#PhD behind the scenes

[angrypotatoboba]

Slowly adding creative hobbies to my STEM degree to keep me sane from the maths… I used to hate painting, but water colors feel like a cheat code because they’re never supposed to be perfectly life like, so it can just be fun!

[notesbyash]

Congrats on getting into your dream phd program!!! Would you mind sharing a little bit about what you mean by cold emailiing working? I'm going to have to start applying to phd programs next year and I'm feeling nervous about it and would love to hear how you did it. Thank you!!!

So. (this is a long rambly post, beware)

PhD applications and programs are unique from undergraduate applications (and most Masters programs) in that it's more of an apprenticeship application than anything. There are certain programs where you're admitted to the program as a whole but in my experience these are relatively rare.

The way that I conceptualized PhD applications, and the way that I was suggested to conceptualize them by my mentors, was to approach it as applying to work with a particular faculty member/lab. From an institutional perspective, think of it as a hiring process. Faculty members write grants to get money to fund some project, then the pick from a pool of PhD applications to find someone that they think will best fit the bill and be able to produce research. This is why it's helpful to not only have a solid GPA (something I didn't have) but also to have prior research experience and publications under your belt (I have research experience but no publications which. f). You're trying to boost the case that if you're handed money, you will be able to make "good use" of it.

So in review - faculty are looking for someone who has an academic or industry background that matches their research intent, has the qualifications to be trusted with a long-term project and displays a level of dedication to not dropping out when the going gets hard. Seems straightfoward enough.

Now comes the networking. See, research lab websites are notorious for not being updated. Faculty profiles are notorious for not being updated. It is incredibly difficult from an outside perspective to even know if a faculty member has the funds or space in their lab to take on a new student. If you've applied to a program but there's no faculty member who has the funds or availability to take you on, you're out of luck before you're even measured against the other candidates.

The fastest way to save time (and money because jfc these apps aren't cheap) is to straight up cold email the faculty member or lab you want to work with and ask if they're taking students. Include a little bit about yourself, your background and why you're emailing them. Talk about how your interest matches theirs. Reference a paper or two they wrote recently. Not everyone cold emails faculty, so this is a great way to stand out and get them to see you as an individual, not just an application number. From there, you'll get a response. Sometimes the lab/faculty won't have the funds to take on a new student in which case you've saved yourself time and money. Sometimes they do have funds and will want to know more about you or see some work. These conversations don't always have to be long, but it allows you to get an idea of the faculty member, the lab, and/or the program culture. It gets your foot in the door and a chance to see what the next 4+ years of your life might be.

The core of this is that when you apply to a PhD program, you apply to do research. You should be going into a PhD program with, basically, an idea of what you want to do with your life (academically speaking) and how you want to contribute to the field (I was asked point blank what I wanted my contribution to the field of aerospace to be when I died at the end of my career). You find a faculty member or lab that you want to work with because that allows you to fulfill your own dream research, because the work that they are doing is work that you want to contribute to and that you believe in.

Cold emailing faculty members allows you a chance to directly communicate with the people you want to work with and tell them that this is where you really want to be, that you have a clear goal and that you're dedicated to your craft.

(And it means that sometimes, you happen to be exactly the person they are looking for.)

[pochapal]

for my most neglected audience i fed more posts into the pokespe sideblog's queue

[reiding-writing]

Heyy i was wondering if i could have a workshop session? Also congrats on reaching 2k i literally lovee your posts.

So i had this idea about early season spencer and a movie director reader, so basically sorta like the episode with lila archer except reader is really famous and makes mostly sci-fi movies or something spencer would watch, and someone on her set is a witness for a crime or connected to one and now that they dissapeared the BAU sent spencer and maybe derek to ask reader about what they know. But spencer is lowkey kind of silently fan girling lmao like when he first met rossi. I hope this idea isn't too cringe but its just something i thought of, and also its like 3am so my brain isn't functioning properly. Anyways thank yeww

STARstruck — SPENCER REID!

Spencer is a nerd who appreciates accurate scientific knowledge in the media he consumes, and you, are his literal idol in that aspect.

s1!spencer x fem!director!reader | 1.2k | fluff | 2k book fayre !!

a/n — this idea is so cute bro i love it

main masterlist. | event masterlist.

The late afternoon sun filtered through the towering glass windows of the Hollywood studio, casting a golden glow over the sleek set design.

Cameras, lighting rigs, and intricate models of spaceships and futuristic cities filled the massive room, the scent of freshly brewed coffee and slightly burnt popcorn lingered in the air.

Spencer took a deep breath as he stepped onto the set, eyes wide with a mix of awe and nervous excitement.

“You okay, pretty boy?” Morgan smirked as he nudged Spencer in the arm. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Spencer quickly adjusted the messenger bag on his shoulder, fiddling with the leather strap. “I’m fine,” He mumbled, although his gaze kept drifting toward the bustling crew members setting up for the next scene.

It wasn’t just the high-tech equipment that caught his attention; it was the fact that you was somewhere on this set. A literal legend in the movie world who had created some of Spencer's favourite films, the mind behind the intricate worlds he had spent years analysing and rewatching.

Not just a famous director, but one of the most influential minds in science fiction cinema, with a literal PhD in theoretical astrophysics, your movies weren’t just blockbusters—they were intellectually stimulating.

Films layered with complex theories of time travel, quantum physics, and human evolution. Spencer had spent hours after screenings debating the logic behind your plot twists, tracing your influences back to classic literature and obscure scientific studies.

He might have even written a paper about your work for one of his side projects.

Maybe.

“Alright, fanboy, whatever you say,” Morgan chuckled, clearly noticing the star-struck look on Spencer’s face. “We’re here for business, remember? We need to talk to her about the missing witness.”

Right. The reason they were actually here. One of the set designers from your latest film had disappeared. They had been linked to a crime scene across town, and now the BAU was trying to piece together their whereabouts.

As the two made their way past towering green screens and actors in elaborate futuristic costumes, Spencer’s heart rate quickened. There you were, standing near the director's chair, deep in conversation with a producer.

Morgan was the one to actually call your attention, flashing his FBI badge. “Excuse me, Doctor, I’m Agent Derek Morgan, and this is Dr. Spencer Reid, we’re with the FBI.”

Your eyes widen momentarily, before settling in understanding. “Pleasure to meet you both,” You motion for the two to follow you away from the busy set for the impending conversation.

Spencer tried to find his voice, but it was like his brain had short-circuited the moment you looked at him. The woman who had crafted entire galaxies and explored the intricacies of human consciousness in film now actually knew he existed.

“I—uh—” He stammered, glancing at the wall behind you before meeting your eyes. “I just wanted to say I’ve been a huge fan of your work for years. Your understanding of nonlinear time theory in Chrono Rift was... incredible—”

Morgan’s grin widened, and Spencer could feel his cheeks burning. He was not making a good first impression.

You, however, smiled warmly, your expression softening. “Thank you, Dr. Reid. It’s always nice to meet someone who appreciates the science behind the ‘science-fiction’.”

The way his eyes seem to soften in the wake of your thanks is endearing, matched with a pink flush to behind his glasses he attempts to brush a stubborn lick of hair from his eye.

It’s a natural attractiveness, one that’s sweet and a little awkward.

“But I assume you didn’t come here just to talk about quantum mechanics?”

Spencer cleared his throat, refocusing on the case. “Right, yes uh— We’re trying to locate one of your set designers, Adrian Moss. We believe they may have been involved with a recent crime, and they disappeared shortly after. Did Adrian mention anything unusual to you? Anyone they seemed nervous around?”

Your brows furrowed slightly in concern. “Adrian? No, they seemed fine. A little… distracted maybe, but I thought it was just the stress of the shoot. I had no idea they were involved in anything criminal.”

Morgan took over to save himself the second-hand embarrassment of Spencer’s stammering, smoothly steering the conversation. “Is there anyone on set Adrian might’ve had conflicts with? Or someone who seemed to be paying them too much attention?”

You paused, considering the question. “Not that I can think of, but I can ask around. The crew is like a family you know? People talk— if Adrian was in trouble, someone will have noticed.”

As the conversation continued, Spencer slowly found his footing again, chiming in with more questions about Adrian’s behavior and their role on set. But every now and then, his mind drifted to the fact that he was standing in the presence of one of his idols. And not only were you brilliant, but you were also kind.

After wrapping up their questions, you pulled out a small business card, handing it towards Morgan. “If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’ll make sure the crew knows to cooperate fully with your investigation,”

Morgan pocketed the card with a small nod. “Thanks for your help. We’ll be in touch.”

As they turned to leave, you called out, “Oh, Dr. Reid?”

Spencer froze, turning back to face you. He genuinely felt like he might explode.

“If you ever want to debate time travel paradoxes or poke holes in my logic, I’d be happy to grab a coffee sometime.”

Spencer’s brain went blank for a second, and all he managed was a stunned, “Uh, yeah! I mean—yes, that sounds great.”

With a smile, you waved them off, returning to your work.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Derek clapped Spencer on the back, laughing. “I’ve never seen you like this, man. Fanboying over a director? That’s a new one.”

Spencer gave him a sheepish grin, although not one that tries to dispel his accusation. “She’s not just a director, Morgan. She’s a genius.”

“Well, genius, genius or not, you might actually have a shot there. But let’s focus on finding this missing designer before you start planning your first date.”

Spencer chuckled, still a little dazed but ready to get back to work. He couldn’t help but feel that, no matter how this case turned out, his emotional outcome was going to be a net positive.

[lovelybucky1]

Sweeten the Deal

Kinktober Day 4- Femdom

warnings: batgirl!reader, afab!reader, bondage, canon typical violence, implied batman x reader, degradation, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, spit as lube, unprotected sex, fade to black sex scene, 18+ minors dni

masterlist

kinktober masterlist

when you take the bag off of crane’s head, he is already conscious. he grins, though it’s lazy and dazed with his eyes unfocused.

“batgirl,” he drawls in that sickly sweet voice of his.

“crane,” you reply bitterly.

you had chased him down the streets of gotham in the rain. he had gotten some hits in, but your injuries were nothing compared to the uncomfortable squelching in your suit. when you finally caught up with him, you hit him in the back of the head with a rusty pipe and he was out. it’s not your most tactful capture, but it worked.

“i have to say, i’m a little offended they sent you after me instead of daddy. i guess i’m not as big of a bad guy as i used to be,” he smirks.

it’s a dig at your power, strength, and a slightly misogynistic one at that. you narrow your eyes at him. he can talk all the shit he wants, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s bound to a chair bolted to the floor.

crane looks around the warehouse he’s being held in, taking in the sight of the tall ceiling, dim lighting, and seeming lack of exit.

"this doesn't seem like the interrogation room they usually take me to," he notes.

you roll your eyes. "No, it isn't."

"have you bat-people finally taken over and judge and jury now, too?" crane looks far too smug for someone who is ultimately at your mercy.

"this isn't your typical trial, crane." you step closer to him. "you have information i need, so in return for your cooperation, i won't turn you in to the police."

crane leans his head back as much as he can due to the high back of his chair and raises his eyebrows at you. "you think you're doing me a favor by not turning me in? you turn me in and i'll just escape again, just like i did the last time, and the time before that. seems like those arkham employees really don't have their heads on straight," he smirks.

you pause for a moment, trying to think of a rebuttal. sure, crane has a phd, but you didn't think he'd be able to figure you out so quickly.

"how about we made a deal, then, crane?"

he looks at you with an unimpressed stare. "what, i tell you what you want to know and you stop torturing me?" he adjusts in his seat. "no offense, but a little girl in a costume doesn't really scare me." before you can respond, he's talking again. "besides, there is nothing you can do to me that i haven't already done to myself."

after that, he grins. it's unsettling, maniacal, and it reminds you that you're not just dealing with a guy who wears a costume and runs around the city. this guy is fucking crazy.

you exhale through your nose, resolving yourself to using a different interrogation method. you're not proud of it, but like crane said, there isn't any way to hurt or scare him. he already thinks you're only good for using your feminine wiles to distract enemies. what do you have to lose by confirming his suspicions?

"no, i'm not going to hurt you."

"oh, good. i have to say, i was getting pretty tired of batman breaking my ribs."

"i have something to offer you at batman can't," you say. you walk right up to his chair, almost standing between his bound legs. "sex appeal."

crane laughs, and the sound makes you feel slimy. "you must be one of those blind bats, or maybe batman really is your father." you furrow your brows behind your mask.

"but i can offer you something much more comfortable than what he would."

crane looks your body up and down, not trying to hide ogling in the slightest. "i see... so why don't you get on with it and take off that ridiculous suit."

"that's not how this works. you talk first," you say.

"how do i know you're not going to take my information and leave me here?"

you slip your leg over his hip and hold onto the back of the chair, lowering yourself onto his lap. he raises his eyebrows, looking up at you with a slight smirk on his lips.

"how about i give you some, you give me some?" he asks.

"fine. you go first," you say, not bothering to hide the annoyance from your voice. "tell me what you know."

"i know a lot of things. i'm a doctor, after all. i doubt most of it would be of any interest to you, though."

you sigh heavily. "tell me what you know about the drug supplier for arkham."

"hm, i'm not sure that rings a bell," he looks up at you with a devilish look in his eyes. you clench your jaw as you reach towards the base of your throat to grasp at the zipper to your suit. you drag it down slightly, revealing some of your cleavage.

"don't play dumb with me, crane."

"i have no idea what you're talking about."

"the original drug supplier for the asylum got bought out by some no-name company with no public records or anything."

"and why do you think this has something to do with me?"

you narrow your eyes. "because a week before the merger, the old ceo checked into arkham after a psychotic break. that has scarecrow written all over it."

crane chuckles. "it wasn't my idea. i was simply following orders."

"who's orders?"

"i don't know. i got back to my temporary residence and there was an unmarked envelope with my name on it. thirty-thousand dollars cash up front. the letter said they'd give me the rest upon completion of the job."

"so you did this without even knowing why? he was an innocent man," you say, voice almost a growl.

crane laughs mockingly. "oh, you precious thing. men like that are rarely innocent. he could've been corrupt, or an infidel, or a sexual predator. everyone is guilty of something. even batman, even you."

ignoring his bait for a reaction, you continue with your questions. "they gave you cash up front. why didn't you just take the money and run?"

"steal from a mysterious organization who knows my identity and where i'm hiding out?" crane scoffs.

"so you're-"

"if you want anything else, you better show some more skin," he interrupts.

glaring at him, you unzip your suit all the way but leave it on to show off the rest of your cleavage and down your stomach. his eyes trail over your skin hungrily.

"so you're just a hitman for hire now?" you ask.

"why, are you in the market?"

"have you done any other jobs?" you ask instead of answering his ridiculous question.

"maybe i have. maybe your precious batman is screaming and crying for you to come save him. wouldn't that be a sight? your mentor needing to be rescued from his bad dreams by you."

his voice is almost hypnotic, but you know better than to fall for his tricks. he's trying to persuade you to give into your baser urges, your jealousy, your need to be useful. fucking psychopath.

you reach around his head and twist your fingers in his hair, yanking it back causing it to knock against the metal back of the chair. he winces a bit, but it does nothing to quell the wild look in his eyes.

"shut up, crane."

"feisty," he remarks. "i did a few jobs outside the city, but those aren't in your jurisdiction."

unfortunately, he's right. outside of the city is too vague to track anyone down and connect crane to crimes.

"how did you do it?"

"do what?" he asks, looking at your tits instead of your eyes.

"do whatever it is you did to that guy."

"you want the dirty details, batgirl?" he smirks. "of how i strapped him down and injected him with my chemical that put the fear of god in him?" his hips thrust up, jostling you on his lap and making you grab onto his shoulder for support. he looks up at you with a sick smile. "he screamed and screamed, begging for mercy, for death to take him. he ripped out his hair and scratched his skin bloody. i think he was imagining spiders from what i could gather, but in my professional opinion, he just seems like your regular nutcase."

recounting his crime clearly feeds into some sick fantasy he has, but by playing into it, you're getting the information you need. you look down to see his cock straining in his pants.

"jesus, you're crazy," you say in disbelief, though you shouldn't be surprised.

"yet you still decided to crawl into my lap. you're just as crazy as i am, you're just afraid to get your hands dirty."

you can handle crane doubting your strength, your intelligence, your capability, and your worthiness to wear the bat symbol, but you refuse to let him compare the two of you.

"we are nothing alike," you hiss. "i don't torment people for my own enjoyment."

"what are you doing to me now?" he says, looking down at where your hips have shifted closer to his erection.

without thinking, you reach forward and harshly grab his cock through his pants. he winces and squirms, trying to get away from your touch or wanting more of it, you're unsure.

"you sick fucking bastard," you spit. "talking about your attempted murder got you this hard?"

"it was mostly the slut on my lap."

