#and what he can do now with that confidence and connection

[littlelamy]

eight letters, three words: soft!rafe x reader

a/n: a little long than usual but i hope you guys enjoy it 😘

the grand ballroom was a dazzling array of lights. amidst the swirling colors and the symphony of laughter and music, you felt a surreal sense of detachment. the event, though magnificent, felt secondary to the storm brewing within you.

rare moved through the crowd with an effortless grace, his gaze occasionally catching yours, causing a jolt of anticipation every time. the way his eyes lingered on you, filled with a mix of intensity and something more vulnerable, made your heart race with a tumult of fear and longing. you had sensed for a while that he was holding something back, a truth that lay just beneath the surface of his charmingly dangerous facade.

as the evening progressed, rafe’s gaze never strayed far from you. It was as though an invisible thread connected you both, a thread that tugged and twisted with every glance and every subtle gesture. when he finally approached you, it was as if the world around you had melted away, leaving just the two of you in a private, intense bubble.

“can we talk?” rafe’s voice was low and commanding, with a hint of something raw and unspoken.

you nodded, unable to mask the nervous flutter in your chest. He led you to a quieter corner of the ballroom, where the elegant cacophony of the party was muted, and the dim lighting cast a soft, intimate glow around you.

the silence between you was charged, filled with an unspoken tension that made the air feel heavy. rafe’s usual confidence was tempered by a seriousness that made you feel both anxious and intrigued. he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his expression a mask of controlled intensity.

“rafe,” you began, your voice steady despite the rapid beating of your heart. “what’s this about?”

rafe’s eyes met yours with a piercing gaze. “you know,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, “sometimes words can be the most powerful weapon or the greatest comfort. it depends on how they’re used.”

you swallowed hard, trying to decipher the meaning behind his cryptic words. the grand ballroom’s grandeur seemed a distant memory as the intensity of the moment took over. “what are you trying to say?”

he took a step closer, closing the distance between you. the space between you felt charged, a palpable connection that made your breath hitch. “eight letters,” afe said, his voice barely audible. “three words.”

your pulse quickened, your breath catching in your throat. the phrase seemed to hang in the air, laden with significance. “what do you mean?” you asked, your voice trembling with a mix of fear and anticipation.

rafe’s gaze softened slightly, but the underlying intensity remained. “it’s what i need to say. what i’ve been holding back for too long. and i think you already know what it means.”

you could feel the weight of his words, the gravity of the moment pressing down on you. the vulnerability in his eyes was a rare glimpse into the depths of his emotions. “just say it,” you urged, your voice a whisper.

rafe’s expression shifted, a mix of resolve and uncertainty playing across his features. “i want you to understand,” he began, his voice low and earnest, “that despite the way i push you, test you, and sometimes hurt you, it’s because i care. It’s because i’m afraid of letting you in fully.”

his words struck a chord, resonating deep within you. the pain he caused was tempered by moments of tenderness, and his emotional walls had always seemed impenetrable. “i’ve been trying to protect myself,” rafe continued, his voice trembling slightly. “afraid of being vulnerable, afraid of getting hurt. but i realize now that it’s not worth it.”

you took a step closer, closing the emotional gap between you. your hand reached out to touch his arm, the gesture both comforting and intimate. “rafe,” you said softly, “i love you. even when you’re at your worst, i love you.”

his eyes widened slightly, a mixture of surprise and relief evident in his gaze. “you mean it?”

you nodded, your heart full of love and understanding. “yes, i do. i see through the tough exterior and the games you play. i know there’s more to you than that. and despite everything, i’m here because I care too.”

rafe’s expression softened, the hardness in his eyes melting away as he took in your words. “i’ve been pushing you away, testing you. but i need you to know that I’m trying to be better. for you.”

the sincerity in his voice was palpable, and you felt a tear escape down your cheek. rafe reached out, his hand gently wiping away the tear. “i’m sorry,” he said, his voice filled with a raw emotion you hadn’t heard from him before. “i’m sorry for being difficult, for making you doubt how I feel.”

you smiled through your tears, feeling a profound sense of relief and connection. “i know you’re trying. and that’s what matters to me.”

he leaned in, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that was both passionate and tender. it was a kiss filled with promises and apologies, a blending of fierce love and vulnerability. you responded with equal fervor, your emotions pouring into the kiss as you held him close.

when you finally pulled back, rafe’s gaze was filled with a newfound tenderness. “thank you for being patient with me,” he said softly.

you nodded, your heart swelling with affection. “i wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

as the night continued around you, the grand ballroom and its grandeur seemed to fade into the background. the world outside was irrelevant compared to the bond you shared with rafe. hand in hand, you stood together, ready to face the complexities of your relationship with a renewed sense of commitment and understanding.

with the weight of the evening’s revelations still lingering in the air, you both knew that the journey ahead would be filled with challenges. but with love as your guiding light, you felt prepared to navigate whatever came next. the promise of tomorrow, despite its uncertainties, seemed bright and hopeful, as long as you faced it together.

[cloudiinumaki]

on the horizon. . . (2)

CONSIDER . . . — from his side, what's likely to cause troubles in your relationship?

CHARACTERS ! — satoru gojo, suguru geto (separately)!

NOTES ! — i've already done a megumi & inumaki version of this. sorry for the geto one i literally can only write geto angst whoops

WARNINGS ! — uhh angst, NOTT proofread

REQUESTS OPEN !

SATORU.

— i feel like an issue that satoru gojo definitely has is that, in the relationship, he'll be totally upbeat and joking— which is nice, but when it comes to the emotional connection past that, he'd be horrible.

confiding in one another, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, is something that he doesn't really allow himself to do.

and, it's not unsurprising that he'd limit himself, given how everything went with his best friend geto before.

i think this issue would be slightly less if you were a sorcerer, and even less if you were quite strong. then, at least, he'd be able to speak with you candidly somewhat.

but, if you're not a sorcerer, i feel like he'd definitely want to keep you away from that stuff, so you would be left in the dark about it a little.

also, i feel like whilst you'd probably be more open to confiding in him, and you would trust him as he'd end up knowing a lot about you, but he wouldn't really do the same.

and, because of his jokes and usually light-hearted nature, you're distracted and honestly kinda deluded from the fact that you've not actually emotionally connected as much as it might've felt like.

SUGURU.

as for suguru, i honestly think it's really obvious what would cause a problem. after his defection, it's clear that he's changed as a person, and what he's willing to do also, and despite your best efforts, it clearly has a knock-on effect on your relationship.

his duality is insane, with how cruel he can sometimes be when it comes to other things, and how gentle his touch will be when it comes to you. still, that doesn't stop the sinking feeling in you. yes, suguru loves you, it's undeniable.

but, he won't compromise on his ideals. since that day that he defected, it became clear to him that there was no turning away from the path that he'd chosen.

you, no matter how much he loves you, will never be able to convince him to change from what he's decided, and so if you're not as enthusiastic as him (which is probably the case), it'll be difficult staying with him.

compromising his ideals at this point simply isn't an option even if it's obvious that he's on a one-way track to losing everything.

it's easier for suguru to mentally justify his decisions if he continues moving on his path without any hesitation, because hesitation proves that he doesn't trust in his ideals as much as he should.

and so, after the events at the village, you have two choices.

either accept him as the way he's decided to be, or leave him too.

after picking the former, he's still just as gentle with you, even though he's a cult leader now, and not much has changed in your relationship.

but, there's a sinking feeling that you have to try your best to ignore, the feeling that you're watching a man on a path to death.

[oristian]

So how come we can tell that Elain wants azriel and is attracted to azriel but Eluciens claim they need Elain's POV to confirm she doesn't want Lucien??

Idk it's almost like thoughts and acts and verbal things she has said matter?? It's almost like... we don't need everyone and their mother's POV to tell very basic information??

Y'all acting like she is a complete black box just because we don't have her POV yet 😭😭

What if I said "oh we need Lucien's POV to tell he actual feels a bond and didn't orchestrate a fake mating bond to claim an Archeron sister after she got made?"

"But he wouldn't do that"

How am I supposed to know he wouldn't!! We don't have his POV either 🤪 he could be Koschei for all we know 🤷🏻‍♀️

And nobody better fucking bring up Feyre hating Rhys or Nesta kicking Cassian in the balls. Their words differed from their actions. They might've SAID they hated their love interests at the time, but their ACTIONS differed. Anyone who genuinely thought Feyre hated Rhys or Nesta hated Cassian is literally just lying atp because come on what do you mean you didn't pick up on that?? Nesta was willing to die for Cassian and Feyre was literally thinking Rhys was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Be so fr.

Elain's actions match her words. We don't need her POV to know that.

Good morning! This might be a long response, so hope you enjoy!

Elain Archeron is a book character. Books follow standards enacted by the stricture of narratives, and how stories are told overall—in short, the reader is being told something through a book. A story is told through settings, dialogue, characters, et cetera. While the reader may be able to create their own theories, pick up on literary devices, and generate predispositions, until the reader is fully informed by the intent of the author on page, it is speculation.

When people claim that we need Elain’s POV to understand how she is feeling towards Lucien, that is very much true. There is a plethora of reasons as to why she shifted her composure around him between ACOWAR and ACOSF. From asking if he is alright and inviting him to Velaris, to shrinking around him? Until we are in her inner monologue and seeing what she is seeing, the reader can only speculate. Is she now very horny for him, is the mating bond chafing when he’s around, did she have a vision of their future, is she wildly attracted to him, et cetera? The same way that people claim she is in love with Azriel is the same way we claim we need her POV—neither is true until Elain confirms it herself with her own thoughts, feelings, and words.

Now, I want to bring up “thoughts, actions and verbal things,” because, more often than not, it is misconstrued. The only instance where the reader might be swayed to believe that Elain feels anything for Azriel is the almost kiss in the bonus chapter. However, we only had Azriel’s POV. Compared to Wings and Embers bonus chapter with Nessian, the reader was lacking the female’s POV. With Nesta and Cassian, we read that both were feeling the pull towards each other in that chapter. In ACOSF, we were limited to just Azriel—why is that? As for the other lines of dialogue that are seemingly connected to Elriel, those are regarding Graysen. “I don’t want a male,” would also be applied to Azriel, no? “And that love would trump even a mating bond,” is about Graysen.

