#I was fully expecting you to just send me an ask demanding i go on a ramble about one of my comics

[wandixx]

Danny, the Young Justice member snippet nr 1

these snippets aren't connected in anyway but just some little scenes I came up with, everyone is welcome to build up on them if they want to

unrelated snippet nr 2, unrelated snippet nr 3(?)

“Thank you, young man,” elderly man, a civilian, said to Phantom, squeezing his shoulder when the boy transported him away from the battle into an established safe zone. Hero froze for a moment, blinking rapidly.

“You’re… welcome?” he squeaked and flew back to fight the first chance he got, still dazed.

He was lost in thought the whole time he worked after that, rescuing some teen girls too curious, brave and stupid to run away on their own when they still had a chance. If Kid Flash didn’t warn him, one of the goons would land a really nasty hit, which should not have happened. Phantom had one of the best combat spatial awareness out of all of them. He couldn’t always react in time, but it almost never escaped him that an attack was coming.

Something was wrong. Really wrong.

That was why, as soon as the fight was over,  Kaldur approached his teammate. He saw Robin doing the same.

Phantom, to give him credit where credit is due, didn’t fly away from the scene first given chance like always. Instead he sat in the space where they were transporting civilians, hand on his right shoulder, unseeing eyes locked on some cracks in the pavement. His mouth was moving without making a sound. He was covered in dust, like all of them.

“Phantom,” Kaldur asked through Mindlink “are you injured?”

Ghost flinched and turned his head, giving the leader a shaky smile. His eyes were still distant.

“Yeah, no, I’m alright. Sorry I was so out of it. Thanks for the rescue Wally, "the boy replied but his eyes slowly turned back to where he was staring before. Other than that, he hadn't moved.

“Phantom, what’s wrong?” Robin tried, both out loud and through Mindlink. Now the whole Team was concerned.

“It's nothing, really,” Phantom answered with a distant tone.“ Just… something weird happen and I need a moment to wrap my head around it”

“What was it?” Artemis asked bluntly before Conner did the Mindlink equivalent of smack on the back of a head. It was a bit weird to see Conner as the sensitive one. Black Canary was doing a great job with helping him over his anger.

“Let him process it on his own before you demand answers,” he growled.

“Adult civilian thanked me,” the ghost mumbled with awe at the same time. For a moment everyone froze in muted shock.

This explained so much while being so confusing. Yes, civilians tended to do it. It felt great. It didn’t warrant such an intense reaction.

“That's nice,” M’gann sent carefully after a long moment.

“Mhm… Really nice”

Kaldur slowly put a hand on the arm Phantom wasn’t holding, to help ground him a bit. Despite his efforts, the ghost flinched under his touch.

“We need to go to a bioship and back to the Mountain. You should probably come with us”

He expected a fight, he had various ideas how to convince younger boy but instead he heard quiet, small “Sure”

Ghost didn’t move for a long moment.

“Phantom?” Robin asked and again, the response was a violent flinch.

“Sorry, sorry. I know it’s dumb I’m just-” he transmitted some sort of lowering melody that Kaldur didn’t know “-right now”

“Did you just send Windows XP shutting down noise?!” Wally yelled, exasperated. 

“He did,” Robin snorted. Artemis laughed from one of the surrounding rooftops.

Phantom’s lips twitched with a minimal smile but it disappeared before it fully set. His brows furrowed as he stood up, shrugging Kaldur’s hand off in the process.

“Is this publicly known that I’m a ghost? Like, outside Amity? Or do people just assume I’m a meta?”

“Around 3% of discourse about you is ‘alive or not’-”Robin stated after few seconds of searching n his wrist computer “-with people saying stuff like ‘I’ve seen him breathe’ but everyone else responds with some variation of ‘Are you really going to tell kid how he’s supposed to cope with being dead? Really Jared?’ and the general consensus is that you are in fact a ghost. More people wonder what pronounce you use. Why?”

Phantom said nothing. Kaldur exchanged worried glances with Robin and called everyone else to meet by the bioship. It was a successful but tiring mission and they all wanted nothing more than to relax. After debrief because of course Batman would find things that could’ve gone better.

M’gann and Wally were already waiting by the time they got there. Martian was stiff and looked like she was focusing on some really hard task. She almost shut down the Mindlink.

“Phantom, your thoughts are really loud” she whispered out loud “Louder than normal ghost thoughts. I’m trying not to listen or to transmit it on Mindlink but it’s pretty hard. What’s wrong?”

Kaldur remembered the conversation they all had almost right after Phantom joined the Team. As it turned out, ghosts as ‘the beings of emotions’ had thoughts that Martians could read but on different frequencies than living, whatever that meant, and they were really loud. Like they were screaming on the top of their lungs.

Asphalt creaked ominously when Conner jumped down to join them.

“Sorry”

M’gann relaxed minutely before she got visibly angry.

“I don’t mean ‘shield everything’ Phantom, it’s extremely unhealthy, explain what’s wrong?!”

“Seriously guys, you’re all overreacting. It’s not that deep.  I'm just weirded out a bit”

“Your brain was screaming ‘It doesn’t make sense!’ on repeat” M’gann pointed out dryly, ending the Mindlink and motioned them inside the bioship right after Artemis scrambled down a fire escape and joined them.

Phantom skillfully ignored the concerned gazes of every member of the Team other than M’gann who at least pretended to focus on flying. He looked like he was trying to figure out some really complicated puzzle.

“What did this civilian say, exactly?” Robin asked, breaking the silence with a surprising amount of caution in his voice.

“He said ‘Thank you, young man’ and squeezed my shoulder,“ the ghost explained with a wistful and a bit hazy smile. It still didn't justify such an intense reaction “I can still feel it. T’was nice. Not strong enough to hurt but… sure? I didn’t do anything, really, and he most likely knows I'm a ghost, but he thanked me anyway. No sense”

Halfway through Robin seemed to get an idea and once again started typing away on his computer. Phantom sunk into his seat more comfortably, but he quickly returned to distressed overthinking.

“People rarely make sense,” Conner pointed out.

“Nah, you just can't people yet” Wally grinned between bites of his granola bar.

“Nah, you're just an extrovert with superpowers. People make no sense,” Artemis decided in a way that ended all arguments “But gratitude after rescue is pretty typical…”

“Not for Phantom“

“What do you mean, Robin?”

“He means, I'm a ghost, Kaldur,” Phantom started “Of course they're not thanking me. I'm an ‘odd,  manipulative and evil manifestation of post-living consciousness on ectoplasm‘ and ‘always hostile towards living but lack the sentience to comprehend moral aspects of my behavior‘ and ‘should be eradicated for betterment of the living realm’.” he recited almost cheerfully and it made something in Kaldur’s stomach twist. Judging by their faces, his teammates felt the same way.

“You don’t actually believe that, do you?” M’gann asked carefully.

“It doesn’t matter if I believe this or not. They do. Why would anyone thank me? Especially an adult. Teens apparently decided I'm hot so they support me, which is also weird, and kids think I'm cool because of the ectoblasts and can fly. They usually gush about being saved like ‘omg it’s Phantom’ which is still weird but not as surreal as anyone actually thanking. But that dude was probably on retirement. He wasn’t someone I would expect to have any positive interaction with. Most people his age would try to exorcize me or something”

“That certainly isn’t an aster”

“Eh, I’m fine. Most are just yelling. Problems start when anti-ghost weapons, especially guns, get on the table but I can’t blame them for that one too”

“Dude, I cannot express how far from fine this is”

“You deserve gratitude Phantom” Kaldur added “You’re doing a lot of great work”

“If you say so”

“Also, can we go back to the guns? How often do the people you’re saving try to shoot you?” Artemis asked, raising her head from inspecting her arrows.

“Amity Park is to ghost hunters what Gotham is to crime rates in the USA. Should not be counted if you want something actually similar to reality. Of course they have guns to shoot ghosts. And, let me remind you, I am a ghost-”

“I think we can talk about it another time. How do you feel, Phantom?” M’gann interrupted from her seat, intensly not looking back at them. She once again was tense.

“Still weird as hell to be honest”

“Good weird or bad weird” she pressed on. Kaldur kinda wanted to know what made her do that.

“Good… I think? I know a lot of emotions because I hang out with Jazz Fenton and she pshychoanalizes everyone but I have no idea what to call this. I’m happy that he said this, ecstatic even. But I’m still confused and cautious. Some part of me keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, for this man to come back, after realizing I’m evil ghost and call hunters and call me manipulative ecto-scum while looking me in the eyes and smile when I’m shot at”

“Did this happen? It’s a bit too specific to believe it didn’t” Wally announced.

“As if only once!” Phantom laughed in an almost hysterical way.

“Don’t think about it right now,” M’gann demanded “Do you want to tell us more about the thanks you got?”

Next words Phantom whispered as if he was sharing some important, sacred secret.

“When he squeezed my arm, it was such a gentle gesture. Such a gentle touch” he sounded on the verge of tears. 

“Was it?”

“Yeah... Sorry I’m such a mess over it” ghost muttered after a moment, trying to dry his face with his sleeve. It couldn’t be too helpful nor pleasant, considering his uniform was made mostly out of rubber.

“That’s alright”

“He was so kind and like… cautious too, y’know? Like he cared to not hurt me. When my dad pats me on the back, I’m left out of breath and have to do a few steps to not fall face first on the ground and he thinks I’m normal,” it was always a bit disturbing to hear Phantom talk about his family in present tense. They never mentioned it because they knew when it was bad idea to say something but it didn’t make these instances any less unnerving“And this random civilian seen me as Phantom, almost invulnerable and powerful ghost and chose to be gentle”

Nobody mentioned tears dropping from Phantom’s eyes and down his chin.

“That sounds nice” 

“It was. And I, like an idiot, stuttered ‘you're welcome’ and escaped as soon as I could” ghost grumbled, bringing himself back from the memory. Robin actually laughed, honest and open instead of the creepy giggle he used on all sorts of villains. Everyone else soon joined and between breaths someone choked out:

“I did this so many times. So many. I could probably buy a lollipop if I got a cent every time I did it. Maybe even two”

As soon as they weren’t at immediate risk of laughing to death Robin decided to risk it again by starting a captivating tale of clueless Batman holding a baby, getting pie as a present, getting pie in his face and few others.

When he finished, the comfortable type of silence stretched through the Bioship. Everyone was just contently resting, maybe even taking a nap before the ordeal of listening to Batman's ‘Every mistake you made today with sub and sub-sub categories’ lecture while keeping themselves from laughing after all the stories Robin just shared. Kaldur himself was almost asleep when Phantom whispered:

“Is it this nice the second time too?”

“Yeah. It’s even better when you start believing it”

[eddiediaaz]

hi guys, i am kind of ashamed and embarrassed to have to do this, but i figured it can't hurt to ask. basically i am really struggling right now (i know a lot of us are). i need financial help, so i set up a ko-fi page ☕

any kind of help would be so appreciated and i am so grateful for anyone taking the time to read this little post.

long story short: because of situations completely out of my control, i lost my job in vfx after almost 8 years and i am now forced to switch careers. i'm going back to school and can't find a part time job even tho i have been working non stop for 15 years. financial aid will only cover my rent, so i absolutely need to work 20 to 30 hours a week to cover the rest of my living expenses, but it's really hard to find a job. i am also currently over 10k cad in debt from my film school loans and credit cards.

signal boost would be appreciated, if you can 💕

my situation in more details under the cut for those who are curious

i was working in the vfx industry as a 2D compositor since 2016 (i have worked on over 40 films and tv shows), but in december of 2023 i lost my job due to the hollywood strikes (as expected, and as it should—i fully support the strikes). this was supposed to be temporary for a couple months where i could get unemployment benefits (only 45% of my usual salary though). unfortunately, on may 31st 2024, my government announced that they are significantly cutting the funding & tax credits for the vfx industry where i live. what does this mean? mass lay offs. thousands of canadians and other people in the world working in the industry are losing their career, including me. there will only be about 20% vfx jobs left where i live by 2025. vfx shops and production houses have already started to close doors here. i'm still mourning this career i have been working in for 8 years and loved, even tho it's been difficult and demanding at times (lots of overtime), but there are just no jobs right now (unless you are a senior vfx artist with decades of experience) and the future will only get more bleak. i could move abroad and follow the industry that is already moving somewhere else, but i don't want to do that on my own (i am already super lonely as it is!!) and i can't afford it.

my unemployment benefits will run out by the last week of september. in 4 weeks. i've been sending resumes everywhere, both online and in person, but i am just not getting anything in return. even tho i have over 15 years of experience working in various jobs and i have never been fired from anywhere. even tho my resume and cover letters are solid because they have been approved my professional counselors (a free service for people under 35 where i live). so much for they're hiring everywhere...

since my vfx compositing skills are very niche and not really applicable to much else, i decided to go back to school, taking college classes in the admin and excecutive assistant fields, since it's something that i think would be good for me and there are lots of jobs for that here. i will be getting some financial aid, but it's nowhere near enough to survive. it will only cover my rent, and that's because my rent is super cheap for my city. my college classes start on september 30 and i am excited for it, but also very stressed because i still don't have a part time job.

i've been living on my own with a small salary for over 10 years now, but it truly is the first time that i'm struggling this hard. i honestly don't have anything worth selling except some taylor swift perfumes, which i sold this week. i also have over 6k of credit debt and another 4.5k of school loans left to pay. at the bare minimum i will need about $1.000 CAD/month to cover my other bills and expenses after rent, hence why the need for a job ASAP. i am desperate and my mental health has been a huge mess. this is why i decided to open my ko-fi accounts. not that i'm expecting much, but anything can help, i think.

i don't have much to offer in exchange, except gifs? i'm wondering if (cheap, low price) gif commissions are a thing? i have no idea know, but i set up a poll on my ko-fi page to see if anyone would be interested.

thank you for reading if you've made it here, it's appreciated 💖

[apclyptc]

paint. smut ahead. chris sturniolo x reader.

warnings: sloppy head, facial, cum eating

“hey baby?” you spoke to your boyfriend chris while you were both scrolling mindlessly on your phones.

chris put his phone down to give his attention to you, “what is it?” he asked you.