"you want me to hold up my end of the deal, crane? well it's going to be on my terms."

you climb off his lap and take off your suit, leaving you in your undergarments and mask. his eyes study you intently, making you feel more like a test subject than sexy.

when you step back over to him, you yank open the fly of crane's pants and take out his cock. he's hard and average sized; nothing impressive but enough to satisfy you.

standing in front of him, you spit into your hand and bring your wet fingertips down to your pussy. you open yourself up while he watches, unable to do anything else.

once you deep yourself open enough, you sit back on his lap and hold onto his dick, positioning his tip at your entrance.

"ask me for more," you say. "beg me for my pussy."

"this wasn't part of the deal," crane says, smug.

"i won't give you anything if you don't play by my rules. you're my prisoner right now."

crane rolls his eyes but resolves himself. "please give me your pussy," he says unenthusiastically.

"you can do better than that."

"please bless me with your fucking cunt, batgirl. i want you to use me." his tone could use some improvement, but the words were good enough to satisfy you.

you sink down on his length slowly to adjust to the size. by the time you're fully seated, crane is having a much more difficult time keeping his composure. his breathing is faster and small whines occasionally escape his mouth.

"how's that, crane?" you ask, voice breathy in his ear. "everything you thought it'd be?"

"looser than i expected. guess daddy treats you well," he chuckles, though it trails off into a moan.

you roll your hips a bit, gripping his shoulders tightly. perhaps you're holding on tighter than you need to, but pain clearly isn't a problem for crane.

"now you can tell all your freak friends- joker, harley, the riddler, whoever else you run with these days- that you got fucked by batgirl. i bet you'll spin it like you got me begging on my knees for you, but we'll know the truth. we know that you whimpered for my pussy like a little bitch."

“they don’t give a shit about you. but they’ll love to hear that i fucked batman’s bitch. does he know that you’re stepping out on him tonight?” he asks with a grin.

no, bruce doesn’t know what you’re up to tonight, and when you tell him, he’ll get the abridged version.

“stop fucking talking about him,” you hiss in his ear. “keep his name out of your disgusting mouth.”

crane moans at that. a genuine, low moan.

“i would’ve let myself get caught sooner if i’d known you were so easy to give it up.”

you’re riding him now, bouncing on his lap and using your grip on his shoulders as leverage. he watches as your tits jiggle in his face, staring shamelessly like the pig he is.

this doesn’t seem like much of a punishment for him, but fucking yourself on his cock is too enjoyable to care. besides, as soon as you finish, you will be promptly sending him back to arkham where he’ll be held in a much more secure wing.

[yellowbunnydreams]

Bunny Ears (Part 24) ~William Afton X F! Reader~

~This is my formal apology to anybody who cried over the last chapter, I'm sorry! If it's any consolation, I cried writing it.~

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Tag List: @ruh--roh-raggy @h4nluv @sleepy---head @do-double-g @confiscated-peaches-main @dij-ology @viviennemuerte @robin-the-enby @shari-berri @randymeeksisafinalgirl @hallow1090 @aponia-yue @likoplays @dilflover-3 @oak-leafs @phd-in-fuckery @weirdoartist21 @nicolezghostz @fauine @emmbny

Sorry if I missed you on the tag-list!

CW: Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 30's), divorce/processing divorce, Afton being a sarcastic hot ass, grumpy x sunshine. Faz-Fuck TM, scenes of making out, soft dom! Will, grinding, teasing (sexual), discussion of kink, drinking

You woke up curled up in William's sheets, holding onto his pillow and eyes opening to find it vacant aside from yourself. Confused as you sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes before the door pressed open and you watched a very focused Vanny holding a tray in her little hands as she tried not to spill the contents onto the bed spread, smiling as she noticed you were awake.

"You're awake!"

"Good morning to you too little lady." You smiled, making Vanessa giggle as you took the tray from her and let her climb onto the bed before placing it down, looking at the small bowl of cereal that she picked up, leaving you with bacon, eggs and toast.

There was a gentle knock on the open door and you smiled even brighter as William walked in, his hair tousled and looking half-asleep himself still, carrying a tray in one hand and keeping the other behind his back as he leaned over and placed a kiss on your forehead.

"Good morning, bunny." The nickname he gave you still made your heart flutter as you felt your cheeks heating up, unable to help yourself as you watched how his clothes sat against his body as he sat down besides you and shuffled closer.

"Good morning William." Giving him a kiss as he balanced his tray on his lap, curiously raising an eyebrow as to his hidden hand.

Pulling it from behind his back, he produced a bouquet of sunflowers, blue hydrangeas and yellow roses. Making you gasp and bring your hands to your mouth as you looked up at him, eyes watering as you gently felt him lean into your side, your hands moving to gently take the flowers and touching the petals like they might suddenly break as he wrapped his now free hand around your shoulders and held you close.

"It's not even my birthday, you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to. I haven't gotten you flowers since our first dates and...I wanted to surprise you."

"The breakfast as my idea!" Vanessa informed you rather loudly between bites of cereal, making you laugh at the small girl's determination to have her efforts recognised.

"Yes, apparently it's my solemn duty to make sure that you're treated like a princess this morning." William put on a serious face before it twitched into a smile, unable to keep his serious expression around you as you leaned your head on his shoulder and kissed there.

"Well, I don't think I can say no to that can I? What time is it anyway?" You asked, picking up your fork and beginning to eat slowly.

"Plenty of time before the both of us are due in work, unfortunately."

Work, you had totally forgotten that you were scheduled at Freddy's, and the thought of it sent your heart plummeting through your stomach. Unsure of how everybody would react to you coming back after the previous day's sudden announcement of your relationship to what felt like the whole of Hurricane, hell the whole of Utah as far as you were concerned. Swallowing a little thickly, you cradled your beautiful flowers against your body in a little comfort, William saw the little motion and held you closer to his side as he sipped the coffee he had brought up for himself.

Breakfast was finished all too soon, and you had to get a cab to your house to grab your uniform whilst William dropped Vanny off at Henry and Sarah's house so that she could take Vanny back to her mother. But you were feeling your stomach twisting and flipping as you stood in your uniform in front of the familiar smiling bear logo and neon lights that had yet to be turned on.

Taking a deep breath, you headed inside, feeling your heart beating quickly inside your chest as everybody inside turned their head towards you, you knew it was the same reaction you'd had a thousand times whilst working, but what made you feel like you were going to throw up was the sudden pause in the chatter that permeated the staff in the morning. Gripping your bag close to your body, your eyes flickered down as you headed towards the back to find out what your work assignment for the day was.

Hearing the whispers beginning again in your wake, your eyes watered as you tried not to listen to any of them, afraid of what you might hear as you went through the employee's only door. Placing your bag into the small cubby that was available for bag, adjusting your hair, vest and purple ribbon bow in the dusty mirror as you tried to take a deep breath and calm yourself. Putting on a brave face and smile as you turned on your heel and walked back out.

"Well, we know how somebody got the job at least." Garrett scoffed as you re-emerged, making you look at the floor as any confidence you had falsely put up slipped and your smile wavered.

"Shut the actual fuck up Garrett."

"Yeah, jesus christ, just because you can't get laid."

"You really got to shit on them like that?"

You were surprised as several voices piped up to your defence, and you looked up to see most of the people who had been near to the spotty young man frowning heavily and inching away from him.

"What? It's clear that she did something to get into their favour! I mean maybe she took bo-" Grinning as he spoke, only for you to see Stacey walking up to him, jabbing a finger in his chest.

"Finish that thought and you're going to get your head fucking kicked in." Stacey spat, continuing to push her finger into Garrett's chest as he held up his hands in defence, still smiling and laughing.

"Like you could reach. Anyway, I bet Afton got his he-"

"Well, this was certainly not what we expected to come into this morning." The voice of Henry Emily snapped everybody too, seeing his green eyes darting around and assessing as everybody on the staff held their breath slightly. Looking like somebody had performed a magic trick in front of a dog, whilst the taller, broader figure behind him looked positively murderous.

William and Henry had arrived.

Nobody moved for a second before the two large fry cooks you had never really spoken to moved quickly, grabbing Garrett by the back of his uniform, and picking him up, much to his scrawny, flailing protests as they headed towards the front door. Your heart beating quickly inside your chest as you opened your mouth to protest.

"You're going to apologise to Mr. Afton now, and then to," you heard your name, blinking as you realised that they had set him down in front of William. Holding Garrett in place with a vaugely threatening aura as the staff came together.

The women starting to congregate around you, gently touching your arm and offering a few soothing words as your eyes watered. You thought that they would all think like Garrett, he had voiced your worst fear in coming in that day, but you felt the rest of the staff's support as they glared his way. The guys moving towards William and Henry, clearly riled up by the fact that the scrawny barely-adult had run his mouth.

"Garrett....Why don't you follow me to the office?" Henry offered after a moment, gesturing towards the back offices as Garrett scoffed, rolling his eyes at the kindly smiling man.

"Mr. Emily, I don't -"

"Oh, it wasn't a fucking request. Get in that office, now." Everybody paused as they heard Henry swearing, watching him place a firm hand on Garrett's shoulder and guiding him towards the employee's only door, nodding to the little gaggle of girls that had gathered around you. "Excuse me ladies, you shouldn't have had to hear that from me." All but dragging what you suspected was soon to be your former co-worker into the back.

There were a few beats of silence before one of the guys clapped William Afton on the arm, making him jump slightly and frown before you heard the low murmur of voices.

"Congrats Mr. Afton."

"Yeah, you're a lucky guy! Not many girls would have a guy after saving them from falling flat on their ass." Causing a bit of laughter from the group of guys and watching as William began to relax, smiling a little as he glanced at you over their heads, offering you a softer, more warm smile.

"So...who started this little crush cycle then?"

"I bet it was when he asked for ID."

"No way! It was totally sports day!"

"Come on Mr. Afton, settle the bet!"

"I'm not settling any bets for you lot. Unless it's about how many children I take out at the next sports day." William chuckled, earning a cheer from the guys whilst you were still being fussed over by the few other by the ladies.

Stacey pushed her way to the front of your own little crowd, her eyes wide and watering as you felt yourself being pulled into a tight hug, giving her one back as you laughed softly.

"You're almost as bad as Henry, you know that right?" You giggled, making your friend hug you harder before holding you at arms length, lip trembling as she tried not to cry.

"I can't help it! You're too cute! Both of you are too cute! Oh god at least I haven't missed much...have I?"

"Well...we have matching bracelets?" You offered, bringing your wrist up to show the silly purple plastic one with the Spring-Bonnie charm as William seemed to escape from his own circle and head towards you, smiling warmly, clearly a little flustered from the attention.

"YOU HAVE MATCHING BRACELETS?!" Stacey wailed, holding onto you and making you laugh as William rolled his eyes behind her, reaching over to place a soft kiss against your head, much to the delight of the ladies.

"I swear you're a tiny Henry sometimes. Are you sure your last name isn't Emily?" He asked Stacey, sending her into a million and one questions and vauge threats about if he broke your heart or hurt you in any way.

You supposed you had two families now. The Afton family and the Fazbear Family.

The phone rang in William's ear as he sat in his office, sighing softly and waiting for the supplier he was calling to pick up as the door to his office opened and you entered. Making him smile broadly, running his hand over his beard as he gestured for you to come in by curling two fingers in quick sucession. Smiling at you softly before he quickly scribbled down a note on his desk and hung up the phone. Leaning forwards onto his elbows as he rested his chin on his hands, eyes sparking behind his gold glasses in the same way they had when he had bitten at you when you first came into parts and services what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Well, to do what do I owe this pleasure?" He rumbled, making you smile as you stood infront of his desk, your hands conspicuoisly behind your back as you rocked back and forth on your heels.

"Well, sir, you seemed like you needed to eat something." William groaned as you called him 'sir', feeling his chest tighten as you looked so sweet in front of him. You raised a slight eyebrow at the noise.

"So I've been sent dessert before dinner?" An almost growl to his voice as he heard your own breath catch slightly, feeling pleased with himself that he could fluster you so easily.

You produced a pizza box from behind your back, making William laugh as you set it on the desk, his fingers opening it up as the smell hit him and he realised just how hungry he was. He had only had a coffee that morning, and the extra calories wouldn't kill him, only develop his dad-bod further which he had heard no complaints from you about. He decided to have fun with you though and sat back in his chair with a sigh, hearing the office chair creak under his shifting weight.

"If I only had the time, I have to finish this paperwork and I can't exactly get my fingers greasy and then handle it..." Making you raise an eyebrow at the comment, feeling your own smile widening slightly as he ran his thick fingers through his greying hair. "I guess you'll have to feed me, bunny."

"Well I feel like I'll drop it onto your paperwork if I do, sir." Hearing a little growl under his sigh as he made the same 'come hither' gesture towards you, the office silent aside from a quiet fan as you stepped around his desk. Yelping as he ensnared your waist and pulled you onto his lap, making your cheeks flush badly as he shifted you so that you were sat on one broad thigh. His hand remaining on your waist as he looked up at you, raising an eyebrow and trying to maintain a serious expression.

"Now you won't drop it on my paperwork, and you get to be a good little bunny and keep me company too." Whispering in your ear and making you shiver as he picked up his pen again and began to pull over his paperwork whilst holding onto you.

You picked up a slice of pizza and brought it up to William's mouth. Giggling at the absurdity of sitting in his lap and feeding him whilst he worked away on parts orders and technical specifications that went way over your head, which only made the older man raise an eyebrow at you before he carried on silently with his work. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, rather simply a comfortable lack of things to talk about in the moment.

As you fed him, he would occasionally shake his head and you would take a bite. Leaning against him and occasionally squirming in his lap to stop yourself from falling off, earning a small squeeze around your waist as you did so.

"You have sauce on your lip, Mr. Afton." You said after a while, making William blink and place his pen down, leaning back in his chair with you and smiling slightly.

"Oh do I now?" That playful spark in his eyes making you smile.

"You do sir, can I get it for you?"

"Please." You smiled and complied, leaning in and kissing him slowly. Sensually as your tongue darted across his lip to catch something that didn't exist, you simply wanted an excuse to kiss him.

William's grip tightened on your waist as he groaned into the kiss, responding in kind as his tongue slipped into your mouth, eliciting a soft gasp from you and an almost posessive growl from him as his other hand rested on your thigh and stroked over the material of your work pants lightly. Both of you moving slowly before parting for breath.

"I think I got it, Will." Giggling as he looked up at you after a moment, seeing him smile as he placed his forehead against yours.

"Do you know how much you drive me crazy?" Chuckling as you pulled back and looked at him quizically.

"Oh?"

"Oh is right, little bunny. Coming in here, pressing my buttons without knowing what you're doing." He growled, making you smile and look at him with a raised eyebrow and cocked head.

"I did?...How?" You asked, earning a gentle tap on your nose as he leaned back in his chair, running his hand through his hair.

"Think about it, work that brilliant, pretty mind of yours."

It took a few moments of thinking, finding yourself a little flustered after his comment before looking back at William and trying not to laugh as you looked into his eyes.

"Do you...you like being called 'sir'?" You asked, earning a squeeze and a wolfish grin as he tipped his head to one side, shrugging nochelantly.

"And what if I do, little bunny? What if I liked hearing you call me that from your pretty little mouth when we're alone?" He asked, humming softly as he watched your expression. He knew you were slowly being eased into it all, and he didn't want to overwhelm you with it all, especially since he knew he had a lot more ideas of things he wanted to do to you in your shared bed in his room.

"Is it just hearing it from me?"

"Only you, my love."

"Then I guess that's acceptable, sir." You decided to tease him slightly, unsure of what about it make William tick, but the growl and the warning squeeze you recieved on your thigh sent butterflies through your stomach.

"You're playing dangerously, bunny, I have a lot of thoughts going through me right now."

"Show me?" You asked, a mirror of the day you sat on his workshop bench and removed his wedding band with your teeth.

His grip tightened on you as he easily scooped your leg up and wrapped it over him, making you wobble at the sudden movement. William forced you to straddle his waist ans you could already feel how much he strained against his slacks under your ass as he reached up and undid the bow around your neck.

"You're hard." Heart pounding as he looked up at you with darkened silver eyes and his lip curled into a playful snarl. One hand expertly undoing buttons on your blouse as the other moved to your lower back and held you there.

"I've had a beautiful, wonderful woman sat on my lap for the past while. Treating me like she wants to, pushing those little buttons I wanted to keep hidden from you a little longer. Are you surprised, you little minx?" Growling as he shoved your blouse off of one shoulder and began to kiss up the skin between your collarbones. Feeling his beard scratching at his skin and occasionally nipping at you as he made his way up to your neck. His hips thrusting up into your core and eliciting little gasps from you that drove him even more wild.