I have been asked before how I can confidently ship Elucien when Elain seemingly lost her “newfound boldness,” and, “shrunk in on herself,” when Lucien came during Solstice. While I do understand how some people can read that as a negative for the ship, I once again have to say that we do not know why either of those actions happened. There has been zero indication that Lucien is forcing himself on her, is bad for her, and/or is disrespecting her wishes, so why has Elain suddenly started acting like this? This is why we claim that we need her POV for all of these unanswered questions.

Essentially, Elain is a blank sheet of paper. Could she stay this newfound meek personality and live all her days in a small cottage with a garden, or will she revert back into her old personality and become the socialite that she once was? While the reader can understand some of her character, she is still more shifted towards the background and is lacking the substance that a fleshed out POV and aligned character development would offer to her. This is one of the reasons why so many people seemingly dislike her character, because she has not been able to explain her actions. This was similar to Nesta.

The example you brought up with Lucien and the bond needing clarification actually was solved very quickly in ACOMAF. When Feyre unleashed Helion’s spellcleaving magic and broke the bonds in Hybern, she would have broken any fake mating bond tied to Elain and Lucien. Feyre has also been inside of Lucien’s head while he was experiencing the tug of mating instincts. Elain has felt the tug of the bond and Lucien was able to experience her from the inside due to the bond. They both have experienced mating behavior towards each other. The reader has had a snippet of Lucien’s POV.

Feyre, Nesta and Elain are all similar in how they were reluctant to accept the bond at first—the only difference is that Elain is fully aware of the bond before she accepts it. Feyre and Nesta were stuffed into forced close proximity with both of their mates, which also differs from Elain, and her sisters also had access to their mates before they turned fae. Elain met Lucien the night she turned fae and had very little alone time with him. Feyre and Nesta both experienced firsthand the chaffing of the bond while being so close to their mates for so long, but Elain has not. Elain was in love and engaged to Graysen and was now suddenly tossed a fae male as her mate, while simultaneously losing her humanity? It is only reasonable that she would not be jumping for joy over this new revelation.

SJM is an author that uses similar patterns across her entire body of work. To say that we cannot compare how she wrote Feysand and Nessian to Elucien in the same series makes no sense to me. Now, I do believe that you have contradicted yourself in your paragraph regarding Feyre and Nesta. I agree, while they may have claimed that they wanted nothing to do with their mates, their actions showed the reader otherwise. Elain is similar with Lucien, however, she has not once said that she hated him, wanted him gone, wanted to reject the bond, et cetera. Anything she has said against wanting a fae male was because she wanted Graysen and to return to her mortal life. Her actions towards Lucien have included worriment for his safety, relief that he is alright, inviting him to Velaris, keeping all of his Solstice gifts, the half step, et cetera. Someone who planned on rejecting the bond with their mate would not have done any of the above.

If the reader does not need Elain’s POV, why would she need an entire book? If her thoughts, feelings, and actions are fully explained from another’s POV, why would she need to explain herself in her own inner monologue? She already has hobbies, friends, a lover, a home, joy, purpose, and family—what would be the point of her having a book?

I so hope I managed to answer your question. Have a good day!

[gravegroves]

Cleaning up my google docs and posting the stuff I think isn't entirely terrible. Enjoy.

Tags & warnings: horror themes, Karen is the Mindflayer, Karen is a warning all on her own, non-graphic references to injury, Billy and Heather friendship, blink and you'll miss it reference to possible future Steve/Billy and Robin/Heather

Rating: M for horror

There's something wrong with Karen Wheeler

*****

He fucked up.

Billy knows this.

Inviting her to the motel for private swimming lessons had been really fucking stupid in retrospect. Still, he'd sat there on that musty motel bed all dolled up and waited for a woman he knew he wouldn't be able to stay hard for and had gotten panicky because of it.

Not that she had shown up in the end. Thank god.

Barely five seconds past the arranged meeting time and Billy had slammed out of the room like the devil was on his ass. He'd sprinted to the Camaro and hightailed it out of there with the windows rolled down low and the night air drying the nervous sweat on his brow, bringing with it a little bit of clarity. He'd laughed around the unlit cigarette pinched between his lips and let the relief wash over him like a potent high. As the rush of adrenalin slowly drained from his system, it had left his hands shaky and clammy on the wheel but his foot heavy on the gas, eager to get home for once.

A bullet dodged.

Or so he had thought.

*****

The next morning Billy saunters out into the pool area in his usual red board shorts and immediately notices Mrs Wheeler lounging in her customary spot, nestled in amongst the row of other preening moms desperate for a scrap of his attention. The hungry stares usually fill him with a great sense of confidence — there's nothing quite as intoxicating as feeling wanted — but now they only make him feel nauseous.

Mrs. Wheeler is clothed from head to toe, making her stick out like a sore thumb next to her peers and situated in such a way that the umbrella above her is keeping her fully in the shade. Her gaze snaps to him the second his bare feet connect with the hot concrete and Billy feels a chill running up his spine out of fucking nowhere. His swagger stutters for a second, all the confidence lost in a moment of surprise. He catches himself easily enough, compliments Mrs Groyer on her new hat and power walks over to his chair, eager to pass by Mrs Wheeler without any kind of contact. He swears he can feel her eyes on his back the entire way over. Confirms it when he climbs up into his seat and looks back over to find her gaze still fixed on him, unblinking.

What the fuck has he gotten himself into?

*****

Morning passes into afternoon uneventfully, though Billy finds himself increasingly distracted. It's hard not to with Mrs Wheeler openly staring at him every time his gaze flits to her end of the pool and by the end of the day it's gone from weird and bewildering to downright creepy. He fully expects the woman to get up and walk up to the guard station at any second, so Billy spends his entire shift at the edge of his seat, waiting.

But she never moves.

All she does is stare.

*****

The rush of relief from the previous night has all but evaporated by closing time. A few stragglers are still hanging around and trying to squeeze in a few extra minutes in the water before Billy or Heather decide to kick them out. At the end of the pool, all alone, still as a statue, Karen Wheeler continues to lounge and watch him just as she has been all goddamn day.

Billy doesn't know what to do. He's had girls all over him for the past couple of years, but it's never been like this. He doesn't even know what this is.

Heather had caught on to his situation a few hours ago and while at first she had laughed at him from the shade of the front desk, now she shoots him worried looks between scooping pool noodles out of the water, trying to ask him without words what the hell is going on. Not that Mrs Wheeler ever seems to take her eyes off Billy long enough to notice Heather at all. Billy wouldn't even know how to answer the question anyway, so he just shrugs in response and ignores the prickling on his neck as he goes about checking the pool filter.

Half past eight and Billy kicks out the last two idiots he finds hiding behind the supply shed. He sneaks a last peak around the pool and feels a wave of relief wash over him when Mrs Wheeler's lounge chair is empty for the first time all day. A more thorough sweep of the area and Billy still doesn't catch sight of the woman.

Rushed by this sudden window of being unobserved, Billy quickly wipes down the guard chair and heads directly for the changing rooms, determined to get the fuck out of there as quickly as possible. He thinks he hears Heather calling out to him as the door swings shut, but Billy has tunnel-visioned in on his objective:

Get changed. Get out of there. Fuck the shower, he'll take one at home.

Except there's a Karen-sized problem standing between Billy and his locker and he freezes mid-step upon entering the changing room.

Under the fluorescent light Mrs Wheeler almost looks blue, her unusually pale skin taking to the light in an odd way. Her clothes are soaked and Billy notices a trail of water leading from the puddle at her feet and out into the showers. In her hand is a bottle of something that looks like the bleach they use for cleaning the floors.

Her eyes are dark and empty and so intently fixed on Billy that his skin begins to crawl as if a thousand spiders have suddenly made a home of his body. She takes a step forward and Billy feels absolutely pinned under her gaze, fight or flight abandoning his brain and leaving him absolutely petrified for some unknown reason.

The door swings open behind him and Heather barges through the door, looking wide-eyed but with a wide smile already plastered onto her face.

"Mrs Wheeler!" Heather's bright, fake-cheerful voice cuts through the silence of the locker room, almost making a mockery out of Billy's panicked state. God, what is wrong with him? "I'm so sorry to do this, but Billy and I really need to close the pool down now. If you wouldn't mind…" Heather steps back and gestures at the door with her whole hand, the same way they've been told to do by their boss time and time again. It's inviting, apparently. Billy never really got the memo, his pointer finger works just fine. But even with a gun to his head, Billy doesn't think he could have worked his muscles to point the way out in that moment, rooted to the spot as he is.

The woman's entire demeanour changes before their eyes. Her gaze fills somehow, feels less like a mannequin staring at you from a Sears storefront and more like somebody's at home in there somewhere.

"Oh, of course!" Mrs Wheeler places the bottle on the bench with the hollow thunk of an empty plastic container. "I just wanted to ask if Billy was still up for those private swimming lessons."

She says it without a hint of innuendo, but from the way Heather's brows climb her forehead she reads the meaning loud and clear. Not exactly Billy's best work.

"All booked out, sorry Mrs W," Billy grins, regaining some of the swagger he seems to have lost along with his balls.

"Well, you let me know if that changes." Mrs Wheeler smiles politely and moves towards the door.

"Sure thing," Billy promises, already sure he's never going to approach Karen Wheeler for anything ever again if he can help it. She walks past them, bringing with her a stinging odour of chemicals and something sickly sweet, like rotting meat.

The changing room door finally slams closed. Heather turns to him.

"For real?"

Billy smirks a little, despite himself.

"She stayed for your entire shift to ask about private swimming lessons?"

"Guess I'm just worth the wait," Billy licks his bottom lip and bites it suggestively.

She shoots him an unimpressed look with a muttered, "Sure, sure," and drops her duffle onto the bench, "You gonna drive me home for saving your ass, or what? Mrs Wheeler is probably hiding in a bush somewhere waiting to jump me for interrupting your little moment." 

He rolls his eyes, "In your wildest dreams, loser."

Heather gives him a pitying look. "Private. Swimming. lessons."

Billy chokes, "God, I fucking hate you."

She grins and wiggles her fingers at him mockingly, "No you don't."

He doesn't. Heather is the closest thing to a real friend Billy's ever had, truth be told, the only good thing about this shit-stinking, two-horse town in Billy's not so humble opinion.

"I'm getting changed in here. Whatever that was–" she waves her hand at the door, "–creeps me the hell out. Turn around so I don't scar you for life."

"Why? Still padding your bra with socks?"

She makes an insistent spinning gesture with her hand and Billy turns around and drops his pants without a second thought. "I've got bigger tits than you, doll. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"But if I see your cock I'll never forgive you, dickhead."

"Better not look at my head then."

