#and absolutely it's all over the place the way Thena was looking at him

[softquietsteadylove]

Thenamesh Actor AU: a thirst trap for us and Thena 👀

There is an event for actors for a special award and both of them are there. Gil arriving after Thena and he unintentionally (*cough* mhm *cough*) has a very nice suit on but a very tight suit shirt, emphasizes his nice body and muscles.

Rest is up to you 👀❤️

"Thena! Thena, look this way! Thena!"

Thena resisted her every urge to roll her eyes as she walked the red carpet at a snail's pace. This was what awards season took, though--lots of press, lots of red carpets, lots of long nights clapping and smiling.

At least Gil was with her, this time.

It had been a packed year for both of them and their schedules, but their latest work, with all of its stunts and refusal to rely on editing, was up for a few different accolades. And of course, the leads were there to be the face of the project.

Thena took another few steps, the skirt of her dress moving with her. Its billowing sheer overlay gave it a windswept - almost tattered - look as she moved, befitting of her action-heavy performance.

Gilgamesh was apparently running a little late, stuck in a separate car from hers, arriving with Kingo and a few of the producers.

Thena had been waiting for him the entire evening thus far. Although, at least she didn't have to make conversation with Eros tonight. He was here, but he wasn't on this film with them, which meant that she wasn't technically obliged to talk to him directly.

"Gilgamesh!"

Thena looked over, her hair fanning out around her in a display that made it a little too obvious for her tastes that she was looking for him. But she could spot him easily, even the distance from her that he was. He walked casually, with one hand in his pocket as he waved to the audience for their little catwalk.

He looked...good.

Kingo was walking in with him, soaking up the attention and camera flashes and screams happily. He was dressed in a fine, purple silk number himself, as stylish as always. He was answering a few questions, certainly about himself and how he had recently become the stylist for Gil after being Thena's stylist for years already.

Gil was in a black suit, which was nothing out of the ordinary. But rather than a suit shirt underneath it seemed to just be a white linen shirt. Or maybe it wasn't linen, but it was so tight and so thin, and showed so much of him. Was he wearing tissue paper?!

Thena could only stare as he made his way over to her. They had been dressed to match each other, as Kingo had started doing at every opportunity. It was good for branding, he claimed, both in his own field and career and for the films they were headlining. She was trying to seem like she wasn't checking him out explicitly.

Thena cleared her throat, putting on a smile as Gil and Kingo finally arrived at her side. She received Gil beside her, both of them posing for pictures passively while they spoke. She looked at Kingo. "This isn't the met gala; feeling risque?"

Kingo shrugged from just outside the frame of their shot, though. "Hey, it's like, breaking down gender stuff. How many times have we seen women dressed in shit so sheer that it's basically like a body stocking?"

Thena sighed, accepting the answer because there was nothing to do about it now. She looked at Gil, whose arm she was holding onto picturesquely. "Are you comfortable?"

"A little chillier than I thought I'd be," he whispered, making her laugh faintly in his ear. He pulled her a little closer to his side, "but it's not so bad. A little tight, I guess."

Yes, that was one hell of an understatement. Thena's eyes travelled over Gil, able to see so much more now that he was so much closer. She could see the shape of his pectoral muscles and the way the shirt caressed them. He either was still shaved from re-shoots or had shaved his chest in preparation for this particular outfit. She could see the bump of his highest abs that made his 'barrel chested' look so impactful.

Kingo snuck in behind them, arranging Thena's dress behind her more properly. He stood, brushing his hand against her shoulder, "unless you want the headlines to be about you thirsting over your co-star tomorrow, put your eyes back in your head, T."

Thena kicked backwards, nailing Kingo in the shin under the guise of kicking out the train of her dress for effect.

"You look good," she settled on saying, physically moving Gil's hand away from pulling at himself self-consciously and to her hip instead.

"Hey, speak for yourself," he grinned at her, letting his eyes do a quick up-and-down over her. "You look gorgeous. But you already knew that."

"Oh, did I?"

"How could you not?" he raised a cool (flirty) eyebrow at her. He eyed the exposed shoulder of hers, her hair having been curled and twisted over the other one. "Kingo do that on purpose?"

Thena sighed, immediately knowing what he was talking about. "He said that this way he would know right away if I was playing with it."

"We all have our habits," Gil said easily, even sparing her from calling it a nervous habit. He leaned his head down to leave a light peck on the freckle over her clavicle, "nothing to be nervous about."

[lovelyfanatical]

I Get a Sugar Rush Whenever I'm With You - Chapter 10.1

Good evening fellow Drukkari stans, or whatever time it is for you! We've officially made it to the final week of the competition, aka the beginning of the end! And coincidentally, Bake Off is airing a new season! If you've missed any previous installments and need to catch up, you can find them all on my Table of Contents here. Last time, Makkari got Star Baker, and Druig was eliminated. What will he do next? Find out now, in the next mini-chapter of Drukkari in the Great British Bake Off!

Sersi was already seated at a table when Druig arrived. She waved him over with a gentle smile on his face, and Druig plopped himself down on the seat across from her, mumbling his greetings. After exchanging pleasantries and putting in their drink orders, Sersi turned back to him and asked, "So, what's this all about, Druig?"

"I don't know what you mean," he lied, sipping his beer.

"Seriously? I nagged you about getting drinks for a week and you only now ask to meet up?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed as she continued. "Did Makkari send you to check up on me?"

"She did not. But while we're on the subject, how are you feeling about seeing your ex and your current boyfriend at the same party?"

"I actually feel fine. Ikaris and I are on decent terms, but it's none of his business who I'm seeing now. Besides, Dane and I are taking things slow," Sersi said nonchalantly. Druig must've looked surprised at this answer because she added, "Makkari already asked me. She really didn't put you up to this?"

"Nope," was all he said in reply.

Sersi gave him a long look, silently studying his face before she asked in a gentler tone, "Druig, are you and Makkari speaking again?"

"We are," he answered carefully.

"You resolved whatever happened that week?"

"We did."

"So, what's the problem?"

Druig averted his gaze as he thought about his answer. He didn't know why he had to think about it. He'd been thinking about it since Saturday. This was the very reason he'd reached out to Sersi in the first place. He needed to tell someone. Hunter had already put up with him for weeks and was unlikely to be helpful. Phastos had proved a good listener, but he was quite busy with his family during the week, and Druig didn't want to distract him ahead of the final. Of everyone else, he felt Sersi would be the most sympathetic. So, he took a deep breath, looked her in the eye, and let the words spill out.

"I'm in love with her, but I don't think I can ever tell her."

Sersi hadn't looked the slightest bit surprised by the first part of his statement, but her eyebrows rose and drew together in confusion at the second part. "Why ever not?"

With that, the flood gates were open. Druig told her everything that had happened, things he hadn't even told Phastos about. The investigations, the clandestine baking sessions, the accidental bed-sharing. Sersi mostly listened, only asking a few questions as they came up. When he finally finished, he was quite a few drinks in. Sersi had stopped at two drinks, but she was still wearing the same perplexed expression.

"What is it now?" he asked, feeling rather spent.

"I think I'm still missing something. Why can't you tell her how you feel?"

"Because I don't think she feels the same way. Also, she's my best friend, and I can't risk losing her again. The bed incident really did a number on us both."

In an instant, something seemed to click for Sersi. She reached across the table, putting a hand on his shoulder to steady him as she said, "Druig, the bed incident did a number on Makkari because she loves you too."

Now it was Druig's turn to draw his eyebrows together in confusion. "I don't think so."

"She absolutely does. And from what I can tell, I'm pretty sure everyone else knows by now."

"No, they all know that I'm in love with Makkari. Not the other way 'round."

"How do you know?"

"Because they all tell me whenever she's not there to join the conversation! Thena kind of told me to ask her out, then Ajak told me not to, Sprite just called us gross-"

"Sprite insults everyone. I think it's her way of being friendly."

"I wasn't finished. Phastos did think we were dating already, but when I explained it to him, he said I should respect her wishes but also talk to her-"

"And what do most of these interactions have in common?"

"I'm not sober or drunk enough for this much critical thinking, Sersi."

"C'mon, I know Makkari's not the only detective. Use your deductive reasoning, Watson!"

Druig sighed dramatically, but used what brain power he had left to replay those moments back in his head. His face relaxed as an idea began to form. After what felt like a lengthy silence, he gave his answer. "As time went on, the others pre-supposed that we were a couple?"

"Which means…"

"They think Makkari has feelings for me, too."

"There you go!" Sersi said excitedly. "Myself included, by the way."

"Wait, is that why you kept hounding us about drinks?"

A sheepish look came over Sersi's face as she admitted, "I may have had a very silly plan to set a date and time that worked for both of you and then not show up myself."

Druig merely raised an eyebrow at her confession, and Sersi scrunched up her nose in embarrassment.

"I know, it's completely childish, but I don't usually play matchmaker with my friends, and Makkari seemed to like the idea, so…"

All of a sudden, realization hit Druig like a bolt of lightning. "That was the surprise Makkari was talking about. Why you didn't want Kingo to join us."

Sersi was smiling proudly now. Druig felt an involuntary grin spreading across his face as well.

"Makkari does love me."

"Glad you finally got there," Sersi replied gleefully. "But if she asks, I didn't tell you. You figured it out on your own. Got it?"

"Got it."

"So, what will you do with that information?"

"Oh, I'll do something. But not until after the competition. I don't want to distract her from that," he explained.

"Very considerate. Let me know if I can help with anything," Sersi offered.

"I will." Druig held up his drink. "To Sunday?"

"To Sunday," Sersi answered. They clinked their bottles together and downed the rest.

-

Big sister Sersi is my favorite Sersi, tbh 😊

Part 35

[moonlight-prose]

the prompt i could never forget you would do very nicely with druig 👀

YOU'RE AS BEAUTIFUL AS ENDLESS

a/n: i went a little bit overboard with this one. but this prompt really sparked inspiration so i hope it's enjoyable to read. i'll be honest i wasn't actually sure where i was going with this so it might be a bit out of sorts.

prompt list

summary: he left after making a vow to always remain. now you were left with the choice of forgiving him or leaving once and for all.

word count: 3.6k+

pairing: druig x fem!reader

warnings: explicit SO MINORS GET OFF MY LAWN, p in v sex, angst loads of it so be prepared, sinfully hot kissing, cussing, a little bit of fluff, and a short edit done by a tired brain. be warned there will be mistakes. let me know if i missed anything!

“How long will you love me for?” It was a silly question that you used to ask him whenever you found that your heart had faltered for a moment. Love was a fickle emotion. Something you thought that only humans partook in and yet the strings attached to your heart were continually tugged each time he glanced your way.

Love was irrelevant. Especially when you had a job to do and yet…you still asked him that question. Continued to ponder how – in such a grand universe – did the feeling of love actually work. Was it merely the attraction towards another person? Or was there more? You never could quite find the answer to such a complicated question as this, but that didn’t stop you from returning his looks. You weren’t one to shy away from the feeling of love and it seemed neither could he.

Maybe that was it.

The answer you were looking for.

His touch, as gentle and strong as his mind, held you in a grasp you never wanted to leave. This was the love you always wondered about at a safe distance and yet you couldn’t pull away when he held you. Found that to do so would cause your heart to hurt in a way it never had before. Years passed until you finally realized how deep you were in these rapturous feelings that refused to let you go. Except you found that you didn’t want to be free of such emotions; you’d be lost without them.

“Druig,” you murmured, pulling away from his lips to meet his eyes instead.

For hours you’d been holed up in this tower, watching as the sky shifted colors. The day falling away to welcome the night. You always loved this view. Especially when he was beside you, but tonight felt different. While normally you were filled with an overwhelming assurance that life would remain this way, suddenly you felt the cold twisting sensation of dread begin to eat at your heart.

“What?” he asked, running his thumb along your chin.

“How long will you love me for?” The words tumbled free without any thought placed behind them.

That, of course, was a lie. You contemplated them nightly after he fell asleep beside you; the sky open and free above your head. Does love last forever? Would he love you forever? They were silly notions to worry about – that you knew – but what if they weren’t? What if you had something to fear? You hadn’t planned on asking him about it until you were absolutely sure nothing would go wrong, but you couldn’t stop yourself.

You suppose you followed the advice of Thena. Always better to get things over with. Even if they weren’t pleasant.

“How long?”

The painful twist of your heart kept you going. You wanted that feeling to go away more than you wanted an answer to this question.

“Yes,” you confessed.

He sighed, eyes seeming to reflect the stars above him. “I suppose until the universe dies.”

Your heart caught in your throat, the shake in your hands ceasing the second you heard his words. The question of love always seemed like it never held an answer, but there it was. His answer. He watched the array of emotions play out on your face, shock, disbelief, fear, and finally that one word that had sent you into such a state of being, love. It was that simple for him. You were the north star in his sky, guiding him home from a journey that seemed endless.

He would love you until each star died in the sky, until he was no longer here to love you and even after that.

Smiling, you pressed your lips to his again, allowing your eyes to flutter close as he gripped your closer. The sky no longer took precedence. Not when he was rolling you beneath him, replacing the sight of the stars with something far more ethereal. Although his face still held a slight smile, his eyes told you everything that ran amuck in his mind. He was telling the truth.

You only wished that his words remained as truthful as he promised.

PRESENT DAY

The first thing you saw wasn’t the forest that he’d helped to preserve, or the people he protected all these centuries. The first thing you saw were his eyes. How they reflected the light of the dimming sun – the day once more welcoming night just as it always had. A routine you knew better than any human on this planet, and yet you wished the sun would remain for a few more hours.

Anything to stave off the sight of how the stars looked in his eyes. You could recall the image perfectly, how that night was one of the last you would spend together before he left. A part of you wanted to go with him, but that wasn’t your mission. That hadn’t been your path to begin with and so you parted ways with one last lingering look as the fires burned around you.

Except now there he stood. Mere feet away from you, his expression blank and passive as if he’d been practicing for this very moment. As the centuries passed, so did your range of emotions towards him. You were angry for quite some time, only that too faded with the healing factors of time apart. Eventually you forgot why you had been so set on tearing his heart out; the realization that perhaps you weren’t meant to be together had become your answer to the situation.

Only now…everything you had pushed away, all the rage and pain you had let go of, came rushing back. Shoving its way into your body until you were on the verge of tears just looking at him. You knew that eventually you would have to speak to him, but for now you allowed Sersi to speak as you lingered in the back. Looking at anything and everything except at him. You wouldn’t be able to keep these feelings of anger if you glanced his way.

Some part of you wondered if he knew that.

For a few hours you had been successful in avoiding him, but like all things you had to face them head on. Even if you didn’t like the situation you were in.

Picking the flower, you twirled it in between your fingers, admiring the violet color of its petals. The forest around you seemed to breathe life into your lungs, giving you the strength to actually acknowledge his presence. You would have happily kept walking until you were free of what was happening, except they needed him. You needed him. Picking another flower, you placed it in the palm of your hands; running your finger over it’s stem.

All of this is what you were protecting. Not just the humans, but each form of life that thrived on this planet. Somehow that gave you the capability to do what you dreaded for so long.

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t need you,” you said, letting the flowers drop to the forest floor.

The cracking of twigs beneath his shoes drew your attention to how close he actually was. “I know.”

His voice. You forgot how much you missed it. For so long you attempted to bring it to your mind, just to hear it one more time, but just like his love. It was impossible to replicate if he wasn’t in your presence. The anger from before melted away the longer you wandered around the forest; focusing instead on the steady beat of your heart and the noises that surrounded you.

“I take it you’re mad?”

You scoffed, glancing up – seeing the stars begin to peek out from the dimming sky. “My anger is long gone by now Druig.”

“Is it?” he asked, stepping even closer. “Then why won’t you look at me?”

Because your eyes are too dangerous to meet with my own. Power or no power he had a hold over you that couldn’t be undone, by anything. Especially the hatred that you harbored over him for what felt like the entirety of your lifespan. You wouldn’t tell him this – you couldn’t – and yet you felt like he already knew. He understood how you had to keep your strength when it came to him, because he felt exactly the same way.

One look at you earlier and he had been ready to fall to his knees for you. Begging for the forgiveness he knew he didn’t deserve. Centuries without his universe, without the other half of his heart, began to wane on him. He hadn’t realized how deep he fell into the pit of inconsolable emotions till he saw you standing a few feet away. The rage in your eyes clashed with the stark beauty you still were, and he felt his heart drop to his stomach.

He made a promise to love you until the universe ended and even after that. A vow he turned back on.

“I made a mistake,” he began, trying to reach for your hand in the hopes that you’d allow him the opportunity to feel your skin against his again.

Spinning around, he was blasted with a burning fury he hadn’t been around to endure. “A mistake?” you spit out, clenching your fists and shutting his intentions down. “You left us, left me. What happened to the promise you made?”

He winced at the crack in your voice, at the torment in your eyes. “I made it with the intention of keeping it.”

“Look how well that went.” You were being intentionally cruel, but for how long he left you to wallow, to pine, he deserved it. “Why lie about loving me if you were going to leave me?”

“I didn’t lie,” he replied, his hardened gaze meeting yours. “When I made that promise I told you the absolute truth.”

“And yet you still left!” You tried to contain the multitude of emotions that wreaked havoc on your body, mind, and everything in between. It was no use though, because the stars had begun to reflect in his eyes again.

Suddenly you were back on that tower, watching as he professed a secret to you, a promise. Wiping roughly at your cheeks to get rid of the tears that fell without your permission, you tried to close all the crevices that threatened to crack even further. You couldn’t bare your soul to him now. Not now. Not when he looked at you like you hung the stars that reflected in his eyes; as if you were the reason he still breathed.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you whispered.

“I can’t.” One more step forward and he would be inches away from you. A part of you was ready to use your powers to stop him, but the other part – the one that still believed his words – wanted him to come closer.

“Druig.” Your foot went back as you tried to get away from him, but his hand caught your wrist, keeping you in place. “Don’t do this to me.”

“Why not?” he asked with the small grin you had fallen victim to countless times before.

Inhaling sharply when his other hand cupped your cheek, tilting your head back slightly to look at him, you felt the fight still left in your body fall away. You missed him. More than you could ever admit and suddenly you found yourself shifting closer. Gravitating towards the man who held your heart in the palm of his hands. By the way his lips curved into an even deeper grin, he knew exactly how you felt towards him. There would be no more arguing, no more fighting, because you were his.

“I’m here to help Sersi and nothing more.” The last argument you held in your body was a weak one and he knew it.

He smiled, pressing his forehead against your cheek and breathing against your skin before meeting your eyes once more. “Now who’s lying,” he whispered.

“I’m not-”

“No more of that.” He tugged your face closer, slotting his lips against yours.

A kiss shouldn’t have broken you and healed you at the same time. No kiss should hold this much power and yet there you were. Grasping for him like he was your lifeline, doing anything to press yourself closer to him while he pushed his tongue gently into your mouth. He could suck the anger out of your body through this one single kiss, replacing it instead with his love. His anguish at leaving you.

Tangling your fingers in his hair, you slid your tongue against his, feeling the heat curl low in your stomach as he wrapped his hand around your neck to keep you in place. The assuredness in his nature, the passion of his kisses, all of it was something you had forgotten you yearn for. You wanted the world to fall away. For the Emergence to never exist in the first place, because finally – your heart had begun to beat again.

Pulling away to breath, you shuddered as he nipped down your jaw and throat, towards your collarbone. If he wasn’t careful, you would be beneath him in a matter of minutes. Except it seemed that the both of you wanted that very thing to happen. The others were too far to hear you and nobody knew this forest better than Druig, so with a drunken smile you tugged his lips back to yours. Allowing him to lead you backwards until you were falling to the ground with him above you.

“I was so sure-” He gasped, his eyes sliding closed as you bit at his neck, sucking a mark into the skin. “Fuck.”

“So sure?” you prodded, hooking a leg around his hip and dragging him even closer; until you could feel his body against yours.

He brushed the hair away from your forehead, watching as the smile he had drawn on page after page for centuries was brought out once more by just the sight of him above you. Letting go of the anger had been a feat you managed to overcome. Even now you felt it wane, leaving nothing behind but specks of dust. There wasn’t a lot of time left on this planet and so you decided to clutch at the one anchor you had over the centuries.

“So sure that you forgot me,” he murmured, tracing the shapes of your armor on your cheek.

It took a moment for his words to register fully in your mind and you pushed him to the ground, straddling his waist. This was the sight you saw in your dreams. Him sprawled out beneath you, his hair in disarray and eyes showing you the stars above. You may have been laying on the forest floor, but to you and him, you were in a tower in Babylon. Watching as the sky showed hints of the universe above.

Except he didn’t have to look very far to see his universe, because you were right in front of him.

“I could never forget you.” Whispering the words, you watched his facade finally fall away, giving you back the Druig you loved so long ago.

Time blurred for a brief moment as what was a tender moment shifted into a mad rush of trying to free one another from the confines of your clothes. He yanked up your shirt, tossing it to the ground beside you while you practically tore his off. You could care less if you were found. This feeling was stronger than that. After so long apart, you were ravenous, desperate to feel him against you – to feel his heartbeat against yours.

“I missed you-” Gasping as he sucked a nipple into his mouth, scraping his teeth against the skin, you didn’t even try to stop your hips from rolling against his. “-everyday.” While he switched to your other breast, drawing a moan from your parted lips, you focused on opening his pants. “I-I couldn’t forget you e-even if I tried.”

