance, a lake of royal blue water that flickered on the surface if you stood too far away. It at least felt real enough, the sunlight was warm and she could hear birds… although she didn’t see any birds. Probably just a looping .wav file.

Sun: HIYA POMNI!

Pomni: GH- Oh. Uh. Hey… *waves awkwardly at the Sun*

Sun: Don’t look at me too long! I cause irreparable solar retinopathy!

Pomni: …Uh huh. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.

Sun: Okaaay~!

Pomni went down to the Digital Lake. Caine had dunked her in the water on her first day here, and her sensory overload from that experience basically blocked out what the water felt like. She sat at the edge of the deep blue simulated water, listening to the sound (or was it sound file?) of the waves lapping against the shore. Pomni stopped to remove her shoes, found that she couldn’t, and simply waded into the water. The water felt… nice. Cool, a little too chilly to jump right into. She would have cringed at the thought of her socks getting wet, but she couldn’t tell if the yellow things on the ankles of her shoes were socks or not. So whatever.

She thought about going out into the water. Her outfit was anything but swimwear, but it didn’t stop her from sleeping in it, so what did she care if it got wet? This world was like a cartoon, she’d probably dry off in like five seconds… still, it would have been nicer to go swimming with a friend. She sat on the beach.

Pomni: Hm… I wonder if he likes swimming?

Pomni heard footfalls behind her and flicked her head around. Ragatha was making her way towards the beach, but she paused mid-step upon seeing Pomni turn to look at her.

Ragatha: Sorry, can I join you? Or did you want to be alone?

Pomni: Uh… n-no, I don’t mind. I- just… I’ve never seen this part of the circus up close.

Ragatha smiled and moved to sit down beside Pomni, smoothing out her dress as she sat cross-legged on the sand beside her.

Ragatha: It’s kinda peaceful when things aren’t insane, right? I like coming down here too. It’s like a safe area in a video game… Did you ever play Legend of Zelda?

Pomni: Uh… I might’ve. It’s hard to remember a lot about the outside.

Ragatha: Yeah. Some things I forget, but there are some memories I can’t even if I tried. I remember when I was a little girl and I saw Ocarina of Time for the first time… it was like magic. The lake here reminds me of Lake Hylia.

Pomni: Uh huh… I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for saving me from that snake.

Ragatha: Oh, Pomni, I was just looking out for you! No worries!

Pomni: N-No. I abandoned you when you needed help on my first day here. I can’t believe I was so selfish…

Ragatha: Pomni. It was your first day. I know you were desperate and scared, because all of us were on our first days. I forgive you. *smiles warmly*

Pomni: …..Okay. *her cheeks redden* I uh… had another question. And it’s a little more, uh… personal?

Ragatha: Alright?

Pomni: …Do you… Do you like girls?

Ragatha: …Romantically?

Pomni: Uh… yes?

Ragatha: Honestly? I’m not sure. It’s been forever since I’ve thought about stuff like that. Why, do you?

Pomni: *blushes again* I like… both. Men and women.

Ragatha: I’m glad you have so many options! Well I guess… had so many options. Again though, why? *gives a curious smile*

Pomni: Uh nothing… I mean, no reason. Just curiosity I guess.

Ragatha: Can I ask you a personal question?

Pomni: *gulp* Sure?

Ragatha: What’s going on with you and Jax?

Pomni: What? Nothing! Uh… n-nothing? Nothing.

Ragatha: *Ragatha rests her chin on her closed fist, smiling* Jax never apologized for anything before you came along. I won’t tell anybody if you guys are fooling around, I promise.

Pomni: We’re not in a relationship or anything…

Ragatha: So a situationship?

Pomni: No-? What- What is that?

Ragatha: I dunno. I heard Zooble say it once and I thought it sounded neat. Plus it seems like the only thing Jax would get into…

Pomni: Well we’re not…

Ragatha: Alright. …So, maybe sometime, you want to go to the amusement park together?

Pomni: WHAT-

Ragatha giggled with a hand over her mouth, then gently shushed Pomni.

Ragatha: Hey, hey, no need to shout! Just a question.

Pomni: Wh-Wh- uh… why…?

Ragatha: Because you’re my friend and I like you?

Pomni: I mean… I-You… I-We-The…

Ragatha: Heyyy, easy, New Stuff. You need to breathe with me again?

Pomni: N-No-I just… I really wasn’t expecting that… I mean… *sighs* Yeah, I’d like to, but Jax would ge-

Pomni gasped sharply and clapped her hands over her mouth. Ragatha raised her eyebrows a bit before her usual pleasant smile turned into a smirk.

