#ant-man reader insert

[strawwritesfic]

Scott Lang x Female!Reader: Transformative

Summary: "Scott Lang had had a slew of transformative experiences in recent years. Tell him something he didn't know."

Rating/Tags: T (Not Avengers: Infinity War Compliant; post-Ant-man and the Wasp; Background Relationships; Makeup; Illness; Domestic Fluff; Not Anti-Hope van Dyne; Not Anti-Scott Lang/Hope van Dyne; Mild Language; Mild Sexual References)

Word Count: 2,630

Requester: Anonymous

Request: "Hii!! Could I request a Scott Lang X reader? It doesn’t have to be particularly long since it’s sort of simple: Scott reacting to see his s/o without makeup for the rest time. It’s sort of a big thing to him because his s/o is v insecure and picking as to who sees them with no makeup. It’s a rlly self indulgent request lol! Thank u!!!"

Tag List: @imaginesfire

Notes: Hey, look at that! I've somehow tripled my fic output from 2024! By which I mean I only wrote one thing that entire year, and I want praise for writing three in 2025. It helps that, as stated in the request itself, this was really simple.

It'll probably take me a little longer to get to the next request. I need to rewatch both Amazing Spider-Man movies, and I only own the first one on DVD.

Ao3 Version Here

Transformative

Scott Lang had had a slew of transformative experiences in recent years. Tell him something he didn't know. Going from convicted felon to heist pawn to superhero to internationally-wanted criminal, some days he felt as though he'd already gone through the gamut of human exploits. Since his time in a prison cell, he'd written a book, reconciled with his ex-wife, opened a business, and saved the world a couple of times. He had an amazing daughter, a group of the best friends a guy could ask for, and even a stereotypical crotchety old mentor courtesy of one of those friends.

From the noises issuing from his phone speaker prior to his pressing end, it sounded as though he also had a dying girlfriend.

"What? [Name]'s dying?" Luis asked after Scott announced this to the group at large.

"Not literally," Scott said. "She's got a real bad cold, though, maybe a sinus infection."

"Oh." Luis took a moment to digest this information. "That's not an emergency. What are you doing, using your personal cell phone during work hours for something like that?"

Scott could find no immediate response that seemed fitting. Luis continued to insist on relegating him to the card table "desk" assigned to him when X-Con first opened its doors. All Scott had room for was his personal cell phone since Kurt wouldn't allow them to share landlines. Assuming his blank gaze said enough, Scott bent over to retrieve his keys from their spot on the floor.

Luis was staring at him when he resurfaced. "Where you going, buddy?"

"To [Name]'s place. She asked if I could pick up her medicine for her."

"Don't you think you'd better ask your boss if you want to knock off early?"

"Seriously?" Scott looked to Dave and Kurt for support.

"Hey, he made me ask permission to leave to see my mom last week, and she was in the hospital," said Dave.

"Guys, come on. You know [Name]. She wouldn't ask me to do this if she could do it herself."

Luis leaned back in chair—the nicest one in the office, of course—and crossed his arms over his chest. "How do I know you're not making this whole thing up so you can sneak over for some midday nooky?"

"Because I wouldn't do that," Scott protested, then added, "Not to mention, you're not really my boss. We're both the bosses here."

Only for so long could Luis keep up his serious expression without cracking up. He gestured toward the door between giggles. "I'm kidding, man. Go see your girl. She's clearly got you wrapped around her finger."

"I think that is called here 'pussy whipped,'" Kurt said.

"Yeah, thanks, Kurt," said Scott.

If he waited much longer, Luis might change his mind and send Scott off on a call or launch into a long and complicated story about the time his cousin's uncle's brother's son's girlfriend nearly did die of a cold. Then you might actually die before Scott could escape to deliver your prescription. So he booked it toward the hallway, not bothering to pull the door shut behind him as he bustled for the stairs.

"Don't forget to tell [Name] to get well soon from all of us!" Luis called to the general agreement of Kurt and Dave.

Scott waved to show he heard as he made a break in the direction of the building's first floor.

Outside at last, he blinked in the dazzling afternoon sun. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been outside while the sun was still up. Sign-ups for X-Con services went through the roof after their last adventure; all four men had been working long hours to try to keep up with the sudden demand.

He snapped out of his daze to squint at the screen on his phone. Something else Scott had forgotten: how difficult it could be to read anything there when it was so bright outside. How did Cassie manage the transition so easily all the time? It took him multiple attempts to manage a legible text message:

'Luis let me go. I'll be over with your medicine ASAP. If you see the light before I get there, don't walk into it!'

A moment later, you sent a single zombie emoji in answer.

'If you do turn completely by then, I promise to only mention your rotting lips whenever we kiss.'

His phone went into his pocket after the quick exchange. You needed rest; Scott had a mission; and besides, standing in the middle of the sidewalk and trying to read his phone would probably land him in urgent care, or at least give him premature wrinkles. The nearest MUNI looked ready to leave anyway. He caught it in the nick of time and rode it to the stop closest to the pharmacy you used. The text he sent in transit—'Do you need anything else while I'm out?'—went unread. Hopefully that meant you had gone to bed, not drowned in your own snot or some equally undignified way to die.

Despite the ribbing the guys and Hope often gave him over his burgeoning relationship with you, he'd miss you terribly if you passed away now. This was, obviously, ignoring the no small amount of guilt he'd feel for having failed to rescue you before it was too late. Letting you die on him would really put a crimp in his saving-people's-lives record.

Unfortunately, Scott's arrival at the pharmacy could not have been timed more poorly. The line to the counter snaked around multiple aisles inside the store. Well, 'tis the season, Scott thought as he resigned himself to his place at the very end. What choice did he have but to wait and wade through the bins of clearance Christmas decorations? At least the speakers above his head were playing something other than carols this deep into January.

To distract himself from the upcoming deluge of pink and red and hearts, Scott pulled out his cell phone once again. Still no reply from you. He sucked at the inside of cheek, wondering who would be available to chat. Hope was on a long-awaited vacation with her parents and certainly wouldn't react kindly to being interrupted for something so unimportant; Luis would just make fun of him some more; Cassie ought to be in school still.

So that left...Paxton and Maggie. And while the four of them got along much better those days, Scott didn't think he was so desperate for distant company as to contact them. They needed their rest, too. Cassie had had her own bout with the common cold last week. You'd probably caught yours from her, come to think of it.

Thinking of it more, Scott recalled Maggie asking him to pick up some things from the store for their daughter one evening. And suddenly he had a brilliant idea.

The Valentine section couldn't help him much, but soon he turned a corner into a more appropriate aisle. He wracked his brains for the items on Maggie's list as the line continued to inch along. VapoRub, check. Vitamin C booster, check. Assorted over-the-counter medicines for cold and flu symptoms, check.

All these items Scott dumped unceremoniously on the counter when his turn came at last. "Can I pay for all of this here?" he asked. The sullen-looking cashier nodded wordlessly, paving the way for Scott to launch into all the information required to obtain your prescription. He left the store ten minutes later with a paper bag filled with his purchases.

Still no answer from you when he checked his phone again. Scott deliberated for a second before rattling off an uneven, 'Headed your way now.' It wasn't until he made it to your front door that he looked again—and what he saw there took his worry up a notch.

'Can you just use your key to get in? I don't want to have to crawl to the door.'

Wow. Maybe Luis hadn't been too far off about you literally dying. You never asked Scott to simply waltz into your space. One of the unyielding rules of your relationship was that he always ring the doorbell and wait for you to answer. It begged the question of why you'd given him a copy of the key to begin with—but he'd rather not walk in on something you didn't want him seeing. So used to this standard was he that he half-expected the door to explode when he pushed it forward nervously, or you to burst into tears once he hesitantly stepped inside.

Neither occurred. In fact, nothing occurred. Nothing so much as moved as he looked around the cozy home.

"[Name]?" he called. "It's me, Scott! Which you probably already figured out, but I don't want you overexerting yourself because you think I'm a burglar. Well, I am a burglar. I'm here to leave you something today, though. Sort of the opposite of burgling. Not that I'd ever burgle you anyway. Or that I still commit burglaries of any kind!"

He had to clench his teeth together to stop himself from rambling. The quiet snap seemed to echo in the stillness. A very long pause followed his announcement until a series of coughs shattered the silence.

"I'm here," you croaked from a distant room.

The continued miserable sniffling led him easily to your bedroom. You'd left the door ajar—or perhaps a real burglar had. And what kind of boyfriend would he be to stand by and let you get burgled in the next room over?

Taking only the time necessary to fish a Pym Particle Disc from his pocket, Scott kicked the door further open, leaped into the room brandishing the disc, and yelled:

"Freeze, criminal! Hands where I can see them!"

Another coughing fit ensued. When he glanced in the direction of the noise, he found you lying in bed, propped up by what appeared to every pillow in the place.

"What are you doing?" you finally managed to ask him.

But Scott found himself unable to speak. He was thunderstruck. You'd been dating for months, but now he found himself faced with such a sight without any time whatsoever to mentally prepare.

"God, you look horrible," he blurted.

You colored as much as you could, which wasn't much, and Scott realized at once that he'd really put his foot in his mouth this time. There might even have been something glittering in the corners of your eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no." He stumbled forward, tossing his bag to the foot of the bed as he sat down by your knees.

"I just...didn't think I could sit up long enough to do my makeup again," you said throatily—from unshed tears or unblown snot, he could not say.

"[Name], that's not what I—"

"I had only just taken everything off from going to the doctor, and I feel like crap, and now I look like crap, and I let you see me like this, and—"

Scott interrupted by picking up the hand you had resting nearest to him on the comforter. This he lifted to his lips in a swift kiss. Thankfully, this expression of concern worked more successfully than his last.

"You look like someone who doesn't feel their best. That's all I meant. Ah!"

"What?" you asked as Scott scrambled for the discarded bag.

"I brought your medicine. The sooner you take it, the sooner you'll start to feel better." All this he said while he rummaged through his things. He pulled the prescription bottle out of the mess with a vague noise of triumph. "Let me go get you something to drink it with."

He left the room in a hurry, more to give you time to compose yourself than any actual rush on his part. Already you had allowed him to see you without your makeup on for the very first time. The difference was striking enough without adding weeping to the mix—not upsetting, just obvious. Scott never asked why you preferred to be seen with your face fully "on," as you put it. But he knew it meant something that you'd let him see you so vulnerable that afternoon. Maybe it only meant that you felt terrible, but that was still something.

It took him a few minutes to find everything he needed in your kitchen. He grabbed an insulated cup with a lid from one cabinet, some fruit juice from the fridge, and filled the former with the latter. When he returned to your bedroom, he found you'd taken the opportunity, as expected, to clean up. Now you were pulling items one by one out of the paper bag.

"Is this all for me?" you asked.

Putting a coaster down on your bedside table and struggling with the childproofing on your medicine kept him too busy to reply for a bit. Then he looked up to see you staring at him, waiting for his answer.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I tried to remember everything Maggie asked me to grab for Cassie. I figured it might help since you probably caught your bug from her when we took her out for dinner after her soccer match."

You eyed the VapoRub in your palm speculatively. "Thank you."

"Anything for the world's most beautiful woman, even when she's sick. But I know you'd rather get back to using lipstick sooner rather than later, so why don't you take your pill?"

He held out the cup and the medicine bottle. You rolled your eyes, smiling. After trading him the container of VapoRub for the drink, you gulped down some cold juice and knocked back a capsule.

"You know," Scott said as you swallowed, "I'd be a disaster at applying your eye shadow, but I could help you apply this if you wanted."

Was the noise you made in response because you inhaled juice or you stifled a laughed? "Scott, if you get any closer to me than you already have, you'll probably end up as sick as I am. You might already have caught it."

"So? Honestly, I could use the time off. You have no idea how much PTO I've accrued lately. Luis can be real taskmaster."

"He just wants X-Con to be successful." 

“He says get well soon, by the way. So do Dave and Kurt. Are you sure you want me to go back to them instead of staying here with you?”

He smiled sheepishly as you lifted your head to regard him down your noise. Then you finally relented: "I could use the company. But no doing my makeup for me! And I'll apply my own VapoRub, thank you very much." You plucked the container right from his hand before he could protest. Not that he intended to protest when he had a better idea.

"We can watch a movie together and order takeout. My treat."

"Mr. Moneybags over here," you said.

But you scooted over so that he could climb onto the bed and stretch out next to you. While he used the remove to scroll through options to find something you'd both enjoy, you snuggled up close to him.

"Scott," you murmured sleepily about twenty minutes into the film.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for coming to my rescue today."

"Anytime, [Name]. Anytime. Kind of the in the job description, right?"

"Superhero or boyfriend?"

"Both."

It wasn't long after that that you began to snore against his neck. Scott smiled into the dimly-lit bedroom. He had seen you without your makeup, and you both loved each other just the same. Of all the transformative experienced he'd had during his life—some good, some bad, some large, some small—that day might just go on his list of top five.

[mcubuckyxlokisbitch]

Out of all the Time Lines Chpt1: Avengers I need your help

Short Series !

Female Asgardian reader (now avenger) X TVA Loki

MASTER LIST

Summary: After your Lokis death and have moved on and joined the Avengers. After the aftermath of Endgame you and the other remaining Avengers all seek shelter in the new Avengers Warehouse Pepper Potts bought as a temporary replacement while the Avengers mansion is being renovated. What happened after a very tired mission. Well, you're speechless, to say the least.

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

You entered the living room with the rest of the team all covered in dust, scratches and tired faces. All of you just saved another casual disaster but the aftermath was the annoying part, burning buildings, hurt people, without Tony stark it meant the clean up crew for the Avengers were the Avengers.

"Alright, what movie and what restaurant shall we engage in tonight." You say as you use your magic to teleport your sword to your room and grab the telephone on the coffee table, plopping on the couch.

"I don't know, but I am in the mood for some Mexican food," Sam said walking in and taking off his goggles.

"Yeah no we just had Mexican yesterday Sam there is no way I am eating another burrito, enchiladas, or taco for the 5th time this week." Bucky shouted as he stretched out on the loveseat next to the couch.

Scott, Thor, Wanda, Peter, Kate and Yelena walked in as they made their way to the kitchen and the living room to relax after a long day.

"Well I for one could actually go for some Phò." Wanda said while grabbing a glass of water. "Yes that actually sounds nice," you replied.

"Second it." Bucky Raised his hand and passed out on the loveseat.

"I will fiest on any of your choosing," Thor said while taking off his cape to wipe off the gunk from storm breaker.

"Phò sounds wonderful. Just make sure I get one of those spring roles. Oh and don't forget were running out of chilli sauce." Yelena shouted from the fridge.

"I just restocked." Scott threw his arms and groaned. "hah." Yelena mocked.

Peter took off his mask and rubbed his forehead combing his hair back, he had the worst migraine ever. Was this a spider sense? Why is it worse than ever?

You shouted for his attention, "Peter man of the hour, Mexican or Phò." Peter didn't answer, he was trying to hold himself on the table trying to compile himself.

"Peter?" You looked towards him. You started to get worried and walked towards him. "Peter. Did you hear me, Phò or Mexican?"

Peter looked at you and fell on his butt.

"Look kid we all are tired but at least try to make it to the couch I ain't carrying you." Same teased.

"Peter are you alright," Wanda said with a concerned face rushing towards him.

"Just tired... crazy migraine, feels like a spider sense but not ...it's the worst I've had." Peter looked at the concerned faces towards him, while he found support from your hand "Probably just tired." he chuckled.

"Well Phò it is, maybe next time Sam." You shook the phone and gave it to Scott to take the orders because he knew the team lie the back of his hand.

"Peter do you require help to get on the couch." You brought Peter back up as he tried to make his way onto the kitchen island.

"I'm fine just need water and a good meal. Imma lay by here." He groaned and slipped onto the table face on the surface.

You went to the sink to pour him a glass of water. Placed it on the counter making sure he drank every drop.

You grabbed a popcorn pack from a top shelf and brought it to the microwave as you set the time. You looked back at Peter who was getting a second refill.

You crossed your arms as you leaned back on the wall waiting for the timer on the microwave to go off. You closed you eyes resting your head as you looked up the ceiling.

"Teya what movie...Not silence of the lambs"

"Action or Comedy, Sam I don't mind..." You sighed not opening your eyes taking some shut eye before the alarm in the warehouse blares for the next emergency.

"Cassie said Gnomeo and Juliet was nice," Scott said looking through his phone.

"Bucky is scared of the Frog." You chuckled.

"In my Defense doll I only said it to make my move on you." he smirked kissing your cheek.

"Now thats a new level of low and pathetic." Sam groaned in disgust. You try reach for an aspirin on the top shelf but Bucky beat you to it.

"Here." he passed the bottle to you.

"I lift cars, I think can lift a shelf handle." you retorted to him

"We talked about this doll," he places both his arms on your shoulder.

"Right..." you breathed and dialouged dramatically " Why thank you, James, you're such a gentleman." flipping your hair.

"OH I call dibs on Robocop" Yelena raised her hand after laying out all the snacks.

"I'm letting the kid's pop culture spinner decide." Sam takes the remote from Scott and faces back to Peter. "Yo Pete what movie."

"Babylon," Peter replied from the kitchen island still rubbing his temple.

"As long as it's not Hamilton." You teased.

"Sams got it all memorized by now." Bucky continued.

"Not as much as you Buck, I heard him belting burn last night," Sam replied. The microwave beeped as you turned your back from the crowd and you grabbed a bowl to place the pack in.

"Heh well, you can say he's gonna be your right-hand man." you giggled at your cringe joke. "Get it." but no response was made, just silence from the crowd.

"Oh cmon that was fun-" you turn to see the reason of their response and froze "Ny......"

"Avengers I need your help."

[t-marveland]

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 | scott lang

Scott Lang x Reader

Warning : aucun

Mots : 97

Masterlist

Tu avais enfin admis ton attirance envers Scott. Cela faisait quelques semaines qu'il faisait des allusions sur le fait qu'il t'aimait vraiment bien, mais tu le rejetais à chaque fois. Et cette fois dans la voiture, tu rentras dans son jeu de séduction.

❝━ Tu es en retard. Avait-il dit en entrant dans la voiture.

━ J'espère ne pas l'être quand je viendrai te chercher ce soir. Dis-tu en lui faisant un clin d'œil.❞

Il mit du temps à assimiler ce que tu venais de dire et souris quand il comprit.

[justapersonwholikestoreadstuff]

I'm laughing my ass off right now trying to be quiet and not wake up my family its like the middle of the night for me

Imagine going to the zoo with the avengers:

Tony: “Come here beasty”

Y/N: “Don’t call him a beast tony, that’s rude”

Tony: “Oh I’m sorry did I hurt the Alpaca’s feelings”

Nat: “Watch it, Stark. This one’s looking at you like it’s ready for dinner”

Tony turns his head and comes face to face with an Alpaca.

Tony: “JESUS ever heard of personal space? Shoo!”

Thor: “I believe this one has taken a liking to me!”

Everyone looks over to Thor seeing him petting and scratching the Alpaca like a dog.

Steve: “This one has got it’s tongue wrapped around my entire hand. Do I engage?”

Clint: “What the Hell do you mean ‘engage,’ Steve? It’s an Alpaca!”

Bucky: “Guys this one likes my arm. OH MY GOD IT’S IN HIS MOUTH!!!”

Sam starts laughing his ass off.

Bucky: “If I lose a pinky, I’m going to be pissed.”

Scott: “Yeah you like belly rubs don’t you, little guy?”

Steve: “SCOTT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF THE VEHICLE?!”

Y/N: “I knew this would be entertaining.”

[redwingstan]

the angel that fell from the sky [joaquin torres x fem!reader insert]

author's note; if you haven't seen cap 4, please go see it. also slight spoilers below!

warnings; none; just fluff. please enjoy!

"'The Angel that fell from the sky.'" "The 'Angel'?"

"That's what they're calling you."

You heard the squeaking of wheels from Joaquin's chair as he pushed himself towards you. He peered over your shoulder, bracing one arm on the desk to get a closer look at your monitor. His breath fanned your cheek as he mumbled aloud the headline of the article you had been reading.

"Sounds a bit dramatic, don't you think?" he asked before pulling away and plopping back into his chair. You looked over your shoulder to catch him wincing as he nursed his broken arm that was still in a sling. "But if it gets me closer to meeting Ant Man, I'll take it."

You stifle a soft laugh before clicking from the article and typing away on the screen you were working on before. "Glad to see the fame hasn't gone to your head."

"If months of physical therapy and being told over and over by you and Sam to 'take it easy' is the price of fame...I don't know know if it's all worth it," he joked with a laugh that made you roll your eyes.

You continued to type away. "Well, sorry that we're worried about you," you said, feeling your cheeks grow warm as you the felt the atmosphere shift a bit. "But to be fair, you did almost die."

"Huh."

Your typing ceased and you looked over your shoulder to find him grinning.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing." He was leaning back in his chair, studying with an amused grin. You rolled your eyes again and decided to take him for his word. You faced your monitor and went back to typing.

"It's just that..." You groaned and ceased typing once more, though you didn't dare look over your shoulder as he continued. "I could've sworn you just said you were worried about me." He used his feet to make his chair roll towards you.

Biting the bullet, you looked over shoulder and met him with a harsh stare, though it was accompanied by a subtle smile you couldn't seem to hide this time around. "I said Sam and I."

"Which," he continued on as if presenting his final argument to a grand jury, "implies that you do, in fact, care about me too." He leaned his good elbow on his knee and propped his chin in the center of his palm as he gazed at you, tickled pink by this revelation. "I'm starting to wonder who's head over heels now?"

You laugh a bit, already in the process of turning back to your computer. "So am I."

You had long ago sworn off telling Joaquin your real feelings despite knowing his feelings towards you were mutual. But every time you or Joaquin mustered up the courage to share your true feelings, things went wrong.

The first time it had been a simple miscalculation resulting in minor scrapes and bruises that landed him in the infirmary. This time it was the ICU. You balled up your fists in your lap as you recalled the long wait in the waiting room, the sight of him strung up to wires that monitored his fragile heartbeat; and the black and blue bruises that littered his skin.

You didn't even want to dwell on the possibilities on how much worse things could get. Which is why it was much easier to bottle up your feelings and hope that they would wear off eventually. After all, in your mind at least, it would save you both the emotional damage of losing one another.

Your heart suddenly skipped a couple more beats as Joaquin reached out to stop your chair from turning away from him. You let your feet go slack against the hardwood floor as he used one arm, with little to no effort, to gently tug your rolling chair towards him so you were facing him again. You came to a slow stop as your knees briefly touched. It was during this moment that you felt your brain turn to mush.

"It's me."

You blinked. "What?"

He reached out to touch one of your fists resting on your thigh. Slowly your fingers began to uncurl from your palm.

"I'm...head over heels...for you," he said with nervous laughter.

You laughed too, unsure of what to say. "Did Sam tell you say that?"

He chuckled, his cheeks turning a shade of red you've never seen before. He gave your loose fist a soft squeeze. Eventually, his infectious grin turned into a subtle, nervous smile.

"I want to give us a chance—"

"Joaquin—"

He threaded his fingers in the spaces between yours. You were too distracted by the bundle of nerves in your chest to feel them.

"Y/N, I've kissed death one too many times not to at least let you know how I feel...not that you don't already know." The corners of his lips turned upwards just as yours did.

He was right. It wasn't like you didn't know how he felt about you. Ever since he came wandering into your uncle's gym, he didn't once shy away from letting you know how he felt. Be it a lingering gaze; his signature grin of approval when you successfully hit the punching bag right; or the occasional conglomerate of words that fell out of his mouth that sometimes didn't make much sense—though you always understood what he was trying to say. His feelings for you had always been right there within your reach.

As if reminding you of this, Joaquin squeezed your hand, eyes yearning for a response.

"You know Sam will tease you endlessly when he hears about us," You said, apprehensive of the consequences to come.

Joaquin inched forward, the wheels of his chair scraping the floor. "I think I can handle it. He already does that to me now, I'm used to it."

"Good point," you said with a shrug, your body naturally inclining forward. "But, you'll only hear me complaining twice as much for you to take it easy."

He let go of one of your hands, his bruised fingers reaching forward to stroke your warm cheek. "Child's play, mi amor. I could never get tired of you nagging me."

The beating of your heart grew louder than your thoughts.

"Then there's Captain America..."

"Yeah, yeah. You mentioned Sam, already," he said, his thumb stroking your skin as he leaned forward, your foreheads brushing against each other. He glanced at your lips.