He groaned, eyes fluttering shut at your words. Finally, he had given up control of his own mouth, his own mind. The sight of you above him, shoving your pants down enough to slide his cock through your slick was his undoing. If he wasn’t careful, he would unravel beneath you, becoming pieces of a man who broke himself. Gripping your hips, he positioned you over him, staring up at you through his lashes while he bit at any piece of skin he could reach. You relished in it. Every ounce of pleasure and pain he gave to you.

Tomorrow you’d fight for your lives, but tonight you were free to lose yourselves in each other.

“I should have taken you with me,” he rasped; teeth sinking into his bottom lip. “Should have asked you to stay here. With me.”

Cupping his face, you pressed your lips to his in the hopes that it would reveal your emotions. No barriers were in your mind. Not with him – never with him. He could see whatever he liked and as you licked slowly – hotly – into his mouth, he delved into your thoughts. Every ounce of pain, all the nights you debated on finding him, each moment you reminisced over rushed to his mind and finally…he understood. Leaving you broke your entire being. Just as it did his.

“I would have said yes,” you whispered, sinking slowly down onto him and watching various emotions flitter across his face. “I would have gone anywhere with you.”

You lost the ability to form words as you felt him fill you completely. The slight sting of pain at being stretched like this again seemed to only add to the overwhelming sensation. The silence of the forest surrounded you, allowing the sounds the both of you made to be louder than anything else. Digging your nails into his shoulder, you kissed him messily, your teeth clashing slightly as you rose up on your knees and dropped down just as quickly.

There wasn’t enough time. There never would be.

“‘M never leaving you,” he said against your skin, biting at your neck when you sunk down on him again.

The pace was quick and almost ruthless, but eventually the others would come looking for you and Druig would have to give them his answer. Whining desperately into his neck, you shifted the angle and felt like the air was practically punched out of your lungs. He must have noticed, because he took over for you. Turning swiftly, you were suddenly beneath him, watching as he hooked your legs higher up on his hips.

“You’re with me till the end,” he muttered, thrusting harshly into you and watching your mouth fall open and eyes roll back.

Striking against the spot along your walls, he dug his hands into the earth below, tearing up the grass to help him stave off his own release. Centuries of heartbreak is what he caused you so he could give you this. He had to. For his own sanity and yours he needed to watch you fall apart on his cock. Leaning down he caught your lips in a kiss, groaning when you clenched around him tight enough to have him see stars behind his closed eyes.

“Druig!” you cried out, head tilting back, giving him a chance to suck along your skin. With each thrust of his cock into you, he tore free a sob of his name from your chest; a sound he would never get tired of hearing. “O-Oh fuck!”

“C’mon.” Drawing his hand down, he gripped your jaw in order to tilt your head down and watch him. “My endless universe,” he breathed. “You’re it.”

Hooking your ankles behind his back, you dug your nails into his bare back as he ground his hips into you, stimulating your clit enough to send you flying over the edge. With a shout of his name, you felt the coil in your body tighten to an almost painful degree until it finally snapped in two.

Much to your delight, you got to watch him follow you soon after. The feeling of your walls fluttering wildly around his cock as you gushed enough to drip down around him is what had him biting out your name and pressing his forehead against yours. His eyes flared gold for a few seconds before dying down, returning to the crystalline blue you were so attached to.

“How long will you love me for?” you asked tentatively, pushing his hair off his forehead as his eyes focused on you again. The dazed expression and flushed cheeks was enough to have your cunt clenching around him again.

“Oh – fuck,” he hissed out, pulling out slowly so as not to overstimulate either one of you.

“Druig?”

He tucked his head into the crook of your neck, kissing at the spot beneath your jaw that he favored all those centuries ago. “Until the universe dies.” Each word was spoken with a kiss, his breath fanning across your chest.

To you – in this moment – the Emergence didn’t exist. You weren’t threatened by a world ending situation; you didn’t have to return back to your family. You were merely laying with him beneath the stars just as you did all those years ago. With the warmth of his body pressing into yours. The sky above somehow looked dimmer than the view of him above you, but you wouldn’t trade the sight for anything.

This…was your long awaited answer. He was your answer.

[crguang]

can’t wait to read your fics <3

can i request a jealous!ajak x reader? or any ship you’d like with her? i feel like it would be interesting to read her “deny” it or make stuff up considering she’s so expressive. thank you x

this was so fun to write and think about. you’re very right, she has no issue expressing herself so to imagine her deal with jealousy was really fun. hope u like this one🤞🏾

XxX

Ajak has always been in touch with her emotions. She had no problem expressing herself, in any way she felt the need to, and so for centuries. As the Prime Eternal, she owed it to her family to be collected and logical, to offer her guidance whenever they needed it so they could all fulfill their purpose as Arishem’s creations. She was very emotionally intelligent and that was what allowed her to connect with people. In her centuries spent on earth, she thought she had experienced it all. It took a few more years for her to finally experience jealousy.

The first time it happened, she didn’t realize it. The Eternals had dealt with numerous deviants over the years and were now cleansing the area of what would later be known as Colchester in the UK. Thena and Gilgamesh tag teamed a deviant as Makkari pushed locals out of harm’s way. Kingo was dealing with a beast on his own, confidently even after his arm almost got bitten off. Ikaris was in the air, offering his help with deadly cosmic beams shooting out of his eyes, and Kingo thanked him with a saluting motion of his index and middle fingers.

As most missions went, the thinkers were either inside the Domo or reassuring locals far from the battlefield. You were a thinker, a strategist, a tactical genius. You were able to interpret and see through all angles or patterns of any subject, allowing you to come up with strategies that would guarantee you and your family victory against the deviants. Your sense of foresight allowed you to predict how long term battles would turn out, giving you time to adjust your decisions and seize all the necessary opportunities to achieve your goal. The outcome was always the same, with you by their side, it was almost impossible to lose. As a tactician, your place was by Ajak’s side. She listened to you, took your recommandations into consideration and deeply valued your opinion on any matter, even when you two weren’t talking about war tactics. It was your duty as an Eternal and as her follower, nothing more. You would be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy her company a little more than the others, or if you never observed her when she wasn’t looking, committing each of her features to memory as if you didn’t have eternity to take in her beauty. She was absolutely beautiful, her hair was as soft as it looked and she smelled of flowers and earth, of course you noticed it. You tried not to hang on her every word whenever she spoke, as Kingo once teased the admiration in your eyes when you did, because she was your leader and you were nothing but a pawn executing Arishem’s desires. You owed her respect and professionalism even if your entire body screamed to kiss her whenever she stared at you with a particular fondness in her gaze.

So here you were, by her side, watching the battle from the sidelines and noting with a smile how everything went exactly as you predicted. Honestly, centuries of being constantly right was beginning to get to your head. Sersi was a little further away, attempting to communicate with the people she just met but already cared for, soothing what seemed like a lost little boy. He must not have been older than 6. Sprite, Druig and Phastos decided to skip this one out and stay on the ship, the latter working on yet another invention that he called ‘legendary’ (he said that about everything he built anyway).

The battle should last a couple more minutes. The humans were safe, and the property damage was minimal. Your job was almost done. Someone collided with you then, from behind, and your sharp reflexes were the only thing saving you from embarrassing yourself. You planted your foot on the ground, pivoting as you grabbed the person by the waist, keeping them from falling down with you.

Ajak witnessed it all, her head turning towards you when she heard your gasp of surprise.

After a few seconds of catching your breath, you realized the person was a woman, with long hair dark as the night. You were holding her maybe a bit closer than necessary. You blinked, releasing her waist from your previous grip and she stood straighter, sending what looked like an apologetic smile your way. You couldn’t understand the language she spoke, but you guessed she was apologizing. You reciprocate the gesture, assuring her that it was no problem in english even though you knew she couldn’t understand you. You put a hand on her shoulder, vaguely gesturing to her body with a slight frown as a way of asking if she was alright. She must have been running from something to crash into you the way she had. The woman nodded vigorously, bringing her hands together. She seemed to hesitate about something, scanning your worried expression, before leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss on your cheek. Then she turned away and left as quickly as she had come, leaving you standing there.

Ajak stared at you with a question in her eyes and you shrug, shaking your head. As you turned back to the battlefield, her gaze stayed on you. She knew you were only helping, something she loved about you, yet she couldn’t help but feel… Strange. That stranger had kissed your cheek and you seemed a bit flustered by it. You blushed just the same when she would lean over your shoulder to get a glance of whatever manuscript you were reading, or when she would playfully tease you. You had also held her close to your body and while the healer understood your reasoning behind it, she pursed her lips at the thought.

The second time she felt jealousy was a tad more obvious to her. It came more as a realization of the romantic feelings she held for you than anything else. As she saw you, sitting on the couch with your legs on Makkari’s lap, joking around with her, Ajak thought you had never felt comfortable enough to be close to her in this way. You weren’t cold or distant at all, but the way you were around Makkari or even Sersi… it was like you didn’t allow yourself to be this free around her and she had no idea why. It hurt, a bit, to think that perhaps she had mistaken the intentions behind the way you would sometimes stare at her when you thought she wasn’t aware of it. It was unlike her to be so incertain, but she often felt helpless against you.

It takes a few more years for Ajak to finally confess her feelings to you. The pining, the jealousy she felt whenever you got close to another in a way she wished you were with her, was becoming ridiculous. She’s never denied her feelings for you, knew she wanted to spend the rest of her immortal life with you by her side as you’ve always been so far, she just… Okay, maybe she was a little afraid. You were the tactician, you could predict multiple outcomes based on little information, not her. She didn’t know how you felt, had a hard time reading you as you would act one way with her and the same with another, leaving her to think that she wasn’t as special to you as she initially thought. It was all so confusing. However, after months of living in ancient Greece along her family and humans, after some woman who had been teaching you the language and customs became so obviously enamoured with you, Ajak decided she was done pining.

It was late into the evening, the sky already darkened, that she found you on a wooden bench near the town square, a small fire offering its warmth in front of you. Why you had been alone, she didn’t know. She took a seat next to you, quietly, and tilted her head to the side in a silent question. You glanced at her with a small smile, before looking back into the flames.

“I just needed a moment to think,” you admitted quietly.

“About?”

You didn’t reply for a moment, pursing your lips. Should you tell her? Tell her how much it killed you to keep your distance from her, in fear of having misunderstood the nature of your relationship? She was the Prime Eternal, she cared for each one of you, as was her duty. But at times… it felt like there was something more in the way she stayed up with you at night in the library of the Domo, listening to you ramble about whatever was going on in your mind at the moment. It became much more difficult to keep up the charade, to pretend you didn’t want to feel her touch, or hear her tired chuckles early in the morning. You wanted all of it and more, as much as she would give you, because you loved her. You loved her as more than a friend, and more than a follower. You wanted to grab her soft hands in yours and never let go, wanted the reassuring hugs she easily offered to whoever needed them, wanted to hear your name on her lips as she playfully reprimanded you with tenderness in her eyes.

“Hey,” her voice brought you out of your head and the warm touch on your shoulder made you turn towards her once more. “Where did you go?”

The smile on her face let you know that she was asking out of concern.

“Sorry,” you apologized, taking a breath. She was sitting rather close, and the smell of her was making you incapable of thinking about anything else but the way she would taste as you kissed her.

“Were you thinking about Medeia, perhaps?” She raised her eyebrows in playful mockery. It was the name of your teacher, the one Ajak couldn’t stand anymore because of the way she would find any ridiculous excuse to touch you.

You frowned slightly, not understanding where that was coming from. “Why would I be?”

“Oh, come on. You don’t have to pretend with me.”

“Pretend what?”

“That you haven’t noticed the way she looks at you.”

The confusion didn’t leave your face as you stared at her.

“She likes you, everyone can see it,” she said it matter of factly, as if she was announcing you the weather.

Your eyes widened. “What? No.”

Ajak looked at you, observed how the orange light casted by the nearby fire made you seem even more beautiful than usual. Her eyes glanced downwards, to the confused pout she so badly wanted to kiss off your face.

“What makes you say that?”

Her eyes met yours again.

“I know how loving you looks like.”

Somehow, after all the fear, the confession seemed like the most natural thing in the world to say to you, probably because it was. Her love for you was as easy as breathing, it was simple and true. The feelings were there and they weren’t going away anytime soon, something she had accepted a long time ago. She had no doubt that she was in love with you.

You thought your entire body froze at her sentence. You couldn’t look away from her eyes, as if searching for an ounce of uncertainty or insincerity, something that never came. To hear those words out of her mouth, after all the reasons not to act on your feelings that you repeated to yourself every day, felt like the world stopped turning. You two were the only living beings existing in that moment, the nightlife of the city resorting to background noise to your ears as you focused your attention on her and on how she stared at you.

“How does it look like?” You felt bolder than before, murmuring the question with your gaze on her face.

“Like this,” she answered and made no move to look away, instead noticing the way your braided hair allowed her a perfect view of your face.

“Wait,” you realized with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smile. “Is that why you’re always so harsh with her? You’re jealous?”

“No.”

“Ajak. You side eye her every time you see her.”

“I don’t like how she’s so excited all the time.”

You looked at her expectantly. She glanced to the sky for a split second. It was a terrible lie, and she knew it.

“Of course I’m jealous. She gets to spend her days with you.”

You took her hand then, fingers slowly intertwining with hers as you shook your head. She welcomed the touch with an inaudible sigh. Your thumb caressed her soft skin, always in perfect condition.

“Days are nothing compared to the eternity I would share with you.”

[that-sarcastic-writer]

Coach (1)

Fandom: Dylan O'Brien

Pairing: AU Dylan x Fem!Reader

Mini series summary: Being a newly single mom of two kids wasn't exactly easy. And love wasn't exactly part of your agenda. So, should you avoid lusting over your son's baseball coach? Absolutely. But with a man like Dylan, could you really resist? Probably not.

Warnings: nothing major yet, small sexual innuendo, mentions of cheating and divorce

WC: 1.9k

A/N: a yes, to those who have been following me for a while may recognize this title, it's my old Dylan AU fic. Yes I decided to continue it. Updates will come periodically, because I write spontaneously and I cant guarantee quick updates. But I do promise I wont wait a whole year to update. And since I did some slight updates in the first 2 parts I decided to archive the old ones and repost them again. So yeah, if you've read them before great, give it another read, my writing is much better now I promise and if you're new welcome, I hope you like this mini series.

(You are here, part 2, part 3)

Dylan stood by the side of the large field, near the home plate, occasionally yelling out suggestions and pointing out mistakes to the young boys. 

"Ezra! You have to watch the ball! C'mon! I know you can do better!" He called out to the blonde boy standing on the home plate with a bat in hand. Dylan then turned his attention to the dark haired boy with the baseball mitt and ball in hand.

"Roman! What's going on, buddy? You gotta focus, alright? You gotta work on that throw!" Dylan called out to the young boy, who half nodded and sighed heavily in response.

Not long after, Dylan signaled the young boys scattered throughout the large field to gather around. He spoke some encouraging words to the boys before allowing them to disperse and gather their equipment which meant practice was over.

Your son, however, stayed behind for a minute. There was an inaudible conversation happening between Dylan and your ten year-old, Roman. You watched from the bleachers as your son made some tired gestures at his coach followed by a small pat on the back from Dylan. You couldn't help but follow them with your eyes as they made their way to the bleachers, your eyes lingering a bit too long on the brown haired coach. An action that wasn't taken lightly by the female sitting beside you.

"You're staring at him again." Your best friend, Ezra's mother, Eliza -or just Liz, commented.

"I'm not." You muttered out quickly, tearing your eyes away from the handsome coach, your mouth hanging open for a couple of seconds. "I wasn't staring." You stated matter of factly and shrugged as you looked down at the small six year-old sitting on your lap, making sure she wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

"Really? The drool coming from your mouth says otherwise." Liz playfully ran her finger across your chin, pretending to wipe away at it. You slightly glared at her, an eye roll going her way.

"I'm not drooling. I wasn't even staring." You tried to defend yourself, making a small sassy gesture to her.

"Hey, I don't blame you. If I wasn't married," she took a pause as she eyed Dylan as he removed his baseball hat to run a hand through his messy chocolate locks, you couldn't help but stare as well. "I'd jump on his bones any day."

"Hey, there's young ears present." You said quietly to Liz as not to disturb the young girl in your arms.

Despite your attempt not to, you couldn't help but allow your eyes to fall once again on the field, following the handsome male that was the topic of your conversation. You had to hide the infatuated sigh that left your lips at the sight of your son's coach running around the field, talking to the kids and picking up equipment.

"Well he is handsome, I'll give him that.." You admitted quietly, "and he's really good with the kids."

Your friend smirked slightly at your words and wiggled her eyebrows at you.

"I bet that's not the only thing he's really good at." She eyed you suggestively and slightly nudged at you with her shoulder, "You should find out what other things he's good at."

Your mouth instantly fell open and your eyes widened at the insinuation.

"Eliza! Oh, my god. Don't say that." You slightly shook your head to brush off the embarrassment and hid your face on your hands to cover the crimson on your skin.

"Mommy you're warm!" Athena, your six year-old giggled as she grabbed your warm, sweaty hands. Even your daughter noticed the nervousness that crept up on you when it came to Dylan, even if it was just the topic of him. Truth was, you had been shamelessly crushing on your son's baseball coach ever since he joined the team a couple of months ago. 

Get it together, you should not be crushing on your son's baseball coach.

"I know baby, it's just hot out here." You tried to brush it off, but the knowing smirk on Liz's face wasn't exactly helping. "Thena, why don't you go get Roman and Ezra? They're over there." You pointed to the field where Roman and Ezra were talking —or more like just Ezra was, to the other kids on the team. She quickly nodded and bolted off the bleachers, somehow not tripping over the steps as she went down. You sighed heavily the moment the young girl was far enough and slightly turned your head in Liz's direction.

"You should totally ask him out." She said out of nowhere with a shrug and a smirk on her face. Your eyes widened for the hundredth time, and you instantly shook your head frantically, the idea alone giving you a headache.

"Ask Dylan out? No way. I.. No.. That's just.. No." Your cheeks slightly heat up at the preposition. But you quickly turned it down with a vigorous shake of your head, not even giving the idea a minute to sink into your brain. "No, he's Roman's coach. It's just wrong."

"Why? I mean, you're single, and as far as I know, he's very single. Soo," she dragged the 'o' as she wiggled her eyebrows and she nudged your shoulder, pushing you over a little in a high school girl manner, "Why not get ready to mingle with the hot coach?"

"First of all, I'm technically not single, not yet." You groaned with an eyeroll. As much as you and your husband —or ex-husband or whatever were no longer living together, the divorce process had been unnecessarily long and dreadful. So as much as you wanted to be legally single, you were still married to that piece of shit. 

"And second of all, if I were to date someone, which is a big if, I can't date Roman's coach out of all people. He already has enough as it is. It'll just confuse him and probably upset him more." You sighed heavily as you looked over to the side of the field, where all the boys were having a conversation about elementary boys' things. And there you saw your son, trying, and ultimately failing at joining said conversations. And with little Athena tugging at his side, all he got from the other kids was laughing and rejection.

Seeing your son's sad and hurt expression when the other boys laughed at him or even told him to go away broke your heart. You wanted him to be happy again. You wanted him to be the energetic and loving kid he was before your waste of a husband left. Ever since Ryan —your waste of a husband left, Roman hasn't been the same. 

For the past six or so months, he has been distant and seemingly unhappy. All he ever did was lock himself up in his room and play video games. He barely ever interacted with you and Athena anymore. He barely interacted with anyone, period. Once Ryan left, it was up to you to support your kids financially. Of course, their father still paid child support, but he sure as hell didn't pay your bills or everything you needed to spend on your children. Which meant you had to take him out of the fancy school he went to in order to still pay the monthly expenses of your home. And he just didn't quite fit in at school, especially now. 

So, you hoped that him joining the baseball team would change that, that it would help him open up again and that it would help him make new friends. But so far, it's worked just the opposite.

"So, I'm making dinner tonight. Do you want to come over with the kids and get drunk? Luke will watch over the kids." Liz spoke, interrupting your train of thought.

"That sounds a-mazing," you spoke in a song-like tune, a sigh of contentment leaving your lips. "But I can't. I told Roman I'd take him to that Italian place he likes."

"Tomorrow then. I'll have that Chardonnay you love so much waiting for you." She winked at you as you both stood up, ready to greet your children.

"Thank God for your alcohol stash." You joked, flinging your arms up in praise. 

You both laughed and smiled in your children's direction, but your smile dropped as your kids and Ezra approached you. Ezra was holding Athena's hand, while Roman walked behind them, with a certain heaviness on his step and an annoyed look on his face. And Athena had a small pout on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Rome doesn't want to hold my hand!" Athena whined with a pout of her lower lip. She released Ezra's hand and exchanged it for your own. Ezra going to his own mom. While Roman simply stood there, with a hand stuffed into his pockets and the other messing with the strap of his bag, his gaze stuck on the ground.

"Roman, baby," you sighed softly, not wanting to give the poor kid a hard time. You understood he didn't exactly fit in, no matter how much he wanted to, and that upset him. You didn't want to add up to that. "Your sister just wanted you to hold her hand."

"She was embarrassing me.. I'm already the kid without a dad, I don't need to be the kid with an annoying  baby sister." He muttered, his gaze not once leaving the ground.

