#but hey! there's ways of getting around earning money. You could buy something and make other people's lives more miserable by letting them

[iknowicanbutwhy]

12 hour shifts should be illegal. Holy hell.

[kyunzin]

Hey my love, I absolutely love your writing especially with the JJK men. But spinning off of that and only if you have time, could you write a fic where each of them (whom ever you chose) react to chubby y/n wearing a brand new dress they got?

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲

character; 𝐆. 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮

cw; the price doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy (f!reader)

tags; chubby reader, public sex, slight voyerism (people can hear what’s going on), body worship/ oral mentioned (f!receivng), fingering, standing sex

a/n: thanks ☺️ and I’m always happy to make time for requests

✰ so what if he went a bit overboard in buying dresses.

✰ so what if it may have drained the money he just earned from his recent mission.

✰ why should it matter if he gets to see your bright smile as you walk out of the changing room with the the tightest dress that leaves nothing to the imagination.

he sits there in front of your stall watching as you walk out in a crimson off the shoulders short dress that barely covers your ass and outlines your figure perfectly. a pait of stilettos, a small shoulder purse and a thin black neck scarf to tie the outfit together.

“fuck me”

his hand is covering his mouth so you just barely catch the end of his sentence but you can still see the beaming smile from under his hand. this is your favourite one out of all the ones you’ve tried on so far so you hope he likes it too. “what did you say baby, and also what do you think of this one”

“dont worry about what i said, i think this is the best one you’ve tried on all day”

he stands up, rubbing his hands together as he walks over to you. you turn back around looking at the way it fits on you with a conflicted look on your face. “you really thinks so, I thinks it’s a little bit tight” not a moment later you feel his arm wrap around you as he leans down to press a kiss into the crook of your neck.

“it looks perfect on you baby, I promise”

it’s only a second later that you feel something poking into your back and you have half a mind to know that it’s not his belt and you’re sure he’s doing it on purpose to get your attention pressing into you further. upon realising you let out a shocked gasp “really ‘toru, we’re in public”

“cant help it baby, wanna help me out?”

you can hear the smile in his voice as he rubs up your sides and you cant say that you’re against the idea, but you’re a little nervous about being caught. “we have yo be really quite ‘toru or they’ll hear us.

he doesn’t wait a second before turning you around and picking you up, causing the bag to slip from your shoulders, bringing you back inside the small dressing room closing the door behind the two of you and you let out a surprised yelp when he pushes you against the cold surface of the mirror.

he holds you up by your plush thighs and even with your weight you have no doubt that he won’t drop you as he has proved multiple times that he’s able to hold you.

he long since got rid of your insecurities even though it may have taken hours of him spent down between you plush thighs eating you out and worshipping every inch of you body kissing and licking away any doubts of his desire for you.

your hand reaches to grip his hair as his mouth latches onto yours. after a moment his tongue darts across your lips pushing it’s way into your mouth, which you accept and moan into the kiss as you feel his fingers slide under the dress to pull your thong to the side and slide his fingers into your cunt.

the only reason he’s able to curl his fingers inside you with ease is because he had fucked you against the door before you left, pulling up your tennis skirt sliding your thong to the side for a quick fuck before you left the house. it’s like he’s insatiable, unable to keep his hands of you, fucking you on any surface he deems suitable not that you’re complaining .

hence why the two of you end up licking your way into each other’s mouths in a public space with no shame and it’s not long before you start to feel yourself cuming around he lengthy fingers only for him to quickly remove them. you let out a whine as you break from the kiss “fuck, no no no! please don’t stop. I was so close, why’d you stop?”