Your arms wrapped around him and cradled his head against your skin as he found the point between your neck and shoulder that sent sparks up your spine. Grinding your hips back against his and gasping as you were rewarded with the the feeling of his teeth against your skin, nipping and sucking as he held you against his hips. The hand that had been undoing your blouse moving into your hair and grabbing it a little roughly as he marked up your neck in little bruises, listening to each whine and pant that fell from your lips with a thrilling chill down his spine as he enjoyed teasing you.

Eventually, William left your neck and smashed his lips to yours, his tongue bullying it's way into your mouth, allowing you to taste each other as you moaned into it. Feeling his hips still thrusting against you, head reeling as William pulled away and left little strands of saliva connecting your lips as he sat back in his chair with a wolfish grin. Looking at the mess he had made of you.

"Why...why stopping?" Your head was spinning, and William chuckled as he leant in to give you a gentle kiss, buttoning up your blouse for you and retying the little bow as you kissed him back breathlessly.

"Because of that, bunny. Can't have everybody out there thinking I've fucked you so well you can't even speak." Chuckling more as he placed a kiss on your nose, fixing your hair carefully and looking you over to make sure you were presentable. Your cheeks flushed an additionally deep shade as you realised you probably sounded like a mess as he looked at his watch.

"I promise bunny, waiting will be worth it though, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, William. Even if you're a teasing ass."

"You started it bunny, my babygirl, but I am certainly not going to turn down playing." Biting at you like he had the first time he met you, making you blush and shake your head as you smoothed yourself out and headed for the door, blowing him a playful kiss as he smirked and blew one back, shooing you out playfully and shaking his head as he sighed and tried to focus back on the paperwork on his desk, rather than the taste of you on his lips.

You somehow managed to get through your shift without being killed off by the thought of what William had done to you in his office. You knew you were going to get him back eventually, but you knew something about him now that you didn't before, and hadn't expected if you were honest with yourself.

You hadn't gone to William's house after work, claiming the need for a shower, which was true as much as he protested that you could use his, and secondly, you pointed out that you had to do some washing and actually wear clothes other than your uniform and the ones you borrowed from him. He wasn't thrilled about it, but you smiled at how pouty he got that he couldn't drive you back to his house and keep you for a while longer.

A knock on your door disturbed you from your thoughts, forcing you to get up and answer it, hair wet from the shower, wearing William's college hoodie and baggy sweatpants as you opened the door, smiling at Sarah Emily as she held up a bag which bulged with goodies.

"I brought wine!" She sang as she stepped in, making you groan and shake your damp head.

"You know I'm not much of a drinker, Sarah, and please tell me how you're getting home if you've been drinking?"

"Shush, you're sounding more and more like a mother every day! Henry dropped me off and is picking me up when I give him a call. I figured today was a good day to bring wine and have a girlie chat without the kids around." She grinned, glancing at your neck and her smile widening as she suggestively raised an eyebrow. "And it seems like William got a hold of you."

"What?" Slightly spooked by the comment, you felt your cheeks flushing and consciously covering the dark hickeys that had formed on your neck as Sarah giggled.

"That was practically William's signature in college. Henry told me William had a....thing... for biting, although, now you're a big girl and getting into those kinds of activities, the proper term is a biting kink." Placing the bag on your kitchen counter and bringing out a bottle of white wine and a bottle of lemonade, pottering around to find two glasses for you.

"So...William has...this...kink?" The word felt unfamiliar on your tongue, and you had images of William choking on whatever air there was if you asked him about it without any context.

"Oh probably quite a few, and you probably do too, you just don't know it yet." You swore your cheeks burned even more at Sarah's comment, taking the white wine spritzer she had poured for you gratefully taking a sip to give you something else to focus on. "How did the lingerie go down?"

"Yeah...I think one bit of it survived." Chuckling as Sarah gasped and playfully smacked your arm, shaking her head and waggling her pale eyebrows playfully too.

"So what I'm hearing is, if you get more that might might break?"

"I..I'm thinking of maybe asking him to pick out something he likes?"

"You know William far better than you think you so, he will go feral for that."

The two of you burst into giggles as you sipped your drinks, making idle chatter about the week so far and how adorable it had been to see the girls out playing together. As the sky got darker outside and your face began to hurt from laughing and smiling with one of your new found friends, you thought about how different your life would have been if you hadn't gone to Freddy's that day and asked for a job.

How if you hadn't fallen for a prank, you might not have met William Afton.

After Sarah left and you said hello to Henry as he picked her up, slightly tipsy, you decided to get down to the project you had brought the stuff for. Opening a cupboard and pulling out a sewing machine, blowing off the dust and coughing as you made sure it was all in working order. One of the many fixations of a hobby you'd had over the years and never quite put to use.

Quietly, you hummed to yourself as you picked up the bags of fabric and began to outline a pattern. Measuring and double checking everything to make sure it would fit perfectly.

You hoped William liked it, at the least. Working away on something that had been playing on your mind for a while.

[divine-donna]

your desire

got inspired, so here's something for steven grant. because i love awkward autistic oscar isaac.

pairing: steven grant x gender neutral! reader

for vibes: "venus" by bananarama

you were in london for a phd program. you wanted to pursue a doctorate in art history and work with repatriation. after all, every place deserved their stuff back.

especially from the british museum.

you lived in a simple flat across from the sweetest man you've ever met: steven grant.

now, aside from how tired he was and the sometimes weird things you'd wake up to coming from his apartment, he was a good neighbor.

at one point, he even helped you unlocked your door after you had left your keys in the apartment. you rushed to get out of the apartment as fast as possible and came back near 1am without your keys.

"i didn't even know i could do that." is what he said when he successfully gets your door open. you were sure he was joking. he was being genuine.

the dating scene in london wasn't...well, the state of dating was bad in general. especially considering that half of the world literally disappeared and then came back, including your own brother. your father died thinking he was dead permanently, leaving you with a soft spot and a desire to pursue a fulfilling relationship.

why wait if you might die tomorrow? there was always another world ending event around the corner.

perhaps developing a crush on your attractive neighbor was not the way to go.

none of the people you went out with had steven's smile. had his curls. had his smile. had his nose. had his little information dumps that you adored.

but from the interactions you guys had, it seemed the destiny might be platonic. which hurt your soft, romantic heart.

you were about to retire for the night since you had class the next day. that's when you heard mumbling outside your door. peeking through the peephole, you can see the man looked downtrodden. he was holding some flowers and a box of chocolates.

you opening the door surprises him. he nearly jumps out of his skin. "(y/n)!"

"hey." you lean against the doorway and cross your arms over your chest. you were wearing some comfortable lounging clothes: a tank top and some fuzzy pants with hello kitty designs. "everything okay?"

"huh? yeah. i mean..." he purses his lips and sighs. "got stood up on a date." again.

you understood all too well. you lost count of how many dates you went on and they just didn't show up. not even a text to tell you they weren't coming, or to ask for a rain check. wasting your time. and being general dicks.

the state of dating was not it.

"i'm sorry. i'm sure there was a reason." perhaps there was. perhaps there wasn't. there was no point in thinking about it.

"yeah. well, good night!" even when upset, there was still a pep in his voice.

watching him pull out his keys made you feel...sad. you didn't want him to spend time alone.

"how about you come in for a cup of tea? that way you don't have to eat the chocolates alone."

steven turns around. there's a sparkle in his eyes when he looks at you, making you melt.

"i'd like that. a lot."

you move aside to let him in and close the door behind you. he removes his shoes, setting them on the side and you take his jacket to hang it up.

steven sits at one of the seats at the kitchen island, watching you pull out your kettle and fill it with water, before placing it on a burner. you adjusted the flame to a medium.

"you want some cake? i have some left. it's lavender lemon." you ask, pulling out two mugs. you love the way his face perks up. one of them was a mug from the gift shop with an egyptology theme.

"i think i'll be fine. but it's kind of you to offer."

"okay. what about tea?"

"do you have chamomile? kind of...basic but..." he would like a sleep aid.

you don't say anything. you just smile at him and grab the box from your cabinet. you place a bag in each much, discarding the proper trash. "so...you wanna talk about it?"

steven spends the next few minutes talking about his feelings. it felt good for him to unload and vent just a little bit. he held no ill will towards his date. just some frustration about how his romantic life has hit a brick wall. something was always getting in the way of him pursuing a relationship. something was always happening. he was always screwing up. perhaps he was the problem.

in the middle, your kettle was screeching. so you turned off the burner and poured it into the mugs, letting the tea steep.

you can't help but relate. with all the people who stood you up, you wonder if you are the problem. were you that unlovable, that undatable, that people can't even tell you they weren't coming?

steven stops talking when he notices the way you're looking at him: with intensity. you look like you want to tell him something. "what is it?"

"what? you can keep going."

"you want to say something. your lip is twitching." he gestures. he takes a sip of his tea.

"well...i don't know if..."

"go on. you can say it."

you take a sip of tea before looking at him. "it's not your fault. none of it is."

steven's smile is sad. "you don't have to say that."

"i mean it. steven...i know it feels like it is. hell, i relate a lot. sometimes it feels like you're the problem because no one else wants you. but it's not your fault. i think you're...pretty cool. and amazing."

he blinks slowly, almost like a cat. he's busy just looking at you, admiring your features. your beauty. and your warmth. not many people would invite people over just to vent.

"it's all good to vent. but i also think it's important to...think of it as redirection. like my dating life sucks but my studies are going well. and i'm going to be published."

"r-really?" he watches you walk over to the record and set your mug down. you look through the vinyls and pick one.

"yeah. academically too. so i get academic validation. which isn't everything, but it's certainly nice." it was important to get your work out there. you turn the player on, place the disk, and then drop the needle.

your body movies instinctively. you recognize the synth beat, picking up your mug and moving your hips. "this was my dad's. he really like british 80s synthpop." you turn to steven and take a sip of your tea.

he was trying his best not to stare, not to watch the way your hips moved. it was mesmerizing. he wasn't one for dancing. he was not the best at following a rhythm.

you dance over to him and gently take his hand. "come on steven."

"i don't think so." he sees your pout. "okay, okay."

he gets off the stool and lets you guide him to the middle of the room.

your hips move. your body is unchoreographed. you weren't really a dancer. but you can't help yourself. you spins a few times, bathing in the casualty of it all. and unknowingly bathing in steven's love filled gaze.

you look deep into his eyes. his soft brown eyes. and your eyes glance down to look at his lips. his soft looking kissable lips.

could you be bold? could you make a move? was it appropriate to make a move? you take a sip of her tea and sets the mug down. "steven..." you bites her lip as the music keeps playing.

"y-yes (y/n)?" he could feel his cheeks warm up. especially as you step closer. your bodies are nearly touching.

you gently cup his face with one hand and pull him by his waist so his body is against yours. you could feel your own body against his. it was quite arousing.

you leans forward and kiss him softly, pulling away for a second only to kiss him again.

"i like you." you mutter against his lips.

steven doesn't know what to do. he's hesitant. because you want him. and maybe he wants you. but do you really want him? was it just the heat of the tea? or the music?

"you...you like...me?" surely there were better men. better people.

your eyes soften. "yes. i do. i like you. i like you a lot steven." the music appears to fade to a soft lull. your heart beats in your ears. perhaps you made a mistake.

"i know this is sudden. and maybe it's inappropriate considering that...you just got stood up and i invited you in my home and it seems weird and terrible honestly. and if you don't like me back that's fine. you can just tell me and i'll stop and you can go..." you begin rambling nervously. your mouth runs faster than you could comprehend.

he has to set his mug of tea down.

you stop talking when he presses a finger against your lips. he feels how soft they are. and is tempted to trace your lips with his finger. "don't...don't you dare stop."

your lips curled into a smile and he removes his finger to kiss you. his hands rest on your hips, trying to bring your bodies closer.

a small moan escapes you, feeling him grind up against you. his kisses are fervent, as if he's trying to taste you.

your back hits the edge of the tv stand, causing you to giggle. you let him kiss you, parting your lips so his tongue slides in. they dance for what feels like an eternity.

you manage to pull away and turn around so he's against the tv stand. then you tug him along, heading straight for your bedroom.

[sinon36]

Ghost x undercover!reader (HC) Part I

Warnings: torture, blood, pain, unconscious Ghost and basically kinda useless, really capable YOU persona ;), rushed writing, possible mistakes, reader is pretty neutral so far

P.S. Don’t judge the unexplained inconsistency of how a guy like Ghost gets captured, but spy you get to waltz around unbothered, yeah, you’re that good, so good you got plot armour. Besos!   

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

- the first time you meet it's messy. He's supposed to extract an agent from behind enemy lines but instead he gets captured

-  you pose as a computer science PhD who is in charge of the enemy base cyber security, when in reality you're there to install a backdoor with remote access.

- you know someone should come to help make your exit, but when no infiltration is reported panic starts to rise in your chest

- you start investigating, searching through the facility trying to find out if something happened.

- you gain access to a part of the facility you don't have clearance for.

- you stumble upon a gruesome scene in one of the holding cell in the underground levels

- you find a man tied to the ceiling, bare feet barely touching the floor, muscles stretching under the tension ready to snap

- a black hood is thrown over his head and he's shirtless, remnants of once black cargo pants hang on his hips.

- he was tortured, for days by looks of it

- you know enough about that to know that he hasn't cracked yet, otherwise he'd be dead not hanging there in the damp cold cell.

- you take your chances and take the hood off

- he groggily turns his head to look down at you, he’s a big that much you can say

- blonde whisps of hair matted to his scalp stained a dark red, pale skin the same blood oozing from small cuts on his cheeks dripping down on his pectorals. From behind black and blue and inflammation two brown eyes scan your face

- 'the wolf walks alone' you quietly utter the code phrase for identity verification

- he watches you like an owl watches a mouse with cautious patience but he gives no indication that he'll answer

- you can't stay there too long; someone might catch you here or someone could report that you never came back from the bathroom break

- you reach for the hood to place it back on the prisoner’s head, knowing that you can't do anything for him and in this state he can't even provide a distraction for you to slip out unnoticed

-as you get closer tiptoeing to reach above his head he grunts, you stop in your tracks making eye contact

- his dried and busted lips start to quiver you wait for a moment giving him a chance to prove you wrong

- 'But the pack's got its back...' he draws out in a deep guttural voice laced with a thick Manchester accent

- phrase matching your own, you get to work hastily finding a way to get him down

- as you unlock the chains wounded around his wrists you try to support his weight which proves impossible

- you barely manage to break his fall turning yourself in a cushion under his massive form

- you huff and try to pull him up ' I can't carry you' you mutter to him. 'You gotta get up, soldier' you try and nudge him, you slip and talk in the familiar British accent

- he stalls, taking in deep breaths trying to surpass the pain and ache, multiple bones broken, muscles tumefied, and skin bearing to many cuts and bruises. Blood covers him like a deathly veil

- he tries and with your help he manages to stand but he can barely walk on his own, he can barely see, he can barely think, having sustained multiple concussions

- with great difficulty you get moving, praying to yourself that the guard might be gone, taking a piss or having a smoke

- your prayers are answered, no one is on the otherwise busy hallways this late at night, many having called it a night going back to their rooms

- as you pass the med bay your quick thinking finds a credible disguise: you steal a lab coat and a doctor's key card, some glasses that make your vision blurry once you put them on, and get the wounded soldier in a wheel chair

-he huffs but you can clearly see the relief overtaking him as he no longer has to stand

-you throw a medical gown over him concealing the dried blood on his bare torso

-once you clean his face a little and bandage his whole head to cover his identity, you grab a few bottles of morphine and a med kit for later and push the wheelchair out the door

- you aim for the underground parking lot, where civilians’ workers such as your cover, keep their personal cars

-you hope that the sentinels stationed at the gates won't look too closely at your backseat as you carefully push the wounded man in the car

- everything goes smooth from there, the guards wishing you a good night, no questions ask as to your departure from the base

- once you get farther away you start speeding eyeing for any police cars that might stop you or any military vehicle that might chase you

- to your dumb surprise no one follows you the mountain road dark and deserted

- you head to your safehouse where you have stashed money, fake id's, a new disguise and another car.

