#and if you dont know that show absolutely go watch it. same energy as rescue bots

[cybertron-after-dark]

The entire concept of shattered glass rescue bots is so fucking funny to me. I know it could easily be turned edgy and angsty with abusive boss heatwave but genuinely I cannot see them as anything other than baby mode Saturday morning cartoon villains that mildly inconvenience people without actually causing that much damage. And they all still love each other, they just fight more.

[halinski]

I have a lot of feelings about Buck, like don't even ask, I will never be able to put it into words or anything other than abstract feelings in this world

I just know this, Eddie loves Buck and Buck is ace and Taylor is a relapse ✌️

"You've been shutting me out."

It's ironic, Eddie thinks, that these exact words come now 20 minutes after the black out, which felt like maybe the world had shut down. They were stuck mid rescue in an elevator and well, the world had been such a whirlwind since he'd been shot, and this emergency and that- but now it had stopped. And they'd succumbed to their fate, sat down on the dingy elevator floor, bathed in a red back up light, the building silent around them. Out there, somewhere, a siren rang, and Buck sighed.

It was deep and heavy, like he was Atlas lifting the world off his shoulders for a break, something like relief, like that first deep shuddering breath when your lungs finally recovered from a run. It was way too heavy for a young man, barely thirty, who was finding himself. Eddie knew that Buck had been fighting lately. Mostly himself, but also his parents and past, and pushing past the boundaries of life that had been set around him. Then there was the shooting and Buck had truly been nerve-wrecked, Eddie was far from blind, and hell, he'd been a little preoccupied with figuring himself out, and recovering, letting go and paving the way for a future with no regrets- but he'd seen Buck. It was harder to look away at this point.

But he had, because the world had been spinning and Buck had been putting enough pressure on himself, becoming an uncle, and taking care of Chris with full abandon, and therapy and... Taylor. Eddie hadn't wanted to push too hard.

Now that they were here though, just the two of them...

Buck's looking at him, that irritated lost puppy stare, vulnerable and defiant all at once, like Eddie was the first to venture into certain spaces that made up Evan Buckley. It was a deliberant choice, at this point. Back in the beginning, he'd just reached out a hand and had been surprised to find an anchor to the world he'd never knew existed, and now he ventured further deliberately.

It hadn't been a question, and even so Buck looked ready to fight him, a last defensive wall, before he caved and those murky blue eyes dropped away. Full submission.

Eddie waited, opening up the room and hoping for his partner in crime and rescue to fill it and yet... Buck only shrugged weakly.

"Things have been..." He started half-heartedly, losing motivation half-way through and concluding with a disheartened, "busy." Eddie watched him busy himself with the callouses on his palm, picking and rubbing, as if he could erase the last few weeks of running himself ragged.

There had definitely been a lot less mentions of calls to Dr. Copeland lately, a lot of unfocused Buck, who was making himself smaller, less noticeable and quieter. Not that he was actually quiet, Eddie knew Buck could fill the building with vibrance for the benefit of everyone around within the blink of an eye. But his true emotions dwindled, where they'd slipped out before in shadows of an action, or an obvious plea hidden in drowning eyes - now he was more... Calculated.

And even now, Buck lifted his head again under Eddie's scrutiny in square-jawed surrender as if that was that to this conversation, there was nothing more to be done.

Eddie was not convinced. They'd gotten way too far, the two of them, to slip back down to the trenches in this mud slide. Eddie had found solid footing in his own world, and he was unafraid right here, under private eyes with the one person in the world he trusted most. Solid enough that he could stare right back at the nervous energy Buck was holding back and dare it.

What are you so afraid?

A question he had asked himself many sleepless nights, especially after Carla's little "follow your heart" speech, after he'd laid in bed, heart racing, hearing shots and all he wanted had been to-

All he'd wanted was safety, and he could've kept lying to himself, could've deliriously shouted at the universe that he didn't know where he could ever feel safe again, and yet his own body and heart had long gone betrayed him that day in the hospital just before he'd walked out, explicitly stating that he had signed his heart off to Buck a year ago. He couldn't even call it betrayal, because there wasn't a single cell in his body that doubted his decision, that doubted Buck. He just doubted... Himself.

And maybe that he'd be enough for Buck right now, still. He was so far from his best self, and yet better and more stable than he'd ever been. So he sat and he stared back, arms resting easily in his lap, and challenged.

