#and by crazy i mean i had less than 10 followers five days ago what the heck

[bobbinalong]

come follow me on tiktok btw, things have been a little crazy over there

[bex-la-get]

A Second Chance (Ethan x f!MC)

Book: Open Heart, Book 2

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x Natalie Cusack

Word count: 2175

Summary: While the hospital reels from the assassination attempt, Ethan gets his miracle. Sequel to What If...

Author’s Note: So @adiehardfan​​ asked if there would be a part 2 to What If and at the time, I wasn’t sure but this came to me the other day and I thought this would be the perfect sequel piece after I ripped your hearts out (sorry about that, by the way). Enjoy! 😘

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Nor do I remember the specifics from Chapters 10/11 in OPH Book 2. Any and all mistakes are my own. Thank you.

Please, he pleaded silently. Let her live. We have so much lost time to catch up on. Please. Let. Her. Live.

Ethan watched Natalie breath, her chest moving slowly as it rose up and down. He could tell she was struggling, growing weaker by the moment; but he could also see that she was fighting it. Fighting to get oxygen to her lungs, fighting to make it until morning, fighting to stay alive. He brushed some loose hair behind her ear and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing and silently praying that the combined efforts of Edenbrook and Mass Ken would be enough to save her.

He didn’t sleep that night. Too concerned of what might happen if he closed his eyes, Ethan stayed awake through the whole night, watching Natalie’s breathing and monitoring her vitals. He briefly stepped out of the room to splash some water on his face and wipe away the stray tears that were still sliding down his cheeks but that was the farthest he would be away from her. He refused to leave the room otherwise.

At around 3am, Harper and Naveen arrived with a couple and a young man; Ethan could only assume these were Natalie’s parents and brother.

“Ethan,” Naveen said on the other side of the door, “Dr. Cusack’s family is here.

Ethan nodded, stepped out of the room, and quickly changed out of the hazmat suit to speak with them; he stayed close to the entrance, however, and kept an ear out for the systems monitoring Nat’s vitals. He didn’t want to miss anything crucial while out of the room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cusack, I’m Doctor Ramsey. It’s good to meet you, though I wish it were under different circumstances.”

The Cusacks shook his extended hand and he turned to Natalie’s brother, greeting him as her mother, Julie, spoke. “Likewise, Doctor. Is there any update?” Her green eyes were filled with concern and worry and Ethan’s heart tightened.

“Not at the moment, I’m afraid. But we have a team working around the clock on a cure; some of the best doctors in the country are working to help your daughter,” Ethan answered.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Vic, as he had introduced himself, asked.

Naveen shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid not; but thank you for offering.”

Vic’s shoulders deflated somewhat and his father wrapped an arm around him. “Thank you for watching over her, Doctor Ramsey,” Elias said, his voice quiet. 

Ethan nodded. “She would do the same for me; for any of us.”

Elias smiled sadly. “That’s just like my Nattie.”

Julie sniffled and gazed at her daughter through the window, her eyes wet with unshed tears; Harper laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we wait in my office? You’ll be comfortable there and it’s close by so we’ll know when there’s updates.” Julie nodded in agreement and the Cusack family quietly said their goodbyes, following Harper down the hall.

Naveen rested a reassuring hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “How are you doing, my boy?”

Ethan shook his head and swallowed back a sob. “Not good.”

His mentor gazed at him sadly. “I wish I could reassure that she would be okay, but I cannot in good conscience say such things. But I do want to believe them.”

Ethan nodded and sniffled. “Me too.” He looked back through the window where Natalie was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling with every breath. “I can’t lose her, Naveen,” he said, quietly. “I-- she’s everything to me. I don’t know what I’m going to do if she doesn’t make it.”

Naveen squeezed his shoulder. “We have to believe she will make it, Ethan. Thinking otherwise will only drive us crazy.”

“I know; I just feel so useless. I can’t help with the cure and I can’t do anything for her in the meantime.” Ethan could feel the tears welling up again but he fought against them. Crying wouldn’t help anything right now.

“Being there for her in her hour of need is doing more than you can possibly imagine, Ethan. Trust me.” Naveen paused for a moment before speaking again. “Does she know how you feel?”

Ethan nodded solemnly. “I told her before she fell asleep. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long. I should’ve told her a long time ago, from the moment I knew.”

“We all have things we wish we could have done differently or sooner. The important thing now is that she knows.” Naveen squeezed his shoulder again then stepped away. “Go. Be with her. We’ll let you know when there’s news.”

“Thank you, Naveen,” Ethan said, making his way back into the quarantine area. 

“Ethan,” Naveen said. Ethan turned to his mentor, finding a sad smile on his lips. “Assuming she makes it and they can make a cure, I hope you won’t let her go.”

Ethan shook his head. “I’m never letting her go again,” he said, resolutely.

Naveen nodded and watched as Ethan once again dressed in the hazmat suit before returning to his place at Natalie’s side.

------------------------

It was nearing six am when several members from both the Edenbrook and Mass Ken teams appeared at the window of the hospital room. Ethan’s heart pounded at their appearance, trying not to let his fears get the better of him. Please be good news, please be good news.

“Well?” Ethan asked, his throat going dry.

Tobias looked to Elijah who grinned and held up a small vial in his hand before handing it to Baz. “We did it. We were able to synthesize a cure!”

Ethan barely held back a sob as he watched Baz and June suit up and join him in the room. “What about the EMT? Rafael?”

“He made it through the night,” Tobias confirmed. “He’s being administered his own dose as we speak.”

Ethan nodded, fighting tears. “Thank you,” he said, quietly. “All of you, thank you.”

“She would’ve done the same for any of us,” Elijah said, looking at his sleeping friend sadly. “I just hope we did it in time.”

Baz and June administered the dosage to Nat and Ethan swallowed hard. “Only time will tell.”

--------------------------

“Nat? Natalie. Can you hear me?”

Natalie’s brows furrowed as the familiar voice pulled her out of her deep sleep. 

“Natalie,” the voice said again. “Please Nat, wake up.”

She groaned and slowly blinked her eyes open, squinting through the bright lights of the room. She looked for the source of the voice to find him sitting next to her, a look of worry on his face. “Ethan?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

Ethan released a sound that was a mix of a sob and a laugh. “Oh thank god,” he said. 

Her eyes adjusted to the room around her and she realized he wasn’t wearing a hazmat suit. Her eyes widened. “Ethan, you’re-- you look… normal. What--”

“Elijah and the joint teams synthesized a cure,” Ethan said, helping her move to a seated position in the bed. “You’re okay; the toxin is gone, completely.”

Nat took a shaky breath. “And Raf?”

“Also alive and okay, though he was in rough shape by the time his dosage was administered. It’ll take longer for him to recover but he will recover. You both will.”

Natalie felt tears welling up in her eyes. “Does that-- does that mean I can kiss you now?”

He gave her a watery smile and nodded. Without waiting another moment, Natalie pulled Ethan towards her and kissed him soundly. He cupped her face with his hands and returned her kiss with equal fervor, ignoring the tears slipping down both of their cheeks. “I love you,” he whispered against her lips.

She broke away to cough out a sob and buried her face into his shoulder. He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head, letting his own tears fall freely. “I love you too,” she said through sobs. “I was so worried I wasn’t ever going to be able to tell you again.”

“So was I,” he sniffled. “I love you, Nat. I love you so much. I’m never going to let another day go by without telling you that.”

She looked up at him and wiped some tears away from his cheeks. “Us until the end of time, right?”

He smiled and nodded. “Until the end of time.” He sniffled again and placed another soft kiss on her lips. “Your parents and brother are here; they’ll want to see you. Are you up for visitors?”

She thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I am.”

“Okay, let me go get them.” He placed one more kiss on her lips, this one lingering for a long moment before he broke away, kissed her forehead, then left the room. Nat adjusted herself in bed so she was sitting up fully then waited for her family to arrive.

Less than five minutes later, her mother practically burst into the room, making a beeline for her daughter. “Oh Nattie,” Julie said, when they locked eyes.

Unable to hold back the tears, Natalie began crying, falling into her mother’s tight embrace. Her brother and father quickly joined the hug, holding onto each other tightly, crying tears of relief and happiness that Natalie was okay. She was safe. She was alive.

Ethan stood outside of the hospital room, taking steadying breaths and trying to control the tears that kept slipping out. He was exhausted and was holding it together just enough so he wouldn’t collapse from relief. He sniffled and ran his hands through his hair, sending a silent thank you to the gods that listened to his previous pleadings.

“Ethan?” a voice said.

He turned to the source to find Tobias looking at him, an inscrutable look on his face. “Tobias, hi.”

“Are you okay?”

Ethan glanced into the hospital room where Nat was giving her family a watery smile and looked back at Tobias. “I am now. I--” he hesitated for a moment, then stepped closer to his old friend. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did. I-- you gave her-- me-- us a second chance. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words how much that means to me. How grateful I am.”

Tobias smiled. “It was my honor to help, Ethan. Natalie’s a good doctor, and an even better person. This world is better with her in it. You’re better with her in it.”

Ethan’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Yeah, I know.”

Tobias rested his hand on Ethan’s shoulder and squeezed. “I know our past has been rocky and this year has had its own struggles and difficulties; but I’ll always be around to help if you need it, Ethan. No rivalry or competition will ever outweigh our duty as doctors… or my loyalty to an old friend.”

Ethan nodded thoughtfully, feeling a twinge of fondness for his old friend and [former?] adversary. “Thank you. And the same stands for me.”

Tobias smiled again and he stepped away. “I have to get back to my own hospital and patients. But I’m glad to see she’s doing better.” He nodded respectfully to Ethan. “See you around, Ramsey.”

“See you around, Carrick.”

As Tobias disappeared around the corner, Ethan looked back through the window to find Natalie gazing at him, a fond smile on her lips. He returned her smile. “I love you,” he mouthed.

Her smile grew and she mouthed “I love you too” back to him. 

His heart thumped in his chest as he locked eyes with her for a long moment before her attention was called back to her parents. He stood outside the room for another moment debating on whether or not he should stay when a new voice caught his attention. “Are you doing okay?”

He looked to the source and smiled at Harper. He nodded. “Yeah; better than okay.”

She smiled. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.” She looked him over and raised an eyebrow. “Did you sleep at all last night?” Ethan shook his head and Harper nodded knowingly, her lips pursed. “I can tell.”

He rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

“Just calling it like I see it,” she said, smirking. She stepped towards Nat’s room and gestured forward with her chin. “Go clean up; and maybe take a nap while you’re at it. Or at least get some coffee in you; I know you too well to think you’re going to sleep right now. I’ll keep an eye on Nat for you in the meantime.”

He looked down at his rumpled clothing and chuckled. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Thank you, Harper.”

She smiled. “I’m happy to help. And I’m happy to see you happy. It’s a good look for you.”

He chuckled. “I’m just glad I have a reason to be happy.”

“We all are.” She glanced at Nat and smiled. “She’s one of a kind, that one. You hold onto her.”

Ethan gazed back at Natalie and smiled. “I plan to.” Forever.

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added/removed):  @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @paulfwesley @ethansdique @openheartfanfics @perriewinklenerdie @little-flowers-on-heaven @stateofgracious @coffeeheartaddict @liaromancewriter @potionsprefect @mm2305 @gryffindordaughterofathena @actuallybored @writer-ish @queencarb @takeharryandgo @lsvdw-blog @itsjustwinter​ @imaneditorthankyouverymuch-deac @chaoticchopshopheart​ @ohchoices​ @maurine07​ @oldminniemcg​ @parisa-kh​ @shanzay44​ @uberamsey @izzyourresidentlawyer​ @adiehardfan​ @custaroonie​ @mia143​ @a-crepusculo​ @takemyopenheart​ @toadfrog26 @quixoticdreamer16 @barbean​ @headoverheelsforramsey

[lovely-haechan]

Locking your phone, you turn to look at Renjun who is sitting next to you on the couch. “You think I have time for a quick nap?” He raises an eyebrow in confusion. “I mean, you can, but Jaemin is going to be here in like 10 minuets. You could just sleep in the car on the way to his parents’ house, though,” he suggests. “Yeah I guess,” you sigh out. You pulled an all nighter last night to do all the work you wouldn’t have time to do while you’re out with your friends this weekend, and it’s really starting to hit you now. You almost don’t open your eyes with your next blink. “Are you excited for our mini vacation?” Renjun asks, noticing that you’re about to pass out. “Yeah. I’m not really excited that there might be a lot of people at the party, but I’m glad we get to spend a few days with just us. I feel like we don’t spend enough time as a whole group anymore,” you say, shifting to sit upright so you aren’t tempted to dose off again. “Yeah I get that,” he responds. “We should try to do this again when we’re not stressing about organizing a party. Just all of us hanging out.” “Ooh that reminds me, my roommate is going home next weekend, you guys should come over for a movie night next weekend,” you say. “Oh yeah, that would be fun,” he smiles at you. A knock at the door draws you two out of your conversation and Renjun goes to answer it. “Hey Jaemin, come in,” you hear your friend say. “Hey Jaemsie,” you say, standing up as the two enter the living room. “Hey Y/n,” he smiles at you. “You guys ready to go? I figured you might need help carrying decorations downstairs.” “Yeah we’re ready. We only have three boxes of decorations, nothing two crazy,” Renjun tells him, then he turns to you. “Do you want to grab a pillow or something while we bring these down? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable if you end up falling asleep in the car.” “Yeah okay, thanks guys,” you say as you walk to your room. Once you make it out to Jaemin’s car with your backpack and pillow in tow, you notice Renjun sitting in the backseat. “Bubs, I’ll sit back here,” you tell him while opening the backdoor, “I’m about to pass out anyways and I don’t want to leave Jaemsie up there by himself.” “Oh, yeah okay that makes sense,” he says while unbuckling his seatbelt and making his way to the front. And with that, you begin your two hour journey to Jaemin’s house, and your two hour nap in Jaemin’s backseat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you woke up from your nap, it was already 6:30. You look up to see that the car is parked in front of Jaemin’s house and Renjun is sitting in the front seat scrolling on his phone. “Did we just get here?” You ask through a yawn, unbuckling the seatbelt and stretching out your arms. Renjun jumps slightly at the sound of your voice, facing you as he turns off his phone. “No, we got here about an hour ago.” “Why didn’t you wake me up then?” You pouted, feeling guilty that they let you sleep in the car that long after your arrival when they could’ve woke you up. “Well since you were still asleep when we got here, we figured that if we start bringing stuff into the house then you might wake up from all the noise. When you didn’t, we sat with you for a bit before Jeno and Jisung got here, then Jaemin had to go let them in and stuff so I decided to stay and wait until you woke up.” “Oh okay, let’s head in then.” The two of you join your friends in the living room where they were having a heated discussion about what to have for dinner. “Look I get you’re a local and everything, but literally when has Domino’s ever done us wrong?” A huffy Jeno directs to Jaemin. Jisung is sitting in a recliner between the two boys, and he looks at you with pleading eyes. It’s safe to assume they had been discussing for a while. “And I’m telling you that the Domino’s here is shit. We’d be better off having Mark make us something.” “Well first of all you should never compare something as delicious as Domino’s to Mark trying to cook. Second of all-“ “Hey look, it’s Y/n and Renjun,” you cut off Jeno’s rebuttal before you have to listen to anymore of their culinary analysis. They turn to look at you and Renjun, clearly caught off guard by your entrance. “Hey,” Jaemin beams at you, “did you sleep well?” “Yeah,” you say as you sit next to him on the couch and Renjun sits next to Jeno across from the two of you. The two of them and Jisung delve into a discussion about the plans for the long weekend. “I know you guys meant well but you should’ve woke me up. I could’ve helped bring stuff in or something.” “Nah, you were tired and needed to sleep, so it wasn’t a problem,” he reassures you with a pat on your knee. “Plus Renjun and I don’t really hang out one-on-one that much, so it was nice to visit with him for a bit.” “Well that’s good, I’m glad. Although it’s shame to see that the two of you were not the least bit distraught at my absence.” Jaemin laughs lightly at that. “Oh don’t worry, you were all we were talking about.” It was your turn to laugh. “So, bedhead, we just decided to say fuck Jaemin and order Domino’s, you cool with that?” Jeno asks. “Yeah I’m cool with whatever- wait what?” You pull out your phone and look into the reflection to see that, in fact, your hair had gotten tousled on the ride over and no one informed you of it until just now. Rolling your eyes, you send a glare to Jeno. “What ever happened to ‘hey Y/n, your hair is kinda messy, let me fix that for you,’?” “Hey Y/n, your hair is kinda messy, let me fix that for you,” Jaemin says as he reaches over to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. You stare up at him as he does this, admiring the gentle touch of his hand as it grazes over your forehead just the slightest bit and follows the way down all the way to the bottom of your ear. His gaze falls to yours as his hand finds purchase on your shoulder. The moment doesn’t last long, though, before you’re moving away and looking to your other friends who are watching the scene unfold. “Um, oh yeah, I’m good with whatever,” you direct to Jeno while you stand up. “I’m going to go get changed real quick, where did you guys put my bag?” “It’s in Jaemin’s room. It’s the second door to the right once you go upstairs,” Renjun answers. You shoot him a quick ‘thanks’ before walking toward the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time the five of you had finished the gross pizza- although none of you mentioned that to Jaemin- and had settled in for a movie, you were starting to feel much more tired than you did before and were ready to go to sleep. You look to where Jaemin had been sitting next to you on the couch and he seemed to be extremely invested in the movie. You felt bad for interrupting him. “Hey, Jaemsie?” He flinches slightly at the broken silence. “Yeah, what’s up?” “Oh, I’m just ready for bed, where were we sleeping tonight?” “Oh yeah, you and Renjun are going to sleep in my room and me, Jeno, and Jisung are going to sleep in my parents’ room.” You frown at this. “Why don’t you just sleep in your room? I feel bad for stealing it.” He chuckles briefly at your pout. “I don’t mind. We figured since you and Renjun have had sleepovers and stuff before it wouldn’t be a problem for you guys to share a bed, and my parents’ room is big enough for three people so it’ll be fine. Plus it would be kinda weird for them to sleep in my parents’ bed without me.” “Less weird than me and Renjun sleeping in your bed?” You question him, only half understanding his logic. “Look Y/n, if you’re trying to get me into bed with you, you can just ask.” He adds a shit-eating grin at the end. “What if I was? Was it working?” He choked on his saliva at this, obviously not expecting you to joke back, but he recovered quickly. “Ah,’ he sighed out, “I don’t think our friends would enjoy us hooking up while they’re down the hall in my parents’ room. Sound really carries in this house, if you didn’t know.” “Ah, you raise a valid point. What a shame, maybe next time,” you pat his thigh lightly as you get up, bidding the others a ‘goodnight’ as you make your way upstairs for the second time that night, this time not missing the way the TV volume lowers ever so slightly and the way your friends exchange whispers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out of State 


Chapter 8- Bedhead 


Chapter 7 ~ Masterlist ~ Chapter 9


Taglist: @elysianana @stopitvpls @ridinhyuck @taeyongsupremecy @nitsunie @hecapiecna


A/N: It’ s the fact that this was 1.5k words for me. Also, not @ this sitting in my drafts since yesterday bc I thought I clicked post😭✋🤧 Also also sorry @ tallest if you get a notif for this twice, the format wigged out and I had to reformat this and add all the tags back😔✋

[orionxcastillo]

full name: orion castillo nicknames: ori, conejito (”little bunny” in spanish) gender and pronouns: cis man, he / him. age: thirty-eight. date of birth: april 9, 1983. hometown: chelmsford, england. nationality: british born, cuban and american heritage. religion: catholic. sexual and romantic orientation: bisexual biromantic. occupation: antique store assistant. living arrangements: lives on his own. languages spoken: english, spanish. (accent is a mess of english, american, cuban) strange history: edith alby

TW: mental institution, domestic violence, attempted murder, mental instability

Orion’s mother left America to study mythology at a British university. It was there she met his father, also studying. The pair hit it off and eventually married, Orion wasn’t far behind.

The night Orion’s mother told his father they were having a baby she took him outside to star gaze, telling him the stories of the ancient Greeks above. He struggled to see what stars she was talking about, except for Orion’s belt - three stars perfectly lined up together. Just as they would be as a family. 

When he was born Orion cried like nothing would ever be okay in the world. The nurses and doctors worried, but found nothing medically wrong. It wasn’t until Orion’s father nursed him by the window, pointing out Orion’s belt to the newborn did he seem to finally calm. The new parents felt the name Orion was fitting, as if he picked it out himself.

Life growing up in the UK had its ups and downs. He didn’t look or sound like the rest of the kids around him - his father was first generation Cuban-British, his mother was American. Sometimes there were fights in the school grounds, or out, some days he just skipped class entirely. Sometimes that was to flirt with the local girls school as they walked by his returning from sports at the nearby oval. If anything he would have thought of his childhood relatively normal, expected even. He did well in class despite his absences, he participated in sports and made friends who would invite him over to watch the latest movie on VCR. It was normal, at least in that aspect of life.

Home life was getting more and more destructive as Orion moved into his teen years. His father was becoming known for outbursts, whether anger or from distress. His mother would pretend all was okay; he was just having a ‘tantrum’ or a ‘funny day’. It was normal! Everyone had trouble sometimes. But sometimes when he was alone with his father he could hear him talking to someone, when the room was empty. He would say something to his father and the man would seem to be in another world entirely, not hearing a word that left his mouth. 

