#Pallet mounting

[gilfrespecter]

emerson in canyon forest pwease?

Uh oh puppy dog you shouldn't've done that lol

Bonus original sketch before I realized I didn't want to paint everyone else in this style too LOL

Meme

[tundereforce]

Jacksonville Formal Living Room Image of a large, contemporary, enclosed living room with white walls, no fireplace, and a wall-mounted television.

[hellenhighwater]

I picked up these sconces for $10 from a pallet return ( looks like they were missing wirenuts, which I had anyway) and rewired them to plug into wall outlets. And I'm working on jury-rigging a picture rail system for this room using some chain and a curtain rod but I think I need to get significantly shorter mounting brackets than the ones that came with the rod. That or hang everything on two chains so it doesn't twist.

Still need to get to the crown molding and light fixture, but I'm in no hurry. This guest room gets little use, tbh. This was last week. Lighting makes a big difference!

[madtc]

I own computer cases that were not capable of being racked. I had some old pallets in the garage to build a tabletop to be mounted on top of the server. After looking in the garage, we found white panel board that we used instead. Now I can place things on top of my computer rack for extra storage. No fingers or toes were loss in the build.

[jp-nichts]

The Takahe

Curious about the mech on the cover of Reactors & Romance?

The frame is called the Takahe. It's named after a flightless bird from New Zealand of the same name. Even though the mech's "tail feathers" are massive jump jets meant to get this thing soaring!

Lore wise, its a frame designed for mobility and exploration of both terrestrial and space environments. The cockpit is located in the chest, and has an expanded compartment to provide barebones living quarters for extended away missions. Since the pilot isn't located in the head, it's head packed with various sensors and long ranged coms. Perfect for surveying and keeping in contact with distant teammates. It might not have the versatility of arms to pick-up different weapons on the fly, but it's head mounted weapons have exceptional accuracy due to the dampeners in it's neck. These dampeners do have the unintended side effect of making the head bob like a pigeon or chicken when the frame is running pigeon

Like most of my mech designs this one originally started off as a Lego build of mine for the game Mobile Frame Zero. A table top wargame that uses Lego mechs as minis. It's a lot of fun by the way. You should check it out HERE (I think I still have some of my bird mechs featured on their website)

My Lego Takahe build is actually a larger version of my Kiwi mech. Which is very similar in design to the Takahe, just smaller and cuter. I love these little guys and have made so many of them over the years.

Like... sooooo many! I have a whole Pride collection of them with each one colored as a different pride flag.

Here is the first painting I did of the Takahe, which also inspired the color pallet for Reactors & Romance.

I also did some pixel art of the mech too. I was hoping to use for a Lancer game, but that didn't happened. I did get to include it as part of my NPC roster for a game of Celestial Bodies that I ran! The players did a great job completely obliterating my children 😂

[notbrucewayne48]

omori picrew chain!!

you can obviously tell who's my favorite character

keep in mind this picrew has 3 color pallets, so you have to put every item on that color

now you can go nuts

@demispark @majoraofmask @kimu-dem @imhere-imqueer-ilikedeer @acewithobsessions @escaramelo @garbage-floof @no-schedule-crepescule @thegirlwholivesin-delusion @alien-interface @peliazul69 @masterboa @roachbot @nekowithascythe @it-came-from-mount-ebott @jarkinesbrainstew @cannibalise-the-citrus-fruits ( @indiegamesoutofcontext ? maybe ???)

anyways no pressure as always, and anyone else who wants to join, just do so!

[d34dg1rl5]

Corpse Bride

It's icy in Mount Ormond. Quietly you make your way across the snowy paths and reach the ski lodge. The legions domain.

From inside the house you could hear chatter and music. Sounds like they're having a good time. Maybe you were just a nuisance to them? Yes, they were your friends and yes, they care about you. But maybe they don't always want to deal with your problems and fears.

Just as you turned around Susie spots you. "(Y/n!) What are you doing out here? Come join us!" She grabs your hand and pulls you inside. Julie waves at you and Joey greets you with a "'Sup." Frank quickly puts back on his mask crossing his arms. "You look like shit."

You sigh and sit down enjoying the warmth emerging from the furnace. "It's just been a rough trial... Nea kept stunning me with pallets and I think I'm gonna have a bruise.."

Susie looks at you with sympathy. "Aww, poor you... I know excactly what it feels like... Don't we all?" She looks at her friends and earns Julies agreement. "Yeah, some survivors really are a pain in the ass.. Especially Nea and Feng." She takes a piece of the pizza laying in front of her.

Joey agrees aswell and talks about his experiences with toxic survivors.

Something seems weird about Frank today... He isn't his usual cocky and snarky self. He gives you glances from time to time, even though you can't see his face you can feel his eyes on you.

You look at the others. "I think I'll head back to my realm... I feel ... Weird." Susie looks at you. "Aww, already? Alright then, do you want me to walk you back?" You shake your head. "Aw, no, you don't need to." Susie nods and gets up to hug you. "Alright then, see you!"

Youwalk out the lodge and sigh looking around walking back in your realm. Suddenly you get the feeling of someone following you. You turn around taking out your knife. "Who goes there!?"

"Jeez, calm down... Pussy." You hear a familiar voice say and a snarky chuckle. "You're a killer, you shouldn't be afraid of shit in here." Frank steps out from the darkness and looks at you. "What are you doing here?", tilting your head in confusion. "Walking you home I guess."

He takes out a cigarette of his pocket and lights it. Hiw does he even have that stuff in the realm? Maybe he asked the Entity for it.. He notices you eyeing the cigarette. "Want one?" Thinking about it for a second you nod.

"Yeah, gimme one." He hands you one and puts his lit cigarette to yours and lights it. "Heh." You blush slightly and try to avoid his gaze.

"You look brutal, by the way. Real sick." You look at him. "Huh?" "Your outfit. You know. Killer look. Real sick." You look down at yourself and sigh. You were some kind of zombie, just not just thinking about brains and intestines all the time. You actually were still human. To some extent at least. Your body however looks like a nightmare. Your skin was pale with deep wounds littered over your body. Your right eye was a milky white while the other eye was still intact. You hated how you looked.

"Maybe to you. I hate this body..." He sighs and puts a hand on your back. "I was always into zombies." He nudges you and you can't overhear a flirty tone in his voice.

Frank and you walk next to each ither for a few minutes in silence until you reach your realm - a church with a dark and old looking graveyard at the backside. The churchs roof is destroyed and crows circle the cross on top of it.

"I'll see you around, corpse bride~" He grins and turns to walk away, disappearing in the thick fog surrounding the church.

A/N: IM RLLY MAD CUZ YESTERDAY I WROTE HEADCANONS FOR DBD KILLERS REACTING TO A FEM!SURVIVOR WITH A PANIC ATTACK AND I UPLOADED IT AND IT WAS JUST GONE. Like i tried everything (log out and in again, refresh my page, look at queue, privacy settings, etc.). Its just gone and im so sad 😭😔

[reality-detective]

Pfizer building was destroyed today in Rocky Mount, NC. It was reported that approximately 50,000 pallets of medication were destroyed.