"No, I mean...the other Captain America."

Joaquin paused. "Your uncle?"

You nodded. "You know he still never got over you calling him 'gramps' when you first met."

His shoulders slumped a bit, slight disappointment lacing his features. "But I thought he liked me?"

"I like you." The words fell out of your mouth before you could stop them. His grin returned at this. You squeezed his hand, the one that was still holding your cheek. "But he won't go any easier on you if it's me you're after."

"So I'm up against two Captain Americas?" He whispered, eyes growing wide at this sudden revelation. You laughed and shook your head in amusement.

Before you could respond, he pressed a kiss to your cheek. Just as he pulled away, he managed to murmur, "Game on," before pressing his lips to yours.

[jonivngel]

𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧. (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨.)

𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐨 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐨

part 1: sharing is caring; part 2: dinner; part 3: devotion.

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:

"You weren't sure what you'd stepped into, but you loved how your heart was threatening to burst out of your chest with anxiety, excitement, and desire all at once. The hungry gazes of the two men sitting at the table made you feel like you were treading into dangerous waters, like monsters were lurking in the dark ready to devour you and consume your soul whole."

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6,904

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭:: 18+ ONLY, NSFW! CONTENT, MDNI, infidelity, unprotected sex, cucking (just a lil), polyamory, threesomes, drunk sex, a bit of degradation, praise kink kinda, oral (male on male, female on male, and male on female), mxmxf sex, mxf penetration, overstimulation, edging, car sex, dangerous car sex lol (don't do this shit pls), voyerism, exhibitionism, just overall filth ngl, satosugu is bisexual so gay stuff, fluffy at the end

a/n: yea... this is my favorite reader insert I've written. maybe also the best smut... enjoy! not really edited since the contents clouded my judgment..

𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫.

You dressed yourself in a pretty black dress and black cat heels. A gold necklace around your neck glistened in the light of the luxurious restaurant you found yourself in. You looked good and it boosted your confidence. There was nothing that could deter you from the objective for tonight's meeting. That was- judge the pretty little thing Suguru was sneaking around with from head to toe and scare him senseless. Although, you knew the scaring part was impossible, after all, you weren't oblivious to the identity of the man you would meet. You just wished he'd feel just as jealous as he'd made you.

Suguru told you that his other lover was eager to meet you. In fact, he insisted on taking you both to one of the most prestigious locales for fine dining in the city. You felt flattered. Perhaps that was the goal because it created the impression that this meeting was a momentous occasion for both of you.

You were excited. You could tell Suguru was excited too, because the mischievous smirk you've seen on him so many times before didn't falter for a second since you left your home. It made you even more curious to find out just what would happen when you saw him for the first time. The anticipation felt like ants crawling under your skin, you were restless. The restlessness causes your eyes to search hastily through the sea of people for vibrant blue eyes and stark white hair.

You felt out of place in a restaurant like this. Everyone seemed like they were nobility, hearty laughter that reeked of money echoing in your ears. Rich bastards that hadn't a single care in the world. It made you feel uneasy because he either chose this place to pamper you or to throw you off your axis, play this game on his home turf. You couldn't show weakness, though, so you held your ground, searching for him with determination.

Then you spotted him. Sitting in the far back of the restaurant, a coupe glass in his hand filled with a pink fizzy cocktail. French kiss. Nice touch.

Suguru ghosted his hand over your lower back, urging you to go first. You did. With your head held high and your hips swaying tastefully and deliciously, the short dress revealing enough to get any man to drool at a single glimpse of you. There was nothing to be afraid of when you looked deadly as sin and so sweet and tasty at the same time.

It didn't take long for him to spot you, probably because he could feel the cursed energy radiating off of Suguru and you both, the magnitude of your appearance altering the atmosphere instantaneously. He turned slowly though, feigning nonchalance, showing you he had no reason to be afraid of you either.

Once you walked up to him he stood up and towered over you, just as Suguru always did. He was even taller. Oh, it made you feel so tiny. He looked like he could crush you with one hand. Not at all the pretty little princess Suguru described him as. It made a rush of blood go straight to your abdomen, heat consuming your entire being at the thought of what might transpire by the end of the night.

“Satoru, I presume.” You smiled at him and stretched out your hand in a greeting.

He took it and bowed down to place a tender kiss on the back of it, your thoughts spiraling immediately. “That's right.” His voice had a seductive lilt to it and suddenly you were livid Suguru even thought about hiding this man from you. Then you reminded yourself that you were there to judge him, not fall for his beautiful face and hands and shoulders and- “You must be, Y/N.”

When he smiled back and folded his glasses into the pocket of his suit jacket, suddenly all air was sucked out of your lungs.

He was gorgeous.

Wow, was the only thought that appeared in your head, jealousy and determination washed down the river of your unholy thoughts.

You never liked men with such fair features, Suguru being case and point, but the pristine aquamarine eyes staring back at you were like a sparkling and swirling potion that could get you addicted to him. In appearance he was the complete opposite of your Suguru, they looked like a match made in heaven. A tasty treat for you, too.

You sat down when Suguru pulled out a chair for you, feeling your cheeks warm up with the way this man was looking at you. He clearly didn't see you as competition. He saw you as prey. He had a devious smirk on his face, pearly white teeth shining in the dim light of the restaurant. His eyes were devouring the sight of you without shame, from head to toe, until he looked at you through his fluffy angelic eyelashes with an even bigger grin.

“I've heard a lot about you, Satoru.” You said sweetly and cleared your throat, picking up a menu to flip through the pages and decide on a drink for yourself. You had to look away from him because, now that you saw his face, all you could imagine was him and Suguru in the back of that black Mercedes you took to the restaurant. It was too soon to let those kinds of thoughts get the best of you.

He chuckled, “All good, I presume?” He was cocky. You liked that. It suited him, and you understood quite well what Suguru meant when he said that he knows he's pretty. You thought you were confident, but confidence was this man's middle name, you were aware you probably had no chance to win this game from the start.

“Of course,” you purred in response, glancing at Suguru, who seemed like he was having the time of his life.

Your beloved was gazing at you with lust in his eyes, a dark and deep desire that had you completely cornered with Satoru gazing at you the same way. It was like you'd walked into the wolf's den and you were looking straight into its sharp canines and drooling mouth. As if the Michelin star food you were about to eat was just an appetizer for the real main course- you. It thrilled you to your core, to be desired so wonderfully by two most handsome men you've seen in your life, making you realize why some women crave such male validation. It wasn't the validation that you were seeking, though, Suguru provided enough of that throughout your relationship.

It was the hunger. The deep perverted hunger he infected you with when he mentioned how good his other lover takes him before he returns home to do the same depraved things they did to you. Curiosity, too. Because no matter how hard you tried to get it off your mind, you couldn't stop thinking about whether all you heard was true.

Satoru called the waiter over for you, snapping you out of your thoughts, and you ordered a cherry negroni, trying to coax a reaction out of him with the abhorrently bitter choice for your drink. He raised an eyebrow, a sly grin on his beautiful face. He was aware of the game you were playing, subliminal messages in every little choice you made since you walked in.

“I would've picked the Shirley.”

“Hm, I know.”

This made him laugh and you smiled, feeling like the ice was finally broken and the buzzing atmosphere officially assumed a friendly light.

“Should we order food?” Suguru questioned, speaking for the first time since you sat down. He seemed to realize that this meeting was going in a great direction and suddenly felt like speeding things along to get to the fun part.

You didn't object and you all ordered, the waiter nodding and walking off.

“So, Y/N…” Satoru mused, leaning forward as he propped his chin onto his palm and looked at you with that seductive, half lidded stare, “Are you really as sweet as our dear Suguru described?”

Your mind was sent on a trip of its own once again with the deliberate phrasing of that sentence. “Depends,” you huff in amusement, giving him the same look he was giving you while crossing your arms to push up your clevege, to which his eyes immediatelly dropped down for a split second before returning back to your face.

“I guess I'll just have to check for myself then, hm?” He leaned back, licking his lips, and crossed his legs, a dangerous glint lurking beyond the aquamarine pools.

“Satoru,” Suguru chuckled, “Let her be. We're here for dinner, remember?” His tone was the same sweet tone he'd whisper the most beautiful words of love to you, but he was looking at his other lover scornfully, silently signaling that he should back off a little and know his place.

“We're just getting acquainted, Suguru.” He looked back at you, “Do you not see the pink on her cheeks? They're just yearning for a bite.”

You weren't sure what you'd stepped into, but you loved how your heart was threatening to burst out of your chest with anxiety, excitement, and desire all at once. The hungry gazes of the two men sitting at the table made you feel like you were treading into dangerous waters, like monsters were lurking in the dark ready to devour you and consume your soul whole. The game didn't include only you and Satoru, there was an unspoken tension between the two men as well, Satoru being keen to get a piece of you since Suguru presented you to him so graciously. And Suguru seemed to struggle with knowing that.

The electric tension buzzing in the air made you want to skip dinner too.

Although, you needed the energy if all three of you were going to return to your home. So you enjoyed your meal, drank a few very strong cocktails. You three talked about nothing in particular, Suguru and Satoru discussed the well-being of their former classmates and you listened while downing some more cocktails. By the end the alcohol was swirling comfortably in your stomach, heating up your whole body to the point that you felt like the skimpy dress you wore was too many clothes to be wearing.

You were about halfway through imagining that same skimpy dress being torn off your body by one, if not two handsome men, when Satoru called the waiter over for the cheque. You felt like it was your call whether or not he was going to be joining Suguru and you tonight, so you took the final sip of your final drink and spoke up.

“’Toru, why don't you join me and Sugu for some more drinks at our place, hm? I'm sure we can manage a little sweet Shirley for you…”

He was grinning almost ear to ear, agreeing without a second thought. “If Suguru doesn't mind…” He turned to look at the dark haired man, “Do you?”

“Not at all,” Suguru stood up and pulled out your chair, suddenly in a hurry to get going, “You're always welcome, Satoru.”

Moments later you found yourself in the back of a black Mercedes, a certain white haired man with you. Suguru was driving, of course, glancing into the rear-view mirror every once in a while to check on you.

You were a nervous wreck. It was like the alcohol was making you even more eager to be touched, fantasizing about what it would feel like to be folded in two by someone almost twice your size on the very seat you were sitting on. The drive was going to be a while longer, you needed to entertain yourself somehow.

You pulled out a packet of gum and popped one into your mouth without thinking because, damn, those negronis were really bitter.

“Can I have some?”

You turned your head to see Satoru with his palm up in expectation, like a little kid asking for sweets on Halloween.

An idea sparked in your mind. There was surely no need to hold back, you were well aware where this evening is going to go. Even though there was still some doubt in the back of your head, you felt a sick and twisted urge for payback towards Suguru for all of this. And Satoru looked so delicious when your system flooded with liquor that you didn't care. You just simply couldn't wait any longer.

“Yeah, sure,” you said and leaned over, pulling him in by his neck and crashing your lips to his, finding his tongue with your own to share the sweet taste of the gum in your mouth. He let out a whiny moan once the sugar melted on his tastebuds, muffled by the insistent and captivating work of your tongue.

Suguru nearly crashed the car.

Satoru's hands were immediatelly on your thighs, slipping under your skirt, fingers sinking into the soft flesh and pulling you onto his lap. He kissed you like he was starving for it, rutting his hips into yours from below, making the heat between your legs become almost too much to bear.

There was no hesitation and no protest from either of the men, which you were pleased about and so, so damn ready to let Satoru fuck you right before Suguru's eyes. It was a form of payback, showing him that you could have as much fun with Satoru as him- if not more.

You kissed a trail from Satoru's mouth across his cheek, until your lips were right next to his ear. “You like fucking in the back seat, right?”

The noise that escaped his mouth was nothing short of animalistic, his hands doing quick work to unbuckle his belt as an invitation.

“Satoru…” A low grumble came from the front seat, warning the white haired man.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, “C'mon, Sugu, she's asking me…”

A dangerous gleam flashed in the eyes glaring at the two of you through the rearview mirror.

“You don't want to see us have a little bit of fun, my love?” You grinned, the sickly sweet tone of your voice making Satoru’s cock jump in his pants under you. “You don't want to see your two sweethearts fuck the frustration out of each other? You got us here, lovely.”

You ignored the annoyed huff coming from the front seat, reaching down to pull Satoru's cock out of his pants. And once again you were left speechless, eyes wide at the agonizingly delicious sight of him. You looked back into his eyes, glossed over with depraved, sinful desire and lips parted with heavy breaths huffing past them. He was pretty and so wrecked already, just from kissing you and from feeling Suguru's angry eyes on you two being so perverted together.

“’Toru, baby, rip these panties off of me, please?”

And do that he did.

The torn piece of flimsy cloth was thrown on the seat beside you and his fingers wasted no time to toy with your sensitive clit. The sweet pleasure had you squealing out in surprise, thighs tense as you tried your best to hold yourself up over him.

“Suguru, where did you find this little minx, hm?”

Suguru was still silent in the front seat, driving as fast as he could without breaking any laws, turning corners sharply and running through yellow lights to get you home as soon as possible. He was angry you'd started without him- he's the one who introduced the two of you. But at the same time, he couldn't help the torturingly delightful satisfaction he felt from seeing the two of you make a mess out of each other. He felt like he was still the winner here.

You were drunk enough to not care whether he was going to punish you or praise you for getting along so well with Satoru. The white haired man had you whining and mewling out his name as his fingers found their pace inside of you pussy, stretching you out as preparation for the large cock that was pushing up against your thigh in the tightly confined space of the backseat.

“Fuck, sweetheart, I'm so glad I got to meet you,” he whispered, his free hand finding its place around your throat, gently squeezing to make your head muddled even more, pulling you in for another sloppy kiss that made you tighten around his fingers.

“M-Me too, - ah.. hngnh S'toru-”

He smirked and sped up the pace of his fingers, making the coil in your abdomen snap as you squealed quietly, vocal-chords paralyzed from the intensity of the orgasm consuming your entire body. The feeling was made even more intense with the hellish look on Satoru's angelic face and the sensation of being watched and listened to by your sweet Suguru.

“There you go, sweetheart, cum for me.” He whispered softly, his fingers becoming more tender inside of you, helping you come down from your high. “Does Sugu make you feel this good, hm, baby? Look at him-” He muttered and made you turn around to look at Suguru, his eyes fixated on the road in a last ditch effort to not crash the fucking car before you get home. “Look how worked up you've got him, I bet he wants to ruin your sweet little pussy as much as I do.” He's lifting your hips up and rubbing his cock against the sloppy mess of your tight hole, hand flying to your face to make you look at Suguru once again after you start turning back around. “Keep looking at him while I fuck you stupid, sweetie.”

He eased you down onto him slowly at first, making you keep your eyes glued to the man in the front seat, feeling like filthy scum as you groaned loudly in bliss, feeling yourself be stretched out over Satorus cock.

Suguru's cheeks were red, his eyes bleary with arousal as he locked eyes with you, the car stopping in the middle of traffic. He cursed quietly, chest heaving with the heavy breaths. He watched you slide down on Satoru's cock, mesmerized and unable to look away.

“Sugu- ru-” you whined out, making his cock twitch in his pants, his hand rushing to stroke it on instinct.

Never in a thousand years would he have imagined that seeing his girlfriend take his boyfriend’s cock right in front of him would fill him with pure unfiltered lust instead of raging jealousy. And the fact that you still called out his name? It made him want to stop the car on the side of the road and get in the back seat to show you why you were his, once again.

“Fuck- Suguru, she's so tight.” Satoru's head fell down to the crook of your neck, teeth sinking into the pulsating vein under your skin, making you feel lightheaded. “You're so evil for keeping us from each other, y'know? Oh- fuck- She's taking me so well-”

You whined again at the indirect praises, feeling Satoru's pace pick up speed as the car finally started moving again.

“You two are so lucky I'm driving,” Suguru said, the words like venom dripping off his lips, the sound of his belt unbuckling following soon after, “So fucking undisciplined.”

You giggled, crying out immediatelly after from the feeling of Satoru rearranging your guts at a superhuman speed. “’Toru, ‘Toru, ‘Toru- I c-can't, ah- nhhhhgh- FUCK!” The muscles in your legs spasmed as you felt liquid gush out of you and soak Satoru's cock and pants, earning a low, devious chuckle of satisfaction from him.

“You're so fucking dirty, cumming so hard on my cock while your sweet Suguru watches…” He whispers into your ear, making you turn around to look at Suguru again, seeing his hand in his lap stroking his cock as he drove with one hand. “Oh, fuck- He's just as bad as you, it seems.”

“Sugu, I'm-”

“You wanna apologize?” The dark haired man grumbled. “Come over here and suck my cock, honey.”

This car ride was becoming increasingly dangerous and you felt a nagging guilt at how depraved you were, how easily you submitted to the carnal pleasures instead of thinking how Suguru might crash the fucking car because of this.

“Don't worry, baby, I won't crash. We're almost home.” He seemed to have read your thoughts, his voice earnest and sweet, reassuring you before speaking again- “Now get that filthy mouth over here.”

Satoru chuckled, turning you around forcefully and pushing you between the two front seats until your ass was facing him and your face was in Suguru's lap. Your mouth was immediatelly stuffed full of cock, a low groan resounding from deep within Suguru's chest.

“Mhm, fuck-” He felt his heart race, trying his best to look at the road with your lips wrapped snugly around his dick. “Go deeper,” he pushed your head down just as Satoru stuffed your pussy full of himself in the back seat, “Suck my dick like a slut since you want to be one so bad.”

You cried out around his length, feeling it scrape the back of your throat, your jaw tense with the familiar feeling of his girth filling your mouth entirely.

“So filthy,” Satoru huffed, sloppy sounds echoing throughout the cramped space as his cock kept ramming into you, “You couldn't even wait ‘till we got home, huh?”

Tears fell down your cheeks from the onslaught of pleasure and the cock in your mouth that kept you gagging every few seconds. Suguru was holding your hair in a vice-like grip, guiding your movements and never letting you come up for air.

“Your throat is so soft, baby, don't you dare make me pull out.” He moaned, turning the last corner onto your street, stepping on the gas as he pushed your head down, “Shit- We're here.”

He pulled into the garage of your house, letting go of your hair as Satoru pulled his cock out of you.

You were gasping for air, sprawled out over the middle compartment between the two front seats, pussy and jaw aching from being filled with cocks for the entire ride home from both ends.

“Oh my-” you panted, unable to lift yourself as Suguru's fingers tangled with your hair once again, this time in a soothing manner. “I'm so tired.” You whisper, but your break doesn't last long because you're being pulled into the back seat and then out of the car, scooped up and carried inside by Satoru.

“No time for rest, sweetheart, you started this.” He said tauntingly, following Suguru as he unlocked the door.

It didn't take much time for their long legs to take you to the master bedroom, where you were thrown mercilessly onto the bed while the two men towered over you like hungry lions ready to devour their feast.

“I'm- AH!” You yelp as your dress is being tugged off your body so swiftly you don't have time to react.

Suguru is stripping his shirt, an evil smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “We're not done yet, honey.”

Satoru bites the insides of your thighs, his pants and shirt already gone once you look at him, taut muscles and flawless soft skin on display for you to see. It was a beautiful sight, the two of them so worked up over you. The shared depravity between you three felt comfortable, reaffirming. It made you feel less guilty for being so insane as to let this all happen in the first place. The labels and the sick love triangle between the three of you were reduced to nothing but animalistic greed for pleasure and you were ready to drown yourself in that feeling.

“Satoru,” Suguru growls, angrily pulling Satoru's head back by the snow-white strands of his hair, “Stop being a greedy whore, it's my turn.”

Suddenly you're the one watching, seeing the debauchery unfold in front of you. Satoru is on his knees in front of your beautiful boyfriend, defiant eyes flashing up at him and you're so mesmerized at the sheer magnitude of what's unfolding. It has you squirming on the bed, breath caught in your throat as Suguru manhandles the pretty boy in front of him, pushing his cock against his lips until the white-haired menace finally opens his mouth.

You don't even realize you're touching yourself until your legs are shaking and your pussy is throbbing for something to fill it. “Fu-ck-” you whine, “You two are so fucking hot.”

Suguru chuckles, feeling Satoru's squeals of protest against his cock, “Don't worry, darling, I'll get to you in a second.” It's a warning and a promise. “Gotta teach this brat a lesson first.”

Satoru is drooling around Suguru's cock, ice cold eyes staring up at him like he was God incarnated, taking him whole down his throat without gagging once. He didn't have a fucking gag reflex.

“Yes, there you go-” Suguru's head falls back, long hair swaying around his shoulder as his abs tense from the pleasure. “All the way to the b-back.”

You're unable to look away from them, eyes jumping back and forth between them as your fingers struggle to get you over the edge. You whimper helplessly as you watch, craving Suguru's touch to help you finish. It makes you jealous for a split second, so you call out to Suguru, your voice whiny. “Sugu- Please, help me cum-”

He smiles at you and steps toward the bed with his cock still buried into Satoru's throat, “You feeling lonely, baby? I'm sorry…” He says and releases Satoru from his grip, the white haired man gasping for air. “Come sit on my face while you watch Satoru suck my cock.”

He lays on the bed, Satoru climbing between his legs and you follow his instructions reluctantly, pussy above his face as you look at Satoru. You feel shy completely exposed like this, looking directly in the eyes of the man who was taking a part of what you love the most right before you. His eyes were devilish, never leaving yours as he licked a long stripe up Suguru's length, as if taunting you with the fact that he gets a piece of your lover, too.

But as soon as Suguru's tongue started working its magic on your aching pussy, all of that melted away and you were left with nothing but the overwhelming feeling of pleasure. “Oh- fuck-” you yelped and Satoru looked down to where your pussy was leaking all over Suguru's face, his eyes lighting up at the beautiful sight.

He was about to get up, but Suguru's hand pushed his head back down. “Keep going, slut.”

You felt like Suguru was being mean, but Satoru groaned immediatelly after, as if this is exactly the reaction he was looking for, rutting his hips into the bedsheets for any type of friction.

“S-Sugu-” you tried to say but what left your mouth were incoherent babbles as you felt yourself on the brink of orgasm. It was so sinful and so messy and so enjoyable to be in such a tangle like this, to be feeling so much pleasure watching your boyfriend's cock be stuffed down Satoru's throat. The little whine Satoru made when Suguru bucked his hips upward, his throat assaulted by the forceful movement, pushed you over the edge and you damn nearly drowned Suguru.

He groaned, feeling his dick twitch on Satoru's tongue, his seed spilling down the pretty boy's throat as he licked up every last drop of what you gave him. He didn't stop, though, trying his hardest to make you break, letting go of Satoru and holding your hips down so you couldn't move. “S-Sugu- I c-can't! S-Sto- ahh!” You were near tears, which made Satoru feel horrible because you were being punished for something you did together.

“It's okay, sweet, come here…” He leaned down, giving you a tender kiss that clashed with the feeling of Suguru torturing you so mercilessly.

You groaned and cried out into Satoru's mouth until you hit your second orgasm and felt tears spill down your cheek. You could taste Suguru on his tongue, mixed with the same sweetness you tasted on Suguru's when he'd come home late with so many excuses. It made your tears swell up even more, it felt cathartic in a way, but Satoru wiped them away, holding your face until you stopped shaking and Suguru finally let you go.

You pulled away from Satoru, moving over to fall on the bed, unable to stay on your knees with how weak your legs were. You felt like jelly, wobbly and trembling from the intense orgasms you just went through.

“Are you okay, honey?” Your boyfriend asked you, kissing your cheek tenderly as if the state you were in wasn't his doing.

“Y-Yeah-” you finally managed to catch your breath, gazing into Suguru's eyes. “I think you need a towel…” You giggled, fucked out of your mind, as you pointed out the droplets of your mess on his face.

Satoru cleared his throat and threw the towel he just retrieved from the bathroom at Suguru's face. “You know,” he huffed, “I didn't get to cum yet.” His eyes were on Suguru, to which the man rolled his eyes and pulled the ‘whiny slut’ onto the bed next to you.

“Sweetheart can you suck Satoru's cock while I fuck you from behind, please?” And he asked so sweetly, so innocently, that you didn't have the heart to refuse. Even though you'd much rather have had him cum down your throat earlier, him cumming while being buried deep inside of you didn't sound bad either.

