#I was the girl earlier; I hadn't had a chance to go on break so I had even been the only cashier the whole morning

[sneakyparsnipslicer]

Power Play

It was never meant to have happened, but in all fairness I'm glad it did. I do have an unspoken duty of care after all.

I'm Gavin, 22, studying at Uni for theatre. Friends have always said I've got an uncanny talent for acting, able to hide how I'm feeling, telling the most convincing lies, but despite that I do have an earnest care for my friends and for some that's a big deal.

So, it all happened one Friday night, some of the girl friends were hosting a house party. Alcohol, music, conversation, the usual. My friend Janice had asked if I was free earlier and invited me. I hadn't seen her all week so the chance to catch up is always welcome. I put on my best clothes and headed off to the house which thankfully wasn't too far from my own place. I brought along some Amaretto for the party and got to mingling with others. I arrived quite early so there weren't too many people around and I got the chance to meet the partygoers and meet up with Janice.

'Hey Gav, glad you could make it! Got some pretty big news!' whispered Janice excitedly in my ear.

'Really? What is it?' I asked eagerly. She waved her left hand in front of my face, a gold ring on her finger. My jaw dropped.

'Tina proposed to me, we're getting married in the New Year!' she cried. I smiled and hugged her. Tina was a friend of ours and had confided to me in secrecy that she had a crush on Janice, and over the space of a year it looks like they'd both hit it off really well.

'Congrats, that's awesome!' I cried. 'Is Teen here tonight?'.

'Yeah she's just over in the other room, I'll go get her' said Janice, and she made her way through to the kitchen. I sat down on the sofa and waited a while. More and more partygoers arrived and as the night went on I forgot about Janice and Tina.

Getting progressively tipsy and humming along to 'Tainted Love', someone slumped down on the sofa next to me.

'Fuck them lesbians' sighed a voice. I opened my eyes and looked to my right, there sat a guy that looked about 30 with a bottle of Budweiser in his hand, shaking his head.

'What's up?' I asked, looking to him in concern. The guy looked to me and shrugged.

'Same fucking story everywhere I go, I see a cute girl, magically they're gay. Swear every fucker's gay these days' he said, taking a sip of his drink. I didn't say anything, took a sip of my drink and looked across the room. I could see past the crowd by the doorway was Janice. She was consoling Tina, who was crying. We caught eachother's eyes and I tilted my head subtly to the guy next to me, she nodded and kissed Tina on the head. I understood the situation.

'So how about you my man? You smashing some puss tonight?' the guy asked, looking me up and down. I turned to him and smiled.

'Nah mate, I'm more for the buss!' I replied, winking. The guy almost spat his drink out.

'Fuck off mate, you ain't gay!' he said laughing. I sighed.

'Oh sorry, were you expecting something more like this?' I asked, dangling my wrist and swiping the air camply. He laughed again, looking at me in disbelief.

'For a moment there I could've sworn you were straight' he said.

'Well you know, not all of us act camp, I like what I like but keep it on the down low' I replied, to which he nodded. I felt like I needed to move this along.

'Say, do you work out?' I asked, looking to his arms. He looked and flexed his right arm.

'Ah, you like what you see?' he asked smugly, grinning. I nodded and took another sip of my drink. He chuckled softly.

'You know, I've never tried a guy before' he said quietly, leaning in a little closer.

'Might be your lucky night' I suggested. He started nodding and bit his lower lip, taking a good look at me. I could have cackled at how easy it was to get him invested.

'What do you say we go find somewhere quiet to… break some new ground?' he asked, chuckling. I could have suplexed myself from the eye roll I wanted to do, but I had to keep my composure and giggled.

'Well, my place is just down the road, should give us a chance to get to know eachother better' I smiled. He drank the last of his drink and stood up. I happened to catch sight of his bulge as he offered a hand to lift me up, predictable. I tenderly placed my hand in his and he hoisted me up onto my feet, grinning.

'Let's get going then!' he said, heading off out of the house. I followed behind him, giving Janice a quick thumbs up and a wink as she nodded understandingly, mouthing the words 'Thank you'.

We returned to my place, him squeezing my ass and getting excited all the while. I unlocked the front door and invited him in. As soon as I was done locking the door, he made his move, pinning me to the door and burying his nose in my shoulder blade, taking a deep sniff.

'Mmm, you smell good!' he said. I rolled my eyes.

'It's Playboy' I said passively. He pulled his nose out.

'That's what I'll call you! Playboy!' he said, smiling maniacally.

'Sure thing, umm' I said, looking to him for a name.

'Just call me Daddy you cocksucking bitch!' he growled, pinning me further into the door and kissing my neck. Daddy, how fucking predictable. I could just see how this was going to go down. He pulled away and exhaled, stroking my chest.

'I'll bet you're a right little slut aren't you, Playboy?' he asked, fiddling with my shirt buttons, slowly revealing my chest.

'Oh for sure!' I grinned, moving in to kiss him. He hesitated but proceeded to kiss me back. I moved my hands behind his shoulders, embracing him. I could feel his dick pressing against my leg, he was totally enjoying it.

'Fuck me!' he said, dazed.

'Don't you mean fuck ME, Daddy?' I asked. He started laughing and moved his hands down to my thighs.

'Didn't think I'd ever be doing this with a guy, it feels so good' he said, looking into my eyes, amazed.

'Well, let's enjoy this then' I said, taking him by the hands and guiding him to my bedroom.

We got into the room and he thrust me down on the bed, biting his lip.

'Alright, strip down Playboy, nice and slow' he said, stroking his own crotch. I sat smirking as I kicked off my shoes and undid the last buttons on my shirt, taking it off and throwing it away. I went to unbuckle my belt when he stopped me.

'Come over here, I wanna try something' he said. Walking over he turned me around and began to unbuckle my belt whilst his cock was grinding against my butt. Always so cute when first timers try to be all freaky.

'You like that?' he asked, resting his chin on my left shoulder, watching as he pulled my shorts down.

'Yes Daddy' I said breathily, trying not to laugh. He dropped my shorts and began rubbing my butt through my boxers with his hands.

'Oh that ass feels so good Playboy, can't wait to explore it!' he whispered.

'I sure hope Daddy's packing tonight' I replied. With that he turned me back to face him, pulled me into a passionate kiss and carried me over to the bed, laying me down on it. Getting on top of me, he looked down as I looked back up at him. I began to pull at his shirt and he took it off, revealing his muscular chest, I'll admit it wasn't half bad. Then I began to unbuckle his belt and pull his jeans down, which he kicked off and there we were on the bed in our boxers.

'Open Daddy's pants!' he ordered, and I nodded, slipping them down his thighs. His dick sprung free, big and girthy, just how I like them.

'Ooooh, Daddy's got a big one!' I remarked in surprise, looking at it. He placed a hand under my chin, lifting it up to face him.

'Suck it, Playboy' he said, and so I began to do so, placing it in my mouth and beginning the blowjob. As it went on, his face became more strained as he tried not to shoot his load.

'Shit, you're good!' he moaned, looking to the ceiling. Eventually he stopped me and turned me over, pulling my boxers down.

'Alright Playboy, going in!' he chuckled. I could have cackled there and then, but I had to withold on the irony of that line. He began to spread my ass cheeks and inserted the tip of his dick, which slipped in easily. Even he was shocked.

'Damn, I thought you'd be tighter!' he said.

'C'mon Daddy, I'm a whore remember? Don't ruin this for yourself' I replied, massaging his leg. He nodded and continued to ride my backside, shaking the bed doing so. I'll admit this guy fucked with feeling, and as it went on and he reached climax, he wasn't aware of what else was going on.

When he finally came, sweaty and panting, he whooped in amazement.

'Wow Playboy, that was amazing!' he laughed, pulling himself away, but he soon realised he couldn't remove his dick from my ass.

'What's the matter Daddy? Too balls deep in me to let go?' I asked, turning my head to look at him. To his horror, his hands were beginning to sink slowly into my back, his pelvic region already sunk furthest into mine, and our feet had merged.

'Yo, what the fuck's going on?!' he shouted, but he couldn't pull himself free, he continued to sink into me as I began to cackle.

'You just fucked your way into a whole lot of trouble my guy!' I replied, laughing as he struggled.

'Let me go you fucking freak!' he roared as our legs were fully joined and his arms had sunk in.

'You upset my friends tonight, 'Daddy'. The lesbians you were moaning about, they just got engaged and you just had to come along and ruin their day' I said coldly as his back and shoulders sank in, him yelling out for help.

'And for the record, the name's Gavin. Suits me well considering how many homophobic, misogynistic pricks like you I've been gathering up to stop my friends being harrassed' I explained. By now the guy's face had melted into the back of my head and his screams became more and more muffled. Eventually he was fully sunk inside me, his added mass stretching me out and I began jerking my own dick, getting off my bed and spunking a few heavy loads on the carpet, excising myself of him. I looked at the pool of cum as it began to dry into the carpet.

'That's all you ever were, just a stain on society's carpet. Thanks for the muscles though' I said, cracking my neck and massaging my new musculature, reaching for my clothes. Though I thought to slip on the guy's jeans, they fitted me pretty nicely.

Making my way back over to Janice's place, most of the partygoers were filling out of the house. I went back in and found Tina and Janice, their faces lit up.

'Gav! Did you take care of that bastard?' asked Janice hopefully.

'Hey, I'm wearing his jeans aren't I?' I asked, turning to show them off 'Plus he filled me out a bit'. Janice shook her head, but smiled.

'I don't know how you do it, but thank you' said Tina, bowing her head. I pulled them both into a hug.

'Forget about him, he won't be bothering anyone anymore. Nobody messes with my friends' I said, looking to them in admiration.

'You're definitely gonna be the Best Man at the wedding, you know that right?' asked Janice. I folded my arms and rolled my eyes.

'And here I was hoping to be Chief Bridesmaid, oh well!' I sighed, shrugging. Janice and Tina began chuckling as I turned my attention to cleaning up the empty bottles and beer cans that the guests had left.

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: you'd known that Simon wasn't okay since it had been announced that they'd found blood in the boiler room. his pain, his hurt, his loss had spilled out from him and into you and you'd had no clue how to handle it. and then suddenly, you'd been soothed, and all you'd been able to think of had been getting to the source of that comfort and giving thanks.

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.

bon reading, frens

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.8

Wally couldn't stop thinking about earlier. How the slopes and arches of your body fit against him like a puzzle piece. How malleable you'd been under his touch. The intense liquid heat that had thrummed between you both as he'd leaned in to kiss you; heartbeats synchronized, eyes fluttering closed, utterly surrendered to the sensation.

He'd kissed a few girls when he'd been alive. Hell, he'd made out with Dawn a handful of times when adrenaline and hormones had needed an outlet. None of those experiences held a candle to what he'd felt when he'd just barely brushed his lips to yours.

There was something underneath it all. Not just his attraction to you, which he'd harbored for going on two years now. Something else. Something mystical and big and unleashed. Maybe you already knew what it was. After all, you could reach through the veil, hear and see and feel Wally...maybe you had an explanation.

If only the connection between you and Wally hadn't made it practically impossible to finish a conversation.

"Where'd you go, superstar?"

Wally nearly jumped in surprise, having forgotten he wasn't alone. He glanced around, saw Katelynn—the courtyard fatality—and Ajay studying him as intently as Rhonda. They were in the kitchen piling a late lunch of leftovers onto their plates while, around them, the staff muddled through their end-of-day breakdown.

"Uh," Wally supplied, intelligently. He was a miserable liar, something Rhonda had teased him for mirthlessly in the past. Told him he was as easy to read as 3rd grade English (ouch). But he didn't take his promises lightly and knew he had to come up with something or Rhonda would grill him until he broke. Deflection it was, "Do you think Maddie had a good time?"

Rhonda, perched primly on a counter, rolled her eyes and plucked a bread roll from the bin one of the staff was about to seal. "Jesus, you really are ditzy for her, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that," Wally said. He really wouldn't, "I just want her to—"

"Confess her undying love? Make you the center of her universe and forget all about her dreamy, badboy ex?" Rhonda scoffed, "Hate to break it to you, hot stuff, but you'd just be a rebound and we all know how those end."

"Badly?" Katelynn guessed. Having been fourteen when she'd kicked the bucket, she'd likely never had the chance to explore the intricacies of romance. Or of all its thorns.

Rhonda's hands clamped and then bloomed in front of her as she vocalized a bomb exploding.

"No, Rhonda, that's not it," Wally spoke in long strokes, as if to a child, willing away a flash of irritation. "What I was gonna say was that I want her to know there's more to being dead than trying to solve your own murder." Since, after all was said and done, there'd be nothing left to do besides passively haunt Split River High.

And that shit got dull after a semester or two.

Unexpectedly, "I spoke to her today." Rhonda admitted, somewhat reluctant, as the group paraded from the kitchen into the cafeteria. Wally encouraged her to continue with a smile, "About how I died. She thought it could help, so..." She slid into her regular seat next to Wally, eyes fixed on her plate, "I guess it did because she took off after."

It was obvious that relinquishing even that morsel of information made her uncomfortable, shoulders curled to her ears and lips pursed, those metaphorical walls re-erecting.

Wally clapped her on the back, "You did good, Deadly." A fond nickname he used sparingly as it often earned him an elbow to the ribs.

This time, Rhonda simply glared a warning at him before tearing a piece off her bread roll and smearing it through the gravy on Wally's plate. Progress, he supposed.

To move the conversation away from Rhonda, Wally engaged Katelynn, "I saw you with the extinguisher today."

Katelynn grinned through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"You know what we should do next time? We get those chairs with the wheels, a couple of fire extinguishers..." He mimed the scene with fervor, grinning conspiratorially between the others, "We could do it in the gym. Take bets. See who goes farthest. It would be awesome!"

Rhonda patted his knee twice—thank you—under the table. How she displayed gratitude without being obvious. As discreetly as possible, Wally returned the gesture, tapping three times to indicate I've got you.

‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗

Somehow, you'd done it: graduated to the end of the school day without incident. Sure, Mathilda had given you a funny look when you'd made your excuses to stay behind, but she'd been too distracted by what pieces to include in her portfolio to cross-examine you about it.

"Text me later, sillybean!" She called over her shoulder as she, Hana, and Lucas exited the school.

The siblings waved in unison, Hana pirouetting and blowing you a kaleidoscope of exaggerated kisses before falling back into step with her brother.

You turned back to your locker, shoving in your backpack and your uncle's hoodie. You'd accepted that the connection between you and Wally quashed any attempt you made to hide from him; berated yourself for not realizing it sooner.

After you'd closed the door and slipped the lock back into place, you mustered your courage and turned toward the direction of the theater. You could do this. Without getting sidetracked.

Yeah, you believed that about as much as you believed the lunchroom bread rolls were 'made fresh' everyday.

A metallic clamor caught your attention before you'd even stepped a foot forward, causing you to hesitate. Down several lockers along the row, Simon shook his lock against the hasp furiously. He was unmistakably upset, jaw tight, vibrating with unfettered anger.

You approached him just as he kicked the locker below his.

"Here," You said, inserting yourself between Simon and his locker, "What's the combo?"

Without pause, "8-37-15," he recited through gritted teeth.

You dialed the combination, unhooked the lock and held it out for Simon to take.

"You okay?" You asked, already aware of the answer.

"Yes." Simon lied then abruptly changed his mind, "No. I don't know." He dumped his bag at his feet and rummaged through the contents of his locker only to give up and spin around. Propped against the closed bottom level, Simon ran his hands through his hair roughly, reminding you of someone with responsibility that outweighed their experience.

"What's going on, Si?"

He lifted his head, brow creased with despair, "Aren't friends supposed to trust each other?"

The question knocked you for six. Unsure if it was rhetorical, you chose to stay quiet and, sure enough, Simon expounded. "Aren't friends supposed to tell each other things, even if it's hard? Even if they think it might hurt? Because, at the end of the day, you chose that person to be there for you no matter what. And that person chose you right back."

No questions asked. Your voice overlapped with Xavier's, years worth of emotional petitions for comfort and unbiased support echoing in your head.

Thinking of your friend, you wondered, "Is this about Nicole leaving with Xavier after lunch?"

Simon seemed surprised by the news, yet, after a second, confirmed, "Yeah. Uh, yeah, it's about that."