I wonder if any of it had MRNA in it as an ingredient? 🤔

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

An a/b/o fic with maybe Bruce Wayne or Arthur curry, where they have been searching for their omega for most of their life, and when they are fighting a villain fem reader comes in and helps them, I was thinking that reader she has telekinesis or something and, she helps them and they are blown away by her, never thinking that their omega could be a hero as well

.⋆｡Crashing Waves｡⋆.

alpha!Arthur Curry x plus size reader

He has been looking for her for his whole life and she arrived just in time

Warnings: a/b/o, true mates, hero!reader, omega!reader, violence against robots, reader is shorter than Bruce and Arthur (but who isn’t), implied smut WC: 1.4k

6k Follower Celebration Bingo

Library- @hannibals-favourite-meal-library

Even after serving as Atlantis’s king for five years now, Arthur doubted he would get used to the searing smell of salt that constantly clung to everything around him. It burned his nostrils even when he was lounging around the JL tower and part of him wondered if he would ever be able to properly scent out his mate while the sea constantly invaded his senses. Though even before he claimed the throne, he wasn’t exactly successful on that front.

He felt like he had searched everywhere for his omega, the biological urge deep down in his chest driving him to scour every inch of the earth for them. But they had eluded him and even if his parents (themselves being true mates) assured him that the right omega would appear when the time was right, he remained alone with the smell of the sea. 

Arthur was almost glad, at times, for a good fight. Smoke, sparks from his trident, even blood gave him a break from the usual salt that surrounded him, temporarily cleansing his pallet so to speak. But maybe not today he thought with a wince.

Hundreds of broken robots surrounded him, the never-ending wave of enemies only getting thicker as his exhaustion began to mount. Batman was somewhere deep in the crowd, attempting to override their programming as Arthur tried to keep him safe enough. New enemies were always a pain in the ass but this one was definitely levels above the other newbies they fought. And Arthur was already fantasising about what he’d do to the skinny little white guy as soon as he got his hands on him, that is if Batman didn’t get to either of them first.

“Is there any way to hurry this up!” He shouted above the screaming of gears and failing electronics. 

“This would go faster if you stopped hitting them at me.” The Bat growled as he hit yet another firewall in their programming. Arthur took another swing of his trident, knocking away a flying robot that had gotten way too close to his partner’s head for comfort. It let out a high pitched whine as it was launched into the horizon.

“This would be faster if you didn’t type in the wrong code to begin with!” A batarang screamed past his ear, landing right in the huge glowing eye of the robot hovering just over Arthur’s right shoulder. Oil sprayed from its side, coating Arthur’s hair. 

A deafening roar sounded through the empty field as another shipping container rose from the ground, releasing even more robots. Batman turned back to the computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard all while the swarm closed in around them. “This is gonna hurt.” Arthur cocked back his shoulder and raised his trident, maybe he could knock out a few rows of them before they got too close and he’d have to switch to his fists. 

Just as he readjusted his grip to throw the trident into the thickest grouping of robots, everything went silent.

The now frozen robots hung in the air like someone had just paused time, though they still whirred and whined, their huge red eyes glowing even brighter. Then, with little more than a sharp click from somewhere to his right, they were pulled backwards, the mechanical bodies slamming into each other as they were forced together into one huge sphere hundreds of feet off the ground. 

“What the fuck?” Suddenly, the sphere crumpled like tin foil, the metal warping and collapsing until all that was left was a flat sheet of wires and dying LEDs. It slammed into the earth, disappearing behind the long grass as Batman’s screen turned green.

“Great timing there bats.” But Arthur’s tone held no bite, not when the salty smell of the ocean and ozone slammed into him. 

Immediately, every nerve in his body came to life, buzzing like he was drunk but his mind was clear, clearer than it ever had been before. A figure was walking through the grass, elegantly avoiding the mangled carcasses of their battle. As she approached, her scent became stronger and Arthur could now smell the subtle hint of something flowery like a warm spring breeze. 

The light of the sunset made her practically glow as she moved, her thick curves and perfect dips highlighted by a tight catsuit that looked like it was pulled straight from his teenage fantasies. 

“I hope I didn’t show up too late.” Her voice floated around him and Arthur’s knees buckled. 

“You’re right on time.” Her e/c eyes met his golden ones and he watched as her nose turned up and she took a deep breath of his scent. Her heavy chest hitched and her own scent turned sweeter. His stomach flipped as something deep inside him stretched awake for the first time in what seemed like years.

“Y/N. What took so long?” Batman crossed his arms as he looked down at her, his jaw ticking in anger. Yet her expression never faltered, in fact she glanced at Arthur with a raised eyebrow. Her smile was bright, shining with something ethereal. 

“Oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that you gave me a coded message with the coordinates instead of being a normal person and sharing your location with me? I may have psychic powers but I suck at math dude.” 

“That was you?” Arthur hadn’t noticed that his body was moving on its own until he finally spoke again and she had to crane her head almost all the way back to make eye contact with him. Warmth unlike anything he had experienced before bloomed through his chest as she leaned towards him, fluttering her lashes up at him.

“I have a lot of tricks better than that.” Her scent was almost overpowering now but all he wanted to do was drown in it. Y/N’s shoulder brushed against his pec and something snapped.

The world tilted on its axis and he suddenly knew what his parents were talking about when they said that the moment they met, nothing else mattered. “Omega.” 

Her body sagged into him as she breathed out an almost inaudible “alpha”. His trident dropped unnoticed to the ground. 

“I’ve finally found you.” She fell easily into his arms, like they had been made to hold her. She pressed her face as close as she could get, her words muffled against the thick armour but he could hear her clearly all the same. 

“You stole my line,” he whispered into her hair, breathing her scent as much as he could, “I’ve been waiting for you for so long. Who knew I’d find you after you saved my life?” Her giggle made his heart swell with affection and pride.

“You’ve obviously been looking in the wrong place.” Y/N looked up at him as he cupped her full cheek with a massive hand, guiding her face upwards. His eyes dropped to her lips.

“I could say the same about you.” He leaned down and just as his lips were about to touch hers-

“Alright that’s enough,” Bruce snarled, “need I remind you both that there’s still a villain we need to deal with.” 

Y/N never looked away from Arthur, in fact she wound an arm around his neck and tugged him even closer. His alpha roared to life, hyper-focusing on the softness of her curves beneath his hands. “You go ahead, I think my alpha and I have done more than enough heavy lifting for the day, we have better things to do.”

“I’m going to regret asking but what exactly is more important than dealing with a potentially global threat?” Arthur smirked, catching on to the game she was playing.

His right hand dropped from where it was resting on her wide hip down to the plump cheeks of her ass. “I’m going to rip her clothes off and fuck her brains out right in this field. So unless you’re into that stuff-“ she slapped his chest at that, “-then I suggest you move on, Bats, cause right now, nothing is going to stop me from claiming my omega.”

“You two are disgusting.” He grumbled and walked off, finally leaving the newly discovered mates alone.

“Now where were we?” Arthur purred before Y/N yanked him down and finally kissed him, making the smell of the ocean explode around them.