“you know you only get to cum on my cock baby, don’t forget that”

“then hurry up and fuck me already” he laughs at you impatience but works on completing you request by pulling your legs around his waist and you get the silent command and lock them behind his back so his hands are free. while he works on undoing his belt and pulling down his trousers you occupy yourself with sucking hickeys into his neck and collar.

you have to bite down onto his shoulder in order to muffle your moan as he pushes into you with no warning though he does let out a whispered growl as he sinks into your cunt. “oh fuck! a w-warning would be nice next time asshole”

he laughs at your irritation and lifts you up from his cock slightly before slamming you back down without warning again. the both of you moaning out a shared “fuuuck” at the jolt of his hips connecting with yours, the slap of your skin against his resonating in the small space.

you expect him to go slow but he does the opposite of setting a brutal pace, lifting and dropping you on his cock like you weigh nothing. the sound of your dripping cunt stretched around his thick cock circulating in the space, both of you panting and moaning out. he has to kiss you in order to keep both of your moans quiet not wanting to draw much attention to you two.

“oh fuck, your gripping me so fucking tight, taking my cock like a -shit! good girl, such a good girl f’ me arent ya”

you nod your head frantically moans to frequent for you to get out a coherent secret but he’s able to make out your little rambles of “fuck m’ gonna cum, don’t stop, please please please!” even without you saying it he can feel it by the way your pussy grips into his duck as he lifts it up. he’s not surprised when he hears your moans of “m’cuming. fuck fuck fuck!”

he feels as you gush around him and it almost sends him over the edge but he’s able to keep it with a harsh bite to your shoulder. he really wants to cum but he can’t because he knows that you would hate having to walk in public with his cum dripping out of you, he regrets not bring a plug with him to keep you stuffed, so he reluctantly pulls out after the waves of your orgasm fade.

“cant fucking wait for us to get home, lets go pay for these and leave”

he gently sets you down and the both of you work on fixing your appearance in the mirror though theres nothing that will hide your bite marks, not that there’s anything you can do about that. you change back into your original outfit and he picks up all the dresses you left hanging on the wall and opens the door leading the both of you out.

it’s hard not to notice the stares of the other customers and he cant help but smile knowing that everyone definitely knows how good he fucked you. the cashiers face is reddened and you notice that she fails to meet either of your gazes as he pays for the dresses, you hide behind him in shame and wait for him to finish paying before quickly pulling him out the store.

✰ so what if you hear people whispering as you walk past.

✰ so what if he has to walk through the mall with a prominent bugle in his pants.

✰ why should it matter if when he gets home he drops all the bags on the floor and fucks you against the door again and then fucks you in all the pretty dresses he bought.

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

@riowmie @tyunixia

[r6eduss]

I really wish you’d make up your mind.

•Summary: Daryl comes over for a smoke, who knew things would get so deep? (Fem reader)

•Warnings: 18+, Drug use, a teeny tiny bit suggestive but no smut, mentions of abuse, Stoner!Reader, Angst.

•Word Count: 2.3k.

•Setting: The Commonwealth

•A/N: Heavily inspired by Kimdracula by deftones. I have always thought Daryl is deathly afraid of labels on relationships, so here’s me implementing that into my writing. I love writing for the commonwealth era also let’s also pretend deftones lines up with twd timeline 🫢

Tension.

Tension was always the main thing between you and Daryl. For the longest time since the farm, you two have had something—something that can’t be explained by just simple words.

The both of you have kissed before, but for some reason never have said anything of it. Most people thought you two were a couple, but you don’t know what you two are. one thing for sure, is that you love each other. Platonic or not, you both have always stuck out for each other and world knows Daryl would fight to the ends of the earth to keep you and the rest of his family alive and safe.

Though right now, you haven’t seen much of Daryl, and that’s surprising considering he was your neighbor. Everyone from Alexandria have still been settling in, and he’s been incredibly busy, so have you with your new job settlement.

Suddenly being employed in the apocalypse definitely left you stoked, but you kind of enjoyed it unlike Daryl and the others. It was a bittersweet feeling, left you thinking maybe the world still does have a chance.