- once you change everything and make sure that the soldier still breathes in the back of the SUV, after you've administered some first help giving him the relief of morphine, you burn everything down

- the wooden house the other car, everything, nothing can be left behind to be tracked to you or to the MI6, you have taken precautions that borderline OCD, but you know that you have to be through, no detail to small

- once you're back on the road you contact your handler, a tired voice but you can hear the sound of relief as he hears your voice

- he's pleased that everything went smooth, no alarm was triggered, no shot was fired, no chase happened and you even managed to save your would-be saviour, sent specifically to get you out of that den of wolves

- you announce your E.T.A. to the agreed pickup location and you are annoyed to hear you'll have to wait a bit, your nerves are starting to fray, and body to tire

- you don't have the manpower nor the firepower to make a stand in the woods until the heli gets there

-but you do as you're told, as always

- you grab the pistol you keep under the passenger seat and place it in your lap; the heaviness in your lap gives very little reassurance

- but not long passes and you can hear the lovely sound of an Apache helicopter

- in a whirlwind of dust and voices shouting out instructions both you and the soldier are placed in the metal beast's bowls

-you inform the medics of the dosage of morphine you gave to the soldier as they start hooking him to machines that monitor his vital signs

-you don't even know his name and he definitely doesn't know yours as per protocol, and you doubt you'll ever see him again

-you won't even be there when he'll wake up, he'll probably never know of your act of kindness; you could have left him behind but instead you risked your safety for his

- any other agent would've done it, but not you, you couldn't leave one of your own behind

- you still hold your breath, eager to cross the border and get back to HQ where meetings and debriefs will be held, and rapports will be written then redacted

-you expect the compliments at a job well done and the proud pats on the back from your superiors, even though for you that's just a show

- you know you will get a free month at best to recover and then you'll be shipped somewhere else to do it all over again

- it's a lonely life, and full of danger but it makes you sleep better at night knowing you helped soil some plans that could be used to hurt innocents

- once the pilot announces that you crossed the borders you slightly relax on the padded bench, closing your eyes in relief but not allowing yourself to fall asleep yet

- when you feel the heli dipping down towards the tarmac you open your eyes eager to get off the noisy thing and looking forward for some commodities you know wait ready inside the base

- you watch as the soldier gets rolled toward the med bay and you get pulled by a Sargent that informs you, he's there to take you to the commander of the base

- you'd hopped to at least get a few hours of sleep before the rounds of interrogations start, but the higher-ups are hungry for the confirmation of a successful mission

- you trudge behind the Sargent mentally preparing for the onslaught of questions and can't help but wonder what of the wounded soldier

-you subconsciously hope he'll pull through

Next part here.

[lieutenant-teach]

Being a pro-Jedi fan is super hard.

Stumbled upon a scientific paper ‘The Psychgeist of Pop Culture’ (2024) about ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ series. It’s divided into many smaller research by various PhDs. The Boba chapters are actually very good.

And then there’s ‘Fatherhood and male emotions’ chapter. About Jedi. About attachment. The authors Keely Diebold and Meghan Sander, PhDs, are claimed as Jedi fans.

Good start. / s Bad enough Din Djarin is called ‘Djarin’ as a name throughout the whole paper (my own pet peeve about the dick move of Favreau and Filoni in the end of Season 3 which is a decision to criticize in itself). Of course, Obi-Wan wasn’t a ‘good father figure’ as claimed by Lucas himself. Neither was Bail Organa. /s

Yeah. Hypocrisy. Hey, ‘Jedi fans authors’, have you actually watched the movies? Sigh. Seriously, ‘the intergalactic therapists’ who were trying to help Anakin to cope with his emotions so much, working with ‘cognitive therapy’ – they suppressed emotions. I just… don’t have any coherent thoughts about that bullshit on the screencap. And – now we defend Palpatine. Just great.

By the way, rewatching Indiana Jones movies, I paid special attention to the moments when someone of the team is left behind and the main characters continue chasing the enemies (just like in the mentioned scene in AOTC). And it’s never presented as ‘left behind and forgotten, heroes don’t care about them’.

What is evident to me is that this all is a piece of banthashit. Mandos with the suppression of emotions – I agree. Jedi? When one of their main proverbs ‘feel, don’t think’?

‘His own interpretation’? It’s not! Why did the authors decide that’s what happened? The point is that Anakin is taught ‘compassion, which … [is] unconditional love, is central to a Jedi’s life. … we are encouraged to love’ by the Jedi, but acts in the way he wants regardless. Screams in the plush Grogu How do people manage to watch obvious in messaging children films with their ass holes?

Frankly, I suspect that these ‘Jedi-fans’ authors just don’t understand and didn’t even try to explore the meaning of ‘attachment’ in Star Wars – it’s not ‘a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another’, it’s ‘selfishness’. They never tried to google Lucas’s interviews, but only used books about child rearing. This is why we have all this crap in a ‘scientific paper’. I firmly believe that @david-talks-sw, @writerbuddha, @kanansdume, @antianakin, @smhalltheurlsaretaken and other fans could write a whole paper about Jedi and attachments – and this would be real in-depth analysis of the Jedi and Star Wars.

And a rotten cherry on the top of this shitcake I noticed just before publishing – using ScreenRant as a reference not the smartest move, really.

Now how can a reader trust your judgment if you use fucking ScreenRant as a proof? Ah, no, they cannot (see this whole post).

[thankeywa]

hi babes i hope YOU MISSED MY SUPER DETAILED REQUESTS! so, for a long time now im craving for the “rut”, “heat”, “nest” and other a/b/o dynamics inserted on avatar universe, so i WAS HOPING:

could you pretty please write something about lo’ak and reader (a female na’vi) where they're best friends and both insanely in love w each other – reader already had her "cerimony" meaning she needs to find a partner soon, but lo'ak has been convincing readers parents to decline any mate offers because none of them is good enough for her. one day, reader's heat come and bsf lo’ak comes to the rescue? i need a cocky possessive lo’ak in my life and I KNOW you're the one whos gonna gimme !!!!!

lov u, drink water and stay safe <3

The Right Profile | Lo'ak x fem!Omaticaya! reader (a/b/o smut).

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers! As always, requests are open. Minors DNI!

A.N= everyone needs to know that every time you send me a request my mind makes me put everything on standby until I get it done. Also, I have a major weakness for a/b/o and I've been dying for someone to send me a request like this, so yeah, your wish is my command. For anyone who wanted the new installment of Star-crossed instead of this, you can send your complaints to @punkrockrogers (I'm kidding, obviously).

Summary: exactly what's in the request but I found some juicy canon info about Lo'ak failing to tame an ikran on his first attempt and almost dying in the process, and you can bet I'm going to use that for this fic. So, our boi failed his driver's test therefore he does not get to smash. Both Lo'ak and reader are aged up (20 y/o). Title from the song 'The right profile' by the Clash. Quotes in this: one is from Avatar 2009 and the other is by Goethe.

T.W= this is going to be A LOT, if there ever were an Omegaverse phd course, I would be teaching that class, so if that stuff is not for you, scroll away now. NSFW: p. in v., a/b/o dynamics, mating cycles (heat, rut), marking, scent marking, knotting, breeding, also possessive!Lo'ak (our boi is a lil ooc in this, I don't condone this type of behavior in a relationship, it's all for the sake of the story, you know the drill, if this might be disturbing to you, again give this story a miss).

word count: 8k

Mini na'vi dictionary:

'evi= child (said affectionately by an elder)

Tsurokx= rest/sleep

yawne= beloved

syulang= flower

Ngaytxoa= forgive me

Oeya= my (possessive)

yìmkxa= banshee catcher

The Na'vi say that every person is born twice. The second time is when you earn your place among the people, forever.

"I do not wish to take part in the Uniltaron without you." Y/n had told Lo'ak, still distraught from the events of that day. His best friend had been the first of their group to manage to tame her ikran, of course, she had. And now she was set to take part in the Dream Hunt before finally taking her rightful place among the people along with the rest of Lo'ak's peers, while he was left behind.

He had failed and almost fallen to his death during his attempt, and now his parents were going to make him wait until he was 'truly ready' before he could try again. His father had thought it was somehow his business to step in and stop him from trying his second attempt at taming the banshee then and there. Lo'ak had never felt more embarrassed, especially because y/n had immediately dismounted from her ikran and run to his aid the second she'd seen the scene unfold before her eyes.

"You have already waited five years for me to complete my training..." Lo'ak dismissed her words. "And I won't be the reason you wait any longer..." Y/n had never said it out loud, but Lo'ak knew it was true. She'd been postponing her rite of passage so that they would have joined the clan together, and he couldn't deal with it anymore.

"But Lo'ak, I do not care about-"

"Well, you should care." He snapped at her, not really knowing where his anger was coming from. Sure, he'd just had what could have been described as the worst day of his life, but something and been simmering inside him all week. And now Lo'ak felt like he'd reached his limit. In a few hours, the young Na'vi male was going to discover that anger was only a prelude to his first rut. "Everything comes easy to you, but it's like you don't even notice! No one ever said we needed to be attached to the hip for the rest of our lives, so why don't you just get over it and do what's expected of you?"

The second he saw the heartbroken look on y/n's face, Lo'ak wanted to take it all back. He hadn't meant to say any of those things, of course he hadn't. She was his best friend, she was the woman he loved, yet he'd passed up his chances to ever be with her twice in a single day. He was petty and weak, unable to own up to his own shortcomings, and now he was taking it out on the only person in the world who would have never judged him for it.

"I see..." Y/n said, her voice laced with grief. For a single, stupid second Lo'ak had deluded himself into thinking she was about to say 'I see you', it was what he wanted to tell her. He'd been wanting to tell her for so long. "I have... been foolish. I thought that maybe you... that we..." Y/n wiped a tear away from her face, and stepped back from Lo'ak when he tried to reach out for her. "I do not need your pity." She hissed at him, feeling that Lo'ak had just rejected her. "You have made yourself understood."

With that, y/n disappeared from Lo'ak sight and into the darkness of the night. By the time Neteyam found him, Lo'ak was already in the throes of a terrible fever. His father and brother took him to a secluded place where he would have been safe, but couldn't do much for him besides that. Moat had said the rut hit Lo'ak so suddenly that he was beyond being helped with any sort of treatment. He had no mate, and neither did he have the right to choose one. Left alone to endure the most excruciating pain known to the Omaticaya people.

A lot could change in a week. Especially when it came to things taking a drastic turn for the worse. Lo'ak, who was still experiencing the occasional violent aftershock from the trauma he'd just finished enduring all by himself, was about to get accustomed to a whole new kind of pain.

"We seek your guidance, Tsahik." Y/n's parents had come to speak to his grandmother, while she was still in the process of checking he hadn't suffered any irreparable damage during his absence. "Our daughter, y/n, does not wish to wait for love to find her. She has invoked the old ways, asking us to choose a mate for her." Another violent fit wreaked havoc over Lo'ak's body, but this time he wasn't entirely sure it was due to the aftermath of his rut. Moat had told him the worst was now behind him. "Cease your whining, 'evi." She reprimanded him. "Only by regaining your strength will you find the way to be whole again." While that statement sounded overtly obvious to him, the look his grandmother gave him made him think she was trying to tell him something more.

"Forgive us, we have come at a bad time." Y/n's mother said, directing her sympathies to Lo'ak. They had always been kind toward him. "Your grandson is still injured, y/n has been heartbroken about it. We have prayed to Eywa every day for your swift recovery-"

"He has recovered." Moat cut her off. "And your daughter cannot force her childish whims on you. She is a woman, a warrior of this clan, she cannot hide behind her parents. We only arrange the marriages of future Tsahik and Olo'eyktan, for they are given gifts by Eywa herself to guide the people. The old ways have brought nothing but suffering, I remember the time when they were enforced all too well. They are only to be invoked in drastic situations, such as the event of a heat."

"We are grateful for your wisdom, Tsahik." Y/n father said. "But that is precisely what we fear... she is already showing signs. Every day our daughter grows weaker. We know she may not survive without a mate, and now it is too late for her to make her own choice."

"Fools." Moat almost spat. "Bring her to me at once-"

Lo'ak was on his feet and running out of the healing tent at once, no longer willing to listen to a single word of that conversation. Mating cycles were usually something that a couple faced together, but he and y/n had waited too long for their rite of passage. In that time they hadn't found the person who was truly right for them, so now y/n was going to force herself to be with someone or face her heat alone, along with the consequences that entailed. And it wasn't like Lo'ak could step up and ask her parents to marry her, he wasn't even part of the clan. Not only that, y/n also probably thought he wanted nothing to do with her.

He went looking for y/n everywhere. She wasn't in her tent, nor was she staying with her parents. Word was she'd gone hunting, and after a desperate search, Lo'ak ended up finding her in his own living quarters when he returned home in the early hours of the morning. As much as Lo'ak wanted to yell at y/n in frustration because he'd been worried sick over her, the sight of her sleeping peacefully quelled his anger. He knelt down to touch her forehead, and let out a breath of relief. Her body temperature hadn't drastically risen just yet.

Lo'ak took a look around and only then noticed y/n had rounded up the entirety of his possessions to surround herself with in her sleep. She had made a bed out of the skins and paintings which used to adorn the inside of his tent while holding on rather tightly to a piece of fabric he quickly recognized as one of his loincloths. He felt himself turn into a deep shade of blue in the face and attempted to gently tug the item out of her grip, but y/n growled menacingly in her sleep, immediately making Lo'ak give up on his intent. He did not wish to wake her. Not when it was clear she'd been so distressed, she'd felt the need to make herself a nest just to feel safe.

"Tsurokx, yawne..." Lo'ak wished her a good sleep, and went to tell her family she'd been found.

Her parents were thankful, and just because Lo'ak was not allowed to catch a single break, it turned out y/n parents trusted him so much they began to ask him his personal opinion on the skxawngs that had already shown up to ask them to be her mate. Lo'ak respected y/n's parents and knew they were only worried about their daughter, but he was running on zero hours of sleep, and the image of y/n curled up in a nest she'd made of his belongings was still too fresh in his mind, so he let his worst side get the better of him. He lied. Something so deeply human, his people did not even have a word for it.

"...I would not even consider Selkath, he is too arrogant to even see past himself..."

"Pantoran is weak, I would not trust him to provide for your daughter..."

"... I have known Skakoan to have used cruel words against y/n. She does not deserve her..."

The more he spoke, the more Lo'ak realized he was describing himself and the way he had treated y/n, not giving a true judgment of his peers. And her parents were trusting him with that information, even though he had absolutely no authority to be judging anyone. But there was no reason to worry, a fresh batch of idiots would have shown up to declare their 'love' soon enough, over and over again until eventually someone was found.

Lo'ak slept on the cold hard ground just outside his tent, barely getting an hour's sleep before the day began for the rest of the clan.

"Showing your worth to the clan, as usual, Su-ly?" A voice Lo'ak knew all too well asked, as he was 'accidentally' stepped on and woken up. Tholothian had never been too shy about disliking Lo'ak, and the feeling was entirely mutual. "Watch where you're going, Tho'lo." He growled as he stood up, certainly not in the mood to be taking anyone's crap. The other Na'vi was also standing entirely too close to the tent where y/n was currently resting, and Lo'ak was about the get real territorial real fast if the skxawng didn't back off. The low rumble in his throat was still there, and Lo'ak was making it very clear he was not to be messed with at that moment.

Tholothian, who thrived off humiliating the younger Sully brother in any way possible, had to take a step back. Lo'ak had been missing for an entire week, and now that he was back, he seemed to have doubled in size. He was taller, his shoulders wider, his once delicate-looking human hands bigger, and his muscles considerably more defined. And his entire demeanor also seemed... different, menacing almost. Never before would he have considered Lo'ak Sully competition, least of all a threat. So he decided to back off, for the time being at least.

What he wanted was y/n, and Lo'ak couldn't claim her. There was no pride in kicking someone down when they had already lost. Or was there? "I was just on my way to see, y/n..." Tholothian gloated, knowing it was a sore subject for Lo'ak. "You must have heard... she is searching for a mate..." The look on Lo'ak face darkened considerably, and it would have been a lie not to admit he was reaching for his dagger to challenge Tho'lo to a duel and see which of them could draw first blood, when y/n audibly called Lo'ak's name from inside the tent.

Tholothian paled considerably when he heard y/n call out to his rival and Lo'ak smirked, basking in the pride he felt at that moment. Y/n was probably waiting inside to give him an earful about disappearing for a week, but Tho'lo didn't know that. "Yeah, man. I heard." He sneered, his cocky attitude back in full swing. "I'd wish you luck, but I think it'd be fairer if I gave you a little advice instead..." Lo'ak lowered his voice and pointed his dagger in the direction of Tho'lo chest. "If you, or anyone of your friends, come sniffing after y/n again, just know you're going to have to get through me first." He snarled, showing a full set of teeth, before heading back inside to see y/n.

"Hey..."

"Hey? That's all you have to say?" At least she was still lucid enough to be mad at him, Lo'ak thought. There was still time. Y/n threw the first thing she could find at his head, but Lo'ak managed to dodge it. "Where were you?"

"I was sick." Lo'ak said, and cautiously sat down next to her. He didn't know how else to describe what he'd been through, without inadvertently bringing up her own situation.

"Sick?" Y/n asked, still not understanding why he'd been away from home if he'd been ill.

"I'm sorry I missed your ceremony." Lo'ak said truthfully, the regret clear in his voice, even though he'd just avoided her question. "And the dream hunt, and all of it... the reason why doesn't matter, I should have been there for you."

Y/n hugged her knees to her chest, her worry not subsiding at all. What could have been so bad, Lo'ak couldn't even tell her about it?