 His words were harsh, but lacked emotion. And it broke your heart. But as much as you wanted to tell him that it wasn't true, that he did have a dad, you'd be lying if you did. Ryan was already absent in your children's lives before the split, but at the same time he was there, and Roman felt as if he was. But now, his father really wasn't there, at all. And there was nothing you could do about it.

You sighed softly, gesturing your free hand out for him, "Roman, come here," a heavy sigh left the young boy's lips as he took a few steps closer, standing in front of you with his head hanging low and his eyes stuck to the ground. You used your hand to hold the side of his face, his eyes meeting with your own. "Baby, Thena just wanted to show you that she loves you. She didn't mean to embarrass you, right Thena?" You turned your attention to the small girl that hid behind your arm, her eyes glistening with tears.

The small girl sniffled and shook her head, "No.. I'm sorry Rome.. I won't do it ever again, I-I promise."

You exchanged looks between your children, your eyes finally landing on Roman as you waited for a response. You raised an eyebrow at him, your eyes speaking a silent 'and' to the boy. He eventually signed, almost too heavily, and nodded. 

"It's okay, I guess.. I don't really mind all that much." He half smiled, shrugging slightly.

Athena's expression quickly lightened, the small girl detached herself from your hand and hugged her older brother. And as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't mind the affection. He returned the hug and smiled, for a moment at least.

After a second or two, Roman slightly pushed Athena off him, signaling that that had been enough affection for a day. You breathed out softly, turning to look at Liz, who gave you a sympathetic smile in response. 

"Well my loves, off we go. Say goodbye to Auntie Liz and Ezra." Both your children did as you said. Athena hugging both of them, and Roman simply waving at them. Good enough.

And at last, you gave Liz a quick but tight hug, "I'll call you tomorrow." You said shortly before you grabbed a hold of your daughter's hand and your son's bag, and eventually parted ways.

Today was gonna be a long day.

《Here's an edited version of part 1. As always I hope y'all enjoyed it. I'm trying to get back into writing after a long year, hopefully this will help me get back on track. Let me know your thoughts. And let me know if you'd like to be added to my dylan/coach taglist which I do have》

[futures-tense]

you know i really kind of want more eddie and athena content like them making jokes and stuff and Athena absolutely seeing right through his lovesickness just more eddie and athena friendship

Okay I know you didnt ask for it but I actually had this sitting in my wips but it was too short to do anything with SO (and before anyone asks yes it was loosely based on something one of Angela’s other characters said)

i searched for you in someone else and found nothing// ~750 //

“Out of curiosity, why did Christopher come with Buck and not you?” She doesn’t actually look up at him, just checks the bread in the oven.

Eddie glances at her. “Buck offered to pick him up from school.” He hesitates slightly, the knife in his hands stopping just over the pepper on the cutting board. “I don’t know if Bobby told you but the last call we went on… I don’t know, it kind of messed me up.”

Athena nods sympathetically. “I get it. Are you okay now?”

He thinks for a moment, then continues what he’d been doing. “Yeah, I think so. Or I will be. Buck offered to get Chris so I could have a little while to myself.”

“And where’s Ana tonight?” She side eyes him and he freezes again.

“Why do I feel like you already know the answer to that?” He says, pointedly ignoring her gaze as he empties the contents of the cutting board into the salad bowl.

“I heard this story about a fish,” Athena starts, casually filling the bowl with the rolls she’d pulled out. Eddie furrows his brows and leans back against the counter. “It went up to an older fish and said ‘I’m looking for the ocean.’ The older fish looked at him and said ‘the ocean? That’s what we’re in now.’ And the younger fish shook his head and said ‘no, this is water. I want the ocean’.”

She gives him a knowing look and picks up the bowl, heading around the counter to the table.

“Alright, y’all. Come eat!”

Eddie doesn’t move, still trying to figure out the point of the story.

“Eds,” Buck calls, one hand on the back of Christopher’s chair and the other on the empy seat next to the kid. “You good?”

He nods and joins them at the table, taking the seat next to Buck. The blond leans close- brushing their shoulders together and Eddie leans in closer.

Because Buck’s about to say something.

Obviously.

“You didn’t get water.”

Eddie makes a face. “What?”

“That’s why you went to the kitchen, right? To get a drink?”

“Yeah, yeah, I just… Athena needed some help and I forgot.”

“Naturally,” Buck says with a playful shake of his head before getting up.

Eddie rolls his eyes and tunes into the story Christopher is telling Bobby and Michael. Buck comes back a moment later and places a glass of water in front of him and chooses to engage in a conversation with May about her job at the call center.

Eddie opens his mouth to say something but stops. He sees Athena raise an eyebrow at him.

“Buck, what about you and Ms. Kelly?” Bobby asks when the conversation slows.

Buck raises an eyebrow at him and swallows the food he’d been chewing. “What about us, Cap?”

“You two were going steady for a while, weren’t you?”

That makes Buck laugh a little. “No, we weren’t. We’re just friends.”

Eddie tries hard not to roll his eyes and he looks at Athena, who give him an innocent shrug. What is she playing at?

Bobby looks as unconvinced of Buck’s statement as Eddie does but Buck just shakes his head.

“Seriously,” he insists. “It’s just nice to have someone to talk to. Uh, someone outside of work, anyway.”

Eddie can tell Buck’s trying not to look at him.

Oh. Oh, that’s what she meant.

The conversation moves away from Buck’s love life and on to Harry’s latest video game. Dinner lasts a while longer and eventually they move back into the living room.

Eddie leans toward Athena. “What was all that about?” She gives him a confused look. “Bobby asking about Taylor, it just seemed very…strategic.”

“You’re looking for the ocean when you’ve already got it,” she says quietly, gesturing vaguely toward Buck and Christopher- who are playing a board game with Harry and May.

“I don’t-“ He sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t have him, Thena, that’s the problem.”

She turns to him and smiles fondly. “All you have to do is talk to him. I have a feeling it’ll go your way.”

“Hey, Athena,” Bobby interrupts. “Sorry, but can I get your help outside?”

“Of course,” she says, getting to her feet.

“Wait,” Eddie says. “Do you know something I don’t?”

She smirks at him and shoots a not-so-innocent smile in his direction- one that makes hope spark in him like a match.

[uvena]

thoughts on eternals

this is hot off the press i need more time to process and collect my critical thinking skills BUT

no thoughts head empty just drukkari

literally who asked for h*rry st*les to be in a marvel movie WHO ASKED literally no one like nobody asked i dont want this i dont wanna have to look at his stupid face any longer than i have to which ideally is never like is he the only go who could do it? really? are they that desperate for clicks? is disney+ doing that badly? bec like he brings absolutely NOTHING he has no presence and i hope it’s just for the 1 movie

personally im disappointed thena didnt slingshot ikaris into the sun like i think that would have been an excellent way for him to go, like i understand why he went out the way he did, it was about atonement, it was about trying to “make amends” after everything he did and the only way he could do that, after trying to annihilate humankind, killing ajak, and being willing to kill his family it was the only way but like... he deserved SO much worse than makkari pressing his face into the rock and phastos trapping him in place like he’s the reason gilgamesh died i think he really deserved worse! and like i know it’s the point but like he was so fucking vain like oh boo hoo you’re not the favorite plus ratio plus you’re annoying as fuck and vain and you broke sersi’s heart and for WHAT

im sorry but i didnt care much about sprite... like i get it but 1) her having feelings for ikaris was stupid and 2) i did not have a lot of sympathy for her even at the end like... like euie said it’s a testament to sersi’s character that she forgave sprite so easily and it IS but guess what bitch i do not have to do that

still sore over losing gilgamesh like it’s always a joy to see his actor in anything but gilgamesh... i know ~why~ he died but it’s such a shame because i loved him so much. i wish we got to see more of him & see him interact with the others more before his death. also “it’s rotten work” @ thena 100% huh... god god god god god that was CRAZEE

this movie needed more makkari i LOVED her i wanted to get to know her better i think she’s my favorite out of all the eternals like we got to see glimpses of her but i hope the next movie gives her more screentime

the thing about druig’s actor is that i saw him in the killing of a sacred deer which still unsettles me to this day and i didnt know if i was gonna love him in this but guess what i DID and i DO

PHASTOS AND HIS HUSBAND AND HIS KID... HE LOST FAITH IN HUMANITY BUT FOUND IT IN THE PEOPLE HE LOVED! HE DID THAT! AND HE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT AND IT WAS FOR LOVE AND IM GONNA CRY

sersi... sersi who had doubts sersi who didnt know why she was chosen sersi who ajak trusted to lead sersi who overcame her doubt and fear and saved the world sersi who forgave the people who hurt her and those she loved she who was willing to risk it all to risk the natural order of the universe to stop the annihilation of humankind she did that she really did

kingo was funny and i wish we could have seen why he was so willing to follow ikaris more like just you know a snapshot into it like we Met him but mostly we got to see sersi and ikaris in flashbacks which is fine but like...

wish we could have seen all the eternals and gotten to know them better but it was a large cast blah blah blah

overall i enjoyed it much more than i expected and it certainly wasn’t perfect but it was fun. still wanna punch ikaris tho

also jon snow... who are youuuuuuuuuuu

AND BLADE? BLADE? BLADE!

sad they splintered in the end :( but i get it :( i want a reunion tho

there’s more but i’ll have to rewatch before i can make like... a dissection post

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

A bold new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2021 on Disney+ with the wildly successful WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but Marvel Studios certainly hasn’t been resting on its laurels in terms of upcoming cinematic blockbusters. Not only does it have Black Widow (finally) ready for theatrical release, but we’ve also got Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness all in various stages of production, there are also TV series on the way for the likes of Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and more!

Well, if you’ve been a little confused by Marvel’s shifting dates and streaming priorities, never fear! We’ve got a comprehensive release calendar for you here detailing all the forthcoming MCU projects, so you’ll always be able to find the latest updates when you need them.

Let’s take a look at everything Marvel has in store over the next few years…

Loki

Release Date: June 9, 2021

Tom Hiddleston will reprise his most famous role, as Loki finds himself on a heist through time and space “as he steps out of his brother’s shadow” after the events of Avengers: Endgame! Oh, and based on this trailer, there’s all kinds of time-travelling weirdness awaiting, including the return of Heimdall, some other Asgardian hijinks, DB Cooper (yes!), Owen Wilson playing an obscure character based on a beloved Marvel Comics writer, and…Loki possibly running for President!

Tom Hiddleston stars, of course, and the cast also includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. Michael Waldron is head writer and Kate Herron is directing.

Black Widow 

Release Date: In theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access Friday, July 9, 2021

The Black Widow movie was heading for a May 1, 2020 release before the pandemic, but Disney and Marvel decided to delay it until the industry’s infrastructure was back to some semblance of normal. They seemed absolutely committed to keeping Natasha on a theatrical release rather than sending her to Disney+, but eventually semi-caved in March as it was confirmed that Black Widow would hit both streaming and theaters simultaneously in July.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.”

Cate Shortland directed the film, and Scarlett Johansson stars, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour alongside her. One of the movie’s villains is Taskmaster, and we wrote a little bit more about him right here.

Natasha Romanoff will get a prequel movie of sorts here, as we catch up with Widow right around the events of Captain America: Civil War. Will the plot affect her character’s ultimate fate in Endgame? Do not count on it.

What If…?

Release Date: Summer 2021

The beloved comic book series that tells tales of how things might have turned out differently in the Marvel Universe is becoming an animated series on Disney+!

Here’s the official synopsis:

“What If…? flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways…Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles.”

We know that at least a couple of these roles include Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa as well as the return of Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter!

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release Date: September 3, 2021

Simu Liu has been cast as the titular Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as The Mandarin (hey, that name sounds familiar! But this time, we’re getting the real Mandarin on screen). Destin Daniel Cretton is directing from a script by Dave Callaham. Given its “Ten Rings” title, Shang-Chi should be steeped in Marvel lore, going all the way back to the first Iron Man film!

Hopefully this will be Marvel’s most action-packed movie yet. The trailer sure makes us think so.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release Date: September 17, 2021

Andy Serkis (Mowgli) steps behind the camera for Venom 2, which now boasts the catchy title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The first film, buoyed by a terrific showing at the Chinese box office, made an absolute ton of money, despite being released to mostly scathing reviews.

Venom: Let There be Carnage will follow up Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man-less spinoff film, but will likely be more connected to the MCU this time around, thanks to a renewed deal between the company and its Marvel Studios partners. Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock, of course, and as you can probably guess from that title, he’ll be facing off against Woody Harrelson’s villain, Cletus Kasady aka Carnage!

We wrote about all the cool Marvel stuff happening in the above trailer right here.

The Eternals 

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

Acclaimed Nomadland helmer (and Oscar winner!) Chloe Zhao is directing Marvel’s Eternals from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo. Marvel described the film as an “epic story, spanning thousands of years” that features “a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.”

The cast features Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. We meet all these characters in the trailer, which we wrote more about here.

This one was another victim of the release date shuffle, but we’ll finally get to see Jack Kirby‘s wildest creations soon enough!

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021

The next Spider-Man movie looks like a big one! Spider-Man: No Way Home will once again take place in the MCU since Marvel and Sony solved their differences, good sense prevailed, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will remain a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This one, well…this might be a live action Spider-Verse movie from the sound of it. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from the maligned Amazing Spider-Man films and Alfred Molina will return from the Raimi era as Doctor Octopus.

Wait. Are they trying to make this a multiversal Sinister Six movie? Because…we could be down for that.

Hawkeye

Release Date: Late 2021

Jeremy Renner returns as Clint Barton to train his replacement as Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop! Apparently based on the brilliant run of comics by Matt Fraction and David Aja, Hawkeye will also prominently feature Lucky the Pizza Dog, one of the great canines in Marvel Comics history.

The cast also includes Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Fra Fee as Kazimerz Kazimierczak, Tony Dalton as Jack “Swordsman” Duquesne, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Alaqua Cox as Maya “Echo” Lopez, and Zahn McClarnon as Willie Lincoln. We wrote more about all these new characters here.

Ms. Marvel

Release Date: Late 2021

Ms. Marvel is finally coming to live action! Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. “A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right?”

The cast includes Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer, and Nimra Bucha. Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

This is going to be a big one, folks, because Kamala is going to be a significant player in Captain Marvel 2. How significant? The title of the movie is now The Marvels!

Morbius

Release Date: January 21, 2022

Spider-Man spinoff Morbius is Sony’s next big Marvel wild card, and it’ll officially be the first spinoff to properly connect to the MCU (even if Marvel Studios still isn’t officially acknowledging it in their own promotional materials the way they are with Spider-Man: No Way Home). Here’s the official synopsis for the film…

“Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.”

Safe House‘s Daniel Espinosa directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. Jared Leto stars as the vampiric title character, and the cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.

Read more about the character of Michael Morbius here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like it will open up the storytelling possibilities in the MCU like never before. And that’s just based on the name alone. Scott Derrickson was scheduled to direct, but bowed out because of “creative differences” with Marvel. But the good news is that Marvel found a suitable replacement in none other than Sam Raimi, who of course has plenty of superhero experience thanks to his Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s!

This one has loads of connections to the wider MCU. Elizabeth Olsen will be here as Wanda Maximoff post-WandaVision, and the film will also connect to Spider-Man: No Way Home and its own multiversal ambitions. There are also a few rumors doing the rounds that Jericho Drumm aka Brother Voodoo could be introduced in this sequel. We’ll keep an eye on that and update this if there’s any substance to them.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Taika Waititi, who gave us the delightful Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write and direct. Chris Hemsworth will be back. Natalie Portman is your new Thor (yes, you read that right, Jane Foster will wield the hammer…just as she did in the comics!). Christian Bale has also joined the cast as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher. Not only that, this movie will finally put Olympians in the MCU with Russell Crowe as Zeus. Can Hercules be far behind?

Oh, and did we mention that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be along for the ride, too?

Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever 

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Black Panther 2 is now called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Marvel has made it official that after the tragic, untimely death of Chadwick Boseman they have no intention of recasting the role of T’Challa, which is absolutely the right move.

Ryan Coogler will return as director, but there are no other details currently available. Interestingly, Coogler is also bringing a Wakanda TV series to Disney+ at some point in the future, too, and something tells us this Wakanda-centric title for the sequel is a sign of things to come.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Is it technically an MCU movie? Nope. But with all the legal weirdness going on between Marvel and Sony, and this franchise’s very multiversal concept, who’s really to say that it ISN’T an MCU movie either, right? In any case, the sequel to the best Spider-Man movie of all time is coming in 2022 with Avatar: The Last Airbender mastermind Joaquim Dos Santos directing and David Callaham writing.

There’s also an “untitled Marvel movie” still technically scheduled for this date but…that is almost certainly not gonna happen now. Expect whatever that project was to move to one of these below dates or to some other currently unspecified date on the calendar.

Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels

Release Date: November 11, 2022

WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell has been tapped to write the screenplay for Captain Marvel 2, which now boasts the title of The Marvels. You know what else is really cool? Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct!

We have no idea where we’ll find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the sequel to her hugely successful first standalone MCU entry. Will she be fighting to loosen her former Kree pals’ iron grip on a pre-Avengers galaxy? Or will the follow up film see her fighting for justice in the present?

In any case, we know that she’ll be facing off with Zawe Ashton as a currently-unnamed antagonist, and WandaVision‘s Monica Lambeau (Teyonah Parris) will also return in her superpowered state after the events of that game-changing show. Considering that Monica was once known as “Captain Marvel” in the comics, that title of The Marvels becomes more appropriate. And even MORE appropriate when you realize that Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, will also be making her big screen debut.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Release date: Feb. 17, 2023

Peyton Reed will return to direct the third installment of the Ant-Man saga, making him the first director in MCU history to complete a trilogy…perhaps the most unlikely trilogy in Marvel’s entire arsenal. Paul Rudd will return as Scott Lang, and you can certainly expect Evangeline Lilly to return as The Wasp and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

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The villain of the film? That will be Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors. The inclusion of Kang opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for the MCU, and may even tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four down the line! We wrote more about those possibilities right here.

We’re also going to need fast confirmation on Michael Pena’s return as Luis, though. Luis is key…

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

Release date: May 5, 2023

After a tumultuous period which saw James Gunn fired and then rehired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, he will finally return to complete his spacefaring trilogy for the studio. However, Gunn can’t even begin filming Guardians 3 until he finishes production on The Suicide Squad for DC, as well as an HBO Max Peacemaker prequel. Once those projects are finished, he’s free to return to the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame left the team in an interesting place. We broke down some of the story possibilities right here.

And then there are still some dates that Marvel has announced that they have yet to match projects to. Those dates are…

July 28, 2023

Oct 7, 2023

Nov. 10, 2023

Some of those dates could very well be good fits for the following films…

Fantastic Four

The MCU Fantastic Four movie is finally happening! Marvel seems to be hinting that Fantastic Four will be their next priority after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So is it possible that we’ll see it on July 28, 2023? That sure would be a great piece of summer blockbuster real estate to launch what might be the most important piece of the MCU going forward!

Marvel’s first family will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a film directed by Jon Watts, who did such a wonderful job with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. That’s all the information that’s out there at the moment, but as soon as we have more, we’ll update this. It also appears that WandaVision started to set up the Fantastic Four, so stay tuned. We have our own theories on why Marvel went with the Fantastic Four before the X-Men, but that’s another story.

Blade

In 2019, Marvel announced that they will be rebooting the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali playing the titular daywalker. Ali’s True Detective co-star – and former Blade villain – Stephen Dorff is excited to see what he can do with the character, and so are we.

Could Marvel decide to drop this in that Oct. 7, 2023 release date? Considering that’s the Halloween season and Blade is, y’know, a vampire hunter, they’d have to be foolish not to, right?

Captain America 4

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman is co-writing a currently-untitled Captain America 4 with another FWS alum, Dalan Musson. Those are pretty much all the details that are currently available on this one at this time, but at least we know that Anthony Mackie will return as Sam Wilson in that incredibly badass Captain America costume they gave him for that show. We wrote some more about the potential story possibilities for this one right here.

There’s no date or director for this one yet, so even 2023 seems like it might be a longshot.

Deadpool 3

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin will be the writing team tasked with bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. What a Deadpool 3 could look like in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, anybody’s guess, but if anyone can crack wise about the follies of this kind of corporate synergy, it’s Ryan Reynolds.

And then there’s the lingering TV stuff, at least two of which will arrive in 2022, with the balance likely to arrive in 2023…

She-Hulk

Tatiana Maslany will play Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who ends up with her cousin Bruce’s gamma-irradiated blood. Hilarity certainly ensues. Kevin Feige has promised that since this will be a courtroom show, you never know who else from the MCU could show up.

It’s possible we’ll get She-Hulk on Disney+ in 2022, but nothing is confirmed at this stage.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac will play Marc Spector, a disturbed fortune hunter who also happens to be the avenging avatar of an Egyptian moon god. Oscar Isaac is already training hard for the role, and the series is now officially in production, so we wouldn’t be surprised if we see this one on Disney+ in 2022.

Ironheart

The first of two series that will explore the legacy of Iron Man and Tony Stark in the MCU, Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a teenager at M.I.T. who creates her own suit of armor to right the wrongs of the world.

Armor Wars

Don Cheadle will reprise his role as Rhodey and will have the solo spotlight in the War Machine armor in a series that deals with a nightmare scenario for the MCU: what if Tony Stark’s Iron Man technology fell into the wrong hands and was getting duplicated by villains? Based on a classic comics run, Armor Wars promises big action and lots of obscure bad guys. We can’t wait.

