#but I’m glad a friend gave me this idea & I did draw something

[jade-doodles-questionmark]

“Take this sword, for the road ahead is arduous.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHENHE!!

[softtdaisy]

GIRL CRUSH - XAVIER THORPE

DESCRIPTION I you have a crush on Xavier but sure he likes Wednesday, so you take the opportunity to taste him on someone else's lips

PAIRING I Xavier Thorpe × fem!reader

WORDS COUNT I 2,3k

A/N I in case it wasn't obvious already, I have a crush on this man and after listening to girl crush, I decided to try and write for him. I hope it's worth it 💛

You felt stupid. Stupid. The stupidest person in the world.

It already wasn’t easy living in Jericho. It was worse to not have any power when you were living so close to Nevermore. And the worst part was that most of your friends came from the school, meaning you had to deal with all their abilities. While your only ability was to make good coffee. Ugh.

But all of this wasn’t enough for you. Of course not. You had to fall for one of these outcasts, as they call them. You wanted to scream at that thought. How could you been so stupid to let your heart guide yourself there?

Deep down, you knew it wasn’t entirely your fault. Like, you couldn’t blame yourself for Xavier Thorpe being this nice, right? 

It all started when Xavier started coming at the coffee. He was the one taking command for all his friends. You noticed how he was always drawing some stuff on the recipe you gave him. Some were darker than the others. The situation was the same every single time: Xavier was too lost on his drawing and his mind that he only looked up when you came back with all the drinks. Then, he managed to grab them all and let the paper on the counter, forgetting about it immediately. 

But you didn’t.

You kept all his drawing. It was art and you would feel terrible throwing them away. You always put the one in your apron and, most of time, forgot to take them with you when you were leaving. 

After a few meetings, you started to talk and discovered some things about each other. He learnt where you were going at school and which majors you wanted to do after that, and you learnt how he was putting his hair behind his ear when he was getting nervous and how he had the most precious smile you ever seen. Among others important things, of course.

“Shit, [y/n] can you give me a pen and some papers please?” You were talking when Xavier’s phone starting rigging. You had no idea who was calling him and for what, but it seemed important enough for him to need to write it down. 

Of course, you looked in your apron to give him what he needed. And, of course, what you took out was all the drawing you kept with you. To say you were red would be a euphemism. Xavier looked at you with an amused expression before taking one of the already used paper to write the information he needed. You were this close to run away before he finished his called. “So…you kept them?” he asked you.

You looked innocently, like you didn’t understand what he was asking. When he started to laugh, you immediately looked down again. You felt stupid. But when Xavier slowly put his hand on your check and encouraged you to lift your face up, you didn’t feel anything anymore. “I’m glad you liked them.” He said softly. He then brought his face closer to yours, which almost made you faint, to whisper in your ear. “And they come with a little surprise.”

That was how you discovered Xavier’s power.

Not long after that day, you started to hang out with his friends. They were all…pretty amazing, you had to admit. You hated the fact they were all magic and everything and you were just… you. But they all made sure that you never felt inferior, or not that much at least. And they did a really great job for that. Being with them was entertaining and interesting and you got to spend more time with Xavier, so yeah, no complaining.

Except for one thing. You really thought there could be something with Xavier after that day at the coffee. Especially when he started to offer you his drawings directly and to imply that he was thinking about you when he was doing them. You could tell it was less dark than before.  And you thought it meant something.

But then you saw how he was around Wednesday. He looked at her like he would protect her against everything. You quickly noticed how he was always by her sides. When he wasn’t beside her, he was always making sure he could see her. 

You liked Wednesday. She was a great friend. You liked how she was never pretending to be someone else and was always honest with you like she was with the others. You really, really, appreciated her.

But you were still jealous.

And there you were. At a party surrounding by everyone. And watching Xavier talking to Wednesday like he always did. You were almost leaving when Enid stopped you. “We’re going to play some game, come here!” and it wasn’t an invitation. It was mostly to tell you where she was taking you since she grabbed your hand and made you follow her through the room. 

And they were all here, sitting on the floor in circling. You had a bad feeling about this. “Is this…some kind of truth or dare?” you asked. 

“Exactly!” Ajax answered. “Except we can know if you lied.” You sighed at that thought and sat at the only empty space free: right in front of Wednesday and Xavier. She kept looking at you and you offered her a gentle and sincere smile. You couldn’t not like that girl. You simply wished she wasn’t stealing your crush.

The game started and it was pretty entertaining watching magic people play that. But of course, as a human, your dare ended up being pretty…ordinary, you had to say. “Kiss the person you find the prettiest in the room.” Bianca dared you.

You knew why she did that. But you couldn’t do what she was excepting. You couldn’t risk revealing your feelings to Xavier and being rejected in front of everybody. And losing him.

So got up. And walked. To Wednesday. You grabbed her face and kissed her without overthinking it. You heard some gasps but only focused on her lips and the way it took her a few seconds before she put a hand on your neck. It didn’t last long but it did mark the night for sure.

“That was…unexcepted. But interesting.” She said, thinking about your kiss while looking at you. Like they were doing right now. Including, Xavier who seemed more confused than ever.

You couldn’t handle all these eyes on you and run away from the party for good this time. You could already feel the tears growing in your eyes from the stupidity on your action. You had to stop for a second, just to check where you were going. And it was enough for Xavier to catch you. “Hey, where are you going?” 

You could hear the amusement in his voice which made you pushed him away. “Leave me alone.” You mumbled, already walking back. But it wasn’t like Xavier was going to let you leave like that. Not after he saw how upset you were. So he took your hand slowly this time, but with enough strength to make you stop. 

“Talk to me. What happened there? Why did you…why?” he couldn’t contain the little laugh at the end because it still seemed unreal to him that you kissed Wednesday. Not that she wasn’t attractive or anything, he would be lying if he said anything like that. But he was 90% sure to know who you were going to kiss. And it wasn’t the girl with the black hair. 

“I don’t know, ok! I mean. I do. But…I don’t want to tell.” You tried to cross your arms on your chest but since Xavier was still holding you, you just brought him closer to you. You loved how he was caressing your wrist slowly, making you feel protected. You almost gave in. Until you remembered why you were in that state. “I’m sorry for kissing your girlfriend, ok?”

“My…what? No!” Xavier was confused and amused at the same time and damn you hated him for having such a beautiful smile. “Wednesday is not my girlfriend. She’s just my friend.” At the same time, he wondered what could have made you think that he was dating her. Was he that bad with girls that you imagined things like that?

You sighed. “Then why are you always with her? You’re always next to her like you’re scared for her, like you need to protect her like she’s your girl! You always have an eye on her and…I don’t know, I think like I don’t exist when she’s there.” You hated opening your heart like that, specially because you were sure you sounded pathetic. Xavier was going to laugh at you and said you were miserable and leave you alone, right?

Instead, Xavier put his other hand on your check like he loved to do and started to caress your skin with so much tenderness you almost melted. “I like her, she’s one of my closest friends here. So yeah, I want to protect her, and I always will. But if you had paid more attention, you would have known that I was always looking at you.” 

“No, you don’t.” you replied, frowning. You were looking at Xavier way too much to know that. You would have notice, right? Or were you too concentrate on your jealousy to see it?

“Yes, I do.” He laughed, pinching your wrist which made you groan before laughing too. And just when you thought everything was back to normal and you could get away with your stupid idea for that kiss, something seemed to light up in Xavier’s mind. 

“Wait…did you kissed Wednesday because you were jealous and thought that I was with her?”

You knew it was pointless, but you tried to run away, again. But again Xavier just pulled on your arm to bring you to him. This time, you ended up against his chest and as comfortable as it was, you had to look up to spill the truth. It was almost like the words didn’t want to stay in your mind. 

“It sounded better in my head, ok? But I thought that I couldn’t kiss you because it would have been too obvious that I like you too much so I decided to kiss her so I could taste your lips on hers and…” you didn’t get to finish that sentence. 

Because Xavier gave you exactly what you were looking for during your kiss with Wednesday: a taste of his lips. He was just like you imagined him to be, soft and dominating at the same time. Like he was controlling every little second of that kiss, from the way his lips were moving on yours to how his tongue made in his way into your mouth and his hand was holding your neck to keep you close. But he was soft too with the way his hand was still brushing your wrist or how you could feel a smile growing on his lips like he just realized what he was doing.

Once he was done, he gently put his forehead against yours and brought his hand from your neck to your check. “You could have asked; I would have given you a taste earlier.” He had this sweet, charming voice. And behind that flirty smile, you could tell he was sincere. You should have asked or be confident enough to kiss him. You wouldn’t have lost any time overthinking his interactions with Wednesday. You could have used that time being in his arms earlier.

You put a kiss on his nose which made him laugh softly. “I know for next time now.” 

“When is next time?” He asked, frowning. Because if your first was quite chaotic, but memorable, what you didn’t imagine was that Xavier was dying to kiss you for weeks now. He had tones of drawings reminding him of you in his room until you started talking to each other. He dreamt about you so many nights that he guessed some people from school you knew about it. And, well, Wednesday was the perfect annoying friend reminding him that he still hadn’t try to get you and that he might lose you if he never does. 

If it was up to him, he would be kissing you all the time. But he guessed now he had all the pleasure to make up for the lost time. 

“What about now?” You offered.

You stayed like that for a few more minutes, just flirting together and kissing each other a lot. You couldn’t resist Xavier’s perfect lips. When a moan escaped his lips the one time you hold his hair, you knew you had so many things to try with that boy. Just like you felt his hands exploring your body with fineness, like he wanted to remember your curve to draw them. 

In the end, you decided to go back to your place. You didn’t want to ruin the party more, even though Xavier kept telling you that you weren’t ruining anything. “Just tell Wednesday that she’s a good kisser and it’s not her fault I didn’t chose her.” You laughed, but still wanting to make sure you didn’t lose a friend in the process. And then you started to walk home, your head full of thoughts about a guy with long hair, a beautiful smile and magic hands.

“Oh, and by the way.” You turned around to look at Xavier. He was standing against a tree, his arms crossed against his chest. You wanted to run and hug him one last time, but you stayed there, appreciating the picture. With his messy hair and the genuine smile on his face. “I like you too much too.” This time you couldn’t resist and went to steal one last kiss from him.

Maybe you were stupid. But at least you were stupidly in love with the most wonderful guy you knew and that was worth it.

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[art-missy]

Overwhelmed (Gekko x Reader)

Part. 1

Part. 2

Thousands of apologies for my bad English again. And I also apologize to your eyes for my dull and childish writing style.

Gekko found you funny. Well, he also found you cute, interesting, mysterious, badass, hot… But right now, he found you particularly funny.

It has now been two weeks since the Disney movie night and Gekko and you took the habit of drawing together in his room. Just you two chilling with some music, drawing peacefully while his critters either rest in their globular form or mess around. The first time you came into his room it was awkward. You barely talked to each other but Gekko seemed nice and he always wanted to put you at ease. He was glad you did not know how excited and nervous he was. You had brought your drawing book and shyly showed him some of your artworks. He felt so honored that he did not stop complimenting your style. And in the end, you ended up having a good time together. You got to know each other and he discovered a funny, sweet and caring person under this witty and cold mask of yours. The little crush he had on you bloomed into a severe infatuation.

He let out a small chuckle when you huffed in irritation and glared at your pen.

“What’s going on ?” He asked.

“It ran out of ink.” 

You looked down at your pen with a ferocious scowl, as if internally insulting each atom of it with a burning passion. He gave you another pen and reached out for his phone to change the music. You accepted the pen and looked at it attentively, as if challenging it.

“You better not disappoint me.” You muttered under your breath.

The slight scrunch of your nose as you focused back on your artwork achieved to melt his heart. He found you so adorable yet so amusing.

“So, what are you drawing today ?” He asked.

“No idea. My brain is doing side quests again.”

With a small peek, he managed to see the outlines of what looked like a bunch of colorful puppies in your drawing book.

“Side quests ?”

“You heard me right.” 

Somebody suddenly knocked on the door and you raised your eyes from your drawing book to shoot him an interrogating stare. He shrugged and opened the door to see Neon and Jett.

“Oh. Jett, Neon, how are you ?” He smiled.

Seemed like time was up. Your alone time with Gekko was over. Time for him to go back to his extrovert friends.

“Hey Gekko !” Jett smiled back. “We were about to run some errands. Wanna go with us ?”

Neon’s eyes settled on you as you stood up from Gekko’s bed, your stuff in hands.

“You can come with us if you want.”

You shot her a blank look and shook your head.

“I’ll be fine. But thanks for the proposal.”

You walked towards the door to exit the room but Gekko stopped you.

“Hey,” He smiled gently at you, pressing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want to come ?”

You freezed and looked at him. His eyes were sinking deep into yours and his smile was heartwarming. You took a deep breath and nodded.

“Certain. I had a tiring mission this morning. I’m not in the mood for going out.”

And socializing.

For a second, you saw a flicker of disappointment in his warm brown eyes but it quickly disappeared. And you did not notice the quick glance Neon and Jett shared.

“Okay. But I’ll buy you those snacks you talked to me about.” His warm smile enlightened his face. “Sounds good ?”

You sometimes did not understand why Gekko was being so nice with you. Even when you did not know each other that well, he always tried to include you. You oftenly asked yourself why. ‘Because you're my friend’ he would say. But there was something in his actions that would hint something a bit more than friendship. You wondered if he wanted to be your best friend.

“Sounds fine.” You finally answered. “But may I ask why ?”

His hand gently squeezed your shoulder as he leaned a bit closer to you.

“Because I know you like these specific snacks. And I want to make you smile for once.”

You raised an eyebrow and tilted your head, your eyes half-lidded with boredom. Once again, you did not understand. Why so sweet ? Why so welcoming ? Gekko was like a touch of icing sugar on a crepe : everything tastes better with him. 

“It’s just a snack.” You blankly replied. “Not the peace in the world. Or a Higher Brothers concert.”

Jett and Neon snorted but Gekko’s smile did not falter. 

“I know. But you love these snacks and that’s enough.”

You looked at him with an indescribable stare and Gekko suddenly felt self-conscious. What was happening in that mysterious mind of yours ? Your stare was so intense that he could feel your eyes on his skin as if they were physically touching him. It was in these kinds of moments Gekko wished he could read your mind. Especially now that you were contemplating him with all the intensity and concentration your eyes could give. But how could he read the mind of someone who had a habit of keeping people at arms’ length ?