With some of the hard earned money that you managed to work up, you decided to head to town looking for music. It’s always been a huge comfort for you, helping you overcome challenges you had to face even before the fall, and you hoped maybe they had some of your favorite albums. Your eyes were set on the storefront at the end of the block, and you soon approached. A sign hung above it, faded but clear. “The Record Shop” and a faint sound of music leaked through the door. On entering, hearing the door chime you’re greeted with a familiar face.

“Welcome!- Oh shit hey!” It was Princess’ shift today, and honestly it was rather refreshing to see her face, you haven’t seen really anybody else you had known.

Looking around for a moment, you take in the decorations. You soon face Princess, giving her a warm smile.

“Hey! How have you been?”

“It’s been great! It’s been great.. How about you?” She responded, excited to be speaking with you.

“I’ve been good! I’m glad things are going well for you Princess.” You were kind of lying, things weren’t really good for you.. it’s been hard adjusting to this kind of life, you’ve always felt as if the apocalypse saved you in a way.

“I’m happy for you dude! Well did you come here to buy something?”

“Yeah actually, do you guys have deftones?” You were hoping to god they did. You were in such a need to listen to your favorite album, and the last time you did was years ago.

You can see her lips curve into a small smirk, as she points to the left. “Yep! All the way to the last aisle on the left.”

You’ve never felt as happy as you felt now.

“Thanks!” You quickly pick up your feet, rushing to the aisle that Princess pointed to. Upon arrival, you quickly scan the area in attempts to find your favorite album “Saturday Night Wrist”.

All you could spot was Around the Fur and White pony as you sifted through the records, fingers brushing against the glossy covers, the album you were looking for nowhere in sight. To be honest, you were a little disappointed, until you spot that beautiful untouched record hidden behind one of the Metallica covers right next to the ones you were looking through. It was very obviously the last one in stock.

You bit your lip while smirking in happiness, grabbing the album and basking in it, the cover still haunting and beautiful just as you remembered. After about 30 seconds of reminiscing, you head to the checkout where Princess was.

“That all?”

“Yep!”

“That’s 30!”

You hand her a 20 and a 10, and she proceeds to print out your receipt. “It was so good seeing you! And hey, don’t be a stranger!” She hands you what you came there for, and waves you off with a grin. You politely tell her goodnight and make your way to your apartment.

A few days ago you had asked Daryl and Judith if you could borrow that record player he had bought for her, since you were planning on buying some music. Of course they agreed, so you knew exactly what you were doing when you got home.

Just as you got to your destination, you spotted Daryl walking up to his own apartment, quickly taking notice of you. “Hey Daryl.” You already felt a bit tense, Daryl looked incredibly exhausted.

“Hey.”

Well this was kind of awkward, you greeted him but didn’t really know how to continue the conversation, until an idea sprang through you. “I uh, finally bought some music. Wanna join me in listening and have a smoke?” He seems like he could use a get away, and you have just the remedies to relax him.

You watched as he looks down at the floor, biting the inside of his lip before responding while slightly nodding his head. “Yea, Yea sure. Ya stayin’ up?” He started to swirl his thumbs together, you always thought it was really cute when he did that.

“Yeah, for a bit. C’mon I’m so excited to unwrap this.” You used your key to unlock your apartment door and enter, leaving the door open for Daryl as he quickly proceeds behind you.

He closes the door behind you both, locking it and following you to your room. It was dimly lit, bathed in the soft glow of candles around. “Hold this.” You hand Daryl the vinyl, before walking over to your drawer, pulling out rolling paper, an herb grinder, a lighter, and some weed. “Sorry, give me a second to do this, then we can put the album on the record player.” He nods, and goes to sit down on the corner of your neatly folded bed.

You go about crushing the marijuana, feeling the uncomfortableness of the situation seep into you. You and Daryl haven’t seen each other in weeks, now all of a sudden you invited him in for a smoke?

The silence starts becoming painfully sharp, so you begin at your poor attempts at starting conversation. “So how have you been settling in?” He looks up, staring at your figure then at your face, watching your movements as you proceed to add the cannabis onto the rolling paper. “I’ve been ‘Ight.” Wow. Was he normally this bland?