Her scent had been haunting him for years, etching itself into his mind and suddenly, Arthur loved the smell of salt again because it meant that he finally had his omega.

DC Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Join my taglist!

All works

@im-a-slut-for-fluff @alexxavicry @ravenwings73 @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @silverfire475 @psychadelichues @mvyalx @faefanatic @evansqueen54 @anamiad00msday @th3sloth @princess76179 @Lanielagenev @luvvvjada @Lucypaulette @midnight-shadow-va @mooniequeen @slutfor-fictionalmen @km-ffluv @black-rose-29 @minedofmoria @relatednative @starboygf

DC (A/B/O)

@honkytonkbabe @kobaltdragon @blackhawkfanatic @amarillyssnowdrop

Arthur Curry (A/B/O)

@pretty-npeach @nini-trash-forever @itsbqueenthings @mandyzsick101 @pretty-npeach @tinyinfluencerharmony @marvel-mistress @girl-of-multi-fandoms @mewlingoizys @everything-is-awesomesauce @hc-geralt-23 @certifiedhunter @joyfulfxckery @looking1016

[lonestarflight]

"This illustration depicts the configuration of the Spacelab-2 in the cargo bay of the orbiter. Spacelab was a versatile laboratory carried in the Space Shuttle's cargo bay for scientific research flights. Each Spacelab mission had a unique design appropriate to the mission's goals. A number of Spacelab configurations could be assembled from pressurized habitation modules and exposed platforms called pallets. Spacelab-2 was the first pallet-only mission. One of the goals of the mission was to verify that the pallets' configuration was satisfactory for observations and research. Except for two biological experiments and an experiment that used ground-based instruments, the Spacelab-2 scientific instruments needed direct exposure to space. On the first pallet, three solar instruments and one atmospheric instrument were mounted on the Instrument Pointing System, which was being tested on its first flight. The second Spacelab pallet held a large double x-ray telescope and three plasma physics detectors. The last pallet supported an infrared telescope, a superfluid helium technology experiment, and a small plasma diagnostics satellite. The Spacelab-2 mission was designed to capitalize on the Shuttle-Spacelab capabilities, to launch and retrieve satellites, and to point several instruments independently with accuracy and stability. Spacelab-2 (STS-51F, 19th Shuttle mission) was launched aboard Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger on July 29, 1985. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall management responsibilities of the Spacelab missions."

Date: 1981

NASA ID: S81-13011

[leclerced]

max and Oscar seem like the type of guys to have like an artist girlfriend. and if she painted or drew them?? They’d absolutely melt. they’d put it in their office or up in their bedroom or over the fireplace. wherever they put it, it’s definitely something they want others to see so they can show off how talented their girlfriend is!!

-

🩰

i could cry !!

girlfriend lives in a studio apartment and it’s just art supplies everywhere. she has a bed and a large desk, the bed is the only surface not covered in art supplies, the desk has stacks of sketch books, pallets, brushes and jars of linseed oil and water. she has three barstools at the kitchen island and a tv mounted on the wall because she didn’t have space for a tv stand or a dining table and chairs. there’s a few easels with half finished paintings on them, and dozens of canvases in varying sizes around the apartment. she’s almost embarrassed the first time she invites them over, apologizing for the mess and lack of seating. she’d warned them ahead of time, that she lived in and worked out of her studio apartment so it would be wise not to wear anything expensive, lest they get paint on it. they think it’s endearing, how she tries to straighten up, organizing stacks of sketch books and jars of murky liquid before she gives up and says, “okay. this is it i guess. um, you can look at whatever just… be careful.”

she cooks them dinner to distract herself while they browse the canvases littering her apartment, they’re quiet at first, murmuring to themselves and each other about what they’re seeing. it makes her nervous that she can’t make out their words, she can hear the soft murmurs and if she turns around she can see their lips moving. there are a few pieces each of them point out and compliment, and it eases her worries a bit. once they look through a good portion, they retreat to the kitchenette to tell her how amazed they are with her. they don’t intend on spending so much time talking about it, but she finishes dinner while they go back and forth chattering about all the paintings they looked at and which were their favorites and why. she’s just a blushing mess trying to cook dinner in peace while they praise her.

she draws them all the time. when she’s alone she’ll lay in bed and sketch them over and over from memory or using her favorite photos as a reference. she’ll wake up before either of them and draw them with just the slivers of sunlight sneaking through the curtains as her guide. she has a few canvases that she started in the middle of the night after waking from a dream, surreal portraits of her boyfriends or their cars in action.

one day max asks to buy one of her paintings and she’s kind of surprised because why does he want to buy one?? she tells him he can just have one, to pick out whichever she wants, but he insists that he wants to pay for it. oscar asks if he can buy one too, and they have the same little argument. they’d both already have something picked out, likely from the first time they looked through them, and had been thinking about it for months. asking to buy one feels intimate so they waited until they felt it was appropriate to ask if she was selling them. it’s not like they’re displayed in a gallery, they’re works in her home that no one has really seen before. she’s surprised they want to display her art at all, considering neither of them have any other art hung in their homes, but they just wanna show off their incredible gfs talent !!

they’d have any of her art displayed proudly in their homes, but their favs might be the ones of their cars !! it’s not her usual subject, and neither are portraits, but she can’t help but recreate the things she loves in her art. they’d have canvases professionally framed, they’d buy frames for sketches and little things like that. if she makes sculptures or does pottery, they’d buy or have a custom made shelf to display her creations!! also she’d probably have sticky notes and stuff like that that she doodles on without even thinking and the boys always save them when they find them. they have a shoe box or something that’s full of little sketches on stray paper.

[imtryingmybeskar]

Come Home Chapter Twenty Four

Joel Miller x F! Reader

Word count: 4,219

The aftermath of the dam attack.

Warnings for blood, death, violence...and without giving too much away, one very happy Joel.

Come Home

Chapter Twenty Four - Blows Me Away

For a moment you and Joel look at each other in shock, then overwhelming relief melts into his features and he scoots over to you quickly on his knees, embracing you in a one armed bear hug. You wrap your heavy, pain laden arms around him too and squeeze him tight, relief coursing through you until he twitches away from you, hissing in pain.

“What’s wrong?” you ask urgently, pulling back from him.

“Nothin’ that can’t wait,” he replies, his voice pinched and tight. “Fuck…I didn’t realise it was you…Christ, lemmie look at you.” His eyes are soft with concern, his fingers gentle as they tilt your head back and run gently over your definitely bruised neck. “Are you okay?” he asks shakily.

“Bit dazed. I will be though,” you answer shortly, and he nods, trusting that you would tell him if anything was seriously wrong.

He stands and helps you slowly to your feet. Your vision is still a little blurry and you cling on to him as you stand, dizziness coursing through you. In the distance, you hear the rumble of thunder and the room seems to grow even darker before your eyes, the storm that has been brewing all day making its final approach.

“We gotta get back to Maria,” you say in a low voice. “She was in the control room when I left her.” He nods.

“Who else is with you?”