“Do…I have something on my face ?” He asked.

“Yes.” You replied. “A smile.”

You then walked out of his room and disappeared in the hallways, unaware of the look of longing in his eyes as his gaze followed you until your figure vanished around a corner.

“Did we cockblocked you or something ?” Neon suddenly blurted out.

Jett let out a booming laugh and playfully nudged Gekko’s arm. “You really have to check your rizz skills !”

Gekko rolled his eyes as he snapped out of his contemplation. Of course, most agents of Valorant knew about his feelings for you. He was so obvious with it that everyone wondered how it was possible that you hadn't noticed. You were hyper observant on the fields, but in your everyday life you seemed so oblivious. How could you notice a sniper from the other side of the site without turning around, but be so blind when it comes to his feelings for you ? How could you be so oblivious to his eyes begging for yours to notice them, his body begging to embrace yours and his ears begging to hear your voice ?

He let out a deep sigh and looked at Jett with a sheepish smile while rubbing his neck. “Oh really ? I thought my skills were good.”

Neon shook her head and gently patted his shoulder. “Apparently your charming smile isn’t enough !”

Charming smile. Charming. Gekko’s smile was indeed charming. Like a little piece of sun ray warming your heart. And you did not understand how a silly little charming smile could have the ability to manipulate your pulse. How these warm brown eyes could freeze you in an instant. How these freckles could fascinate you. How his gentle facial expressions were printed in your eyes like when one looks at the sun for too long. How his eyes shined everytime you complimented him. How his gentleness could give your stomach such sensations. And as you speed-walked in the base hallways, you wondered if Gekko had some sort of hidden powers. Some powers that may influence you biologically and disturb your train of thoughts. That would also explain why your heart was beating faster than usual. Or why your stomach felt so jumpy without feeling particularly sick. 

You felt confused. And you seemed uncharacteristically lost when you barged into Cypher’s lab.

“I don’t feel like usual !” 

The sentinel lifted his masked face from his chess board and looked up at your disoriented expression with a curious tilt of his head.

“I am afraid that you confused me with Sage, dear.”

You ignored his sentence, set your drawing stuff aside and took a seat in front of the chess board as he rearranged the pawns with swift movements.

“I think it might be hormonal or something.” You said as you moved a pawn on the chess board.

“Once again, I recommend you see Sage.” Cypher also moved a pawn and your game of chess began.

“I think Gekko might have done something to me.”

“Oh this is getting interesting.” He propped his chin on his knuckles. “Please, tell me more.”

Even if you could not see it, you knew he had a Cheshire grin under his mask.

You moved another pawn and sighed.

“As you certainly know, Gekko and I took the habit of hanging out together in his room.”

Cypher nodded and moved another pawn. “I indeed already knew that. Both of you are pretty photogenic together on my cameras.”

You let out an annoyed groan and rolled your eyes. You should be used to it by now, but Cypher’s teasing oftenly managed to catch you off-guard.

“I know this is technically a compliment, but it sounds creepy coming from you.”

The sentinel let out a soft chuckle.

“My apologies if my words made you uneasy but please, continue.”

You rolled your eyes again and proceeded to explain how you felt these days each time you walked out of Gekko's room. How you felt flushed when he gave you compliments. How you found Gekko’s habit of gently squeezing your shoulders pleasant and how you found yourself oddly longing for each time his hands would make contact with your shoulders. And you finally told him that you suspected Gekko to have some hidden radiant powers that could manipulate you biologically. All of that while slowly losing your game of chess.

“Ah youth !” Sighed Cypher with a dreamy tone. 

“Here’s the boomer talking.” You groaned as you lost another pawn. “Do you really think I should go see Sage, though ?” 

“Oh you were actually listening.” Cypher giggled. “To answer your question, I think you should talk to Gekko.”

“About his probable other radiancy.” You nodded. “I wonder if he noticed.”

Cypher let out an amused sigh and shook his head. “The only radiant abilities Gekko has is his links with his critters, dear.” He moved another pawn and the slight shake of his shoulder indicated to you that he was silently laughing under his mask. “I can’t tell if you’re being oblivious or if you’re just too innocent.”

You frowned, not understanding his comments, nor his amusement.

“What do you mean ?”

Cypher tilted his head and you heard another giggle from him. He then leaned over the board and talked with a soft tone.

“Love is more meaningful when it is naked.” 

You shot him an unimpressed look and threw a pawn at him that he easily caught. You raised an eyebrow and squinted your eyes a little.

“Is it another proverb from your country again ?”

Cypher nodded “It is.” He leaned back on his chair. He looked at you deeply (you could literally feel it) and his body language showed amusement. “Gekko and you are honest youngsters. If you communicate with each other, everything should be fine.” 

“Communicate ?” You frowned again. “Well we communicate quite well during missions but I’m not talking about something mission related, you cheap Stormtrooper.” 

Cypher’s demeanor this time showed surprise with a slight hint of exasperation. He still could not tell if you were oblivious or too innocent. He suspected that you could not understand romantic logic.

You heard someone calling your call sign and you turned around to see Reyna walking in your direction, her eyes hard and cold as usual. But you were not impressed. While most people of the HQ were intimidated by her, you were one of the rare agents who were not frightened by her presence.

“Do you know where Gekko is ? I checked his room but he wasn’t there.”

You heard another small chuckle from Cypher but you chose to ignore it.

“He’s running errands with Jett and Neon.” You said with a shrug.

Her eyes narrowed a bit on you but she nodded. She looked at you as if she knew something that you should but in a different way than Cypher. Cypher always knew things that other people should know. Reyna was currently looking at you with a hint of curiosity hidden behind an analytical stare. But she brushed it off, thanked you and walked out of the room.

“Look at you, getting along with your in-laws.” You heard Cypher singsong.

You turned towards him and shot him an interrogating stare.

“In-laws ? I think you got the wrong English word.”

“No no. I got it right.” He snickered but immediately stopped when somebody barged into the room.

It was Iso and he seemed in a hurry. He called your name with a certain urgency.

“An emergency mission just fell on us. Brimstone wants you in the team.”

You frowned and stood up quickly from your chair. You stole a quick glance to Cypher who nodded at you quietly, took your stuff off the table and followed Iso outside the room. 

“An emergency ?” You repeated as you walked behind Iso in the hallways. “Right now ? We just defused a spike this morning.”

Iso’s pace was quick but not rushed. He glanced in your direction and left out a soft hummed sound. 

“Something about a surprise attack. Brimstone will tell us more in the VLT/R.”

★★★  ★★★

When Gekko came back, he was so disappointed to learn that you were not there because of an emergency mission.

He was so excited to finally taste these snacks you liked so much and he wanted to taste them with you. So when he got back to HQ, he ran towards your dorm room and knocked. Killjoy who was passing by had to tell him that you had to go. He looked down at the pack of snacks in his hands with a saddened expression. Compassionate, the German engineer patted his slumped shoulder with an empathetic smile.

“It’s probably not a long mission.”

Killjoy had never been so wrong. It has now been five days and Gekko had never known a better way to understand the expression ‘worried sick’.

The base did not have any news from the team sent on the field since day one.

Missions are usually not that long and the headquarters always had live information on how the assignments are going. So saying Gekko was worried was a great, if not gigantic, euphemism.

He barely slept, hardly ate and he was far from being focused during training. His mood worsened when Sage had told him that they still had no news from the team sent on the field. His state worried more than one agent and even though his friends tried to distract him, he only had you in mind. He constantly tried to ignore the horrible scenarios his mind made up about you being severely injured or worse. Scenarios where he loses you in the most painful way possible without having the time to confess properly. Reyna had tried to revive his appetite by cooking his favorite Mexican dish but he did not even look at the plate. Phoenix, Jett, Neon and Clove had tried to coax him with a new video game without much success. Breach tried to make him laugh with some dad jokes without much results. Even his radivore critters could not manage to lift his mood. And because of Gekko’s lack of reaction, Wingman, Dizzy, Thrash and Mosh became more and more depressed. They became almost inactive, staying in their globular form most of the time.

On the sixth day, Gekko was pitifully laid on his bed, holding the packet of snacks he had bought for you against his chest when he heard Neon speaking from behind the door.

“We have news ! According to Viper they’re coming back this evening !”

Gekko jumped from his bed, nearly stumbled on his feet and opened the door with precipitation. Neon jumped in surprise, a small spark of electricity dancing over her pigtails.

“This evening ?” Gekko gasped out. “For real ?”

His radivore critters became more lively behind him, Wingman jumping on his shoulder, Dizzy flying in circles around their head, Thrash floating around their feet and Mosh bouncing everywhere behind them. It was as if they suddenly came back to life.

“Yeah, for real !” Neon looked at him from head to toe and left out a saddened sigh. “Are you alright ?”

Gekko nervously ran his fingers through his lime-green hair and shot her an uncharacteristically tired smile.

“Me ? I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Perfecto. Why would I not be fine ?”

A nervous tic animated his face and his hands were slightly shaking.

“Gekko, you look like an amalanhig.”

“A what ?”

Neon shook her head and sigh. “A Filipino zombie-like creature.”

“I’m not a zombie.”

“Oh yeah ? That’s not what my eyes are telling me.” She stepped back a little to take a better look at him, gestured vaguely at him with a sigh then shook her head again. “Just look at you ! You were that worried, huh ?”

“I mean, yeah.” Gekko looked at his feet and rubbed his neck. “What if something happened ? What if I didn't have time to confess ?”

Neon hugged him tightly, patting his back with empathy. “We’re Valorant, you idiot. The best fighters of this freaking dimension.”

Gekko returned the hug with a long sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They stepped back from each other and Gekko frowned a little.

“Wait, why are they coming this evening and not right now ? The VLT/R can literally travel at the speed of light.”

“The team needs to have some rest first. They’re chilling in a hotel. Apparently the mission was pretty hardcore. Sage was literally screaming instructions on the comm earlier. I’ve never seen her like that before.”

The young initiator’s eyes widened in surprise at her words. The Chinese healer was usually so calm and collected that it was difficult to imagine her screaming or even losing control of her emotions.

“Man, I hope the team will come back okay.”

The simple fact that someone like Sage lost her cool gave him shivers through his spine. He wondered what happened during this mission to make Sage lose her usual calm and collected self but at the same time, he did not really want to know. All he hoped for was his friend's safety.

Well at least, with his mood lifted by the news of the team's arrival, his appetite came back to Reyna’s greatest joy. He ate as if to compensate for all the meals he missed. Harbor had forbidden him to train, saying that he needed some rest and Gekko did not complain. He played video games for a few hours before walking out of his room. He needed some fresh air, so he walked in the garden and he understood why you liked spending your time here. It was so peaceful and refreshing that he felt his soul healing even though it wasn't hurt in the first place. He let his critters roam around and enjoyed the soft fragrance of the different flowers. He pulled his earbuds out and started a playlist with some music you had recommended to him. And as Meddle About by Chase Atlantic played in his ears, Gekko sat down on the bench where you both spent the night together two weeks ago.

The wind made the plants whisper and the sun gently caressed his skin while his thoughts brought him back to two weeks ago, to your first non-mission related conversation. He found it funny how your relationship evolved, even though you were still quite mysterious to his eyes. Not surprising at all, you were Cypher’s protégé.

Despite the fact that you spent a lot of time in his room these days, he still knew so little about you. Most of the time, he was the one talking. He tried to ask questions about your life before you joined the protocol but you were pretty vague about it. He knew you took down a whole K-SEC facility and that was how Cypher knew about your existence and how the Valorant protocol took interest in you. He remembered how the duelists went crazy when they heard about someone taking an entire facility down all by themselves. Even Brimstone was impressed. He also remembered Iso saying he had a slight idea of who you were. Same for Fade. Iso was an assassin and Fade a Bounty Hunter. Maybe you were a famous name in the underground world. That would explain why the Chinese duelist and the Turkish initiator had heard about you before you joined Valorant. 

Cypher had been the one in charge to recruit you. Gekko remembered Sage saying that the sentinel had to travel a lot to get you and he kinda wondered why. It took Cypher a complete month to bring you to the Headquarters. Gekko remembered being so curious about the new agent that he hid behind a pillar with Jett, Neon, Clove and Phoenix as Deadlock gave you a tour of the base. You immediately noticed them and shot them a glacial glare that froze them to place. You made such a strong first impression that the young initiator had grown more curious about you. And that leads to his actual infatuation for you.

Gekko noticed the VLT/R in the sky flying back to the base and he understood that he spent an hour daydreaming on the bench. He now comprehended better why you liked staying here so often. The sun was slowly settling and the wind grew slightly colder. He stood up, gathered his critters in his cross-body bag and rushed back inside to his dorm to get the pack of snacks he bought for you a few days ago. He then hurried towards the hangar as the team climbed off the plane. He looked around and did not see you anywhere. He walked towards Iso and Yoru who were putting their gear away and asked them where he could find you.

“In the infirmary with Sage.” Iso simply replied.

Gekko’s eyebrows knotted in a frown. “The infirmary ? What happened ?”

“Everything’s fine.” Yoru rolled his eyes. “Your crush just went apeshit during the mission and got dragged in the infirmary right after we arrived by Sage. Must admit that it was kinda impressive. Scary even.”

Gekko noticed Iso’s tired eyes landing on the packet of snacks in his hands. The Chinese duelist lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Even though we stopped at that hotel for a quick sleep and shower, we’re still beat.” Yoru groaned. “Sage must be treating the injured ones.”

Gekko nodded, nervousness clenching his stomach. “Okay. Thanks, guys !” 

He ran towards the medbay, ignoring Viper’s complaints about him running in the corridors and barged in the infirmary to only find Sage storing some gauze in a cupboard.

“Gekko ?” Sage looked at him with eyes wide opened by surprise. “Is everything alright ?”

He looked around and found you nowhere. 

“Everything’s cool, Sage.” He sighed.

Sage let out a soft humming sound.

“I think you might find who you’re searching for in the dorm quarters.”

Gekko looked at her with so much gratitude that the Chinese healer felt as if she just saved his life. The young initiator then sprinted to the dormitories. He turned around a corridor and finally saw you as you were about to open the door of your room. He accelerated and screamed your callsign despite noticing your headphones on your ears. He stopped right in front of you and tried to catch his breath back, his hands on his knees. You finally noticed him and raised an eyebrow as you pulled down your headphones.