He stared at his feet, arms folded tightly across his middle, chewed his lip as he pondered what he wanted to disclose. Finally, "I just want to be there for her, but it's like she won't let me. And it sucks." His voice was damp with pain. "And now she's pissed and she's shut me out and...I don't know what to do."

When he raised his head again, you almost choked on the sorrow in his eyes. You wanted to hug him, hold him, cry. Here was a boy whose best friend had, for all intents and purposes, left him behind, and now he was scared he'd lost someone else.

The mounting sadness radiating from Simon made your eyes sting. You had no clue how to comfort him, not like you did Xavier or Mathilda, the two people you'd chosen and who'd chosen you back.

The strength of secondhand emotion chipped away at you, threatened to shatter you into a thousand anguished pieces, but just as you thought you would break, a familiar warmth sunk into the cracks. The sensation blossomed upward and concentrated behind your ribs, loosening a deep breath of relief.

Absently, you shifted your hand the slightest bit away from where it rested against your thigh, the movement undetectable unless one was looking for it. The warmth grew, contented and safe, and then—a whisper of fingertips across the back of your hand, there and gone.

You didn't move, kept your gaze on Simon; simply waited for Wally to enter your periphery. His back was to you, his hand returning to his jacket pocket as he, Rhonda, and a couple of others walked toward the end of the hall. You vaguely saw him split from the rest of the group, Wally going left while the other three went right.

Simon swallowed, mournful, and he rasped, "What do I do?"

Invigorated by Wally's touch, you planted yourself in front of Simon, placed your hands on his shoulders, and urged him to, "Talk to her. People knock communication like it's some cringe cliché, but it's the best way to resolve things." He nodded, weak but resolute, and you dragged him into a hug. "Trust me," You said, "Just be honest and listen. You don't have to understand everything, you just have to accept it."

Simon chuckled wetly, squeezed you tighter for an instant before releasing you.

"Thanks."

"Any time." And you meant it in your bones. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Simon said, scrubbing the back of his wrist over his eyes, "I'll be fine." He cleared his throat, "Listen, um, I forgot something in the cafeteria, but if you want to wait I could give you a ride home."

Something in his tone suggested the offer was halfhearted, though you appreciated it all the same.

"Nah, it's cool. I have to study." You replied, already positioning yourself to leave. Simon didn't mention that the library was in the other direction, merely flashed you a small, grateful smile.

"See you tomorrow." He saluted.

Free to excuse yourself, you found you had to fight the desire to go go go, hurry, go, that warm sensation purring louder the closer you got to the theater. Fuck making sure the coast was clear, you were supposed to be in there right now; swung the door open with probably a lot more force than necessary.

Wally, who had been sitting on the edge of the stage awaiting your arrival, hopped down as soon as you entered the darkened space, his gaze instantly locking with yours.

One dubious step, two, three, and the warmth fizzled and licked inside you, encouraging your pace to quicken, faster, nearer. You broke into a run, closing the distance, Wally's stare never wavering. With less than a foot remaining, you sprung up, body colliding into his. He caught you easily, held you in his arms with one hand under your thigh and the other around your waist.

No thoughts, no words, no inhibitions; fever-hot and eager; Wally's jaw in your palms, you surged forward and pressed your lips to his.

💀___________________________

PART SEVEN - PART NINE

also available on AO3!

MASTERLIST

[sunshinebuckybarnes]

I have to ask. Did you and Andy break in that bed? 😏

Come on over

Pairing: college!Andy x female!reader

Summary: Andy finally gets you in his new bed.

Warnings: petnames (baby), smut; oral (f receiving), unprotected sex. Fluff because these two are young and in love okay? 18+ only. Minors DNI.

Author's note: I've been in such a slump but was determined to finish this! Thanks for sending this in sweet Navy, sorry it took so long 😂💙! (word count: 1.4k)

College!Andy masterlist

Andy had been relentless for the past week. Ever since he got his new bed but you were too busy to go round, he had been persistent every day that you had to come over. But between classes, exams, work and his swim team training neither of you had had any time together.

Except for tonight. It was finally Friday and you were both looking forward to a weekend of doing nothing but each other.

You drop your bag as soon as you close the door to Andy's apartment. Sighing deeply as you kick your shoes off and leave the stress of the week behind you.

"Baby?" you shout, surprised not to see Andy on the couch.

"In the bedroom!"

You smile to yourself as you make your way to his room. He'd been buzzing with excitement when you bumped into him earlier on campus. Five days was too long to spend without you, he'd said.

What you see when you enter the bedroom has the widest smile splitting your lips. 

Andy is lying on the bed in nothing but his boxers. His bare torso is on full display and you can’t help but bite your lip at the sight. But it’s what surrounds Andy that makes you smile. 

The bedspread is littered with red petals and dozens of candles cover the surfaces of the rest of his furniture. 

“Andy,” you breathe, “what is all this?”

He gestures you over with a smile and you can’t get to him quick enough, practically knocking him onto his back when you jump onto the bed. 

“Just wanna treat my best girl,” he chuckles, his hands smoothing up your bare thighs when you straddle him. 

You lean down, your hands resting on his chest as you kiss him softly. His beard tickles your skin softly.

"Have I told you how much I love that you've let your beard grow out?" you ask softly, one of your hands cupping his rough cheek.

He leans into your touch, "you may have mentioned it once or twice," he grins, "particularly when my head is between your thighs."

Andy punctuates his words with a playful pinch to your thigh and you lean down to kiss him again.

“So, how do you plan on treating me?” you whisper against his lips, giggling when his hands cup your ass over your dress. 

His hands continue to rub a squeeze over your body as he begins to tell you everything he plans to do to you, “firstly, you’re going to sit on my face since you love my beard” his hands grip your hips as he pulls you further up his body until your thighs are framing his head. 

“Then when you've come all over me," he growls, nipping and kissing at your inner thigh, "I'm going to bend you over the bed and fuck you until you're begging."

Your breath hitches in your throat as his nose bumps your covered clit, "begging for what?"

Andy pulls back slightly to shoot you a wink, "for me to stop or keep going," his fingers pull your panties to the side so bare you to him, "I don't care as long as you're begging me."

You don't even get a chance to think of a response before Andy's tongue is swiping through your folds. The first contact has you preening at his touch and a small whimper falling from your lips.

"Fuck, I've missed you," Andy mutters into your pussy. His tongue flicking quickly against your clit.

It fits you how much you've missed him too. It may have only been five days but you missed the intimacy. It hadn't quite registered until now just how much you needed him.

You tangle a hand in his hair, pulling slightly when he sucks your clit into his mouth.

"Andy, fuck," you groan, throwing your head back in pleasure.

His hands keep a tight grip on your ass as he devours you. Pulling whines and whimpers from you as you slowly begin grinding down on his face.

You're right on the precipice, the knot inside you winding tighter as he lavishes you with his tongue. You look down, taking in the sight of him under you. His long lashes are fanned out against his cheeks, his hair tousled from your tight grip, he's completely at your mercy yet he holds all the power of your body.

It's not until he opens his eyes and you're met with the most stunning shade of blue that you realise how much he needs this too. How much he's missed you. And how much he's enjoying this.

The look in his eyes has you edging even closer and when Andy envelopes your clit and sucks hard it's game over.

Your thighs tense on either side of his face as you come undone. Andy's fingers stroke your skin as he softly laps at your release until you're shuddering above him.

He moves you easily, your back hitting the soft mattress and his lips crashing to yours before you've even caught your breath.

You groan at the taste of yourself on his tongue, your hands framing his face as his own tangle in your hair.

It's needy and passionate and rough and tender. It's completely Andy.

"Fuck, baby I need to be inside you," Andy mutters against your lips, "if I go any longer I think I might die."

You giggle as Andy lifts off of you until he's standing at the edge of the bed, "you're so dramatic."

He pulls you to the edge of the bed by your foot before quickly flipping you onto your front.

"Don't act like you're not dying for me to be inside you," he huffs, pushing your dress up over your hips and swatting your ass playfully.

You can't even deny it as you wiggle your ass, your toes just touching the floor. You understand now why he was in such a rush to 'test' out the bed, turns out it's the perfect height for him to fuck you from behind.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Andy doesn't even remove your underwear, instead gripping them in one hand and pulling them to the side as he lines himself up with his other hand.

"You ready baby?" he teases, nudging your entrance with the head of his cock.

"Please," you whine, pushing back slightly.

Andy chuckles, "see, told you I'd have you begging."

Your reply gets stuck on your tongue as he pushes into you. The breath is knocked from your lungs as you stretch around him.

"Oh fuck, yes," you chant as Andy's hips snap into you.

You tilt your head to the side, resting your cheek on the duvet as you try and get a glimpse of the man behind you.

One hand remains on your hip as the other comes down to rest by your head. Andy kisses his way up your spine, his movement never faltering, until he reaches your shoulder.

You sit up on your elbows slightly so you can meet his lips. Andy encompasses you; mind, body and soul, until there he is the only thought left in your brain.

Moaning against his lips you begin to beg, "please, baby. Feels so good."

You don't know exactly what you're begging for, all you know is that you don't want him to ever stop.

Andy seems to understand though as he pulls back. Both hands gripping your hips as he pulls you back into each of his thrusts. His pace is unrelenting and you feel that familiar coil within you begin to tighten.

"I'm gonna come," you moan, fisting the sheets as you edge closer and closer.

"Come for me baby, fuck, need to feel you come around me," Andy pants, his hand coming underneath you to tease your clit.

The sensations have you crying out, your muscles going taut as you come around him.

Andy continues playing with your body as he chases his own release. Your soft, whimpers pleas tips him over the edge.

He leans over you, crushing you against the mattress and it's a weight you welcome as warmth spreads throughout your body. Andy kisses your shoulder before slowly pulling out of you. He lays on his back next to you, throwing his arm across his face as he catches his breath.

You look at him from under your lashes and smile, "I should have come round sooner."

Andy laughs, pulling you against him, "well it's a good thing we have all weekend to make up for it."

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed 💙 as always, comment and reblogs and super appreciated 💙✨

[interfacefox]

strange magic

god this movie was my whole childhood. i love it sm but rewatched it a couple times recently and, being older, saw all the things wrong with it, unfortunately.

i am aware that i have never posted about this and likely will never do so again, and i'm p sure this is rly niche and there are abt 2 other ppl in the world that have watched it, but i have THOUGHTS and i am going to TALK ABT THEM

Some of the main things i find criticisms on are the pacing and song choices, and the songs being unnecessary, not advancing the plot, etc. Now i do agree with those but they don't bother be that much.

what DOES annoy me, especially as an aroace person, is that the message of the movie seems to just be "if ur not in a romantic relationship ur miserable"???? idk, it just seemed to me that it was framed that there was something wrong with marianne and the bog king until they fell in love and were "fixed." don't get me wrong, the bog king WAS miserable and needed companionship, but why did that have to be romantic? if anything, he wasn't in a good mindset to be having a romantic relationship at the time, he still hadn't healed from his last one! According to this post, in an earlier version, dawn was meant to stay single i think that this would have been much better. (go check out that post, it's rly interesting!!) I think that in movies like strange magic that are so romance heavy, it's really important to ensure that it doesn't make out that romance is THE most important thing for everybody, it doesn't have to be "in-your-face" about it, just something. and i think dawn recovering from the love potion but remaining single would have been perfect for this.

Also the way it was like, a girl wears darker colours and learns to use a sword, oh no! a tragedy! i wouldn't have an issue with this if it wasn't for the fact it was framed as if marianne gaining independence and her own fashion sense was awful and the only reason for it could be because something horrible had happened or there was something wrong with her. (mariannes dad: you're a.... unique..... girl😃....)

don't even get me started on how morally questionable (at the least) the concept of a love potion is and how the movie just. ignored that.

and despite the animation being absolutely beautiful, icl i do find all of their eyes extremely unsettling

there WERE things i liked tho, like how the bog king was "ugly" and just allowed to be that way. there was no magic curse to break to fix him and make him attractive, he was just loved the way he is. i loved how in the beginning, the dark forest was terrifying to marianne, but by the end she had given it a chance and ended up finding it beautiful.

idk tho, i am open minded. feel free to lmk if u think smth i said is completely wrong.

[fizzyxcustard]

No One But You.

Fandom: Stay Close

Pairing: Ray Levine x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Insecurity, anxiety, fluff

Summary: Requested by @sweetestgbye and a sweet anon. From the imagine 'Imagine asking Ray Levine to share Christmas with you as he has no one but you.'

Comments: As always, if you like this fic, please consider a reblog. And if you want to be added to my tag list, let me know.

By the way, Boxing Day is the 26th December and a bank holiday for us in the UK. Asda is a UK-based supermarket.

Ray stood in front of you, gobsmacked and slightly terrified, as you asked him if he wished to share Christmas with you. He had no family and barely any friends since moving into town to make a fresh start. The only friend he had beside you was Fester, who was over a hundred miles away and spending time with his own family: a new wife and baby.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Ray asked, swallowing hard. His eyes were full of tears as he looked at you.

You smiled at him and felt a stab of pain hit you at the sight of his sudden flurry of emotion. "Of course, I am. What kind of friend would I be to see you spend Christmas on your own?"

"But you've probably got plans of your own," Ray replied. He sat down on the edge of your desk and crossed his arms, his leather jacket creaking with the movement.

"I hadn't actually planned anything." That was a lie. You'd already agreed to stay over at your parents' house from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day. But there was no way you could see Ray out on his own; not only was he a close friend, but you were secretly in love with him.

Ray gave in eventually and agreed to be at your flat on Christmas Eve after work. Today was only the eighteenth, so you had a few days yet to make sure your flat was in order and mentally prepare yourself for spending Christmas with Ray.

He told you thank you one final time and placed his hand on your shoulder. The two of you locked gazes for a couple of seconds and smiled, temporarily blocking out the chatter that was going on around you in the office.

***

Of course it didn't take long before your Christmas plans became public in the newspaper office. Lyndsey, who sat next to you, and had been on break while you spoke with Ray about him joining you for Christmas, had found out from Natalie, who was sat nearer the back of the office.

"I hear you're having Ray Levine around your flat for Christmas?" Lyndsey smirked. "Didn't think you had it in you, girl."

You merely blushed and turned away, putting your attention back to your work. Many of the women had attempted to flirt with Ray, but nothing really seemed to work on him. Could this be your chance?

***

Each day from then on, until Christmas Eve, and Ray text you good morning. You lay in your bed, staring at your phone, grinning stupidly.

Little did you know, across town, and Ray lay on his own bed, his arm behind his head and smiled at your responses. You had started wishing him good night, a natural reciprocation to his good morning wishes, and on the 23rd told him that you were excited for the next day.

As dawn broke on the morning of Christmas Eve, you took a deep breath and got out of bed. Today was annual leave for you, but you knew that Ray had still agreed to work.

The day began with you heading to the supermarket very early to grab roast potatoes and gravy. You had already got a turkey and fresh vegetables and stuffing the night before, but didn't realise until getting into bed that you'd forgotten the gravy and potatoes. In the frustrating stampede at the local Asda, paired with your daydreams of Ray, you had forgotten two of your favourite parts of any roast dinner.

The rest of the day was quite slow, painful in fact, and you kept looking at the clock. Ray had, of course, text you that morning. Then suddenly at around two, another text came through.

I'll come round shortly as I'm finishing early. That's if you'll have me a few hours earlier than planned.

Of course you'd have him! That went without saying.

Then finally, he arrived. You brushed your hand through your hair quickly and pulled your long tunic style jumper down, smoothing it out down your torso.

Ray greeted you with that gorgeous smile of his. Immediately you felt that familiar flutter in your stomach and your heartbeat race a little quicker.

First off, he removed his jacket and you showed him the spare bedroom where he would be sleeping. He noticed you'd put out a vase of fresh flowers, and the air smelled faintly of vanilla. "There's also plenty of bubble baths if you fancy a bath while you're here."

Ray couldn't help but smirk to himself as he imagined the two of you in the bath, one on top of the other, enjoying rather pleasurable pursuits. Immediately he felt a stir down lower in his body, and had to push that imagination away for now. Maybe later tonight he could re-visit that thought before bed. But not now.

The two of you sat side by side on the sofa, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, watching Elf.

