#and it was because id think 'today could be my last day- i may as well eat what i want now'

[caffeinatedopossum]

I went grocery shopping today and realized just how much stronger I've gotten since pre-recovery and now I suddenly don't wanna relapse

[praisethegabs]

FREAK

Re2r!Leon x Scientist!Reader

synopsis: Leon is a test subject, a freak. He can't remember the world outside, and he doesn't have any notion of time. All he knows is pain. He doesn't have any hope left. He knows he'll die in there, completely alone, traumatized and scared. Until he meets you, the new leading supervisor.

warnings: angst, mentions of torture, blood, psychological abuse, trust issues, umbrella being umbrella. If you feel uncomfortable with this type of subject, DO NOT read it.

word count: 5106k

a/n: i got inspired by the c.ai bot from driftedlovers and made my own version after weeks chatting with the said bot. dividers are from @cafekitsune ♡

some people survive chaos, and this is how they grow. and some people thrive in chaos because chaos is all they know (unknown author)

Inside the white walls, Leon had no idea how the day was outside, if it was cold, raining, or if it was a sunny day.

He had no windows. All he could see was white every day.

He was there for so long that he barely remembered anything from the outside. His last memory from the world outside was something blue until he woke up inside that padded room.

Now, Leon used to be experimented with almost every day.

He hated when those doctors went inside his room to take him somewhere else. He knew he would feel pain and return to his room with new open wounds, purple marks, and blood. Why? He can't answer.

The only thing he knew was that he was kidnapped by Umbrella. He was their lab rat. A helpless man who was abused and experimented every single day. They didn't care about him at all. He tried to escape a thousand times, but he failed every single one of them.

Today, however, was the worst.

Leon came back from another round of tests and experiments, and he was bleeding a lot. His entire body seemed to be burning with excruciating pain. He was on the verge of tears. He crawled to his bed, his body shaking. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to imagine somewhere peaceful, where he couldn't be hurt or touched by those monsters.

His eyes were about to cry when he heard someone walking inside. He slowly opened his eyes, his heart already beating faster inside his chest with pure fear. He was hoping to be one of the scientists, ready to take him again to the room.

But it wasn't one of the monsters.

"Hey" you said gently at him, your hand holding a first aid kit. "May I?"

You were pointing to his side, he followed your finger to his direction and with those scared eyes, he slightly nodded his head. Leon was taught — in the painful method — he wasn't allowed to talk with the scientists, only to talk when he was spoken to, and he could only say "yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am".

"I'm not gonna hurt you" You smiled very friendly at him, getting closer and kneeling next to his side. "It's okay, you can talk to me. I'm not gonna punish you"

"Who are you?" Leon asked, his voice full of suspicious and fear. You knew he was scared. You actually could tell he was terrified.

"I'm a cool and friendly scientist" You smiled and noticed that his eyes were on your ID, where he could read your name. "I'm the new supervisor. I saw that your ID is Experiment N⁰ One, but I'm not interested in titles and IDs. Can you tell me your name?"

Leon was now shocked. All the time he was in there, no one cared to know his name. To them, he was just a freak, an abomination. A lab rat. But you, you weren't like the others. You were the first person to show him kindness.

"I'm... Leon" he said, and the sound of his own name made him think he almost forgot who he was.

"Nice to meet you, Leon" You smiled again, stretching your hand so he could shake it. You noticed his arm full of scars, new cuts, and blood. "Let's take a look at those injuries, shall we?"

Leon watched you cautiously, his eyes filled with suspicion and fear. He had learned the hard way not to trust anyone in this place. But there was something about your demeanor that made him hesitate. You seemed genuinely concerned for his well-being.

You carefully cleaned and dressed his wounds, your touch surprisingly gentle. As you worked, you noticed the fear in Leon's eyes and spoke in a reassuring tone,

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Leon. I'm here to help, not to hurt." You said gently, using a wet cotton to clean one of his wounds.

You began to clean his wounds with a gentle touch, the antiseptic sting a harsh reminder of his painful existence. Leon winced as you tended to a particularly deep gash on his arm. Then, as if unable to contain his thoughts any longer, he spoke in a soft, broken voice.

"I miss the outside world," he admitted, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I don't understand why they're using us for these cruel and painful experiments. We're humans, not lab rats."

You paused for a moment, your hands still on his injured arm. Your eyes met his, filled with a mixture of empathy and helplessness.

"I know, Leon," you whispered, your voice trembling slightly. "I wish I had answers for you, but I'm just as much a pawn in this as you are. All I can do is try to ease your pain."

Leon went silent again. He had every reason to be suspicious towards you, and you couldn't blame him for this. Although your touch was gentle, and you moved with a quiet assurance that contrasted with the harsh, you could still feel the clinical atmosphere of the facility. Leon couldn't help but be suspicious, a feeling he had grown accustomed to over time.

As you worked, you noticed the fear in Leon's eyes, the deep-rooted mistrust that had taken hold of him after countless experiments and cruel treatment. You paused again for a moment, looking into his eyes with genuine concern.

"Leon," you began softly, "I can see that you're scared, and you have every reason to be. But I want you to know that I'm different. I'm not like the others who have come before me."

Leon regarded you with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. He had heard similar promises in the past, only to be let down.

"I promise you, Leon, I'll be back to keep you some company. You're not just an experiment here. And I believe in treating you with the respect and kindness you deserve." You continued, yourr voice unwavering.

Leon studied your face, searching for any hint of deception, but he found none. Perhaps it was the sincerity in your eyes, or maybe it was the exhaustion of isolation that made him yearn for human connection once more.

"Okay," Leon whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of hope and fear. "I'll be here."

"I'll be back, Leon. You're not alone in this anymore." You smiled, a glimmer of warmth in the cold, white, and sterile room.

With that promise, you finished cleaning Leon's wounds and left the room, leaving him with a newfound sense of anticipation and a flicker of hope that had long been extinguished. He was wondering why you were so kind at him because he was betrayed before. He had no reason to trust you.

Leon lay on the bed of his room, the sterile walls bearing silent witness to his torment. The memory of your unexpected kindness lingered in his mind like a flickering candle in the dark. He couldn't help but wonder why you had been different from the others, why you had chosen to treat his wounds with care.

His thoughts churned with suspicion and confusion. The trauma of the countless painful experiments he had endured had left him scarred, both physically and mentally. He had learned to trust no one in this sterile prison, where cruelty was the norm.

As Leon's mind raced, his heart pounded with anxiety. He questioned whether your kindness had been genuine or if it was merely a cruel ploy to manipulate him further. The fear that he had been fooled gnawed at him, twisting his already frayed nerves into tighter knots.

Hours turned into days, and Leon's stress and paranoia grew. He replayed every interaction with you in his mind, dissecting your words and actions for any signs of deceit. But the more he thought, the less he understood. You seemed genuinely different, but how could he be sure?

In the suffocating silence of his padded room, Leon's thoughts became a torment of their own. He longed for answers for a sliver of hope to cling to, but the shadows of doubt and fear loomed large. All he could do was wait, haunted by the uncertainty of your true intentions and the relentless trauma that had brought him to this point.

You were so busy during the weeks that you had no time to see anybody.

You were full with paperwork to do, files to read, and new reports to send to oversight. One file took all of your attention; it was the one from Leon. That said file had every report from the tests he was submitted into and what every supervisor before you did to him. You brought his file to your home. You needed to understand his condition better. All you knew was that he was there for years and he probably couldn't remember his own age. He was taken into the lab at a very young age, and he had no contact with the exterior.

No family, no friends. He was an orphan.

That's why he was the perfect subject for Umbrella. If he died, no one would come crying to collect his body. He had excellent grades at school, and he aspired to be a cop, which was according to his essays; Leon had everything the scientists were looking for, and that's why he was abducted so young. The sad part?

That boy was broken inside and out. His file had pictures of him being tested, naked, and exposed to a lot of painful experiments. They were doing atrocities with him, and now you could understand why he was looking terrified at you.

He was, at one point, drugged and abused. Those scientists under your supervision did a lot of things on him, and the more you read his file, the more disgusted you felt.

As you read through the file, your heart ached for Leon. You had met him only a few days ago, but in that short time, you had seen glimpses of the pain and trauma that haunted him. Now, with this file in your hands, you finally understood the full extent of his suffering.

The decision was clear in your mind.

You had to befriend him and offer him solace and support. In his condition, being manipulated, tortured and abused, hidden from the world, and unable to see the sun, Leon needed someone who wouldn't hurt him, someone who would stand by his side. You knew you had to do something. You needed time.

It was true that you were tired of everything you did for Umbrella Corporation.

Your soul was tainted with the horrors you made in the name of science. At least, you were trying to convince yourself you were doing good, even knowing you were actually drowned in chaos, your mind always remembering you that you were actually hurting others. You hated yourself every day.

You barely could look at your own image in the mirror.

At first, you were happy. After all, you have always been a loyal employee of Umbrella Corporation, working diligently in their research division. It was a prestigious job, one that paid well and provided you with a comfortable life. But it had also demanded your silence and your complicity in the face of questionable experiments and ethically dubious decisions.

But that thought changed after a year.

Suddenly, that beautiful image you had from them twisted into something dark and horrible. You had to face the truth, and it was crushing you.

You felt only shame and guilt. And it was burning you inside, and you couldn't sleep at night. Your conscience was heavy with everything you did for them, and now, you had one small opportunity to make things right. You had a small window, and you needed to act quickly.

After you arrived at the lab, the first thing you did was walk to his room. The security was high, but your ID card let you walk inside without any problem. And he was there. His white clothes had small spots of dried blood, and he seemed to be sleeping. You sighed.

"You came back" you hear him say, his voice surprised, and somehow, he wasn't so scared of you anymore.

"I told you I would come back. I'm sorry if I took long enough" you said, taking small steps towards him, because you don't know if he'll let you get closer.

"Why are you here?" Leon asks, and then you can notice he's fully aware and suspicious towards you. "Why do you care so much about me?"

"Let's just say... I want to make things right" you muttered, more to yourself than to him.

"I don't buy it" Leon looks at you, his eyes full of doubts and fears. Of course, he wouldn't trust you immediately. You needed to earn him first.

"I know, and you have every reason to do so. But I don't mind spending my time trying to convince you I mean no harm" you said, taking another step closer, as your hands lay next to your body to let him know you're telling the truth. "I'm the cool scientist, remember?"

Leon smirked, but it was a sarcastic one.

"All the others told me the same bullshit and look what happened to me!" He almost shouts, his voice sounds angry. "At the end of the day, you are all the same, and I end up bleeding with a new scar"

The tension in the room was palpable, like an electric charge in the air. Leon stood on one side, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his eyes locked in a steely glare. On the other side of the room, you were facing him with a calm determination that belied the storm raging within you.

"Leon, I need you to understand something," you finally began, your voice steady and resolute. "I said it before, but I won't hurt you. I know you don't trust me, but I promise you, I'm not here to harm you."

Leon's jaw tightened, and he took a step back, his distrust evident in every fiber of his being. He had been through too much in his life to simply trust someone, especially someone like you, who was a relative stranger.

"You're just like the others" Leon muttered, his voice a low growl. "And you're here only to bring me more pain"

"I know you've been let down in the past, Leon. But I want to help you. I believe in you, and I'm committed to seeing you well" You took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to break through Leon's wall of suspicion.

Leon's eyes flickered with a mix of anger and uncertainty. He had heard promises like this before, and they had always led to disappointment. He couldn't afford to be let down again, not when so much was at stake.

"Why should I believe you?" Leon demanded, his voice rising.

You took a step closer, closing the physical gap between the both of you, but realizing that the emotional gap was still vast.

"Because I've been where you are, Leon. I've faced my own demons and fought my own battles. I know what it's like to be in a dark place, and I want to be the light that guides you out of it." You said to him, your voice still showing respect and kindness.

Leon's anger seemed to waver, but he wasn't ready to let his guard down completely.

"Actions speak louder than words," he said, his voice softer now, but still laced with doubt.

"You're absolutely right, Leon. I can make promises all day, but it's my actions that will prove my sincerity. Give me a chance to show you that I mean what I say." You nodded in understanding.

As you extended your hand toward Leon, he hesitated for a moment before reluctantly reaching out to shake it. Your hands met, and in that simple gesture, a fragile bridge of trust began to form. You knew that gaining Leon's trust would be a long and challenging journey, but you were determined to prove to him that you are different, that you were there to help him heal, not hurt him.

Two months had passed by since your first meeting, and that day, you told him you weren't there to hurt him.

And every since that day, Leon still had trouble to trust you, despite all the attempts to befriend him. You were trying, and you knew you were getting in there. Slowly, but effective.

Leon had become all too familiar with the routine of his daily experiments. Each morning, they would escort him down the cold, sterile hallways of the facility, his heart heavy with dread. The scientists, faceless behind their masks and lab coats, were relentless in their pursuit of knowledge, no matter the cost.

Today was different, though. As they strapped him onto the cold metal table, he felt a shiver of apprehension. The restraints were tighter, the needles sharper, and the machines more ominous. Leon's breath quickened as he watched them prepare the apparatus, their voices hushed in clinical conversation.

"Definitely a freak" one of them muttered, and the other laughed. "I mean... look at him. Looks like a walking corpse or whatever he looks like"

Leon was also used to the mean comments they made about him. It was easy for them to mock him. After all, they didn't starve the way Leon did. They weren't underweight as he was, and, of course, they had a place to call home, where they could live a normal life — something that was taken from him.

The first shock sent searing pain coursing through his veins. Leon's body arched in agony, his screams echoing off the sterile walls. He clenched his fists, trying to endure the torment, but his willpower crumbled with each successive jolt.

Hours passed, or maybe it was mere minutes, but to Leon, it felt like an eternity. He lost track of time as they pushed him beyond his limits, subjecting him to doses of needles, shocks, burns, and the ice room. The pain was excruciating, and he wondered how much more his frail body could endure.