Things got the worst when Orion was 15. His grandparents, his fathers parents, moved in. They used the excuse they were struggling with money, but they always seemed to have a wallet full of cash ready to go. He was starting to get pushed out of rooms, told to go study or sleep when he heard his father scream. They didn’t want him to see what was happening to the man. He was sick. Doctors were in and out of the house, sometimes they would help - for a few days the house would grow quiet. Then things would get bad again, and every time it seemed to be getting worse.

Orion spent a lot of time out of home, he would sleep at friends houses or wander the streets. It felt for a while there no one cared what happened to him, he was pushed out and forgotten. Most mothers would worry about their son being out all night, his mother didn’t even notice. She had a lot on her hands, he knows this now, but as a teenager sometimes you need that support.

Everything came to a breaking point when one night that he did happen to be home he was awoken by his mothers screams for help. He scrambled out of bed, launched through the house in nothing but his boxers, to find his father welding a knife trying to prove to everyone they were all dead. He doesn’t remember everything that follows, his mind protecting him from as much trauma as they can. All he knows is he put himself between his mother and the knife, tackling the man he had looked up to as a child.

Orion, his mother, and his father all ended up in hospital that night. His grandparents came home after a later dinner party in time before trauma turned to tragedy. Doctors submitted his father into the psych ward as his grip on reality slipped away completely. His mother would come to divorce his father, his grandparents taking care of the man moving him to a care facility where he remains today. His mother would take Orion across the sea to America where her family would welcome him.

Orion would struggle after what he went through, it wasn’t allowed to be talked about - his mother wanting to forget it ever happened. A fresh start, why would they dirty it up with what has been? She would go on to work at Pleasance library whilst Orion finished his education through home schooling. He was of age to get a job so filled his free time working small jobs around town, planning to build enough funds that at age 18 he would return home to England. 

Except he never did. Ask him today and Orion will probably shrug as to why not, honestly he doesn’t quite know. There was something about this town, he didn’t really feel like leaving. Ever. Strange, no? In his time in Pleasance Orion has made friends, had good and bad relationships, lived a typical life. He moved into his own flat, even bought himself a cat to keep him company. His mother eventually retired and calls in on him far too often but he humours her, knowing she never meant him harm. 

Over the years Orion has received letters from his family in England looking to update him on the state of his father but they go unanswered. Truthfully, he wishes they would stop, but part of him would appreciate that the line of contact always stayed open. It was just more annoying than welcoming when a letter showed up in his mailbox.

The last few years Orion has been working at For Keeps, the antique store. He likes working there because there is always something new in store, something he had never seen before or a story locked away inside. Orion liked to research the history behind them, filling his time with books at the library or fingers tapping away at the keyboard as he looks online for further information. It feeds his curiosity, making it always annoying when he hits a dead end.

Life was normal, well as normal as you can get in this town (it’s always been a bit strange). Except, well, there was the fact he was seeing dead people. Well, Orion isn’t completely sure they’re ghosts. It’s not everywhere nor is it all the time. He first noticed it around five years ago, or maybe it was longer than that. They would just be there, doing their thing, when a figure that didn’t belong would join him. The ‘ghost’s don’t talk to him, not really. Sometimes they utter a word or shake their head but it’s never enough to know what they want from him. Occasionally they move his things, or things around the store, or follow him around as if they were breathing down his neck. 

Orion would be more distressed over the idea of ghosts if it wasn’t a more comforting idea than what happened to his father. Ghosts meant he wasn’t insane, just haunted. That he could handle, they didn’t bother him enough for it to disrupt his life and sometimes the company was nice on a slow day. Of course he told literally no one of the things he was seeing, they would call him crazy and break his mothers heart. If she ever found out she would have him hospitalised and possibly end up there herself. 

Telling himself it was ghosts felt easier than the fact he was of the same age his father was when he lost touch with reality, that the things his father saw could be appearing in front of his own eyes. To turn into the man he left behind so long ago was his worst nightmare - he may not have an exciting life but he had one he longed to hold on to. So ghosts were easy to handle, for now at least. Trauma from his father? He’ll pass on that one, even if it meant his own health was a risk. 

Orion to his friends is just like his cat, he likes to find somewhere warm and settle. If he’s at the bar he’s in the corner booth with his drink, maybe a book in hand until company joins him. He likes to check out sometimes, go out to the lake with some camping gear and forget the worst exists. You’re lucky if he invites you along, he clearly doesn’t want to forget you.

Orion almost always is carrying a packet of cigarettes, a notebook or novel, a packet of gum and spare change. He walks most places so his car is collecting dust in its garage. He likes to cook for people, as long as you’re not a picky eater. He is often scribbling in his notebook, whether reminders or notes on something he’s researching, or poems no one is supposed to ever hear.

To most Orion is known as Ori, his parents are the only one who would call him conejito, which means ‘little bunny’.

OOC: 

My name is Jen but for less confusion you can call me J. I’m 27, live in Australia, and have been on Tumblr for like... over 10 years. Love me. 

He is open to all kinds of connections, I do not have a specific list so just hit me up to plots.

@phqextras

[chocoholicannanymous]

Free Kurt - Isabelle style (Glee)

This is part of the Free Kurt event, where different fic writers all present a take on how the proposal from 501 could have ended better for Kurt by use of one character. I decides on Isabelle Wright, and here you have 2020 (fittingly) words of “Free Kurt - Isabelle style”.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except an overactive imagination and way too many plotbunnies.

“Getting a choice means you gotta make one. Relax. Hear what the guy has to say. All you gotta do is say yes, no or maybe.”

“Is there another option?”

~*~*~*~

Kurt turns towards Dalton, steeling himself to go inside and meet Blaine. To start a new phase of his life - their lives. And then his phone rings.

“That can wait, can’t it, buddy?”

“I just need to check, oh, I have to take this. I’m sure it won’t take long. Just…” He walks a bit, not wanting his dad to hear if this is one of those calls.

“Isabelle! Is there something wrong?”

“No, no! Well, a little, but! You're just the guy to fix that. I remember right that you were flying back today, right? Would you be amenable to show up at Vogue, paid time, and help out at a party? Chase was supposed to be there and write about the outfits, but Marcel is in the hospital so Chase has to cover for him.”

“I...don't know if I'll be able to make it in time.”

“Traffic? I'll send a car for you, obviously, and pick an outfit from the vault.”

“I'm sorry, I mean I'm not sure if I'm going to make my flight.”

And he isn't. It hasn't hit him until now – how? why? – that even though he left with plenty of time to get to the airport and through security it might not be enough to also get through the proposal. He'd thought so, before, but really when he actually thinks about it? That would depend on Blaine being brief. Oh, and letting Kurt leave after. Is he going to want me to do that? Or is he expecting us to do something together?

Surely Blaine must have planned for Kurt making his flight though? Or made other arrangements? I'm already checked in though, I did that yesterday. So clearly no one's changed my flight.

“Kurt? Is something wrong? Are you... Are you not at the airport? Did something happen with your dad?”

Isabelle's voice is rising, worried, and he takes a second to feel cherished by that while hurrying to calm her down.

“Oh no, he's fine. Just, I'm not at the airport. There was a detour. I... I'm at a surprise proposal.”

“Really? Whose?”

Blaine's. “Mine.”

“Wait, what? Didn't you go down alone? Oh, did blond and cute go with you after all?”

“No, Adam is... We're over.”

“You broke up? You left here 10 days ago, dating Adam , and now you’re telling me that not only did you break up with him in that time, but also you started dating someone new? And you’re being proposed to? Am I hearing this right?

“What happened, Kurt?”

“I couldn’t commit to Adam. He offered to come with me, you know that, but I turned him down. That was pretty telling, that I didn’t want him to come with me. If it’d been serious, if I’d been willing to commit to him, well… I wouldn’t have said no then, would I? If I didn’t want him here with me during this, if I didn’t want him to come with and meet my family and friends, then clearly I wasn’t that invested.

“Better to break it off then.”

It had hurt, sure, because he’d really enjoyed being with Adam, but once it’d been pointed out to him…

“Okay, say I buy that - and we’re talking more about that when you come back, mister, don’t you doubt it! - what about this new relationship? How can you be ready to commit to someone else this soon?”

“I never had a problem committing to Blaine.”

There’s silence at the other end, enough that Kurt starts questioning if the call’s been disconnected.

“Isabelle?”

“You…” Her voice does a funny thing, and she starts over again. “You’re back with him?”

When he confirms it Isabelle starts talking fast, clearly not willing to let him say anything else.

“Blaine. Cheated on you after 2 weeks, Blaine. Blamed you for it, Blaine. Almost got you in trouble at work, Blaine. Made you feel like shit for months, Blaine. You’re back with him. And he’s proposing? You got back together, what, five minutes ago?”

Yesterday, Kurt thinks. We got back together yesterday. He doesn’t say that though.

“We were together for a year and a half. It’s not like he’s some stranger. This is, I always saw us ending up here. This was my dream, Isabelle, for so long.”

“”Before, and I cannot stress this enough, he cheated on you. How can you be sure he won’t do that again? After all, you’re coming back to New York. He’s going to be in Lima, still in school. That didn’t work so well last time.

“As you said, you didn’t have a problem committing to him. He on the other hand...”

It stings, to hear Isabelle reference such a painful experience so casually. Kurt swallows it down though, arguing back. “It’ll be different this time. He promised he’d never hurt me like that again. And he signed Oprah’s non-cheating contract.”

Except he hadn’t, not yet, but he’d promised to do it and surely that has to mean something?

“The fact that a non-cheating contract even entered the picture isn’t exactly the strong argument you seem to think. At least not in his favor.

“Kurt, honey, I'm saying this from a place of love. Have you completely lost your mind?”

And that, that hurts. He’s not crazy. This is the right thing to do. Everyone else thinks so, so why can’t Isabelle see it?

“Now, I’m not going to tell you that you can’t date someone, or get engaged, or hell, even married - though I do hope he doesn’t have an officiant standing by - but what’s the hurry? Why does he have to propose now?”

And well, Kurt doesn’t have an answer to that - and he’s searched, having asked himself the same question.

“He’s just, he’s always been excitable. Besides, seize the moment, you know? You never know what happens.”

He can’t be sure, but it sounds like Isabelle is muttering something about finding him a therapist. Surely not though?

“And I, Isabelle, it took me forever to find Blaine. What if I never meet anyone else who makes me feel the way he does?” Kurt politely ignores the hrumpf on the other end.

“Honey, you’re young. So, so young. You have your whole life ahead of you. And if it doesn’t happen? I am more than twice your age.” And wow, things has to be really serious if Isabelle is admitting to that. “I’m single. I’ve never been married, or engaged. I don’t have kids. By now, I’m pretty sure neither of that will change.

“Does that make me - or my life - worth any less?”

“No! Of course it doesn't. Just... It’s not what I want for me,” Kurt adds in a low voice.

“And that’s okay. As I said, you’re young. You have time to get to where you want to be. It doesn’t have to be a race. Not everyone find their place - or their person - at 20. That you would walk through life and never meet anyone else who could love you, and appreciate you? That’s impossible.”

Kurt feels the word sink into him, and before he can think twice he whispers “dad said I looked like he was driving me to my execution”.

“Wait, what? Look, I know that as your boss I don’t have the right to tell you what to do with your private life, but I’d like to think that I’m a little more than just your employer. So please, listen. Don’t be in such a hurry to do this. Not after just a few days. Not if you’re unsure enough that you look like that. Please. Come back to New York. Take some time to think. To just date again and adjust to how you’ve changed. Because that’s going to change how you are together as well.

“Put yourself first.”

Put himself first? Kurt isn’t even sure how to do that. It means disappointing his dad. Disappointing Blaine. He...doesn’t have a great track record with that.

But that’s his answer right there, isn’t it? He isn’t thinking that what’s right for him is to walk inside and let Blaine propose. He’s thinking about walking away.

“I’ll call you when I’m back in New York, okay? Bye Isabelle. And...thanks for listening.”

He walks back to the car and his dad, who’s looking kind of worried.

“That took a bit longer than I thought. Everything okay?”

“Yes, I think it is.” In the corner of his eye Kurt spots people spying from Dalton’s balcony and the door, looking restless. Apparently he’s not following the script.

“So, ehm, can you just drive me to the airport like we agreed?”

Burt Hummel looks like a stranded fish, and under other circumstances Kurt is sure he'd find it amusing. Now, not so much.

“What? What about-”

“I decided that I did have another option, one that doesn’t mean listening to Blaine. I’m not ready to say yes to what he wants to ask me, and I want to leave.”

“What about Blaine? Are you really going to leave him hanging like this?”

And ouch, that might be justified, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to hear it from his dad. Isn’t my dad supposed to back me? Where was this attitude when it was Finn? And right, he’d forgotten for a bit, the memories swept away in his dad’s pushy encouragment. Burt had hated Finn’s engagement to Rachel, not to mention the wedding-that-wasn’t.

“Good to know whose side you're on.”

They stare at each other. Kurt has folded so many times in similar situations, but this time he’s going to stand by his decision.

“I gotta say, buddy, this isn't like you.”

“Well, maybe my usual habit of doing not what I want but what I think the people around me want isn't working for me any longer.”

Which is true, and how could I have let myself almost be backed in a corner like that? but his dad takes it badly.

“This is… This is because of whoever called you right now, isn’t it? Why are you allowing her to change your mind like this? Not five minutes ago you were going to at least hear Blaine out. Who's this Isabelle to tell you not to?”

“Apparently the only person in all of this who’s on my side.”

“Hey! That's not fair!”

“Not fair? Life’s not fair! And you know what, something else that’s not fair? Dad, you told me you thought I looked like you were driving me to my execution. We both knew it was a proposal, yet that's how you thought I looked. And somehow that didn't make you question anything? I couldn't tell you if I was okay or not. Again, you didn't question it. I asked you if there was another option to answering him! Again, you just told me to go ahead. To listen to what Blaine had to say.

“Isabelle didn't tell me what to do, she told me to listen to myself! She reminded me that I do have options. I'm the one choosing which one to take, and that's going to the airport and then back home.

“Now, are you going to drive me?”

Kurt waits for an answer. Once he finds himself beginning to count seconds he gives up. He walks over to the car, grabs his bags, tells his dad he'll call once he lands and starts walking. His blood is pounding in his ears, to the point where it’s all he hears, and he just. Keeps. Walking. Reaching the end of the driveway makes it feel better, but not safe, not yet. He takes the first corner, twists through the sidestreets with hurried steps, looking for a place to hide and make a call.

Ten minutes later he’s in the back of a cab, heading towards the airport, with his phone turned off and his heart in his throat, feeling utterly, heartbreakingly relieved.

~The End ~

[samthemarvelfan]

Goodbyes: Chapter Five

Summary: Ella Monroe is the Avengers newest recruit, handpicked by Steve Rogers himself. Indebted to him for reasons unknown, Cap pairs her up with Bucky Barnes. He is tasked with training her to relearn and hone the skills that have long since rusted. Bucky is cold and distant, and Ella can’t seem to break through the wall he’s built up for decades. He sees something in her though, and it scares him to death. Has the fate of these two strangers been sealed? …or will they always be longing…

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC, feat Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson

Warnings: DARKER THEMES AHEAD. Angst, Bucky is a dick, mutual pining, self sabotage, male-on-female violence, description of injuries, PTSD, mentions of blood, violence, and death. Sloooooow burn ahead.

A/N: I continue to be blown away by you guys, thanks so much for all of the love! The tag list is open! so please let me know if youd like to be added! This one is a lil intense, but a beautiful set up in the works ;)

Taglist: @iheartsebastianstan @jjlizz @stuckysbabe @sk493494 (strikethrough means the tag didn’t work! I’m sorry!)

Now this is a tac suit.

Cap had left it outside your door for you to wear this morning. The suit fit you perfectly, and allowed for optimal stealth and flexibility. Combat boots, thigh holster, and duel daggers sheaths. Just some of the accessories you’d been gifted with.

Butterflies invaded your stomach as you made your way to the Quinjet. Doing the best you could today was essential for your career, but that wasn’t the only thing causing your nerves.

Sergeant Barnes would be there, and worse than that, so would his attitude. For the life of you, you didn’t understand why his temperament towards you kept changing.

In private, he’s so kind. He cares for you, and he shows it. But yesterday, like so many times before, he truly seemed to hate you. To have no desire for you to be around, and deem you completely useless.

You arrived on the jet last, seeing Bucky sitting alone. He was inspecting his rifle, assuring it was set to go. He glanced at you for a moment, eyes roaming the suit clung to your body before shaking his head and returning his focus to his gun.

Along the wall of the jet was the weapons rack. You load both your waist holster and thigh holster with pistols, and choose daggers lightweight enough to throw if necessary.

Steve walked from the front of the ship and smiled when he saw you. “Ready?” He asked as took a seat, and strapped himself in.

You nod, doing the same. “Ready.”

You sat next to Steve on the jet, Bucky across from you. Not the ideal seating arrangement but hey, you work with what you got. The visual however was certainly enticing. Sergeant Barnes looked so damn good dressed in his tac gear.

“You okay?” Steve asks sincerely, removing you from your thoughts, and earning a muffled scoff from Bucky.

You nod. Looking at Bucky quickly, “Just trying to keep my focus. I don’t wanna mess up.”

Bucky’s face was stoic. You knew he was a master at hiding his emotions, so that didn’t surprise you.

Steve rested his hand on yours, and Bucky shifted forward. “You won’t. You’re ready, besides you’re gonna be our eyes and ears on the ship. Isn’t that right, Buck?” He asked, calling to his friend.

Bucky, in the midst of checking out his rifle, caught Steve’s gaze. “She’s shouldn’t be here at all Steve.”

You sighed. Bucky truly didn’t want you around anymore. Just the thought of him hating you made you heart feel like it was breaking.

“You trained her. That already makes Ella more qualified than any of the recruits we’ve had.” Steve defended you.

You’re always reminded of how grateful you are for Cap. Without him, you’re sure you’d be dead, or worse.

“I only trained her for a small about of time. Who knows what kind of sloppy habits she’s picked up since then.” He quipped.

“Watch it, Tin-man. Watch it.” Sam spoke from the pilot seat.

Sergeant Barnes ignored Sam and turned his attention back to Steve, “The only reason she’s here is because she likes to defy orders,” he cocked his rifle, “and because you’ve taken pity on her.”

“She has a name, Sergeant Barnes,” You retort quickly, “and last time I checked, I don’t have to take orders from you anymore.”

Bucky stares at you for a moment, “Like it or not Doll, I’m still a CO.“ He secured the strap on his rifle, “and your name to me is Recruit.” He quipped.

You scoff, “Really? Because that wasn’t the case thr—“

“Arrival in 2 minutes 10 seconds, folks.” Sam shouted, cutting you off. Steve stood and walked to join him while Bucky’s eyes continued to remain on you.

You cleared your throat, moving to stand in front of him. “I understand you don’t like me—that you don’t wanna be around me...”

Yikes. Just saying that aloud hurt your heart.

You continued, “But you gave up on me. So why don’t we just go back to ignoring each other’s existence? That way neither of us gets hurt.”

Bucky doesn’t look at you, but you hear him whisper. “I didn’t give up on you.”

You cross your arms in front of you, “It doesn’t matter now does it? Because no matter what I do, nothing is ever good enough for you; I’ll never be good enough,”

“One minute.” Sam announces again.

Your eyes return to Bucky, whose gaze is now fixated on you. “I’m sorry I’m not enough. But I’m gonna prove you wrong, ya know.”

He licks his lips, about to speak when Steve returns, securing his shield to his back. “Ella stay here, keep the comms open. When you hear from Bucky, he’ll give you the all clear to drop the bay doors for extraction.”

You nod, “If you need me out there, just say the word.”

“No.” Bucky says quickly. “You’re to stay in the jet, don’t compromise this mission because you wanna play hero. Understood?”

Sam and Steve exchange glances, but they can’t interject. Regardless of who’s actually training you, Sergeant Barnes is still your commanding officer.

“Yes.” You grumble.

“Yes, what?” He asks sternly.

You let out a sigh of frustration. “Yes, Sir.”

Seemingly satisfied with your answer, he turns and exits jet, Cap and Sam following swiftly behind him.

He’s been more hostile and short tempered with you than ever. After the...incident...a few weeks ago, you thought maybe things would be different. After all, he’d shown you a side of him you had never seen.

Under all of that coldness and silence, he was kind and gentle. He felt more than he would ever let people know, and the regret and shame he was holding onto after what happened...it made you see him in a different light.

But now, since cutting ties with you, he’s colder than ever. Did he realize that maybe it was your fault? You had undone the months of progress he’d made, simply by being yourself. How could he not resent you for that?

Your mind wandered back to the day he came to your room. When he was stood in your most personal space, being the most vulnerable you’d ever seen him be. His touch echoed on your skin. Your mind recalling how your body reacted when he stroked your jaw. It felt electric—it felt right.

A shudder ran through your body, shaking the memories from your skin. Returning your attention to the controls, you had to admit you were a bit bored. You pop your feet up on the edge of the control panel, unsheathing a knife from your belt.

You toss it in the air a few times, catching it without even focusing. Your mind wouldn’t shut up! If it was just recon, why couldn’t you be out there in the field? At least you could have learned how a proper recon mission was carried out.

Despite your boredom and feeble attempts at distraction, Bucky never left your mind.

Sometimes the way he looks at you makes your stomach do backflips. His eyes have a way of piercing your soul, whether he means to or not. You just want him to like you—why do you want him to like you so badly?

A muffled static pulled you from your thoughts. Putting your knife away, you noticed the comm lines were going crazy, and Steve’s line was glowing. “Cap? What is it?”

You heard a burst of rapid fire. “Ella! Get that door open now!” His voice is panicked and it sounds like he’s running.