“Three at the gate with the horses. Twelve inside working our way through. No Maydays over the radio so they’re probably okay. Maria told me to break off to take care of this one before he could see that we killed a couple more of them. How many are there?”

“Too many,” Joel growls, frowning his displeasure. “They got what’s left of us holed up in the supervisor’s office. Tommy told ‘em he’s got explosives in there, rigged the place to blow if they try to get in. He doesn’t but it bought us some time. I managed to climb out of a window, tried to take ‘em out sneakily. Got a few but I don’t know how many are left. We gotta get our people outta that room. You okay to keep goin’?” You nod, though your throat feels raw and achey and you’re still a little spaced out from your ordeal. “C’mon, then,” he says, firmly but not unkindly as he takes your hand.

You make your way back upstairs, through the control room and take up your previous hiding place that has now been vacated by Maria and the others. You risk a look around the pallets that disguise you, briefly catching sight of a group of seven raiders in various states of bored lounging outside a heavy looking door. You also catch sight of a flash of familiar blonde hair – Maria has advanced on them again and this time her gun is drawn. You see her sign toward someone out of your line of sight and the message is clear – take them out. Clearly, she is of the same mind as Joel and wants to release your people from where they have been pinned down. You withdraw back behind your protection and take your gun out too, giving Joel a meaningful look as you do. He draws his own weapon – a wicked looking pistol with a scope mounted on top, and his expression is all business as he nods firmly at you.

The first shot rings echoingly through the large room and is swiftly followed by a volley of additional gunfire. Keeping the pallet covering as much of you as you can, you raise your head above the parapet and take aim, shooting one of the men through his shoulder. Bloodspray fans over the concrete wall behind him as he drops his weapon and a second bullet that did you did not fire drops him permanently as it passes through his skull. You duck back behind your cover as a bullet whizzes over your head, smashing through the glass of the control room behind you. Angry and confused bellowing almost drowns out the sound of the gunshots, and you move to aim again to take advantage of their confusion.

“Scatter,” comes the screaming command from their leader below, and the remaining four that you can see do just that, scrambling away from the door they have been protecting and hiding themselves out of sight somewhere under your feet. Your bullet misses, hurtling through the air to plant itself harmlessly somewhere in the wall. If the raiders are moving, you need to too before they stumble upon you, so you grab Joel's arm and tug at him to follow you, hurriedly moving along the exposed parts of the gantry before you can be discovered.

“Am I glad to see you,” Maria whispers fervently as you join her. “Is Tommy-“

“He’s fine,” Joel assures her. “And now those assholes have left that door unprotected I’d say its about time to let our people outta there to take care of 'em.”

For all the initial element of surprise that the invaders had, the battle is short lived. Maria takes out another of their number when you move down to the lower level of the engine room and despite their attempts to snipe at you from behind the turbines, once you release your people from their confinement it’s close to being all over. Tommy’s face is as coldly furious as you have ever seen it as he steps through the door. He claps Joel on the shoulder in thanks and drags Maria into what looks like a bone-crushing hug before moving away with her through the dam, the sound of rapid gunfire following shortly afterward.

As Joel moves to follow them you stop him, grabbing his wrist so he turns to face you instead. The fact that you’re feeling more yourself after your near-death experience in combination with the adrenaline rushing through your body means that your head is much clearer than it was twenty minutes ago. And you have finally noticed the large, red, shiny stain on the sleeve of Joel’s shirt. In the brief breath of space you have in this moment, you need to make sure he’s not seriously injured.

“One sec. You sure you’re okay? That’s a lot of blood.”

“I’m okay. I promise. Nothin’ a bandage won’t fix.”

“Looks like more than a bandage job,” you say dubiously. “Might-“

The shot rings out almost at the exact same moment that you feel yourself savagely shoved aside. A searing, painful heat erupts along your ribs as a second, louder bang comes from alongside you. The wall stops you from falling to the ground as you as you stagger against it, still on your feet but with your knees trembling and your ears ringing madly. A hand on your arm and Joel’s anxious face appears in your line of vision. His mouth is moving but the noise in your ears is still too loud for you to hear him. His hands come to cup your face, his eyes searching yours for something you can’t quite understand. Slowly, so slowly, his voice percolates through.

“-heart, please. Tell me you’re okay.”

“Yeah…yeah. Just…loud.” You feel dazed again and realise you’re not making much sense. Joel’s hands leave your face to come to your side and you bite back a whimper as his palms rub over something which feels raw and tender.

“S’okay,” he says smoothly, and you recognise the tone he uses to calm the horses when they’re skittish. “You’re okay. Bullet grazed you. We’ll get you fixed up.”

“Fix you first,” you counter and he gives a tiny half smile, the first you’ve seen from him since the previous evening.

“We’ll patch each other up,” he promises, “but first we gotta get to the others. C’mon, lemmie help you.” He links your arm through his uninjured one and ensures you’re steady on your feet before walking through the engine room, following the trail of bodies left in the wake of the residents of Jackson.

By the time you reach the sleeping area it appears to already be all over. Dozens of people are standing in the space, their chattering voices raised excitedly over the heavy rain that is now lashing the windows. Tommy is in the midst of it all looking slightly harassed and when he spots Joel he comes over to hug him before releasing him swiftly upon hearing Joel’s noise of pain, much as you had.

“Come on,” he says decisively. “We got medical supplies back here. No one’s too badly hurt thank goodness, but the doc’s still gonna have her hands full when we get back.”

“We got ‘em all?” Joel asks, his voice sounding a little breathless.

“Damn fuckin’ right,” Tommy growls, his eyes flashing menacingly. “And we’ll make sure no one’ll fuckin’ dare try to pull this shit again.”

At his confirmation that the dam was indeed secure once more, Joel sags more heavily against you and you suddenly realise just how badly in pain he must be. You reach the triage area where people are being cleaned, bandaged and generally cared for, and deposit Joel gently on to a chair before fetching some supplies of your own to help him. He tries to faintly protest, vaguely muttering something about taking care of you first, but falls silent again at the stern look you give him.

“Can I say hello to you now?” he asks after a moment of watching you unwrap gauze and bandages, his voice hoarse with pain. Those big brown eyes are looking up at you and how can you ever resist? You lean down to brush your nose over his and place a tender, gentle kiss on his lips.

“Properly once I’ve patched you up,” you say gently, trying very hard not to let him hear how worried you are. You’re not sure if it works because he begins to undo his shirt without another word. The upper sleeve is slashed wide open, revealing his ripped t shirt underneath, and a large bloodstain covers most of the fabric from shoulder to elbow. He peels it away from his skin with a pained grunt and a horrible sticky sound and now you can see the large, jagged gash that runs the length of his tricep. It’s a nasty wound, but not life threatening and you feel the anxiety in your stomach begin to recede again.

“So…what happened, Miller? One of them cut you? Stray bullet?”

Joel looks sheepish. “Actually it was glass from a broken window. I had to dive in to a room in a hurry before one of ‘em could see me.”

“Hurts just the same,” you say matter of factly as you unpack the medkit. “And this is gonna be a bitch too. Sorry.”

“You do what you gotta do. But don’t forget, I’m returnin’ the favour in a minute.”