Heather snorts.

When Billy leaves this awful place behind he's going to do his best to convince her to come with him, he'll miss the hell out of her if she decides to stay.

In the end Billy does drive her home, if only because the image of Karen Wheeler crouched in the bushes out along the road somewhere pops into his head and won't leave him alone.

Figures Billy would cross the craziest bitch in all of Hawkins.

Just his luck.

*****

Karen is right back in her lounge chair by the time Billy arrives for his shift the next day. Her clothes are the same ones from the day before and Billy briefly imagines the woman laid out on the chair all night, motionless, waiting for Billy to return.

But she doesn't approach him, she never even says a word. She lies in her lounge, covered from head to toe, tucked into the shade of her umbrella and stares and stares and stares.

*****

Heather arrives at noon to take over for Adam and immediately zeroes in on Mrs Wheeler.

"Your biggest fan is back," she says in lieu of a greeting, as if Billy isn't very fucking aware of the fact and doing his best to ignore it. "She really can't take her eyes off of you, huh?"

Billy can't even muster the energy to find something to say to that. He'd slept like shit the night before, nightmares of Karen hunting him through the woods and hiding in bushes waking him up in a cold sweat. Every time he'd tried to fall back asleep he'd sworn he could hear something scuttling around outside his window, keeping him wide awake way into the early hours of the morning.

All of this because of private swimming lessons? Billy can't help but feel like he dodged a bullet, only to take a dive into a pool of quicksand.

"Look what I made," Heather singsongs and pulls out two cardboard squares chequered into a five by five grid and wiggles them under his nose, "Maybe this will cheer you up."

Billy grins at her and accepts his square. It's become a bit of a tradition on Friday shifts to play this game of theirs. Billy already has his pen out and ready to go, desperately grateful for the distraction.

For the rest of the afternoon they sit on opposite sides of the pool, Billy in the chair, Heather at the hole-in-the-wall front desk and play Hawkins Community Pool Bingo. Billy almost inhales his whistle when he reads the square written in Heather's neat, precise handwriting that says: 'Mr Klaufeld's balls slip out of his speedo again', grimaces at the 'kid vomits in the pool' square, hoping that one doesn't get crossed today even if it means winning. He outright scowls when, instead of a free space in the centre, it says 'Mrs Wheeler creeps on Billy'. Billy immediately crosses that one off the board and flips the bird across the pool, only to receive a jolly wave in return.

By closing time not a single kid has drowned, which is a miracle in and of itself with Billy distracted on two fronts not related to his job. This time, however, as Billy and Heather herd out the last of the stragglers, there is no sign of Mrs Wheeler inside the community pool centre or outside of it.

Billy doesn't know when she left, but a quick peek out into the parking lot confirms that the only car left is his own.

"Maybe she gave up," Heather says and spins the bundle of keys around her finger. Billy is about to open his mouth to answer her when he catches sight of movement out among the trees past the fence and freezes.

The last light of the day may be fading fast, but there's enough of it for Billy to see half of Karen Wheeler's face poking out from behind a tree and staring right at him.

Billy doesn't know why — it's an almost hilariously absurd situation to find himself in; a fully grown woman playing hide and seek with him like a toddler — but the sight of her face slowly disappearing back behind the trunk of the tree immediately has all the hairs on his body standing on end and tears springing to his eyes.

Something is wrong with this picture.

Something is very wrong with Karen Wheeler.

"Heather," he whispers, and the terror in his voice must be so clearly audible, because she immediately snaps around to look at him and then off in the direction he's facing.

"What is it?" She whispers back, "What did you see?"

"There's someone behind that tree."

Someone. 

They stand there, frozen, like two deer catching the scent of a predator on the wind and waiting to hear the snap of a twig.

A full minute ticks by. Only the faint sound of wind rustling the treetops and the occasional gurgle from the pool filter disrupts the absolute silence that falls over them.

Heather shifts on the spot.

"Just wait," he begs, voice shaky. Eyes watering from trying not to blink, still fixated on that tree, "I swear I'm not fucking around."

It's too much. This is too much.

Eventually Heather takes a step away from him and makes a shushing motion when he opens his mouth to protest. He tenses his body, thinking that she's going to leave him there all alone, but she keeps her eyes fixed on the tree Billy keeps looking at while she moves away, trying to get a view from a different angle.

That turns out to be a huge mistake.

Heather reaches the other end of the fence and just as she does, she chokes on a sudden inhale of surprise just as Mrs Wheeler comes sprinting out from behind the tree, heading straight for Billy.

She eats up the distance in a matter of seconds, but her face is so dreadfully blank that for a moment Billy doesn't react at all, the absolute absurdity of what he's witnessing freezing him to the spot once again.

She's so fast, is all he can think as she nears the patch of grass leading up to the pool area, but before she reaches it Heather grabs onto his hand and yanks him toward the gate.

"Come ON!" She screams, just as Mrs Wheeler reaches the fence. And starts scaling it like a goddamn spider.

With the image of that burned into his mind, the pair of them sprint to the gate and reach it just as a sickening crunch of meat and bones landing on concrete rings out across the pool area. Billy barely has time to process the image of Mrs Wheeler snapping her ankles back into place as Heather frantically flicks through the keys to lock the gate behind them, her hands shaking too violently to guide it once she finds it.

"C'mon, c'mon, come, ON!" she says between gritted teeth and lets out a cry of frustration before Billy takes over and jams the key in to the tiny opening and locks the gate with a click.

"Run!" Billy calls out and this time he's the one to pull Heather along into the parking lot.

The clinking of chain link fence straining under added weight sounds out for the second time, but Billy doesn't dare waste any time witnessing that unnatural spider scrawl again, just puts all of his focus into getting to the Camaro and locking the doors with a decisive thunk once they're both safely inside.

Billy doesn't hesitate, jamming the key into the ignition and revving the engine with a roar before he backs the car out of the space with a screech of tires. There is a blur of a body rushing past the passenger side window, landing with another sickening thud and Heather presses herself back over the centre console, keening in terror as Mrs Wheeler slowly gets back up, hair wild, skin bruised and bloody, her face still a blank slate as she turns to look in through the window at them both.

"Billy, GO!" Heather pleads and Billy steps on the gas and speeds the Camaro out of the parking lot.

In the rearview mirror, Billy watches as a human form steps out onto the road to watch them speed away for just a moment before slinking to the edge of the forest and melting back into the darkness.

Heather is slumped in the passenger seat, shivering and panting. Billy's own hands are steady only because they're white knuckling the steering wheel. After a moment of silence, she turns to look at him with an uncertain smile, voice just this side of shrill.

"I think maybe it's time to find a job at the mall."

"Yeah," Billy laughs shakily, "I heard Scoops Ahoy is hiring."

.

.

.

[autumn-foxfire]

IT'S TIME! FIST OF BLUE SAPPHIRE! THE NUMBER ONE KAISHIN MOVIE!

How interesting though, that this movie is set after Ran and Shinichi are officially dating but they went for KaiShin instead with ShinRan sprinkled in from time to time. I guess they were like "you had your cheek kiss, let the gays have something" and we appreciate them for doing so!

And that card is how poor Kaito is dragged into this sinster plot T-T

I appreciate the movie actually understanding Ai's character better than Gosho does. This should have been her response when Shinichi had pestered her for the antidote for the school trip.

I still don't know why Yuusaku hasn't used his "many" connections to help his son get a passport but Kaito's solution worked too. And is a lot gayer.

Kaito really likes to dress up as cute girls XD We stan a gender non-conforming thief.

We don't acknowledge enough how gay Kaito's "I've been waiting a long time for you," is. We know honey. The boy still believes that he's straight but he'll get there.

Did Kaito strip Shinichi to put all that tan on him? I just need to know. Because that is also very gay of him (also creepy but he was only did it because he needed Shinichi's help and he knows that Conan can't be in Singapore so he's just being a good future husband protecting his identity).

Shinichi always sees Kaito as so handsome.

The second best part of this movie beside the Kaishin? We get really cute Makosono.

It's funny that Sonoko says "they have good vibes between them" but we know that Ran is already aware that this is Kaito and she's acting to catch him off guard. She's a better actor than Shinichi and now I believe that she's always acting when it comes to Shinichi.

Kaito and Shinichi are already being gay with one another. Come on guys, get a room. Shinichi has just been kidnapped and he does not give a shit because it was his husband that did so.

Agasa totally made that suitcase. Jii definitely had him make it. What I'm saying is that Agasa is a bro and wanted Shinichi to have a date with his boyfriend.

Shinichi and his love for Sherlock Holmes T-T

Ran is very pretty in this dress by the way. It's a shame that her wife isn't here. My only complaint about this movie is that there is no Sera even though she definitely should have been.

This movie shows us why KaiShin are such a great couple with one another. There's no tension between them, they're always on the same wavelength and it's amazing.

Makoto showing us why he's an amazing boyfriend and why he and Sonoko are so great together!

Sonoko is very gorgeous in this movie.

I love how he panics. When Shinichi panics he drops all pretense but with Kaito, he keeps his grin on his face, probably because of how he's trained his poker face but all it does is make him look manic XD

Kaito's love for sweets is being seen too T-T

Sonoko is the most supportive girlfriend.

It can't be a double date Sonoko with Ran, Ran's wife isn't here sadly. But you can have a double date with KaiShin.

Ran: This is definitely not Shinichi. He is not a smooth talker at all. And he would not interact with my dad that way.

This movie actually also shows us Ran's intelligence, though it's only revealed at the end. What I'm going with this is that SHE. SHOULD. KNOW.

One complaint, again. But how come Makoto gets to have muscles. It's not very apparent but they're there. Ran should get them too.

We love a self-confident Kaito. And Shinichi being exasperated at his husband for being so.

The jealousy Makoto has towards KID is actually one of the few in the series that I don't mind because Sonoko is very open about how she is attracted to KID (though she has assured Makoto her heart is his and even here she makes sure he knows that).

You know Leon saying Kaito's hands belong to that of a magician is also something Ran uses as confirmation that this isn't Shinichi.

You know Kaito is annoyed because it's Shinichi that deserves all the praise that Kogoro gets.

We know that Ran knows this is Kaito, so I'm willing to be she also knows that Arthur is actually Conan and that's why she's okay with this small child who is all alone following them around. Let her be the intelligent women that she is.

Kaito, my smart boy.

AND HIS FIRST HEIST STARTS.