“Are you dying ?” You asked him and Gekko had never been so happy to hear one of your witty comments. “Seriously, you really have a habit of running uselessly in these damn corridors like a headless chicken.”

He straightened his back and took a better look at you. You looked slightly exhausted and the bandages on your arms caught his attention.

“Are you okay ?”

You stared blankly at him then let a deep sigh out of your lungs. “You’re the one who just ran through several corridors like a shattered soul lost into madness.”

Gekko took a step closer and gently grabbed your shoulder. “And you’re the one who just came back from an almost week long mission.” His hand gently squeezed your shoulder – as if to be sure you really were here – and he felt your breath hitching. “And you came back hurt.” 

He took a better look at your bandaged arms and his brows furrowed in worry. You put a soft hand over his and sighed again.

“I’m alive, Gekko. I’m still breathing, walking and soon relaxing.” 

“But your arms–”

“It’s fine.” You interrupted him. “Sage kidnapped me and applied some ointment on my arms before releasing me and goddamn this woman has strength !” 

Gekko was clearly not amused. He looked at you with an uncharacteristically heaviness in his eyes. His full body was leaning towards yours and his eyes were deeply sinking into yours with an unusual gravity.

“You should rest.” He said simply, his voice unusually deep.

Your eyes narrowed on him and you raised an eyebrow. “Well, you too. Your dark circles are worse than Fade’s and I did not think it was possible until now. Was sleeping an option ?”

Despite the sarcasm in your tone, he could hear the worry in your voice. He gently squeezed your shoulder again. He took a deep breath and raised his other hand to reveal the packet of snacks.

“I bought this for you.” 

Your eyes widened when you saw the colorful packaging of your favorite snacks and you looked at him with surprise. You leaned back against your door and he took a step further towards you.

“How did you know I love these ?” You asked. “And why did you buy them ?”

He smiled gently, his warm brown eyes still anchored into yours. “You told me you loved them the other day and you got me curious. So, I wanted to taste them.”

“Oh. So you liked these ?” Your eyebrows raised slightly as you asked but Gekko shook his head.

“I haven't tasted them yet. I wanted to taste them with you.”

“With me ?”

He nodded and his eyes were still sunk into yours. You took a deep breath and mumbled an ‘okay’ with an indescribable stare and opened the door of your dorm room. It was the first time you invited him inside. He now had before him a new aspect of you. His eyes traveled to the decorations ; the different posters on your walls, the impressive collection of books on your shelves and the comfy-looking armchair and bean bags beside it, the different arts supplies on your desk, the cute little charms and goodies on your computer.

Gekko took a seat on your bed and kept looking around. “Damn ! Your room’s so cool !”

“I already know that, but thanks.”

He chuckled and observed you taking off your shoes and your jacket. He patted the space beside him and you joined him. You looked at him and tilted your head slightly.

“When did you buy these ? It’s not the day of errands.”

Gekko opened the packet and a sweet smell caressed his nose. “The other day with Jett and Neon. When I came back, you were gone for this mission.” His hand dived into the packet to take one snack and handed it to you before taking one for himself. 

“Oh. But you could have eaten these until now.” You bit into the snack and a soft smile appeared on your lips when the taste danced on your tongue, your eyes closing in delight.

Gekko’s pupils dilated when he saw you smiling. “True. I could’ve. But I already told you : I wanted to taste them with you.” He took one bite. “Snacks taste better when you eat them with someone.”

‘Someone you love’, he wanted to say. Gekko’s eyes were stuck on your smiling face. It was the first time he saw your smile and it made him feel so giddy inside. And damn these snacks were good. They tasted like heaven. Gekko quickly took another one and his throat let out a noise of satisfaction.

“I don’t understand.” He heard you muttering. “Why are you like this ?”

Gekko paused, then looked at you. “What do you mean ?” He frowned when he noticed your lost expression. “Did I do something wrong ?”

Your fingers were clenched on your lap and your shoulders were tense. “You’re always like this with me. You try to include me every time in the base activities, you stay with me when I’m alone, you always tell me these cool things, you remember my existence every time, you always run across the whole base like a lost and wheezing puppy to see me and now…you just bought my favorite snacks to share with me. Why ?”

Gekko blinked and stared at you with a dumbfounded expression. “Because you’re my fr–”

“Don’t you dare give me your ‘power of friendship’ bullshit !” You interrupted him. “What do you want from me ? You could spend your time with your friends yet you chose to stay with me. And you always act so sweetly towards me and…and…your eyes are always looking at me with something that I can’t fathom !” You took a deep breath. “How do you make me feel these things that I don’t understand ?”

Saying that Gekko’s eyes were wide open would be a great euphemism. If they could pop out to roll on the floor like two marbles, they would. And after a moment of silence, he let out a booming laugh that shook the entirety of his body. Gekko thought that it was his nerves finally breaking because of the lack of sleep. Or maybe that big sensation of joy that was energizing his whole body at your words. He wanted to jump everywhere, to hold you tight and to make you spin. But after seeing your offended stare, he knew it was a bad idea.

He calmed down a little, a smile still illuminating his face, and kneeled down before you, grabbing your hand in his. “How do you feel when I do this ?”

He could not help but find you adorable when he saw your eyes widening. He rarely saw your face being so expressive. He was now certain that you felt something for him, even though you seemed quite oblivious of your own feelings.

“Gekko, are you on drugs ?” 

The randomness of your question made him crack a chuckle. He hid his face in the palm of your hand and chuckled a little, peeking at you through your fingers. “No. Why’re you asking ?”

“Your pupils are fucking dilated.” You frowned a little.

His smile widened against your palm. “So are yours.”

Gekko rarely felt so giddy. It was maybe because of the skin-to-skin contact and the fact that he had your complete attention but his stomach felt so jumpy and his heart had never been so loud. His breath was slightly shaky and his eyes sparkled with joy.

“So, how do you feel ?” He asked again.

“I…” Your frown deepened and Gekko felt your fingers twitching slightly on his face. “Are you trying to bully me ?”

Gekko gently shook his head and planted a soft kiss on your palm. “No, cariño.” He said softly. “I just want to be sure we’re on the same page. How are you feeling ?”

He felt your breath hitching and you suddenly started to avoid his gaze. “My legs feel weak, my heart is beating faster than a cheetah on cocaine and my brain is not braining anymore.” You whined and withdrew your hand from his soft touch. “What did you do to me ? Whatever it is, stop it !”

Gekko chuckled with fondness. He sat back next to you on the bed and gently grabbed your shoulder. “I didn't do anything.”

“Liar !”

He gently squeezed your shoulders and he felt you shivering. “I didn't do anything, I swear ! I feel the same way about you !”

He felt you freeze at his words. Even your breathing stopped. Once again, he wondered what happened in your mind. Did he mess things up ? Did he break his chance beyond repair ? Your sudden lack of reaction terrified him. He was about to call you when suddenly, Wingman jumped out of his cross-body bag to hug your face tightly, a few joyful gurgles escaping him.

“What the–”

You jumped on your feet and took the radivore in your hands.

“What the matter, you crazy Haribo ?” You asked. 

Wingman let another few excited gurgles out, his movements energetics and almost exasperated. 

Gekko suddenly stood on his feet and took the radivores from your hands. “¡Se lo iba a decir!” He whisper-shouted to the small critter. “There was no need to interrupt us.”

Wingman let out a few chirped noises, raising his hands to heaven like an exasperated friend. The small creature massaged its temples and uttered a sigh. You observed the small interaction with a raised eyebrow. The amount of disappointment radiating from Wingman almost made you lower your eyes. From your point of view, it seemed like Wingman was scolding Gekko.

“I’m not a coward !” 

You cleared your throat, interrupting the small interaction. They both looked at you.

“What's happening ?” You observed with stupefaction Wingman performing an acrobatic jump to smack the back of Gekko’s head.

“Ouch !”

He then went back into the cross-body bag, waving at you in the process. You stared into Gekko’s eyes with a lost and dumbfounded expression.

“What just happened ?” 

Gekko cleared his throat and took your hand. “Let’s forget about that, yeah ?” He guided you towards your bed and sat you down. He then sat down next to you and grabbed your shoulders again, leaning towards you. “I’m about to do something that might be uncomfortable for you. Don’t hesitate to push me if I’m going too far.”

He leaned a bit more, testing the water. He saw you frowning a little, silently asking him what he was doing. His hands slid from your shoulders to cup your face.

“Don’t hesitate to push me if I’m going too far.” He repeated.

You just stared at him. He leaned a bit further, looking into your eyes and finally pressed a soft, gentle and loving kiss on the lips he’s been fantasizing for weeks. He felt you jump a little in surprise and lean back faintly. Your eyes were slightly unfocused.

“I…am pretty sure friends aren’t supposed to do that.” You whispered.

Gekko’s eyes were smiling while his thumb was caressing your lower lip. “You didn't push me.” He leaned further again. “Did you like it ?”

“I think we’re both tired.” You sighed and the smile in his eyes faltered.

“You don’t love me ?”

“Love ?”

Now that was interesting. You’ve never seemed so lost. And Gekko had never seen your eyes so wide open. The amount of shock and surprise in your eyes was a truly rare sight. You grabbed Gekko’s wrists to push his hands off your face.

“Well, yeah.” He nervously rubbed his neck. “That’s what we’ve been telling each other earlier, right ?”

“What ?”

“The sensations you described to me. I’ve been experiencing the same kind of thing for a while now. And I’m in love with you.”

“Oh.” You answer simply, nodding slowly. You stared blankly at him and your eyebrows started to furrow. “Oh !” The information sank slowly into your brain as the furrow of your brows faded into a raise. “Holy shit !”

‘Love is more meaningful when it is naked.’

You now understood what Cypher meant a few days ago. And as your hands landed over your mouth in shock, you took a better look at Gekko. Despite the fatigue on his face, you found him handsome. The bags under his eyes did not manage to diminish the lively sparks in his gaze, the nervousness of his current made him adorable. And those soft and generous lips sweetened by the snacks…

“Shit.” You muttered. You blinked and started to massage your temples. “Shit shit shit shit shit.”

“Hey, you okay ?”

“My brain chemistry failed me ?” You gasped.

It was now Gekko’s turn to seem lost. “What ?”

“How could I be in love with you ? I don’t even know your name !”

“Mateo.” He said simply.

“I didn't ask !” You whined.

He let out an amused chuckle. Once again, he found you adorable and funny at the same time.

“But I thought we both were sick and I was about to propose we go see Sage together !”

Gekko uttered a booming laugh and let his back fall on your mattress, his body quivering. “Man, you really are something else !” 

You looked at him with fatigue. You were both tired, and your nerves were cracking. You let yourself fall next to him. You let out the most tired sigh you’ve ever uttered and hide your face behind your hands. Gekko’s laugh calmed down and you felt him turning towards you. You let out another tired sigh. You now had an explanation for these strange body reactions each time you and Gekko were close. You now knew why you thought so much about him during that damn mission, wishing to feel his warm hands squeezing your shoulders each day. How you craved his presence. You were in love with him.

You never thought it would happen to you.

You’ve been through so much and were alone until Cypher found you. You did not despise that loneliness, it was a comforting one. And even when you arrived at the base, you tried to seek that comfort again but Cypher never allowed you. He introduced you to Iso, saying that you would get along well and he was right. Iso was like an older brother for you now and you found yourself liking to think that he saw you as a sibling as well. And through Iso you got to know Deadlock better and discovered you both shared an interest in novels. You thought having these two with you was more than enough. Then how the heck did Gekko and his fling of funny colorful creatures manage to slither in your cocoon ? How did he manage to make you crave for his presence ? How did he manage to make you fall for him ?

The idea of falling in love never ever crossed your mind. It never happened to you, so why now ?

“So, what now ?” 

You heard him propping himself on one elbow and felt his eyes on you. “I wanted to ask you out. I want us to be a couple.” 

You lower your hands from your face and look up at him. You bit nervously your lower lip. You wanted to hide yourself, to run away. But you were tired. And you internally facepalmed yourself when you thought about Cypher’s cameras in the corridors outside your room. He certainly already knew Gekko was in your room. You knew that he would ask you in the morning what happened between you two around a cup of tea and a game of chess. But for now, you wanted to be honest with Gekko.

“I don’t know how to do these kinds of things. How to be a couple.”

If Cypher heard you, he would have been proud of your achievement.

He smiled fondly at you and took your hand. “Figured. But that’s okay. We can take our time. And I can teach you.” He planted a soft kiss on your palm. “But do you want me as your boyfriend ?”

Your eyes widened and your stomach fluttered. Embarrassed, you tried to turn your face away but Gekko caught your chin to prevent you from doing so. 

You cleared your throat and grabbed his wrist. “I want to try. But you’ll have to be patient with me.”

The smile Gekko shot at you could possibly make you blind. He gently squeezed your hand in his. Your stomach fluttered again and your heart shivered. 

“You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

“Gekko, your smile is literally blinding me.”

His smile widened and his eyes softened when you yawned. Of course, you just came back from a tiring mission, and he barely slept during the week. Gekko laid his head next to yours. He was radiating happiness. Despite being tired, you literally felt that he wanted to jump in excitement.

“Can I stay here with you ?” 

You turned your face towards his, your noses now touching. 

“Are you taking advantage of my tired state ?” You raised an eyebrow.

Now look at him throwing you that boyish smile of his. Wasn't he charming ? Happiness was radiating from him.

“Totally.” He playfully wiggled his eyebrows. “I dreamed of this for weeks, you know. Plus, you owe me that. I was so worried about you that I barely slept these past few days."

Now you were certain that Cypher would definitely make you spill the tea in the morning. He had to be so amused right now, watching his screens and wondering what is happening inside your room. And as Gekko closed his eyes, you thought that maybe you were unconscious in the middle of the mission and that you were dreaming. You were back in the base after a hard week, you now knew that you had feelings for Gekko – shared feelings – and now you were sharing your bed with him. It felt like a fever dream. You hardly believed it.

I'm not really satisfied with ending...again. ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

But that's fine. I'm learning. <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>

Anecdote : the proverb said by Cypher was also said to me by my friend's father. This man had a thing with proverbs and likes to write them in a cute little notebook with cute little annotations. He also like sharing them and it helped me a lot during certain events of my life.