“i kinda wanna try something…” you trailed off.

“is it that food recipe i showed you, cause we don’t have the stuff but i can go pick it up at the store–”

“no, no. it’s not that.” despite being with him for so long, you found yourself getting shy at your words.

“what is it that you wanna try?” he reached his arm over to your thigh, caressing it slowly.

“i kinda want you to give me a facial.” you smiled sheepishly. you sounded like a little teenager.

chris’ eyes widened, not expecting that sort of request from you.

“oh. oh, well uh, yeah we can definitely do that.” he made a half-assed attempt to cover his excitement.

“come over here and kiss me, then.” you smiled, innocence in your voice as though you didn’t just ask him to paint your face with his seed.

chris didn’t bother to take his time with you as he normally would, immediately colliding with you, licking into your mouth desperately. a small whine escaped your throat.

“knees on the floor, baby.” he commanded, sending a shiver down your spine as his low-voiced demands always did.

you keenly followed his orders, pressing your knees into the soft carpet of his bedroom.

you nuzzled your face into his pants, feeling his half-hard dick underneath his clothes. chris shuddered a loaded sigh, hips pushing into your head.

“have i ever mentioned how i love you kneeling for me?” he smirked down at you.

“maybe once or twice,” you smirked back, hooking your fingers into his waistband and tugging. it was always such a pleasure to see his boxers stretching around his dick. it was a reminder of the power you had over him, and you were sure the damp patch on your panties did the same for him, though the sight of it was restricted right now.

chris only watched as your pulled his now fully hard cock out of his underwear, admiring its length and thickness.

not wanting to waste anymore time, you stuck out your tongue and licked all the way from base to tip, and he hissed.

“fuckkkkk,” chris moaned above you. you felt him grab a fistful of hair, “so good at this.”

his praise spurred you on, motivating you to make him come.

you moaned around him, licking around him anywhere you could while you took as much of him into your mouth as you could manage.

“oh my fucking god… taking this dick so well.”

chris’ hips edged their way further into your face, feeling his neatly trimmed hair tickle your nose. you gagged around him, half purposefully, knowing it drove him crazy when he could hear you struggling to take all of him.

“that’s it baby, fuck, make a mess.” he groaned lowly, and you watched his head throw back in pleasure. satisfying, but ultimately not what you wanted.

popping his dick out of your mouth, you spoke, “i’ll stop if you keep looking away from me.” he bit his bottom lip as to not moan from your words alone. he absolutely loved when you talked to him this way.

as soon as his eyes were on yours, you slipped his entire cock into your mouth, gagging once again.

“holy shit, y/n.” chris sighed loudly, willing his eyes not to roll back from the fear you’d stop again.

by now he was thrusting into you, carnally fucking your throat like he couldn’t help it.

“ohhh fuck,” he whined once he felt you swallow around him, your throat contracting over and over, giving him the sensation that he was inside your cunt. oh, how he wished he was wrecking your spongy walls.

you could tell he was close, fighting the urge not to come but losing the battle.

“baby, i’m not gonna last, fuck, much longer.” he panted out.

just a little bit more, you thought to yourself since you knew the words wouldn’t come out. adding the finishing touches, your hand reached up to fondle his balls and he snapped.

pulling himself out of your mouth, chris stroked himself over you as his cum spurted out in thick ropes on your face.

there was not much of you uncovered, his seed on your forehead, slightly in your hair, over your eyelashes and finally on your tongue.

you licked the evidence from your mouth, enjoying the salty taste of his load as you felt another spurt on your chin. the sight of your face dripping with cum already had chris half-hard again.

“y/n that was so fucking sexy.” he practically groaned out, watching you drag a finger across your eyelids and sucking it into your mouth.

“i think we should do that more often.” you giggled at your boyfriends stupefied face.

“we’re not done yet. it’s your turn to come on my face.”

a/n wow i wasn’t expecting that new tiktok to make me write so fast. my next draft is going to take a liiiittle longer than this just took me to finish but i hope it’s worth it in the end.

ciao ciao

————————————————————————

© APCYLPTC 2023. do not repost, translate, or duplicate any of my works here or any other websites

[cinemadaydream]

can you do a story where conrad gets jealous because cam cameron is getting a little too touchy with y/n and she’s entertaining it. but little does he know it was all planned, y/n asked cam to do that to make conrad jealous. (they’re fwb and y/n got bored and planned this so she could see what conrad would do) well y/n ended up kissing cam and it got heated and conrad pushed them apart and took y/n upstairs to his room and made sure she wouldn’t do that again.

He's going to kill me

parings: Conrad Fisher x reader

warnings: unprotected rough smut

"If keep touching you like this, he's going to kill me." Cam glancing nervously towards Conrad before wrapping his arms around your waist.

You can't help the smirk on your face as you lean into Cam's touch, nuzzling your face against his neck before whispering in his ear. "He won't kill you, I promise. I guess that means my plan is working?"

Cam hums in response before he looks at Conrad once again from the corner of his eye, still not fully convinced. Conrad's hands were clenched tightly and the old saying "If looks could kill, you'd be dead" had never been more accurate as Conrad continues to send daggers in yours and Cams direction.

Despite Cam's fear that tonight may be his last, you can't help the way feeling of excitement that's oozing through you over Conrad's jealously. The two of you are friends with benefits, both of you agreeing to have no feelings involved, but there were moments when you wondered if there was more between you two than you both let on. Longing glances across the room, lingering touches after the two of you had finished having sex. He even asked you to stay the night on multiple occasions so he could hold you all night which was against the rules the two of you had made. Which is why once you were told Conrad was throwing a party that you'd use it to your advantage to see if your suspicions about Conrad liking you were true.

"Do you want to dance before you're impending doom?" You tease Cam playfully as you pull away from his neck to look up at him. Cam laughs at your joke before grabbing your hand and walking you both to the middle of the living room where everyone was dancing.

For the first time all night, you make eye contact with Conrad as you dance with Cam. He's still glaring at you both and now worse than ever as your ass is pressed against Cam, moving your hips against him as you both dance together. You've never seen Conrad this pissed before. It makes you breath hitch and your heart skip a beat, but you don't crack yet. Wanting to see if he would act upon what his face was showing. You can see how badly Conrad is fighting with himself. Wanting to grab you and show you who you're supposed to be with. But Conrad does the opposite. Instead of walking up to you and Cam, he starts to dance with another girl. Now you're the one pissed. The same glare Conrad had on his face is now on yours. You pull your eyes away from Conrad and the blonde you don't know the name of and look at Cam.

"Kiss me."

Cam's eyes widen a bit as you ask him to kiss you. He didn't expect you to want to go that far with this plan. He almost says no before he notices Conrad and the blonde. Cam nods and then he kisses you softly on the lips. The kiss doesn't stay soft though as you pull Cam closer to you, kissing him hard knowing Conrad is still watching. This kiss becomes heated. Although it isn't the same as all the kisses you've shared with Conrad, you're pleasantly surprised to find Cam is a quite the good kisser. You could get lost in the kiss, forgetting Conrad even if just for a short while, if it wasn't for a pair of hands pushing you and Cam apart.

"My room. Now." Conrad demands, frustration evident in the way he speaks. He doesn't even glance at Cam which is probably for the best because Cam's worries may not be so far from the truth with the amount of anger Conrad is feeling.

Your body reacts before your mind can process anything, you immediately head to the staircase and walk up the stairs into his room that you've been in so many times before. You can hear him shut the door before locking it and then you feel him, shoving you down on his bed before climbing on top of you.

"What the fuck was that bullshit?" Conrad asks, his breath hot and heavy against your neck as his fingers trail under your dress. You think he's about to touch you where you've been aching for him to touch all night, but he surprises you when he flips you over onto your stomach and slaps your ass roughly making you shriek in both pleasure and pain. "What makes you think you can bring someone into my house and dance with him like that?" Another harsh slap lands on your ass. "To kiss him with the same lips you use to suck my cock?"

Your eyes widen when he says that, but you don't say anything. You feel him slap your ass once more before he slides his hand under his dress and takes off your underwear in one quick, swift movement. Your breath is uneven as you hear him undo the zipper of his pants and then he slides himself into you. You moan loudly as he starts to move inside you.

"Did you wear this dress for him?" Conrad asks, his thrust quickening as he slaps your ass again before he yanks down one of the straps to your dress and squeezes your tit before flicking your nipple with his finger.

"N-no! I wore it.. I wore it for you." You moan out before burying your face against his pillow. He seems pleased with your response, but he doesn't let you bury your face in his pillow. Instead, he grabs you, wrapping his arms around your waist as he continues to thrust inside of you.

"And you're going to cum for me in it too, sweet girl. Gonna let this whole god damn party hear you, let them know who's fucking you this good" Conrad groans into your ear before kissing your neck, leaving a trail of love bites all over it. Needing to mark you up more than he's ever needed it before.

And just like he wants from you, you start to moan his name. You do it louder and louder with each thrust he gives you. His pace is so fast, so rough that the only thing keeping you up is his arms that are still wrapped firmly around you, wanting you to feel every inch of him.

"That's right, baby. I'm the one making you feel this good. Not fucking Cam Cameron." Conrad smirks against your neck as his free hand cups your face, pulling you into a passionate, needy kiss. His tongue exploring your mouth as you cum all over him. You cry out in pleasure as he keeps going, sensitive from the orgasm he just gave you before he finally cums deep inside you.

Conrad gently releases you, letting you rest against his pillow now before he pulls out of you and holds you in his arms. He kisses you again but this time it isn't rough. It's soft and sweet with a hint of desperation behind it. All he wants is you. Fuck the rules you two made.

"Are you okay? I wasn't too rough on you, was I?" Conrad asks, his voice much softer now as he strokes your hair with his fingers. You smile and shake your head before you kiss him once more.

"I liked how rough you were, Con." you say blushing. Your ass was sore and you could still feel yourself coming down from the orgasm he gave you and you absolutely loved it. Loved that it was him that did it.

"I don't want to ever see you with another guy that isn't me." Conrad admits staring so intently at you. Your heart flutters and you nod your head. You feel his arms pull you even closer as he waits, still nervous that you'll reject him. It's a fear he's had the moment you two started being friends with benefits. He had always liked you.

"And I don't want to be with any guy that isn't you." You smile at Conrad as you watch his worries fade away before he pulls you in for another kiss. He cups your face, holding you close to his body. You kiss him happy that your plan had worked and that he's finally yours.

"I'm going to kill Cam by the way." Conrad says as you two pull away. His lips are still against yours and you can't help but to laugh when he says this.

"It's okay, he's expecting it."

-

The way i wrote this in less than an hour lmao sorry if there's any errors, I haven't proofread it yet!

[girlfriendstan]

after this live, i can’t stop thinking about how much of a tease camboy!gyuvin would be. he’d go on stream wearing nothing but a white bathrobe and lean forward to talk to his viewers, making his robe’s neckline plunge down to show peeks of his bare chest.

“take it off,” camboy!gyuvin would read from the comments with a smirk, but he’d tighten the ribbon on his robe in response. not long after, he’d hear his favorite cha-ching sounds from the livestream platform, signaling a paid request from him to strip.

giving in, gyuvin would slip out of his robe teasingly slow, but he’d show the stream a good view of him shirtless eventually, with his nipples perking up and his slender but toned torso in full display. that doesn’t seem to be enough for his viewers since he’s still covering his crotch with his discarded robe.

another clinking sound would fill his ears while he coyly plays with his nipples for the stream. this time, the requests are getting lewder, all of them sending the same message. “show us your cock,” he peers closer to the screen before granting their wish.

as expected, camboy!gyuvin’s been packing, with his huge and girthy member filling up nearly a third of the screen. gyuvin would stroke experimentally, letting soft moans leave his lips while he pleasures himself. he cuts his actions short to stand up from his seat to supposedly adjust the camera, but really, he’s just giving his audience a better view of his fully nude body like the good whore he is.

camboy!gyuvin crouches down by the camera just enough to show off his nipples then slowly gets up, allowing everyone to get a closeup shot of his cock “accidentally.” he returns to his seat to stroke himself again, exhaling sharp breaths as he goes harder.

