#and I'm thinking I might be able to use them to set up a bit of a story outline...

[boopjuice]

@bluerosefox so... it's been six months... sorry about that. But on the bright side, I have one part after this and an epilogue planned out now! Hope you enjoy.

Everything went a little too well. True to his predictions Danny didn't sleep a wink, which meant that he was able to get some pancake mix prepped and get out the door before his parents came up from the lab. Dan and Ellie were just waking up when he got to Sam's, coming downstairs right as Danny was phasing through the door.

"Morning, Dad," Dan mumbled, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, Stardust. You sleep okay?" Dan made a grumble of affirmation, walking over and burying his face into Danny's leg. Danny gently ruffled his son's hair while Ellie made her way over to the breakfast counter, climbing into her seat and splaying her top half over the counter in an attempt to get a little more sleep. It was amazing to think that, between his two children, both had at one point not only tried to kill him but that his future self, who had well and truly hated him, was the one who clung to him more.

He chuckled, picking up his son who proceeded to bury his face into Danny's neck, and walking into the kitchen. He used one hand to grab a pan and some cooking spray before setting his son down in his own seat. The six year old whined at the loss of contact, and Danny chuckled.

"I know, Dan, but I need both hands to make pancakes."

"Y're makin' pancakes?" Ellie slurred, lifting her head from the cool counter. Her hair was sticking up every which way, probably from the way she tossed and turned last night.

"Yep. But you two need to be dressed and ready for school if you want to have some." His kids, still half asleep, groaned at that, but dutifully hopped off the chairs to drag themselves upstairs and get dressed for the day. "Remember to wake up Mar'i," he called gently after them.

The pancakes went well. He didn't even burn the first one, which should have tipped him off. The kids came down, Mar'i in tow and dressed in some of Dan's clothes, and they all appeared much more awake than when the first two had come down. Sam followed down soon after, wrapping Danny in a hug and giving him a good morning kiss that the kids all fake gagged at. Even ghostlings and aliens, it seemed, thought shows of affection between parents were odd.

"Tuck had to go home for the night, but he'll take Dan to school," Sam said, picking up a few pancakes for herself.

"Alright. I'll be dropping off Ellie and Mar'i separately at the daycare. Ellie, think you can keep your invisibility up for a bit when we go?"

"I can!" she said through a mouthful of pancake.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Sam chided, sitting at the breakfast counter next to Mar'i, who was the picture of well behaved. The kind of well behaved that meant she was planning mischief.

"Mar'i, I'm going to be dropping you off at the daycare with Ellie."

"What? But I'm seven! I don't need to go to daycare!"

"I know, Riri. But my friends and I need to go to school, and we can't bring you with us. We can't take you to school with Dan, because you aren't enrolled. And before you try to say you can stay alone, you are seven. I'm not about to leave a seven year old alone no matter how capable they might be. So, unfortunately, you'll be at the daycare."

Mar'i huffed a bit, crossing her arms and pouting. "Hey, that means we can play together! Together, we can lead the daycare to rebellion! Freedom for Kids!!!" Ellie said, promptly floating up and brandishing her fork in the air.

"Ellie, if you start another revolution at the daycare, you'll be staying with Grandpa Clockwork while we're gone," Sam said.

"What?! But he's sooooo booooooring!"

"Then no revolutions," Danny said, turning to level his best "parenting look" at his youngest. "And no ghost powers while you're eating."

Dan snickered as Ellie floated back to her seat, sticking his tongue out to tease her. Mar'i, thankfully, was a little less pouty than before.

The flight to the daycare was uneventful. Ellie stayed invisible the whole time while Danny told Mar'i that she couldn't use any powers she had at the daycare. She likely already knew, but it was good to remind her.

The attendant was a little skeptical about taking on a seven year old for the day, even with the favor she owed Phantom, but with the explanation that it was for one day and a little extra cash she let Riri stay. He told her that Riri would be getting picked up with Ellie, then went around the block, shifted back to his human form with Ellie, and walked them both to the door to drop her off too.

He got to school the same time as Sam and Tuck did, greeting them both with a hug and a quick kiss before they headed off to class. He texted Tuck the plan for the day, slipping his phone into his pocket right as the bell rang for first period.

As the day went on, things kept going well. He didn't cross paths with Dash. Lancer didn't have a pop quiz. There was even pizza for lunch.

All of those things should have tipped Danny off that something was going to go wrong.

When the last bell rang, he walked out of school with his partners. They chatted along the way, trying to get his story straight about which clubs he was in, since someone had told his maybe-bio-dad that he was in several. By the time they got to the elementary school to pick up Dan they'd agreed on Danny being in the Robotics and Astronomy clubs, since Danny had at least some idea of what each of them did.

The walk to the daycare was filled with chatter from Dan as he talked about what he'd done that day, the things he'd learned and what activities were most important to him. Apparently they were going to start music lessons soon, and he'd get to bring home a recorder to practice. In his excitement, he didn't notice how his parents all looked at each other in resignation for the terrible screeching that would be Dan practicing for the next few months.

Picking up Ellie and Mar'i went smoothly as well. Fortunately, Ellie had not tried to start a revolution. Unfortunately, Mar'i had somehow found her way into the air ducts and had spent an hour playing a one-sided game of hide and seek with the attendants.

The six of them walked towards the bus stop, Danny checking his phone to see a text from Dick. He was almost to town, and would probably get to the meeting spot before him. It would be another five minutes before the bus got there, so Danny texted back to let him know.

"Hey, good luck with your-" Tuck glanced at Mar'i, happily chatting with Dan and comparing notes about their days as Ellie chimed in with important details. "With your dad."

"Thanks. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"We know, Spooky. We'll all be waiting to hear how it went." Sam wrapped him in a tight hug, Tucker joining not long after, and Danny squeezed them back. He didn't know what he'd done to get lucky enough to have these two in his life and afterlife, but he wasn't about to question it now.

"Right. Kids, say by to Riri," Tuck said once they all pulled away.

"Aw, can't she stay a little longer?" Ellie begged, giving her best puppy eyes.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaase?" Dan joined in with the puppy eyes.

"I know you guys had fun, but Mar'i needs to go back to her parents," Danny chided. "But I can talk to them and see if there's a way that you three can get together and play again. Sound good?"

"Fine," Dan huffed, before enveloping Mar'i in a hug. "Bye Riri."

"Yeah, bye. Don't let ghosts get you." Ellie said, also joining the hug.

"I won't. And if they try, my Mommy and Daddy will be there to keep me safe!" They all pulled away. "I'll see you later!" Mar'i said, taking Danny's hand as Sam and Tuck picked up a child each and started walking to Sam's house.

"Alright, Riri. Ready to see your parents?" Danny asked.

"Mhm!" She nodded with her whole body, and Danny couldn't help but smile.

~~~

Dick was bouncing his knee as he waited in the Waffle House next to Kori. He needed to make sure his little girl was alright. He needed to ask Danny how sure he was about the whole "being Dick's kid" thing. He needed to check on his maybe-son's partners and kids and wasn't that a thing to think about? That he might have grandkids? That would make Bruce a great grandfather, and Alfred a great great grandfather. If he hadn't been so stressed about this meeting going well, he would have laughed.

Kori's hand rested on his shoulder. "Richard, you will break the chair at this rate. It will be fine."

"But what if it isn't? What if he isn't my son? Kori, what if he is? What do i do?"

"I do not know. But panicking will not make this easier, you know this." He sighed, reaching up to grab his wife's hand.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

The next twenty minutes of waiting was agonizing. He did everything he could to relax, but he still felt anxiety eating away at him. The chatter on the TV in the corner didn't help. What was he supposed to say? He knew he needed a DNA test, but did he just come out and say that? What if the partners were there, what then? What did he say to them? What if Danny brought his kids?

All his worried thoughts were cut off when the door jingled and a familiar shout of "Mommy! Daddy!" rang through the dining area. He was on his feet in a moment, falling to his knees to cradle his daughter in a tight hug.

"Thank god you're safe," he whispered into her hair as Kori collapsed next to him, cradling them both in arms he knew were carefully gentle to not hurt them. Dick pulled back from his daughter slightly, checking her without letting her go.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He didn't really expect an answer, and his mind went blank for a moment when he saw the bandages on her wrists and ankles.

"I'm fine. Mr. Danny and his friends were really nice, but i did have to go to daycare." She huffed out the last word like it was some prison chamber instead of... well, a daycare.

"And I'd have you go again, Riri. I wasn't about to leave you alone." Dick finally took his eyes off his daughter, looking towards the voice he'd only heard over the phone before.

Danny was the spitting image of him when he'd been in the Titans. Same lean build, same black hair, same eyes. There were a few bits that didn't quite look right. Danny was a bit paler than he'd ever been, enough that people would have likely just dismissed it as a tan in a place like Illinois. His cheekbones were a little off, and his chin was a tad more pointed than his own. But Dick could have slapped a domino and some multicolor spandex on the kid and mistaken him as a younger version of himself.

"You must be Danny," he said when he found his voice."

"Yep. That's me. You must be-" the kid snorted a little. "You must be Dick." Dick smiled a little at that, standing and holding out a hand.

"That's me. Thank you for taking care of my daughter." Danny took his hand, keeping the shake short. It didn't keep Dick from noticing that the kid's hands were cold. They would have been clammy, if there'd been any perspiration.

"It's nothing, really. Ancients know I wasn't about to just not help." Danny's eyes drifted to where Kori was still fussing over her daughter, asking about the bandages. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "Oh..."

"Apologies, I'm a little frazzled. This is my wife, Kori." She looked up at her name, standing and holding her own hand out to Danny as Mar'i grabbed her other.

"Hello. Thank you for keeping our daughter safe. I do not know what we would do if she were hurt."

"Think nothing of it," Danny said, looking at Kori in awe. "Uh... Mar'i said you were a Tamaranian?"

"Yes. I am. Is there an issue?" Kori had noticed the way the kid was staring, and was doing her best to remain polite.

"What's space like?" And just like that, Danny started spitting questions non-stop. "What's Tamaran like? I found a few articles, but I imagine they only cover the broad strokes of culture. Oh! When was your people's first interstellar mission? When did you discover there was other life in the universe? What galaxy is Tamaran in? What planets can you see from it? Wait, no, which stars? Do you-"

Danny seemed to catch the overwhelmed look on his wife's face and snapped back to himself. "Oh, um... That was probably a lot. Sorry. Space is just... I guess you could call it an Obsession of mine," he said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to word-vomit like that."

"It is quite alright," Kori said, smile returning. "I did not expect those kinds of questions. I must admit, I am uncertain how long ago we reached space, but it was quite a long time ago."

Danny nodded, the stars not quite gone from his eyes, and the room warmed back up. When had the temperature dropped?

"Anyway, Mar'i, would you like to go and get some ice cream?" Kori said, looking to the young girl.

"Yes please!" Riri turned her green eyes on Danny, and Dick waited to see how he reacted. While most people were generally very accepting of his daughter, it was still common for people to squirm a little under her full gaze and inhuman eyes. Danny did no such thing, just smiled back, eyes almost reflecting hers for the briefest of moments. "Bye Mr. Danny."

"Bye, Riri. Stay safe."

"I will! Come on, Mommy, let's go!" Mar'i tugged her mother towards the door, and Kori said a quick goodbye before letting herself be dragged away. Dick had already given her the replacement tracking bracelet for Riri, since her last one had malfunctioned. He turned to Danny, the both of them still standing awkwardly in the middle of a Waffle House.

"You said you wanted to talk," Dick started. Danny nodded, looking as tense as Dick felt.

"Yeah." They both sat at the table he and Kori had occupied. Dick had to right his chair, he'd accidentally tipped it over in his haste earlier. With the both of them seated, Dick started questioning.

"First off, how did you end up finding Mar'i? She was... being held hostage, and then she just fell into a green portal. Was that you?" Danny looked at the table, chewing the inside of his cheek like Dick used to do.

"... yeah. I... I'm a meta." Years of experience had taught him when someone was lying. This kid was. "It's sort of an empath ability? With a little bit of other stuff mixed in. I don't really understand all of it." All a lie.

"What I know is... It felt like my sister- My other sister, the one I grew up with- it felt like she was in danger, but also not? So I just... I made sure whoever it was was safe. It just ended up being Mar'i." Danny locked eyes with Dick then. Nothing about that last bit was a lie. "I know it probably scared you really, really bad. Ancients only know what I would do if Dan or Ellie went missing like that."

"Your kids?" Danny nodded. "Your son's name is Dan?" A fond smile overtook Danny's face.

"Short for Dante, but yeah. It's... a bit of a story."

"How old are they, if I may?"

"Dan's six, and Ellie's four." Danny was 17. That meant he'd had Dan when he was 11. 13 when he had Ellie. Dick felt a pit start to open in his gut.

"And they're yours?" Another nod.

"Yep. I know I'm young, but I've got Sam and Tuck with me. We've been making it work."

"You mentioned they weren't Miss Manson's. Who's are they, if I may ask?" Danny froze, then chuckled and looked away. He rubbed the back of his neck, slouching into the chair.

"That's another long story. But I don't know if I'd really change it." The pit that had started to open in his gut widened to a gaping chasm. Had someone-

"Anyway, you're a detective. What's that like?" Danny said, and Dick filed away the subject for later.

"It is what it is. I'm not in a great spot, lots of the people I go to work with are bought out by some crime lord or another. I try to do what I can from the inside, but there's only so much one person can do. It's why I work with Nightwing on a lot of cases."

"He's the vigilante in Bludhaven, right?"

"Mhm. Used to be a Robin before going there. He's a lot of help with the local crime." It was exceedingly strange to talk about his vigilante life like this with someone who didn't have more than passing knowledge of him. "But what about you? I hear there's a vigilante in your town too."

"Yeah, we've got one. Phantom. He's a ghost, so opinion on him is pretty mixed." And there was something he'd been meaning to ask about.

"Hang on, ghost? You mean those touristy sites talking about "The Most Haunted City in America" weren't bullshitting?"

"Nope," Danny said, shaking his head with a tired smile. "Ghosts are very real, and we have the property damage bills and insurance plans to prove it."

"Is that why opinion on Phantom's mixed?"

"Yeah. There's a pretty big camp that isn't happy with the damage his fights cause, or just straight up think ghosts aren't sentient. But there's also a lot of people that he's saved, or that just think he's cool."

"What about you?" Dick asked.

"I mean..." Danny was very hesitant, looking at his hands as he spoke. "I... Ghosts are sentient, to get that out of the way. And yeah, he's caused a lot of damage over the years, but the ghost hunters would have caused a lot more. He's saved ghost hunters from ghosts before, and he pretty regularly has to save ghosts and regular people from ghost hunters so... I think he's just trying his best to protect everyone. Plus... i mean, it's kinda my fault he's here in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... my parents have a... a lab? In the basement. They're ectobiologists, and they spent most of their lives trying to build a portal to what they call the Ghost Zone. And they did, but it didn't really work at first. So I took a look at it, and... well, there was an accident. The portal turned on with me inside, and it's how I got my meta powers. But it also let Phantom and all the other ghosts through. So it feels kinda wrong to hate the guy when I'm the reason he's here in the first place."

Dick had a hard time parsing out that last part. On the one hand, there was a lot of truth to what Danny was saying. But he was still lying. There was something he was hiding.

"But to actually answer your question, I'm sort of on the fence about him." Danny was pretty clearly uncomfortable, and the Bat in Dick wanted to press for more information, find out all the pieces. The part of Dick that knew this could be his kid decided that a subject change was much needed.

"That's fair. Your boyfriend mentioned you were in a couple clubs. What are they?"

~~~

Danny and Dick chatted for another hour before Dick brought up DNA testing. It was a bit of an awkward moment, but it needed to be done.

"It's just a precaution. It wouldn't be the first time someone did something like this for less than genuine reasons."

"No I totally get it. it was the first thing I did when I found Ellie."

"I thought you said she was yours? Did you not know the mother?"

"Ah-" and Danny was shrinking in on himself again. "Well... she doesn't exactly have a mother? Dan either. Like I said, it's a long story involving my fruitloop of a godfather and-" Danny took a deep breath, and Dick did the same, trying to make the blood rushing in his ears quiet.

"Danny... what happened?" Danny took another breath.

"Ellie and Dan are both clones. There's... I know you're worried, but I'd rather not talk about it." Dick was certain Danny could hear the way his heart was thundering, demanding retribution for something the kid so clearly had found violating. Hell, the guy at the register twenty feet away could probably hear it.

"Of course. I'm sorry to have pried." Danny nodded.

"Anyway, yeah. I get the need for a DNA test. No worries."

"Okay. And... if it comes back positive, what would-"

"Breaking News! There's a ghost attack on 50th Street and Olsen Boo-levard. It appears Plasmius is set on destroying an ice cream parlor. Please, steer clear of the area. I repeat, steer clear of the area. Ghost hunters are on the way, so civilians are encouraged to stay off the streets. We will update as-"

"I have to go," Danny said, standing abruptly. "Do you have a way to call your wife? Make sure she's okay?"

Dick was already pulling out his phone, rushing outside. Kori had a panic button, as did Mar'i. Both were inactive as he looked, and he wanted to sigh in relief. Then both went active, almost in unison, at the intersection of 50th and Olsen.

"Danny, wait!" Dick said, striding to catch up with the boy. "Please, please tell me you drove here."

"No? I took the bus, and then we walked." Dick cursed.

"Okay. Okay, this is fine."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Kori and Mar'i are there," Dick said, heart squeezing. Danny went pale as... well, pale as a ghost. it almost looked like he wasn't breathing.

"Don't arrest me." Danny walked out the door, Dick following close behind. He watched Danny break the window of a nearby car, slipping in and hotwiring it in seconds.

"Do you know how to drive?" he asked, face an echo of what Dick's used to be when he was Robin.

"Yeah, I know-"

"Good, because I drive like my dad, and he believes in road safety as much as he does lab safety. get in, I'll nav." Dick didn't need to be told twice, though he did want to ask what exactly Danny meant by that.

Dick peeled the car out of the parking lot like a Bat out of Hell. Which, he reflected, might have been something that actually happened and no one mentioned to him.

Danny guided them through the city, having them stop in sight of the destruction. Kori was fighting off several green glowing vultures, the blasts she fired from her hands barely singeing the things. There was distant cackling, and Kori tried to dart further in, away from where Dick and Danny were exiting the car. The vultures knocked her off course, harrying her and preventing her from getting to where she was going.

Dick checked the locations of the panic buttons. Kori was right in front of him, but Mar'i...

"She's still in there," he breathed out. Danny turned to him.

"What?"

"Mar'i's still in there. I-"

"I'm going to find her." The kid wasted no time, running towards the conflict.

"Danny, wait!" Kori was a member of the Justice League, and she couldn't do anything to the creatures that were clearly just stalling her. Danny was a civilian, he was going to get hurt.

But he ran on, dodging the lone vulture that dove at him with what looked like practiced ease, continuing his sprint until he was out of sight. Dick cursed, following what might have been his son.