You nod, giving him a quick kiss, still able to taste yourself on his tongue. “Yes, baby.” You smile at him and turn to face Satoru, ass up and face between his legs.

“Such a good girl,” he purred behind you, spitting on his cock and rubbing it through your folds before sinking in slowly, groaning out your name. “F-Fuck- so tight for me no matter what huh?”

Your legs were still trembling from everything you were made to endure so far, so you tried to focus on your own task. You looked up at Satoru, who was gazing at you with his slutty half lidded gaze, cock jumping the moment you begin to moan Suguru's name.

“Don't be shy, baby, put him in your mouth.” Your boyfriend encouraged, watching as you took Satoru in your hand, giving the tip of his cock light kisses that had the white haired man in an absolute frenzy.

“P-Please-” he choked out, “Stop teasing me..” And you chuckled, to which he gave you a scornful look. It disappeared the moment you actually took him in your mouth. “Sh- iitt-” His hand tangled in your hair, but never pressing down, only giving you tender encouragement. “Y-Your mouth is so fucking g-good- mhhngh.”

“Thank you, ‘Toru.” you giggled, feeling Suguru twitch inside of you at the sound of your voice calling out his other lover's name. “Come here, sweetie.” You said and Satoru leaned in, his cock still stimulated by your hand, but instead of kissing him as he thought you would, you commanded for him to open his mouth. “Open wide, please.”

He looked at Suguru, confused for a split second before he obeyed and your fingers slipped into his mouth, all the way down his throat. “Oh my- You really don't have a gag reflex- I bet that throat feels heavenly around my Suguru's cock, hmm?”

The depraved, slutty words rolling off your tongue had both of them groaning in pleasure and you smiled to yourself. “P*-pleathe*-” Satoru begged around your fingers, eyes rolling to the back of his head as your hand picked up its pace. “Your mouf plea- nhhhg”

The whiny moans you were so skillfully coaxing out of Satoru made Suguru pick up his pace from behind you, incredibly aroused by the whole display before him.”You're so good, baby, making S'toru moan for us- fuck-”

You pulled your your fingers from pretty boy's throat, stuffing your face full of his cock to muffle your own moans as Suguru's pace kept picking up. It nearly sent Satoru over the edge, his poor cock edged enough for one night, which you realized was Suguru's punishment for his misbehaving and fucking you before he got to.

“Am I allowed to make him cum, sweetie?” You ask Suguru quickly, mouth immediatelly back on Satoru, making him cry out from the intense feeling of your tongue working wonders around his tip.

“Y-Yeah-” your boyfriend could barely talk, pussywhipped completely, slamming into you and making your legs shake once again.

You cried out with Satoru nestled deep in your mouth, gagging as he begged you to just make him cum already. So you sped up your movements, bobbing your head up and down with his cock slamming into the back of your throat and making you gag while Suguru fucked you like a madman from behind.

“I-I'm gonn- cum-” Satoru groaned, “Bab-y stop-” but you didn't want to. You wanted to taste his cum on your tongue as Suguru fills your pussy because it felt heavenly to be used like this and to torture each other endlessly with pleasure.

“She wants you to cum in her throat, Satoru, don't hold back-” A hard slap against your ass made you squeal and you started shaking again, about to cum undone around Suguru's cock.

Satoru's dick was twitching on your tongue, his thighs tensing up under your fingertips as you kept his legs from closing together. He was a mess, groaning both your and Suguru's names over and over again as you sucked every last drop of cum out of him, never letting up your pace.

The sight made Suguru ravenous, his hips slamming against yours as he told you what a good girl you were for taking care of both of them. He pushed you towards Satoru, your body suddenly sandwiched between the two men, feeling their sweaty skin stick to yours with Suguru's cock still ramming into you at full force.

Suguru's lips crashed onto Satoru's, his hand flying up to Satoru's throat, holding him in place while your hand still pumped lazy strokes over his cock.

You cried out right next to his ear as Suguru fucked you, eliciting a sweet groan from both of them. It was messy and you felt like you lost yourself for a moment in that tangle of bodies, close to blacking out once Suguru buried himself so deep inside of you that you were certain your insides have been rearranged.

He was still kissing Satoru when he came inside of you, bringing you over the edge with him and Satoru, too, overstimulated from your hand never letting up the quick jerks on his cock.

You buried your face into the slope of Satorus neck, kissing him and still mewlimg out small cries of pleasure as you slowly came off your peak with Suguru still deep inside of you.

“Fuck, we made a mess…” Suguru chuckled as he looked down at the soaked sheets, your release mixed with Satoru's and Suguru's dripping down your thighs as soon as he pulled out.

“'m not cleaning up, can't move my arms,” you whimpered, Satoru chuckling in your ear as he gave you a quick kiss on the cheek, his arms hugging you close to him. It felt like heaven to be held so tenderly after all of the strenuous activity, so you surrendered and returned the hug, melting into the warm feeling of his skin.

Suguru left the room for a moment and you heard water running in the bathroom.

“’Toru, are you jealous of me being with Suguru?”

The question seemed to surprise the white haired man, but he shook his head. “It doesn't matter, sweet, he loves both of us equally, he wouldn't lie about that.”

You take in a shaky breath, smelling the familiar scent of his vanilla and cinnamon shampoo still lingering in his hair, mixed with your perfume and Suguru's musky scent. “Yeah, I guess…” you whisper, “It was nice meeting you.”

He nods, “You too, hun.”

“The bath is ready, bring her over here.”

Satoru picked you up like you weighed nothing, carrying you over to the bath and letting you stand on your own two feet gently. He held your hand to help you join Suguru, watching as you settled against Suguru's chest and relaxed completely in the warm water.

You expected him to get in as well, but he was about to get in the shower instead. “Satoru, come here.” You told him, frowning at the thought that he didn't want to relax in the bath with you.

He turned around and saw your hand gesturing for him to get in. “Okay.” He grinned and stepped into the bath, to which you pulled him into you, your fingers immediatelly tangling into his soft white locks.

“You thought you could escape us, huh?” you giggled, content with being pressed snugly between the two men.

He shook his head, lips pouty as he replied, “I thought I'd be intruding.”

You rolled your eyes, “You were balls deep inside of me and Suguru was balls deep down your throat, and now you're intruding?”

Suguru burst into laughter behind you, giving you a peck on the head. “You're always so blunt, baby.”

Satoru melted into your embrace, fingers tangling with yours like the needy little princess that he is. “Fair point…” he muttered, “Maybe I should take you guys out to dinner again sometime…”

You weren't sure whether or not this should be a regular thing. After all, this man was still your boyfriend's mistress. Were you truly ready to share? Yes, one time is fun, but what would become of your relationship in the long run? It doesn't hurt to give it a few more goes, though…

“Yeah, you should…” you decide, running your fingers through his soft white hair, “Or maybe you should take me out since Suguru kept us from each other for so long…”

Suguru grumbled and gave you a light bite on your shoulder as a warning. “Don't you dare.” Satoru and you burst into laughter, realizing that it was Suguru who was the most jealous one out of the three of you.

“You know, that might be a good idea…” Satoru teased, “I have a great car we could try out… A lot more spacious than Suguru's”

“Now you're just being assholes.”

“Awww, are you jealous, baby?” you mock.

“No.”

“Liarrr…”

“It's just unfair.”

“What, that your boyfriend and girlfriend are getting along?”

“Fuck you guys,” he huffed and looked away from the two of you, his cheeks flushed from being made fun of.

“Okay, okay… we'll stop. Don't sulk.” Satoru chuckled and relaxed in your embrace once again.

Suguru wrapped his arms around both of you, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He was content with how the meeting turned out, even though he wasn't expecting anything less. Both you and Satoru were amazing and there was no doubt in his mind that you would've liked each other.

“So, you wanna stay the night, ‘Toru?” you asked, your fingers drawing small circles into his palm.

“You sure?” He muttered.

“Yeah, the bed is big enough for three.” You told him, tangling your fingers with his. “Besides I'd feel bad sending you home without getting some cuddles in.”

“So sweet,” Suguru muttered into your hair.

“Okay,” the white haired man smiled up at you. “I can stay the night.”

“Suguru will make us pancakes for breakfast.”

“And when did Suguru agree to this?” the man behind you grumbled.

“Just now.” Satoru replies quickly.

“You're unbelievable.”

“Oh, shut up, you know you love us.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, then we're gonna get dinner without you.”

“Don't you dare.”

You and Satoru both burst into laughter, making Suguru smile as well. He was truly content with how everything turned out.

You thought you could be, too.

a/n: thank you for reading!

tags: @trishiepo0

[reallyromealone]

Title: zoo!

Fandom: DC

Characters: Clark Kent, Bruce wayne

Fic type: fluff

Pairings: superbat

Warnings: male reader, reader insert, child male reader, reader is Batman's son

Notes:

Summary: Clark wants to bond with Bruce's kids, the two recently starting dating and so starting with the youngest (name), the two go to the zoo

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Clark was excited that he was being trusted with his boyfriends youngest, the two dating for eight months now and finally the time aligned for them! He was gonna take little (name) out for a playdate!

He had hung out with the other batkids previously, both in and out of costume and now it was the youngests turn. (Name) Was crawling down the stairs like a big boy while Bruce walked slowly beside him, the two matching today in turtle necks and nice pants and (name) even wore the same shoes as the billionaire to boot "only thing different is socks and underwear" Bruce huffed a laugh at his son's love to match him and (name) did a little bounce "now, remember to be nice to Clark and don't run off ok?" Bruce spoke to his toddler who looked up at Clark and raised his little arms.

"Told you he liked you" Bruce chuckled as Clark adjusted the boy in his arms, (name) enjoying the height advantage to look around and even tried to get Clark's glasses "nono, baby bat!" Clark teased the boy "ya can't steal my glasses!" He tickled the boys belly who in turn let out little laughs "so what's the plan today, for you two?" Bruce asked, thankful to have a break and Clark was more than happy to give his boyfriend some time to himself.

"We're going to the zoo!" Clark cheered and (name) looked up at him and began clapping, still not the chattiest child but his enthusiasm knew no bounds. "Wow, you hear that? You get to see (animal)!" Bruce was in dad mode at this point, a rare sight that was only seen in private or if needed. (Name) Bounced in the heroes arms and made (animal sounds) as best as the toddler could "he's quiet today" Clark said taking the baby bag from Bruce and slinging it over his shoulder "he's more into sound effects today-- well that and the occasional demand for juice"

(Name) Perked up "joose?" His little voice hopeful and Bruce sighed "later, sweetpea" he promised and (name) let out a dramatic sigh "thirsy..." He wasn't, he just wanted juice and Bruce knew that "you can have water then"

The two bickered a bit before (name) grumbled and turned away from his dad, knowing he lost.

He would just get Clark to do it later.

(Name) Let himself get buckled into the car seat in Clark's car, kicking his little feet and staring at Clark "were gonna have a blast! I know I'm not Bruce but I hope you allow me in your life" (name) didn't quite get what that meant "we get kee?" "We can absolutely get ice cream while were there!" Clark promised the boy who beamed at him.

Bruce had a playlist for (name), trying to avoid him and screens as much a spossible and Clark respected the man's decision and put on the tots playlist and got ready to hear a lot of baby shark and the ants go marching. (Name) Surprisingly kept with the song, stumbling a bit and some words completely nonsense but he sang none the less and Clark couldn't help but join in, the boys clear joy infectious and seeing (name) grin at his happiness made Clark smile.

"Ire!" (Name) Yelled, pointing to a sign that had a tiger on it, resting in Clark's arms while they walked up to the zoo's entrance, Bruce making sure they had exclusive tickets "I understand you can pay for yourself but that won't stop me from spoiling you, you two enjoy yourself" is what he got when trying to argue with Bruce who handed him the VIP tickets and honestly he was thankful, it included free food and special viewing areas that weren't typical to the public. Putting on (name)s hat and some sunscreen to protect them from the Gotham summer rays "there! Now you're ready for the zoo!" He grinned at the tot who punched the air a little, clearly mimicking his brothers "go!" He said determined and Clark couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

The zoo was decently busy, not overly packed thankfully while mascots walked around and (name) looked excited at one of (animal) and began whining and wiggling "you can't run off but we can go say hi" Clark said to the boy who huffed but let the alien carry him towards the costumed person and seeing (name) beam was worth everything "aloom" (name) was happy when a balloon was tied to his arm and waved it around and looked at Clark happy.

First place they went was the big cats, (name) standing infront of the glass while a tiger stared back, Clark snapping photos of the boy mimicking the tigers movements with excitement before looking back at Clark.

From big cats to penguins, (name) enjoyed them all.

Currently the two were eating lunch, (name) eating animal themed food and watered down soda (Bruce warned him that he becomes a monster if he has it not watered down), Clark enjoying some pizza "so whatcha wanna see after lunch?"

"Willa's"

"Gorillas? Sure, but we gotta see the others after"

"Oki doki"

(Name) Was happy to be with Clark, he didn't really get why but he likes the man's company none the less. Getting cool merchandise and even getting to feed the otters much to the boys delight, Clark holding the boy and the various things they got along the way.

Before he knew it, his car had the trunk filled with things for both (name) and the other members of the family, bruce knowing that the boy would want to get stuff for his brothers.

(Name) Was out cold in Clark's arms when he walked up the steps to the manner, the boy clinging helplessly while Bruce watched with fond eyes "he wasn't any trouble?"

"An absolute angel"

"That's good" Bruce mused while taking his tot, the boy subconsciously recognizing his dad's colonge and snuggling into his shoulder "he loved the animals, he had to tell me every fact he knew" Clark teased and Bruce looked at the boy with pride "he does know a lot of facts, he spends a lot of time with Damien"

"If you're willing... Maybe we could all go?"

"Like the whole Kent's and Wayne's?"

"I mean, if that's ok with you?"

"Babe I love you but I think having our children in a space like that would lead to a fire or a kidnapped koala"

".....maybe a trip to my farm?"

"They do love cows"

"Perfect"

[safarigirlsp]

The Museum Beast

Historian Nicholas Mills x OC

Word Count: 13.8k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Horror. Lots of Violence. Gore. Chasing. Monster Action. This is heavily inspired by one of my favorite novels, Relic. If you like any of this, I highly encourage you to read it!

I’m willing to continue this and write more if people like it!

Note: Going forward, I'm going to write characters from now on instead of Readers just because it's really annoying trying to switch back and forth for the non-fic writing I do. However, the female characters will be totally physically vague aside from having a name, so they can still easily be read as an insert by anyone who chooses to insert themselves.

Based on two requests I combined then butchered from @iamburdened and @queeniebee

AO3 Link

Two of the world’s tallest free-standing dinosaurs were frozen mid-battle in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda on the second floor of the New York Museum of Natural History. In dramatic repose, a Barosaurus reared to protect its young from an attacking Allosaurus. The skeletal titans made the browsing museum patrons look like ants milling at their feet. Alice was never unable to walk past the dinosaurs without craning her neck upward to admire their towering presence. The great saurians were much more interesting to focus on than the throng of chattering primates that inhabited the museum during business hours. Walking through the past with her heels echoing on tile hallways that stretched the length of city blocks, she allowed herself to be distracted by the jungle of extinct species giving life to their dioramas. From the tiny, feathered dinosaur skeleton displayed in a dramatically lit shadow box to the gigantic open jaws of a megalodon framing the entrance to an adjoining hallway, there was always something interesting that caught her eye.

If she walked briskly it was a decent cardio session to make her way to the North American section of the museum. A special exhibit had just opened, an exhibition on the American Old West. It had all the good stuff. Cowboys, gunslingers, train robbers, mountain men, and miners. The exhibit was livelier curated than most, or maybe the subject simply lent itself to action and movement. Standing guard on either side of the entrance were the wax likenesses of Buffalo Bill, wearing his original buckskin outfit, bedazzled with fringe and conchos, and Sitting Bull, dressed in a magnificent headdress boasting a rainbow of colors in its plumage. In one corner was a round table of wax men dressed in full regalia, engaged in a heated poker game. A man with luxurious curly hair sat with his back facing the audience, displaying his hand of aces and eights, the famous Dead Man’s Hand, held by ‘Wild’ Bill Hickock when he was gunned down. The mural painted in the corner Hickock faced even showed the characteristic swinging doors of a saloon, being pushed open by a man with a gun in his hand and murder in his eyes. In another corner ‘Hanging’ Judge Parker sat at his desk, writing in his ledger, backlit by a mural of a man swinging from the gallows outside his office window.

Alice was delighted to see some of the famous men of the old west depicted in less obvious settings than gunfights. These exploits were detailed in paintings that supplemented the exhibits and dozens of informative plaques, but many characters were shown in niche exposes that spoke to the true enthusiasts among the visitors.

The most famous lawman of all, Wyatt Earp, was depicted indulging in his guilty pleasure of gambling with his notoriously beautiful actress wife playing right alongside him as she smoked a cigar. Instead of being shown in his best-known role as Wyatt Earp’s right hand in the infamous Tombstone events, Doc Holliday was portrayed as a suave gentleman, dressed in a fancy brocade vest and cravat, focused on the smiling attentions of his consort, Big-Nosed Kate. The deadliest outlaw of all and likely psychopath John Wesley Hardin was shown lounging on a dirty bunk inside a jail cell. He was intently focused on a large law book. After serving his time, he turned from gunfighting to the practice of law. The plaque detailing his exploits explained tongue-in-cheek that he had traded the illegal form of lawlessness for the legal alternative.

Ample attention was also given to women of note. From saloon owners to cut-throat madams, women’s stories were interspersed with the male narrative. There was of course a display devoted to Calamity Jane, dressed as a man and just as dangerous. Prominently featured was the lesser known but equally successful outlaw Belle Starr, shown wearing a pretty red dress while brandishing a six-gun astride her huge, coal-black horse, Venus. The most famous woman of all, and arguably one of the most iconic figures of the Old West, Annie Oakley, was given a full diorama of her own. A wax figure depicted the pint-sized sharpshooter holding a rifle as she aimed for the cigarette held between her husband’s lips.

An armory worth of firearms from the period were on display. From iconic Colt .45 revolvers and Winchester 30-30 lever action rifles to unique pieces like tiny six-barreled pepper-box derringers and huge Sharps rifles, there were enough firearms to lay siege to a small country. It was befitting for the period, when a man’s gun and his horse were the best friends he could ever have. Without either, a man’s lifespan would likely be reduced to weeks or even days.

The exhibition hall was spacious, even with a veritable herd of visitors milling through it like buffalo on the plains. School children raced through the halls and between dioramas as unchecked as packs of coyotes, while their teachers and handlers tried in vain to wrangle them under control. It was afternoon and most groups were on their final turn around the exhibits before leaving. A few pairs of surly teenagers lingered on the sidelines, looking like they were trying to find a place to whip out a cigarette to enhance their cool, and probably having escaped their own class trip from some other section of the vast museum. Despite the chaos the minors instigated, snippets of intelligent conversation also fluttered around the room.

In an attempt to avoid the class field trips, Alice moved to an adjacent room inside the sprawling exhibit. This spacious room was devoted to art of and from the period, Native American weavings and pottery, animated bronze sculptures, and vibrant oil paintings. The more sedate nature of the art exhibits appealed to a more sedate crowd, unable to hold the interest of children and teenagers. The only other people in the art room were an elderly couple, a group of three college-age people who looked like modern beatniks, and one impressively built man standing off to one side, studying the plaque of a detailed mural-size painting.

Alice couldn’t help but appraise the man discreetly as he stood quartering away from her. He was tall and broad, his robust physique apparent through his flannel shirt and jeans. Even from her angle, she could tell his features were strong and masculine. Dark hair curled around his collar and his strong stubble-covered jaw flexed as he read, his bright eyes darting quickly over the text. She wondered briefly about approaching him – men that attractive were rare to find out in the wild – but it struck her as ridiculous to approach the man like she was in a bar and ask him if he came here often. Rolling her eyes inwardly at herself, she turned her attention toward the opposite wall and a painting of a painfully skinny man riding an equally emaciated white horse on a moonlight night.

It was rewarding when out of the corner of her eye she saw the man turn and pause just to look at her. The man glanced toward the doorway leading back into the main exhibit then back at her, seeming to decide whether or not he too wanted to risk making an ass of himself with a clumsy come-on in an art exhibit. Alice fought to hide her smile when he made his decision in her favor.

The handsome man sidled up to her, his approach practiced and laissez-faire. His shoulders were squared and his stride confident, but he angled across the exhibit hall from the side, his eyes fixed on the oil paintings instead of his prize, like a lion casually strolling by a gazelle to gauge distance before an attack. There was an impulse to turn to him with an accusatorily arched eyebrow to show she was onto him. But he was attractive enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. Being pursued added a certain spice to the air, after all. With his large hands in his pockets and his posture confident but relaxed, he dripped with top notes of James Dean and undertones of Clint Eastwood.

“Frederick Remington,” the man read the artist’s name when he stopped beside her. He was a full head taller and his voice was deep and a little gravely, barely tinged with a Western drawl. “I think my dad has one of his 30.06 rifles.”

Alice hoped he was teasing, that there were a few active brain cells sparking inside that pretty head. The hint of a smirk twisting the man’s lips confirmed it. Keeping her face deadpan, she played along. “Yeah? These artists must have been starving during their lifetimes, being forced to branch out like that. I hear the guy behind Winchester Arms was really into weird avant garde architecture, too.”

The man grinned and turned to face her, fixing her with a pair of bright eyes the color of whiskey. “I think that was his wife. Leave it to a woman to spend a man’s hard-earned gun money on a house in the California hills, complete with staircases leading to ceilings and dead ends. Think she had a Remington on the walls?”

“I don’t know if Sarah Winchester was a fan of Frederick Remington, but I bet there were a few works by Eliphalet Remington somewhere inside,” Alice teased.

“I’m impressed,” the man laughed. “I couldn’t have pulled that name out of thin air.”

“I bet now you’re wondering if I’m a gun nut or just a history buff. A woman should keep an air of mystery about her.” She smiled and looked at him squarely. She decided he looked at home in the Old West exhibit, exuding a ruggedly masculine quality that was all too rare in modern society. He had a face that belonged on the streets of Dodge City, those crisp hooded eyes staring down the barrel of a Colt .45. She realized she had been staring into those eyes for a rudely long moment, and continued talking to smooth over that faux pas, “I never cared much for Remington’s paintings. They’re drab and all the subjects are in painfully sorry condition – horses and men alike.” She pointed to an incredible scene of two cowboys roping a grizzly bear, their movements frozen on canvas mid-stride, mid-lasso, and mid-snarl, painted with confident strokes in a vibrant palette. “Charlie Russell is my favorite. You can’t beat the color and the action in his paintings.”

“I wonder if that’s worse than having a tiger by the tail,” he pondered, pointing at the lassoed grizzly, snarling and swiping at the horse and rider. “What would your boyfriend say?”

“That position is currently vacant. What a brash way to inquire.” She smiled and nodded back at the snarling grizzly. “I’m sure three out of four ex-boyfriends would say they’d take their chances with the bear.”

“It’d take more than a bear or a tiger to scare me away from such a pretty face,” he teased, using those impressive eyes as tactically as a gun. “I never did have much instinct for self-preservation. Plenty of brash though, and other things synonymous.”

She laughed genuinely. “You’ve covered art, guns, tigers, and balls in three minutes flat. That’s quite an icebreaker without even introducing yourself. What else should I know?”

“Nicholas Mills.” He grinned handsomely and extended his hand, it was callused and powerful and large, easily swallowing hers in his warm grip. “I’m here consulting on this exhibition, on loan from the Old West Museum in Cheyanne.”

“Alice,” she returned, giving his hand a firm shake. “You’re a historian?” Her tone was skeptical as she pointedly eyed his flannel shirt and jeans. “Is tweed out of vogue for you types these days?”

“In the west it’s all denim and cotton.” He popped the collar of his shirt. “Linen if you want to be pretentious. Dust sticks to tweed like hell, not to mention burs.”

“What about your ten-gallon hat and dinnerplate-sized belt buckle?” The question gave her a convenient excuse to gauge the way he filled out his jeans. He wasn’t a man who skipped leg day.

“Those are only fashion accessories in Texas. Maybe Santa Fe. Where I’m from, if you’re wearing a cowboy hat, it better have a sweat ring around the headband, and if you’re wearing a belt buckle, it better be tarnished. Those are work accessories for working ranch hands, not fashion statements.” He let his eyes travel the curves of her figure under the guise of admiring her outfit of jeans and a blazer. “I suppose those duds work equally well for business or pleasure in most fields.” He smirked, but moved on before she could wonder at the double entendre. “Do I get a last name or just Alice?”