“Hm, that’s good. How are the kids?” Please Daryl, give a response that you can actually open a conversation to.. “They been good. Judith is doin’ better than her whole class.”

Finally, something worth answering. Your heart warms up for a moment, remembering that the kids are finally getting a real experience of what school is. You and Daryl are both incredibly thankful that the children are going to have a chance at a semi normal childhood.

“I’m not surprised at all.. Judith is so smart.” You finished up rolling the joint, sealing it with a lick. You turn to face the man you’ve grown to love, passing it to him while taking the record out of his hands, pulling out the vinyl from its frame and heading to where the record player is. This entire situation has got you feeling excited, being able to finally listen to one thing you missed before the dead rose, and doing it with your favorite person. You carefully place it onto the record player, moving the tonearm and playing it.

The first song that played was Hole in the Earth, and it gave you a type of skin crawling sensation that you just couldn’t explain.

Turning to Daryl, you take back the joint and light it. If you weren’t so focused on what you were doing, you would’ve noticed how he was staring at you, admiring everything you were doing, noticing how you felt when the music started playing, and being so entranced with how your hips swayed.

You took your first hit, soon after passing it to Daryl so he can also take a draw. He grabs the joint but he doesn’t bring it to his lips right away. He keeps his gaze on your face, looking you over before taking a deep inhale. He lets the smoke slowly spill from his mouth, while carefully making sure to blow it away from you. He passes it back to you, still maintaining eye contact. The tension was overbearing, and by the way he was looking at you, it was almost impossible not to feel flutters in your stomach.

The slow, moody guitar riff filling the space between you both accompanied with the scent of burning sage lingering in the air mixing with the sharp tang of weed, was making the tension rise all the more. You took a slow drag from the joint, eyes never leaving his, exhaling lazily and letting the smoke swirl between the two of you.

“You okay?” You ask, your voice light and teasing, catching the twitch of nerves in him. Daryl gave a small grunt, nodding and shifting his weight, his gaze flickering between your lips and the joint. He wasn’t used to moments like this—quiet, intimate.

You smiled gently, a little sly, while slowly leaning closer, feeling buzzed while the drug does its job. “Wanna shotgun it?”

Daryl swallowed hard. He wasn’t expecting something so bold, it’s not like you. But the idea of your lips so close, sharing the smoke between you, sent a ripple of emotion through him. So he gave you a nod, wanting more of this confident side of you.

You took another slow hit, eyes smoldering as you leaned in, lips barely parting. “Come here.” You whispered.

Daryl hesitated for a fraction of a second before leaning forward, feeling the heat of your breath as you exhaled into his mouth, smoke filling his lungs. All he could focus on was how close you were, the smell of your hair, and how beautiful you looked.

Before either of you could stop, the moment stretched, and your lips hovered near his. There was a beat, then two, before instinct took over. You closed the gap, pressing your mouth softly against his. Daryl was left caught off guard, still kissing you back.

The music throbbed around you as the kiss deepened, a mixture of nerves and heat rising. The joint, forgotten and placed onto the ashtray as Daryl’s hand found its way on your back, pulling you closer.

The kiss lingered longer than either of you expected. Your lips were soft and tasted of marijuana. He found himself sinking into the warmth of the moment, the aroma that had been hanging between you dissolving into something he wasn’t sure how to handle. His hands, rough and scarred, tightened around your waist, but there was a gentleness in the way he held you that surprised even him.

You kissed him slowly, as if you had all the time in the world, and Daryl could feel something stir inside him, something unfamiliar, almost unsettling. It wasn’t the impulsive thrill of survival, or the adrenaline of his attempts to protect himself from his father, it was something softer. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of the warmth spreading through his chest, the vulnerability.

You pulled back just a little, breath still warm on his lips, and your forehead resting lightly against his. You smiled, eyes searching his to try and figure him out.

Suddenly, it hit him.