Anecdote 2 : I wrote this part while listening Meddle About by Chase Atlantic.

Will I post a third part ? No idea. My brain and my will are two different forces that rarely meddle with each other's paths.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish you a lovely day/evening/night.

[emry-stars-art]

Just read the whole 'how Andreil pans out' ask and all I'm saying is that I love the idea of Andrew Courting Abram and Abram just absolutely misses that it's what is happening. Part of it is just a cultural difference, Evermore and Palmetto have different courting cultures perhaps?

Another part is that Andrew really does not act all THAT different. He's giving Abram gifts but like Andrew is always giving Abram stuff? It's not new? Yeah they had dinner together but that's just like what they......do?

Another another part is just Abram not even considering himself as someone worthy to be with Prince Andrew like that. He wasn't worthy before and after Evermore and everything I could imagine he feels even less like a person let alone a person who deserves Andrew's positive regard.

IDK I just love the idea of Abram at some point like 6 months into Andrew trying to court him seeing that behavior somewhere else, being told that's how nobility in Palmetto court others, and going to Andrew like "Have you, perchance, been trying to court me?"

Andrew setting his glass aside and looking up from where he's seated, "For 6 moons Abram, glad you've finally noticed." - @jtl-fics

jtl I. Wish. You could have seen my face as I read this, this is so hilarious and heartbreaking and lovely all in one and I’m in LOVE okay i love this so much. And we can totally make it work ahhhhh

Like yes! Yeah! Andrew’s already a gift giver, it’s just what he does as far as Abram’s concerned, and they spend so much time together that dinner isn’t strange those are perfect points. Like to the court it’s starting to become obvious - maybe in the kinds of gifts Andrew gives, or some other small things that are new, yes, but Abram has always taken these things in stride and usually his lack of judgement when Andrew tries new things or changes in little ways is a huge relief but not this time Abram PLEASE

Finally Andrew just bites the bullet and goes for a gesture that’s way more out of character and harder to mistake, which might look something like this (and thank you @leedee013 for tags about them giving each other flowers that I LOVED):

And Abram can’t really form his thoughts into words because like you said; he doesn’t think he should be allowed something like that, there’s no way he’s ever EVER going to assume that Andrew is trying to confess or clue him in to a courting like this, even if it’s in his head now

But then Lady Reynolds sees Abram later heading back to the castle/wherever he stays carrying this bouquet of carnations (fascination), narcissus (honesty/truth) and acacia (hidden love) (let’s not look too closely into these flower meanings lol, i picked the first ones I found and I’ll field all further questions with ‘artistic liberty’ 🫶) and they’re pretty close friends by now so she’s immediately like “oh my GODS Abram who gave that to you”

And Abram quietly says “the prince”

And Allison’s won like three separate bets between various other people of the court and she’s elated

But maybe she takes pity on him when she realizes exactly how clueless Abram is, so she does her best to explain everything and finally, Abram begins to allow the possibility that maybe Andrew is doing all this on purpose. But he would really rather like to be certain.

And of course I had to draw your little exchange but I did it from memory so apologies for the changes in dialogue but I love it:

ANYWAY from there, when it’s cleared up, it’s just them being dumb and sweet and grasping at straws for how to be in love and natural about it (because they’re both very private people and a good number of average/expected acts of courtship aren’t necessarily in their wheelhouse) 😭🥹 and not to add yet more hurt/comfort but Andrew is so so determined to figure out a way to assure and reassure Abram that he knows what he’s doing, yes Abram is worth it, yes he’s doing these things because he wants to. If he didn’t want to he wouldn’t be doing it in the first place. And I’ll bring it back around by using my previously mentioned artistic liberty to say that yes Prince Andrew loves having his hands held/kissed (just by Abram naturally) and Abram figures this out and absolutely uses it against him. They love each other your honor

Okay anyway thank you for the ask, I’m SO lucky to have such brilliant people in my inbox 🥰

[deandoesthingstome]

Walk with Me - Ch 6

Pairing: FBI Agent!Syverson x OFC, Drug Czar!August Walker x OFC

Chapter Summary: Dinner with Francesca and August; plans are revealed.

Chapter Warnings: Light dom/sub behavior, drinking, oral sex (m receiving), implied unprotected p in v sex, fingering, anal sex, implied torture.

Word Count: 3.6K 

Masterlist: For full series Summary and Warnings

Spotify Playlist: The last three songs (16-18) now belong to this chapter.

Francesca

I knew August was looking for information. He was more agitated than usual and it was apparent he had an idea now that someone had infiltrated his organization. He began to call on me at the most inopportune moments, and I couldn’t tell if he was hoping or not to catch me in a lie. I did hear him trying desperately to convince Mateo his misgivings about me were wrong. I needed to put a stop to any hint of Sy sniffing around, if only to help prove Matteo wrong. August asked about the FBI when we had dinner at his home one evening.

“I’m glad you were able to get free tonight for me, Francesca.”

“August, you know I always come when you call. I’ve had to shuffle a few things around at the gym lately, and they’re starting to get annoyed, but I guess I can always find another studio if I have to.” I took a sip of the wine August had chosen to pair with our meal, tipping my tongue out to catch a small drop of red, drawing his eyes to my lips.

“You know I don’t mean to cause any hardship for you. I wouldn't want to take you away from anywhere else you’d rather be.”

“Now, where else would I rather be, baby, besides right here with you when you want me?”

“Heard from that old ex of yours lately?” August asked, keeping an even voice and betraying with a raised eyebrow only a small hint of the jealousy that I could sense was bubbling beneath the surface.

“Is that where you think I’d rather be? August, you wound me.”

“Francesca. Have you seen him again since he first contacted you?” It was clear August suspected, but I didn’t think he really knew anything. Not now that he’d discovered the guard he had on me had been less than observant on probably more than one occasion. I gave him an answer that I could tell shocked him.

“Yes.” 

August waited for me to elaborate and I continued almost immediately with barely a hesitation.

“He came by the gym one day. My class was canceled and I was on my way out. He invited me to dinner.” I paused then, and gauged his reaction. I wondered if he could feel me doing so. “I declined, if you care to know.”

“There’s no need to be a brat about it. What night was this?” he asked me.

“It was a day, August. Middle of the day.” When I told him what day it was, he clenched his jaw. “You can call the gym, check the logs. He showed up, worked out, chatted me up, and then I left before him.”

“Alright, but was there a night you didn’t spend at home?”

“Why do you think I spent any night away from the apartment?”

“Maybe you should just answer my questions without any more sass. Or are you looking for something tonight?”

I stared defiantly back at him, because I was. I could see him getting turned on and imagined his dick was probably already hard. It shouldn’t turn him on to have me so disagreeable, but it did. He narrowed his eyes, tilted his head, and waited for my answer. I think it hurt his feelings that I simply carried on with my explanation rather than admitting what I wanted from him.

“The electricity went out in my building one night. I called a friend to see if I could stay over. It was incredibly hot that day and I was never going to be able to sleep without AC. She picked me up and it wasn’t until I got back the next morning that I realized I’d forgotten my phone.”

And then I picked right back up with my insolence.

“But I noticed there were no missed calls or messages from you anyway.” I took another drink, with a devilish smirk on my lips.

“Get up,” he growled at me.

“But I’m not done eating, August.”

“You are. Get up. Now.” August watched as I shoved my chair back and stood. “Now if you want something else to fill that bratty little mouth of yours, why don’t you crawl on over here?”

I saw the pleasure on his face as I sank to my knees before placing my hands on the plush rug beneath the dining table and slowly made my way to him, eyes connected to him the entire time. He turned his seat to face me.

“I am still hungry,” I purred when I reached his lap. “What else did you put on the menu tonight?”

August leaned back in his chair and spread his legs wide as he rested one arm on the table beside him and smoothed the other down his inner thigh.

“Is this one of those meals I have to prepare myself?” I dared to tease and I could see through his pants the way August got even harder as I continued to dish out the attitude.

“It’s practically ready now. You just have to take it out.”

I reached up to unzip his trousers then slipped a hand through the opening of his silk boxer shorts and licked my lips at the sight.

“I have to warn you, I’m particularly ravenous tonight,” I smiled up at him as he drew his hand to my head and pulled me closer.

“It’s a good thing this is all for you then.” 

August pulled my head down and closed his eyes as he struggled not to thrust his hips when my mouth wrapped around him. He simply guided me lower and when I opened for him, the look on his face betrayed the way he relished the feel of the back of my throat and the way I gagged while trying to swallow my saliva around his dick. I looked up at him and he opened his eyes to watch the tears of pleasure spill down my face. I never shied away from choking on his dick and I held my own as he began to bob my head in earnest. I kept my mouth wide open when he finally drew me away from his lap just before he grabbed a hold of his own cock to finish himself. He loved watching his seed drip down my face. I knew it made it so much easier for him to get hard again, especially when I swiped my fingers through his spend and wrapped my lips around them to suck them clean.

In the post orgasmic haze after he’d taken me to bed and defiled me a few more ways, he sat up to ask me a question and I noticed he watched my reaction carefully.

“We’re going on another trip, you and I. We’ll return separately this time. I have something I need to bring into the country and I want you to carry it for me. Will you do that for me?”

With some hesitancy, I agreed. I hoped August would take it as a sign that Matteo was nothing but wrong about me. I needed him to feel I was truly and deeply his and that I was only just now beginning to understand that the club wasn’t his only business. 

I was late to the rendezvous back in the States, but I did arrive with all the cargo still intact. After apologizing profusely, I stayed quiet and demure, presenting an obvious change from my behavior at previous meetings when he didn’t think I had a clue what business was going down. Now I remained meek and a little wide-eyed as I watched him complete his business transaction, trading a portion of the drugs for a few large duffles of cash. 

Later in bed, I broached an earlier subject with what was obviously surprising new information for him.

“August, I have to tell you something,” I said, drawing circles over his chest with my fingertips.

“What is it, love?” 

“I’m worried about you.”

“Worried how?”

“Is what we did this time what you do all the time? Is that what taking care of business is for you?”

“Are you having a hard time calling it what it is, Francesca? Did you think I only bought the drugs you and I used together?”

I sat up to face him. “I always wondered, but I didn’t know until now. And it worries me. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“What trouble would I get into? Are you worried about your FBI friend?”

“August, he’s not my friend anymore. Please you have to believe me. But it does worry me. You said there was nothing to worry about, that he had nothing on you. But we’ve just moved a shit ton of illegal drugs into the country. That doesn’t feel like nothing to me.”

“Everything is under control, Francesca. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I have plans to get out of that business.”

“Sooner or later?”

“What is with all these questions?”

“It’s just…okay, look. Please don’t be mad. I don’t want you to think I’ve been taking advantage of you. This really did just happen.”

August sat up now himself, as if he was suddenly concerned about the direction this conversation was headed.

“What really just happened, Francesca?”

“It’s honestly perfect timing. It means we could leave here now, leave everything behind and never look back. I have a house now, in Europe, that no one knows about. And enough in a trust fund to keep us set for the rest of our lives together.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” August was becoming agitated. This was new information and I could tell it concerned him that he didn’t know it was a possibility that I wasn’t the down-on-her-luck struggling yoga instructor he thought I was. He must be wondering who had dropped the ball on my background search.

“August, I love you. I don’t want to see you get into trouble. I want us to be together and I don’t think it’s safe here for you any longer. Give the club to someone else and walk away with me.”

August

August was now convinced Francesca wasn’t a threat to him, and he wanted the same to be true for the rest of his team, but someone was talking out of school and he needed to find out who. August and Mateo conferred in quiet corners and behind closed doors. Assignments were given to test loyalties, background checks run again to see if any conflicting information would appear. 

Mateo was still not convinced about Francesca, especially knowing she had connections no one uncovered before and he told August it was for the best that he didn’t loosen her security detail. August continued to put her off, every time she brought up getting out of the business and hoped he could eventually convince her to let that go. A second home in Europe would be most welcome, but he was never gonna give up his life and run away. 

A couple weeks later, after even more new information had turned up, August finally had what he needed. He knew who was spying and he knew how he wanted to take care of it. No one would ever expect they’d be taken to Paris to be exposed and taught the ultimate lesson. 

He had Francesca packed and ready to go when security arrived to drive them to the airport. It was a quiet flight, even if August did give in let her suck him off in the first class cabin. He really did have such a hard time denying her when she got down on her knees for him. The pout on her face when he wouldn’t let her climb onto his lap might have broken a weaker man.

When they arrived at the hotel, he watched Francesca unpack as he always did. He loved to watch the surprise on her face each time she pulled a new item from the bag and she was always eager to put his choices on display for him. His impeccable taste never failed him; every last article of clothing and accessories complimented her body in a way he imagined she had never felt before. It was as if the act of choosing her attire was the first stage of foreplay August used when he made love to her. If his fingers couldn’t caress her, the fabric and material would, molding to her body and holding her firm.

He spent the afternoon ravishing Francesca in bed, chasing every high he could get as if it might be the last. He tasted every inch of her body, nipping and tonguing along the curves and lines, dipping into the valleys. He held her down, wrists above her head, strong legs spreading her wide while he worked his fingers deep into her, stretching and stroking and smoothing and coaxing early waves of pleasure from her.

August swallowed her gasps of pleasure and howls for more, his lips crushing hers while his tongue slid in deep beside hers. He flipped her over and hauled her ass into the air, kneading and squeezing and groping as he bent low and pressed his tongue along her slit, tasting all the slick she’d made just for him.

He knew it was for him by the way she cried his name, begged him to relieve her, and pleaded for a final release. She was a mess and he still wasn’t done. With his cock deep in her drenched pussy, he popped his thumb in his mouth and licked some saliva on it so when he pressed it against her tight pucker it slipped in with ease. Francesca backed right into it with no hesitation and he knew he’d be able to get all the way in again tonight. She was absolutely ready and wanting that.

He took some time lubing and loosening her up. He had three fingers in with his cock still pumping and she wasn’t showing any signs of wanting him to stop. When August finally pushed the tip in, he could feel the way she drew him in. God, how she wanted to be fucked in the ass.