“I’ll try to be gentle,” you smile.

You quickly but thoroughly wash the wound out with iodine. Joel grunts and grimaces, his teeth bared, but he doesn’t make any kind of fuss. Once you’re done you cover the worst part of the gash with gauze and finally you wrap it up in clean bandages.

“That’ll do till the doc can see you. I think you might need stitches.”

“Lucky me,” he mutters sarcastically as he stands and guides you gently to sit where he has just vacated. “Let’s hope you don’t. Come on, let’s get that shirt off.” He gives you a muted half smile along with his flirting, but you can see the worry in his eyes.

The graze is just that, and you thank the heavens that Joel had spotted your assailant and pushed you out of the path of certain death. It still hurts, more so when he too cleans it out, but you manage to keep your discomfort to some vague grunting noises as he works on you with gentle, deft hands.

“Some first trip back out, huh?” he smiles up at you, his big dark eyes now full of relief now that he too knew you weren’t in any danger.

“Could have gone better,” you agree, absent-mindedly touching over your bruised and sore neck. “But could have gone a hell of a lot worse.”

“True,” he murmurs, leaning forward to capture your lips in a gentle, tender kiss. “I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

Unsurprisingly, Maria decides it would be best to leave additional bodies at the dam for the foreseeable future, and she isn’t short of volunteers. Though the immediate threat has been vanquished and there is a celebratory mood in the air, it is underpinned by a grim determination to not be caught short again, to bear in mind how precious and precarious all that Jackson is. You choose to remain, and are surprised when Joel volunteers too, having been certain he would want to get back to Ellie.

“Are you sure, Joel? You should get that arm seen to-“ you begin, but he cuts through you.

“I’m stayin’,” he says firmly. “The doc can look me over tomorrow. Jus’ check in with Ellie for me will ya?” he requests of Tommy, who nods his acceptance of the task.

While Joel showers you take a patrol with Chloe, who has opted to stay in order to check out the electrics and make sure that no unseen sabotage had occurred during the attack. She gives you a basic crash course in how everything works, her enthusiasm for her profession clear in how eagerly she talks about the subject and not dampened even a little by the pattering rain and thunder that punctuate her explanations. Thankfully, the dam is pretty intact, aside from some damage to doors and windows. While she assists to get everything back online, you help to drag the bodies of the interlopers to a relatively dry and sheltered spot outside of its walls where they are doused with oil and burned to nothing but ash and bone. Afterward you feel even more grimy and sweaty than before and decide that you could do with a shower as well.

When you return to the sleeping quarters Joel is lying on one of the bunks, his fists bunched on his chest, fast asleep and snoring softly. You look down at him for a while, his skin looking more tanned than usual in the stormy evening’s half light, some of his worry lines smoothed away in his relaxed state, his hair once more damp and slicked away from his face. You want to kiss him, stroke his face but you know he can’t have got much, if any, sleep last night and must be exhausted. Instead you take a blessedly lukewarm shower, allowing the tepid water to cool your overheated body and rinsing the grime and sweat and blood from you. As you allow the water to cascade over your skin, you utter words of silent gratitude in your mind. For Joel’s safety. For Jackson. For the continued presence of the dam and those who would protect it. Your mind turns to Chris and you have an odd sense of sad gratitude there too – that her loss enabled you to have all of this, and the tears of relief and sorrow you shed mix with the shower water and flow away.

The bunk next to the one Joel is occupying is vacant, and you begin to prepare it for your own rest. You don’t want to wake him, so you’re as quiet as you can be, but he stirs anyway as you shuffle the bedding and pillows around, cracking one eye open and humming sleepily.

“C’mere,” he husks, his voice low and sleep laden.

“You need rest,” you say softly as you go to him and stroke your hand softly over the greying scruff at his cheek.

“Sleep better with you. C’mere,” he insists again, and when you hesitate for a second longer he takes you by the wrist and drags you in to the tiny space, shuffling backward so his back is against the wall to give you more room in the bed.

You settle in, facing him and he laces his fingers with yours as he rests his hand on your leg. All you can see of him is the darkness of his facial hair standing stark against the relative paleness of his face, and his eyes glittering in the dim light.

“Thought I’d lost you,” he murmurs. “Didn’t even realise it was you at first, only that he wasn’t one of ours. Then when I saw your face…”

He trails off and you move your face closer to his to kiss his nose gently, the warmth of your bodies mingling now in the cool, damp night air.

“Thank you,” you say gratefully. “I didn’t have a chance to say it before.”

“I just wish I’d gotten there sooner,” he replies, his hand now coming to trace over the bruises on your neck again. “I should-“

You cut him off with another kiss. Bruises and cuts would heal. All that mattered was that you were here together, alive and uninfected.

“You should rest,” you repeat softly when you draw back from him again.

“Probably. But havin’ you here after what happened…I just wanna keep talkin’, you know?”

You understood. To have him back when it was entirely possible you could have lost him. You’d forgotten that feeling. You’d been away from the outside too long, even though it had only been a few months. And it was worse now. Far worse that you had something, someone to lose. But now wasn’t the time to talk about that. It was time for him to sleep so that you could ride out as early as possible to Jackson and get him to Doctor Graham. It seemed he was going to be stubborn about it, however. A wicked thought strikes you and you can’t help the smile that spreads across your face.

“What?” he asks suspiciously. “I know that look. You’re up to somethin’.”

“Damn right,” you confirm as you reach up to pull the privacy sheet down over the side of the bunk. “If you won’t sleep, I’m gonna have to make you.”

The sheet has made everything in the tiny space pitch black now and the air suddenly seems a little more stifling. You disentangle your hand from his and stroke your fingers upward until you find the whiskery hair at his cheek again.

“Lie on your back,” you murmur before kissing him tenderly.

“What-“

“Just do it.”

He does, shuffling in an ungainly way until he is supine. You kiss him again before running your hand down his body, this time more firmly and with intent. When you reach his jeans you flip the button open and lower his fly quickly.

“Naughty,” he admonishes softly in the dark, his tone in no way actually disapproving of what you were doing.

“You want me to stop?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replies and you can hear the smile on his face.

“Good,” you say smoothly before beginning to shuffle yourself down in the bed. Your positioning is not elegant – the tiny space doesn’t allow for much manoeuvring and the graze at your side throbs in protest at your movements – but you manage to wriggle down so you’re kneeling between his legs, your hands wandering up from his thighs to torso, an unseen smirk on your face at the prospect of what you’re about to do.

His t shirt is rucked up, fabric turning to skin just above his belly and you kiss the warmth expanse of flesh on show, feeling the softness of the hair there slowly turn coarser the lower you go. He smells amazing – the harsh chemical tang of the soap he had used softened by his own beautifully warm and masculine scent. You trail your hand down, stroking softly over the growing shape in his boxer briefs, and when you drag your lips down over the fabric he hisses softly in the darkness. You cup him, softly massaging while kissing his clothed cock from root to tip, a few drops of precum making a wet patch that you give a dainty lick to before you begin to free him.

“Wait-“ he whispers urgently.

“Hmmm?”