Finally, they released him from the restraints, and Leon fell to the cold, hard floor. He was drenched in sweat, his body trembling with the aftermath of the ordeal. His mind was a fog of agony, and he struggled to make sense of his surroundings as they dragged him back to his padded room.

As they locked the heavy door behind him, Leon crumpled to the ground, more hurt than he had ever been before. The pain was unbearable, but there was something else too — an overwhelming sense of despair. He knew that tomorrow would bring another round of experiments, and he was trapped in this never-ending nightmare with no hope of escape.

The harsh, buzzing fluorescent lights above Leon's padded room flickered as the heavy door creaked open. Suddenly, you stepped inside, your footsteps muted by the cushioned floor. You carried a small medical kit and wore a look of sympathy that clashed with your usual clinical demeanor. Something that both of you were used to do, since you were promoted to supervision.

Leon lay on the floor, his body battered and broken from the day's experiments. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his face was contorted with pain. Silently, you knelt beside him, your gloved hands gentle as yoi began to assess his injuries.

The room was cold, the sterile walls offering no comfort. You worked in silence, tending to Leon's wounds with meticulous care that seemed out of place in this cold, heartless facility. You cleaned and dressed his wounds, your touch as tender as it was professional.

As you worked, Leon's eyes filled with tears. He had endured so much, and the pain had become his constant companion. But it was your expected kindness that broke the dam. The tears streamed down his face, and he choked back sobs, unable to contain the flood of emotions that overwhelmed him.

You paused in your ministrations, your eyes meeting Leon's with a mixture of understanding and sorrow. You didn't say a word, but your presence alone offered a glimmer of humanity in this otherwise soulless place.

Leon's sobs became louder, and his body was now jointing. He felt pain, and he was truly scared. He couldn't hold his feelings anymore.

"Please, you have to help me. They... they won't stop. I can't take it anymore." Leon's tears flowed freely now as he looked up at you, his voice choked with pain and desperation.

Gently, you set aside your medical supplies and leaned closer to him, your voice soft and soothing.

"It's going to be okay, Leon," you whispered. "I promise you, I'll find a way to end your suffering. You don't deserve this. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure this ends".

"I... I can't do this anymore..." Leon sobs again, not caring with you seeing his tears. He was desperate. "Please..."

You sighed heavily, your heart aching with the sight of him hurt like that. You needed to help him. You needed to do something.

"I'll see what I can do" you whispered, then you wiped the tears from his eyes. "Now, take some rest"

Leon cried until he fell asleep, curled with his blanket. When you saw him like that, you knew you were done with Umbrella and everything they did. Something was forming inside your mind; a plan? An escape route? Where would you take him? How?

You had a lot of questions and, unfortunately, no answers.

Over the next weeks, you started to prepare your escape. You already had your resignation letter written and a safe location to take Leon. You even took a weekend off just to prepare the place to take him. You had medical supplies, clothes, food, and everything you both would need.

It was risky, but you needed to try.

You had secretly collected a stash of supplies over the months, carefully hidden away in the recesses of your country house. You knew the facility's routines and security measures like the back of your hand. You had observed the guards' shifts and the vulnerabilities in their surveillance. You were more than prepared.

This would be the night.

When you went inside his room, he wasn't there. You checked his schedule and saw he was — again — in the experiment room. You had finally reached your breaking point. You couldn't bear to see Leon's suffering continue any longer.

Leon's condition had deteriorated to the point where he could barely move, let alone stand. You knew you had to act swiftly and decisively. You had already obtained a wheelchair, hidden away in a storage closet for weeks, just waiting for the right moment. You walk inside the building, trying to find the right room. Your mind and heart racing with thousand of thoughts.

Until you hear him.

Strapped to a cold metal table, he braced himself for the pain he knew was coming. The first shock hit him like a lightning bolt, searing through his body and causing his muscles to convulse. Leon clenched his teeth, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to endure. The room echoed with his screams, a symphony of suffering that went unheard beyond these walls.

"Stop this experiment now!" You commanded, your voice cutting through the chaos as you burst into the room.

"But... why?" One of the scientists asks, confused.

"I've made a new schedule. He's not going to be tested today" you replied harshly.

The scientists froze, their instruments suspended mid-air. You hurried to Leon's side, releasing him from his restraints with urgency. You spared no time in scooping him up gently, cradling his trembling body in your arms.

"But what are we supposed to do now?" The same scientist asked again, still confused.

"There's another test subject. You can use them" you said, helping Leon stand up.

Saying that, you carried him out of the experiment room, Leon's vision blurred, and he could barely comprehend what was happening. He clung to the sensation of being held, of being rescued from the torment he was passing through.

You took him back to his padded room, laying him down on the bed. You knelt beside him, your expression a mix of sympathy and anger.

"Rest now, Leon," you said softly, brushing his hair away from his tear-stained face. "I won't let them hurt you like this anymore. This will end today, I promise"

Leon tried to mutter something, but he was so tired that his words were beyond comprehension. You went back to your office, just waiting for the perfect time.

You were nervous, and anyone could tell that you were more aggressive than usual, despite the fact that you were always kind to everyone. This plan needed to work, or both of you would definitely die. Your eyes were glued to the watch in your wall, and the time seemed to freeze.

Your heart ached, and you felt anxious.

When the clock finally turned midnight, you knew what you needed to do. Silently, with a heavy heart, you approached Leon's padded room, your pulse quickening with each step. You had prepared a syringe with a sedative, a necessary measure to keep him asleep and prevent him from experiencing any more pain.

Entering the room, you saw Leon lying on the padded bed, his eyes hollow and empty. His frail body was a mere shell of what it had once been, and you couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow for him. You administered the sedative with a gentle touch, whispering soothing words to him as he slipped into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Carefully, you lifted Leon's limp form and gently placed him in the wheelchair. You secured him with the safety straps, ensuring he wouldn't fall during their escape. Then you wheeled him out of the room, moving with purpose through the corridors, your heart heavy with the weight of your escape plan.

As you both approached your car parked discreetly in the shadows, you couldn't help but glance back at the facility you both were leaving behind — a place of horrors, pain, and despair. You had made a difficult choice, one that would change both of your lives forever, but you were determined to keep Leon safe, even if it meant going to great lengths to do so.

With Leon sedated and safely secured in the wheelchair, you carefully loaded him into your car, your eyes never leaving his peaceful, albeit frail form.

"I've got you" you whispered, covering his weak body with a blanket and then closing the door.

The night was a tapestry of stars above as you drove, your eyes fixed on the darkened road ahead. Hours stretched on, the miles slipping away beneath the tires of your car. In the back seat, Leon lay motionless, a fragile figure in the interior, protected by the cozy blanket and the warm air.

Every so often, you stole a glance at the rearview mirror, your worry etched on your face. You constantly checked on him to make sure he was still asleep and unharmed. His breathing was steady, a reassuring rhythm amidst the uncertainty of your journey.

The countryside passed by in a blur of shadowy trees and moonlit fields. You kept driving, the tension in your shoulders slowly easing as the miles between you two and the lab grew. You couldn't help but think about the risk you had taken, the consequences if you were caught, but the determined look in Leon's eyes when he had awakened for a brief moment had given you the strength to carry on.

Finally, you two arrived at your country house, a remote sanctuary nestled far from prying eyes. You parked the car in the driveway and carefully opened the back door. Leon remained peacefully asleep, his vulnerability tugging at your heartstrings.

Gently, she took him from the car to the wheelchair, your arms trembling with the weight of his frail form. You took him into the cozy house, the scent of pine and wood welcoming them. You placed him in a comfortable bed, covering him with a warm blanket.

You watched over him for a while, relief washing over you as you saw that he was still sleeping peacefully. You knew this new journey was far from over, that you both had many challenges ahead, but in this moment, under the soft moonlight that filtered through the curtains, Leon was safe.

As exhaustion finally caught up with you, you settled into a chair in the room, your eyes never leaving Leon's slumbering figure. You were determined to protect him, to give him a chance at a life free from the horrors of the lab.

The soft morning light filtered through the curtains of the country house, casting a gentle glow on the room. Leon began to stir, his eyelids fluttering open. Confusion washed over him as he realized he was no longer in the familiar confines of the lab.

Panic welled up within him, and he tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy and weak. As he struggled, tears welled up in his eyes, and he cried out in despair.

You had been dozing in a nearby chair, tired that you fell asleep quickly, then you awoke with a start. You rushed to Leon's side, your voice filled with soothing reassurance.

"Leon, it's alright. You're safe now. You're not in the lab anymore." You tell him, your voice calm and kind.

"I... I can't believe it," he stammered, his voice trembling. "Is this real?" Leon's breaths came in ragged sobs as he looked at you, his eyes searching for the truth in your words.

You nodded, your eyes filled with empathy.

"Yes, it's real," you whispered. "You're free now, Leon. No more experiments, no more pain."

Tears streamed down Leon's cheeks as he absorbed the reality of his situation. He had spent so long in that nightmarish place that the idea of escape had seemed impossible. But here, in this tranquil room, with you by his side, hope blossomed within him. You reached out and gently brushed the tears from his face.

"It's okay to cry, Leon," you said softly. "You've been through so much. But now, we're going to build a new life together, away from the lab."

As Leon's sobs gradually subsided, he clung to your words, the promise of a brighter future. In your compassionate presence, he began to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, he could leave the horrors of the lab behind and find a life filled with warmth and kindness.

Leon finally felt the sun touching his skin. Finally, he was allowed to see the sunrise and to see the world again.

He was free.

[copperbadge]

You know, I don't mind getting older; I'm perfectly happy not to be the same dumbass I was in my late twenties (I'm a totally different kind of dumbass now). What I'm not a huge fan of is aging. I woke up this morning hurting everywhere -- basically every muscle from neck to knees was sore or cramped or both. I know it's because I've been doing a lot of different work than normal (crouching, applying pressure with my arms, etc) but it still blows.

I had a list of cleaning stuff for today, but all of it was high-intensity, so I scrapped it and decided to put on a podcast I knew I'd like, move slowly, and only do what seemed feasible. I queued up I Don't Even Own A Television's "Pet Sematary" episode and set to work on changing out the linens on the sofa -- just changing the sheet, making sure none of the soft goods were dirty, and replacing the pillowcases on the pillows. The cats think of this sofa, which I rarely sit on, as "theirs", and Dearborn was very nervous about all of this, supervising me carefully.

[ID: Three images; on the left, Dearborn the tortie is crouched anxiously on a lurid orange Ikea sofa with all its back cushions missing. In the middle image she is hiding in a niche between the sofa and the wall, looking up at me anxiously. In the final image, the sofa has been covered with a burgundy sheet, the cushions are back in place, and a heap of brightly-colored pillows are piled on one end.]

I felt all right after doing that, so I decided I was okay to clean my desk. I know it still looks pretty messy but that's because I am manfully restraining myself from putting things in bins, since I need to have them out to remember they're there. If the hand cream and lip balm are out, I'll actually use them. (It's the time of year when my focal palmar peeling acts up; here's your annual reminder that if the skin of your palms dries up and peels, that may be focal palmar peeling and there are treatments!)

Polk supervised from the tower of storage bins nearby.

[ID: Two images; the left shows a desk, made of a glass top on sawhorse legs, with a table runner on it and two monitors on stands; several knicknacks and some toiletries are also visible. On the right, Polk the tabby is sitting on a large tupperware bin topped with a rumpled pillowcase, staring into the camera.]

I could have stopped there, but last night I'd put out some papers to deal with and it was easy sit-down work. I used to have a box of art -- postcards, prints, souvenirs, etc -- but I didn't like that I had it and never looked at it because it was just this box, so a while back I bought a "tabloid" sized art folio with archival-quality paper and sleeves, and I've started putting all that stuff into it. The first two images are just examples of what's stashed in it; the third image shows what I put into it this morning, which is two postcards from the Europe trip and the original "annotated family tree" that shows up in The Lady And The Tiger.

Got almost exactly an hour into the two-hour podcast when I finished, so a good day's work done even if I was creaking along like a rickety house in a high wind.

[sugusatosluut]

“Just another casualty”

Suguru Geto x Fem!reader smut

When you started jujutsu high with Satoru and Suguru, you had a blast getting to know them. Catching the train after school, skipping Yaga’s class on Wednesdays, grabbing lunch together during your free hour.. it used to be so much fun until you started to get assigned missions. One mission really got to Suguru though. Protecting the star plasma vessel for Tengen. Even though you tried your best to console Suguru, you couldn’t begin to imagine how the trauma was affecting him, he ultimately uttered his last hurtful words to you which ended your relationship with him.

Today, you and Satoru’s students were lured to see Suguru, who wanted Yuuta Okkotsu all to himself to use against non-sorcerers and of course, take out the strongest himself, Satoru Gojo. On the way to find Yuuta’s student ID, you and Satoru engaged in a private conversation as you watched the students look around.

“It wasn’t on you to make him stay. It was my fault. I should have pushed harder. Tried harder. Suguru was my best friend and I let him down.” Satoru sighed standing next to you.

“It’s not your fault either. Sometimes people are experts at hiding their pain until they think they are utterly alone. Suguru was one of those people. I’m sure Yuki didn’t intend serious malice with what she said to Suguru.. but words have meaning to people who aren’t usually in the right headspace after a lot of trauma. At the end of the day none of us knew he was going to wipe out his entire village. Hurt people, hurt people Satoru.” You spoke softly.

“I know.. I know the two of us could only wish that we were there or could change how things played out, but there’s no use of us beating ourselves up about it. I can only tell you I’m here for you in the way that I should have been from the start. The way we wished we could have been for Suguru.” He gave you a smile while taking your hand in his.

“Thanks Satoru.” You smiled.

“Hey, weird question but were those rumors ever true? The ones about you and Suguru?” He chuckled.