“want me to play with any toys?” he’d ask his viewers, who’ve seemed to triple since he got fully undressed. the comment section quickly gets filled with people asking camboy!gyuvin to fuck into a fleshlight, cash donations included. naturally, he obliges and takes out his fleshlight hidden in his seat, fitting his cock into the artificial tightness slowly but surely.

a loud groan leaves his mouth as gyuvin finally bottoms out, dragging the fleshlight up and down his impressive length. the sounds of his cock going in and out of the sex toy are obscene, which only serve to turn him on even more.

“need to be deep in real pussy right now,” camboy!gyuvin would tell his viewers, showing how horny and needy he’s gotten from a quick stroking session. “don’t you wish this was you,” he teases as he fucks into the fleshlight harder.

after a few more strokes, gyuvin would spill his release into the fleshlight, letting everyone know he reached his orgasm through a loud round of moaning. he strokes his softening member a couple of times to satisfy his commenters’ desires of seeing his cock a little more.

camboy!gyuvin would show off his tainted fleshlight for his viewers, letting some of his cum drip out of the fucked-out toy to show how proud he was of the mess he made.

waiting for the next stream of requests, camboy!gyuvin would spread his legs wide and expose his puckered asshole. surprisingly, his viewers can’t get enough of this new sight, so they flood his comments with “bend over”s and “finger yourself”s, among other requests begging him to make good use of his tight hole.

“fuck myself with a dildo?” camboy!gyuvin would giggle upon reading the unfiltered demand. “you’d have to pay a lot more for that one,” he’d quip teasingly, but his smug grin quickly gets replaced with shock when he hears a symphony of clinks.

[rachalixie]

a/n: @cosmic-railwayxo mentioned that minho is sweet nothing by taylor swift coded and then send me a bunch of soft shit so i had no choice

you’re tired.

it’s the kind of bone-deep tiredness that only comes with weeks of exhaustion, countless interactions with people you never wanted to see again, work that seemed endless despite the pile you had accomplished, rainy days and windy nights that were equally unbearable. demands and demands of your time and attention and energy that you felt used up and thrown out.

and you had to go home and make dinner for yourself, having maxed out your take-out funds for the third week in a row. living on your own was it’s own haven in a way, but there were times where you dreamed of coming home to a warm, candle scented living room and a personal chef waiting with your favorite meal cooked and warm for you. 

your hands feel like lead as you open your door, your body sags against the wall as you kick off your shoes, your mind feels so muddled that you don’t even notice the soft melody fading out from the kitchen until you’re stepping into it. 

the room fades out, as do all the senses in your body except for the ones that sense him. minho, wearing your silly frilly apron, bent over a bit as he takes something that smells divine out of the oven. there’s a small smile on his face, closed lips humming a tune that you’ve heard time and time again - the one he sings to his cats, the one he sings to his mom, the one he sings to you when he thinks that you’re asleep. the one that has no real rhythm, the one that doesn’t make sense, the one that’s just so him that you feel tears pricking at your eyes just hearing it. 

he looks up at you after he places the baking dish on the stovetop, all crinkly eyed and scrunched nose and it feels like you’re hit with a physical wave of affection. he looks like he belongs there, safe and sound in your kitchen as if it is his home too. the room lights up, soft glowing waves bouncing off the walls centered around him, and you move towards him like a firefly towards a glow. 

“long day?” he says, soft voice twirling through the air. he presses a smooth palm to your cheek in a caress, letting his thumb run across the bone there. “i let myself in and made dinner.”

“you didn’t have to,” you choke out a bit, leaning into his touch. you glance at the dish he made - not your favorite, but you’re thankful for that. it grounds you, reminds you that this is not a dream and that he is actually real. actually this thoughtful. “thank you.”

he just hums in response, resting his chin on your head as he wraps his arms around you fully, pressing you into his body. he makes you feel so small in a way you never expected to love so much, you feel protected and cared for and he never asks for anything in return. his love for you is unconditional, as unwavering as the sun in the sky or the mountains painting the earth. 

and though he had stopped, his song was still playing in your head.

outside, they're push and shoving

you're in the kitchen humming

all that you ever wanted from me was nothing

[milkycarnations]

Three's a Crowd | Brian/Reader/Tim | 2.1k words

Divider can be found here. just a small oneshot featuring Brian with two subs.

one-shot masterlist | mdni | cw: first time anal, orgasm control, dirty talk, dry humping

“Well, aren’t you special?” Brian’s voice drawled out with a satisfied hum. He was more than amused. Startled, you and Tim pulled off of each other, saliva still stringing your lips together and your fingers still tangled in Tim's hair. It was horrifying, as if your parent had walked in and caught you doing something nasty. 

“Both of my subs getting up to no good - and you didn’t even offer to let me watch?” he lilted with mock upset. 

“I didn’t hear you come in,” Tim grumbled. His hands gripped your waist tightly, preparing to end the makeout session and pull you from his lap. 

“And I didn’t ask you to stop. Go ahead.” 

You felt Brian walk up behind you, his eyes boring into your back. This situation was an embarrassment. You and Tim were desperate, it was only natural that you'd turned to each other - even though there wasn't a dominant bone in either of your bodies. Brian was busy. There was no way in hell you'd throw yourself at him. It was a sure-fire way to be sadistically teased and humiliated. That's exactly how you ended up on top of Tim, grinding in his lap as you sloppily made out. You glanced back to look at him. 

"What?" your words came out breathier than you'd hoped, falling in line with Tim's breaths.

"You heard me," he came even closer, "Keep going." 

Tim's hands readjusted, grabbing at your hips now with anticipation. Beneath you, you felt him grow harder, obviously expecting something to happen between the three of you. 

"You're serious?" you weren't sure what you expected, but Tim knew what he wanted. His mouth came to your neck, sucking and licking at the flesh - just where you liked it.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"  Brian pressed up against your back, hips resting by your shoulders.

To be fair, it always felt like he was joking when he had that shit-eating grin on his face. A calloused hand grabbed at your face, squished your cheeks, and pushed you into Tim. 

"Be a good girl and kiss him back." 

Tim whimpered beneath you as he greedily moved to your lips. Unbothered by Brian's presence, he continued where you both left off and bucked his cock up into you. His hard-on was tight in his jeans and the friction from your pants left you tingling. 

"There you go. See, that wasn't so hard," 

Brian's hand moved to your hair, holding your head in place for Tim. The way he gripped your hair always sent a chill down your spine. When Tim's hands dipped to cup your ass, you bit hard on his lip. The involuntary moan that pulled from him made Brian chuckle. Your face was flaming with heat at the wet spot growing in your pants, but that didn't slow Tim down. He was desperate to cum, even if it was from dry humping you on the edge of his bed. The rutting grew erratic and rushed and Tim started panting. His hand must've brushed against Brian's body, because Tim dragged himself away from your face and started to beg. 

"Brian, please! I need to-" 

The subtle depth to his voice made him sound all the more desperate and he whined and keened. 

"Lay down." 

There was a mere moment of hesitation before Tim laid on his back, eager to pull his cock out.

"And scoot up," 

Brian pushed you forward, sending you toppling over Tim's chest. The two of you shuffled up the mattress towards the headboard. Initially, Tim pouted at the sight of Brian walking away, but he perked up as he started rummaging through the nightstand. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a bottle of lube. Tim's mind immediately began to wander, fully expecting Brian to fuck him while you rode on top. It was by far the position he loved the most and he was trying hard to contain himself. 

"Fuck," Tim shuffled to take off his pants.

"No. Those stay on." Brian demanded. 

You paused. Normally, you were wet enough that you didn't need lube. You were especially wet enough now. All Brian needed to do was look. If the lube wasn't for Tim, then-

Brian reached around you and unbuttoned your pants. He tugged them all the way off and tossed them to the floor. 

"Oh wow," he cooed, "You two really were busy. You're dripping already, soaked through your panties. How long have you two been going at it?" 

Neither of you answered. You were both confused, and truth be told, you had no clue how long you'd been grinding against each other. Your panties came off next, followed by Brian's jeans and boxers.

"You should've taken the opportunity to cum while you had the chance," Brian lifted your hips up, situating your pussy above Tim's clothed cock. Farther up, your head rested against his chest. The lube bottle clicked open and closed as Brian slicked up his fingers. 

"Oh!" you yipped.

He rubbed his fingers against your ass before pushing one inside. It felt strange. You'd never done this before - not even with him. Your cunt was right there. Why would he- you let out a shuddered moan. 

"That feel good?" 

Whimpering, you nodded your head. It felt good, but not nearly enough. He continued to work his fingers, graduating to two with ease. Oh my god, why hadn't you tried this before? As he pulled out, you whined at the loss of his touch, but you stiffened when you heard the bottle of lube open again. Brian sighed as he stroked his cock. You managed to look at Tim's face. His pupils were blown wide in disbelief and ecstasy. Conflicted, but desperately horny as he watched Brian play with you.

"What are you making that pathetic face for?" Brian cackled as he worked to lube his dick. 

"I thought..." 

Tim really was pathetic. You felt pity for him as he genuinely seemed mortified. 

"You assumed. You know what they say about that - heh." he giggled to himself before continuing, "but neither of you asked. That's rather inconsiderate. I'd even say distasteful. Relax baby," 

The last part was directed to you as he moved his dry hand across the swell of your ass and patted the flesh. You were both so dumbfounded, realization hadn't truly kicked in until Brian pressed the head of his cock against your hole. Your eyes shot open, and you cried out as your hands gripped tightly against the fabric Tim's shirt. 

"Shh, relax," he tutted, voice tender. Brian worked himself in slowly. His cock stretched you open, but he had prepped you with plenty of lube. It didn't hurt. If anything, it was slightly uncomfortable, but that was only because- 

"You're a virgin," Brian said suddenly. Tim was baffled. You weren't a virgin.

"Do you have any idea what's going on up here?" Brian leaned in to whisper, "I'm gonna fuck her in the ass." he spoke matter-of-factly.

Sandwiched between them, you mewled out in pleasure. It was unlike anything you had ever felt before. Under Brian, your hips slumped down as you found it difficult to support yourself with wobbly knees. Your knees were weak, your legs were weak - your whole body felt weak. Tim whined out, a high-pitched noise unlike anything you'd heard from him. Once Brian bottomed inside of you, he leaned back and tore your hips up. 

"Stay still. I don't want your clit touching anything because you're not cumming tonight. Neither of you." 

Wailing at his words you muffled yourself into Tim's chest. Brian began to slowly draw out of you. 

"That's not fair!" Tim panted. You thought the same. It wasn't fair and Brian was right: you should've cum together before he walked in.

"What about it?" 

"Why does she get to be touched and not me? I asked, I wanted-" 

Brian interrupted, "Because I know you and I can't trust you not to make a mess all over yourself. You'll cum on accident and then you'll just take the punishment like you always do. This is the punishment. A better punishment, because you like pain too much." he emphasized and thrusted back in. "Besides, if she cums while I'm in her ass... Fuck, then I think she deserves it, huh? Wouldn't that be impressive?"

Your legs straightened, "As long as you keep your fucking hips up!" he yelled and placed you back above Tim's legs.

Tim was clearly upset, but he was more flustered than anything. Though it was torture, watching this unfold above him was making his cock leak. Tim was hoping - praying - that Brian would change his mind. Hoping that after, Brian would let him cum anyway. A mixture of lube and slick gathered down your pussy and pooled at your clit. Gravity forced it down and it dripped between your legs in a thick, sticky strand. Tim gasped as it landed on his jeans above his cock and soaked into the fabric. 

"Be a good girl and tell Tim what he's missing." 

Brian began to rut into you at a proper pace, his skin slapping against your ass and thighs. 

"AH- it feels, good!" 

"You can do better than that." 

"It's big," you quieted. Dirty talk would never not be embarrassing. 

"What's big? Use your words for me and tell him."

"Your cock - his cock is big." you told Tim, but he knew that already, too. "It's making me wet and I'm aching, please!" you blabbered out. His cock was dizzying, but it still wasn't enough. If anything, it made your cunt feel needy and sad, because you wanted nothing more than for Brian to be inside it.

"Please, what?" 

"Fuck me," 

"I'm already fucking you." 

Tim squirmed beneath you. He was making unbroken eye contact with Brian, tears brimming in his eyes. 

Drool fell from your tongue. What the hell? Each thrust forced a moan from your lips. 

"God, such a whore for my cock. Are you drooling? Maybe I should do this more often." sniffling, you nodded vigorously, "Good girl, begging me to do something that won't even make you cum. Tim should take some lessons from you. No arguing, no complaining." 

"Brian please, I'm sorry." he started. 

"Now you apologize? What took you so long?" 

"Please, it hurts." 

"So shallow," you could practically hear Brian's smirk, "you're only apologizing because your dick hurts?" 

"I know, I'm sorry, but I can't take it anymore." 

At this point, Tim's jeans looked unbearably tight. He was bucking up and grinding into nothing, the weight of your chest on his driving him insane. 