Ray wasn't interested in the film, and instead kept glancing at you, not able to keep his eyes away for too long. Your face was alight with happiness, a happiness that he hoped he was the cause of. The only physical connection between you both was a checked blanket that you had thrown over the two of you.

By the time the adverts swelled on the screen, you disappeared into the kitchen for more hot chocolate. Ray fell backwards, sighing and looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, willing for something to happen. He prayed that the two of you would act on the feelings he felt, but always doubted were requited.

Ray opened his eyes again and looked around the living room. There was a huge tree in the corner opposite. Gold and red tinsel had been wrapped around the synthetic green branches. White fairy lights twinkled from beneath all the tinsel and round baubles. A snowman and Santa, both two foot in height, stood either side of the television stand.

The rest of the evening was torture. Ray could feel himself growing physically frustrated, and you could feel your heart rate remaining at a slightly faster pace. The two of you could feel immense tensions in your bodies, but were so caught up in your own insecurity, that you had become blind to each other.

You made a quick dinner which consisted of toasted cheese sandwiches, and between you both on the sofa was a big box of chocolates that you had been given at work from your Secret Santa.

The Santa Clause with Tim Allen was playing on the TV. Having the films playing somehow made the situation that little more bearable.

"You're the kindest person I've ever met, you know that?" Ray said softly.

The comment caught you off guard, so much so that you almost choked on a piece of melted cheese. A flush hit your cheeks and you brushed a tendril of hair behind your ear.

"I want you to have your present now," he said, grinning. Ray threw the blanket aside and rose up from the sofa and grabbed his gift from beneath your tree. Whatever it was was inside a gold bag. "Merry Christmas."

You looked up at his towering form and took the bag from him.

"I hope you like it."

You ventured into the bag, finding a box, wrapped in sparkling gold paper. Slowly and curiously, you unwrapped the box to find the image of one of the figurines you had been hunting everywhere for, one which you had become adamant was discontinued. The image of the figurine, printed on the box, made a tear drip down your cheek. "You remembered...." you whispered. It had been one of the first conversations you'd ever had with Ray, about a year ago. The two of you had been sat in the staff room, chit chatting about your hobbies and interests. Eventually the conversation turned to this figurine, which you had never seen again after you had gone back to your local jeweller's to pick it up. You had finally had the money to afford it, and the last piece had been sold.

Ray then noticed something in the bottom of the gold gift bag. It was small and green, with white berries. He thought back to when he had purchased the gift, two months earlier while away in a neighbouring town, taking photos for a side project.

The middle aged lady who had been serving behind the counter, looked over her spectacles with sparkling eyes. "Is this for someone special?" she asked.

Ray couldn't help but flush at the thought of you. He glanced down at the glass covered counter and smiled to himself, then looked back up at the lady, with his open wallet in hand. "Yes."

She must have put the mistletoe in the bag when she gift wrapped everything, immediately recognising that look on Ray's face upon asking her question.

Ray picked out the mistletoe as you still grinned in delight at the figurine, beginning to get it out of the box.

You caught sight of Ray holding something between his fingers, and then your gazes met. For the first time in many months, your gazes remained locked for longer than a few seconds.

This was his sign.

With a deep intake of breath, Ray shifted across the sofa toward you.

You immediately felt your heart race. It was happening. Finally!

Ray was right upon you and he reached up, his hand ready to cup your cheek. But he stopped, feeling that insecurity overtake him suddenly, pulling his confidence from beneath his feet.

Instead, you grasped his hand and placed it against your cheek and then leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was slow at first, becoming a series of pecks. Until Ray wound his arms around you and drew you in, deepening the kiss. Your tongues met, and it was here that all the tension and frustration became electricity.

The two of you knew that this was a Christmas neither of you would forget in a hurry.

***

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[kenziedrawz]

So, Psycho's Playground.

This is the AU y'all voted for, it's also the only AU I've posted about prior to the poll aside from LAL 2 Kenzie Edition. As in I've written a fic for it's beginning, which can be found here.

Here's the post where I'll go into more detail. Popping everything under the cut however due to length. Ah yes, and the warnings.

Warnings for ; Child Death, Death in general, Decapitation of bird statues, would that even count as Animal death? maybe!, violence.

So! First off, let's talk about how this AU got it's name. It's actually a play on the Near Future's battle theme, 'Playing with Psychos'. The reason why I named it Psycho's Playground, is due to the fact that Akira made most of the city into his personal 'playground' to torment those he hates in. Meanwhile the 'Psycho' part still refers to how Akira's a psychic.

But now, onto the actual lore.

So, first and foremost the canonical events of the game happen, following the true ending path. However after Oersted sends the heroes back they're sent to the beginning of their journey instead. I won't say what happens with the other heroes, but Akira takes this as a chance to try and change what happened, or to at least stop the conspirators earlier.

Obviously, he fails tremendously. But where things start to get divergent is during the scene post-tsukuba labs. This time, both Matsu and Akira go to try out the Titan(again, in Akira's case. Why won't it listen to him? It keeps on telling him that it's not time yet but when has there ever been a more useful time to have the titan on his side?).

After that it seems to realign with canon, however the fire at the Orphanage had already started just as Akira enters the bar. He only notices that it's ablaze after he leaves. He practically bolts over, was it supposed to start before or after he left there? He wasn't sure but he's pretty confident that it was the latter.

He doesn't waste a single second before he breaks open the door of the burning building, like last time Taeko's still alive, she'll be alright once she gets out of the building.

Kaori was barely moving by the time he managed to kick down the door to where she was, was she even moving at all? He didn't know, he didn't care, he knew she had to be alive. She had to be alive, he'd saved her last time, and he'd saved her again, right?

Then Matsu comes in with the Steel Titan, just as he remembers. Which means he practically overdosed on matango again. But the Titan reassures him that despite that, he won't die at it's wheel.

Akira may have chosen to neglect how reluctant it sounded to tell him that.

It was right, Matsu was barely alive, they just needed to get him to a hospital. Akira would stay behind, pilot the titan to defeat the conspirators. He told Taroimo- Tarokichi- whatever the turtle robots name even was now to take care of Kaori.

looking back, he must have looked stupid for telling a robot to protect the body of a girl long gone.

So, like in canon Akira gets to fuck up the army... Until a certain point in which Yamazaki attempts to bargain with our favorite giant mech pilot... with the lives of those that he loves. Matsu, Taeko, the Doc, the Matron, the other surviving Orphanage kids, they'd gotten surrounded during the chaos and Akira hadn't noticed.

He's ordered to stand down, however Akira is far too stubborn to just stand down. He tries, to save them that is, however he fails.

All of them get blown up by a tank.

And for a while, Akira is stunned. He can't really believe that this is happening, he doesn't want to believe that this is happening.

and then Odeo is brought into the world. Akira cannot catch a fucking break apparently.

During the fight with Odeo, he struggles. Odeo manages to down the Steel Titan, and that's when the Titan makes Akira an offer.

It apologizes, first and foremost, that things had turned out so wretchedly, but then comes the offer- one of power, of vengeance deserved, the opportunity to kick some giant bird ass.

Akira accepts, and that's how he finds himself ripping through the Titan as if it were a chrysalis of some kind. Though it was only reasonable considering that he himself was now a titan.

It's not long before he practically rips Odeo's head off, as the liquefacted people slither back into the lake.

He doesn't let them take the conspirators this time, no, they deserved something far worse than being consumed by the lake of their own sins. The power he now holds is overwhelming- yet he can tell it was slightly tainted by his newfound hate for the conspirators and all who had helped them.

He doesn't let it consume him, but what he does do is channel that power into making a pocket dimension- a playground for himself- around from where the Inko Buddha statue was, stretching out to cover the park, port and Tsukuba labs as well. Then, anyone who didn't deserve the hell he was about to bring was kicked out.

Thus began Satanael's birth, or rather, that was Satanael's birth.

----

Now moving on to the main, non-backstory bit of the AU! Essentially, it's a game between Hoshi and Akira. Every time that Hoshi makes it to Akira's little pocket dimension he made within the pocket dimension, he gets to ask one question. However sometimes Akira mixes it up, making him play a game or something, that's when he gets to ask two questions.

There are times where Hoshi simply doesn't ask questions, however, and just stays to talk.

If it's not obvious, the au is sort of a slowburn. With Hoshi trying to figure out Akira's past and what lead him to... this, and Akira making one big game out of it because... hoo boy he's far from mentally healthy here.

also, fun fact but Cube gets to show up as well here! Because Hoshi needs a companion in this shitfuckery realm, and I'd also imagine that what Akira's doing here would heavily affect the distant future in someway, hence the universe decided to send Cube to go fix things.

also because it's my au and I decide that my blorbos get to have the emotional support unit.

Also, as vaguely implied in the fic- yes Yamazaki still is a problem. Though he dies soon after he shows up in the au- not before almost cutting Hoshi's arm off. Yeah, that happens. Don't worry Hoshi's fine though.

and... I believe that's all for now. Maybe the next time I post about this AU I'll have Akira's Satanael design ready.

and yes. they(Akira and Hoshi) do in fact slowly fall in love and are basically together after a while.

[santalsaburablog]

From hate to love.

Chapter 1

Omega was scared. I didn't know what to do. The girl has only recently stopped being a recluse on the planet Kamino. She has already visited Salukemai. It may not have been without shocks, but, nevertheless, she liked it there. And now she and her friends have arrived on the planet Pantora. She just ran after the cute little animal to pet it. But in the end I got lost. The girl, breathing heavily, looked around. She's in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers. No one knows her and can't help her. But Omega still hoped, mentally begging for help. And they heard her.

— Are you okay?

Omega turned around and saw a young girl in a black suit holding a helmet. The girl was surprised and didn't even know what to say.

"It's like you're lost,— the girl said gently, squatting down. Her eyes expressed sincere concern and a desire to help.

"I've separated from my friends," Omega said, looking around warily.

— I can help. Don't worry. We'll find them.

The girl held out her hand, and the duo moved forward. Omega was nervous, but she was glad that there were good people in the world.

The young hunter Fennec Shand started her career relatively recently. The war was over, and the mercenary decided that this was a chance. Of course, it was worth starting earlier, because you can make money in the war. But then she was still not prepared enough. Besides, she had another profession. And then she changed. This is her conscious choice.

"Thank you for helping me find my friends," the "target" thanked her.

The girl turned out to be so naive that the girl felt sorry for her. Hadn't she ever been told not to go out with strange aunts? However, it only helps her. The task turned out to be easier than she thought. The child was easily caught in her net. Although the mercenary put her hand on her shoulder. Just in case.

— No problem, — Seeing that the girl put her hand to her stomach, she realized that she was hungry. "Are you hungry, baby?"

— Yes, but I don't have any credits.

Fennec decided that nothing terrible would happen if she fed the girl. Moreover, the Kaminoan customer needs her alive and well. It was the first time the girl had a chance to earn really big money, and she did not want to miss it. Therefore, she easily agreed when she was offered. First, it was necessary to find a ship, and Shand started a rumor that she was looking for a starship of such and such a model. A couple of days later, a Salastan from Pantora contacted her and gave her the coordinates of his station. The girl immediately pressed the lever of the hyperdrive of her large ship, for the purchase of which she had been saving up for a long time.

Then it was necessary to find the child. It's not that hard either. There was a market not far from the station. Obviously, the fugitives needed to shop. Wandering between the shops, Fennec saw her target running after an animal in a box. And then it's a matter of technique. To ingratiate yourself with a child — what could be easier? Shand has already seen how children are treated. And I tried to act in much the same way. First of all, you need to be polite and friendly with your child. Then he'll reach out to you. Secondly, she was lucky to be born a woman. There is always more trust in women. Thirdly, Fennec was not blind and immediately realized that Omega was lost. Which means you have to pretend that you want to help, but actually lure them to the ship.

In order to further ingratiate herself with Fennec, she got two fruits for the girl and herself. The Pantoran saleswoman didn't suspect anything.

— But… We didn't pay for them," Omega was surprised.

How honest and pure she is, like a child, even though she is a child. It's not going to be easy for her. It's time to teach a lesson.

— Sometimes it's okay to break the rules.

— Tell me, are you a soldier?

"Not really,— Fennec chuckled. Technically, it is. She's a soldier. A soldier of fortune. That's what they call mercenaries.

"Then why do you have a blaster?"

That's the big-eyed one! I did notice it. We have to get out of this.

— To protect yourself. The galaxy is a dangerous place if you're on your own," Fennec knew what she was talking about. She had experienced it for herself a long time.

- yes. It's good that I have my friends.

— Well, aren't you lucky?  The girl smiled.

Suddenly it dawned on the girl.

— That's right! If you are alone, you need to fly with us!

— This is the best offer I've ever received in a long time.

Fennec wasn't lying here. Anyway, she was pleased to hear this, even from her own goal.

The girl immediately smiled sweetly at her. Apparently, she was glad that she was able to give good advice. All this is nice, of course, but we need to hurry. The missing child has probably already been discovered.

— Come on. This way, we were just about to leave…

— Omega!

Heck! Just thinking about it, right there... a clone with a half-face tattoo caught up with them.

— Oh, there he is. My friend," The girl waved her hand as if nothing had happened, continuing not to understand what was going on here.

Fennec frowned. That's all that was missing here. As they say, you remember the bad, and it's right there.

***

"Omega, get away from her,— the Hunter said carefully.

- why? She helped me look for you," the girl was surprised. The girl was kind to her. She looks nice and friendly. And she, in his opinion, should stay away from her?

***

— Yes, Omega and I will get to know each other better, — Fennec realized that she could not do without a fight, and immediately put on her helmet. We'll have to reveal our cards.

The girl began to back away, while trying to hide behind the girl as a human shield. For the purpose of their own safety.

The job of a hunter is extremely difficult. You need to think about different things at the same time and how to calculate moves at least two ahead in chess. So Fennec carefully pulled back her skirt, extending her left hand to the blaster attached to her leg.

However, she made a mistake. Shand was too focused on the man, so much so that she forgot about the girl, who, as it turned out, is not as stupid as she initially seemed.

The girl fired, but the clone dodged with a roll.

— The hunter!  The girl jumped up and wrapped her arms around her hand, which was holding the blaster, preventing her from shooting. The huntress tried to grab her tighter, but she was prevented by the knife that the clone threw at her. Fortunately, I managed to use the lid as a shield.

And the weapon is excellent. It's sharp. It will have to be used. Fennec pulled out a knife and began to swing it, hoping to reach the opponent or fire a blaster in her other hand. But it didn't work out either way. Her hands were trapped. But even in such a situation, she tried her best to point the blaster at the clone, if not to kill, then at least to injure.

— Omega, run!  The clone shouted.

When they began to twist her wrists, the girl felt a slight pain. The weapon fell out of his hands. I had to "turn on" my head. Literally.

The clone was knocked out by the impact. Well, she has a little time. But the girl had already disappeared. You'll have to suffer.

— Citizen! Stop!

But Fennec did not even think to listen to them. She grabbed a blaster and ran.

***

Meanwhile, Omega was running as fast as she could. She didn't know exactly where to run, but the Hunter had told her to, which meant she had to do it. Run as far as possible from the pursuer.

Almost getting hit by a car, the girl accelerated her run. In the end, tired, I decided to hide behind a drawer. And on time. A sixth sense told the little girl that the girl was chasing her like a nexus after an antelope.

Looking around, Omega noticed a hatch opening a technical tunnel. Hmm, not a bad place to hide. I remember she was taught that you need to act on the situation. Sometimes, the answer can be found even in a trap.

It wasn't very scary in the tunnel, apparently, the fear of being caught overrode everything else.

Omega meandered through the corridors, occasionally stopping for a breather. Until she bumped into someone. The girl screamed. Did she really find it?!

— There you are!

It was a Wrecker! Hurray! What a blessing that friends found it first! Everything will be fine now.

— We were worried about you.

— Can we get out of here?  As soon as she felt safe in strong arms, Omega felt restless again, remembering where she was. We need to get back to the ship. There she will finally calm down.

When friends are around, it always feels so good, like lying in bed wrapped in a blanket.

- of course.

After taking a couple of steps, the Wrecker reported, splashing through puddles:

— I'm with Omega. Let's move out.

Suddenly, the girl gasped. The girl caught up with them.