“Oh- y-yeah. They were. I’m a little embarassed but we were very horny teenagers. We may have teased and taunted eachother but underneath all that aggravating banter was quite a lot of sexual tension. That’s why we seemed like good friends after a while.”

“Hmm.. okay. I only bring it up because one time Suguru briefly brought up something called the “jackhammer”..”

“Oh-god Satoru stop right there.” You chuckled at him.

“I’m just curious.” He chuckled back at you.

You decided to whisper to him what it was, Satoru’s face turning a deep red at the description of you and suguru’s ‘jackhammer’ term.

You both were laughing quietly to yourselves as you both heard the haunting voice of Suguru.

“Keeping secrets are we? I thought I knew you better than that y/n.” Suguru smiled

You froze, the last moments you spent together suddenly replaying through your head.

5 years ago

“Suguru-I can’t explain to you how bad this sounds right now. You killed your whole village? Stay where you are I’m coming to you.” You said panicked.

You heard from Yaga, Shoko and Satoru about what he’d done. They knew he’d pick up for you and only want to see you, so they told you the information knowing you’d venture out to see him. Little did you know this would be your last time seeing your boyfriend.

You and Geto had something you’d always dreamed of, you were always very clear and and honest with eachother, but Suguru’s actions really led you into a full fledged panic. You couldn’t believe he’d done something like this. You waited until he opened the door for you, his head tired and barely poking out the crack of the door. His face perked up a bit when he realized it was you. He looked exhausted. The Suguru Geto you knew was always calm, this Suguru that stood before you was something different.

He wasted no time, his kisses flooding your body as he pulled your body close to his warm one, his strong arms holding you flat and tight against his chest. You didn’t dare talk, this was his time right now, he was emotional, he needed comfort and if this was how he wanted to do it, so be it. You would do anything to see him smile or be as happy as he once was again.

Suguru’s long big fingers traced shapes on your back as he placed you on top of him, your bodies on the couch together as he rutted his hips into yours, grinding in a way that had you fully entranced. You couldn’t explain it but his golden brown eyes were so hypnotic and enchanting, all he had to do was ask and you’d be on your knees doing whatever he asked of you. He opened your blouse, his eyes grazing over your facial features before pulling the cup of your laced bra down and attaching his lips to your sensitive nipple. Your moans filled the air, high pitched sounds sounding like music to Suguru’s ears. You couldn’t help but close your eyes as he had one hand on your hip holding you down as he created friction, and the other was gripping your other breast. Suguru was ecstatic, smiling as he sucked harder and groaned with slightly parted lips at how nasty you let him be with you. He eventually had enough of this prolonged clothed friction and stopped himself. You both got up, taking all of your clothes off back to back. You were only in the lace panties as you turned around to face Suguru. Your eyes were hopeful as he smiled at you. The kind of grin he does when he’s content with what’s happening. The closed eyes, the small curve upwards of his lips that don’t dare to show teeth. His long eyelashes made it so hard to resist. He turned back towards the fireplace, then back at you. He gently motioned you back to the couch, your body taking a position in which Suguru now had you sitting, but folded. Your legs sat on his shoulders as his lips placed kisses on your pussy.

He looked up at you with a smirk as he licked a strip up your puffy clit as a small test run. Your small mewls escaping your lips made him grin with satisfaction. He couldn’t wait any longer, slurping and lapping at your hole. He shoved two of his fingers down your throat and the sound of you gagging just released something within him. He stood up, his six foot three inch figure standing over you.

“C’mere.. Get on your knees.” He smirked

You obeyed, because giving Suguru any type of satisfaction was always on your mind. He was taking in the view as he slid his throbbing angry pink tip all over your lips.

“Good girl y/n. So slutty and beautiful just for me.”

You parted your lips slightly.

“Relax your throat, take all of me.”

He slid his cock down your throat at a slow pace, then gripped your head tightly as he fucked your face. The small gagging sounds only making him become more rough as he pulled your head back and forth. He was getting close, you could tell.

“Up bunny.”

He took his placed on the couch, lying on his back. You got on top of him and his cock slid up and down your slit. This was perfect, you were perfect. Suguru didn’t want this to end, but it was far too much for him to ask you to run away with him.

You sunk down on his cock, yelping.

“Y/n, did I hurt you?”

“No, Suguru just keep going I can do it.” You closed your eyes.

“Ride me my little bunny.”

You both were panting, Suguru couldn’t take it anymore as he held your waist tightly. He thrusted up into you and the feeling in your stomach intensified.

“I’m-“

“Me too.” He said. His trusts becoming sloppier and sloppier. Finally, it felt like fireworks as both of you came. Suguru held you tightly before letting you pick your upper body up, still allowing his cock to stay inside you. You caressed his face and he pulled you in for what would ultimately be your final kiss.

He looked ashamed.

“Suguru, what’s on your mind?” You asked. You got up, letting his cock slide out of you. You grabbed a wrobe that he kept for you on the coat hangar.

“Y/n. You’re a non sorcerer.” He sighed.

“Okay.. everybody knows that. What’s your point?” You chuckled. It was a nervous one. You could tell he was serious.

“We can’t do this anymore. We can not keep pretending this will work. In your head, you think we’re perfect— that I can protect you around every bumpy road. You’re a non sorcerer. You rely on special grade weapons and you’ll only get in the way. You’re just another casualty y/n. That’s all you are to me now.”

Your heart shattered into a million pieces, but if this is what Suguru wanted, you’d let him have this last wish.

“okay.. you win.” You smiled weakly at him, tears threatening to fall from your waterline. It really broke his heart I say these awful things to you.

You put your clothes back on before straightening your emotions out. This is the part where you’d walk away for good.

[michelleleewise]

this may be a strange request but i couldn’t get the idea out of my brain, this could totally be a multi part or just a one shot.

my idea was that the reader (female) was taken & sold from jotunheim at a very young age, in my head it was because of her magical abilities and so they could be used / warped for mass destruction, but you could make it whatever you’d like. Now how she’s ended up on earth is completely your decision but id love a little angst for it, the setting would be post nyc take over & rehabilitation by the avengers for loki.

the team is called out to raid an undocumented base for illegal experimental weapons & the last thing any of them expected to find was y/n. Young adult & Smaller than average for a female frost giant. how you wanna shape her personality is up to you she could either be shy, scared and they need to break through to her or she could be a confident & covertly trained weapon who’s worlds just been completely blown because this is the first time she seeing someone who looks like her. she didn’t know there were people out there who did.…

as for loki’s perspective, though he’s come to terms with being a frost giant by blood, he still has his insecurities & thinks blue is by far the least appealing color. so why is it when he sees this mysterious woman, he’s absolutely enraptured by this dark blue beauty???

if it’s dumb im sorry lol🤣

Hiiiii!!! Sorry it took me so long to get to this!!!! I'm catching up on my requests!! And absolutely NOT a dumb idea!!! I love it!!!! I am gonna make it multi chapter.....I think one won't be enough. Hope you like it!!!! 💙❄️💙❄️

====================================

Blue Dhalia

Pairing: Avengers Loki x Female Jotun reader

Warnings: mentions of abduction, mentions of torture, forced imprisonment, experimentation, mentions of malnutrition, nothing too explicit.

Summary: for as long as you could remember you were imprisoned and sold to the highest bidder, until a green eyed man changed everything...

Part one-

**dividers by @firefly-graphics

"Hey, get up. Doctor is ready for you." The man said banging on your cell. You slowly opened your eyes, looking up as the door flipped open, the long pole that you were used to coming into view as it hooked to the collar around your neck. "Let's go, I don't have all day." The man said pulling you out. You squinted in the light, trying to get your bearings when you were drug down the long hallway to where the doctor was. You looked at your arms, seeing the experiments from the day before had healed, wondering what they were going to try today.....maybe the heat again....

You were brought into the same room you had spent so many hours in. It was colorless, all grey and white, only a few desks in the corner and a long silver table set up in the middle if the room, restraints hanging from it. They had to change them a few times trying to find ones that wouldn't break. You closed your eyes coming up to the table, trying to think of anywhere else. "On the table freak." The man said yanking the pole. You growled, trying to lunge at the man feeling a jolt run through your body making your muscles stiffen as you hit the floor.

"Are we feeling fiesty today?" The man asked standing over you, your muscles convulsing. "Get her on the table, and remember don't touch her." He called out. You saw two men come over wearing thick gloves, grabbing your wrists and ankles lifting you onto the table slipping the restraints on. "Ok doctor, she's ready" the man called out. You turned your head seeing the man in the white coat come in carrying some papers. "Well well, lovely to see you again." He said walking to the table. "But, I think for your little stunt no dinner tonight." He said setting the papers down. "Now, should we try the heat again today?" He asked making you whimper, you'd rather endure anything then the heat.

You watched him wave his arm, the two men rolling large lamps over, you remember them. You swallowed hard closing your eyes as they turned them on, feeling the heat radiating over you making you gasp. "Ok, keep those on her for a few hours and then I want to try a few things, test her healing." The doctor said walking out. You closed your eyes, trying to remember something, anything pleasant from your life, but all you could remember was pain and heat. Sometimes when you dreamt you would see hills of white, you feet sinking into them as you walked. The cold on your skin as the wind blew through your hair. And then....them.

You could see the ship landing, two people walking out covered head to toe. You looked around seeing you were alone. You still remember his voice "hello little one, want to come with us?" He had asked. You tried to run but they were bigger, faster. You remembered being carried through the ship, the metal box they put you in, the years spent there making you shiver. Your eyes shot open seeing the ceiling, trying to catch your breath. You looked over seeing the doctor come back in. "Is she ready?" He asks the man who brought you. "I think she was dreaming again." He said handing the doctor a knife "Please, she's an animal, they don't dream." He said walking over to the table. "Ok, let's see what you can do." He smiled pressing the knife to your skin. You closed your eyes hoping maybe you would pass out like before.

You laid down as best you could in your cramped space. You were flat on your back, knees bent trying to touch as much of the cold floor to your skin as you could, your arms pressed against the metal walls. You looked at your skin, the deep blue having turned almost grey. You closed your eyes sighing, it would be a few days before the color returned. You tried to get comfortable as to not jostle the cuts along your stomach and chest, healing took longer after the heat, and tried to find some sort of sleep.

You weren't sure how long you slept when you were woken by a blaring alarm and flashing lights outside your cell. You crawled over trying to look but the small slot in the door made it hard to see. "Get the asset, we still need her!" You heard a man yell as the door to your cell swung open. "Come on, we have to go." He said as you pressed yourself to the back wall. "Do you understand, if they find you they will hurt you, I'll keep you safe." He said leaning down. You covered your ears shaking your head when he knelt down climbing towards you "I wont say it again, let's go!" He yelled when you heard a loud bang across the room.

"Where are the weapons?" You heard a man with a deep voice yell out, seeing the man in front of you shake his head before backing up "I do not know what your taking about, we are a research facility." He said to the new man. "We know the kind of research your doing, now answer me." The man bellowed again making you jump. You saw the man run off, a pair of black boots following behind him. You heard several loud noises and yelling. You curled into a ball, bringing your knees to your chest laying your head down hoping it would all stop soon.

After awhile the alarms stopped and everything went silent. You saw the door to your cell had been left open and thought about running, but flashes of what happened last time you tried kept you against the wall. Not long after you heard several footsteps come into the room. "I can't believe you let him get away goldilocks." You heard "I did not let him get away stark, he slipped past me." The louder one said. "Children, can we focus please?" You heard....a woman? You slowly moved towards the front of the cell, peeking out you saw the one with red hear, the one with black boots wearing a red sheet, and a man covered in metal. Two more sets of footsteps had you backing up a bit.

"Loki and I cleared the lower levels....it wasn't pretty." The man said, his arm wrapped in metal as well. "Roof is secure, what did you find in the lower areas?" Another asked, this one holding a shield with a star on it, and a smaller man with glasses. "Experiments, test subjects...all destroyed." The one with the long black hair said. You looked around, there was too many of them to get past, so you slid back towards the wall hoping they would leave and you could try to get out, but you backed up too fast kicking the wall making you freeze. "What was that?" You heard one ask.

You scurried to the back, huddling in the small corner when you saw the black boots again in front of the open door. He leaned down setting a large hammer down as be knelt down, his bright blue eyes meeting yours. He stayed there unmoving for a minute making you nervous "um..brother. could you come here?" He said not looking away from you. "What is it Thor?" Another pair of boots came into view when the other stood up "see for yourself." He said. Your eyes suddenly met bright green ones as the other man knelt down in front of the door. "How..." he trailed off staring at you. "What is it?" Another said as green eyes stood up.

You heard them talking but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. You slowly crept forward seeing them huddled together talking. You looked over seeing the door open, if you ran fast enough you might be able to make it. You looked back at them and took off when the man in glasses walked in front of you "Hey, it's ok. We're here to help." He said holding his hands up. You turned back to your cell, but the green eyed man blocked your way. You looked around trying to find another way. "Just calm down.." the man with glasses said. You saw another door and ran as fast as you could, when the man with the hammer stepped in front of you. You remembered what happens when you touch them....and the consequences....but if you could get through...

You gathered what strength you had left, feeling it surge through you you reached out to grab his bare forearm when someone grabbed your arm pulling you back. You looked down, seeing a large hand wrapped around your forearm. Trying to twist free you watched the hand begin to turn the same color as you. "No, that can't be right, they can't touch you" you thought, looking up seeing the green eyed man, the skin of his neck changing color. You tried to pry his fingers off you when you felt his hand on your forehead hearing him whisper something, your eyes met his seeing they werent green anymore as everything went dark.....

💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙❄️💙

@vbecker10 @lokisgoodgirl @sinsandguilt @high-functioning-lokipath @mochie85 @slytherclaw1227 @jaidenhawke @budugu @xorpsbane @schizonephilim @lokidokieokie @holdmytesseract @your-taste-on-my-lips @lokixryss @asgardianprincess1050 @tallseaweed @aniar4wniak @sekaishell @lokispetblogs @loopsisloops @trojanaurora @lonadane @all-envy-suyu @yelkmelk @stupidthoughtsinwriting @123forgottherest @silverfire475 @goblingirlsarah @commanding-officer @glitterylokislut @kkdvkyya @cueloki @daggers-and-mischief @sititran @witchyblue @verycollectivecreator @nixymarvelkins @chantsdemarins @shinraski @usagishira @nightshadelm @filthyhiddles @dukes2581 @assemblingavenger @lulubelle814 @irishhappiness @wolfsmom1 @luvlady-writes @lovingchoices14

[thatdeadaquarius]

Sobbing and crying just saw your post of us sounding like a Sim, and I am DYING.

What if it went the other way? They can understand us, but we can't understand them!

Us : hey so what the fuck is happening why tf am I in genshin impact

Them : OMG ASKSKSKSKS FEDERRRALL MEERKK TREEESO! (Omg it's the divine God I'm shittinh myself oml) or whatever idk)

Us: excuse me what the fuck did you just say about my mother? (US mishearing or maybe the words are randomized? Who knows)

Everyone just being confused and frustrated on why you can't understand them. Is it because they aren't worshipping you enough? Maybe some friendship level BS where obly those who are lvl 10 can understand u or smth? Who knows, certainly not the Creator.

I highkey am thinking about writing smth for this now but having it be for like each archons reaction or smthin but who knows. I just wanna see a bunch of divine beings confused outta their mind in like whatever cities square and it turning into a "holy game of charades"

Also happy early birthday ajdjdjkdkdkdk

I”M SO LATE SO THANK YOU FOR THE BDAY WISHES LMAO SORRY KARMA MY BELOVED

AHHHHH U INSPIRED ME BY THE ARCHONS HOLY GAME OF CHARADES-

AND OH NO LVL 10 ONLY FRIENDSHIP UNDERSTANDING-

(づ ￣ ³￣)づ here have a hug for your patience- sorry karma!! :')

LMAO this inuyasha gif- obviously everyone else guessing what ur doing and the 2 others r like ppl like Venti or Kaeya who r just fucking with ppl by joining you lol

OK BUT WHO DO U HAVE LVL 10 FRIENDSHIP?!

BC I GOT NOBODY 😭

ITS RLLY HARD TO DO OKAY-

I HAVE TO PUT ACTUAL EFFORT INTO THE FEW THAT ARE LEVEL 4-5 

ID BE SO FUCKED-

Oh no.

Oh god (you??) no.

What if you had the highest friendship with little d**ks like Scaramouche.

noooOOOOOO

He’d be like, “Eh, I don’t feel like translating today.” 💀

Also I’m rolling with the idea that 

perfect understanding = lvl 10,

Most words 7-9

Some words 5-6

Kinda ?? they get 2 words per sentence or smth 3-4

Basically nothing 1-2

◇

Anyway ornery bitches like Scara/Xiao/Alhaitham/Rosaria/Diluc (all for diff reasons like diluc/xiao would just be overwhelmed and dont like ppl that much lol, whereas haitham doesnt give a fuck lmao) would kinda suck to have as translators

OH NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD JUST LIE ABOUT WHAT U SAID ON PURPOSE TO DECEIVE THE MASSES LIKE Heizou/Yae Miko/Kaeya/Venti 

They pull something like “oh well the god of gods said I could have the last slice of cake/an extra glass of wine hehe”

For different reasons these people would also be ROUGH translators: FISCHL OH NO- , Zhongli, Albedo (he simply would omit “unnecessary details”, cyno, ITTO PLEASE, Raiden (puppet) bc shed take stuff too far/too literally u would never be able to communicate jokes, Razor (im sorry bbyboy), Shenhe

THE CHARADDEEESSS

THE CHARADES OF THE GODS 

You may or may not get another title of a jokester god bc of these SILLY charades 💀

The people u have higher levels of friendship with giving hints LMAO

♤

“Uhhh….. Oh! Oh! Greatest Lord wishes to see a dance performance!” 

Nahida’s sweet voice rings out in Yujing Terrace, her tiny hand waving in the air like an elementary student who’s really excited to answer. …Which isn’t that far off honestly.

“Hmm, I disagree Buer, I believe the Hundun Emperor is saying they wish to take a bath perhaps. I am also attempting to use context, as it has been a long day for them.” Zhongli is in his classic “majestic thinking gentleman” pose, and you’d admire it more if it weren’t for the fact that they don’t seem to be getting what you’re saying.

You hadn’t yet found someone with a higher friendship level than 2 or 3 (hey, don’t blame yourself, you really have to put effort into friendship levels to get them anywhere and you were still busy screwing around in Sumeru when you got spirited away).

So needless to say, most people were getting “the, me, I, you, etc.” rather than the actual important keywords you needed them to, hence the godly charade game now.

As you “hold” something, you throw your hands up in the air, still keeping your hands wrapped around nothing. You think if somebody told you last week that you’d be playing charades with the archons in Genshin Impact so you could actually communicate with them… well you don’t know what you would have done. Maybe just gave them a really awkward laugh.

“Oh! Are you asking for a weapon? Akitsu Mikami, my emperor, we or our nations will surely provide protection from any harm that might befall you. Hm, I suppose we should offer something anyway… I wouldn’t want to displease them…” Ei mutters to herself, having taken over her puppet once more for the occasion.

She and Buer, still retaining their authority status, had asked for the area to be cleared in order to try and get closer to communicating with the Divine First, or you.

“Ha! What idiot would try to hurt the All-Parent in their home, unless they wish to get thrown?” Venti cheekily says, as you don’t understand him, but judging by Zhongli’s clenched jaw, Ei’s sigh, and Nahida’s giggle, you can guess.

You give your own sad sigh… it’s already been 3 hours. 😭

How hard is charades for 4 archons??

Well… apparently very hard.

You put your face in your hands, and you hear the (retired) archons start to debate something, you can tell it’s getting a little passive-aggressive between Venti and Zhongli by their tone alone. 

…Okay, now it’s just aggressive.

The archons eventually give their attention back to you so you can go back to your charades lol

You tried opening your mouth and closing it, very obvious, they can’t go wrong. 

…Turns out they can. 

Somehow you find yourself with a hot tea brewed by the geo archon. 

(Venti attempted to offer you Dandelion Wine, or Osmanthus Wine even, and only god, well you now, knows where he pulled them from. Ei swatted his head, he looked so offended, and his cheeks were all puffed up, heh.)

Giving up, you just try to motion for them to stay still, your hands gesturing like trying to calm a wild animal.

They give you questioning looks, and you begin to walk off, they all seem to immediately start discussing something with each other. All of the gods look very conflicted, and after a minute of you getting further away (yes, you’re almost home free, Xiangling here you come! ) Nahida skips to catch up with you.

She gives you a beaming smile, and you can’t bring yourself to not return it. She's so much cuter in real life, even the official art didn't do her justice.

You make your way towards the restaurant, finally.

And apparently you’re happier than you thought to smell the savory scents flowing out of the kitchen because your stomach growls loudly.

You’re too hungry to even attempt to stop it, no one will care, except Nahida’s eyes go wide. She begins to sputter, and flail her hands desperately trying to charade an apology at you.

…you were just trying to tell them you were hungry. 💀

☆

Ask box open again! :] 🎊

Pspspspspssubliminalmessagingyouwillsendthatdeadaquariusanaskpssppspspspspssss

✨️Hope you guys got smth out of this rough draft✨️ ♡

:D hope u guys have had a good weekend!

My senior art exhibit is april 6th so wish me luck and prayers (from any religion im not picky pls)

Safe Travels,

💀♒️

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

[redflagshipwriter]

Reassembly 6

Masterpost is here.

Peter woke up on the library sofa that he was beginning to think of as his and hefted his bag over his shoulder.

He was doing okay. Really, he was fine. Considering that he was a minor with no resources or adults to help him, his life wasn't so bad.

Last night he'd gone to the gym early and thought about washing his dirty clothes in the shower. He hadn't, but he figured he would have to eventually. He could wear everything at least twice before it was an issue, right?

He chewed on that thought on his way to get breakfast. Today's hotel buffet had boiled eggs, which was new and exciting hotel fare. He made buttery whole grain toast and tried to calculate how many calories he was probably getting on this breakfast buffet lifestyle. ….on the good buffet days 1000 per day, at least.

There was no chance that it was enough to fuel Spider-Man. He had whole fat milk and juice to bulk it up, instead of water, but he knew it really wasn't enough.

‘Maybe I should be going to two buffets per day. They'd notice if I took a day's worth of meals from any one place, but they're open for hours.’

This place was one of the ones that had little plastic tubs of peanut butter with the peel off lid. With a guilty look over at the inattentive desk worker, Peter pocketed a couple for a snack later in the day. The only other non-refrigerated thing that looked small enough to pocket were rolls, and there weren't a ton of those. He took one.

He still had most of the cash from the wallet, but the idea of spending it seemed like a bad one. He might need it a lot more in the future.

‘I should look into food banks?’ That seemed right. There'd been a time after Uncle Ben died that Aunt May had gotten help that way.

Hopefully not for long. Maybe that potential client would hire him today. And them-

….how would they pay him? Peter put his face in his hands and breathed into his fingers for a bit. He didn't have a bank account. Could he open a bank account using only his birth certificate? Probably not! He definitely needed to figure out the social security number thing. Fast.

Peter didn't cry but it was a close thing. It was just… it was all so overwhelming. Nothing was just easy. He couldn't even just work and get paid because there were a billion steps needed before you could get money you'd earned.

Grimly, he wondered if there was something else. There was probably a way to get paid under the table, same day. Manual labor? Some kind of bottom barrel criminal stuff like smuggling or whatever it was people did with drugs?

He wouldn't mind the manual labor, except that it would be a very big problem for his under-fueled metabolism. But he probably had to choose hunger over small time crime. Didn't he? Peter bit his lip and wondered what Aunt May would say. She'd never broken the law, he was pretty sure. But she was a huge proponent of children getting to eat. Maybe she'd forgive him.

That was probably all beside the point. Peter didn’t know how to do any of that. He couldn’t survive by doing crime if he tried. He was kind of relieved to dismiss the idea that way.

‘School really might be my way out,’ Peter thought longingly. ‘If I get a scholarship and housing, that’s a ton of my problems solved right there. I’d be able to get a legit job a lot easier with an address and maybe a student ID.’

That was a longer term plan, then. For now, he had to figure out how to eat until that panned out.

Unbidden, he remembered Kon’s unused kitchen and endless credit cards.

Peter instantly felt a deep well of shame. He wasn’t going to use Kon like that. He wasn’t befriending Kon to benefit. That would be majorly messed up.

He was really looking forward to their planned hangout today, though. He didn’t feel guilty at the thought that he’d probably get to eat there if he cooked. That was normal, that was the kind of thing that friends did. It would be weirder to invite him over and not eat together.

They hadn’t exactly picked a time. Peter figured he would kill time until the library opened at 10, check his email, maybe study a little, and then head over. He didn’t want to go over there so early that Kon fed him both lunch and dinner. It had been fine last time, but it would be tacky to orchestrate that on purpose.

Social Security numbers. Peter mentally reframed the day’s mission to that. He’d check the email, sure, but rather than studying coding he was going to figure out how to get a social security number.

Well. Two. One for his real name, and one for his office workersona.

Peter cleared out of the hotel lobby when he heard an employee start to move around in the office behind the desk. He went to another hotel, got a piece of toast, fruit, and coffee, and then killed time by walking around for a couple of hours.

He wound through the morning crowds with an easy grace and enjoyed the pretense that he was one of them, a regular guy headed to work or something. It felt good to be lost in a crowd and have absolutely no one look at him like he was sticking out. He was having a terrible time but honestly, for a homeless jobless teenager, he was doing a really good job. He didn’t look weird or smell bad, and he’d figured out at least a short term survival strategy and a long term plan that he was working towards.

Oh. Peter felt a twist in his gut. He didn’t stop walking but he felt guilty about it. He probably shouldn’t be mindlessly burning energy by walking around, not when he was eating maybe half of what an average human should eat per day. Mr. Stark had put his ideal intake around 3500 calories, more if he was active. He had a lot of muscle that he really didn’t want his body to cannibalize for fuel.

…There were still a couple hours until the library opened. Peter really, really wished he at least had a library card. If he’d been able to take out a book he could sit on a bench somewhere and kill time without looking too weird. He could even go to a diner and get like, a one dollar black coffee and hang out. Since this was a fantasy, he went ahead and mentally added a cinnamon roll to the imaginary order. Wow, luxury!

Peter laughed to himself. No one looked at him, because this was New York City and a kid laughing on the sidewalk was banal.

It was a weird little goal, but it made him smile. He’d fix his life. He’d have a legal identity, and a place to sleep, and be able to go to school and work. When he got to that point he’d be able to go to a restaurant and order a cinnamon roll and not worry about anything, except how he was going to get back to his universe or whatever. You know, just the normal concerns, not survival.

He killed time in a park, watching ducks bob around and groom each other. The sunshine did something for his mood. When he felt it had been long enough he went to the library and followed through on his plan. He didn’t have any emails yet, except a notification from the job site saying that employers were looking at his profile and he could see who, for a nominal fee!

Peter deleted the email, disgruntled. Seemed kinda predatory.

He went on to learn about the social security system. Apparently they were assigned randomly, and there were multiple physical addresses that issued cards. There were more of them than he’d expected. He found one in a 3rd floor address nearby that was open from 7am to 4 pm and figured out how to get there and what the building looked like. Then he did more reading, brow furrowed, trying to figure out what to do.

It might be more secure to make it look like he was an immigrant who got a social security number assigned as an adult. If he claimed to be from out of the country, then it would be harder to research where he supposedly came from.