Secret Invasion

Samuel L. Jackson will return as Nick Fury alongside Ben Mendelsohn as Talos for a series about the shape-shifting Skrull infiltration of Earth. Kingsley Ben-Adir is apparently playing the villain of the series. Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Killian Scott also star.

On directing duties are Thomas Bezucha (Let Him Go) and Ali Selim (The Looming Tower) while Mr. Robot vet Kyle Bradstreet is the head writer.

Secret Invasion could be the biggest thing to happen to the MCU since Endgame.

Wakanda

Very few details are available on this one at the moment, but Ryan Coogler will develop at least one Wakanda-set TV series for Disney+. Could this have anything to do with that Wakanda Forever title for Black Panther 2? We wrote more about some of the implications of this here.

We’ll keep updating this with new information as it becomes available!

The post Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[angrylizardjacket]

the deadliest game // charlotte&lola

Summary: Motley Crue, Lola, Charlotte, Peach, and Eileen play Knife Monopoly. It goes about as well as you could expect.

A/N: BIG WARNING THERE’S SO MANY KNIVES. KNIVES, INJURY, MENTIONS OF BLOOD, CUTTING AND STABBING BUT NOT IN A SERIOUS WAY, JUST LIKE A FUN LITTLE STAB, BUT STILL THERE’S SERIOUS KNIFE PLAY. it’s not sexual but i still don’t think its sfw. @lemonadexmouth and @misscharlottelee i hope i did your girls at least a little bit proud haha. MC might be a bit oc, sorry!

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When Charlotte hears the words Knife Monopoly leave Tommy’s mouth one unassuming Friday afternoon in the Motley House, she’s instantly sent back a whole five years, to the Bass family garage, and Athena, all of thirteen years old, screeching in triumph while Tommy, barely fifteen, swore a blue streak, amid begging Charlotte not to tell his dad. They’d ignored her warnings, her jousting with steak knives is not a better alternative to regular auctions, and as such, Tommy had underestimated his vicious and competitive little sister, and ended up with a knife half an inch deep in the heel of his palm. 

“You’re so fucking stupid,” Charlotte, sixteen, tells him.

“Get fucked!” Athena had crowed, knife still a little bloody as she raised it in triumph. 

“Language, ‘Thena,” Charlotte reminded her, searching amid Tommy’s various musical supplies for any sort of cloth to stem the bleeding.

“I just won Knife Monopoly I can do whatever I want!” Athena responded, looking a little bit crazy, brandishing her knife at Charlotte, who just regarded her with flat unamusement. 

“Go get me bandages,” she instructed the younger girl, cutting her off before she can even begin to protest, “or I’ll tell your mom it was your idea.”

“She won’t -”

“You stabbed Tommy!”

“It was his suggestion! It’s his fault he got stabbed!” But she complies anyways, and sulks the whole time. Tommy doesn’t play Knife Monopoly with his little sister after that, or around Charlotte either, though according to some of his friends at school, he hasn’t exactly quit the game cold turkey.

“Absolutely fucking not,” Charlotte calls from the bathroom where she’s helping dye the ends of Lola’s hair bright red, the moment the memory passes. It’s all over her hands, it already looks like blood; this all feels too familiar.

“Char-lee,” Tommy practically whines, and Charlotte steps out of the bathroom to scowl at him, even as Lola protests. 

“Okay but what is Knife Monopoly?” Nikki is far too intrigued for his own good -

“No.” Charlotte says, firmer this time, “it’s dumb as hell. And it always ends with Tommy getting stabbed.”

“Not always!” Tommy protests, “I’ve stabbed Vince a few times,” like that makes it any better.

“Sign me up!” Nikki’s eyes are always alight with some terrible and dangerous enthusiasm, and Charlotte regrets ever meeting him, and proceeds to, in great and embarrassing detail, retell the story of the first ever game of Knife Monopoly. Tommy looks like he’s bitten a lemon by the time she’s finished. Nikki is clearly not swayed.

“I got better at it,” Tommy actually pouts.

“I’d hope so; your sister was thirteen,” Nikki points out. Tommy’s expression, defying all expectations, gets even more bitter.

“She’s vicious,” he says in his own defense, “go get Vince, he’ll tell you I’m good at it.”

“What does being good at Knife Monopoly mean?” Lola finally steps into the conversation, hands also dyed a bright, eye-catching red to match the ends of her hair currently in a messy bun atop her head. Unfortunately, she seems onboard with the whole idea.

“It means Vince got stabbed a lot,” Charlotte fills in, and Tommy’s back to grinning and nodding.

“How about it, Lo?” He’s all enthusiasm, and Lola shrugs, which he takes as a yes. He then proceeds to ask each of them if they’re in, without waiting for an answer, and practically bolts into the spare room where Vince was desperately trying to sleep off a hangover. 

“Knife Monopoly!” He announces at the top of his lungs, hanging off the doorframe. It’s like he’s fifteen again. Charlotte, whole body heavy with resignation, makes her way to the phone to call up Peach and Eileen. From the other room, the other three all hear Vince groan loudly.

“No rib stabbing,” is his only groggy stipulation, and Tommy literally cheers. 

Peach and Eileen show up within the hour, with a bemused Mick in tow, both women wearing near-identical disapproving scowls.

“We don’t have enough knives,” Nikki muses, looking at them, but Tommy’s acting as if their arrival means the end of the world.

“Charlie -” he tries again.

“Moral support, Thomas.” She doesn’t leave any room for argument, and then apologizes to both redheads. After a beat, the anger cracks away to resignation from Eileen, who Eileen opens her bag to reveal a swathe of gauze tape and a bottle of vodka, “just be glad I didn’t call your sister.” Charlotte adds for good measure, but Tommy just flips her off. 

Peach, on the other hand, realizing that the game hadn’t even started, turns from disapproving to excited.

“Wait, so I get to actually play this time?”

“Peach!” Eileen groans, but Tommy’s offering her a place in the game. She’d always had to help clean up the aftermath; it’s easy to be disapproving when bandaging your not-boyfriend’s sliced up bicep, it’s another to be able to get drunk and play for yourself.

Lola gets out of the shower drying her freshly dyed hair, only for the body count in the apartment to have almost doubled; she takes it in stride, and actually parrots Nikki’s concern about a lack of knives almost word for word. 

“If someone can drive me to my motel I can borrow some steak knives from the kitchen,” she offers, much to Charlotte and Eileen’s growing horror. Someone suggests making a night of it, of ordering pizza, getting booze, and collecting more knives before they start, and it seems almost everyone else is in agreement, even Mick, who, as Lola points out, would take any opportunity to stab the rest of the band, even a little bit.

“I hate them,” Eileen mutters to Charlotte, the two of them sharing vodka with Mick in the kitchen. Charlotte hums in agreement, watching as Nikki and Lola went to collect knives, while Vince and Peach went to pick up pizza and booze, which left Tommy to find the Monopoly board. 

“Fuckin’ teenagers, the lot of them,” Mick chimes in, but there’s something amused in his gaze, and Charlotte sighs deeply and tells him not to indulge them. He shrugs, as if he can’t help himself, as if the damage is already done, and it is.

There’s actual knife wounds in the board, holes of considerable size.

Charlotte doesn’t know why now, of all the time she’s known them, that she’s finally hit with the realization that her closest friends might be the absolute dumbest people she knows.

The premise of Knife Monopoly is simple; any and all disagreements are settled with a knife fight. Disagreements can range from establishing rules - yes, that early on; there’s been several times where he’s never even made a roll and the game is over - to disputes about rent, about whose turn it is, and most famously, substituting auctions for knife fights. Usually Tommy’s only played it with one opponent, so it’s elated to maybe not get stabbed for a few rounds. The knife fights aren’t serious, no-one’s allowed to go in for the kill or anything dramatic, and if someone quits, you have to respect that and stop going after them, but once they’re out, they’re not allowed to rejoin.

Peach and Vince get back first, loaded up with food for the whole pack, and Charlotte watches through narrowed eyes as Tommy pulls Vince to the side after he’s set down all the pizzas. They’re plotting something, judging by the conspiratorial whispering, and their suddenly shifty gazes.

“Charlie,” this time her name is a question when Tommy asks it, and Charlotte turns her full attention to him and the blonde crowded together in the corner of the room, “do you think Nikki and Lola...” he hesitated, “what do you think their pain tolerance is?” He decides on, none too subtly. Charlotte, when she considers his question, can’t help the way her lips twitch in amusement, understanding exactly what was happening.

“You’re both going to lose.”

“Ye of little faith,” Vince clicks his tongue, nose in the air, and Charlotte suppresses the sudden murderous intent that surges forth in her. Probably not the best situation to be feeling murderous in.

“You’re knife fighting Nikki and Lola,” Charlotte smirks instead, “you’re going to lose.”

Neither of them like that she kind of has a point.

The two in question finally get back, a canvas bag full of steak knives in tow, which are quickly passed out, and dinner and drinks are distributed and eaten as the rules are explain. Mick’s balancing the tip of his knife against his knee where he’s sitting in the armchair, a single finger keeping the utensil aloft, regarding them all like he’s wondering who he should go for first. In contrast, Tommy and Lola are already being absolute idiots, and trying to balance their knives on their noses, thankfully handle first.

Charlotte picks up her knife.

“I want it noted that this is a absolutely terrible idea,” she’s points the knife at Tommy, and he cheerily tells her ‘then quit’. She stays in the game to prove a point to him, and takes another shot.

They roll the little plastic dice to see who goes first, and when Nikki and Vince both roll a ten, instead of rolling again, they’re both already down to fight. Except that Nikki’s got this gleam in his eyes that can mean nothing good, and is holding his knife like he knows exactly what to do with it.

There’s a moment of jousting, of metal against metal, then plastic, then Nikki’s blade slips past too quick for Vince to catch, and there’s a cut on his bicep. Tommy calls out that the fight is over, and Nikki boos him, but Lola pulls him back.

“Calm down, Jason Voorhees,” she rolled her eyes, and pokes him with her own knife. Nikki, obligingly sat back, and devoured another slice of pizza as he rolled his first turn.

The first turn goes smoothly, probably too smoothly, though Charlotte wouldn’t lie that her heart was in her throat the whole time she was moving her piece. Any objection would be met with someone’s injury, as says the rules.

When Lola takes her second roll, these rules are exploited.

“No.” Nikki tells her as soon as she totals the numbers on the dice. Lola checks her math. Eight. Two fours.

“Yes? Eight.” She answers slowly, with a frown. Tommy can already see where this is leading, and watches with wide eyes and baited breath. Nikki flips his knife, and points it at Lola.

“No.”

“How high are you?” Lola does not yet realise, it seems, and Nikki raises his eyebrows, claiming that that’s not the issue, “are you starting a fight because you’re bored?” Lola snickers, finally, and the way Nikki’s lips twitch at the corners betrays his intentions. There’s no way he would have started this over something so ridiculous with anyone else.

“I like this game,” Nikki turns to Tommy, and the moment his attention is pulled away, Lola lashes out with her knife, tearing his pants and leaving a thankfully shallow wound against his thigh. Nikki, surprised by the altercation, goes wide-eyed with shock, clutching his leg, mouth agape as he watches Lola smugly move her piece eight places forward.

“Yes, eight,” she says simply.

It was a dirty move, but Nikki’s expression turns to a disbelieving grin. Eileen hands over a roll of tissue paper. Everyone else is quiet, can’t quite believe what they’d just witnessed.

“Fucking knew you guys would be killer at this,” Tommy exclaims with a breathless grin, picking up the dice. Lola leans over and presses a sweet kiss to Nikki’s shoulder, and he, in turn, pets her head with the hand that’s not holding tissues to his fresh wound. 

Alcohol goes a long way to dulling the pain, but everyone now seems to be playing strategically; Eileen’s not playing, just watching with amusement, while her little sister uses Vince’s fondness against him. Peach gives him a doe-eyed pleading look, and when he starts to lower his weapon, she gives him a considerable cut by his collar. It’s not his first of the night, and after both the cut, and her underhanded tactics, he’s the first to bail out. Eileen takes him to the bathroom to be properly cleaned and bandaged, while Peach wears a smile so oddly reminiscent of thirteen-year-old Athena, triumphant. 

Mick appears to be biding his time, not challenging anyone, and no-one appears to want to challenge him, considering how unnerving he’s been acting for most of the game. Tommy and Charlotte end up challenging each other surprisingly often, and though he goes easy on her when he gets the upper hand, Charlotte still ends up with a collection of little wounds littering her skin; she can’t deny the adrenaline rush the arsenene game grants it’s players, maybe it’s why she hasn’t quit yet. 

Tommy’s holding his own against Lola and Nikki surprisingly well, and there’s no denying that the three of them are the worst off of the lot; Nikki and Lola challenge each other like it’s not a game involving knives, like it’s just a normal Friday, and Charlotte quietly thinks that there’s something deeply wrong with both of them. At least they go much easier on everyone else. 

“Alright, pay up, geezer, that’s four hundred you owe me,” Lola’s grin is all teeth when she turns to Mick, marking up the price for rent on her hotels, expecting him not to fight back. She’s been extorting him all game, and somehow he’s still playing. 

“I think you owe me four hundred,” Mick answers with a sharp little smile, sitting forward in the chair, finally holding his knife like a weapon. 

“Is that a challenge?” Lola should not be this excited at the prospect. Mick raises his eyebrows at her, holding out his hand.

“Unless you’re willing to just hand over that four hundred without a fight.” 

Lola’s on her feet in a flash, bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready and waiting for Mick to stand and face her. She’s passing her knife from hand to hand, far too eager, but Mick simply takes in her stance, and throws his knife at her, aiming for her arm, as to not hit anything too vital. There’s not enough force behind the throw to leave the knife actually in her, but it leaves a considerable gash in her shoulder.

“I quit,” Mick announces, while Lola marvels at the wound with what seems to border on excitement, “I already know I can’t win,” he shrugged easily. Lola and Tommy both boo at him.

“Drummer, you’re not gonna win when two of the five remaining players get off on shit like this,” Mick says bluntly, “and it’s not you or your cousin.” Vince crows with laughter, but doesn’t disagree. 

When Tommy looks to Lola, she’s glaring at Mick while Nikki dresses her wound. 

“I can try,” Tommy musters all his strength, only for Charlotte to cut him down.

“No you can’t,” she practically orders, “yes that’s a challenge,” and she reaches over and cuts his palm before he can even react. It’s a dirty, underhanded move, but technically it’s not against the rules. “This game is stupid and dangerous.”

“No fair!” Tommy frowns, plucking tissues out of the quickly depleting box.

“Is that a challenge?” Charlotte raises her eyebrows at him, and Tommy sulks, but finally quits, cradling his hand to his chest, and concedes defeat.

It’s a stalemate; Peach is relatively unscathed, Charlotte has collected a handful of scrapes, while Nikki and Lola look like they’ve rolled through broken glass and loved it. 

“You know what?” Peach announces, looking between Nikki and Lola, and Charlotte, like she’s interrupted a standoff, before anyone else rolls, “I don’t need to be stabbed anymore today, ‘specially not by you guys.” And she puts her knife down, raising her hands in surrender. 

And then there was three. 

Charlotte looks to the other two, leaning into each other and smiling in a way that was more than a little sinister, looking a little like a pair of serial killers sizing up their next victim. If it were anyone else looking at her like that, she’s pretty sure she’d be overwhelmingly intimidated, but the only thing Nikki and Lola do better than give off a ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe to everyone else, is self destruct together. Which Charlotte is far too aware of to let it go unmentioned. 

“If I quit, will you two promise not to kill each other, and to never play this game again?” Charlotte asks, leveling her knife at the two of them. They share a look; Nikki shrugs.

“We do this shit for fun anyways,” Lola admitted, finally looking back at Charlotte, conceding, “we don’t need a game.” Vince groans like he’s just now realising the game was rigged from the start. Charlotte doesn’t really want to think about that too hard, instead focusing on the first half of her initial question.

“But if I quit -”

“We both win, we’re a team,” Lola snorted.

“You stabbed each other more than anyone else!” Eileen looks like she wants to hurl them both through the window, but is kind of afraid they’d enjoy it.

“I hate you both so much,” Charlotte sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand. She deliberately sets down her knife, “I quit. Knife Monopoly is officially banned.”

[flight-of-the-sacred-eagle]

Snow Day

It’s a snow day and literally everyone is stuck where they are. This is really just a bunch of drabbles with a single plot rip

“Miiiiiiiiiilllleeeeees, it’s coooooooold,” Phoenix whined as he flopped down onto the couch, resting his head on his lap.

“It’s not that cold, Phoenix,” Miles said, barely bothering to look up from his book. Phoenix huffed.

“It’s freezing,” he mumbled. “Have you been outside?!” He asked. Miles rolled his eyes.

“No,” he said. “Because I can tell that it would be a bad idea,” he said.

“I wanted to try to see if I could get to Trucy,” Phoenix grumbled. “I didn’t realize that it was that cold,” he said. “It never gets that cold!” He whined.

“Trucy is fine, Phoenix,” Miles said before he sighed and put his book down. “You’re an idiot, you know that?” He muttered as he looked down at his boyfriend. Phoenix snorted.

“I’ve still beat you multiple times,” he said. “So I can’t be that bad,” he said. Miles rolled his eyes.

“You win because your clients are innocent,” he said. “And your tactics tend to be... interesting to say the least,” he said as he smiled down at his boyfriend.

“Hey. They work,” Phoenix said as he sat up. Then, he wrapped his arms around Miles and laid back down, pulling him onto his chest.

“W-Wright!” Miles exclaimed as he tried to wiggle his way out of his boyfriend’s grip. “What are you doing?!” He asked. Phoenix grinned.

“I’m going to take a nap,” he said. “And so are you,” he said. Miles huffed.

“We just got up,” he grumbled. “Let me go,” he said.

“Nope,” Phoenix said. “You’re staying here,” he said as reached up and grabbed a blanket, draping it over the pair.

“Phoenix... I hate you,” Miles grumbled as he gave up.

“Love you too, Miles.”

———

“Clay?”

“Yes, Em?”

“Are we seriously stuck here?” Ema asked as she stared out of the window and at the snow.

“Looks like it,” Clay said as he looked out of the window himself. Ema groaned.

“Of course- the one day I actually needed to get stuff done, and we’re snowed in,” she grumbled. She was never a fan of snow to begin with, but to be snowed in? Well, there was a reason she lived in California in the first place. Clay just shrugged.

“Eh. Could be worse,” he said. “We could have ‘pollo and Klavier with us,” he said.

“Oh god,” Ema said with a laugh. “That would end up with someone dead,” she said. “I can barely stand being by the fop on a good day, but to be stuck with him?” She asked. “That would be torture. Especially with him loving on Apollo like he does,” she said.

“No, that’s not what I’d be worried about,” Clay said with a smirk. “They tend to have a hard time keeping their hands off each other when they’re bored,” he said. Ema gagged.

“Ew, I do not need to think about the fop fucking Apollo,” she said. “That’s just gross,” she said. Clay laughed.

“Hey, at least you didn’t learn about their relationship by walking in on them,” he said. “I will never get that image out of my mind,” he said.

“No, I just found out by hearing Apollo fucking moan in Klavier’s office,” Ema said with a laugh. “And that office is soundproof!” She exclaimed as she made her way to the chair and sat down.

“Okay, but Klavier on top of Apollo,” Clay said. “And they were on the couch!” He exclaimed. “Sure, they had their clothes on still, but like. Damn, couldn’t you two wait like, half a minute longer?!” He asked, earning a snort from Ema. Ema shook her head.

“I will never understand why anyone could enjoy that,” she said. Clay snorted.

“You and me both,” he said before humming.

“Want to marathon the original Star Trek and get drunk?”

“Fuck yeah!”

———

“Really?!” Athena exclaimed as she stared out of the window and glared. “I actually had stuff I wanted to get done today!” She exclaimed.

“Did you now?” Simon asked. “I thought you planned to just sit and watch TV all day,” he said with a smirk. Athena huffed.

“Yeah, but I still wanted to have to option to leave!” She exclaimed as she stalked away from the window, not really looking at her boyfriend, who had a smirk on his face. “I could’ve wanted to shop or something later!” She exclaimed. Simon just chuckled.

“No you wouldn’t have,” he said as he pushed himself to his feet. “Come here, blackbird,” he said. “There’s no use getting mad over this,” he said as Athena felt him wrap his arms around her.

“Yeah, but...” Athena trailed off as she felt Simon rest his chin on the top of her head. “Fine,” she grumbled. “I’m still not happy about this,” she said as she allowed Simon to lead her back to the couch.

“Mm, I can tell,” Simon said as they sat down. Athena just sighed as she snuggled into Simon’s side.

“I forgot how much I hated snow,” she grumbled. “It’s so annoying when it gets like this,” she said. Simon just hummed as he started running his fingers through her hair.

“Weren’t you saying that snow was romantic a few days ago?” He asked with a smirk, earning a huff.

“Yeah, but not like this,” Athena said. “When it’s like this, it’s just annoying,” she said. “Snow is only great when you can actually move around and walk in it,” she said. “And when you can skate on it,” she added.

“Dragging me skating was the worst decision you’ve ever made,” Simon grumbled. “What the bloody hell did you think it was going to accomplish?” He asked. Athena shrugged.