HE'S SO ACROBATIC. HE'S INCREDIBLE. Although, it's because he's so acrobatic that I find it hard to believe his hands are "supple" like it's said. Gymnasts are prone to calluses on their hands due to it. I guess the excuse is that Kaito wears gloves, but that doesn't actually stop them from forming.

MY POOR BABY GOT TASED. AND THEN ALMOST DROWNED. This is the Kaito goes through it movie.

Leon: I am one step ahead.

Shinichi: Hold my beer.

KAITO JUST SHOOTING THE GUY WHO GETS IN THE WAY IS SO FUNNY. He knows who the danger is.

Kaito your adrenaline junkie is showing.

He's so goddamn pleased that Shinichi helped him.

Shinichi: Got to save my idiot husband.

He looks so good in this movie.

And Shinichi just casually waiting for his husband to pick him up is so goddamn cute of him T-T THIS MOVIE IS SO GOOD T-T

They're so adorable, flying over the city while discussing a case. It shows how much trust they have in each other.

And there's the obligatory Shinichi and Ran. I can't even be made about it because I'm being fed so well.

Shinichi is so flustered that Kaito is actually interested in why he chose his name. He's not used to it.

AND HE'S SO CONCERNED FOR KAITO.

Someone pointed out that Kaito doesn't hold his hand over his heart, he usually holds it more to the left. So there is a reason he does so for Shinichi and that reason is gay, gay, homosexual gay.

Lol I just noticed he stole Shinichi's shoes and put him in sandles.

And the acting award goes to Ran! She's doing all of this just to catch out KID and we love her for it!

In fact, she knowing that this is Kaito but chosing not revealing that it is actually gives support that she to my idea that she knows Arthur is Conan and that there must be some way he brought Conan here that was illegal so the only way he can actually get him back home is to let Kaito be arrested in Japan. In this essay I will-

ANOTHER GREAT THING ABOUT THIS MOVIE. Ran is showing off how much she enjoys martial arts too.

The distance Ran put between herself and Kaito is so interesting (and Sonoko doesn't even notice, suggesting she'd do the same for the actual Shinichi).

I'm assuming that Kaito raided Shinichi's wardrobe because Shinichi likes pink shirts with white. He wore it in London and now Kaito is wearing pink and white in Singapore.

I love Kaito's disgrunted look in the background when Kogoro says he won't get the belt. Those are fighting words.

Awww, Shinichi looking back at Kaito was adorable. He's curious but also concerned about his husband as he knows he's being led into traps.

MAKOTO T-T DON'T LISTEN TO HIM.

TIME FOR CUTE MAKOSONO. And Ran is a bro letting Sonoko have some alone time with Makoto, using Kaito as an excuse (she also wants to investigate).

We love Ran.

KAITO OUR GENDER NON-CONFORMING QUEEN. I love how he flirts with the inspector to return his phone too. My queer king. (Yes he is a king and a queen).

Kaito, did you really need to drop your skirt first? Or have you always wanted to do that.

I like to believe that Kaito only noticed the letters because he's learnt a lot from his detective boyfriend.

ALSO ANOTHER THING A PERSON NOTICED THAT WASN'T ME. This time around, Kaito included a propellor on his handglider. There was another Kaishin movie where his detective boyfriend complained about having to land and Kaito telling him they had no choice as it's not like he has a propellor on his glider. Me thinks, he doth use one now due to that.

MY DEAR KAITO

This is why we don't like police. They shoot indiscriminately.

What's with this face Shinichi. Disappointed? Or concerned? Both. He can't have his husband framed.

Nah, definitely concerned.

MY POOR BABY.

I adore the way Sonoko looks at Makoto.

She adores him so much.

And Makoto adores her and just wants to do everything in his power to keep her safe T-T Him catching the knife between his fingers was so cool of him.

SONOKO.

She's going through it too. She and KID can bond over their suffering.

KAITO THE JANITOR T-T Keeping up the act even though he's been injured himself and is in pain.

MY POOR BABY CAN'T EVEN GET PROPER TREATMENT. SHINICHI GO BANDAGE UP YOUR BOYFRIEND.

He's so calm about Shinichi seeing him as his true self too.

Hehe, half naked.

NO ONE SPEAKS ABOUT HOW GREAT THIS MOMENT IS. KAITO GIVES EVERYTHING BACK TO SHINICHI, ASKING FOR HIS FULL SUPPORT TO SOLVE THE MURDER BECAUSE THATS HOW MUCH HE TRUSTS HIM. AND SHINICHI DOES SO. HE DOES WHAT KAITO ASKS.

Shinichi does not need a room with two beds. So, what I'm saying is that they shared a bed. And Shinichi is the blanket hog while Kaito sleeps with barely any and snores. Actually, with how wrapped up Shinichi is and how there is so little on Kaito but the bedding is going in the direction of Shinichi, I think we can confirm this is a double bed they are sharing, as well as a blanket. Noting this down.

OOF. He just lets Rishi fall to the hard floor. Shinichi you are a cruel man but I can excuse you because you want to solve this case before your husband is hurt any more.

MAKOTO AND SONOKO ARE SO CUTE IN THIS MOVIE.

We don't get to see Sonoko and Makoto as casual as they're being so it's nice to see them interact.

TIME FOR KAITO'S COMEBACK.

Awwww, this isn't what Sonoko wants Makoto T-T She wants you to be at your happiest and she knows that is fighting against those who are strong. She doesn't want to be a burden to you.

ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT SONOKO'S RESPONSE TO FEELING LIED TO! IT'S WHAT WE'VE WANTED WITH RAN AND MORE. SHE IS UPSET MAKOTO ISN'T BEING HONEST WITH HER AND WON'T LET HIM TRY AND LIE TO HER. QUEEN BEHAVIOUR.

I know what you are Kaito.

RAN JUST DOESN'T CARE SHINICHI IS SCREAMING. She totally knows that Conan is Arthur (and that Shinichi is Conan) and is letting him tell of his boyfriend.

Kaito gets Shinichi down to a tee, even to how he abandons Ran T-T

TIME FOR SHINICHI AND KAITO TO BE GAY MASTERMINDS WHO SOLVE THE CASE TOGETHER. The gay part is very important to it.

Look at these babies being dramatic together as they sum up the case so far to try and solve it.

This is how playful teasing is done by the way. Neither of them think less of the other so the teasing is just that, something that neither of them mean. This can't be done between Ran and Shinichi because we know he actually views her that way.

KAITO BOUGHT SHINICHI A SNACK AND IT'S SO CUTE. HE'S NOT EVEN BOTHERED BY HIM REVEALING THE TRICK, JUST CURIOUS HOW HE KNEW IT WAS COCONUT WATER.

I love Kaito using casual magic tricks with Shinichi too. It's just so cute and so Kaito.

Shinichi: Haibara, can you figure out who this is? KID took it

Ai: WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WITH KID?!

Shinichi: ...I'll explain later

Ai, already used to Shinichi at this point: Fine, don't be stupid.

It's kind of funny that Leon says he'll build a new city and he's not wrong because Shinichi and Kaito do blow it up for him.

Kogoro: Did I just get mugged?

LMAO Ai knows Shinichi so goddamn well. It's why they make great partners.

Kaito is having fun playing detective, isn't he.

Shinichi: My idiot husband fell right into the trap

Kaito: As if you haven't fallen for things like this too

And Rishi fell into Shinichi's trap.

Poor Sonokoa and Makoto.

LOL Kaito be careful of your detective. You don't want him falling off your shoulders.

SHINICHI AND KAITO DOUBLE TEAM.

LMAO Shinichi shading both Rishi and Leon. He's the king at making you feel stupid XD

Kaito: Actually the detective is closer than you think.

TIME FOR THE CLIMAX.

MAKOTO T-T He'll protect Sonoko with his life.

RAN. YES. SHE GETS TO BE INCREDIBLE. ANOTHER SCORE FOR THIS MOVIE.

And it's Shinichi who gets to be the damsel in distress who is saved by his man T-T As we love!

AND IT'S TIME FOR SHINICHI'S BEST PLAN TO DATE. HE ASKS KAITO TO HELP HIM BLOW UP A HOTEL.

I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT HOW KAITO IS CARRING AROUND AND PROTECTING HIS LOVE WHILE MAKOTO IS DOING THE SAME. CAN I?

Kaito is one hell of a shot. And he has no ascended to the god of fighting as that was said to be the only thing to make the bracelet fall off.

Obligatory Shinichi saving Ran where it wasn't really needed but I'll allow it because we've been fed so much AND-

She gets the last move. So it's okay.

And Kaito can't forget his purpose. He is a jewel thief after all. And it makes a good reason to get people to shoot at him.

Kaito loves to make people bungee jump. He has to make them into extreme sport lovers too.

Oooh. What do you do two do in the bedroom. Makoto is very good at tying knots I see.

TIME FOR THIS SHIP TO MOVE. Kaito and Shinichi are so insane for this.

Makoto fighting with Sonoko on his back is also insane.

I JUST REALISED HE WAS HOLDING HER HAND! I ADORE THEM.

Sorry, that's just really funny.

Shinichi and Kaito did this. I fucking love them.

And Kaito has fun having the last word. King.

Sonoko has a fringe? I just thought it was as long as her bangs.

ADORABLE!

Shinichi got to say the line. Can't have a movie without it.

RAN IS THE MVP OF THIS MOVIE AND THIS IS WHY. SHE IS AN AMAZING ACTRESS AND PUTS SHINICHI TO SHAME.

What a warm welcome home for Kaito.

Again, it's not cute for Shinichi to insult Ran because he means it. Also she doesn't KNOW YOU FUCKING ASS.

Well. We'll ignore that last moment.

[treedaddymcpuffpuff]

Excessive Force : Tom Ludlow x Fem Nurse Reader (COLLAB W/ THE INCREDIBLE @johnwickb1tsch) - Chapter Map Twenty-Seven

TW: medical stuff, talk of dying, nsfw

The next time you go to see Detective Washington Linda is there. She’s always there, bless, and you think that maybe she could use a change of scenery. “Would you like to get a coffee with me?”

She blinks up at you, as though the thought of being anywhere but by her husband’s side never even occurred to her. You sympathize, maybe even more now than a few days ago. You know that if Tom was in that bed…you would be losing your fucking mind. You try not to think about how real a possibility it could be, with the dangers of Tom’s job. Of how it could be not if, but when.

You need caffeine.

You go to the little café, Linda following a step behind you. You order a super sweet frappe drink that barely masquerades as coffee. She gets a latte.

“So…how is he doing?”