Your hands begin to tremble as you push your communicator, “What’s your location?” You respond, hoping your voice isn’t sounding as shaky to them as it does to you.

You wait the required 10 seconds for a response. Nothing.

“Cap? Steve? What’s your location?!” You shout. What were they firing at? This was supposed to be reconnaissance only!

Another 10 seconds pass, still no response. Are they hurt? Is someone down? Is Bucky okay? Steve said Bucky would be the one to give you the all clear...

You jump from your seat, and run to the back of the jet. Grabbing the pistol from your hip, you flick the safety off and hit the red button on the control panel.

The ramp had barely hit the ground before your feet do. The forest is thick, and dark but you’d been here before. The terrain becomes less and less foreign as you run your way through it, jumping over roots and dodging branches in your path.

You pause, turning on your heel as you hear the unmistakable sound of gun fire. It’s was Sergeant Barnes’ rifle, no doubt about it.

Thank God. He’s okay. You think to yourself.

The shots are getting closer now. “Cover, cover! Bogies on my 11 and 3!” You heard Sam’s voice in echo in the distance as it repeated in your ear piece.

They’re close. You think.

“Barnes! Cap! Does anyone copy?!” He screams.

No one is answering, but you still hear Bucky’s gun rapid firing in the distance. You had to do something or Sam wasn’t surviving this mission.

Taking a deep breath you push your communicator, “This is Cadet Monroe...I copy.”

Your boots are echoing off of the sodded ground. “Falcon, what’s your location?” You shout breathily.

“Courtyard in the north-most building!” He responded.

Your eyes scan the field looking for the familiar pillars, knowing the courtyard was in the building opposite. You spot the large cement structure looking like the remains of a building long blown to hell, and run for it.

“Cadet Monroe you get back to the jet NOW!” Bucky’s voice rang over the earpiece. Relief floods your veins when you hear it. He was okay and still fighting. You wanted to, but you couldn’t respond, not when Sam was in trouble.

Pressing your back against the cement wall, you peek around it. You spot Sam hidden between two large cement pillars. “Falcon, on your 6.” You whisper.

You see Sam use his peripherals and he nods subtlety. As Sam’s crouched down behind a chunk of cement, he gestured to his left and your eyes meet where he’s looking. There they were, HYDRA. Two soldiers approaching Sam from either side.

Knowing you only have one chance at this, you line up your shot, remembering what Bucky had told you about leading with you foot, and pull the trigger twice hitting the first soldier square in the chest.

He falls instantly, allowing Sam to run closer to where you are. “Now Sam! I’ll cover you.” You call.

Sam rolls across the opening of the pillars as the second HYDRA soldier pops out from behind the wall. You shoot again, but he dodges them. Without hesitation, you pull the dagger from your side and throw it full force. It slides through his chest like butter, nailing him straight through the heart.

“Ella, get your ass back on that jet! That’s an order!” Bucky shouts. He’s angry, you know that much.

Your instinct is to listen, if you don’t you’ll be defying a direct order from a superior officer. Unsure if it’s Sam’s life being on the line or your pride, you don’t respond to Bucky.

You were determined to prove him wrong.

Your lungs are burning and your adrenaline is working on overdrive, but Sam finally reaches you. “Are you hurt?” You ask breathless.

He shook his head, “No, but remind me again why the hell Barnes wanted you locked in there all this time?” He jested, catching his breath. “Thank you, Ella.”

You nod, clipping your pistol back in its holster. “What happened to simple recon? Hmm?” You tease.

He lets out a small chuckle, “Yeah, tell me about it,” Sam pauses to rip off one of his gloves, “Turns out we—GET DOWN!”

His warning doesn’t come quick enough as a bang surges through your shoulder. An indescribable pain covers the right side of your body as you collapsing to your knees.

Reaching up with your left hand, you grip your shoulder tightly, pulling back to see your hand covered in blood.

Is that my blood? You think as your legs give out beneath you, sending your body into the dirt.

Your hearing is muffled. All you can make out is your heart pounding and bullets being fired. You see Sam, he’s yelling for...Steve? That’s what it looks like he saying anyways. He’s waving someone down before you see him jump over you. Your vision is fading and it’s fading fast.

You’re fighting it as much as you can, blinking to keep the darkness from spreading. Coming to the conclusion you were in shock, you try to take several deep breaths, praying the bullet didn’t hit your lung.

Your hearing is returning slowly, and you catch the ending of your name. Was someone calling your name?

His scent hits you first, immediately bringing some sort of comfort to you. You look over and see Bucky secure his rifle to his side. He scoops you up into his arms, careful to not grip your wound. You feel him running inhumanly fast as he holds you to his chest.

Before you know it, your back hits the cool metal of the Quinjet’s deck as Bucky’s body hovers your right side. You know you’re losing blood and you’re losing it fast. The patches of black dotting your vision return as you catch a glimpse of him, panic is framing his eyes.

“S-Sergeant Barnes?” You ask through a clenched jaw.

“It’s me, Ella. I’ve got you.” He replies. You wanted to smile, but the pain forbid it. He said my name again. You think. His tone was soft, kind and...worried? He’s worried about you?

You see him rip a piece of fabric with his teeth. “B-Bucky I’m s—I’m sorry...Sam he was—c-comprom....couldn’t.” You slur. The blackness takes over. You’re sure you’ve passed out from blood loss.

You feel him jostle you, “Ella, stay with me. Come on Els, come on.” Are you dreaming? You have to be dreaming.

If you are, then this dream is vivid, eerily so. You feel a hand stroking your forehead, “I’ve got you, Doll. I’ve got you.”

God don’t wake me up yet. You think to yourself.

You hear more footsteps, suddenly the gentle hand is gone from your forehead and you feel pressure being applied to your wounded shoulder. You smell him still though, his campfire musk filling your nose and calming your nerves. You’re so relieved he’s alright.

“She’ll be okay Buck.” Steve reassures him. You’re sure dreaming now. Your eyes attempt to open once more, the light now is too bright, filling your vision with white, hot blindness. In the struggle to see, you see Sergeant Barnes stand from your side.

He lets out a shaky breath. Turning to away from you facing the side of the ship. The metal is suddenly rattled with a boom as Bucky’s metal fist collides with the side of the jet.

He looks furious. Yelling something at Sam and Steve. You couldn’t make out what it was, but it was a site you definitely didn’t need to see. “S-sorry. ‘M s-sor...” You mumble before the blackness takes over for good this time.

Chapter Six: Right

[judgmentofcorruption]

Episode 10–The Court Ends; Scene 6

Judgment of Corruption, pages 295-303

The ones targeted most in the revolts were wealthy people who had been favored by Gallerian’s judgments.

The USE united government immediately tried to suppress the rioting populace inside Levianta by mobilizing their World Police forces.

But the chaos continued unabated, emboldened by the influence of the news, and the next day the government decided to send in the military.

There were rumors that it was Asmodean guerillas stirring up the people beneath all the revolts. And that these guerillas were linked to the Tasan party.

As far as I know, such rumors were nothing less than the truth. After all was said and done, the one rampaging as the leader of the militia that stood at the heart of the uprising was Gammon Octo.

The fact that the first casualty of the revolt was former Levin University professor Jason Jack supported this. Gammon’s older brother Nyoze had been sentenced under false chargers to take this man’s place, after all. It’s only natural that he would be the first target for violence.

Around the outbreak of the violence, Bindi Freezis—who had been staying in Alicegrad—immediately made plans to flee to another nation, but before he could all the main land and air routes were blockaded by the militia, and he was forced to remain.

In a bind, the person he sought for help was—

.

“I’d like to borrow your ‘mail carrier’,” Bindi declared to Gallerian on his visit to the Dark Star Bureau.

“You mean Postman?”

“Yes, that one. I know of his merits. A pro who can safely deliver anything that they’re entrusted with—even if that’s a person.”

“Just as I might expect from someone of the Freezis Conglomerate—your information is sound.”

“Yes, I remembered my older brother talking once about how he was saved by Postman in the past. Is he still with you?”

“Yes…But not here at the building. If you wish to use Postman I’ll have to call first,” Gallerian said, picking up the receiver of the phone on his desk.

He dialed the number and made a call to someone.

“Hello—Yeah, it’s me. It’s about what we were discussing earlier…Yes, exactly. He’s in the director’s room right now. So, please have Postman sent over here…Yes, yes, I’ll leave it to you. Bye.”

After that brief conversation, he hung up.

“—They should arrive in about four hours.”

Bindi sounded awed. “You’re awfully well prepared. Did you know things would turn out like this beforehand?”

“Well, something like that. …But the military has already started mobilizing. I’d think there’s little need to risk danger to flee the country at this stage.”

“I have to make absolutely sure of things. If I were to get caught up in the revolts and lose my life, that would be a severe loss to both the USE unified government and to the Freezis Conglomerate. –Naturally, to you as well.”

“You took good care of me when Tasan tried to indict me. Please think of my loaning you Postman as being repaying you for that.”

Gallerian inclined his head.

“Ho ho ho, you needn’t be so self-effacing, Gallerian. I’d like for our mutually beneficial relationship to continue to flourish hereafter, after all—Well then, I will wait here until Postman arrives.”

Bindi sat down on a nearby sofa.

.

After four hours, Postman arrived before the two of them right on time.

Gallerian said to Postman, “Well then, as we planned—you know where you’re to go?”

Postman nodded.

“You are to take Sir Bindi safely to his destination. –Please go along, Minister. It looks like Postman came here by car today.”

Postman’s favored, deep red gasoline powered automobile was visible outside the window.

“Won’t it stand out with that color?”

“It’s alright. Everyone will simply thing it’s a mail carrier’s vehicle.”

Postman gestured for Bindi to follow them outside.

“I suppose I’ll get going now…Thank you, Gallerian. You take extra care you don’t get caught up in the uprising yourself.”

“Don’t worry. I have no plans to leave the bureau until they’re over with, and we have excellent security here.”

“PN, right? They’re not proper soldiers, but they should be alright against simple militia.”

“Well then—Farewell, Mister Bindi.”

Gallerian cheerfully waved him off.

.

The red vehicle that Postman drove splendidly slipped through the militia’s besiegement, and safely snuck out of Alicegrad.

“Stupendous! You live up to your name of ‘Postman’. Exactly as skilled as I heard. I’ll trust you to handle matters from here.”

“…”

After that, the car pushed through a snowy field.

“My, how odd that there’s so much snow left around here despite it being summer.”

“…”

“By the by, where is this car headed? I was wanting to get to Marlon—”

“…”

“Ah…that’s right, you don’t talk. I think my brother said something about that. Oh well. As long as you deliver me safely I have no complaints.”

“…”

Eventually the vehicle came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the field.

“Hm, what’s wrong? Did the car break down?”

“…”

Postman got down from the car and gestured for Bindi to do the same.

“Why in the world would we get off at a place like—What’s this metal panel? Should I touch this?”

Postman pointed, and Bindi obediently put his hand on the metal panel that had been stuck into the snowy field.

“…Wha!? Everything’s just turned to nighttime! But it was bright out just a second ago…No, it isn’t just that. There’s a field of stars all over the ground, too! What a bizarre—”

Bindi was so surprised by the scenery that had been brought about by “Lunaca Labora”’s mechanism that he didn’t notice that there were people approaching him from behind.

“Hey there, boss.”

Bindi whirled around, startled at the throaty voice.

“You’re—Gusuma Yarera!?”

“It’s been decades since we were able to meet face to face like this, Bindi. Ha ha ha.”

Gusuma laughed loudly alongside the five subordinates he had brought with him.

“Why!? Why are you in this—What’s the meaning of this, Postman!?”

Postman ignored Bindi’s cry and gestured for Gusuma to sign some documents.

“—There, I signed it with my full name of ‘Great Super Marvelous’. Is that enough? …Alright then, thank you for your service.”

Taking back the signed documents, Postman then passed through a hole in the space and vanished somewhere.

Gusuma once more turned to Bindi.

“The person who commissioned this delivery—was me. I dispatched Postman to bring you here. …You, who killed my little sister and my niece.”

Gusuma took a shotgun from one of his underlings and pointed the muzzle directly at Bindi’s brow.

“Eek!”

“I’ve gotta thank Gallerian. He made all the arrangements for you to be brought over like this, after all.”

“Th…that bastard! He’s betrayed me, after all I’ve done for him!?”

“Yep. He betrayed you…Or rather, I suppose it’s a little different.” Gusuma tilted his head, still holding the gun steady. “He did have a pretty long acquaintanceship with you…So this is how I’ve come to think of it. –Gallerian had no intention of ever letting you off from the start.”

“Huh?”

“The poor man’s gotten a bit touched. He’s convinced a doll is his daughter, and this is what he said to me. ‘Michelle was paralyzed in the incident with the ship. I need money to return her to normal’. I got fed up with him, and severed ties. So then he goes and joins up with you of all people, and gives you an innocence verdict in trial. But…there was no way he was going to let slip the man who had made Michelle suffer, given he loved that girl more than anyone.”

“What are you saying? Just put the gun down already!”

“If I’d been him—Just out of the blue I started considering that. What I would do to the one responsible, if I’d lost my wife and daughter…It wouldn’t be enough just to kill him. I would use him for all that he’s worth, and then cast him to the depths of despair just as he was getting cocky…I’m positive that’s what Gallerian was thinking, don’t you agree? And that’s why he gets in touch with me recently. Tells me I’m free to use this place, Postman, and Jorm as I see fit.”

“Jorm?”

“Don’t you know about him? The man who killed the members of ‘Zeus’ and escaped from prison—my adopted younger brother.”

There was the sound of something knocking on the other side of the field of stars.

Along with a man’s wheedling voice.

“—Big bro, you done yeeet? I’m tired of waitiiiing. I’m almost out of meds, and I’m itching to get going.”

“Oh, our conversation’s just about over, Jorm.” After replying to the voice, Gusuma lowered the gun. “I thought about killing you myself, but—everyone has their own domain. I have never once killed someone with my own hands. Though it’s easy to think otherwise from my appearance. Making the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate into a world-spanning corporation is the domain that was granted to me, and that is my objective. For that reason I can’t sully my hands with someone’s blood.”

Bindi collapsed on the spot, losing his strength. “Th-thank you—”

“That’s why I’m going to leave it to Jorm.”

The moment that Gusuma said that, Bindi vanished.

Eventually, his voice became audible from somewhere.

“Wh-what is this!? Where did you all go? –Wh-who are you!?”

And Gusuma replied to that.

Facing the starry sky.

“Let me introduce you two, boss. That’s my younger brother, Jorm. The serial killer who can chop people up empty-handed. He’s so dangerous even I can’t be in the same room with him.”

“Y-you put someone like that in here with me—Help! Let me out of here!”

Once more, there was the sound of something knocking.

“I don’t wanna say it, but Jorm’s even more far gone than Gallerian. He’s getting on in years and he still can’t stop killing. Jorm’s domain, his objective of killing people, has become everything to him. It’s sad, but since that’s the case—at the very least, all I can do as his big brother is to help him.”

“Stop clowning around! You’re crazy too—O-ow!”

Bindi screamed.

“Maybe so…That’s the world we live in. Maybe there isn’t anyone left who’s sane anymore.”

“My arm! My arm! Please let me out! I’m begging you!”

“No. Well, be sure to have fun, little brother.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

Was that Bindi screaming?

Or was that Jorm’s war cry?

“…Come on, let’s get back to headquarters.”

Gusuma and his subordinates slipped out the hole in space and returned to the outside world.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[fluffyvillain]

The Bond

Chapter: 8/?

Summary: First date, first kiss, first other things ;)

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: SMUT

@ly–canthrope​ @vikingsbifrost​ @peakygroupie​ @winchwm​ @thethirstyarchive

A/N: This chapter is longish and smutty. I don’t really think that I’m good at writing smut, but I still occasionally try doing it because smut is love, smut is life. Smutty part was inspired by this  ⬇️

Mila drove a rented Vespa, which was her mean of transportation while she was staying in Italy, to Henry's hotel. It took only about a minute of driving up the hill to see his smiling face waiting for her by the road. He was waiting for her in a pair of jeans and a crisp white shirt with arms crossed across his chest. Why does he always look so good? Her eyes wandered over his body before she came to a full stop. "Hey. Hop on, you have a helmet in the basket there in the back."

Henry thought he would get to kiss Mila once she arrived, at least on the cheek, but it never occurred to him that she would be coming on a Vespa, with a helmet on, ruining his plan. Although, she did look darn cute on that old fashioned Vespa in a white floral dress. "Isn't this a little too small for the both of us?"

"Maybe you'll have to squeeze a little bit, but it will only take us 10 minutes to reach our destination." She watched Henry as he approached the back of the Vespa so he could put on the helmet. Once he was done, he pulled out a strand oh Mila's hair that was stuck under the chain of her purse. "Thank you." He climbed up and hugged her tightly, pressing his stomach on her back and her body shivered as his thumb grazed her breast. "You have hand holder on the sides."

"I'm fine like this, thank you." He put his head in the crook of her neck. "You smell wonderful."

Mila took her hand of the brake and ran it over his forearm and it made him hug her tighter. "Thanks, so do you."

"Where are you taking me?" Henry hoped his mind wouldn't wander in a wrong direction and cause his dick to go hard.

Mila started the Vespa and got back on the road. "Up to the village, there's a music festival."

"Sounds great." Henry watched over Mila's shoulder her thighs being pressed against his.

Juts like Mila said, it took them 10 minutes to reach the village which was already crowded. A small stage was set in the middle of the village and one of the bands was already playing. On the edges of the main square, a bunch of vendors were selling their goods on the stands. Henry thought that this had be an important event as people all ages were scattered across the streets.

This wasn't Mila's first time at this festival, so she mostly focused on Henry and him soaking in his surroundings. "Let's go get some pizza."

"Sure." Henry followed Mila's lead, watching the contour of her ass under her dress, he was sure it would feel amazing in his hands.

"Can I choose? It'll be good, I promise." She suddenly turned around, catching Henry staring at her butt and she loved how he blushed at being caught red handed.

Henry thought about apologizing, but when he saw her biting her lower lip, he flashed her a smile. "Sure. You took me on a date, I believe I'm in good hands."

Mila ordered two slices of prosciutto pizza and threatened to leave when Henry wouldn't let her pay, so he gave up. "Let's go there," Mila pointed to a low wall, not so well lit and not with many people passing it by. She set on it, straddling it, one foot on the floor, while other one dangled above the abyss surrounding the hill.

Henry mimicked her, sitting so their knees on the side of the floor touched. Mila waited for him to take the first bite and once he did, his eyes widened. "This is," he took another bite, speaking with his now full mouth, "the best pizza I've ever tried. This dough was made of a piece of heaven."

"Told you," Mila dug in too.

"I want to know more about you, scratch that, I want to know everything about you. I know some things, but I want to know more." Henry couldn't stop eating.

Mila started talking between bites. "I'm an only child. I was born in New York, my parents died in a car crash when I was 5." Even though Henry knew that, it sounded so much more real when he heard it coming from her. He covered her hand with his on the wall between them. "That was a long time ago, I learned how to live with it. My aunt Rose and her husband raised me, I have two unbearable idiot twin cousins and I adore them and my mom's father is the reasons I'm into hospitality. He made an empire with his 10 fingers and a lot of hard work and effort. I moved back into my parent's house when I started University and I've lived alone ever since. What else? I have a PhD, I love reading, binge watching TV shows, swimming. Anything else you want to know?"

"Wow, you have a PhD?" Henry was listening carefully, but couldn't stop eating until he finished his slice completely.

"I do, I started dragging it, I honestly thought I would never finish it, but then the thing with you happened and it writing it helped me take my mind off you."

There wasn't any bitterness in her voice, but Henry still felt the need to apologize. "You have no idea how sorry I am."

"It's in the past now," and she honestly thought at that moment that it was. "I want to know more about you too, even though I did Google you."

"I don't know what you read, but not everything is true. I was born in Britain, Jersey. I have four brothers."

"Your poor mom." Mila glanced at his hand which was still on top of hers, it was so much larger than hers.

"We used to drive her crazy, we still do when we're together. I love playing video games, I'm a nerd. I've always wanted to become and actor, I didn't have much luck in the beginning, but look at me now."

"Yes, look at you now, and still so modest about it." Mila withdrew her hand and swung her leg to the other side of the wall before getting up. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Henry put both of his feet on the ground and followed her with his eyes until she got lost in the crowd, he was really enjoying her company, he felt like he could listen to her talk for days. She's been gone for less than a minute and he already missed seeing her in front of him. She was so cute and beautiful and hot and smart and she was humane. For Christ's sake, she donated her bone marrow. Unbelievable, she is unbelievable. Mila finally came back after about five minutes which seemed like hours to Henry.

"Here you are," Mila handed him another piece of pizza and then set next to him, holding two of ice cream in one hand. "You are twice my size, I bet you're still hungry. And I bought us pistachio ice cream."

"Thank you." She was right, one piece was definitely not enough. She started nibbling on her ice cream before he finished.

Mila occasionally glanced at him, trying not to be too obvious, but every glance of hers was caught because he kept staring at her. When he was done, she handed him his cone. "Here you are."

Henry noticed a little bit of ice cream on Mila's upper lip. "You have a little..." He pointed to his lips, but before she could react, he swiped it with his thumb and brought it to his lips so he could lick it off.

A pool of heat formed in Mila's stomach and without thinking, she pressed the tip of her ice cream on the corner of his lips. "You have some ice cream on your face."

"Oh, really?" Henry grinned at Mila.