He did that for her, or so he told himself. He couldn’t quite admit that even if she hadn’t wanted it tonight, he may have taken her this way sooner or later. It was what gave him the ultimate orgasm and it was only a bonus that she loved it, too. August thought about how it might have been fun to add a man to their bed so she could choke on a dick while getting railed from behind, in either hole. 

Once they were cleaned up and dressed, August ushered Francesca down to the hotel lobby to meet Mateo for the drive to the club.

“August, baby. This isn’t the way to the club,” Francesca commented, glancing out the window.

“And how would you know the way to the club, darling? We’ve never been here together before.” He watched her closely, scanned her face and body for any twitch, any shiver, any tell. As always, he found nothing.

“The GPS says,” she answered, pulling her hand up from beside her and showing him the mapping app that was clearly flashing to recalculate a route. “I always love to see directions. It helps me get used to the city. God, I hope we come back here someday. I always wanted to see Paris. Now that we’re here, I never want to leave.” 

Francesca turned back to peer out the window again and August watched her marvel at the lights and buildings around them. For all her sharp edges, August always found the wonder in her eyes endearing. Though he did find it odd when he realized she had most likely spent time in Europe, though she acted as if everything was brand new each time. When they pulled up to the warehouse, he restrained a small smirk when she commented that it didn’t look like the kind of club that suited her dress. 

That was her way of saying the spot looked haggard and run down and maybe a little beneath them. And of course it was. It was a warehouse. It was most definitely not a club.

August let her enter first, door held like a gentleman before he turned the handle over to Mateo and entered himself. He didn’t bother hiding the lick of his lips as he watched her ass in the tight dress strut forward in front of him. He could tell she was still horny from the afternoon.

August caught her as she stumbled back into him, seemingly to escape the sight in front of her.

“August, what is this?” He could hear her voice break when she asked the question.

“What does it look like darling?” he answered. Something in her answer would hopefully convince Mateo he had been wrong when he pointed a finger at her. August felt differently, partly due to his previous conversations with her and partly due to the very little actual evidence Mateo presented to make his case. August countered with the more obvious details that pointed to the man in the chair. 

“August, you said I had nothing to worry about with you. You said…” she leaned into him, and August thought he detected at least a hint of terror. It would be the first time she’d broken like this before him, though he was sure she barely knew this man sitting before her, beaten unconscious. Will Shaw had hardly ever been around when she was. Maybe a few nights at the club, but always on the periphery.  She didn’t know him, she could only see the state he was in, probably barely hanging on. Of course she’d flinch. This wasn’t the first time he was showing her his hand, but it was a doozy.

“August, please. Did you know what was happening here? You have to help him. You can’t let him die. If you help him, that’ll count for something,” Frankie pleaded with him. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to hurt people.”

“Francesca, you’re a very smart and resourceful woman. I’ve grown extremely fond of you. I want you with me, but you do need to know there is a dark side you haven’t seen yet. Sometimes, people work against me. Sometimes, they are looking out for themselves, trying to take from me more than they deserve. Sometimes, they have a sinister motive. Maybe they want to take my business, run me out of the game.” August walked Francesca cautiously towards Will, keeping a firm grip on her arms. “And sometimes, they want to hurt me. Sometimes they think they have the right to keep me from the work I was destined to do and they try to get me in trouble. Will here was trying to get me into trouble.”

August spun Francesca to face him, searching her eyes for understanding. 

“Francesca, do you think it’s right for someone to pretend to be someone they aren’t? And then to use that subterfuge to ingratiate themselves into my life so they could try to find unflattering details about my work?”

August watched Francesca blink and saw her pupils dilate. The way her iris had let the black overtake it told him what he needed to know: she was scared. It was good enough for him.

“Nnn..no, August,” she stammered. “But he’s really hurt. Lemme help him.”

August wasn’t prepared for the way she twisted from his grip, so she was on her knees next to Will before he had a chance to take hold of her again. He watched her touch him tentatively, perhaps checking for a pulse as she pushed his watch out of the way and set her fingers on his wrist. She set a hand on the back of his neck and tilted his head back as she pulled his eyelids gently open to check for any reaction. The way her shoulders relaxed told August Will was still alive.

“Anything you think you can do for him? It’s of no use. Francesca, this is something you need to get comfortable with. I will not allow someone to hurt me. Do you understand?”

Syverson

Frankie had been out of pocket and unreachable for weeks now. Syverson knew every move she made, along with August Walker, but the fact that she wouldn’t answer his calls or texts, even on the burner phone number he’d been given made him nervous. Or perhaps frustrated was a better word for it.

He continued to liaise with Director Marshall, usually through Ramos, and continued stacking evidence against Walker even though there was nothing he could do about it for now. His superiors weren’t happy about the fact that another agency was blocking his case, but pressure from even higher up forced them to accept the stalled state of the investigation. 

He spent days in surveillance locations and nights thinking about Frankie in his bed. He had to keep reliving those moments to fend off the visuals of her and August together. What he wouldn’t give to have her next to him again, begging for his touch.

He had signed off on the joint agency paperwork that would allow Frankie back into the country with the dope August was peddling, but he hated how much deeper she was getting with August. She was now openly transporting for him which meant August was placing his trust in her even more than before. 

Taglists

He also wanted to trust she knew what she was doing, but he feared for her safety, no matter how good of an agent she was. Victoria continued to assure him that Walter had everything under control, but he only wanted to hear it from Frankie’s mouth directly. Apparently, until the CIA was done with their case, that was never gonna happen.

Chapter 7

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[armoreddragon]

how did you first get into making this stuff? do you enjoy it?

There's a lot of possible answers here.

For a couple years after college, I worked at a laser engraving and cutting shop. Leather was a material we knew we could cut, but nobody ever asked for it, so I looked up some basic info and put together some masks as demo pieces. Then I got fired for unrelated reasons, but decided to keep going with the masks on my own. A decade later, I’m still going.

I've always enjoyed making things. The focused calm of working a craft, the challenge of finding the problems that need solving, followed by the satisfaction of holding in your hands something that hadn't exited before. It’s hard to beat that feeling. If you haven’t done it for a while, I highly recommend making a habit of it.

Sometime in college I realized that if I kept making things just for myself, I would eventually run out of both space in my closet and money in my bank account. So I took the best photos I could of what I had, and started posting it up on Etsy.

In high school ceramics class, I had an idea to try and make a flexible dragon skin out of little bits of clay, all glazed differently. I had no idea how to do this. A friend of mine was like "Yo it sounds like you want to look up how to make chainmail for that." She was right.

I work in architecture by day, and the decision to do that was unrelated but definitely related to my crafting obsession. Designing a kitchen, a café, a house, takes months or years of work, most of which is tedious details like picking tile patterns or looking up exactly what order to layer different sealant tapes to make sure the walls are watertight. Designing a crafting project gives me a creative outlet that is immediate. I can sit down for an afternoon and take an idea from a sketch on trace paper, to a final mask formed up out of leather. There's an excitement to that. A reminder that, yes, I can make cool stuff quickly, without needing to sink two years into a project.

For a while I worked to teach myself to draw. I managed to get pretty decent at sketching from life, with a moderate understanding of anatomy and perspective. I liked art, so I thought I wanted to make art. But I struggled with it. If I was drawing something from my imagination, no matter how well I managed to put the lines down on the paper, I would ultimately look at it and just be sad that it didn't exist in the real world. So eventually I gave up on the drawing part, and focused on the part I seemed to actually care about.

I can't envision a version of myself that doesn't make things. I think on some fundamental level, I measure my worth as a person based on what I put forth into the world. I don't know what else to do.

When you decide to turn a hobby into a business, it of course takes some of the delight away. It's no longer something you do when you want to relax and have some fun. It becomes an obligation, to make and ship orders on time, to pack up your stuff and bring it to craft fairs, to track your expenses and file your taxes, to stay on top of the constantly changing social media landscape. But it also lights a fire under your ass. You can't just keep making the same thing you made three years ago–you have to keep making new stuff, keep improving your techniques, keep reaching for new ideas that have never been made before. You lose some of the joy, but you gain a lot of satisfaction.

All through my childhood I filled my closet with little handicrafts kits, that I got as gifts or that caught my eye when following my dad to the art store. Calligraphy, wood carving, weaving looms, boondoggles, spirographs, knitting, crochet, fancy nautical knots, sculpey, and more that I can't remember. After all those different things, I’m so glad that I found a couple specific crafts that really grabbed me, that take enough work to develop expertise, that have expansive enough applications and possibilities, that I could devote a decade or more of my time to focusing on them.

I’d been interested in the furry fandom ever since little fantasy reading teenager me tried looking for stories where the dragons were the main characters, and I found people online who were doing just that. There’s a powerful do-it-yourself attitude that’s baked into the core of the fandom: The world isn’t giving us the art that we want, so we’re going to make it ourselves. I keep having ideas for things that I want, that don’t exist yet. If I want them to exist, I have to be the one to make them.

My dad was a photographer, and I spent many childhood afternoons with him in his darkroom in the basement, delightedly washing negatives, turning them gently over in their canisters of chemicals, sitting still in the dark as Dad unspooled the sensitive film, squinting in the red light as the projected images magically re-emerged on the clean white paper. What could be more amazing, more normal, more right, than having your own little space to work such magic for yourself.

In about 2008 or 9 I ordered my first batch of metal scales, with the idea of trying to make a dragon tail in time for Halloween. It took probably a couple weeks to figure out how to make it, and within a week I had thought of how to do it better and disassembled the entire thing. By the 3rd or 4th time I'd rebuilt it, I thought that it was probably good enough that I wouldn't feel embarrassed to post it online and see if someone might want to buy it.

Of course I love working on these things I make. But I don't think that's exactly why I make them.

[bornofchalk]

the year's first dream

The start of a new year, and perhaps the start of something new.

xiao x gn reader

words: 884

warnings: fluff, first kiss (feel free to suggest any warnings!)

author's note: this is embarrassingly late because the idea to write this only popped into my head minutes before the new year arrived, but i couldn't not write it! this is longer than what i usually write because i love xiao i gave in to the longwinded tendencies! i tried to take a more optimistic approach this time so i hope this is not ooc ;;

⠀

when you call xiao's name a quarter to midnight and your wait stretches from a couple of seconds to a handful, you forgo the quiet ticking of the hands of your watch for the beat of your pounding heart. your ears thank you for it.

there's no hiding the flinch that runs through your body when he finally does appear a few heartbeats later, materializing among familiar wisps of black and teal. in resisting the urge to check your watch one last time, you present the almond tofu that you have been holding to him, ignoring the way the pads of your fingers have gone cold against the chilled plate.

except xiao is not looking at you, but instead inspecting the surroundings for danger with a few quick sweeps of his gaze, danger that you know does not exist. do you really seem that nervous?

"what is it?"

"i wanted to see you," you don't say.

you swallow around the lump in your throat and hold the plate out a little farther, exhale a second longer as he receives it with a slight dip of his head.

"i made it this time," you say hesitantly. you think there might be a pause in the chewing of his first bite, but if there was one, it was a mere fraction of a heartbeat.

"it's not bad."

his tone gives away nothing, but there is a squeeze of something warm in your chest, and you manage a smile at the compliment. "i'm glad."

there is something graceful about even the way he eats, a simple smoothness to the retrieval and delivery of each spoonful. the cut of the dessert in no way rivals that of an experienced chef, but xiao seems to savor it all the same. you watch as he licks away a morsel from the corner of his mouth. you remind yourself that it is rude to stare.

"why did you call for me?"

"hm?"

there is a clink of tableware. you wring your hands. "is it not tradition to spend this time with family and friends?"

perhaps it is. but how are you to convey to him that, more than anyone else, he is the one that you want by your side?

it is now or never. the sound of your pulse has grown steady, and it becomes the pillar with which you steel yourself, steel your resolve.

"it is, but..." you draw closer until you feel you no longer can. your heart stutters at the way his eyes widen with the growing proximity.

"i called you because i want you to be the last thing i see this year," you murmur, "and the first thing i see in the next." you finally meet his eyes, and you find that, by some unseen force, you can no longer look away. "is that alright with you?"

you wonder if he can hear your heartbeat now, when you are close enough to feel the brush of his breath on your skin. you drink it all in — the wavering of his eyes, their ethereal gold under the moonlight, and the dilation of his pupils.

he hums, a confirmation so quiet you almost miss it.

"are you sure?"

"i'm sure," he breathes.

you think that there may be fireworks, faraway crackles and flickers of light at the edges of your vision registering faintly, but you cannot be sure when all you know is the visage of the man you love and the thundering in your ears.

"good," you say, sotto voce, "because this tradition is one that i can only complete with you."

there is a warm blush painted where you bring your hand to xiao's cheek. at the sight of his lidded eyes, rife with unspoken sentiment, you test the waters, hover just shy of the point of contact, and when the distance finally disappears, you find that you are not certain you were the one to erase it.

you think to yourself how perfect it all is — the sound of fireworks in the distance, kissing the one person you have longed to do this with, even the caution and hesitation and gentleness found in xiao's hands on your back and in the way his lips move against yours. it is a moment that you are reluctant to end, but this moment was always meant to be a fleeting one.

"happy new year, xiao," you whisper once you have parted enough to speak, and you mean it with your whole heart.

"happy new year," xiao echoes, voice thick with emotion in the way that never fails to make your throat clench.

"would you want to do this again next year?" and the year after that, and for the rest of the years to come?

a fond sigh tickles your cheek. "if it is what you truly want, i wouldn't be opposed."

with those words, you finally dare to smile freely, delight washing over you and bubbling out in the form of laughter, and you hope that you are not imagining the lift that graces the corners of xiao's lips.

when you lean in to kiss him once more, he meets you halfway, and you think you are a little closer to understanding what xiao means when he says that almond tofu tastes of sweet dreams.