“I don’t know, something romantic?” She said. “It was pretty funny though,” she admitted with a chuckle. Simon huffed.

“To you maybe,” he grumbled before he pulled Athena closer and kissed the top of her head.

“Was that a kiss?” Athena asked as she turned to look up at her boyfriend, a playful smirk on her face. “I didn’t realize the Twisted Samurai showed affection,” she said.

“Who the hell have I been dating then, blackbird?” Simon asked with a smirk. “I didn’t realize you had a copy,” he said. Athena snorted.

“I do, her name is Anetha,” she said with a laugh. Simon just laughed before he gently grabbed her chin and pulled her into a kiss.

“I love you, blackbird.”

“Love you too, Simon.”

———

“Daddy is going to absolutely freak out,” Trucy said as she stared at the snow outside the house. “He’s going to be so worried that I can’t get home,” she said. “And Papa is going to reassure him that I’m safe,” she said.

“Oh?” Pearl said as Trucy turned to look at her friend. “Has this happened enough for you to know this?” She asked. Trucy snorted.

“Oh trust me. This has happened so many times,” she said. “There was that time Daddy and Papa’s flight got grounded in Germany because of a huge snowstorm and Uncle Larry ran out of vacation days so he had to go back to work,” she explained.

“So Daddy was freaking out, but Uncle Larry just let me tag along with him to the police station,” she said. “Told me that ‘Nick took that other girl along on murder trials so it shouldn’t be that bad for you to go’,” she said, changing her voice so that she sounded like the detective. Pearl giggled.

“Mr. Larry is really funny,” she said. “You know when he first met me, he and Mr. Gumshoe tried showing off their guns to calm me down?” She asked.

“That sounds like something they’d do,” Trucy said with a giggle. “Oh! And there was that one time where Polly and I were investigating a case on the other side of town when a big storm came and Klavier offered to take us to his place to wait out the storm,” she said. “Daddy called Polly about every five minutes,” she said.

“But you were with Mr. Polly!” Pearl exclaimed. “He’s super nice!” She exclaimed. Trucy snorted.

“I know!” She exclaimed. “Daddy gets really worried about me,” she said. “It’s both nice and annoying at the same time,” she said. Pearl nodded.

“I can imagine,” she said. “Though he had lost people before,” she said with a frown. “Maybe he just is worried he’d lose you like he lost Mystic Maya?” She asked.

“Maybe...” Trucy said. “But he knows I can take care of myself!” She exclaimed. “I know how to throw knives really accurately! And Auntie Frannie got me a whip too!” She exclaimed.

“And Mr. Larry taught us both how to use a gun if we needed to,” Pearl added. Trucy nodded.

“And ‘thena taught me how to flip people on their backs,” she said. “And Simon taught me how to use a sword,” she said. Pearl chuckled.

“I feel bad for anyone who wants to try to mess with you,” she said before smiling. “Want to watch more Christmas movies?” She asked.

“Sure!”

———

“I don’t think the train’s running today,” Maya said as she looked out her window.

“I don’t think anyone is foolish enough to try to go out in this,” Franziska said as she continued to type away. Maya snorted.

“Oh no, Nick probably tried to get to the train station,” she said. Franziska chuckled.

“Of course he would,” she said. “He’s almost as foolish as my little brother,” she said.

“He doesn’t exactly have the best ideas outside of court, does he?” Maya asked.

“My brother found the fool on top of the house the other day,” Franziska said. Maya snorted.

“Seriously?” She asked. Franziska just nodded. “Nick is terrified of heights!” She exclaimed. “What on earth was he doing on the roof?!” She asked. Franziska rolled her eyes.

“The fool wanted to hang Christmas lights on the roof,” she said simply. “My little brother had to rescue him,” she said. “Apparently the fool refused to let Trucy do it,” she said.

“Of course,” Maya said with an eye roll. “You know, I sometimes wonder how the hell he lived this long,” she said. “Running over a burning bridge, telling people that he has evidence that you put them in jail, eating a necklace that could have been laced with poison...” she trailed off with a snort.

“Don’t forget he purposely chose to be represented by a murder who had a vendetta against him,” Franziska said. “And then almost threw his apprentice under the bus by making him present false evidence,” she said. Maya rolled her eyes.

“And don’t forget that he seemingly taught Polly to do the same shit he does,” she said. “I mean, you know what happened during the whole HAT-2 case,” she said. Franziska sighed.

“I’m surprised that entire agency is standing still,” she said.

“You and me both.”

———

“Ugh. I don’t spend winters in Khura’in so I can avoid this shit!” Apollo exclaimed as he peered out of the window and glared at the snow on the ground.

“It’s not that bad, schatzi,” Klavier said as he put his arm around his boyfriend. Apollo just looked up at Klavier.

“Klav. Clay invited Ema over to help wrap last night,” he said. Klavier winced.

“Ah. That... may be interesting,” he said before he kissed the top of Apollo’s head. “But look on the bright side,” he said. “You’re here with me,” he said.

“Ah yes,” Apollo said with a snort. “Trapped with the most egotistical man I know,” he said with an eye roll. “How lucky!” He exclaimed.

“You wound me, Herr Forehead!” Klavier exclaimed with a laugh. “I’m not that bad,” he said. Apollo snorted.

“Yes, you are,” he said as he poked Klavier’s cheek. “You are the absolute worst,” he said. “In multiple ways,” he said. Klavier smirked.

“Oh? What ways?” He asked.

“Well, the way that you’re obviously trying to get something out of me right now is one way,” Apollo said.

“Is it working?” Klavier asked. Apollo hummed.

“Hmm... not yet,” he said. “You’re going to have to try a little harder,” he said as he maneuvered his way onto Klavier’s lap. Klavier smirked.

“Do I now?” He asked.

“Mmhmm,” Apollo said. “You’re going to have to try a lot harder...” he mumbled as he leaned up.

“Oh really?” Klavier said before he captured Apollo in a deep kiss.

“Then let’s see how good I can get...”

[the-one-eighteen]

Wannabe

(read on ao3)

written for @catardmeowaystuff for the 2019 Buddie Discord Secret Santa! 

It’s been a weird day.

Eddie’s just going to put that out there. It has been a weird as hell day.

Nothing bad, really - the actual work day at the station had been slow. A few medical calls out, one kitchen fire, and a couple of ‘well, we thought it was an emergency…’ but nothing catastrophic.

Hell, a slow day like that? Probably why the idea to go out even got bounced around in the first place. They were all getting off roughly in the same time frame - Hen and Buck off in the first half of the day, the rest making it out that evening, and they hadn’t gone out as a team in a long time, so, after an easy day, why not?

And Eddie was fine with that. Going out for drinks sounded fantastic actually. Chris was with Pepa for the night, and if the choice was between an empty, quiet house, and a bit of fun for a couple of hours? Easy choice, no problem.

No, what was weird...was Buck.

As soon as they’d settled on where they were going for the night - some bar Eddie had only vaguely heard of - him and Hen had been whispering between the two of them whenever they got a free moment. They’d sent Chimney running, and just stared at Eddie whenever he got too close. Even Bobby had taken one look at them and just...walked away.

He wasn’t sure who was more relieved when those two finally left, something still going back and forth between them.

Now, there was that. There was also the fact that Buck had just been weird. For the last week. Period.

They’d always been...fine. Maybe a little too in each other’s space, sure - anyone with eyes could see that, and had taken the opportunity to point that out by now, thank you Hen. But that was just...them. It wasn’t weird that Buck spent as much time at Eddie’s place as at his own. Wasn’t odd that, given the chance, Eddie would rather spend his kid-free nights at Buck’s than in his own place. Hell, half the time he didn’t even need that excuse since Buck liked hanging out with Chris just as much as he liked hanging out with Eddie. More, probably, now that he thought about it.

Sure there were some...odd moments, here and there. Looks a little too heavy, hands on each other a little too long for a shove, a little too short for a grab, quiet moments stretched heavy and thin between them, smiles too small and sweet…

And Eddie had to stop himself and shake his head a little bit.

Sure, there’d been moments. But nothing...nothing concrete. Which...he kind of needed before he even entertained the idea of upsetting what they had. He’d never had a friend like Buck and like fuck was he going to cock that all up because he was maybe a little too invested in Buck’s smile. And that delighted, startled laugh he had, that was a little too sharp and off-beat to be anything but genuine. And those big, expressive eyes and fidgety hands that got everywhere. And his...well, his everything.

Right, stop. He shook his head again, with a light smack to his temple for good measure.

This week. This week had been weird. Buck had been...pulling away, almost. He didn’t crowd Eddie’s space on the couch up in the loft at the house anymore. Didn’t invite himself over without Eddie broaching the conversation first. Didn’t try and rough-house or tap his shoulder to get his attention, or...or...Well. He wasn’t there.

And it was weird.

And it took everything in him to not crowd Buck about it. Not to push. Not to ask...ask for their normal back. Because it wasn’t actually normal, was it?

So, that, plus whatever was going on with him and Hen today?

Yeah. Weird fucking day.

---

By the time they all make it to the bar - roughly an hour after everyone had gone their separate ways after their shift - Eddie realized why he knew the name, but didn’t actually know the place. A karaoke bar. The one Chim and Maddie were always talking about.

Wonderful.

But, hey, he was there to have fun. And, hell, as long as they had alcohol, he could deal with some ridiculous singing. As long as no one tried to drag him up there.

Buck and Hen were still doing their whole...scheming together thing. There really was no other description for it. But Buck had also gotten right in Eddie’s space as soon as he’d seen him, none of the week’s hesitation showing, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and clapping him on the chest to bring him in with a laugh when Eddie had been stuck outside staring at the sign in mild horror. So. He could deal.

There’s a round of drinks, and Chimney and Maddie are the first ones of the group to take the stage, with Karen and Hen cheering them on loudly from the group’s table. And, Eddie has to admit, those two make a pretty good pair up on stage. Both having too much fun to care about hitting every note right, yet both good enough singers that they’re not missing too many anyway, except when they break down to laugh at each other.

Buck’s sitting next to him, which is the only reason Eddie notices when Buck startles with a yelp, glaring at Hen, who’s still watching the stage. So they were back to the weird.

“Hey...everything okay, man?” Eddie asks, low enough to avoid most of the table overhearing, but loud enough to make it over the ending notes of Eye of the Tiger.

“Huh?” Buck looks over, blinking at him for a moment, before a wide smile splits his face. If Eddie didn’t know better, he’d say Buck was...nervous? “Oh, yeah, just kicked the bar.” He hesitates a moment then, eyeing Eddie with a suddenly intense look that Eddie can’t really...parse. Then, he’s turning to Hen, “Hey, Hen, come up with me for a sec.”

And they’re gone, heading over to the DJ.

And Eddie’s still just. So confused. About everything.

Athena, Bobby and Karen shooting him knowing looks is not helping, either.

Hen’s back a couple minutes later, looking proud of herself.

“You actually convinced him?” Athena asked, sounding both mildly surprised, and put out.

“Didn’t need to. ‘Thena, I barely said two words before he was off,” Hen says, grinning way too wide for Eddie’s comfort. That look generally involved money changing hands.

Sure enough, as soon as Buck took the stage and...something played its first two notes, Hen was holding out her hands, and he heard a handful of groans and a bit of shuffling while people tried to get at their wallets.

He wasn’t really paying attention at that point. Because by then, he’d actually placed the opening notes of the song. And Buck still looked nervous, standing up there in the light - his hands twitching and his smile lopsided, but still bright.

“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want,” and he’s off, dancing along in his own little world and hitting every single note, about two octaves lower but otherwise perfectly.

And for a long couple of moments, all Eddie can do is just...stare. But then Buck opens his eyes again - and when the hell had he closed them? Maybe on that spin? - and finds Eddie’s in the crowd.

“If you want my future, forget my past, if you wanna get with me, better make it fast. Now don’t go wasting my precious time, get your act together, we could be just fine…” Eddie’s not entirely sure what his own face is doing, but whatever it is, it breaks Buck out of his concentration, for just a moment, and Eddie’s damn near blinded by the goofy, way too bright grin he shoots him before getting back into it.

He vaguely feels Hen reaching over to clap his shoulder with a laugh. Only knows it’s Hen, because a second later, she’s leaning against his shoulder absolutely losing it. Whatever, she’s on a completely different plane of existence, as far as Eddie’s concerned. Right now, an actual plane could probably crash into the bar and he wouldn’t notice a damn thing, not with Buck looking at him like that - all his focus is boring into Eddie, and if it wasn’t for the lopsided smile that Buck can’t quite school completely, Eddie would be burning up on the spot for all the heat in Buck’s gaze.

“Oh, what do you think about that? Now you know how I feel.” What the everloving hell, Buck? “Say, you can handle my love, are you for real? I won’t be hasty, I’ll give you a try, if you really bug me then I’ll say goodbye,” Eddie would honestly like to see Buck try, after this.

“If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends,” and there goes Karen and Hen and...Chimney, hooting and hollering along, and if Eddie wasn’t so goddamned focused, he’d probably be blushing by now. “Make it last forever, friendship never ends. If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give - taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is.”

And only then does Buck break eye contact, and Eddie feels himself take in a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding as Buck twirls off into another spin and slide of a dance that is way too smooth and loose to not have been practiced.

Eddie takes those few moments to just breathe, and he’s glad he does because then Buck’s looking at him again, intense and just there. “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, slam, slam, slam - make it last forever,”

And Eddie maybe loses some time there before the music finally starts winding down, ending with a Buck just about breathing into the microphone, “If you wanna be my lover…”

And then he’s done. And there’s clapping and hollering, and he’s pretty sure their table is the loudest of all, and all Eddie can do is just. Stare.

Stare as Buck breaks eye contact to actually register the rest of the room, his smile going bright and goofy, even as red stains his cheeks in the harsh spotlight. He gives an awkward little wave before jumping off the stage, and if Eddie’s heart wasn’t already going a mile a minute as it was, it probably would’ve skipped a beat.

He’s moving before he even really has a chance to think about it, completely ignoring the catcalls behind him, catching Buck before he can make it back to their table and dragging him out the door. Like hell was he going to do this - whatever this was - in front of his team. He loved them, but no.

Luckily for him, Buck just laughs when Eddie grabs his arm and lets himself be manhandled outside. He’s pretty sure Buck salutes back to the table, but he can’t be sure.

Once they’re outside, he whirls back on Buck. Feels his words die in his throat as he actually looks at Buck, leaning back against the wall, hands in his pockets, and looking so damn pleased with himself, he’s just about glowing, his eyes glittering and his smile lopsided and Eddie really, really just wants to kiss him, then and there.

But he has to ask. He has to, or he just might go insane.

“What the hell was...was that?” he asks, gesturing weakly back inside. He’s still not sure what his face is doing. Whatever it is, it has Buck laughing, dissolving into giggles as his arms wrap around his stomach.

And Eddie...Eddie can’t help it. He ends up laughing right along with him - helpless little giggles that steal his breath and bubble up inside him because he just can’t with Evan Buckley.

It takes them both a long couple of minutes to calm down, both of them sitting on the ground and leaning back against the wall and into each other’s shoulders by that point.

Eddie scrubs his hand down his face as he’s finally able to take in enough air that’s not immediately turned into hiccuping laughs. Buck takes a moment longer, his face pressed into Eddie’s shoulder and his own shaking slightly still.

Eddie knows his grin is stupid. Can’t really find it in him to care. “So...what was that?”

And Buck takes another moment, his face still buried in Eddie’s shirt, but Eddie can see the corner of a smile when he gets up the energy to answer, “What do you think it was?”

“Well it sounded like you were asking me out. But all of that… Why couldn’t you just ask?” Not that he didn’t like Buck’s approach. Hell no. That was fucking delightful. But after this whole week? Of Buck pulling away, and Eddie having to stop himself from straight up chasing after him? He kind of wanted to know.

“Mm…” Buck finally seems to have his breath back, and he shifts enough to get his chin on Eddie’s shoulder, looking at him with those big eyes, focused only on him, only a few inches away, and Eddie feels something in his chest clench hard. “Why couldn’t you?” h asks. And Eddie would be...offended? Annoyed? Maybe. Feels like he should be. But it’s...it’s an honest question.

“I was…” And Eddie pauses. Wants to look away - not really sure if he can take Buck looking at him like that, so close, while he says this. Realizes he can’t not, either. “I was scared…” he murmurs, and something softens in Buck’s look.

“You weren’t the only one. This seemed...fun. You know? A way to...to get over that. Make it goofy, make it silly, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much if you said...no…” And that softness is melting into something wary and sour and Eddie can’t have that.

He’s moving before he’s thinking about it, closing the bare two inches between them to press a soft kiss to Buck’s lips. It’s little more than the bare press of skin to skin, but it’s sweet and soft, and Eddie wants to drown in that moment.

“Ha! Told you! Pay up!”

He startles back slightly, blinking at an equally confused Buck, before both of them turn to look at...Hen. Who isn’t even looking at them anymore, but back towards the door, where Chimney, Maddie and Karen are peeking out, looks ranging from disappointed to giddy. “And tell Bobby he owes me too!”

And Eddie looks back at Buck. Finds Buck already looking at him.

And all they can do is laugh, pressing their foreheads together and tuning out the world again as their shoulders shake together and their smiles can’t help but meet in the middle.

[agustdmono]

MASTERPIECE; kth Oneshot (M)

Pairing(s): Kim Taehyung x Reader

Summary: Ever since you moved into their town, you loved the work of the artist who owned a shop near your home. Eventually, you become a regular and grew close as just friends. Will you accept his offer and participate in his newest project?

Word Count: 7.8K+

Genre(s): ONESHOT! Mature (18+), Smut, bts AU (Artist Taehyung)

Caution(s): Slight dom!Taehyung, Y/N is painted on and then put against a canvas, lots of foreplay and teasing, oral (Y/N receives), fingering, hair pulling, unprotected sex, fluff ending

Author’s Note: We tried to pull thru the artist block. Tried. ((*゜Д゜)ゞ” - Thena

Moving into a new apartment was difficult, but unpacking and setting up all of the furniture was worse. Still, you had to stick to protocol and go through all of the steps to break the new place in. You finally finished setting up the last household item, but you noticed that your walls felt too empty. You stood there with your hands on your hips just observing how boring it was to look at. If anything, you thought that you could sleep where you stood. There were no paintings, photos, or shelves hung up whatsoever. To get a headstart on some sort of decoration, you took out your laptop and tried searching for the nearest art shop. After a few minutes of browsing, you stumbled upon Vee, that happened to be walking distance. Excited, you grabbed your purse and put on your shoes and headed for the store.

When you arrived at the front of the shop, your eyes were already observing the exterior of the building. The store was simple; yet it managed to stick out, compared to the surrounding stores. The next thing you knew, your hand was already against the cold metal of the door. You heard the chime above the frame once you took one step into the area. There were other customers present, but it wasn’t too crowded to the point of it being overwhelming. You received a couple glances and welcoming smiles from a few people; which you assumed were locals. The vibe here seemed to be homely, and not to mention, how the quietness soothed you like a lullaby. The atmosphere was just all around calming.

While taking your first waltz through the store, you eyed the paintings up and down. It as if you were picky with your choice, and when you reached the halfway point, the first painting that caught your eye was the surrealist movement. You were fascinated by the way the brush strokes protruded ever-so-slightly out of the canvas. From the front view, it looks completely flat and 2D, but when you stepped to the side, you could see other parts of the work from a different perspective.

“That’s my favorite one too,” a male commented.

You were startled by the sudden statement. The male stood close to you wearing an apron covered in paint splatters, but he managed to get some on his face. While he held his hands behind him, observing the painting like you previously were, you couldn’t help drag your attention towards him instead. You’d be lying to yourself if you thought the guy wasn’t attractive, but you weren’t here to scout for a man. You asked how much the piece was, and his answer was a little over your budget. Although it was only three digits, the wallet in your purse was screaming, and you felt defeated. The various artworks on the shelves were beautiful too, but you found yourself drawn, specifically, to this one.

“I’ll come back when I have more money,” you sheepishly explained. “I just moved here, and I don’t have enough cash on me at the moment.”

“It’s okay!” he beamed. “I’ll give you a discount since you just moved in.”

You were taken aback by his kind gesture. Of course, you accepted his suggestion since it was a good deal. When he took down the painting from the wall, he held it tightly with one hand, ensuring to use the other to seal the deal. Once the two of you shook hands and exchanged smiles, he traveled over to the counter. Behind it, he took out bubble wrap and secured your purchase. After you paid for the item, you thanked him for the discount.

“I’ll be coming back more often,” you smiled as you tucked your wallet away.

“Great! I love having regulars,” he exclaimed. “You can call me Taehyung, by the way.”

“I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, Taehyung. I look forward to seeing you later.”

As he offered you another one of his boxy smiles, you left the store enthusiastically.

You practically bolted back home, but you were careful not to drop the artwork. After receiving 50% off the painting, you wanted to make sure that you took care of it. Finally, as your apartment complex came into view, you let out a relieved sigh. Before you knew it, you were already up the elevator and prepared to make a beeline for your door. As soon as you kicked your shoes off, you went straight for your toolbox under the sink. Taking out the hammer and nail in one hand―the painting still in the other―you walked over to your living room. Now, this was the indecisive part: knowing where to hang up the new piece. But without thinking about it too much, you casually strode over to the empty wall beside the bookshelf. It was a place where the art would clearly be seen, so it was more than perfect.