On the other hand, he didn’t want to lose his identity as a New Yorker. That was important to him. Peter bit his lower lip and thought it over.

Actually. You didn’t have to be born in the states to be a real New Yorker. He made up imaginary back stories for both of his IDs. The worksona was a born citizen, because Peter didn’t think that was likely to get looked into much. Since that person didn’t really exist, he was going to abandon it as soon as he didn’t need it.

His real ID for the universe was going to be from overseas. He decided that he’d been born in… Moldova.

Peter took a moment to look up Moldova to be sure it still existed in this universe. It did, and it seemed about the same. No travel restrictions to the United States, but not much economic power. It was not a common place to come from, but that fit his purposes. He didn’t want someone to ask why he didn’t speak whatever his supposed native language was.

…Peter made a mental note to look up language resources. Even if he’d supposedly emigrated at a young age, it would be more convincing if he knew at least a little. And it would be a good way to spend some time.

Huh. That was an idea. He probably couldn’t take books out of the library, but he could get a notebook and a pencil for like, 2 dollars, and take notes here. Then he’d have something to study in the hours he was outside with nothing to do. He’d look a lot less weird just sitting around if he looked like a student.

He took a minute to look up their flag and a few trivia points. Then Peter called it good enough for now and started off towards Kon’s apartment.

It would be a lie to say that it was convenient. It could have been worse, but it was far enough that Peter would have used the subway if he had the money to spend.

…He made a note to look into subway hopping. That wasn’t a real crime. It shouldn’t cost anything to use public transportation, it was literally built for public use. But right now, on the way to see a friend, seemed like a bad time to possibly get held up for a misdemeanor.

So he walked. It took him 40 minutes to get to the apartment block. He ducked into a dollar store that he passed on the way to get the notebook and pencil he had decided on, feeling good about it. His stomach grumbled when he passed the cooler with sandwiches and drinks. He ignored it as best as he could and directed his gaze elsewhere. It was easier to be hungry when there wasn’t food nearby.

Peter knocked on the door with his knuckles.

The door opened before he could call out. Kon grinned down at him and then whooshed back to let him in.

“Thanks,” he said. “Have a good day so far?”

Kon shrugged. The light caught on the metal spikes on his jacket with the movement. He turned around and walked ahead of Peter. “I was out of town ‘til this morning, sleepover with some friends,” he said.

Somehow the sight of his absurd muscles peeking out the mesh window startled a cough out of Peter, even though he’d been there when Kon modified the jacket.

“How about you?”

Peter’s brain took a moment to come online. “Uh, I was at the library this morning,” he said. At the weird look Kon gave him, he shrugged self consciously and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m looking into college stuff,” he justified. That was really normal.

“...College, huh.” Now Kon looked uncomfortable. “You must be smart.”

Peter’s face burnt red. “In some ways,” he dodged. “Are you gonna go?”

Kon blinked at him. “I mean….” He gestured at himself with one hand. “I’m not exactly the type, am I?”

“Because you’re hot?” Peter asked, confused. What else was that gesture at his pecs supposed to illustrate?

They stared at each other. Then Kon broke out into snickers. “Because I’m not that smart,” Kon said, like it was a fact of life. “It’s just not for me.”

Kon was laughing, but Peter felt… he felt kind of angry, actually. “Who told you that?” he demanded. He curled his hands into fists in his pockets. “Why don’t you think you’re smart? Eff that. You could go to college. Maybe you should go with me,” he added impulsively. He could help Kon figure it out. Honestly, Kon probably needed help if his parents weren’t talking to him about school or a job.

“Where are you going?” Kon asked. He cocked his head to the side.

Ah. Well. “I’m not very far in the process yet, but I was thinking about Gotham U for engineering,” Peter admitted.

Kon started laughing for real. “Gotham,” he gasped. “Gotham? Me, in Gotham?”

Peter felt his shoulders hunch up. “They have a good program,” he said stiffly. He hadn’t thought Kon would laugh at him. His throat felt tight. He took a step backwards without thinking about it. Maybe this was a mistake.

Somehow Kon tuned into his mood even without looking. He held up a hand, flustered through the remnants of his snickers. “No– no, I mean, I have a friend in Gotham,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to bring that up as a possibility.”

Oh. The stiffness in his shoulders relaxed, just a bit.

“Maybe I should go,” Kon mused. “And surprise him. That would be really funny.”

Peter shrugged.

[madisonfilmss]

If In 10 Years Time - austin x reader

Your previous relationship was one you thought would last forever. You had the picture perfect relationship. That was until he left to pursue acting. He said it was better for him to be alone until he figured out if the acting scene was for him. 

Apparently the Hollywood scene was just made for him because it had been a decade since you last saw him. 

Austin Butler was now one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood, booking roles left and right after his Oscar-worthy performance in Elvis and rightfully so. 

You had been keeping tabs on your first love for many years, seeing him in every role he ever had and admiring him from a distance.  You would always be proud of him, no matter what. 

A Few Days Later 

Today was your day off. Thank God. You had decided that you were gonna watch movies all day and stay in your pajamas. 

It was a few hours later and you were watching The Polar Express. It was November. It was Christmas as far as you were concerned. You decided to light up your fireplace and were drifting in and out of consciousness when your phone started ringing. You thought that the Caller ID read your ex-boyfriends name. That couldn’t be right. It had been a decade.  “Hello?” you ask cautiously. 

“Hi, Y/N. It’s been a while.” 

This can’t be right. 

“Austin?” 

“It’s me.” he responds 

“May I ask why you’re calling? It has been 10 years.” 

“Well, funny you should ask Y/N. I’m actually in town shooting and that got me thinking about you. Would you want to grab dinner with me while I’m here, if you’re free of course!” 

“Is that really the best thing to do Austin?” 

“What’s the harm, Y/N?” 

You pause, taking in his words “What’s the harm?” 

“Do you still live in that little house you were looking at when we were together?” he asks you. 

“How do you know that?” you ask, your eyes widen as if you forgot you were on the phone. 

“I always keep tabs on my girl, Y/N. Whether we’re together or not. Pick you up at 7?”

You hang up the phone, in disbelief that he still knows how to make your heart beat as if you're a teenager again. 

Nothing was going to happen. You couldn’t allow it. You knew the truth. If you let your guard down, even just a little bit, he would be in your heart and that couldn’t happen. You couldn’t take the pain of him leaving you again like he was bound to do. 

As you got ready for your night with Austin, a million thoughts went through your mind. 

Does he look the same? Does he still enjoy acting like he did when you were together? Is he still your home? Does he still love you as much as you love him, even after all this time? 

Those were questions for later on in the night. First, you had to pick out an outfit. 

A Few Hours Later 

You had settled on an outfit but the butterflies hadn’t settled in your stomach. The doorbell rings and you go into auto-pilot as you head toward the door. 

Austin POV

Y/N opens the door and she looks as beautiful as she did all those years ago, even better if that were possible. All I know is that I could see this view a thousand more times if I was allowed. She was everything I would ever need. My heart will forever belong to her.

Your POV 

I open the door to see Austin on the other side. I swear I could see him looking me up and down and he wasn’t afraid to show it. “You look beautiful.” 

He was dressed in just a white t-shirt and black jeans with his golden curls all messily atop his head. God, he’s so pretty. How could I have let him go? That’s gonna change tonight. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” you say as a smile creeps on your face. 

“You ready to go?” he asks 

“Of course I am." you reply 

As you lock up your apartment, you feel Austin’s hand take a hold of yours. 

“You were shaking. It’s okay. You know I’ll always be there for you, no matter what capacity.” 

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. With just the touch of his hand, he was able to quiet my unspoken fears. 

Once out on the road, it was like going back in time, singing to the words of the song playing on the radio. You and Austin had gone back in time, back to the loving teenagers you once were. 

At the diner you were excited to be able to really talk to Austin, seeing where life had taken him and hopefully seeing where you would fit into his life now after all this time. 

You sat there for a minute waiting for your food to be done but unable to look him in the eyes. What if I’ve changed too much? He won’t love me anymore.  

“Y/N.”  You look at him with wide eyes. “I know something’s wrong? What is it? You can tell me anything.” 

Why did I look down? He can still read me like his favorite book. 

“You want the truth?” 

“Always and forever.” he replies, looking at you like there is no one else in the room. That has never changed. 

“‘I’m just wondering why you randomly decided to call me? We didn’t end on the best terms.” 

He looks at you apologetically. “That was my fault. Leaving you was, no it is, the greatest regret of my life, Y/N. These past 10 years have been a whirlwind but whenever I get a chance to breathe, the only thing that comes to mind is you. You are my constant. The one thing that keeps me going.” he stops to take your hands in his. 

“You haven’t had relationships? What about Vanessa? Kaia? I keep tabs on you, believe it or not.” 

You see a hint of a smile creep on his lips. “They were there as a distraction. They kept my mind busy. I didn’t love them, Y/N. No matter what job I take, what new city I’m in, who I’m hanging out with, I’m wishing I had you there next to me.” 

You officially start to cry. 

“Hey, hey hey. I didn’t mean to make you cry, love.” 

“I promise they are happy tears.” 

You wanted to go back to your place and figure out what was gonna happen next. Austin being the gentleman he is, opened your door for you and drove you home. Getting into that car with him, it was like nothing had changed. Both of you fell harder for each other than you did the last time you were together, unknowingly to the other person. 

“Do you want ice cream? I know that you always had to keep a pint in the freezer for your after dinner cravings.” 

“You remember that?” 

“I remember everything, love.” 

“I have a pint of chocolate on the top shelf. I’ll share with you.” 

“Wow, you never shared your ice cream when we were together.” 

“There are some things that you don’t know about me, Butler.” 

A blush rises to his cheeks at the nickname. 

“Go sit down. I got this. 

You go and sit on the couch, turning on The Polar Express. 

While waiting for him to join you on the sofa, your overthinking creeps in. 

Is he gonna leave me again? Maybe this shouldn’t happen. I shouldn’t have said yes. He’s gonna hurt me again. 

He sits next to you and you give him a small smile but he can tell when your overthinking hits you. 

“Hey, hey hey. What’s going on?” He sets the ice cream on the coffee table to give you his full, undivided attention. 

“Nothing.” you say shaking your head, trying to change the subject.

“I know you better than anyone. I know when you get in your head. Talk to me.” 

“I’m scared Austin. I should actually say terrified. I don’t want to start this up again just for you to leave me again. I can’t go through that again. I won’t let myself go through it again.” 

“Do you know how much I missed you? Really? I laid awake every night for the better part of a decade because I couldn’t believe that I let my girl get away. I let you leave and I didn’t even try to stop you. That kills me. I understand that it’s gonna take some time for you to trust me again and I’m willing to do anything I need to do but I know for certain that I will do everything I can to prove to you that this is the right thing to do. Just tell me that you’re still mine.” 

You take a moment to look at Austin. The amount of love in his eyes for you is so evident but there is still a little twinge of doubt in your brain which is still at the forefront of your mind. 

“I don’t know Austin.” you say as you turn away from him. 

He just holds your hands tighter. “Y/N. Look at me when I say this to you.” 

You slowly look back toward him. “No matter where we are in our lives, you still have my heart. When you left, I shut down. I locked up my heart and you’re the only one who has ever had the key.”

[detective-inspector-her]

Incorrect Quotes Based Of This Au Because I'm Finally Writing About It -_-

Darquesse: I am strong! I beat Skulduggery at arm wrestling! Valkyrie: Anyone can beat Skulduggery at arm wrestling! Skulduggery: Hey-

Skulduggery: Met a dumbass today. Awful. Darquesse: You looked in a mirror? Skulduggery: Someday you will have to answer for your actions and god may not be so merciful.

Skulduggery: Why don’t you go talk to them? Valkyrie, sarcastically: Oh. Yeah, sure. Skulduggery: What? So you go tell them they’re cute, what’s the worst that could happen? Valkyrie: They could hear me.

Valkyrie: Can we talk? One 10 to another? Darquesse: I’m an 11, but continue.

Darquesse: What is your favourite mythical story? Skulduggery: The Story Of My Will To Live. Darquesse: I don’t think I’ve heard of that one before.

Skulduggery: Valkyrie, you’re in charge! Darquesse: Valkyrie, can we start a fire?

Darquesse: All of your existences are confusing. Valkyrie and Skulduggery: How so? Darquesse: Your presence is annoying, but the thought of anything bad happening to any of you upsets me.

Darquesse: Well, you know what they say: Can’t bake a pie without losing a dozen men!

Valkyrie: Darquesse, this morning, I called you abhorrent and reprehensible, and I’d like to withdraw that statement- Darquesse: Aww, thanks- Valkyrie: But I can't. Those are the 2 words that best describe you.

Skulduggery: Nothing feels better than winning Monopoly. Not love, not sex, not free pizza, nothing! Valkyrie: I’m sorry, have you tried pizza? Skulduggery (Has Valkyrie's Tastebuds): Yes, and it doesn’t compare to owning half the board and watching the light die from your friend’s eyes as you take their money and feel your friendship slowly deteriorate. Darquesse: I like you.

Darquesse: Okay, I’m going to get the wedding cake. Valkyrie: Perfect, while you do that I’ll check on the ring bear. Darquesse: … Darquesse: You mean ring bearER, right? Valkyrie: … Darquesse: Look me in the eyes and tell me you are not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to Tanith and Ghastly's wedding.

Valkyrie: God has let me live another day and I'm going to make it everyone's problem.

Skulduggery: Darquesse is a perfect cinnamon scone who’s never done anything wrong in her entire life! Valkyrie: Never done anything wrong?! She set a city block on FIRE!

Valkyrie: Go big or go home! Skulduggery: Please, for once in your life just go home. I'm begging you. Go. Home. Valkyrie: I'm going big!

Skulduggery: I’m not mad, I just need to know why you two had a fake ID. Valkyrie: Incoherent mumbling Skulduggery: Huh? Darquesse: …You need to be 18 to hold the puppies at PetCo.