"Why do you keep going back to her?"

Goddammit, Eddie, way to sound like the most jealous jerk in the world.

Buck winced, eyebrows seeming to ask 'really?' and 'what do you mean?' all at the same time and then shrugging again.

"Taylor?" He asked simply, biding time probably.

"Yeah," Eddie assured, the hum of the emergency light their only company as he waited for Buck to reply.

"She's the only one who really wants me," he said, but the tone of his voice wasn't right. Unconvinced. The admission to easily offered to ring true.

Eddie can't stop the snort of disbelief from escaping him. From all that he's heard about the rust-haired reporter... He couldn't imagine what Buck saw in her. He'd seen the effect of her words on him, saw Buck fall in line behind her with a bowed head, saw how the hurt now flared in Buck's face at his open faced challenge to that statement.

A part of Eddie wanted to grab Buck by the face and scream at him, can't you see?!

You're wanted whole-heartedly by me.

But Buck wasn't his to love yet, not really.

"Look, I don't know what you see on the outside but... She wants me. She chose me and I- what more could I ask for, you know? I'm... I'm working on it. On myself. And for now- this is it," Buck said, rattling it down like he was trying to work it into a checklist.

Eddie just wanted to know what 'it' was supposed to mean. But he nodded, because in a way it did make sense. The same way Ana had made sense, even though she absolutely didn't and he was glad that was over and he could laugh over that foolish affair now.

People had questioned his change of heart when he broke up with her during recovery, but when they'd realized he truly wasn't heartbroken and backsliding, they had taken it in full stride. A little misstep, no great scars taken (well except for the new bullet hole in his shoulder but that didn't really have anything to do with Ana, it just happened to be a part of the same journey heading toward a joined destination) and here they were at a pit stop.

The silence simmered between them, just somewhere right before the cliff, staggering before the precipice toward their comfort zone. It had always taken a little leap from both sides to get them to where they were today. Buck usually happens to fall into his without thinking much, just because he was ready to throw himself in dangers way or alternatively, rushing in out of sense of duty, and making it seem so, so very easy. The way he had walked into Eddie's house and kitchen, stepped right into his space and said: 'i'm here and I'm owning my mistakes because you're worth it' or something of the sort. All Eddie remembered was the care and the genuine emotion he'd felt and... The realization that he'd finally found home.

"It just feels like... You smile less when it comes to her." Eddie still did't really want to say her name. He wasn't about to go out blaming Taylor for all the times Buck was sad- it was just an observation. It took a lot to get Buck to giving up his smile. He hated that Taylor accepted a watered down version of him; bright, bold, and boasting Buck.

"Do I?" Buck asked, a furrowed crease appearing between his eyebrows, truly confused.

Eddie nodded.

"Relationships are always a compromise," Buck offered with a half-hearted twitch of his shoulder. "You know me. We're both pretty stubborn. We butt heads."

Buck flicked his wrist for a useless gaze at his watch. It made them none the wiser about the state of their rescue.

"Yeah, I know you," Eddie retorted gently. "Though, you do tend to have a point."

He could come up with a million examples. Eager, always ready to show up and make it work, Buck. How many times had he burrowed himself into Eddie's skin already with truths that stuck like thorns until Eddie accepted them into his bones.

All he wanted was to return the favor

The man granted him a small, crooked smile. It was crazy how much so little could mean to one person. Desperate, wounded, isolated Buck.

How Eddie wanted to tell him explicitly 'dont do what I did, kid, don't fall back into and habits at first chance just because you don't think you're worth anything else'- there were reasons why it didn't work in the first place. He'd learned the exact same lesson with Shannon. And God, the way Eddie had dragged Buck with him back then, for safety, as he had ranted to him and searched for the answers, only to make the same damn mistake.

That wasn't his life.

And Taylor wasn't Buck's. And Eddie knew this.

Knew from what Buck had told about her the first time she had been around, and from all that Eddie had heard about Buck's relationship to sex. It had turned into a joke at the station, oh, Buck and his self-diagnosed sex addiction, but Eddie recognized that worried little steeple on Bobby's forehead when he reminded everyone that that one therapist wasn't licensed to work for them anymore. But it went way deeper, didn't it?

Eddie knew about self-destructive behaviors. Not intimately. But he'd learned a lot about PTSD lately and adjacent behaviors. Buck and sex was a self-destructive bomb if he'd ever seen one.