[43sol]

Sis wrote the most crack, most spelling-error, most uninformed oneshot of T&B that is somehow in-character and awful and I cried real tears of horror and joy. My heart is full right now. imma draw a Most Serious comic of this.

~~~~

Baranby opens his texting app fully expecting that the old  man was having another crisis only to be pleasantly surprised at the content of the messages. 

---

The rapid fire rate of incoming  texts could only mean one person was the sender. 

Hey Bunny-chan!!!~  (^_-)-☆

Crazy week right??! ( ༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ ) 

Well i dont know bout you but i want to kick back and have soem FUn 

And guess what?

And he supposes at this point Kotestu had wanted him to guess but he didn’t answer in the appropriate time alloted and grew impatient. 

Director got me some coupons to a fancy restaurant

And since we still havnet gotten our drinks yet 

Meet me friday at this location!! ∩(·ω·)∩

An address pops into his maps. 

Dont forget to dress up! (≧∇≦)/

—-

Barnaby should have known that something was up when the old man told him to dress up but he was too distracted by the butterflies in his stomach and the heat in his cheeks to think clearly. And by the time Friday rolled around, he had already arrived 20 minutes early dressed in his nines when reality finally began to sober him up. 

He can’t believe he wasted the suit that (as Fire Embelm put it) “made his ass extra phat” on this place. 

He stands there a little too long slack-jawed that Kotetsu actually finds him outside the restaurant. 

“Hey Bunny-chan!” he says in a way that makes Baranby’s heart flutter but also gives him the urge to wrap his hands around that thick sturdy neck, “glad you could make it!”

And there he is. Dressed in his normal clothes.

“I thought you said to dress fancy?” 

“Uh yeah, see?” He does a little twirl and tips his cap forward. “I got my shirt ironed.”

“Old man-” but before he could finish he is ushered inside and they are seated in ‘the best seat in the house’ because oh god Kotestsu actually made a reservation. 

This establishment  is a place Baranby never thought he would in a million years find himself in. But since meeting Wild Tiger, these event have been happening more and more often. 

Looking around the Texas-style decor, the waiters in cowboy outfits and just so much bovine memorabilia…

“This is Tyson Bison Steakhouse and Winery.”

“Yeah super fancy right?!” 

“It’s a franchise.”

“A fancy franchise!”

“There is a cardboard cut out of Tyson Bison behind you.”

“ It’s like having our friends here but not!”

Obviously nothing could ruin the good mood for Kotetsu T Karuragi. Who has seduced not one, but two people in his life with his buffoonary. 

“Whatever.” 

“That’s the spirit! And don’t worry,” he takes the coupons out of his vest and fans himself with them like a rich old lady, “Dinner’s on me!”

—-

Ok. The food wasn’t horrible. 

And the company wasn’t either. 

Maybe he was even enjoying himself? Maybe Kotetsu-san really did have good ideas sometimes. They needed some time to let loose. What was a better place no one would bother them than the franchise chain one of their friends/coworkers sponsors?

And then the check came. 

Kotetsu, in total confidence, hands the cowboy-waiter his coupons with a smile and a wink. The cowboy-waiter is not impressed. 

“Sir, these coupons are good for a free appetizer. I still need your payment information.” 

Wild Tiger laughs nervously. 

Barnaby starts to feel his blood pressure rise. 

“But you see my buddy, the DIRECTOR OF JUSTICE, gave these to me. For a meal here!”

“Yes and the coupons are good for an appetizer.” 

“I don’t see that written here.”

“Please look at the fine print sir.” 

Oh course the old man’s downfall was him being …well old. 

Barnaby decides to throw him a bone especially since the dinner wasn’t that bad. He pulls out his credit card only to be stopped by Tiger grabbing his wrist. 

“I can’t let you do that Bunny. I’m treatin’ ya today.” 

He scoffs. “You didn’t bring enough money old man, I’ll pay.” 

“No I am.” 

“an d how are you going to do that?” 

Kotetsu points to the cardboard cut out behind him. “That’s how.”

“You can’t be serious” 

“You can’t be serious sir”

“I’m very serious Bunny. The sign says if I can finish a 35 ib steak in 20 mins the meal is free.” Kotetsu turns to the waiter, “So bring me my steak!”

“Sir please.”

“Kotetsu san please, this is ridiculous.”

But Kotetsu already is re seated, tying a bib around his neck, fork and knife ready. 

“Bring me my steak!” 

With much horror, Sternbuild’s number one hero watches as the wait staff bring out a massive steak to his waiting partner and a large comically hourglass. 

The original cowboy-waiter looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. But regardless he does his job, “Begin!” 

And Kotetsu shoves the steak into his mouth.

Which lasts about 20 seconds.

Barnaby watches in horror as his work partner and life buddy makes the universal sign for choking and falls to the restaurant floor. 

Diners begin screaming and the wait staff begin scrambling to call the ambulance. 

Barnaby himself falls to the floor next to Tiger’s side as the love of his life gasps and spits out steak chunks. 

Once the coughing subsides, Barnaby can make out a raspy (but sexy) words, “I’m sorry Bunny-chan… I just wanted… to show you a good time…”

“Old man, you’re so stupid…” He would of had fun regardless of where they were. 

Still coughing but able to sit up, “Next time… you choose the place!” 

Barnaby couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“We will waive your bill if you leave now.” Both of the heroes turn to see the original cowboy-waiter behind them, “and if you two never come back we won’t press charges.”  

[amayadartan]

11

The morning after she arrived at the castle, Amaya awakened slowly. Her mind was still hazy as to all of what happened in the forest. She was still in the medical ward of the Palace, so the room she was in was nowhere near as elegant as one of the suites where guests and residents alike were housed. It was, however, rather homey and not stark like a hospital on Earth would be. The walls were painted in a deep emerald green, the drapes a golden color that complimented the walls, and her bed was carved wood of some kind that was a few shades darker than the drapes. To Amaya, it reminded her of something from the Victorian or Edwardian period. All of the furnishings and fabrics were soft and warm colors, and appeared very expensive.

Sitting up in the bed, she noticed that at some point, she had been redressed. Gone were her hiking boots, cargo pants, and flannel, and she was now in a soft, pastel gown in fabric she wasn’t sure what it was. She hoped that it had been a female who redressed her and not Dartan. Heaven forbid! As she sat contemplating that, there were two little chirps next to her in the bed. Turning her head, she saw the little chinchilla type creatures from the night before that had been on the strange men’s heads. They were looking up at her with big open eyes and…smiles? Oh…and they had such white…teeth. How nice…

When Amaya didn’t move or respond the little beings jumped up and down and chirped again. Her head tipped, she had no clue what they were wanting. Then one came over and bumped her hand, and she understood - they wanted petted. Seeing the size of their teeth, she was a little cautious, but still reached her hand out and petted the one closest anyway. Something akin to a high pitched trill type of purr came from the small being and the other one bounced in what seemed to be excitement, chirping and looking at her.

“So you two are friendly? I get it.” In a way she figured they were, they had been “riding” on the heads of two of the men last night who had been helping her, but those teeth! Amaya was glad they liked her. She wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of those bites! Guard furry softballs, that was something new.

“I see you have met your guardians,” a deep male voice from across the room had her head jerking up and her yanking the covers up almost to her chin; which hid the two small beings that were now on her lap chirping happily. He held up a hand and gave a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry Amaya, I did not mean to scare you.” He then gave a short bow. “I’m Ollandrius, but most just call me Olly.” He gave her a warm smile, which she thought made him look like some kind fo Disney prince. Were men supposed to be that handsome in real life?

Brief flashes of the night before went through Amaya’s mind, and his face was in them. He was kind, warm, and she had a recollection of protection from him. She relaxed and lowered the covers some, nodding and returning his smile. “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little on edge. The last couple of days have been a little weird and…” she shut her mouth and her brows drew together as she tried to figure out how to even put it into words.

“Eventful?” Olly offered as he stepped into the room, drawing out a light chuckle from her this time and a nod. “We kind of got that idea when Dartan summoned a couple of demons when he lost you in the forest. Although, your little friends there, and their friends, did keep you safe until we found you.” His smile had not faltered, and it made Amaya feel more relaxed. He wasn’t a small man, but she could almost feel goodness radiating off of him, safety. For Olly’s part, he was studying her, trying to see if there were any lingering effects of the mushrooms or being out in the forest exposed to the elements.

“Uh, yeah. I’m sorry that I caused you or your friends any trouble. I goofed up a spell.” Her face fell and she looked at her lap where the little beings were snuggling against her and ran her hand through their fur. They even felt as soft as chinchillas. “This is all my fault, everything is is my fault.”

“Or, you were given a bad one by someone that should not have been trusted. We’re looking into all the possibilities now. No more apologies, and no more sadness. You are a guest of the King and Queen, and there is no reason for it. When you are doing better a whole suite is being prepared for you. You’ll be taken care of here.” The poor human. She probably wouldn’t get to stay one. Like Delilah, existing in a world that she knew was full of monsters and demons would be too dangerous if she stayed one. If they couldn’t teleport her, staying in Imperium would most definitely be too dangerous, and it had nothing to do with the inhabitants. The mushrooms had proved that. Olly was worried about her.

“Uh…what about Dartan?” Were they going to make her live with him? He hated her. He blamed her for everything, and after she got lost out in the forest, he probably hated her more. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck living with him. Maybe they could just kill her and let her go wherever it was that her soul was supposed to go? Or because she was bound to Dartan, would she just end up back here?

Olly took a deep breath, this was going to be slightly awkward. “You won’t have to see him anymore.” He saw the confusion on her face, so he continued. “You’re bound, so it’s not like he can go far, but it was the belief of the Queen that you would be happier if he were not in your immediate vicinity, and that there were others here in the Palace who could help you get acclimated to everything much easier. She was quite insistent.” He had to chuckle, he was putting it mildly. He was pretty sure if she’d been confident his head would not have regrown she would have removed it from his shoulders the previous night.

“Oh.” Amaya said simply. She didn’t know how to feel about that. Truthfully she wasn’t sure that she knew how to feel about any of it. How was one supposed to feel in a situation like she was in? Had anyone ever been in her situation? She doubted it.

“Are you ok?” Olly was worried about her. “I know it will take some getting used to here, but you won’t be alone. Arch, he’s a mage that helped heal you last night, and I are going to help you. Arch can help you with your magic. He’s kinda good at it.” He gave her a teasing wink that made her smile.

“I just feel kind of lost. The whole bonded or married or whatever…” she kind of waved her hands around a bit as her lips pursed, “was a huge shock, and I know he hates me for it. I can’t blame him. I brought him here and now he’s stuck with me. I’m sure he’s glad that he’s free of me, at least we get to live in a castle.” She smiled a little again and shrugged. She really did feel so very lost.

“He was worried about you. Dartan’s always been an asshole from what I can gather, but he was worried. So, he doesn’t hate you. Hate the situation, that is a possibility, but that’s not the same as hating you.” He tried to reassure her, but he could tell she was still upset. Lost might be the best description for it. She really didn’t know where she was, that was going to come as an even bigger shock to her, and wait till she met some of the residents. Maybe they’d take things VERY slowly.

Deciding that making her feel somewhat at home might be a good start, Olly decided to start with breakfast. Since the kitchens could prepare anything that was made on Earth, the sky was the limit for whatever she wanted. Once he had her order, he promised to be back shortly with food and the all-important coffee. He also let her know that some fae that were the size of six year olds would be in shortly to take her measurements and talk to her about clothing. What she had on was a gift from the Queen, but she would need more than one nightgown for her stay there.

With that, he ducked out, and Amaya was alone in the room with the two little fur balls again. Laying back, she let them cuddle up next to her and stroked their little bodies, and she thought about everything Olly had said and tried to pull details from her memories of the previous night. They came in bits and pieces, just fragments, but she at least knew she felt safe with Olly, and since she was apparently now living in Hell, that was a start.

[theknightofivanhoe]

Justice League: Question’s Hard Drive Ch 4: Assembling the Team

Table of Contents

In a dark, dilapidated warehouse laden with dirty, rusted crates and oil drums, a tall, black-haired man with a thin moustache, wearing brown trousers and jacket over a black shirt was following another man whose jaw was as large as a brick, his hair neatly trimmed and chocolate brown.

“So Colonel…” the moustached man spoke up in a smooth, slightly deep voice as they walked on, “Been meaning to ask you something,” “What? Five years not looking attractive already, Lawton?” asked the brick-jawed colonel Rick Flagg, who did indeed wear the formal dark blue suit of a US army officer. “You ‘do’ remember the other option’s no years at all? I.E, years of having a head?” “Hey, I’m well aware five was the agreement.” the mercenary Floyd Lawton, codenamed Deadshot, clarified to him. “Just want to let you know,” he continued as Flagg led him on through the grimy building, “A little girl of mine’s just made it to eighth grade.” Flagg only inclined his head to the man, but turned back and kept walking. Floyd decided to prod a little further. “Surely it’d be possible to schedule a vi - ” “This is serious stuff we’re assigning you for, Lawton.” Colonel Flagg flatly interrupted him. “Missions for CADMUS leave no room for family reunions.” Halfway through walking, Floyd felt himself twitch in surprise and a certain amount of outrage. “Excuse me?” “You heard me, soldier.” Flagg stated, leading Floyd towards a table. “Just be glad your little tyke’s going places, while you stick to the task at hand.” 

Despite the withering scowl on his moustached face, Floyd took a chair while his boss towered above him on the other side of the table. “So, what costumed chumps do I draw a bead on this time?” he asked, deciding to cut to the chase. “It seems our League friends have set out to hamstring CADMUS’ activities.” Flagg explained to him. “There has been a breach at one of our office buildings by two individuals connected to the League who have claimed valuable data.” “Any way we can track them?” Floyd questioned, deciding to push aside the whole daughter issue, for now at least. “We have already sent out recon units to pick up a trail just until a team can move in and recover this data.” Flagg told him. The convict/mercenary smirked up at the bulky, imposing colonel. “I was just gonna say, if they even get your info as far as the Watchtower, we’re basically asking to go through the last mission all over again.” “Glad you remember.” Flagg cut in with a growing frown. “And in case you forget, we’re one explosives specialist short thanks in no small part to your trigger-happy stunts.” “Okay, okay, I know, Plastique was a big loss. So any fresh recruits you’re calling in for this one?” Floyd asked, aware of Flagg’s rather low opinion towards him and others who operated outside the law. Flagg gave him an even darker look.