Smiling coyly, Alice replied, “I’ll give you a hint and see how well you know your stuff. It’s the name of one of my favorite songs and of a color that looks terrible on me, and I share it with a gunfighter who I’m sad to see isn’t featured in your exhibit. He had one of the best names in the business. That’s three hints, actually. So, are you posing as a historian to hit on unsuspecting women, or the real deal?”

“I’m not up on music and I can’t imagine there’s a color that could make you look terrible,” Nick frowned and pursed his lips. “I know of a couple of noteworthy Browns and even a Dunn, but their names don’t have any special ring to them. If I was a betting man, I’d put my dollar on ‘Texas’ Jack Vermillion. Alice Vermillion?”

“If you were betting, you’d have hit the jackpot,” Alice said with a genuine smile. “A man who knows Texas Jack and Charlie Russell. I’m not yet impressed, but I am intrigued.”

“If this goes the direction I’m hoping, I may yet hit that jackpot and you’ll be very impressed.” He didn’t give her the chance to address that sentiment before changing the subject. He cocked his head toward another painting depicting a man and woman seated side by side beneath an upside down canoe propped above them, taking shelter from a torrent of rain in a thick forest. Despite the weather, the couple was engaged in smiling conversation. “I’m a Goodwin man, myself. But I’m biased. Every time I look at his paintings of cowboys packing up in Alaska or canoeing in the Great North, adventurous couples fishing and hunting together, I get nostalgia for a place I’ve never been.” He smiled to himself. “Someday.”

“Isn’t New York about as far away as a man can get from canoeing up in the Great North and fighting grizzlies over your catch of the day?” she teased. “Not much chance of facing down a maneater on the mean streets of NYC. Although, I hear these days you’re more likely to get bitten by a New Yorker than a shark.”

“You must not know about the Museum Beast.” He flashed a grin that was lopsided and full of mischief.

Alice cocked a skeptical eyebrow. “It’s a little early in the day for ghost stories. Shouldn’t you invite me someplace nicer before you start trying to rattle the delicate woman into wanting to cling to your big, strong arm?”

“I’m appalled you think I’m that easy, miss.” He flexed one of those big, strong arms in question in the sluttiest possible way. “It’s no campfire ghost story. The folks who work here believe it. They say there’s a huge beast living in the basement, roaming the halls at night.” Holding up his hands, he hummed the Twilight Zone theme. “They say it preys on researchers who embezzle grant money and curators who hit on their secretaries.”

Alice laughed, maybe snorted a little, decidedly unladylike. “So, you’re saying I’m safe then?”

“I’ll keep you safe,” he teased with faux gravity. “Just stick close to me.”

“That sounds like a pretty firm offer to help with some research to me.” She put her hands on her hips in a playful challenge.

“Would it be smart of you to trust the research skills of a man who’s not wearing a tweed jacket?” He grinned. “What kind of research? Are you a student?”

“God no!” she laughed. “I haven’t been a student in over a decade. I’m something much worse.”

Nick raised his eyebrows, inquiring.

“I’m a defense lawyer, trying desperately to find an angle to show my very guilty client has a mitigating defense.” She mirrored his expression, raising her eyebrows. “You want the facts? They’re not for the squeamish. You don’t have a full stomach, do you?”

“A pretty face with a shady job and an iron stomach to boot?” he laughed again. “You have my attention.”

“Have you ever gotten carried away and gone down some weird rabbit holes?” she asked with a self-deprecating grin.

‘Sure.” He nodded. “I’m not surprised you’re one to go chasing rabbits, Alice.”

“My client is a murder, a serial killer. A cannibal, to be precise.” She watched him for any of the silent tells she was used to seeing when a listener wanted her to stop, or to chew their arm off and escape her work stories. Seeing none, she continued. “He grew up in Centralia, Pennsylvania before the town was evacuated, then worked in mines all of his adult life. He tells me this affected him. Sadly, conventional psych evals don’t back up his claim. So, before I lay out the big bucks on an expert to say whatever I want, I wanted to do some research on the effects of heavy metal poisoning on miners and a correlation with cannibalism. I figured looking at the Old West miners before there were regulations might be a good place to start.”

“Cannibalism, huh? Romantic topic. Did you see the Donner Party exhibit?” He smirked and jerked his thumb in the direction of a diorama of several wax figures huddled around a dying campfire, clutching furs around them to fight the bitter blizzarding cold while suggestively roasting skewers of meat.

“It’s very nice.” She looked back at the macabre display. “But not what I’m looking for. They had a different defense to cannibalism. Duress, definitely. If I were representing one of them, I’d also argue self-defense, in an eat or be eaten sense. I’d win.”

Nick grinned then pursed his lips, nodding as he considered her problem. “You won’t find anything useful up here but if you want to go deeper down this rabbit hole, you’d want to have a look in the museum’s archives. This museum has the largest collection of natural history artifacts in the world. That’s one reason I’m here, frankly, is a chance to explore their collection of Old West relics. It’s better than being a kid in a candy store. It’s almost as good as an occultist getting a backstage pass to the Vatican Archives.” He fixed his intense eyes on hers. “I bet we could find some good stuff in there.”

“Are you offering to sneak me into the museum’s archives with you?” She added a seductive edge to her voice and added, “You’re going to lift up the museum’s skirt for me and show me her goods?”

“I’ll have you know skirt-lifting is a great talent of mine.” He waggled his eyebrows playfully. “Yeah, I’m offering, so long as you let me take you out afterwards. We can discuss our findings over dinner.”

“You won’t get in trouble?” she asked sincerely.

“They can’t fire me.” He shrugged. “The worst they could do is chew me out and deport me back to Cheyanne. What do you say? Dinner in exchange for a private curated tour and me risking getting a big ole ass-chewing?”

“Deal.” Alice smiled, offering her hand again and they shook on it.

*******************************************************************************************

It was creeping toward five when Nick led Alice out of an employee service elevator on one of the lower levels of the museum. They had met an exodus of employees heading the opposite direction on their way home for the day.

“Is it too late for this adventure?” Alice asked as they walked down a hallway so long she could barely see the end of it. The lights were dim and there were no windows on this lower level. They passed dozens of closed doors and multiple other hallways branching off. She thought the minotaur could get lost in this place.

“I have my all hours, all access pass.” He tapped his jeans pocket where a laminated card was stowed. It served as both an ID card and a key to most of the locked doors in the museum and the employee-only areas.

“How do you not get lost in here?” Alice asked, looking around the endless halls. Especially with no natural light or signage, it seemed impossible.

“Nah, I get lost all the time. I consider it part of the adventure,” he laughed, then saw her askance look and added sheepishly, “Sorry, I forgot I was supposed to be your intrepid guide. I won’t let on if I get lost. Just consider it exploring.”

“That’s comforting,” she laughed too. Secretly, she thought it might not be the most terrible thing to be lost for a few hours or even the night in a place with so much to explore with a handsome man.

Alice was convinced they had covered the distance of several city blocks before they arrived at a pair of heavy oak doors with a plain brass plate announcing they had reached the B Archives.

“Does that mean there’s an entire alphabet of archive rooms and collections?” she asked as Nick held the door open for her.

“Probably.” He shrugged. “I’ve only poked around in Archives A, B, and C. Those collections date from the recent past until the eighteenth century or so.”

Inside the B Archives, Alice was reminded of an enormous library that had seen better days. Or the basement of an ultra-rich hoarder. Rows of metal shelves streaked away as far as she could see in the dim lighting, seven-feet high and with another foot or two of boxes piled on top. Between rows there was enough space for two people to walk abreast if they wanted to get a little cozy with one another. At various intervals in the rows there were alcoves fitted with small tables where one could examine their find without taking it up to the front. The light added to the aged feel, the bulbs candlelight-yellow, a few of which were weak and flickering. The front of the room had a kind of sitting area with chairs and a spattering of small tables. There was a small office inside too, a door with a smoked glass window open ajar.

A hunched old man with white hair and coke bottle glasses poked his head out from the office door, squinting at Nick for several seconds before addressing him. “You’ve been bothering me a lot lately.”

“This time I brought a pretty girl who wants to bother you,” Nick said, placing his hand on the small of Alice’s back as he led her toward the old man. “She’s curious what you have on mines in the old west. Particularly mines with gruesome histories. Murders, deaths, breakouts of illness or insanity. All that good stuff. Cannibalism in particular, if you have any of that on the menu.”

“Cannibalism? On a perfectly decent Friday afternoon?” The old man scoffed, but proceeded to ponder the matter, his bushy white eyebrows drawing together in thought. After a moment, he held up a triumphant finger. “You know, there is a rather curious box of effects that might interest you. It’s some remnants of an old Colorado sheriff’s things. He led quite an illustrious life, it seems. His heirs donated most of his effects to the museum. I took a quick peek through it years ago when it came in, but I haven’t thought of it since.” He pointed a bony finger down the row of aisles. “Aisle S, box 5425, if memory serves, and it always does.”

“How in the hell do you do that?” Nick asked, shaking his head.

“Photographic memory.” The man tapped his temple. “Which also means I’ll remember you precisely if you mess up my boxes.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Nick assured him then led the way toward aisle S.

It took them some time to locate box 5425, partially because many of the labels were faded beyond readability. When they found it, Nick had to stand on his tiptoes and stretch his arms to their full reach to nudge it off its perch on top of another box on the top shelf. He nearly dropped the box when it came free, catching it with one hand and fumbling for balance for a harrowing second. Once he held it securely in his arms, he smiled cockily at Alice and headed toward the nearest alcove in their row.

The alcove was centered in the row and seated directly under a flickering yellow light. Nick set the box down on the small table, barely large enough for a coffee date. The lights were sparsely spaced, leaving shadowy stretches between pools of yellow light. There were still several towering rows of shelving between them and the entrance, but sound carried well in the sepulcher-like room. He was spreading the contents of the box out on the table when he heard then entrance door creak open and a voice bounced down the aisle toward them.

“I’m clocking out for the day.” The old man called. “Put that box back where you found it and don’t tell anyone I left you unattended in here, and we’ll still be friends tomorrow.”

“You got it,” Nick replied, projecting his deep voice so it boomed through the archives. Then he turned to Alice with a wolfish expression, “I hope you didn’t want a chaperone.”

“All a chaperone does is keep an honest man honest,” she replied, appreciating just how close they stood at the small table. “I think you’re a man who will break as many rules as I let you, chaperone or not.”

“Maybe so.” He grinned sideways and chewed his lip as he opened the box.

It may have been a mistake, she realized, allowing herself to be shut away privately and in such close confines with this man. Her profession was dominated by men, she was used to working closely with men and attractiveness or lack thereof never entered into it. Rarely, at least. It was a foreign feeling to be dominated by hormones the way she was now. Her senses felt assaulted, a gate failing before a battering ram. The way he looked and the rich gravel in his voice were bad enough, but now in the close space, Alice couldn’t ignore the masculine scent that subtly infiltrated her nose. She didn’t know if the scent of pine and leather mingled with musk was cologne or if it belonged to him. The small table necessitated him being close to her, their bodies almost touching. He didn’t crowd her, but still the size of him was tantalizingly imposing with the minimal space between them. She felt the heat from his body on her skin when he leaned over to study the papers spread across the table next to her. It made her think of being overpowered, manhandled, taken, even – the things that modern empowered women were supposed to have evolved beyond but that the base part of them craved when they sensed a man masculine enough to give it.

Nick pulled a letter from the box, the paper brittle and yellowed with age. Protocol dictated he should be wearing gloves to handle it, but he didn’t want to leave Alice alone long enough to fetch a pair. Despite his bravado, he had always found these dark and mostly abandoned places inside the museum creepy. He never let it get to him or get in the way of anything he needed to do, of course. But it was still an unsettling sort of environment, surrounded by the dead and their effects, in a place where voices echoed and shadows creeped. It was easy to imagine wakeful spirits watching him from the corner of his eye, just at the edges of the feeble light.

Not unlike being inside a deep, dark mine, he thought as he looked at the letter. He read aloud to Alice, thinking he might have actually struck gold, at least in terms of finding something to keep their afternoon interesting.

October 13, 1882

Darlin Belle,

I’m sure missin you tonight. I don’t know if you’ll ever read this but I hope it will find its way to you. I’m gonna write you like you was here with me and I was just talkin to you over dinner. It makes me miss you less. Every time I think about bein home, all that is to me is bein with you. The men in the posse kid me for bein whipped by you but I can’t find a damn to give over it. Miserable lonely bastards, the lot of em. But I guess they didn’t leave no one behind to miss em when they died. I hope you’ll miss me and remember the things that were good about me. There aren’t many, so it shouldn’t be hard.

“That sounds romantic,” Alice said with a wistful lilt. “I’m not sure it’s useful for my purposes, but I like it.”

Nick grinned and nodded. He read ahead to himself, but decided not to share it with the woman who was now looking at him with a pretty, hopeful smile. Best not to spoil the mood. He read the next few paragraphs to himself, feeling a prickly chill drag along the length of his spine like ghostly fingernails.

It’s been snowin up here in these mountains for days and it’s up over my knees now. Sure makes me miss the warmth of your touch. There’s nothin finer than holdin you in my arms, smellin your hair like flowers and cinnamon, feelin you soft n warm. I think you might be the only thing that can thaw me out ever again. Here I gone and got myself all hot and bothered just thinkin about you. But the snow’s been a blessin for me. It made the blood trail of the one I wounded easy to follow. I found him holed up under a ledge and finished him off with my knife so as not to fire off a shot. Sound carries in these mountains. The snow got thicker after dark. Thick enough to hide my tracks from the rest who are huntin me.

They haven’t found my hideout yet, but they will. I have to beat em to the punch.

I ain’t got much time cause they know the mountains better than me. It makes hidin hard and ambushin harder.

Sorry my writins goin from bad to worse fast. My fingers are numb as hell.

Curious, Alice leaned in to look at the letter and read it along with him. Spender folded it back together with a snap, too rough for the old paper and cleared his throat. He hastily put it back in the box – in the bottom of the box, under some other more innocuous looking items. “I don’t think the rest is worth reading today.”

Instead, he reached for a pocket watch with a gold hunting case, beautifully engraved with an elk hunting scene. Holding it delicately in his hands, he popped open the cover and read the engraving aloud, “To my handsome sheriff. You carry my love for you wherever you go. Belle.”

“That’s beautiful.” Turning toward him, Alice looked into his eyes as she spoke. Though his composure remained steady on the surface, she saw the way his chest expanded, his jaw clenched, his throat bobbed. It gave her a feeling of power knowing Nick was just as affected by their proximity as she was, maybe even more. She told herself she wouldn’t completely give into hormones. But she could give a little. How long had it been since she’d made out with a man like a horny teenager during a study session? Probably not since she had been a horny teenager. She could live a little now. Resting her ass against the tale, she leaned back against it and looked up at him, intentionally giving him the image of her laying sprawled beneath him. It would be a perfectly innocuous posture if the air wasn’t so charged between them, the attraction so tangible. The way he swallowed thickly told her that it wasn’t innocuous to him either.

The next move was his, Nick realized. Smirking to mask the way his pulse thundered, he stepped closer to her, using the excuse of setting the watch down on the table near her hip resting against the table’s edge. He left his hand there on the table, and when Alice kept looking up at him rather than anywhere else, Nick knew he had her tacit approval to act bolder. With his next step, he positioned himself in front of her. His right hand still rested near the pocket watch that held less interest to Alice than the man. He flattened his right hand on the table beside her then planted his left hand on her opposite side. There was still space between their bodies, if only inches, but he now caged her against the table and loomed over her.

“Find anything that interests you down here yet, darlin?’” he asked, letting the huskiness in his voice reflect his mounting arousal.

Alice heard something that sounded like a faint scratch from somewhere inside the archives. It was hardly enough to pull her attention away from the stupidly attractive man who was doing his best to make her forget all the dating rules and run every base right here in this dusty archive.

“I don’t have enough information to know if I’m interested in anything yet,” she teased. Angling her chin up, she presented her jaw and neck in a favorable angle for kissing.

“What do I need to clear up for you?” he played along as he lowered his head, trailing his nose over her cheek and his lips over her jaw, kissing lightly and teasing her with the scratch of his beard.

A box shifted on a shelf deeper in the archive, as though something had bumped it or rubbed against it. Alice heard that too, but she didn’t care. Not when Nick’s lips had moved to her neck and were giving her goosebumps, making her breath come short and her spine tingle. Encouraged by the way her body arched toward his and the way her hands had flown to his shoulders, Nick hooked his hands behind her thighs and hoisted her up onto the table. Pushing her legs apart, he stepped between them, bringing their bodies together then letting his hands caress her thighs and back as he continued kissing her neck. Every part of his body was hard beneath her roving hands, each plane and ridge of muscle a new excitement to discover. She could feel how hard he was inside his jeans too, but she would save exploring all of him for another time. She had talked herself into a nice makeout session with a handsome stranger, but she hadn’t yet abandoned all of her morals.

Bringing his hand to the back of her neck, he cradled her head while he exerted that subtle masculine control that could make a woman want to submit to him. Nick teased the side of her neck with his teeth, also teasing her restraint. He grinned against her skin when he pulled a soft moan from her throat, beginning to lose himself in the feel of her body against his, her soft skin under his callused hands.

When she moaned, Alice heard a strange response from somewhere in the dimly lit room. Something like a wet huffed breath, or a sloppy inhale. It sounded like a large dog snuffling. It was unmistakably not something she could attribute to the old room or hear ears playing tricks on her.

“Nick,” she whispered, not from arousal but trepidation. “Did you hear that?”

“’Course, darlin,’” he muttered dismissively as he nosed and kissed along her collarbone, his fingers digging into her thigh.

“What is it?” She was starting to pull back, making him tighten his hold on her.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing,” he spoke against her skin, trying to placate her. He hadn’t heard anything, but if there was something, it was probably a fucking rat the size of a wiener dog. They had those fuckin’ things in New York. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her that. Giant rats wouldn’t do a damn thing to keep her revved up for him. Forcing the thought from his own mind, he resumed kissing her, rubbing his words in with his lips. “It’s an old place. There’s bound to be some weird noises.”

“Listen!” she whisper-yelled, grabbing a fistful of his thick hair and yanking far too harshly to be mistaken for anything sexy.

He winced and frowned at her through one eye, the other was squeezed shut from the pain in his scalp. “You could just tell me to fuckin’ stop, you know?”

“Listen,” she said again, this time her whisper was barely audible. She heard another scrape and maybe another sniffing breath. But everything was quieter now, more subtle. As if whatever was making those faint noises was trying to be stealthier.

“That could be anything,” Nick said at full volume with a laugh on his voice. His voice seemed to boom throughout the archives, sparking off Alice’s inflamed nerve endings.

She clapped a hand over his mouth, hard enough to make him flinch. Her body was bolt upright, incidentally pressing her body flush to his, her every muscle taught. She knew her system had shot into a fight or flight response, but she didn’t know why. Her consciousness hadn’t registered anything that warranted such a reaction, a few odd sounds in an old museum was hardly noteworthy. But something about what she heard struck a chord in her core, deep in her subconscious where instinct reigned. Every sense she had sparked like live electric wires, screaming at her to run away as fast as she could, but she didn’t know what she was running from or even which direction to bolt. Her eyes were wide and terrified when they met Nick’s and she whispered, “Something’s in here with us. Listen. We have to get out.”

His eyes crinkled with amusement and he kissed her palm still held over his mouth. Taking her wrist, he plucked her hand away and kissed her there on her pulse point. He did it teasingly, but he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper, “I spooked you good with that story about the Museum Beast.” He smirked and teased further, “I thought you were a big girl who could handle some campfire tales.”

“Can you not hear anything over the sound of your hard on?” she hissed, placing a restraining hand on his chest. “Listen, and try to think with the right head for a minute.”

Nick laughed, he always had a weakness for the feisty ones. He was about to tell her as much and steal another kiss when he heard it. A kind of snuffling, like someone with a runny nose, but also different and unmistakable. Growing up in Wyoming, he had spent plenty of time outdoors around wildlife, hunting, fishing, and hiking. He’d heard that sound once before when he’d come face to face with a grizzly around a bend in a trail. Given their poor eyesight, grizzlies tended to grunt and sniff their way along, their way of assessing their environment. He didn’t believe what his mind registered. There couldn’t be a fucking bear in a New York museum. But he also couldn’t rationally attribute the sound to some wheezy curator or a congested janitor, especially not when paired with a stealthy padded footfall.

“We need to run.” Alice fisted his lapel. Her voice had dropped below a whisper to an urgent breath.

“No, darlin,’ don’t run.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her off the table, returning her feet to the floor. Taking her arm, he pulled her behind him, placing himself closest toward the strange noises and whatever creature made them. He began to back slowly away down the aisle, pushing her behind him, trying to keep his steps silent. His mind raced frantically, but he forced his body to remain in control, repeating, “Don’t run.”

“Can we fight it?” she asked, touching his back from behind, trying to calm herself by keeping contact with him

“We may have to,” Nick gritted, unsure what to do since he had no idea what was creeping toward them from a few rows away. “Just don’t run. If there’s some kind of animal in here with us, the worst thing you can do is run.”

*******************************************************************************************

That little bitch, Warren thought petulantly as he walked down the dim hallway. The hallway that stretched on for the length of a city block. It was such bullshit. He hadn’t walked this much since he got kicked off his co-ed flag football team in junior high. Fuck her, he thought again as he kicked at a piece of crumpled paper on the tile floor, missed, and stumbled sideways. At least no one was around to see him. His uppity date was nowhere to be found. She had the gall to shove him away when he tried to fondle her boobs before running away from him. The ungrateful bitch. Warren had used his lunch hour to help her sneak out of high school, had paid her admission into the museum, and wasted his afternoon leading her around the exhibits and thrilling her with his acumen. She owed him a feel. He would just tell all her friends she sucked his dick in his car and have the last laugh.

Sullenly picking at the chipped black paint on his stubby fingers, he turned down yet another pointlessly long hallway. Despite being as blonde as a California It Girl and having a dumpy potatoesque physique, he thought that his crooked guyliner and black skinny jeans that revealed a tantalizing glimpse of a sweaty plumber’s crack gave him the hot goth look the girls liked. Not so much the girls in his peerage at college – they were stuck up bitches anyway, already hounding after the guys who were studying law at Harvard – but the girls who were just about to graduate from high school, just turned eighteen, maybe a little homely and desperate for a date to prom. Those were his preferred prey. He usually had some meager success with them, before their fathers found out about him and heartlessly separated them. It enhanced his view of himself as a tragic, long-suffering Shakespearean love interest who had turned to goth rock to bemoan his existence.

Since Warren had somehow managed to get turned around inside the maze of hallways until after it closed for the day, the museum was also devoid of employees. He thought it was only a matter of time before he ran into a security guard. He had a story lined up for why he was inside after hours, a grand tale that emphasized his victimhood. Maybe he could even end up with his name in the paper over it. That would really impress the girls.

Now, Warren lumbered along a random hallway, trying to find his way to an exit. He needed to find an elevator first. He had sneaked into some kind of service elevator with the girl and gone down several floors in his search for privacy. He thought he was in some kind of storage area or basement now, every room he passed was vacant save for troves of weird antiques. He had found the door to a stairwell a few turns back down the hallway, but he wasn’t about to walk up several flights of stairs. His day had been shit enough so far without climbing stairs.

After what seemed like an eternity, he came to a pair of double doors marked B Archives. He couldn’t remember the last time he had walked so far. He must have put in over two miles inside this stupid museum already. Like, a month’s worth of walking. Maybe there was a desk inside with a chair he could rest in even if he couldn’t find an employee to lead him out of this suckhole.

Success! Inside the B Archives were rows of forgotten looking shelves that Warren couldn’t give a shit less about, but there was also an office with an open door and the promise of a desk and cushy chair. The lights were on inside, giving him the additional hope that some diligent employee still remained there after hours.

“Hey?” he called out to anyone who might answer. His voice echoed eerily down the rows and off the tile like tumbleweeds rolling down the streets of a ghost town. “Is there anyone here? I need some directions to the way out.”

Something sounded in response from far back in the archives, down one of the dim rows. It sounded like a startled step, like he had caught someone off guard and they had turned around fast.