"That's too bad. I'm gonna cum now. You can think about what that might feel like." Brian's voice was audibly growing hoarser as he neared his orgasm, and Tim sobbed as he realized he wasn't going to get his way. Brian's hips stuttered, each thrust a faint burst of pleasure. It felt as if he was hitting your g-spot from the other side, but it was hardly enough to get close to cumming. You too had started crying as your cunt fluttered around nothing, holding onto Tim tightly.

"Fuck!" Three pumps until he stilled deep inside of you. Brian let out a satisfied sigh before pulling out, cum and lube falling onto Tim's lap again. Tim trembled at the sensation of his wet pants. You went to flop against Tim, but Brian yanked you up and onto your knees. 

"Absolutely not. Both of you need to calm down, first. I'm not gonna let you cum humping each other like dogs. Oh, look at your pretty face." a finger shot to wipe the tears off of your cheeks, "You did so good." 

"Brian, I'm BEGGING you," 

Tim words had become even more frantic. Reaching your hand out, you tugged on Brian's shirt. 

"Please?" 

"Both of you now? Really?" 

"Didn't I earn it?" you pouted. 

He smirked in a way that you knew he had an idea. A hand reached your back as he pushed you onto Tim once more. 

"If you're so desperate," leaning over, he pressed down on your shoulder, making your cunt rub against Tim's jeans. The sticky lube and cum was cold against you. "Just like this. I'll give you a minute, exactly. Quick." 

Instantly, you were all over each other. It only took a few firm thrusts to push your swollen clit over the edge. Being on top gave you a good advantage. Tim wasn't as lucky. Forty-five seconds later, an arm snaked around your waist and tore you away. 

"Fuck, I'm not done!" 

"Minute's up, sorry. Better luck next time?"

[lilisgardensblog]

Stream theory! time:

I am here to write my thoughts about the Neuvillette part of the stream/trailer, feel free to share yours too!

"The Melusines can't be trusted! That goes for Neuvillette too!"

So, first I have to say I'm heartbroken to hear that the Melusines and Neuvillette can't be trusted, but idc idc i trust them no matter what. And the Melusines saying: "I'm confident that we'll find the meaning of our existence one day" truly broke my heart.

To keep going with the Neuvillette angst we have The Chief of Justice himself saying: "I find it difficult to express my emotions, because I cannot fully understand myself" The struggle to deal with accusations from your own people that they don't trust you while being unable to show them how you really feel... and to add to that whatever rumours saying that u were born from calamity?? I'm so confused and sooo hyped to get the full lore.

'is this what justice means to u? answer me neuvillette!'

First, let me point out THE VOICE ACTING FOR THIS LINE IS CHEF KISS. It sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. And every time I hear it I'm thinking, what verdict did Neuvillette come to for Wrio to deliver such a powerful line? Maybe it's about Lyney and Lynette? Because we hear Freminet asking Wrio about his siblings and I'm thinking that maybe Wrio goes and demands an explanation from Neuvillette?

"You will see much in the human world, from the delightful to the depressing and one day, when you have dwelt among humanity long enough, you will be placed to bring judgement over all, as the spokesperson for Fontaine's past"

Can't move on from this line without pointing out the informal addressing here. No Monsieur or anything. Straight up Neuvillette. I'm curious to see how close the characters are and why does Wrio sounds so hurt/betrayed.

edit: a lot of people told me the voice line is from an npc but im too tired to delete everything👍

THIS??? raised so many questions in my head it's crazy. it's unnecessary. The hold this last line has on me is absurd. I think it's directly addressed to Neuvillette and I'm curious why is he the one bringing judgement over all? why is he the one shown all alone in a grey and dull Fontaine?why not Furina? What does "spokesperson for Fontaine's past" suppose to mean??Like we already speculated about him being the Hydro Dragon, but this is *sniff* i smell GREAT storyline.

Genshin is about to drop heeeeavy lore and I'm here for it.

"its unnecessary to hold me in such high regard"

Last line in the trailer. Neuvillette said this right after being shown as one of the most powerful people in the whole nation really. He is either really modest or just tries to hide the fact that he's the most powerful in the nation. Or both. Honestly I'm not even sure of what to say about this, I just had to add it here because Neuvillette said it and I'm in whoo for him.

Him🤝Zhongli , fancy talking and acting like they don't have supreme power.

Last thought: this trailer was so powerful and sad over all. I'm expecting the archon quest to be an emotional rollercoaster with one or two emotional punches. I just know Neuvillette story will make me sob. Just look at him.

p.s. : I saw someone pointing out that the creators said that Neuvillette made a law so that the Melusines to be addressed as she/her and that fills my heart with joy. Neuvillette is shown to be oh so powerful and 'born from calamity' or whatever and yet he's one of the sweetest and kindest characters. 🫶🏼

Conclusion: i love neuvillette and idc about false accusations 😊🫶🏼

[bluejeanstrash]

you’re so right … something about him in a button up is just so *shivers* … so if you don’t mind, what are your thoughts on ceo husband woozi?!?

- 💐 anon

now…about ceo husband woozi.

- first, let’s talk about him as a ceo—universally loved and deeply respected. he’s very humble and never makes a big deal about his position, but his quiet competence demands respect.

- and he expects this respect to be extended to you. his wife will be treated with respect and if he sees anyone doing otherwise, that person is gone. period. no second chances when it comes to you.

- he’s personable but usually reserved when interacting with his employees but when someone asks about you his face visibly lights up.

- kind of a wife-guy. in the best way. like, will make sure his schedule doesn’t interrupt lunch with you (and if someone calls he’ll very calmly remind them i’m with my wife right now. now’s not the time), will always send over a car when you’re coming to the office, etc. basically will make sure you’re comfortable and taken care of, always.

- is unaware of how hot people find him in the office. i don’t see woozi as a suit-wearing ceo but more of a shirt with sleeves rolled up (yes, this is self-indulgent) and formal pants type. plus a very expensive heavy watch he wears on his wrist, which is his only ‘show’ of wealth. and when he folds his built arms during meetings, his face all serious, the employees are LOOKING and lamenting god, i want him so bad. his wife is so lucky.

- unfortunately for them woozi has never even looked at anyone else and literally has no interest in anyone else. his entire being is devoted to you, and you’re the only one he desires.

- very proudly keeps his arm wrapped around your waist at formal events while he talks you up, his amazing wife. and at the dinners, he keeps one hand resting on your thigh, sometimes to reassure you with his presence and other times to caress and tease till you get worked up.

- speaking of getting worked up…he loves fucking you in his office. what really turns him on is a quickie before his meetings. if he has a meeting at 3:30 pm, woozi’s buried deep inside you at 3:24.

both of you are fully clothed, only his pants are unzipped and your dress has been pulled up. he makes you sit on his lap and ride him while his hands grip your waist tight. as you bounce on his dick, he groans, eyes dropping to his watch to check the time every few seconds. they’re going to be walking in here in 6 minutes. be a good little girl and cum for me. and when you tell him you can’t yet he simply says then you can cum while they all watch, because i’m not letting you go until i feel you dripping down my cock.

and so you speed up, fucking him faster as you play with your clit, his heavy grunts pushing you closer and closer until you start to cum, squeezing around his cock which always pushes him over edge. as you feel him release his warm thick cum inside you, there’s a polite knock on the door. sir, it’s time for your 3:30 meeting. should i let them in?

you quickly pull off him, both of you fixing yourselves as he tells his secretary to send them in. he smiles, giving you little tap on the ass as everyone walks in, bowing to him respectfully. come in, just give me a minute, i’m just saying goodbye to my wife. everyone bows to you politely as you walk to the door, woozi’s hand around your waist and his cum dripping down the side of your thigh.

i’ll see you at home, love. he leans in to give you a kiss on the cheek, just like a respectable ceo husband would, pretending like he didn’t just cum inside you a minute earlier.

-

so, anyway, those are my thoughts on ceo husband woozi.

[lilacxquartz]

Those Late Summer Nights I Chapter 18

Satoru Gojo × Fem!Reader × Suguru Geto

ABOUT: You moved to Tokyo over the summer to take a teaching job. As you get settled in, you find yourself entangled in a toxic dynamic.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Suguru takes you to your hometown, finally ready to fulfil his promise. Satoru in the meantime spirals, deciding on a bleak outcome for you both.

< Previous Chapter • Final Chapter >

18. Consequences

By the time Suguru finally returned, it was already deep into the night. You couldn’t bring yourself to occupy your time with much else while he was away, instead surrendering your mind to a blank state of mind. All you could do was lay in bed and passively browse your phone, ignoring those who attempted to reach out.

Satoru was one of them, but you didn’t even bother looking at what he was sending you.

You cycled between that and simply just rolling onto your back to stare off into the darkness for the majority of the night; never once bothering to turn the lights back on. You figured that since your mind was already in a dark place, that it wouldn’t have made a difference no matter what you did.

Suguru walked back inside flipping on a dim light anyway, dumping some familiar looking bags onto the floor by the doorway. Your eyes flicked over to the sight, squinting to see your suitcase and your laundry bag filled with the rest of your stuff.

“What’s all this?” you asked groggily, stretching out your arms and pretending that what happened earlier on didn’t happen at all. It was easier than facing the truth.

Suguru let out a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, figuring out how to explain anything at all to you, “We’re going on a little trip, remember?”

“To my hometown, right?” you remembered, but it still didn’t explain the amount of things he brought back.

He paused for a moment, assessing your mental state before continuing, “To your hometown and then somewhere else, yes.”

You nodded despite not understanding fully, “Okay…?”

“Let’s just say that you’re not going back to Shoko’s,” he admitted after a moment of strained silence, walking himself over to the bed where you lay to break the news to you, “I’ve settled the rent for this month and the next, but she’s going to have to learn to live without you.”

“B-but why…?” you asked with a slight frown. You wanted to go back at some point. You liked living with her. It was the only part of your life that made sense.

Was he really expecting you to just move in with him without even asking you?

“It’ll be okay,” he added, sighing deeply again. He wanted to assure you, but he didn’t exactly know the proper way to do it.

“W-will it…?” you asked in a wary tone.

He dipped his tongue in-between his lips as though he wanted to say something but swallowed his words away. He wanted to lie and say that it was all in fact going to be just fine, but it was much more complicated than that. Instead, he looked at you with a strained look, hoping to get you on board with something else he had planned.

Running his hand along your thigh, he patted at your pocket where your phone was, “Do me a favour, will you?”

You sat up slightly, leaning your back against the headboard.

“Yeah?” you asked.

“Delete everyone you know from your contacts except me,” he requested. His tone was however firm and it sounded much more like a demand.

In response, you couldn’t even reply aside from a quizzing hum. Your eyes squinted at him as you took in his weary state, the exhaustion clearly clinging to his face. In his eyes, you didn’t look that much worse than he did; both equally tired from each other.

“You don’t need anyone else right now,” he added, tapping on your thigh, “just me.”

You cautiously took your phone out of your pocket and navigated over to the contacts under his watchful gaze. While Suguru wasn’t being the least bit forceful about this physically, his implications and authoritative tone made it clear that he wasn’t going to be giving you a choice in the matter at all.

With a deep sigh, you reluctantly deleted just about everyone off of your phone except for your parents and him.

“Done,” you concluded.

“Lemme see,” he replied, holding out his hand so that you could hand him your phone, disagreeing with your actions before speaking up again, “I said everyone, didn’t I?”

Frowning a bit deeper, you couldn’t help but protest just a little, “But… but… my family?”

“Everyone,” he repeated, his voice carrying a slightly more hostile tone than before. He did take a deep breath before going off the deep end though, forcing himself to calm down before handing your phone back to you.

He would have done it himself, but there was just something more symbolic from having you do it by yourself in his eyes. It was a personal and selfless act on your behalf, to let go of your old life in favour of him.

“Done yet?” he asked.

You nodded, showing him the screen.

“Alright,” he continued, not quite believing his own words as he continued to talk; was it even him at this point? “Go to your texts and clear everyone’s messages and… if anyone tries to call or text you again, just block ‘em.”

You hesitantly did so as he kept asking on and off to keep track of your progress, his demeanour seeming much less tense and more so relaxed the emptier that your phone became.

“Perfect, perfect…” he praised.

The two of you continued to sit in a strained silence for the next couple of minutes, not saying a single word. You didn’t really have much to say on your end because you were just hoping that this was all some sort of strangely realistic nightmare that you were going to be waking up from any minute now, while Suguru was hoping that this would be the last of the madness that the two of you would ever have to endure.

There were only two things left to do now.

To kill Yui.

And to move you all somewhere different. You, him and the girls. It would have been a fresh start for you all.

He did consider confronting Satoru, but he already knew that it wouldn’t have done shit. He leaned his body back, settling across the bed and joined you in staring into nothingness. This sort of thing wasn’t too uncommon back when he was a teenager, he remembered. He’d be interested in a girl and then Satoru would too, then eventually they’d both move on. It was different when they were all grown up though. It felt personal now, especially since he had real feelings towards you.

If Satoru just stayed in his own lane to begin with, then he’d never end up in this sort of mess with you.