And it was no coincidence that Taylor and Buck's relationship centered around physical intimacy.

Buck showed up where he was wanted or needed. They all knew that.

"Just... Make sure you get what you want too," Eddie said. "Put yourself first."

Cue the bewildered, insecure facial expression. Now and then Eddie wished he could hide Buck from the world. Shield him. For now all he could do was stand by.

"Because you'll always be wanted. Make sure the reasons are right for you. It has to be good for you."

And Eddie wouldn't be leaning so far out the window if Buck were to look him in the eyes and say 'nah it's not like that' but all he did was get quiet. Eddie couldn't leave him sitting like that, rearranging himself to stretch his legs out before they fell asleep and casually leaning his shoulder against Buck's.

"You're a good guy, Buck. You deserve only the best.

If you wanted Buck to hear you sometimes you had to get straight to the point.

Maybe one day Eddie could conquer his fear and say what he really wanted to say.

When they were both ready.

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves]

My review of beast wars!

(Warning:will contain spoilers, & profanity)

Beast wars! This one was a bit of a more difficult one to work with, versus Rescue bots. But let's start off with the reasons why it was an absolute delight.

Pros:

The characters were GREAT. I felt an immediate attachment to some of them, like Rattrap and Dinobot, and everyone had real strong personalities, making them easily different from one another. This show was also very hilarious in some episodes, from Megatron getting sick and tired of being called a 'Queen' by Inferno, to Rattrap's constant "well we're gonna fucking die", which I relate to. I also really enjoyed the more serious topics it handled, like Dinobot's shame and contemplation of killing himself, and the maximals just dealing with loss in general. I also really enjoyed the script writing, with no real interactions being too boring. I think the dialogue made me appreciate the characters enough to help me ease into the graphics. I also enjoyed the famous 'cartoon death' trope. By which i mean, Tom and Jerry style deaths, (i.e being flattened, literally shredded to ribbons) because it brings a bit of humor to some dark themes.

Cons:

Okay bear with me here, there was quite a number of things that I didn't appreciate/didnt care for. Right off the bat, your gonna have a problem with the graphics, if you aren't used to them. Shifting from transformers prime, to rescue bots, to beast wars, it hit me heavily. For the first few episodes I didnt think I'd ever be over how weird it looked (picture Gathers pond. Dont know what it is, look it up on YouTube). Course I grew to appreciate it, and this'll probably be a continuous issue with me, so I dont pit it too heavily against the show. (Especially given that this was made in 1996).

Some unnecessary tropes. For example, that Cheetor developed a crush on Blackarachnia, for her being the only fem there. It made him weird and harder for me to like, especially since he was going through his teenage douchebag phase. I also didn't like that everyones forms needed CONSTANT changing. Optimus I understand, he always get upgrades, but I feel like after the initial transmetals, that they should've stopped there. I get it, it was a show made for little kids, and this got their attention, but the constant upgrades was unnecessary for some characters. Like Cheetor especially, as well as Blackarachnia. Megatron I could deal with, because his made sense, getting the spark of Megatron, same as Optimus did.

Another thing I hated. The ending. It was tense, high energy, but the finale was kinda...well, not very serious. They joke about Megatron coming to Cybertron with them, because hes stuck on their ship, but what I really would've loved to happen was this; every predicon (minus Dinobot and Tarantulas, I'm happy with how they turned out), be arrested, brought to Cybertron in stasis cuffs, with Megatron peering through bars, clearly intent on breaking out. I just feel like he could've been handled more maturely. (Wasp was fine, he deserved worship).

Final verdict:8/10. This show wasnt perfect, and I have a million ideas for what could've been changed. Having said that, it was delightful to watch, it wasnt too long, I was invested in the characters, and I laughed quite a few times, as well as cried. All in all, while it has issues, Beast Wars is a GREAT show, and I highly recommend anyone to watch it. I'm proud of these guys 💗

[fipindustries]

a litttle romantic scene

i had to admit it, i was rather nervous, this was the first time we were actually alone with each other. It was the evening, the remains of our tea party were cooling rapidly in the table and she had moved on to the couch while i put away the butter and the toast back in the kitchen.

when i returned to the living room she was sprawled with the full extension of her considerably lenghty body across the upholstery but she coiled back into a nervous pose the second she noticed me. this made me supress a frown. it was a pity, that she felt she had to keep that side of herself away from stranger’s eyes, but  even more pityful that the habit carried over to include my eyes as well.