"So... you're going to be mated soon..." Lo'ak didn't even know why he said it, other than the fact he was always the one to break the silence and say the things others wouldn't. "Why are you making your parents choose for you?" He asked when she didn't respond. "Y/n you know that's stupid..."

"What? Now honoring our traditions is stupid?" Y/n snapped at him, barely leaving any distance between them. "Weren't you the one who said I acted like I didn't care? That I should start doing what's expected of me?" She threw his words back in his face and Lo'ak immediately understood how the entire insane idea of an arranged marriage had come to her in the first place. He'd made her feel less than worthy, like she wasn't grateful enough to be part of the people, and now she was trying to make up for it, even though it was never true in the first place.

"Y/n... I never should have said those words... I wasn't myself that day, you have to believe me..." Lo'ak implored her, but it wasn't enough to keep the tears from rushing down her face.

"Well, it doesn't matter now..." Y/n kept half the truth to herself. She'd childishly thought that Lo'ak would have tried to prevent her from her recklessness and chosen her himself. But clearly, it had been a fantasy. "Lo'ak, I know what's happening to me... and I'm scared, I don't know what's worse, facing it alone or...or..."

Lo'ak pulled y/n into his arms then, holding her close as he felt her tremble against his chest. "You won't have to face this on your own, and... and I'll make sure you'll be with someone worthy, who'll take good care of you..." His words were like daggers to her chest, because there was no one else she could ever want besides him, yet she understood Lo'ak was trying his best to comfort her. Y/n buried her face in the crook of Lo'ak's neck, breathing in his scent. It was a lot stronger now, and only at that point did she realize so many things about his appearance had changed.

There were two small glands, one on either side of his neck, where his scent seemed to be strongest, and she was suddenly overcome by the need to be covered in it. Y/n began to purr softly, rubbing her face against Lo'ak's neck, not really knowing what she was doing other than chasing after the feeling of comfort and protection that came along with dousing herself in Lo'ak pheromones. "What are you doing, y/n?" Her bestfriend asked, his voice sounding considerably deeper than it had been a few seconds ago. "Feels nice." Was the entirety of the explanation she gave him, without showing any intention of stopping. Not that Lo'ak wanted her too.

He suddenly understood why she'd come to his tent in the first place, and that was to seek out whatever still held his scent, to numb out any feverish symptoms her pre-heat was going to throw at her. Lo'ak knew they were treading a dangerous line, but he also knew he would have given anything to have felt any sort of comfort during his rut, and he couldn't bring himself to tear himself away from her. The type of contact y/n was craving at that moment was completely harmless, yet the idea that she needed to be marked with his scent so badly made a Lo'ak feel possessive in a way he hadn't even known was possible. "Yeah? Is that what's been stressing you out, baby?" He cooed, wrapping her braid around his hand and tugging it softly. "You just wanted to breathe in my scent, didn't you?"

Y/n whined at his touch and nodded feverishly at his words. "Y-yes... I missed you, and I didn't know where you were. I just knew you were hurt..." She rambled, but Lo'ak kissed her temple, trying to let her know that there was no need to worry about him. "I'm right here, I'm sorry I was away. I let you down. I should have been here to help you with your nest. Look at this, you did it all by yourself, huh? Good girl." Lo'ak praised her, letting out a deep-sounding purr to let y/n know how impressed he was with her. Y/n nodded, smiling as she basked in Lo'ak's praise. "I did it for you, I wanted to be here when you got back..."

Lo'ak had to remind himself all he was doing was for the sake of helping y/n deal with how increasingly hormonal and emotional she was about to become over the next few days, and nothing that was saying in that moment held any real meaning. Somebody else would get to take care of y/n, and somehow he'd ended up on the council of people who got to determine who that person was going to be. As long as he kept his own feelings out of it, there was no reason why y/n shouldn't have stayed with him.

"Thank you, baby..." Lo'ak whispered softly and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her wrist. "I'm going out to get you something to eat now, do you want to come? Or do want to stay here?"

"No." Y/n wrapped herself around him like a vine. "Stay."

"Huh-uh, it's like that, is it?" Lo'ak chuckled, powerless against her death-grip. So he took the opportunity to have a lie down. Unlike y/n, he was missing several hours of sleep. "Well, I'm not going to argue with the woman who has me in a choke-hold... and sleeping will do you some good too..." He sighed, resting his arms around her middle. It didn't take long for Lo'ak to pass out completely.

When Lo'ak woke up, y/n seemed to have been long gone. Someone had also brought him some food and water while he'd been resting. Lo'ak hurriedly ate something, before heading out to look for y/n, but he didn't end up needing to look too far. Moat had been in the middle of examining y/n when Lo'ak showed up out of the blue.

"Ever heard of privacy? Get out of here, skxawng!" Y/n yelled at him, and Lo'ak immediately did as he was told. At least y/n seemed to be once again lucid and back to normal. For the time being. And now that he knew she was alright he really didn't have any other excuse to be around her, so he left.

Lo'ak finally found the time to get back to his training, something he now did in private. It was embarrassing to perpetually remind the rest of the clan of his failure, and he would not ask his father or brother for help. His mother however, was a lot more difficult to get away from. And she understood more than most. "My son, it is clear you are hurting... we have not seen you for days... "

"So? What good is showing my face when I have failed you?" Lo'ak turned away in shame. He did not need anyone to look out for him, not anymore.

"Stubborn! Just like your father." Neytiri hissed at him, bonking him on his head with her bow and not too gently either. "It is clear... that Eywa made you and y/n to be together. Do not treat me as if I do not see. I see you, my son."

Lo'ak broke down as soon as he heard those words. It was true, he had been pushing his family away, but simply because he hadn't thought himself capable of facing them. What would his mother think of the twisted game he'd gotten himself in? What kind of example was he setting for his younger sister? He didn't deserve to be around any of them until he somehow managed to make things right.

Neytiri hugged him, even though it was something they hadn't done in a long time. She had immediately known how strong and independent her youngest son was from a very early age, and she feared that it may have been the reason why, out of all of her children, he'd most often been left to his own devices while she and Jake were forced to tend to the others.

"You have not failed us, Lo'ak. But you must still fight for y/n... and I will help you."

The next few days went by in a blur. If he wasn't training with his mother to successfully pass the Iknimaya on his second try, he was making sure to steer away y/n's parents from any candidates they may have seriously been considering to be her mate without seeming too obvious. If a certain potential candidate began to seem like a real threat to Lo'ak, then he would personally seek them out to politely dissaude them himself.

"If you ever try to talk to y/n, ke-he, you ever even look in her direction or... you just as much as think of her again, I'm dragging you out of your tent while you sleep and leaving you out to die in the forest. And trust me, the viperwolves will finish whatever meat the Thanator doesn't tear off your bones first."

The Na'vi might have been dangerous, but they were a peaceful people. Humans had been the ones to bring war upon them. And Lo'ak had begun to realize just how much of a scary breed he was of the two things. He was now turning on his own kind, on the very same members of his clan, his brothers and sisters. He was cheating and lying to get his way, just like a human would. And the scariest part was, that realization was bothering him less and less as time went on. Y/n's heat was approaching fast, and as a consequence, he was getting more protective and territorial by the day.

While y/n had been able to keep her head in the beginning, only going through a few 'fever dreams', as Lo'ak liked to call them, in a single day and quickly recovering from them, it was now rare to come back and find her to be lucid rather than not. She had a few lulls, here and there, where it was once again possible to get her to have a coherent conversation, but those instances were now few and far in between. Lo'ak would have to seize those opportunities to take her out so she could have a walk, drink or eat something, and show her parents she was still alive. One night he'd even managed to take her all the way out to the ponds for a swim, something she'd always loved, but she was way past that point now.

Y/n slept most of the days off; the nights were the real problem. Due to her body temperature slowly increasing to the point where it was eventually going to be unbearable for her, y/n had taken to refusing to wear any sort of clothing. Which was particularly hard on Lo'ak, especially since her body was also changing in ways that weren't so subtle. As much as he tried not to look, it seemed as if both her breasts and her hips were filling out little by little each day. By that point, he was sure it was some specific torture that had been crafted for him especially, but it all came to pale into comparison when most nights were spent treating the aches of y/n's fever.

"You need to drink some water for me, baby..." Lo'ak would try to encourage her. "I promise you'll feel a lot better if you do..." Y/n was struggling, and Lo'ak was thankful for the fact that after making a bit of a fuss she would eventually listen to him. He couldn't think of a single other person who would've had the same amount of care and patience to make sure she was eating and drinking regularly throughout her heat, and there was hardly any time left before she was completely under the influence. A decision was going to be made whether he liked it or not.

The only problem was that now, he didn’t know if he was going to be able to stand aside when the time came for her to leave. The two of them had gotten somewhat... close during their time together. Close in a way that Lo'ak was certain didn't apply to being best friends. Y/n had suffered a great deal the night her scent glands came in, two on her neck, two on her inner thighs, and one on each of her wrists, and Lo'ak had almost mistaken the event for the beginning of her heat. The sweetness of her scent had him so out of his mind, and he would have torn himself away from her if she hadn't been holding on to him for dear life. "Don't go, Lo'ak, please..." y/n had begged him through choked sobs.

Lo'ak still didn't know if he'd made the right choice to stay, because of everything that happened afterward. He peppered y/n's skin with kisses as usual, trying to bring her comfort, only this time the need to taste and sink his teeth into her was almost uncontrollable. "Y/n, I don't think I should be here..." Lo'ak tried to say, having never felt so at war with himself. Y/n shook her head and caught his lips in a kiss, completely tearing down any ounce of doubt he may have still had. For the time being. The fact that she was promised to another suddenly didn't matter anymore, and the two of them were painfully aware y/n had been dripping with slick from the moment Lo'ak had pulled her into his arms. They were all over each other instantly, reaching desperately for one another in the dark. The sound y/n made when he breached her walls was the most beautiful thing Lo'ak had ever heard, and they fucked so desperately, he was almost ashamed of it afterward.

Almost.

"I told you, my sweet syulang..." He teased, regretfully having to pull out of her for the second time. "You're not ready to take my— a knot, I mean..." Lo'ak kissed her whines away, only taking a few more strokes before coating her belly will his warm seed. "But I want to try again, weakling..." Y/n huffed, having absolutely no mercy for her spent companion as she climbed on top of him. Lo'ak let out a groan and a laugh at the same time, pulling her in for a hug. "You have come so many times, I am literally covered in your slick... and since you're clearly in the right mind to give me attitude..." he pinched y/n's ass cheek and she yelped, slapping his chest. "You're more than capable to come with me for a swim and... help me clean up all this later..." Y/n had bit him in protest but eventually complied with his unreasonable demands.

In those moments with her, Lo'ak had felt so happy he'd almost forgotten what the future actually had in store for the two of them. Even though now he knew y/n so deeply, both at a mental and physical level, another would be the one to marry her. Another would the one to make a lifelong bond with her, mark her and mate with her.

'Sometimes I don't understand how another can love her, is allowed to love her, since I love her so completely myself, so intensely, so fully. I grasp nothing, know nothing, have nothing but her!' Kiri had once read out those words from one of her mother's old books, since the ability to read and write in English had always been important to his sister. At the time, Lo'ak had made fun of her, saying it was all a bunch of boring nonsense. Now, those words haunted him. Every day. And here he was now, acting in the worst of ways just to hold on to y/n for just a second longer, have every part of her until the was nothing left for anyone else to aspire to.

When he walked into the tent that night, y/n was sitting upright and wearing a large white T-shirt Lo'ak had stolen from the RDA supplies. Lo'ak was happy to see she was doing her best to eat some fruit, and the awkward smile she gave him made him understand she currently had her wits about her. "Moat came by... she said it will happen tomorrow... and she gave me... something to help with the pain. Medicine, I think. She told me... my mate will have to take me away. I can't stay here with the rest of the clan while it happens, it might be dangerous-"

Lo'ak shook his head, raising his hands as he tried not to laugh bitterly at the sadness of the situation. How could she talk about it so calmy?

"I don't want to know, okay?" He tried to say as calmly as he could, but she could hear the distaste in his mouth.

"If you can't even talk about it, then admit what I've known all along." Y/n managed to say in a weak voice. "Lo'ak, I see you... I see you... everything you're doing for me, because of me..."

Lo'ak's ears immediately turned down at the sound of the words he'd been waiting for y/n to say his entire life. His immediate instinct was to shut her out. Now that he wanted nothing more than to say those words back, he knew he was only going to make irreparable damage. He'd justified the fact they'd been having sex in secret because it wasn't uncommon for their people to do so, nor forbidden. The only problem of course was that he and y/n were painfully aware of being in love with someone who couldn't commit to them. They had chosen to live in the most blissful of lies until their time together was up.

Well, that time was now.

"Spend my heat with me." Y/n said, not even posing it as a question.

"I can't! How hasn't that gotten through to you yet?" He asked angrily, hating himself for the way she instinctively flinched at his words. Lo'ak got down on his knees, kneeling in front of her. "Ngaytxoa." He asked y/n for her forgiveness. "Oeya syulang, you deserve to be with someone who has shown enough strength and honor to be part of the people... If we'd only had more time, I... but you cannot face your heat alone, nor will I allow you to tie yourself to someone who is not worthy. Who may never be." Y/n had begun to cry at this point, and Lo'ak could feel that he'd been joining her soon. "An outcast. Someone like me."

Simply put, if Lo'ak had spent y/n's heat with her, got her pregnant, and then ended up dying on the Halleluja mountains on his second or third attempt at his Rite of passage, not to mention the unpredictableness of surviving the Dream Hunt as well, he would have committed the cruelest act of all: giving his mate false hope before leaving them behind forever, all for the sake of getting what he wanted.

"You are... impossible..." Y/n cried. "You say these words, therefore you must believe I deserve to be with someone I do not love when I have already chosen the man I belong to and he has chosen me... do you not understand that would kill me just as much as being alone would? I know you went through your rut alone, Lo'ak... I know you went through that pain and survived, Moat told me. I am willing to take that risk, and wait for you."

Lo'ak looked into her eyes then, and it seemed to y/n he was having a realization. Had she finally gotten through to him? She knew her chances of survival were slim, and she hadn't exactly prepared, but after finding out Lo'ak loved her as much as she did, he would sooner risk her life to be happy with him in the end than choose someone else.

Suddenly he was grabbing her face and kissing her, pulling away just as quickly. "I'll be back by morning... there's something... important I have to do." Lo'ak saw the look of distress on her face as he stood up. In many ways, I would have been their last night together, and he was leaving. "Trust me, syulang, I beg of you. Nga yawne lu oer."

"I love you, too."

And with that, he was gone from her sight.

As he climbed the path of vines and rocks leading to the banshee rookery, Lo'ak wondered if anyone had ever managed to reach the Halleluja mountains past the eclipse in the dead of night. If that person, whoever they may have been, had been so desperate to have made the attempt even though everyone around them had said they were not ready, because it was a question of life and death for them as much as it was for him. After the initial surprise of having made it to the top, he was immediately aware of a dozen pairs of yellow eyes blinking at him in the dark.

Lo'ak immediately whipped out the yìmkxa, swinging it around a little as he cautiously walked amongst the ikrans. "Didn't mean to spoil your beauty sleep..." He said, counting how many of them had already flown away at the sight of him. "There's just one of you I've come to settle the score with, some motherfucker who threw me off a cliff the other day-"

A very familiar hiss came from out of nowhere and Lo'ak now knew he was looking back at his banshee. "Long time no see bro, I sure hope I didn't ruin any late-night plans." The ikran lunged at him but Lo'ak knew exactly what to do this time, and moved without hesitancy, muzzling the creature's mouth with the yìmkxa. "Me? Oh you know, my girl is going through the worst experience of her life--- shit, stop that, man--- where was I? Oh right, I'm supposed to be back home with her, yet I'm out here, dancing around with you. Bet you can't wait to get inside this head, huh? Hope you enjoy all the angst, you mother-"

With a final struggle and a minor chunk taken out of his leg, Lo'ak was able to make the connection. The ikran, his ikran, immediately calmed down and let out a pained sound, that Lo'ak recognized as being directed at him.

"Yeah, well... no worries bro." He sighed from exhaustion and patted the banshee's neck. "Now let's get out of here, I don't have all goddammed night."

By the early hours of the morning, Lo'ak had returned aching from the fight with the ikran and still disoriented from the self-induced high he'd given himself with whatever concoctions he'd found in his grandmother's hut to make himself find his spirit animal. No matter what anybody said, he'd completed his rite of passage and now he was going to tell y/n they could be together. Y/n however, was not where he'd left her. Moat found him soon after, and after reprimanding him for stealing her supplies and acting so recklessly, she told him y/n's parents had chosen Tholothian to be her mate and they had left not even an hour prior to Lo'ak's arrival. The Na'vi, much to his grandmother's protests, immediately set off to find them.