He saw Danny duck into an alley, just before a bright flash of light poured into the street. He turned the corner and...

There was Danny. But he was... wrong. Black hair had turned white. Casual clothes had been swapped for a black hazmat suit with white gloves and boots. He couldn't see the boy's face, his back turned, but he watched the boy take off out of the alley, phasing through buildings as he gained height and flew towards what was likely the epicenter of the destruction.

Dick shoved his confusion and dawning realization down, continuing in the direction Danny, no, Phantom had flown.

~~~

Danny should have known better. Today was going too well, so of course, of course, everything had to go wrong. He flew towards where his core tugged, where Mar'i was.

He found her, cowering against a destroyed wall as Vlad towered over her. "You know, I didn't think my little badger could have a heart for anything not his own flesh and blood. Perhaps, however, he could be persuaded to change his mind with a little... incentive."

He leaned closer, and Danny felt a flash of pride as Mar'i fired a small green bolt at his mortal enemy. Vlad, for his part, did nothing more than hiss. "You little brat!" He snatched Mar'i by one wrist before Danny could intervene, flying up, no doubt to try and find him.

"Ah, Daniel. What a lovely surprise." Vlad said, dangling Mar'i by a still injured wrist. "I was wondering when you'd show up. I must admit, I have a few questions for you."

"Sure, Vladdy," Danny said, savoring how the man snarled a little at the nickname Danny's dad had given him long ago. "Just set her down first and then we can talk all you want."

"Somehow, I doubt your sincerity," Vlad said, squeezing Mar'i's wrist until she whimpered. Danny's core ached at the sound, but he stayed where he was.

"What do you want?" he ground out.

"The answer to a simple question."

"And that is?"

"Why her?" Vlad spit, shaking Mar'i a little. "Why spend your time caring for some random girl you've never met? What is so special about her that you would let someone who shares no similarities to you whatsoever into your core, but you won't even consider letting me, your same species, mentor you?"

"Maybe because she isn't trying to kill my dad and fu- marry my mom, fruitloop!"

"I simply don't understand it, Daniel." Vlad said, the hand not holding Mar'i lighting up in fire. "But, that does not mean I am foolish enough not to take advantage of a situation such as this.

"You may either come with me, bring my children with you, and accept me as your mentor and rightful father, or-" he held the flame up by Mar'i face, her green eyes reflecting the pink flames. "She dies."

Danny froze. Everything around him froze too. The air dropped until frost formed on the rooftops above him, cement creaking at the sudden and drastic change. Mar'i's breaths came out in clouds of white as her breath condensed in the chill and she started to shiver.

"Honestly, little badger, enough of the temper tantru-"

Danny crashed into Vlad, pulling his flaming hand from Mar'i fast enough he thought he heard something in Vlad's arm pop. He let his legs dissolve into a shadowy tail that curled around her waist as his other hand began to squeeze down on the wrist Vlad was using to hold Mar'i.

"Get your filthy hands off my sister." There was a snap and Vlad cried out in pain. Danny knew from experience that the break would heal in moments, thanks to the ectoplasm, but it was enough time to grab Mar'i and bolt.

He searched for Dick with his core, startling when he found the man nearly directly beneath Vlad. She whipped down, depositing Mar'i in his arms with a quick "Get her to safety," before taking back off, intercepting Vlad halfway.

It had been a long time since Danny had felt the need to truly go all out against Vlad. The last time he had, it had been all he could do to keep the upper hand in the fight. This time, it was clear just how outmatched Vlad had become.

Danny did what he could to keep the fight in the air, but collateral damage was inevitable when Vlad used every chance he got to try and take pot-shots at Dick and Mar'i. It was his only bet if he wanted to get Danny to do what he wanted, since overpowering him was so clearly out of the question.

He even called his vultures in to try and help, though Danny made short work of them, souping them quickly and going back to Vlad before he had been able to get out of Danny's range.

When Danny could finally think straight again, he was standing over an unconscious Plasmius, thermos gripped tightly in his hand. He let out a breath, pointing the thermos at Vlad and letting the device pull him in. With the threat gone, he phased the thermos into his chest.

That had been... intense. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so furious without wearing the Ring of Rage. Then again, he was a protector spirit, and Vlad had been directly threatening his sister. It only made sense he'd-

Something hit him, burning into his back, and he cried out in pain, collapsing where Vlad had just been a moment prior. "Yes! Finally, we've got you, Spook!" Danny heard the voice of his Dad, turning to see both his parents, fully suited up, standing over him. Before he had the presence of mind to try and move, His mother held out another thermos with a sickeningly sweet smile and sucked him inside of it.

~~~

There were a lot of things going through Dick's mind as the fight wound down. First, the kid who may or may not have been his son was a vigilante. Which brought up all kinds of questions about whether or not the kid was alive or not, since the town vigilante was commonly considered a ghost.

Second, the person- ghost? Whatever. The entity that had cloned his maybe-son without his consent was not only the kid's godfather, but also likely did so in an attempt to convince Danny to be his son. Which was creepy, even by bat standards. Like, Ra's al Ghul trying to convince Tim to become his protégé, creepy.

Third, Danny's parents didn't know. At the very least, they didn't know about their son being maybe a ghost, since they'd pretty blatantly shot him in the back right after he'd captured the actual threat.

Which Dick had seen because he was coming back after leaving Mar'i with Kori to see if he could try and help, or maybe get some clarification from Danny about what the hell had just happened. He'd seen the confusion on the boy's face, followed by terror, and then he'd been sucked into some weird looking thermos thing.

"We did it, Maddikins!" Mr. Fenton said, whirling to look at his wife as she removed the hood and goggles of her hazmat suit.

"That we did, Jack! Oh, I can't wait to see what's inside of it! Just think of all the tissue samples we'll be able to collect! We can finally see what really makes a ghost tick!" The two turned back towards the amalgamation of parts and tech that could only loosely be called a car.

"I know! I'm just so excited! Last time the blasted thing got away, but not this time! We've beefed up our security, so there's no way it'll be able to get out! Oh! We'll need to remember the muzzle, so there's absolutely no risk of it manipulating us to let it go."

"Of course, dear. I've had it ready and waiting on the table since the last time it escaped."

Dick was almost glad the two piled into the car when they did. The doors slammed shut, cutting off his ability to hear their conversation and what a relief that was. Danny had mentioned some people thought ghosts weren't sentient. He had failed to mention that those people included his parents.

Dick pulled out his phone, calling a private number that only the rest of the family had. When the line clicked on, he didn't wait for the voice on the other side to speak.

"Tim, I need you to find out everything about the Drs. Fenton," he growled into the receiver, striding towards where he'd left Mar'i and Kori. "I'm opening a case."

He hung up without letting his brother speak a word. Right now, he needed answers and a safe place for his daughter. Lucky for him, the Manson household had both.

Hmmm

I'm on a Danny is Dick's child kick rn so I'm making more.

But lets add in some Ghost King Danny!, Dad to a deaged Ellie and Dan! And toddler Mar'i Grayson.

Danny was conceived during Dick's amnesia year when he was Ric and the woman couldn't find him to tell him (or maybe the Owls caught wind of the pregnancy and took her) and he ended up somehow (hmmm maybe a meddling time keeper?) with the Fentons.

Danny grows as a Fenton, he knows he was adopted btw, then becomes Phantom, protects Amity, becomes the Ghost King and things seem to be going okay between Amity Parkers and the Infinite Realms since they took care of the GIW problem, AND has been a good doting teen dad to his deaged 'cousins/clones' turned kids.

Danny was going to go pick his kids up from daycare one day when CHAOS happens. Just as he wrangles Ellie onto his shoulders, cause she wants to be tall today, and about to take Dan's hand cause he's and I quote "A big boy and not a baby like Ellie, Dad!" he suddenly feels the tug of his family being in danger.

Thing is, its a blood related danger. Meaning someone blood related to him was in grave danger, and by the emotions he can feel, its someone young, way younger than him.

Problem.

The only people Danny knows with his blood in their veins and are young enough for the feeling are with him.

So who?

But due to Danny being a protector spirit AND knowing the feeling is from someone as young as his own kids, Danny decides to use his Ghost King Powers to summon said person from the danger to him.

Danny opens his free arms out just as a tiny toddler with black hair like his own but with bright green eyes, even the sclera were green, in a ruined party dress drops from the sky from the summoning circle that had opened above him.

Danny stares at the terrified child, whose hands are tied by rope and was crying, and takes notes of certain traits she had that he saw every time in the mirror or on his own kids, same eye shape and cheekbones. He can tell his ghost core has claimed her as family but not as his kid though.

No the connection that formed was almost like his connection with Jazz but a bit stronger.

This kid, was his sister. His blood related one.

-Meanwhile-

Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing, and his family were freaking the fuck out.

Dick was already panicked when his daughter Mar'i had gotten kidnapped just a few hours ago by the Joker.

Now he was feeling pure dread when his daughter, who was about to be killed, was suddenly pulled into a strange glowing circle at the last minute and disappeared into thin air.

[boogersparkles]

THE WAY TO A PERSON'S HEART IS THROUGH THEIR STOMACH!

Yuuta mito x gn!reader

Genre: crack, romantic, mutual pining

Summery: Yuuta wants to confess his feeling to [Name] and the Octo trio try to help (spoiler : it doesn't end too well)

Warning: might have ooc-ed the octos (idk if this is considered a warning but i use [Name] instead of Y/N cuz it reminds me too much of those AoT insta reels💀)

Words: 2.840~

Notes: Yuuta fic drop!! This came out wayyy longer than I anticipated also kinda changed the writting style cuz the colours aren't enough for everybody. Constructive criticism is welcomed! (Next fic will probably be with Yuuna or Yuuken cuz they need love too)

Yuuta really likes you. In fact, he could say that he adores you.

He believes that you two are closer with eachother than his other friends here in Twisted Wonderland. That you can relate to him on a different level than anyone else, that your care and trust in him shows just how unseparable you two are. He could even say that you were more comfortable than just average friends, so why...

Why is he struggling so much with how to confess to you?!

He feels completely helpless when it comes to romance. He can't even ask anyone for help since Ace's relationship went horrible, Deuce doesn't know how to talk to girls besides his mom and the only thing that Grim knows how to romance is tuna.

He had also brainstormed ideas, like making handcrafts or baking, but he was an amature when it came to art and you pretty much live under the same shaby roof that threatens to fall on you 24/7 so he won't be able to be secretive.

He was sitting on a bench, resting his head in hands, contemplating and overthinking his choises. Unbeknownst to him, a specific group of mermen were walking towards his direction.

"My, my, looks like Yuuta has found himself in a predicament"

Startled by the sound of Azul's voice, Yuuta sees the well known Octo trio standing right in front of him, smilling while casting an ominous shadow, making them look more intimidating than friendly. Not giving him a chance to say anything, Jades chimes in.

"What seems to be the problem, dearest Yuuta? Your face was deeply distorted with frustration"

"Your face looked a lot like Red Squid's (Trein) with all those wrinkles on your forhead, Shrimpy!"

"Can we stop talking about my face, please?"

Yuuta's cheeks bloomed red with embarassment, being caught in his little overthinking loophole wasn't something that he wanted, much less by the people who yearn for blackmail material secrets.

"Right.. Well then, what is it?"

Azul drops the teasing and asks genuinely. Crossing his arms and cocking his head questiongly. Yuuta hesitates for a bit but reluctanly answers.

"I wanted to confess my feeling to [Name] and I wanted to do something special for them. But i don't know exactly what to do"

"I thought Shrimpy had a specialty for cooking. Can't you just bake up some cookies or something?"

"I did think about doing that, but there's no way I could secretly make something quick enough for them to not notice me. Besides, most of the cooking appliances are either broken or impossible to clean"

None of them say anything for a while, they look between eachother, as if to telepathicaly converse in some groupchat. Then Azul speaks up.

"I have a proposal"

"I'm not signing any contract"

"Wha- You didn't even let me finish!"

Yuuta wasn't too sure if he fully believed him, but he still lets him continue.

"I'll allow yoy to use the Mostro Lounge's kitchen for as long as you need, only if you work for us"

"...Really?"

"Come on Yuuta, have some faith in me. I can be harsh at times but I'm no monster. If payment is what you're worried about, I'll have that set up for you"

"I wasn't worried about that. I'm just.. surprised"

He accepts the offer and smiles brightly, the others seem to be pleased as well. Starting tomorrow, Yuuta will work at the Mostro Lounge and will try to confess to you.

Keyword: try

Attempt 1#: Cookie trouble

Yuuta was baking at the Lounge's kitchen, where Azul had given him a recipe for some Valentine's day cookies. Even though it was way too early for Valentine's day, the gift held the same sentiment, so the date didn't make a difference. He left some extras in a jar for the guys as a thank-you present for lending him the kitchen.

Making his way out, Yuuta waves goodbye to his fellow coworkers and leaves with the cookies in a paperbag. He was proud with how they came out, having Floyd as a taste tester because he wanted to skip work, which didn't end too well for him but he couldn't care less.

Some of his fellow cooks were also impressed with his skills, since it was his first time making that specific recipe.

"Woah, these are delicious Yuuta! Good job!"

"Exquisite, the flavor of the chocolate is just the right balance of sweetness. Splendid work, Yuuta"

"Hey Yuuta..? Can.. you teach me how to get good at baking some time?"

He originaly was worried that you wouldn't have liked them, but the compliments really gave him a confidence boost. Getting excited, he thought about how he should approach you. Should he say something short and sweet? Or should he say something more deep with affection. Guess he'll figure that out when the time comes.

As he was walking past the statues of the Seven, he accidentaly bumps into somebody.

"Oof- sorry about that!"

"Watch where you're going punk!"

Great, he just HAD to bump into a raging deliquent.

"I apologize! I wasn't looking where I was going"

The hooligan slowly started to tower over him. Yuuta sweared that if they were in some cartoon, he would be able to see smoke come out of his nose and ears.

"Listen here punk. I've had the worst day a man can possibly have, so if you don't get your face out of MY face, I swear to the Seven I'm gonna-!"

He abruptly stops his rant and... Starts to sniff the air?

Yuuta just stood there, terrified and confused. What the hell is wrong with this guy? Should he like.. Walk away and act like this never happened?

He tries to sneak away but freezes in his place when the man's bulging eyes land on him.

"You...."

"Me..???"

"You... HAVE THE MOSTRO LOUNGE'S SPECIAL VALENTINE'S DAY COOKIES WITH THE WHITE CHOCOLATE AND STRABERRIES?! IT'S LIKE THREE MONTHS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY HOW DID YOU GET THOSE?!?!"

"I.. uh... what?"

Yuuta struggled to understand a single word that came out of his mouth, since he sounded like some crow chihuahua hybrid. Could he even describe that sound? Honestly he had no clue.

Before that psycho can do anything, like an angel sent from the heavens (or from the bottom of the ocean) Floyd comes to the rescue! Or... more like to publicly execute the guy.

"Who do you think you are bothering little Shrimpy like that..?"

Now Floyd was the one towering over the deliquint. Yuuta can just imagine how comical they looked from a third person point of view. The situation just gets more and more ridiculous by the minute.

"Eek! It's Floyd!"

Not looking in front of him, the cowardly hooligan crashes into Yuuta, making him drop the cookies.

"Little fishy got away. Now I really want to squize him.."

"Let it go Floyd, it won't accomplish anything, but thanks for standing up for me"

Glancing behind Floyd, he sees Azul and Jade walking up to them.

"We reported to a teacher about everything. Are you okay, Yuuta?"

"I'm fine... But the cookies aren't, what a waste.."

"Truly a shame. And you worked so hard to make those"

Jade gave him a sympathetic look and a pityful one at the cookies. What to do with them now? I mean, you can't feed them to any animals because of the sugar so..

*Crunch* *Munch* * Munch*

"Floyd! Don't eat them off of the ground!"

Attempt 2# : Wrong breakfast delivery

Yuuta was still a little bumbed out about the incident from 3 days ago, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. His spirit still stays strong! For now...

Finding himself in the kitchen again, he cooks up some pancakes and shapes fruits into hearts. Putting them in a divided lunchbox, he also places a small jar with your favorite spreading along with a little spoon and a little note that said "Would you like to go out some day? Just the two of us ♡" right on top of the jar, making sure everything looked neat. After closing the lid, he quickly leaves through the Octavenelle's mirror.

He finds you sitting at one of the cafetiria's tables with Ace, Deuce and Grim. As Yuuta sits across from you, he pushes the lunchbox your way, focusing on you because the others were too busy arguing about something stupid again.

"Good morning [Name]! I made you breakfast"

"Aww, thanks Yuuta. But I already ate"

"If you're not gonna eat it, I will!"

Before Yuuta could stop Grim, he had already opened the lid and started scarfing down everything like some beast that hasn't eaten in centries. Crumbs and juices were flying everywhere like bullets along with the now forgotten note that pretty much vanished into thin air. Everyone was taking cover to not get dirty, except Yuuta who was wallowing in his despair, not even reacting when some juices splatter on his cheek.

"Grim, slow down! You're gonna choke!"

"I can't help it, Yuuta's cooking is the best!"

"Thanks... Grim..."

From the corner of his eye, Yuuta could see the Octo trio cringing with second hand emberassment, which he couldn't blame them for. He's been in two seperate situations where he had his plan disintegrated right in front of him by some stupid factor.

When the warzone had calmed down, he feels a hand on his shoulder

"Yuuta, when you're available, please come to my office"

~After school hours had ended~

A couple of hours later, Yuuta found himself in Azul's office. He never even noticed how fast time passed, but he needed to listen to what Azul wanted to say.

"Well.. How do i put this gently-"

"Shrimpy, you're killing us here man"

"Huh?"

Yuuta was slightly surprised by Floyd's words, but it wasn't fully unexpected.

"Alright, listen. You've helped us with busines, surprisingly by a lot for such a short amount of time. Therefore, we will set up a date for you two"

Okay now THAT was fully unexpected.

"You would.. really do that?"

"We wouldn't be offering if you didn't raise sells nearly by 9% within a week"

After that, who was Yuuta to reject that offer? Lady luck was with him at the wrong times, but third time is the charm!

Right?

Attempt 3# : Dinner date

Yuuta had invited you to eat out for dinner, just the two of you. He also told you not to tell anyone because he was able to win a VIP spot for two people at the Mostro Lounge and he didn't want the others to get jealous. So you kept your mouth sealed, excited for your little dinner date.

Actualy, you didn't know if this was a date or not, but the thought of you and your crush sharing a romantic dinner together made you blush, just a little. At the moment, you were waitting for Yuuta at the school's well to pick you up. He said that he needed do something for work and that he'll try to finish it as fast as possible.

As you felt the cool breeze hit your skin, you hear footsteps getting louder and louder. Turning to your left, you see Yuuta dressed in a white button-down shirt and a fancy pair of navy blue pants.

"Hi! Sorry that I'm late, got caught up with work"

"Oh, it's okay. At least you took the time to dress nicely. I'm starting to feel underdressed"

"Why would you think that? You look great! Besides, we're not really financhially stable"

"Guess you have a point. Anyway shall we get going?"