“If you could call a guard or even just tell me how to find the exit, that would be great,” Warren shouted. He walked toward the sound, down toward the back of the archives past the ends of the phalanx of aisles. A strange feeling began to creep into his senses, like the uneasy feeling he got when he watched horror movies alone. The feeling that had made him instigate a rule that he didn’t watch scary movies after nine. He even thought he heard the sound of something breathing heavily. Maybe he needed to ration his porn intake too, now he was blending porn sound effects with horror reactions. He mumbled to himself, “Who wouldn’t be creeped out by all this stupid old shit?”

Warren hadn’t paid attention to the way his walk had slowed without him meaning to or the way his mouth had gone dry. He jumped like he had bumped into an electric fence when one of the lightbulbs overhead surged then dimmed. He was glad the girl had run off now, so she couldn’t see him sweat and his hands shake. He heard something down the aisle to his left, something like a single impatient rap of nails on a desk.

The flickering of a waning yellow bulb drew his attention down the aisle. In the flickering light, it looked like something was moving in the aisle, just beyond the reach of the light on the far side. Something crouched and hulking in the shadows. It must be a trick of the dim light. That and being a little freaked out from being stuck down here all alone for what felt like hours. Still, Warren wished he had worn his smudged glasses. He didn’t wear them when he was trying to impress a girl because they weren’t cool.

He was focusing too hard on the shadows. Focus too hard on something and it can seem like the thing is moving. It was a common optical illusion, and the flickering light didn’t help. It made the weird shape in the shadows look like an animal with its head lowered, stealthily sneaking toward him down the aisle.

“Fuck this,” Warren exclaimed, throwing his hands up like an overwrought woman. He didn’t need to be in the creepy old room in the creepy old museum basement. At least the never-ending hallways weren’t filled to the brim with weird antiques.

Down the aisle something sniffed, like someone with a runny nose. Something definitely moved just beyond the light.

“Shit’s probably haunted,” he decided. That made it easier. He was a staunch Ghost Hunters fan and he’d learned a thing or two from them. Forcing a laugh, he added, “Suck my balls, ghosts!”

Turning on his heel in a flippant insult to the ghosts, he walked briskly back the way he had come. He heard something else, seemingly misplaced inside the haunted archives. He very distinctly heard the sound of a footfall and what sounded like a muffled voice, maybe two if one was whispering, coming from deeper down one of the aisles. But it was immediately overshadowed by the sound of a heavy body rushing down the aisle with the flickering light, and nails scraping on tile. Or claws.

Looking back over his shoulder, Warren saw a huge dark body moving fast down the aisle toward him in a kind of lope. An animal, grunting and running toward him. His mind couldn’t process all the details, or it didn’t want to. What his mind hitched on were the teeth. When the creature ran through the scant pool of light, vicious exposed teeth glinted inside its snarling jaws.

Warren ran.

The beast lunged after its prey with the instinct of a predator to chase after a fleeing animal. Warren felt it when the beast gave chase, like the stale air had chilled and all the ghosts inside the archives were watching him. Claws scrambling on tile and heavy galloping echoed behind him, punctuated by grunts.

Warren could see the exit door. It wasn’t far. He could make it. Trying to make his legs pump faster, he looked back over his shoulder. The creature had rounded the end of the aisle and was charging straight at him in large bounding strides. It was bigger than a lion with terrible yellow eyes and teeth like ivory daggers. And it was close.

With a sob, Warren tried to eke out more speed from his already failing legs, but his steps were clumsy and his breathing labored. All that walking all day had done him in. Something slammed into his back, heavy and sharp at the same time, sending him careening forward face down onto the tile. His back felt like it was on fire, stinging and melting at the same time with hot fluid slicking his shirt to his skin.

Crying, Warren looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the creature’s mouth open as it came in for the killing bite. But the beast sat on its haunches, poised like a giant cat, flicking a broad reptilian tail from side to side and drumming the claws of its forepaw on the tile. It watched him with evil yellow eyes, and it waited. With another blubbering sob, Warren staggered up to his feet and tried to run again. He didn’t get as far this time, only a few steps. The beast bounded after him, swiping one of its razor-clawed paws at Warren’s legs. Warren felt his flesh tear as his feet gave out from under him and he collapsed again. He had played enough gory video games to guess the beast had clawed through his calf on one leg and severed his Achilles tendon on the other.

The creature paused again, watching its crippled prey with a curiously cocked head as the pitiful human crawled away, one foot turned the wrong direction and flopping lifelessly on the floor, leaving a wide swatch of delicious smelling blood in its wake.

Warren couldn’t stand back up this time, and he barely had enough gumption left to crawl. After a few desperate flailing attempts, he turned over and flopped onto his back. He stared at the horrendous beast, his watery eyes meeting those of fearsome yellow. With a sickening horror that churned in his bowels he realized what the beast was doing. It was playing with him. The fucking monster was toying with him like a cat with a mouse. The beast cocked its head to the other side as it gave an impatient flick of its tail. Just like a cat with a mouse, the fun was over when the mouse stopped running.

Warren swore he saw an excited gleam flash inside those eyes as the monster lunged at him one final time. He looked into its ravenous eyes, as a heavy weight landed on his chest, pinning him in place. He felt his body being ripped open from throat to crotch with a sound like tearing burlap. The pain was extraordinary, but he couldn’t close his eyes against it.

Gruesome wet smacking noises filled the archive and Warren’s body jerked, tugged from someplace deep inside. He tried to scream but couldn’t with his diaphragm slashed open. Warren was still very much alive when the monster started eating him.

*******************************************************************************************

Nick could hear it clearly now, a heavy body moving with great stealth and wet breathing. Closing in on them from a couple aisles away. There could be no doubt, no mistaking it for the noises of an old room or for scuttling vermin. He had placed his body between the approaching animal and the woman. It was a protective male instinct and gallant, but not an act that would be overly helpful if the thing attacked them. A human’s top speed was equivalent to a chicken. If an Olympic sprinter would have a hard time outrunning a rooster, Nick had no delusions that he could outrun an apex predator. All running would do would trigger it into attacking. He also didn’t think he could fight it off, not if it really wanted to attack. He didn’t have a weapon and humans were really quite feeble animals without their tools. He knew the ways a man could try to survive a predator attack – play dead with a grizzly, fight a black bear, shout at a lion to try to scare it off. None of them would work if the animal really wanted to get him. Then, a man could only hope the animal lost interest before it killed him. Balling his fists, he decided that if it came to a fight, he’d fight until his last breath. Or until he was torn apart.

“Hey! Is there anyone here? I need some directions to the way out,” an unfamiliar voice sounded through the archives.

Nick froze, every sense piqued. He reached behind him and grabbed Alice’s hand, squeezing tightly, silently willing her to stay calm and quiet. He didn’t know the woman and he hoped to hell she had enough sense to stay still and silent, not to yell back toward the stranger or to run in his direction. A mistake like that would be their death sentence. Alice squeezed his hand back, reassuring him, and placed her other hand on his back. The monstrous beast had stilled, its attention captured by the noisome intruder instead of the quieter, more boring quarry. It sniffed the air, assessing the stranger.

Each heartbeat pounded in Nick’s ears like war drums, each second an agony as they waited for the monster to decide which prey it wanted to hunt. With frightening quickness, the beast turned and vanished into the shadowy depths of the aisle.

Keeping hold of Alice’s hand, Nick turned to her and met her eyes. Very deliberately, he brought his forefinger to his lips in the universal gesture for utter silence. He tugged her with him down the aisle in the opposite direction the creature had gone. They heard the stranger’s voice asking the room if someone could tell him how to find the exit. Nick led Alice away from the stranger and away from the beast.

The unknown man was toast. There was nothing Nick could do, and he wasn’t going to waste the life of a woman trying to save a man he didn’t know. He was also smart enough or shellfish enough to value his own life over that of a foolhardy stranger. He hoped the fool would distract the monster enough for them to sneak around it and make the exit themselves. His mind raced ahead of his feet, thinking past the exit to the museum. If they made it out of the archives, they would find themselves back in a long, straight hallway with nowhere to hide and no chance of outrunning whatever the hell this animal was.

To reassure himself, he felt his pocket for the museum key card. He didn’t know if it would help them, but without it they had no chance.

The stranger’s footsteps echoed through the archives as the man started walking down along the ends of the forest of aisles. Nick gambled that the beast’s attention was fixed on that sound and that victim. Pulling Alice along beside him, he trotted down the aisle as swiftly as he could while keeping his footsteps light. For such a large man, he could move stealthily, a skill ingrained by a youth spent hunting with his father and refined by a stint in the military. He was pleased that Alice matched him in both pace and silence. He ran to the far end of the aisle, listening to the intermittent mutterings from the idiot bumbling around at the front of the vast room. The beast could no longer be heard, which worried him, but he had gambled on this hand and now he had to let it ride.

The back of the archives was notably darker than the front and even in between the aisles with the temperamental lightbulbs. An animal stink hung in the air along the back wall, as if the animal used this shady area as a trail of sorts. They moved quickly past the ends of the aisles in the direction of the exit. Nick was a step ahead, still holding Alice’s hand. Looking down each aisle they passed, the archives flashed in time with their steps, giving a visual picture of the room pieced together in morse code.

Nick stopped suddenly, causing Alice to collide with his back. He was so solid, she didn’t even knock him off balance, like running into a warm sculpture. He didn’t so much as look down at her, his wide eyes fixed down the aisle. Thirty feet away from them down the aisle, a hulking silhouette crouched in the center. It looked black in the feeble light and had no discernable features, but they could tell it faced away from them by a broad crocodilian tail flicking back and forth as it watched and waited. Nick didn’t dare move again, not even to step back behind the end of the aisle. It was blind luck the beast had been so focused on the stranger that it hadn’t seen or heard them creeping up at its back. His heart thundered so loudly in his own ears that he thought the beast must surely hear it too.

“Suck my balls, ghosts!” the fool shouted from the end of the aisle, then he started marching away back toward the exit. The beast’s tail stilled, as it watched its prey retreat.

Nick squeezed Alice’s hand, a signal to make ready. The stranger hadn’t taken three steps when the beast launched itself forward down the aisle, entirely focused on its prey. Nick whispered urgently, his voice little more than a growled breath, “Now, we run!”

Nick charged ahead, sprinting full tilt down the back of the archives, pulling Alice along with him. She gripped his hand tight, letting herself be all but dragged along, her feet barely seeming to touch the ground. There was no other way she could keep pace with his long surging stride. Their running footsteps were overshadowed by the sharp sound of claws scrambling on tile and a heavy pounding gallop, then by the sobbing screams of the stranger when the beast caught him. There was no mistaking the anguished cries that filled the archive like a whirring saw in a butcher shop.

At the end of the room, Nick careened around the last aisle, his boots slipping on the tile, and pushed himself even harder down the last straight stretch along the wall toward the door. The screaming continued, now imbued with a gurgling wet quality and sickening chewing and crunching. Alice had heard sounds like that before on National Geographic shows featuring lions over a kill. A meaty abattoir smell engulfed them as they raced down the aisle, bringing them closer to both the beast and the exit.

There was open space at the front of the room, where the beast presently feasted on its dying prey. About fifteen feet worth of open floor between the ends of the aisles and the exit door. There was no option of hiding or stealth when they crossed it. Nick made a mad dash when he reached the end of the aisle, bursting out onto the open floor like a pheasant breaking cover in front of a hound.

The beast reared up from its kill, startled by the two humans erupting from the aisle. It took a second to assimilate these new targets, enough time for them to cover half the open floor. Gnashing its bloody jaws, the beast lunged after the two new fleeing morsels. It landed on forepaws slick with blood, its front legs slipping and splaying out on the tile. Its wet claws found no purchase on tile, and the beast fishtailed before getting its balance.

Nick turned loose of Alice’s hand a step before the double doors and barreled into them with his shoulder at full speed. The doors exploded open, shooting splinters of wood out into the hallway, with Nick falling through off-balance. Alice jumped through on his heels and he pushed her ahead of him as he recovered his footing and ran. Reaching into his pocket for the museum badge, he heard the beast grunting and scrambling through the broken wooden doors, very close behind them.

The nearest door down the hallway was marked obscurely Lab 754, a single door with no windows and a scanner beside it. He didn’t know what was inside, but he knew they couldn’t outrun the monster down a straight hallway. Grabbing Alice by the waistband of her jeans, Nick skidded them both to a stop at the door. His fingers felt clumsy when he articulated the badge over the scanner. A militant light flashed red and an insolent tone told him the card was declined.

“Fuck, fuck fuck,” Nick growled as Alice’s nails dug painfully into his arm. Turning the badge over so his gawky picture faced outward and the barcode on the back faced the scanner, he pressed it against the scanner again and gripped the doorknob in a blanched white fist. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the hulking creature charging down the hallway at them, eyes gleaming yellow, teeth glinting white.

A green light flashed, taking too long to approve their entry with a pleasant tone. The beast was another stride closer, close enough to see individual drops of blood slinging from its jaws. The lock slid open with a metallic click. Nick wrenched the doorknob and yanked the door open toward him. Alice rushed inside, but he shoved her ahead of him anyway as he slipped in behind her. The beast crashed into the open door, slamming it shut right behind Nick’s back with violent force. He had thrown himself inside and barreled into Alice, all but tackling her to the floor as he fell and sprawled over her. He cringed involuntarily at the sound of the beast colliding with the wooden door, hunching over Alice beneath him.

All doors opened outward in public buildings like the museum, pursuant to fire code regulations. And most of the doors in this older basement area of the museum were thick, sturdy wood. The door shuddered ominously, but it held.

Nick looked down at Alice from the position of a lover with his hands planted on either side of her head, his hips pinning her down, their chests touching and their noses nearly so. “Are you alright? We have to keep moving. That door won’t hold for long.”

“Waiting on you,” she said breathlessly, shoving on his broad chest to push him back.

The beast roared and hit the door again. This time splinters shot into the room from the dying doorframe like tiny javelins.

Nick pulled her up with him as he pushed up to his feet. They each looked around the room, trying to quickly assess their surroundings. Fluorescent light lined the ceiling instead of weak yellow bulbs. A long central table ran the length of the room piled with what looked like various artifacts and fossils, including the impressive skull of a sabretooth tiger. Chairs were pulled up to the table at intervals, demarcating different workstations. The air inside was cool and crisp and a subtle whirring indicated a local air system. A shop broom leaned in the far corner, its bristles chalky white with bone dust.

“A restoration lab, damn it to hell.” Nick slammed his hand angrily on the tabletop. “We won’t find anything useful in here.” But he began looking anyway as he made his way through the room.

Alice lingered behind him, turning on several bright lamps placed over the table and pointing them at the rapidly weakening door. She turned on one of the drills on the table, leaving it to buzz and bounce across the tabletop. Nick looked at her with a frown and she shrugged and told him, “It might buy us a few more seconds.”

The back of the room ended depressingly in a simple wall. Nick glared at it as if he could burn a hole through the plaster with his anger. He grinned sardonically at Alice, “The hallway makes a U bend. The service elevator we came down in is probably less than twenty away on the other side of this wall. You don’t happen to have a battering ram hidden in your brassier, do you?”

“That would be my other bra,” she said, looking back at the door as it took another thunderous hit, this time accompanied by the squeal of the metal hinges bending inward.

Nick leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling in frustration. His body jerked like he’d been startled and he ran to the broom standing in the corner. Grabbing it, he sprinted back to the far wall, holding it like a spear. Using the wide, bristled head, he rammed it straight up above his head and into the square air vent in the ceiling. Another hard thrust and the vent crumpled and fell out of the ventilation shaft, leaving a gaping square hole in the ceiling ten feet above their heads.

“Here!” he told Alice urgently, clapping his hands together before linking his fingers to form a stirrup with his hands. The beast struck the door again, tearing a hole through the wood. It pawed through the hole with its claws, scraping and tearing at the wood as it snarled in frustration.

“Can you get up there too?” Alice asked as she placed her foot in his hands.

“Don’t think about it,” Nick grunted as he hefted her up into the square vent like she was nothing but a doll. She hoisted her high enough to bring her chest level with the inside of the vent. Planting her elbows on the flat metal and kicking her legs, she struggled inside. Laying on her stomach, she looked back down through the square hole at Nick below.

Bending his knees, he jumped straight up into the vent opening. It was at the far reach of his vertical jump, but his fingers caught the metal lip. But there was no purchase on the slick metal and his hands slipped off almost instantly. Alice leaned down into the opening, reaching a hand down to him.

“Get out of the way!” he waved her hand away. She began to protest, but he shouted, “Can you curl two-thirty-five? Then I’ll only pull you back out with me.”

The beast crashed into the door a final time, bursting into the lab in an explosion of splinters. It halted immediately when the brilliantly bright spotlight hit its eyes, sitting back on its haunches and shaking its head.

“Give me the broom!” Alice said.

Grinning with understanding despite it all, Nick shoved the head of the broom up into her hands. The beast snarled and swiped the light out of its eyes, then turned its attention to the jumping drill and its grating, high-pitched whine. Alice maneuvered the broom so its handle spanned the square opening, wedged as tightly against the sides as she could get it. The beast crushed the drill with its teeth, shaking its head with the drill in its mouth like a dog with a squeaky toy, then throwing it aside. Fixing its ferocious yellow eyes on Nick at the far end of the room, it charged.

Nick bent his knees, looking up at the broom handle inside the vent. He would only get one shot. Swinging his arms, he jumped up with everything he had. The beast swiped at Nick’s legs as he caught the broom handle, but he jerked them up just in time. Using the broom handle like a pull-up bar, he hoisted himself up into the ventilation shaft. Alice shoved herself backward to make room for him as he lunged forward into the small space, making sure his long legs were clear of the opening.

The beast jumped up after him, slamming its head into the metal of the shaft, denting it upwards. Roaring in frustration, it jumped again, making another dent. Then it reared on its hind legs and clawed at the metal. The sound was a terrible, deafening squeal inside the shaft, ringing in their ears. There was enough space for them to crawl on their hands and knees, and Alice crawled frantically away.

“Can’t beat the view,” Nick quipped, following right behind her.

The beast tried jumping at the vent once more before apparently realizing it was futile. The silence when it stopped was much more unnerving than the banging and scratching and snarling had been.

It didn’t take long for them to come to another vent. Looking through the metal slats, Nick quickly assessed they were now over the section of hallway that housed the service elevator. He easily yanked it open and dropped down through it to the floor. Alice lowered herself down feet first until she felt him catch her legs in a reassuring bearhug and let her slide the rest of the way down his body. Holding her against him, he grinned at her and jerked his chin to the side, “Look what we found.”

The service elevator was no more than fifteen feet away. As she sighed with relief, collapsing into Nick’s arms, Alice heard the now familiar sound of clawed feet scrambling on the tile. “It guessed where we were heading!”

They sprinted to the elevator and Nick punched the Up button over and over. The arrow above the doors illuminated green and the bell dinged. But the doors were old and slow to open. The beast rounded the corner of the hallway in a fury of claws and teeth and lather, charging at them with its horrible teeth bared in a snarl. But claws for all their ferocity did not keep traction on smooth tile. When the beast rounded the tight corner, it did so in an uncontrolled skid. The beast scrambled to keep its balance, but it had charged into the corner too fast. Its shoulder slammed into the opposite side of the hallway as it slid, paws flailing haphazardly beneath it, buying its prey an extra second to live. Nick shoved Alice inside when the opening between the doors was still too narrow for him to fit. Even as the doors still opened, she was pushing the button for the upper floor. Nick slipped inside as the beast ran him down, only one good lunge away.

Nick and Alice pressed themselves to the back of the elevator, watching helplessly as death charged at them and the doors closed too slowly. Their view between the doors narrowed with terrible sluggishness until all they could see were those slitted yellow eyes and bloody frothing jaws. The beast lunged at the gap in the doors, striking the metal with a horrendous crash. Saliva and blood spewed through the opening, splattering Alice and Nick, just as the doors closed and the elevator lurched upward.

The doors opened to a main hallway on one of the upper floors, home to the biggest and most popular museum exhibits. Large windows lined this hallway admitting the moonlight and there was enough light in the individual exhibits to allow the security cameras to identify a thief if needed. Many smaller hallways branched off this main one, each leading to an exhibit. They were near the entrance to an exhibit that glowed green in the dim light, labeled Rainforest. A metal stairwell door was beside the elevator.

“Now at least I know where we are,” Nick could have laughed with relief. He ducked into Alice and stole a quick kiss from her lips.

“Freeze!” A militant voice sliced through the silence in the hall. “Put your hands up!”

They turned to see a short and corpulent museum security guard standing behind them, holding a revolver trained on Nick. He had just rounded a corner of the hallway and shuffled toward them as quickly as his pendulous gut would allow, his utility belt jingling with every labored step. Using his gun, the guard gestured from Nick to the far wall, and ordered, “Turn and face that wall right now. And I better see your hands while you’re sniffing plaster. Move!”

“There’s something in here with us,” Alice said, trying to calm the guard. “You need to take us all out before it finds us.”

“I’m sure there is, honey,” the guard sniggered and took a belligerent step toward Nick. “I gave you a command, hoss.”

The security guard held his gun on Nick, the barrel shaking in his uncertain grip. He was the most dangerous sort of person to hold a man at gunpoint – nervous and unfamiliar with a weapon or with apprehending a suspect. Those were the men likely to shoot first and ask questions later, or even shoot accidentally when they shook hard enough to spasm their trigger finger.

“Turn around now!” the guard shouted again, spittle flying from his lips, his jowls quaking.

The guard was too far away from Nick to make a grab for the gun or knock it away. So, he turned, faced the wall, and planted his hands flat on its smooth surface. He made a great effort to keep his voice calm when he spoke over this shoulder, “Look, buddy, there’s something after us. Something chasing us. Something monstrous. None of us are safe here, including you. You have to get us all out right now. Arrest me and charge me with whatever the hell you want, just get us out.”

The guard spoke into the radio clipped to his belt, “I caught someone sneaking around inside the rainforest exhibit. Looks like a pair of lovebirds who broke in to get it on. I need backup. The guy’s giving me hell. He’s a big bastard too. Threatened my safety already.”

“Ten-Four,” a voice crackled through the radio static. “Sending backup. Just cuff ‘em and keep ‘em where you have ‘em until backup gets there.”

Risking a bullet, Nick growled, “Look, you stupid bastard. You can get all the backup you want and you can arrest me. So long as you get us the fuck outta here, and you do it now! We need to move, goddamnit!”

“The big guy is making more threats,” the guard radioed.

The sound of a door being shoved open inside the stairwell echoed behind the door. It sounded like it came from a flight or two below. Alice heard claws scrambling up the stairs. She met Nick’s cool eyes and she winked.

“Excuse me, sir,” Alice said to the guard in a demure tone. “Our friend’s in the stairwell. Go see for yourself. He’s the one you want to arrest.”

“What the Christ are you all doing in here?” the guard scoffed. “Bunch of assholes ruining my night to have a goddamn orgy!”

The scrambling reached the nearest steps, the sound of a heavy body closing in on the door. The guard heard it too. Keeping his gun pointed at Nick’s back, he stepped to the stairwell door. Grabbing the doorhandle, he yelled with gusto, “Hey asshole, this is museum security. I hear you in there. I’m gonna open the door and I better see your hands!”

He didn’t need to open the door. The door exploded open with a metal screech and a monstrous creature burst from the darkness of the stairwell, aiming for the blustering guard. The guard yanked the trigger when the beast struck him with the force of a wrecking ball, sending a bullet into the wall as man and beast went careening together twenty feet across the floor. Its body had passed Alice by inches, close enough for her to smell the fresh blood and older rancid death on its scaly hide.

Nick shoved away from the wall, grabbing Alice’s arm and running with her in the opposite direction from the carnage. The guard was screaming, but it lasted only as long as a few of their running strides before it was cut off with a wet gurgle and replaced by a sound like an overfull trash bag bursting.

They ran into the thick of the rainforest exhibit, where they were surrounded by vibrant dioramas and luscious vegetation. The windows on this floor admitted silver moonlight, allowing them to see it very clearly. Birds of every color of the spectrum were frozen mid-flight, golden jaguars prowled, and ancient Amazonian architecture formed a visual feast. The highlight of the rainforest exhibit was also the centerpiece of the exhibit hall. A huge glass terrarium filled with tropical vegetation housed an army of living butterflies. Thousands of beautiful butterflies of kaleidoscopic colors flitted through the plants inside in a living whirlwind of colorful wings.