With the sunlight by his side and the ability to fly over the forest, it didn't take long for Lo'ak to recognize Tho'lo's ikran resting on top of a branch and its rider wandering the forest below.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her." Lo'ak snarled, quickly dismounting from his ikran.

"Stay out of this, Sully. The fact that you did the bare minimum this time, doesn't get you a prize." Tho'lo took a threatening stance against him. Lo'ak immediately noticed his bow and dagger were missing, and that he had a large cut across his chest. "Y/n was left in my care and responsibility-"

"She attacked you." Lo'ak accused Tho'lo, charging at him with everything he had the very next second. "What did you do?" He roared with a murderous look in his eyes as he held his knife to his rival's throat. "What could you have possibly done to her to leave you stranded out here, huh?"

"What I have done? What have you done, Lo'ak?" Tho'lo accused him back, sounding all too calm for Lo'ak's liking. "She has clearly chosen you, I see that now. I had known you two were close, but I never thought it went beyond you recklessly amusing yourself with her. I never would have accepted her parents' decision if I had known-"

"The why. the fuck. did she attack you?" Lo'ak growled, actively losing his patience by the second.

"Because she's in a heat, you moron. She won't be with anyone who isn't you now that the two of you have clearly done everything except maybe name your future children...I just wish someone had warned me, so I wouldn't have to be here right now!" Lo'ak stepped back from Tho'lo then, realizing he had just been assuming the worst of someone who was meant to be his brother-in-arms. "She attacked me not two minutes after we were in flight. I thought she was going to kill my ikran so I got us all down to the ground. She escaped of course, but I still couldn't leave her out here... "

Lo'ak nodded, ashamed of all the grief his actions had caused. But he didn't even have time to dwell on it, or make things right with Tho'lo, because y/n was still out there, scared and alone.

"I'm sorry, brother-"

"I'll forgive you when you find her and bring her home in one piece." Tho'lo cut him off, calling his ikran and mounting it. "And I know you threatened others just as easily as you have just accused me. That's what separates you from the rest of the people, Sully. You reek of anger and distrust, toward yourself and others. You are selfish, just like the rest of the sky people. Whatever y/n sees in you... must be the true reason why I'm still willing to call you brother."

After a few minutes of frantic wandering, Lo'ak picked up y/n's scent and it didn't take him long to track her down. She'd hidden herself in a small cave behind the waterfall, a place they'd both discovered once when they were out hunting. The closer he got, the more overpowering the influence of her sweet pheromones became. As he climbed his way up to the cave, mindful of the water cascading above him, he knew she could sense his presence too because she began to call out his name. Lo'ak could hear the strain in her voice and ended up cutting his hands and feet several times on the rocks as he made his reckless endeavor all the way to the safe haven she'd chosen.

He looked up to see her looking down at him, and he made one last stupidly dangerous jump to get her away from the edge. "Where were you? You told me to wait, I waited for you but- you are hurt!" Y/n reached for him, she was shuddering violently and unable to keep herself from crying. Lo'ak knew exactly what kind of pain she was going through, and he had to dissuade her from fretting over his wounds.

"I know, I'm sorry Oeya syulang, I'm right here now. I'm with you..." Lo'ak kissed y/n, making quick work of getting rid of whatever fabric was left to separate them. He let out a guttural sound at the copious amount of slick that gushed out of y/n simply from his touch. "Lo'ak, it hurts..." Y/n begged him, holding onto Lo'ak so tight he was pretty sure she was going to end up rearranging his bones.

"I know baby, you're burning up..." He kissed her neck, feeling how scolding her skin was as she lowered herself onto his cock, taking him all the way with a desperate moan of relief. Y/n seized up around him and coated him with a second wave of slick, high on the feeling of finally having her mate buried deep inside of her. "Fuck--you really needed me bad, didn't you baby?" Lo'ak groaned, unable to even comprehend what was happening around him anymore. Y/n's cunt was impossibly tight and warm, and she was making a complete mess on his lap.

His mate nodded and began to ride him in earnest, her stamina never breaking for a second. Lo'ak was so in awe, he could barely keep up with her. Their moans and whines echoed off the walls of the cave, and Lo'ak knew y/n was desperate to get knotted. "You need to... relax syulang." He kissed her face when she began to whine in frustration. "Might have to fuck you a few more times before your body is ready for me, sweet thing..."

"But I want--" Y/n was beginning to sound completely unintelligible, but she never once stopped grinding down on Lo'ak, challenging herself to take in deeper and deeper every time. "Such a good girl, look at that..." Lo'ak praised her, earning a deep purr which he happily returned. "Gonna make you a proper nest... so my baby can be nice and comfortable while I mount her later, how does that sound?"

Y/n curled up against his chest at the idea, kissing him deeply and coming on his cock for the fourth time since they'd started (yes, he was keeping count), and without much warning Lo'ak began to feel the his knot forming inside of her. She gasped and began to frantically fuck herself back against it, giddy on the pleasure the foreign experience was giving her. Lo'ak gave a a few more harsh thrusts, until his knot finally popped deep inside y/n's walls, binding them together. "Fuck, baby you can't keep moving anymore..." He groaned, blissed out and slightly amused by y/n's attempts to bounce up on his knot while she was stuck on top of him.

Y/n wasn't particularly shy about being loud, but the sounds she made when Lo'ak finally began to breed her made him want to fuck her all over again right at that moment. "It's... it's so much..." She sobbed, overwhelmed by the constant stream of warm cum that was now pouring into her. Lo'ak wrapped his arm around her and made a second connection between them, bringing their cues together. Immediately he could feel how close she was to climaxing again, and he reched down between them to rub her small bundle of nerves while she was still split on his shaft. "Going to cum on my knot, baby...? You're been such a sweet girl, taking everything I have to give you... once I'm done breeding you, your belly's going to be so pretty and full---"

Y/n gave out another high pitched whine and came thanks to Lo'ak's expert fingers. He managed to lull her to sleep after that, while they were still tied together and in the process of mating. Lo'ak found his sleep to be rather light, keeping an eye open for his vulnerable mate and growling menacingly at any noise he heard coming from outside.

When his knot died down he left y/n to get some much needed rest and set out to get everything they needed to stay in the cave for the rest of the week. He knew that his scent was more than enough to let anyone and anything to stay the fuck away from the cave, and that y/n would have been safe. Even though he'd returned with food supplies and other creature comforts to make a worthy nest, y/n was not too forgiving of his absence and jumped his bones the second he came back. After she'd deemed herself sated, they made their nest together, but it was hard to do anything without eventually getting distracted.

Y/n's belly was beginning to stretch out a little already from their activities and Lo'ak was completely mesmerised by the sight of his cum slipping out of her. So much so he could help but hold her down and get a taste. "Lo'ak... w-want your knot again..." she mewled, tugging fiercely at his braids while he drank down the sickly sweet taste of her slick.

"Oeya syulang, I haven't eaten all day, you can't blame me for wanting a taste... " Lo'ak growled softly before sinking his teeth in the scent gland on her left inner thigh, making her cry out. He soothed the wound with his tongue, lapping up her blood. "Now, you're going to have to behave for me a little, or I'm going to eat you out until you're a sobbing mess... understood?"

Y/n was a lot more partial to taking a break to eat and drink something after that. Lo'ak was not surprised when she feel asleep again, and he curled up around her on the makeshift bed they'd made, holding her close to his chest. He immediately woke up when she began to cry next to him a few hours later, not even thinking twice about mounting her from behind as her kissed her shoulders and reassured her everything was alright.

Y/n was the one to link their queues this time, moaning softly as he began to move. "Still hurts if I'm not inside you, baby?" Lo'ak asked, genuinely worried that the heat was still painful even though y/n was no longer facing it alone. Y/n shook her head and tried to find the right words to express what she was feeling, Lo'ak kissed her temple reassuringly, stroking her tail to soothe her. "J-just now... I think... I think I'm ready..." It took a little while for Lo'ak to understand, but then he felt it through their bond. Y/n was at the peak of her heat, and his next load was sure to get her pregnant. "You're happy..." she said, Lo'ak still forgetting that she could probably feel his heart soaring at that moment.

"Yeah..." He laughed, a little choked up. "Course I'm happy... so fucking happy" Lo'ak placed a hand on y/n's lower belly, firmly holding her there as he picked up his pace, pounding into her deeper and deeper. Y/n bared her neck to him then, submitting and asking him to mark her as his own. "Nga yawne lu oer..." He whispered before sinking his teeth into her scent gland, tasting the blood and sweetness there. Y/n cried out his name, feeling their bond deepen even more and the desperate need to mark Lo'ak just the same.

Both of them felt the exact moment when life began to blossom between the two of them when they were lying in each other's arms some moments afterwards. They were holding each other close and tending to the deep marks they'd left on each other's bodies. Lo'ak spent the rest of the night whispering promises and soft nothings to y/n, and she quelled all his anxieties about his wrongdoings or the fact that his child might have inherited his human features.

After all, she'd never cared for the right profile anyway.

[joys-of-everyday]

The more I think about it, the cultivation world and academia are similar. High drop out rates? Reverence towards the people who 'make it to the end'? Meritocracy but not really? Age old 'talent' vs 'hard work' vs 'privilege'? Possibly just side effects of being learning institutions but yeah. Anyway, headcanons for peak lords as professors.

SQQ (SY) The chill professor everyone loves. Is often absent for months at a time doing field studies but comes back with loads of cool stories. Has a tendency to veer off course and everyone's grades may suffer because of how little time is actually spent on examinable material, but at least you'll enjoy yourself. He says he's only there for the fun and doesn't do much research, but you've spied a number of very big names going to him for advice. If you manage to make him drunk, his personality does a 180 and he complains extensively about everything, including his latest webnovel obsession.

og!SQQ (SJ) The salty professor everyone hates. Obsessed with rankings and citation counts, has a constant rivalry with LQG, and does the absolute minimum when it comes to undergrad teaching because he thinks it's a waste of time. He's convinced there's an agenda against him because he didn't get funding for the third time in a row and takes it out on the students. But damn does he know what he's talking about, and you've heard he's actually a genius, albeit one with complicated background. The few phd students he has are utterly enamored with him.

SQH Everyone forgets that he's not a student, including himself. When he teaches, it feels like he's giving a presentation and waiting for feedback. He answers questions with questions. Nobody knows what research he's doing, including the other members of department. Both Shens and LQG alike think he's a waste of space. But he seems to have some mysterious connections to a very fancy research facility up north.

LQG Absent professor. Literally cannot teach. Reads off last year's notes (written by other people) and calls it a lecture. But he's got many fancy awards under his belt for his research and the rest of the department talk about him with awe in their voice. If you take work to him, he will undoubtedly rip it to shreds, but not in a mean way. Half the students hate him. Half the students make him a meme. A few of them worship him like a god.

YQY The nice one. He teaches amazingly, heads a healthy research team, and has some banging papers under his name. The students know him as the best teacher, but behind the scenes he is literally keeping the department together. Wrangles with management and does a lot of outreach stuff on top of all of this. The students are convinced he literally lives on site because they keep seeing him at weird hours of the day. This is half true.

MQF The Professor. When you say 'professor', MQF is the person who comes to mind. The students think he is actually a robot, because they've never seen him do anything other than his job. His teaching is adequate but without personality, and he is extremely mild mannered. Unbeknownst to them, he is known as the 'mad scientist' of the department - he has a bizarre attitude to safety and often goes utterly crazy with experiments which are only just toeing regulations. A pioneer of his (somewhat niche) field.

QQQ Social justice warrior. The one who actually strikes when there's a strike on, and organises all of the diversity events. The student have mixed views on her. She struggled against a very sexist department back in her day and still gets a lot of hateful feedback, so she's learnt to take zero fucks. Which is cool but also means a lot of valid criticism gets taken as personal attacks. With all the drama, everyone seems to forget that she's actually a really big name in the field, receiving some fancy awards around the same time as LQG. Her phd group is surprisingly chill.

[talesfrommedinastation]

Just read the ‘making of’ behind the scenes regarding the second season of House of the Dragon.

Taken from r/houseofthedragon

In between this, Eric Kripke’s gross behavior in regards to assault on The Boys, and, well, the behavior of the staff running the last season of The Bad Batch….

…I’m convinced it’s a combination of glue huffing, hubris, nepotism, and low bars that get people hired to write shows these days. I’m not even talking about The Witcher, which violated the Geneva convention with how much the writing gave fans physical pain.

Christ, during my dissertation process, I got annihilated by my committee over each word choice. I had to get rid of whole chapters*. I had to write memo after memo about chunks of word selections.

It was hard and brutal.

Still, I ended up with a PhD, and my work ended up being published in different journals when all was said and done. It was solid.

Why don’t mainstream writers deal with this?! FUCK!

*= I ended up taking one, polished it up, and sent it to a publisher. It’s now a chapter in a major textbook so there’s fucking that.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s3 episode 18 thoughts

was thinking about my evening scullynmulder time all day… and here we are <3

to be honest, i'm not sure how i feel about this episode. it was just kind of okay for me. nothing to make me loathe it (well- one thing that made me angry, but it was small, and i'll talk about it), but nothing too compelling for me plot-wise. that being said, sometimes hearing an alternate viewpoint can change my mind, or i'll put together pieces later that didn't connect right away while watching, and the light in which i view an episode can change. so no hard and fast rulings here.

i’m reading the episode description, and it seems to be about archaeological digs, and sacred items being transported where they shouldn’t be!! this is actually something i feel really strongly about!!!

(in fact, i had to cut a LOT of this episode recap down because i kept going on about anthropological ethics... then i straight up realized i needed to stfu <3)

we begin!

we are in ecuador, at a dig site. oh, a pot! and pottery shards. how exciting! someone is yelling about something they found, and everyone comes to look. i do not speak spanish but i think they are saying that this thing is a bad sign? shoutout to cognates and closed captions, two of my bestest friends

it has since started snowing since they found this thing, which dr. roosevelt proclaims to be an amaru, which is a bold sign. there is a skull in there.

anyway, the archaeologists are saying that the body of a female shaman is sacred, and that it cannot be disturbed. and i would say, yes of course! but dr. roosevelt is not chill like me, and says they aren’t disturbing her, but saving her. okay, so this is the sort of thing that has sadly been incredibly common in real life, disregard for Indigenous opinions on the treatment of their ancestors by so-called academics claiming to fight for history. he orders the archaeologists to pack it up despite their insistence that it isn’t a good idea.

a shaman appears on the mountains in the snow... which is not an auspicious sign, i would imagine.

so this dr. roosevelt is listening to his classical music while the archaeologists from the dig are conducting a ceremony with the mountain shaman. they are sipping from a spoon and passing it around. ah, it is a hallucinogen. things get all green vision-y.

something is coming… A BIG CAT!!! HAS EATEN DR. ROOSEVELT!!!!!! JAGUAR BE UPON YE!!!!!!!

deserved.

intro time. how i have come to love this pair and their blurry lil spooky scenes…. <3 

so now we are at the boston museum of natural history. a guard is about with a flashlight in the dark and i think he sees some blood?? YES LOTS OF BLOOD. literally so much blood omfg. and then behind all the blood is the amaru!!!

is it agents time? is it agents time? YAAAAAS AGENTS TIME!!!! they are investigating. and someone scully is talking to thinks that the murder victim- craig- was killed because of the project he was working on. 

OH! scully has a letter in her hands from the Secona demanding the return of their artifacts. yes yes! i hope the museum does the right thing at this urging (even though i know deep down they will not)

“it was among the antiquities we rescued last month”, says someone from the museum <- ohhhh you're going to jail for that self-righteous language. scully catches onto the “rescued” description. they claim that the area was going to undergo construction. um so i would ask why reburying it in a place slightly to the left where it wasn't going to get smashed by a pipeline wasn't considered as an option, and why we jumped straight to giving it to some dudes in boston.

mulder asks about the curse, which he is apparently well-versed in. the jaguar spirit will attack those who disturb the bones of the woman shaman. but this guy says he will NOT return the remains. a stubborn fool... 

a phd candidate helps them look at the urn, and mulder rightfully points out that if someone messed with his bones, he would also want a curse to be placed upon them. which is tea.

the phd candidate's name is mona, and she agrees that this should have been left in the ground, that craig didn’t know about the danger he was in, and she is aware of SEVERAL letters of protest. she reveals that Dr. Bilac, who was the liaison to the tribe, either resigned or was forced out by the head of the project, depending on who you ask, because he believed that “the Secona have the right to determine the fate of their ancestral remains” AS HE SHOULD!!

going to this guy’s house. he was at the dig. and frankly, i do think he is very attractive. but he seems a bit... out of it, to put it nicely. 

his house is full of artifacts and images of artifacts. he’s asking scully "who told you i was involved", and scully says mona. okay... i think it wasn’t really secret knowledge??? no need to be so defensive!

he clarifies that he objected when he felt dr. roosevelt went too far. and he says “you don’t want to know what i think happened” so mulder sits RIGHT NEXT TO HIM and clarifies that yes, yes they really would. i was sensing some undertones there.

dr. bilac says "i think whatever happened is going to keep happening until the bones are returned" <- a reasonable deduction.

he says their investigation is a waste of time. scully seems to think he is “the suspect”, suggesting that he would kill for his cause. she describes his politics as radical but... they really aren’t.