It wasn’t your fault either; you simply got caught up in the middle of the crossfire.

Still, this sort of progression made sense. At least somewhat. He didn’t quite feel as though he belonged to jujutsu tech to begin with—not quite agreeing with who he was supposed to be protecting. Just even considering it, with how the girls were treated back in the village and how Yui got away with ruining your life… maybe the regular people of the world didn’t deserve it, after all.

“I really gotta ask,” he spoke up again after a while, taking his thoughts from his head and into the open, “you’re committed to me, right?”

You sighed as you felt trapped; not quite having a choice in the matter. You didn’t want to be left alone though, at least not after everything, so you nodded against your better judgement.

“Yes,” you followed up with, your voice sounding a little strained.

“Good, that’s good…” he trailed off, seeming content, “I guess I am too.”

You drummed your fingers along the mattress as your eyes focused on the bedroom door; your sights flickering on and off your stuff that sat piled up on the floor. Something about the whole situation didn’t sit quite right with you. He didn’t bother unpacking a single bag which threw you off. You were both going on a trip together sure and he was likely tired, but something about the way he was acting overall left you feeling uneasy.

“I should probably fix my, um, sleep schedule,” you replied, baiting him into a hopeful answer, knowing already that he wasn’t going to be direct with you unless you triggered the right context, “work’s starting soon and I need to get up earlier soon enough.”

Suguru shushed you just as you concluded your sentence, sitting up in bed with you again, “Nah, you’re not gonna be doing that,” he added, confirming your suspicions, “we’re gonna go to your town and then once the girls are back, we’re… going somewhere else.”

“Oh,” you blankly replied, wondering what he could have possibly meant.

“Yeah, just me… you… and the girls,” he reassured you, sensing your hesitation, “they’ll love you, don’t worry.”

“I-I suppose,” you nodded, not quite looking forward to the idea.

Giving your leg a gentle squeeze, he tried to ease you into the idea, “You wanted to change lives with teaching, right? You’ll still get to do that, it’ll just be more… personal.”

“I-I, uh, yeah, I guess I want to do that.”

“Then that’s what you’ll do,” he concluded, settling on the very thought on your behalf, not quite considering that you might not have wanted to do that at all.

~~~

The next couple of days felt surreal. A couple of knocks cycled on and off on the front door and your phone would at times ring, or you’d get a text but you simply just ignored everything that came your way. Most of your time was spent alone as Suguru tied off loose ends in real life, preparing to make a life changing move.

You recognised Shoko’s voice on and off at the front door talking to Suguru in what seemed to be a neutral voice. You partially hoped for her to get you out of this whole mess, but she didn’t seem to pry too much which only confirmed just how bleak the outlook truly was.

(She wanted to drop you a hint that she was actually on your side, but she had to be secretive about it. You were in a bad place right now and Suguru could read you a little too well, so she had to keep as level of a head as possible.)

Satoru swung by too, at times. He didn’t seem to act upset around Suguru either, acting suspiciously friendly with him and pretending that nothing was actually going on. It felt strangely infuriating almost to listen to the pair joke and talk as though nothing was going on, even though there was something complex warring beneath the surface.

Suguru was trying to keep his upcoming disappearance a secret from him, while Satoru plotted something much more sinister.

The way Satoru saw it was that specifically you were a complication.

It was all going just fine until his perfectly intact friend group received some sort of anomaly tearing them all apart in all sorts of directions which was becoming something of a problem.

The issue was though, that he wasn’t willing to just simply let you go. No, he considered it, but the idea never settled. Initially, he was going to request to transfer you to a jujutsu school far across the country—somewhere far away enough that none of them would run into you ever again, except in maybe an emergency. That much would have been fine, but no, something more darker festered within his deeper desires.

Maybe he could get rid of you in a different sort of way, while keeping hold of you. All he had to do was finally take the offer to move into a house on the estate grounds, finally selling off the penthouse. Then, he could flesh out the interior basement and simply just… stash you away.

Problem was though, it was risky (and was also surely insane).

But he did have the means. He could afford to do it discreetly and forge any required document into clear authenticity just by getting into contact with the right people. His family surely had the connections to do so, hell, he was content even with silencing anyone who looked too deep into what he was truly up to.

All he had to do was get you at the right time and at the right place and actually pull it off.

If he did though, then things had the potential to go back to normal.

So with that idea in mind, he pretended that everything was fine.

Completely unaware of what Suguru was truly up to.

Completely unaware of just how Shoko was planning to intercept them both.

~~~

Come the day of the road trip, it was surprisingly not too stressful of a day, all things considered. Just about everything needed was already packed away into the boot of the car and you didn’t have to do too much on your end. All you truly could do throughout the week was simply exist, so this was more so a welcome break away from your own unsettling thoughts, if anything.

The drive was a quiet one, like usual. This time there were no strange stops to the side of the road though and Suguru actually played music for you to listen to, though nothing too upbeat. Something relaxed and easy to doze off to, if needed and when you finally arrived there after many, many hours, you didn’t feel too weary from the ride, either.

He ended up parking his black sedan right in the dead centre of the town square, where the week parking was. It wasn’t too late just yet, but in his district of Tokyo, it would have been bustling, yet it was starkly empty. Your town never really got tourists either since there wasn’t much to do, so at the most there were probably a handful of teenagers loitering by the bicycle racks near the train platform with nobody else around.

In the city, it was of course going to be different. You couldn’t deny that much. It was going to be populated at least by the dozens on every street you looked at during the evening, even in the lesser central areas.

Getting out of the car, Suguru looked around, wiping his forehead as the heat of summer forced sweat to trickle down his skin.

“Well,” he began as he scrolled his eyes around, kicking the door shut as he watched you leave the passenger side, “this is a dump.”

“Yeah…” you agreed, not even being able to deny it.

“Alright, just give me a tour or something,” he muttered under his breath, blipping the vehicle shut before tucking the keys back into his pocket.

You proceeded to guide him awkwardly around the town per his request, even though you weren't particularly sure what he wanted out of the whole place. The walk itself was just as uneventful as the car ride and he seemed to bitterly take in the scenery as you walked through the area.

After a while, his voice softened and he tried to break the silence with you again, “You know, I’m sorry that you were a victim of this place.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, watching him kick a rock on the pavement as you both walked.

“You didn’t deserve to grow up here,” he added.

“I mean, I didn’t really have a choice,” you replied.

“And that’s exactly what I mean,” he sighed, feeling a bit bothered with having to repeat his point, although he did realise by himself once again that he wasn’t making a whole lot of sense to you, “you… you were simply a victim of the wrong place at the wrong time and to the wrong people.”

“I guess?” you agreed bitterly with a nod, he wasn’t really making much sense still but you supposed that you got the gist of the sentiment.

“What happens next is a consequence of that fact,” he added as he slipped his hand into yours.

“Suguru…?” you warily asked.

“I’m finally gonna fix things for you and I’m so sorry that you had to wait so long.”

The rest of the walk continued onwards without a single word said for a while because you didn’t exactly know how to reply to him on that front, nor was he expecting you to do so. It did however feel comforting to a messed up extent though, that he recognised that what happened here wasn’t your fault.

Eventually, you subconsciously led him to your own house and paused in your tracks.

He was the first to break the silence, “So this is where you used to live, huh?”

You nodded, frowning a little. You were silently praying that your parents wouldn’t notice you, especially after the rushed visit to leave from last time and the very fact that you have been dodging their attempts to get into contact with them for the last week or so.

Just as you turned around though, you heard a familiar voice.

“[name]?” you recognised the voice as your mother’s, feeling an uncomfortable shiver run down your spine as you were forced to confront her.

You turned around slowly, noticing the slightly ajar door and her concerned expression. It was a weekend and it was the evening, so of course your parents would be home. They probably spotted you from the living room. Suguru did not let go of your hand for a single second as he narrowed his gaze at her, pulling you slightly back as though to silently urge you to not stick around for too long.

“Um,” you couldn’t reply with much else than just strained sounds, “I…”

“You’re… here?” she asked again, her eyes flickering towards Suguru and then back towards you, attempting to figure out his involvement with you and what was going on exactly.

“Just a quick visit,” you finally replied, forcing yourself to hopefully ease her worries, hoping that she wouldn’t notice what sort of trouble you were entangled in because if she did, then what was she going to do exactly? Your parents weren’t sorcerers, they couldn’t even begin to take him on.

Despite tethering to your side, Suguru surprisingly didn’t protest when your mother approached you to pull you over to the side for a quick word.

Keeping you slightly out of reach from the company you kept, she leaned in and asked you out of genuine care while your father was still distracted in the living room, “Is everything alright with you?”

You weren’t particularly used to her being this way with you. Your father had been tough on you both when you were growing up, but it did leave you feeling somewhat nostalgic for the brief glimpses in your memory when it was just you and her alone when he was held up at work. The simpler times, before you could properly understand just how strained your own family relations were.

“I’m fine,” you lied, “I promise.”

She frowned ever so slightly, pulling you into a hug while warily shooting Suguru a look, letting go once your father had joined the scene. The way that Suguru looked at you in an almost possessive manner reminded her of when she was younger and just how equally pressured she felt from your father, silently praying that you weren’t caught up in anything similar.

“You’re sure?” she mouthed to you, her voice barely a whisper.

You nodded before briefly paying an acknowledging nod to your father, taking a couple of steps back and then turning towards Suguru when he cleared his throat to remind you that he was still there.

As you left your family home for a second time, you couldn’t help but look back at your parents one last time and the all too familiar look in your mother’s eyes.

(Were you really that different, after all?)

Finally back within his grasp, Suguru walked off in the direction you had in mind, his arm wrapping around your shoulder, “Took you long enough.”

“Was I supposed to just ignore her…?” you asked.

He shrugged, glancing back with a look of slight disdain in his eyes, “Nah, you’re alright. Can see where you got your lack of spine from, though.”

Frowning, you felt just a little bit of hurt course through your body, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“What?” he teased a little, squeezing you tighter into his body as you both walked, his demeanour seeming somehow drastically different after that exchange, almost spiteful—resentful, even, “It’s true, isn’t it? The fact you’re asking me about it rather than jumping to defend yourself is evident enough.”

“It’s just rude though,” you mumbled.

“Case and point,” he teased, finally relaxing his hold on you, “don’t worry though, it’s all about to change.”

“It is…?” you asked, resigning to a sigh before he could reply. Maybe you shouldn’t be arguing back so much. He wasn’t exactly wrong, but the way he delivered his words left you feeling worse than anything else.

He hummed as he walked through the remainder of the town with you, hoping that you would eventually learn to stand up to him at least somewhat. He didn’t want you to take in the jabs and let them settle like a doormat as that much was boring, so he would continue to egg you on until it finally happened.

(Even if that was the wrong way to go about things.)

After a while though, he finally got to the point of the whole visit, needing some answers from you before moving forward with his promise to both himself as well as to you.

“Hey, [name]?” he asked you, squeezing your hand to grab your attention.

“Yeah?” you asked.

“I’m kinda curious about something, actually.”

You finally lifted up your chin to get a good look at him. He seemed deep in thought about something, almost appearing to be troubled.

“Yeah?”

“When you visited here last with… Satoru,” he began, “did you encounter Yui?”

“Y-yes, actually…” you confirmed.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment, turning to face you directly, “Anything happen?”

“N-not really,” you replied, trying to recall exactly what went down, “he made me ignore her and we just kinda left the next day.”

He scoffed, “Aw, that’s it?”

In a way, he was disappointed. Maybe though, Satoru just didn’t simply hold as big of a grudge against Yui as he did. He was the one who kept pressing for details about the bully when you all had first met, too, so he probably thought that you were exaggerating to an extent when you talked about the past. But Suguru knew about the cruelty of just regular people. Mimiko and Nanako were the living proof of that fact.

He supposed that in all of the wrong he had done, it wasn’t Satoru’s fault that he didn’t understand. He spent his entire life being told that he was the strongest, after all. The best protector for the people who didn’t know any better.

“I-I mean, it kind of worked?” you spoke up after a short pause.

Suguru’s tongue danced around his teeth for a moment as he considered his next response, furrowing his brows before coming to a conclusion. Suddenly smiling however as he relaxed his features, he brought you in a little bit closer as though to convince you that just a little bit more had to be done, “You shouldn’t let this shithole define you, you know?”

“I-I try not to…” you murmured.

“No, I mean it, like really mean it,” he persisted, starting to walk you through the street again, “all of the pent up anger, resentment and whatever vile shit that places like these harbour are reflected in the people that reside within them, you get me?”

You shook your head somewhat, despite your contradicting reply. “S-sort of?”

“[name], why would a peaceful little place like this even have cursed spirits to begin with?” he asked, trying a different approach with you.

“...B-because people’s troubled thoughts manifest as negative energy?”

“Correct,” he replied, squeezing your hand in approval, “but this place is so… quaint, isn’t it? There’s no real crime and as boring as it is, people seem pretty happy to waste their lives here. Yet, that’s not really how it went for you, was it?”

Attempting to keep up, you knitted your brows as he spoke, “N-no?”