You finally had a steady income with your office job, and you found yourself coming into Taehyung’s store every week for the next month. Every time you walked out, you’d find yourself holding a new purchase and the two of you undoubtedly got closer. With his charm, irresistible smile, and contagious laugh, you were captivated more and more by the day.

This week though, you couldn’t visit him because four of your coworkers were on vacation, and you had to fill in their spots in order to keep the office running properly. Piles of paperwork were given to you, and you would leave the company building around 11pm. You were torn and drained from the amount of stress you took for the team. Thankfully it came with extra pay; otherwise, you would have walked out of there faster than anyone could say, “oops.” Once you received your paycheck at the end of the week, you were excited to spend it at your favorite shop: Vee.

After meeting up with your coworkers, who were on vacation, you were stoked to know that you were able to go back to your original schedule. You excitedly walked to the shop and didn’t bother changing out of your work attire. Walking around the shop, you spotted Taehyung already occupied with one of his regular customers. You waited by the cash register, holding the item you were ready to buy. It was a sculpture of a three-headed dragon. Taehyung walked up to the counter with the customer lingering by his side and helped her out with her purchase. They both made small talk as he rung her up, but it felt like forever while you waited. As the lady left, you watched as he quickly made his way to the back to grab some water. And once he came out, you flashed him a smile and a small wave. You were too busy digging into your purse to notice that he halted in his steps. Right when he saw you, his eyes scanned your physique. He then took another quick sip of his water, eyes wide and still looking passed his cup, before helping you out. The last bit of his beverage ended with a loud gulp; which then made you look up. Maybe that pencil skirt on you was a little too tight for his liking.

“H-How was work? I, uh… I missed you last week,” he stuttered, struggling to keep his eyes off of you.

“Last week was absolute hell for me,” you complained, running your finger through your hair, already frustrated at the thought. “They let me off early because my coworkers finally came back from their vacation. You know, I’m envious of you, Tae.”

“Really? Why?” he asked.

“You’re living your dream as an artist,” you stated, looking around the entire shop in awe. “I wish I could do the same.”

There was a slight pause between the two of you, causing the air to increase with tension. It wasn’t too noticeable, but you could tell there was something going on in that mind of his. You looked up at him, and as expected, he had that look in his eyes as if he were in deep thought.

“I want to show you something. It’s upstairs, but I need to help all these customers first,” he informed.

Initially, you were a bit skeptical, but you’ve known Taehyung long enough to trust him at this point. He led you to a door in the back of his store and pushed it open; which revealed a suspicious staircase. The two of you walked up the stairs until you reached another door. He rummaged in the front pocket of his pants to fish out his key to unlock the second door. When he motioned you to go in first, you nodded shyly. You just saw a studio full of empty canvases, sealed paint buckets, a large tarp, and all of the art supplies someone could probably think of, lying around. You stood in the middle of the room, fascinated by the view of the streets through the windows and the unfinished paintings.

Taehyung smirked at your reaction: glad you were interested in his workroom. Not many people knew about it; and by that, the only people who currently know are just you and him. When it came to his private room, he wanted to keep the space to himself. But when he met you, all while getting to know you as well, he wanted to become a little closer.

“Give me a few minutes,” he said with apologetic eyes, before rushing down to help any remaining customers.

You found yourself roaming around the studio by yourself. The room was fairly large, and the windows definitely accentuated that characteristic. You surely didn’t mind waiting on Taehyung, but you found yourself to be a little bored. To occupy yourself until he was to appear again, you glided passed some of the paintings. There was another particular piece that caught your eye, but you could tell he was still working on it. Because his equipment was still near the canvas and the paint was still wet, you made sure you kept your distance. He was painting a portrait of a female, but it was too difficult to depict who it was due to the lack of detail.

“I’m still working on that one,” he mentioned, as he closed the door behind him.

You nearly jumped at his sudden intrusion but finding it somewhat humorous. Once you noticed the gleam reflecting from the sun in his eyes, he bowed his head. Before you could ask him about the other customers for conversation, he motioned you to follow him. With that, you trailed behind him, looking past his shoulder to peek at what he was moving towards. The two of you walked up to a large canvas and you couldn’t help but wonder why he needed such a huge canvas; taller than an average human. It had to be at least seven feet tall. He was grinning from ear to ear, and you could see the excitement in his eyes.

“This is my next project, and I wanted to ask you if you’d like to be a part of it,” he explained, excitedly clapping his hands lightly.

“W-Wait, really?” you questioned, shocked obvious with your expression. “Am I really worthy enough for your art?”

The look on his face looked almost as shocked as your previous one.

“Of course!” he smiled.

You felt honored but astonished at the same time because the offer was so sudden. You wanted to help your favorite artist, so you might as well be apart of it right?

“What do I have to do?” you asked.

“I don’t want to give too much away,” he hummed, “but I’ll need to paint on your body.”

“Huh?”

“I mean o-only if you’re okay with it,” he chuckled nervously.

“I’ll do it,” you interjected.

“I understand if you don- oh, you actually said yes.”

“I trust you.”

If he had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy because you could see how relieved and happy he was at the same time. He grabbed a sheet and spread the item on the ground so that paint wouldn’t get onto his floor. He pulled the canvas closer to the setup and placed paint buckets near the edges of the sheet.

“We can take it slow if you want.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” you nodded.

You removed your heels before setting foot onto the sheet. You started off with unbuttoning your shirt; which exposed your black bra. The air conditioning was on and the cold air was hitting your bare skin. You slid the rest off and waited for Taehyung to finish mixing the paint. Once he turned around, he nearly dropped his paintbrush at the sight of you. Your chest was facing him and you did your best to not look shy. If anything, you kept a straight face, but you had to clench your jaw.

He invaded your personal space the moment he took a step towards you. You tilted your head up to avoid his gaze. You could feel his hot breath travel down your torso as the brush lightly tickles your skin. At one point you let out a giggle because you’re ticklish. You had to constantly tell yourself that there are no feelings involved. At least you tried to.

“Can I remove your bra?” he asked.

You snapped out of your thoughts. You felt your face get heated at his question, but you ended up nodding. He carefully wrapped his arms around you and fumbled with the clasp of your bra until he successfully unhooked the undergarment. You slipped the item off of you and threw it somewhere.

“Beautiful,” he mumbled to himself.

Unfortunately, you didn’t quite catch that, but he went back to coating your body with paint. When he got to your breasts, you shivered at the feeling of the brush rubbing against your sensitive skin. Eventually, he got to your nipples and you had to bite down on your bottom lip to stop yourself from moaning. You swore you stopped breathing. He saw you struggling and it made him want to make you squirm at his touch.

“Remove your skirt please,” he politely requested.

There’s no backing out now. You were about to pull down your skirt until you remembered what you were wearing underneath: sheer thigh-high socks. Your work had a dress code: if you wear a skirt, cover your skin with stockings. But you're lazy and you know how much of a hassle stockings can be. Taehyung is going to be in for a surprise.

You pulled your skirt down and kicked it off to the side. Your gaze met his and you saw the hunger in his eyes for a quick second. He mumbled something under his breath before he could continue.

“Trying to impress someone?”

“Work dress code,” you briefly explained. “Didn’t want to wear stockings, so I improvised.”

He cleared his throat and nodded. The sight of you was driving him insane, so he had to work quickly, but he can’t stop the tent in his loose-fitted pants from growing. He squatted down before you noticed the bulge in his pants; which he was thankful you weren’t able to catch.

When he started, he only painted within the lining of your socks, making sure that the lowest part of you would be finished. Since the squatting position wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, he wanted to get that part done as soon as possible. You even offered to remove them in order to ease his focus on not getting the paint on the stockings, but he insisted that the top half of your thighs was enough. Apparently, it wasn’t enough for you though. He seemed so focused on such a vulnerable part of you; yet, you were sure he only had eyes for any empty spots he’d leave. As you peered down at him, you licked your lips as he stroked the paint near your groin. JESUS. Even then, you were sure you held your breath by the abundance of nerves that ate your stomach away.

“Can you spread your legs a bit more?” he questioned.

As he spoke, you felt his hot breath once again; only this time against your core. You knew that your thong was soaked at this point. Just then, you wish you could recite every single curse word known to man, and you hoped that he wouldn't notice that. Lucky for you, your undergarment was black; which could hide your excitement. It wasn’t until you met his eyes that you reluctantly nodded. Once the cold red paint hit your skin, you inhaled a deep breath to calm a part of your mind. Just when you thought you settled down, you felt a light graze over your core. It instantly brought a yelp out of you, feeling embarrassed and turned on at the same time.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” he innocently pretended.

“It’s fine,” you interrupted, not seeing through his playful act.

When you thought you knew Taehyung, you definitely didn’t. He was always the type to be full of surprises; and yet, here you are thinking that this is some sort of untamed project of his. While you were the source of it all, you were starting to think that there might be a little catch to this entire ordeal.

“You good?” he hummed, painting inches away from your heated center.

“Y-Yeah,” you gulped. “I’m just fine. Are you good?”

“With this view?” he rhetorically asked. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“What?” you questioned, dumbfounded with how honest he was being.

“Nothing…” he casually trailed off, leaning closer to sigh against you.

At this point, you had a gut feeling that he was legitimately trying to torture you. But since you didn’t want to ruin his newest art piece, you tried so hard to avoid asking too many nosy questions, and you do also recall him not wanting to give too much away.

“Done!” he exclaimed.

Finally, you mentally told yourself. You closed your eyes, noticing he pushed himself from off of the ground. Just when you thought it was over, he placed his hands on your shoulders, guiding you to turn around.

“I just have to do your back now,” he added, a toothy smile still on his face.

Knowing that you would stutter when you spoke, you just nodded, tying up your hair to give him space. Assuming that he would use the same brush was probably the worst decision; especially when you felt his hands tracing the curves of your hips and back.

“Is this okay?” he asked, stopping at your hip.

“Y-Yeah,” you stuttered.

“Seems like that’s the only word you know,” he chuckled, still wandering his stained hands all over your body. “Are you nervous?”

“J-Just keep going,” you reassured, knowing your nervousness was too much to hide at this point.

“Let me know if its too much for you, alright?”

Yet again, you had no words but a silly action that encouraged him to continue. With the thickness and quality of the paint, all of the substances on your body weren’t drying. You were somewhat confused with this concept he had going on. Maybe, you thought, that he would end up taking a picture of it to gain some inspiration for later, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Instead, you looked over your shoulder to see Taehyung, both hands covered with red, and flickering his eyes between all parts of your body. What made you even more anxious was how comfortable you were under his control and line of vision. Beforehand, you were just aching between your legs, but when he tilted his head, you could tell he wasn’t exactly done. He made his point to go even further, obvious with the look plastered all over his face.

“What next?” you dared to wonder out loud.

He hummed, reaching for the nearest cloth to wipe off the excess paint on his hands. Although they weren’t completely off, he figured that it was as good as it was going to get.

“You’ll see,” he hinted with a mischievous smirk.

You thought he would need it when painting; especially on a canvas so large, but apparently not. You also noticed him beginning to unbutton his dress shirt. In a slight panic, your eyes attempted to look anywhere but at the being before you. You could already imagine how you looked: trying hard to not appear astonished and in a trance when the skin of his torso was exposed. You just watched―as creepy as it sounded―you didn’t know how attracted you were to Taehyung until now. The boy you met in the shop the first day: sweet as can be, offering you a discount on your first purchase, turned out to be a total man who knew how to handle himself just right.

“Taehyung,” you called softly.

While he peeled the top from his body, he glanced up at with raised brows. The way his brown doe eyes sparkled under the natural sunlight brought a shy grin to your lips. But when you didn’t say anything more than that, a grin grew on his face as well. It was like the Taehyung you thought you knew had a hidden part of him.

“Have you figured it out yet?” he teased, tracing the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

It was likely that he was going to do the same thing that he did to you; except reversed of course. Maybe he would hand you the bucket of red paint, a paint brush, and a side of directions to go with it. But rather than leaving yourself not fully satisfied with your assumption, you made the bold decision to ask him.

“A-Are you gonna show me?” you stuttered.

“Come here,” he smirked.

You couldn’t believe those words and the expression on his face. There were really no lies when you looked into his eyes. There was a small stumble when you only took one step towards him, your knees getting weaker when you came into a realization. When he began taking off his shoes and socks, your eyes still watched his fingertips play with the waistband peeking above the button of his pants.

“Maybe you can help me with these,” he suggested, a smirk laying calmly on his lips.

As said, you took your time to approach Taehyung with caution. On the other hand, you had the thought of the paint on your body getting all over the place. Luckily, you both stayed standing on the tarp so the substance wouldn’t be all over his floors. When you glanced back up to his eyes, you could tell that the emotions behind them changed into something darker; lustful in a way, causing a chill to run down your spine at an instant. You then pressed your lips together as you realized you were taking in the entirety of his person’s image. While your attention ran over his bare skin, they steadily made their way down to his midsection. You recalled letting out a short breath out of forgetting how to breathe in the first place. Never did you think you would find yourself in this position to undress Taehyung. If anything, you would have thought that he would take you out to a nice dinner first like any other naive male. Now that you were here, you just had to shake your head; resisting the thought of an innocent male when he practically instructed to assist him with stripping down any leftover material.

“I have all the time in the world,” he huffed behind a light chuckle. “And apparently you do too; by how you’re just staring.”

“Sorry,” you whispered, letting your eyes fall to the ground.

You felt a taller presence in closer proximity. Peeking up at Taehyung, you made out a genuine smile as you looked passed your eyelashes. You were hoping that he didn’t find your lack of eagerness irritating.

“How about I give you a hand, hm?” he suggested, gently tracing his fingers along your arms.

As your eyes gazed down at his, you gave a small nod. You didn’t know what came over you, being an outgoing and confident person outside. Something about this type of scene really made you uneasy, wondering if you suited any of it. Somehow you also felt bad that Taehyung had to speak so much for a piece of art. All while pulling yourself out of thought, you were directed towards the cold metal of the round button at the top of his pants. But, that wasn’t the only thing you noticed either.

“Would you be opposed to me fucking you against that canvas?” he blurted.

You couldn’t believe your ears with what you’ve just heard. What made the entire scenario more unbelievable was the way his gaze intensified at his question. Your lack of eagerness must have made him doubt his actions. When you just stood there in shock, you felt as if neither one of you could take a breath. Despite his seriousness, you could feel his nervousness emitting from him. By taking a moment and inhaling a deep breath, you hummed out. Of course, you wouldn’t be against the idea of it; especially since he was Taehyung of all people, but the nerves were all the things that stopped you from presenting any confidence in yourself.

“I mean, I’m not oppo-”

And that must have been his exact cue. To gain a certain surge of reassurance that you were for the idea, he had to hear it from you. Apparently, though, he couldn’t help himself after you began. As his full lips pressed against yours, the palms of his hands immediately wrapped around your lower back for support. To say you were taken back once again would be a lie. You sort of had it coming by the way he was already hungrily licking his lips when you opened your mouth. Just then, you didn’t want to think about it; instead, you wanted to catch the two of you in this intimate moment together. It was like you were getting lost by how tangled the two of you were gradually getting. Your fingers would find their way up to his brunette locks to search for some sort of pull. You tugged gently, causing his moans to vibrate into your own mouth. From the gains of pleasure, you felt your center getting heated once again. As you were lead into the direction of the canvas, you were waiting to feel the flat surface against the apple of your back. The both of you were anticipating the sudden stop once the object stood in the way.

Just then, as the rigid frame was felt, you pulled away from the kiss. Your hands remained unmoved in Taehyung’s hair with a specific look in your eyes this time. He quickly dipped his head into the crook of your neck. As if it were natural, you tilted your head to give him more access. He brought his hands up to your breasts and massaged them. His lips were attached to your neck, and you felt how he roughly sucked on you. You felt the bed of his fingers playing around with your sensitive buds, so there was no point in holding back your soft mewls. Pleased with your reaction, he continued to leave marks all over your neck. Soon enough, you felt his hands cupping underneath your ass. By doing this, he pulled you even closer, causing paint to smear on his body. Surprised with the unexpected action, you let out a gasp. You instantly raised your own hands to rest on top of his shoulders. Letting out a sheepish smile, you trailed your eyes down his torso.

“Take it off for me,” he demanded.

You were thrown off guard by his sudden command. There was no going back now. You brought your hands down to the button of his pants. Your fingers were trembling, not used to the daring action. As you made several attempts, you felt your chin being lifted up by him. Your eyes met his before he spoke.

“Look at me while you do it.”

Without breaking eye contact; eventually, you managed to unbutton the garment. It wasn’t until Taehyung’s eyes flickered between his lower torso and you. You could tell he wanted you to finish him off by tugging his boxers down as well. As his hard-on sprung free, you couldn’t help but swallow the lump that swelled in your throat.

“Don’t be nervous,” he reassuringly spoke, “I’ll take good care of you.”

You still weren’t adjusted to this new side of him, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t aroused. He kicked his pants and boxers out of the way. While of his hands seized your waist, the other took a hold of your chin so that he was in your line of view. His eyes stared deep into yours; which caused your legs to weaken. Standing became a challenge. Judging by his hooded eyes, you knew that he was ready to give you everything you desired. He was waiting for a hint that you wanted this as much as he did. Instead of waiting for him to make the first move, you leaned in to capture his lips. He was surprised at your sudden confidence. You felt him smile through your kiss. His grip on your waist tightened, and you felt his tongue poke at your bottom lip, begging for access to explore your mouth. You opened wide, and he didn’t hesitate to dance his tongue along yours.

As he pulled you closer, you could feel his stiff bulge pressed against the surface of your stomach. He pushed you against the canvas; which caused you to break the kiss. You both were panting at how long you two were going at it. He pushed his right leg in between your thighs; which left you no choice but to spread your legs for him. You were trapped in between his body and the canvas. With nothing to hold on to, you placed your hands on his shoulders to keep a steady balance. He began to press further into you and rubbed his thigh against your womanhood. You tilted your head back and rested on the canvas. He took the opportunity to leave a trail of kisses on your neck and continued to work his way up back to your lips. Once his mouth was on yours again, his hand glided down towards the waistband of your underwear. He played with the band; which was pushing you over the edge. He was near your sensitive area and you wished he would go further. You sucked on his lower lip before pulling away.

“Can’t take anymore, baby?”

His hand was inching closer towards your womanhood and you were getting impatient at this point. You couldn’t help but squirm beneath him. He noticed your actions and stopped his hand from going any further to tease you. You looked at him and almost let out a whine.

“You didn’t answer me Y/N,” he said sternly.

“I want more,” you answered as confidently as possible, making sure you had the same aura of someone on his level.

“Seems like you don’t want it,” he teased while inching closer to your core once more.

“But I do,” you replied.

Just then, you felt his hand retract from their position on your body. You had to quickly take action for yourself. Without thought, you wrapped your arms around his neck and ground on his erection; which made a growl escape past his lips. He was frustrated with how quickly your mood changed. You pressed harder and you saw his teeth biting down on his lower lip. The pale skin around his mouth seemed like it could bleed at any second now. You could tell he was doing his absolute best to keep himself composed. If this doesn’t prove how much you’ve been craving more intimacy, you don’t know what will.

You felt his hands back on your waistband, but this time he didn’t hold back. He made his way past the lining and you already felt his fingers near your pussy. Your hold on his neck tightened as his fingers slide through your folds, and you could hear the wetness of your womanhood. You were embarrassed by how evident your arousal was, but you could see his jaw clenching. The fact that he was able to make you wet for him, definitely turned him on. Without any warning, he stuck a finger into you and pumped in-and-out of you in slow motion. You bit your lip to prevent your screams from being heard, but he couldn’t help but take notice of what you were trying to do. He shoved a second digit into you; which caused your eyes to roll back.

“Let it out,” he directed.

Seeing as how you were still biting onto your lip, he inserted one more finger into you and quickened his pace to unravel the build in the pit of your stomach. You couldn’t hold back anymore as the pleasure continued to build up at a rapid pace.

“T-Tae!” You managed to let out.

The satisfaction on his expression was apparent. He used his thumb to rub at your clit to stimulate your core further. You threw your head back and felt an overwhelming amount of pleasure hitting you. His fingers curled in you and it felt too good to resist. Your walls began to clench around his fingers; which indicated that you were close to cumming, but he wasn’t going to let the fun end there. He pulled his fingers out of you, leaving the feeling of dissatisfaction.

You then snapped out of your high when he lifted you up against the canvas. As the palms of his hands reached around your thighs to hold you steady, you pressed your lips together with anticipation. By Taehyung seemed to be taking his time now, scanning your entire body in front of him, you glanced down at how vulnerable you looked. Surely, his tip slipped into your entrance. You hissed in as his unbelievable length pushed inside of you, causing a fit of moans to be released from you and Taehyung. Just when you wanted to catch Taehyung’s eyes, you found the other pair already looking directly at you.

“Taehyung,” you breathed with pleasure.

Taking that as another one of his cues, he ended up thrusting with a pace. As he still held up your weight, he lifted you up and shoved you down onto his cock, to make sure you felt all of him. With each time you took all of his size inside of you, your head would fall back and your jaw slacking open with disbelief. You didn’t know how amazing it could feel. Although, never did you think that this would be something you’d find yourself in.

“Fuck,” he grunted.

“God you’re so big,” you moaned.

When those words came from you, he felt his confidence surge within him.