***

Fennec was angry. She missed her prey. However, all is not lost yet. While the girl was fighting with the clone, she managed to notice where the target ran, and rushed to the same place. You have to think like a girl. If she were in her place, where would she run? So she's a child. A scared child, she will hide, try to become invisible to others, and first of all to her. So, what's here? The hatch leading to the tunnels. We need to check it out.

Yeah. Her intuition wasn't wrong. The girl is here, but with a different clone. And it looks stronger than the previous one. It will be more difficult to defeat this one.

Fennec began to approach slowly, waiting for the best moment to attack.

— Go to the ship. I'll deal with her.

The clone put the girl near the stairs, and she immediately began to climb it.

The girl suppressed an exasperated sigh. Even if the clone loses, he will gain a few minutes for her purpose, and whether she, being a hunter, does not know that sometimes time is the most valuable. Even more valuable than loans. Even one second can solve everything.

"Problems with the baby are problems with me," the clone said decisively, ready for a fight.

Naive. While he was chatting, Fennec managed to study the situation a little with her eyes. And she had an idea.

As soon as the clone was too close, the girl grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the pipe, from which hot air was coming. The man grabbed his head and passed out. The helmet came off. Apparently, this was his weak spot.

Without pausing for a second, Fennec began to climb the stairs after Omega. Fortunately, she didn't get far.

***

Omega tried her best to climb as fast as possible. She was terribly tired, she had almost no strength left. But the stairs ended. The girl opened the door and found herself at the top of the tower.

How strange. I went down, and climbed up. Not forgetting to lock the door, the girl turned around and looked down. I wish she hadn't done that. Speeders were flying back and forth under it, cars at high speed. How scary it is! And if she breaks down? And if he falls?

You can imagine the horror of a little girl who finds herself at a high altitude, where there is not even a fence to hold on to.

She's trapped. On the one hand — the girl chasing her, on the other — the abyss. Either she gets caught or she crashes.

The girl, in fear, began to carefully creep back to the door, when suddenly a shot rang out. In surprise, Omega stumbled and fell off, but managed to catch on the edge.

A little time passed, and the baby held on with the last of her strength, hoping for a miracle and that her friends would save her. However, as time passed, she no longer cared. At least someone… Even this girl would be fine.

Unfortunately, the child's arm got tired and something happened that Omega was most afraid of. More precisely, it could have happened if the girl hadn't arrived in time.

— Thank you later, — through the helmet, the girl felt that she was smiling.

***

Fennec mentally praised herself for what she had done. If the target had died, she would not have been patted on the head for it. Or maybe they would have started hunting for her already. The customer made it clear that the baby is very valuable.

Well, she has a purpose. It remains to get to the ship. The huntress noticed a rather large truck moving slowly along the air road.

"Roll over when you land, baby," Fennec released her hand, and the girl fell right onto the cargo in the back. She didn't turn somersaults, but the girl couldn't help but give valuable advice.

The girl landed next, hoping that the girl was not hurt. And here is the first clone on the speeder. It's easy to talk about. Fennec took out her blaster and started shooting, hoping to shoot down the speeder.

But she completely stopped looking at the target. Just like last time. So the girl herself did not notice how the load began to rise and now the huntress herself was hanging on the crossbar. What a day this is!

Two crates of cargo fell out of the truck, knocking the girl off the truck. Fennec fell on a nearby car and almost fell off, but managed to catch on.

***

The loads continued to fall out, which made Omega afraid that she would fall herself, but fortunately, she noticed the belt and grabbed it.

***

Fennec climbed up and threw the driver out first. Whether he survived or not, she didn't care. There is no place for pity in her profession. Especially to ordinary citizens.

After catching up with her prey, she tried to damage the clone's speeder so that it would fall, but he managed to dodge. Damn it!

And then the Pantoranskaya police got on the tail. The girl set the controls to automatic, remembering about the blaster lying behind her, and in a matter of seconds she dealt with the law enforcement officers.

The girl got as close as possible to the girl hanging on the belt. Victory was close when suddenly an explosion occurred. The smell of burning got into my nostrils.

Fennec turned around: the clone had ruined the left engine! While she was distracted, he managed to grab the child and fly away.

The girl tried to intercept the target, but suddenly the clone backed off and threw a bomb. Reacting instantly, Fennec managed to jump out before the explosion, though not quite successfully, hitting her back against another car.

Following her own advice, the huntress turned over when she fell. The car crashed to the ground.

When Fennec stood up, pain shot through her right leg. She must have hurt herself. Limping, deprived of fast transport, angry and tired, the huntress could only watch as the clone and her target flew forward.

***

It was only when the ship took off and flew a decent distance from the Pantora that Omega was able to calm down a little. Yes, she was already safe, but her knees were still shaking.

The world turned out to be more cruel than she thought. Not everyone in it treats children well. On the contrary, it means nothing to many. Just a thing. You can't trust strangers. Even those who, at first glance, want to help. Let Omega be grateful to the girl for the treats and advice, but she will no longer trust her. This is a fact.

"She's definitely a bounty hunter,— the Hunter pronounced the verdict, putting the bag on the floor.

— Who? — the girl did not understand.

"Someone who's hired to catch a target,— Echo explained.

"And you became her target,— Tech added.

—Me?— the Omega was surprised.

— Hey! Don't scare the child," said Breker.

But the girl was already scared. I've been through so much in a day. And only two questions worried her. Who hired the girl? Who is she a "target" for?

— We need to find out who she is. And who hired her, the Hunter decided, reading his mind.

The friends moved on, not knowing that when they were leaving, the Sullastan who had allowed them to park, in horror began waving his hands so that they would not fly away, because she had not yet paid.

***

After recovering a little, Fennec returned to where she had left her ship. In the parking lot of the Sullastan she hired.

What the huntress loved about her helmet was that she always looked formidable in it. And no one saw her emotions.

In her favorite manner, she slowly approached him, like a predator stalking its prey.

— no! Stop! I tried to stop them!  The Sullustan man backed away in horror, his hands in the air.

The girl did not listen to his whining and just threw him a few credits. In a good way, she should have killed him, but she wouldn't do it. Killing a simple worker won't do any good, and maybe even add to the problems. But if she let him live, he might still be useful to her.

"If they come back, you know how to contact me," Fennec said in a kind voice and turned back.

Approaching her ship, the girl took off her helmet and took out her comlink.

— The target has escaped. But I'll find her," she reported coldly.

Let the customer know that she will not give up, and does not discount her.

The girl looked up at the sky. It's beautiful, though. A dark canvas with a pattern of stars woven on it.

The mood dropped below the baseboard. She spent a lot of effort and time - and no result. Now we have to start all over again. More stalking, more chasing. But Fennec Shand believed that she should succeed the second time. The taste of defeat is bitter, but what did she want? The life of a hunter is full of ups and downs. She wanted to choose such a profession herself. She is still a beginner, so she will have to work hard to find her place in the hierarchy. Or maybe even climb to the top, but it's too much. Then you will have to constantly fight to stay at the top and not fall off. The constant voltage is somehow not very good. Getting into the top ten is already a more profitable and likely prospect.

For Sinister_exaggerator, sporadicthingcollection.

Inspired by Fighting Dirty by sporadicthingcollection

[nineteenthmay]

Monstrous Ball vs Hi Society or Chuck and Blair's evolution

Today I'm in the mood to talk about Gossip Girl Season 6, Episode 5 Monstrous Ball. I have seen many thoughts expressed about it: delusional Dair fans have claimed that somehow Blair going to the ball with Dan proves that she still hadn't chosen between Dan and Chuck; some Chair fans have been irritated and disappointed by Dan's presence and have claimed that it ruined Chuck and Blair's moment; some others have wondered about lack of reaction about Blair going to the ball with Dan from Chuck, asking why was Chuck so indifferent about it.

I think I'm correct to say that the writers were deliberately replaying the premise of Season 1, Episode 10 Hi Society in Monstrous Ball. Both episodes revolve around the cotillion (at the beginning of 6x05 we are even reminded of the Season 1 cotillion by pictures from it), in both episodes Blair goes to the event with not-Chuck - in 1x10 it's Nate, in 6x05 it's Dan. In both episodes Nate and Dan respectively wants to win Blair back but doesn't really love her. In both cases Blair has made it clear that her companion at the ball attends her only as a friend. I believe that Blair in 1x10 really meant it when she emphasized to Nate that she goes with him only as a friend because later at the fitting session she didn't show any interest in Nate, and instead was absorbed with texting to Chuck. To me it means that Nate already had lost his hold over Blair. However, the outcome of Monstrous Ball for all involved parties is very different and this difference is meant to showcase how much Chuck and Blair have grown since Season 1.

I just want to clarify that I don't judge Chuck too hard for his scheming in 1x10 because he was very young, very jealous and very scared and as far as we know he didn't have any reason to think that he was something more to Blair than just a good sex, all he knew was that Blair had fixation on Nate since they were children. Not to mention Chuck's perception of himself as unworthy that caused him so many problems during the show. And I think he deserved a chance to explain his actions because he didn't scheme for his own enjoyment to ruin Blair's evening as Blair accused him to do. Still, Chuck's scheming backfired to him terribly and he ended up heartbroken.

Not so in Monstrous ball. Why was Chuck so calm about Blair attending the cotillion with Dan(and indeed with Dan living at her house)? It was not because Chuck had lost interest in Blair or that he cared more about taking down his father as Dan would like Blair to believe. On the contrary, Chuck's love for Blair had become stronger and more mature. Chuck himself had become older, wiser and stronger, unlike in 1x10, in 6x05 he knows that Blair loves him and, more importantly, he finally trusts her, he relies on her word and holds onto her promises. Therefore it doesn't matter to him anymore with whom Blair goes to the cotillion, Dan can't be a threat to him. The same goes for Blair - during the episode Dan constantly tries to manipulate Blair and sow doubts in her about her future with Chuck, like writing out Blair from Chuck's life in his Chuck chapter. And earlier such manipulations with Blair's insecurities might have worked but Blair too has become stronger and more confident and doesn't allow Dan to deter herself from what she knows is true. She not only loves Chuck, she knows herself, she knows what she wants and she trusts Chuck.

To me it's of principal importance - Chuck and Blair had love since Season 1, but they lacked trust both in themselves and in each other that combined with their individual psychological issues used to thwart their relationship. Not so anymore in Season 6. Chuck and Blair have grown up and left their trust issues in past, that allows them to react differently to similar challenges and therefore all Dan's attempts to break them up are doomed to fail.

In short, Monstrous Ball is a really good episode, and another proof that Chuck and Blair's happy ending was well founded.

[the-cult-of-riley]

Sleeping With Ghosts (Act One: Chapter Nine)

Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Female OC

[[Masterlist]]

A/N: Don’t mind me just being an absolute slut for Simon Riley lmao I know you’re all with me on that one lololol

Nine Inch Nails - We’re In This Together

I've become impossible

Holding on to when

When everything seemed to matter more

The two of us

All used and beaten up

Watching fate

As it flows

Down the path

We have chose

You and me

We're in this together now

None of them can stop us now

We will make it through somehow

You and me

If the world should break in two

Until the very end of me

Until the very end of you

Awake to the sound as they peel apart the skin

They pick and they pull

Trying to get their fingers in

Well, they've got to kill what we found

Well, they've got to hate what they fear

Well, they've got to make it go away

Well, they've got to make it disappear

The farther I fall I'm beside you

As lost as I get I will find you

The deeper the wound I'm inside you

For ever and ever I am a part of

You and me

We're in this together now

None of them can stop us now

We will make it through somehow

You and me

If the world should break in two

Until the very end of me

Until the very end of you

All that we were is gone we have to hold on

All that we were is gone we have to hold on

When all our hope is gone we have to hold on

All that we were is gone but we can hold on

You and me

We're in this together now

None of them can stop us now

We will make it through somehow

You and me

Even after everything

You're the queen and I'm the king

Nothing else means anything

Simon's fingers drummed restlessly on the table, his eyes lazily drifting around the cafe as he just people watched and drowned in his own thoughts. It was normal for him to turn up at her work now, every day he'd meet her at the end of her shift and go back with her. He didn't stay at hers every night, didn't want to smother the poor girl. The more time he spent with her meant more chance of her getting sick of him and he wasn't about to push his luck. But seeing her every day was soothing to him, something that he yearned for while he was at base. 

It was Friday and as usual, he'd be staying at hers. He'd been let off work early though so he got to the cafe earlier than normal and decided to just go in. He'd been greeted with a smile and a kiss when he'd turned up and she'd offered him a meal on the house but he hadn't been hungry. A coke sat in front of him, courtesy of Charlotte because he had to order something to be able to take up a table. But now anxiety was prickling at him as he sat there and he tried to ignore it. He was about to do something he hadn't done with her yet, which was ask her for something specific in bed. 

He felt like he'd misled her a little if he was honest. She acted like he was some sort of sex god and part of him understood after their first ever conversation and the fact that he'd blow her mind on a regular basis. It wasn't through experience though, it was more the raw and primal passion and desire he felt for her that he just followed and allowed to take over. It was instinctual. Most of the shit he did, he'd picked up from porn, something he used to watch in copious amounts as teenager after he found his father's hidden stash. 

He wasn’t a virgin, of course he fucking wasn't. When he was on leave from deployment, he tried to get laid at least once just because it hit differently than doing it himself with his hand. Kept his head on right. Because he never went back to the same person more than once, it meant his number of sexual partners overall was a bit higher than average, but again it was misleading. The sex was always fast and rushed and he never really got to explore anything, never really got to try all the kinky shit he'd watched that had his blood running hot. 

But now he had a pretty little minx in his life who was going through her own sexual awakening. It had ignited something within himself. He'd already been trying stuff he'd seen, enjoying himself and enjoying how much she loved all the shit he was doing, but she had no idea it was his first time trying these things, probably thought he'd done it all the time. And now the cat would be out of the bag because there was something he really fucking wanted to try but it was a bit much to just spring on her. He wanted to be a gentleman and at least fucking ask the poor girl before he went for it. 

He was nervous about her reaction if he was honest. Although it hadn't been true, his ego had seriously enjoyed her thinking he was some sex god and he worried it would turn her off him. He knew deep down though he should tell her and not just to be polite about what he wanted. He didn't like the thought of misleading her, made him feel dirty from the inside out. So he'd be honest with her, open up another part of himself and hope it wouldn't make her run for the hills. 

He sipped at his coke as he watched her flit around the place with that pretty smile on her face. She was so beautiful it fucking hurt sometimes, like a moth burning to death as it flew into the light. He shifted uncomfortably as his mind kept supplying images of what the night might bring if she agreed to his plan. It had been something he'd seen once in one of his dad's dodgy VHSs and it had stuck with him all these years. There had been something so primally pleasing to watch about it and the idea of being the one to experience it had his cock jumping in excitement. Just as he'd necked the rest of his coke, Charlotte came bounding over with a smile before plonking heavily into the seat opposite him.

“Sylvie's give me the rest of the shift off so we can leave now,” she smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she eyed him. It was a look he was getting familiar with and one that told him she might not know his plans but she knew they were going to get up to something and she was ready. 

“Before we go… I uh… when we get back, there's somethin' I want to try,” he admitted, glancing at her through his lashes. He didn't need to elaborate too much as a sly smirk curled at her lips, excitement sparkling behind her eyes. 

“What is it?” She asked eagerly, wriggling in her seat. 

“I'll tell you when we get back to yours. I haven't… I've never done it before,” he murmured and she tilted her head, looking at him funny. 

“Hard to believe you haven't tried everything,” she snorted and he swallowed thickly as he felt his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. 

“I haven't tried much, Lottie. Hard to try stuff when I never go back to the same person twice,” he admitted bashfully. Was weird, wasn't it? Admitting he slept about and yet was inexperienced at the same time. She gasped, a hand flying to her chest as she leaned in over the table more. 

“Are you telling me that Simon Riley is a slut?” She asked cheekily, eyes dancing with mischief as he gave her a deadpan look. He had to admit though he was glad she wasn’t upset with the news. 