She leaned in, pressed her lips to the corner of his and licked it clean. Both pairs of eyes remained open, both of them caught by surprise by Mila's action. Mila slowly pulled away and Henry looked at his cone before pressing it to the center of her lips. "Oops." Henry cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers, he's been imagining it for weeks, but this was so much better. He applied gentle pressure, barely moving his lips at first. Every inch of Mila's skin got covered in goosebumps. Her hand landed on his thigh and she parted her lips slightly, loving the feeling of his darting tongue on them. Henry pushed his tongue deeper and and she welcomed it, parting her lips wider. Her hand squeezed his thigh as she grew bolder and her tongue started exploring his mouth, touching the roof of it. Henry moved his hand to the back of her head, tangling fingers in her hair, her hand also found a new stop, his hip. His tongue retreated a few times only to plunge back in her mouth, licking hers over and over again and warm feeling spread though his whole body.

Mila's breath was starting to get ridged and she was becoming light headed, but she was pulled back to Earth when Henry's ice cream dripped on her knee. She moved her hand to his cheek and pulled away, but not before pecking his lips once more. "Your ice cream is melting." She pointed at her stained knee before she swiped it, but Henry prevented her from licking it off herself by grabbing her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips, licking her finger, before sucking it and swirling his tongue around it, not taking his eyes of hers. Mila contained a moan, but it took her a lot strength to do so, as she imagined what it would be like for him to suck on other parts of her body.

"There, you are all clean now." He kissed the root of her palm before letting go. He noticed her pupils dilated and knew that she was feeling the exact same thing as he did at that moment and he didn't know how he managed to contain himself from taking her on that little wall then and there. "Let's go," he offered his hand and Mila took it. He led her through the crowd, not letting go of her hand until they were in front of the stage. He took the last bite of his ice cream and moved behind Mila, one hand crawled from one shoulder to another, across her chest, while he rested his other one below her breasts, placing his chin on top of her head. Music rhythm took over him and he started moving with it and Mila started swaying too, grabbing his forearm with both hands, leaning back.

The more they moved together to the beat, the bolder Mila became, she started gliding her hand over his arm, to his biceps and back to her other hand which hung on his wrist. At one point, she let go of his arm and kissed his hand which held her shoulder. Henry pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, angling her head so he could bite her lover lip before pressing soft kisses on it. She turned around, putting her hands on his neck, pulling him down and pressing her body against his as she kissed Henry over and over again. She let go of him, putting her heels on the ground, but his lips followed hers as he hugged her tightly with one arm while cradling the back of her head with the other. Her hands crawled up to his chest, pushing him away lightly. "I almost forgot there are people around us, we need to stop."

"Whatever you say," Henry nuzzled the back of her ear. "It's my turn to take you on a date tomorrow. Can you be ready at 7 tomorrow morning?"

"Sure, but if you want me not to be cranky because I didn't get enough sleep, we should get going now." Mila linked their arms together.

"Don't be surprised if you see someone on the beach in the morning." He unlinked their arms so he could hug her shoulders, kissing her temple.

She squinted at him. "Okay." They walked over to the Vespa and she fished out the keys, unlocking the basket first.

"Before you put that on," Henry crashed their lips together, teeth clashing together, his hands lowering to her knees and then going up her thighs, lifting her dress until he almost uncovered her ass.

Mila moaned, digging her nails in his hips, pressing her lower part of the body to his, receiving a groan in response. Henry grabbed her ass, deepening their kiss. "Henry," he continued kissing her despite her tugging at the back of his t-shirt. "Enough, leave something for tomorrow."

He squeezed her ass once more before letting go of her, adjusting her semi hard on while she was putting her helmet and getting on the Vespa. He did the same, hugging her tightly once again.

Mila tried to focus on the road as Henry lowered his hand to her thigh, trailing fingers all the way to her pubic mound, Mila felt a knot tying just above it. "Stop it, we will crash." Henry put his arm back on her stomach, but he grabbed her breast which filled up his hand perfectly. "Behave." She pushed his hand away and he behaved indeed for the rest of the short trip. Once they arrived, Henry tried to persuade her to take of his helmet so he could have a better access to her lips, but she refused. "I will never leave if I do that."

"I don't want you to leave." He kissed her despite the obstacle the helmet represented.

"Go, I'll see you tomorrow." She ran her had through his hair.

"Fine, fine. Goodnight." He waved at her and waited for her to get back on the road and drive away until he could see her.

Both of them pleasured themselves once they got into their showers, both of them imagining each other and both of them climaxing rather quickly.

Mila got up as soon as the alarm went off at 6 o'clock. She did her morning yoga and meditation, except that for the first time in 5 years, she didn't have to block Henry's feelings, she let his excitement float through her. When she was done, she grabbed some breakfast and got ready. A few minutes before 7 o'clock, she entered a balcony, seeing a small yacht anchored on the beach and a man getting on a jet ski behind its driver. At 7 sharp, a doorbell rang and Mila ran to the gates to open them. Henry was standing in front of the gates, holding a woven picnic basket. "Good morning," she waved at him, running to the gates.

He waved back. "Great minds think alike." He pointed at her clothes, she was wearing an indigo blue shorts and a white polo shirt, while he was wearing a white short pants and an indigo blue polo shirt.

"They do, indeed." She opened the gates and rose to her feet to peck his lips once he was in. "Taking the regular path to the beach today?"

"For a change." Henry put his hand in hers. "Did you take everything you need?"

"Let me just take my phone and a towel. I figured we'd also go swimming so I already put on my swimming suit. You can head down, I'll be right with you."

Henry took the stairs to the beach and waited a few moments until she was by her side. He took off his hoes and swung them one by one with them ending on the yacht. "You might need to do the same if you don't want to get your sandals wet."

She followed his advice and then followed him up the ladders, getting wet to her knees. "So, you're gonna be the captain today?"

He assisted her with the last few steps by giving her a helping hand. He pulled up the ladder and a wooden platform. "Mhm. I need to pull up the anchor and I'm gonna need your help, so you'll be the captain for a minute." They walked to the cockpit and Henry moved back the seat before starting the engines, he liked to steer while standing. "Just move the wheel in the direction I show you, okay?"

"I guess." Henry walked to the deck, checking the anchor chain, pointing to the right and Mila turned the wheel slowly and Henry started winching and he did so until the anchor was completely lifted and in place. Henry came back, taking over the wheel, moving the yacht slowly.

"I'm gonna take a look around." She walked around the yacht, it looked brand new, shiny white, with a lot of wooden details. She was grateful that if was a small one, the large robust ones didn't really seem secure to her. She soaked in the morning sun for a few minutes on the deck before going to the cockpit to Henry, who was intently staring at her while she was on the deck.

"I was getting lonely here." Henry glanced back at Mila.

"I'm sorry," she pressed her chest against his back, sneaking her hands below the ham of his shirt to his perfect abs, running over every single one of them with the tips of her fingers, feeling the gentle hair covering them. "You know, I think you would steer better if you took off your shirt."

"You think? Well, if you say so." Henry pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to the side. Mila scratched every inch of his back gently, pressing soft kisses down his spine, making him shudder. He turned on his heel, pulling the edge of her shirt above her head as she instinctively pulled up her arms, throwing her shirt over his. "I think this is the only fair option."

"Oh, is that so? Well..." Mila pulled down her shorts, kicking it to over their shirts and their clothes started to pile up. "I'm raising the stakes."

Henry's eyebrow shot up and his lower lip immediately ended up between his teeth. Mila was so tiny and so perfect, maybe he did prefer tiny girls in the end, well, this  particular tiny girl. He unbuttoned his short pants, pulling them down and sending them to join the rest of the clothes. "I would gladly continue with this game, but a beautiful cove is waiting for us." Henry got back to the steering wheel and Mila ducked under his arms facing him, she hugged him once again, resting her head against his chest. Henry kept one hand on the wheel, while he tugged her ponytail so she would look up, allowing him to trap her upper lip between his for a few seconds. He kissed the top of her head, gliding his hand over the smooth skin of her back. The exchange of soft kisses and caresses lasted until Henry announced that they arrived.

Henry went to the deck to anchor the yacht, leaving Mila at the wheel again. He lowered and secured the anchor before coming back. "Is everything okay?"

"Peachy." He shut off the engines and suddenly picked up Mila, catching her by surprise, her legs wrapped around his waist and arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Do you know how you make me feel?" He nuzzled his nose in her breasts.

"I kind of have an idea." She smoothed back his hair.

"Let's go for a swim." He let go of her and walked to the back, lowering the platform and the ladder.

Mila admired the beauty of the cove, a really narrow passage lead to it and it was surrounded by steep cliffs. "How did you find this place?"

"I asked the locals in the hotel." He picked her up again, but this time bridal style.

She squealed at the surprised contact. "What are you doing?"

"Well, we are going for a swim." He moved to the deck.

"There is a perfectly fine ladder just there. We can't jump, the water is freezing, I'm sure." Mila clutched his shoulders, trying to squirm out.

"Yes, we can." He stepped over a fence, jumping with her in his arms. He let go of her once they touched the water surface and he emerged first.

Water splashed over Henry's face as soon as Mila emerged. "I told you it was cold, you gufus."

"Race you to the passage." Henry started swimming, not waiting for them to start at the same time.

Mila was was half way there when Henry reached the goal. "That's not fair! We didn't start at the same time," Mila screamed at him as she continued to swim to him.

"Because that would make much of a difference." Henry dunked himself under water a couple of times while he was waiting for her to arrive. "You are so slow."

"Oh, shut up." Mila continued swimming through the passage. "Wow, this is just wow."

"And it echoes. Listen to this. Mila..." Her name echoed a few times. "...Is...The...Most...Gorgeous...Woman...On...The...Planet."

Mila swam to him, kissing the tip of his nose. "Let me try. Henry...Is...A...Cheater...Who...Doesn't...Play...Fair..."

Henry pulled her to him, biting her cheek before kissing it. "I'm so happy," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm glad you found your way to me," she whispered back. Their lips connected, molding perfectly together as Henry kept them both above the water. They swam around the cove for a while, splashing each other, kissing and hugging each other. "Henry, I don't think I have anymore strength."

"Okay, let's go." Henry led the way, but he adjusted his speed to hers, making sure she was always next to him.

When they reached the ladder, Henry grabbed them, getting ready to climb first, but Mila stopped him, holding his other hand, while she also grabbed the ladder with the other one. She started kissing his throat, with her tongue darting over every place her lips touched. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she wrapped her legs around him, pushing herself against him, feeling him getting harder by her every move.

Mila submerged her hand under water, tugging on the waistband of his swimming shorts. "Mila," he sunk his teeth in her shoulder.

"Shall I stop?" Mila pulled away her hand, but he caught it, putting it on her stomach.

"No, God, no." He grabbed the platform with both of his hands, towering over Mila, keeping himself above the water with the pure strength of his arms.

Mila hooked a finger under the waistband, not taking her eyes off Henry, she flattened her hand on his abdomen, moving it south until she was at the root of his penis, circling it with her forefinger and thumb. She bit her lip. "Thicker than I imagined you would be."

Henry smirked, but his smirk was gone when she went up his shaft, the rest of her fingers joining too, swirling around the tip. "Fuck." Mila sped up her movements, occasionally massaging his balls. Henry's forehead fell on hers, nose against nose, eyes still not breaking eye contact. His lower lip started trembling, his breath became uneven and the speed of his chest rising and falling changed. He shut his eyes as he twitched in Mila's hand a few times before shooting up jets of sperm which mixed with salty water.

Mila kissed him as his eyes were still shut and he became softer in her hand, causing her to retreat her hand from his shorts. "I'm going out." Henry still hanging onto the platform made Mila swim around him to reach the ladder. Just when she climb it, he was behind her in two steps.

"It's my turn to have fun now." He pressed himself against her back, lips on her neck, hands on her breasts. Mila pushed her ass against him, as the region between her legs started to tingle. Her breasts lost the grip of his hands as one of them covered her belly button and the other one sneaked inside the bottom of her bikini, the root of his palm putting pressure on her clit and his middle finger circling around her entrance. Mila inhaled sharply and her knees grew weak. "I already know I'm going to get addicted to your pleasure." He bit her earlobe, while pushing just the tip of his finger inside her. "Get on your back."

She covered his hand with hers, urging him to go deeper. "Here?"

"Mhm." Henry lowered himself to his knees, getting his hand out of her panties.

Mila did what he asked her to, sitting on the platform before lowering her back too. Henry watched her every move, adjusting his dick as he started to get hard again. Mila waited for him to make a move, but he didn't and she couldn't wait any longer to have something inside her, so started rubbing herself over her swimsuit before entering a digit inside her as Henry licked his lips watching her do it.

"Not today, darling, but I'd sure love to watch your show some other day." He pulled her knees apart and Mila got her hand out of the bikini bottom, Henry grabbed her hand, licking her middle finger that was inside her just a few seconds ago. "Delicious." He kissed the inner parts of her knees and rubbed his beard on both of her inner thighs, causing her to put her legs together. "Spread them, honey." He moved to her lips, covering her whole body while settling between her legs. His tongue penetrated her mouth and she kept letting soft moans as hers fought for dominance inside her mouth. He squeezed his arm between them, suddenly pushing two fingers inside her, causing her soft moans to become loud cries. He left her mouth to kiss her collarbone, while simultaneously moving his fingers in and out of her. He left her empty suddenly, pulling her swimsuit bottom down. "Lift your ass, these have to go." She followed his command and she was butt naked in front of him in a second. He bit her inner thigh before engulfing her labia in his mouth, applying pressure with his tongue on her clit, licking it and flicking it over and over again, preventing her from moving by pressing his forearm over her abdomen.

Mila felt her orgasm building up and her hand flew to his hair, he put two fingers back inside her, curling them up. Her head fell back as her heart rate jumped and her breath shortened. Feeling her whole body tensing, Henry moved up, kissing her fiercely, mixing the taste of her core with the taste of her lips. He added the third finger inside her, applying pressure on her clit with his thumb until she couldn't follow the rhythm of his kiss and her body spasmed , waves of pleasure washing over her, her legs jerking and her nails digging in his back. "Oh, God, Henry. Oh, my God. This was amazing." As she slowly got down from her high, she cupped his cheeks, kissing his whole face.

"It was, you are amazing, you smell amazing, you taste amazing, you clenching around my fingers feels amazing." He withdrew his fingers from her, rolling on his back, pulling her with him, letting her rest on top of him, running his fingers up and down her back. Henry was rock hard again and wanted to bury himself in her, he wanted to slam with full force, but he had planned that for tonight.

Mila felt his hardness on her stomach, only thin material separating it from her skin. "It seems that we are not done here yet," she started circling the lower part of body on him. "Did you bring protection?" Mila wanted to feel him inside, not his fingers, nor tongue, his dick, but she never did sex without protection and Henry wasn't an exception.

"Oh, how I wish I did." Brilliant thinking, Cavill. "I didn't really plan on this happening here. Not that I'm not enjoying it immensely."

"Well..." Mila set up on him, feeling his hardness below her, her shins resting on the platform on both sides of Henry. "We'll have to do it like this." She arched her back, grinding on him slowly, her still swollen labia enjoyed the friction against the fabric. Henry reached his arm to her breasts, pulling one side of her white swimsuit top down, exposing one of her breasts so he could twist and pinch her nipple.

Henry reached her lips, sticking two of his fingers inside her mouth, she sucked them and her tongue circled around them and Henry's hand moved to her hip, digging his fingers in her flash in a bruising manner, pressing her harder against him as she sped up, grinding for her own pleasure until her stomach clenched and she fell on his chest again. She stayed like that for a minute before placing kisses over his chest and down his stomach. She pulled down his shorts enough to take him out of them, she pumped him, loving the weight of his dick in her palm. Her lips placed kisses from the root to the tip before swallowing all of him, his tip hitting the back of her throat. "Jesus, Mila, you are my goddess." He grabbed her ponytail and she looked up, locking eyes with him. He started thrusting up slowly as she sucked him off. His dick started throbbing and Mila prepared herself for the semen he unloaded in her mouth. She sucked him dry, until there wasn't a drop left, she pulled her lips to the tip, letting go of it with a pop.

Mila got up to look for the bottom of her swimsuit and she put it on once she found it, adjusting her top to cover both of her breasts. Henry tucked himself in his shorts, but remained on the floor, unable to move. "I think I could get used to this." Mila stood above Henry, looking at his gorgeous blue eyes with a brown freckle, they had a special gleam in the sun.

"You better." He tapped a place next to him and Mila joined him on the floor again, using his biceps as a pillow.

"You are so unbelievably handsome," Mila kissed his jawline and scratched his beard.

He turned to his side, facing her, careful not to move his arm on which she was resting her head. He put his hand on her cheek, moving his thumb over the tips of her eyelashes. "I feel like I could conquer the whole world now. You are the piece that was missing all along."

"Well, you made your missing piece hungry. What can you offer me?" She lifted her head so she could rub her cheek against her beard.

"Some hotel sandwiches, strawberries and champagne. Will that satisfy your hunger?" He put his heavy leg over her thighs.

"That sounds great, big guy." She winked at him.

[stormtrprinstilettos]

Fun’s For Free - Chapter 9 (Roger x Reader) (smut)

Summary: It’s 1978 and you’re assigned to follow Queen on their North American tour to promote their new album. Only problem is the magazine you write for has not been kind to the band in the past, and someone has a hard time letting go of that fact.

Series Masterlist Here

Word Count: ~3.7k

Warnings: Language, smut, the usual blah blah blah. 18+

[A/N: Jumped ahead a lot because I really only want this to be 10 chapters. So that means next chapter is the last one. ☹️ As a consolation gift, I give you double the smut in this chapter. (And big thanks to my Discord Darlings for the inspiration for one particular part 😁 - can’t freaking remember who started it... And to two anon requests.) There’s a reason this is smut-heavy. You’ll just have to wait for the next one to find out why. Took me long enough to finish this. Hope the wait was worth it!]

December 18, 1978 – Los Angeles, California Only three shows left and then your job is complete. Three shows left and then you can get back to New York, to your own place, and get right back into the comfortable monotony that you found yourself missing. There’s only one problem.

You have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen with you and Roger after the tour ends. To make matters worse, he never wants to talk about it. When you bring it up, he’ll say there’s plenty of time to worry about that, or that it’ll all work out how it’s supposed to. But you don’t know how it’s supposed to. And you won’t know how until he talks to you. Which is why you’re surprised when he actually brings something up about any plans of the future, no matter how minor.

“I think you should come back with me for Christmas at least,” Roger tells you as your head is resting on his shoulder with your arms wrapped around his waist and his around you, looking out over the Pacific Ocean from the hotel balcony. “That way we can be cranky together. And Fred always has a party…”

“What if you stay with me for Christmas? I’m usually alone anyway. There’s the big office Christmas party, too.” You both start laughing, picturing Roger completely out of his element at a drab office party with all of your co-workers. “In exactly 4 days, I am no longer on the job, and we can fuck at the top of the Empire State building with everyone watching and I couldn’t get fired.”

“Well, there’s something to aim for,” he laughs. “Write that down in your notebook. Start a list. ‘Places for Roger and Y/N to fuck.’”

“So will you? Stay? At least for a week? Maybe until the new year…”

“I suppose I can do that.”

You don’t want to bring it up because he gets aggravated every time you do, but you can’t help it. You need to know, because the unknown always swims around in your head until you drive yourself crazy. “How is this going to work?”

“However we need to make it work.” He takes a deep breath, clearly desperately hoping that’s enough to satisfy you, but it doesn’t.

You get more annoyed than usual by his lack of concern and you pull away from his hug. “You’re always so nonchalant about everything.”

“Well what am I supposed to do? Sit here and make plans that we’ll end up breaking?” he asks rather frustrated before calming himself down. “Look, it’ll work out. I don’t know how, but we’ll figure it out.”

“And what if we don’t?”

“Stop it.” His frustration is starting to creep to the surface, but he grabs you back into a hug, hoping like hell you’ll drop it. “Here and now, alright? We’re here now.”

“Maybe I want to be here tomorrow too.” He lets go of you and walks inside, but you’re not dropping it. Not today. “I’m trying to have a conversation with you, Roger.”

“And I’m trying to avoid it.”

“Why? What’s so bad about having this conversation?”

“Because until five minutes ago everything was just as I want it and now I realize that everything can come crashing down in a few weeks and…” he sighs, realizing you’re not giving up. “And it fucking terrifies me, Y/N.”

“So why don’t we make it less terrifying?” He throws his hands up and walks to the door to leave. “Don’t walk out of that door, Roger,” you fuss. He always does this. He always walks out in order to avoid an argument, but you’re not letting him go so easily this time. “Shit gets heavy and you walk out and…”

He realizes this is not the time to avoid any of this, probably because he knows you’re only going to start again when he comes back. So he sighs and walks over to the bed and sits down, trying to think of any kind of solution. “Can you set your own work schedule? Work when you want?”

“If I go freelance, sure, but…”

“So go freelance.” Finally. Fucking finally he wants to talk about it. “Fuck, Y/N, I just want you with me as much as possible. I can’t do a relationship that’s just phone calls and a few weeks here and there together.” You nod your head, completely understanding how he feels, because you’re feeling the same way. “Or just fucking quit and…” He pauses and closes his eyes, shaking his head. “No. I’d never ask you to do that for me.”

“I would, you know,” you say, sitting next to him on the bed. “I’d quit tomorrow.” He opens his eyes and looks at you, shocked by the words that are coming out of your mouth. “That’s how much I believe in us.” You give him a soft smile and lay your head on his shoulder. “Now the question is, do you? Do you believe in us?”

“Never believed in anything more.”

“So why are you terrified?”

“Because I can’t lose you.”