“I wanna cum on your cock so badly.”

He leaned into your neck and groaned. Your words are pushing him past his limit, but he wanted to enjoy this moment; except, you were making it difficult on him because of how naughty you were.

“Holy shit,” he managed to breathe out. “You’re driving me insane.”

He pulled out of you and you let out a small whine. You felt empty and you missed the feeling of his cock inside of you. To your surprise, he let you down gently, but he spun you around. With your front facing the canvas, he pressed his body against your back until you were fully laid on the surface. He didn’t wait for a sign that you were ready due to his lack of patience. He grabbed your hips and guided you towards his torso. His dick easily slid inside of you; which caused a rush of pleasure that filled throughout your body once more. On his first thrust, he immediately hit your g-spot, causing your knees to buckle. Both of you were reaching your high, but that didn’t stop Taehyung’s brutal pace.

“You’re so wet for me, Y/N,” Taehyung mentioned.

“O-Only for you,” you breathed as you took in his cock.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this,” he groaned. “Every time you walked in, I just wanted to make you mine.”

If you weren’t getting your brains fucked right now, your heart would’ve been fluttering at his comment. Perhaps you could also be looking up at him with admiration, but the scenario you were in, put that idea on hold.

“Show me how much you want me,” you challenged.

When you spoke those words, the grip on your hips instantly tightened. Just by imagining it, you guessed what would happen at this very moment. One of his hands soon began to glide up your back, taking in the feel of your soft skin. While letting out a hot breath, he licked the corner of his lips. The look in his eyes was practically burning holes in the back of your exposed body.

You knew that he wouldn’t be too rough with you; until you felt a sharp tug on your hair. It was clearly unexpected on your part, but you weren’t complaining about it. The rush truly gave you that extra oomph to verbally express the pleasure you encountered. The walls overflowed with the sounds of your uneven breaths and deep moans. You then felt his soft lips brush against the shell of your ear; which gave you chills that ran down your spine. As soon as you felt his upper torso pressing against your back, you held your breath. His pace decreased in speed; which made you somewhat nervous.

“Don’t test me, baby,” he teased with a smirk. “I’ll have to show you next time.”

The nibble you felt on your ear then caused you to let out a mewl. You wanted to beg for more but couldn’t; due to the fact, he cut you off with his chilling tone.

“Let’s see what I can show you now,” he concluded.

“Please,” you whispered, not even taking a second to reply.

With your eyes closed shut, you wanted to take in every single second, needing to take in the unbelievable rush he gave you. It was like he could read your mind when his pace suddenly increased. As the pull on your hair remained, you arched your back to catch the slightest glimpse of him. He looked amazing with his bangs tousled in front of his forehead, sweat only starting to glisten on his chest and his eyes that caught your gaze again. The connection you felt didn’t fail to make itself obvious when you caught each other at the right time. When you locked both of your eyes, you offered him a genuine smile. As a result, Taehyung leaned forward; which lead his cock to sink further into you. Your mouth resembled the shape of an “o” with the inevitable feeling. Watching him inch his face closer, your stare exchanged between his lips and eyes with a sudden craving.

“You’re so beautiful,” he complimented just before he pressed his lips against yours.

Taehyung could switch between two moods. One second he could be an absolutely charming, but the moment his dominance outshined through his actions.

When you thought things couldn’t go any better than it already was, your eyes widened at the impeccable speed. His movements were unexpected when you felt his dick reach further than before; only at this time, he slowly pushed deeper without that initial quick pace. Your mind was running; yet, you could feel your legs falling weaker with his pattern. He’d start by quickening his thrust into you, but he would also slow down to shove himself as far as he could. Just by the various sounds of your breaths intertwining with each other’s, you moans were practically like a second language.

He took a hold of your leg and held it up as he pounded into you. He was able to fuck you deeper; which made you scream for him.

“I’m gonna-” you stuttered, trying your best to hold it in.

“I’m almost there, babe,” he informed, placing soft sweet kisses on your shoulder.

As his teeth grazed your body, you couldn’t bring yourself to let out a breath. If you let that happen, you knew you would be bringing yourself to release. Trying to gain all of your energy, all you needed was to wait for Taehyung. What didn’t help was when all of his breaths being cut short after every thrust into you. You could hear the exhaustion, from not only you but from the other who held you so close.

“I’m coming, Y/N,” he told breathlessly.

It was clear to you both that unwinding at the same time had significance. Once you felt Taehyung’s warm embrace wrapping around your waist, you let out a satisfied breath. He pulled out of you, and you were able to relax again after standing up for who knows how long.

“We need to wash off,” he chuckled.

“Please,” you agreed, sounding out a similar light-hearted laugh.

He leads you to the bathroom and helped you get cleaned up immediately. The hot steam really did wonders for both of your bodies; especially after coming undone together. Unfortunately, the time you spend together was short-lived. After you finished just before Taehyung could, you made a beeline for the set of clothes he prepared for you. Quickly changing into the spare items, you made your way over to the bed to rest. At this point, you were selfish. You didn’t bother waiting for him due to your exhaustion, so you pulled the blankets up to your neck, taking this perfect moment to relax all of your muscles once again. Just when he entered the bed area from the bathroom, he laid on the opposite side of you and wrapped his arms around you.

“Tired?” he wondered.

You could only nod, not being able to express your words properly. It was like he really did fuck the emotions out of you. He kissed the back of your head before you heard his even breaths. You felt at peace and you closed your eyes, resting against his bare chest. Little did you know that you were slowly falling into a mini nap.

Once you woke up, you didn’t feel him by your side; which made you panic a bit. You sat up quickly, only to see him sitting by one of his paintings. It appeared he was adding some finishing touches to his work. You wrapped the blanket around you for extra comfort before heading over to him.

“Whose that?” you asked curiously.

“Who else would it be?” he continued.

You squinted your eyes at the art piece, genuinely trying to give an answer.

“Is that…” you paused, double-checking. “Is that me?”

“In my eyes, you’re the art piece.”

With those seven words, you felt your heart melt at his words. No one has ever done this for you; not even your few past partners. Tears were forming in the corners of your eyes, not being able to control the unbelievable amount of emotions. You were overjoyed with his gift. You didn’t know whether you wanted to hug or kiss him, but you just knew you wanted to be with him in the long run.

“So does this make us official?” you asked as you took in every detail of the artwork.

“Only if you accept this painting,” he teased.

Hand-in-hand, you and Taehyung observed the other paintings that were up on display. There were various amounts of art pieces left for the entire public to see; ranging from sculptures to paintings and even a station to create your very own work. Although, you weren’t necessarily focused on any of those. When he initially invited you, the one conclusion you jumped to was him having a piece of his own. His face was unfazed, aiming to not give you any sort of hint whatsoever. Still, you remained curious as you both walked along the empty pathway. It wasn’t until the both of you neared the end that your eyes widened. The number of people you noted surrounding a certain area had your senses heighten. Intently following the crowd, you attempted to peer over the sea of people. In hopes to snatch just even a glance at it, your mouth fell ajar. While you stood there―meeting eyes with an excessive amount of paint smeared on the canvas―there was a great wave of doubt in the back of your mind. You thought it couldn’t be; however, the intense color of red only caused a bed of goosebumps to rise upon your skin. Without noticing how tight your grip was on Taehyung’s hand, you felt as if your feet sunk into the floor, not gaining any courage to go any further. Something you couldn’t notice after that was the confused expression swiped over the male’s face.

“You did not,” you hissed, eyes never removing from the frame.

He only flashed you a mischievous smile. As he took note of your reaction, he then took matters to plant a kiss on your lips.

“It’s more beautiful up close,” he told.

Before dragging you towards the art piece, he tilted his head in front of your vision to catch your attention. You didn’t have any other choice but to let your eyes of disbelief connect with his. Soon enough, it was like he had no time in the world as his hand took control of your jelly-like body. The public only continued to swarm the painting, filling the air with nothing but interest. Fortunately; yet, unfortunately, they were all kind enough to let the producer of the painting pass through. There before you, you saw the canvas that he indefinitely fucked you against. All it took was for one gulp to remember everything from that exact day; as if those fine moments were engraved in your memories forever. This painting was only the physical copy and proof of that.

There were certainly many aspects of art people could consider, but you honestly couldn’t stop glaring at Taehyung, nor could you stop the crimson shade from forming on your cheeks. You didn’t want to admit it though; that you appreciated how everyone took a keen liking in the painting. You were involved, that was for certain, but these people had no guess of truth behind it. Not even seconds later, you recalled hearing a stranger make a comment of their own.

“The energy from this art piece is rather…” the person trailed off, leaving everyone to anticipate. “Intimate.”

That’s when you knew you thought too soon.

Taehyung simply let out a laugh while you hid your face in your hands, sincerely wishing the earth would eat you up.

[la-undercover-latina]

The Queen in Training Earning her Stripes

So this is another part of the story that I’m writing with Falice’s baby. This takes place in season 2 when the cops raid the Whyte Wyrm after the riots. Spoilers ahead

“Thena, look,” Toni showed her phone to the Serpent Princess, and Athena’s eyebrows furrowed. She immediately dialed her mom.

“Mom, we got a problem,”

“What’s wrong?” Alice asked, going into panic mode. Her oldest was very hesitant to accept her mother into her life, and with good reason.

“Penelope told Cheryl that Robocop is invading the Wyrm tonight. There’s nowhere for The serpents to go. I don’t know what to do,” Athena sounded defeated, but she was too stubborn to admit it outright.

“Bring them here. We’ve got blow up mattresses in the basement,” Alice offered and that was when Jug showed up with Cheryl and Archie. Serpents protect their own.

“Cheryl just showed up with the boys. I gotta go,” Athena hung up and pulled her brother in for a hug.

“My dad offered to have some serpents stay with us,” Athena nodded. They would get through this. The only thing standing in their way is the trek to the north side on foot. She stood on a milk crate and whistled for the attention of the serpents.

“Hey! Listen up! Sheriff Minetta is on his way here to raid the bar. Take what you absolutely need. We’ve been offered asylum on the north side. The sheriffs forces are all over the south side. So, if we want our skulls to remain intact, we have to move quickly and quietly. We’re splitting in two groups. Half will go with Jughead and Archie. The other half will go with me and Sweetpea. I don’t care who goes with who. Just as long as we all make it to the north side,” Athena commanded and jumped down, gripping Sweets hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

“Text me the minute you get to the house,” Jughead’s group would be going to Fred’s, and her group to her mother’s. It also helped that the houses were right next to each other.

“Be careful,” Jughead told her and the groups lined up with their leaders. And like that, they all left the Wyrm. Athena’s senses went into overdrive as she kept her eyes peeled for berries and cherries. She led the group, while Sweetpea took care of the rear in case any little kids couldn’t keep up. For the most part, the baby serpents were glued to their mother’s sides, or one was holding onto Athena’s hand, white knuckling the princess’ hands.

The sound of sirens in the distance made Athena grab the child holding onto her and grip him to her chest as she ran for cover, her people following her into cover. They were so close to the bridge that separated the north from south side of Riverdale.

Sweetpea gripped his girlfriend’s hand in his, giving her a squeeze. They would get through this, and if the serpents as a whole were skeptical of her being able to take over for FP when he really retired, he knew there was no doubt in anyone’s mind after tonight.

‘We’re right by the bridge,’ Athena’s phone buzzed and she looked around in the dim street, lit by only the orange glow of the streetlights, for a bulldog jacket. Her eyes found the blue and gold jacket on Archie. And she breathed a sigh of relief. When the sound of sirens faded out of range, Athena stood up and walked towards the bridge, her people following behind her, and she let the little boy down on his feet. She looked to her younger brother, who was holding his own little kid in his arms. Jug stopped and looked back at the south side, tagged by the Ghoulies, and the occasional trash can in flames.

“Don’t look back,” Athena told him, rubbing his shoulder as the two Jones siblings led their people across the bridge, to safety.

When they were coming up to the street her mom lived on, Athena’s eyes made out a pickup truck. She held up a hand, stopping the serpents, and pulling the small five year old boy behind her, and stepping more in front of him, in case it really was the sheriff.

“Athena, it’s me. You can put away the fangs,” Fred teased.

“I figured some of you could get into the truck. It’s a long walk from the Wyrm,” Athena nodded, picking up the little boy in her arms.

“Kids in the truck,” Athena demanded and all the kids loaded up into the bed of the truck. The older ones helping the younger ones into the truck. One they were all in, Fred sped off, to safety. Screw the women and children shit that everyone thinks of when rescuing. The kids were the ones that couldn’t run as fast or handle themselves.

“It’s only three more blocks,” She spoke and they all hauled ass to the houses that would offer safety.

The porch light of the Cooper house was lit and Alice stood outside with Betty. Betty sped towards her sister and boyfriend once they came into her line of sight.

“Fred met with you guys, right?” She asked. She knew Fred was heading out to get some serpents was it the truck.

“Yeah. The kids are all at his house,” the serpents went to the Cooper house. Alice ran to her oldest,almost throwing herself in her oldest daughter’s grasp.

“Are the kids by Fred?” Alice asked and Athena nodded and they all walked into the living room. While the serpents made the trek to the north side, Alice and Betty moved all the living room furniture and set up air mattresses.

“Thank you mom,” Athena smiled and her shoulders relaxed as she felt the familiar feeling of Sweetpea’s arms wrapping around her waist.

“You guys get set up here. I’m gonna go over to Fred’s quick,” Sweetpea wordlessly followed behind her, pulling her into a quick kiss. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until his adrenaline died down.

“We’re okay,” She breathed, and rested her head on Sweetpea’s chest. Once she pulled away, she gripped his hand and walked over to the mayoral candidate’s side door, knocking swiftly.

“It’s me,” She spoke, knowing that Fred wouldn’t open it up for anyone who was going to cause harm to his newest house guests.

“Athena!” Archie swung the door open, happy to see the serpent princess, not as happy to see her giant boyfriend, but he kept the door open for both of them, and Athena walked in, seeing Fred turning on cartoons for the kids and grabbing dominoes for the older ones.

“Only 7 each, no cheating,” He told the kids and walked over to Athena.

“I can’t thank you enough Fred. You didn’t have to open your house to us,”

“Please, I don’t mind. The kids might actually get Vegas some exercise,” he laughed and Athena’s attention was brought to her feet. The little boy she carried was tugging on her jacket, causing her to kneel down to be eye level with the little guy.

“Can I be with you tonight? My momma didn’t make it back from the rumble,” Athena’s heart shattered in her chest. She knew some of her people, very few thankfully, were killed in the rumble. Fucking Ghoulies and their weapons. She glanced up at Sweets, who looked exactly how her heart felt.

“Yeah buddy. Do you know where your daddy is?”

“He died when I was a baby,” And now, Athena understood why Tall Boy and her father assumed she was an orphan when she first escaped the sisters of quiet mercy.

“Yeah, you can be with me and Sweetpea,” You didn’t know the first thing about raising kids, but you were pretty good with them. Being one of the oldest kids being put up for adoption, the sisters made it your responsibility to watch over the younger ones. She had to bite her tongue hard to avoid telling Sweetpea the news.

“You guys listen to Fred,” Athena told the little kids, and they all nodded.

“Sweetpea and I will be back for you in a bit okay buddy. Just listen to the man that brought you here. Or here,” Athena pat her thigh.

“Vegas, come here bud,” The golden retriever trotted over to the princess, and the little kid gave her a questioning look.

“You can pet him,” Athena smiled, hoping the kid would follow her lead. Dogs tend to make every shitty situation a little brighter.

“He loves getting pet behind the ears,” Archie told him and kneeled down, petting Vegas in the specific spot, making the dog kick his back leg and his tail wagging like crazy. The little guy gave a toothy grin and replaced Archie’s hand. Athena and Sweets turned to leave when Sweets pulled her in for a quick kiss.

“What was that for?” Athena asked softly, finally able to relax. Now that her people were safe, or at least safe as they will be.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

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A bold new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2021 on Disney+ with the wildly successful WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but Marvel Studios certainly hasn’t been resting on its laurels in terms of upcoming cinematic blockbusters. Not only does it have Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness all in various stages of production, there are also TV series on the way for the likes of Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and She-Hulk!

Oh, but there’s more. Marvel Studios just revealed a teaser reel celebrating everything they’ve built so far, with teases of NEW projects including a newly-named Captain Marvel 2 (The Marvels) and Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever. Check it out, and try not to get chills while you watch it. We dare you.

There’s a LOT there, right? That’s why the rest of this article is going to help you sort it all out.

Well, if you’ve been a little confused by Marvel’s shifting dates and streaming priorities, never fear! We’ve got a comprehensive release calendar for you here detailing all the forthcoming MCU projects, so you’ll always be able to find the latest updates when you need them.

Let’s take a look at everything Marvel has in store over the next few years…

Loki

Release Date: June 11, 2021

Tom Hiddleston will reprise his most famous role, as Loki finds himself on a heist through time and space “as he steps out of his brother’s shadow” after the events of Avengers: Endgame! Oh, and based on this trailer, there’s all kinds of time-travelling weirdness awaiting, including the return of Heimdall, some other Asgardian hijinks, DB Cooper (yes!), Owen Wilson playing an obscure character based on a beloved Marvel Comics writer, and…Loki possibly running for President!

Tom Hiddleston stars, of course, and the cast also includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. Michael Waldron is head writer.

Black Widow 

Release Date: In theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access Friday, July 9, 2021

The Black Widow movie was heading for a May 1, 2020 release before the pandemic, but Disney and Marvel decided to delay it until the industry’s infrastructure was back to some semblance of normal. They seemed absolutely committed to keeping Natasha on a theatrical release rather than sending her to Disney+, but eventually semi-caved in March as it was confirmed that Black Widow would hit both streaming and theaters simultaneously in July.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.”

Cate Shortland directed the film, and Scarlett Johansson stars, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour alongside her. One of the movie’s villains is Taskmaster, and we wrote a little bit more about him right here.

Natasha Romanoff will get a prequel movie of sorts here, as we catch up with Widow right around the events of Captain America: Civil War. Will the plot affect her character’s ultimate fate in Endgame? Do not count on it.

What If…?

Release Date: Summer 2021

The beloved comic book series that tells tales of how things might have turned out differently in the Marvel Universe is becoming an animated series on Disney+!

Here’s the official synopsis:

“What If…? flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways…Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles.”

We know that at least a couple of these roles include Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa as well as the return of Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter!

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release Date: September 3, 2021

Simu Liu has been cast as the titular Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as The Mandarin (hey, that name sounds familiar! But this time, we’re getting the real Mandarin on screen). Destin Daniel Cretton is directing from a script by Dave Callaham. Given its “Ten Rings” title, Shang-Chi should be steeped in Marvel lore, going all the way back to the first Iron Man film!

Hopefully this will be Marvel’s most action-packed movie yet. The trailer sure makes us think so.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release Date: September 17, 2021

Andy Serkis (Mowgli) steps behind the camera for Venom 2, which now boasts the catchy title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The first film, buoyed by a terrific showing at the Chinese box office, made an absolute ton of money, despite being released to mostly scathing reviews.

Venom: Let There be Carnage will follow up Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man-less spinoff film, but will likely be more connected to the MCU this time around, thanks to a renewed deal between the company and its Marvel Studios partners. Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock, of course, and as you can probably guess from that title, he’ll be facing off against Woody Harrelson’s villain, Cletus Kasady aka Carnage!

The Eternals 

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

Acclaimed Nomadland helmer (and Oscar winner!) Chloe Zhao is directing Marvel’s Eternals from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo. Marvel described the film as an “epic story, spanning thousands of years” that features “a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.”

The cast features Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, the Black Knight.

This one was another victim of the release date shuffle, but we’ll finally get to see Jack Kirby‘s wildest creations soon enough!

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021

The next Spider-Man movie looks like a big one! Spider-Man: No Way Home will once again take place in the MCU since Marvel and Sony solved their differences, good sense prevailed, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will remain a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This one, well…this might be a live action Spider-Verse movie from the sound of it. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from the maligned Amazing Spider-Man films and Alfred Molina will return from the Raimi era as Doctor Octopus.

Wait. Are they trying to make this a multiversal Sinister Six movie? Because…we could be down for that.

Hawkeye

Release Date: Late 2021

Jeremy Renner returns as Clint Barton to train his replacement as Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop! Apparently based on the brilliant run of comics by Matt Fraction and David Aja, Hawkeye will also prominently feature Lucky the Pizza Dog, one of the great canines in Marvel Comics history.

The cast also includes Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Fra Fee as Kazimerz Kazimierczak, Tony Dalton as Jack “Swordsman” Duquesne, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Alaqua Cox as Maya “Echo” Lopez, and Zahn McClarnon as Willie Lincoln. We wrote more about all these new characters here.

Ms. Marvel

Release Date: Late 2021

Ms. Marvel is finally coming to live action! Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. “A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right?”

The cast includes Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer, and Nimra Bucha. Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

This is going to be a big one, folks, because Kamala is going to be a significant player in Captain Marvel 2. How significant? The title of the movie is now The Marvels!

Morbius

Release Date: January 21, 2022

Spider-Man spinoff Morbius is Sony’s next big Marvel wild card, and it’ll officially be the first spinoff to properly connect to the MCU (even if Marvel Studios still isn’t officially acknowledging it in their own promotional materials the way they are with Spider-Man: No Way Home). Here’s the official synopsis for the film…

“Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.”