"Yes, of course"

You started to walk towards the Octavenelle dorm, chit chatting along the way with how your day went, up coming exams and Yuuta's work. Speaking of which, you haven't seen him much because of it. You were happy for him that he found a job that suited him, but you started to miss him.

Finally arriving at the resturant, you go to the reception to find your designated table. But when you were about to speak, the receptionist perks up when he sees Yuuta and personaly escorts you to the VIP rooms

"This is your room. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave"

He leaves you and Yuuta in front of the door with the number 2 on it. Number 1 probably being Azul's office, but number 2 is still pretty high in the ranks AND money, right?

"Yuuta. Just what exactly did you do to win this?"

Yuuta simply laughs at your baffeled expression and opens the door, gesturing you to enter.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just enjoy our dinner"

Stepping into the room, you see a single table with two chairs, underneath a beautiful chandelier adorned with seashells and pearls. As if that wasn't romantic enough, the room was dimly lit and one of the walls was an aquerium of multicoloured fishes with sparkling scales.

While you were still admiring the room, Yuuta had gently held your hand, leading you to your chair, only after pulling out for you. When you sat across from eachother, a waiter came in to give you both menu catalogues and a little device for whenever you needed service.

The waiter exits shortly after writting down your order, leaving you and Yuuta all alone. You two sit for a bit, not sure with what to talk about, since you had previously said everything on your way here. So, to not stay in complete silence, you decided to play a game of "I spot" with the fishes in the aquerium.

But it's been over 45 minutes now and dinner still hasn't been served. Yuuta had secretly sent Azul a mesage about the delay, but he simply replied that there were some technical difficulties in the kitchen.

~Meanwhile in the kitchen~

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT THE STOVE IS FLYING?!"

"I DON'T KNOW! THAT SAME PSYCHO WHO WAS SCREAMING ABOUT COOKIES FROM DAYS AGO CAME IN AGAIN AND STARTED THROUGHING RANDOM SPELLS ALL OVER THE PLACE"

Azul's phone was shaking in his hands as he listened to one of his employees explain the situation. Peeking in the kitchen, he sees the mentioned stove flying in circles, as the food danced wildly on the plates. Taking a deep breath, he turns back to his employee.

"Did anyone get hurt?"

"Uhhh... Jade is currently stuck to the ceiling while Floyd is fist fighting with the cookie man"

"SEVENS DAMN IT-"

~Back at the VIP rooms~

Yuuta audibly sighs, he hoped that you didn't hear him, but you had noticed how tense he was ever since you sat down.

"Hey Yuuta, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little stressed from work"

"Are you sure that's the only thing bothering you?"

You just have to notice every tiny detail about him, don't you? Yuuta straightens his back, putting his clamy hands together, he finally spits out what he has been hiding.

"I... wanted to confess to you and I wanted to do something special... But anything I had planned never worked out"

He really struggled to say those words, nerves shaking when his voice cracked.

"I've liked you for a while now and I wanted to make this a memrable experience, but I just got a text from Azul that they're having difficulties in the kitchen.."

"Yuuta.. I like you too, but you didn't have to go out of your way to set this whole thing up"

Yuuta just looks at you, calmer from before. A small blush creeping onto his cheeks, listening intently to your words.

"Besides, those dumplings of yours always have me head over heels for you"

"Then, I guess that I'll have to keep making them, haha"

He finally relaxes, cracking a smile while resting his chin in his palm. You couldn't help but do the same, straight up looking like you came from a cheesy romance movie.

The moment was cute while it lasted. Then suddenly, Yuuta gets hit with some mysterious flying sauce that came from the kitchen square in the face.

But he didn't mind it too much, he was too busy paying attention to your laugh.

[victorluvsalice]

It's time for the standard "I recently finished off this story, so here's a link for you to read it from the beginning if you so desire" post commemorating the completion of "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of!" My very first multichapter Valicer (sort of, they're not together yet) fic! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I'm looking forward to starting the next installment. :) I hope you're looking forward to it too!

[alexanderwales]

I'm a big fan of wizards-as-programmers, but I think it's so much better when you lean into programming tropes.

A spell the wizard uses to light the group's campfire has an error somewhere in its depths, and sometimes it doesn't work at all. The wizard spends a lot of his time trying to track down the exact conditions that cause the failure.

The wizard is attempting to create a new spell that marries two older spells together, but while they were both written within the context of Zephyrus the Starweaver's foundational work, they each used a slightly different version, and untangling the collisions make a short project take months of work.

The wizard has grown too comfortable reusing old spells, and in particular, his teleportation spell keeps finding its components rearranged and remixed, its parts copied into a dozen different places in the spellbook. This is overall not actually a problem per se, but the party's rogue grows a bit concerned when the wizard's "drying spell" seems to just be a special case of teleportation where you teleport five feet to the left and leave the wetness behind.

A wizard is constantly fiddling with his spells, making minor tweaks and changes, getting them easier to cast, with better effects, adding bells and whistles. The "shelter for the night" spell includes a tea kettle that brings itself to a boil at dawn, which the wizard is inordinately pleased with. He reports on efficiency improvements to the indifference of anyone listening.

A different wizard immediately forgets all details of his spells after he's written them. He could not begin to tell you how any of it works, at least not without sitting down for a few hours or days to figure out how he set things up. The point is that it works, and once it does, the wizard can safely stop thinking about it.

Wizards enjoy each other's company, but you must be circumspect about spellwork. Having another wizard look through your spellbook makes you aware of every minor flaw, and you might not be able to answer questions about why a spell was written in a certain way, if you remember at all.

Wizards all have their own preferences as far as which scripts they write in, the formatting of their spellbook, its dimensions and material quality, and of course which famous wizards they've taken the most foundational knowledge from. The enlightened view is that all approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, but this has never stopped anyone from getting into a protracted argument.

Sometimes a wizard will sit down with an ancient tome attempting to find answers to a complicated problem, and finally find someone from across time who was trying to do the same thing, only for the final note to be "nevermind, fixed it".

[icewindandboringhorror]

Other Misc. Rambling Thoughts on the topic:

(~ !!!!!!!!! if you're just reblogging this post for the Poll section, please reblog the original post without this addition* lol. ~)

(*not that there's anything super personal or weird about the addition, just that it's meant to be kind of casual Side Commentary, not really part of the Main Point Of The Poll, so it would feel kind of weird for it to be emphasized by being included in reblogs unless the reblogs were explicitly about the side commentary, etc..... if that makes sense.. ANYWAY!)

It's neat to read the written descriptions that people are mentioning in the tags, since it's almost like I can see or conceptualize the idea as well, but it's just.. I'm not SEEING it.

Like for example: I can imagine a vase, it's a muted mint green and slightly translucent, elaborate golden birds sprawled down the side in streaks of thin rough watery paint, the base material shimmers gently in the light, there's a small chip where it's cracked on the handle, etc, etc. .. But as I'm thinking about this I see literally nothing.

It seems like perhaps some people can visualize an object first, and THEN describe what they see. But I sort of work backwards. I am building the object in my mind, I can never see it, but it's a collection of concepts. Rather than visualizing all details as a whole at once, I am adding each detail one by one, building onto the IDEA of the thing.

The vase doesn't have a crack on the handle because I just automatically visualized a vase with a crack. It was more that I cognitively understand the concept of a vase, what they tend to be made out of, how they tend to look and feel, the properties they have. So based purely on that knowledge, I can imagine "a chip is something that a vase could have, it would look this way and behave this way" - more like... I'm constructing a bullet point Fact List about the object rather than seeing it.

So if you tell me to imagine an object, I can, in a way, imagine that object in great detail, but it's just.. I'm not SEEING those details, more just knowing it's qualities in a purely conceptual way. Sometimes in the tags when people are like "yeah I can see the skin of the apple, texture, little dots on the surface" it's like… I can imagine that too, I can know it's there, but just with no visual attached.

I guess rather than SEEING something and going ''ah. I know what this looks like because I have seen it''. I more just skip that visual step entirely and go ''I know what this looks like, I just randomly have a list of information about the concept in my mind.'' etc. Maybe similar to how sometimes in dreams, even though a house may look completely different and be in an entirely fake 'dreamlike' environment, you just somehow KNOW intuitively that it's meant to be your childhood home or something. Even when it looks nothing like it in reality. There's a built-in base knowledge of the properties or information of some things within a dreaming mind, etc.

--

This also makes me wonder about like.. how storytelling and myth is so important to cultures all across time. Or how this could tie also into concepts of religion.. etc. etc. If so many people really can kind of conjure these vivid images in their mind, then maybe that's part of why certain things are so meaningful to them? Like a "religious experience" being something you can actually really SEE/feel/lingering with you in your head, rather than just abstract words on a page, detached purely theoretical ideas, etc... hmmm

.

Plus also just for average emotional stuff too, even outside of broader cultural conceptual attachments..

Like, I don't think there's a direct 1 to 1 link (obviously not all people with mental illnesses that significantly reduce their emotional or expressive capacity also MUST have aphantasia or vice versa), but it's interesting as someone who DOES also have a much more lessened emotional range/pretty flat affect/etc. etc. to think like.. Maybe I WOULD be more emotional, in a way, if I could have these vivid experiences..?

Perhaps memories would hold deeper significance if they could really stay with me vividly. Or storytelling would evoke more of a deep emotional reaction to me if I could really picture and feel the things that are going on. If things were more TANGIBLE in my brain, rather than always merely conceptual highly abstracted ideas.

Kind of like, it's probably easier to get over the death of a pet or something, if after not seeing them for an hour you already don't remember what they looked like (beyond just a vague fact list of traits), and you have no vivid memories or mental reminders of them (beyond just factual information stores). COGNTIVIELY you can appreciate the idea of their absence, of course, you still miss them, but there's just no remaining visceral sensory ties. A very "out of sight, out of mind" sort of thing in terms of attachments, memories, emotions, etc. Maybe certain things are easier to "get over", when you're not having constant mental sensory reminders that occasionally rekindle your feelings about the event or etc.??

(like for example, maybe someone could remain angry about an argument longer if they could vividly replay it in their head over and over again. VS just like.. 'Yes I can factually recall the fact I had an argument, and I do have knowledge stored about what precisely was said, but any sort of sensory data such as sights/smells/feelings, etc. from the actual moment of the event are long gone and can never be conjured again in my mind." etc.)

Which again, I think lessened emotional permanence and image permanence in the mind are NOT inherently linked, can all be caused by different things for different people. And, since I can't visualize anything in my head, maybe I'm misunderstanding how it happens and the effect it may have on stuff like remembering things you miss or replaying arguments, etc. etc. But it's still a little interesting to think about, if they could influence each other to some degree.... :0c --

Lastly, It's also weird because I'm actually pretty good at estimating distance and spaces? I can quickly assemble furniture without an instruction manual, pretty easily have a concept of how much space a chair may take up in a room, how two mechanical parts might fit together - BUT, I am literally not actually visualizing anything. I cannot see 3D objects in my mind at ALL. It's like.. just based on the pure List Of Facts About Things Which I Have Observed.. I can intuitively go "oh this works like this/this is this size" just because.. I know it's that size. I don't have to see anything to know..?

But then on the other hand, I'm terrible at directions without a map (I guess because a 3d outdoor environment has WAY more complexity than like.. "Will this square fit into another square?"etc. lol ).

BUT, I also draw/sculpt/etc. entirely without references, and seem to do mostly okay at that..? Like.. I can't even remember the last time I actually used a reference or looked at anything whilst drawing. It's all muscle memory, and me just adjusting as I go until something "looks right" on paper, I never have a set image in my head (or external reference) before hand.. Hrmm....

AND.. I used to say that I had a photographic memory when I was younger, which I know NOW is not true (I always thought it was just an expression, not that people could literally see things in a photographic way). But what I was describing is, I do often associate information with imagery, just... without imagery....

Like "Oh, I know that I took my medicine earlier today because I have a distinct memory, a snapshot of a moment in time, of me rattling the pill bottle in my hands as I looked up at a stop sign while in the back seat of a car". When I say this, I can't ACTUALLY see/feel/hear a pill bottle, or vividly picture a stop sign, but it's more just a factual recall, of. Even though I don't see these things, I know they happened, the information of them happening (me hearing a sound and also looking at a stop sign at the same time) has been stored in my brain as a memory, a collection of linked facts. --

As for other senses, I cannot taste or feel anything in my head AT ALL.. wild that some people mention that. I mean, again, I can have a purely factual recall as if reading a textbook, knowing the information of 'X item typically has X texture, therefore I can imagine what it may be like to feel it' or 'X usually has this taste' etc. - but I can never actually experience those senses in any capacity in my mind alone. I would say audio is my strongest mental sense (maybe a 2.5 or 3 (if it were translated onto the above scale where 1 is most vivid and 5 is nothing)), then visual (4.5 at most, usually 5), and then taste and smell and such are just complete 5, absolutely nothing, I didn't even know people could experience taste or feeling just in their mind alone.. lol...

I know this is just a silly bad quality random screencap of a screencap that I found on facebook lol, BUT it's a succinct enough image to easily describe the concept in a quick/accessible way hopefully :

-

(and of course, feel free to elaborate in tags, etc.! (especially elaborating about other senses as well.. can you "hear" in your mind just as well as you can "see"? taste? etc.) It's an interesting topic to me, as someone who's like a 4.5 at MOST lol. I'm curious what option will be the most common :0c )

[thebestandworstdayofjune]

i'm down on my knees, i wanna take you there

summary: you are suiting up for your first mission, the only problem being everyone "forgot" (intentionally withheld) this information from Logan wc: 2.3k a/n: thank you thank you so much for all of your support about my other Logan fic!! I am really enjoying writing for him, and have a few ideas for this Logan as well as some for Worst!Wolverine aka Deadpool 3!Logan as well! More info about empath!reader's powers and her role at the school in this one <3 warnings: slight (incredibly) slight angst, protective!Logan, a bit of a hurt comfort vibe, Ororo, Scott and Jean are meddlers this is the previous fic with these two, not required reading at all, though!

The leather was cool and surprisingly soft against your skin. There had never been reason for you to have to accompany a mission requiring one of the suits before, and you were shocked at how comfortable the uniform was. Typically, when you were asked to help with a mission, you were there for intel. Scope the place out, get a read on the general vibe of the place. Your powers didn’t provide the same level of protection as laser eyes or a strong regenerative healing factor. You would typically arrive with Rogue, in clothes from your own closet and one of the least fancy cars from the garage. You would slip in, get your read, and get out. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to help, you just lacked the training that the other members of the team had. And after all, someone had to stay back to mind things at the school. When Charles had approached you a few months ago about some possible applications for your mutation that would come in handy on missions, you’d been hesitant. It was so outside of your comfort zone to load yourself onto a jet that you’d never even considered the possibility. You were far more comfortable in the library where you held English classes for the students, or helping Charles keep students calm while exploring their powers. Neither scenario included the possibility of a lot of violence. 

Ororo helped you finish zipping yourself into the suit, smoothing her hands along the sleeves before giving you a final nod of approval. Jean and Scott granted you small smiles and you did your best to look as confident as you knew they felt. 

They’d promised it was a simple mission, the kind they usually took students on when Charles felt they were ready to join the team, if that’s what they decided to do after wrapping up their schooling. Charles had heard word of a young mutant who had some kind of telekinetic powers and had recently had an eruption while at school. Everyone agreed that it would be best to find them and convince them to return to the school for some training with as little force as possible, only expedited by the fact that Charles had found them hungry and afraid after running away from home using Cerebro. In the past, the kids had been resistant due to huge amounts of fear, causing them to lash out. You knew they were right that your powers would be useful at times like these, and if you were able to help in any way you were inclined to. 

“The fuck do you think you’re doing to her?” You sighed. It wasn’t that you were all conspiring to keep this a secret from Logan. It wasn’t a discussion that you’d had to agree on group espionage. It just seemed that all of you had a sort of understanding that it might be better to ask forgiveness rather than permission. Not that you needed permission. 

Logan looked furious, and what’s worse, he felt furious. You and Charles had been working to extend your powers over further distances, no longer needing to touch someone directly to know how they feel. Though it certainly doesn’t hurt matters. You’d sensed him upstairs, seemingly pacing around and seething. You’d hoped one of the kids had gotten on his nerves, or something on tv had set him off. You could see that was foolish now. 

“We aren’t doing anything to her,” Scott had his visor on, blocking his eyes from view, but you didn’t need to see to know that he was rolling his eyes. “She’s chosen to accompany us on a mission.” 

“A small mission!” Ororo chimed in, doing her best to give Logan a reassuring smile. 

You checked back in with his aura. Still furious. But it was a nice try, you supposed. Logan’s hackles were raised, his chest heaving. This certainly wouldn’t do. “Can I have a moment with you,” you glanced around the room, briefly meeting the other three mutant’s eyes. “Alone?” 

Logan was still staring daggers at Scott. He wasn’t even the one who suggested you were ready to come along. Jean and Charles had approached you this morning. You laid a hand against his arm, hoping to lead him out of the room, but he flinched away. The pang in your heart was immediate. Did he really think you were so callous that you would ever use your powers without his express permission, or some kind of emergency. You could feel the tears starting to gather in the corner of your eye, your arms wrapping protectively around your midsection. 

Jean slipped one arm through Scott’s and took Ororo’s hand with her other, gently leading them out of the room. “We are going to check a few things with the jet, last minute.” She began to hustle them out of the room. “Call if you need anything!” 

The door shut firmly behind them, and you were left alone with Logan, who looked like he was going to start shaking. “I wasn’t going to-”

“You don’t think I know that?” You can’t help but recoil. You have never been afraid of Logan, even when it may have been in your best judgement to be wary, and you still aren’t. But you can’t deny that it hurts when he snaps at you. Especially when you thought, well. You thought you were growing close. You started to turn away, but before you could, a warm hand caught ahold of your arm. “I’m not… fuck.” He took a heaving breath, shaking his head as if he could clear whatever thoughts were bothering him. “I’m not mad.” 

Despite the serious energy of the conversation, you couldn’t help the incredulous look you shot his way. He tried his best to hide it, but you could see the corner of his mouth turning up at you. “Fine, I’m not mad at you.” 

“You know, you really can’t be mad at anyone, they were just doing-” you were cut off when you fell Logan’s hand traveling down your arm, and pushing your sleeve up gently from where it was covering your hand. He slipped his hand into yours and you felt yourself relax a bit. “Just, take a look, yeah?” 

“Are you sure you want me to?”

“I trust you, bub.” You searched his eyes for any sign of hesitancy, but all you found was trust. Complete and utter trust. You nodded, tightening your own grip on his hand. Doing your best not to let the gentle rub of his thumb against your knuckles distract you, you took a deep breath and opened yourself up to his feelings. 