They ran past the butterflies to the far end of the exhibit where another hallway branched off. Nick pointed down it and whispered, “The old west exhibit is just down that way. The guns in there are all functional, and a few of the gunbelts still have live rounds. Maybe…”

“Will the bullets still fire after sitting for more than a century?” Alice asked skeptically.

“As long as the primers haven’t gone bad. Or gotten wet. And the cartridges have remained sealed, and the gunpowder hasn’t leaked out.” He grinned sardonically.

“So, probably not,” Alice surmised.

“Probably not,” Nick agreed. “But do you have a better idea?”

The beast entered the rainforest exhibit with its nose held high, sniffing the air. Nick pulled Alice to him and backed against the wall, hiding them as best he could behind an Amazonian monolith decorated with carvings of ancient deities. The beast froze, its eyes fixed ahead, its posture rigid. It looked as if it stared right at them through the length of the butterfly terrarium. With an excited grunt, the beast swiped at the end of the glass cage, breaking it open, and jumped inside. Thousands of butterflies came to life like confetti, fluttering around the beast that had disturbed them. The beast was captivated, cocking its head curiously at the butterflies, flicking its tail as it swiped its paws at them and tried to chomp them between its jaws. It jumped and twisted and twirled inside the terrarium like a cat confronted with a thousand laser dots. It grunted happily as it pounced on a large Monarch then snorted when another flew at its nose.

Slowly, Nick pulled Alice with him toward the hall leading to the old west exhibit. They edged along the wall at a crawling pace so as not to draw the beast’s attention while it chomped and swiped at the whirlwind of butterflies. The old west exhibit came into view at the end of the hallway, horses and cowboys and bison materializing in the dim light. Nick brought his lips to Alice’s ear and told her, “You go grab all the guns you can find. I’ll start looking through the gunbelts for live rounds. .45’s and 30-30’s are going to be our best bets for a match.”

She nodded her understanding as another sound boomed through the hall. The sound of several running footsteps and the clink of metal. Narrow beams of light bounced around inside the old west exhibit from flashlights held by running men.

Nick stopped short, his hold on her arm keeping Alice beside him. He pulled her down with him when he dropped to his knees, raising his hands above his head in a clear posture of supplication, just as several armed security guards ran into the hallway from the old west exhibit. The light hit Nick’s face, momentarily blinding him, as the men rushed them, guns drawn. Alice looked behind them and saw a huge shadow looming in the entrance to the rainforest exhibit, watching them with gleaming eyes. The guard’s light didn’t reach it and they were too focused on Nick to notice the real threat. The shadow seemed to disintegrate back into the darkness like a receding nightmare. The beast must be intelligent enough to avoid confronting so many drawn firearms. Or it was simply biding its time for the right moment.

“You’re under arrest!” the lead guard shouted as he rushed Nick. Turning him bodily around, he shoved him to his stomach with his face pressed into the tile and yanked his arms behind his back.

“We didn’t do anything, you idiot!” Alice said futility. “There’s something in here with us.”

“Save it, lady,” the guard said gruffly. “You both have the right to remain silent and I suggest you fucking use it.” He prodded his gun rudely into Nick’s back and cuffed his hands. “I heard all about you on the radio. Some big bastard resisting arrest after breaking in. And I saw some of your handiwork already.”

“You have to listen, it wasn’t me,” Nick gritted. “There’s some kind of animal in here with us.”

“Yeah, get started on that insanity defense right off the bat, you murdering sonofabitch,” the guard hissed. “Just keep talking so I can testify to all your bullshit.”

Two guards came and hefted Nick up by his arms, yanking them painfully back and straining his shoulders. Alice looked at him when he stood, giving him her steadiest and most reassuring gaze. “Don’t tell them anything. It won’t do you any good. Let your lawyer do the talking for you.” She winked at him for the second time that night. “I promise you have a good one.”

*******************************************************************************************

 © safarigirlsp 2024

Tagging some buddies!

@babbushka @in-silks-and-flesh-and-leather @mrs-gucci @mrs-zimmerman @iamburdened @gabesprincess @rynwritesstuff @candycanes19 @caillea @cas-backwards-tie @queeniebee @mythrielofsolitude @ghoulian13 @icarusinthesea @reyloaddict55 @reylokisses @heartlight-starlight @richbrittstein @thepalaceofmelanie @reveluving @fax4life27 @vedavan @queen-of-elves @srorgana1 @kyloremus @lumberjack00fantasies

[crystalandparrot]

The Hardest Trial

A Gravity Falls Reader Insert

Part 1: The Frilly Guy Upstairs

Bill is OOC!! He will be growing as a character that he probably wouldn't otherwise and if you have a problem with it, don't read. It's not a romantic story, it's just what I thought would happen if he was FORCED into this situation. This is an insert, I was gonna make it into an OC, but I don't know if people want that. If you do, I'll switch it up. Enjoy :)

"Look, from one God to another, who cares I tried to kill those brothers? They're all ants, it's all a game. Let's press restart and try again! I'm too cool and fun to die, just give this angle one more Tri."

With a sigh, the AXOLOTL spoke, "You cannot regrow through denial. You'll have to face my hardest trial. See my program to the end then you may yet live again."

Bill laughed, pain erupting through his body as he giggled. "What? Am I fighting demons? Eating ghosts?"

"You're getting what you need the most. One way to absolve your crimes. To change your form will take some time." The AXOLOTL blinked slowly.

Bill felt a white, tingly feeling start at his feet and crawl up. Bill couldn't believe his luck! Man this salamander was an idiot! All he had to do was fake a tear or too and he was home free! Whatever kind of challenge it was Bill could handle it! He was UNDEFEATED in combat, there's no way he wouldn't win. With a joyful expression, Bill shook the AX's hand. It was a deal!

X ilkb zefia ibcq tfqelrq zxob

Obsbxiba ql yb x clodlqqbk ebfo

Vlr jrpq molqbzq rkqfi peb'p lc xdb

Lkiv qebk zxk vlr jxhb qeb buzexkdb

For the first time in his existence, Bill was awoken peacefully with quiet music. He sluggishly blinked his eye opened—popping it open when he felt a squeeze around his body. Frantically, Bill looked around, pupil narrowing on a chubby arm hugging him to a small, plushy body—a baby.

"WHAT?!" Bill shouted suddenly, ripping himself from the chubby arms of the sleeping infant. As suspected, the baby began to cry from the unpleasant disturbance. Its arms reached out, looking for its angular cuddle buddy in desperation. Fat tears rolled down the round, rosy cheeks while wails of sadness left the lips of the baby in front of Bill.

Without warning, the door burst open and in ran two humans, both frantic and sweaty. Bill recognized one of these humans, the taller woman who was holding a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart. He supposed the other female was her wife or spouse of some sort, a shorter female who's eyes glanced around for any possible threat to the infant's physical form, completely on edge with a golf club in hand.

"Peri, it's fine, the baby probably just had a nightmare." The taller female walked to the crib, breath still slightly uneven.

"Well, well, well, nice to finally meet you face to face Raindrop! The name's Bill—"

"Look, she's fine." The taller female held up the baby gently.

Bill blinked at the woman and briefly flushed red, "Look, lady, I don't take kindly to being ignored—"

"Yeah, I guess." The shorter female (Peri, if Bill recalled correctly) dropped the club and approached the two humans.

"Mindscape. It's still the Mindscape..." Bill said flatly. He closed his eye and rubbed the eyelid, much like how Ford used to rub the bridge of his nose when his glasses started to hurt. "Alright, I can work with Mindscape. I just have to enter a mind of an innocent, impressionable being and influence them to forever serve their one lord and master for all eternity." Bill snapped his fingers, "Piece of cake."

Hearing a giggle, Bill's pupil shot over to the small human that was being gently placed in the crib. He floated over to the crib, joining the parents gazing upon the chubby flesh bag. Once Bill peered over the railing, the baby's eyes shot to him and a large, boneless smile stretched on the baby's fat cheeks. With "grabby" hands to Bill, the baby began forming the letter B and mimicking the sound of said letter.

"Aww, you want your Baba?" The tall woman asked, giving the baby a yellow pacifier. The baby took it gratefully and dropped its arms, but its eyes still stared intensely at Bill.

"Okay, get some sleep, sunspot." The smaller woman kissed the infant on the cheek and began walking out of the room with her partner. "Have you talked to your mom recently?"

"Last week. I have to call her again today, maybe invite her over."

"That'd be nice, I miss Shermie."

Bill was more preoccupied with this infant than the conversation, wondering why this thing of ALL beings in the universe could see him while he lacked a physical form. Soon enough the round doe eyes of the infant closed, its constant sucking on the pacifier lulling it to sleep with comforting familiarity. Only once Bill could hear even breathing from the baby that he could give himself the will to float away.

There had to be something that explained why he was there...but as Bill searched room by room, phasing through walls and drawers for some semblance of a clue, his hope began to die down. Maybe this was the AX's trial, figuring out why he's here. This wasn't Gravity Falls (not that Bill minded, he'd prefer not to be encased by the natural weirdness laws...again), which meant he was no where near his old form, so why?

Bill peeked into the living room, seeing the two women cuddling on the pastel yellow couch, not his favorite shade, but they had nice taste. They were looking into a large family album. They looked to be halfway through it, a picture of Sixer's college gradutation, the nerd was standing there with his PhD(s) in hand and a large stupid smile on his cheeks. Next were two pictures, one of the T.V with Stanley presenting the "Rip-off", the next was an arm, red and splotchy, with the words underneath, 'It gave me rashes'.

"You ever think about calling?" Peri asked, glancing up at her spouse from the spot on her shoulder.

"Sometimes, but I haven't spoken to anyone from that side of my family since my Uncle Stanley died." The taller spouse turned the page. It was a baby picture with the words, "Our little Sunspot : August 30th, 2004"...that was the baby that was currently sleeping in the crib...but that could only mean...

Bill quickly glanced around the room and flew towards the kitchen when he found it. He looked around and finally spotted a classic human time tracker-a calendar. The date most recently crossed off was February 20th, 2005. So either Bill was dealing with some people who really needed to update their decor...

Or Bill went back in time.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Reflection of Desire: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Summary: Women are being kidnapped and are being posed as Hollywood Starlets after the unsub kills them. Washington DC police have called in your team for help.

Season Six Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

You let the police handle the crime scene and the homeless man, and you head back to the police station with Derek and the detective. You walk in on Hotch talking to Penelope over speakerphone.

"I can't match the words, sir, but if they're from a film, it's got to be the 1950s."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I looked at the picture that he sent of Kelly to the Monitor. Her foundation is like a pearl color and over it is this green powder. That powder gives it a whiter look. Her eyebrows are plucked and her cheeks are that flushed rose hue that is totally that era. What really seals it is the dark eyeliner. She has bedroom eyes. That was Marilyn Monroe's trademark."

"If Kelly's supposed to represent Monroe, then the text we found may be from one of Monroe's movies."

"Yeah, I know it's not much but--"

"No, no, no. It helps the profile." He pauses. "Garcia, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you when I asked about your play. I certainly didn't mean to."

A play? You didn't know Penelope was in a play. You decide not to interrupt their conversation and get some coffee from the break room instead of listening in. The detective leaves and heads to his office.

"Oh, I know. I just, um... I gotta ask you that you don't share that with anyone, please."

"Of course."

"Thank you. One other thing, I was thinking that since Kelly was missing for three days, and most stories--plays and films--have a three-act structure."

"That helps. Thank you."

He hangs up just as the detective leaves his office in a panic.

"Another woman has been abducted."

"We need to give the profile now."

Detective Croft gathers his men and women so that your team can deliver the profile.

"Penny Hanley, nineteen, lives in Arlington and works in an art gallery. Yesterday she didn't make it to work or back home. She caught the Metro to Union Station. Her father dropped her off. Her purse was found a few blocks away on a side street. It's most likely where she was abducted."

"Kelly was taken for three days. If he's holding to pattern, Penny's already on day two," Hotch says. "Today, the Georgetown Monitor will receive a photo. Whatever happens, we cannot allow another photograph like Kelly's to be published. We need to get ahead of the media. They've already named him 'The Hill Ripper'."

"I want undercover units to lock that building down," Detective Croft says. "If you see him, let him walk in. Do not apprehend him before."

"We're looking for a white male in his mid to late forties, approximately six feet tall and slim build. We think he's a local and a loner, and he's most likely unemployed. He's moving his victims around the city unseen, so we know he has a vehicle. It's probably an older model, but well maintained."

"What does he think this is?" an officer asks about the scripts that were found.

"A page from what we believe is a script was found inserted in Kelly's throat. Somehow in the unsub's mind, Kelly seems to have failed expectations. Although there were no sexual interactions ante or postmortem, the removal of the lips is in itself a sexual act. It's a behavior that tells us we're dealing with a borderline personality."

"Based on the obvious theatricality of the case, we think he worked in or around the arts. Three days may represent a three-act play, of which Kelly was the star. She was killed three days after she was abducted. That means Penny may only have a day left."

Since she took the metro, it's likely that the unsub saw her there. You, Spencer, Hotch, and Emily head to the metro station to scout it out. There are a ton of people walking around but you're trying to separate Penny and the unsub's energy. Spencer watches you walk around the place like you've lost something in admiration.

"This building has three exits--north, south, and west. He's here to target a woman, but he doesn't want to attract attention," Spencer mutters.

"Well, standing in the middle gawking at passing women, would certainly attract attention." Spencer watches you when you pass by him and smiles softly. "Like you're doing now."

"What's that?" Spencer asks, looking at Hotch.

"Just like that, an IQ of 187 is slashed to 60."

"Can you blame me? That's my future wife," Spencer grins.

"But sitting and reading the paper would give him an excuse to watch without being noticed," Hotch says, getting back on track. "Far enough away not to attract attention but close enough to make sure she's the right one. She works fifteen blocks east of here. Her father said she walked through this train station every day. If he were sitting here, he's on camera."

Hotch got with the station manager and was allowed camera access.

"How many cameras cover the area?" Hotch asks.

"Three, but only two are operable. It's cameras eight and seven."

"Can you go back to yesterday around four?"

"Sure."

The man chooses camera seven and goes back to the moment when Penny walks through the station. There is a man sitting on one of the benches when noticing Penny, gets up to follow her. However, a little girl was walking in front of Penny and stopped to talk to the man.

"Can you bring up camera eight?" The man does. "Can you enlarge it and keep it rolling, please?" He does, and you can see the same young girl who stops the unsub. "See the girl walking in front of the man?"

"He's seen Penny."

"Can you go back to the exact moment that he sat down?" Spencer asks. "Freeze it right there." He does, and you look at the time that he sat down. "Okay, calculating the timecode from the moment that he left the station, he sat there for over three hours."

"We profiled he has his own vehicle. It was the only way he could abduct Penny off the street. Three hours exceeds any parking meter. Get all this footage to Garcia."

The place where the unsub grabbed Penny was at a high-risk area but possible. He used chloroform which is outdated but efficient. Luckily, you got footage of the unsub stalking Penny and following her even though his back is turned to the camera the entire time. Since the limit for the parking meters is two hours, then hotch seems to think he must have some kind of permit that would allow him to park there for long hours, and Penelope is doing her research on people with special permits.

It's unlikely he can hold down a job so you don't think he'll have a work permit. The only kind of permit that would work is a residential permit since it would give him all the time he needs. However, the permits are separated by zones which means he lives in this area, and Detective Croft is going to shut down the area until you find him.

"We closed off the entire area. Cops are all over it," Derek informs when you get back to the station. "They're going door to door where it's a five-block-radius with over two thousand homes."

"Unless they get lucky, that could take days," Emily sighs.

"Undercover units have staked out the Georgetown Monitor building. Garcia, anything on the footage?" Hotch asks Pen over speakerphone.

"The lab is analyzing it frame by frame, but it was pretty clear he doesn't know those cameras are on him."

"Permits?"

"I cross-checked with the profile and have come up with six hundred potentials."

"Garcia, what zone covers Rykers Alley, M Street, and Charlotte Street?"

"Two zones."

"That doesn't help," Derek sighs.

"Come on, I'm the high priestess of all things digital, but I'm not a God."

"What permits covers all zones?" you ask.

"Only one. Disabled."

"This guy isn't disabled."

"Maybe he knows someone who is," you say.

Detective Croft comes in carrying a black-and-white picture of Penny.

"A kid on a BMX dropped this off at the Monitor a half hour ago. He said a bum gave him twenty bucks."

"At least he didn't make the news. It buys us some time, right?"

"Until he finds another way to contact the media," Spencer points out.

"We'll do it for him. Garcia, I need you here as soon as possible."

"Sure, what for?"

"We need him to break cover and get out in the open. Call a press conference with every major media outlet present."

"Oh, I am not the one you want in front of that camera," she panics.

"Yes, you are. Detective, we need every available unit."

The meeting is disbanded but the call is still connected to Penelope. She is freaking out at being put in front of cameras, but how can she be shy when she is doing a play?"

"Hey. You're gonna be fine," Derek says.

"No, I will not be fine. I will suck. I will suck. What happens then?"

"Penelope, stop it. We just gotta buy some time to get ahead of this guy."

"He'll be watching, won't he?"

"I'm gonna be right by your side. Now get your butt over here."

While Penelope is on her way over here, Hotch gets the press conference set up in the same metro station where the unsub saw Penny. Penelope shows up and is nervous as hell to be doing this. She's so nervous that it's rubbing off you, so you keep your distance from her while still being close enough to hear what she's saying to Hotch.

"Sir, I've thought about this and I've decided it's a bad idea."

"All you have to do is stay calm. Don't let the room control you."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Keep your answers short and to the point. Don't comment on the Kelly Landis case. Keep the focus on Penny."

"No, sir, I don't think you understand. I have a phobia about having a video camera even pointed at me. I get all nervous and I start to panic and I forget what I'm gonna say and my hands get all sweaty and then my hands start to shake. My hands are shaking right now. I cannot do things I am not good at, and I am not good at being in a room full of strange people. That's why I stay in a room six by nine feet. I feel safe there."

"Garcia, what about the Tolgate Theater?"

"Tolgate Theater?" Emily asks, butting in.

You feel shame and embarrassment coming from Penelope. It's like she doesn't want anyone to know that she's in a play. You walk over to her and she sighs in frustration.

"What's that?" Rossi asks.

"It's a small repertory theater on Dean Street where they do a lot of--"

"Reid, we know what it is," Derek cuts him off.

"That is not the same thing," Penelope hisses at Hotch.

"Garcia--"

"I--I can't even look at you right now. I am mad. I asked you not to say anything!"

"We need him to see a face and a look that he recognizes."

"Well, he likes blondes and I have red hair now."

"We can change that. Toward the end, Morgan's gonna hand you a note. Take a moment, let the group settle, and when you have everyone's attention, read it out. You're gonna be fine. This isn't about the unsub. It's about the girls. For him, it's all about making Penny famous."

"Then aren't we helping him realize his dream?" Penelope asks.

"Come on. If we get this right, we end that dream. The press is calling him the Hill Ripper. They're gonna want to sensationalize this story even further. Now, they're gonna ask you how long he kept Kelly. They're gonna ask you how she died. Did he stab her? Did he torture her? Did he rape her? How many others has he killed? Garcia, you have to make it about Penny. You let whoever has her know that the entire world is watching, and then you make Penny the star. All we gotta do is get this guy to move." Penelope doesn't look sure. "Hey. You can do this, baby girl. Give me your bag."

"Okay," she whispers and hands him her bag.

"Pen." She looks at you. "If you can go on stage and perform in front of hundreds of people, you can do this. Pretend you're not doing this for someone's life. Pretend it's lines you're preparing for a scene."

"Thanks," she nods.

"You got it, babe," you wink.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[morverenmaybewrites]

Ok weird question- at this point in pizza delivery girls survival guide do any of the characters know the pizza girls name? Like I know Lydia and co do but does Jason, Barbra, and Dick? I feel like at least Jason does but she’s never out right told anyone even going as far as to refuse to tell Barbra (the first time she met her) sorry if it’s obvious I’m just a little slow when it comes to things 🥲

You're not being slow, anon! I deliberately skipped over any introduction scenes because of the reader-insert format.

Although the Batfam being the paranoid bunch they are, it's safe to say that everyone knows the reader's name by now, and not necessarily because they introduced themselves.

Barbara looked up your name the night you rescued Jason and brought him to your apartment. She was one of the first to know. She shared this information with Tim and Dick.

Bruce, like Barbara, did a cursory look at your history as soon as he found out about Jason's rescue. Then, later on, he did more invasive research when Jason and you started interacting more.

Jason looked it up along with Mamma Mia's address after his rescue.

As for introductions...

Barbara was the first to introduce herself, of course, to disastrous results.

Tim asked you a few cursory questions about yourself the night he rescued one of Pyg's dollotrons from Allan Kho, although at that point, he was more fixated on the case at hand.

Jason stayed long enough to make small talk when you thanked him for rescuing you from Pyg.

Dick likely made very friendly introductions when you reported to him about Man-Bat (or who he thought was Man-Bat), to Ant's despair.

So yeah. Everyone knew your name before you ever introduced yourself, and were basically just asking you to avoid raising suspicion. A few characters know a little bit more.

For example, Barbara knows that all of your documents, like your driver's license and birth certificate, are fake.

But only Batman knows that you're marked as missing and presumed dead in another city.

[malice-havik-stain]

One True Pairing Moments #1

Prompt: Watching the sunset (prompt list here)

Characters: Chizome Akaguro X Malice (my self insert)

Word count: 1,297

Synopsis: Chizome makes me face my fear of heights to watch a beautiful sunset.

Notes: I decided to keep this one shot as myself and Stain, instead of a reader insert. There’s just too much of myself in this piece, that I wouldn’t be able to make it relatable to anyone else. This takes place before I meet Havik.

Warning: Some swearing.

“Almost there, darling.” Chizome’s gruff voice murmured.

“Finally!” I keep my face buried in his tattered scarves.

Chizome knows I’m not a fan of heights. Absolutely terrified of them. Along with roaches, massive bodies of water, and not being able to breathe.

It’s different if I know I’m safe and not in complete danger of falling. But if there’s even the slightest chance of me plummeting to my death, then I simply refuse to do it.

Hot air balloons? Fuck, no.

Roller coasters? Nope. Can’t risk having my seat belt or my chair break.

Sky diving? I wouldn’t even get on the plane. Much less trust myself to know when to open my parachute, or trust the equipment to not malfunction and I share a grave with Icarus.

Keeping my two feet on the ground is perfectly fine with me. Leave me in peace.

However, Chizome is stubborn as an ox, when he puts his mind to something, he’s relentless until he sees it through. It’s one of the many qualities I love about him, and also one of the things that drives me up the wall.

Today, Chizome decided he wanted to help me face my fears. And when I say help, I mean having me hold onto him for dear life, like a petrified cat digging its claws into a windowsill, as he races across the rooftops like a lethal shadow. Each thud of his metal boots matched the beat of my heart.

Normally, I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to feel him up and appreciate his flexing muscles. But right now, that was the furthest thought from my mind, as adrenaline pumps through my veins and the wind whistles in my ears.

All of this because he promised to show me the most beautiful sunset I’ll ever see, but only if I decided to set aside my fear and be brave.

Like a fool, I gave in.

I blame him for it, though. When I’m around him, he sparks such deep inspiration in me. With his encouraging words, callous hands cupping my face, and scarlet eyes gazing into mine. It makes me feel like I can take on the world and conquer it.

After a few minutes of jumping, he came to a stop and adjusted me in his arms. Pulling me closer and higher up on his back after my plush body slipped a few inches during our long trek.

“Hold on tight and don’t let go. I’m going to be climbing.”

Climb?

I made the mistake of pulling back to look at him.

“What do you mean climb-oh shit!”

A shrieking yelp escaped my lips.

Chizome teeters us precariously on shaky scaffolding, holding onto a metal rung that leads upwards.

I know exactly where we are as I glance around. A construction crew has been building a new skyscraper in the city. Right now, it’s simply a hollow shell of metal beams and plywood. The scaffolding may be secure, but the whistling wind and the people the size of ants scurrying about on the streets, makes my vision swim like watercolor painting and my throat tighten. I burrow my face against his neck once again, unable to control the violent trembles that wrack my body, as he climbs up the metal rungs.

Chizome lets out an amused chuckle, one I did not appreciate! “You told me you wanted to face your fears.”