“Better,” she answers, looking into the frothed milk atop her coffee. “Stable, now, thank god. But…when he wakes up, we’re still going to have a long road ahead of us.”

“Yeah,” you acknowledge, understanding all too well. “But he’s strong. And you are too. I can tell. You’re going to make it.”

“We were going to leave LA, you know? That money they found in the car? We sold our house. We were going to start over in the Bahamas.”

“Well, maybe you can still do that? After he recovers? I’ve seen people recover from gunshots really well.” You hope you’re soothing her, instead of breaking her psyche down even more, but in truth you’ve never really thought you were good at this human connection stuff. 

Linda gives you the tiniest of smiles, and it warms you up more than the steaming cup in her hands. “You could be doing anything with your break…Why are you coming to see me?” 

“I don’t take breaks,” you say, leaning over with a smile like this is top secret highschool drama stuff. “Well, not usually.” 

She laughs in a huff. “Well, thank you.”

“I wanna be there for you,” you tell her truthfully, toying with the plastic, icy cup in your hands. “I think you could use a friend if I’m not mistaken?” 

“You’re right,” she nods, looking down into her own brew. “Although I’m sensing you need the company, too? After all, the only person I’ve seen you around here with is Ludlow.” 

Oh….Oh. 

Yeah, you suppose it makes sense that everyone knows by now. Tom is a little hard to miss, and you’ve been pinned to his side since the grocery store shootout. Every piece of you wants to defend him again—from the venomous way Linda says his name—dust off his badge and put him on the pedestal he deserves, but this isn’t about Tom…or you right now. “I’m… sorry,” you say, unsure of what else to provide. You bow to her grief, her anger, her pain, because sometimes that’s just what you have to do.

“Can you just tell me something?” She asks, her sorrow suddenly forefront.

“Of course, anything.”

“Tom…didn’t try and hurt him? Did he? He didn’t help the shooters?”

“Linda… No. Jesus, no. Tom, he…” you rub a hand over your face, forgetting that you’re wearing mascara to work because you feel this new sense of pride and confidence and beauty thanks to the subject of your current conversation. “He tried to help him, just like me. He did what he could. I swear to you.”

“And if he didn’t? Would you still be with him?”

For some reason, and it’s a reason you’ll have to do some soul searching about later on, you hesitate to answer that question. Because you’re not sure. Not sure if you would have blacklisted Ludlow for being involved with Washington’s near death, or comforted him about it—“you did what you had to.”

It’s scary, to give all of yourself when you…fuck it, when you love someone. Push morals and decencies and laws aside for a person. Lose yourself trying to justify their behaviors. You’ve been here, what? A dozen times? With friends, family, lovers. Thinking that if you could just see something in them, some redeemable quality, maybe that would erase all their copious horrible ones. 

So, would you? Defend Tom if he had tried to kill Linda’s husband? You answer with what you truly believe: 

“He wouldn’t. Maybe he would try and fight him. Break something, even. But he wouldn’t kill him, Linda. I know he wouldn’t.” 

She appraises you with something in her eyes that resembles trust, and it makes you wonder what you did to deserve it. “I believe you,” she says, confirming your suspicions about her expression. 

“Look. I know…our boys have had their differences. I know I don’t know the details. What I do know, is that Tom is determined to find the guys who shot your husband. He’s…all in on that.”

You’re surprised when Linda frowns at hearing this. “And what does the almighty Captain Wander think about that?”

Now you’re frowning too, because her skepticism maybe puts some things into perspective for you. You remember what Tom told you, about going around the official channels to get things done. “Honestly? I’m not sure it’s official. I just know Tom is on it like a missile. He’s not going to give up.”

Linda sighs, looking down into her coffee. “There’s a part of me that just wants to sweep all this under the rug and start over. But the other part of me?” She looks up at you, a fierce fire in her honey-brown eyes that makes you feel like you just stumbled on a lioness on the prowl. “The other part of me hopes Ludlow kills them all.” 

***

It’s a long, hard day. The weather is getting colder, although it’s hard to call outside cold right now, especially considering where you’re from, but dropping temps, no matter how insignificant Kansians think they may be, still come with colds and sepsis and lung troubles, even here in sweltering LA. 

It’s easier to get through the shift, though, because you’ve made a new friend, and she’s pretty damn cool. Linda is fierce, loyal, beautiful; you would envy her if it wasn’t for admiration getting in the way. Even better, you just seem to click with her so naturally, the vibes between you are immaculate—you feel like you’ve known her your whole life, and that’s really rare to have with someone. 

You chart with a smile for once, because you really hate charting more than anything else on God’s green earth, but take a pause when your phone vibrates in your pocket. 

Hey, baby, am I still picking you up at 1930, or you gonna be late? 

Your smile sharpens and spreads, warmth flaring up your bones like freshly plugged Christmas lights, at Tom’s message.

I can do seven thirty if you stop distracting me.

But I miss you :(

Oh my god. Now you’re blushing and giggling.

C’mon, you know you’ve been thinking about me all day.

Nope. Forgot your name, actually. Who is this, anyway? 

I think it’s time we give you that spanking.

I can take the bus home….

You know I will stop that bus with my lights and sirens on. 

Fuck u, handsome.

Maybe after I turn that little ass red. 

You roll your eyes, scoffing just as hard as clenching. This man is going to kill you. He’s so goddamn sexy it should be illegal. And he’s making all your dirty little fantasies come true while simultaneously making your heart melt. You shove your phone back into your pocket, determined to go back to work so you can actually get out at the time you’re supposed to, but it vibrates again. 

I’m very serious about pulling that bus over. Don’t even try it. 

Yes, officer. 

Good girl. 

What a dick. You’re absolutely head over heels for him. Asshole.

How the hell are you going to betray his trust and let Julian have his way with you? How are you not going to feel crippling guilt every time you look into those coffee brown eyes? How. Furthermore, is Julian going to want to keep doing this with you? Training you like you’re some sideshow pony? You grimace at the thought. 

It’s wonderful, how when you see Tom all those bad feelings seem to go away—especially since he picks you up in full uniform, those delicious glinting handcuffs strung proud to his belt. You bite your lip when you see him, and he kisses the sting away. 

“Working late?” You ask, shimmying your thumbs into his belt loops and pulling him closer. It’s been long, hard hours without him, and you missed him more than you want to admit. 

He presses you up against the wall, just like you want, and tucks stray, wild hairs behind your ears. “Had a residential disturbance,” he says, “let me make you dinner.” It’s beautiful, how such mundane things sound so sinfully promising through his voice. 

“You are dinner, Officer Ludlow.” Because God, you really have just been aching to lean into this cops and robbers fantasy that he started on that dark highway. All you’ve been able to think about is getting on your knees and undoing this uniform and sucking him empty.  

Fuck Julian, and your job, and everything else when he kisses you with a growl, hands cupping the back of your head and threading through your hair so he can get you closer. He either really likes this feral beast you’ve become, or really doesn’t like it judging by this lip splitting dance of tongue and teeth that leaves you gasping for breath. “Careful, baby, might have to lock you up and keep you all to myself.” 

You do love the sound of that. 

***

You ask Tom to take you somewhere…somewhere high and airy where you can look down on the city of Angels. The city you both protect, with shining colorful lights that fight valiantly against the dark night. Tom holds you in his arms, chin on your head, and you don’t mind that all the shiny bobbles on his uniform poke at you. You feel so safe, right here, even though you’re alone in the woodsy hills of LA, and it’s because he has you securely tucked between his biceps. 

“Something’s going on with you,” he says, kissing the top of your head. “I can tell, you know that?” 

The fine hairs along your spine lift, and you hide your face in his arm, trying with all your might not to start crying like a baby. 

“I’m just scared, of those guys trying to get rid of me…” it’s not a total lie, although it, surprisingly, between Julian’s clutches and Tom’s freedom, is the least of your worries. 

He pulls you closer. “Listen, baby, I’m gonna protect you. I know you’re not used to that, to someone having your back, but I do. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere…not even if you want me too.” 

You chuckle. “Yeah, I know.” 

“I think I should probably ask you out properly, but I’ve been a little nervous.”

Your chuckle turns to confused laughter, and you look up at his sheepish smile. “The unbreakable Tom Ludlow, nervous?” 

“Yeah, that you’re gonna tell me to go pound salt…again.” He tries to smile his way out of that statement, but his eyes droop and the corners of his mouth twitch with the effort of nonchalance. And you are a fucking asshole for trusting Julian and snubbing Tom—that’s all you really know for sure. 

“Will you go out with me?” 

His grin turns authentic, and it scares you how much lighter you feel now that he’s genuinely happy again. 

“Yeah,” he agrees on the soft crown of your hair.

[justwinginglife]

Ranpo Edogawa Ramble

Also dedicated to @minasfwoopyponytail, this lil short piece is in connection with this fic.

Ranpo, whose love language is words of affirmation, and even more your words of affirmation, because he knows that when you say it, you mean it. Ranpo, who knows he’s the best detective around but has no idea if he’s even a semi-decent boyfriend, who’s confident as all hell when he’s doing literally anything else, but can get insecure when he’s dating you, who knows that when you say to him that you love him, that you want him, that you’ll never leave him, that you chose him because it has only ever been him and will only ever be him, that you’re telling the truth. 

Ranpo, who is always watching, who is always observing, who subconsciously notices every little detail about every little thing even if he doesn’t have his glasses on, who never takes people at face value because he knows the lies and the malice they can bring with them, now suddenly finds himself relaxed around you, suddenly finds that he’s only looking at you because he wants to look at you, because he likes to look at you, because he’s not worried about what he’ll discover when he looks at you, because he trusts you, because he knows you’re good, because he knows you’re his, because you tell him you’re his and he believes you. Because if he ever doesn’t believe you, you’ll tell him until he does. And he starts to believe you more and more often.

Ranpo, sweet, loyal Ranpo, who knew he had found a home in the Detective Agency, who knows what good is when he sees it, who knows how good you are when he sees you, who will never ever leave you because he will never ever let go of the things he holds precious to him, who doesn’t know how to fight but will fight as hard as he can as best as he can with whatever tools he can, just to keep you, just to protect you.