At first you did feel anger, bright red and hot. You sifted past it, steeling yourself. The first time you had encountered such strong anger, you had felt as if you were going to collapse. But you were stronger now, more prepared to deal with these kinds of feelings. The anger was strong, but also surprisingly shallow. In the depths of his emotions, Logan was worried. Terrified. A deep dark purple that made your own hands shake. His grip on your hand tightened, effectively drawing you back to yourself. There was more, a soft inviting pink that you didn’t dare to touch and shiny bright gold, which told you he was proud. 

You opened your eyes, fighting back the heat you felt creeping onto your cheeks. His expression hadn’t changed, pure trust and tenderness. It should have been disarming, or at the very least surprising. Logan wasn’t so open and honest with people. But the two of you had always had different expectations for the other. 

You couldn’t help it, a smile crept over your features. “You’re proud of me?” 

He rolled his eyes, but his smile only grew. He took your free hand in his, pulling you in closer. “I’m always proud of you.” He hesitated for a brief moment, and you did your best to bite your tongue. You could tell Logan had been making an effort to open up lately, and not just to you, but that didn’t make prolonged silences and easier to bear. “I know it’s not my place to demand anything of you.” 

“You’re my… friend.” You cut him off, wincing at the pause. It didn’t feel like the time to pressure him into labeling whatever feelings may be floating around. “And I always want to hear my friend’s opinions. What’s bothering you so badly?” 

“I could hear your heartbeat from upstairs.” Your eyes grew wide, too shocked to try to school your expression. Logan had told you several times that he had learned to block out his enhanced hearing when he was quite young. Usually to tease you when you got on a long tangent about something you enjoyed. He pretended to zone out and ignore you, but he would always remember small details about your rants, bringing them up nonchalantly at a later date  “I, uh, keep an ear out sometimes. Helps with the worry.” 

He worries about you? Even more surprising, he’s listening to your heartbeat like background music to his day. You promise yourself you will ask him about it when you don’t have a room full of your friends waiting on you. “I thought we’d covered this. I can take care of myself.” 

He sighed, bringing a hand to rest gently where your jaw meets your neck. “Sweetheart, I know you can. But that doesn’t stop me from watching out for you.” 

Your hand moved to rest overtop of his. “The good news is that I will have lots of people watching out for me. You know they won’t let anything happen.” You receive a single huff in return. He’s not convinced. “You know that these are the kinds of missions we send the kids on. I’ll be fine.” 

He considers for a moment, before dropping his hand and nodding. “Give me a second to get changed, and we will head out.” 

You grabbed for his hand, but he was already out the door, and moving too fast for you to stop. “Logan, don’t be ridiculous.” 

“What’s ridiculous is you thinking that I would ever let you go out there alone.” 

“As we already established, I have three very capable friends coming with me. I am only going as a contingency plan.”

“Well then consider me the contingency to the contingency plan.” You huffed, following him next door. 

You darted around in front of Logan, pushing against his chest with all your strength, even if you were fully aware that it was the equivalent of a fly buzzing around him. He stopped all the same, eyebrows pulled together in frustration. “I know you’re worried and I know that this is you trying to help.” Logan had his I’m about to interrupt you look on his face, leaving you to shove him again. Thankfully, he understood your intention. “This is important to me. You can’t be there every time, and I have to stand on my own two feet. I want to contribute to the work we do here more than just teaching kids about how awesome Shakespeare is.” The look was back. “Which is still an important contribution.” You added, which seemed to appease him. “But, I don’t want it to be my only contribution. So I am going to go and make sure that this scared kid who is all alone out there makes it back here safe. And you are going to stay here and make sure that everyone gets dinner and help with their assignments. And then when I get back, we are going to have a talk about all this.” 

“All this?” A smile crept back onto your face, hearing the teasing tone in his voice. 

“Oh my god shut up!” He caught your hands before they made contact with his chest, but he was slow to let go this time. He brought the back of both of your hands to his mouth, dropping a small kiss on each one, before returning your hands to your side. 

“If you come back with so much as a bump to the head, Scott’s dead.” 

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, and pointing out that this was exactly what you were talking about earlier did little to sway him. So you gave in, agreeing to give him a full report before slipping your hand into his and tugging him towards the jet. 

“We’ll be back in a bit.” You promised. You could feel the others staring from just inside the jet, but you barely noticed. Logan was checking over your suit meticulously, tugging zippers a few more clicks up and making sure that the collar wasn’t too tight around your neck. He kneeled down, checking to make sure the laces on your boots were double knotted. “Logan,” you laughed, reaching down to tilt his head up to look at you. “I’m too seconds away from sending a lot of exhaustion your way and leaving you passed out in here. You have to let me go, it’s going to be fine.” 

He remained kneeling for a second too long, a look in his eyes you couldn’t entirely place. The sound of the jet powering on broke the both of you out of your trance. He was on his feet in a flash, checking over you one final time. You rose up on your tippy toes, balancing by resting your hands on his shoulders, before gently kissing him on the cheek. You pulled back, nose scrunched up from the tickle of his facial hair. “We’ll be back in a few hours. Hold down the fort for us, yeah?” 

He nodded, pupils slightly blown out and a dreamy look on his face. You giggled, walking backwards for as long as you can before turning around and finding a seat on the jet. You could feel Jean and Scott’s eyes on you as Ororo began maneuvering the jet out of the garage. “Don’t even start.” You muttered, settling firmly into your seat, doing your best to soak up the pride and confidence the others were projecting into the cockpit. 

as always, feedback is so appreciated! if you have any requests for these two/wolverine in general, please leave them here!

next part

[bbokicidal]

skz + cucking

You read the title. Synopsis: Based off of a request asking who SKZ would most want to be cucked by and why.

Genre: Smut Pairing: OT8 x Afab!Reader Warnings: 18+ (MDNI) Notes: None ~

Chan: Minho. Honestly, I think he would be totally fine being cucked by any of the boys; But if it were up to him, and the one that would rile him up the most, is Minho. He's just a little bit younger, and he's the 'uptight, stoic, older brother but somehow mom' of the group - And Chan just thinks Minho deserves a little break and to be able to relax for a while instead of looking out for the Youngers of the group. So, naturally, Chan tells you to ride Minho until he's pink in the ears and near to tears.

Minho: Jeongin. Guy gets off on seeing you with the youngest. He partially likes watching you two get it on because he likes seeing the way Jeongin fumbles with you and is a little surprised that you're so bratty and pushing his patience to see what riles him up and gets him rough. Jeongin expected you to be more submissive, given he figured Minho was the more dominant person in the relationship. Little did he know; This was just what happened when you had two tops who bit at each other and pushed the limits. Jeongin just had to figure out how to handle you.

Changbin: Seungmin. He loves seeing you with Seungmin; Either using his favorite younger to get yourself off, or letting the vocalist take out some of his frustrations on you. Seungmin didn't have a partner of his own so he always came to Changbin if he was needing to blow off some steam, asking if he could borrow you for the night - And Changbin always agreed on the condition that he could be in the room. Seungmin never minded, he actually kind of liked having his favorite Hyung watching. Even if it felt a little dirty using his sweetheart like this...

Hyunjin: Chan. Chan, all the way - but not for the reasons you may be thinking. Hyunjin wants you with Chan and Chan only because he trusts the eldest with everything he has. He trusts Chan to take care of you the way you deserve, to be as romantic as him and to be careful with you when something happens that might be a little more rough. He wants you in good hands and he trusts Chan to be delicate with you. (I'm sure you were hoping I'd say you get devoured and fucked hard the by Red Lights duo and you do, but only when they both need to let off some steam. Otherwise it's usually more romantic and soft.)

Jisung: Hyunjin. Jisung is antsy when it comes to sex; He's touchy, fumbling, rushing ahead of himself and always trying to get the most he can out of the time he has with you - so Hyunjin being with you is perfect because he is the complete opposite. Hyunjin's a romantic and is setting the room up with candles and rose petals, taking you by the hand and kissing you so sweetly while Jisung sits helpless in the corner. Jisung loves watching it all, sitting out and just observing, but because he's so antsy you do have to tie his hands to the armrests of the chair so he can't get up and try to join.

Felix: Changbin. Felix is NOT going to pass up the chance to see you with his favorite Hyung. He isn't super huge on being sucked in general but if it's Changbin, he'll let anything slide. And seeing Changbin being able to manhandle you so easily (not that Felix can't, he just can't toss you and lift you all that easily because of his back) makes Felix determined to work out more often. His favorite part to see is when Changbin literally folds you in half to fuck you easier. He's always learning new positions and techniques from his Hyung. <3

Seungmin: Jisung. Seungmin doesn't trust many of the guys with you because some of them can be so rough in the bedroom and he knows that because he swears he's heard all of them fucking at least once through the years of living together and swapping roommates. He likes listening sometimes, but watching one of his group members with you is so much more exhilarating. And of course he's picking Jisung to ask if he wants to join because he knows the answer will be yes and because he trusts Jisung to not rip you in half in bed. He also finds it a bit amusing how quickly Jisung moves with you, grabbing at your body to try and feel over every inch before his time with you is up.

Jeongin: Felix. His favorite Hyung is always welcome to join the two of you in the bedroom, but Jeongin knows well that he himself isn't interested in a threesome. Not with another guy, at least. So when Felix asks to join in some nights, Jeongin is always happy to say yes and invite him over to the apartment; And Jeongin is never upset about not being able to have sex with you because he's just as happy watching his favorite member taking care of you. Though he always ends up being a bit surprised by how feral Felix can get when it comes to you.

Permanent Taglist :

@dwaekkicidal @possum-playground

@thatonedarkskinnedsiren @oc3anfloor @theyadorevalerie

@jeonginsleftcheek @pixie-felix

[rotagnus]

the path you're taking. | ^_^

details: basically a SIX pile reading that focuses on the future path laid out for you. remember, nothing is set in stone. this reading will read CURRENT you's energy. it will focus on any/all significant aspects of your life. choose a pile that calls you AFTER you've looked at all of them. it can be inaccurate (or very accurate) if you choose on a whim, which is why i recommend looking at them all and following your gut instinct.

!!!!!!!!!this is a very heavy reading. please only read it if you're in a good mental health space. there are some triggers in multiple piles, so i highly suggest you DON'T READ IT AT ALL if you are EASILY TRIGGERED!!!!!!!!!

this does not have to resonate. i am a 17 year old tarot reader and by no means a professional, and this does not mean that my readings mesh with you!!

p1.

i think a lot of you may be overwhelmed with the future. many of you see that there are a lot of possibilities ahead of you; you're not quite sure whether you should choose what your heart is telling you, or what others expect of you. there might be the dilemma of choosing what would make you happy, and what would be most profitable. deep down, you know which one you should choose, even if you feel a little bit (or a lot) of regret facing the other choice. a lot of you may face some grief later on, abandonment wounds coming up as all things do catch up to us eventually, pile 1.

a lot of you can feel guilty, at first. for those of you who are planning on marrying, you are most likely going to be the one that's the asset between you and your partner. you guys have a deep glow about you and for most, your partner is happy enough to sit back and observe their beautiful, bright sun. for others? be careful not to attract a husband/spouse that will be jealous of your glow. unfortunately, a lot of men are stuck in the energy of seeing successful people, especially women, as competitors. make sure that you have friends, family, and romantic partners that want all of you, and hold no spite toward the choices that you make, and the glow that you possess.

many of you who are participating in higher education may study in a more urban area, or end up living in one. something about those places calls you and you feel drawn to them. some of you are my ladies in stemmm and congrats. i think that a lot of you are very talented individuals even though you underestimate yourself; so don't worry too deeply about being financially successful. you guys are resourceful and don't mind doing jobs as long as you're respected, which is definitely something to look out for. a lot of people can be a bit disturbed by your personality, but that is neverrr your fault. many people don't like seeing people like you win, whatever that means for you; but your glow cannot be dulled, my darling.

i think a lot of you will be traveling, which means a commute to work or perhaps changing homes/countries. while a lot of you are afraid of this, many are happy and see this as a way of finally spreading your wings. i was on the school bus today and thought of this phrase i've heard; 'never cage a bird that loves its flight'. nothing will be able to bind you down to a place you hate, pile 1. so for a lot of you who are/have been/will be in toxic relationships, you'll be able to leave. i think that a lot of you should understand that you have this deep ability to change within you. you will be abundant anywhere you go, babycakes.

p2.

i'm hearing that most of you so far have had a difficult life. a lot of you have seen the worst people around you win and be happy, especially toxic family members and parents, and you have a deep doubt of your own morals and your own nature as a person. you also have this large desire to please people and to make them love you by being an easier pill to swallow. the first part of your future will definitely be reworking these wounds if you choose to. if you don't, it can definitely cloud up any potential that you have, because a lot of opportunities are ahead of you, but you must recognize your worth while just EXISTING instead of dedicating your whole life to prove that you fit into your own concept of 'worth'.

despite this, i am hearing that the happy ending you desire is in your hands. you have a lot of control over what happens next, but you need to get rid of the illusion of a life that other people want for you. you will only be happy if you follow what YOUR PATH is. what YOUR CALLING is. not what other people want you to do. i think you're more on the artsy side of the spectrum of work; this can range from fashion work, graphic design, to even the more spiritual side of jobs. your future job prospects will be very correlated with your ability to express yourself. your voice is meant to be heard, and your art is meant to be seen. a focal lesson of your life will be learning how to deal with criticism from people, and how to keep doing what you're doing despite the voices that tell you that what you're doing is wrong.

many of you are in your 20s/30s and are still dealing with figuring what you want out; a specific message for you is that you're not too 'old' to be feeling this way. sometimes life takes a while to truly feel like it fits you. you have not met all of the versions of you that exist. many of you also have this deep desire to find peace and stability, particularly within other people. i think you'll definitely have the kind of love story where you meet someone and your intuition tells you that they're the one, even though you may doubt it a bit. for most of you, your future spouse won't necessarily be the person you expect. the version of them you have written in your head won't fit like a glove, but get this; it can be even better than you expect. a lot of you think you have high standards, and i don't necessarily agree with that...but i do think that you shouldn't hold such a specific version of a person to the light, y'know?

ooh. so the same card that fell out in the start of the reading fell out again. you guys can interpret this as you want, but for me, i think it symbolizes a completion of a cycle that you guys have been taking this lifetime to learn. a lot of growth will happen and at times it can feel like an endless circle of death, but at the end, you'll be at peace and recovering from the constant growth that you experienced. your path is not meant to be easy, pile 2. but it's meant to be rewarding.

p3.

a lot of you are going to flourish in whatever you're insecure about. many of you deal with crippling anxiety that can leave you with physical symptoms, and as you grow older, many of you will realize (or have realized) that to deal with physical problems, you have to have physical solutions. yoga, pilates, going on walks...you know what i'm talking about. many of you may have struggled with addictions or grown up with a relative that did, and this deeply affected your psyche and your ability to latch onto things without having a deep desire to completely and utterly possess them or have control of them. people pride you on your leadership and your ability to be strong, but they never seem to see the story behind it.

i think this life is meant to teach you security within yourself. a lot of you may perceive this as being alone, but the truth is, you're never truly alone. your ancestors, guides...whatever your belief system is, they're all rallying behind you. i think that this life is also meant to show you that you guys are truly divine, capable souls. you guys are great manifestors, and great people in general; hearts of gold, and you'd genuinely do anything that'd benefit the world. i think this life will definitely be returning all of your own inputs back to you, even though right now, you probably don't feel like it. i think many of you genuinely didn't think you'd make it this far, and now that you're here, you're experiencing this deep fear of 'what do i do, with all of this?' you guys have that main character vibe and many of you are genuine, unique people who others want to keep in their life, because that little nicheness you have? SOOO OBVIOUS. you guys are the stars, the night, and the moon, all in one.

you have a charisma that is so visible. many of you will be dealing with being seen, in your life, in many different ways. many of you that want fame will achieve it; those that desire to be understood will get it. you guys do have a strong-rooted fear of being vulnerable and exposing parts of yourselves to others, but as you go through this life, it'll become easier and easier to you. many will become mentor like figures to others, particularly younger souls (this can manifest as literal kids, or younger figures, such as students/pupils, coworkers, etc).

a lot of you will most likely end up with a future spouse that has gone down the same path you did. many of you already don't want to date someone who's 'perfect'; you understand that someone who's conventionally attractive, rich, etc. the perfect version that is very often idealized in media isn't someone who would necessarily benefit you at the end of the day. hair grays and skin sags, so a temporary feel-good wouldn't suit you. i do think that you guys will end up with someone who compliments you, and it'll heal a part of you that feared you would never find true joy in another person, due to your own 'complexity'.

p4.

many of you guys feel overlooked your whole life. nestled in the darkness, while others bathed in the light. many of you struggle with insecurities that were instilled on you by societal norms or older maternal/feminine figures that critiqued you unjustly due to their own fractured view of themselves. you hate doing things with other people and you'd much rather do them alone, partly because you know you can handle them, partly because you don't trust others, and partly because you don't want to burden others with your own problems. some of you struggled making friends growing up, and when you actually meet people who seem to like you, you're kind of like 'uhhhh right so this is a trick'.

a lot of you may end up unconventionally happy. NOW, before you get scared, let me explain. this may not be as dramatic as you think; for a lot of you, you may end up dating/marrying someone outside of your culture, which can break your relationship with your family (honestly...for some of you, good.). you may also start to break generational patterns and you're like 'mann i don't wanna do this work' but it'll truly make you happy in the end. unconventional happiness can be not having kids, or not marrying, OR just having a job/marrying someone with a job that's not a popular one, whatever. you guys are breaking norms simply by existing, and by the time you do, you're not going to give one flying fuck about what others think of you. you guys are gonna be like the rich aunt who has a history with the family. younger members will look up to you.

you guys are very impulsive people and don't have strong attachments to things, which can definitely be a benefit in some situations, however in others...you guys have a crippling fear of commitment because you believe everything is temporary, and this can really hurt the people around you if you never heal. while the other piles had open endings, there's two major ways i can see your life going; you decide that you want a good life for yourself and you start to heal and recover from the hellhole that was your younger years, and the other one is you giving up and starting to fall into old habits that leave you stranded in pain and agony until you get back up again. a lot of you may struggle with masculine figures in your life, sometimes you may seek out the feeling of 'safety' you had but is that really safety? many of you are strong women, who picked this pile, and i think that those of you who are struggling right now will be fine, just a small message.

you may have lost a battle, but you won the war. in the longer span of your life, you'll be happy. you will hold a lot of resentment for the system and people that failed you, and you will act as a guide to other people, similarly to the previous pile, that were stuck just like you. you guys have a deep empathy within you and you easily understand what others go through, which will make you a very understanding elder. romantically, there's two major paths for you too; fall for the same toxic patterns in people, or actually allow someone to see you. not every person that likes you is a trick!!!! many of you may meet your actual future spouse later in life. they'll probably be on the quieter side and what attracts you to them is the fact that they're deeply observant and actually seem to notice you, for WHO YOU ARE, deep inside that stubborn little shell of yours, rather than the image of yourself you try to put out.

p5.