“So let’s figure this out. Not now. We’ll fix it on Christmas Day when we’re eating pizza and drinking beer.” You pat his leg and stand up and walk to your suitcase to grab your clothes to change into.

“Sounds like a wonderful idea.”

“Right now, we have to get ready to go. You have a job to do.”

“Maybe I’ll call in sick,” he smirks, watching you start to undress.

“Maybe you go get your work done and we come back here and spend the rest of the night in that bed.”

He walks over to you and grabs you by your hips and pulls you close. “Maybe you can join me in the shower?”

“Maybe you can go shower and let me get dressed since I’ve already had a shower,” you wink.

And when he walks out of the bathroom, he groans.“You are cruel. Absolutely cruel.” You’re wearing that red shirt you wore that night in Memphis. That night he couldn’t keep his eyes off you. That night he realized he needed you – not just wanted, he needed you. “And that skirt I like. Good girl,” he smirks. “You listen well.”

“Let’s go, Blondie,” you laugh as you grab the tie he decided to wear and pull him to the door. “Can’t keep them waiting.”

Finally. It’s time for the guitar solo, also known as the point in the show where you and Roger sneak off backstage and maybe get a quickie in, depending on how long it’s drawn out. “You are sweaty and gross,” you laugh as he grabs you from behind. “Get off.”

“Brian promised me a long one tonight,” he growls in your ear before spinning you around and pushing you up against the wall, his body pinning you against it.

“Ah, so this is why you wanted me to wear the skirt.”

“No. I like looking at your legs. This is just an extra perk.” He drops his head and kisses your shoulder lightly as he reaches down to grab your wrists.

“Really, Roger?” you giggle as he raises your arms above you, pressing his hips against you. “Can’t even get to the dressing room?” You can feel the growing bulge at the front of his leather pants. The music coming from Brian’s guitar pierces your ears, reminding you of where you are, but the thought never crosses your mind that someone might see you. It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re too lost in his eyes to even care.

One of his hands drops from your wrists and moves under the hem of your skirt, his fingers grazing lightly over the skin on your upper thigh. His gravelly voice rings in your ear. "You like being my naughty girl, don’t you?"

Your throat is dry and constricted, so all you can manage is a chuckle and a smirk as one of his fingers gently trail a line from your lower abdomen on down. Your eyes fly open as his finger slips between your legs as you notice another set of eyes staring at you, smiling smugly. It’s his roadie, who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – or maybe he’s in the right place, depending on how you look at it. When your eyes meet, one of his eyebrows raise, acknowledging what is happening against this wall. He nods his head slightly, just enough so that you can see and turns his back, hopefully so he can play lookout. Hell, you don’t care if he watches. You’re only worried about the man who has you pinned against this wall right now.

Roger slides one of his knees between yours and forces them apart, and you struggle to maintain your balance as you move your legs wider to accommodate his other leg, which you both find rather amusing. He’s chuckling as he kisses your neck again, moving his hand from between your legs and sliding it around to cup your ass. Instinctively, your legs rise and wrap around his waist, the music vibrating the wall behind you.

His mouth crushes down on yours and you start to grind your hips against his. A small grunt of surprise rumbles from his throat and he releases your wrists, using only his hips to pin you to the wall. A sly smile spreads across his face as you reach down and unfasten his pants. The raw hunger visible on his own face. Your arousal is so high at this point he slides inside you with no resistance. He cups his hands around the back of your upper thighs, shifting them higher before burying himself inside of you completely. Your nails scrape across his back, urging him for that wild, uncontrolled sex you love. You need it. And you need it now.

Within seconds your lower back is beating a beautiful pain against the wall behind you. His teeth graze up your neck and he shifts your legs higher, giving himself deeper access. There’s a raging beast inside of both of you that’s fighting to be released. Every muscle in your body contracts as he rages inside of you, muscles deep inside of you that you never knew existed before you met him, clench tightly around him, and you hear a low groan in your ear.

Your fingernails dig into him deeper now, pushing him to continue. You raise one of your hands from his back to grab his hair and pull his face roughly towards yours. Your mouths and tongues meet, and you’re slammed against the wall, his hand sliding from your thigh to press against the wall for support. “I’m ready,” you pant in his ear. “Give me what I want.” He thrust upward one last time, holding himself in as you constrict tightly around him, both of you groaning in completed unison.

He drops his other hand from your thigh and holds it against the wall, using it to lever himself slowly move away as you drop your legs back to the ground and slide your skirt back down. You tug slightly on your lip with your teeth as you watch him refasten his pants and he raises one eyebrow and smiles wickedly. His arms wrap around your waist, pulling you closer to him and his lips lightly graze over your ear. “Keep looking at me like you have been when I’m out there and you’re getting it again when we get back to the room.”

“Get back out there,” you giggle. “Brian’s almost finished.”

He wasn’t exactly distant, just not completely present. You didn’t stick around at the venue when the show was over. He insisted on leaving as soon as possible, so the two of you left even before the crowd was gone. You were thinking he wanted to finish what he started backstage, but that’s not what he wanted at all. He was quiet on the way back to the hotel, sitting there in the back of the car with you, holding your hand and occasionally glancing at you to give you soft, adoring smiles – which you always returned, of course.

He was quiet on the elevator ride up to your 5th floor room, quiet on the walk down the hall, quiet when you entered the room. He quietly went to the bathroom to shower, and when he was finished he quietly crawled into bed wearing just his boxers. You were laying under the covers completely naked, but he didn’t even act like he noticed. That’s why you started getting worried. He wasn’t mad – at least he didn’t seem mad. “Talk to me,” you groan as you snuggle next to him, resting your head on his arm. “You’re too quiet.”

“Would you really quit writing?” he asks, running his fingers up and down your back. “Would you be happy if you did?”

You thought this discussion was over, or that it would at least wait until Christmas like you had agreed. “I can always freelance.”

“Wouldn’t be as exciting though, would it?”

“Probably not, but it would be fine.” You prop yourself up on your elbow so you can look at him. “But that’s not what you asked. Would I really quit writing? Yes. Would I be happy if I quit writing? Yes.”

“I just know if I quit doing what I love to do I wouldn’t be happy. Giving up my dream? I wouldn’t be happy at all.”

“I’d never ask anyone to quit…”

He quickly stops you before you can even finish what you want to say, suddenly frustrated with you, as evidenced by his tone. “Yet you’re willing to just throw it all away for a man? That’s not the Y/N I met, or the Y/N I fell ridiculously hard for.”

You move away, rolling over to your back, becoming just as frustrated as he is. “I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to be…”

He quickly jumps up from the bed and throws on his shirt that’s laying over the chair next to him. “Maybe I’m not willing to let you.” He grabs his cigarettes and goes out on the balcony. Now you’re angry, because any time the two of you have even the smallest disagreement, he walks away. You hate it when he walks away.

You follow him out after putting on your robe, calming yourself down because you know if you don’t, he’s going to walk completely out of the room. He’s sitting on the chaise, looking out over the ocean. “You don’t get to make my decisions for me, Roger,” you huff, leaning on the railing purposely to block his view so he pays attention to you.

“Well someone has to let you know when you’re being ridiculous.”

You’re trying not to yell at him. You’re trying to stay calm, because you don’t want him to get riled up and walk out the door. “8 hours ago you were supposedly terrified of this ending and now you’re talking to me like you want me to leave.”

“Because I know if you quit, you’ll regret it. And it’ll be my fault.”

“Really?” you laugh sarcastically. “You think I would quit for your sake? Maybe I want my own happy and for some fucking reason my happy is with you.” You start to walk back inside, but you quickly turn back around. “You’re such an asshole, you know that? Sitting there thinking I’m making decisions because you want me to. Maybe I’m making these decisions because I want to.”

You can see in his face that he’s starting to get upset, and the tone of his voice is waving. “Maybe I don’t want you to wake up one morning and realize you hate me.”

“I did that before. It wasn’t so fun,” you giggle, trying to break the tension. He lights a cigarette and immediately relaxes and gives you that smirk that usually precedes a quick romp on the bed. You walk over to him and kneel over him, one knee on each side of his lap, before sitting down. “Do you want this to be over?”

“No,” he whispers.

“Then stop acting like it and kiss me, you fool,” you smile, bringing your lips down to his, subtly moving your hips to taunt him just enough to get him going.

“You know...” he grunts. “This isn’t a very good spot for you to sit.”

“I think it’s a very good spot to sit,” you smirk and continue to rock your hips.

“Yeah well you’re creating problems that I don’t think I have the physical energy to deal with,” he chuckles.

“Lucky for you that I do then, isn’t it?” You lean down for another kiss and rest your hands on his shoulders.

“Better keep it down or you’ll get us in trouble.”

“I’m in a perpetual state of trouble with you, Roger Taylor.”

He takes a slow drag from his cigarette and looks at it before looking back at you. “I just lit this.”

“So finish it,” you say in almost a whisper as you continue to slowly rock your hips. “Don’t mind me.”

“This is the Y/N I fell in love with,” he smiles, holding this cigarette between his lips. “Takes charge. Takes what she wants.” He unties your robe, exposing your skin to him, and softly rubs his hands over you.

“And you’re the one who gives me what I want.”

Roger runs his hand down your bare leg, and then back up to underneath your robe, grabbing your ass firmly. You can’t decide whether to savor each second or to satisfy your hunger for more. He seems to be enjoying the slow pace, so you’re going to wait a little longer. Just a little. The taunting you’re both doing to each other is going to make it hard. The smirking as he slowly smokes his cigarette. The smirking as you take it from him and take a drag. All while you’re slowly grinding yourself on his growing cock. Neither one of you wants to cave first.

“Say it,” you breathe huskily as you exhale the cigarette smoke and hand the cigarette back to him. “Say you want me.”

It’s almost as if you can feel the surge that courses through his body as his one-handed grip on you gets harder. “I want you, Y/N,” he chuckles deeply. “I want that pussy on my cock.” He places his hand on the back of your head, his need beginning to overpower him. “Now.”

That last word came out as a growl, and you moan quietly, continuing to shamelessly grind your naked pussy into Roger’s bulge. He groans with pleasure and starts to guide you back and forth with one hand, and smoking his cigarette with the other. You reach down and pull his cock from his boxers and raise yourself up just enough to press him firmly along your slit before you start rocking again, rubbing him between your soaked lips, the head brushing against your clit. It’s making both of you absolutely feral with lust. You angle yourself just a bit forward, slipping yourself off of his cock, and push him into you, gasping as he fills you.

Now you start to rock back and forth with a new mission, every thrust giving both of you a small ounce of relief. Both of you pant from exertion, but you’re still smirking, and he’s still smoking that cigarette. “Are you gonna finish that anytime soon?” you laugh.

“I’m relaxing,” he smirks with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “Calming my nerves down.”

You up the tempo, and he brings his hands down and grabs your hips and starts to follow your movements back and forth. “I don’t even know if you deserve this,” you giggle. “I’m doing all the work.”

He takes his cigarette from his mouth and holds it in his hand. “If you can make me cum before I finish this cigarette, you get a prize.”

“I already have my prize, baby,” you smile and chuckle, leaning down to give him a kiss. “Now just shut up and let me fuck you.” You wrap your arms around his neck and he puts his cigarette out in the ashtray before wrapping his arms around you, holding you tight, making sure you know his intentions. He starts to kiss your neck, down to your chest while you keep up your pace, grinding his cock as far into you as you can get it.

You try to stay quiet, not wanting to disturb your neighbors, but there comes a time when you can’t – or you just don’t care. “Shhh,” he chuckles. “You’ll get us kicked out.”

“I don’t care,” you groan, pulling his head back by his hair so you can lock eyes – a gaze of pure fire. You’re tired of being subtle. You start slamming yourself down on his cock, feeling your orgasm approaching. Suddenly, Roger lunges forward, burying his face in your chest again. He shakes with force of as he cums unbelievably hard, pumping his cum as far into you as he can. You feel every shot, every twitch of his cock, which only makes you cum harder. You hold his head to your chest and gasp, your whole body trembling. You force your hips to keep pumping him, and that sends you both off even further.

Your climax only turned him on more, so that even when he was done, he didn't go soft right away. You wrap your arms around one another, your head resting comfortably on his shoulder. He starts to slowly rock you back and forth on his cock and you purr with continued satisfaction until he finally goes soft.

“I guess we can cross ‘hotel balcony’ off the list of places for Roger and Y/N to fuck,” he laughs.

“Hell no!” you gasp with fake horror. “There are many other hotel balconies that await.”

“Elevator. We haven’t done it in an elevator yet,” he jokingly observes. “Or a car.”

“Or a plane,” you giggle. “A mountaintop. Or in Denmark. Or…”

“Alright,” he laughs as he starts to wrap your robe back around you. “We have years to do all of this.”

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[gamerwoo]

I actually hit 5k followers today which is insane!!! I can’t believe five thousand of y’all decided to follow me for whatever reason, but I am truly very thankful for it. I’m so awful with words so I won’t ramble, but just know I’m so grateful for every kind comment, every tiny bit of support, and every person who has reassured me or pushed me or helped me in some way. I’ve probably forgotten a lot of people (and I did side blogs too because why not) so I’m really really really sorry I forgot you but just know I appreciate everybody!!!!!!

But also to everybody who has followed me up until now: I really can’t thank you enough. Even if you don’t read my writing and you just follow for whatever I reblog, I appreciate it. But if you do read my writing, thank you so much. It means the world to me that people like the stuff I create, and I can’t say how grateful I am enough.

And if you don’t follow me but you’re on this list: thank you for keeping me around. Whether it’s content you make or things you reblog or just your personality, it keeps me hanging around here a little longer. Keep doing what you’re doing!! 

(bold are my favorite blogs, hearts also count as faves but they have a message at the end!!)

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#-D:

@3wons | @ayutonon ❤ | @baekwell--tart ❤ | @blossomjeno | @bootyful-seventeen | @byeolbitsky | @candiedmingyu | @casuallydylan @changbinasmr ❤ | @chwenchew | @dearmingki ❤ | @dreamjunhui ❤

E-I:

@emotiadouche | @exo-saranghaha | @floodlitesc | @gaegurikyu ❤ | @gayforseungcheol | @grekirikka | @hansols-yoda-boxers | @hhhongseok | @hoshees | @hyuwunjinie ❤ 

J-N:

@jaebaebaegot7 | @jaeyooniverse | @je0nghans | @jeonghnassi | @jinslefteyebrow | @kihuis | @koshitwon | @middle-of-a-wonshua-sandwich | @mr-linmo | @mntax | @nervousatthenightclub ❤ | @neverknewgrey2016 ❤ 

O-R:

@purpleseleva | @queenaliceofthenight | @rowoonie 

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@sadienita ❤ | @sefuns | @seungcheolsbodyharness | @sflop9 | @shadesofhui | @shinwonsaysomething | @shuvee | @smut-wars | @soft-pentagon | @softwonwoo | @soocculents | @soonyoungz | @sparklekook | @spookynochu ❤ | @thetypingpup | @thotagon | @uwooyu | @vampireyanan

W-Z:

@wooseoks | @wooziwish | @yanansbaobei | @yeo1 | @yeosprout | @yutoism 

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To everybody on this list: I love you so much. I’m so awful with words and rambled on with a lot of these but the biggest takeaway is that I love you and I’m so thankful to have friends so amazing. 

ayutonon: My sweet Yutonon. You’re one of the kindest people ever. I know you’re not always around but I love when you are, and I hope you know how much I appreciate all of the kind words you’ve ever sent me. I never take you or anything you say to me for granted. Even when you were just an anon, I considered you a friend, and I’m very very thankful to have a friend like you.

baekwell--tart: Oh god Bella. You were one of the first writers I ever became friends with and when I first read your writing I was like “oh god she’s way better than me” lmao. You’re the kind of writer I aspire to be in the sense that you write what you want to, and if you get hate for anything, you tell them to go fuck themselves. You don’t take crap from anybody and that’s something I admire a lot, and I know it sounds silly but I mean it. And on the flip side, you’re so kind and caring toward your friends, like I’ve seen you ready to throw hands. You’re an amazing writer but also an amazing friend, and thanks for sticking around with me even though I suck at replying all the time.

changbinasmr: My lil baby Zack!!! I can’t believe my husband is so amazing :’) Okay but seriously I love you to death. I love your sense of humor and I think you’re just such a sweet person. Whenever you like something I wrote or send me anything or reply to anything I just get so happy seeing you pop up and I’m just so happy we started talking because you make me laugh a lot and I just really appreciate that I have you around.

dearmingki: The most talented person ever aka Romi. I know we go back and forth saying we’re both talented but every time I say it, I really do mean it. Even if you think it’s something super simple you made, it still took talent to make it. You clearly put in a lot of work into the things you make and you even offered to teach me and other people how to gif and that’s so sweet. You’re super supportive of things I write which I appreciate, but I also hope that I can be equally as supportive because I never want you to think that anything you make is less than amazing. You as a person are just amazing.

dreamjunhui: My tiny babie son. Well, you’re my height so you’re not that tiny but y’know. ANYWAY god I’ve known you for so long this is so weird. I don’t know what I can say to you that I haven’t already because we talk all the time??? You already know I love you a lot and would die for you. I don’t know, I’m just like, really thankful I’ve had you as a friend for this long and I hope we’ll be friends for even longer. Maybe one day my ass will migrate to Canada lmao. But yeah, I love you so much. You’re the best son. 

gaegurikyu: My sweet gumdrop. I know we don’t speak constantly but please just know that you are one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. You’re so selfless and you always offer advice when I need it, even if I don’t go directly to you. You’re just so sweet and I hope you know that I love and appreciate you so much. But don’t ever feel pressured to come talk to me. We’ve gone like, months without talking but I still consider you one of my close friends. You’re still just as important to me. 

hyuwunjinie​: Night!!!! I know we’ve spoken off anon before but it’s nice that you’ve made your own blog for writing and stuff and I can’t wait to see how you and your blog grows tbh. You’ve always been so sweet and so supportive of me, and I’ve always considered you one of my friends even when you were just my night anon. Thank you for sticking around for so long, and I hope I can support you and your writing just as well as you supported me.

nervousatthenightclub: Like Koko, we don’t talk constantly, but I still consider us close. I don’t know, everybody in The Butties still owns a lil place in my heart even though we don’t really talk anymore, but it was such like, a big period of time in my life. But you’re so funny and so kind, and I remember during one of my recent breakdowns I saw an ask from you and it actually made me smile. I love you a lot and I’m so happy we’ve been friends for so long. It feels like we started talking like, two months ago lmao.

neverknewgrey2016: Dude you and Ry are so hard to write messages for. Like, we’re always so mushy with each other, how do I say anything without repeating myself? You’re like, my ride or die but you knew that. When I got to see Day6 with you, I was so fucking happy and all I wanted to do was jump around and yell with you but the mom next to me had an open beer and I was terrified of hitting her and spilling it lmao. But like you’ve done so much for me and you’ve been there for all my worst moments and I just. I appreciate you so much.

sadienita: The shit you have put up with lmao. Especially lately. I can’t say thank you enough times honestly. You’ve listened to me rant about the dumbest stuff, you’ve literally listened to me rant on snapchat too, and you’ve validated me over and over and you’re still somehow not sick of me. I’ve told you so many times how I appreciate you and everything you do for me but I need to keep saying it because it’s true. And even though you’re going to be like “Girl I don’t put up with you”, thanks for putting up with me lmao.

spookynochu: I really can’t believe we were talking back in my msvteenx days, oh my god. You started off as my lil joshua anon and now look at us!! Dude, we’ve come so far, it’s so crazy to wrap my mind around. I can’t tell you how much I love having you as a friend. Sometimes it feels like we grow together because we like a lot of the same groups, y’know? Like, we even got into Ateez together and now you come to me to freak out about Mingi this comeback lmao. I wanted to end this with a love meme because we always do that to each other but then it takes like 10 messages back and forth for one of us to finally end it so I’ll spare you. But I still love you.

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Kiss of Revenge - Issei Sezuki. A review.

Note: Spoilers below.

I was hesitant to post this because I don't want to come across as offensive, however, I also wanted to share my thoughts about this title. I've been curious about this story for months but lacked the motivation to invest in the stories for some reason. Since it's currently on sale, I decided to invest 300 coins on one Main Story. Shall we break it down?

The Premise.

MC's mom is the victim of an unreported medical malpractice that caused her death, and MC swore revenge on the person responsible - the Medical Director of Ebisu General Hospital, the elder Dr. Sezaki. For twelve whole years, her goal was just that - to kill the Doctor who killed her mom.

Twelve years after the incident, MC is now a surgeon hired by the Medical Director of Ebisu. She is now one step closer to her goal - if only she could keep herself from falling in love with one of the guys surrounding the Medical Director.

The Characters.

There are five hot guys you can choose from:

💜 Junpei Miyashita, the 29-year-old Medical representative, childhood friend and first love.

💜 Kyosuke Narumi, the 32-year-old Physician, who appears to be lighthearted and is a good friend of the Sezukis.

💜 Naoya Hasegawa, the 22-year-old college student, who claims to be a victim like MC.

💜 Soichiro Irie, the 40-year-old Surgeon who has been working with the Medical Director for quite some time.

💜 Issei Sezaki, the 36-year-old Surgeon and son of the Medical Director.

For this story, I had to choose between Irie and Sezaki, and I went for the latter. So, everyone, meet Issei Sezaki - one of the "Ten Young Doctors to Challenge the Future of Surgery" and evidently, Ebisu General Hospital's hot shots.

I'm talking about you, Doc. Looks-wise, I think (and let me stress on the operative phrase, I think) he's a cross between Shinichi Kagari or After School Affairs and Kyosuke Takasukasa of Rose in the Embers.