“Lucky for you, Lawton, CADMUS is sending you on this mission in good company, the sort that’s every bit the same lowlife criminal scum as you.” This idea of ‘good company’ got Floyd raising an eyebrow. “Once the data is tracked, you’ll be taking point while your mission leader handles everything else.” Flagg stated as he folded his powerful arms. “And this leader…” Floyd responded with a finger to his pointed chin, “Anything in particular I should know about him. Or her?” “Yeah, there is. That he’s had some previous…connection with one of our targets.” The colonel grimaced for a moment before continuing. “Also, I was against calling him up from the very start, but my superiors won the debate. *And* he’s someone I’m sure you’ll get along with. Famously…”

With a mind as sharp as his shooting, Floyd couldn’t help but catch something else in the colonel’s plan. “There’s something else too. Why does it somehow sound like you’re not gonna be on this one?” “You’re right actually.” Flagg grimly answered. “I won’t be joining you on this one. Getting this data back from these two Leaguers requires types that are too nasty even for them. And I don’t fancy mixing in with those who are nasty even by your…already low standards.” “Right. Don’t want the true American hero dirtying his patriotic pinkies with all the blood that comes with saving his great ol’ coun - ” Both hands smacking down hard on the tabletop, Flagg leaned towards the mercenary in aggravation. “Watch it, Lawton…” he snarled, the backchat grinding on his nerves. “I may be leaving you in this guy’s capable hands just in the hopes of wiping that stupid grin off your face.” “Boy, I can’t wait.” Floyd half-growled, sarcasm laced in his voice like poison in a dart. The colonel seemed to be restraining himself from physical violence, straightening and breathing in lightly. “Well, now that you’re filled in…” he said as his eyes darted past Floyd, “Your stuff is in that case.” The moustached assassin turned and saw a grey rectangular case on the floor. “The mission leader will debrief you on the data recovery, including what you’ll be up against. You’ll take a chopper and report to him at Miss Waller’s helipad. So get suited up, pronto.”

“So…heard you guys have had a little trouble with some data…” The tall, lanky-looking man, whose whole face was cloaked by the shadows of the half-lit office, threw himself back into a chair in front of a desk, behind which sat the short-haired, heavyset black woman smartly dressed in a blue jacket, Amanda Waller, one of the heads of the CADMUS organisation. The glow of her desk’s lamp reflected off the man’s hair, which was styled in a greased-up pompadour, while his eyes shone with a certain desire for some thrills and spills, possibly even for violence in the bargain. Behind him stood a tall, burly henchman.

“You heard correctly. This theft has been unlike any other mission the League has staged.” Amanda Waller informed the man sternly. “Previous activities have always ventured into reckless shows of force, teams of these abnormal beings and disguised vigilantes staging all-out assaults on whatever their enemies, including CADMUS, throw at them.” This man, who had been selected for this new mission, listened with merely a casual amount of interest, having heard news (particularly through the criminal underworld grapevine) about the Justice League’s attempts at heroics. “So what about this one? Please, indulge me” he persuaded with plenty of confidence and cunning in his smooth, charming voice, before the frowning, no-nonsense Waller set a folder onto the table. 

“These two intruders left all of the building’s security personnel utterly incapacitated. Currently they are in traction.” she continued. “Did our gallant heroes attempt any negotiations before doing this?” the stranger inquired. “I have to admit, I’ve not known any of their type to get so down and dirty.” “Negotiations were never offered. Clearly the League has grown uncharacteristically desperate.” Waller explained as she looked from the man to the folder. “Those in condition to speak gave descriptions that match those of the individuals detailed in these profiles.” 

She opened the folder and the pompadour-sporting figure turned his focus to the two sheets and photos of the perpetrators behind this theft. First was the man in the fedora and tie, his face completely blank, no eyes, nose or mouth anywhere. There seemed to be only skin where his face should be. The newly-recruited boss had heard of some guy like this snooping around a few streets and alleys before. What truly caught his eye, though, was the young woman in the other profile. Through that horned mask, her dark eyes held arrogant majesty and unbound ferocity in equal measure. Her proud, smooth face, around which silky black hair elegantly cascaded, was enough for him to simply lock his gaze upon her ravishing beauty, his eyes gleaming as thoughts started to pour into his mind.

“These two choices indicate how aggressive the League has become lately.” He glanced back at Amanda Waller upon hearing her further elaborate on the robbery. “Most dismiss Subject A himself as a crackpot, an eccentric digging into conspiracy theories that needn’t be dug into.” “And yet he has data too sensitive to your little operations.” the man reminded her, leaning back in his chair nonchalantly. “A colleague of ours, Roulette, recommended you for CADMUS because, young man, she has reason to believe that you have a past…” Waller went on, folding her hands together, “A past with Subject B; Subject A’s recent partner. She joined the League after your little encounter with her in Gotham City. Her days with the League ended when a vendetta of hers against another mobster turned her into a maverick, too unstable and rash, even for the worst of their circus freaks.” “I always liked that babe…” The lanky man’s voice grew silken with interest as he eyed the file on this ‘maverick’ his employer referred to. “I need you to be serious about this…” Waller warned him with a glare as the tall henchman’s eyes darted to his boss in the faintest hint of apprehension. “A pair of misfits not stifled by the League’s scruples makes the loss of this information all the worse. We are aware of what Roulette has said about you, but calling you up for this mission, mobster background or no, was not a decision taken lightly.” “Hey, don’t sweat it, your royal majesty…” the mysterious figure boasted with a raise of a hand. “You’re looking at the guy who offed his own outdated uncle and gave the Gotham syndicate a new face. The old timers have had their fun, now it’s time for us daredevils to step into the spotlight. Just give me any more tips, say, their whereabouts, and we’ll be onto the suckers, packin’ a lot of heat…” “Well, someone’s eager for some action.” Waller observed, placing the profiles back into the folder.

“CADMUS has assembled the strike team that will retrieve this data. With your rise through the ranks of the Gotham mob and previous experience against Subject B, you’ll be taking the lead.” She pressed the touchscreen computer on her desk and a screen on the wall behind her lit up all ghostly-blue. 

The stranger glanced up at the five mugshots of this new team he would be in charge of. First was a man in a dark red bodysuit and silver mask, his left eye lens a white slit while the right was a circular orange targeting reticle. The second was a young Asian woman with short, neat black hair, a cold expression on her face and a crimson transparent visor over her eyes. Her shoulder armour, coloured the same as her visor, was segmented not unlike that of a Samurai warrior while a katana was slung on her back. The third was another man in a pale grey bodysuit, his whole face obscured by a mask sporting dark red, bug-eyed lenses and a pair of small antennae on either side. The next team member was stranger-looking; a slim, white-skinned man in a black top hat and dark grey jacket. The round black shades only added to his sinister appearance. Even more abnormal than him was the last member, who apparently had once been a human woman. Every inch of her skin was coated with golden fur, speckled with brown spots. The team leader noted the woman’s ears that took the form of a wild cat’s, her nose shaped into a snout and white eyes with pale green slits hungry for action.

“Well the pyromaniac hasn’t the best track record, but they’ll do.” he commented with folded arms. “Deadshot, Tsukuri, Firefly, Shade and Cheetah have been selected specially for the purpose of tracking this data, in addition to having prior engagements with the League.” Amanda Waller explained. “For a mission as sensitive as this, CADMUS has no room for small-time roughnecks.” “Trust me, lady,” her new employee promised with no small amount of pride. “With a rising star, that’s me, at the helm, these guys will really turn things around for your little operation.” “And remember, my friend…” Waller started methodically as a sliver of blue from the screen flickered across one side of the man’s face, “It’s not often we call on those from the criminal underworld to protect this country and its government…” “Well today we’re the lesser of the two evils, ma’am.” Waller just kept her stern face on this man despite his interruption and continued. “At this critical inflection point, money is no object for CADMUS. Whatever happens, this mission must, and ‘will’ end with us having that data right in front of us. You and your team shall obtain it from those two misfits…by ‘any’ means necessary.”

Chapter 3

Chapter 5

[racerchix21]

Maybe Second Chances

Warnings: None

A/N: There’s a sequel that will be posted tomorrow!

Relationship: Seth Rollins/Reader

Work Text:

Going out to dinner with my best friend seemed like a good idea until Finn spotted Seth attempting to hide behind a potted plant and the whole damn thing blew up in my face. See Finn and I are brother and sister but ever since I decided to follow him into the pro wrestling world, we’ve kept it a secret so no one could scream that I was only getting the opportunities I was because of who my brother was.

Once I saw him too it was only a matter of time before one of us did something stupid and well stupid is my middle name. We aren’t gonna talk about the fact I can see a mop of dirty blonde hair or that I can see a tribal tattoo that can only belong to one person. I’ve been half in love with Seth Rollins since our Ring of Honor days and the longer I’m around him the more i seem to fall in love with him. Which is all well and good if it wasn’t for the fact that Seth treats me like a little sister and sure we did have one drunken night together right after he signed with FCW but I don’t think he remembers and I have no plans on telling him. I do know that the things I still wanna do to him are definitely not sisterly in the slightest. I’m only 7 months younger than him but the way he acts it might as well be 70 years.

Finn tries to draw my attention back to conversation we were having before the merry band of idiots gave themselves away peeking through the potted plants, “Sis, this is ridiculous will you just tell him how you feel,” my brother asks raising his voice enough that I can see Seth duck down with a sheepish look on his face and hear Roman and Dean giving him shit for getting caught spying.

“Finn, you know for a fact that Seth is never gonna see that way so I’ve given up besides I heard that McIntyre was single again and you know how much I love a tall, dark and terrifying man,” I tell my brother at the same voice level as I hear Roman and Dean laughing about Seth storming towards our table even as they follow him.

He looks angry but then again when doesn’t Rollins look pissed at the world? The answer is never and I really shouldn’t be laughing since I know it’s only liable to piss him off more. But I live to rile Sethie up and he knows it and still falls for it every single time.

Pulling up a chair at the table we’re sitting at Seth leans into my space and demands to know, “What the hell do you think you’re doing out to dinner with him,” gesturing to my brother and the smirk currently adorning his face. “Of all the people you could go out with you pick Bàlor to date?!”

Glancing at Finn I mouth, I’m sorry before looking back at Seth, “first of all dipshit, ewww he’s brother. Second of all it’s not exactly like there’s a line of guys just dying to date me, especially in our business when they see the women I’m friends with. I don’t have Becky’s pretty accent, or Nat’s boobs*, or Alexa’s personality. I’m just a plain flat chested girl that can’t even get her best friend to tell her she’s pretty let alone get a guy to pay attention to her. The one guy I do have a crush on doesn’t return my feelings so…” I trail off as I watch a million different emotions flit across Seth’s face.

“Well you aren’t plain or flat chested. I’m personally glad you don’t have any issues of those things to be honest. You have the perfect accent that drives me absolutely crazy and don’t get me started on the fact that everything you do in the ring and in the gym makes me crazy. I love your sarcastic smart ass personality even when you’re using it to make fun of me. Yeah Nat’s boobs are nice but they’re not all that great given that I’ve already met someone who’s got the perfect ones. Do I need to go on, baby girl?”

“Baby girl, huh? Well Rollins as charming as that little speech was you can stop trying to suck up now. I already know how you feel abou-.”

“About you? Yeah princess I don’t think you do. You think I don’t remember that night back in 2010 when I somehow managed to kind of tell you how I felt? Because I wasn’t that drunk that night and it was the best night of my life. I just can’t seem to figure out why when I woke up you were gone with no note, no text, nothing and then you show up in NXT a few years later and act like you didn’t break my heart.”

*I love Natalya and her boobs and I have nothing against them*

[animeweebart]

Tattoo artist Kirishima x coffee barista Bakugou

Part 1 The beginning of a friendship

once again thank you YaLocalFanFicAddict for helping with my poor grammar and giving me ideas like having Bakugou be deaf. I hope you enjoy the fanfic and stay tuned for part 2 Get to know the family

Bakugou’s POV

It was a regular boring day at the shop. The loud sound of the coffee machine, names were called, every now and then there was yelling at Karen’s, and taking everyone’s detailed orders nearly made my head spin. The most recent order was a latte caramel frappe with a blueberry muffin. Every order was different, and the people just kept coming…and coming. Minutes felt like hours. 11:25, just five more minutes and I can go on break. The next customer that came in had tattoos covering his arms and trailing up his neck. His hair was dyed red, and he looked to be around my age. You could say his voice didn’t match his appearance, because it caught me off guard when he spoke.

“Can I have a caramel iced latte with a chocolate muffin?” His voice was so gentle and soft.

“A-And a name for that order?” I tried to stay focused. Why was I hoping that he would still be here when I went on break?

“Eijiro. E-I-J-I-R-O. Many people don’t know how to spell it right,” he laughed.

I was honestly glad he spelled it out, because I wouldn’t have got it right. He paid for his order and sat at one of the tables and pulled out his iPad and an electronic pen. It looked like he was drawing something. Maybe he was an artist. Maybe he was taking some notes. It didn’t matter, I had to continue my job. As it turned 11:30 I went in the back and grabbed my lunch that my mother made me. Even though I hated her, she always made me some nice lunches. I went back to the front to find Eijiro, still at the table eating his muffin while he continued to work on his iPad. I was scared to approach him. Why was I scared to approach him? We just met. I walked over to him still, scared that he might think I was being creepy.

“Can I sit with you?” I asked as he took out one of his earbuds.

“Huh? Sorry, I couldn’t hear you, what did you say?”

“Can I sit with you?” I repeat, understanding what it was like to struggle with hearing.

Eijiro looked at me for a few seconds and then nodded. I sat down and pulled out my lunch.

“What are you working on?” I asked as I took a bite of my sandwich.

“Oh. I work at the tattoo shop down the street. I’m just drawing some designs,” he answered, taking a sip of his drink.

“Did you do any of those?” I pointed at the tattoos displayed on his arm.

“Yeah, and some were from my friend Sero. We go to school together.”

Sero? Why is that name familiar? Wait, doesn't Denki talk about a guy named Sero from our school?

“Hanta Sero? Does he go to U.A.?” 

Did me and Eijiro go to the same school? Slowly, I realized Eijiro might be one of the extras in my class.

“Yeah, you know him?” Eijiro looked up at me, surprised.

“Uh-huh, I think he’s in my class. My friend, Denki, talks about him a lot. I honestly think the idiot’s got a crush on him.” 