“That’s because humanity is ugly. This whole town is ugly. There’s no escape from the negativity from people because people are inherently ugly on the inside,” he tried to emphasise, “and despite that, you still turned out to be good on the inside.”

“R-right,” you said as you continued to listen.

“What I’m trying to say, [name], is that you’re better than these people, these ordinary, boring people…” Suguru concluded as he tried not to trail off too much, “this town is better off without you.”

“So… why are we here then?” you asked.

“You can take a guess,” he replied, encouraging you to work it out for yourself.

However, you needed him to be clear, “Suguru…”

“Yui ruined your life, [name],” he sighed, “and she thinks she can get away with it because she’s got a bit of old money behind her name, but what she doesn’t realise is that despite all of that, she’s ordinary. Just a regular person. I think it’s time that she recognises that she fucked up the moment she ever laid a finger on you.”

Finally getting it, you couldn’t help but need him to say it, “W-what are you going to do?”

“People like Yui never gain a redemption arc, [name],” he continued, “they just simply learn to hide their malice better. So in return for all the hurt I gave you, I’m going to take all of that pent up rage—t-that… that pent up… betrayal and fix it by killing the person who started it all.”

Without saying a word you gulped down your thoughts and nodded, all the while Suguru carefully studied your expression for every person who passed you by, knowing exactly who Yui was from the moment your eyes glinted a certain way, from the moment you tensed up and just the way your breathing changed alone.

That this was it.

It wouldn’t fix everything, but he could finally do something right by you.

(And you would actually let him, because if you were being honest, you wanted for her to suffer, too.)

[polin-erospsyche]

I know there wasn’t time in the show, but I would love a scene of Colin picking out/designing the engagement and wedding ring and just see his thought process. Any fic writers out there, please feel free to write us one!

Ok, anon, know that when you send an ask like this to a person who writes fan fiction for fun that person will go "oh what a great idea! I'll have a go at it!" and then you end up with a 2K scene of Polin fluff. It's not exactly what you asked for but I hope you'll like it, especially considering that I haven't written fanfic in the longest of times (preferring playing with my own characters) and I was afraid of writing for Colin and Pen and not make their voice justice. I tried my best and I had a lot of fun writing it!

The quill's scratch against the thick paper resonated loudly in the quiet room. Penelope's thoughts raced faster than her hand could write. The gossip of the last few days created a frenzy in her mind, an unusual state for her. She had been writing for years and had always controlled the words she put down on paper. Yet recently, it had become harder somehow. The growing pressure from the Queen and London’s elite weighed heavily on her. People knew who she was, and she had vowed to use her quill more consciously. There was no more hiding behind her words and her column.

What she had failed to account for were the demands from the ladies and gentlemen. The socialites and aristocrats, with their veiled threats and insistent flattery, expected her to navigate their intrigues and scandals with care, yet with a sharpness that would entertain and inform. Each letter she received and each whispered rumor added to the weight on her shoulders. Her reputation had become a double-edged sword, granting her influence but also binding her to an unwritten contract with her readers. She remembered telling Eloise once that she had power; now she was fully realizing that power always came at a steep price.

She returned her quill to its inkwell on the desk, leaned back in her chair, and let out a long exhale. Her hands momentarily covered her face before gently sliding down to rest on her pregnant belly. Absentmindedly, she twirled her wedding band, tracing the contours of the bee and flower, finding comfort in the familiar ridges of the ring.

“You seem pensive.” The voice startled her from her thoughts. “How’s the writing going?” She looked up to see Colin standing in the doorway, a familiar and knowing grin on his face. He knew she had been struggling to write anything of note lately.

“How’s Thomas?” Penelope asked back without missing a beat. Their son was always a good topic of conversation; the state of her writing, not so much.

"Fast asleep," Colin replied, his grin softening into a tender smile.

"Of course he is. You spoil him too much. Did you know he won’t sleep unless you’re the one putting him to bed and singing him to sleep?" Penelope teased lightly.

"I'm certain that's not true."

"Well, it's been fifteen minutes since you put him to bed,” she glanced at the clock striking nine fifteen, “and here you are already. Yesterday, it took me a good half hour. I think I'm losing in this deal we made."

Balancing their household duties, social and professional obligations, and caring for their toddler had made finding quiet writing time increasingly rare. They had agreed to take turns putting Thomas to bed, granting each other much-needed solitude. Lately, though, Thomas had developed a clear preference for his father's bedtime routine, falling asleep in a matter of minutes, leaving Penelope with very little quiet time indeed.

“I can leave if you need some time,” Colin offered.

“And leave me to face the blank page?”

Colin furrowed his brows and strode purposefully across the room to stand beside her. Peering down at the paper she had been writing on, he remarked, “Calling it blank might be a bit of an overstatement.”

Words had been jotted down, so technically, it wasn’t a blank page. However, it was not a good page, and she could not publish it in this state. Yet she needed to submit something tonight to the printer—the Queen was expecting it.

“I think you’re overthinking this,” he added. “I think you need to step away from your desk.”

“Colin, I can’t. The Queen is waiting. I have to finish writing this tonight. Apparently, I’ve become an entertainer to the Queen and an ear for everybody else’s gossip,” Penelope said with a hint of frustration.

“Weren’t you always listening?”

“Believe it or not, there’s a difference between lurking behind a potted plant, eavesdropping, and having people visit, hoping for a favor in return,” Penelope retorted with a touch of irony.

“I, for one, am very glad you are in the center of the room. Really, you should be in the center of every room.”

At that moment, she looked up at him with eyes devoid of humor, only to meet his gaze filled with love and admiration. For a brief moment, the air seemed to escape her lungs. They had been married for months. They had a child together. They had settled into a routine that suited them both. Yet, sometimes it all still felt like a fleeting dream, almost too good to be true. It was everything she had endlessly dreamed of as a young girl, and now it was real, tangible. She wondered if she would ever fully grow accustomed to the way he looked at her before deciding that she preferred to always be pleasantly surprised.

He gently placed his hand on top of hers, stopping her fidgeting with the ring. Interlacing his fingers through hers, he gently pulled her towards him, and she moved with very little resistance. He slid his arms around her. This close, he smelled of ink and baby powder, a scent so comforting that she felt the tension release a little from her shoulders. Before she had time to fully sink into the safety he provided, she felt him pulling her closer still, slowly leading her away from the desk until they were standing in the center of the room. Tilting her head up to meet his blue eyes, she saw a glint of mischief, as if he was proud of himself for successfully drawing her away from her work. It was as if he whispered to her - it’s all right, the Queen will wait, the words will wait.

“You know how I know you are preoccupied?” he asked, still holding her, his fingers drawing small circles on the small of her back.

“I’m absent.” She bit her lower lip. She knew she had been. There but not entirely, part of her chained to her desk, to the next words she had to write. They were both like this, maybe it was the affliction of being a writer, a wandering mind. But he seemed to have a much easier time concealing his wandering. She envied his ability to be fully present with the ones he loved, giving them his undivided attention as if nothing else in the world mattered. It was part of his charm.

He gave a low chuckle. “No,” he said, to which she raised her eyebrows, so he quickly added, “I mean you are a little...” He paused as if choosing his words carefully, “...away sometimes.” She gave a resigned sigh. She was aware of her distractions, but she really would have preferred not to address them tonight. Before she could entirely withdraw from him, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. His gaze still held hers, intense. His breath warm against her skin. Then his thumb trailed over the wedding band she had been fiddling with. “It’s your tell.”

“The wedding ring? Is it a tell that I’m married to you?”

“You play with it when you are anxious or preoccupied. I see you, I know.”

Of course he did, just as she knew his tells. The way he furrowed his brows. The way he sometimes seemed to be searching for the right words. The way his quill hung in the air just so when he was writing, as if ready to catch the next word mid-air. She knew some of those tells, but living together, they had become mirrors for each other. They saw each other, they knew each other—sometimes, she thought, better than they knew themselves.

“I find it comforting,” she said to him, her hand suspended in the air between them. “Even if my writing days end up in ashes, I have this, I have you. It’s a promise that things will be all right.”

“That will not happen. It’s just a new normal, but by now, I believe we are adept at dealing with new normals.” He gently caressed her belly. “I think you’ll be writing as long as you’re breathing, and I love you for it. But for what it’s worth, I’m very glad you love the ring. I was so nervous the day I had it designed.”

“You, nervous? Why?” He had been rather swift in his proposal and securing the rings, but she could imagine him poring over ring designs, trying to guess which she would prefer. She wished she could have told him that it didn’t matter; as long as it was him she was marrying, she would have been happy with any ring. But she particularly loved the one he had chosen, so she asked, “How did you choose it?”

At that, he smiled wider and brought both of her hands up so that the rings were visible, his thumbs gently caressing over them. “This one,” he said, holding the hand with her engagement ring more firmly, “reminded me of you. Its simplicity and delicacy reminded me of your voice in the letters you wrote me. Also, the jeweler told me it symbolized loyalty and faithfulness. This one,” he continued, bringing up her hand with the wedding ring, “was to symbolize the Bridgerton family.”

“Our family,” Penelope chimed in—a representation of the family she had always, in some ways, been a part of, whether unofficially or more officially now through marriage. A family that loved her, and she loved them as her own. A family that had welcomed her with open arms.

“Yes, our family,” Colin agreed, nodding. “I’m not sure why the bee became our symbol, especially considering...” He trailed off, his face somber, lost in a memory he seemed reluctant to revisit. “Well, you know,” he finished, his expression sober. “But then again, in the morning, the world had Hyacinth, and what an absolute force she is—both a joy to us and a threat to the world. So, the bee represents us, a cycle of our family, and apparently it also symbolizes celebration, prosperity, unity, and resilience.”

She looked at her rings and then up at him again. He had never fully explained why he had chosen those rings, but now she understood it better. “It’s a representation of us,” she said.

“Yes, us and what I hope our marriage will be.”

“Resilient,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “We certainly are that.”

“You more than anyone else I’ve known, although don’t let Eloise know I’ve said it.”

Penelope let out a small chuckle. “I don’t always feel resilient,” she admitted, her tone more serious.

“That’s what we do; we’re a team. We remind each other that we’ll find our way. Besides, you’ve faced much worse and come out of it.”

She leaned into him, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. She allowed herself to be enveloped in the warmth of his embrace, and as they swayed gently in the flickering light of the surrounding candles, she felt the weight of her responsibilities, the demands of the Queen, and the expectations of the ton seep away. For a moment, she was a girl again—not a mother, not a famous writer—just a girl dancing in the arms of the boy she loved, who, by some twist of fate, loved her back just as much and had decided to intertwine his life with hers.

After what felt like an instant but must have been longer for the clock now struck close to ten, Penelope stopped their swaying. “Would you stay? Would you write with me? Or read? But stay until I’m finished?” 

Colin gently kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I’ll always stay with you.”

She rose on her tiptoes, her hand coming around his neck, pulling him down to her. Their breath mingled before his lips found hers, pulling her closer as she let out a small moan. His hands traveled up her back, sending shivers down her spine, while her own hands gripped at the lapels of his jacket before finding their way into his hair. His lips moved downward, along the side of her mouth, down her cheek, then her neck, leaving a hot trail of kisses. His hands grew more frenetic, gripping the fabric of her dress.

“Colin,” she whispered between a protest and a pant, “Colin.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed, the vibration warm against her collarbone.

“I have to finish... the Queen... the printer...”

She tried to grasp for words, for sense and logic, even as she attempted to push him away in vain. Truth be told, if he didn’t stop kissing her now, she wouldn’t care much about anything else besides their own needs and desires. That's how quickly Penelope had become pregnant after giving birth to Thomas.

“Colin,” she said more insistently, feeling her resolve to finish her column hanging by a thread.

“All right, all right,” Colin said, stealing one last kiss before meeting her eyes with hooded dark blue eyes. “One day, I’ll have a word with the Queen.”

“And tell her what? That you’d prefer me in our bedchambers rather than behind my writing desk?”

“Now that’s an idea!” he exclaimed, beaming as if it were the best idea she’d ever suggested.

“I’m afraid she’d find it preposterous, considering she’s the queen and managed to have a plethora of children.”

“Does that mean you’re open to the idea of having a plethora of children?” he asked, playfully stealing her words.

She chuckled, “Let’s have our second, and then we’ll discuss the possibility of having more.”

“Discuss? Because you want to discuss what we’ll do in our bedchambers if having more children is not an option?”

“You know what I’d really like to do right now?”

“No, tell me.”

“Finish it,” she said, looking back at her desk and the half-written piece of paper, “so that we may go to our bedchambers and discuss all of this afterwards.”

He seemed to catch her suggestive look, as he did not protest. Instead, he kissed her forehead before leaving the room momentarily, returning with a fresh stack of paper and settling down at his own desk, positioned next to hers.

Penelope smiled as she watched him concentrate, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. She felt a renewed sense of purpose and returned to her desk. The page was no longer daunting; it was a canvas waiting for her to paint with words. With a deep breath, she picked up the quill once more. This time, the words flowed more easily, each sentence building upon the last. The gossip and intrigues of the ton found their place in her column. She wrote with a clarity and sharpness that had eluded her earlier.