you guys have hella trust issues and you're the kind of person who's verrryyy careful financially and in all aspects of life. you are blunt, honest, and deeply loyal to your friends and family. you guys tend to attract people who are loud and charming, and they kinda like you because you're sooo mysterious and alluring. shy smiles, and such a pretty face! your body is really pretty too. sorry for gushing 😔😔. BUT YEAH. a lot of you have this deep maternal energy within you and people notice this. you most likely will end up working/already do in a field that has to do with care. social workers, stay-at-home parent, teacher, etc. you guys are terribly warm people and a lot of animals and kids and women feel particularly safe with you. you uplift others without putting others down, and people think you're such a sweetheart. especially your smile. i don't know why i feel like i have to keep saying that but your smile is made of sugar spice and everything nice :)

many of you will end up with a quiet, peaceful life. you guys will truly take great care in making sure that your future is one of sweet treasures and moments of utter calm, rather than taking the easy way out and rushing through difficult processes. you guys possess a deep wisdom within you that allows you to be very committed to your goals and passions, which is ultimately the reason that you'll find security. your love is definitely going to be a focal point/lesson in this lifetime; it's the reason that you'll end up happy. you guys are the kind of people who forgive but don't forget, and your strong boundaries will definitely end up saving you many times in your future. you guys are also willing to communicate with others and work with them, which will prevent future arguments with coworkers and potential partners.

i think that i've already gushed a lot about your job prospects (you'll be fine, babe), but as for family life? many of you do desire companions. many have faced losses early on in life and you yearn for stability and softness, especially since you guys may have had family members that weren't able to show those qualities to you. you guys will have soo much intimate moments in your future, i swear. all those grocery shopping trips, all those movie nights, you'll get it all. i think many of you do struggle with patience but you're very hopeful people, so keep that up!! don't let time beat you up. everything happens on its own timeline, and listen, many of you already have a deep gut feeling that you'll end up happy, so...keep those dreams. keep your chin up. you know who you are, at the end of the day. it's never worth giving up on looking for that romcom love.

you'll end up living a long life, full of interesting moments. i think a lot of you will end up keeping a collection of journals, poems, scrapbooks, etc. that you'll end up passing onto your kids/or other younger members. you guys will truly be a spotlight for others, and they'll look to your life and your lineage for reassurance that a life of miracles and softness is truly possible. my last bit of advice for you is to never lose your belief in humanity. it is what has gotten you this far, and it'll be very useful for you later on. but also, remember that just because you're a sweetheart, doesn't mean it's your responsibility to deal with other people's bullshit. thank youuu <3

p6.

woww you guys have a deep richness inside of you. very dense with goodness, LMAO. always giving. but seriously, you guys are DOGGEDLY loyal and would do anything for your heart. a lot of you faced several problems early on; miniature adults who faced adversities way earlier than they should have. many had to act as a parent. some as an older sibling. eldest daughters here?!?! youngest daughters that ended up having to support the parents?!?! hiii. you guys feel indebted to the world, as if you have to earn something back. you guys have a deep sense of justice and people probably told you 'you should be a lawyer' before, although it wasn't always necessarily meant nicely. people try to give you backhanded compliments due to jealousy or insecurity. you guys genuinely see the good in others and it feels sooo good to be loved by you. you guys are very tender with your specific people, and others feel so graced that you let your guard up. 'i only have eyes for you'.

many of you will be intensely dedicated to your job, passion, or family. you guys don't just have a deep sense of loyalty for people, but also for other things. you guys are good, conscientious workers, and you see light in everything. but you guys also aren't afraid to stand up for what's right. you bear a lot of weight on your back. many will end up working in higher-end positions because of your dedication and your ambition. you guys deal with a similar problem that one of the other piles had; feeling like you're only good because of your achievements, not because of your existence. your optimism and creativity will carry you far, as well as your general acceptance of other people, even though they might be different from you. you have an understanding that not everyone (including you) had it easy growing up, and you feel drawn to people who have experienced suffering early on. you used to have a savior complex, but for most of you, this died away/will die away because you do recognize that you're not meant to save others, that it's their own path to heal, just like you did. you guys are willing to grow and are very determined to become a better, stronger person, not lingering in self-destructive behaviors or unhealthy connections.

your future spouse will be a figure that you yearned for your whole life. they'll see you as someone almost mystical, at first. very drawn to you, particularly to your physical looks; not just your beauty, but the hint of pain under your eyes. they will probably be someone who suffered but in the other way that you did, and deep conversations are likely. many may try to 'save' you but end up realizing you're already healed, and you can be a catalyst for change for a lot of them. either way, you'll end up in a healthy relationship, i think. it'll be a reward for not giving up, and choosing to be alone rather than to be stuck with someone who's toxic as hell. your intuition will lead you here, as well as your judgement of others who you know would end up breaking you or destroying you. you guys will end up being the powerhouse of your surroundings, and you guys would be great mothers/nurturers due to your ability to nourish others. you guys accept that life is but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things, and you are able to provide a lot of comfort to others. your future spouse will probably be similar, and you two will oftentimes be the only pairs of arms that holds the other, as primarily, you both have been givers your whole life.

you'll struggle with a lot of imposter syndrome in your life, because of the sacrifices you made. however, you will recognize that you truly deserve the goodness in your life. your whole path will be made of learning, and although you may get tired of constantly growing, you will always have the ability to bask in the arms of loved ones. you will end up making great, lifelong friends--you will always be progressing, and you will forge a life that accustoms you wholeheartedly. i would not have any doubt for you, at all, darling. you will end up in a bustling environment, for the most part, but you'll have your sweet moments; resting near your future spouse, or listening to music and dancing in your room. you'll be fine.

[comicaurora]

Hi! I remember you saying at some point (I think, on the podcast?) that just realizing you have ADHD helped you to deal with it because you found some practices and techniques to help it, even without medication - or something along these lines, do I remember correctly?

Can you tell, which techniques? I seem to be somewhat resistant to medication (tried all options we get in the country I'm in, and improvement is very minimal), so I'm interested what else can be done there just to make it manageable

Caveat that every ADHD person is different so what works for me might not work for you, but this is what I've found helpful:

Break up Executive Dysfunction and fight Time Blindness by SETTING TIMERS. I have a fitbit, and on days I can feel my brain being restless and uncooperative, I set a ten minute timer on it. When it runs out, I set another one, and so on. It buzzes on my wrist, so it's hard to ignore, but it's not gamebreakingly distracting so it doesn't ruin my mood if I'm on a work roll. A brief, tangible reminder that time is passing can help me snap out of a break period or, if I'm working, give me a feel for my rate of progress. I can also use that reminder to take stock of if I need to eat food, get up and stretch, or lie on the floor for a bit to reset.

Take SMALL, LATERAL BITES OF PROGRESS. If you're having a hard time working on something, feel out what else you might be able to make headway on. Maybe you've got some writing notes you could jot down to build on later. Maybe there's a tiny item on the day's to-do list you could cross off quickly. Maybe there's a text or an email you've been meaning to fire off, or you've got a mild itch to doodle something in a sketchbook. Any progress is better than no progress, and even if you're just on your phone on the couch, you can get a lot of good work done just jotting down thoughts in the notes app. The lateral element is also very important; if you're fixating too hard on the ONE thing you're SUPPOSED to do, you can trap yourself in a spiral of how it's what you're SUPPOSED to be working on but it feels IMPOSSIBLE. Literally let yourself do anything else. Don't trap yourself with "it's either doing your responsibility or it's NOTHING." Your work is not a plate of broccoli you're not allowed to leave the table without eating. Give yourself permission to un-imprison yourself.

Related, If there are external factors on the responsibility - like an outside deadline or a team of people you're working with waiting on your stuff - don't be afraid to let them know where you're at, or if you're uncertain you can make the deadline as stated, even if you think your "brain is not working" reason isn't good enough to justify the delay. Most people are extremely chill about it, and some of them will even offer to help or make it easier for you in some way. "Struggling with deadline" is not an ADHD-only experience. It is one of the most relatable human experiences, and basically everyone will be inclined to help you out.

ANY PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS. LARGE projects can feel extremely overwhelming because you know you can throw everything you've got at them for a day or even a week and it still won't be finished, and if you've got that shadow looming over you, you might sink into a malaise of "I can't finish it and that means I can't even bring myself to start it." The best way to fight that is to make ANY progress in ANY direction. Every large project can be broken down into bite-sized chunks. Anything feels overwhelming if you see it as an unassailable monolith. Work you do now is work you don't have to do later.

CHECKLISTS. It's hard to hold a large list of things that need your attention all in your head at once. It is unbelievable how helpful it is to just write them down somewhere obvious, and when you're done with something, CHECK IT OFF. Don't erase it, leave it visible that you FINISHED it.

Tell your anxiety to CALL YOU BACK. This one's weird, but when I'm stuck stressing over something, I've found it legitimately works to pull up my schedule and pencil in "worry about <thing>" for a specific date and time. My brain registers that SOMETHING has been resolved and nothing has been outright dismissed or ignored, so it settles down. When the time rolls around, the source of the anxiety is still there, but the feeling of anxiety itself has been drained out of it.

On a related note, this might not be an ADHD thing, but I've found it's very useful to Avoid Anxiety And Guilt Spirals by HOLDING COMPULSIONS AT ARMS' LENGTH. I picked this up from some readings on OCD, which is in the category of "I don't seem to HAVE this to a diagnosable degree, but some of the structures were at one point familiar to me." It's good to be aware that, if your brain keeps circling back to any given thought that distresses you, that is structurally an obsession, and if in reflexive response you have a desire to do a specific thing to mitigate that feeling, that is structurally a compulsion. This includes things like "I bet my friends think I'm annoying - I should message them something fun and casual to see if they still like me." Or "I'm worried about the state of the world - I should check the news so no new horribleness blindsides me." The compulsion might contain a sensible thing to do; checking in on your friends is good, keeping up with world events is smart. But done AS a compulsion, it reinforces the anxiety cycle. Even when it results in something neutral or positive, it only confirms that this innocuous thing is your only lifeline over a yawning abyss of terror and stress, because if this time it was fine, it must be because THIS time your vigilance Saved You. So you'd better do it next time, too, because there WILL be a next time, and you might not be so lucky twice, right? The way to stop this cycle is to weaken it over time by, when the obsession pops up (a random reminder of a stressor, an old fear) and the compulsion is prompted, do not do it, no matter how reasonable it seems. Hold the compulsion at arms' length, becoming aware of what the obsession wants you to do and why. Similarly, sit with the awareness of the obsession. You are having an unpleasant thought, but having a thought does not make it inherently meaningful in any way. It doesn't mean you're actually in any danger, any more than you were before you had the thought. It's discomfiting because it removes the salve of the compulsion from the sting of the obsession, but in the medium to long term, it withers the cycle at the root and makes the entire process loosen its grip. Then you can do things like talk to your friends and check the news without it being underlaid with the sting of panic and desperation; they are, after all, neutral activities with typically beneficial consequences, not lifelines over the abyss. It might startle you when, months later, an intrusive thought pops up that used to send you spiralling into misery for hours or days, but now it feels irrelevant - even absurd - and easy to disregard. It really does work, and it's surprising how many things you can untangle this way.

Avoid boredom time prison by HARNESSING HYPERFIXATIONS. My most controversial take, but I think if your brain is desperately hungry to do This One Cool Thing Today, it's a good idea to let it. Even if that means you spend the whole day drawing fanart or bingewatching a show or baking croissants instead of Getting Work Done, the benefits you reap from just letting your brain tap into the rare Infinite Dopamine Opportunity usually outweigh any and all work slowdowns that result from taking the impromptu day off. When your brain works in the ADHD way, your enthusiasm is a vital fuel to keep it running. You need to have energy and joy in your life, energy and joy to spare and spend on things that may not be inherently energizing. If you have the option to spend a day doing something ridiculously fun, fill up that tank and reap the productivity benefits for the next week straight.

[bosbas]

Chapter 1: I said, "dancin' is a dangerous game"

series masterlist previous part || next part

pairing: anthony bridgerton x fem!reader WC: 2.5k words

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, lowkey why do i ship daphne and y/n....

Summary: At her wit's end after Anthony's multiple attempts to scare away her suitors, Daphne employs her best friend's help to keep her brother distracted while she tries to find a husband. It's a foolproof plan, except it ends up working a little too well. (or, a Bridgerton version of The Taming of the Shrew/10 things I hate about you)

May 13, 1812 - You were in Hyde Park less than ten minutes before you saw Daphne Bridgerton's figure out of the corner of your eye. Delighted that she'd joined you earlier than expected, you waved her over.

"Hello, Daph," you greeted cheerfully, scooting over so your best friend could sit beside you on the bench. "I didn't think I'd see you for a few hours, given how many gentlemen asked you to dance last night. Did none of them call?"

Daphne groaned, a scowl set deep on her face, as she took a piece of bread from your basket and broke it into chunks to feed the ducks.

"Don't remind me. Most of them called, actually," she responded. "If only Anthony had let me have three seconds with them I might have been able to discern whether or not I was actually interested. He barged into the sunroom and promptly kicked everyone out. There was not a single suitor left in the room by the time he'd finished!"

You snorted. "Ah, so the overbearing eldest brother is once again to blame."

"Isn't he always?" she responded, too annoyed to match the lightness in your tone.

You just smiled to yourself and fed the ducks silently, knowing Daphne well enough to hide your smile from her, given that she was more than likely fuming at Anthony's constant meddling. You knew he meant well, but he was known to go a bit overboard at times. Well, most times. Especially when it came to Daphne's courtships.

"Anthony's the biggest rake in Mayfair, anyway. I don't know exactly what moral high ground he thinks he's standing on but it's certainly not as sturdy as he assumes," continued Daphne, still upset over that morning's happenings.

"Is it really that bad, Daph?" you said in an attempt to console her. "At least you're not getting hordes of unpleasant men at your doorstep every day. And you know the kinds of men that frequent the ton aren't always the kind you'd want to spend your afternoons with."

"I'm not getting any men at my doorstep! That's the problem!" exclaimed Daphne, exasperated. "I know you might not share the same desires as me, but I would eventually like to get married and have a family."

"I want to find a husband, too," you insisted, your tone bordering on defensive. "I just don't particularly feel bothered to look for one during my first season."

Daphne sobered immediately, coming out of her annoyance toward her brother as she could sense you were upset. "I didn't mean it like that, I swear," she insisted, placing a hand on your shoulder and looking into your eyes. "It was just-"

"I understand," you smiled at her, placing your hand over hers. "I just don't have the same urgency as you do, on account of my father having absolutely no stake in my marital status. No stake in anything about me at all, actually."

It would be a sad sentiment if you weren't used to it. You were an only child, and your mother had died after getting ill when you were only five years old. Your father, of course, was quite busy with the land he managed, and thus most of your upbringing had just been you and your governess. And the Bridgertons, of course.

You had met Daphne when she was eight and you were seven, and the two of you had gotten along splendidly since then. Since you had no real family of your own, bar your absent father, you spent copious amounts of time at the Bridgerton residence at Daphne's insistence. You now found yourself to be a semi-permanent fixture in their house, feeling just as home there as you did at your father's home.

This proximity to the Bridgertons had made you intimately familiar with Anthony's overprotective demeanor. Ever since you and Daphne were young, Anthony had gone out of his way to make sure that his siblings were cared for. Sometimes that included you, too. But unfortunately, he could take it too far sometimes.

"Did you like anyone last night, at least? Your dress was quite magnificent and I know I'm not the only one who noticed," you winked at Daphne.

She hummed thoughtfully. "I don't entirely know. I don't think one dance is enough to know whether I truly like someone," she responded, slumping down on the bench.

"Especially not when Anthony cuts the dance short halfway through," you laughed, recalling the eldest Bridgerton's attempts to thwart Daphne's search for a husband.

But your comment did nothing to lighten the mood. Instead, it seemed to make your friend even more irritated.

"It's my second year out in society! I still don't have a husband. Not even close to it, apparently," continued Daphne, aggressively tossing bits of bread into the pond.

"Well, you have to marry eventually. Anthony can't keep you away from every man for the rest of your life!" you argued.

But this did little to quell Daphne's annoyance. "He's certainly trying," she muttered.

"We can ship him off to the West Indies for the season," you joked. "Surely he won't be able to interrupt your suitors from halfway across the globe."

Suddenly, Daphne raised her eyebrows, looking at you with a devious smile.

"I was only joking! We can't actually ship him away," you laughed. "Besides, how would the ladies of the ton ever survive without the most desirable bachelor who is always just out of reach?"

Daphne snorted, amused at your dig at Anthony. "No, no, we don't have to ship him away," she said. "But you are correct in saying that I need time away from him to fully explore potential matches."

You hummed in agreement, imagining how much easier life would be for Daphne if her older brother simply... let her be. "Is he going on a hunting trip soon?" you said hopefully.

Your best friend shook her head, still smiling at you like she was plotting something.

"What is it?" you pressed, laughing at her expression.

"Can I ask you a favor?" she said, an expectant look in her eyes.

“Yes, I’ll kill Anthony for you. I’ve only been waiting for you to ask,” you joked.

“No,” Daphne laughed. “I’m serious.”

“Go on then,” you nodded.

“Could you ask him to dance at tomorrow’s ball?”

“Me? Ask him? Are you out of your mind?” you sputtered. You had never danced with Anthony at a ball, and you couldn't fathom the first time you did so being after you were the one to ask him.

“Y/N, please. I can’t just rely on forlorn glances across the ballroom to secure suitors. I need to actually speak with them, and I won’t be able to if Anthony keeps... hovering.”

Granted, hovering was a very generous word for what Anthony was really doing. But still, you looked at her, uncertainty in your eyes. You weren’t particularly keen on asking Anthony to dance, knowing he was famously opposed to marriage at this point in his life. Yes, you had grown up around him, but that didn’t mean he was interested in you at all, and you didn’t want to face that rejection if you could avoid it.

“Don’t give me that look! I promise it’ll work,” cried Daphne, desperate. “Just tell him you feel like dancing but don’t want to give another man the wrong impression since it’s only your first season and you’re still biding your time. Most of which is true.”

She made a good point. You didn’t want the hordes of men that seemed to flock to Daphne just yet. And would one dance really hurt that much?

---

The music in the ballroom pleasantly surrounded you as you stood next to Violet. Daphne had left to dance with Lord Wilson, a bachelor of very distinguished background who seemed to be hanging onto every word your best friend said.

Just as you turned to Violet to comment on how well-suited the pair looked, Anthony stormed over to where you were standing.

"It's unbelievable that she's even giving him the time of day," he said lowly, looking wholly unimpressed by the dance happening a few feet in front of him.

You could feel Anthony growing tense beside you as the seconds ticked by, and you bit the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing. Three seconds of his sister speaking with a man and he was ready to explode already? He was worse than you thought.

You saw Daphne lean back as she laughed at something the gentleman said, and you knew you had to act fast before Anthony intervened.

“Oh, the music is wonderful tonight! Anthony, would you care for a dance?”

He tore his gaze away from his sister and looked at you, perplexed.

“Are you asking me to dance?”

“I believe I am, Anthony,” you said.

He scoffed, not quite believing you. “That is not very proper of you, Lady L/N.”