“If that's what you wanna call me. But sex before… it was just rushed… just a need I had sometimes, like a chore. With you it's different. You're the first person I've gone back to. First-… All the stuff we've done have been firsts for me,” he knew he was blushing a disgusting amount because the tips of his ears felt like someone was taking a lighter to them. Her eyes softened as she looked at him, really looked at him, and then she reached out across the table and took his hand. She pulled it over the table and nuzzled it, giving him a soft smile. 

“Honestly… it makes me feel a bit better knowing I'm not the only one. You're just so good at it that I presumed you did this stuff all the time. But I like that we're having these firsts together,” her sweet words made his body sag in relief. 

She hadn't judged him nor had she run for the hills. He'd admit he liked it too, the idea of them both exploring this together. Stuff like that takes trust and he'd never trusted anyone enough before her. With his embarrassing admission out of the way, the pair left to go back to hers. He could have told her what he had in mind but he didn't want to have that conversation in a public cafe, it was bad enough the conversation they'd already had. 

When they got to her place, he dropped another bomb on her the second they got through the door. 

“Pack a bag, were goin' to mine,” he didn't really ask but he knew she wouldn't mind anyway. She looked at him, tilting her head slightly. “There's somethin' there you don't have,” he elaborated vaguely and her eyes narrowed. He could see the cogs whirring about in her head as she tried to piece the puzzle together, tried to figure out what might be coming her way. While he'd love to surprise her with it, it was something they'd never done and required trust on her part to allow him to do what he wanted to do, so he knew telling her first was a must. At least for this first time and he really hoped there would be many more. 

He sauntered over to her, hooking a finger under her chin and tilting her head up at him. She flashed him a pretty smile that was different to the ones she’d give to the patrons of the cafe. This one was special and he'd only ever seen her wear it for him. He leaned down and stole a kiss from her, tender and slow. She hummed softly, her hands bunching into his top as she pressed herself close to him. When he broke the kiss, he placed one on the tip of her nose, delighting in the way her face scrunched up in a giggle. 

“The thing I wanna try… saw it once on tape and I… You don't have to if you don't want to, yeah? Want you to know that,” he gave her a stern look because he knew what a people pleaser the girl was. He wouldn't get any joy out of it if she had a horrible time. 

“What is it?” She asked curiously, sneaking her hands up his top to smooth up his bare chest. He brought his own hand to her throat and he brushed his thumb over the delicate flesh there, eyes watching the movement like he was in a trance. 

“Wanna fuck your throat,” he replied in a low voice as arousal gripped him tight. He saw her eyes darken before she blinked rapidly as if to clear a sudden haze that had taken over her. She was looking up at him all doe eyed and it had his heart beating faster against his ribcage. 

“I'd like that,” she murmured almost breathlessly and her words drew a low moan from him. Such a good girl for him as always. 

“Yeah?” He asked, feeling like he was being sucked into a black hole as he stared at her. A smile curled her lips that looked almost angelic in a twisted way. It was the kind of smile that made need shoot through him at a painful rate. 

“Mhm,” she swiped her tongue over her top teeth and his eyes followed the movement before darting back to her eyes. The angelic smile turned devilish and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. 

“So… what's at your place that I don't have?’ she asked and he knew her well enough to know she was fucking eager to get on with it, wondered why he was making her wait. 

“There's a specific way I wanna do it, involves the dinin’ table,” he supplied and her brows rose, a sly grin on her lips. 

“Now I'm really curious,” she snorted and he smiled down at her, pecking her lips before he moved away. 

“Hurry your arse up then and pack your bag,” he ordered and she was off like a shot. He watched in amusement as she stuffed things carelessly in her bag in record speed before coming back over to him.

“Done!” she grinned. He shook his head fondly, taking her bag from her shoulder and putting it on his instead and her smile widened. 

“Such a gentleman,” she teased as he opened the door with a roll of his eyes and a chuckle. 

Simon hadn’t ever enjoyed riding the bus before. Was always too packed full of annoying people and sometimes the odd fucker wanted to speak to him. He enjoyed the bus ride back to his though with Charlotte pressed into his side and his arm slung around her shoulders. She was a pretty girl, even if she didn't really see it, even if she didn't notice some of the looks she’d get from passers by or people on the bus. He noticed though and he felt a smug pride that he was the one she was snuggled up to, the one she was going home with. She stayed glued to his side until they got into his apartment. It really didn't feel as homey as Charlotte’s which is why he loved being at her place all the time instead. He definitely preferred it over his place.

“Just give us a minute,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple before he went over to the bathroom. He rummaged around for a moment before sauntering out with a large fluffy towel.

“Fuckin’ hell,” he muttered, eyes taking in the sight before him. In what felt like mere seconds that he was in the bathroom, she’d got herself completely naked and was standing near the dining table with an impish grin on her face. It was times like this when he wondered if she was real or a figment of his imagination.

“Where do you want me?” she asked casually, as if she wasn't standing there in her birthday suit giving him one hell of a view. There were a lot of answers to that question but that wasn't really what she was asking right now and he cleared his throat, trying to force his eyes to stay on her face as he walked over. He rolled out the towel on the dining table and tapped it.

“Hop on, love,” he smirked. She glanced at the table before back at him, moving to sit on it. He guided her to lay down, loving how pliable she was for him, allowing him to manoeuvre her to his desire. He put her on her back before standing at the head of the table. He grabbed the tops of her arms and tugged gently until her head was dangling off the table. 

“Well… this is interesting,” she remarked wryly and he snorted as he started to peel off his own clothes. His cock was already up and willing with the delicious view he had and knowing what he was about to do. 

“You need to breathe through your nose durin’ this, alright? And if you need me to stop, just tap my hip three times,” he insisted. He knew just what she was like and he didn't need her passing out or worse because she didn't want to tell him she didn't like it or needed to breathe.

“Ah, yes. I won't be able to use the safeword when I’m choking on your huge cock,” even upside down he could see her mischievous smirk and his lips tugged up. How could he help it when she stroked his ego like that?

“I mean it, Charlotte. At any point if you wanna stop, you don't like it or you just need a break, you need to let me know. I won't be upset. It's important that you're havin’ fun too,” he said firmly, making sure she really got the point. 

“Yes, sir,” she grinned and he shook his head as he resisted the urge to flick her on the head. She reached a hand out, catching him off guard as she grasped his cock and he moaned. 

“Come onnnn!” she whined, that pretty little body of hers writhing on the table impatiently as she stroked his cock like it would speed it up. He did enjoy working her up so much. 

“Such a needy girl for me,” he murmured darkly and she let out a little noise, squeezing his cock and making him gasp. He swatted her hand away and she pouted upside down at him. 

“Open wide, love,” he smirked and she complied. 

His body felt like it was on fire already at finally getting to try this out for himself and he slowly slid himself into her mouth. He wanted to ease her into it, knowing things would get a bit rough, so he allowed her to suck him off normally, albeit upside down, for a bit, loving how warm and wet her mouth was around him. She swirled her tongue around the head of his cock, ripping a loud moan from him as his hands went to cup the back of her head. She was making little noises like she was happy to be pleasing him this way and it only heightened his pleasure more. 

He started to take control back, gently thrusting into her mouth at first and she quickly go the hint, allowing herself to relax around him. Her hands moved to his hips, bracing herself for what was to come. He was careful at first, every so often, pushing in further and feeling her throat spasm around him. The sensation was fucking wonderful, as was the sight he had. Every time he forced his dick down her throat, at the angle she was, he could see the bulge in her throat. That's what had fascinated him all those years ago as a teenager, it brought out something so primal in him to see it and he never thought he’d get to experience it for real, yet here he was. 

Part of him was trying not to hurt her, being too gentle because he was worried she wouldn't like it or he’d harm her in some way, but he’d made it clear what he wanted and she seemed to have enough of his gentleness. She smacked his hip, only once, but he still pulled out of her quicker than lightning as he worried something was wrong.

“What is it?” he asked quickly, eyes scanning her as she took a few deep breaths.

“Stop going easy on me. I want you to be rough, Simon. I want you to use me,” she pleaded, moving her head up slightly to look at him properly.

“You sure?” he asked carefully. Obviously she was, she’d already agreed to it but there was still that barrier there that didn't want to take it too far.

“I’m positive,” she insisted and he could tell by looking at her she was indeed serious. 

It was all he needed, the green light to really go to town and fuck, he was going to enjoy himself. He slid himself back inside of her waiting mouth, hands on the back of her head as he started thrusting again. This time they were faster and harsher, hitting the back of her throat every single time and the noises that came out of him felt like they were coming from someone else. He felt like he was having some holy outer body experience. 

She moaned around him, causing a moan of his own to leave his lips and his eyes darted from the bulge in her throat to see her playing with herself with one hand. The sight made him gasp, bucking into her throat harshly as he bared his teeth. He felt like a wild animal, chasing the high that felt like it was in sight but not close enough to reach. He tore his eyes away from her playing with her clit and back to her throat, mesmerised by the sight of his cock so far down and he growled, feeling on the precipice of his climax. 

One hand was still on the back of her head as he brought the other to her throat, touching himself through her skin. He wrapped his hand around her throat with a moan, applying a small amount of pressure but it was enough to cause a jolt of pure unadulterated pleasure to shoot through his veins. He worried then he was doing too much and retracted his hand, only to have her shake her head frantically at him. His thrusts faltered for a second before he put his hand back and she nodded, letting him know she liked it with a pretty little moan. With one last squeeze of her throat, a primal moan tore from his chest, low and guttural as he shot his load down her throat. He thrust a few more times before he slipped out of her and she gasped, her chest heaving as she sucked in greedy breaths. Even though he felt like he suddenly had no bones, he made a move to push her back on the table properly, not wanting her head to dangle for much longer. 

“Fuckin’... Jesus Christ,” he muttered as his high still made his head fuzzy and delightful. 

“Did you enjoy it?” she asked him and he looked at her and the little smile on her face.

“I did… did you?” he asked carefully as he ran a hand through her hair. 

“I did. I’d like to do it again some time,” she smiled. Her words made him happy and not just at the prospect of doing it again sometime. He was glad she’d enjoyed it too, he’d gain no pleasure out of making her do stuff she didn't like. 

“Your turn, love,” he smirked lazily, pulling her to sit. She looked confused at him but he tugged her to the bedroom, making his way to the bed before he moved to lay on his back.

“Take a seat,” he flashed her a wicked grin as he gestured to his face and her eyes widened, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.

“You want me to… on your face?” she asked. She sounded unsure but he also detected a hint of excitement in her voice.

“I do,” he said sincerely, gesturing with his hand again. 

She smiled shyly, nibbling her lower lip as she climbed on the bed. She shuffled to near his face before slinging a leg over him and the sight he had was fucking glorious. Oh, how many times he’d thought about doing this. She hovered there, unsure of herself, so he took matters into his own hands and grabbed her arse cheeks, pulling her down onto him. She yelped in surprise and he moaned, diving right in as he started lapping at her soaked cunt. His eyes were up and on that pretty face, watching as her mouth fell open with a moan and she gripped the headboard. 

His fingers dug into the flesh of her arse cheeks, thoroughly enjoying himself as he started fucking her with his tongue. She started grinding on his face, instinct taking over and his poor spent dick twitched pathetically as heat spread through his body like wildfire. His nose was brushing against her clit with her movements and he aided her, using his hands to guide her. He wanted all of it, wanted her to fucking smother him with her delectable pussy so he could die a happy man. 

“Simon…” he loved the way his name fell off her tongue, like a plea or a prayer, full of reverence. Loved the way he got her inhibitions to lower as she felt comfortable enough to rub her cunt on his face unabashed. He knew how much his little minx loved her clit being played with and he moved her so his mouth could suck on it. She cried out, a delighted moan echoing in his room and bouncing off the walls. He suckled on it like a man starved and her thighs started shaking around his head. When she finally came, her moan was choked, her body stiffening and convulsing for a few moments before it went lax. She moved off him quickly, no doubt worried about smothering him or some shite like that and then collapsed in the bed next to him. She looked completely blissed out, chest heaving as she lay there.

“That was… wow,” she breathed heavily, a dreamy smile overtaking her face that filled his chest with pride. He helped manoeuvre her to lay right, her head on the pillow next to him as he lay on his side to face her. She gave him a smile that made his stomach feel all weird and he reached out, brushing her hair from her face. 

“You're beautiful, love,” he murmured, unable to keep it to himself when he was faced with such an angelic sight. She looked surprised by his complement and her cheeks flushed furiously. She honestly looked like she didn't know what to do with herself with his words and he took pity on her when he scooped her up and pulled her closer to him. She instantly hid her face in his neck. He couldn't believe the night he had. He was glad he’d been honest with her, it was a relief to have all his cards on the table about his inexperience and it had worked out well. Seeing her with his cock bulging through her fucking throat was a sight he wouldn't forget any time soon.

[nadinebrooks]

Here is the link to my masterlist.

James Potter x Reader: All I Want for Christmas is You

Warnings: Absolutely nothing but fluff.

It was nice to finally have some real friends. I hadn't had a real friend since I was a young child before I started attending Hogwarts.

I just wanted people to be my friend because they liked me and not because they wanted something from me. My first couple of years at Hogwarts, I was constantly surrounded by people, but the majority of them were not my real friends.

It took me much longer than I care to admit to realize that everyone isn't your friend. Just because you hang around someone and laugh with them doesn't make them your friend. People will pretend to be your friend to get whatever they can out of you.

My dad used to be Beater on a professional Quidditch team. People liked to think that if they acted like my friend they'd be able to meet my dad, get some private lessons out of him, or maybe even get tickets to a couple of matches.

At first I did give people tickets to matches and allowed them to meet my dad. I thought that giving these things to people would make them want to be my friend. But after I gave them what they wanted, they left me. Even though I was always surrounded by people, I was completely alone.

When I first got to Hogwarts, I enjoyed all the attention. I never had to worry about who I was going to sit with in the Great Hall or who I was going to sit by in class. There was always someone who wanted to sit beside me. I realized none of these people truly wanted to know me. They just wanted to use me.

After some time of struggling to find real friends, I met the Mauraders during my fourth year. I took a chance on sitting with them on the train one year and it was the best decision of my life. Now three years later, we had become the best of friends. I would do anything to meet them earlier. None of them had ever said or done anything to make me believe that they were being my friend for the wrong reasons.

The Gryffindor common room was always cozy during the winter holidays. At the moment, I was sitting on one of the couches snuggled up with a good book and a mug of butterbeer. Looking out the window, I saw that it had finally began to snow. This was my absolute favorite time of the year.

I read for about an hour or so until I noticed that the common room had been really quiet lately. This was not normal. There was no sign of the boys so who knows what kind of trouble they had gotten into. I shrugged it off and kept reading until I dozed off.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." I have no idea how long I had been asleep, but I slowly opened my eyes to meet a pair of warm brown eyes and messy black hair. I felt my cheeks heat up from being so close to James.

I had always had a little crush on him, but I tended to ignore those feelings because I knew it would change the whole dynamic of the entire friend group. It took me a long time to find these friends and I wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize that.

I had a feeling that James would never feel the same way about me. He had his eye on Lily for the longest. Sirius had mentioned that he had feelings for another girl, but I didn't think so. There was no way he was going to let Lily go.

"I'm awake." I yawned and jokingly rolled my eyes. I lightly pushed him away from me, but he didn't budge. He cocked his head to the side and his eyes never left mine.

Eventually, I looked away from him. I could never hold eye contact with him for long. He didn't say anything for a minute, but then plopped down on the couch beside me.

He then adjusted himself so that his head in my lap. I reached down and started running my fingers through his hair and scratching his scalp. He let out a couple of low moans. I couldn't help but smile at the image. He was absolutely perfect. We sat like that for a while neither of us saying much of anything,

"What do you want for Christmas?" James was the first one to break the silence. I glanced down at him to see that he still hadn't opened his eyes. I guess he was enjoying the silence in the common room as well.

"I haven't really given it much thought James. Maybe a new sweater or a pair of shoes."

"That's a good gift." Was all he said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a golden snitch. He liked to carry that thing around everywhere he went. It was one of his favorite memories. It was one of my favorites as well. All of my memories with James were pretty pleasant. James caught that snitch during our fifth year when Gryffindor beat Slytherin in the championship.

When James finally caught the snitch, I pushed my way through the stands until I reached the field. I sprinted to James with his outstretched arms. Jumping into his arms, it felt as if this is how it was supposed to be.