[aliensubstance-011]

BMU Stan AU Part 2

Grunkle Fidds is a lot like Grunkle Ford, but a lot more dangerous in a mechanical sense than in a paranormal sense- a lot of places for the kids to get their little fingers trapped! He encourages the kids to tinker and learn, even on their summer break, and really connects with Dipper! (He does notice how much Dipper must remind Stan of his brother- he can't miss how his husband looks at his nephew). They play DDMD with each other (and sometimes bully ‘read: ask nicely’ Stan into playing too) 

Grunkle Fidds is a little like Grunkle Ford in his relationship with Dipper- they both play DDMD, they’re both incredibly smart, and Fiddleford sees that same lack of confidence that he used to have in the boy. He also finds it deeply endearing just how similar he is to Stan in the way he loves people- fiercely and protectively, above all else- even if they have few other similarities. He does try to keep Dipper away from Stan at times, as he can see how much Dipper makes Stan ache for his brother (mainly when Stan is already upset)

Grunkle Fidds with Mabel is a whole other story- they both go crazy. Fiddleford has a little bit of southern insanity in him, and Mabel is, well, Mabel. They gossip over boys (and Fidds grosses her out by swooning over Stan), he builds her little devices and helps her with the electronics she knits into her sweaters! He is very happy to encourage her doing make-up on him & Stan, dressing up with her, spending time with her and her friends. 

Fiddleford keeps the biggest eye on the kids’ safety, out of him & Stan, making sure they’re careful and patched up if they do get hurt. Stan is a little more liberal about their safety- look how he was as a kid, and he turned out just fine! Though he does spend 90% of his time worrying about them, he’s very good at not letting it show and ‘toughening them up’... which he completely fails at as soon as they’re actually hurt. One teary-eyed ‘Grunkle Staaaannn’ and he’s over by them in seconds. Got distracted what was I talking about. 

OH, paranormal adventures- now, in this AU, the journals don’t exist- but Dipper’s fascination with the paranormal does, so he starts doing research of his own! This prompts both Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Fidds to join the twins on many different adventures- to keep them safe and mostly out of trouble. At first Stan tries avoiding talking about the paranormal altogether, while Fidds denies its existence, until they both can’t deny it anymore.

[autumnmist101]

Hermit Head-cannons

Hello! I've been wanting to share some of my hermitcraft head-cannons and seen @silly-st4rrr was wanting to see some. So, thank you to them for giving me a reason to share. <3

General Head-cannons:

Hybrid hermits can morph forms on command or intentionally keep certain parts of each form on them at all times. However, they can also morph or go into full form involuntarily from things like nightmares, flashbacks, or just being around similar creatures for too long.

All mammal hybrids must get vaccinations yearly.

Hybrids can form in a number of ways. Some formed from contact with a creature’s DNA, some are born with the form, while others have been. . . magically infused with a form.

Traffic life victors recall all memories and emotions and trauma from the games. Non-victors recall major parts and major emotions, however, forget most of what happened.

When someone perma-dies in the games, they are immediately teleported back to hermitcraft/empires.

All worlds are connected via void, however, can be traversed via rifts, portals, teleporting, and through a main hub with shopping areas. (how do you think hermits get new clothes?) Group/duo head-cannons:

Pearl and Grian were inseparable the first week she was on the server.

Hermit Parent Club (HPC): Doc, Keralis, Joe Hills, Impulse, Skizz, Tango, Bdubs, Stress, and Beef (newest member) meet once every 2 months.

Gem, Pearl, and Mumbo will make up problems for when anyone in the Hermit Parent Club needs to feel parental.

Mumbo still wants a tower building rematch with Gem, who refuses to give him one.

Boatem still has sleepovers together monthly.

Scar and Pearl have an avoidance of chorus fruit and refuse to explain why to Grian.

It is now a rule that the ZITS crew must take a minimum of iron armor to ‘naked whatever raiding’.

Mumbo and Pearl will secretly eat red-stone torches together. Mumbo is the supplier.

Joe will supply Mumbo with redstone when he needs it. (He doesn't ask why he needs it.)

Doc and Ren have been trying to create the perfect dog treat. Problem is neither of them can bake.

Pearl and Bdubs will confide in each other on days where they feel too tall/short.

Afab hermits meet for Ladies Night at least once a month.

Bdubs and Scar still call Cleo 'Mom' from time to time.

Cleo and Pearl will talk about the games and how they wish things could have been different in DL.

That's all for now. I do have individual hermit head-cannons, but this post is long enough. Hope you enjoyed! <3

[curly94]

I'm in awe of Louis Tomlinson❤️

Louis was so authentic yesterday, i mean, he could've changed the setlist, or his outfits, or his hair, and so many more things for 100k mostly(expected) mainstream people, but BUT this boy did everything the way he did on tour

Why?( I think)Because louis learnd the really really hard way that you only gain fans, so called forever fans, if you show them the most true side of yourself that you can,You sing the Songs that you like,you go on stage in your beloved outfits,you feel the emotion in the crowd and give it back, you make random things and don't try to be funny

I'm so excited to see what this year has in store for louis, his way with us is so pure and i only hope more people see him in the way he has to be seen(there is an explicit way to love louis)

My heart his so full at the moment and its not only pride,its like this right here is our history moment, the moment louis will experience and create something so much bigger than he ever dreamed of

He doesn't know me, i know that, but i will forever pay and pray for him, because that boy was so

[samarecharm]

Akira can be invited literally anywhere and enjoy himself bc he just likes hanging w his friends all the time; hes the perfect parallel play buddy :) makes me think he was a bit of a social butterfly even before the Shido incident; he gets more energy being around his friends than being cooped up alone in that attic

[winterdusktales]

the way junhoe's popularity peaked during his cocky era and again during his hoe era. coincidence? i think tf not

[mortalityplays]

talking about impenetrable accents/dialect just reminded me. when I was in Milan a couple of years back I was staying in this little rathole hotel and I had the biggest fucking migraine, so I was like non c'è problema I'll just go buy painkillers. of course every pharmacy on the map in a three block radius was closed, so my stupid ass just starts wandering around trying to figure out on the fly if you can get OTC from supermarkets in italy.

I walk into this little everything store (to my foreign eyes the kind of place that back home could sell you a bunch of carrots, a 6-pack of beer, pantyhose, bleach and a screwdriver set) and I see some household basics in the back but not what I need. with the confidence of a person who is only in the city for 3 days because he got bored and packed a bag and booked the cheapest flight available the week before (<= MENTAL ILLNESS), I was like no worries I know some italian, I can just ask.

I grab a bottle of water, walk up to the counter, and I'm like Ciao, hai il paracetamolo? And the guy is like che, and I'm like paracetamolo. Per la mia testa. And he's like che?

This is where I would have said 'aspirina' except I can't take aspirin for medical reasons, or 'antidolorifico' except I don't know that word and I've got no phone data for google translate and also I'm stupid. So in my fucked up leith-glasgow-italian accent I'm like paaa-ra-cetta-mollll-ooo. He's like ohhh bene, bene, and he calls another guy out of the back and asks him to go get something. Other guy then walks out of the store into the street, and before I can be like hey, che la fuck, he comes back and hands me a huge bundle of herbs.

At this point I'm like okay this entire interaction has been a bust, but these guys have been very nice and patient and they're both smiling happily at me because they've been of service, so I'm like ahh perfetto, grazie, pay them a couple of euros and leave.

EVENTUALLY I find a pharmacy that's open, and my head is fucking killing me, and my phone still isn't connecting, and now I have this small shrubbery poking out of my coat pocket, so I don't even bother looking around the shelves. I just walk straight to the counter and I'm like uhh ciao, scusi. And hearing my nightmare of an accent the guy answers in english and I'm like thank christ, do you please have paracetamol. Not aspirin, I can't take aspirin. And he's like yeah yeah hold on, goes into the back, comes out with what I need.

Only when he comes out he gives me this look, and then he starts laughing. And then he pretends he's not laughing and rings me up and I pay, and as I'm leaving I can see him losing it. But I don't care, my head is going to explode, I'm going back to the rathole to close the blinds and fall comatose for four hours.

When I get back to my hotel room I take off my coat and remember the huge bouquet of herbs in my pocket. They smell amazing, and I'm like I'm pretty sure this is parsley in which case I can just get some tomatoes and mozzarella later and make it work. but since I have no idea what that interaction was, I want to make sure. I bring out my phone to get a visual reference of what parsley leaves look like, and because I was using it for google translate earlier I put 'parsley' in the wrong box like a dope and translate it to italian.

prezzemolo

I wish I could have been the pharmacist in the moment he looked at my tired pissed off anglophone ass, heard me say 'paracetamol' in my fucked up accent, and turned around saw what was in my pocket. I'd have lost my shit too.

[noisilyscreechingsong]

Seeing ghosts in Gotham

He’s walking alone. Despite how dark it is, he’s not particularly nervous, not like the couple of people hovering in an alley.

His shift at Batburger went a little long, not that he’s complaining, he needed the money.

Everything is fine. Splendid. Fantastic. A little quiet, enough to pretend it’s a nice stroll home like it was back in Amity. Of course that all kind of goes up in flames when a dark figure drops into a crouch right in front of him. About two arm lengths away is a guy who straightens to a little taller than Danny himself. From the flickering street light across the street he can spot red, crisscross yellow, and a dark cape.

Red Robin.

Danny shakes his head and turns around.

“Nope.”

A smaller body is already standing behind him, blocking his path. The little guy with a serious face folds his arms across his chest as if challenging Danny to try to get by him.

He’s had enough tussles with Danielle to know better than to test the kid.

Danny rubs at his eyes with a hand, purposefully keeping the other limp at his side. He turns back around.

“Okay. Fine. What? What do you want?”

“You sent in a folder of information to solve the Boothe case,” Red Robin states confidently like there wasn’t any doubt it was Danny who sent it in.

He frowns. It was sent in anonymously. As in they shouldn’t be able to know it was him. Then again they are detectives in their own right even if they dress weird.

“See? This is why no one helps out the police if they’re gonna get grilled for it later on,” he complains sourly.

“That case is connected to another string of crimes we’ve been investigating. I need to know where you got your information.”

Danny glares at him for a second, actually thinking about telling him, then he remembers how quickly these guys throw people into Arkham.

“Do you not get what anonymous means?”

“What is your source?” He asks, completely ignoring Danny’s concerns.

“What are gonna do? Dangle me over the side of a building to get me to talk like you do with the criminals you guys pick up? Go ahead. See where that gets you,” he shrugs indifferently.

“You’re a runaway.”

Danny’s eyes widen in surprise before narrowing into a warning as he turns to look at the pipsqueak that spoke.

“From your poorly made fake ID and the fact you don’t look close to eighteen, you must be a runaway minor. We could bring you in to the proper authorities if you prove to be… uncooperative.”