Ragatha: I thought sooo.~ You really shouldn’t lie, Pomni. I know you’re shy about things like that, but I mean it when I say I’ll keep your secrets. We have to trust each other.

Pomni: WE’RE- IT’S- NO, You-You-You- got it all wrong! We’re not in a relationship, honest! We’re just friends that kiss sometimes..? *she palms herself in the face for admitting too much yet again*

Ragatha: Ooo la la! You guys have kissed, huh?

Pomni: S#!%!

Ragatha: It’s ok-ay Pomni, I promise I won’t tell. I’m happy for you, really.

Pomni: Y-You’re… happy?

Ragatha: Yeah! I’m always worried when someone new shows up. What if they… you know, abstract? Especially if I really like them. But you’ve got a reason to keep on going now, you know? And oh my god, it must be amazing for Jax. I know he’s unhappy like the rest of us, it’s why he pulls all those… “jokes.” At least I imagine that’s why he does. Having a little joy in his life must be so rejuvenating. It’s hard to come by these days… Joy. You know?

Pomni: ���You promise you won’t tell anyone..?

Ragatha: Needle in my eye. *she taps her button and smiles*

Pomni: Okay. …Well. Thanks. Uh, wait… were you serious about the whole going to the amusement park thing?

Ragatha: If you want to, sure! I’ve been on all the rides like a dozen times.

Pomni: Wait, as… friends? Right?

Ragatha: As friends. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of what you and Jax have.

Pomni: We’re just friends! That kiss!

Ragatha: Right, well, I don’t want to get in the way of your “friends-that-kiss-ship.” But I hope you’ll be my friend. That doesn’t kiss.

Pomni: It’s not like I would mind kissing you, but-

Ragatha: What?

The silence that followed dropped like a lead weight. Pomni felt her core freeze solid from adrenaline. She got to her feet robotically and turned back to the tent.

Pomni: Gottagosorry.

Pomni dashed across the field to the tent and ducked into the tent, panting with her hands on her knees.

Pomni: “I wouldn’t mind kissing you-“ UGH I’m such a dum@$$! Stupid, stupid, stupid! *she thumps her fist on her forehead*

The jester sat down on one of the many oversized cubes scattered around the tent and groaned. What was she thinking? Why couldn’t she just be attracted to one person?! It wasn’t that hard! Anyone that showed her a little bit of kindness earned her affection now? Well… no. Jax had been nothing but a troll to her, and she still ended up finding him attractive… Despite his irritating tendencies, the rabbit was one of her only sources of real joy in this place, she couldn’t mess things up with him… That was selfish. Jax’s feelings mattered just as much as hers. It would be beyond selfish to leave him because someone else caught her eye. Selfish and dangerous. What if he was heartbroken, and that heartbreak led to hopelessness, and the hopelessness inevitably led to…

Pomni: F#$%... F#$%!

Pomni covered her mouth with both hands and screamed as loud as she could. She had no fingernails to bite or loose hairs to pick out, so she had to relieve her anxiety somehow. She panted, covered up and screamed again. It wasn’t enough, not even close, but it was something. Like scratching a bug bite, it felt good in the moment but it would only itch again. She knew there was only one real way to cool down the white hot ball of anxiety in her belly, and it was going to suck. She wanted to projectile vomit.

The only real thing to do was rehearse. She got up and began to pace around the tent. Pacing helped her think. Helped with a lot of things, really… It didn’t cure anxiety but it helped temper it somewhat. What was she going to say..?

—-----

Jax, Zooble and Kinger arrived back at the tent around the late afternoon.

Jax: Well that was a waste of time.

Zooble: No s#!%. I think I rode the ferris wheel seven times in a row. ‘Least that way I won’t be nauseous for dinner.

Jax: Time flies when you’re having fun. *gives a huge, fake smile before immediately scowling again*

Zooble: Ugh. Whatever.

Kinger: Hey! W-Who’s that?!

Kinger pointed into the tent. Pomni was in the main room, pacing in a tight square.

Zooble: Oh for… That’s Pomni, Kinger. Are you gonna forget every time she leaves your line of sight like a toddler? Seriously-

Kinger: She’s coming right for us!

Zooble: What?

Pomni was indeed making a mad dash for them. Kinger braced for impact and Zooble took a few steps backwards before Pomni collided with Jax, throwing her arms around him in a hug.

Jax: OOF! Hey what-?!

Pomni only squeezed him tighter, burying her face in his overalls. Jax felt his cheeks warm up despite himself.

Zooble: …Ew.