(Kinda...)

The Plot.

MC seeks revenge and ends up being partners with Issei Sezaki, who is withdrawn, and distant but is very passionate about the work he does and is brilliant. She assisted him in a lot of surgeries and is able to get along with him, to everyone's surprise. She is able to encourage and support him, and after one of the surgeries, he ends up kissing her on the rooftop. And that's where things get 'crazy' because she's started falling in love with him. It gets crazier when she discovers, after reading his notebook, that it was actually him who operated on her mom twelve years ago. Between falling in love and forgiving the enemy, and avenging her mom's death, what will MC choose?

My reaction:

I think that the plot is promising. I mean, it's not everyday that you get to read this type of Voltage story where MC is hellbent on revenge. If you recall, our typical MC can be any of the following: fun-loving, sometimes not-so-smart, soft, funny, naive, kind, determined, and hard-working. Also, typically, the MC develops her strength of character as the story progresses; so it's refreshing to see an MC who is determined and strong at the start. However, that strength and determination wasn't consistently displayed throughout the story. I just felt like she fizzled out somewhere in the middle all the way to the ending. She, partnered with a kind and sometimes nonchalant love interest made the story a little bland. Don't get me wrong, I think Issei is super sweet, and I swooned when he appeared in the scenes, but I felt like there was a lack of tension between them.

The story was a slow burn for sure. Super slow, actually. It took me two days to finish reading it because there were parts that didn't hold my interest. I don't claim to be the perfect writer, but I think this story could've been wrapped up in less than 10 chapters. The Good Ending, IMO, is better than the Happy Ending because it kind of has more closure. But the CGs were gorgeous and Dr. Sezaki is hot. I mean...

Right?

Okay, okay... I'm gonna keep it together.

Would I recommend this story? If you're a fan of slow burn and serious stuff, sure. Otherwise, I think that RomanceMD is a better option.

Thank you for reading! 💕

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

Superior is INDEFENCIBLE Part 2: Odds and Ends

Part 1

As a little follow up to this post I want to wrap up some defences I have encountered for both Superior #2 and the Superior storyline in general.

To start with we have more hypocrisy from the man I once admired as he tried to defend his position on Superior.

He was challenged on his primary argument that Peter and MJ’s separation justified her obliviousness now that they are back together; for further details see the above linked post.

In response to this challenge he said:

“I think there is more to my argument then "They've lived apart for a year" and her relationship with him during that time doesn't have to hold relevance to their relationship after being apart.”

Like…this guy was for fucking real.

OF COURSE their relationship back then is going to hold relevance to their relationship after being apart.

Obviously with the benefit of hindsight Nick Spencer’s run proves this to be the case. And you can refer back to my prior post where I dive deeper into the topic.

However, in that post I was talking about the specific nuances of Peter and MJ’s relationship.

What’s mind boggling is that in the above quote he’s making an even bigger reach. Jesus Christ OF COURSE their past relationship is going to hold relevance for their then-current one.

That’s how relationships work!

FFS, romantic or otherwise everyone’s relationship with everyon else is shaped by the past. This is like arguing Peter hating Norman for killing Gwen Stacy doesn’t have to be relevant to their relationship after his return to the Clone Saga.

I mean shit dude, Peter’s high school romance with Betty Brant was relevant to their romance after he graduated college!

This is how all types of relationships work. You don’t just jump in after awhile, start fresh and then nothing from the past has any bearing on the present. Even in the most positive of scenarios the fact that you are getting together again  would still be shaped by the fact that you liked each other in the first place.

And for the life experiences those two shared that’d go a thousand fold.

Now let’s move on to some over miscellaneous comments sent to me a  looooooooooooong time ago.

I’ve had this stuff in my drafts for years! 

For the sake of catharsis I’ve decided to clear it out. It revolves around Superior Spider-Man and the comments I’m responding to were made before the original volume ended in 2014.

“Rob Wrecks wrote:Why would Aunt May even react to it? She doesn't even know the identity of Spidey now.”

In Civil War she was able to tell that the Chameleon, a MASTER of disguise who was being more subtle than Otto was, was not her nephew.

Whilst she might not know he is Spider-Man she knows her nephew so she should react and become questionable regarding his change in demeanor and behavior. What’s the old saying ‘A mother always knows’.

“As for MJ, they aren't even married anymore either. Sure she remembers who is under the mask. But I doubt she's gonna bring trouble on herself for prying.”

I address a lot of this in this  post.

Basically, not being married anymore has nothing to do with it. This woman lived with this man for years (five to be precise) and had a very close relationship with him which involved countless tragedies and traumas. That doesn’t just go away. This is to say nothing of the fact that she has known this man for about 10 years and has been his friend and girlfriend during that time. In fact in Stern’s run when she knew who he was but didn’t let him know, she was depicted as knowing him better than anyone and was able to read him as a book. This was back when they weren’t as close as they are now, hadn’t known each other for as long and she didn’t know him as intimately as she would later come to down the road. In ASM #290 Peter himself says MJ knows him as well as he knows himself and this was before the marriage.

Even in Slott’s run this depiction of Mary Jane knowing Peter better than anyone else was highlighted in various stories like Spider Island, a time travel arc, Alpha, and a Lizard arc at HORIZON labs. 

In JMS’ run Peter and Mary Jane were shown to be somewhat in synch even though they were separated at the time and had been for a long while going back. This was showcased in ASM V2 #50 and they had been effectively separated with minimal interaction as far back as ASM V2 #13; arguably even issue #1.

And yet she understood him and knew him very well, falling back into synch with him when they reconciled. Yes there was some awkwardness and them getting to know each other again but it was not on the same level of Otto guzzling champagne, creating spider bots, talking in a manner which was unlike the way he’s ever spoken before and MJ just wondering passingly then dismissing it. This woman has lived through the Chamelon, robot parents and clones and lives in a world where friggin Skrulls have invaded.

This out of character behaviour should send off alarm bells. She DOES clock something is off in Superior #10 but only when he says a phrase she’s never heard him say before. He was doing shit MUCH more out of character before then and she was dismissing it.

Later she was STILL dismissing the notion that Peter wasn’t himself as merely crazy on her part.

Again this woman knows Peter can be/has been cloned  repeatedly. This woman even for awhile believed Peter himself was a clone so she knows even memories can be replicated. But Peter is acting so obviously NOT himself that it’s practically SCREAMING at her that she should get this. In fact Peter’s ghost point this out which is Slott lampshading the situation. That doens’t make it good writing that’s just pointing out how bad your story is.

“Hasn't she (I'm guessing he's referring to Aunt May?) been focused lately on her new marriage though? I don't read enough of Spidey these days so I'm only going with bits and pieces I've read about here and there.”

What does being married recently or focusing upon it have to do with anything?

In Civil War she was focused upon not dying because Peter’s ID reveal had upended her life.

If you are someone’s MOTHER and have raised them all their life you will absolutely  be able to tell when something is wrong, when they are in fact not the real deal.

“As for MJ, who would she go too? Not like anyone would likely believe her unless she had a telepath scan her mind.”

Who would she go to? I dunno maybe the fucking Avengers or Fantastic Four who are Peter’s friends and team mates. Or maybe not go that far why not go to Black Cat, Human Torch or Daredevil . These are all people whom she knows (at least vaguely in regards to Daredevil) personally and have access to technology that can prove things one way or another.

Even if you argue that it’s not fair bringing in the wider Marvel Universe, Black Cat, Carlie, HORIZON labs, the Bugle staff and Scarlet Spider are all Spider-Man franchise characters.

“Now there could be a possibility she's making a list of his behavior and the like and is just waiting for the right time to say something when she knows she's less likely to die from it.

Maybe Slott's just got something going that'll eventually be revealed? Who knows.”

Oh boy, that didn’t stand the test of time did it?

This is just shitty analysis on principle. It hinges upon blind faith and writing stuff in your head about what characters are doing behind the scenes.

There was NEVER an indication MJ was doing anything like that and her actions actually contradicted event he idea of her doing any of that stuff.

The net responses are to the statement that Doc Ock was a gentleman who would treat women with respect.

“Keyword there, 'was' a gentlemen. I can imagine after years of defeats at the hands of Spidey, certain habits would change and he wouldn't care anymore.

It could have just been a subtle change that no one really noticed. He did try and end the world before #700 if I recall right.”

You need to SHOW those habits changing. The last major Doctor Octopus story before BND was in JMS’s run when he was very much a gentleman. You can’t just say his illness and defeats suddenly transformed him into a would be rapist. It’s utterly out of character for him. It’d be like bringing back Ben Reilly and making him a mass murderer. WHY is he a mass murderer.

(Fun fact. The stuff I bolded about Ben Reilly was something I wrote at the time. I kept it in because of how sadly ironic it wound up being…fuck Clone Conspiracy seriously)

Ending the world before #700 is one thing IN Doc Ock’s character. He is egotistical and wants acknowledgement of his genius.

Superior depicted him going against a character trait he’s always had. In his origin story, when he was ‘courting’ Aunt May, when he was involved with Stunner and Lady Octopus and the like he has always been show to have a respect for women and not had to resort to cheap ploys to woo them.

In Superior he was trading off of MJ’s relationship with Peter and Peter’s memories to basically abuse this woman. That is beneath Doctor Octopus. He is an intellectual a man for whom such actions are debase, the realm of the common thug whilst he is much more he is DOCTOR OCTOPUS.

BTW in Web of Death it was established that Doc Ock probably would not target MJ or Peter’s family even though he knew Peter’s identity.

So for him to suddenly switch to ‘I’m gonna fuck his girlfriend to get one over on him” is again utterly out of character.

‘Web of Death’ was co-written by Tom DeFalco btw, who established Otto’s origin. Thus the argument is flying in the face of someone who helped define the character with no explanation at all.

Slott had done this with other characters like Ashley Kafka.Suddenly the most naively compassionate woman in the world who believed she could redeem CARNAGE is saying this lesser serial killer is a complete monster. That is piss poor writing.

Even if Slott WERE to establish and show how Ock went from one extreme to the other it doesn’t make it a good idea. Doc Ock would be rapist is a lot less interesting than Doc Ock the lone super villain who is part gentleman and part humanitarian with a respect for women. If this was Norman Osborn in Peter’s body, or Electro, or Shocker I’d believe these actions.

The topic then changed to Carlie Cooper’s depiction in Superior as a goddam idiot who isn’t even telling MJ Peter might  be evil. “Red Hood wrote: Carlie and Wraith followed Ock’s paper trail because she knows for fact that peter parker doesnt have the money to fund his own private army, the reason she hasnt said anything is because it's not such a good idea to go pointing fingers without absolute truth, remember eddie brock and how he was so sure about the sin eater?”

Carlie’s investigation was going incredibly sloooooooooooooooooowly. Not only was it dull reading, but it made her completely unsympathetic. Why not warn Mary Jane by saying “Look before he died Doc Ock told me he and Spider-Man had swapped bodies. I’m not saying Peter IS Doc Ock but just....be careful MJ”.

Or why not inform the Avengers or Fantastic Four about this. Sure the Avengers gave him a physical but they wouldn’t know what to look for. And why is Carlie Cooper all of a sudden saying “Wait I KNOW Peter doesn’t have this kind of cash so this is a big clue that he isn’t himself.” When her first big clue should have been that time Spider-Man SHOT SOMEONE IN THE FACE!

“also peter and mj arent married anymore.”

See above.

You don’t just suddenly fall out of knowing someone if you’ve been THAT close to them and known them for that long just because suddenly you are not married anymore. She has deduced subtle differences in the Chameleon and clones before this but Ock is NOT being subtle whatsoever. He isn’t even talking the same way he normally does. And Mister Red Hood even says so himself, Carlie can tell right way. His co-workers whom he’s known for LESS THAN A YEAR can tell something is up. But the woman who’s been closer to him than ANYONE in his life, she can’t tell. That is bullshit of the highest order.

“1. mj and peter arent married anymore, idk if they were married in identity crisis but remember how after the deal with mephisto they were separated for x amount of years before she even came back to new york, i can see her not being able to tell peter is acting different at that point. aunt may and the avengers though don't get a pass especially when carlie who knew him the least could tell right away.”

See above.

You don’t just suddenly fall out of knowing someone if you’ve been THAT close to them and known them for that long just because suddenly you are not married anymore. She has deduced subtle differences in the Chameleon and clones before this but Ock is NOT being subtle whatsoever. He isn’t even talking the same way he normally does. And Mister Red Hood even says so himself, Carlie can tell right way. His co-workers whom he’s known for LESS THAN A YEAR can tell something is up. But the woman who’s been closer to him than ANYONE in his life, she can’t tell. That is bullshit of the highest order.

When you separate from someone you’ve been that close to those feelings don’t just disappear. This is especially true of people who’ve been through immensely traumatic events together. Soldiers often find that only fellow soldiers, specifically ones who were with them in combat, can truly understand what they went through and how they felt. It creates an emotional/mental bond. Same thing here. Peter and Mary Jane went through Venom, Kraven’s Last Hunt, the death of Harry, Gwen, aunt May, Ben Reilly, the clone saga as a whole, Civil War, Peter’s OWN death, Maximum Carnage and so on. They’d have that kind of connection I was speaking about, you don’t just forget it to the point where you let MASSIVE differences in behaviour slide, especially massive differences in behaviour which are different to the way he was acting LAST WEEK!

“3. Also i don't think his  [Doc Ock’s] actions are entirely out of character, i mean he was dead, then revived, beat down for several years into a dying body. given time to think about all the things you would do if given another chance i dont think its out of the question for doc to say "great, second chance at life with a movie starhottie gf". also if you'll threaten the city, then the world, then mind swap with someone i dont think having sex is that big a stretch.”

See my comments above why this IS out of character for Doc Ock. Again this isn’t just him wanting to get laid this is him potentially date raping an innocent woman. You need to SHOW the progression of that change

And rape in comic book fiction is understood to be worse  from the reader’s POV than the various Saturday Morning Cartoon style crimes he’s pulled.

The next comment was in response to the public’s indifference towards Spider-Man shooting Massacre in the face! “7. As far as no one caring about massacre, didn't he break out a few times and inflict his namesake? no one is going to care that a killer like that gets shot, humans aren't dignified at all. i can see aunt may saying something but no one else is going to be like "oh great that killer is back in jail, too bad all criminals break out" no they're going to be like "finally someone put down this thug, maybe my life or someone i care about will be spared from him at least in the future" and maybe it was caught on security cameras or phones but maybe they deleted it, i mean spider-man just shot a dude in the face and if he wanted there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him from putting the hurt on someone else”

This is just rubbish.

No one is going to care? For God’s sake the police in real life get reprimanded for using unnecessary force.

The law is the law you CANNOT publically execute an unarmed man. And my point was no one, not even Mary Jane or Jonah, were reacting to this mind-blowingly out of character action on the part of Spider-Man. Maybe they do not care that Massacre was killed but they should be wondering “Jesus that’s not like Spider-Man at all”. This was Spider-Man becoming absolutely EVERYTHING Jameson ever falsely accused him of and no one reacted. And I am sorry but the attitude of ‘human’s aren’t dignified so they’d react like THIS” is extremely broad and generalised. This would be a major talking point and a major issue. This is EXACTLY what the entire ‘Civil War’ debacle was about. Super heroes running unchecked doing as they pleased. It’s been what, a year tops Marvel time since Civil War? If that stuff was deleted YOU NEED TO SHOW IT. The cover story is that EVERYONE in that massive crowd covered for him. That is in no way shape or form how humans actually act. And who would there be to stop like a teenager or a kid or a lone person in the crowd from tweeting “OMG Spider-Man just shot this dude” or uploading a video or picture. They were CHEERING him on they wouldn’t be afraid of him being reprimanded. Once something like that hit the internet it’d spread like wildfire, it wouldn’t be something that if immediately taken down would die away, especially when THE NEWS was stating Spider-Man had ‘neutralised Massacre’ and then Massacre shows up dead, WTF would the public THINK happened?

“Aaron Alexander Luthor wrote: Superior is an excellent title, but I feel you approached it having already made up your mind. Doc Ock NEVER attempted date rape, and I don't know where you get that from”

Boy, I wonder where I got the idea of Otto trying to rape MJ from? What an obviously ‘excellent’ title.

Trying to sleep with Mary Jane whilst tricking her into thinking he is Peter Parker then that is categorically trying to date rape her. He didn’t go through with it because he discovered he could just wank off to her memories (I can’t believe I wrote that) but that is exactly what he was trying to do. Maybe to HIM he didn’t think of it as rape but yeah that’s exactly what it was.

“He ripped off his own shirt, not hers.”

I honestly have no idea what he’s talking about here btw.

“Mary Jane had/has mentioned several times that there is something wrong with him and that she thinks there is something strange going on, he also hasn't spoken to her in weeks in the time frame of the comic.”

Yes MJ has noticed passingly things are wrong but then he feeds her a line and she buys it or otherwise she dismisses it herself. This in monumentally out of character for her given her history and makes her incredibly stupid, which is the ONLY way this title could have worked out. Again, she lives in a world of Skrulls, clones, LMDs and shape shifters one of which is literally an enemy of Peter’s and has tried impersonating him multiple times (targeting her specifically twice). But she either doesn’t clock anything is wrong or doesn’t really react when she does. And he HAD spoken to her within weeks by the time or Superior #2.

“Same goes for Aunt May, he visited her the first few weeks as Parker, and hasnt spoken to her since. He is basically ignoring the people in Peter's life, and they have taken notice.”

See my response about Aunt May not knowing. Again, this woman RAISED him and she could tell when the master of disguise who was being a lot more subtle about impersonating Peter was not her son/nephew.

Also he wasn’t exactly ignoring  the HORIZON labs staff was he?

“When he killed Massacre, some of the civilians were shocked and appalled, but when the police investigated all the officers on the scene lied for Spidey, because they think he did the right thing. That is why the only officers still interested are Carlie Cooper who does know, and is ACTIVELY trying to prove it isnt Peter, and Captain Watanabe aka The Wraith”

My point about NO ONE taking photos, tweeting, facebooking or whatever still stands as does the security cameras thing and the fact that Massacre was TRYING TO GET PUBLICITY. Again with Carlie why is she not warning SOMEBODY at this point. It isn’t like they wouldn’t believe her after Massacre. It isn’t like Spider-Man isn’t acting weird. It isn’t like body swapping is a legit THING in the Marvel universe. For God’s sake this happened to Captain America!

Kaine, the CLONE of Peter Parker with identical memories and everything. In the Sibling Rivaly crossover between Scarlet Spider and Superior Team-Up even HE couldn’t tell that Peter. Was an imposter This guy doesn’t just know Peter well, he IS Peter. And Otto was ranting none too subtley about how Kaine has bad blood with HIM. He doesn’t say he’s Doc Ock but he’s conveying unsubtly to Kaine that he is not Peter Parker and he is not TALKING like Peter Parker either. When his CLONE is still operating under the delusion that he is Peter Parker that’s put it beyond doubt this was ridiculously contrived.

“BTW, Carlie and MJ have talked about the suspicious way Pete has been acting, Carlie just hasnt told MJ directly.”

WHY didn’t Carlie tell MJ! And WHY were she and Peter noticing Peter’s different actions yet being totally blasé about them.

FFS in ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ MJ and Peter had been married for just 2 weeks and in that time she was able to deduce from his actions that the guy in the Spider-Man suit was NOT Peter. In the Mark of Kaine an identical clone of Peter approaches her and she is ultimately able to tell (twice) that he is not her husband. And she did this whilst pregnant and stressed out from a life or death situation to say nothing of the fact that Aunt May had recently died which would be weighing on her mind. Yet in Superior her mind was clearer and she was still buying this was Peter. This is enormously bad out of character writing for her

“As for the Avengers scans, it wasnt that no one could read them, its that they all came back NORMAL.”

No, the scans DID NOT come back normal at all. Doc Ock looked at the scans and could TELL something was not normal because he saw ghost Peter was in his mind. Yeah there was a tiny inconsistency in the brain waves but why the heck weren’t there people on the Avengers team that day to take note of stuff like that. Cap, Wolverine, Black Widow and Thor are obviously NOT going to be able to properly read this scientific equipment like Iron Man or Hank Pym or the Beast. ANY of those guys would’ve been able to tell but no only the Avengers who categorically would not be able to properly read the brainwaves were there. Why? Why get the unscientific Avengers? Because of plot contrivances is why.

And where were the telepaths? One telepathic scan from SOMEBODY should have told all. And again these tests come back normal....no one thought he could be a clone? Spider-Man has joked to these people about his clones, they know about them. Correct me if I am wrong but at the time of the Avenger’s physical of Peter wasn’t there a character involved with the Avengers who was supposed to be the living universe? SHE couldn’t tell Doc Ock is Spider-Man? The universe literally didn’t know this?

“Even Dr. Strange and Wolverines tests all came back regular.”

If Dr. Strange with all his power wasn’t able to deduce the truth that’s even MORE contrived!

And what the heck were Wolverine’s test? That he smelt the same? Of course he would.

“There was a tiny inconsistency in the brainwaves, it wasnt that no one could read it, its that it was so small that no one would even take notice of it, except for Peter or Ock if they were to look for it.”

See above for why this is bullshit.

“And the Avengers are STILL very suspicious, if you read the current titles.”

At the time a ‘current title’ was  Superior Team Up #1.

In it the Avengers told him they were wrong to put him in probation and are still just ‘suspicious’ when he INVADED SHADOWLAND WITH AN ARMY!. Because THAT’S so usual for Spider-Man right?