He wasn’t used to this, wasn’t built for it. The closeness, the intimacy, the unspoken understanding in the way you looked at him. He was a man of instinct, not one for quiet moments that left him raw and uncertain. He wasn’t sure what he expected when your lips first met, but this— whatever this was, was way more than he could handle.

Daryl blinked, pulling back a few inches, breaking the connection between you. His hand, still on your waist, fell away, as if it had become too heavy to hold them there any longer.

“I— I cant.” He muttered, the words rough, barely forming in his throat. He stood up abruptly, moving his wavy locs from his face, stepping back as if the space between you could somehow shield him from the feelings creeping up inside him.

You looked up at him, confused. “What are we Daryl?” He can’t just kiss you then walk away? What was this?

“I don’t know.” He responded low, looking at the ground, anywhere but your face. You could hear your favorite song begin to play on the record player, this is not how you would’ve wanted to enjoy it for the first time in years.

“I should get goin’” he mumbled, already heading for the door.

You didn’t stop him, instead, feeling the tears swell up in your eyes, you responded with a simple “okay”.

He paused at the door, his hand resting at the handle. He could hear the sadness in your voice, but he didn’t look back. He couldn’t. If he did, he might see something in your eyes that would make it even harder to walk away.

“I’ll see ya ‘round,” he muttered, before leaving your room and heading for your front door, exiting your apartment. You began to cry, feeling confused and angry, sitting alone in your room listening to your song, comforting you, just like it did before the fall. As Daryl was still processing it all, the night air hit him, clearing his mind a bit but not enough to shake this unfamiliar weight in his chest.

He wasn’t sure what had just happened, all he knew was that it was too much, too real, and it scared him. He wasn’t the type to let anyone in, and yet, in that small dim lit room, he had felt something that had shook him to his core.

But for now, he pushed it down, like he always did, and walked away.

@vampiresluv

[pupyuj]

i NEED domestic yujin, just pure floof :(((

hehe 😼 my first post after a while and it's sfw?? something shifted...

everybody that sees you two always gets so jealous bcs you are both such eye candies and you're so sweet to each other?? just pure couple goals 🥺 yujin is of course the type to always be touching you—arm around your shoulder or waist, holding your hand ofc, and she always melts under your touch 🥺 like she just can't help but lean into you when you gently put your hand on her back or on her arm whenever you're talking to someone :(( she feels so warm knowing that even though your full attention isn't on her at the moment, you're still thinking about her!!

this is probably self-indulgent cuz yujin's my baby daddy but she does that boyfriend thing where she offers to carry all of your shopping bags for you while you waltz around and treat yourself to a well-earned session of money-splurging 😭 literally watching you with a loving smile every time you try on an outfit, tells you to not worry about the price if you happen to come across a particularly expensive piece of clothing bcs she'll buy it for you 🥺🥺 makes sure to save a surprise at the end of your shopping spree where she suddenly pulls out a small box with the prettiest piece of jewelry you've ever seen?!?! 😩💕 also looks at you with a shy smile AS IF SHE AIN'T BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS and is always so nervous as to whether you'll like it or not??? BUT SHE COULD LITERALLY GIVE YOU THE SHITTIEST NECKLACE OR SOMETHING AND YOU'D STILL WEAR IT PROUDLY.

(not that yujin will ever want to give you something that was less than perfect. only the best for her baby! 😤)

yujin loves dating silly little strolls in a park! 🥺 she'd drive you both to one of the prettiest and biggest parks in the city and just take your hand and go for a relaxing walk! she's so in love with you :(( she'd just stare at you while you tell her about a few funny things that happened throughout the week so far,, smiles so brightly when you laugh, she just loves your voice so much she could listen to you talk about anything forever 😣 she'll sit the two of you down by a tree and cuddle up to you, sometimes kissing you and laughing at the way you would blush and look away,, and she's just a sucker for the way you would absentmindedly play with her hands while you're sitting there 💕 and best believe she'll capture every moment of you during your time there! her gallery is literally just you and it's so sweet ☹️☹️