“You…I mean you’re gonna…”

“If you’ll let me.”

“But there’s…people. Around.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to be quiet, Miller.”

“Fuck” he hisses softly and you feel his hand stroke over your hair. “You sure?”

“Are you?” His cock is finally free and you kiss his tip, the warm stickiness already coating him smearing over your lips, and the stuttering breath he releases tells you all you need to know. You trail down the underside, barely touching him with your lips, Your breath is hot against his skin and you flatten your tongue to lick a wide strip from root to tip, feeling more than hearing his shuddering exhalation as you run it up the prominent vein there. You’d felt him in your hand before, but he seems so much bigger now as you take him in hand and swirl your tongue strongly over his head, savouring the sticky warmth that coats him.

“Been…a long…time,” he breathes raggedly. “I don’t know if I’ll-“

His words abruptly turn to a muted gasp as you slide your mouth down over his length, slowly bobbing lower and lower, testing how far you could take him. It had been a long time for you too and you hope you can make him feel as good as you wanted to. Give him a moment of bliss and relaxation, make his worries ebb away in the pleasure. His head reaches the back of your throat and you force yourself to still, to accept and to swallow around him. His breath comes like it’s been punched out of him, but his hands are still gentle as they stroke softly over your shoulders. You feel his thighs tremble beneath you, can feel the effort it’s taking for him not to buck up to seek more of the warm, wet heat of your mouth. As you begin to pull off him you hollow your cheeks, sucking firmly as you move back to his tip to lap there a little more.

“Good?” you murmur as you plant soft kisses upon him.

“F-fuck,” he breathes. “So good, sweetheart.”

Encouraged by his praise you begin to take him in your mouth again. He is thickening more already, and your hand pumps what you cannot easily take. You don’t know if it’s your own technique, that it’s been a long time for him, or the fact that he’s enjoying the prospect of doing this when there are other people so close, but he’s already starting to lose some of his self-control. His hands are gripping your shoulders a little more tightly and you gaze up at him in the darkness, not able to see much except the hollows of his eyes as they look upon you and of his mouth where it has fallen open.

You slide your unoccupied hand up his torso, brushing your fingers across the soft hair at his belly and his soft skin, now covered by a sheen of perspiration. As you run your nails down he releases a quiet moan and then covers your hand with his, pressing you more firmly against him. You take the hint and rake your nails more insistently and his hips begin to move, setting his desired rhythm that you fall into as you swallow him more deeply. He’s close - his cock swelling in your hand and mouth, his breath now with an edge of dampened moans as he attempts to keep himself quiet, and suddenly all softness is gone as he moves more forcefully, fucking himself into your fist and throat as he pulsates into you. Bitten off curses and half whispers of your name accompany the salty tang of his release as it coats your tongue, and you swallow the beautiful warmth of him down as his body slowly relaxes under you. You hear his head thump back against the pillow above you and take the time to gently suck his softening length, cleaning him of every last drop before kissing your way up his belly again and coming to rest with your head on his chest, his heart pounding wildly against your ear.

“Christ,” he mutters as he kisses the top of your head. “Fuck.”

“You sleepy enough to actually get some rest now?” you tease, your wide smile very evident in your voice.

“Mmmmm,” he rumbles, relaxing further back into the thin mattress and wrapping his arms around you. “I really am.”

“Then rest, Joel,” you whisper tenderly, sliding your hand under his t-shirt to feel his bare skin against yours.

“So good t’me,” he mumbles, his voice slack with impending sleep. “Luh you.”

Your eyes had been closing too, your body overwhelmed by the departure of so much adrenaline from the events of the day and the warm strength and comforting scent of Joel all around you, but at that they shoot open and your body stiffens.

“What did you say?” you whisper into the dark, but your only reply is a soft snoring.

Taglist - @thisshipwillsail316 @prostitute-robot-from-the-future @elegantduckturtle @dihra-vesa @midwesternwitchery @just-here-for-the-moment @eri16 @readsalot73 @littlemisspascal @princessxkenobi @harriedandharassed @pagannightwitch @tentacruels @kirsteng42 @shirks-all-responsibilities @deadhumourist @pedrostories @abbyhaslongshorts @celebrtyskinz @majahu @sanscas @myloveistoolittle @ohthemisssery @harperdoodle @hummelmi @casssiopeia @midgetpottermills @rivierasunsetdiner @starkleila @nunya7394 @mumma-moonchild @thereaperisabitch

[vampirerite]

FINISHED the little concept doodle of some fishing event alts for fgo heres some quick design notes + some things id like for their units kits

overall i wanted to try and keep their color pallets intact for these just because im super bad at making those myself

ARJUNA

he is a caster because he is casting :)

yes, his fishing rod is gandiva

YES, his pants are those zipper pants that you can detach into shorts. he’s prepared for anything!

YES! his sunglasses are super expensive, super strongly tinted high end sports sunglasses that he probably wont wear outside of this event

i would give him at least one combat animation where he hooks a target, reels quickly so he gets close to them, and then wacks them with the pole to get unstuck

his NP is catching a whale and having it crush the enemies, its AOE arts

IZOU

not pictured here, but he’s a rider because he’s the one stuck driving the boat.

izou hates fishing because of his low rank luck 

he really only agreed to drive because arjuna said izou could pick and eat one of whatever he wanted of arjuna’s catch. 

yes, he is wearing the dreaded nike sandal and socks combo AND has a pack of marlboros. i feel this is an essence that he would carry in an event like this

his NP is running people over in his boat, its quick AOE

SCATHACH

she is an archer because she is using a spear gun. the only reason she’s using it is because she’s curious about it and its success rate vs regular spear fishing. the spears shes loaded into it are tiny gae bolgs

she is overprepared clothing wise and may die of heat stroke. she will try to stave it off with cold beer and it will somehow work (do not do that in real life)

in her front pocket she has mini guides to all local fish, as well as additional ammo, some food, a spare battery for the radio, and a flashlight. it works like a bag of holding

at least one animation is the gun getting jammed and her throwing it spear end at an enemy

her NP is buster AOE, and its her modifying her spear gun into a mounted machine gun and opening fire

ALSO MY IDEA FOR EVENT CURRENCY!!!!

bronze = lures

silver = magic fish scales

gold = The Big One (it is a fish)

[ask-tay-relic]

Tell us the story of your alicorn ascension please!

He pauses for a moment from his preening to let the thought wander in his mind for a bit, akin to allowing it to slide over his pallet as he picked apart the words. A small smile graces his features and he nods, motioning for the newcomers to settle in comfortably, sitting up from the bed as he cleared his throat; within rose hued magic from the rings of his horn came swirls of spirals, a mirror of thought and feeling - bringing the images to those who wished to hear.

"Once upon a time, there lived a young pegasus within the Belus Mountains, high, high high atop the tallest peak sat his home. A beautiful place where the sun was warm, yet the winters long and hard. Magic kept them safe from the outside, and spoken verse taught them well."

"This young stallion was the oldest child to countless others who had come to their village without homes. Always seeing the colour lost from the trials they knew, he began to tell them stories of his home, so they would love it as much as he and so they would feel it was their home too."