I let go of him and I thought we were we were going to kiss. I felt it and I know he felt it. But the second he started leaning in towards me, we were bombarded by the rest of the Mauraders. Leave it to them to ruin a perfectly good moment. It was nothing new.

I stared at the snitch and watched its wings fluttering in James' grasp. I recall him telling me something about how they have memories. They remember the first person that touched them. He let the snitch go and it flitted around the common room for a little bit before returning to his outstretched hand. He did this a couple of times over and over again.

"Where's the dog?" I finally questioned after I had gotten bored of watching the two of them.

"The last time I saw him he was outside playing in the snow with his new girl of the week. I believe she's in Ravenclaw."

"Are you sure? The last time I heard, he was dating a girl in Gryffindor." I sadly sighed. "I wish he would stop playing around with all these girl's feelings. It's not fair."

"Speaking of..." James grumbled looking towards the entrance of the common room. It was Sirius' girl from last week, Amanda Harrison. Maybe this was the girl that I was thinking of and he had now moved on to a girl in Ravenclaw.

She stomped into the common room and over to the window. She crossed her arms glaring out the window. She must be watching Sirius and his new girl playing outside. The girl whipped around to the both of us her eyes glassy with tears.

"He promised he wouldn't just use me and then leave. All my friends told me not to trust him, but like an idiot I believed him."

"I'm gonna go talk to him." James sighed and headed out the portrait hole. The girl dragged the back of her hand across her eyes trying to dry the tears and sat down beside me. I gave her a sympathetic smile and held on to her hands. She looked like she just wanted to talk and I was more than happy to be a listening ear.

"I know that you're around him all the time. How have you managed not to fall in love with him?"

"I have no interest in Sirius whatsoever. I never have." I shrugged.

"Oh." I could see the wheels turning in her head but I had no idea what she was trying to work out. "Does that mean you have a thing for James?"

"Something like that." I grumbled, "but he has absolutely no interest in me."

"Are you serious?" Amanda threw her head back and laughed. "Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"What are you talking about?" I raised my eyebrow at her.

"You mean to tell me you've never noticed the way James looks at you? He looks at you as if you are the only thing in this world that truly matters."

"Why have I never noticed that ?"

"I guess you're just never looking when he does." She pointed out letting out a small sigh. "If a guy looked at me the way he looks at you I would marry him on the spot."

I wasn't sure what to make of anything Amanda was saying. I knew she had no reason to lie to me. She wouldn't make this up for her gain. I ran upstairs to my room, grabbed a sweater, gave a quick thanks to Amanda, and went outside to find James. I needed to talk to him.

I trudged through the ankle deep snow and found James standing under a small tree watching Remus and Sirius play in the snow.

"Hi." His eyes lit up when he saw me and I was seriously starting to consider what Amanda told me. He held out a hand and when I took it he gently pulled me into him wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Back in the common room you never asked me what I wanted." James mumbled. I could tell he was pouting and I let out a little giggle.

"What do you mean?"

"I asked what you wanted for Christmas when I was laying in your lap in the common room. You told me that you wanted either a sweater or a pair of shoes. You never asked what I wanted."

"You remember what I wanted?" I was surprised. I pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes then back down at my snow covered boots and then over to the frozen lake.

Whenever I get nervous around James, I can never look him in the eye. I usually just end up staring at my shoes.

"Of course I remembered (y/n)." He lowly chuckled using his one finger under my chin to force me to look up at him. We were standing so close that I could see the exact color of his eyes. There were a couple of flecks of green mixed in with his brown. "I remember everything about you (y/n)."

"What do you want for Christmas?" I swallowed getting more and more nervous every second that we were standing this close.

"You."

[quinloki]

Family Ties

Fem Reader x Donquixote Doflamingo

CW: Language, violence, blood, moral ambiguity, murder, sexual themes and situations 18+ only

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 17: Ex-Position-ed

It was early morning when Law released you, and while the sun hadn't come up yet the night was effectively over. Breakfast when you had arrived at the estate that morning had been blood sausage, shredded potatoes, diced vegetables and chicken with a minced liver sauce on it. All things good for someone who had lost as much blood as you had. Even if none of it sounded good, you had to hand it to Machvise, it was all delicious – and you detest liver and hadn't had blood sausage before.

After eating you slept most of the day away and woke in the late afternoon. Doflamingo had been working quietly at the desk in his room, the same room where you were sleeping. You smile happily at the realization that he was so worried he wasn't letting you out of his sight.

He could've easily trusted you to Violet, or Giolla, or any number of his family with a single word. Instead, here he was. The practical part of your brain hoped this was a sign of devotion, and not a sign of toxic possessiveness.

Time would tell.

"Hey," you say softly, causing him to turn toward you, "What's a girl gotta do for some food around here?"

"Not much," He responds, getting up and coming over the few feet to the bed. "The estate moves for you for the next few weeks, my dear."

"Absolute power, something something, absolute corruption." You mutter with a smile and roll toward him. "Help me get up, I need use the restroom, and then I would love something to eat."

Doflamingo uncovers you, bends down, and lifts you up into his arms. You had expected help sitting up, but you weren't going to argue with him if he was going to carry you around. A day or two of being fully pampered sounded really good, and Law's promise on the effectiveness of the pills wasn't a joke, you were in pain, but it was dull and manageable.

Doflamingo provided equal parts assistance and privacy as you used the restroom, and then sat you down in a chair and started brushing your hair without prompt. You felt your face flush and leaned back into the chair to enjoy it.

"I haven't had someone brush my hair since I was a kid," you murmur. "Feels nice."

You enjoy the sensation, but your head is a lot clearer now than earlier and it was already going over the events of the last week. Starting with walk at the carnival. You touch your wrist and jolt when you realize the bracelet is gone. You hold a hand over your wrist and start to turn toward him when he puts a warm hand on your shoulder.

"It's on my desk," he assures you. "I had Giolla clean it." You relax. It probably had been all kinds of dirty after last night. "I could buy you anything, and that bracelet is already an irreplaceable gift to you, isn't it?"

"Mm, I told Sugar why." You tease, "But the spell breaks if you say it more than once, so you're shit outta luck, Mr. Donquixote."

He finishes brushing your hair with a knowing chuckle and kisses the top of your head before retrieving the bracelet from his desk. He kneels in front of you and slips it over your wrist in a smooth motion that makes your heart flutter. The warm kiss on the top of your hand turns your ears pink.

He leaves to get you something to eat, after putting you back in the bed and making sure you were comfortable sitting upright. It was a pleasant surprise to see that his kindness could be just as vast as his fury.

The time alone gives you a chance to focus on your thoughts. You replay the events of the last week in steady steps, from waking up Sunday to stepping into the limo. You replayed arriving at Sanji's and the conversation during breakfast. You went over your time at the carnival several times in your mind. Smoker hadn't noticed you and he was way too preoccupied with the kids in his care to even be on alert enough to notice you.

You had known that then, and you'd stayed relaxed. Relaxed meant you weren't hyper focused, which meant there was no way you would've missed Wadatsumi. He was a little over seven feet tall with six-foot-wide shoulders and 300lbs of muscle. He was huge and so was his presence. His job was Intimidation and being a great big visual deterrent. Plus, Tsumi was a little dense, and he loved you, he always called you his little sister whenever he saw you.

If he had been at the carnival on Sunday, you would've been in a bear hug. Your name would've been bellowed across the grounds and all hell would've broken loose. Smoker would've seen you, and there's no telling how Doffy would've reacted to everything, or how Smoker would've reacted to him. You know Pops knew about the dark side of Smile, but there was no telling what the Marines knew.

Other things were bothering you as well, but Doflamingo returned with food, and you focused on it.

After a few minutes you realize he's staring at you. "I can't be that graceful looking shoveling food into my mouth," you quip.

"My apologies, but you seem to be troubled."

"I... am," you admit, furrowing your brows. "I was trying to sort it all out in my head first, but if you're willing to listen?" you prompt.

"Finish eating," He replies, turning back to papers on his desk.

When you finished eating, he moves the tray to his desk, and sits on the bed by you as you tell him how you had replayed the day through your mind. You explained there was no way you had missed Tsumi, and that once that part of the story fell apart the rest went with it.

"Decken's M.O. is fairly well known, he gifts the objects of his affection bladed weapons," you explain, pretty sure Doflamingo wasn't an encyclopedia of minor local gang knowledge. "But they're always engraved with hearts, wrapped in bows, they're like actual gifts. Creepy, terrible, gifts, but still gifts.

"Robin found a pocketknife outside her store shortly after I had left for the day and asked me if it was mine. No heart, no ribbon – she would've included those details in her texts. Then, when I got home from your place on Thursday there was a survival knife at the end of my driveway. No heart, no bow.

"I hadn't put it together because it wasn't his usual way. Plus, Decken knew, absolutely knew that Pop would slaughter him if he pursued me. Whether he knew about our relationship or not wouldn't have mattered. Decken wouldn't have risked Pop's ire."

You lean back and sigh, looking up at the canopy on the bed. "Decken's tone was legit though, as far as I could tell. There was anger and desperation and drive in it, and thinking back on it, it might not have been his own delusions driving him."

"You think someone coerced him to kidnap you?"

"Maybe? But why?" You look at Doflamingo. "We've been on a single date, from an outsider perspective there's no reason for someone to think I'm important to you. The timing could be mere coincidence, and getting too focused on assuming it has to do with my connection to you could end poorly." You gnaw on the bottom of your lip and continue.

"There's too many variables." You sigh in aggravation. "If no one's trying to get to me to get to you, then what? To get to Pops, maybe, but targeting me would make it personal, not business. It can't be Gild unless he's truly that petty, and the only other person I can think of who would need to relocate me secretly would be my father, but he has no reason to do something like that.

"Right?"

Doflamingo had listened quietly the whole time and put a hand over yours as he replies. "To protect the lie that has brought him to prominence would be reason enough." He states. There was a mix of comfort and anger in his tone, as though he was furious at the idea of it and trying to soothe you at the same time.

"I'll have Monet look into your father, Vergo will reach out to Newgate, and I will contact Gild myself." He assures you. "Nothing will harm you here, so please focus on recovering."

You chuckle weakly. "I suppose I am in the safest place in the world right now."

The days rolled into a week, the week into two. You had recovered well enough to move, but the whole family was keeping you from doing anything that could be construed as work. Even Sugar was gentle with you, though her idea of gentle was trying to get you to sit her in doll's stroller so she could push you around. Machvise seemed to cater every meal to either your physical needs or personal preferences, and you tried not to feel guilty about that.

Giolla and Violet helped you stay clean and were a lot of help in getting dressed. You had no idea how many muscles you used to get a sock on your foot, until all those muscles hurt. Everyone seemed to take turns in either bringing you food, or something to drink, or whatever you needed. Vergo even offered a piggyback ride through the gardens on a nice day, and you compromised with him by letting him push you around in a wheelchair.

Law made a couple of visits the first two weeks, and every time you begged him to tell the family to stop pampering you, he threatened to instruct them to pamper you more. You grumped, but it was nice to feel so loved, you had to admit.

The hardest part was being comfortable touching Doflamingo, but not being well enough to touch him. Snuggling was nice, and the easy kisses and gentle hugs weren't bad, but the desire was still there. The dreams were even harder to control, either you woke up in a sweat because you were reliving the trauma of Friday night, or you woke up in a sweat because you'd had amazing sex in your dreams with zero release.

You probably needed a therapist and some physical therapy, and neither were a viable option for another couple weeks. The last thing either one of you wanted to do was have a medical issue in the middle of it.

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Two and a half weeks later, you were sitting beside Doflamingo in the meeting room. Trebol, Diamante, Vergo, Pica, Monet, Pops, Marco and Thatch were all present.

Monet had just finished sharing the news that had the whole room quiet. Director of Organized Crime for the Grandline Marines, Admiral Sakazuki, was going to be the next Fleet Admiral. Except for the Five Elders who oversaw the whole government, there was no higher position.

"The problem isn't the promotion." Pop states, pulling out the day's newspaper. "This is why I wanted to talk to Donquixote and (Y/N). We'd all been gathering information while you were recovering, lass, but this turns things on their head."

The newspaper sat between everyone. It was an exposé of the raid against the Moim from 20 years ago. The headline was easy to read from any position at the table, "Hero or Zero: Sakazuki's Daughter Alive?" The picture below was of Doflamingo and you in Zeff's restaurant, though you wouldn't know Doflamingo was next to you from the focus on the image.

It was a beautifully done candid shot of a comfortable expression on your face, and the other half of the picture was your six-year-old face from the memorial in Mary Geoise.

"You've got to be kidding me." You murmur, breaking the silence. Your mind was going so fast you couldn't hold onto a single thought, and it was irritating you. "Comparing me to a statue? How does that even work? There's gotta be a ton of people who could be compared to a six-year-old kid, so why is my fucking picture next to it?!"

You shrug off Doflamingo reaching out to you, "Why that picture?" You look at him and then look away,  angry that you were mad at him. "Dammit, I didn't mean it that way." You smack your hand on the table in frustration, tears falling onto the wooden surface. "Sorry, Doffy, it's... not your fault."

Doflamingo reaches again and puts a hand on your shoulder. "It's fine, let them continue."

You sit back down, holding onto his hand tightly, and nodding. You were tired, you were cranky for being cooped up, and you were restless from recovering. None of it was anyone else's fault, but it was wearing on you hard.

"The rest of the article," Marco starts, and he was struggling to look at you. "(Y/N), it goes into a lot of details. If you hadn't gone to that restaurant, then the image of you today would've been something else."

"It talks about all yer jobs, lass." Pops says, his voice gentle. "It talks about how I've been watching over you since you were young. It's-"

"It's insider information, is what it is." Diamante snaps. "Someone betrayed you Miss (Y/N)."

Your stomach churns, and your hand flinches inside of Doflamingo's grip.

"That's not necessarily true," Thatch interjects. "Decken had a decent information network, and he had been stalk-." Thatch freezes, and you jerk at the words. He swore at himself and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, (Y/N), it's not the best way to hear it, but it's no less true. We raided Decken's hideouts while you were recovering, and he had... Tch." Thatch clicks his tongue in aggravation. "He knew as much as any of us did about you."

"So... Pops was protecting me from Decken. But what spurred him on like that? He was lying about Wadatsumi seeing me at the Binks', wasn't he?"

Marco shrugs, his eyes were usually half-lidded, but right now he looks ragged. "Tsumi's dead. He went into a rage when he heard Decken died, and we didn't have a choice-yoi."

"Oh." Wadatsumi was less a bad guy and more a loyal guy who had befriended Decken, and because of that his death stung. Especially since it was, by your own conscious decision, your fault. "No," you say out loud, shaking your head. "It's not my fault. If Decken hadn't started things, he'd still be alive."

You sink back into your chair. You were exhausted. You had been recovering well, but Law hadn't been joking about the time needed, and none of this was easy conversation. You barely had the energy to hold onto Doffy's hand.

"It's possible that your father was the catalyst." Monet says after a moment, she has a tablet in her hand and her thick glasses are on. "Decken's primary source of income was information brokerage. He had highly detailed files on just about everyone in Grandline city, including information on the Donquixote family, which is impressive.

"Analysis of his transactions includes information about you going back two years. The money trail fell into a series of false leads and shell companies, so I'm not 100% certain, but I am confident that whoever requested the information was either your father or a close associate."

"Two years ago, I completed my Masters' and came back here." You respond automatically.

"And kicked Gild in the bells." Thatch adds. Going to the casino island had been specifically to celebrate your graduation.

"That too."

"Gild's not a part of this." Doflamingo answers. "Between his word and lack of evidence in Decken's records, there's no need to worry about him."

"He might not be a part of it directly," you're looking dazedly at the table and not even really thinking, "But if he filed a report on the assault after he couldn't find me on his own, that might have kicked things off."

There was a long silence at the table. Gild's casino was above board, like Doflamingo's Smile company.  A good way to track someone down would be by using the Marines if you couldn't make connections with your own resources. Once someone got off Gild's Island he would almost have to rely on the government.

"It would've put (Y/N)'s description on official records." Monet admits. "If the people working for the Director were remotely competent, they would've had automatic programs set up to look for her in any official correspondence."

"Neh? Wouldn't have enrolling in the college done that years before, though?" Trebol questions.