Darquesse: Have you done this before? Valkyrie: Well, Darquesse, it's like if you read the script you come better prepared. Skulduggery: That's not what they do in the US, they don't read things. Darquesse: I don't read, Valkyrie. Valkyrie: You're Irish!?

Skulduggery: I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.

Valkyrie: You know what I asked Santa for Christmas this year? Skulduggery: If you say me, I swear I’ll— Valkyrie: You? What? No, I asked him for that cool Ninjago Lego set we saw in Target!

Valkyrie: English is CRAZY. Oregano is both a spaghetti leaf topping and a form of paper art! Skulduggery: What is this "paper art" you speak of? Valkyrie: That shit where you make cranes and stuff out of folded paper! Skulduggery: … Valkyrie.

Valkyrie: Nice rock. Skulduggery: Thanks, Darquesse gave it to me. Darquesse: I threw it at you! Skulduggery: Isn't she the sweetest?

Darquesse: I dropped Valkyrie. Skulduggery: Darquesse, what the fuck.

Skulduggery: If you want my advice- Valkyrie: No offense but you’re the last person I want relationship advice from. You tried to kill your significant other. Multiple times. Skulduggery: First off, that was before we started dating. Secondly, they’ve also tried to kill me. Darquesse: It’s true. It was mutually attempted murder.

Darquesse: Why won’t you all just lie down and die with dignity?! Skulduggery: We don’t do anything with dignity!

Darquesse, texting: O Valkyrie: What? Darquesse: Don’t read into that. Valkyrie: But I will read into that. Darquesse: HOW?! IT’S A LETTER! Valkyrie: Why is there a space after it, hmmmmm? Darquesse: Dude, really? Darquesse: It’s a fucking letter. Valkyrie: It could stand for something! Darquesse: IT DOESN’T, I PROMISE! Valkyrie: Like Oppression! Or worse… Darquesse: Dude, I just typed the letter O, that means nothing. :/ Valkyrie: Optometrist. Darquesse: Oh my God…

Skulduggery: Valkyrie, can you help me? All of my clothes keep disappearing for some reason. Valkyrie, wearing a suit jacket that's 2 times bigger than her size: Spooky.

Skulduggery: Would it be discrimination to only hire employees at my doughnut shop who have the same name? Darquesse: Legally, I don't believe that breaches any discrimination laws. Morally though… I don't know. Skulduggery: I believe god is on my side when it comes to Duncans' Doughnuts.

Skulduggery: Valkyrie, Darquesse, I’ve left a letter telling your guardians not to worry— Valkyrie: They won’t. Skulduggery: That you’re safe— Valkyrie: That’ll just depress them. Skulduggery: —and you’ll see them in a few weeks. Darquesse: Do we have to?

Skulduggery: What language do they speak at the center of the earth? Skulduggery: Core-ean Valkyrie: The center of the earth is arond 5430 degrees Celsius! Nobody is going to live there so they don’t need a language! Darquesse: Core-ean.

Valkyrie: The ritual. To perform it requires a sacrifice. Skulduggery: Sacrifice? I nominate Darquesse. Darquesse: Wait, what? Skulduggery: Because you're little, you'll fit on a barbecue. Darquesse: I'm 5'9, it's like average height in most of the world! Valkyrie: It's not that kind of sacrifice guys!

Skulduggery: Please, Darquesse, after everything we’ve been through together. You can’t do this. Skulduggery: I’m sorry Darquesse. Skulduggery: I’m begging you. Don’t do it. Darquesse: It has to be done. Skulduggery: Darquesse: Skulduggery: Darquesse: Places +4 Uno.

Skulduggery: I’m not being weird. Am I being weird? Darquesse: Yes, and that’s coming from me.

Valkyrie, to Darquesse: Are you peanuts? Because I want to boil you alive.

Valkyrie: You don't know anything about me! Skulduggery: I know EVERYTHING about you! You are an open book written for very dumb children!

Darquesse: I’m not so sure you’re stakeout material. Valkyrie: I’m a chronic insomniac, I was born for this.

Darquesse: I'm not mean. Name one mean thing I’ve ever done. Valkyrie: When we were younger, you convinced me eggs weren't real. Darquesse: They're not. Valkyrie: Haha, very funny. Darquesse: I'm serious. Didn't you hear? Valkyrie: No… what happened? Darquesse: …Why would you fall for this again-

Darquesse: I woke up and chose VIOLENCE. I WILL COMMIT ARSON AND BURN EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND!!! I AM ANGRY- Skulduggery: Awwww, you’re so adorable! Give me a hug~ Darquesse: Wh-What? nO, yOURE SUPPOSED TO BE SCARED OF ME! TREMBLE BEFORE MY WRATH- Valkyrie, recording: This is so cute.

Kidnapper: We have your child Ghastly: I don’t have a child? Kidnapper: Then who just asked for warm milk and made us cut the crusts off their sandwich? Ghastly: Oh god, you have Valkyrie

Skulduggery: Valkyrie, why does your bucket list have ‘Die’ on it? Valkyrie: So I can die feeling at least a little bit accomplished.

Skulduggery: Valkyrie, I am nothing if not a man of principle. Skulduggery: Now let’s break into this apartment.

Valkyrie dies in a game with ships Skulduggery: This ship is no longer a ship of love, it's a ship of vengeance, a gavel of justice against all that is wrong in the world, showing no mercy, as no mercy was shown to us. Skulduggery: The spark of love will now fuel the fires of destructive glory as I wage my war across the world with righteous fury. Darquesse: Legend has it that Valkyrie still haunts the ship, stealing my fucking drinks. Valkyrie: Of course I do.

Valkyrie, throwing her head into Tanith's lap: Tell me I'm pretty! Tanith, lovingly stroking her hair: You're pretty fucking annoying, that's what you are.

Darquesse: You look mentally ill. Valkyrie: I am. Let’s go.

The Squad is eating dinner mentally, in Valkyrie's head. Darquesse: Can you pass the salt? Skulduggery: throws Valkyrie across the table

Skulduggery: So what’s the plan? Darquesse: I don’t know. You’re smart, points at Valkyrie she's mean, come up with something.

Skulduggery: Go ahead, Valkyrie. Let it out, cry. If you don't, your tear ducts will get blocked up, and then when you get old, you won't be able to cry. Darquesse: Just when we thought it was safe to let you back into the conversation.

Darquesse: I see the red flags, I acknowledge that they're there, and then I completely ignore them.

Darquesse: What do I get? Skulduggery: A night of fashion, mischief, mayhem, and possible death. Darquesse: Ooh, check, check, and check; not sure about that last one. Skulduggery: It won't be you. Darquesse: I'll get my coat.

Darquesse: Skulduggery, can I speak to you for a minute? In private. Skulduggery: Ooh, someone's in trouble. It's me. I don't know why I did that.

Valkyrie: I hate Darquesse. Skulduggery: "Hate' is a strong word. Valkyrie: I have strong opinions.

Valkyrie: Do you even, cuddle, bro? Do you even lift, bro… each other up with kindness? Do you tell your loved ones that you care about them regardless of who is listening? DO YOU EVER RESOLVE CONFLICTS, EMOTIONAL ISSUES THROUGH COMPROMISE AND COMPASSION RATHER THAN ANGER AND DENIAL?!

Valkyrie: Can we go to a haunted house? Skulduggery: What’s wrong with the one we live in? Valkyrie: Wh-what? Skulduggery: Goodnight, Valkyrie.

Skulduggery: Children are the most insanely stupid people I have the displeasure of interacting with. Darquesse, referring to herself and Valkyrie: Even us? Skulduggery: Especially you guys. Valkyrie: Darquesse: Valkyrie: Petition to kick Skulduggery out so he stop insulting us. Darquesse: Seconded.

Skulduggery: My level of gay has reached “sighing deeply whenever anything extremely heterosexual happens near me”.

Skulduggery: If a demon possessed me, I’d just be like, “Okay, take it from here, good luck man.”

Skulduggery: Define “dream”. Darquesse: Dream - the first thing people abandon when they learn how the world works. Valkyrie: That’s too dark!

Skulduggery: Is anyone going to tell me what's going on in here?! Darquesse: It's kind of complicated, but Valkyrie- Skulduggery: Got it. Forget I asked.

Valkyrie: Gives a bouquet to Darquesse Darquesse: You know I'm allergic. Valkyrie: That's the point.

[anonsally]

Days 9-10 in Chile: Days 1-2 of conference

I went to bed early the night before the conference got underway and didn't have a totally solid night's sleep (reasons included congestion, sweating, and a small earthquake), but it was at least fairly long, and I think the fever had actually broken this time. The congestion still wasn't any better, and I had an occasionally scary-sounding cough, but I woke up hungry and with improved energy.

Needless to say, I didn't get up early enough to go to the opening plenary session. It's my first conference in 5 years; I initially felt very overwhelmed and claustrophobic in the crowds of people. So I went to the room where my session was, which was at that point still pretty empty (it was a coffee break). By the time the symposium started, the room had filled up. I did get through my talk respectably, though I wouldn't say that it was my best presentation ever. But I wasn't aiming for that given my condition! I enjoyed the other talks. At the end all the speakers sat on the stage for the Q&A, and I got a better look at the audience (I can't really see when I'm giving a presentation since I'm mostly trying not to die focused on my talk); I recognised several people either from previous conferences or from having worked in the same institutions in the past.

I got some nice feedback from a few people afterwards. There was another session immediately but I needed to decompress (and also blow my nose, so I went outside to take off my mask). After a bit, I returned inside and ran into a former colleague, so it was nice to reconnect. Eventually found my way to another session I was interested in. I only lasted one and a half talks before I felt a cough coming on, so I ducked out so as not to disrupt the session.

Lunch was provided after the session ended, so I took my bag lunch and went outside and had a picnic. It was a pretty warm day. I sat on my own at a distance from others so as not to spread my germs.

In the afternoon I only attended two talks, but the second one was quite noteworthy and probably the most original research being presented at this conference: it was about the effect of tattoos on risk of lymphoma. !! Everyone was riveted. Nobody has studied this before, but the chemicals used in tattoo inks are known to have health effects in other contexts; the presenter pointed out that having them injected directly into the skin could plausibly be a concern. She has tattoos herself. (She points out that laser removal could then exacerbate the problem, so if this news makes you worry that you should get your tattoos removed, don't do it!)

After that I was kind of Done for the day. I rested in the room a little and then Wife and I went to dinner in one of the hotel restaurants. She heads home tomorrow. (She had done a horseback ride in the foothills of the Andes today and saw a black-chested buzzard eagle! Well, she was told it was an eagle (they may have told her which kind and she forgot), and she somehow got an iPhone photo that confirmed Merlin's only suggestion when I asked for eagles around here. [how?! how did she get a photo while on a moving horse, of a soaring bird high above, with a crappy camera, that was clear enough in shape and plumage to confirm the id?!])

That night I slept really badly. I didn't turn out the light until 11pm, and then it took a while to fall asleep because the decongestant hadn't taken effect yet. Then, I woke up at 4:40 because I was too hot with the blanket on, but I was too cold without it. I was awake at least a couple of hours. At some point I adjusted the thermostat and then I eventually managed to doze for a couple of hours.

Despite being exhausted, I did in fact feel much better today. I had a slow morning, but eventually made it down to the conference and ran into a friend (formerly a student in my research group), and chatted to her a bit before going to the last couple talks in a session of some short methodology talks. Then the friend and I had lunch outside. The lunch bags came with a randomised soda can; I lucked out with ginger ale, which is literally the only soda I like, but the friend got diet ginger ale, which is disgusting. It seems weird that they would randomise people to diet or non-diet sodas.

Afterwards, I attended part of a session on health effects of wildfires, but it was so cold in that room that I had to leave before it ended. I was too tired to attend any more of the conference at that point anyway.

Wife came back from having done some sightseeing and we caught up a bit and took a micro-nap; she leaves for the airport soon. I'm trying to decide whether to go to the conference dinner, which doesn't start until 8pm and is a metro ride away. I'm under-rested and still recovering from whatever this illness is, and that seems late to go out (though there is transport back, but maybe not until midnight, which... is clearly too late for me to be out). I haven't left the hotel since we checked in because I've been ill. But this meal is already paid for and is a good networking opportunity but also a social anxiety stressor. It's in a large space, I think, so I hopefully wouldn't be putting others at risk (and I may not be contagious anymore by now anyway, and I'll wear a good mask when I'm not eating). Argh. Decisions.

[jeonginssa]

I Swear, I’ll Never Leave Again | W.JH

Part One - “Workplace romances are very sexy”

Author’s note: This is the first chapter of I Swear I’ll Never Leave Again, I hope you like it! I promise Jun will be much more involved soon

Word count: 1.2k (ish)

Content/genre: nonidol jun, jun x reader, lisa (blackpink) is bestie goals, fluff, heavy angst, office romance

Trigger/content warnings: implied alcohol consumption, nothing else yet but story will involve domestic abuse down the line (reader’s ex is abusive not jun), not proofread

Taglist: open

*****

You drove to work that morning worrying about whether or not you’d pick up the workload easily, if you’d fit in well to the office environment and mostly, if your colleagues would like you. You knew your work should be the most important thing but there is nothing more awful than working in an office where everyone hates you. You pulled the car to a stop and took a deep breath. 할 수 있어 (I can do this), you repeated to yourself three times before sighing and stepping out of your car, bag in hand, locking it behind you.

The building in front of you was impressive. It belonged to an entertainment company, you would be working in the translation department. You felt your hands start to shake a little as you forced yourself to take deceptively confident strides in the hope that no one would notice how anxious you were.

Upon reaching the door a receptionist buzzed you in and issued you with your keycard ID.

“You won’t be able to go anywhere without that, so please be sure to keep it on your person at all times. I’d encourage you not to lose it but should anything happen to it, I can issue you another one for a small fee. You will be working on the fourth floor, in room seventeen. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No, that’s everything, thank you so much.” You lightly bowed and she nodded her head in return before you made your way to the elevator.