yujin definitely waits up for you if you happen to get held up at work, even if you come home after midnight :(( you'd find her sitting up on the bed with a book on her lap wearing her stupid nerdy glasses, barely awake and so tired 💔 you pepper her face with kisses and she would only pout and blink sleepily at you, the cutieeeee 🥺 she'd whine and pretend to be upset that you're home way too late but really, all that 'anger' is towards your boss for always giving you so much work 😣😣 and omg even when she's tired from staying up, she will NAWT leave you alone 😭 she's forcing herself out of bed and tailing you very closely while you make and sip on your tea, doesn't even let herself finally sleep while you're in the shower and chooses to be awake for another half hour bcs she really can't sleep without you 🥺 she is all over you when you finally join her in bed—leg over your body, arms wrapped tightly around you, nose buried in your hair, and whispering sleepy nonsense against your skin before she finally succumbs to sleep.. she's so silly.

yujin wakes up on top of you in the mornings 😭😭 but she's not like, suffocating you she actually serves as an extra warm and soft blanket!! like, you'd always find her sleeping peacefully on your chest and you can't help but kiss her forehead and thread your fingers through her hair :(( more often than not, she'd stir awake and you'd feel a bit guilty for cutting her rest short but her bright smile and lame ass "hey, beautiful~" makes it all not a big deal 🥺💖 neither of you will ever stop falling in love with each other.. STAND UP!!!!

[arc852]

20. Sour

Definition: feeling or expressing resentment, disappointment, or anger.

Summary: Grian has finally moved out of his parent's place and is now attending college, Scar with him the whole way. But when his parents unexpectedly come and visit, Grian ends up finally standing up for Scar.

G/t: Grian is normal-sized, Scar is a borrower

Warnings: mentions of buying a person, mentions of having given a person as a gift, calling a person a pet, bad parents, and mentions of past abuse and death.

Word Count: 2164

AO3 Link

This is part 2 to Opulence and takes place several years after the fact! I hope you guys enjoy!

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

 Grian finished up his homework and all but slammed the laptop closed as soon as it had finished saving. He pushed the device away and let out a sigh of relief, happy he was finally done.

 University was more difficult than Grian had been expecting. But honestly, he blamed his parents for that. He had been homeschooled for his whole life and while it hadn’t been easy it still hadn’t prepared him for going to an actual college. Of course, his parents never really expected him to go to college. They wanted him to take over their company and in the meantime he could just live off their money. But Grian didn’t want to do that.

 He wanted to make his own way in the world. He didn’t want to have to always rely on his parent’s money. He wanted to earn his own. He wanted to be free of them and independent of himself. Besides all that, he didn’t want to take over the company. He wanted to be an architect.

 So despite the difficulty, Grian pushed through.

 “Hey! I recognize that sound. Are you finally done with your homework?” A voice spoke up from over by his nightstand. Grian jumped a little and looked over to find Scar standing on the nightstand. Somewhere he definitely hadn’t been just a minute ago. Even after all these years together, Scar still managed to sneak up on him.

 “I am yeah. Which means we’ve got the rest of the weekend to do whatever we want.” That was the reason Grian had wanted to finish his homework as soon as possible. He had been so busy with school lately that he and Scar had barely had any time to hang out. So finishing his work with a day and a half to spare left him with plenty of time for him and Scar to catch up.

 Scar grinned as Grian got up. He had been looking forward to this just as much as Grian had. He was looking forward to finally spending more time with his best friend.

 Grian cupped his hand around Scar and picked him up, swiftly but gently. Over the years, after getting much more comfortable with each other, Scar realized he was okay being picked up with being asked. Just as long as he wasn’t contained within a fist. Grian made sure to always scoop rather than wrap his hand around Scar’s form and for that, Scar was grateful.

 They headed to the kitchen and Grian set Scar back down on the counter as he looked through the fridge for something to make for lunch. Just as he was reaching for some stuff to make pasta, there was a knock at the door. Grian looked back toward the door, confused. 