Pops shakes his head. "I handled things with the Dean when we first enrolled her. Nothing with her information ended up in the electronic databases."

"What does figurin' all this out even matter?" You question listlessly. You could feel yourself becoming depressed at the whole thing, and just wanted to sleep. "The story's in the paper, he can't kill me, that'd be the same as admitting the exposé was right."

"I could see them trying to 'rescue' you from Grandline city." Vergo states, out of everyone at the table he had spent some years in the Marines. "They could spin things to show your survival as a miracle. They'd pin Edward Newgate as a villain who manipulated your memories, and reform you until you were the perfect daughter to stand beside Sakazuki.

"It would be 'for your benefit' to stay out of the public eye, and that's how they'd separate you and the young master." Vergo explains it all so flatly that it makes it even more unsettling.

Even in your hazy state you could feel the anger coming off Doflamingo. The whole room was tense, and even Pop was having a hard time containing his anger.

"We could turn their playbook back on them," Pica suggests, his shrill voice cutting through the tension. "If we can fake Miss (Y/N)'s death during their raid on Newgate and his boys, and blame it on the Marines..." He let the rest of the idea hang in the air.

You perk up, "I've never faked my own death before."

[athena-cykes-defense-attorney]

H-Hey, Mom. Good morning. I know it's far earlier than when I usually come, but I've been thinking about you and I just couldn't go back to sleep.

(Heh, maybe I'll run into Simon on the way later on.)

Nearly 10 years, huh... you know, I've had to search hell and high water to find where they've buried you. Your family in Europe never wanted to talk about you in front of me. I guess it's a sweet gesture, but they certainly gave me more work to do in the process, haha...

...............

It's really stupid to say it after so many years, but... I miss you, Mom. Really. I-I know I probably would've never broken out of my shell if I hadn't awakened my resolve, but- I just... I wish you didn't have to die.

(Even now, I'm slowly forgetting pieces of my time as a kid in the Space Center, and nearly all I can remember about you is your body on the operating table. I can't thank Simon and Junie enough for always helping to remember the good times...)

........................

But, even if I miss you to death... *sigh* I have to keep walking forward. There's nothing more I can do; it's not like I can go and get a crash course in spirit channelling just to see you again. I know you'll be watching over me and Simon, so I want you to know that you don't have to worry for me; I'm not the scared little girl you always had to coddle anymore.

Here's a doll that Aura made. She asked me to give it to you in her place. I think it's based off of the Russian egg dolls? I can't remember their name, sorry.

I think I have to go now; the sun's starting to rise, so I can still go for my morning jog before going to work. Bye, Mom. I'll take care on the way back.

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Mod Speaks: Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get real. This is something you probably don't like hearing, and have seen it end the runs of many of your favorite blogs, but I have to give in and admit that I can no longer balance blogging with pursuing my bachelor degree.

I'd tried to give the reassurance back then that I'll come back during downtime, and had personally thought of doing a UR-1 mini-arc (behind the scenes detail right here; come eat up), but as my semester progressed, I found out that that was simply not feasible. The early days of the semester are spent getting my footing down in this new living environment and figuring out a timetable for my daily life. The midterm is when assignments start rolling in, alongside the dread midterm tests. And for the tail end of the semester, I had to focus on wrapping up assignments before jam-packed studying for my finals.

Apart from semester breaks peppered in between, this is going to be my life for the next 3.5 years or longer, so I might as well pull the cord and stop giving false hope to however few people that are still watching this blog. I am making it official: this blog will be discontinued forever. I might open it up for inheritance, but I'll have to be cautious if I do that; who knows if someone only wants to "manage" the account so that they can advertise something else.

This blog won't be deleted; it'll still be around so that newbies who come across by chance can still read what little content I've created, but don't expect any more activity here from now on.

Although it is a great shame that I simply could not find a way to balance the two like I'd wanted to, I cannot deny that this has brought color to my life during the wait for my pre-university results, so I cannot thank enough the likes of @phoenix-wright-defense-attorney, @miles-edgeworth-chief-prosecutor, @maya-hee-maya-hoo, @franziska-von-karma-the-prodigy, or @ema-skye-forensic-skyentist for doing this together with me, even if it was short-lived. And of course, thank you everyone who's stuck with me when this blog was at its peak; we wouldn't have been able to create the amazing story that was Turnabout New Year, New Family if you hadn't come up with the insane idea at the first place.

(Yes, I am now coming out to admit that Turnabout New Year, New Family was completely on the spot. The idea of exploring the Gramarye half-siblings plotline had not occured to me nor @phoenix-wright-defense-attorney, despite seeming so obvious once I decided to do Apollo guest appearance. It certainly made his brief return a lot more interesting than just a glorified cameo, though.)

I think that's enough from me; I always end up writing walls of text without meaning to. As always, thank you to my quote-on-quote "conspirators" on this site, as well as all of the people who'd stuck around. You're all amazing. Until next time... stay fresh.

[newyorkmylife]

New York, hi again

Late April 2022

I waited and waited for my PR card to arrive in the mail but with no avail. It had already been 2 whole months and I just wanted to go on a vacation, but without that card I might have issues coming back to Canada.

After thinking about many different options, I decided I had waited long enough. I decided to go to New York regardless of the PR card!

So I did.

I booked the flight and felt excited and scared at the same time.

I hadn't gone on vacation for 2 years because of the pandemic, but finally the moment had come.

I had covid in March so I didn't have to worry about disease anymore. Yes, traveling without a PR card might be foolish but there are ways to come back by crossing via land.

What will it be like to set foot in New York City again, after 3 long years? After what felt like hell had unfolded on humanity? Will it feel the same as it did when I visited at the young age of 18?

I landed at LaGuardia. It was rainy but still felt like New York. I went to the room I had booked a few days prior to drop my backpack and take a nap. I didn't sleep the night before.

So my adventure - my new life - began. I wanted to experience the city as a local and booked for 2 weeks. I visited most of the tourist attractions on my previous trips so I shifted my focus on making new connections and hopefully some friends. It was time to set my foot in the door.

I used a recently created app to meet people who work in tech in the city. I quickly had the chance to talk with people that work at big companies or own a business themselves.

On my first day in New York, I went to a social crypto event and the first person I talked to was a cute girl from Hawaii that had moved a couple months earlier to go to NYU. I still regret to this day not being able to get her Instagram or phone number. I also met a Palestinian guy who worked in Germany and had transferred to the company's New York office a few weeks earlier.

In the days after, I explored places all over Manhattan, walked for miles and took in all of the New York City vibes. My favorite park is Bryant Park. I would stop there pretty often - it's such a beautiful green oasis in the middle of Manhattan. It's peaceful but at the same time bustling with energy and busy with people who go there just to relax, eat or work on their laptops. The New York Public Library sits right by the park and it has a smaller branch at the corner of a building sitting across the street - the recently renamed Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. I was passing by it when I took a look through the glass wall: clean, orderly, peaceful. It was just so inviting for someone who walked all day long and wanted to take a break from the busyness of the city. I entered, walked around a bit and chose a book. I found a nice spot where I could sit and started reading. That might sound like the most mundane of all things, but for me it's as rare as spotting a camel in the Lower East Side.

writing interrupted (sorry)

[stylishanachronism]

Things I did this week instead of working on my shawl (which for the record is 60 rows in so I’m making good time don’t judge me):

-Got into two separate new podcasts, one of which I dropped for being not spooky and then sort of dumb, and the other of which is excellent (and ominous) but comes in very very short bites

-Wrote a lot about Eder knitting a shawl (and separately and not as much, a sock), because that’s a whole thing, and I’d say I’m going to convert the fandom but tbh I’d have to... interact with more of y’all and I’m shy as shit so tough luck me I guess

-Refrained from leaping over the counter and murdering any of my customers, which I feel was very magnanimous of me, and also something of a miracle, please do not lie about my service to my face, I am in fact the same person who’s been here all morning.

-Played Return of the Obra Dinn, which is in a word perfect, and if you haven’t played it yet you should drop everything and do so, holy shit

-Worked so much overtime, my manager is going to be so pissed, but he can’t do shit because he was the one who scheduled me this way

[santalsaburablog]

From hate to love.

Chapter 1

Omega was scared. I didn't know what to do. The girl has only recently stopped being a recluse on the planet Kamino. She has already visited Salukemai. It may not have been without shocks, but, nevertheless, she liked it there. And now she and her friends have arrived on the planet Pantora. She just ran after the cute little animal to pet it. But in the end I got lost. The girl, breathing heavily, looked around. She's in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers. No one knows her and can't help her. But Omega still hoped, mentally begging for help. And they heard her.

— Are you okay?

Omega turned around and saw a young girl in a black suit holding a helmet. The girl was surprised and didn't even know what to say.

"It's like you're lost,— the girl said gently, squatting down. Her eyes expressed sincere concern and a desire to help.

"I've separated from my friends," Omega said, looking around warily.

— I can help. Don't worry. We'll find them.

The girl held out her hand, and the duo moved forward. Omega was nervous, but she was glad that there were good people in the world.

The young hunter Fennec Shand started her career relatively recently. The war was over, and the mercenary decided that this was a chance. Of course, it was worth starting earlier, because you can make money in the war. But then she was still not prepared enough. Besides, she had another profession. And then she changed. This is her conscious choice.

"Thank you for helping me find my friends," the "target" thanked her.

The girl turned out to be so naive that the girl felt sorry for her. Hadn't she ever been told not to go out with strange aunts? However, it only helps her. The task turned out to be easier than she thought. The child was easily caught in her net. Although the mercenary put her hand on her shoulder. Just in case.

— No problem, — Seeing that the girl put her hand to her stomach, she realized that she was hungry. "Are you hungry, baby?"

— Yes, but I don't have any credits.

Fennec decided that nothing terrible would happen if she fed the girl. Moreover, the Kaminoan customer needs her alive and well. It was the first time the girl had a chance to earn really big money, and she did not want to miss it. Therefore, she easily agreed when she was offered. First, it was necessary to find a ship, and Shand started a rumor that she was looking for a starship of such and such a model. A couple of days later, a Salastan from Pantora contacted her and gave her the coordinates of his station. The girl immediately pressed the lever of the hyperdrive of her large ship, for the purchase of which she had been saving up for a long time.

Then it was necessary to find the child. It's not that hard either. There was a market not far from the station. Obviously, the fugitives needed to shop. Wandering between the shops, Fennec saw her target running after an animal in a box. And then it's a matter of technique. To ingratiate yourself with a child — what could be easier? Shand has already seen how children are treated. And I tried to act in much the same way. First of all, you need to be polite and friendly with your child. Then he'll reach out to you. Secondly, she was lucky to be born a woman. There is always more trust in women. Thirdly, Fennec was not blind and immediately realized that Omega was lost. Which means you have to pretend that you want to help, but actually lure them to the ship.

In order to further ingratiate herself with Fennec, she got two fruits for the girl and herself. The Pantoran saleswoman didn't suspect anything.

— But… We didn't pay for them," Omega was surprised.

How honest and pure she is, like a child, even though she is a child. It's not going to be easy for her. It's time to teach a lesson.

— Sometimes it's okay to break the rules.

— Tell me, are you a soldier?

"Not really,— Fennec chuckled. Technically, it is. She's a soldier. A soldier of fortune. That's what they call mercenaries.

"Then why do you have a blaster?"

That's the big-eyed one! I did notice it. We have to get out of this.

— To protect yourself. The galaxy is a dangerous place if you're on your own," Fennec knew what she was talking about. She had experienced it for herself a long time.

- yes. It's good that I have my friends.

— Well, aren't you lucky?  The girl smiled.

Suddenly it dawned on the girl.

— That's right! If you are alone, you need to fly with us!

— This is the best offer I've ever received in a long time.

Fennec wasn't lying here. Anyway, she was pleased to hear this, even from her own goal.

The girl immediately smiled sweetly at her. Apparently, she was glad that she was able to give good advice. All this is nice, of course, but we need to hurry. The missing child has probably already been discovered.

— Come on. This way, we were just about to leave…

— Omega!

Heck! Just thinking about it, right there... a clone with a half-face tattoo caught up with them.

— Oh, there he is. My friend," The girl waved her hand as if nothing had happened, continuing not to understand what was going on here.

Fennec frowned. That's all that was missing here. As they say, you remember the bad, and it's right there.

***

"Omega, get away from her,— the Hunter said carefully.

- why? She helped me look for you," the girl was surprised. The girl was kind to her. She looks nice and friendly. And she, in his opinion, should stay away from her?

***

— Yes, Omega and I will get to know each other better, — Fennec realized that she could not do without a fight, and immediately put on her helmet. We'll have to reveal our cards.

The girl began to back away, while trying to hide behind the girl as a human shield. For the purpose of their own safety.

The job of a hunter is extremely difficult. You need to think about different things at the same time and how to calculate moves at least two ahead in chess. So Fennec carefully pulled back her skirt, extending her left hand to the blaster attached to her leg.

However, she made a mistake. Shand was too focused on the man, so much so that she forgot about the girl, who, as it turned out, is not as stupid as she initially seemed.

The girl fired, but the clone dodged with a roll.

— The hunter!  The girl jumped up and wrapped her arms around her hand, which was holding the blaster, preventing her from shooting. The huntress tried to grab her tighter, but she was prevented by the knife that the clone threw at her. Fortunately, I managed to use the lid as a shield.

And the weapon is excellent. It's sharp. It will have to be used. Fennec pulled out a knife and began to swing it, hoping to reach the opponent or fire a blaster in her other hand. But it didn't work out either way. Her hands were trapped. But even in such a situation, she tried her best to point the blaster at the clone, if not to kill, then at least to injure.

— Omega, run!  The clone shouted.

When they began to twist her wrists, the girl felt a slight pain. The weapon fell out of his hands. I had to "turn on" my head. Literally.

The clone was knocked out by the impact. Well, she has a little time. But the girl had already disappeared. You'll have to suffer.

— Citizen! Stop!

But Fennec did not even think to listen to them. She grabbed a blaster and ran.

***

Meanwhile, Omega was running as fast as she could. She didn't know exactly where to run, but the Hunter had told her to, which meant she had to do it. Run as far as possible from the pursuer.

Almost getting hit by a car, the girl accelerated her run. In the end, tired, I decided to hide behind a drawer. And on time. A sixth sense told the little girl that the girl was chasing her like a nexus after an antelope.

Looking around, Omega noticed a hatch opening a technical tunnel. Hmm, not a bad place to hide. I remember she was taught that you need to act on the situation. Sometimes, the answer can be found even in a trap.

It wasn't very scary in the tunnel, apparently, the fear of being caught overrode everything else.

Omega meandered through the corridors, occasionally stopping for a breather. Until she bumped into someone. The girl screamed. Did she really find it?!

— There you are!

It was a Wrecker! Hurray! What a blessing that friends found it first! Everything will be fine now.

— We were worried about you.

— Can we get out of here?  As soon as she felt safe in strong arms, Omega felt restless again, remembering where she was. We need to get back to the ship. There she will finally calm down.

When friends are around, it always feels so good, like lying in bed wrapped in a blanket.

- of course.

After taking a couple of steps, the Wrecker reported, splashing through puddles:

— I'm with Omega. Let's move out.

Suddenly, the girl gasped. The girl caught up with them.

***

Fennec was angry. She missed her prey. However, all is not lost yet. While the girl was fighting with the clone, she managed to notice where the target ran, and rushed to the same place. You have to think like a girl. If she were in her place, where would she run? So she's a child. A scared child, she will hide, try to become invisible to others, and first of all to her. So, what's here? The hatch leading to the tunnels. We need to check it out.

Yeah. Her intuition wasn't wrong. The girl is here, but with a different clone. And it looks stronger than the previous one. It will be more difficult to defeat this one.

Fennec began to approach slowly, waiting for the best moment to attack.

— Go to the ship. I'll deal with her.

The clone put the girl near the stairs, and she immediately began to climb it.

The girl suppressed an exasperated sigh. Even if the clone loses, he will gain a few minutes for her purpose, and whether she, being a hunter, does not know that sometimes time is the most valuable. Even more valuable than loans. Even one second can solve everything.

"Problems with the baby are problems with me," the clone said decisively, ready for a fight.