Danny sneers in annoyance.

“Seriously?” He turns back to Red Robin. Clearly the older of the two and the one leading this investigation. “This is what I get for trying to help? Blackmail?”

“Robin can be a bit… abrasive. I, on the other hand, can appreciate a different approach.”

Suddenly there’s a couple pieces of paper money in between his fingers. Danny couldn’t see how much it was from this far away, but it didn’t really change how he felt about the whole situation.

“Now bribery? Wow, you guys really got the whole good cop, bad cop thing down, don’t cha?”

“Then what do you want?”

“For you to stop wasting your time,” Danny answers with a snap.

Red Robin pauses.

“Our time,” he repeats calmly.

“Yea. Your time. This is a dead end and you should move on.”

“And why are you a dead end?” Presses Robin.

“Because,” Danny emphasizes with a look over his shoulder, “the guy you’re really looking for, my source as you put it, is dead, okay? So you can’t go ask him questions. I sent in everything that was relevant. Find another lead.”

Red Robin’s expression remains blank as he mentally calculates his next move. Danny hopes he takes his advice and let him go home.

“His name?”

Danny folds his arms over his chest, a pathetic attempt to protect himself. He chews on his lip a minute. To tell him or not to tell him. It’s not really ratting the guy out since he’s, you know, dead. Although there is a large chance Danny’s missing something and it’s all going to lead back to him somehow.

“I didn’t kill him.”

“I never said you did,” the vigilante replies calmly, almost nonchalant.

Danny shifts his weight with nerves. He really wasn’t getting out of this without giving them something, huh?

“Greg,” he grinds out like it’s painful.

Silence for a few moments, then-

“As in Gregory Boothe?”

The victim of this whole conversation? Yes.

Danny’s silence is answer enough and the diverted gaze just solidified their suspicions.

“Gregory Boothe’s body turned up a month ago. Presumably he’d been dead for several weeks before that.”

Red lets that damning information hang in the air like Danny didn’t already know.

“So when did he talk to you? Last week?”

Danny jerks at the off handed joke, actually taking a step back and hitching his shoulders up to his ears. He grimaces at his knee jerk response, but can’t take it back. A glance toward the vigilante shows a calculating stunned expression from what he can see ignoring the mask. He looks away again finding a discarded soda can very interesting.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Demands Robin behind him.

Danny tried to resist the urge to curl even more into himself, but knows he failed without even having to look.

“You’re a medium,” Red Robin states. It’s not even a question.

Danny flinches and shoots the guy a scared glare.

“I am not one of those scam artists,” he hisses firmly.

“No,” Red agrees, “you’re not. You didn’t ask for money or attention.”

Danny stares like it’s his first time seeing him. The lack of aggression or accusations was new and a little disarming. He was genuinely confused as to why the guy wasn’t immediately going to denial or throwing him in Arkham.

“Hell of a city to hide in when you can see ghosts,” Red Robin says in a light tone like he was teasing him. The small tug to his lips just proves it.

Danny’s shoulders practically sag at the playful demeanor. A hand reaches up to rub the back of his neck self-consciously.

“Yea, well… no one was gonna look for me here.”

Which was only half the reason he chose Gotham, but it was still truthful.

“So… Greg?”

“Isn’t here right now.” Danny pauses and snorts at himself. “Please leave a message.”

The vigilante does have a sense of humor because he smirks in response to the joke.

“Is there another way to… make contact? Summoning maybe?”

Danny raises an eyebrow incredulously.

“Summoning is rude,” he says like it’s common sense.

Instead he turns to the nearest reliable ghost in the vicinity.

“Hey, Susan, can you go-“

The vigilantes can’t hear how she interrupts him because she was standing there the whole time and knows exactly what he was going to ask.

“Okay, thanks. Meet at mine.”

The ghost woman nods and flies off to go hunt down dear old Greg and Danny turns to Red Robin. He makes a casual move with his head to say ‘follow me’ and continues walking down the sidewalk past the guy and further into the old, decrepit buildings he’s been squatting in.

They already know he’s a runaway, being homeless shouldn’t come as a shock to them. Even with his two jobs, he can’t afford to rent an apartment. No wonder so many people are in poverty or in the slums.

He ducks into his rundown building, ignoring the rats scurrying away, and hops up the rickety stairs, avoiding the ones that were unstable. It was a nightmare figuring out which steps were faulty. Lots of injuries.

At the top he turns to see Red easily copying his movements up the stairs while Robin balances along the railing like a tight rope. When they reach the top at the same time Danny just stares at them for a moment before shaking his head in exasperation. Darn vigilantes. Why did Danny have to get caught up in this mess?

He turns, walking along the floor closest to the wall before getting to what he’s deemed his room.

It used to be an office from what he can tell. A desk pushed against the far wall and a ripped sofa he’s been using as a bed on the other wall. The floors were the most stable in this room which really won out.

Danny goes to the desk where all his papers are scattered over the surface. An organizational pattern only he understands as he shuffles through the pile he pulls from the cubby above the desk. It holds all the same information he sent into the police, just in its raw form with about twice the amount of useless information. Along with it is a few other ‘cases’ that sounds familiar that he just threw together into a pile. Maybe the genius detectives could decipher what he couldn’t.

“Here,” he says, holding out the stack. Red Robin doesn’t hesitate to take it off his hands.

There’s no chair for the desk anymore so he slides some papers out of the way to hop onto the desk to wait.

“No.”

The vigilantes look at him and he shakes his head and looks over to the side.

“No, Abby. I’m not wasting their time.”

Red Robin goes back to flipping through papers. Most of them were old business papers he had found in the office and just written on the back. Some were receipts or pamphlets or some other random scrap of paper he could get his hands on.

“Because yours was an accident. There’s nothing for them to solve.”

Robin watched him cautiously as if waiting for Danny to snap or suddenly turn violent. Instead he leans back on his hands in a vulnerable position which screamed ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone’.

“There is a lot more information here than what was submitted to the police,” Red Robin comments neutrally, purposefully ignoring Danny’s exasperated sigh and one-sided conversation.

Danny shrugs in defense, “Didn’t think all of it was relevant.”

The vigilante doesn’t respond.

Robin drifts closer as Danny gives a withering glare to the corner. He examines the mess of papers surrounding the teen in the low lighting.

“Are these all files of victims?”

Danny glances over them with a knowledgeable eye.

“Most.” He twists to point at the top left corner of the cubbies. “Those are accidents though… well, what sounds like accidents.”

“There should be more.”

Danny looks at the boy with a tilted head and raises brow.

“Not everyone sticks around,” he explains simply.

Then something draws his attention away across the room. Surprisingly his eyes don’t glaze over like someone with mental illness, instead they sharpen to see something they can’t. It resembled Constantine or Thomas.

“Greg, these guys wanna talk to you.”

What proceeds is a very awkward interaction with Danny as a middle man between victim and vigilante. Despite the need for a translator, Red Robin does in fact get a lead from the conversation.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Danny nods. “Sure, no problem. Just don’t rat me out to the police and I can help with any other case that pops up with a ghost attached.”

“You know we can help with your living situation,” Red Robin offers with a glance around the room.

“What, and put me in foster care? No thanks, I’ll pass.”

“There are other options,” Robin chimes in with nonchalance that implies he doesn’t actually care.

“You don’t pass for eighteen, but if you let me make you a new ID we could say you’re emancipated.”

Danny frowns.

“I’d have to be sixteen to be eligible for emancipation.”

“You could be sixteen.”

No, he really couldn’t. Maybe if you squint your eyes and tilt your head, but Danny is fourteen with all the baby fat and innocent face that comes with it. His license now is a clear fake to anyone who sees it, but in this city no one’s gonna question it to his face. They just raise a brow, look at him, then shrug it off and roll with the lie.

“What do you want?” He demands. All this good will and wanting to help him can’t be free.

“We want to help,” Red says too easily.

Danny stares for a second, eyes narrowed as he tries to block out the multiple voices around him.

Insurance. He wants Danny to owe him so he can keep coming back for more information.

“I just told you I would help. Why are you still trying to get leverage?” He demands with irritation.

“We want to help-“

“You want me in your back pocket.”

Red Robin doesn’t give that a response, his lips pressing together to make a hard line.

Instead of pushing, he surprisingly takes a step back and heads towards the door, papers still in hand. Danny doesn’t argue.

Robin ducks out first, blending into the shadows without even a glance over his shoulder. Red Robin pauses in the doorway.

“Don’t try to skip town,” he states like an order. Like if Danny did in fact try, he would be found and brought back.

It didn’t even cross Danny’s mind.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” he says tiredly, too fed up with the day to defend himself.

Red Robin watches him for a moment before nodding and disappearing out the room.

Danny slumps with a groan, finally sliding off the desk to shuffle to the couch, body flopping face first into the worn cushions.

It’s silent to everyone else but Danny.

“I know.”

…

“I know, Jack, but I don’t trust them. Even if he is your son.”

Danny never noticed the bug planted by Robin on the underside of the desk.

[s0dium]

𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐈𝐓

Warning: Phone sex, masturbation, male masturbation, orgasms, dirty talk, praises, fantasizing, he talks you through it, men being vocal

"You listening baby?"

The phone pressed against your ear crackles with the sound of his voice, each word dripping with a sultry warmth that sends shivers down your spine. Fuck, you have to bite your lip to keep yourself from moaning at his voice.

You hum in response and he chuckles. "Good. M' thinking about you, miss you so much." He whispers. His deep, velvety tones wrap around you, making your mind hazy and your breath hitch. Every whisper, every chuckle reverberates through you, igniting a fire deep within. The world around you fades away, leaving only the intoxicating melody of his voice, and the undeniable, electric pull of desire.

"Miss you too," you breathe, your voice barely a whisper, "Miss you so much."

His laugh is low, teasing, and it sends a shiver down your spine. "Oh god, you're so cute," he murmurs, his tone laced with a playful edge that makes your heart race. "You know what I'd be doing if you were here right now?"

You swallow hard, your mind already spinning with the possibilities. "N-no," you stammer, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks.

"I'd probably kiss your neck," he purrs, the words making your pulse quicken. "Suck on the spot that makes you whine. You're so cute when you whine, you know that?"

Your breath catches, his vivid descriptions flooding your mind and making you weak. You feel your abdomen clench from the surge of arousal coursing your body. The fabric of your underwear feels cool against your skin, certainly from your arousal.

"I'd also touch your boobs, God, I miss your boobs, your cute nipples, hey," he pauses, his words trailing off as if he is thinking deeply about something.