I did. I foolishly did. And right now, I’m mentally kicking myself in the ass for ever breathing those words in his presence. With a man like Chizome, who stubbornly sticks to his convictions and prides himself on following through with his plans, he will hold you accountable for your actions and words.

You would think he would go easier on the person he’s dating, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

He’s even worse!

”I… I don’t know about this, Chizome! It’s…we are too far up!” I squeaked. “I can’t… I can’t-“

“Hey, hey.” I feel him climb back down and pull me off his back.

Strong arms tightened around me like bands of steel. One of his callous hands tangled in my hair, the familiar scent of him invading my nose, seeking the safety of his scarves.

“I got you.” Chizome’s rough lips brush against my ear.

Minutes felt like hours as they passed by. He simply held my trembling frame in his arms, the hand in my hair now rubbing soothing circles on my back, trying to gently placate my fear.

Slowly, the adrenaline fades, my heart no longer digging a hole in my chest. The warmth from his body seeps into mine, helping me fight off the chilly air. One of his thick fingers taps my chin.

“Look at me, doll.” Chizome murmurs.

Oh, god!

Just when I finally settled down, he wants to rock the boat once again. Either way, we can’t stay on this shitty scaffolding forever. I have to either beg him to take me home right now, or give in and face my fears.

With great reluctance, I swallow the lump in my throat and pull my face away from the safety of his neck. He captures my chin in his thumb and pointer finger, gently tilting my head up to meet his crimson eyes.

“I would never let anything happen to you. You know this, right?” A callous thumb brushes my rosy cheek, warmth spreading over the cold flesh. “I would never willingly put you in danger or let anything hurt you.”

His intense eyes, filled with sincerity and devotion, penetrate mine. “As long as I am with you, you will never have to face your fears alone. Any danger that dares to bare its teeth will face my blade first, and my wrath second.”

A shiver runs down my spine and my heart clenches in my chest. Never have I felt such devotion from one man. Hot, unbidden tears begin to brim my eyes. Never have I felt such devotion. Such undying love from such an unlikely man.

Most people that see Chizome on the street give him a wide berth. Finding his scraggly hair, disfigured face, and harsh expression to be intimidating. You would never think he would be able to care for another as deeply as he does.

And yet, here he is. Telling me such lovely sentiments in his words.

He tells me all the time he’s lucky to have found someone as special as me in a world full of people. But I feel it’s the other way around.

I’m the lucky one to have found him, when others would have walked passed him in that dark alleyway.

A smile teases the corners of his lips as he wipes the tears from my eyes.

“We won’t go any further, Malice. The fact that you came this far proves your courage, your willpower to face what’s in front of you instead of running away. Too many people nowadays would rather find the easy way out, instead of putting in the hard work to improve their mind set.”

Chizome spins me around, pressing my back into his toned chest, pulling me into his strong embrace. Orange and pink rays paint the sky as the sun sinks into the horizon. And nothing is more beautiful.

“I promised to bring you to the best place to watch the sunset.” His words tease my ear. “Now, enjoy your reward. Bask in the beauty of this moment. The quiet. The peace. The warmth. It’s not often we’re gifted these moments.”

I wrap his arms tighter around me as I drink in the sight before me. It’s quiet up here. Nothing but the wind whistling in our ears, his comforting scent wafting in my nose, and the soothing glow of the golden sunset.

[makriiii]

Caught X (Arthur Morgan × f!reader)

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: 18+, cursing, angst, alcohol.

♡

Caught X

There were quite a few O'Driscolls scattered about in town, which you did your best to avoid despite being the ones you were interested in.

It was really only from an outside perpective did you realize that you were like an ant in the gang. Also that different branches of the gang were spread around like an ants colony.

You'd been asking around all day in town for any leads, but so far, most would just point to the random O'Driscolls and warn you of their tendencies.

Their tendencies you were more than aware of. That wasn't what you needed to know, though.

The sun was near gone beyond the horizon, and you were beat. It was this day you realized why you became an outlaw rather than the law.

You didn't want to investigate crime. You actually preferred to commit it. It was certainly a lot of work; you were parched, and because of that, Smithfields was looking real nice.

The lights from the inside of the bar grew as the suns light waned, and the happy cheers and shouts from the inside drew you in.

Acrost the muddy lane through the middle of town, you went right up to the bar and through the swinging doors.

It was rather busy. The entire counter was just about full, and unfortunately, one of the men taking up space was a man you knew all too well.

You strode straight up to him, pushing him off to the side, but in that, you accidently bumped the man to your left.

"Hey, watch yourse-" The man with a heavy irish accent paused mid sentence.

He elbows his friend next to him to get his attention, his face of anger filling with a more provocative look.

"Excuse me." You offer, backing off. With that accent, he might very well be an O'Driscoll. A green scarf and tattered trench coat - often idicitive of one.

Arthurs gaze met yours, and you could already tell something was off.

With his close proximity to you, you scrunched your nose at the smell that came off him.

"God, you stink." You hold your nose, shaking your head as you pop a coin to the bartender. "How long have you been in here?"

He couldn't even answer before the man grabbed your shoulder and pointed you toward him.

"You certainly don't dress like a normal call girl."

You shrugged him off, ignoring him and turning back to Arthur.

Arthurs brows were low, an irked look on his face. At first, you couldn't tell if he was mad at you or not. But his eyes remained fixed past you.

He walks around to your left and inserts himself into the spot you just were, putting distance between you and the man.

The guy started mumbling angry curses, who needed many words of calm from his friend to lay off.

"So..." Arthur interrupts himself by taking another swig of his drink. "Dare I ask if you found anything out?"

His words were slow coming out, and you could tell he was tipping over the point of tipsy.

"Dare I even tell you? I dont think you'll even remember."

He chuckles, a drunken hiccuping coming out along with his laughs. "Perfect time to tell me in that case."

You scoffed, a smile tugging up at your lips with his attitude. Last time, you were too drunk to really process what he was like. Now you could.

"What do you reckon I've found out?" You question, delying the confession of not having found out a lot.

He tips his head back, trying to come up with an answer. Certainly, you didn't expect much.

"I reckon..." He trails off before snickering with an evil little tone you hated. "Well, you tell me. You're his special girl."

That again? It was such an old joke now. Maybe you felt like bullshitting him, maybe. "I'm married, you know. Not to Colm.

There it was. He swiveled his head around to meet his widened eyes with yours. Though he was quick to dismiss it when he grabbed your hand for confirmation.

"Someone steal your ring then?"

You pulled your hand out of his, giving yourself a few seconds of thought. "Should I wear one with the line of work I'm in?"

He squints his eyes at you, though his stare didn't stay strong, just like his stance. He wobbled on his feet as he considered you.

"You're lyin'. You wouldn't be runnin around with us if that were the case." He assured.

You took another drink but made sure to keep your alcohol consumption low. The hangover you had last time was awful.

"Sometimes I'll take a vacation, I guess." You nodded as you went along, doing your utmost to sell the fib.

He stared at you for a moment, then started chugging the rest of his drink. It was only then did you start over hearing the man with the heavy accent talk.

Something about the town doctor and money, from what you could catch, straining your ears for it.

"Whats he like then?" Arthur blurts suddenly, the eavesdropping interrupted.

"He's like you. Infuriating."

He wouldn't stop chuckling with your conversation. "I'm starting to see a pattern then."

You cock your head at him, questioning him with just a look. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Setting his bottle down, he leaned in closer which started making you nervous.

"You say I'm Infuriating yet want my pants off."

You were stupefied with his nonsense, glancing around for any weird looks indicating that he was heard by someone rather than you.

"And you keep making bogus claims!" You hiss with a low tone. "For someone who doesn't like O'Driscolls, you certainly like to pretend I'm flirting with you in a strange way." Requoting yourself from many days ago.

His blue eyes were firey, reflecting the gas lights that lit the bar, never once leaving your gaze.

"Yeah... I think I've figured you out. I wish you would just say it though. That'd be a whole lot easier."

You groaned, this made you prefer being drunk. Then you could actually deal with this all.

Listening in on the supposed O'Driscolls was your more desired activity and you could barely hear them from where you were.

Arthur had a chair in front of him, one he had unknowingly decided not to use, but you were deciding to use it.

It was close enough, but not so close that they'd mess with you again.

"So then?" Slipping under his arm, you sat facing him, his arms that held him up on the counter cased you in. "What if I did just say it?"

Now his head was tilted down to look at you, his one brow up questioning you slightly taken aback. Definitely did not expect this. "That's most definitely a flirt."

"No it aint? Its a what-if scenario."

Most of your attention was focused to the side, therefore you didn't give Arthur much of it, but you could feel his eyes burning into you.

There was more random murmurs, the two likely O'Driscolls had made sure to keep their voices down however. It scorned you, to say the least.

"You think your husband like to see you sitting right where you are?" Arthurs voice chimed again, his words ran shivers down your spine, it was really only then you felt suffocated being under him like this.

You leaned your head over slightly, your mouth opening to speak, but you got distracted by the men ending their conversation and heading outside.

Arthur noticed where your attention laid and directed it back to him with his hand cupping your chin and pointing your face to his.

You took his hand away, as he forced eye contact. Anxious eye contact. Your eyes darting away to the men who were slipping out of your sight. "Sorry, what was it you said?"

He hums something and then goes back to it. "Why are you in front of me like this?" His demeanor becoming slightly more demanding.

You looked up at him now, getting fidgety when you realized your faces were much closer than you had thought. "My husband wouldn't mind much, if thats what youre after."

Leaning under his arm and out of the seat, you started making for the door.

Arthurs arm around you swiftly halts your efforts.

"Do you actually have a husband?" There was a hint of desperation in his question as he held you for balance. "I think you'd have to find someone even more annoying than yourself to get married to."

You struggle to pry his arm off of you as he was on you pretty iron. "If I'm ever widowed I'll make sure to come to you then, eh? Now let me go please."

He roars out another deep chuckle and pulls you in firm, your head pressed into the side of his chest, surpressing some of the steam coming out of your ears.

"See? Its my pants you're after, after all."

His words boomed as your hand flew up to block anymore words he'd spew. Again examining nearby bar-goers.

"Your desire for me to want to is blinding the unfortunate truth for you." Not only were you convincing him, but yourself.

You ducked out of his near chokehold on you and quickened your pace as you escaped him out the doors. The chilly night air cooling your burning face.

He throws his hand out, dismissing your parting message as he dissappears behind you with the swinging doors.

Now the men were in sight again, but not for long as they made way to the doctors place across the street.

Once they were inside, you snuck over, glancing around for prying eyes before sneaking up to the windows and peaking through.

The words from inside were muffled, definitely no hope in hearing it now.

The two men spoke to the reluctant doctor for a minute before he took them to the back, which was out of your sight from the window.

You started creeping to the other window when a round of shouting startled you to high hell.

Two men were outside yelling at eachother, and lord, did you hate them for it now, for as soon as you turned your head back, the doctor was back in his spot, and the men gone.

Arthurs tall frame was a hard one to mistake as he stumbled around, angry as a hornet, pointing fingers and spilling his drink. The opposer, maybe not as drunk, but still enough to be willing to fight Arthur.

They brawled for a short while before you stomped right up the stairs, yanking Arthur by the wrist. "He's much too drunk for his own good, forgive us." You prayed for grace, which the other man did not seem to grant.

"Do him some good to stay the hell outta here!" His one finger pointed but had the rest on his bottle. He stumbled closer to you like he wasnt going to let it go but instead slipped back into the bar clumsily.

You slap Arthur's chest, frustrated with his drunken activities interrupting your lead. "Im gonna poke you."

"I'll poke you?" He laughs haughty knowing he also has that on you, rubbing his jaw after getting punched.

"Yours will hurt more. Its fresh."

He slumps over leans on you again, stumbling in the muck that covered the ground almost making you loose your balance too. You lead him carefully back to the doctors office, as you had some questions.

You helped him up the stairs and then got his arm off you again. "Stay right here, you belligerent drunk. Right here." Standing him right outside the door, you reluctantly left him there.

Giving him one last glare, you slid inside, inspecting it slowly whilst you strode up to the doctor.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" He greets with a classic.

You considered your question for a second as you reached the front desk. "I'm a bounty hunter lookin for a few O'Driscolls..."

He shifted uncomfortably immediately at your talk, which was exactly what you were looking for.

"I'm sure you know of them in town but theres a specific two I think just visited here."

"No, I'm sorry." He murmured quickly before walking you out. "Its about closing time. Im afriad you'll have to ask someone else."

Confused and slightly shocked at that sudden display of nerves, you found yourself outside again. An outside with no Arthur standing there waiting like he should've been.

This alarmed you, as he was likely to get into trouble. It was like watching a child but a child who could shoot, steal and otherwise plunder and inflict a good deal of damage. Which you'd be likely to be dragged into.

"Arthur!" You shouted, jogging out into the street and spinning circles as you searched for him.

From behind the buildings you heard yelling and unfortunately you knew who was getting yelled at.

You mounted your mare quickly, riding towards the hollering, by the auction site and the barn.

Arthurs shaky running was quick to catch your eye, as well as him screeching something about being an American - to the left and to your dread, what seemed to be lawmen.

Yanking up your bandana, you rode to Arthur, stopping just infront of him.

"Hurry!" You usher, your mare dancing underneath you as she felt your desire to be getting out of this town fast.

"y/n!" Lovely of him to shout your name infront of the sheriff. He jumped on, but only half way before slipping off again.

"Quit helping him or you're gonna be an accessory!" A man yells, getting concerningly close to you.

Yeah. You already figured that much as you struggled to pull Arthur up. The man who had fought with Arthur strayed behind the lawmen, giving away the fact he'd been the snitch.

Finally Arthur got up, clutching onto you dearly as you dropped the reins and let your horse fly.

More shouts came from behind you. The kind you've heard plenty of times - stop, get them, youre gonna get it, etc... As long as you had enough time to get lost, all would be okay.

"What did I tell you?" You grumble to Arthur who sat hiccuping behind you.

"I dont know." He replies shortly, had he been on his own horse, he'dve been in the laws hands already. He looked like he was about to fall off had he not been holding onto you.

The moonlight lit your way on the prairie and out of Valentine, when you figured it safe enough, you headed back for camp.

-

Once you got back, you hitched and pulled Arthur down, helping him to his tent.

"You better remember the part where I saved you. I want compensation for that." You'd be sure to remind him in the morning of course even if he did. Probably the next few mornings too.

"Ahuh. You can have my pants."

"Quit with all that!" You growl, atleast this time Seans singing hopefully drowned him out good.

You got him to his bed, but as he fell into it he didn't let you go, which made you crumple half on him, partly on his bed, and partly hanging off the side.

Sitting there for a second as he relaxed his grip, you groaned. Next time you'd make sure to get as drunk as he did. "Let me go, you stink."

His arm slid off the side of you, allowing you the ability to get up again, mumbling out a small curse at him and brushing yourself off.

He was already conked out there on the bed. So drunk he slept like a baby that hadnt' almost been arrested and put you through much grief.

The days were never dull in the Van Der Linde camp. Especially not when dealing with Arthur.

---

Tempted to make him bear hug you so you had to stay there 😔

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 2

Episode 18: Danger and Thunder, Part 2

Having reached the main room again, Ray punched a goon in the nose, making him fall on Jeff. He only hoped that he could give his friends enough time to escape. With (y/n)'s kiss on his cheek, he felt invincible, so he ran across the room, leapt in the air and gave another henchman a strong superman punch. He took down another guy and another, and when Jeff tried to grab him, all he had to do was snarl and he fell on the floor like a baby.

"Ooh, here. Got it!" The Toddler suddenly caught sight of the heliometer in Max's hand and snatched into his own grubby mitts, which didn't go down very well with the Thunder twin. Still,  he was smart enough not to argue with the criminal leader, particularly when he was going after Captain Man.

"Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah!!" He taunted in his baby voice and fired the weapon at the superhero on the last "nyah". A light blue beam of energy blasted Ray, making him float into the air and when he exclaimed in fear, his voice was all squeaky.

"It's not funny! I mean it! You put me down right now! Okay, go ahead! Laugh it up!" Ray squealed at the criminals, but all they could do was laugh. He sounded like one of those chipmunks from that annoying movie. 

"Is that all you got? Is that the worst you can do?" Ray asked, thinking that if this was the full extent of their torture, he could do it all day.

~

Or not. The criminals had upped the ante and now, Ray was sitting in a block of solid concrete on a moving train, completely immobile and powerless. Shit, whatever they were planning on doing to him couldn't be good and he had no way out.

"Okay, this is a lot worse." He gulped as he, The Toddler, Van Del, Minyak. and Max Thunderman raced across the land. The train had to have some significance, but he was too preoccupied by his inability moving to think about it.

"All right, Todd--" The superhero tried to reason with his enemy,  but he had forgotten that the man-child didn't like that nickname coming from him.

"Toddler!" He snapped, screwing his little man/baby face up in rage.

"I wanna know why you put me in this cement! And why we're on top of this train!" He demanded as he tried to muscle his way out, but it was useless. It was way too thick, even for his super strength, meaning he was rendered useless.

"Well, first off, we hate you." The Toddler started and that was understandable. They were enemies, and enemies hate each other, so fair play.

"And we want to get rid of you." Van Del added as Max got antsy. He didn't want to get rid of anyone, he just wanted to grab Minyak's gadget and go.

"Well, I'm just here to hold the heliometer, so..." He reached for the weapon, but it was swiftly retracted by The Toddler, who didn't like to share, especially with naive, wannabe supervillains who meant nothing to him.

"Hey, don't touch my stuff!" He snarled, frowning at the teenager, who paled when he realised that he had upset one of the world's craziest criminals.

"I just wanted to hold it!" Max whined, but he had ruffled Toddler's feathers and he wasn't backing down without giving him a stern talking to.

"You're not allowed to touch my stuff!" They descended into bickering, allowing Ray to try and squeeze out of his cement prison, but it was futile. The Toddler had turned back around before he could even make a crack.

"So, Captain Man. In exactly forty-two minutes, this choo-choo train is gonna go straight over the new Jandy Bridge." He said with an evil grin, making Ray turn his head to look at the bridge in the distance. 

"At that point, we're going to throw you off this train" Minyak smirked as the three evil men revealed their heinous plan.

"Right into the Jandy River." Van Del finished, but that didn't sound too bad to Ray. Yeah, it wasn't great, but it could be a lot worse.

"So? I'm indestructible, that won't hurt me." He pointed out, feeling pretty smug about his superpower. Were they dumb? How could they have forgotten that?

"We know! So have fun spending the rest of eternity at the bottom of a river!" Toddler exclaimed cruelly, smirking at how Captain Man grimaced at their plan. Screw the river, but eternity without (y/n)? She'd forget all about him and move on to some other guy who would never love her as he did. That was the real torture.

"We hope you like fish!" Minyak gloated, adding to Ray's irritation.

"And fish poop!" Van Del added and they all began to laugh as Ray fought against the concrete holding him back.

"This is what you get for letting your pretty girlfriend Miss Danger fool me! Maybe when your spending eternity with the fishies, I'll make her my pretty playmate instead!" The Toddler cackled when Captain Man's face screwed up in anger. How dare they threaten his girl, he was doing all this to keep her safe and he'd be damned if Toddler twisted her innocence.

"Toddler, you sick bastard!" He growled, infuriating the man-baby even more.

"Jerk!" He whined back, not liking it when his prisoner insulted him.

"Scum!" Van Del joined in, wishing to please his boss, even though it was nearly impossible to gain the praise of the lunatic.

"Handsome!" Okay, that was a weird one from Doctor Minyak. He'd been hanging out with Nurse Cohort too much. Normally, she was the one who said that.

"What? Look at him." He defended himself when his fellow villains looked at him in betrayal and disgust. To be fair, Ray was very handsome, but he only liked one person saying it in that way and she was hopefully far, far away from this danger. Or was she?

~

High in the sky, Schwoz and Charlotte had scrambled the Mancopter and along with Henry, Phoebe and (y/n), were currently scanning the ground for any sign of their kidnapped friend. (y/n) had been in hysterics for hours after safely guiding the teens back to the Man Cave in the submarine and now, she was on a mission to save her best friend.

"Henry, hurry! We've got to find Ray!" Schwoz shouted above the noise of the whirling blades as the boy, woman and girls scoured the fields and mountains using their binoculars. Any sign, just one was all they needed.

"You don't think we know that?" (y/n) retorted sarcastically as she leaned over Phoebe's and Henry's bodies to look through either window. She knew that sarcasm wouldn't help, but she couldn't help it when Schwoz said daft things. Ray was in peril and they were the only ones who could help him.

"I'm trying to find him!" Henry yelled back as he looked at his PearPad that was reporting Ray's location. Thank God, they had built trackers into the super suits.

"He's moving really fast, like, at sixty-two miles an hour!" He reported, finding Ray's speed weird since there was nothing around here for miles.

"Well, then maybe he's in a car!" Charlotte suggested as she briefly looked up from her binoculars.

"No way! He's following a direct path along the Swellview Train track! And you can't drive a car on railroad tracks, how can Ray be moving so fast?" He asked, not getting it even though he had essentially spelt it out for himself.

"You moron!" (y/n) shook her head at his words as Charlotte looked back at Phoebe with an eye roll.

"You take this one." She told the older girl, feeling more than to let someone else be the smart one for a change.

"Maybe. He's. On. A. Train." Phoebe sounded it out like she was talking to a child, and that's when it clicked for Kid Danger.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't hear what you said over all this helicopter noise!" He lied, trying to make out that he wasn't as dumb as he was. 

"Yeah, right!" (y/n) snorted, finding his lie unbelievable. Teen boys must think girls are stupid.

"Hey, Schwoz!  I think Ray's on a train!" The boy ignored (y/n)'s biting remark and Schwoz followed his command. The genius turned the ManCopter towards the train tracks and increased the speed so they'd make up for their lost time.

'Hang on, Ray we're coming.' (y/n) murmured internally. She just hoped they weren't too late.

~Back on the train~

Captain Man was using all of his strength to try and force his way through the cement, but he wasn't budging and to his worry, the Jandy Bridge was fast approaching. Seeing that The Toddler was distracted again, Max tried to nick the heliometer from his belt, but to his annoyance, the tiny movement was caught by the man-child.

"Hey! What are you doing back there?" He hissed at the boy, who gulped at being found out. Quick, think of a lie and make it a good one!

"Uh, just...is that a real diaper?" He asked, hoping it would distract The Toddler from his attempt to steal the weapon.

"It is. Why? You wanna change me?" Toddler asked darkly, fiddling with his orange shorts as he adjusted his diaper underneath. That was quite possibly the grossest thing Max had ever heard.

"No!" He quickly declined, gagging at the mere thought of doing that.

"Good answer! Ooo, I see the bridge!" The criminals returned to looking at their approaching destination and it was then that Max heard Ray trying to beckon him over.

"Pssst!" He hissed and waved for the kid to come over to him. He reluctantly did so and prayed that The Toddler, Minyak or Vandel didn't see him in cahoots with the enemy.

"What do you want?" He asked the superhero harshly, trying to act all tough like the other supervillains.

"I gotta blow my nose," Ray told him, feeling all bunged up and in need of a good blow.

"Well, I don't care," Max replied, going to walk away from the man and his gross request.

"You're Max Thunderman, aren't you?" Ray asked him before he go leave, which caught the kid's attention. 

"Brother of Phoebe? Son of Thunder Man?" He listed all the things that Max was and couldn't get away from.

"What if I am?" He asked, seeing nothing of it. He didn't want to be like his family, he wanted to be his own person and follow his own path.

"Then how come you're hanging around with those evil maniacs?" Captain Man asked, not understanding why the son of one of the greatest supers of all time would stoop so low.

"'Cause, I want that." He smirked pointing to the heliometer, but all Ray could see was The Toddler bending over and scratching his butt.

"Toddler's diaper?" He asked in disgust. Why would anyone want that?

"Ugh, gross, no! The heliometer!" Max corrected, making Ray roll his eyes.

"Why?" The superhero questioned, thinking that he was putting himself in a lot of danger just how some dumb invention.

"'Cause it's cool and I want it!" The teen snapped, not seeing why he had to answer all these questions.

"Well, the least you could do is help me blow my nose!" Ray whined, really feeling the need to blow it now. He felt so snuffly.

"That makes no sense!" Max argued, which didn't go down very well with the needy man.

"Help me blow my nose, for the love of God!" He snapped and Max finally relented, taking a tissue from his pocket and holding it over Ray's nose. He blew strongly into it, making the teen grimace as he felt the mucus come out. Ew.