(and this was the part i mentioned objecting to in the beginning, her referring to "his politics" like that. however, i am reminded that some scientists, historians, and anthropologists genuinely take this position- that ancestral remains ought to be studied, wishes of their communities be damned- and therefore it is not entirely out of character for her to think like that, but it is something we'd get in a heated fight about)

and mulder does that thing where he puts his hand on her back. don’t think i missed that!!!!

they’re bickering about what really happened and i'm thinking, well no one knows yet, maybe it WAS a jaguar spirit.

OH! mona is on the phone saying someone is lying. and someone else is listening in. it’s dr. lewton who is eavesdropping. mona was on the phone with dr. bilac!!! so what was he lying to the agents about?!?

so lewton is saying that they have a responsibility to history and that they were doing the right thing and to ignore “the politics”... again with the politics comment. this is real-world rhetoric here that some people actually believe, but isn’t there something despicable about asking for respect for people's ancestors being called “politics”?

OH! dr. lewton is threatening mona's career…… oh! okay so he might be evil.

NO, THE DOOR CREAKS OPEN. MONA NO!! 

oh it’s just a dog :) his name is sugar :) yay i was scared for nothing :) hiii sugar ur really cute!

dr. lewton in the car. car isn’t starting!!!! that’s suspicious…. that’s weird…. he lifts up the hood. and we hear a heavy breathing and see stuff from a blurry green point of view....

the hood is full of BLOOD??? which he touches btw... NASTY! but what is even nastier is the dragging and screaming and ripping we hear now going on to him... and thus is the end of dr. lewton

(hmm are they gonna say bilac is transforming into the jaguar? and that’s why we heard a man breathing?? <- no they will not, past me, but it was a compelling guess)

scully plucks a dead rat from inside the car. “label that”, she says to a police officer, placing it in a bag. “as what?” “partial rat body part” <- i don’t know why this is making me cry laughing 

mona is being questioned. she lies and says lewton didn’t mention dr. bilac last night. LIAR. anyway! scully gives her her card and says to give her a call if anything comes to mind

mulder in the woods with the police. and the green vision-y thing sees him!!! from in a tree!!!

but then scully comes in bearing news of rats in the museum and in his car. she thinks mona knows something and is trying to protect bilac. which is also what i am thinking. perhaps scully's entrance saved mulder from the green visioned being pouncing upon him.

GASP! a drop of blood falls upon mulder’s face whilst still in the woods, and he thinks it’s rain. she wipes it off and looks up to find… ENTRAILS IN A TREE!!!!!! icky.

and is there tenderness in wiping a strange blood from an unknown source off of your partner's face while they kneel in the woods? yes.

mona is at dr. bilac’s place. he isn’t answering. oh, she calls him “lonnie”... so are they chill or something? anyway, he doesn’t seem to be in there.

EXCEPT HE IS! he was in the dark and yelled at her for trying to touch the windows. behaving like a vampire.

he has no reaction to learning that dr. lewton is dead, but he sure is sweaty and gaunt. he said he told mona not to come. aggressively.

OH! he has the stuff on the floor he had taken with the tribe with the shared spoon at the start of the episode. which he calls “vine of the soul”. she knows what that means- yaje- and does NOT like that. she grabs it and tells him he is sick and needs help. but he yells at her to get out :( and she is crying :( why are you hurting her....

AUTOPSY TIME ft. doctor scully!!! it’s a human intestine. LMAOOOO she found sunflower seeds in it and mulder says he is “a man of taste” 

oh! she says it looks like rats did the biting. love when she says unsettling stuff like that.

phone call time now. it’s mona calling scully. she’s crying at the museum, and the dog is barking as she says she feels she isn’t alone. scully deploys mulder to the scene.

there is a box that says teso dos bichos which is the name of the episode. google says it translates to "i have two bugs" but i don't fully believe that. anyway, as she goes to touch the urn the dog keeps barking. it’s a very very cute dog. 

she hears something going wild in the bathroom. like an earthquake in the toilets. and the toilets are full of RATS who are climbing OUT AT HER AND SHE SCREAMS AND YES ME TOO I AM ALSO SCREAMING????

scully at dr. bilac’s house. very tense music is playing and his door is wide open!!! she finds the bowls of the stuff while mulder is at the museum looking for mona or any sort of clues. 

mulder bumps onto the security guard, who tries to take him to mona. pls don't hurt my girl i'm rooting for her to get that phd.

scully is reading from dr. bilac’s journal, which describes a jaguar climbing from the trees, and mulder thinks well maybe that is how the intestines got up there, but she says he’s been tripping. two things can be true!! 

she says he has been invoking the curse. but as she says this, mulder rounds a corner and sees a LOT of blood. he enters the bathroom with a flourish of his gun. and finds dr. bilac! who only says “she’s dead” 

they bring him in for questioning- very suspicious for him to be in the bloody bathroom- but he claims he doesn’t know where mona is. 

oh, very very tense exchange. “i did not kill her” “then why do you have blood on your clothes?” scully is NOT messing around

he claims he was afraid for mona and tried to keep her away from this. she says point blank that he did it, but he is like no, you are dealing with a spirit. and he doesn’t know where her body is. 

mulder is troubled. he notices that all the toilets overflowed. oh! the rats were still in there. “rats. in every toilet” <- very serious show we are dealing with 

NO!!! mona's dog died :( the dog ate a cat that ate a rat that ate poison. mulder thinks this is suspicious. she says a lot of old buildings have rats. again, two things can be true!

he thinks the rats were trying to escape. and SOMEHOW bilac is gone. mulder seems to think that perhaps bilac animorphed into a rat? or he was dragged down into some old tunnels. because they did find blood!!!

tunnel time tunnel time! he tries the ladies first card but it does not work. oooh spooky dark tunnel. 

there is a creature down here!!!! with the green vision!!! a cat hisses. i mean if there are a lot of rats this is a banger place to be a cat but i’m still suspicious.

they follow a rat deeper into the tunnels and find a door. scully goes in the door but mulder went the other way. WHY DID HE DO THAT!!! NEVER SEPARATE IN THE TUNNELS.

mulder is looking at a rat. cute little dude. then calls for scully. HE HAS FOUND ALL OF THE BODIES!!! AND THEY HAVE BEEN GNAWED EEEW 

and the green vision thing sees them! oh! it is a cat. but just a little one. not a big scary one. 

OH!! a LOT OF CATS!!

NO!!! they are GETTING HER!!! LIKE SO MANY CATS!!!! and there is blood pouring from her face. despite this she finds bilac who is very dead. 

a large army of cats is trying to break in while they try to get out. he pulls her up and guides her out. 

aww her face is all scratched up :( pls test her for rabies this is soooo evil!!!

oh! the ecuadorian ambassador is coming to collect the urn. so success but at what cost.

mulder wraps up the episode. the archaeologists are reburying the urn. we see the shaman’s eyes go all green like the cats did!!!

so it was her doing the stuff!!! well. she needed to be returned home.

collecting my thoughts on the matter. 

well, first off, an ecuadorian jaguar spirit turning into a mass of wild rats and cats in boston is so funny so let’s establish that. 

second of all. i’m always hesitant to comment upon episodes that use indigenous people and beliefs as a plot point/scary thing of the week. so i’m going to have to admit i don’t know enough to comment on that. 

what i can comment upon is the very real trafficking of antiquities, destruction of archaeological sites, and above all, blatant insensitivity of academics historically thinking they are “saving” what they are plundering. it is a very real thing. and i talked about it a LOT more in the original draft of this but realized i ought to spare you. dm for reading recs tho

overall, i thought the episode was okay. i wasn’t really sure what they were doing with bilac, but i guess he was summoning the curse? but it kept going after he died. so i’m a little unclear on the rules of the curse here tbh. 

honestly not enough scully and mulder time for me, which is why it wasn't really a stand out to me, even if i thought the concept was fascinating.

but sometimes my opinions change and i'm open to hearing thoughts on the matter slash things i missed! like i'm still not fully getting the episode title so pls feel free to explain that.

[cissyenthusiast010155]

hi can you do #1 and #50 with alex blake

Heyyyy anon, thanks for the request! Yea, I’d love to write this for you!! Alex Blake is a queen, and I love writing for her 👑💋

Know Your Place, Beneath Me… ~Alex Blake xFem Consultant!Reader

Mommy… Master List

Requests & Prompt-List

#1. “You think you can top me?” 

#50. “Bend over.”

Warnings: NSFW, teasing, age gap (all legal), spanking, implied overstimulation, implied smut, grinding, kissing, pet names, implied praise kink, implied spanking kink…?, etc.

Enjoy (;

Another serial killer had brought the team to the big apple, New York City.

And this particular unsub left lengthy and cryptic messages all over his crime scenes. Due to this, the NYPD had already called in a Linguistics specialist before the BAU arrived.

You were in your really early twenties and already had your doctorate and a PhD. You were the linguistics and behavioral traveling consultant whom the NYPD had called upon. You had just gotten back from a case over in Europe where you had been working with the Scotland Yard.

Meeting the BAU was almost like a breath of fresh air. One agent in particular, a perky blonde, who mad wit very clear that she was not usually in person on cases, left an impression. For once, you had a group of people in the room who could all keep up with you. Well, all except Dr. Alex Blake were a breath of fresh air…

Agent Blake was the linguistics specialist for the BAU who also had a doctorate and a PhD, although she was a considerable amount of years older than you (old enough to be your mother)…

From the moment you met the team, you could sense the tension in her voice.

“Dr. Alex Blake.” She firmly introduced herself with a nod.

~~~

“We have the conference room set up for you, let me know if there’s anything else.” The Captain told the BAU team and you.

“Thank you.” Hotch said, then directing his attention to his team, “Alright, we’re going to split up, Reid and JJ will go to the ME, Garcia and Morgan will go to the first crime scene, Rossi and I will go the second, and Blake will stay, analyzing the writings and what we already know, working with Dr. L/N.”

Alex pursed her lips and tensed up slightly at this.

“Everything alright, Blake?” Hotch asked.

The brunette agent merely nodded and then headed off into the conference room.

~~~

You had already gotten started on the unsub’s writing, when Dr. Blake stepped into the room, leaving the door behind her only slightly ajar.

“It seems we’ll be working together on this case…” you murmured aloud.

“It seems so…” the brunette hummed, making her way over to the paper filled table and partially organized bulletin board.

Her eyes scanned the papers, taking in your work so far.

“What have you found so far?” She asked.

You sighed lightly.

“Well… The writer is male, multi-cultural, probably multi-lingual, well educated. He is stressed, or at least governed by a good amount of negative emotions. And much more…” you huffed.

Dr. Blake raised her brows slightly at what you had already perceived.

“Why multi-lingual?”

“In his writings, the unsub uses multiple British English terms, as if that was what he was taught if English were his second language, and his word order is not as synonymous with an English language, but rather one of the romantic languages…” you explained.

Alex have you a hum in response.

~~~

The long day finally came to a end, meaning you finally got to retire to your hotel room for the night, which coincidentally happened to be the same hotel that the BAU team was staying at.

You rode the elevator up and walked down the floor to your room. On your way, you clocked the one and only Dr. Alex Blake a couple of doors down, entering a hotel room of her own.

Of course, she had a room in the exact same hotel, on the exact same floor, and only a few doors away from you…

You sighed, too tired to deal with the the thought of that brunette, so you simply entered your room and went to bed.

~~~

Your next day on the case wasn’t much better than the first, although you and Dr. Blake did make some progress with the unsub’s letters.

By noon, you were exhausted and hungry.

“I’m going to go down the street and grab a sandwich, do you want anything…?” You asked the older brunette.

“Sounds great, I’d love one…” she sighed, taking her eyes off the papers for the first time in hours.

“What would you like…?” You asked, while grabbing your bag.

“Pastrami and cheese would be great…” she hummed.

You hummed back in response, leaving out the door.

~~~

By the end of the night, neither you nor Dr. Blake could take a single look at any more papers, you were both so exhausted.

You turned in for the night, going back to your hotel room. But you found that the case kept you awake. At a certain point, you accepted that your mind wasn’t going to relent, so you got up and pulled out the case from your bag. But this didn’t help much either.

Suddenly, you heard a knock on the door. You grabbed a bath robe and went to answer the door. None other than Dr. Alex Blake stood in front of you…

“Couldn’t sleep. Thought you might be the same…” she tiringly explained.

You hummed in response.

“And I brought wine…” she added.

You chuckled, seeing Blake hold up a bottle of red and two glasses, “Come in.”

You pulled out the two chairs from the corner of your room with a small table, where you and the brunette sat yourselves with long sighs. The table still had your case files spread all over it. Alex opened the bottle and began pouring in silence. The first sips were also taken in silence. Like the world had paused for a moment…

“No new leads…?” Alex spoke up, breaking the silence, indicating to all the case files in the table.

You groaned slightly and rubbed your temples, “No… It’s like staring at an overdone crossword puzzle… Eventually everything you look at becomes stubborn and frustrating…”

Alex chuckled lightly at your comparison. Silence took the room again, the only sound being your drinking.

“You are quite good, you know…” Alex hummed.

You looked up at the woman in light shock. In the time that you had known the brunette, she never was one to give compliments…

“For your age…” She added on with a chuckle.

At that, you sent her a quizzical look. The alcohol was starting to take into affect…

“What’s that supposed to mean…?”

“You’re young, green, but you’re good.”

“Just because someone is young, doesn’t mean they aren’t inherently good at the job…” you huffed.

“I didn’t say that…” Blake clarified.

“No, but you implied it…” you muttered.

“Ok, do I believe that more seasoned agents are more likely to be better at the job? Yes. But that doesn’t make the newer agents inherently bad…” she rambled.

“But newer agents bring in new techniques, new ideas. They bring new motivation.” You argued.

“You seriously think you could top me 1 v 1…??” Blake chuckled.

Your breath hitched. Your pupils enlarged, and your gaze met the brunette’s.

Your mind went straight to the gutter with her choice of words…

“You think you can top me?” You challenged, with a seductive edge to your tone.

Blake cocked an eyebrow at your words and new direction in tone. When she didn’t answer, you got up from your chair and walked over to the brunette, trapping her in her chair with each arm on either side of her. You were in her face, grinning, and Alex was going to have none of that.

“Bend over.” She stated.

You were drawn a back a little.

“I… what…?” You stuttered.

“I said, Bend over…” she commanded.

You gulped. But you did as you were told. You bent over the older brunettes lap.

~~~

By the time Blake had finished, picked you up, and placed you in her lap— your ass was fiery red, arousal was dripping down your thighs, your face was flushed, and your breathing was rapid and erratic.

“I… that was… wow…” you stammered.

The brunette chuckled, before connecting her lips to yours. You moaned into the kiss eagerly, desperately grinding into her lap. You then quickly stood up, pulling Alex up with you. You began stripping, but she stopped you. Instead, she pushed you onto the bed, crawling on top of you.

“Don’t…” she purred, “I want to take my time with you…”

You sucked your breath in and nodded slowly.

“Yes please…” you whispered.