The phone pressed against your ear hums softly with the weight of his presence, his voice a low, sultry whisper that sends chills down your spine. "Can you do something for me?" he asks.

"Yeah?" Your voice trembles, a mixture of anticipation and excitement.

"Can you touch your breasts for me? Tell me how it feels?" His words are a gentle command, wrapping around you and making your heart race.

"I-" You hesitate, your breath hitching as your mind spins with the intimate request.

"Don't worry, baby," he soothes, his voice like velvet, smooth and reassuring. "I'll guide you through it."

With shaky hands, you set the phone down and put him on speaker, the room filling with the rich, tantalizing sound of his voice. You slip your hand under your shirt, your fingers grazing your skin, already sensitive and warm.

"Start at your chest," he instructs, his tone sending shivers down your spine. "Feel your heartbeat, how fast it's racing. That's for me."

Your breath comes in short, sharp bursts as you follow his words, your fingers brushing lightly over your chest. The sensation is electric, every touch heightened by his voice.

"Now, slowly move your hands up," he continues, his voice a dark caress. "cup your breasts, feel how soft and warm it is."

You do as he says, your mind hazy with desire, your body reacting to every sultry word. You have to rub your legs together to get some sort of relief. Your fingers knead at your skin, each touch sending sparks of pleasure through you.

"Imagine it's me touching you," he murmurs, his voice thick with longing. "My hands on your skin, my lips following the path of your fingers."

A soft moan escapes your lips, your body trembling with the intensity of the moment. His voice, so confident and alluring, guides you through each sensation, making you feel connected despite the distance.

"Now move up a little and touch your nipples" he whispers, his voice like a seductive melody. "two fingers, rub them for me, let yourself feel it. Let yourself want it."

You let out a sharp gasp when you start to tweak your nipples with your index finger and thumb. The pleasure is warm, but electric, almost ticklish.

"You can flick them baby, do whatever makes you feel good."

Your fingers obey, flicking your sensitive nubs up and down lightly, each movement fast and deliberate. The air around you seems to thicken with anticipation, every nerve in your body attuned to his voice and the sensations it evokes.

"You're doing so well," he praises, his voice a dark purr. "Imagine my hands there, touching you. Imagine my lips around your nipples, sucking and tasting and tasting your skin."

A whimper escapes your lips, the vivid images he conjures sending waves of heat through your body. You are desperate now, crossing your legs tightly and rubbing your legs for an ounce of relief from your own ministrations.

"How do you feel baby?"he murmurs, his voice wrapping around you like a silken thread

"Horny." You whine.

He chuckles. "I know, me to baby me too."

You don't know it but he is brutally understanding his predicament. He has to set his phone down and put you on speaker so he can rub his dick that his straining against the fabric of his crotch. But that isn't enough. With a sharp sigh, he pulls out his dick from his confines.

"Hey," his voice is shaky, cracky with pleasure. "Why don't you slip a hand under your underwear"

With a shaky side of relief you bridge, slipping your hand under your panties and dragging a finger between your pussy lips, collecting the juices of your arousal

"How does it feel."

"Wet." You murmur. "Im so wet."

He lets out a throaty groan at your words and slowly drags his hand up his shaft. The pleasure is immediate, but the relief is not enough. He needs more.

"Feel how warm you are," he coos. Shit, he's having a hard time not just fisting himself aggressively right here and now. But he will go slow, he will take his time with you. Because he knows it will be worth it. "Feel how your body responds to me, even from afar. It's like I am touching you, pretty girl. Why don't you start touching your clit for me too?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, you press your index finger to your clit the sensation making you gasp. The warmth of your own touch, combined with the intoxicating sound of his voice, sends a rush of pleasure through you.

"That's it," he coos, his voice a gentle command. "Now start lightly rubbing it. Imagine it's me, my fingers, my mouth, bringing you pleasure."

You follow his words, your fingers lightly tracing over your sensitive nub a soft moan escaping your lips. Unbeknownst to you, he is right there with you, slowly dragging his closed hand up and down his length. The pleasure is almost ticklish, it makes his toes curl and his world narrows down to this moment, your soft sighs and the overwhelming desire coursing through him. Pre cum dribbles down from his angry tip and he uses the sticky liquid to speed up his ministrations. You do something similar, using the wetness of your arousal to speed up your finger, letting your body acclimated to each eave of pleasure before feeding it more.

"Good girl," he practically chokes, he is not a whining man but here he is, his voice taught and raspy. "Let yourself feel it. Let me hear how much you want this. Say my name baby say name."

The rhythm of your fingers quickens and you let his name fall from your lips like a prayer, your breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His voice, a constant presence, pushes you closer and closer to the edge, practically guiding you to what would most certainly be a euphoric grave.

"That's it," he whispers, his voice like a dark caress. "Let yourself go, baby. Let yourself feel everything. I'm right here with you."

You are close and he is too. Now you can hear the fap fap fap of his masturbation over the phone, pushing you closer to the edge. Jesus, you felt good, so good. Your skin is on fire, your mind hazy and string with pleasure, you need him so bad, fuck you need him inside of you, fucking you until you are crying. Oh god you need friction, you need his dick thrusting in and out of your walls like he hates you. You can feel your hole spasm at the thought, each time you clench it sends more waves of pleasure through your body.

"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~" You gasp. You're practically panting from how hot you feel right now.

"I'm so proud of you," he breathes, his voice filled with emotion. "You're so beautiful, so perfect. Let go for me, baby. Let yourself feel it."

He is entirely bothered, his hair tousled and his eyes blown with lust has he furiously fists his dick with fevor. His fist will never subsitute for the warmth of your cunt, in fact, he is angry he could even think that.

“Mmmm,  mmm mhm” he whimpers. Your name is on the tip of his tongue, but he can barely speak so much as think. There’s a tingly warm feeling building in his stomach, the pleasure is overtaking him. "L-let yourself go, baby. Let yourself feel everything. I'm right here with you."

With a final, desperate gasp, you surrender to the sensations your body trembling with release. Euphoria crashes down on you like a sledge hammer and your left moaning and whining for him.

With a groan of his own, he follows suit, his back bending like a bow and thick ropes of cum pouring out from his dick like a fountain.

As you both come down from the high, your body still humming with the aftershocks, his voice remains a comforting presence. "I love you," he murmurs softly, the words a gentle caress. "You're everything to me."

A smile spreads across your face, your heart swelling with affection and contentment. "I love you too," you whisper.

GETO, GOJO, TOJI, YUUTA, NANAMI, CHOSO

[rizsu]

he's married ?! nanami kento.

sum. he's easily the top most handsome guy within his job. his relationship status is unknown, so what happens when his co-workers ship him with a female worker?

nanami is well known within his company. tall, insanely fit, and an attractive voice. it's not uncommon for men and women alike to find themselves thinking about him often. what's not common is knowing about his love life. no one knows anything and he would've kept it that way. but when push comes to shove, and you're shipped with someone who's not your beloved, nanami will make it known that he's not only taken but married.

in the coffee-break room there are three guys. now, there's nothing unusual about this — no, no. they're just three guys that are co-workers... except there's a twist. they aren't your regular co-workers, they're your uncommon trio of male gossipers and nanami just so happened to be their newest victim.

"shh, shh! he's here," guy one, tichi, whispers to the others, raising his eyebrows and pointing his chin to nanami's position.

the other two take a quick glance, nodding their heads when they've seen nanami's back faced towards them. it's a perfect moment to strike up a conversation, especially since it's just four men here.

guy two, tacho, shuffles his feet to the empty space near nanami. he pretends to open a sugar packet, fiddling with it as his eyes peep over nanami's shoulder. his heart skips multiple beats when the man himself turns around.

"morning to you, tacho," nanami greets, nodding his head before he turns his attention back to his cup of coffee.

"y-yeah, morning!" he stutters, awkwardly smiling in return. he turns his head to the other two in the background, mouthing the word 'help' to them. unfortunately, they do not give the aid to their friend. instead, tichi fakes a series of coughs and guy three, toeny, gives him a confident double thumbs up. there's no hope, tacho sighs.

it's a silent moment between the men — only the sounds of coffee brewing and a spoon coming into contact with the mug can be heard. tacho's mouth itches him, he happened to remember his group's recent conversation about nanami. he must ask — even if it costs him a mutual co-worker.

"so, nanami," he begins, waiting for nanami to give him the undivided attention.

nanami doesn't face him, but he hums in response. tacho doesn't mind this as an answer, so he continues, "i was wondering if the rumors of you being with the new worker, yeri, are true?"

there is one big lie in that question: there are no such rumors. it's just a theory the trio has been gossiping about every night. nanami's been helping out yeri for quite some time, one can only think that they have a special connection going on.

"that is bullshit," nanami gives a firm answer. nothing more, nothing less.

tacho's stunned, he blinks a few times to recollect himself. "oh — so you're not with her?"

nanami doesn't answer yet, but the two in the back give their unwanted reactions. tichi clicks his tongue three times, shaking his head in disappointment at tacho's second question. it's obvious dumbass, he thinks. toeny, on the other hand, presses his lips in a thin line, pretending to read a magazine that's been on the counter.

nanami reaches into his pocket, whipping out his phone. the trio's confused until nanami speaks.

"i am married man. this is my wife," he educates, pressing the power button to show you as his lockscreen.

he collects three gasps, internally nodding at their shock. that's right, i'm gladly taken.

"all this time you've been... MARRIED?!" tacho's voice heightens, he drops his spoon in shock. it's unbelievable yet somewhat believable.

nanami breathes out a 'yes', raising his arm to show the wristwatch. "she bought this for our five-years anniversary recently. it's quite expensive, going over four-thousand," he brags, emphasizing on key words.

he's been waiting for the precious day where someone indirectly asks for his relationship status. the day has come and he will spend it bragging about his beloved.

nanami doesn't give them a chance to speak, he carries on with his bragging, "she's a very lovely woman. all my bentos are made by her and she writes little notes for each. some may think it's childish but that's bullshit! they just haven't experienced the love of a woman. matter of fact, her most beautiful moments are when she's freshly awake. the smile she gives me is nothing but angelic."

his speech doesn't stop there, but it did for the trio. his words went in one ear and out the next. nanami's blabbering about his wife immediately set a blank face upon tichi, tacho, and toeny. they're jealous and also surprised.

"the way a woman can change a man will never not be amazing," toeny whispers, blankly gazing at nanami's ongoing speech.