"Soon enough his younger siblings had heard all of his stories, so he began to find more. First from the elders who only shared spoken verse, then from adults who had left their village brought unknown books; an obsession formed to memorize them, as If he'd not asked for such things, then no one else would know them."

"Far too soon there were no more stories for him to learn within the safety of Mount Belus. So that young pegasus left the only home he would ever know. Breaking through that skybound barrier meant he'd not return until the renewal, a lifetime away. That was the choice he made, for the sake of his duty."

"Decades passed in this solitude, and the mastery of his craft bloomed into an endless affirmation. Now and forever, he would serve as the Alicorn of Stories. The narrator of the lives of others, the collector of their struggles and victories; Tay Relic, he who holds the magic to bind fables to eternity."

The magic fades and he hums in thought, as if to say something more, but decides against it - clicking his tongue as he offers a different wording.

"The world is full of... conviction, whole lifetimes that eventually fade to the unknown. I was given the duty to safeguard as many as I can, even those many wish forgotten."

[gen4grl]

long post of headcanons!

- raihan lowkey is a professional instigator lol leon and sonia finally rekindling their very confusing life long relationship? he’s in sonias ears right after they talk “you know he ALWAYS tells me how impressed he is with your studies…”. him and piers after their first date? “i always knew you couldn’t resist my dragon charm”.

- leaf was born on five island in the sevii islands before moving to pallet around age 6. red, blue and herself started their journeys together at age 11-12. leaf’s starter was squirtle, red receiving bulbasaur and blue with charmander. red and leaf spent a majority of their journey on the road together while blue rushed ahead of them, leaving the two to develop an unbreakable bond that surprises most due to their strikingly opposite demeanours. leaf, much like blue, is extremely extroverted and stubborn. while their similar personalities initially caused a lot of arguing between the two, they found themselves becoming increasingly closer as teenagers when red would spend months travelling solo and at mount silver. as adults, the three own the battle tree in alola and enjoy spending summers there. out of season, red prefers a quiet life of gardening and reading, blue is still gym leader of viridian city and leaf, after growing up in a technology free lifestyle on the sevii islands, developed a love and fascination for computers, now working in the pc system with bill. while leaf believes red and blue to be the most important people in her life, what she misses about her old home the most is the single red headed boy that lived on the island that she frequently spent her days playing with.

- despite knowing ethan and lyra since they were kids, silver never opened up about his life prior to their first interactions until his 18th birthday. the one detail ethan and lyra knew for sure was that he was kantonian due to his very distinct accent that seemingly incorporates a mix of kanto and johto dialects. lyra always playfully teased him about this - saying he sounds similar to champion lance, who sports a extremely similar mixed region accent (a very interesting statement since everyone and their mothers knows about lyras long standing celebrity crush on the dragon champion)

[miasmaghoul]

Valentinesday sex with Mountain and Rainy boi?

YES YES YES OH MY GOD THE M U S H IN THIS

Mountain being the sweetest boy pls

(it's another long one oopsie)

Rain is latching his instrument case shut after a practice session when his vision goes dark, the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers filling his nose.

"Guess who?"

It's rumbled into the back of his neck and Rain smiles, leaning against a broad chest and reaching up to grasp strong wrists.

"Dew, when did you get tall enough to kiss my neck?"

Mountain huffs out a snort into the soft curls at Rain's nape and drops his hands to the water ghoul's shoulders.

"Started drinking my milk," he rumbles, dragging his hands down the smaller ghoul's arms and turning him on the spot. Rain kisses his chin.

"Guess so," Rain says, wrapping his arms around Mountain's middle. The earth ghoul smiles and kisses him between the horns, holding Rain to his chest for a handful of moments.

"Come with me," he mutters into Rain's hair, and the water ghoul pulls back to look up at him. "Got something I'd like to show you in the greenhouse." Rain tilts his head.

"The greenhouse? It's after dark, we won't be able to see-"

"Just come with me, lilypad," Mountain says with a smirk and an eyeroll. "It's a surprise."

He laces his fingers with Rain's and the water ghoul lets himself be led out into the starlit night. He shivers in the February chill and Mountain pulls him close to his side, wraps a long arm around his shoulders. They reach the last bend in the path to the agricultural portion of the abbey grounds when Mountain stops him.

"Close your eyes," he murmurs. Rain raises an incredulous eyebrow, but does after a moment. Mountain resumes walking, guiding Rain by the shoulders.

"It's already dark out, this feels weird," Rain quietly gripes. Mountain gives him a squeeze.

"Have you never heard of a surprise, raincloud?" The earth ghoul's voice is low and teasing. "I'm not going to push you in the lake, I'm not actually Dewdrop."

Rain laughs and lets himself be led, Mountain humming for the rest of the short trek. Rain lets himself lean into the earth ghoul, basking in his gentle heat. Like a lizard on a sun-warm rock. Mountain brings them to a halt and Rain is hit with a wave of springtime, warm floral air enveloping him. Mountain pulls the greenhouse door closed behind them.

"Keep 'em closed," Mountain says, pressing a kiss to Rain's temple. The smaller ghoul nods, soaking in the humidity surrounding him. Letting the warmth drag the chill from his bones while Mountain shuffles around. Rain hears things being moved, the clink of something glass, the thud of metal on wood.

"Mount, what-"

"Almost done," he assures, voice off to Rain's right. Rain rocks on his feet, one arm crossed over his stomach to grip his opposite elbow, listening to the rustle of leaves as Mountain hurries back to stand behind him. He rests his hands on Rain's hips and his chin on Rain's shoulder and the water ghoul presses their cheeks together.

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Mmm, I don't know. You look awfully pretty like this," Mountain teases, pressing another kiss to Rain's temple while the other ghoul huffs out a chuckle. Mountain moves him where he wants him and steps back. "Go ahead, open."

Rain blinks a few times, bringing the room into focus and-

"Oh, wow." Rain's jaw slackens as he whispers the words, eyes wide, drinking in his surroundings.

The greenhouse stands transformed. The pallets of exotic flora that usually sat in the center of it have been moved, the plants themselves rearranged into a wide circle of lush greenery and vibrant blooms. The plants are all decorated with fairy lights, brilliant littles motes interspersed in their leaves reminiscent of the starry sky. They provide enough of a glow to illuminate the small table sitting at the center of the circle, a battered old thing no doubt dug from the depths of a storage shed. It's flanked by mismatched chairs and covered in a spread of pots and platters. There are wine glasses too, and some "fancy" plates from the common room, the ones that weren't plastic.

"Mountain..."

"Do you like it?" Mountain strides past Rain to the table, uncovering dishes. "I made your favorites, I think. You like rice more than pasta, right?" Rain doesn't respond and Mountain continues anyway. "Don't worry, no onions in anything, I remembered. Do you want wine? It's not great, but-"

Rain can't stop staring at the earth ghoul's back while he talks. He doesn't think he's ever heard Mountain say so much at one time. He's babbling, talking over himself and repeating the line about the onions again. Rain feels like his chest caving in.