Jax: Uh… *in a nervous, sing-song whisper* What are you doiiing~...?

Pomni didn’t reply with words, instead grabbing Jax by the wrist and tugging him off to their bedrooms. Zooble and Kinger watched the two of them leave, then swapped confused looks.

Zooble: That was… interesting.

Kinger: Something is amiss. No one has ever hugged Jax before.

Zooble: I’m amazed you remember that and not who Pomni is…

—---

Pomni dragged Jax into her room before slamming the door shut hard enough to rattle a few smaller toys scattered about.

Jax: …Oh, hi Pomni. Yeah, I’m really tired and hungry, thank you for asking. Why, that’s right, I do have a few questions-

Pomni: I can’t calm down. I need to get this all out. Listen for a second…

Jax: …Okay.

Pomni: I don’t want to lose you. I know you said we’re just friends that kiss but you’re really f@#$ing important to me. So just know that you didn’t do anything wrong. But- I have a crush on Ragatha. We didn’t do anything together, but I can’t stop thinking about her and I don’t know why! You-You-You make me really happy and you make me feel like I can survive here and that hasn’t changed but I just feel the… the same thing when I look at her the same way I do when I look at you, and… and… I just feel horrible! I don’t want to replace you because you… you… I… Without you I would have gone crazy by now, and you’re an insufferable clod but you’re so charming and funny and-and-and handsome even if you’re just a cartoon like me, and… oh God I wish I knew how to stop what I’m feeling but I can’t, and I felt like exploding all afternoon because I thought of you hearing all this and then abstracting, and it would have been my fault because I just couldn’t keep my stupid hormones in check and then I wouldn’t have you anymore and I would basically be a murderer and I’d cry myself to sleep every night and-and it… and… and-and-and-and…

Pomni stammered for a while longer before panting heavily, staring down at the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Jax.

Pomni: I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I-I-I-I… I’m sorry…

Jax: …You think I’m handsome, huh?

Pomni: WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! *claps her hands to the sides of her head and falls to her knees*

Jax: Jeez, okay! Not the answer you were looking for, got it! Just trying to lighten the mood..!

Pomni: And I so appreciate it! I mean that! But I feel like the world’s gonna end right now! And I’d appreciate a real reaction pleeeease! *yanks on the bells of her coxcomb hat*

Jax: If this is about yesterday, I told you I forgive you. I thought you were cheating, but you weren’t.

Pomni: B-But isn’t this cheating? Liking someone else?

Jax: No? I told you, you can be “friends that kiss” with Ragatha too, if you tell me first. If that’s what you want, go ahead and go. Honestly, I’m not surprised. You said she was pretty.

Pomni: She is pretty.

Jax: If you like kissing Raggedy Ann. *short chuckle* Look, Pompom. We’re already in technohell. Whatever keeps you from abstracting is okay with me. As long as I get my time with you.

Pomni: Don’t call me Pompom. But… of course… I’m not replacing you. I just… I like Ragatha too.

Jax: Gay.

Pomni: Shut up. I… I guess I was worried you’d be really upset.

Jax: Nah. I think you were more upset than me, honestly. I get it, it’s kinda weird to just have a bunch of people you kiss. But honestly? Who cares? …I gotta wonder though, what made you want to ask? Was it the snake?

Pomni: Sort of the snake. But… she asked me to go to the amusement park with her today.

Jax: And you said you would? Spoilers, it sucks.

Pomni: *small laugh* It’s not like we have other options.

Jax: There’s the lake.

Pomni: …I think I want to take you to the lake.

Jax: You- Oh. ….Eheh. *he blushes* Yeah. I think that’d be fun.

Pomni: Fun? In this place? That’ll be the day!

The two of them laughed together, before Pomni gave him a hug. He hugged her back.

Pomni: …We’re just going to the amusement park. It’s not like we’re going to make out or anything yet.

Jax: Pompom. I’m not jealous.

Pomni: I know, but you said this was your first relationship, and… and I didn’t want to ruin it. And I don’t want you to abstract…

Jax: I’m not gonna. I’ve got you.

Pomni: Yeah. You do have me… until this whole place comes crashing down. I lov-

Jax’s ears shot up, and Pomni froze, looking up at him with wide, roulette eyes.

Jax: …Yeah. Same. *he winks* But we both know that already, so don’t say it, okay?

Pomni: Okay… do… you want to stay here tonight?

Jax: I’d really like that, yeah.

The two “friends that kissed” hugged each other for a long while longer, until Jax broke the silence.

Jax: Uh… why are your shoes so wet..?