“And you are a great authority on propriety, I presume?" you said, a playful edge to your voice. "Given your… adventures as a rake, surely you have a better idea of what is proper than I do.”

Anthony choked at your bold choice of words, not used to people calling him out so publicly. “Y/N! Why do you want to dance with me then, if I'm such a rake?”

You rolled your eyes. “I just enjoy the music and want to dance. And I don’t want to give any other men the wrong impression,” you recited exactly what Daphne had told you to say.

He nodded reluctantly and took your hand. “Very well. One dance, then. I don’t want anyone getting the wrong impression of me either.”

This was the last time you ever did anything for Daphne. God, how difficult could one man be?

But all of your annoyance faded away once he placed his hand on your hip and spun you around. This was rather nice, you found yourself thinking. You hadn't properly danced at a ball yet, and you couldn't help but think that you'd missed out on a rather enjoyable activity.

The dance was going along quite smoothly, and you and Anthony seemed to be melting together, no longer two individuals but instead moving more like one entity. You were especially enjoying whenever his grip shifted slightly and his hand ran across the small of your back. To be truthful, you were simply having fun.

That is until you felt Anthony shifting you across the dance floor so you could get nearer to Daphne and the gentleman she was dancing with. Feeling Anthony's shoulders tense underneath your gingerly placed hands, you looked up at him.

Looking into his eyes, you raised your eyebrows. "She's fine, you know. You don't have to watch over her every second of every ball."

Anthony rolled his eyes, dismissing your comment. "Of course I do. She's my sister! I have to take care of her. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her or if she ended up betrothed to a dolt."

"Anthony," you softened your tone. "It's quite alright. It's not all up to you. You've got an entire family to keep her safe. And me, of course."

You could feel his muscles relax under your hands. "Thank you," he breathed out. "I know all of that to be true. I just worry about her. And about you! But luckily there aren't many suitors of yours to scare off."

"Oh," you said, your voice squeakier than you intended. "Thank you?" you questioned. You weren't quite sure how to take his comment.

"No!" he rushed out, immediately realizing what his words sounded like. "I didn't mean it like that. Daphne had just mentioned that you're not as interested in finding someone right now since it's your first season. And I hadn't really seen you dance with anyone at one of these balls before. And-"

"It's no trouble, Anthony," you smiled, giggling at how flustered he'd gotten. "I appreciate the concern nonetheless."

He shook his head, still not believing that he'd been so rude toward you. As much as you were a familiar face around his home, he couldn't quite tease you the way he did Daphne or any of his other sisters, and he was dreadfully embarrassed that he had made you upset, even if just for a moment.

"If you ever want to dance again, just come to me, understood?" he said, his voice turning serious. "I don't need another one of you to worry about."

You could barely contain your laughter as the music came to an end. "Yes, Anthony," you said dutifully, smiling at how silly he was being.

Looking over at Daphne, you were pleased to see that everything had gone to plan and she'd had the chance to talk to Lord Wilson the entire time you'd been with her brother. It was a relief that she'd finally gotten a normal courting experience.

Before Anthony could reach her and wrench her away from her suitor, Daphne rushed over to you, grabbing your arm excitedly.

"Shall we take a turn about the ballroom?" she suggested, leaving you no room to protest as she led you away from her mother and brother.

You laughed at her excitement, glad that your best friend was finally enjoying herself.

"Thank you so much, Y/N, truly," she gushed, squeezing your arm affectionately. "That was absolutely incredible. It's the longest time I've been able to spend with a potential match without Anthony hanging over my shoulder."

"I'm happy to do it," you said amusedly. "He was that lovely, then?"

"Oh, absolutely not," she shook her head. "Lord Wilson was dreadfully boring. But at least now I know! And I don't have to pine over him or wonder what he would be like. I know for certain I'm not interested, and I can focus on finding my true love match."

"That's wonderful, Daph," you laughed. You truly held so much affection for her. It was endearing to see her so excited over spending time with a man she didn't even like.

Suddenly, Daphne slowed her pace. Turning you around, she held both of your hands and took a deep breath. "Yes, it was. Which is why I must ask you to dance with Anthony tomorrow night as well."

"What do you mean? Ask him to dance again? I thought this was only for tonight," you sounded unconvinced. Asking her brother to dance one time had already been enough of a hassle, but having to pretend to need him to dance with you once more was looking like an insurmountable challenge.

"Please, Y/N," she begged. "It's the only way I'll find a husband that isn't someone like Nigel Berbrooke," she added, whispering the last part.

It was true, Anthony seemed to have impossibly high standards that only the most unpleasant bachelor in Mayfair seemed to be able to meet. If you could do anything to protect Daphne from that unpleasant fate, you would do it.

"I suppose I could try tomorrow night. Though I can't promise he'll want to dance with me again. Anthony seemed quite reluctant tonight," you conceded.

"Nonsense," said Daphne, rolling her eyes. "Anthony loves you dearly, I can't imagine he'd ever turn you down."

"Whatever you say," you responded, unconvinced but unwilling to dampen your best friend's chipper mood. Besides, you had a wonderful time with Anthony tonight. How could another dance possibly go wrong?

—

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[dcxdpdabbles]

Please i wanna know who danny ends up dating in the menace au lollss,

Danny smiles at the boy across from him, who gives him a flirtatious grin back. It's their first date, but things are looking promising. They met when they were younger, back when Danny had first come to live with Bruce and the boy had spent the summer with his father.

It wasn't love at first sight, but it was a mutual respect and understanding.

He hopes it can bloom into something more if given enough time. He knows the other doesn't really understand love, not the way Danny feels it, but he can see that at some level, Danny's attention and companionship bring peace to him.

Perhaps it was related to Phantom. Frostbite did mention his presence had the tendency to influence others. Not force them to feel what he does, but his Core was one of protection and care, so a bit of it leaked into the air, causing people to feel more empathy.

Or maybe James Gordon Jr just liked him more than others. Who knows.

"I'm having a great time," He admits.

James's grin sharpens, his eyes crinkling with satisfaction. It was the same look he had when he caught Danny setting his classmates' dolls on fire that one time he joined Commissioner Gordon on a visit to Wayne Manor. "I am, too."

The words bloom in his chest, making him feel shockingly giggly, and were they not in public, he might have kicked his feet under the table. But Danny Fenotn-Wayne had an image to uphold. He settles for twirling the fork in his spaghetti, hiding his soft smile behind a bite.

He ignores Dick, who is hiding out in the bushes behind James. His baby brother was distraught that Danny had chosen to go on a date.

Bruce was able to calm him down by allowing him to use his Robin training to trail the couple in his civilian clothes. Danny had half a mind to think he was purposely allowing James to notice him, if only to send his date a threat.

Really, if it wasn't so cute that ten-year-old was trying to protect him, Danny would have been embarrassed.

[anonf1writer]

“but please shut up” — ln4

summary: from the SINGLE PARENT UNIVERSE and based on THIS request, I present to you 2k words about the moment Yn first said the three words to Lando, and then told him to shut up (or something like that). reader x lando norris (use of Yn, yes) word count: 2k

NOTE¹: as a fic writer AND reader, i'm aware of the whole AI talk that's been going around. and as i was writing this, i realized how the thing that pisses me off the most about this whole thing, is how the use of dashes (—) became synonym of the use of AI. because i LOVE using dashes. i think they look beautiful and they tell things in a different way. the pause it's different. the information after one dash or between two dashes feels different. so i overuse them naturally. bc i love them. but now any time i add one, i take it back. bc i dont want to be associated with the use of AI. and the more i do it, the more it pisses me off. bc i want to be able to use my dashes. my writing might suck. i might be the worst around here. but i WANT to use my dashes. so please don't take my dashes away from me okay? ok. thank you.

NOTE²: so yeah, that being said, i went back and added a few. and that's it. <3

──────────────────

Yn and Lando had been dating for no longer than six months when the words finally slipped out of her mouth. 

It was a Saturday morning. A sunny one, to be precise. One of those rare occasions that normally meant peeling Olivia away from the TV and getting her ready for a picnic at the park, or for riding a bike, or for doing just any activity that allowed them to soak the sun as much as possible. 

On that particular Saturday morning, though, the clear sky wasn’t the only rare thing happening in London.

For starters, Yn wasn’t at her place, but at Lando’s apartment. Something that had never happened before. Not in the morning, at least. Not as a result of spending the night there. 

Then, of course, because she wasn’t at her place, there was also the fact that Olivia wasn’t there, with her. Instead, her sister had taken Olivia to Bristol so she could spend a fun weekend with her cousins. And so Yn and Lando could have some time alone. 

So, yeah, of course—things were different that morning. 

And yes, maybe she could have sensed that something else would happen, something she didn’t see coming because it also normally never happened. 

But she didn’t.

All she did was wake up wrapped in Lando’s arms, kiss him good morning, and drag herself out of bed. On her way across the bedroom, she grabbed one of his hoodies and put it on. Warm, oversized, and smelling like him. Exactly how she liked it. 

Once she made it to the kitchen, the space opened into sunlight and sleek surfaces. Fancy. Clean. Organized. Looking not even one bit like the messy home she owned. With no crayons forgotten on the table, no mermaids and unicorns in the mugs and cups and plates, no colorful drawings stuck to the fridge. And yet just as comfortable and cozy in its own Lando Norris’ way. 

It made her smile, for some reason. A smile that she kept on her face while trying to decide what to make for breakfast, and that only grew bigger when Lando finally joined her in, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder while she cracked four eggs into a small bowl. 

“Hmm, you look really nice in my kitchen,” he murmured, his morning voice sending chills down through her spine. “Wearing my clothes… Smelling like me…”

She tilted her head slightly at that, leaning into his curls as he kissed her neck and just settled there, keeping up with her movements. With the whisking of the eggs and the soft clink of the fork echoing in that quiet morning. 

Yn could tell Lando was happy with that setting, with spending the morning together after also having spent the night together. Something they couldn’t really do very often, considering she still wasn’t ready to add him into Olivia’s routine like that. Not without making sure—making fully, fully sure—that this wasn’t just a temporary thing for him. That he was staying in for good, and that he was actually willing to have a role not just in her life, but also in her daughter’s life. 

Which, to be honest, was becoming more and more easy to see as time went by. 

Like when he stepped away to grab the milk from the fridge and very casually asked, “Talked to Liv yet?”

“Not yet,” Yn said, then waited until he had splashed a bit of the milk into the small bowl to keep going. “Told my sister I’d give them a call after breakfast.” 

She sprinkled in a pinch of salt and went back to whisking, meanwhile Lando got himself busy by grabbing a pan and dropping a knob of butter into it. 

“I hope she’s having fun,” he said, distracted as he switched on the hob and placed the pan above the humming heat. “Y’know, I was thinking about what it’d be like to take her to the beach.” 

Yn paused. 

She paused and stared at the bowl in front of her. 

And Lando laughed. And the butter sizzled gently. And then the smell of it filled the space. Warm. Comforting. 

“Sandcastle chaos, for sure,” he added.

Still chuckling. 

Still nonchalant. 

As if mentioning he had been thinking about her daughter and about how it would be to spend time with her didn’t bring this funny feeling to her chest. As if it wasn’t a big deal. As if it was normal. 

Yn swallowed.

When it came to Lando, to be fair, it actually wasn’t weird. Because he did that a lot—dropping how much he cared in the most subtle, random ways. In the little things. 

But this morning, for some reason, it seemed to happen more than usual. 

He did it again, for instance, as they were sitting around the small table and having breakfast. As he was telling her about these new clothes he had bought online. Casually, randomly. Just by asking, “Purple’s her favourite, right?” 

To which Yn furrowed her brows and mumbled a simple, “huh?” 

“Liv’s.” He scraped the fork against his plate, gathering the scrambled eggs, and shrugged. “I saw these really cute tiny trainers that made me think of her.” He scooped up the food and shoved it inside his mouth. But he didn’t stop, he just chewed as he talked, muffling the words. “They were… Mmph… Puh’pul… Yeah… Puh’pul’s her fav’rite… Innit?”

 “I— Yeah. Purple’s her favourite color, yeah.”

He smiled, swallowed and nodded, all proud of himself. 

“I knew it.” He took a sip of coffee, then focused on the beans still left on his plate. “Didn’t get them though…” He shoved the fork back into his mouth. Words mumbled as he chewed again. “Didn’know’er size, so… Oh!” He swallowed and shuffled on his seat. “Shit.” He coughed, choking a little around the food that had gone down his throat. “Um… Just remembered… Did I tell you about this… About this new idea we had for the next collection? I didn’t, did I?” 

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Right. Yeah. So, listen to this…” 

And so he rambled about something else. 

And Yn listened. 

Trying to absorb as much as possible. Trying to understand. Trying to make sense. 

But then, as they were putting the dishes in the sink and talking about the next few weekends and how busy his schedule would be, he did it again. 

He brought her up again.

“I’ll try to come home as much as I can,” he said, “but y’know, if you ever want to come to a race one day, I’d love to have you there. Not just you, but Liv, too. Like, not now, of course, but later, when you’re ready. I’d like that.” 

And like a cherry on top, while Yn had her hands submerged in warm soapy water, he asked, “Hey, is it weird if I frame that little drawing Liv made the other day?”

Yn stopped.

And blinked at the plate she had in hands. 

“The one she said was for good luck?” Lando added, pacing in the kitchen. Not in a nervous way, but in that very particular excited version of him. Full of caffeine. Hair sticking up in three different directions. Hands moving along with his words. Babbling. 

Always babbling.

“Or maybe not frame it but put it on the fridge or… I don’t know… Something. Somewhere I can always see it… Y’know? Would that be weird?” 

She blinked again.

“Because I won’t if it’s weird… Don’t want to make it weird…”

Eyes still fixed on the dish in her hand, she mumbled, “Lando…” 

“I mean I don’t know what the protocol is here… I know you said you wanted to take things slow when it comes to her, and I totally get it… I mean you know way better than I do, so I trust your judgment… It’s just that she’s so great, y’know? And that drawing is so cute. It’s been back and forth with me for weeks now, but I wanted to check with you because I—”

“For the love of God!” She dropped the sponge and the plate and turned around, water dripping from her fingers as she glared at him. “Can you just—I mean… Lando I swear, I love you so much, but can you just please shut the fuck up for a moment?”

Lando stopped. 

No. Lando froze.

Mid-step. 

Not even looking at her.

Just.. Hand reaching into the cabinet. Eyes fixed ahead. Blinking to the clean tableware. 

And Yn didn’t even notice, so she just sighed. Loudly. Dropping her shoulders. Grabbing a tea towel to wipe her hands. And then trying again.

“Sorry. I don’t mean like, shut the fuck up, but just… Y’know, give me a minute to think? You’re like… Nonstop right now! Just going on and on and on about Livie and it’s just—”

“What did you say?”

Yn looked at him.

He was still facing away, still frozen on the spot.

“That you’re going on and on about—” 

“No. Not that.” He dropped his arms to his sides and turned towards her. “Before.”

Yn frowned, searching inside her head for whatever she could’ve said that made him look like that right now—pale, shocked, terrified. On the verge of freaking out.

“I don’t—”

“Love me,” Lando murmured. “You said you love me.”

“What?”

“You said,” —he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if gathering the strength to say the words— “Lando I love you so much but can you please shut the fuck up.”

“Oh.”

“You said you love me.”

“Shit, Lan…”

She stepped forward, and he stepped backward. 

“Nuh-uh.” He raised one finger and pointed it at her. “Nope. Stay there.”

Her lips tugged up.

“Babe… C’mon.”

“You love me.”

She tilted her head. “Mhm.”

Lando dropped his arm.

Then opened his mouth, then closed it again. 

And then he looked away, dropping his posture like he had just been punched in the stomach.

“Holy shit,” he said. “I didn’t—I wasn’t—wow. Wow. Ok. Okay. Yeah. That’s—That’s just… I mean, did you—You really meant that?”

Yn laughed. 

“Lando…” She dropped the tea towel on the counter and took a step forward, a tiny one. Just to make sure she could. “Baby. Just breathe, okay? You’re sweating.”

“I’m not—” He raised his arms, checking underneath. And then he shook his head. “Maybe, who knows. That’s not the point.”

“Then what’s the point?” she tried, softly this time. Stepping just a bit closer.

“That you love me.”

“Mhm.” Standing in front of him, she placed her hands on his chest and nodded. “So? You’ll get used to it.”

Lando snorted and looked at her, his own hands instantly finding her waist. Almost involuntarily. As if they belonged there. As if it was the only natural reaction when having her so close to him. 

“You knew this would freak me out, didn’t you?”

He pulled her closer, and when she nodded, she also smirked at him.

“Of course I did. Been holding myself from saying it out loud for a while now.” 

He flinched at that, chin and head jerking back slightly. “Why would you ever do that?”

“Really?” She laughed and slid her hands up his chest, then up his shoulders and neck, until she was able to link her fingers through the short curls on the back of his head. “Did you see your reaction just now?”

Lando shrugged and stepped forward, slotting his feet with hers and crossing his arms around her waist. Getting rid of the little distance between them. “Just because I’m weird and freak out like this doesn’t mean that I… Y’know… That I don’t… I mean I just…”

She nodded and hunched herself forward, kissing his cheek before landing back on her feet. 

“I know. I know you do, babe. So whenever you’re ready. That’s okay.”

He sighed and leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. 

“I’m gonna wait until you least expect it. Freak the hell out of you, too.”

Yn laughed and arched forward, barely lifting off her heels as she reached for a kiss.

Lando reacted quickly, closing his eyes and kissing her back.

And then, around his lips, she murmured, “Bring it on, babe. I dare you.” 

──────────────────

[keferon]

Two Peas in a Pod: part 7/?

I'm so sorry for the delay. I struggled...

_________________________________________

"Jazz?" Blaster calls just loud enough for his mer to hear him. Now that the initial meeting was over, he wanted to take advantage of the break. 

While understanding that the human was calling him over, Jazz was a bit hesitant that moving might start up the whole confrontation again. He glanced over to the other orca still floating a little ways away, •၊||၊၊၊ had his eyes closed and it looked like he was focused on dealing with the repercussions of his actions. His expression was twisted lightly in a restrained grimace with his right arm holding his side.  

Slowly Jazz pushed himself further away, before turning over and swimming to the pier.  

"Are you okay?" Blaster asked as he knelt at the edge. 

With an uneasy look, he shamefully admitted, "it could have gone better…" 

The chief vet speaks up before Blaster can, but not to Jazz, but into the radio. "Has anyone seen signs of reopening or blood?" 

The Vet Chief wanted to fully isolate them from you, to keep them in a transfer-crate, at least until the injuries had a low risk of reopening. 

Blaster shoots them an offended side-eye, as Jazz is literally right here. However, he pushed it aside, half listening to the radio chatter – all good from the sounds of it – and turned to what was more important. "Did he hurt ya?" 

They'll take him away. 

"I'm fine," he whispered, looking down as he placed a hand on his chest. It still stung, as the first hit was made with intent – he had gotten mad when it happened, did it show on my face, did they see it – and the rest, warning shots. "Just a bruise… it was more dizzying trying to keep away from him than anything."  