Our conversation continued until he had to go back to his work. He gave me his number and told me to text him when I got off work. I was actually excited to get off work, for once. Soon enough my shift was over, I quickly got my stuff and texted Eijiro. He told me to meet him at the tattoo shop.

“Hey Bakugou, there you are,” he smiled as I approached him. His eyes matched his hair, and his teeth were sharp. It looked like he was waiting outside for a while, his nose and his cheeks were rosy. They reminded me of Round Face. “How long have you been out here?”

“I came out when I got your message.” He seemed almost embarrassed of his stupid answer. He has been waiting for seven minutes, and must be freezing.

“You idiot! Are you trying to get sick?!” I scoffed. “Whatever. Do you want to go to your place or m-”

“Can we go to yours?” His answer was quick and I could hear the fear in his voice. Maybe he was embarrassed of his house because it was a mess? I waved the thought away as we walked to my house. I noted that Mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway. She must have the night shift. I unlocked the front door and we stepped inside.

“You better take off your shoes, or you’ll be cleaning the floors before you leave,” I warned, taking off my shoes. He did the same and we went up to my room. My room was like any other teen room. It had things like LED lights, posters on the walls, and a desk with a dresser. He looked around at everything as I sat on my bed, taking his sweet time doing so.

“Am I going to need to guide you to the bed? Or can you find it yourself?” I clipped my words with a scowl.

“S-Sorry I just never get to see other people’s houses. My parents are really strict with me.” 

As he sat on the bed, he noticed the Cavetown poster taped to my wall. I couldn’t blame him for noticing it, it stood out next compared to the many heavy metal and dark-colored posters. 

“You like Cavetown too?!” His face lit up with excitement as he rambled on with question after question. “What’s your favorite song? Have you ever been to one of his concerts? What’s your favorite album?”

“Woah, slow down. I can’t answer your questions all at once. God, you're reminding me of Deku.” If this dumbass wanted to stay friends, he was going to need to understand that my hearing aids can’t pick up such quick sounds.

“Sorry, I just don’t get to talk about Cavetown, a lot. Sero says it’s not his genre of music.” He explained.

I tried my best to answer what Eijiro asked, at least the questions I could make out from his quick speaking. It was hard to be able to make out a few out of the probably hundreds of questions. “My favorite song from them would probably be Advice. I’ve been to one of their concerts with my ex. I don’t know what my favorite album is but I do like Animal Kingdom.” 

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

We talked about the things we liked, what classes we took, and even some other silly little things. As we talked, it didn’t even surprise me when he said he took an art class. Before we knew it, it was almost midnight.

“Damn, it's getting late. You should probably get going—bet your— parents are getting worried about you.”

“It’s too dark, and they know I’m usually at Sero’s. You can just drop me off in the morning.”

He had that same anxious tone in his voice. Maybe he’s scared of something at home? I contemplated it and soon agreed to his request. I grabbed my pajamas and changed in the bathroom. When I came back, Eijiro was sprawled out on my bed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You are not sleeping in my bed, nor are we sharing the bed. I’ll go get you my sleeping bag.” I went to the basement and grabbed my sleeping bag out of my camping bag. I went back up and threw it at him.

“Can I have a pillow and blanket too?” 

He asked right as I got comfortable in the bed. With a grunt, I threw a pillow at him and told him where the extra blankets were, telling him to get it himself.

Fanart of coffee barista Katsuki Bakugou

And tattoo artist Eijiro Kirishima

Hope you enjoyed part 1 I’m currently working on part 2. Have a blessed day and stay safe.

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

I am still catching up stuff from 2022, but I’m excited to finally show this piece off! For the amazing @thebooktopus, who won one of my 2022 @fandomtrumpshate art bids. Thank you so much for your support and for always believing in me! Maddy requested Wolfstar, trans!Sirius, tattoos, a tiny bit of 🌶️ (if you squint), and chose the colour palette, which worked so well for this piece! She also gave me some awesome ideas to run with that I couldn’t pass up because a. this was my first time drawing this ship and b. this was my first time drawing a trans character and c. I wanted to give it a go in drawing something new. Maddy has been sooo patient with me as I slowly chipped away at this while wrestling with RL’s chaos. So glad we made it to the finish line! My friend, you’re a star🌟 to work with. I hope I did justice for what you envisioned, and that this piece brightens up your day. Thanks again! ❤️❤️❤️ Title: I'm Yours (and You're Mine) (<- on AO3) Rating: Mature Tags: Shirtless, Tattoos, Consensual Kink, Light BDSM, Full Moon, Late at Night, Trust, Trans Sirius Black, Scars, Light Dom/sub, Hand & Finger Kink, Choking Summary: Sirius always feels more grounded whenever Remus' fingers slide towards his neck.

[writtenjewels]

When They’re Ready

(thanks again to Vorpalfanficberry for the ideas!)

Jason was a little nervous to go to the wedding. The last one he attended was his sister's; this one promised to be completely different in pretty much every way. He didn't know the couple at all-- they were friends with Salim-- and mostly just followed along with whatever Salim told him was expected. The hardest thing was learning what Salim called the dabke, which was some kind of folk dance.

“Kinda like a hoedown?” Jason suggested when Salim explained it. And immediately had to explain to Salim what it was.

“Do you dance this hoedown at weddings?” Salim asked, intrigued.

“Depends on the couple,” Jason shrugged, “but sure, you could have a hoedown at a wedding reception.”

The ceremony was interesting to watch, especially the elaborate clothes of the groom. The bride Jason expected to be decked out but not her future husband. But what really got Jason's attention was the reception. The very last thing he expected was there to be dancers and drummers heralding the new couple's entrance into the reception hall. It made Jason feel excited for these two starting their new life together despite them being strangers to him.

“Y'all sure know how to throw a party,” he remarked to Salim.

“I'm glad you liked it.”

“Was your wedding like this?” Jason wondered.

“Not this elaborate,” Salim admitted, “but yes, it was similar.” Jason fell quiet as he tried to imagine a younger Salim dressed like the groom. It would've been a good look on him.

“You ever think about remarrying?” Jason asked. Salim considered the question for a long time before answering.

“If I did, I would want someone I loved deeply. Not just as a romantic partner, but as a friend.” Jason sat up a little straighter, heart pounding. “Someone I will want to be with regardless of circumstance, and who loves me the same way.”

Jason couldn't think of what to say. He was suddenly really nervous and reached for his drink. It wasn't alcoholic (Salim explained they didn't serve alcohol at these weddings) but it gave Jason something else to focus on. He hadn't expected the conversation to inspire this reaction. Then again, Jason tried not to examine his relationship with or feelings toward Salim. But what else would you call risking your life and career for a person except love?

Shit. Holy shit, I love Salim.

“What about you, Jason?” Salim wondered, drawing Jason out of his revelation. “Have you thought about marriage?”

“Nope. But, um...” Jason fidgeted a bit in his chair. “I'd want what you said, someone I love as a romantic partner and a friend.” That made Salim smile, and Jason would swear the man blushed a little too. “As long as there's a hoedown at the reception,” Jason added before the discussion could get too serious.

“The most important part,” Salim agreed with a laugh.

Eventually the newlyweds headed off to their honeymoon. Salim took Jason's hand and guided him out where other friends and family were escorting the couple to their car. Salim started cheering and hooting, and after a moment Jason joined in. Salim tried to release his hand but Jason held on.

Hope had sparked in Jason's heart. He would wait for a bit and make sure Salim knew Jason wasn't just riding the high of the wedding, but he decided to make the first jump and ask Salim out on a real date.

And then, when they were ready, they might just dance a hoedown at their own wedding reception.

[meraki24601]

Childhood Games

"You'll never find them." Whumpee spits the blood pooling in their mouth at Whumper's feet. "Caretaker's flight left more than 30 minutes ago."

"Really now. You're sure about that?" Whumper kicks Whumpee in the stomach, ripping the stitches they just gave them. Whumper smiles a little at the thought of dragging more of those delightful screams out of them. "I'm glad to see you're feeling comfortable enough with me to tell me that. You've narrowed my search significantly. Anything else you can remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember something really important. Fu…"

Whumper grabs their single outstretched finger and uses it to flip them off the table they had been thrown on. They feel the moment their bones break in Whumper's tight grip. They gasp for air as they slam face-first into the floor. 

"Now, now. Do you use that kind of language in front of Caretaker? For shame." Whumper grabs the collar of Whumpee's shirt, pulling it tight where they can't catch their breath. "I think I like you, Whumpee. You've got such confidence despite the pain you must be in. I see why they made you a teacher."

Whumpee sees stars as Whumper shoves their head into the floor. "Oh! I have an idea! Let's play a game!" For a moment, Whumper is glad they don't have much air in their lungs as Whumper cuts open the back of their shirt, cutting the skin in the process. This way they can't give Whumper the pleasure of hearing them scream.

"When I was a child, I would write notes to my friends by drawing the letters on their backs with my finger." Whumper sits on Whumpee with a sickeningly sweet giggle. They tuck Whumpee's arms under their knees as they whisper, "I'm not going to use my finger this time, but see if you can figure out what I'm writing! I'll try to make the letters really big."

Whumpee hears a soft click and then heat spreads across their back. They can't hold back a scream as Whumper uses a lighter like a pencil against their skin. 

"There! The first word is done. Do you know what I wrote?" 

"Caretaker." Whumpee groans.

"You got it!" Whumper wraps their hand in Whumpee’s hair and wrenches their head back. Whumper laughs as Whumpee whimpers as they press a knife to their throat, "Where is Caretaker, Whumpee?" 

"Whumpee!" 

Whumper jumps, leaving a shallow cut on the delicate skin of Whumpee's neck. Before either of them can react, Caretaker slams into Whumper, throwing them across the room. Whumper slumps to the ground, stunned. 

"Are you okay?" Caretaker gently rolls Whumpee onto their side, "I'm so sorry, Whumpee. Why did you tell me to leave? I could have helped you fight Whumper."

"Leave." Speaking feels like a wad of ants stinging Whumpee's throat. "Run. They're… not alone."

"They are now. I brought some friends."

Caretaker presses Whumpee's hands against the wounds on their stomach and throat and lifts them into their arms. They grimace apologetically as Whumpee cries out from the movement and pressure on their back. "Let's get you out of here. 

[residentdormouse]

Heaven Help Us, We’re Finding ‘H’ Words Tag

Each round feels like we’re playing chicken. Look at Mouse and @mrsmungus venturing further into bad joke land, but you know what, I’m going to keep going if you do; I’m all for riding this train to the alliteration station. 

My Words were: Hate, Hard, Hair, Harmless, Hour

Words for you: Imagine, Improve, Issue, Idea, Intense 

As Always - OPEN TAG - Jump in for a round, or two, no obligation, only here for fun. Just '@' me.

Hate:

(Did you realize ‘Hate’ is in Whatever. Cause I now do, and that shit was everywhere 😂)

"Did Harold see all he needed to?"

His expression was hard to read from her position, but his tone indicated a sort of melancholy. "I think we all did, yeah."

Another abnormal silence came from Glen, and Hayden hated the feeling with it. Leaning in the center of the backseat, she tried to get a better look at him. "It's not that I don't like quiet, it's nice sometimes, but it feels wrong with you."

Sadness in his eyes almost negated the short laugh he let out.

"Listen, I knew it wasn't all sunshine and roses there, and I figured, the way you guys talked about it, getting out couldn't have been a cakewalk, but, uh…"

He was being uncharacteristically cautious with his words, but she still knew what he was referring to. They saw her room. More importantly, they saw the bodies in that room. "Yeah…"

"I don't know exactly what happened, and I don't need to, believe me. Pasts and all. I'm just saying that I'm glad you two are here now and I'll leave it at that."

"Thanks, Glen. I am too."

Hard:

What had happened in Boulder that they weren’t saying? In Vegas?

Deep down, she trusted Glen. She trusted Stu. She did, however, find it hard to come to terms with Harold. Was he troubled? Sure. Prickly? Definitely. Capable of murder? Harold…?

Then another alarming thought: If they were keeping things from her to protect her, and that was so far the only thing to make sense, all things considered, then what was worse than a friend trying to blow them up? What could be worse than that?

The questions kept piling up again at an alarming rate, and she had to adjust her breathing.  What didn’t she know? ‘In, you’re breathing in.’ They went to Vegas to stop Flagg. Who exactly was he? ‘Out, you’re breathing out.’ Coming to them in nightmares; -what- was he?  ’In, you’re breathing in.’ If they stopped him, why did she still hear him? ’Out, you’re breathing out.’ Was that all a lie? ’In.’ Are they still in danger? ’Out’ 

How could she have even stopped something like him? Just what did she do?

Hair:

"Are we really playing at this?" Making sure her controlled exterior didn't falter, she felt a small victory as she watched his smile fall first, hands flying up in mock surrender.

"It's your call. Really. I just want you to remember who offered to help."

"Help with a price I'm not willing to pay. Thanks Randy, but uh, go fuck off somewhere else."

He moved close enough that only inches remained between them, and a chill emanated from his presence. Conflicting to the nature of their conversation, he gently brushed a stray lock of her hair back behind her ear. "I don't need to be your enemy." Despite the chill, his breath was hot against her face, and she braced herself for any attack that followed. But it never came. In a shimmer of smoke, he was gone. Nothing. Emptiness. She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"But I have no problem filling the role if that's how you want to play the game."

Harmless:

(Only instance I have of this in both fics… holy hell - would not have guessed that.)

“Honeymoon is over, I guess.” Walking along the end of the long wooden table, Glen gave a sigh as he processed the new information. “Can’t say we didn’t know it was coming, but that doesn’t really make it any easier, does it?”

The news of Dinny’s drawings hit them all a little differently. Most seemed harmless. Doodles of games and desserts. But that last one…

What he said wasn’t a lie, they all knew this wouldn’t last. The tranquility provided to them here, the peace that most of them hadn’t known since Boulder, it was never meant to stay. But the longer they remained here, the longer they let the comfort sink in and the routines take hold, the easier it was for the threat to lose its urgency.

Now eyes were opened once more.

Hour:

The night had carried on late into the morning hours, while he filled Hayden in on all the events in Vegas as best he possibly could. After her discussion with Lloyd, she thankfully was willing to accept that “I can’t exactly say” needed to be an understood answer in some cases. “I can’t explain” and “You have to trust me on this” were used more than he was comfortable with. Clear aggravation would flash across her features frequently, but she did her best to keep in line. And when it got to be too much… he reminded her that she made this call, she was forced to make this call, for all of them. He was now following her lead. If she got nothing else from this, she needed to know that he trusted her, and she should trust in herself too.

“You didn’t see any other way. I don’t even know that there was one, if we’re being honest here.”