Naive. While he was chatting, Fennec managed to study the situation a little with her eyes. And she had an idea.

As soon as the clone was too close, the girl grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the pipe, from which hot air was coming. The man grabbed his head and passed out. The helmet came off. Apparently, this was his weak spot.

Without pausing for a second, Fennec began to climb the stairs after Omega. Fortunately, she didn't get far.

***

Omega tried her best to climb as fast as possible. She was terribly tired, she had almost no strength left. But the stairs ended. The girl opened the door and found herself at the top of the tower.

How strange. I went down, and climbed up. Not forgetting to lock the door, the girl turned around and looked down. I wish she hadn't done that. Speeders were flying back and forth under it, cars at high speed. How scary it is! And if she breaks down? And if he falls?

You can imagine the horror of a little girl who finds herself at a high altitude, where there is not even a fence to hold on to.

She's trapped. On the one hand — the girl chasing her, on the other — the abyss. Either she gets caught or she crashes.

The girl, in fear, began to carefully creep back to the door, when suddenly a shot rang out. In surprise, Omega stumbled and fell off, but managed to catch on the edge.

A little time passed, and the baby held on with the last of her strength, hoping for a miracle and that her friends would save her. However, as time passed, she no longer cared. At least someone… Even this girl would be fine.

Unfortunately, the child's arm got tired and something happened that Omega was most afraid of. More precisely, it could have happened if the girl hadn't arrived in time.

— Thank you later, — through the helmet, the girl felt that she was smiling.

***

Fennec mentally praised herself for what she had done. If the target had died, she would not have been patted on the head for it. Or maybe they would have started hunting for her already. The customer made it clear that the baby is very valuable.

Well, she has a purpose. It remains to get to the ship. The huntress noticed a rather large truck moving slowly along the air road.

"Roll over when you land, baby," Fennec released her hand, and the girl fell right onto the cargo in the back. She didn't turn somersaults, but the girl couldn't help but give valuable advice.

The girl landed next, hoping that the girl was not hurt. And here is the first clone on the speeder. It's easy to talk about. Fennec took out her blaster and started shooting, hoping to shoot down the speeder.

But she completely stopped looking at the target. Just like last time. So the girl herself did not notice how the load began to rise and now the huntress herself was hanging on the crossbar. What a day this is!

Two crates of cargo fell out of the truck, knocking the girl off the truck. Fennec fell on a nearby car and almost fell off, but managed to catch on.

***

The loads continued to fall out, which made Omega afraid that she would fall herself, but fortunately, she noticed the belt and grabbed it.

***

Fennec climbed up and threw the driver out first. Whether he survived or not, she didn't care. There is no place for pity in her profession. Especially to ordinary citizens.

After catching up with her prey, she tried to damage the clone's speeder so that it would fall, but he managed to dodge. Damn it!

And then the Pantoranskaya police got on the tail. The girl set the controls to automatic, remembering about the blaster lying behind her, and in a matter of seconds she dealt with the law enforcement officers.

The girl got as close as possible to the girl hanging on the belt. Victory was close when suddenly an explosion occurred. The smell of burning got into my nostrils.

Fennec turned around: the clone had ruined the left engine! While she was distracted, he managed to grab the child and fly away.

The girl tried to intercept the target, but suddenly the clone backed off and threw a bomb. Reacting instantly, Fennec managed to jump out before the explosion, though not quite successfully, hitting her back against another car.

Following her own advice, the huntress turned over when she fell. The car crashed to the ground.

When Fennec stood up, pain shot through her right leg. She must have hurt herself. Limping, deprived of fast transport, angry and tired, the huntress could only watch as the clone and her target flew forward.

***

It was only when the ship took off and flew a decent distance from the Pantora that Omega was able to calm down a little. Yes, she was already safe, but her knees were still shaking.

The world turned out to be more cruel than she thought. Not everyone in it treats children well. On the contrary, it means nothing to many. Just a thing. You can't trust strangers. Even those who, at first glance, want to help. Let Omega be grateful to the girl for the treats and advice, but she will no longer trust her. This is a fact.

"She's definitely a bounty hunter,— the Hunter pronounced the verdict, putting the bag on the floor.

— Who? — the girl did not understand.

"Someone who's hired to catch a target,— Echo explained.

"And you became her target,— Tech added.

—Me?— the Omega was surprised.

— Hey! Don't scare the child," said Breker.

But the girl was already scared. I've been through so much in a day. And only two questions worried her. Who hired the girl? Who is she a "target" for?

— We need to find out who she is. And who hired her, the Hunter decided, reading his mind.

The friends moved on, not knowing that when they were leaving, the Sullastan who had allowed them to park, in horror began waving his hands so that they would not fly away, because she had not yet paid.

***

After recovering a little, Fennec returned to where she had left her ship. In the parking lot of the Sullastan she hired.

What the huntress loved about her helmet was that she always looked formidable in it. And no one saw her emotions.

In her favorite manner, she slowly approached him, like a predator stalking its prey.

— no! Stop! I tried to stop them!  The Sullustan man backed away in horror, his hands in the air.

The girl did not listen to his whining and just threw him a few credits. In a good way, she should have killed him, but she wouldn't do it. Killing a simple worker won't do any good, and maybe even add to the problems. But if she let him live, he might still be useful to her.

"If they come back, you know how to contact me," Fennec said in a kind voice and turned back.

Approaching her ship, the girl took off her helmet and took out her comlink.

— The target has escaped. But I'll find her," she reported coldly.

Let the customer know that she will not give up, and does not discount her.

The girl looked up at the sky. It's beautiful, though. A dark canvas with a pattern of stars woven on it.

The mood dropped below the baseboard. She spent a lot of effort and time - and no result. Now we have to start all over again. More stalking, more chasing. But Fennec Shand believed that she should succeed the second time. The taste of defeat is bitter, but what did she want? The life of a hunter is full of ups and downs. She wanted to choose such a profession herself. She is still a beginner, so she will have to work hard to find her place in the hierarchy. Or maybe even climb to the top, but it's too much. Then you will have to constantly fight to stay at the top and not fall off. The constant voltage is somehow not very good. Getting into the top ten is already a more profitable and likely prospect.

Gift for Sinister_exaggerator, sporadicthingcollection.

Inspired by Fighting Dirty by sporadicthingcollection

[justtryingtobecreative]

Morpheus x oc x Calliope

(Just realised my mistake on the other ones! Meg is an oc and this is indeed an oc story.)

It had been a bit awkward when meg had first opened her front door to reveal the broody man she now knew as Morpheus.

And it had taken her a little bit to overcome her initial fear of him, although that had faded to the back of her mind the moment she had first started sketching him.

His pouty lips, blue eyes and dark hair filled her mind as she had filled her page with his image. "Do you like it?" She had asked as she showed off her version of him.

The corners of his mouth had turned up slightly as he looked at the image. "It is pleasant" he had just murmured scanning over the image in thought.

"You can keep it you know... if you want to" She murmured softly. His hands slightly grazed hers as he grasped the paper.

~~~

Morpheus pov:

Morpheus didn't know exactly when it had happened. But somewhere along the line dream had developed an interest in the mortal...

He and his friend Meg had started 'hanging out' as she said it, a few months earlier after their chance encounter in the park. Which was the reason why they were currently watching the movie 'twilight breaking dawn.'

"I do not get it Meg, why is she mad?" The dreamlord sat crosslegged on the couch, his back strangely straight. He was clothed in a black shirt, black cotton pants and to his absolute disgrace... blue fluffy socks.

Meg turned to him with a smile "Well Jake just told her he is imprinted... which means he is mated to her newborn daughter" He pulled a face. Meg let out a loud laugh at the disgusted expression on his face.

"That is revolting" He muttered glaring at the screen. The phone rang from beside him, and for an intense second he could smell the sweetness of Meg's parfume as she reached over and picked it up.

"Hello?.... Yes this is Sarah" Morpheus felt her tense as she held the phone to her ear in distress now. "What? I thought they had him monotored?.. not anymore? Oh? I'll keep it in mind." She threw down the phone harshly, putting her head in her hands.

"Meg? Is something wrong?" He asked placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him slowly, a sense of panic coming over him as he noticed the tears painting her face. She didn't respond.

Dream's pale hands touched Meg's warm face softly as he stared at her in worry. "What happened Meg?" He asked sternly coaching her to open up.

"They let him go free... he was out of jail before but now they let him go without chaperone... he was free in less years i spend with him.. its so unfair" He hadn't ever seen the girl as she was now, he hadn't ever seen her cry at all.

The sight made place for the heavy feeling of fury to fill his chest, fury he had felt but few times before. "Meg?" He guided her tearfull face to look at him.

Meg pov:

"If you grant me permission, i will punish him for you." His breath tickles her face. She hadn't noticed the little stars in his eyes before, had those always been there?

"What?" She muttered softly staring up at him, "You would do that?" She knew she shouldn't say yes to him. Calliope she knew, was a vast believer of peace it wouldn't be in reign to her friend to do this now.

But...Calliope wasn't here, and this was the first time in months that she simply could not ignore that fact anymore. Nor ignore her grief, "Allright. You can do it" She finally muttered staring up at him.

The smile that appeared on her friends face was bone chilling. "I shall not be gone long" Morpheus whispered stroking her head one last time before dissapearing in a flurry of sand.

She honestly sometimes forgot the beings she was friends with were kind of gods, in moments like these it was really hard to ignore.

He was gone for about an hour, during which Meg wanted for nothing more than to just to curl up and fade away. It was almost torturous the time that was spend waiting to hear of her former capturers fate.

A flurry of sand filled the room and relief filled her as she sat up, quickly crawling to the side of the couch on her knees to stare at him. "What happened?" She muttered as the dark figure of Morpheus walked closer to her on the edge of the couch.

"It is done" He muttered reaching up his hand to stroke her cheek. Meg felt herself pull into eachother at his words, she would never have to see those soulless eyes again. It felt almost unreal.

"Thank god" She breathed heavily her energy drained by the whole ordeal. Morpheus gave her a worried look.

"Why don't you lay down Meg?" He muttered softly not commenting on the weight she put on him as her hands leant on his hard chest.

She nodded but didn't move an inch, instead staring into space blankly. "I'm sorry you had to trouble yourself for me..." she muttered holding her forehead against him tightly. The soft scent of cinnamon and vanilla filled her nose, she hadn't expected him to smell like this.

"Do not fret on my behalf, i would do it a thousand times over for what he.. did.. to you" She could feel the rumble in his chest as he spoke.

She felt his arms slide around her shoulders softly as he embraced her shaken frame with a familiar tenderness.

"You need to sleep Meg." He muttered softly, his soft voice echoeing in her head. It was like he flicked a switch as she felt herself glide sideways of the couch strong arms making sure she wouldn't hit the ground.

She sat up quickly as an unfamiliar scene greeted her, it seemed like a bar... one she had been before. She wasn't sure where though. All she knew was that she should definetly go meet the friend she was supposed to meet there.

She scanned the tables none of the other vegetables ringing a bell. "Ah there he is!" She smiled brightly as she walked straight up to her friend.

Mr lobster smiled at her, his whiskery mustache making it look kind of silly. "Ah hello there Meg! I saved you a seat and ordered you a nice onion soup!

"Ah why thank you mister Lobster!" She sat down on the seat, quickly gazing into the giant bowl of soup located on her side of the table.

"Oh my god" she muttered as she looked at what was clearly a bowl of Lobster soup...how awkward. The waiters must have messed up her order!

"How is your soup?" Mr lobster asks sweetly, taking a sip of his own soup as well. Meg gave him an awkward smile as she slowly brought a bite to her mouth, she didn't even like lobster soup really...

A cough caught their attention as someone stood in front of their table, she recognised him in an instant.

"Morpheus? What are you doing here?" She smiled brightly as she gestured for the broody man to sit down. The man remained standing.

"I am terribly sorry about my interuption, but i really need to steal Meg away for a moment" He turned to Mr Lobster and gave him an amused smile.

"Yes yes right away!" Meg stood up quickly almost tripping over herself to get away from the table, she was glad to be away from that horrific situation.

The scenery changed around her into a blurr of colours and Meg found herself sort of lost to the situation as she followed Morpheus.

"Poof morpheus you really saved me back there, i really didn't want to offend mister lobster" Meg rambled as she trailed after her friend, she couldn't help grasp his cloak as she struggled to keep up.

The only sign he heard her was the amused look he send her way.

In a flash of confusion she found herself reach down toward his hand clutching it tightly in her soft grip. She was sure she imagined the out of character smile that lit up his face.

The blur around her finally fades into something somewhat recognisable and she sighs in relief.

Morpheus pov:

He held Meg's hand tightly as he guided her toward his large castle, she seemed purely awstruck at all the riches and colours around her. He hoped to make her used to the riches one day, he would adore it if she remained here with him.

He took a second to enjoy the feel of her warm hand clutched in his.

"Shall i show you the library Meg?" He asked softly guiding her through the vast halls of his castle. His eyes slowly trailed over frame, she was quite a small woman. He couldn't help himself but compare her to the other lovers he had had before, he had had thousands after all.

The differences between Meg and his former lovers were vast, more than expected really. Nada for example ran an entire kingdom as a strong and unyielding queen, Calliope kind of copied that in a more soft and regal way as she was a godess. What they all had in common he realised, was their shortcoming need of himself.

Meg was more down to earth, no kingdom, no title, just the urge to be a good person. Meg dared lean on him in more ways than one, on their shared company, to talk to him, to let him in. Meg needed him, and the fact that someone actually needed him was something Morpheus hadn't actually felt before.

And something he hadn't known he craved.

His eyes trailed over her features, taking his time of looking at his newfound love as she stared in awe at the vast library surrounding them.

Another thing that was different from his former lovers where her frocks. Meg didn't wear golden dresses or expensive jewels around her neck. No, Meg usually wore her 'denim' trousers and her T-shirts with strange depictions on them. Everything in Meg's style was made to show the world what she was and liked.

From the leftover paint on her sleeves to the metal pins stuck to her jacket. She was clear as day to him.

"It i indiscribable" She said softly as she turned around on her heel and stared at the place. Morpheus sometimes forgot how magnificant this really was to the mortals.

He wasn't really looking at the place though.

He himself had gotten used to the place over the last deccenium. The high ceilings, intricate paintings and overwhelming amount of ancient texts and scrolls were nothing exciting to him anymore although it was still a place he enjoyed residing in.

"So are you" He muttered softly now trailing behind the excited girl as she scittered around the Library.

She scoffed as she picked up a book from a shelf, "You are such a charmer" Morpheus got the feeling she didn't really understand the nature off his advances.

Nevertheless he shook the feeling off as he allowed his eyes to follow her form through the halls of the library. She was truly a sight to behold.

He picked up a scroll himself, reading through the ancient words.

He felt the presence of his loyal librarian before he saw her... "Lucienne" He muttered turning to the dark skinned figure now standing to his right.

"My lord" She said softly as they both stared at the now reading mortal. "May i ask why there is a human here?" Lucienne seemed a bit put off at the sight of the small smile circling her masters lips.

"This is the human that helped take down the infamous Richard Madoc." He just responded, fully expecting the familiarity instantly circling in her eyes.

Lucienne took a second before she nodded slightly and strolled forward toward the young woman. She was greeted with a smile.

~~~

Meg pov:

Meg didn't know how it happened, and she didn't know if she wanted to know what had happened. But somehow she had started to travel to 'the dreaming' every night...

Jup her mind could barely wrap around that.

After Morpheus had uhhh (Cursed? The kidnapper of Sarah into a coma, just hours before he would be released from his monitoring). He had taken her to the place to take her mind of the horrid scenario.

There she had spend hours reading books and basking in her friend's presence. Meg had even managed to make a new friend during these visits.

Jup the librarian Lucienne and her had hit it off quite nicely!

So she could say all was well.... until Lucienne took Morpheus aside one day, about a month after her first concious dreaming.

"Lord Morpheus!" The familiar figure of Lucienne stalked over to them in a subtle haste, she had a large scroll tucked under her arm and a concerned expression on her face

Morpheus turned to her in confusion, "What is it?" He just asked.

"You have been summoned to olympus by zeus, he talks of a matter of importance"

His eyes darkened at her words.

(Again! Hope you like it! Please comment if you do!)

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