i had seen glimpses of her true nature here and there. of course that included the first time we actually properly had a conversation, that day beneath the football bleachers when i was trying to hide my self from others and she was doing much the same. but ever since then in three other ocassions i had seen her true self poke out.

once it had been at the theatre, she had happened to sit two seats next to me and she hadnt noticed. i saw the expression she carried in her face while watching the movie. eyes wide open, a dopy toothy grin extending ear to ear, a slight trail of drool hanging from her lower lip, her entire posture was agressively leaning forwards like she was about to jump from her seat and into the screen. at one point someone attended their cell phone in the middle of the show and i could see the abject rage, the pure expression of undiluted digust that crossed her face. i actually got scared that she was going to attack the guy but the call was quickly over and her body snapped back to her previous position, absolute unaware bliss taking over her expression.

the second time i was driving across the streets of our tiny town late at night, my head was throbbing and i was desperatly looking for a place to buy an aspirin, and i saw her at the park sitting by the water fountain. she had taken a look around to make sure noone else was staring and she jumped into the water. i stayed there staring, not because i minded other people’s business but because i saw she wasnt poking out. right when i decided it was time to jump out of the car to see if i had to rescue her she jumped out taking a big gulp of air and giggling loudly.

the third time it was in the high school yard, i saw her eat a bug. we were both 15. she didnt look like she enjoyd it or like she wanted to do it, rather like she had no other option but to do it, like someone was pointing a gun to her head.

there were hundreds of other small examples, moments where her body language had seemed to be a bit too intense, where her eyes were opened a bit too wide while she heard you talk, moments in the cafeteria where she seemed to eat her food a bit too loudly. they all came accompanied by that moment where she would notice someone else staring and she would immediatly snap into a more “normal” behavior with a pained expression.

i hated that pained expression, i hated that it was hiding something beneath, i hated knowing that whatever was peaking beneath that mask was just the tip of the iceberg, i hated how the curiosity was eating me up on the inside to fathom the depths of what laid beneath.

i sat next to her in the couch, staring into her eyes which she kept focused on her hands that were anxiously tangling with each other on her lap.

“so, its only us now” i said “you dont have to worry anymore”

“i know” she said with a tiny voice, and yet she kept looking away.

it took me a while to notice she wasnt just staring away from me but rather specifically at something else. the light on the ceiling.

her body seemed to be vibrating with the sheer energy that she was exerting to keep her limbs still. her mouth was shut so tight that her lips were gone.

“noone’s looking” i said

“you are”

“oh”

i stood up and turned off the lights. as soon as i did that i heard the coils in the couch bounce as if she had collapsed on top of it. i walked hesitantly in the darkness toward her and before i could tell i was near i felt her grip in one of my wrist. i let out a little yelp, startled and she let me go instantly.

“sorry” she said with the tiniest voice

“no, its ok, i was just surprised, you can grab me if you want”

slower now, her fingers wrapped around my wrist. and then her other hand grabbed my elbow and then another hand grabbed my shoulder. No, wait, that had been her first hand that had released my wrist. she didnt have three hands.

she pulled me into the couch.

i had no idea what was coming, all i knew is that i was willing to let her do as she pleased.

a lot happened.

im sure there was no inch of my body she didnt prod, pinched or caressed with her fingers. she poked both my nostrils and my belly button, she articulated my hands in every possible configuration, she chewed on my hair and on the dry, wrinkled skin of my elbow. she blew air into my mouth and out my nose. she bit my nails and blew a raspberry into my armpit. i tried to bear it without laughing, though once or twice i had to ask her to stop because it hurt a little.

in two ocassions i stole a kiss from her lips, once when she was rubbing her cheek against mine to feel the hairs of my beard and another when she was holding my face still, forcing my eyelids open to pierce into my eyes with her gaze. in both times she giggled surprised, like the thought hadnt even crossed her mind that this was also an option.

the session ended with her holding me, arms wrapped around my torso, holding my arms pressed against my body and legs wrapped around mine like the snakes on the caduceus. her face burried deep in the crook of my neck. we stayed like that for twenty minutes before she fell asleep.

i untangled my self carefully and let her rest on the couch. i finished putting the cups away and went back with the intention of covering her with a blanket and then going to sleep to my own room

when i saw her lying there, legs sprawled every which way and drool staining the couch i decided i didnt mind the consequences and laid next to her, cuddling. i allowed myself to drift to sleep knowing that my parents were going to come somewhere in the middle of the night and find both of us like that in the living room. we had our clothes on but still, it was going to be an awkward scenario.

we dreamed, cheek to cheek with a smile in both our faces.”