Whilst in the elevator you couldn’t help but think about what an unlucky number four is. Was it a sign you shouldn’t be working here? No that was probably too much. You took a deep breath, stepped out of the elevator and made your way to room seventeen.

What you weren’t expecting to find was your childhood friend, hand outstretched acting as if you’d never met before.

“Hello, my name is Wen Junhui, I’ll be your manager from now on.” You bowed, albeit a little delayed from the shock and shook his hand.

“I’m L/N Y/N, I look forward to working with you.” For a second you thought his hand may have been shaking but you realised it was most likely your own hand that refused to be still. Your hands parted and you hoped he hadn’t noticed. If he had, he wasn’t letting on.

“If you need anything I’ll be in my office just over there,” he gestured to a separate room which was more window than wall. “Otherwise please speak to Lisa, she’ll bring you up to speed.

It was only then you realised there was a woman standing next to him. How you hadn’t noticed her was beyond you because she was drop dead gorgeous. She was so attractive you couldn’t understand why she would be working in an office when she could so easily be a model. She smiled and you both bowed before she gave you a rundown of your tasks for the day as well as a tour of the office and break room. You knew you should pay attention to her but all you could think about was that Junhui didn’t recognise you. Granted it had been almost ten years since you last saw each other but you hadn’t changed that much and you two had been pretty much attached at the hip your whole childhood’s. How could he not remember?

The rest of your first day went by mostly in a blur. You occasionally tried to catch glances at Junhui’s office but he’d closed the blinds so it was fruitless. Overall, you did pretty well considering it was your first day but had anyone been paying you any attention they absolutely would have noticed that you were preoccupied. Thankfully, everyone was too busy with their work to even look up.

*****

By the next week you’d pretty much gotten into the swing of things, you were making good progress on the film you were subtitling and Lisa was already starting to feel like a work friend. Enough that you felt like you could ask her some questions about Junhui.

“Does the boss ever come out of his office?” Lisa laughed at your sudden line of questioning.

“Rarely, him introducing himself to you was the most interaction I’ve had with him in a month outside of him calling me into his office for updates on my projects. Thinking about it, I don’t remember him ever introducing himself to anyone else. He usually just hands you a list of assignments and goes back to his office.” You must have taken too long to reply because she added, “don't get the wrong idea though, he never dates anyone,” and winked.

“Believe me that’s not what I was thinking,” you chuckled.

“It’s okay you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how attractive he is.” Granted you had to admit you weren’t just taken aback by the fact he didn’t recognise you. He had objectively grown into his looks. He was tall, like a good 6 inches taller than you at least, slender and had breathtaking eyes. Little Junnie had most definitely grown up.

You laughed, “I noticed but I’m not looking to date either, plus he’s my boss.” You could have told Lisa you knew him but how could you say oh, we were best friends, when he clearly has no idea who you are. You even told him your full name and he didn’t so much as flinch. She’d only pity you if she knew the truth.

“I don’t know, workplace romances are very sexy,” she wiggled her eyebrows at you and you couldn’t help but laugh. She really did brighten a room. You couldn’t help but hope that you could go from work friends to actual friends one day. As if she read your mind she added, “by the way, a bunch of us are going for drinks after work later, you should come!”

You pulled your sweater sleeves down over your hands, “I would but I don’t think a club would even let me in dressed like this.”

“Luckily for you, I live close, we’ll just run to mine quick before we catch up with the others. It’ll be fun, I can do your makeup too if you want? What do you say? It’ll be fun!”

Lisa’s enthusiasm was contagious and you agreed before you could even think about it. It had been a long time since you’d actually allowed yourself to have fun and even longer since you’d got all dressed up.

Lisa cut no corners in dressing you to the nines, in fact you didn’t think you had been this dressed up ever. Her room was more wardrobe than bedroom and she had more accessories than anyone you knew. She’d put you in a little black dress, a little handbag that looked way out of your budget and a pair of black stilettos. Your makeup was simple with a nude lip and winged liner but it was way better than it looked when you did it and you had to admit that by the time she’d added jewellery and done your hair, you looked good.

“Damn girl, where were you hiding?” You blushed.

“It’s not too much is it?”

“Don’t be silly, you look great, now lets go catch up with the others!” She grabbed a clutch on the way out and you scurried after her.

[annlillyjose]

dairy whiskey – update 04

[image description: on a blurry shot of leaves against a dark grey wall, a white serif font reads, “dairy whiskey – update 04”. / end id]

hi, hello, how have you been?

if you’ve been following along on the chaotic journey of me writing this book, you probably already know that i finished this book a few days back. hence proven, i am feeling an unimaginably complex blend of emotions that i can’t comprehend on my own. however, i think it’s safe to say that at the core of it all, deep in my heart, i feel a true sense of joy and accomplishment. to say the very least, i am proud.

this is not a book-ending update, though. that’ll be the one that comes after this, hopefully in a few days. but here we go, a few excerpts from a few chapters from one of my many books. hope you enjoy!

excerpts and taglist under the cut.

disclaimer: this is an original work of fiction. plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated.

TWs: this novel deals with themes of childhood and religious trauma, sexual, emotional, and substance abuse, mental health issues, self-harm, abortion, suicidal ideation, etc. so please be kind on yourself and read ahead only if you're comfortable. while the excerpts i share may or may not touch on these, the themes are very prevalent. please be kind to yourself and read ahead only if you're comfortable.

a lot of the plot is kept private for now because i intend on publishing this book, so please excuse the lack of context. i hope you can enjoy the prose, though.

chapter six – flock and soil

the first quarter of this chapter is happy, the second is emotional, and the last two are extremely sad. i have three excerpts to share, without any context, of course.

But it had actually started a long time back, when we met for the first time and I heard the lullabies being sung beneath his eyes. The flowers that had bloomed between us today had budded long ago, even before time had been created, and the plants had taken root in my stomach before anything ever was. I had been lured into the melody of his voice; the simple way his bones were placed inside his body. It had all started long back when I looked at him and he looked back at me. It started with the exchange of sight; when my eyes wanted to see him more than they wanted to see anything. It had all started a long time back, but now, we had a body to give it. We had something we could touch and call our own. We had skin and we had bones.

this is dinah talking about austin. believe it or not, i am not that cruel. she gets her share of happy and truly romantic moments, i promise!

the second excerpt is a conversation between dinah and ephron. i wanted to show you a moment of theirs that’s not too intense (which is rare, but not non-existent).

“Where were you?” he asked. “I was worried about you. And why do your eyes look like that? Were you drinking?”

“Ooh, calm down with the questions,” I said. “I went to meet some friends at a house party. Yes, we did drink a little bit. My eyes are fine.”

“They’re the size of golf balls!”

i’ve got nothing to say about the third excerpt. it is what it is.

I looked back in the mirror. My cheekbones and nose had been lifted in a copper glow, a beet blush spreading through my cheeks. There was a cosmic glimmer in my eyes. The sound of conch shells murmured in my ear. My heart had turned into a lighthouse at the base of which a thousand waves beat and crashed against each other. It beat with a swell, milk and honey oozing out. Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, the night would soon crawl into a fisherman’s boat and sing him to sleep, but here, every bone in my body would twist to the sun, bringing forth a morning with flowers, nectar, and birdsong.

proves my theory – i’m not that cruel.

vignette six – salt and light

unfortunately, due to spoiler reasons, i won’t be sharing anything from this chapter. here’s one thing to know, though – it’s terribly sad.

chapter seven – what blooms in the armageddon

no excerpts in this chapter either. all i can say is, things happen. things change.

vignette seven – cradle song

written from mariam’s perspective, this vignette is a conversation in which only one person speaks – the mother.

When the world comes to an end, baby, we will be back together. The skies will be beautiful and I’ll feed you balls of rice. I will hold you close to me. I will not let you go. I will show you butterflies and bring your hand to dog fur. You will put your fingers in my hair and I will stick little leaves in yours. I will buy you a watercolour kit. I will take you to the supermarket. I will buy you all the cookies in the aisle. I will make you payasam when you ask for it. When the day ends and the night falls, I will hold you close and draw a cross on your head. I will sing you a song.

this goes on and on for quite long, but i’ll cut it off right there.

thanks for reading along. tell me what you’ve been feeling, what you’ve been working on, what thoughts are occupying your head, or anything that you’re really excited about.

i hope you enjoy the excerpts. in the meantime, i’ll be curating the last update for this novel. see you all again!

– ann.

general taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@shaonsim @heartfullkings @vnsmiles @dallonwrites @sienna-writes @violetpeso @flip-phones @rowansghost @ambidextrousarcher @zoe-louvre @writing-with-l @magic-is-something-we-create @femmeniism @frozenstillicide @wizardfromthesea @rose-bookblood @coffeeandcalligraphy @rodentwrites @saltwaterbells @snehithiye

[azumasoroshi]

minidura chapter 11 react

ok i found chapter 11 translated by amnemonie on tumblr (thank you thank you thank you and if you want me to take this down i will!!) but there's no guarantee ill be able to find the rest lmAOo we'll see

HOT MAN!!! HOT MAN

i mean what no pathetic sopping wet man

cat face izaya i thought id never see you again

man after realizing there's a minidura tag i saw a post that was like "i wish minidura got animated like bsd wan" and like. YEAH. PLEASE

it would be the perfect revival of the durarara fandom pleaseeeeeee do it for meeeeeeee we could revive durarara like we revived trigun

and i need shizuo izaya and shinra cooking together being animated. please

anyway izaya looks like he really doesnt wanna be here in that last panel and i mildly spoiled myself on the comments/reblogs saying this one is really mean to izaya which you know i live for. [cracks knuckles] i hope he gets hit by a truck but like an emotional one because that's the only one he'd really react to

oh god he's more pathetic than i thought he'd be

they're really looking at him like "damn bitch you good" which is fair

bro summoned up all his courage to ask 😭rip bozo

??????????? THEY TOLD YOU HE'D BE WITH THEM

izaya simultaneously has the best social skills known to man and the WORST social skills known to man

ill never stop bringing this up but. now presenting orihara "i love humans because they're so unpredictable" izaya getting fucked by humans' predictability everybody

and here we see izaya walking awkwardly in his natural habitat, trying to eat cake with high schoolers /j

kadota casually calling out izaya on his bullshit bkgjdSGKHDSHds

he just wants to eat cakeeeee someone go with him

not me though i wouldnt be caught dead with that man

i swear walker's face gets longer every time i see him and it tickles me so much

aaaand cue shizuo on stage right

god bless erika for suggesting that he invite shizuo cuz id have done it myself

also "just today". are you implying that you want to see shizuo every other day. izaya.

WAIT

WAIT IS TODAY IZAYA'S BIRTHDAY

OH

oh my god thats actually sad okay

id say to ask namie but namie probably rejected him already without even letting him finish the question bkfdgjhgf

shinra keeping up the stupid anniversaries trend from that other chapter we love a consistent malewife

man shiki he wasnt even here for work 😭 at least he got some food although karasumi does not look that good if im being honest

at least compared to cake

shinraaaa you FORGOTTTT

may 4th is the date of my statistics exam but i swear ill celebrate it for you izaya. ill even mark it down on my calendar

oh 💀 namie is as delusional as i am. love that for her

he's even singing to himself ohhhhh poor baby...(i say this as if i'm not grinning wildly to myself in my room rn)

i swear i feel bad for him but he's so fun to bully

man i remember those fics where shizuo was the only one to remember izaya's birthday bgkjhfdgfd i guess those were founded from somewhere (even if his gifts were things like 'not chasing him today' or sending him black roses)

oh my god 😭 he's so desperate at this point i didnt think he'd actually be happy to see shizu-chan

even grabbing him by the arms bkgdssdkahdskjhgsdsd

this is gonna end badly though if the comments/reblogs i read have anything to say about it

😭yep the izaya bullying is real

SHIZUO NOOOOOOOOOOOO THATS BASICALLY THE WHOLE CAKE

izaya's conscious too 💀 MAN

part of me feels like this is narita's personal revenge against the shizaya fans in his fanbase askdbgskjhsdhgsd shizuo needs to be extra cruel to prove he's not gay

he's so happy to just get birthday textssssss this is so sad

[moronic-validity]

The Ball pt 1

Surprise guys!!!! We've got a two-parter for this chapter because I spliced it weird!

18+ because the rest of the DWU is, but let's dive right in!

Simon rolled over in bed and kissed Winter’s head before getting up and dressing for the day. He knew he’d be representing, again, and had to mentally prepare himself for it.

Winter had been like this for weeks. 

He had become a ghost of himself; refusing meals, spending his days in bed, and his nights locked in his study. He would crawl into bed and lay there unable to sleep, unable to clear his head, unable to find peace. 

“Will you try to join me for lunch today?” Simon called over his shoulder as he buttoned his shirt.

Winter didn’t respond.

Simon turned and looked at the man in bed.

“Is there anything I can get you? Some water? Snacks?” 

Again, no response. 

He had expected this, but he was going to keep trying until he responded. 

Simon put on his jacket and passed by the table full of water cups and uneaten food. 

He had gotten used to the lack of responses and the untouched food. It was the pattern Winter fell into after Marceline had left. He had been second-guessing if he had pushed him too hard to let her go. 

It was weird being alone in the throne room. 

The Ice Scouts weren’t bad company, in fact, they were even funny from time to time, but they weren’t Winter. 

He refused to sit on the throne, he had attempted to at first, but it felt wrong, instead, he sat at the small table that had become his station. 

He flipped through the letters the castle had received and stopped when he found Doctor Princess’s messy handwriting. 

He tore the letter open and read it excitedly. 

‘Simon, 

I hope this letter has found you well, seeing as I haven’t heard from you in a month.’

He snickered at her passive aggressiveness before continuing. 