“Good girl…” Alex murmured, starting to kiss every available piece of skin she can reach.

~~~

Alex Blake Masterlist

[drauthor]

For the WIP Tag Game:

CHOICES, CHOICES...

Hmmm... modern AU codywan and/or EMS au codywan, please, you KNOW I'm a sucker for how you write them <333

One day, I’m going to accidentally proclaim my undying love for you and it’s gonna be your problem

Thank you for the ask and the compliment, I’ll literally annoy my roommate about it for the next week

SO! Those AUs have kind of mutated over the course of planning and sketching scenes, and I’m not sure if I’m going to stick to the EMS AU. It was Originally gonna be doctor!Obi-Wan and firefighter/EMT!Cody but then Cody developed a mind of his own and wanted to be a music teacher and I couldn’t write a doctor!Obi-Wan I was super satisfied with

Thus—

Modern AU! Obi-Wan has a PhD in philosophy and Cody is a firefighter/EMT because by god I will make him or die (also the bickering and brotherly interactions because him and a paramedic Helix have me feral—) and Cody has a million brothers and raises a gaggle of them

Snippet? Snippet.

Ahsoka’s wailing gentled into hiccupping sobs, her small fingers curling into the fabric of Cody’s sweater. Her eyes were open, fixed intently on her brother as if she were trying to drink him in. Cody shifted closer, his smile widening when Ahsoka’s eyes seemed to lock on to her brother’s face.

“He’s right there, see? No reason to panic.” Cody patted her small back. “No need to cry, not with him here.”

The sobs began to fade, replaced with only the small hiccups and occasional whimper. She rubbed her face against Cody’s chest, smearing snot and tears, and Cody could only be grateful it wasn’t vomit—and that his sweater was black.

“That’s it, princess. I don’t like supermarkets either, but you don’t have to cry about it anymore. I don’t think your brother would let anything bad happen to you.” Cody shifted her higher onto his shoulder, squeezing her in a gentle hug Stitch had appreciated at that age when he was overwhelmed. “I know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to my siblings.”

The other man seemed to hesitate a moment before he stepped closer and gently smoothed the hair away from Ahsoka’s forehead. “The very kind stranger is right, you know?”

Cody blinked at the other man, confusion swirling in his chest before he realized— “I didn’t introduce myself.”

The other man cocked his head to the side, and his eyes seemed to flash with faint amusement. “You did not.”

Cody huffed, ducking his head to focus on the infant in his arms. He bounced her, absently smiling when even the hiccups began to fade. “I apologize. My name is Cody. I would shake your hand, but your sister is in my way.”

“I can see that. Truly, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Cody. My name is Obi-Wan; that’s my sister, Ahsoka; and this is—” Obi-Wan turned to where the teenager had last stood, his eyes widening when he was faced with a shelf of groceries instead of a brooding teen. He jerked around, scanning the aisle before he seemed to freeze and then go lax all over.

“Well, I think my brother has made friends with your siblings, actually.”

Cody’s eyebrows made a break for his hairline. He looked over his shoulder and felt his eyebrows inch just a little higher. It was true—the teenager was absorbed in conversation with Rex, animatedly gesturing with his arms. Despite the amusement on his face, Rex had shifted to stand in front of Stitch, who in turn had sunk behind Needle, wary eyes fixed on the new arrival.

[yellowbunnydreams]

Bunny Ears (Part 13) ~William Afton X F! Reader~

~POV: You finish your paper and have it reviewed only to recieve 30+ comments on it dragging it through the dirt and lighting it on fire. Edit; Finished and submitted, flipped off my computer~

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Tag List: @ruh--roh-raggy @h4nluv @sleepy---head @do-double-g @confiscated-peaches-main @dij-ology @viviennemuerte @robin-the-enby @shari-berri @randymeeksisafinalgirl @hallow1090 @aponia-yue @likoplays @dilflover-3 @oak-leafs @phd-in-fuckery @weirdoartist21 @nicolezghostz @fauine

Sorry if I missed you on the tag-list!

CW: Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 30's), divorce/processing divorce, Afton being a sarcastic hot ass, Henry being such a dad, grumpy x sunshine . Faz-Fuck TM. Cringe scenes ft. Henry.

The knocking at your door on your day off stirred you from your sleep. Groggily heading towards the door and opening it whilst rubbing sleep from your eyes with the heel of your hand. The knocks were too light for William, and you weren't expecting any packages, so there was some trepidation as you answered.

Blinking against the bright light, you were surprised to see the petite and lithe figure of Sarah Emily on your step. Blonde hair tied up neatly into a ponytail and wearing jeans with a white t-shirt, looking like a casual woman around your age unless you looked closely and could see the crinkles around her eyes from years of smiling.

"H-Hey! Um...Hi Sarah." You said after a moment of confusion, looking down at yourself and realising that you were wearing William's hoodie again and some shorts. Blushing at the fact this was the second time you had answered the door to somebody you knew whilst dressed in such a state.

"Well good-morning sleephead! I thought I would stop by and come see you." She laughed, giggling more as you gestured for her to come inside and shut the door behind her. Padding into your kitchen and taking out two mugs from the draining board next to your sink, turning on the kettle and finding your instant coffee and tea.

"Tea, coffee?"

"Coffee, milky with two sugars please." Sarah replied, amused at seeing you still somewhat out of it and wearing Afton's hoodie. She recognised it from the similar one Henry had, tucked away back in his closet somewhere in case he wanted to wear it one day. Not that he, nor Afton wore those kinds of things often anymore since the opening of Freddy's.

"So um...how have you been?" You asked, waking up a bit more as you grabbed milk from the fridge, making coffee for Sarah and yourself as you placed them on the counter. Leaning against the cool lino and feeling your attention wandering as you realised that Sarah had a slightly mischievous look on her face. "And I'm guessing this isn't entirely a 'I was in the neighbourhood' call."

"Good good, Charlie's been a little terror recently, but she's sweet otherwise. And you caught me! I wanted to know if you wanted a girly day out, and then, we go on that double-date I mentioned last time?" She asked, making you choke on your coffee slightly, nose burning as the action nearly made it come up through your nose. Coughing to gather yourself, you found yourself looking at your hand and the mug.

"I don't think I've ever...had a girly day? But I'd like the date later!" Sarah raised an eyebrow before she looked incredulous, her slender hand resting over her heart as she looked at you.

"You've never...NEVER... had a girly day out?"

"Nope."

"Get some pants on and get in the fucking car, we are rectifying this, now!" She exclaimed, downing her coffee and making you do the same, wincing as the heat slid down your throat before you half-ran to your room. Throwing on some deodorant, a subtle body-spray and some somewhat clean jeans and a t-shirt over your underwear. Dragging a brush through your hair and huffing as you almost tripped over yourself trying to pull on your socks and boots. Sarah standing by the door and your door keys dangling from her fingers, grin plastered on her face as you grabbed them from her.

"Why did we need to rush again?"

"Oh, no reason, but it was quite funny to watch." She laughed as you locked the front door, laughing harder as you gave her a stern look. Heading to her car and climbing inside, sighing as you rested your head against the seat and closed your eyes briefly.

~~

"William! How're you doing buddy?" Henry called as he opened the office door, making William jump slightly as he was disturbed from his intense concentration on some of the blue-prints in front of him. Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he sighed and looked towards the smaller man. Noticing how his hair was loose and wild despite his professional appearance.

"You only call me 'buddy' when you need something Henry, what is it this time?" Henry placed a hand over his heart and pouted, dramatically leaning against the door frame and sinking against it like he'd just been shot before he stumbled into the office.

"You wound me! I don't do that! You are my buddy!" William scoffed and rolled his eyes at his dramatic business partner before looking back down at the plans in his hand. Scribbling on a separate piece of paper to note some measurements and calculations whilst he heard Henry lean against the desk. Almost hearing the smile in his voice as he spoke again.

"Anyway, me and Sarah are going on a date tonight and we were wondering if you and your little girlfriend would like to join us and make it a double date?" William sighed and set the papers down on his desk, looking over his glasses to see Henry's wild grin. Afton sucked on the inside of his cheek before replying, going to pick up the paperwork on his desk once more.

"Absolutely not, the last time you attempted something like this Henry, Sarah practically bit Clara's head off and you got so pissed you walked half an hour down the high-way before we found you."

"That was college! And secondly, you'll let your girlfriend down if you don't show!"

"I'm sure she also said no to this stupid idea."

"Actually, Sarah's gone to her house and they're having a little trip to get all dolled up for this date tonight." Henry smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as William dropped the papers and rubbed his hands over his face. Groaning loudly and leaning back in the chair, making it creak under his weight.

"You mean to tell me that Sarah, your wife, has kidnapped my girlfriend and is playing dress-up with her?" Running his hands through his hair whilst glaring at Henry, who nodded with the same, stupid grin plastered on his face. Afton groaned again and put his head in his hands.

"Fine, you sick bastard, I'll come. Just leave the address on my desk and tell me what time to be there."

"Don't forget to bring a condom William, I'm sure that afterwards you'll-"

"HENRY, DON'T BE A FUCKING PERVERT." Henry cackled at his friend's outburst, holding his hands up in defence, laughing harder as William reached into the drawer and chucked balled up paper at the man as he retreated. Leaving William to hide his face in his hands and groan in frustration, wishing his friend had at least asked him before kidnapping you via his wife.

~~

"What about this one?" Sarah asked you, showing you a swatch of an eyeshadow on the back of her hand and you hummed in thought as you looked at it. Shaking your head after a moment. "Oh come on," she groaned your name slightly as she put back the little tester tub. "you have to like something I show you!"

"I'm sorry Sarah, I'm just not...I don't really even do my own make-up. I wear mascara and some lip gloss occasionally, I don't do..this." You gestured to the large make-up counter that you were both at. Glancing over the bold and bright colours that Sarah seemed to favour, brow knitting together as you picked up a container and opened it, looking at the dark green shade inside before closing it and putting it back.

"Maybe we're doing this in the wrong order!" Sarah clapped her hands together before grabbing one of yours, dragging you behind her and almost tripping over your feet with the force the small woman was surprisingly able to move you with. You supposed that she was a mom, so perhaps it was from having to move a reluctant child...or Henry. You could also see Henry having to be dragged away from stores a few times by his wife.

She pulled you into a boutique in the mall, blinking as you adjusted to the new lighting inside and looked around. Spotting plenty of dresses lining the walls and making you groan. You couldn't remember the last time you'd found a dress you would even consider wearing, let alone wearing one, and they all seemed so formal, you'd hoped that you could get away with a nice top and some cleaner jeans for the date. Sarah seemingly had other ideas as she began browsing the racks.

Under encouragement, and a few teasing words, from Sarah, you began looking too. Hands idly flipping through the dresses and cringing as some of the material felt awful under your fingers, others just a plain ugly colour that you wouldn't be caught dead in.

"Can I help you find something?" The voice made you jump and you turned to see an elegantly dressed shop assistant standing near to you, heart pounding in your chest as you looked back at the dresses for a second, brow furrowed and a soft sigh escaping your lips as your shoulders slumped.

"I um..I'm going on a double date tonight and apparently I have to wear a dress..so..yeah. Just trying to find something I like honestly." You say, speaking quietly as your fingers scanned through the materials before the woman cleared her throat again, grabbing your attention once more.

"Well, what colour does your date usually wear?" They asked, making you pause only for a moment before you answered.

"Black."

"Well, I'm guess you're newly together, so matching might be a little much. But I can suggest some colours that work well and we'll figure out style from there." She smiled, making you give a polite smile back as she gestured towards another part of the store. Practised eyes scanning through the dresses and flickering back to you before her hands darted out to pick out a few dresses before taking you back to the dressing rooms, where Sarah was already admiring herself in a dark green dress that hugged her figure perfectly, a long slit up her leg and showing it off.

The assistant handed you the dresses and shooed you into a dressing room, pursing your lips together before you obeyed. Hoping that there would be at least one thing you liked amongst the pile.

~~

Sarah carefully brushed your eyelids with a careful precision that you were unsure you would have ever been able to manage. Feeling what felt almost like a brush-pen moving against your lid and out before you heard the click of a lid closing. Her slender hand grabbing your chin gently before you heard another lip pop, your eyes closed as you let the older woman manoeuvre you and do your make-up as she saw fit.

You jumped slightly as you felt a cool wetness against your lips, making the woman tut disapprovingly as she tightened her grip slightly and coated your lips, letting go of you as she spoke. "Press your lips together for me dear." Following her instructions and feeling some of the stickiness dissipate before your eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly as you glanced up at her.

"Go on, check yourself out little lady!" She squealed, helping you to stand up in the tiny kitten heels she had somehow convinced you to wear as well. Focusing intently on walking as you walked up to the mirror that Sarah had placed on the floor so that you could get a better look at yourself.

Your hair had been set loosely around your shoulders, styled to perfection and looking glossy, healthy. You were surprised by how lovely the dress looked, a soft purple chiffon with translucent sleeves and a 'v' shaped neckline, allowing the swell of your breasts to be visible as well as the dip of your collarbones. The middle wrapping tight to your body to show off your waist before the skirt flowed down, coming to your knees and floating slightly like something you saw in fancy prom movies. It looked almost a similar shade to purple that you were sure you had seen William wearing before. And Sarah had masterfully applied winged eye-liner to your eyes, darkening your lashes with mascara and the faint shimmer of nude coloured eyeshadows could faintly be made out. Your lips glossy and tasting like almonds.

Stepping behind you, Sarah's blonde hair was tied up into a classicly braided updo, two curled strands framing her face as you noticed she had similar make-up to how you had it. The dark green dress from earlier looking stunning on her as she placed her hands on your shoulders, smiling brightly.

"You look gorgeous, dear."

"I feel like I'm a little girl playing dress-up." You sighed, smoothing your hands down your dress carefully and frowning slightly, making her tut as she took your hands, bringing them up and smoothing over your knuckles with her thumbs.

"You don't look like it. William is going to not know what hit him when he sees you." She smiled, making you blush and smile back, nodding your head as you allowed her to guide you through the house and out to the waiting taxi. She'd driven her car back home and gotten a taxi back to yours, calling for one to pick you up and take you out to the restaurant that apparently William and Henry were waiting at.

You shifted nervously in your seat, watching the streets blur past before Sarah gently nudged your bag towards you, smiling as you opened it and took out a little bottle of perfume. The only expensive one you owned, it was your signature one for more 'formal' occasions, and it seemed like as good a time as any to use it. Carefully applying it to your pulse points, the smell comforting and exciting as you put away the bottle. Sarah applying her own perfume and touching up her gloss a bit as the ride seemed all too short and all too long at the same time.

You made out Henry's car parked up, frowning as you noticed you didn't spot William's, stomach sinking as you climbed out of the taxi whilst Sarah paid before she linked arms with you.

"I told Henry to pick up William, they're both at the table and waiting for us." She reassured, noticing your worried expression with a comforting squeeze of your hand. Heels clicking against the concrete as you both headed inside.

It was far more formal than any place you'd been before. And your silly plastic bracelet felt out of place in there. You felt out of place in there. Waiters in white shirts and black pants ran about with towels over their arms, the walls wood panelled and the floor a beautiful, rich patterned marble tile. Your heart pounded in your chest as you allowed Sarah to drag you along.

Henry spotted the pair of you and gestured for William that you had arrived. Watching the pair of them squeeze out of the booth as you approached, your breath catching in your throat slightly.

Henry had his hair loose, revealing all it's fluffy, curled glory that was still cropped somewhat close to his head. Clearly freshly shaven and dressed in a dark green suit that matched Sarah's dress, crisp white shirt and a black tie, he looked ecstatic that he had matched his wife, seeing him tear up slightly as he caught sight of her.

But you lost your breath with William. Dressed head to toe in black. he had put on tailored black pants that seemed to highlight how long his legs were, as well as how strong they looked. Sleeves rolled up on the black shirt, tight across his broad chest in a way that made you afraid he would pop buttons if he flexed in the wrong way. His greying hair slicked back and his eyes slightly wide behind his glasses as he drank you in. You smiled as he raised his hand and you spotted the bracelet still on his arm, feeling comforted that he had continued to wear it despite the more formal setting.

His jaw fluttered slightly as he watched you approach. Wearing one of his favourite colours and the slight way you wobbled when you walked as you clearly tried to get used to moving in heels. He found himself feeling relief that you had worn the bracelet too, but his heart was pounding too fast in his chest as he took you in. You were a picture of beauty, and he reached out his hand as you came closer, taking your softer hand in his before he half-bowed to plant a kiss onto the back of your hand. Breathing deeply as he smelled your perfume and feeling his body aching with want.

"You look gorgeous, bunny. I should perhaps let Sarah have you more often." The teasing tone in his voice evident for the second part as you giggled, blushing and feeling the heat rising in your cheeks as he kept ahold of your hand.

"I-I don't think I need anymore make-up or dresses. But you look really nice." You swallowed, trying to change the subject back onto him. Seeing his cheeks heat up despite the stubble across his face. A lopsided grin being given to you as he gently guided you into the booth, still holding your hand as you settled in, his thumb running over your knuckles adoringly.

Henry called your name and you glanced at him, seeing his eyes still watering as he looked between you and your held hand. "You look great. I hope this isn't too short notice or strange, but I wanted to take Sarah on a date and then it occurred to me, I should invite you guys along too!" Chuckling and sniffling as he tried to not be too emotional as William remained close to you. Sarah rolled her eyes slightly, but the smile on her face told you that she wasn't really annoyed, kissing Henry's cheek before she picked up a menu to glance over.

"Thank you for inviting me, I really appreciate it. And I hope that it's as fun for all of us." You smile, seeing Henry's lip quiver at your words. Nodding his head before he looked at the menu, trying to distract himself.

William brought your hand to his lips again, giving your hand a squeeze as you leaned in and gave his knuckles as kiss in return. Smelling his warm, spiced cologne as you got closer, making you feel dizzy as you turned your attention to the menu. Still holding onto him as you browsed the options.

It was going to be a long night, but you felt a little more confident to face it with William by your side.