[kj-nixon]

happy v day

On any other day, it would be nearly impossible to wake KJ up before 10am. You would have to fire a gun next to her. It was actually a major concern of her family’s, but she had always been more of a night owl than an early bird.

But today was Valentine’s Day. And this year she was going to do something fantastic for Hunter.

Last night, she had stolen his Apple Watch after he had fallen asleep and set the alarm to vibrate on her wrist at 7. She hated the thing because she felt the radiation from it would lead to arthritis. Bailey had tried to explain that that wasn’t how arthritis worked, but KJ was still skeptical. Regardless, it was the only way she could think of setting an alarm without also waking up Hunter.

God damn, 7am. Any later and Hunter would probably wake up on his own and ruin the surprise. Why did he have to be such an adult?

KJ grinned at that. That’s why she loved him.

As gracefully as she could manage, which wasn’t all that graceful if you knew KJ, she slipped out of their queen sized bed and tip toed to the kitchen. Their apartment was more of an open loft. A giant, brick square with only the bedroom and tiny bath distorting the shape by jutting out to the side. Looking at the floor plan, she had never quite been able to figure out how it interlinked with the other apartments, but really, did it matter? It suited them perfectly. The kitchen was as much a part of the living room as it was the dining room.

Open concept, open vibes.

They had it decorated as some combination of industrial modern and cozy, and the kitchen was pretty much the same. The tricky part was that KJ so rarely actually opened their cabinets that it took her a few attempts to find the pans she needed. Eventually, though, she got the bacon onto the gas stove and started on making breakfast in bed.

Hunter was, hands down, the best thing to happen to her. She knew she said it a lot, but it was just facts. Without him, she would probably be chasing yet another degree that she wouldn’t complete. He rescued her. Of course, he’d never admit it, but KJ and her siblings knew that she was kind of worthless without him.

And she was worthless, no doubt about it. Worthless against conventional standards. She couldn’t keep a job, her temper kept her from really being too great a people person, and without help her living space would be a dump. But she thrived in a space where you could let her be expressive, and Hunter provided her that. He encouraged her to be as creative and goofy and obnoxious as she wanted. And, somehow, they had figured out how to monetize it online. The cookie crumbled perfectly in that way.

She wanted to get lost in all the different ways she loved him, but it was almost impossible to actually start a list. Because as soon as she thought of one detail, it was almost immediately replaced and forgotten with another. He was just.... her world. She was obsessed with him. And she was pretty sure he was equally obsessed with her.

She assumed. She hoped.

KJ wasn’t actually a secure person. Some would even dare to call her insecure. And she felt justified in her anxiousness. Comparing herself to others was one of her most developed skills, and she never could measure up. So, if by some chance a girl who was just as pretty as she was, but twice as responsible came along, was there really any doubting that Hunter would take an interest? He was actually the perfect, functioning adult. One day he’d realize he was tired of babysitting a grown child. She just hoped it was on his death bed. Because KJ quite actually couldn’t live without him.

They’d be together forever if she had any say. And if you know any Faline, they have a lot to say.

And so what if they weren’t legally linked? KJ loved being with him no matter what. Did she sometimes dream about having the big wedding? Sure. Did she ever wonder if he even thought about asking her to get married? Yeah. Was she kind of concerned that he hadn’t asked yet because he didn’t want to permanently link himself to her in such a way that it would be difficult to leave her when he was ready? Who the fuck asked you?!

KJ’s brain snapped back to the kitchen when she smelled the smoke. While zoning out, she had splashed bacon grease onto the range and started a fire. Fucking ADHD.

What were you supposed to use on a grease fire again? All she could remember was not water, but she needed to put it out before the alarms went off and woke Hunter up.

Um.

Ummmm.

Flour!

Kj had no idea where they kept flour, or if they even had it, but the pancake mix sitting on the counter was the next best thing. Without giving herself a moment to second guess it, she dumped the box of powder onto the stove.

Well... on the stove, in the pan, and on the floor, technically.

She stared at it, willing it to not be all over the place. But, alas, there it was.