–if the team reports you showing signs of aggression, they'll… remove him. 

He hums in thought, eyes drifting momentarily as •၊||၊၊၊ disappeared from the surface. Blaster was a little nervous about that as he looked back at Jazz. "Do you think that you'll be okay, the two of you, I mean. Do you need us to separate–" 

They'll take him away. 

"No." Jazz insisted quickly, fighting to keep his voice low – behave – and shaking his head. "We should be fine now." 

Blaster knew there was more going on, seeing as Jazz was soft spoken and avoiding eye contact; an old habit of hiding himself when speaking to staff, but it would have to be a talk for later. When Jazz felt safe enough to open up. So instead, Blaster smiled and said, "Alright. But me and a few others will be keeping an eye on you both throughout the day. Just to make sure you're both comfortable as you can be. It might be a bit rocky for the first few days, but that's okay, we were expecting that." 

Jazz didn't respond, his attention had been captured by the other mer at the bottom of the pool, beneath him. He had been somewhat keeping an eye on him with his sonar, watching •၊||၊၊၊ slowly explore the tank.  

Though, Blaster was just barely able to spot the other orca from the surface, and honestly wouldn't have noticed if not for Jazz. Pressing the call button on his radio, Blaster looked to the staff, "we've passed the first hurdle, everyone. We'll move onto doing rotation monitoring. Fred and Josh, you'll remain for the first shift. Everyone else, business as usual till I get a schedule in order." 

"I've adjusted the medications and sedatives." The chief vet told Blaster, though didn't even look at him, as they were currently preoccupied sending messages on their phone. Not even a second later, Blaster's own was going off in his pocket.  

"I'll look over your recommendations after." He sneered at them, though the vet had already turned to leave.  

Then while folks celebrated the success and steadily wondered off to their main duties, Blaster's second brought up the mers breakfast from the kitchen. They set Jazz's down next to him, but held on to the other while they eyed the water with extreme caution.  

"Ah, ya, no." Blaster spoke up before they even began to wind up, holding his hands out for the food. "Give it here, we are not chucking anything at him."  

They snapped to him with wide, frightened eyes. Like Blaster hadn't been here to see the speeds that the wild mer had gone after Jazz. "You cannot be serious– you're going to attempt to pole feed him? Now–here? When they have the space to jump!?" 

"No." He said with rising irritation towards their attitude and their poor handling of the situation. "I'm going to treat him the same as Jazz."  

His second now looked flabbergasted, glancing between Jazz, him, out over the pool, and then back at him. "But–!" 

Blaster pointed at both Jazz and up at the pair watching on the viewing deck. He wasn't stupid, he wasn't being reckless, he had been taking everything into account. And honestly, if he wasn't so mad about how the wild mer had been treated – and was just about to be treated – during meals, he'd probably be shaking in anxiety right about now. With a heavy sigh, he then carefully pulled the bucket from their hands to set it with the other, "look… I'm not trying to force you to do something you don't feel comfortable with. You're welcome to leave, I'll handle the meals and hopefully by the week's end, everyone will be feeling comfortable when it's time for food." 

They took one last nervous glance at Jazz, before whispering – pointless, he could hear it clearly – "I don't think you can – or should rely on him to protect you… especially with how–"  

"You're right," Blaster said deliberately louder than a normal speaking volume, "I am responsible for my own choices and actions. Thank you, for your concern. We'll talk in more detail later." 

Thankfully taking the hint, they left.  

Then the area was silent for a moment, save for the sounds of dawn songbirds being overruled by the sound of the scavenging birds of the morning. Starting to beg or fight for bits of food across the aquarium yard. 

"They're right, you know." Jazz said weakly, still not looking at Blaster.  

There might be other staff up on the deck that oversaw his pool, but one of the perks to being outside was that voices didn't carry as far unless one was intentionally loud. So they might as well have been the only two here.  

It was just enough for words to come tumbling out, like he could talk freely once more. "I messed up, it wasn't his fault, he wants to be peaceful – I'm pretty sure, and I just… I think I ended up challenging him?" 

"Jazz, listen, they misunderstood." He leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not expecting you to come to my rescue, or put yourself between me and him, or anything like that. I know very well that I may be putting myself in a potentially dangerous situation, and I'm ready to face whatever the outcome might be. But what I meant was, that with you here – just like this, with us together. You are showing him with your actions that you don’t see me as a threat. That by willing to be around me and allowing me to touch you, you’re showing trust. Jazz, buddy, you’re a far greater help than those goons posing up there." The last bit was meant to cause him to laugh, or at least smirk. 

But when Jazz still seemed like he didn't believe him, Blaster made a small gesture for Jazz to look. In turning his head to see •၊||၊၊၊, the mer was at the far end with only his head above the water and had a serious gaze fixed on Jazz.  

"It might not seem like it, even with what had just happened, but he's relying on you." He waved at the wild mer and smiled, before reaching for a bucket and held it up in offering. But •၊||၊၊၊ simply scowled further. 

"I don't think Mr. prowl-around-you-like-you're-breakfast relies on anyone." Jazz grumbles in dismay.  

Blaster chuckled and set the bucket back down, "well maybe Prowl, is waiting for you to invite him over for breakfast. He seems to hold some expectations of you." 

"Ya, he sure– wait, Prowl?" Jazz whipped his head back towards Blaster, finally looking at him again. 

"If it fits, it fits." He shrugged with an amused smile, "though, out of anyone here, it should be you that chooses a nickname for him for us to use. I don't want to keep addressing him namelessly or calling him 'the wild' one, and I don't want folks to think that us calling him 'buddy' is his name." Then he laughed as he glanced back out to the sour mer still watching them closely, "I mean, come on, does he look like a Buddy?" 

Jazz tried to stifle his laughter, "n-no." 

Good, good, Blaster was relieved to hear it. Jazz was starting to relax back into his usual self. Coming back up from the depths to the surface to breathe. "So, what will it be?" 

Jazz's smile had slowly begun to return and so did his hopeful enthusiasm, "I think Prowl is good." 

"I'll send out a notice to everyone." And be sure to tear down all those horrible sticky-note suggestions. "But I am going to still try and learn to say his name properly," Blaster then clapped the orca's shoulder before stretching, "so I hope you're ready to have the worst student ever." 

"You're going to learn Mer," Jazz asked in surprise. 

"Heh, I'm shit at learning languages, but I'd be happy if you want to share more of your world with me." He then brought them back to the next part of their day. "But first, breakfast. Want to ask Prowl to join us?" 

"I'll try." He said, before turning around. Though gave a slight pause and adjusted his stance so his side was facing Prowl. When he saw a slight shift in his expression, one that eased some tension in his brow, Jazz gave himself a mental pat on the back. Already a marked improvement.  

{You hungry, Prowler?} Jazz asked. It was sort of funny having a word he understood that could connect to the mer's name. He wasn't sure of the meaning of •၊||၊၊၊ yet, or if it had one. But prowling was something he did, so it still felt like Jazz had gained another tiny piece of who they were.  

{Yes.} He answered, rising enough that his shoulders could be clearly seen, side facing Jazz for a beat, before he slowly began to swim over. Caution or taking it easy due to discomfort, his moments caused only the smallest and softest of ripples. Like a silent hunter.  

Yet, it made Jazz’s smile shift a bit higher. Prowl is prowling.  

But for Blaster, his instincts were starting to claw up his spine, alerting him of a predator. He was forcing himself to relax and keep up his friendly smile by the time Prowl came within five feet of the pier.  

Prowl eyed him up and down as he came to a stop, then gently turned after a moment.  

"Oh, right!" Jazz abruptly speaking up in slight alarm cause Blaster to flinch – which in turn caused a moment of internal panic, because sudden movements are always a bad idea – but Jazz quickly reached up over the pier and grabbed the human by the legs – which caused Prowl to flinch, and oh-boy, was Blaster having flashbacks of close calls – twisting him so he sat with his shoulder turned towards Prowl. "Pretty sure that facing toward him is like telling him you want to challenge them."  

"R-really," Blaster asked, both trying to distract from his thundering heart and focus on the new information. 

"I think so? He kept telling me to stop doing it, before I realized what he was talking about, so it has to be some sort of an aggressive sign." They both looked back to Prowl, who seemed a little tense, but otherwise calm. {You okay, Prowler?} 

{Yes.} His voice firm and serious, but did not look at Jazz when he answered. 

"… Guess we're ready." We’re good, but he must still be uncomfortable with what happened. 

Blaster handed Jazz his bucket first, hoping it would make the next easier. But then Blaster paused, seeing a distant look in his mer's eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing." Jazz fiddled with the bucket in his hands, but Blaster was still holding onto the handle. Not that taking it would be difficult, but it didn't feel like it was worth the effort.  

"Jazz…" he pressed softly. 

And Jazz retreated, "I… I don't feel hungry." 

At least he was being honest about it.  

Blaster had hoped that taking some time to talk would have helped to improve Jazz's current mental state. And it had a little. But his guilt over the misunderstanding with Prowl and the bad history with the chief vet were likely weighing too heavily on him. And as much as Blaster wanted to take the time and work through everything with Jazz, he couldn't right now, or rather Jazz would be unwilling.  

Because Prowl was present. Even with a language barrier, Blaster didn't expect Jazz to feel comfortable having a personal conversation with him so close. But if Jazz didn't eat, then it was likely that Prowl wouldn't either. The trust was thin as it was, and hesitating too long – and not being able to explain why – would only make rebuilding trust harder. So, offering to use the holding pool and close the gate wasn't something they could do at the moment. And he hated it.  

Blaster had to do something now to help restore Jazz's confidence and stop the spiralling of whatever thoughts were holding him back.  

Good thing he was prepared for Jazz possibly becoming stressed.  

"Hang on." Blaster said, his smile impish as he pulled the bucket back to set on the pier. Though, not wanting to risk Prowl backing off from him standing, he flopped back reaching for his bag strap, barely snagging it with the tips of his fingers. But he managed and pulled himself back up with it settling in his lap. "I've brought a little somethin." 

Jazz didn't seem interested but waited none the less. Watching as Blaster pull out a huge plastic food-container – ... okay, he was slightly curious now and a little annoyed, because if he was going to tease him–  

But then Blaster shook it with the biggest grin, and as the contents clunked around softly, Jazz's whole face lit up. Because what Blaster had just offered was the equivalent of a chocolate bar. There weren't many things that Blaster brought for him in a container, but there was only one that made that sound. "Moose jerky!?" 

"Shh! Not so loud." He glanced up at the other staff, like he was doing something that would get him in trouble. But it wasn't a secret that Blaster made these treats for Jazz. And while it still pissed off the chief vet, there was nothing they could do about it.  

It had caused a site wide outrage the first time he had done it. But orcas ate moose – the orca mers more so than the animals – even if it was mostly if there just happened to be one in front of them rather than an active hunting choice. But there was enough history, and with Blaster's dietary knowledge, he had won that battle.  

He just chose to mix it up a little, rather than bring in raw meat. Not so different than some sun-dried fish really. And Blaster personally prepared it to make sure it was safe. Seasoning was just sea salt, simple, but tasty.  

Jazz was now buzzing with eager energy. "Can I share with Prowl?" 

"You’d better," Blaster laughed as he opened it and handed Jazz two strips that were almost the size of dinner plates. He could have tried to use it to mend the trust between him and the wild mer. But Blaster knew it would help Jazz foster his relationship with Prowl and that was far more important. 

The whole time Prowl had been watching them and their exchange with intense focus, trying to figure out what was going on. So, when Jazz turned to him with a huge smile and held out what looked to be a piece of thin wood, he was wary.  

{It's good!} Jazz wanted to say it was amazing, but unfortunately 'good', 'okay', 'safe' was all he currently had to work with.  

After Prowl finally gave in and moved in close enough to take the offering, Jazz laid out on the surface. Careful not to get his food wet as he happily began to bite and tear small strips off. Taking delight in the satisfying sensation of the treat ripping and savouring the flavour as he chewed the tough meat.  

Seeing how much Jazz was enjoying himself, Prowl took a tentative bite and immediately understood why. The look of surprise on his face had the other two laughing.  

{Good, yes?}  

{Yes.} Prowl then followed Jazz's lead and relaxed on the surface, enjoying the first piece of decent food since he arrived. 

Blaster chuckled at the sight of the two of them and set aside the container to dig out his own personal stash to nibble on. "I've got more for you two sea otters, but only after you finish your breakfast."  

Smoothing things over by sharing snacks always opened opportunities for bonding. Good ol' comfort food saving the day. 

_________________________________________

Idk, this one felt very clunky to me, but I must move on -lays on the floor in defeat-

I'm now trying to put together a timeline of the all interactions that you share or like on your blog. Like a countdown clock to the flood/jailbreak, hitting all the angsty and fluffy notes, I want to make sure I can include everything. Q~Q

You and so many others have been showering me in praise and encouragement I want to live up to it. ♡(╥︣﹏᷅╥᷅)♡ I love you all, thank you so much!!

Going forward there is going to more Jazz and Prowl, without Blaster, I promise. Please forgive me and my long setups, my brain struggles with keeping things short, everything I write is a 200K+ slow burn. -cries-

-GLC

Previous Next

OH HELL YEAH GIVE THOSE GUYS A MOOSE THEY DESERVE IT KDDKSHFV

Blaster over there is having battles on all fronts possible alsjfnfjnf

Also I'm happy they can have proper food at least sometimes~ Although I can't help but think that like. Jazz is happy because this poor moose is kind of a rare treat. Nice occasion gift you know. And then Prowl also loves the moose but in more "I was eating nothing but raw potatoes for a while and now there's a properly seasoned and cooked meal again" way. You know. Cause mers have all kinds of different foods in their cities and stuff~ While humans just go "here's your fish".

Anyway haha. The scene is so cute I love itt~

[supernatural-bias]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐗-𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

↳ includes: charles xavier, erik lehnsherr, logan howlett, marie lebeau, and peter maximoff

↳ warnings: x-man type violence maybe? nothing much

↳ notes: just some self indulgent headcanons about how the gang would deal with someone who hates skin on skin contact. this is based on my own personal experiences, so it might not cater to everyone. charles and erik are written to be more of themselves around the first class era, peter is himself as seen in apocalypse, and marie & logan are more set in the first movie's portrayal of them

↳ song: heavy metal lover—lady gaga

masterlist | commissions | carrd

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 [𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐗]

• Oh this is not one bit of a problem for Charles

• He's never needed physical contact to connect with people. Whether that's because of his powers, or his 'natural charm' as he calls it, you aren't sure, but your strange request for no contact never seemed to put him off his friendship with you

• Charles has his own ways of bonding with you, no hugs or handshakes required. Instead of nudges used to alert the other of a particularly funny joke, he'd just send you flashes in your mind regarding the situation. The end result was always the same; with the both of you grinning at each other while the rest of the room was left to make their own assumptions as to what you were thinking about

• "Seriously, it's creepy when they do that. They could be talking about anything." Alex whispered to Hank one day as you and Charles stood across the room from each other, not caring if the Professor was able to hear him or not. The only sign that you were even talking was the occasional huff of laughter Charles would let out as you scrunched your nose up in a toothy grin

• "Oh, I wouldn't say that." Hanks eyes gleam from behind his glasses as he watches the two of his friends. "Charles tells me most of it is just really bad jokes, if you want to know."

• As if on cue, the spell between you and Charles breaks as you delve into a laughing fit, and Alex and Hank can't help but shake their heads at each other in slight amusement as they watch

• He does an excellent job at speaking for you when you can't quite explain to new people why you are the way you are—as long as you'll let him, of course

• Maybe it's because he's been in your head, or just because he knows you so well that he can say exactly what you're thinking before you even know it. And sometimes, he doesn't even need to explain much at all. One carefully worded sentence backed with that steady tone of his is enough to make even the most ignorant of people understand

• "No handshakes for them, please." Charles had found himself saying that sentence more times than he could count since getting to know you, but he never found himself growing tired of it; even when you eventually found the awkward courage to start speaking on your behalf. Especially when you started speaking on your behalf

• Charles is a very patient man, and he couldn't be happier than to wait for you to open up to the world like you had done for him, even if it does take a while

𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐋𝐞𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫 [𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐨]

• I'm going to be completely honest with you. At first, Erik finds your habit of avoiding touch annoying

• It's a weakness in his eyes that you have every opportunity to avoid acquiring. He doesn't see the point in being afraid of something so miniscule

• When he first meets you, he's probably an asshole about it. Erik doesn't go out of his way to touch you on purpose, but he won't take extra steps to stop himself from doing so. If the back of his hand brushes against yours as he storms away from another one of Charles' annoying lectures? Then so be it. Who cares if you pull back from him like you've been burned, clutching your skin tightly as you glare at his retreating form

• It will take a while for Erik to begin to understand you, much like it does for him to understand a lot of things about the rest of the world. I won't say that he ever officially apologizes for his past behavior toward you, but he definitely drops hints that he does regret it

• "Never thought I'd live to hear the Erik Lehnsherr himself say sorry for something he did. Next you'll be telling me you've always liked humans." Your eyes were wide in faux surprise as you stared at him one day, looking like you had just heard the best news of your life. It was a good thing you and Erik had a much better relationship than when you had first met, otherwise he wouldn't have had a second thought about shutting you up

• "All I said was that maybe I maybe could have been a bit nicer to you." He sighed, already regretting this entire interaction

• "Oh, you're not getting off that easy." You were already scrambling for the door, completely missing the way Erik rolled his eyes and flicked his hand up in preparation. "Charles! Charles, you'll never believe what just happened—"

• He ended up using your belt buckle to drag you across the room before you could embarrass him any further

• Once he's warmed up to you, I'd like to think that he's definitely used the fact that lots of people wear rings and bracelets to his advantage to stop people from touching you at bars or in crowds

• He swears up and down he doesn't get attached to anyone, and especially not someone that associates with the X-Men of all groups, but you've definitely have had a few people look at their hands around you in confusion while he's around. Almost as if someone else had a say in their actions

• "Big softie."

• "You do know I could kill you if I wanted to."

• "I'd like to retract my last statement, please and thank you."

𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐥���𝐭𝐭 [𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞]

• Logan doesn't give two shits about your strange request

• Not in the way that he ignores it like Erik, but rather in the way that he literally doesn't give a fuck if you want to be touched or not. He wasn't planning on touching you anyways, so it's not like he really has to think about it

• If anything, Logan is one of the only people who can even begin to understand your mindset. He's never been too fond of people just outright touching him without a warning first, especially if they were strangers, but that's what you get after being experimented on for years

• He'll have to get to both know and like you before he starts taking your words more seriously. Otherwise, all you're getting from him is a gruff noise of disinterest and a roll of his shoulders as he blows past you

• Or ar least that's what he'd like you to think

• "Watch it, pal." You barely had time to process what that noise was next to your ear before Logan was standing dangerously close to you. You were about to ask him to back away before you saw his hand up, and when you looked at his hand you saw it was closed around a strangers wrist; the likes of which was outreached in your direction and just about to make contact with you

• Logans rough tone and sharp glare had sent the fellow stumbling away with an apology, and left you standing there with a bewildered look on your face. It only grew larger when he refused to look at you afterward

• "Don't let it get to your head." Was all he huffed out in your general direction before walking off to continue the mission the both of you were on. Through the com's in your ears, you could hear the rest of the team asking you what was going on, and with a slow upward tick of your lip you finally answered

• "I think Wolverine here has gone a bit soft on my end guys."