“You're entitled to your opinion, but you cant just make up facts and call it a discussion. I get the impression that you a)Havent read the whole series; b) Had already made up your mind before reading the issues you have read; and c) Havent read the companion stories (i.e. Avenging Spider-Man, Superior Team-up, Hickman's Avengers titles). If you look at the story as a whole, its actually quite good.”

Said the guy who got all the above information I outlined WRONG.

From a technical point of view it doesn’t make sense, it uses contrivances and out of character writing to keep it going. You want to write Doc Ock as Spider-Man. Okay then don’t surround him with people who should be able to figure this out. Or say there is some kind of device redirecting their attention.

Don’t have Doc Ock not act like Doc Ock because that defeats the point of the exercise. Don’t go for deliberate sensationalism or crass storytelling which was essentially everything revolving around him hooking up with Mary Jane and then the oh so lovely page of the Superior Spider-Wanker.

That issue in particular even resolved itself in a contrived manner. Doc Ock begins uttering gibberish which recalled One Moment in Time about “we cannot be together because it’s an unsolvable equation blah blah blah”.

Basically he is saying “I can never be with you because of the danger I put you in”; which is Slott using the character as a mouthpiece.

In the next issue Otto began courting a student at his college because consistency rocks. Even Ghost Peter is out of character at this moment “WOW Ock you did the one thing I could never do and walked away from Mary Jane”. Peter is right he probably can’t walk away from Mary Jane but...does he WANT to? Where the heck is this coming from? What is worse is that it’s so unnecessary. There was a MUCH better explanation for Ock breaking up with MJ. If Ock were in character he could just come to the conclusion that sleeping with MJ under these circumstances would be wrong and beneath him hence he wouldn’t go through with it. If Ock was out of character as he was in their issue but still vaguely in character he could just come to the conclusions that since accessing Peter’s memories he’s begun to have genuine feelings for MJ and doesn’t just want to fuck her, it would involve him having a relationship with here which at this point in time he is incapable of, he doesn’t know how to handle it. I will wholeheartedly admit I was not jazzed about the concept of Superior from the outset. If nothing else I want to read about Peter Parker not Doc Ock and if I did want to read about Doc Ock AS Doc Ock, not as Spider-Man and not as an rotting body.

An arc in a comic is one thing doing this long term all the problems I foresaw have come up as well as some I didn’t even predict. This could have worked if Doc Ock was separated from Peter’s supporting cast who should be able to tell something is amiss but then that defeats a lot of the point of the story. It was a lose-lose situation.

People can enjoy garbage if you want but don’t call it gold.

Part 1

[letsbenditlikebennett]

Cheeseburger in Paradise || Ariana & Ricky

TIMING: A couple weeks ago PARTIES: @ricky-corderbro & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Ariana responds to Ricky’s online invite for dinner company, but only if its cheeseburgers. Chatting and bonding ensues. 

As far as Ariana was concerned, anyone that was good in Winston’s book had to be good people. She’d talked to Ricky briefly in the past and had brought some venison by when he’d been in the hospital, but she was looking forward to actually hanging out with him. It’d only been a few days since they’d left their house behind and Ariana was already desperately missing her full closet. After talking about aesthetics, she kind of wanted to wear her favorite crop top which was still at their now abandoned house. Second favorite crop top would have to do the trick. This one had sunflowers which were her favorite because she could see them true to color and she loved that one Post Malone song. She happened to be humming that very song as she walked into Dell’s. She was quick to spot Ricky standing near one of the benches in place by the front door. “Hey,” she said with a smile, “Glad we’re actually getting to hang out. How are you feeling?” 

Ricky was sure he was going to start going insane if he stayed inside his house any longer. He’d done all he could about converting his studio to a bedroom for Rio, and after having reorganized his cookbooks and spice rack for the third time he was sure the walls were starting to talk to him. Which is why he’d been glad when Ariana had taken him up on his plea for some dinner company. Though she was a bit younger than he was, all the interactions he’d had with her so far (including trying her amazing cooking) had convinced him she was anything but a vapid daft teenager. He stood from the bench he’d been perched on, tapping out a text to Winston and Rio about grocery requests, and offered his fist for a pound, “Same shit different day. Everything hurts and I”m dying. But… I will say… everything hurts a little less every day. Thanks for taking pity on a broken old man and having dinner with me. Which is on me… by the way… as a thank you for the venison.” He held the door open and gestured inside, holding up two fingers to the hostess as she gathered up some menus for them, “How are you enjoying having the sun back?”

Ariana welcomed the fist bump with a smile and returned the gesture. Maybe going out to dinner with a friend wasn’t exactly laying low, but if she just spent her time holed up in Ulf’s house she’d probably lose her mind. She was sure Ricky felt the same with having to take it easy to recover from his injuries. She could hardly imagine having to play soccer or run for that long. Dinner was likely a welcome distraction to both of them. She laughed when Ricky called himself an old man. “Old man, right. I think you got a few more years before you can call yourself that. Glad it’s starting to hurt less though. You’ll be fully out and about again before you know it… and thanks. Wasn’t expecting that, but it’s appreciated.” She smiled as she walked through the open door and the hostess brought them over to their table. The fact it was a booth somewhat in the back was comforting. That had to be a little more low profile than up and center right? She focused back on the question at hand. Her head tilted slightly as she nodded and said, “Oh yeah, I’m actually able to sleep at night and don’t think I need a nap at like 10 in the morning anymore. You happy to have it back, too?” While the prospect of a 24-hour full moon had sounded nice, logistically it was probably better to be in wolf form less time. She looked over the different burger options on the menu, pretty sure she was going to go with the classic hangover option. She turned her attention back to Ricky and asked, “So, how did you and Winston meet? Did you guys know each other before you were roommates?” 

Following the waitress to the booth that she directed them to Ricky gingerly lowered himself into the seat, grabbing the laminated menu and fiddling with it, “I feel like I can hear my ribs grinding when I laugh or cough too much, I definitely feel like an old man now.” He placed his drink order and set the menu down, taking turns between glancing at it and focusing on what Ariana was saying. “Incredibly. It’s like you said, my whole rhythm and schedule was just…. Off balance. Like when you load the washer wrong and it spins off balance. That’s what it felt like. I’m happy to have the sun around to at least reinforce my schedule. You don’t realize how much you depend on that schedule for a feeling of normalcy until you aren’t able to follow it anymore.” When the waitress came around again he ordered his normal go to; mushroom and swiss burger, extra bacon, no bun, fries with a side of hot sauce, before passing off the menu to her and looking back at his new friend, “Winston?” He laughed a little, regathering curls that had started to escape the confines of his topknot and redoing them, “No. We didn’t. We actually met at a party like… a week and a half before they moved in. I went outside for a smoke and a bit of quiet on the porch and there was this dude there and we just started talking. Hit it off pretty immediately and then they mentioned that they were looking for a place and like hey, I’ve got a decent sized house so I had them over for a tour and we figured out pretty quick that we’d work real well as roommates. That was like five months ago and I’ve never looked back. Like, having Winston in the house has upped my level of general wellbeing and happiness like 300%. I fucking love them. What about you? How did you guys meet?” 

It sucked to see that Ricky was still in pain from his injuries. Ariana did her best to offer a sympathetic smile. Hopefully, he’d heal up pretty quickly and could be back to life as normal. “If it helps, you don’t look like an old man,” she said with a laugh. When the waitress came back by, Ariana asked for an iced tea and turned her attention back to Ricky. The never-ending night thing had been confusing. She’d never had any concept of what time it was and then it had to end right before the full moon. “It’s crazy how much a lack of sunshine can change your whole rhythm up. I kept going for runs in the middle of the night because I’d feel weirdly energetic at like midnight. My sister was not a fan of that.” The hangover burger had won out and she ordered it medium rare with fries. Though she’d never had a hangover, she fully supported sunny side eggs and bacon being added to a cheeseburger. She let her elbows rest down on the table and relaxed as Ricky told her about how he met Winston. That was super cool that they hit it off right away like that and living together was going well. From what she was able to gather based on their few conversations, Ricky seemed to balance out Winston nicely. It’s no wonder they worked so well together as roommates. “That’s awesome,” she said with a wide grin on her face, “To meet and just click like that. I know you’re super important to them and it seems like the timing on that was perfect. It’s like you two were meant to be best friends. Which sounds cheesy as hell, but whatever.” She grabbed a sip of her iced tea before answering his question, “Winston originally offered to help me with math, but I’d already found a tutor. I was still new to town though so I was like hey, I could still use friends if you wanna hit up that farmer’s market with me. So we went to the farmer’s market and accidentally bought vampire watermelons. Turns out having to smash carnivorous fruit really brings people together. They even dyed my hair for me when I was having a little bit of a meltdown.” She gave her freshly blonde hair a flip and added, “I think they did a pretty good job, but I’m colorblind, so if it looks awful, just lie to me.” 

“I’m an old man on the inside, which is where it matters I think. On the inside it’s just me shaking a cane at children and telling them to stay off my lawn. One advantage to living where I do, I guess. No kids are fucking up my landscaping.” Nodding energetically Ricky chewed on the end of his straw, “I totally feel that. Everything was so out of whack. I’d be like, wide awake and ready to do things at 3 in the morning and then in the middle of the afternoon my body would be begging for bed. It made running errands an absolute shitshow but somehow we all powered through it. By the seat of our pants sure, but we ultimately did.” He couldn’t help but smile when Ariana detailed exactly how she’d gotten entangled in Winston’s life, seemingly as randomly and serendipitously as he had. “I think it’s just something about them. They make it so easy to become friends with them that you feel like you’ve been friends for ages. I never thought I’d invite someone to live with me after only meeting them at a party but I was just so fucking convinced that we’d get along perfectly; and five months later I have absolutely zero regrets about it all.” His eyebrow did raise at the mention of vampiric fruit, “Why am I both surprised and not surprised that there are vampire watermelons. What a fucking disaster of a fruit waiting to happen. I’m glad you both survived though, I would have been so sad if my best friend got turned into a blood sucking fruit.” As their food arrived Ricky chewed thoughtfully on a french fry, “Well it looks fine to me, but I’m also color blind so it could look like a fucking mess and I’d never know.” He briefly wondered if this was indicative of Ariana being something inhuman, but quickly reminded himself that perfectly normal humans were colorblind without it meaning anything. “So you’re a senior, right? Any big plans since high school is coming abruptly to an end?” 

The image of Ricky shaking his cane and yelling at children to get out of his yard was pretty amusing. As much made Ariana laugh as he spoke. Somehow, it was hard to imagine him being too grumpy, but she’d only just met him. “Glad to hear the landscape is safe,” she said grinning widely, “Thankfully we made it and things are back to normal… Well, I guess as normal as it gets here anyway. No one can say it’s boring here, that’s for damn sure.” She leaned into the back of the booth and felt happy to know that Winston had people who clearly adored them in their life. They deserved nothing less. In the short time they’d been friends, Winston had been nothing short of supportive and found ways to make her laugh when she was upset. “I think they’re just such a good person. It makes it easy to get along with and trust them. Sometimes when you meet people you just know, huh? Sounds like it worked out perfectly with you, too.” It was easy to laugh over the vampire watermelons now that she replaced her combat boots. She had been a little salty about that part at first. “Probably because it’s White Crest and nothing is too far-fetched. But yeah, I smashed the one that destroyed my fave combat boots and they blew one up. It was a bonding experience. Worth the loss of my shoes because we got to be upfront with each other about things we probably would’ve kept a secret.” Ariana had been picking at her fries when Ricky mentioned being colorblind. She instantly perked up and tried to subtly sniff to pick up on his scent. It definitely wasn’t wolfy, she would have noticed as much right away. He smelled more like the ocean. “Wait…,” she whispered, taking a look around them, “Colorblind? You don’t smell like a wolf. You smell more like the ocean. Are you…” She had trailed off before she realized that was probably way too blunt, “Ah, crap, sorry. I got a little weird there. I’m colorblind, too.” She tried to play it off and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, shifting back to what he had asked her. “But yeah, senior year. I just started up a carpentry apprenticeship so that’ll be post-graduation life for me. Don’t really feel into the whole college thing. What about you? Do you go to UMWC with Winston?” 

Ariana talked a million miles an hour and it was honestly somewhat comforting. Ricky enjoyed listening to the stories about her misadventures with Winston and vampire watermelons and the mishap that led to the destruction of her favorite pair of combat boots. It was something of a twist though, when she mentioned that Winston had blown one of them up and the twist got even twistier when she made a comment about the way he smelled. The first twist could have been, maybe, explained away. Winston was after all an at least tangential member of the Police Department. Blowing things up could have been in reference to some explosives they’d procured and not their innate magical ability. But the comments about his smell, particularly when coupled with her comment about how he didn’t smell wolfy, made him set his fork down and wipe burger off of his face, “Holy shit did I collect another werewolf friend?” His mouth quirked into half a smile as he leaned across the table, “Are there just a million of you around town?” He idly chewed a french fry and looked at the young woman across the table. “It’s funny. All of the rest of you I’ve met have said the same thing. That I smell like the ocean. Which makes sense I guess… it’s where I was born.” He resumed his burger, cutting off a piece and making sure it was properly laden with mushrooms and swiss cheese. “Carpentry apprenticeship though, that’s dope af. I’m a woodworker by trade. Who’re you apprenticing with? Maybe you can do an independent study with me. It’d be boring…. But…. I’d cook you a good lunch as part of it.” The burger disappeared rapidly, and then all Ricky was left with was a small mountain of fries, which he liberally covered in hot sauce. “Me? I’m about two months from graduating with my MFA, which was an entirely unnecessary degree, but then I’ll be done there. And to be perfectly honest with you; a lot of people look down their noses at apprenticeships and trade schools but there’s always going to be a need for skilled manual labor; and a lot of times those jobs pay a lot better than anything a Bachelor’s in Science is going to get you. If you know carpentry is something you’re into I fully support not pouring thousands upon thousands of dollars into a broken educational system and just doing an apprenticeship. People are always going to need carpenters.” 

Prior to mentioning it, there had been no doubt in Ariana’s mind that he’d known about the supernatural. After all, Winston had mentioned giant crabs that had a name she couldn’t remember destroying their living room, but it was still a relief that Ricky caught on to her drift quickly, albeit without answering all of her questions, but they’d get there. The fact he had multiple werewolf friends did pique her interest. She knew Ulfric, Lucas, and Simon. Plus, she knew of Miles. Still, it’d be nice to have some friends like her who were closer to her in age range. Her head tilted as she looked at him and said in a hushed tone, “Looks like you did! Wait,  you know other werewolves? I’ve only met a few in town so far.” She let out a hushed laugh before shoving a few more fries in her mouth. Her eyes were still kind of wide when she quietly added, “Must be true then. Goes with the whole beach bro aesthetic. You were born on the beach? Do you… I’m sorry if this is kind of blunt, but are you able to shift, too?” How she didn’t pick up on the subtle difference in his scent sooner was driving her crazy. Maybe her manners weren’t entirely intact, but her curiosity often got the better of her. As she polished off her burger, Ricky was talking about how he was a woodworker. It was official, Ricky was fucking awesome. “Wait, seriously? That’s so cool. How long have you been doing that? My apprenticeship is at Trusty Wood, but yeah, an independent study sounds great. I doubt I’d be bored. I find working with my hands to actually be kind of relaxing. Plus, the promise of a good lunch is hard to turn down,” she finished with a smirk. She wasn’t sure if it was a wolf thing or an athlete thing, but she was nearly always hungry. She picked at the rest of her french fries as he spoke about school. It was kind of nice to hear someone validate her choice to skip out on college, even if they went themselves. “That’s awesome. I guess it’s a bit early for a congratulations, but I’m gonna throw it out there anyway. A degree is a good thing to have so more power to you. The money thing is a factor, but honestly, I just really can’t imagine going through more school. I’m dyslexic and colorblind so schoolwork kind of makes my brain feel like it’s a melted pile of goo. I’d just rather dive right into something I know I actually enjoy. I will miss soccer though.” 

“You’re now the third one I’ve met. So I guess I don’t know a million of them. But; now more than a couple. Now I’ve got a neat little three of a kind in my social acquaintances.” It was always nice to meet another shifter; particularly as he’d found the werewolves he did know in town to all be excellent friends. “Not on the beach. In the ocean.” He chewed thoughtfully on another french fry as Ariana asked her question, shooting her a smile, “I am. Different than you. I’m an at will shifter, I don’t need the moon. I just need to have my true skin and I can change back into my true form. I’m a selkie. A seal shifter. We’re a little more rare in these parts than you and your kind are; most of the big clans are still over on the British Isles, but, I can shift indeed… and to simplify the every fucking complicated dance of not telling people things they shouldn’t know I”ll let you know right off the bat that Winston knows what I am. There was an awkward moment after we moved in together when he came home unexpectedly, I didn’t have my fake teeth in, and he caught sight of my fangs. Our teeth are always seal teeth even in our human bodies.” The conversation shifted tack yet again to her impending apprenticeship, “Well if you ever wanna hang out in the workshop for a day or two just clear it with your new boss and I’ll be happy to have you tag along and see the kind of work I do. I know at least for me personally as an artist I always love watching people work because I always learn at least one thing that I had no idea about before.” He shrugged broadly, “It’s fine. It’s definitely not something I needed. But I’ve got it now so it’s there to hang on the wall in my studio and look smug about or something. And that’s fair. I was lucky enough to get a whole heap of scholarships; but really I did not excel in college. I’m not that booksmart, as much as Winston likes to lecture me about various types of intelligences, and it was a fucking struggle. I’m certainly not graduating on the dean’s list. But i bet there’s a community soccer team you could be involved in. Or you could start one.” 

“Huh, that’s about how many I’ve met so far, too. I can definitely smell that there’s more. Which hopefully doesn’t sound totally creepy,” Ariana responded with a laugh. Navigating the world through smell seemed a lot less weird once someone knew you were a werewolf. After all, that’s how wolves in the wild worked. As Ricky explained what he was, Ariana stared at him completely fascinated. She’d never met a selkie before. She was pretty sure she’d heard them mentioned in one of Celeste’s books, but meeting one in person was totally different. She instinctively leaned forward on her elbows, taking in every word. “Wow,” she said completely in awe, “That’s pretty fucking cool. You’re the first selkie I’ve met. That must be pretty cool to have control of when you shift. I love the full moon. That’s actually where the venison I made came from. Apparently with practice, I can learn to shift outside the full moon, but haven’t really tried as much yet. Probably wouldn’t be the best idea right now anyway. Thanks for skipping that whole dance. Winston also knows what I am. They’re definitely really understanding for still being new to all of this.” She nodded along as Ricky explained about her being able to come watch him in his workshop. Learning new ways of doing things and see how he worked could definitely be helpful for her learning the trade and making it her own. “Totally,” she responded, “I’ll check with Shiloh and see if that’d be okay. I’d definitely love to see your work and how you do it.” It felt a little better to know school was tough for him, too. Everyone around her always seemed to have a much easier time with things, where as she needed an army of math tutors just to pass Algebra. “Even if it was tough, you still did it, so that’s amazing. Glad it’s not just me who struggles with the book learning thing. Winston’s right though, we’ve all got our things. You’re right, I’ll have to look into it more. I may be working a soccer camp for elementary school kids this summer.It’s not a full time thing and I figured it could help me stick with that hobby.”

“I mean I don’t know how much of this is fact and how much of this is me still drooling over the cast of Teen Wolf years later but don’t you guys have packs? Like we have clans? Makes sense that where there’s one there’d be more than a handful unless they’re taking the whole ‘lone wolf’ thing real seriously.” He polished off the last of his french fries and looked forlornly down at the empty plate before ordering another basket of them when the waitress came by the table to refill their drinks. “We’re not super common. But yeah. I’ve got to do it like once a week otherwise I’ll start to get sick, but, I can pretty much pick and choose when I do it. Downsides are I’m every vampire’s favorite treat. Oh! Since we’re no longer pretending to be human! It wasn’t a car accident that fucked me up like this. Winston and I got attacked by an asanbosam. Fugly ass West African tree vampire. Nasty fucking piece of work that one. It’s dead though, so, no worries.” The fries came and he pushed them to the center of the table so they could both snack on them, “Once I’m healed up and graduated I’ll pretty much be in there full time. But yeah. If Shiloh says it’s chill swing by the house and see me. You me and Winston can have lunch and we’ll get you hands on with some carpentry stuff the way I do it.” Listening carefully as she talked he couldn’t help but remember his own high school experience. It sounded remarkably similar to what Ariana had gone through “Maybe it’s a shifter thing” He laughed quietly, “We’re bad at school but good with our hands. But soccer camp sounds amazing. You could even look into like helping coach kids’ teams during the school year. I’m sure they need help year round wrangling a bunch of hopped-up-on-juice-and-sugar kids. There’re definitely a bunch of ways to keep you involved in the soccer after high school, you just gotta search them out a bit.” 