‘I know the king is probably keeping you busy with your advisory duties, but I hope you haven’t forgotten your friends. I’m reaching out, not only to hear from you but to find out why I wasn’t invited to last month’s ball. Did you tell him I don’t enjoy them? 

Hope to hear from you soon,

D. Princess’

Simon set the letter down and did some mental math.

He hadn’t realized the ball had been missed, nor was he particularly hurt by it. 

He slipped through the rest of the letters and realized they were all from Ooo royalty, and after reading them, he realized they were all about the missing ball. 

Simon picked up his pen and wrote back to Doctor Princess before figuring out how to address the other letters.

‘Doctor Princess,

I do apologize for the absence of my letters. I’m afraid Winter has been going through a bit of a rough patch and was bedbound on the date of the last ball. He doesn’t know you don’t like them unless you told him yourself. I will include my phone number at the end of this letter so you may have an easier time contacting me. These letters are very easy to lose track of!

S. Petrikov’

Minutes after he sent the letter away, his phone rang. 

“What do you mean he’s bedbound?” Doctor Princess yelled into the phone.

“Good morning Doctor,” he laughed at her urgency, “Winter has been struggling as of late, so I’ve been doing my best to run the kingdom myself. I didn’t think the ball was the most urgent thing to deal with.”

He could feel her rolling her eyes through the phone.

“Siiiimon, of course the balls matter, they give these royals a place to handle business and build kingdom relations without the stress or pressure of a formal meeting! Do you know how many wars have been avoided through these dances?”

“Wait, wars?”

“Yes, wars!” Doctor Princess sighed before continuing, “I’m coming to the castle. Best case scenario, I can help whatever has Winter bedbound, worst case, we’re throwing this month’s ball.” 

“I’m not sure that’s a good ide-” he heard the click of the call disconnecting. 

Simon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. This was the first, and only, time he found himself actively wishing there was a property dispute to settle. 

He sat and waited, made small talk with the Ice Scouts about their new training program and how it was going, and looked through all the letters inquiring about the missed ball. 

Doctor Princess walked into the throne room, smiled, and opened her arms.

“Honey, I’m home!” She called in a sing-song voice. 

Simon stood from his desk and walked to the door, hugging his friend. He was so tired, he went limp in her arms.

“Whoa dude, I thought you said Winter was the one bed-bound?” She said, holding up the weight of the larger man. 

“He is,” came the muffled reply.

“Well, what are we waiting for, where is he? What are his symptoms?” 

“Doc, I know what’s wrong with him,” Simon stepped away and sighed, “We struggled with depression a fair bit when we were younger; frankly speaking, we still do. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this bad, but it looks like…with him having a more amplified version of my personality…even the depressive episodes have intensified.”

“Okay, so what worked for you?” 

“Prozac.”

“Simon, that’s going to be a bit of an issue,” She rubbed the back of her neck, thinking through all the medications she had worked with over the years, “I haven’t even heard of Prozac before.”

“Yeah, it’s a relic from before the war. I went through hell when I ran out,” Simon chuckled, remembering how bad it had been, “I had the worst migraine of my life, and at the end of the world no less…though it did make me realize how bad I felt when I was on it. I forgot that I wasn’t supposed to feel nauseous all the time, or that my hands weren’t supposed to shake.” 

Doctor Princess’s jaw dropped.

“Dude, that sounds like it was making you feel worse.”

“Yeah well, medicine was just…like that back in my day. It would fix some of your issues, but then cause new ones, which meant more medications,” Simon shrugged, “It was cyclical.”

“There is so much to unpack with that, but not right now,” She walked past Simon and sat at the table Winter kept set up for meetings, “Right now though, we have bigger fish to fry.”

Simon took Winter’s usual place, facing Doctor Princess.

There was an air of seriousness and urgency in their party planning that made it feel more like they were discussing battle plans. 

“Ice Scouts?” Simon called, the two came rushing to his side. 

“Yes, Advisor Simon?” the one on the right answered for them.

“You guys can just call me Simon, ummmm…okay, I’m going to call you Amanda,” he pointed to the one who spoke, “and you Beatrice,” he pointed to the other, “that’ll make it so much easier to assign tasks.”

“Actually, my name is Zima,” ‘Amanda’ corrected, “and their name is Heilo.” 

Simon blinked a few times, processing the new information.

“You…you guys have names?”

“I don’t know why you’re shocked, you have a name, don’t you?” Heilo chimed in, putting a hand on their hip.

Simon looked to Doctor Princess, who shrugged. 

“That is a very good point…Heilo…Would you be able to organize the refreshment table?” As soon as Simon issued the request, they skated off. 

“Zima, I have a different task for you,” Simon shuffled his papers and handed the Ice Scout one of them, “Could you run this by the tailor? I know it’s rather late for a project of this size, but I really need this done by tonight.”

“Simon, I’m not one to judge, but is now the time for a new outfit?” Doctor Princess chimed in, resting her head on her hand. 

“It’s not for me,” Simon laughed, as Zima left with the paper, “it’s a present and a bribe.”

“A bribe? You’re going to bribe the king? With a new outfit from his own tailor?” 

“He really likes new clothes.” 

They gathered their sketches and made their way to the ballroom.

“Simon, do you have a plan to get this place decorated? Winter usually does ice sculptures or that thing with the lights.” Doctor Princess did a spin, taking in the barren room.

“Honestly, I do not. Not at all. I haven’t even sent out the invitations yet.” 

She turned to face him.

“Are you serious dude?” 

“As a heart attack.”

“Simon, focus on sending out the invites, I’ll figure out the decorations.” She walked him to one of the tables in the far corner and sat him down. 

Simon made himself comfortable and began sending out the default invitation that Winter had on standby.

He sent them out as he wrote them, barely paying attention to the names of recipients.

Simon saved the most important one for last.

The only one he needed to write himself.

He got up from the table and stretched.

“Hey old man, you almost done?” Doctor Princess called from across the room.

“Yeah, everything is sent out and I’m hoping we’ll have a good turn ou-,” Simon cut himself off as he looked around the room, “How did you get all of this done so quickly?”

The room was covered in paper streamers and snowflakes.

“It wasn’t that hard,” she laughed, climbing down her tower of ice chairs, “The worst part was the climb up!” She jumped down the last few feet, dusted herself off, and made her way to stand by Simon, “So what do we have left?” 

“Well, we’re waiting on Heilo to get back with the refreshments, then I guess we just have to wait for everyone to show up,” Simon sighed, “It’s going to be nothing like Winter’s parties, do you think anyone is going to show up?”

Doctor Princess grabbed him by the shoulders and made him face her.

“Have you not heard a word I said?” She gave him a joking shake, “Simon, there parties are important. They’ll come.”

Winter was staring at the wall, trying his best to find sleep, when he was startled by a knock at his door.

Simon never knocked.

He wrapped his blanket around himself as he dragged himself to the door of his room. 

No one was there, just a suit bag with a note attached. 

He grabbed both off the door and shut himself back in his room. 

As he scanned over the note, his expression softened. 

My dearest Winter,

There is a ball occurring tonight and I would love for you to be my date.

I know things haven’t been easy lately. I won’t pretend they haven’t been.

Knowing this, I will not hold it against you if you reject my invitation. 

Though I would love to see you there.

My heart,

S. Petrikov

Winter set the note on his bedside table and opened the suit bag. It was a deeper blue than his favorite suit, the jacket was longer than usual, the tail appeared as if it would land just behind his knees. The pants were more tapered than he usually wore, a cut he had always wanted to try, but had never gotten around to.

He sighed and looked at the suit. It was gorgeous. He loved it.

He knew if he put it on, he’d have to entertain an entire ballroom of people who would be falling over themselves to dance with him. 

Usually, that was his idea of a perfect night, but now he just didn’t know if he had it in him to leave his room. 

Everyone Simon invited showed up.

They didn’t seem to mind the paper decorations or the band that Simon had found last minute to handle the music.

They were mingling amongst themselves, dancing, and enjoying themselves at the makeshift ball. 

Winter adjusted his crown. 

He knew he didn’t look the best. His hair was greasy and he had seen how bad his dark circles had gotten. His only hope was that no one would comment on his state of disrepair. 

He entered the ballroom and was shocked to find Simon the center of attention, dancing with Old Lady Princess as a band of his citizens played out of tune. 

He smiled and went to leave, happy with the knowledge that his partner was having a good time and had the event under control.

[little-yandere-ish-blog]

Assasin russia have a crush with y/n. One day he got a mission to wipe entire y/n family. Because he doesn't want to kill y/n, he kidnap her and story goes. If you not taking req ignore this. Thank you and have a good day ❤️

I totally take requests, don't be afraid to fill up the ask box! I'm more than happy to write for anyone:) You didn't specify any gender reader so uh you get gender neutral

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The City never seems to sleep, that's what Ivan always though as he slinked through alleyways to get to his targets. Ivan was an assassin for hire, basically a hitman. He never cared about titles after all you had no time to worry about what they're called when the bullet has your name written on it. Here he was, a man whose hands is covered in the blood of hundreds going to visit his little crush, god he found it embarrassing to think that this person has him wrapped around their damn finger.

"Hello Ivan" (name) greeted Ivan smiling

Ivan smiled " (name), its so good to see you" He kissed their hand, he's always known to play his cards and be charming to people. Maybe he was genuine but you wont know that till its too late. Maybe not even then.

" What brings you to visit me? It feels like your secretive work has whisked you away from reality, if i didn't know better id think you are a workaholic" (name) joked being playful towards Ivan

How charming they were, always had some kind of joke up their sleeve, it reminded him of his long lost comrade Alfred, killed in a war leaving Ivan hurt and now a heartless killer but, you reminded him so much of Alfred, of course you were two different people but you were perfected by the gods themselves in Ivan's eyes. How he cherished the time he has with you.

" I don't usually like to be away but I don't think arguing with my boss will get me very far nor possibly allow me to keep the job i currently hold. It pays well so I suppose that's what matter's" He said thoughtfully

Oh how he enjoyed spending this time with you. He would have to work something out eventually for you and him to be together, he was usually a great planner but considering his job and schedule it may not be a great time to plan when you are gonna court an old friend romantically. It didn't take long after he visited you for him to get absolutely swept up in his work. Today was no different he got a letter to kill the entire (l/n) family. WAIT WHAT?!

His eyes fixated on the letter, Starting at your last name on the page, maybe maybe it was another family but...no there was your addresses and even pictures... He felt his throat grow a knot making it hard to swallow. This person even paid 25,000 for each member killed. He couldn't kill the entire family he didn't want to kill you! He needed a plan and a quick one at that, he's usually so composed and held together but this time he was frantic thinking how he could handle this. Fake your death? He'd have to change your name and entire identity! Think Ivan, he is usually more clever and quick witted but right now he was trying to think of how he could properly handle this. There could be a billion ways to handle this but right now he needed to prep his home for the new 'guest'.

(your/outside pov)

Here you were sweeping the shop up, Ivan came to visit a few days ago. You saw him again, this is how you two met was you were working your family shop but Ivan was more like a good friend of yours and your family.

"Ivan! Its good to see you what brings you to the shop?"

He gave his usual friendly smile. " (name), I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me tonight. I don't know if you were able to leave shop early or if your parents could take it over. It means a lot to me tonight." He approached you at the counter.

You couldn't possibly reject him, dinner sounded good and your parents could take the shop tonight too!

" I can get my parents to take over the shop tonight, what's the dress code on dinner tonight?" You said sweeping the dirt into a dust pan and disposing of the filth into the garbage.

" dress nice, casual nice. I'll pick you up at 7:30pm sharp How does that sound?" He smirked a little

" Alright, casual nice and 7: 30 got it!"

It didn't take that much...only just one pill in your little drink that night for you to finally be out, oh he took you home and put you in the basement. Maybe one day you would understand his love and affection for you. Maybe... He planned on accepting your love with open arms....

Oh he had so many plans when you woke up-

[lya-dustin]

Of Rhaena and Maegor

Or my attempt at a lighthearted Ides of March in Westeros turned to angst thanks to Aemond

Gif by @sylasthegrim

Cw:mentions of an abusive marriage,marital rape and reproductive abuse

The mummers were to blame for this.

No one expected for Maegor’s death to become something memorable let alone a holiday of sorts.

Usually on that blessed day the play made about it will be everywhere, children would be attacking ‘Maegor’ with paper knives and depending on the wit of the host or hostess, knives would be given to everyone save for the most disliked, powerful or the guest of honor.

Court would be celebrating it today because Rhaenyra goaded his mother into doing it. It is how he finds himself sitting besides Aemma on the large cushions on the floor while they watch a trope of mummers enact some tamed rendition of Maegor’s last days.

“This one is my favorite one actually.” Aemma admits quietly and hands him the bowl with red grapes they were sharing.

“I know, you used to ask for it every year when we were younger.” He whispers back taking a grape from the bowl.

Usually Jaehaerys is made to look the hero with Rhaena playing the loving and obedient sister, this one has Rhaena as the hero. Something that could lift Aemma’s spirits and alleviate her melancholia.

Aemond wonders if her marriage to Aegon had her feel a stronger sense of kinship towards Rhaena the Black Bride.

Aegon isn’t Maegor, though if grandsire and mother do not change course he may die like him. The Gods had already taken his fertility and to give him a crown they will have to commit various kinslayings. There was also that thing of him forcing himself on Aemma when he is drunk that is just unforgivable.

Perhaps if Aegon was stronger and intelligent, he may have passed for Maegor the Cruel. Aegon was cruel but an ignorant sort that told you he had never been taught to be better. Discipline isn’t always with violence, something mother had only learned after the damage had been done.

“We do not have to lay together if you don’t want to.” Aemond suggests and she bites her lip because she knows she will take him up on the offer.

“Just tonight, I don’t think I could survive this place without you.” She whispers quickly just as a drunk Aegon saunters in and plops himself on her other side.