• You were given the cold shoulder for the rest of the week by Logan, and every time he glared at you, you couldn't help but try to hold in laughter

• "See, this is why I'm not nice."

• "No no no I take it all back, I swear. You're so mean. You're the meanest, toughest person here, never done a good deed in your life—"

• "Shut the fuck up."

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮 [𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞]

• She doesn't understand why you'd choose to have people not touch you

• For Marie, not being able to hug someone— to even so much as hold hands with the people she loved —is a curse. She wasn't such a fool to think that her mutation itself was the curse, Charles had managed to drill that thought out of her head a long while ago, but the side-effect that came with it would forever haunt her

• So when she found out that you actively took strides to make sure no one ever touched you (if possible), she was in disbelief

• "I just don't get it." She'd confessed to you out of the blue once. "How can you stand it? If I were you—"

• "But you're not." You cut her off and shrugged, voice devoid of any meanness or annoyance at the turn of conversation. "I get it. I must seem crazy to you. I'd imagine that you'd jump at the chance to be able to touch someone again. But that just isn't me. I can't stand the feeling of being touched. Makes me feel gross; inside and out. I don't ask you to understand it, just that you respect it. Yeah?"

• She had nodded slowly at you, not expecting the sudden explanation. It wasn't unwelcome, however. Quite the contrary. She'd rather understand you than stew in quiet confusion

• From that moment on, even if Marie thinks you're a little crazy in the head, she does her best to make sure that both herself and others take your wishes to heart

• You have to admit, it's nice having her look out for you. And it helps that she's one of the most powerful mutants on campus; one sideways look from her, and she could send anyone in the opposite direction from you if you need

𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐟𝐟 [𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫]

• You're constantly having to remind him that you don't like people touching you

• It's not Peter's fault he forgets sometime. His brain is always going going going from one thing to the next. Thinking about the next mission, the quickest way to get from one end of the country to the other, how to beat that stupid kid at the arcade that keeps leaving him and his high scores in the dust—

• Okay so maybe he could do a bit of a better job of trying to listen

• "Peter, reach for the back of my neck again and I'm gonna break both of your legs." You didn't even have to turn around to know that he was itching to latch onto your neck, most likely to take you on a surprise trip a few states over. Or maybe just to the mall. He was spontaneous like that

• When you did manage to look up from your notebook and back at him, you found that Peter was already a good few feet away from you, holding up his hands with a deceivingly innocent smile; but respecting your wishes all the same

• "You sure you're not a secret nun or something?" He poked fun at the way you refused to let anyone touch you, even going as far to squint at you in an unconvinced manner. You ignored his clear misunderstanding of nuns to snort in amusement

• "No."

• "Could have fooled me, babe."

• He sped away before you had the chance to throw your papers at his head

• Peter's probably the kind of guy to constantly tease you to your face, but the moment you're not in sight and someone's ragging on you, he'll shut them down. He's done it many times to stray students in the hallways of the school who talk just a little too loud about your personal boundaries

• "I'm just saying, man, they're a little weird. The other day, I asked to borrow a pencil, and they threw it at me. While standing less than a foot away. It's just strange—"

• Less than a second later, the student was sent falling to the floor over his shoelaces, which were suspiciously tied together in contrast to moments ago when they had been placed in neat little bows

• The only sign that this hadn't been a freak accident was the telltale burst of wind that sped by the student and their friend, a faint laugh following in its wake

[bestlilithian]

My experiences with synastry

8th house synastry

By far, my favorite. Intense, transcendal, deep. It goes beyond the physical and mental, reaches straight into your soul. The sexual tension is palpable, and at the same time it feels like home.

( do note that i have pluto influencing my ic and moon so your and my idea of 'home' might be a bit different ♡ lmao )

Moon in 8th house:

- absolute favorite. the connection runs deep, if you let it. when you meet this person you will know pretty early on that the potentional for intense bonding is immense. for every person i met with this, after a while i look in their eyes and think 'we could absolutely ruin eachother in the best way possible'.

- the sexual tension breaches the physical and turns almost emotional. like, 'i want to fuck you so hard that you cry' type shit. of course, every 8th house connection has some kind of sexual electricity constantly present, but i've found that w this placement, it's .. profound.

- so far , i've only been the house person, and i've found that the way the moon person looks at me is like nothing i've seen before. i mean, the eye contact being intense is a given w any 8th overlay but w this one it's ... wow. it's a simultaneous pleading to 'come closer, enter my world, feel my essence' and a threat to 'stay away, you see to far into me, you know too much'.

- it's obsessive. on my side (house) at least. by obsessive i mean ... obsessive. one of them is a crush that i haven't been able to put out for a fucking year, even with no contact. in fact, funnily enough, when i thought i was totally over it, all it took was to see her again and make eye contact - immediately, i was thrown for a loop. we didn't even exchange words directly, it was a group setting .. but the eye contact was absolutely enough. crazy.

- as the house person, i feel like the moon person can feel that i see straight through them. another thing i've noticed is that the moon person usually seems a little intimidated/nervous around me, especially at first.

- the thing with this overlay is that it can get hard to take real action on the connection because it's anything but lighthearted. you can clearly tell that if you pursue it, it's gonna get deep and that can range from inconvenient to uncomfortable, or even scary for someone who's not used to 8th house/pluto/scorpio energy.

Lilith in 8th house

- the sexual tension. is. insane. i'm talking .. concerning. i've had this w a friend, a guy who's not my type in the slightest (and i dont really like guys in general, mind you), but there's this kind of ... sexual energy in the air. like, we're not gonna do anything about it, but it's there. and it's not even physical, for me at least - i dont find him attractive physically its just .. a compulsive feeling.

- now, when i have it w someone i actually find attractive, even a little bit, it gets scaled up to the extreme. the moment i see this person, i'm immediately attracted to them. instant. they don't even have to be my type, but if they are - my god, if they are ...

- i am usually lilith in this overlay, and i often find myself wanting to corrupt the house person, to pull them into my dark erotic world. this synastry really brings out my lilith energy even more.

- as lilith i love teasing the house person & i want to see them squirm. i wanna dominate them & see them fall apart beneath me (in the best way possible)

- this is very much a 'i can ruin them' type connection (not in a malicious way)

- i automatically feel confident around this person, no matter if i felt insecure the rest of the day; its like the house person awakens my dark feminine energy just w their presence (and thats a damn good feeling)

Sun & Mercury in 8th house

- honestly this ones interesting; if your connection is platonic, it wont add weird undertones, if its not , it will heighten the attraction significantly.

- it will be really easy and satisfying to talk about your secrets, your past, your traumas, your pain, as well as your kinks, sexual preferences & sexual experiences w this person.

- you will be able to tell this person the naked, blunt truth about them to their face, and vice versa, esp eith mercury in 8th overlay

sun conjunct lilith

- i was lilith and its .. fun. sun brings out my 'bad' side. the fun one.

- as lilith, i find sun really cute, and i try to figure them out, cause i feel like they arent really as naive & innocent as they seem to be.

- sun may be a little scared of lilith here. :)

pluto conjunct lilith

- i have yet to experience this but from what i've heard i love, love, love .

- think bonnie n clyde, mr and mrs smith. they can appreciate eachothers shadow and its very exciting

- hearsay says the sex is mindblowing but i cant confirm or deny

pluto conjunct ascendant

- my mothers pluto is conjunct my ascendant and she literally fucked me up royally soo be careful w this one yall

- pluto will try to control the ascendant and have power over them

- pluto tries to control ascendants behavior, appearance, mannerisms, social etiquett, even food intake sometimes

- i have never seen this be a healthy dynamic but i would love to be proven wrong

lilith square ascendant

every time a man's lilith squares my ascendant, an angel dies. i swear to fucking god, this synastry is a hot, headache-inducing mess.

now, ive only ever had this with men so take it w a grain of salt.

whenever a mans lilith squared my ascendant, the situation was the same:

he had a crush, and then there was .. me. he loved one girl, truly, but had an intense, weird, sexual obsession with me (that often scared him).

he was extremely attracted to me, but reluctant to admit it directly. wanted to 'tame' me, make me 'well-behaved'. we argued at least once within 24h of knowing eachother.

heavy sexual tension, but in a irritating, conflicting way. reallyy intense eye contact, but almost forbidden.

they all, at some point, iced me out in one way or another, deliberately avoided me, seemingly for no reason.

lilith in 7th house

this ones weird.

- we kinda have beef, but not really

- we either completely agree with eachother or utterly disagree

- mixed feelings

- switching between liking and disliking eachother

- sexual tension, but in an annoying way

[willsimpforanyone]

Could you do a percy x nike!reader where the reader challenges percy to a sword fight and percy loses and the readers all cocky about it. And then percy decides to teach the reader a lesson and doesnt stop fucking her till she says hes a winner and like since reader is competitive she gets overstimulated? I need therapy what the hell is this ask

bestie we all need therapy here don't worry ur safe here

i'm gonna do an established relationship because it's just easier that way, and this is a she/her reader with feminine terms used

percy is a little bit of a mean dom, but he still checks in with the reader to make sure she’s okay

The man at the end of my blade was glowering at me like it was his job.

Percy's green eyes were reflecting in the shine of my sword, but I didn't need a mirror to know my smile was even brighter. I tapped the flat of the sword against his jaw.

"Sorry, babe, look like you need a little more practice," I grin, nodding towards a pair of 8 year olds fighting with blunted blades. "Maybe you should ask them for help?"

He rolled his eyes, capping Riptide and knocking my sword away from him. "I went easy on you."

I sheathed my sword at my side, raising my eyebrows at him in disbelief and smirking. "No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did," Percy hisses, and I laugh at the behaviour of a stroppy teenager coming from my boyfriend of 20 years old.

Walking over to the burning offering bowl at the entrance to the arena, I drop in a little something as a 'thank you' to Nike. "You're drenched in sweat, you put actual effort into that fight, you're just bitter that someone might be able to beat you."

Rolling his eyes again so far back in his head I'm sure he's about to give himself a headache, Percy slings his arm over my shoulders as we walk to his cabin. "You're my girlfriend, I had to let you win, I'm a gentleman like that."

"Bullshit!" I cackle at his obvious attempts to dismiss his loss, but that would mean dismissing my victory and I would never have allowed that. "I'm a child of Victory incarnate, did you really think you could win when I have the spirit of winning in my blood?"

"We get it, you won, the whole world gets it," he sighs, dragging his feet. "Can you shut up about this now?"

I shake my head, still grinning like the fattest cat that had the cream already and has just discovered the can of tuna. "Absolutely not, I think it would be basically blasphemy if I were to stop talking about my victory over the most powerful demigod of our generation, mother would strike me down where I stand."

"Sounds like I'll just have to make you shut up." Percy drags me inside his cabin, slamming the door behind us and shoving me against the wall. His hand comes behind my head so I don't smack it on the wall and the butterflies in my stomach go insane at the caring gesture even when I'm pissing him off.

I barely have time to open my mouth before his lips are on mine, stealing any words I was about to say. My hands fly to the back of his head, keeping him kissing me and tangling in his slightly sweaty black hair. He perpetually tastes like sea salt and I moan very quietly.

It takes a second for my brain to kick into gear again, but I smirk against his lips and whisper into his mouth. "You'll have to do better than that, loser."

Percy growls. "Oh, I plan to."

The wall is suddenly no longer behind me and I shriek in surprise and glee as he drags me to throw me onto the bed, immediately pouncing on me and pinning me to the bed. His fingers work deftly to undo my belt and he sets my belt and sword carefully on the floor, along with my shoes.

Now free to do as he pleases, he dips his head into the crook of my neck, yanking at my sweatpants and dragging his nails down my legs along with the waistband, throwing them off. Without hesitation, he strips me of my underwear and I moan, a permanent smile living on my face.

"This feels more like a reward than a punishment, I won't lie," I smirk, leaning up on my elbows and looking up at him.

"No one asked for your opinion," he sighs, promptly shoving two of his fingers in my mouth. "Use your tongue for something worthwhile, hm?"

Unable to do anything else, I wrap my lips around his fingers, sucking and covering them in saliva. I teasingly bob my head a little, looking him directly in the eyes and taking his fingers as deep into my mouth as I can.

He smirks, shaking his head at my obscene behaviour. "Dirty girl." He pulls his hand away, inspecting his spit-covered fingers. "Good enough."

Clearly determined to render me incapable of speech, he immediately swirls his middle finger over my clit. My whole body jerks, upper body almost thrown forward at the sudden sensation. "Shit-"

Percy grins, drawing delicate but deliberate circles and radiating smugness. "Nothing to say? Is that all it takes to make you shut your smart mouth?"

Well, I couldn't let him think he'd won this round. I swallow harshly, flicking my hair out my eyes and smirking. "I could suck your dick if you wanted," I breathe out, voice thick with condescension. "Sort of a participation prize."

He scowls, and pushes two fingers into my pussy. The sudden feeling shoots through my body like electricity and I gasp, one hand flying to grip at his wrist. My head gets thrown backwards and a low moan comes from low in my throat.

His digits pump in and out at a speed I wasn't expecting and for a good minute, there are no words in my head. Not a single thought, just pleasure vibrating my bones and removing my ability to think.

"There we go," he purrs, other hand rubbing gently over my hip and stomach. "The attitude was unnecessary, huh?"

I laugh breathlessly, one hand gripping the wrist of the hand abusing my now-soaking pussy, the other raking through my hair. "I... I still won..."

"For fucks' sake-" Percy shuffles down the bed until his head rests between my legs. No ceremony, no anticipation, just his tongue against my clit as his fingers crook and stroke at my velvety walls.

The sudden increase in stimulation drags me bodily into my climax, orgasm rocking through my body and rendering me speechless. I slap a hand over my mouth to muffle my long, drawn out moans... and then my squeak of surprise as he doesn't stop.

"P-Percy?" I stutter, hips instinctively twitching away from him under his relentless attack.

Instead of answering, his eyes simply flick up to meet mine with a filthy smirk on his lips. His fingers don't stop, tongue lapping up my come as he scissors me open slightly. My thighs start trembling, and the hand that was over my mouth finds its home twisted into Percy's hair as he buries his face between my legs.

He doesn't let up, working his jaw and tongue over and into me. My sensitivity has every nerve on edge and it takes a slightly humiliatingly short length of time for my next orgasm to flood through me.

To his credit, Percy doesn't protest at the definitely painful grip I have on his head, withdrawing his fingers and cleaning me up with his tongue. Shakily, I lean back up on my elbows and look down at him, panting slightly.

"Whoa," I breathe, pulling him up from between my legs and pressing a messy, sloppy kiss to his lips. Then, because I really, truly do not know how to shut up... "Hell of a reward, baby, I'm glad you admitted I won."

The growl of frustration comes from low in his ribcage and with a delicious shiver, I realise I've fucked up.

"Admit I went easy on you." His voice is right in my ear, and without looking I know he's stripping down, the sound so familiar I instinctively part my legs like a Pavlov effect.

I shake my head, still panting and still trembling. "No, you didn't, I won fair and square, I beat you."

To his credit and my utter adoration, he pauses as he slips a condom on and looks directly at me. "Are you okay?" He asks, voice soft and sweet.

I kiss him quickly and nod. "Mhm, yeah, I'm okay."

The sudden switch back is unbearably attractive and he nudges his cock against my sensitive folds, the tip nestling just barely inside. "You're my girlfriend, I would feel bad if I won every single time we fought," he hisses. "I was being sweet and you're throwing it in my face." His cock slips in just an inch.

I'm already clenching down on him, feeling my own wetness trailing down over my ass. It's a struggle to be coherent when my whole body is poised to feel him. "N-No, you weren't, I won, you're just being a bitch."

Another inch inside and I gasp, every sense heightened and nails clinging into his shoulders desperately. "Say I let you win."

I shake my head, but I'm beginning to forget what this faux-fight was about. "Mm-mm, never."

Percy clamps a preemptive hand over my mouth and shoves himself completely inside me, my pussy swallowing him whole. My eyes roll back in my head and I cry out into his palm, feeling deliciously, perfectly full and I'm pretty sure my brain starts leaking out of my ears.

"Then I'll fuck the words out of you," he murmurs into my ear. His other hand pins my hips to the bed as he starts pounding into me. I couldn't stop my body moving if I had the presence of mind to try, forcibly being dragged through overstimulation into that place where nothing else exists but Percy and the feeling of him inside me.

"Come on, baby," he coos, voice slightly unsteady. "Say it, and I won't drag another three orgasms from you."

That... that would break me. I'm out of my mind with just the two, I can't imagine how little I would function after five.

I can already feel my third orgasm building shakily in my lower stomach, pussy fluttering and convulsing around Percy's cock as he keeps up his rhythm. My pride wars with my common sense, wanting to stick to my victory versus knowing how utterly dedicated Percy can be at wringing orgasm after orgasm out of my poor body.

Percy adjusts my hips slightly and the angle knocks my pride out of my head. My lips form the words against his palm still over my mouth and he smirks, moving the hand to tangle his fingers in my hair.

"Something to say, gorgeous?"

I mumble the words, eyes closed and voice shaking.

Percy shakes his head. "What was that? A little louder for me, baby."

"...you went easy on me," I moan out, cheeks bright red and hands coming to hide my face. I don't need to see the smug fucking grin on his stupid handsome face, I already know it's there.

"Oh, good girl," he purrs, hips unrelenting against mine and sneaking a hand in between our bodies to thumb over my clit. "Just give me one more, one more and I'll stop, can you do that?"

I nod, clinging to him and moaning against his shoulder. "Mhm, I can d-do that."

"Good girl, I know you can," he murmurs, voice soft and burying his head into my neck. "It's okay, I've got you."

His switch to sweetness and patience sends my head reeling and I fall apart under him, muffling my scream of his name by biting into his shoulder. It only takes a few more thrusts and his hips stutter and still, a low choked moan smothered into my neck as he comes, filling up the condom.

Coherency is a distant memory and I can only focus on breathing, senses swamped with Percy. He litters kisses over my neck and jaw, whispering praise into my skin that I can barely focus on.

I whine in discomfort as he pulls out of me and he kisses me hard as a distraction, only moving away from me for a moment as he discards the condom before returning. He lays on the bed with me, wrapping me up in his arms and snuggling both of us under the bedsheets.

"Hey, you," he whispers, kissing the crown of my head. "How're you feeling?"

I respond in mumbles and nuzzling my face into his neck. Percy laughs softly, nodding and stroking up and down my spine.

"It's okay, that was too hard of a question right now, my bad."

---------------------------------

god i hope this was good, thank you for requesting!