"You...you did all of this?" Rain breathes the words into the air between them and Mountain falters, nearly dropping his $5 bottle of wine. When he turns his face is bright red, and Rain feels like his heart is going to explode.

"Well...yeah," Mountain mumbles, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"For...for me?" Rain swallows around the lump in his throat as the earth ghoul stares at him. His eyes drift around again, taking in the lights, the food, the record player nearby poised to play. The blanket laid out to the left, covered in red rose petals. "All of this is...for me?"

"Yeah. For you. Happy valentine's day," Mountain says with a soft smile. Rain's attention is pulled back to the earth ghoul, his brow furrowed.

"Happy...what?" Rain watches Mountain finish pouring the wine, bringing a glass to him and sipping from his own. Rain takes a gulp - it tastes like grape-flavored feet. He doesn't care.

"It's a human thing Copia told me about," the earth ghouls says with a shrug. "A day to show someone how much you...care. About them." Mountain clears his throat and sips his drink. "I thought I'd," he gestures at the overwhelming about of obvious love surrounding them, "do something for you. Y'know. To show you I care."

Rain stares up at Mountain, watching little pink peonies of embarrassment bloom around his horns. They match the flush painting his freckled cheeks and the tips of his ears. He suddenly feels like he's never really seen Mountain before; the flecks of gold in his emerald eyes, the squared edges of his pupils, the chips in his curling two-toned horns, the streaks of red and gold in his hair. They're all suddenly thrown into sharp relief in the soft light, and Rain can't stand not being in his arms right now. He takes both of their glasses, setting them on the ground and blinking away his tears.

"Mount," he says, breathless. The earth ghoul huffs out an oof as Rain rushes forward, slamming into his chest and wrapping long arms around his waist. Rain buries his face in his neck and inhales until he can't anymore. Mountain heaves a sigh and lets himself collapse against Rain, just a little.

"Do you like it, water lily?" Rain has never heard Mountain sound so small. So unsure. He pulls back to show Mountain his smile, so wide it hurts.

"It's beautiful," he sighs. Mountain is looking at him like he hung the moon and it makes every inch of Rain burn. "Mountain, it's...thank you." He raises a hand to the taller ghoul's cheek, who leans into the touch with a purr.

"You deserve it," Mountain murmurs against his palm, and the words make Rain's whole body sing.

They also make him realize that he is incredibly, unbearably hard, cock throbbing against his zipper. His hands fist into Mountain's shirt with more than a little guilt, Rain scrunching his eyes shut and hoping the earth ghoul doesn't notice the way he shifts his hips.

"Rain," he rumbles, and it has that specific timbre to it that lets the water ghoul know he's been caught. He looks up at Mountain, blushing and sheepish. The taller ghoul smiles as he presses his thigh between Rain's legs. "Is this what I think it is?" The hesitance and nerves are gone, replaced by smooth seduction that has Rain's eyes going heavy.

"Sorry," he offers, quiet. "I just-" Mountain interrupts him with a kiss and Rain melts into it, opening up immediately at the flick of the earth ghoul's tongue over his lower lip. He loves how Mountain tastes - like springtime, warm honey and buttercups.

"Don't apologize," Mountain says against his lips. He moves Rain's hand from him back, brings it to rest at the front of his jeans. Rain moans into his mouth - Mountain feels as hard as he does.

"Fuck, but-" Rain groans as Mountain starts planting a slow trail of kisses from the corner of his mouth to the sharp edge of his jaw. "But the food-"

"It isn't going anywhere," Mountain breathes into his skin, and Rain shudders when a fang nips at his earlobe. "Besides," the earth ghoul pulls back and stares down at Rain with darkened eyes, "I was sort of hoping you'd want dessert first."

Mountain catches him in another deep kiss and Rain lets himself get lost in it. It's sloppy and languid, exploratory in the best way. They undress each other with shaky fingers, Rain letting out a reedy little cry when the earth ghoul's callused fingers slide over his nipples. Before he knows it he's being lowered to the rose-covered blanket, Mountain mouthing at his throat while he divests Rain of his pants. The water ghoul watches the flowers in his hair change, the peonies falling away in favor of bluebells and pale pink azaleas.

"Beautiful," he sighs, but Mountain doesn't seem to hear him. He's busy kicking his own jeans away, and the movement allows Rain to absorb the way his muscles shift in the low light. The way his dick sways, red-tipped and hypnotizing. Mountain retrieves a small bottle from beneath the edge of the blanket and comes to rest on his belly between Rain's legs.

Mountain takes him into his mouth at the same time he presses a lubed finger into Rain's already slick hole and the water ghoul chokes on his moan. His hands fly to Mountain's horns as the earth ghoul sucks him just the way he likes, slow and steady with flicks of the tongue here and there. Mountain always know exactly where to touch him, a point proven by the way he deftly slips in another finger and curls them.

"Lucifer, Mount," Rain huffs, voice tight. His thighs are already starting to shake, and the way Mountain looks up at him with a mouthful of cock doesn't help matters. "Please, please-"

The earth ghoul swallows around him, adds a third finger, and Rain goes boneless against the blanket. His hips rock back onto Mountain's fingers of their own accord, the other ghoul matching the bob of his head to the roll of his pelvis.

Rain gasps, digging a heel gently into Mountain's back and hands tightening on his horns. He's certain he's going to explode as the earth ghoul strokes his walls, rubs tight circles around his prostate. Mountain is swallowing rhythmically with every press, drinking down everything he's forcing Rain to leak. It's maddening, and Rain finds himself suddenly desperate, like he's drowning on dry land. He needs Mountain in him now.

"Ready," he pants, chest rising and falling rabbit-quick, "Mount, I'm ready, fuck, please I-" Rain makes the mistake of looking down at Mountain as he pulls off, and the soft light surrounding him is nothing short of perfection.

"I've got you," he assures, pressing a wet kiss to the hollow of Rain's hip. The water ghoul is out of his mind by the time Mountain has kissed his way back up to his mouth, fingers still working him open. Mountain's cock nudges a cheek and Rain makes a little yipping sound that has him moaning. "How do you want it, Rainy?"

It's the question Mountain always asks, and Rain most always has the same answer - on his knees, face pressed into whatever surface was available. Deep thrusts that Rain would swear he could feel in his teeth. Ones that would undo him from the inside out and leave him a drooling, sated mess. Rain pulls Mountain down until their foreheads touch, until they're breathing one another's air.

"Just like this," he huffs, watching Mountain's shining eyes widen, "you're so gorgeous Mount, I never want to stop looking at you." He feels delirious, his chest aching and his stomach twisting. Mountain stills and Rain tries not to whine when he withdraws his fingers.

"I can do that," he rumbles, but Rain doesn't miss the sheen of tears in his eyes.

The world falls away when Mountain pushes into his quivering body, Rain unable to keep his noises at bay. They bounce off the glass walls in a sinful chorus, one accompanied by Mountain's low growl and the fresh scent of rose petals. Mountain bottoms out and they gasp into each other's mouths when Rain wraps his legs around the larger ghoul's waist.

"Show me how much you care about me," Rain slurs.

Mountain does.