Kayla Jane, you’re an idiot.

But at least the apartment wasn’t up in flames.

Sighing, she dropped the empty box on the counter and skated to the corner deigned the living room in her socks. Her sleep tank and shorts were covered in mix now, but when was she ever put together? KJ picked up her phone and quickly ordered Postmates from their favorite diner, like the proper millennial she was. Should’ve done it in the first place, but she wanted to be romantic.

The second phase of the morning was cute enough anyway. It didn’t take her long to get her computer hooked up to their TV and get started on touching up the final bits of editing for her next video. KJ had become pretty savvy with anything techy since her career on YouTube took off. Not that she understood a single thing about engineering or how any of the machines actually functioned, but she could put it all together and operate it pretty easily if you gave her twenty minutes and a 5 Hour Energy to figure it out.

The doorbell rang and she ran to grab their food, knowing full well that he’d definitely get up for that. If he hadn’t smelled the smoke already.

Sure enough, Hunter stepped out of their room just as she finished unpacking their breakfast. KJ would never get over how insanely tall and good looking he was. Like, it wasn’t even fair.

But she sure did appreciate having the injustice in her bed.

He smiled at her and chuckled, probably laughing at how messy she was.

“Don’t go to the kitchen,” she warned, pointing a finger at him threateningly.

“It kind of smells like I should,” he replied.

“You absolutely should not. You should come kiss me and get your present instead.”

“That does sound much more pleasant.”

He graciously leaned down so she could stand on her toes and give him a peck on the mouth. She guided him to sit in front of the television and placed his food in front of him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sunshine.”

Patience wasn’t really a Faline trait either, so she only gave him enough time to take two bites of food before she climbed into his lap and face the TV. “Okay, I made something.”

“You did? For me?”

“For you.”

“I’m touched.”

“You will be.”

“So will you.” He winked.

She licked his cheek. Then she pressed the enter key on her keyboard.

The video went live on her channel. A shaky close up of Hunter’s forehead came on screen. You could hear KJ’s laughter over the speakers as the camera zoomed out and you were able to see the picnic set up from one of their earliest dates. Minute by minute, the video played through a compilation of vlogs from the last four years of their relationship. Some were of their travel adventures, others were at home where Hunter was obviously unaware that she wasn’t filming. Two consisted of KJ being home alone, lamenting her state of abandonment while Hunter was on a business trip. Every clip, every piece, was carefully chosen to show how perfect they were.

KJ had been on social media for the last three years, but she had never made her relationship public to her audience. Anything regarding Hunter was posted to her private accounts that only friends and family could see. Even her family was often used as clickbait. But Hunter had been reserved as a secret, or marketed as just a friend. And she had never quite been able to explain why.

Part of it had been that she was afraid of karma. If she put them out their publicly, then maybe they’d break up and she’d have to announce to the world that she was alone and her person had left her. Or maybe it was because she was selfish and didn’t want him to get any attention outside of her (and Simon.)

But, around Christmas, she had decided that she wanted the entire planet to know how mad she was for her. She wanted her audience, people she loved and was inspired by, to see how lucky she was.

And she would cut any bitch who tried to bat a single eyelash at him.

The video was only about five minutes long, nowhere near the length of her usual challenges and vlog segments, but there was four years of love pieced throughout it. And she prayed to the universe that he got the bigger picture.

That she loved him more than anything on the entire planet.

It ended and she stretched her head back to see his expression, a proud smile on her face. For a moment, he just continued staring at the screen.

She knew it would take a moment to buffer in his brain. They had discussed forever ago that they’d never go public and he was okay with that. Hunter had never cared one way or the other, but KJ had insisted.

Now...

He looked down at her and she saw his blue eyes glisten. It made her smile wider. He was such an emotional tall man.

Climbing around to wrap her arms and legs around him, she sat up to look him directly in the face. “You’re my person. I’ve staked my claim across the globe now. So if any skanks try to make a move on you while you’re wherever your stupid job sends you, you now have live proof to show them that I will hunt them down and burn their eyebrows off.”

“Oh, it’ll have them and their eyebrows shaking in their kitten heels.” He grinned.

She kissed him. Hard.

“I love you, Green Giant.”

“I love you too, Thumbilina.”

KJ tucked her head into the crook of his neck and gave a happy sigh.

“So... What did you burn?”

“Oh my god, SHUT UP!”