As the clock struck midnight, Penelope set down her quill and read through her work. A smile of satisfaction spread across her face. It was done.

She stretched before standing and walking to stand behind Colin’s chair. Sensing her presence, he had stopped writing, but his focus remained on the page before him. She slid her arms around him, her hands running up and down his chest. She whispered, “Want to go discuss your writing in our bedroom?”

“Absolutely!” he said, rising and kissing her passionately.

[thelastwalkingsoul]

Steve never really 'did' easter.

His parents were always away or too busy. Easter egg hunts were always 'too childish, Steven.' He was usually stuck in the house with a nanny or by himself, or being shoved into itchy clothes and dragged to church. Steve didn't get jealous when all the other kids would talk about their easter with joy in their voices. He didn't get upset that get missed out. It was fine, really it was. Steve didn't care.

So, the year after Vecna, when everything had settled down, Steve had an idea. One that had absolutely nothing to do with his lack of easter celebrations as a child and everything to do with giving the kids some fun.

It's Eddie who finds him filling the plastic eggs with candy. He looks all sleep-ruffled, his hair a mess, engulfed in one of Steve's sweaters. Eddie chuckles as he pours his coffee, coming to lean on the kitchen bench across from Steve. "Does little Stevie want to do an egg hunt?"

Steve knows he means it as a joke, purely seeing the situation and deciding to tease, but it still hurts. He scoffs, "Not me. It's for the kids."

Steve fights to keep his voice normal but mustn't do a great job because suddenly, Eddie's cupping Steve's face with his hands.

"Hey, baby," Eddie croons. "What's wrong?"

Steve drops his eyes to the egg in his hands. "Nothing."

"Don't 'nothing' me. Did I say something?"

Steve sighs, glancing up at Eddie's face. The concern in his boyfriend's eyes is almost too much. "I just- I want to give them something fun."

"That's sweet," Eddie says but Steve can his tactic coming from a mile away. He knows there's more, he's just waiting for Steve to say it.

He huffs, and Steve thinks he must look so childish as he quietly admits, "I didn't do anything for Easter as a kid."

Before he can do anything, he's enveloped by Eddie's warm arms. Steve hugs back, relishing in the comfort Eddie brings. "I'm sorry you missed out on that baby," Eddie whispers in his ear. Steve simply hums back, not wanting to get into it. When Steve pulls back (he's almost always the first to pull back, Eddie lets him decide when he's ready), he's greeted with Eddie's smile. "I believe we have eggs to hide, princess."

They spend the rest of the morning hiding eggs in Steve's backyard. Steve tries to make them actually hard to find. His kids are smart; simply putting a few in bushes isn't going to be enough. It isn't until he looks up to see Eddie scaling a tree that he has to reign him in and scold him. 'I don't want them up trees, Eddie! They could get hurt. So could you!' When the kids arrive, they're surprised, but after a few teasing comments about Steve being such a mom, it becomes a free for all. They're all yelling and scrambling for eggs, leaving Steve and Eddie to watch by the sidelines. He can't help but feel warm inside as he sees El's proud smile and Lucas holding Max's hand as they search. His kids are safe and having fun, which is all he can ask for after the last few years. Even Eddie's getting into it, being a menace as Dustin demands clues and cackling at Dustin's face when he refuses. He comes up to Steve later, leaning close and admitting, "I love watching them loose their tiny minds." Steve just snorts and smacks a kiss on Eddie's cheek.

After dinner, Eddie insists he'll clean up and sends Steve to go shower. Steve caves, kissing Eddie quickly before making his way upstairs. Once he's showered and back in his bedroom, he notices something yellow on his bed. A lone plastic egg sits there, suspicious. Steve opens it carefully, fully expecting Eddie to have put something strange inside. Instead, it's a piece of paper, a clue written in Eddie's messy writing. Steve follows it downstairs, finding another. And another after that. And another after that. It's the closest Steve's ever been to having an easter egg hunt, and he can't say he isn't loving it.

The trail leads Steve to the living room. A pink egg sits on the coffee table. Steve picks it up and opens it, just like all the others. Except this one doesn't hold a clue. Written in slightly more tidy handwriting are two words; 'A Promise'. Underneath is something wrapped in soft red material.

As Steve unravels it, a ring drops into his hand. It's a simple gold band that shines in the soft light. A promise.

"Do you like it?"

He looks up to see Eddie, worrying his lip between his teeth. Steve smiles, tears welling in his eyes. "Eds, I love it." He moves towards Eddie and holds his left hand out. A grin comes alive on Eddie's face. He picks up the ring with gentle hands, sliding it onto Steve's ring finger. Steve moves his hand, admiring how it looks. Admiring the meaning and loving the way he feels immediately branded as Eddie's.

Steve looks up and launches himself at Eddie, kissing him hard. He can taste tears, whether they be his or Eddie's. They kiss soft yet hard, pushing all their feelings into the kiss, only pulling away when they're both breathing heavily. Steve closes his eyes and rests his forehead against Eddie's.

"I love you, Steve. Now and forever. I promise."

Part 1 (kinda)

[denial-permanente]

Hi there,

I’ve been a follower of your for quite a while and have to say I admire the dynamic you and Tom share, and the strength and closeness that your base relationship reflects.

I send this seeking your opinion, and I apologize if you’ve already answered this before.

I find myself in a precarious situation where I have, slowly, yet steadily and surely, become interested in chastity. For me, and I say this with as much honesty as one can, my interest in this isn’t fetishized as is more Domme focused. As in, I do not find myself interested in the idea because it gets me all hot and bothered (despite the fact that it does), but is more my desire to offer my Domme something I know I have not fully internalized and am fully comfortable with. Its beyond my comfort zone but that is where growth and magic take place. I will want yo say that my apprehension or anxiety are not because I don’t want to be thrown/throw myself into the deep end, but a nervousness about the realities and challenges of how it will play out if that makes sense? It’s sort of a ‘careful what you wish for’ kind of situation.

I am currently seeing a very special woman who is very much on the dominant side of things and we’ve talked about some aspects that our dynamic would involve. We have discussed orgasm control, and she has made it clear to me that this is an expectation she has of me, but chastity is yet to be discussed.

We have been nurturing a very beautiful connection in our relationship, but the thought of her potentially wanting me in chastity and wanting to wear my key on her neck for the world to see (even if fee pick up on it) makes me a little nervous. I feel like that would break me as a submissive, it would make me realize my place infinitely more deeply and would bring me into a state of submission that is beyond what Im used to or know what to expect from.

So I guess my question is: why do you think Im feeling this way and do you think I should override this nervous and just surrender to that desire of hers (as it comes up) fully? I know these are questions only I could answer but I appreciate your experience and take on this greatly.

Thank you in advance :)

Like a lot of men, you may be way overthinking all this. You're seeing a domme, you have chemistry, and things are going well. And instead of just enjoying all this you are worried that things will go... too well? 🙄

First of all, she may not even want to wear one of those ugly keys. I'm sorry... I know a lot of you men get all hot and bothered but we are not 14 years old here. Those keys are ugly and no woman wants to wear one especially if they are dressed up.

Second, she wants to control your orgasms. That is perfectly acceptable with or without a cage. By asking... demanding that she take control of your orgasms she makes sure that your desire is focused on her and not on your penis. I told my husband many years ago that I wanted all of the control over that and even in times when he was not caged he took that very seriously. To me it represented a huge commitment... and women love to see commitment from men.

I guess what I'm saying is to forget about the cage. That is... the cage is not to prevent orgasms, it is to prevent accidents and temptation... both yours and hers.

🔒Tom here. This is a point that gets overlooked a lot: cages do not prevent orgasms, they simply make them inconvenient. Long before my permanently locked status, I considered it a personal challenge to refrain from unauthorized orgasms. Once, my wife had me going for over 15 very difficult months, no cage. And it's true - women love their men to show commitment.

I also think that you're overthinking this. Orgasm control is a step, wearing a cage for her is another step. I understand that guys can have mixed emotions of love/hate/fear over orgasm control/denial, but instead of approaching it as something taken away from you, try looking at it as a sacrifice you are making for her.

[twistedmusings]

“So you will be leaving as well?” 

Malleus’s words are cold and practiced, a repeat of what had happened this morning. Lilia was one that was able to quell his emotions with the proper word or the right actions but what could the child of man do? 

Nothing, absolutely nothing. 

All you do is simply smile and nod, speaking about a discovery that Idia’s younger brother had made about a mysterious individual and portals to other worlds. Clouds began to gather again but Malleus had enough momentum to stop them–it wouldn’t be wise to stop this meeting so abruptly. 

“I just wanted to ask for your help. You’ve been kind in helping me find my way around here and Ortho says that with your magic we might make an even bigger discovery to send me back–!” 

Malleus agrees, he has been far too kind. 

“I’m sure it won’t take long either! Everyone always says how powerful you are!” 

Powerful enough to scare others, powerful enough to avert other’s eyes. 

“So this much would just be a breeze for you!” 

It was already starting to hurt. Why should he take part in something like this? Why should he help you leave? 

“Besides I’ll owe you big time! Anything you want me to do before I leave–I’ll do it!” 

Malleus’s gaze focuses on your eyes as you hold out your hand. Something so delicate but had handled so many troubles in this world–the hand of one of the very few beings that he could call a friend. His fingers reach out and lightly grace your fingers but you take it a step further and wrap your hand around his, shaking it with a firm grasp. 

He really can’t help but stare at the way his fingertips graze your wrist. 

“Okay, Tsunotaro?” 

For some reason, whether it is in his distress or his confusion, Malleus’s firm grows strong and squeezes your hand back. His eyes take in the way he is holding you, the way a vine of thorns would wrap around someone’s neck. It’s all encompassing and all demanding, not a doubt in his mind that if he were to wrap such a thing around anyone, around you,no one would not be able to move. 

His heart speeds up at the solution. Was it a solution? Wasn’t this just another tantrum? Losing Lilia was something that he did not expect, something that could not be changed. His mentor was leaving–but why were you? 

You were such a shiny toy, why was he letting you go that easily? 

Tantrum or not, Malleus has been denied for far too long. 

Wrapping a vine around your neck, that would just be standing up for himself. Entangling your arms with his thorns, that would just be securing a precious artifact. You were right, he was someone powerful, and someone with his power should not have to bow down to something so–frail. 

Lilia was one thing, you were just a tiny thing. 

A tiny thing that Malleus fully intended to place upon a shelf. Safe, sound and his to watch for eternity. 

“Yes. I think I can manage that, child of man.”

[rosaleelovesdilfs]

MDNI 18+!! SMUT, age gap, reader 20s, Lawrence 30-40s, smut, p n v, female reader x Ernest Lawrence professor. Not proofread LOLThis is my first fic ever 😪!

Ernest Lawrence x reader.

Late.

“Paper is due Friday! Please remember I have given you all a month to do so! Class dismissed. Y/n, can you stay for a second. We need to discuss how you have been late to my class on multiple occasions.”

You knew you were arriving late a lot lately…but in all honesty it was hard to focus. Not because of the material, but because of him. You had a crush on Mr. Lawrence for as long as you have been in his class. He noticed too…he teases about it. He calls you out more than others and expects a lot out of you.

As you walk up to his desk, you’re already sweating and flushed.

“Are you okay…? You look like you may have a fever?” Mr. Lawrence asks.

“Yea, yea I’m good just little hot. I’m sorry for being so absent and not engaged in class lately. A lot going on with other classes and finals.”

“Have a seat.” He gestures to his desk, in-front of the chair he is sitting in.

“Are you sure there’s not a chai-?”

“Sit. Down.” He says demanding. “How many times have you been late to my class?”

“I-um not sure 3 times? I’m really sorry about it Mr. Lawrence.”

“Apologies aren’t enough.” He says standing up, towering over you sitting in the desk. His hand starts to trail up your thigh. “I see how you look at me y/n, be honest, why are you always missing my classes?”

You swallow not rejecting his hand still traveling further up your thigh. “Um…”

“Use your words sweetheart.”

“Because of you.” You spit out quickly. “I get distracted easily.”

“You’re going to make up for being late three times. I don’t allow people to be late to my class. Understood?” He says, his hand fully on your soaked panties.

“Yes.” You say taking in a deep breath.

“Yes what?”

“Yes sir.” You say almost grinding on his hand for any kind of friction. He slides your panties down while making eye constant, wanting to watch every expression. He gets down on his knees in-front of you where you’re sitting on his desk. He starts trailing kisses up your thighs, leaving marks along the way. He wants you to remember this, he needs you to remember this.

“Mr. Lawrence.” You practically say begging.

“Trust me, you will get your fill.” He says, finally at your soaking pussy. He starts licking, teasing, until he dives in like he’s starving for you. You grip one hand on the edge of the table and the other tangled in his hair. He looks up at you, pulling back just enough.

“Keep eye contact sweetheart, or else I’ll stop. We don’t want that right?” He teases.

“No-no sir.” You keep eye contact with him, almost cumming just at the sight of him sucking your pussy. He inserts two fingers hitting that spot no one else has hit before. He looks up at you while continuing to suck and reach every place you need.