~

"Wait, I see the Swellview Train! Over there!" (y/n) squealed as she saw the train below them, and she laughed with joy as she and Phoebe spotted the person they'd been looking for.

"I see him! I see Captain Man!" Phoebe reported happily as she, (y/n) and Charlotte leaned out of the left windows.

"Where is he?" Schwoz asked. Being at the controls and on the right side of the helicopter meant he was unable to see anything, but that didn't mean he wasn't excited like they were.

"He's on top of the train!" Charlotte exclaimed and the girl's focused their binoculars to zoom in on the criminal's who had captured him.

"What's he doing?" Henry quizzed, also unable to see since he was firmly strapped into his seat.

"Uh, I think my brother, Max, is helping him blow his nose," Phoebe reported feeling pretty grossed out at what she was seeing.

"Aw, that's so sweet." Schwoz cooed, thinking the complete opposite of what everyone else was thinking. He saw it as such a nice gesture and didn't think about the germs or mucus that was involved.

"I see The Toddler, Minyak and Van Del! He needs help!" (y/n) shouted as she recognised the faces of the three men also with Ray. 

"I'm going down there! Charlotte hand me that clip!" Henry announced and started to undo his harness as he grabbed a long rope. It was a long way down, but Ray couldn't do this alone, so he was doing this.

"I'm going down with you!" Phoebe said too, taking off her headset and undoing her belt. She started this and she was going to finish it. Oh, and she was going to kick Max's ass for snitching on her.

"Okay! Just, uh, grab onto to me and hold on, like, really, really, really tight!" The boy smiled at the idea of being so close to the young heroine, which made (y/n) roll her eyes. 

"Don't get any ideas, kid, I'm coming too!" She smirked back at him and leant into the cockpit to grab another rope. So what if she was a cockblocker? She had promised herself that she was going to save Ray and he had promised to come back to her. This was her way of ensuring that.

"Okay!" Phoebe said happily, even though Henry groaned internally. At least he'd be able to hold onto her since (y/n) was going to abseil down solo.

"Wait, we have another rope that Phoebe could use!" Charlotte giggled and held up a third rope. Looks like Henry would be going solo too. 

"Thanks!" She said happily and (y/n) chuckled at the look on the kid's face as they strapped them to to their uniforms.

"Yes, thank you, Charlotte." He added stiffly before joining the girls standing on the landing gear. The wind whipped at their faces as they clung to the doors for balance and threw down their ropes.

"We are right over the train! Jump!" Schwoz told them and they did as he said, screaming as the dropped to the train's roof.

"Sweet cheeeeeeeese!" (y/n) screamed as she felt weightless, but before long, the three landed in a heap on the roof, much to the surprise of the criminals, Max and Ray.

"Yeah! Look who's on a train now!" Henry smirked at them and they shrugged off the ropes and stood confidently. It wasn't the most graceful of landings, but damn, abseiling from a helicopter onto a moving train? That was pretty damn cool!

"Us!" Phoebe answered, putting her hands on her hips as Minyak and Van Del put up their fists. Oh, so that's how they wanted to play?

"Ohhh, Jimminy Joo! It's the stupid kid and lady again!" The Toddler growled at them and stamped his feet.

"That's right!" Henry smiled, but then he realised what he said.

"Dude?" (y/n) tapped his chest with her hand as they puffed out their chests in confidence. 

"I mean, we're not stupid, but we are here!" He corrected, not losing his cool despite the insult.

"Kid Danger! Miss Danger!" Ray was so happy to see that they had escaped the underwater base,  and now, he was glad he had them here to help him, even if it was dangerous.

"Phoebe?" Max asked, looking at his sister in confusion. Did she really have to turn up to every evil thing he did?

"You back off, Max!" She hissed at him, not wanting to fight her own brother, even if he was a backstabbing dick sometimes.

"Do your blowy freezey thing and freeze their asses!" (y/n) instructed the young girl, believing that this would be so much easier if they could just freeze all the criminals. 

"I'd love to!" She replied. However, to their dismay, when Phoebe tried to blow her ice breath at The Toddler, it just stopped halfway and created an ice block midair, which then nearly took their heads off as it hurtled towards them.

"What happened? Why didn't it work?" Henry asked in a panicked voice. They were sort of counting on that to work. Now, they were in deep bother.

"Uh, the train is moving so fast, I guess the wind is just too strong!" Phoebe replied as The Toddler stepped towards them with a metal pipe in his hand.

"Kid, look out!" Ray shouted as the villain went straight for Henry, making (y/n) push him out the way so she'd take the hit instead. She squeaked as the metal landed with extreme force, cracking the bones in her upper arm.

"Ow! Motherfucker!" She exclaimed, briefly rubbing her sore arm before it snapped back into place. Not one to get beaten down by one, tiny man, her quick recovery took Toddler by surprise and she kneed him in the stomach, before kicking him backwards so he fell down.

"The heliometer!" Doctor Minyak gasped as they grimaced at their boss having his ass handed to him. Ray was loving seeing his girl in action, especially against the man that had been eyeing her up earlier, but Max had his eyes on something else. He leapt forward to grab it, but he was too late and the weapon fell off the side of the train, hooking itself onto a lever that separated the carriages.

"No!" The Toddler screamed as Minyak and Van Del rushed to grab Henry and (y/n), whilst Max tried his hardest to grab the invention. The boy blocked one of Van Del's punches and flipped him over his back, making the man land harshly with a groan. Minyak swung at (y/n), but she was too quick for him and ducked below his arm. Seeing an opening, she gave him a swift kick to the groin, causing him to squeak in pain. God, she was so hot when she fought bad guys.

"SECURITY!" The Toddler screeched and used a slide whistle to call for a bunch of his henchmen to come and grab the supers. They quickly swarmed Henry, Phoebe and (y/n) and they found themselves trapped on all sides as each goon grabbed a hero. With their arms immobilised, the woman and teens struggled to get free and it was a worrying scene to watch from the Mancopter.

"Uh-oh! More bad guys just showed up!" Charlotte reported to Schwoz as she squinted through her binoculars.

"Are you sure they're bad guys?" He asked, not wanting to assume that some unexpected arrivals weren't actually help in disguise.

"Well, two of them are trying to break Phoebe's leg, one of them is trying to eat Henry's arm and one is strangling (y/n), so they don't seem super nice!" She said, feeling miffed that he hadn't taken her word for it. She knew henchmen when she saw them.

"Ow!" Phoebe groaned as the thug bent her leg upwards and to the side like they were trying to snap it off.

"You're so weird!"  Henry yelled at the man biting his arm, who didn't care. Honestly, this was the first time a criminal had tried to eat him and it freaked him out.

"Dude, you're doing nothing to me!" (y/n) smirked as the large man with his hands around her throat tried to crush her larynx, but every time he pressed harder, her body healed quicker. It hurt immensely and she had tears in the corners of her eyes from the burning of her lungs, but she had faith in her ability to survive even the harshest attack.

"No, leave her alone! And stop biting!" Ray screamed at the men trying to kill his sidekicks, feeling so powerless since he could do nothing to help them. His heart was aching to see his girl being treated with so much malice, but she was holding up despite the fact she hadn't taken a breath for over a minute.

Wanting to try and do something, he grabbed Minyak's jacket and gripped it tightly in his fist. It was much but it sure pissed the doctor off. 

"Stop that!" He growled, slapping his hand away as Phoebe whimpered at the way her poor leg was being stretched. 

"My leg doesn't bend that way!" She growled. She was quite flexible, but even the world's best gymnast couldn't twist their leg front to back. They needed help and they needed it fast.

"Here, open this case," Schwoz said to Charlotte as they hovered over the fight.

"Man-grenades?" Charlotte asked in bewilderment as she opened the case to see a row of miniature bombs. Oh, this was more like it, a bit of firepower!

"By Schwoz! Enter one, two, three, nine!" He instructed the girl and she punched in the code, which released a beeping man-grenade.

Back on the train, Max was still trying to grab the heliometer and Henry, (y/n) and Phoebe were still trying to fight off their captors. 

"Hey! How am I supposed to use the bathroom?!" Ray asked in alarm as Henry punched one goon in the face, making him release one of his arms. Phoebe wasn't doing so well, she had taken a punch to the gut and was being held by a tight grip.

"Hurry up! I gotta pee!" The superhero whined as a guy headbutted Henry for punching his friend. (y/n) also freaking out a bit, the thug strangling her was leaning in close to her face as her lips turned blue and his pleased sneer made her grit her teeth. Pig; he liked the way she was in pain and even though she wouldn't die, she felt like her head was pounding from the lack of oxygen and her vision was getting blurry.

Henry was punched to the floor and so was Phoebe, the town of them being corned on all sides. (y/n) was dropped between them at The Toddler's request, who smirked when he saw her limp body lying on the floor. A sharp gasp tore from her throat as she wheezed her air and thankfully, the blue in her face began to recede as oxygen flowed through her veins once more.

"Kid Danger! Miss Danger!" Ray cried in alarm as he saw how beat up they were and his eye widened at how sluggish they both seemed. Where were those grenades?

"Put that in here, pull back on this and aim it at Ray!" Schwoz directed Charlotte, handing her a large gun that would fire the man-grenades at the group on the train.

"Are you insane?" The girl blanched at his instructions. She didn't want to blast Ray off the train, even if was indestructible. (y/n) would kill her!

"Yeah! Do it!" Schwoz confirmed, so the girl shoved in the grenade,  pulled the thing back, aimed and...

"CHARLOTTE!" Schwoz screamed suddenly and loudly, spooking the girl out of her wits.

"What?!" She asked in alarm, wanting to remind her that she was handling explosives.

"Don't miss!" He told her solemnly and she got the message. Okay, don't miss, don't blow something up accidentally, just aim at Ray and destroy the cement.

Ray looked up in horror as he saw a red, flashing thing fall through the sky towards him and he wondered what the hell it was.

"Man-grenade!" (y/n) also noticed it at the last minute and braced herself against the roof of the train as the grenade hit its target dead-centre and blew up the concrete block in a ball of fire. The shockwave sent everyone flying backwards, including Max, who lost the heliometer and got his foot trapped between two pillars.

"Dang, dude!" Charlotte complimented Schwoz as they watched the explosion and the two felt badass at the havoc they had wreaked.

"Hey, what exploded?" Max asked as he helplessly laid on his back and the criminals, Henry (y/n) and Phoebe got to their feet. They looked around to see clumps of rubble lying everywhere and to their shock and horror, Captain Man was gone.

"Captain Man!" Henry cried out when he noticed that he was gone and he let (y/n) grab his hand for support as she felt all the air in her body drain away.

"Oh god..." She sniffed, praying to god that the worst hadn't happened. She'd come here to save him and now this...she was on an emotional rollercoaster.

"What happened?" Doctor Minyak asked as his ears rang from the explosion.

"Where'd he go?" Phoebe cried as she put a hand on (y/n)'s arm to comfort her. They were her new OTP, Captain Man couldn't be gone, he just couldn't.

"Looks like Captain Man exploded!" The Toddler smirked at their pain, but it was a mistake to taunt a broken woman.

"Ding dong the Captain's dead!" Van Del said happily as Minyak cheered about how Swellview now belonged to the criminals, who were all exchanging high-fives.

"You evil little shits, he's--" (y/n) squared up to Toddler, but her words trailed off as her heart was suddenly saved. 

"Captain Man!" Henry grinned in relief as he watched his boss slowly climb back onto the roof and (y/n) had never felt more happy. He was alive, holy shit, he was alive!

"Ooo, I'm sorry, kid. He's dead! Which, makes it very difficult for him to help you and your lady friend now. Or maybe, you're both too stupid to realise that it's a new day in Swellview! Because nobody has to worry about Captain Man--" The Toddler's insulting monologue was cut off as Ray tapped him on the shoulder. Minyak and Van Del were quaking in fear at the sight of the very much alive superhero, but their leader didn't seem to notice.

Whipping around, all the colour in The Toddler's cheeks drained as he looked up to see the imposing crimefighter that was about to kick his ass. Henry, Phoebe and (y/n) giggled to each other at how quiet the man-child had grown and hearing his girl's sweet laugh was everything Ray had been surviving for. 

"Toddler..." He growled and roughly yanked the man up to his face by his suspenders and stripey t-shirt.

"It's time for a nap!" Ray quipped, ignoring the protests of the small guy as he stepped back.

"No, no, no, wait! I already took my nap! Ahhhh!" His whining was in vain, he'd insulted and hurt Ray's friends one too many times and so, the superhero threw him off the side of the train.

"Wow, this is uncomfortable!" Max complained as his head hung over the curve of the roof and dipped between the carriages. His spine was killing him, but he'd been extremely mean to his sister and her new friends, so he kind of deserved it.

"I'm so glad you're okay, doofus." (y/n) breathed out to Ray as she cupped his face and gave him a dazzling smile. She stepped away quickly, remembering that they were surrounded by bad guys, but her gaze still held all of her affection for him and it melted his heart.

"I promised I'd come back, didn't I?" He gave her a playful smirk as he and Henry clapped their hands together in greeting. He kept his promise and was more than happy to be back where he belonged; with her.

"No need to panic, there's six of us against four of them!" Minyak chuckled evilly, thinking that the superheroes were still gonna lose. However, they had Phoebe Thunderman on their side and she easily used her telekinesis powers to lift a dude into the air and off the side of the train. Well, that would do the job nicely.

"Okay, now there's five to four." Minyak squeaked and Ray gave his sidekicks and Phoebe a nod as they prepared to fight. Good vs Evil. Everyone let out a battle cry as they each target an opponent and lunged for them. Ray tackled two guys at once, sent them flying to the floor with his muscly body, and it felt good to let off some steam finally. Phoebe and (y/n) worked together to take down Vand Del and a henchwoman by using each other as leverage to kick and punch them to the ground as Ray continued to beat up his two.

As Max tried to free his leg, Henry dealt with Van Del and Doctor Minyak, both of whom weren't very good fighters. Minyak knocked into his fellow criminal and the ex-Wall Dog leader tumbled over the edge, leaving the heroes on a level playing field. Now, it was gonna get interesting.

(y/n) ran over to help Ray deal with the two guys attacking him as Phoebe punched the woman and kicked her off the train too. Henry doing all right too, with a quick blow to the nose, Van Del stumbled backwards. and lost his footing, meaning the man was no longer their problem. 

"This is for strangling me, asshole!" (y/n) growled and punched the last goon off the train before Ray could do anything to help, thoroughly impressing him as she brushed her hair away from her face. He had to fan himself to cool his flushed cheeks, which certainly weren't red from the fight alone.

They had won! Phoebe and Henry clasped their hands together in happiness and Ray hugged his girl tightly, enjoying the way she rubbed her nose into his neck. It tickled, but also sent his pulse racing, something he had grown addicted to over the years. God, she had looked so good during the fight and now, he had fallen even harder; he was unbelievably, unapologetically whipped for her.

"Nice going, Kid Danger, Miss Thunderman." Ray bumped fists with Henry congratulated the two teens as he and his girl walked over, hand in hand. 

"Well done, guys, you were great." (y/n) added, smiling warmly at the kids who hid their smirks under bashful smiles. Ray was an idiot to think that friends held hands all the time, kissed each other's cheeks and gave long, intimate hugs and the teens knew that they were too blind to see that. However, they weren't too sharp-eyed themselves; no one had noticed that Max had managed to twist his leg free and was nervously creeping towards them.

"Yeahhhhh, we did it! How about that? Way to go, us! Wooo!" The young Thunder twin cheered and clapped, but the actual heroes of the hour weren't smiling with him. In fact, they were pretty pissed off.

"Y'know, Max, we never would've had a problem if you hadn't blown our cover," Henry told him, making the older boy drop his smiley behaviour.

"That's right, Max!" Phoebe confirmed, smiling sweetly at her brother, who suddenly felt very nervous.

"Well, I said I was sorry." He tried, but Captain Man and Miss Danger saw straight through it. 

"Ummm, no you didn't." Ray said, searching his memory quickly and finding nothing about "Max Thunderman" and "apologising" in there.

"Didn't I?" He gulped as the supers glared at him and under Captain Man's mean stare, he felt very, very small.

"No, you didn't. My lips turned blue because of you!" (y/n) seethed, still recalling the pain in her head and chest as that henchman strangled her and the reminder made Ray scowl. Sure, she didn't die, but he wasn't going to let this kid off without some kind of punishment.

"But hey, (y/n)'s okay, no worries. Kid Danger and I forgive you." Ray clapped Max on the back, making the girls look at him in shock. Surely, he wasn't going to let his girl's suffering go so easily, but they had no reason to worry, Ray was very angry and he and Henry had a trick up their sleeve.

"You guys forgive him?" Phoebe spluttered, not realising that they had said trick. 

"Yeah."

"Sure." The superhero duo said with tight smiles, trying to act all happy-happy. However, deep down, they were furious with the amount of trouble they had gone through because of the teen.

"You see? They're cool." Max smirked at his sister as she gawped at her friends in shock.

"Since when are you so nice?" (y/n) asked Ray, hitting his chest with a pouty face. She was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't do anything to get revenge. He just squeezed her hand and moved around Max, putting his arm around the boy so he wouldn't suspect his sneaky plan.

"Hey, we're giving Phoebe a ride home in the Mancopter." He told the boy in a pleasant voice, putting him at ease. 

"You wanna ride too?" Henry asked, setting up the plan perfectly.

"Seriously? Even after all that I did, you still want to give me a ride home?" Max asked, surprised that they wanted to give him such kindness. If only he knew what he was in line for.

"Of course!"

"Oh yeah! Yeah!" They confirmed, making the boy smile at them in return as Phoebe and (y/n) huffed.

"I am not sitting next to him on the way back." The woman hissed at her best friend, but he merely chuckled. She didn't have to worry about that, no one did.

~

"PHOEBE!" Max screamed in fear as he dangled on a top from the Mancopter. He was swinging and twirling in the air and he was terrified, which fully entertained the team sitting comfortably above him.

"Hey, Max! How you doing?" Phoebe yelled down to him in amusement as they watched his petrified face look at the ground in terror. It was a long way down and he was only secured by a rope, meaning he was shitting himself. 

"My hair looks terrible in this wind!" Max complained, even though it was the least of his worries. Still, it was good enough for the superheroes, who laughed at his scared voice. He wasn't snitching on them now!

"You're so mean...I love it!" (y/n) giggled into Ray's ear as she sat on his lap. It was a tight squeeze into the Mancopter for six people and it had left her tightly strapped to his chest so she wouldn't fall out of the door. It wasn't all bad, he got to have her all to himself and his strong arms were around her waist to keep her safe, despite Schwoz triple checking that her harness wouldn't fail. She didn't complain, she loved how he kept whispering jokes and silly comments into her ear and sweeping her hair away from one shoulder so he could get close to her skin. It was hard to control themselves.

"That's my girl." He whispered into her jaw, making her tense at his words and how his breath travelled along her skin. 

His girl? Yes, please, she wanted to be his girl every day of the week, especially if it meant having his lips so close to that sensitive spot on her neck that made her melt in pleasure.

"BIRD!" Henry screamed, shattering the sensual atmosphere between the two as a bird crashed into the windshield of the helicopter, causing it to crack. They all panted and tensed in horror as the small incident took them by surprise and Max screamed at his sister to find out what was happening.

"You all right?" Ray asked (y/n) as she held a hand to her heart and panted to settle her breathing. His question caught the attention of everyone else, particularly Phoebe, but they said nothing, just listened for what she was going to say.

"Yeah, never better." She answered truthfully, settling back into his chest as she looked out of the open window and missed the adoring look he gave her. Ray pressed a kiss to her head as he looked at the view with her and they were both ignorant to how their friends were chuckling and smirking at each other. 

Not his girlfriend? Yeah, right.

[urlocalmushroom]

Shield of Strength

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 -> Avengers x Fem!reader

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 -> You've been on a mission with Avengers but got hurt real bad and Avengers take care of you

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 -> mentions of bl00d! $car$! Pa$$ingOut!

The city lay in ruins, a silent testament to the battle that had ravaged its streets. Amidst the wreckage, Y/N lay unconscious, her body battered and broken, a solitary figure amidst the devastation. Captain America's heart clenched as he spotted her, her form barely visible beneath the debris. With a sense of urgency, he rushed to her side, his voice filled with concern. "Y/N," he called out, his voice tinged with worry. "Can you hear me? "There was no response, no sign of consciousness. Fear gnawed at his gut as he realized the severity of her injuries.

"Tony!" Captain America yelled, his voice echoing through the desolate streets. "I need you!" In a flash of red and gold, Iron Man appeared, landing beside them with a sense of urgency."What's wrong?" Iron Man asked, his voice urgent but determined."She's unconscious," Captain America replied, his voice tight with worry. "We need to get her to safety." Iron Man nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Together, they carefully lifted Y/N onto Captain America's shoulders, her limp form cradled against his chest as they took to the sky. Their destination was the Avengers' compound, where Bruce Banner could provide the specialized care Y/N needed. As they arrived at the compound, Iron Man checked Y/N's vitals with his suit's advanced sensors, confirming that she was stable but in critical condition. In the infirmary, Bruce Banner worked quickly to set up an IV for Y/N , carefully inserting the needle into her arm and securing the line. The clear liquid flowed into her veins, providing the hydration and nutrients she desperately needed. Bruce noticed the burn marks on Y/N's arms and immediately set to work treating them. He applied soothing salves and bandages, his touch gentle as he tended to her injuries. When Y/N finally woke up, disoriented and weak, she felt the IV line tugging at her arm. With a sudden burst of panic, she ripped it out, the sharp sting of pain a stark reminder of her ordeal.

As she collapsed onto the infirmary floor, Ant-Man rushed in, his eyes widening with concern as he saw Y/N's state. Without hesitation, he caught her, his arms steady as he lowered her to the ground.

"Bruce!" Ant-Man called out urgently, his voice filled with worry. Bruce rushed over, his gaze focused as he assessed the situation. Together, they patched up Y/N's bleeding arm, their movements quick and precise as they worked to stabilize her....

Part 2. Coming soon!

[crusty-chronicles]

Mildly interesting to me that (from what of yours I've seen) there hasn't been much touching on the subject of Kite's gender. Idk I just think it'd be interesting given his status as (ft)mtftm.

The who what when where and why?????

I'm going to do my best to answer this, but I warn you I'm not all that familiar with the acronyms so forgive me for that.

If you're implying that Kite was trans before he got reincarnated, I've got no clue. Togashi wrote him as male, from my understanding, and he's addressed as so. There's not really an indication he's not, so I write him as male.

If you're implying about after he becomes the redheaded girl, then yes. I haven't written about that or really addressed it in my stories. Why, you may ask. It's not something I really plan to make a plot point. In other words, it's something I change in my stories. Whether it be the 'Kite Lives, or Chimera Ant AU'

Why change it?

Well, it's not because he turned into a girl. I love women. Supporter of women's rights and women's wrongs. It's because he turns into a child. It's just uncomfortable for me to write about romance between kids, if that makes sense. Like in MaS, our reader is twenty. Ain't no way I'm having a twenty year old romance a kid, even if it is Kite in there. It's just icky. Which is where the Chimera Ant AU comes in. I get to write a resolution that feels right and guarantees a happy ending.

If it's to do with a circulating theory, like why every other ant was reborn the same gender except Kite, then I've got nothing. Personally, I think it was just a way for Togashi to throw us off for the reveal that Kite was still alive. But people interpret characters and stories differently. We all have our own Headcannons we feel fit with them. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It gives readers and writers alike more diversity.

Now, why don't I touch up on Kite's gender?

Because it's not something I worry about when I write. My stories can give insight on other characters or help my readers see the characters the way I do. What I focus on is the reader insert themselves. The actions they do and how it affects the relationships around them. The only gender I really focus on is the readers because I like to make sure my Headcannons and stories are accessible for most people to enjoy. Smut is another thing entirely I won't get into. Regardless, the way a character is presented is the way I write them.

Alluka? A girl.

Pitou? Them-because they're an ant.

Kite? A man.

I don't write with the intent to educate or rant. I write for fun. Something for entertainment, and something not to overanalyze or think too hard about. Gender isn't really a plot point of any of my stories, so of course I'm not gonna focus on it. I just don't really see the point to when there's more going on within the story

Again, smut is a little different. Those are thirsting hours and written with less thought, if that makes sense.

I just try to have a good time and hope my readers do as well.