“Weirdly enough, I’ve never watched that show so I couldn’t tell you how true to form it is. Wolves do form packs though. I was really young when my parents died so I didn’t grow up around other wolves. Slowly starting to find a pack here so to speak. I think it’s more a matter of us finding each other than anything else. Which the nose helps with that one a lot. That’s cool you guys have clans. Sticking together is always smart,” Ariana responded in a low voice, still being sure to not attract any unwanted attention. Thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t too busy and they were off towards the back. Last thing they needed was to tip some asshole hunter off. When he mentioned they weren’t common, it made sense she’d never met one previously. She had finished off her own plate and pushed it toward the side of the table with all her napkins and silverware stacked on it to make it a little easier for the server. “Well, it’s pretty fucking cool to meet a selkie. That kinda makes sense though, having to shift to avoid feeling sick. Cool to be able to pick and choose when. Oh jeez, that’s not the kind of snack you want to be. I remember Winston mentioning the tree vampire thing. That was how they got hurt, too, right? Hopefully there aren’t more of those roaming around because hard pass on all of that. Glad you survived that though.” The prospect of learning from Ricky was exciting and she hoped Shiloh would be cool with it. She wasn’t sure why she wouldn’t be. It’d only make her better at her job. Plus, Ricky was cool as hell and she really wanted to see him in action. “Yeah, I hope the healing thing happens for you sooner rather than later. I know not being able to get out as much can suck. There’s only so much entertainment streaming services can provide. I’m sure she’ll be cool with it though. That sounds like a great day to me.” She nodded along as he spoke and finished off her iced tea. When Ricky mentioned the shifter thing, she found herself laughing too. “It must be. Makes me feel a little better about the number of tutors I needed to pass Algebra. I’m pretty excited about the soccer camp. I’ve never really done anything like that before, but I love kids and soccer, so I think it’ll be a good time. That’s a really good idea though, I’ll have to look into that. I know you mentioned the Swim Team before, I imagine you have to keep up with swimming all things considered. Where here is actually safe to swim is what I’d like to know.”

“I hope it’s not really true to form because it makes packs seems like a weirdly queerbaity incestuous mess. But. Tyler Posey is hot and so I watched the whole thing. Don’t judge.” He smiled as they finished off the food and leaned back in the booth, crossing his arms carefully over his very sore chest, “I think they killed the only one. We’d be finding literal piles of human skin under trees if there were more lurking around and I haven’t heard anything about that so hopefully they’re gone for good. Because they’re some gross ass bitches.” It was nice to just sit and have a meal with someone without any expectation. They just sat and talked and it was the most relaxed Ricky had honestly felt since the whole asanbosam incident. “Doesn’t matter how many tutors it took. Just matters that you stuck with it long enough to actually pass. That’s the important thing. It was tough and it was hard but you weren’t a little bitch about it. That’s that good good character building shit right there.” It wasn’t any stretch of the imagination to think that Ariana would be a great soccer coach. Between her personable manner and her readily-apparent love of the game she’d probably crush it. “Fuck yeah. Go for it. There’s no reason you have to stop doing what you love because you’re graduating. You just turn it into an adult hobby and start charging people. Bing bang boom you’ve got some income and you’re a civic-minded resident of the town!” He couldn’t help but snort at her question about safe swimming, “An indoor pool. Don’t ever go swimming in Dark Score lake. You will die. Pretty immediately. The ocean is full of borderline upsetting shit too.” He pulled up the side of his shirt to show the very large bite mark on the side of his stomach, “Mermaids. You don’t wanna fuck with those bitches. They are mean.” 

“A little less like that. Given all the other wolves I know are men that are a fair deal older than me. I mean, I’m bi, but still don’t think it’s quite like that,” Ariana laughed as she mused on the similarities between some teen show and actual life as a werewolf. Somehow she had the feeling none of the shows were really spot on. It was good to hear that there was likely only one tree vampire in White Crest and it was dead. “Thank god, I’m tough, but I really didn’t want to run into one of those things. They sound vicious af and no thanks,” she leaned back a bit into the booth and added, “But like, totally glad you both live to tell the tale. Still, fuck that thing.” Her smile was wide as she listened to him basically pep her up. Getting to hang out with Ricky was pretty cool, not that she doubted Winston’s taste in friends, but he was just an all around good dude. Just the kind of positivity she needed in her life right about now. “Thanks, definitely wasn’t totally a little bitch about. Doesn’t mean there wasn’t some complaining though,” she said with a laugh, “But I do appreciate the hype.” As the waitress came back by and asked if they wanted dessert, she shook her head no and thanked her as she left the check. Turning back to Ricky, she found she was still as cheerful as ever. Man, he really was a super sweet person. His profile description of being thicc of heart and ass had been spot on. “You right, you right. I can still do something I love as a hobby and make some money off it. Plus, contributing to the community and working with kids is always a good time.” She crossed her arms and pouted slightly at the swimming advisory. White Crest was her kind of place, but she’d rather not become giant monster fish food, so she guessed she’d have to skip the swimming. “Well, damn, okay White Crest. Guess I gotta find a gym with an indoor pool then.” Her mouth dropped at the mark on the side of his stomach, “Jeez, a mermaid did that? So I’m guessing The Little Mermaid really isn’t accurate then.” 

Sliding his card across the table onto the bill that the waitress had left Ricky shot her a gleaming smile as she took the card and left, “I’m glad that actual pack dynamics aren’t the same as that show. That’d be….. Highly dysfunctional.” He couldn’t help but laugh a little as she talked about The Little Mermaid, “No. They’re more like….. Horrific nightmare angler fish. They have a lure that looks super convincingly like a human. They then use it to trick people into thinking someone’s drowning and then when they swim out to rescue them… boom. Eaten by a gross ass mermaid. I know the Rec Center out on Birch Lane has a pretty decent pool. If you’re fine with the sound of children screaming and some truly impressive levels of chlorine.” His card was returned and he signed the bottom of the receipt, leaving a large tip and ignoring the phone number scrawled at the bottom next to a smiley face, “If you need someone to sketch you uniform designs for your new kids’ soccer team I’m totally available for that. I can do some adorable fuckin’ cartoon designs that’ll make your team the envy of the surrounding area.” Gingerly sliding himself out of the booth he held an arm out to Ariana, “This was definitely the most fun I’ve had having cheeseburgers in a long time. Plus… I made another shifter friend! Best dinner date ever.”  

With a smile, Ariana thanked Ricky for dinner. Making a new friend, especially someone else who was a shifter, had been a great time. Though the description of mermaids was mildly terrifying. Ariel sounded way more fun to hang out with. “Big yikes,” she remarked, “That is definitely not what I imagined at all. I will keep my swimming to the Rec Center or out of White Crest entirely. Thankfully, I’m more of a runner than a swimmer. Not that there’s not things in the woods that would probably want to eat me, but I’m pretty scrappy.” She relaxed in the booth as Ricky signed the receipt and mentioned his drawing skills. “You’re just a man of many talents, huh? I’ll totally let you know if I need to design anything like that. I have a meeting soon with like, the full details on that.” She smiled easily getting up from the booth and taking Ricky’s arm. “Same here,” she said happily as they walked out, “Can’t beat cheeseburgers and new shifter friends. We’re definitely doing this again soon.”   

[caffeinechesters]

Everything We Hoped Would Last

Merry Wincestmas Day 10! Today I bring you some fluffy Season 3 Winchesters with nostalgia, feels, and a touch of angst. I hope you enjoy!

“Hey, Sammy, we could pass by Ely if we don’t make the next turn.” They’d hightailed it out of Monument, Colorado as fast as they could, fat lot of good that did them. Sam had been pensive ever since the demon attack on the Sheriff’s station, and even though he was the one going to Hell, Dean also felt compelled to be the one to lighten the tension in the car.

“Ely? Why does that sound so familiar.”

Dean waits, doesn’t prompt. Sammy’s got that big brain. It’ll come to him.

“That crazy train museum! Where I-”

“-almost fell in the sludge trench,” they finish together.

The Northwest Railroad Museum’s only rules seem to have been “Poke around this old trainyard. Don’t fall in any holes.”  They only barely managed to follow both.

They’d been fifteen and eleven then. The last year, Dean always privately thinks, that Sam was still truly his sweet Sammy. Before hormones and temper tantrums kicked into overdrive the spring of his little brother’s twelfth birthday.

They’d stayed in what was literally once a silver miner’s cabin while Dad tried to figure out what had been killing backcountry hikers all over the windswept Great Basin.  This was before Sam got bitchy about missing science fairs and all that other stuff he would later care so much about.

Dean waits for Sam to remember the other thing.

“That was cool,” his brother says. “Think that place has been shut down by some kind of government agency yet? 

Okay, so maybe his brother needs a bit of prompting. “Remember what else we did in Ely?” 

They’re at their turnoff now. Dean comes to a dead stop in the middle of the road, feeling Sam’s questioning silence fill the car. 

“Um… Why do I get the feeling I’m supposed to have some great memory of this place. I mean, I was what… eight or nine?”

“Alright, Sammy.” Well this is suddenly no fun anymore. Dean turns the wheel right, back toward Sioux Falls and a much needed tune up for his Baby.

“Wait!” His brother pounds the dash. “The time capsule!” 

Dean feels the muscle in his jaw he hadn’t realized he’d clenched relax.

“We should look for it,” Sam says. And Dean points his Baby back toward Ely.  

*** 

“Geez this was a dump,” Dean observes when the pull up to the abandoned house. Well, literal shack really.

Sam shrugs. “They all were.”

Dean opens his mouth to argue. Decides against it. He’ll battle Sammy about which Zeppelin album rocks the hardest, or how many times they’ve passed Carhenge, but this is not a battle he’s willing to pick, when his brother looks so happy, loping, shovel in hand, around back to the lone tree under which they buried their treasure.

This adventure seems silly, suddenly, compared to all they’re facing down. 

“Uh- Sammy. I don’t even know what we used. Probably a shoebox or something. It may have rotted away by now.”

“Nuh uh Dean, you were the one that brought it up,” he hears Sam shout. “Besides, don’t you want whatever copy of Busty Asian Beauties you stashed in here?”

“My taste was nowhere near so refined back then.”

“Then I shudder to think what we’re going to find.”

Sam’s already digging by the time Dean has dug two beers out of the cooler. Hey, supervising is thirsty work, too.

In less than ten minutes the shovel hits something with a clang. They peer in. Green and metal. That’s when Dean remembers the old army footlocker they’d found in the shack. That was what had given him the idea to create a time capsule in the first place. That and Sam obviously getting dangerously bored watching the same two movies Dean had boosted from a mom and pop video chain outside Vegas.

Sam finishes digging it up. Dean can tell he’s into the idea now because he’s not even complaining about Dean not taking a turn.

When the chest has been extracted and now sits on the ground between them, they look at one another.  

“You wanna?” Sam starts.

“You dug it up. You do the honors.”

Sam’s back is to him now, but Dean can read the smile just in the lines of Sam’s body. This was worth it then, he thinks.

The first thing Sam fishes out is a VHS tape of The Burbs.

“Oh god! We were so sick of this movie.” Sam holds the cassette up to show him. “This was back when you used to shove two tapes down your pants every time Dad let you get within a mile of a video store.”

“Hey, I was trying to get a little side hustle started. Remember when we stayed in that cult town in Indiana and I could rent those suckers out for five bucks a pop?” 

“I have no idea why you weren’t the next Bill Gates,” Sam says wryly. He’s rummaging in the box again.

He drops the next thing he finds, then wipes his hands on his jeans.

“It’s covered in lubricant.”

Dean’s eyebrows fly to his hairline until he sees what Sam is pointing out. It’s some kind of machined piece of metal.

“You took that from the train museum!” Sam suddenly remembers. “Is this whole box full of stuff you stole?” But he says it fondly, no trace of accusation in his voice.

Dean elbows him aside. “Surely you put something in there, Samantha.” But the next thing in the pile is a curled and yellowed Hustler Magazine. Dean lets out a long whistle.

“This was one of my better ones, Sammy. Why’d I ever put this in there?”

When Sam speaks up, his voice sounds small, like he’s eleven again. “I wanted you to put something special to you in there.”

And Dean remembers it now. Sam’s little voice, “We’ll come back and dig this up when we’re all grown up. Because we’ll always be together. Right, Dean?”

To quell whatever emotion that just was, Dean flips the magazine open. Whoa. Yep, there was a reason this magazine automatically flipped open to this particular page. Dean shuts it and tosses it aside. To retriever later. For nostalgia and all. He dives back into the box.

“Holy shit! Elbow-Crawl Guy! That’s where he went!”

Now it’s Sam’s turn to remember. “Dad…”

And Dean remembers that, too. Ragging on Sam for losing Bayonet Guy and Elbow Crawl Guy, only to be chastised by their father for being too old to play with toys. 

But, “I didn’t see you put him in there, you sneaky little fucker,” is all Dean says. He quickly reaches into the box to distract them with the next item.

“What’s this?”

It’s a folded piece of paper. The outside is from a book. The page with the publisher info and the Library of Congress number and all that jazz.  

Sam grabs for it, but Dean manages to keep it.

“Oh God,” Sam is saying, his face in his hands. “I think I might have written you a letter.”

“What?” Dean draws out the syllables. “Now this I gotta see.”

Sam stands up abruptly. “Then I gotta take a walk.”

Dean opens the letter and immediately recognizes Sam’s childish handwriting. The same writing he’d seen on countless book reports and science fair projects and one note saying that he was running away and not to look for him. Sam’s handwriting matured into his current scrawl a long time ago, of course, so seeing this is a little bit like getting a glimpse of his Sammy again.

Dean swallows and begins to read.

Dear Dean,

I put Sergeant Ric Flair in here so that when we dig this up again when we are adults you can play with him. I know you always say Colonel Andre the Giant is your favorite, but I know you better than you think. I’m not just a squirt like you say. Anyway, when we’re grown up dad can’t tell us what to do anymore. So now you can play with Sergeant Ric Flair anytime you want.

Your brother,

Sam

Dean has to swallow a few more times. His eyes keep wanting to go blurry for some reason.

“How bad was it?” Sam has returned from making a lap around the house.

Dean hopes Sammy doesn’t hear how his voice cracks when he brings himself to answer.

“It was terrible.” He clears his throat. “So embarrassing. God you were an insufferable kid.”

And he tucks the letter into his pocket before Sam sees. Later, when his brother’s in the shower, Dean will transfer it to his wallet where, seven months later when Sam finds it among his effects, it will be frayed at the folds from re-reading.

[lookbluesoup]

Fallout OC Interview

@robobrainmurdermysterytheatre and @quinndecker214 tagged me to do this LITERAL AGES ago! Thanks for this and IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG it got lost in my drafts I hope it was worth the wait //shot I TAG @nuclearvessel @ronqueesha @tarberrymentats @wild-w4steland-snip3r @daddyfuckinlonglegs @saltsealed @thewookieruns No pressure!!

Choose an OC.

Answer them as that OC.

Tag 5 people to do the same.

1. What is your name? Nathaniel Christian Wright. Maiden name Ronan, if, aha, you like fun-facts.

2. How old are you? You know I lost count somewhere after 240?

3. What do you look like?

4. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I was born a good ways South of here, spent most of my childhood there. Moved to Boston... before the War. Now I stay with Piper in Diamond City between work, got an infield view and everything! Never would have bet on that the day I woke up in the Vault. I guess life’s funny, hunh? I - ...I’m glad to be there.

5. What was your childhood like? Oh, nothing special, really. My Pa was ex-military, a chaplain. Ma stayed home to tend the house, and raise rambunctious sons. She was - good. I wonder sometimes whether she’d be proud of me, out here.

6. What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions? Well, I am K i n g of the Castle - a-hem, I mean, General. Yeah, just General. (//Ronnie distantly yells something about the joke not being funny the 80th time)

[[There are rumors of Nate being a leading Railroad Agent, but he absolutely would not admit to that in a casual interview xD]]

7. Tell me about your best friend. Deacon? Hah! What can’t I tell you about him! He’s got a two-dozen kids. Twelve wives. One’s a ghoul. He’s also a synth, but you didn’t hear that from me. Has an extra toe on his left foot. Those sunglasses aren’t a fashion statement, they’re glued to his face. Horrible accident, really. Inoperable. He can speak five languages, including Zetan. I swear, it’s all true! But, ah. He’s a good friend. Better than he knows.

8. Do you have a family? Tell me about them! My son, Shaun, lives here at the Castle. I wish I could bring him to Diamond City, let him make friends with the other kids, try to give him something of the life he might’ve had before the War. But I’ve got enemies. The Minutemen have enemies. Comes with the job. It’s safer for Shaun to be here, out of the limelight. And also, you know, with a barracks full of guns ready at a minute’s notice if there’s trouble. My men are family, too. Hell, I feel closer to the people here than I did most of my own blood in the old world. There’s also my butler, Codsworth. And Natalie, Piper’s little sister - well, she may as well be my little sister, too. But hey, keep that one off the record. Nat’d never forgive me.

9. What about a partner or partners? I’m a happily tethered man, bound for life to one kickass reporter, Mrs. Wright. You may have heard of her. 

10. Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them? [Nate seems more guarded] Yeah, I know them. That graveyard across the channel used to be their airship. I wish it had ended differently, but... well, war never changes.

11. Who are your enemies, and why? I suppose that’s a natural follow-up question. Well, most of the Raider gangs will attack on sight. Gunners, too. But we’ve managed to clear a pretty safe stretch between major towns over the past year. Since the Minutemen have established a pro-synth stance, more than a few settlements shut their doors on us. Lost a fair number of volunteers. But no violence so far. Other than that... the remnants of Brotherhood here aren’t fond of me, personally. Why? We parted on bad terms. Lets just - leave it at that. Anyone else out here can tell you the story. There are Institute survivors, too. We tried to get as many noncombatants out as we could the day it fell, but it was a battle. It was messy. A lot haven’t forgiven me for turning on them. [sighs] ...Can you blame them? The Minutemen have kept a running list of Courser sightings since then. So many still aren’t accounted for. Keeps me up at night, sometimes.  

12. What about The Enclave? I’ve heard rumors. None of them good. 13. How do you feel about Super Mutants? Tough bastards. I wish we could help them. I know they don’t all go crazy, and Virgil was making progress on a cure. But I haven’t seen him in years. We’re not - really on speaking terms.

14. Have you ever fought a Deathclaw? More than once, and never unscathed. Not bragging! It’s the truth. Take a look at this, [he rolls back his sleeve to show a massive scar running over his upper arm] Piper and I got pinned down, lizard gutted me and nearly lost me an arm. Also? Ruined my best flannel shirt.

15. What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in? Bunker Hill. What a hellscape. Between the Railroad and the Institute, things were hot enough. But somehow the Brotherhood found out, too. It’s a wonder Bunker Hill wasn’t razed to the ground. My Courser escort was killed in a Railroad ambush and the synths we were after escaped. I barely got out alive.

[[Nate actually killed X4-18 and helped the synths escape, but that’s another Railroad secret :’D]] 16. Do you like fighting? No. But I’ll do what I have to to stay alive and protect the people I care about. 17. What’s your weapon of choice? A modified radium rifle. I was a sniper back in my army days, it’s what I’m trained in. But if the fight does get close, this gun’s versatile enough to still be useful. Wish my loadout back in Anchorage did that. I’m fond of the laser musket, too - but you only get one shot, and then everyone will know exactly where you are. Strategically it’s too limited.

18. How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?) My winning charm, of course! [winks] And trekking all over the Commonwealth keeps me fit for when folks aren’t so interested in talking. Piper keeps the luck for both of us. I’m - pretty sure I’m cursed, actually.

S(6) P(7) E(8) C(11) I(7) A(5) L(2)

19. Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them? I suppose I should be grateful, really. If not for the Vaults, I’d have died two centuries ago. I’d never have met Piper, or taught Shaun to play baseball. None of this... none of this at all would have happened. [grimaces] Don’t get me wrong. Vault-tec was fucking insane. The things they did to people in some of those Vaults-? I was uncharacteristically lucky. There’s a reason they call me the Sole Survivor, and it’s not from winning some tv game show about living on an island.

20. How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you? My Pip-Boy has a Geiger counter built in so I can avoid the worst of it. But sometimes it can’t be helped. I always keep Rad-Away and Rad-X on hand. Other than that, I bring the old vault suit to wear under my clothes if I know exposure’s inevitable. It helps a little. Piper likes to tease me about that, but somehow I think she prefers me with hair and less than six limbs. Plus, my ass looks great in blue. Her words. Not mine. Yes, you can quote that.

21. What’s your favorite wasteland critter? The radstags, no doubt! [motions to Legs Washington] Look at those little extra arms wiggling around. Adorable.

22. What’s your least favorite wasteland critter? Yao guais. They are way too stealthy for something that big. I dunno what they’re eating up in Maine, but Far Harbor was full of them. Big, grumpy ones. And look, have you ever tried to outrun a bear? Don’t.

23. How do you feel about robots? I like the ones that aren’t shooting at me! Codsworth and Ada are friends. Isabel’s eyebot, Sparks? Adorable. I even got this hat from an old Sentry named Ironsides. Those Rust Devils and their junk bots though? I try not to fight them without a lot of backup. Got ambushed by a Succubus once. Not a good time. At all.

24. How many caps do you have on you right now? Why, you planning to rob me? Kidding. About 200, which is a lot for me generally speaking.

25. Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla? [Suddenly excited] Wait, does Sunset Sarsaparilla still exist?

26. Do you do chems? Aside from Med-X when I’ve been shot? Not if I can help it.

27. Do you ever think about the Pre-War world? Not as often as in the beginning, but it does happen sometimes. I’ll have dreams where I’m back in my old life, and it’s always... disorienting.

28. What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently? There are - a lot. I’ll admit it. Sometimes I wonder, if I’d only just - hm... Well. To be honest, I’ve been trying not to linger so much on what I’ve done wrong, and focus on what I can do right for the future instead. Piper taught me that.

29. What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve?  I’ll always be proud to call myself Mr. Wright. If I can be half the man Piper tells me I am, I’ll consider it a life well lived.

30. What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world? Geeze, you could give my wife a run for her money with a loaded question like that! I want... a future where folks don’t have to be afraid of monsters coming after them in the night. I want synths to have a fair chance at living their own lives, as who they are, without pretending. I want Shaun to - be able to grow up. For myself? Everything I need is right here already.