“I’m-I’m close! Please do not stop.” You say almost dizzy.

He moans into you, still looking up, sending you over the edge. He drinks every last bit of your cum, but he doesn’t stop there.

“Mr. Lawrence?!” You say overstimulated. He pulls back just enough to speak.

“You were late three times which means you owe me two more.” He says smirking and going back to work lapping at your pussy. He reaches a hand up under your shirt.

You squirm under him, wanting it to stop but at the same time needing more. You grip his hair and pull it which makes him moan into you. You’re already on the edge again…

“Be loud for me baby. I want to hear you when you cum.”

He taps your thigh because he knows how close you are, telling you to let go for him. He hits that spot on your clit, sucking while his two fingers go to work. You let go practically screaming.

“Fuck Mr. Lawrence.” You say seeing stars and breathless.

“Turn around, now.”

“Yes sir.” You obey him immediately.

He hikes your skirt up above your hips as you hear him unzip his jeans and take off his belt.

“Spit.” He says as he holds his hand out to you. You do as he says. He grabs your hands, looping his belt around them.

“Good girl. You’re a little slut for me aren’t you sweetheart?” As he strokes himself. He lines himself up with your entrance and…oh he is large.

“You can take it sweetheart. Be good for me.” He says as he spanks you. Your skin stinging but in a good, hot way. Your moans fill the room as he enters you, going slow making sure you adjust.

“I’m not going to go easy.”

“Don’t. I can take it sir.” You say looking back at him. In that moment, you knew he was not going easy.

“Keep looking at me like that and I definitely won’t go easy.”

He starts slow, moaning and grabbing your hair. You look back at him and he looks at you. He starts to speed up at the eye contact, and fuck does it feel good.

“Fuck Mr. Lawrence!” You moan out. You feel another sting on your ass, moaning at the sensation.

He’s breathless and moaning. “You feel so good sweetheart. So wet just for me.” He speeds up even more, he can tell you’re close. “Don’t let go yet honey, you can wait.”

“Fuck I can’t wait much longer-“

He spanks your ass again, definitely leaving a handprint.

“Fuck baby, okay you can cum now. Be a good girl and come all over my cock.”

You immediately finish when he says that, him following close after. He coats the inside of you with his cum, which he loves. Just knowing he’s inside of you? Fuck, turns him on.

He pulls out and grabs tissue to clean you up first, then him. He cleans you up and pulls your panties up and skirt down, rubbing the marks he left along the way.

“I wasn’t to rough right sweetheart?” He says genuine.

“No, no of course not! I-I enjoyed it.” You say still seeing stars from cumming three times.

“You were so good for me y/n. Remember what happens when you’re late…”

“Maybe I’ll be late more often.” You say kissing him.

[the-coffeeaddict-tim-drake]

Just A Kid Next Door - Chapter 8

Bruce is finally back from being stuck in the time stream. Tim managed to save Batman and his loved ones. Now it is time for Tim to go home and rest. But the problem is that, Tim has no home. Or that's what he thinks so.

This will be a multichapter fic on how did Tim reconcile with his family. It will be full of angst, family feels and family shenanigans.

Masterlist

Here in the link to read the story in ao3.

-------------------------------CHAPTER 8---------------------------------

Jason was making his way back to his apartment after a tiresome patrol, but the former crimelord's mind was fully consumed by complex thoughts about his so-called family. He was clearly baiting on whether or not to go and see Bruce.

"I know you are following me, Dickward" Jason hissed, settling on the rooftop of a building.

 The figure behind him gave no indication of any acknowledgement. Turning back, Jason removed his helmet, his identity concealed by the domino mask which he always wore underneath his helmet and shook his head casually to get rid of sweat.

"What do you want? Did the Old man send you to keep an eye on me, making sure I fucking kill no one huh? "

"Why didn't to come to Manor?" Dick asked.

"Why should I?"

Dick let out a long sigh.

"Please, Jas-Hood. We thought we lost Bruce, we mourned for him, I know you mourned for him, so don't even try to fool me by saying you don't care."

Jason did not know what to say for that. Sure he missed  Bruce very much, but his ego was far too big for him to set aside the issues between them.

Did he forgive Bruce for what he did?

No. And he don’t think he ever will.

But did he understand why Bruce did so?

Maybe.

"I don't think the old man even wants to see me in the first place" Jason murmured

"Wha- No that's-" Dick was interrupted by the sound of blaring alarm coming from Jason's wrist.

"Welp, it was definitely not nice talking to you, but I gotta go. See ya dickface" Jason jumped of the building and grappled his way towards his apartment.

Jason did the best thing by installing sensor alarm all over his apartment so that he would know when Tim tries to break into his apartment next time. And he was correct. This time he is planning on locking that kid in his apartment till he gets his answers.

When Jason entered his apartment through the broken window, he was expecting Tim, but he was surprised to find three other figures.

The superman's clone ran towards Jason, and before he could react, Jason got punched in his gut.

"What are you doing here?" Superboy demanded, holding Jason by the collar of his jacket.

"You are the one to ask? It's where I fucking live, Cloneboy"

"What?"

Kon left Jason and took a step back.

"Why would Tim ask us to bring him here then?” Kon asked, to nobody in general.

"Where is he?" Jason inquired

"Who?" Kon gave a confused glance to Jason

"Brittney spears, duh, Big brain. I'm asking for Red Robin. “Jason scoffed.

"Don't even dare to take a step closer to him" Kon sneered, taking a step closer to Jason, trying to be intimidating.

Oh right, he totally forgot about the titans tower incident. Tim forgave him for that a long time ago. He was strongly under the effects of the pit. Guess his little friends didn't know about that.

"Look, we resolved tha-"

"We need your help" Wondergirl interrupted them, shouting from the kitchen.

"Look, I'm not trying to hurt Tim anymore. If Tim himself has brought you here, it might be of a reason, okay. Chill out and let me go"

Superboy seemed to think for a moment, before letting Jason go to the kitchen.

On his kitchen counter was Tim sprawled on, unconscious, and bleeding. His counter top was messy with blood dripping.

"Fuck" Jason muttered.

"Hewasstabbed" Bart said, swiftly coming near Jason.

Another day in the life of a bat themed vigilante.

"Scoot over" Jason said to Cassie, inspecting the wound.

Jason took over stitching the wound with ease, due to years of practice and experience.

"Care to explain how the fuck this happened?" Jason asked, his eyes focused on the stab wound.

"He was trying to take over a bunch of bad guys on his own, knowing he was clearly outnumbered, and got stabbed by one of them."

"He called for help?"

"Actually no, we came to Gotham to check on him, you know make sure he is alive and all, but couldn't find him so I traced him with the sound of his heartbeat." Kon told.

This did not surprise Jason at all. Tim is a fucking over independent and self-reliant idiot.  

"Why not bring him to the Batcave?" Jason asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't know man, he woke up in the middle and strongly suggested to come here, which was quite concerning, given the fact that he was completely knocked out previously” Kon muttered, exasperated.

Jason cut the remaining thread with his teeth and carried Tim over to the guest room, laid him on the bed and started removing the rest of his suit.

“Stop staring and help me out, will ya” Jason said

“Oh yeah, right”

Meanwhile Jason removed his helmet and mask as Kon was removing Tim’s suit.

Cassie let out a loud gasp followed by Bart’s ‘Oh shit’

Lying on the bed in his underpants, Tim’s chest and torso had multiple scarring and fresh bruises, which by he looks of it seemed to have happened recently.

Kon was just staring at Tim, his eyes never leaving the scars and bruises which littered his friend’s skin.

But Jason...

Jason was angry, angry at the person who did this to his little brother, angry at Tim for letting it happen, knowing that his dumbass purposefully avoided asking for any help and he was angry at himself for not being there from him, not protecting his little brother.

“I uh, Why don’t we go the living room and talk about what actually happened, huh?” Jason suggested, trying to break the silence.

“Uh, yeah, that sounds better” Bart said, sounding unsure.

The three of them exited the room, Kon reluctant leave to Tim’s side.

“You too, Cloneboy”

“Yeah” Kon said, his voice laced with worry.

The four of them settled themselves in the living room comfortably, each of them nursing a cup of tea, courtesy of Jason because he is a fucking great host.

“So, cash or card?” Jason asked.

“For what?” Bart asked, stuffing his face with the junk food from his pantry, which Jason was sure he didn’t give to him.

“My Window, it’s broken”

“Aww man, aren’t you a son of a billionaire or something?” Bart asked, sounding offended.

“I’ve never seen Tim like this before” Kon interrupted, his eyes on the carpet and his tea left untouched on the coffee table, sounding defeated.

The whole room fell into silence.

“Yeah, it was dangerous, the way he fought, it was- it was almost like he didn’t care if he got hurt” Cassie broke the silence, her voice sounding small.

“He is so closed off, like I know he values his privacy but I’ve never seen him be this stoic. He shows no emotion, don’t care about himself, avoiding everything and everyone, it’s just – it’s so frustrating. I just, I don’t know what happened to him while I was – while I was dead, but he is not the same person anymore, I feel like he just gave up on himself” Kon said, angry at himself.

Jason didn’t know what to do. Superboy was correct. His brother is definitely not the same person anymore.

“I want him back… I just want my Rob back. The Tim who was awkward and just don’t know when to shut up, the Tim who puts everyone in their place with his wits, the Tim who never stops trying, I just- I want him back.” Kon said, sounding in the verge of breaking down.

Jason felt bad. He never knew how Tim used to be before, as he was already pretty messed up when the two were trying to patch up. But Jason knew he wasn’t this bad. The replacement has always been quite cheerful and irritating.

His brother seems to share a special bond with these kids, Jason thought.

Cassie was silently crying and Bart had long back given up eating, now pacing back and forth.

“What really happened when we both were dead?” Bart asked, pointing to him and Kon.

Honestly speaking, Jason didn’t know. The replacement just started distancing himself from others after his friends died, and Jason still don’t forgive himself for giving his little brother some space to grieve. He should have scooped Tim up and let him cry on his shoulder.

“We both were in a bad place after you died” Cassie said, wiping off the tears, which made Kon look at her intently.

“We just didn’t know what to do, we didn’t know how to grieve. It was so hard. We were just expected to continue living as if nothing had happened, as if we weren’t snatched two of our family members. The tower, which was an escape haven to all of us, became hell. Every wall, every window, every little things reminded us of how happy we were once.  Reminded us how everything changed in an instant” Now Cassie was shaking, her body wrecked by sobs.

Both Kon and Bart went over to where Cassie was sitting. Kon sat down on the carpet and took Cassie’s hands, massaging it and Bart sat next to her and threw a comforting hand around her shoulder.

“And it was hard, it was so hard…so I joined a cult”

“YOU WHAT?!?” Kon and Bart shouted at the same time.

Now Jason can see why Tim is friends with her.

“But Tim was worse…he was in denial, he was not ready to accept and he kept on going as if..., he pretended that everything was normal, just like how he was when Jack Drake died. But that was all pretending. Deep down, he was broken. He buried down all of his feelings. He was so crazy and in order to fill the void he started cloning you both and I came t-

“HE FUCKING DID WHAT?!?” Now it was Jason’s time to shout.

Sure Tim is a little weird and stupid but this whole cloning thing is just extreme level of stupidity, even for him.

Kon was as pale as a sheet of paper, his whole demeanour stiff. Jason feels bad for him. He knew cloning was a sensitive topic for the kid and hearing that his best friend tried to do that again was not an easy thing to hear.

The whole room was enveloped by silence, each person trying to accept what they just heard.

Kon was he one to break the silence.

“Was he- was he successful?” Kon asked, his voice shaking.

“…No, he would have, but then I found out, so I stopped him. We had a huge fight, which resulted in us leaving the tower.”

Kon let out a long breath in relief.

“I joined the cult after that and Tim went back to Gotham….and within a day, Batman was found dead.” Cassie said.

“And he got so crazy, he kept on telling everyone that batman was alive even after we found his body and buried him. He cut off all his ties with everyone, me, Dick, even Alfred. I tried to convince him, but he was not ready to accept. After that he just left Gotham.”

“But he was right, wasn’t he? Batman is indeed alive.” Jason said

“Yeah” Cassie said, her voice sounding small.

“That Bastard is always right”

Kon, Cassie and Bart ended up sleeping on the couch that night, all reluctant to leave their friend alone.

It was almost dawn when Jason decided to call it a night and let sleep take over him, but was interrupted by a notification sound from his personal phone.

Sighing, Jason rolled over to see who decided to text him at this ungodly hour.

Unknown number:

Todd, it is of utmost importance that we talk.

Jason:

What the fuck do you want now, gremlin?

Damian:

The matter of discussion is Drake.

Jason sat up, felling very awake.

Jason:

What about Tim?

Damian:

I discovered something that belongs to him… from his time as Robin.

Jason:

And???

Damian:

The content…is quite disturbing. I would very much like your assistance on this matter.

Damian:

We shall meet at the Drake manor.

Jason:

kk. See you in Drake Manor before patrol tonight.

Putting his phone aside, Jason tried his very best to fall asleep.