Safe House‘s Daniel Espinosa directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. Jared Leto stars as the vampiric title character, and the cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.

Read more about the character of Michael Morbius here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like it will open up the storytelling possibilities in the MCU like never before. And that’s just based on the name alone. Scott Derrickson was scheduled to direct, but bowed out because of “creative differences” with Marvel. But the good news is that Marvel found a suitable replacement in none other than Sam Raimi, who of course has plenty of superhero experience thanks to his Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s!

This one has loads of connections to the wider MCU. Elizabeth Olsen will be here as Wanda Maximoff post-WandaVision, and the film will also connect to Spider-Man: No Way Home and its own multiversal ambitions. There are also a few rumors doing the rounds that Jericho Drumm aka Brother Voodoo could be introduced in this sequel. We’ll keep an eye on that and update this if there’s any substance to them.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Taika Waititi, who gave us the delightful Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write and direct. Chris Hemsworth will be back. Natalie Portman is your new Thor (yes, you read that right, Jane Foster will wield the hammer…just as she did in the comics!). Christian Bale has also joined the cast as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher. Not only that, this movie will finally put Olympians in the MCU with Russell Crowe as Zeus. Can Hercules be far behind?

Oh, and did we mention that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be along for the ride, too?

Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever 

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Black Panther 2 is now called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Marvel has made it official that after the tragic, untimely death of Chadwick Boseman they have no intention of recasting the role of T’Challa, which is absolutely the right move.

Ryan Coogler will return as director, but there are no other details currently available. Interestingly, Coogler is also bringing a Wakanda TV series to Disney+ at some point in the future, too, and something tells us this Wakanda-centric title for the sequel is a sign of things to come.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Is it technically an MCU movie? Nope. But with all the legal weirdness going on between Marvel and Sony, and this franchise’s very multiversal concept, who’s really to say that it ISN’T an MCU movie either, right? In any case, the sequel to the best Spider-Man movie of all time is coming in 2022 with Avatar: The Last Airbender mastermind Joaquim Dos Santos directing and David Callaham writing.

There’s also an “untitled Marvel movie” still technically scheduled for this date but…that is almost certainly not gonna happen now. Expect whatever that project was to move to one of these below dates or to some other currently unspecified date on the calendar.

Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels

Release Date: November 11, 2022

WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell has been tapped to write the screenplay for Captain Marvel 2, which now boasts the title of The Marvels. You know what else is really cool? Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct!

We have no idea where we’ll find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the sequel to her hugely successful first standalone MCU entry. Will she be fighting to loosen her former Kree pals’ iron grip on a pre-Avengers galaxy? Or will the follow up film see her fighting for justice in the present?

In any case, we know that she’ll be facing off with Zawe Ashton as a currently-unnamed antagonist, and WandaVision‘s Monica Lambeau (Teyonah Parris) will also return in her superpowered state after the events of that game-changing show. Considering that Monica was once known as “Captain Marvel” in the comics, that title of The Marvels becomes more appropriate. And even MORE appropriate when you realize that Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, will also be making her big screen debut.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Release date: Feb. 17, 2023

Peyton Reed will return to direct the third installment of the Ant-Man saga, perhaps the most unlikely trilogy in Marvel’s entire arsenal. Paul Rudd will return as Scott Lang, and you can certainly expect Evangeline Lilly to return as The Wasp and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

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The villain of the film? That will be Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors. The inclusion of Kang opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for the MCU, and may even tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four down the line! We wrote more about those possibilities right here.

We’re also going to need fast confirmation on Michael Pena’s return as Luis, though. Luis is key…

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

Release date: May 5, 2023

After a tumultuous period which saw James Gunn fired and then rehired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, he will become the first Marvel director to ever complete a trilogy for the studio. However, Gunn can’t even begin filming Guardians 3 until he finishes production on The Suicide Squad for DC, as well as an HBO Max Peacemaker prequel. Once those projects are finished, he’s free to return to the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame left the team in an interesting place. We broke down some of the story possibilities right here.

And then there are still some dates that Marvel has announced that they have yet to match projects to. Those dates are…

July 28, 2023

Nov. 3, 2023

Some of those dates could very well be good fits for the following films…

Fantastic Four

The MCU Fantastic Four movie is finally happening! Marvel’s first family will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a film directed by Jon Watts, who did such a wonderful job with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. That’s all the information that’s out there at the moment, but as soon as we have more, we’ll update this. It also appears that WandaVision started to set up the Fantastic Four, so stay tuned. We have our own theories on why Marvel went with the Fantastic Four before the X-Men, but that’s another story.

Based on that sizzle reel we showed at the top of this article, Marvel seems to be hinting that Fantastic Four will be their next priority after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So is it possible that we’ll see it on July 28, 2023? That sure would be a great piece of summer blockbuster real estate to launch what might be the most important piece of the MCU going forward! Nov. 3 would be fine, but that one could be a better fit for…

Blade

Well this one was a surprise. In 2019, Marvel announced that they will be rebooting the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali playing the titular daywalker. Ali’s True Detective co-star – and former Blade villain – Stephen Dorff is excited to see what he can do with the character, and so are we.

Could Marvel decide to drop this in that Nov. 3, 2023 release date? Maybe with some Halloween-season previews to hype it up? We don’t know, nor do we know how far along this one is.

And now we’re into the stuff that’s even further in the future.

Deadpool 3

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin will be the writing team tasked with bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. What a Deadpool 3 could look like in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, anybody’s guess, but if anyone can crack wise about the follies of this kind of corporate synergy, it’s Ryan Reynolds.

She-Hulk

Tatiana Maslany will play Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who ends up with her cousin Bruce’s gamma-irradiated blood. Hilarity certainly ensues. Kevin Feige has promised that since this will be a courtroom show, you never know who else from the MCU could show up.

It’s possible we’ll get She-Hulk on Disney+ in 2022, but nothing is confirmed at this stage.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac will play Marc Spector, a disturbed fortune hunter who also happens to be the avenging avatar of an Egyptian moon god. Oscar Isaac is already training hard for the role, so we wouldn’t be surprised if we see this one on Disney+ in 2022.

Ironheart

The first of two series that will explore the legacy of Iron Man and Tony Stark in the MCU, Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a teenager at M.I.T. who creates her own suit of armor to right the wrongs of the world.

Armor Wars

Don Cheadle will reprise his role as Rhodey and will have the solo spotlight in the War Machine armor in a series that deals with a nightmare scenario for the MCU: what if Tony Stark’s Iron Man technology fell into the wrong hands and was getting duplicated by villains? Based on a classic comics run, Armor Wars promises big action and lots of obscure bad guys. We can’t wait.

Secret Invasion

Samuel L. Jackson will return as Nick Fury alongside Ben Mendelsohn as Talos for a series about the shape-shifting Skrull infiltration of Earth. Kingsley Ben-Adir is apparently playing the villain of the series. Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Killian Scott also star.

Secret Invasion could be the biggest thing to happen to the MCU since Endgame.

Wakanda

Very few details are available on this one at the moment, but Ryan Coogler will develop at least one Wakanda-set TV series for Disney+. Could this have anything to do with that Wakanda Forever title for Black Panther 2? We wrote more about some of the implications of this here.

We’ll keep updating this with new information as it becomes available!

The post Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2JEy7L3

[ladyloveandjustice]

The Great Ace Attorney Replay: Dual Destinies, Case 3, Final Part

Athena’s breakdown here get my heart everytime. It’s such a complete panic attack tinged with PTSD and the way she struggles to calm herself and how Apollo is kinda shocked and not sure what to do really gets me in the relatable feels.

Athena: (Don't tell me I've failed once again -- failed to save someone near and dear to me... I've worked so hard to become a lawyer, and even studied psychology. Has it all been for naught? Am I just doomed to relive that all over again?!) Unnghh...! A... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Apollo: A-Athena! Wh-What's wrong?!

Athena: Breathe in... Breathe out... Breathe in... (Relax, Athena, breathe...!)

(It's not working... Everything's going... dark. After all I've done, is this how it bends? Forgive me, Junie. I couldn't protect you like I said I would.)

Which makes the moment when Robin and everyone else  Athena helped come to reassure her all the more uplifting. I know it’s cliche but I absolutely eat up this cheesy shit and love it to death.

Robin: YOU LEAVE ATHENA ALONE, MAAAAAAN! SHE'S THE ONE WHO SAVED MEEEEEE! It was because of Athena that I could stop hiding and start living my life as a girl again. And she saved the friendship between Hugh, Juniper, and I! I think you're an awesome lawyer, Athena. One of the best!

Gender fuckery aside, Robin is so over-the-top ridiculous and protective and has such a good heart, so I really like her. She puts 100% of her emotions into everything she does and you know characters like that are my jam. Which is why I had to grasp for a trans headcanon to fix said fuckery. NOW THAT I HAVE, her declaration here is much more meaningful.

Of course, Athena’s girlfriend is there to motivate her and believe in her too

Juniper: It's not over yet, Thena. Even now at this very moment, I still believe in you!

Athena: J-Junie...

Juniper: I know you better than most people, Thena. And I know you'd never surrender to the dark age of the law like the professor did!

Hugh, Simon and Apollo join in and Athena pulls herself together.. I just love pay it forward moments where the people someone saved come to save them and always will.

Anyway Athena TURNS THE CASE UPSIDE DOWN with her ridiculous theory and decides the best way to prove it is to imitate a statue of Phoenix Wright and make Apollo tie a tarp to her i love her.

So I’ve been doing all the wrong answers before I do the right ones and I am sure GLAD I DID BECAUSE;

Athena: Tie both my hands in an objection pose!

Apollo: You sure? What about the spiky hair on the back of his head?

Athena: Oooh! I know! The boss is right there! Go pull some out and you can glue it on!

Apollo: Okay! I’M ON IT!

Phoenix: OBJECTION! OUCH!! APOLLO, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?

Apollo: S-sorry Athena I-I...I couldn’t do it!

Athena: Tsk, don’t be such a wimp!

Judge: Awww, how unfortunate. And I was so looking forward to seeing where that was headed.

Athena: It’s all Apollo’s fault!

Can you believe that Athena not only had the idea to TEAR PHOENIX’S HAIR OUT but Apollo  automatically went and tried to do it? Like he seriously went up to Phoenix in the gallery and started trying to pull out chunks of his hair. enthusiastically. 

And the Judge was enraptured.

Apollo has both punched Phoenix in the face and pulled his hair at this point and that says a lot about their relationship i feel.

Also if you choose to make Apollo tie your hands behind your back, he again asks “what about the spikes”

Athena: I DON’T HAVE THIS MASSIVELY LONG HAIR FOR NOTHING! Just use some superglue to bond it in place!

Simon: SILENCE! Fool, you shall RUIN YOUR HAIR. ...lucky for you, there was no such glue residue found of the victim.

Athena: Oh...huh! When you’re right, you’re right!

Judge: Whew, you had me worried for nothing.

The fact that Athena declared the ultimate and best purpose for her years of growing her hair superlong was the abilty to superglue it into weird shapes is amazing.

Meanwhile, the fact that Simon’s protectiveness of Athena apparently extends to her hair is adorable. The fact the judge was genuinely worried for Athena’s hair- also adorable.

The fact Athena takes the “I don’t think about anything that comes out of my mouth when i’m spitballing a theory i just blurt out whatever the fuck” to an even higher level than Phoenix does is another reason to love her. example

Athena: Oh, right! There was an arrow sticking out of her side! Okay, Apollo, take that and plunge it into my side!

Apollo: Wh-What, are you crazy?!

JUST FUCKING STAB ME, APOLLO, YOU COWARD, I NEED TO SHOW THEM I’M RIGHT!

Athena: Fine, then go get some duct tape! Rapido, schnell!

Apollo: All right, all right! I don't need to know other languages to know "bossy" when I hear it.

LOOK SHE WOULDN’T NEED TO ORDER YOU AROUND IF YOU’D JUST STABBED HER AS REQUESTED.

And so Athena saves the day.

God Junies “crush” on Apollo has absolutely zero basis and is so unnecessary and is so clearly just compulsory heterosexuality fucking her up and she’s transferring her feelings for Athena onto him and placing hjim on a pedestal as a result. Literally everything she says about him applies way more to her her relationship with Athena. BUT SHE’LL GET OVER IT WITH TIME AND REALIZE HER TRUE LOVE, NO MATTER WHAT BULLSHIT THIS GAME IS TRYING TO SELL ME.

Athena closes out the case by sadly reminding us Apollo turned into an angst bucket and we have to deal with that now. This case had many problems, but I overall enjoy it, not least because my girl gets to shine and it’s just really fun. Way better to her than her case in SoJ. I mean, for one, she actually gets to fuckin’ investigate. 

[flyleaf-girl]

Chapter 3: Nothing’s Sacred

Athena Masterlist

Word count: approx 1.6k

Warnings: Language, mention of canon-typical injuries

. . .

Chapter 3: Nothing’s Sacred

Sam and Dean sat at the bar, sleepily sipping at their coffee whilst Ellen and Jo busied themselves around the kitchen. The boys had offered to help make breakfast, but the roadhouse matron shooed them out, saying, “House rules, boys. Can’t have you Winchesters messin’ up my prized iron-cast griddle.”

In no time, Ellen and Jo emerged with four steaming plates heaped with food and tall glasses filled with freshly-squeezed orange juice.

Dean groaned in appreciation. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Ellen. This smells amazing.”

Sam nodded in agreement as he reached for his utensils. “This is great, thank you!”

“Our pleasure. Dig in,” Ellen encouraged.

The room lapsed into a comfortable silence as they all dove into their food. The Harvelle’s were famed for their hospitality, and this meal was no exception.

After they finished eating, Jo collected their plates and trotted off to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Sam volunteered to help, which she accepted with a small smile.

“You boys thinking of heading over to Bobby’s today?” Ellen asked Dean as she refilled both of their mugs with coffee.

“Mmhm,” Dean replied. “We’ve stayed a bit longer than we expected... but it’s good to see you and Jo.

“Well, you know y’all are welcome anytime. You might wanna wait til high noon to get on your way. Heard it’s supposed to get mighty cold out an-”

Ellen’s voice trailed off as quiet, shuffling steps sounded from the darkened hallway. They both turned to watch as Athena limped gingerly towards the bar, squinting against the bright morning sunlight.

“Mornin, Thena,” Ellen said. “How’re you feelin?”

“Peachy,” she muttered in a scratchy voice. “Ya got any leftover coffee lyin’ around?”

“I think Jo started a new pot in the kitchen. I’ll go grab some along with a plate of food for ya.”

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

The Roadhouse owner shook her head as she stood up. “You’ve saved our sorry asses at least 10 times in this lifetime, and you know it.”

Athena waved her hand carelessly. “Nothing’s sacred, Ellen. Not in this business. You don’t owe me a damn thing.”

“Not true. Now sit your ass down and I’ll be out in a jiff,” she called over her shoulder.

“Well if we’re counting, it’s thirteen!” Athena rasped out after Ellen with a wry grin.

Dean watched this exchange with curiosity. Athena was an enigma. Usually, he could read people easily, but it was definitely going to take him awhile to figure her out.

The woman in question closed her eyes and massaged her temples slowly. Dean took in her appearance. Dried blood covered a small scab on the side of her head, which had probably reopened overnight. Her pallor had improved considerably from last night, but dark splotches of blue and purple covered the underside of her jaw and arms. His eyes narrowed in sympathy as he took in the bruising pattern on her neck, recognizing the faint outline of a handprint.

“The hell you starin’ at?” Athena’s hoarse voice broke his concentration.

Dean flinched. “Um, I- uh...”

“What you never had a hunt go bad before?” she asked bitterly, all while keeping her eyes closed.

“No, no... I just- ”

She sighed impatiently. “Just stop staring. It’s rude.”

The doors to the kitchen swung open. Ellen came out with a plate of food and a glass of orange juice while Sam and Jo followed with mugs and a fresh pot of coffee. Ellen’s eyes softened with sympathy as she saw Dean’s awkward posture.

“Is Athena being snappish? She’s not a morning person.”

Jo laughed. “She needs her coffee like the grumpy people need their chocolate in those Snickers commercials.”

Athena glowered at them over her steaming mug as she viciously ripped open a packet of sugar and stirred it into her coffee.

Ellen offered her the milk and creamer teasingly. Jo laughed as Athena glared and shook her finger.

“You keep that shit away from me. You both know I’m lactose intolerant. I don’t need more stuff fucking up my chi after I got stabbed in the gut.”

Sam cleared his throat. “Speaking of,” he said as he poured him and Dean a fresh cup of coffee, “How are you feeling?”

Athena snorted as she stabbed her fork into some eggs. “Fan-freakin-tastic. Thanks for the assist last night, Winchester.”

Sam and Dean blinked.

“We... never introduced ourselves,” Dean said warily.

“Half-dead don’t mean half-deaf,” Athena said as she ate another bite of food pointedly. “I heard every word y’all said last night. You’re Sam,” she jabbed her fork at the tall hunter. “You’re Dean,” she waved the utensil at the elder brother. “You’re hunters. Easy enough to pair two and two, Sam and Dean Winchester,” she said matter-of-factly before taking a long pull from her mug.

Jo grinned at the boys. “So... does the renowned Athena live up to her reputation?”

Athena threw a balled up napkin at Jo. “Oh, fuck off.”

“Girls,” reprimanded Ellen as she refilled Athena’s mug.

“Sorry,” she said, shoveling another forkful of food in her mouth. “Anyways,” she turned her gaze back towards Sam. “Not too shabby of a patch-up job last night. I appreciate it.”

He nodded in acknowledgement.

“And you.” She pointed at Dean with her knife. “Call me sweetheart one more time, and I’ll castrate you.”

Dean swallowed. “Got it.”

Athena smirked. “Smart boy.” She continued eating slowly, wincing a bit as she swallowed.

Sam’s eyes drifted over the fingerprints on her throat, pressing his lips into a thin line.

She glanced at him before abruptly saying, “Say Ellen, I don’t supposed you’ve got any spare bike parts lyin’ around in the storeroom...”

Ellen frowned. “I’m not sure... we’ll have to check.”

“S no rush,” Athena said as she waved her hand lazily. “I need a day or two to rest up before I do anythin’ else. I’m a little worried about the Indy, though. Gunnin’ 9 hours without maintenance prolly burnt his guts to a crisp, like mine,” she laughed.

Sam shook his head admiringly. “Seriously, though. You’ve gotta be one hell of a rider to pull that off while injured.”

She tipped her head. “Been ridin’ awhile. You pick up a few tricks here an’ there.”

Dean frowned. “You don’t look a day older than... Are- are you even legal?”

Jo laughed. “Athena’s got really good genes. She’s- ”

Athena slapped her hand over Jo’s mouth, smile full of false sweetness as she answered Dean. “You either get good fast, or you get dead faster, sweetheart.”

Jo ripped Athena’s hand from her face. “Which means she’s good. Real good.”

“Alright, alright. Shaddup, Double 0.”

“Oh, come on! You’re basically the James Bond of hunting!”

“I am not an old white dude that runs around, waving a gun, jumping from planes and having sex with women.”

Ellen laughed heartily while Sam and Dean ducked their heads to hide their smiles.

Athena blinked, as though suddenly remembering that the boys were there. A jaded look slipped back over face as she sipped her coffee. “Sides, I gotta leave the theatrics to Foxy.”

“Foxy?” Sam asked. “As in, Asa Fox?”

“Yeah.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “You know him? He’s an absolute legend! The dude killed five wendigos- ”

“Oh, he’s sayin’ it’s five now?” Athena laughed incredulously. “Of course he is. Jackass.”

Sam and Dean’s faces furrowed in confusion.

“It was three when he showed up on my doorstep, bleeding all over my new welcome mat. But he can say it’s five if he wants to. It’s cute. Like I said, I’m leavin’ the theatrics to Foxy. He’s a fuckin’ drama queen.” She tipped her mug back, draining the last dregs and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

Ellen reached for the pot. “Want a refill?”

Athena shook her head “Nah, I’m all coffeed out. Prolly shouldn’t’ve had any in the first place considering...”

Sam nodded. “I didn’t even think of that.”

She shrugged. “If coffee’s what kills me, I win.” She folded her napkin and placed it neatly on top of her empty plate, before standing up carefully. “I’m gonna hit the hay. You boys travel safe out there, yeah?”

Sam shook the hand she offered to him.

“Take care of that ‘pala out there,” Athena rasped as she punched Dean lightly in the shoulder. “She’s a beauty.”

He grinned proudly. “She sure is.”

They watched as she disappeared down the hallway and closed the door.

Jo sent her mom a worried look before leaning in. “So, not that I don’t like bantering with Athena, but...”

She nodded. “She’s either loopy from the pain meds, or it’s gonna be a long while before she’s out hunting again.”

“You think she’s hurt a lot more than she’s letting on?” Dean asked in a lowered voice.

“Dean,” Sam said. “You saw how messed up she was last night. No way she’s recovered that fast.”

Ellen nodded again. “Athena’s usually not this talkative or friendly... especially around strangers. We’ll have to keep a close eye on her.”

Dean stood up. “I can- ”

“No,” Ellen said firmly. “You boys have helped plenty enough. ‘Sides, I told Bobby to expect you to show up later today.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want to worry the old man, now would we?” Dean smirked.

The brothers helped clean up shop, giving Ellen and Jo hugs before throwing their bags into the trunk of the Impala, heading towards Sioux Falls.