 Scar was also confused. “Were you expecting anyone?” Scar asked, not having been informed if that was the case.

 Grian shook his head. “No.” Grian said and closed the fridge. He looked at Scar. “Hide.” He said, and Scar wasted no time in running behind the toaster. Though he did peek out just enough to see. Grian noticed this and rolled his eyes but unless you were really looking for a borrower, Scar was well hidden. So he let him be as he headed toward his door.

 He opened it up, only to freeze in shock at who waited for him. “Mom? Dad?” Grian said and Scar’s eyes widened at the reveal of Grian’s parents behind the door.

 “Oh! Grian, my baby!” His mom exclaimed, coming in and hugging her son. Grian stiffened but quickly relaxed and hugged his mom back.

 “Um, hey.” Grian said awkwardly, not having expected this at all. “What are you guys doing here?” 

 His dad came all the way in and closed the door behind him. “We can’t just drop in to check on our son? See how he’s doing?” 

 “I mean, yeah, but usually parents call first.” Grian said, trying not to sound too annoyed. His mother finally let him go and waved her hand.

 “Oh, surprises are more fun. And besides, we were in the area while waiting for our next business flight and thought to see how you were doing.” His mom said, still smiling wide. 

 His dad walked more into the apartment, hands on his hips. “Hmm, I wished you had let us get you a better apartment.” His dad said, eyeing the place with barely concealed disdain. Grian sighed. His parents had tried their hardest to pay for the apartment themselves, for a nice one that practically could have been a house, but Grian had refused. Instead, using the money he had earned over the years and saved up to pay for it. He already allowed his parents to pay for his college. Despite disagreeing with his major, they still payed his tuition. He at least wanted to pay for something himself.

 “I think this place is great.” Grian said as he and his mom followed his dad further into his apartment. They entered the kitchen and Grian suddenly remembered Scar. He looked toward the toaster, seeing Scar still peeking his head out from behind.

 Unfortunately, his dad had followed his gaze. “Oh! You still have that borrower we got you when you were 13?” His father asked as he walked over. Grian’s heart rate spiked as his dad reached down and grabbed Scar. Scar yelped in surprise, shaking in the grip of Grian’s father.

 Grian was at his dad’s side in an instant, holding his hands out. “Dad, please be careful.” Grian begged, watching Scar like a hawk.

 His dad rolled his eyes but handed Scar over to Grian, who let out a sigh of relief. Scar was still shaking a bit, so Grian held him close to his chest. “Oh come on, I know how to handle a borrower. I had one myself, remember?” A thoughtful expression appeared on his dad’s face. “Of course, mine had long since died before I turned your age. I’m surprised yours has lasted this long.” He laughed.

 That bit of new information made Grian feel sick. He really hoped it was due to old age and not anything else running through his head. But with how his father had so carelessly grabbed Scar he was suspecting it was far worse.

 “I…I take good care of him.” Grian stuttered out, having to say something.

 “Aww, that’s so sweet.” His mom said. “It’s nice to see you still have your little pet to keep you company.”

 Grian bit his lip. “He’s…” Grian trailed off. It was easier not to say anything, like always. Let them believe what they believed. But Grian was 20 years old now. If he really wanted to be independent from his parents then he needed to not only stand up for himself, but for Scar.

 He was tired of his parents seeing Scar as less than. Scar wasn’t his pet.

 “He’s my best friend. Not a pet.” Grian said, short but to the point.

 A small gasp had him looking down and Scar looked up at him with wide eyes. He had not been expecting Grian to stand up to his parents today. Grian hadn’t either but he supposed there was no better time.

 To his shock though, his mom just giggled. “Oh, of course sweetie. It’s like he’s part of the family. I understand. I had a dog when I was little and I always referred to him as my brother instead of a pet.” She laughed again. “How silly.”

 Grian frowned, dread pooling in his gut. The fact his mom has just compared Scar to a dog was horrible and Grian wasn’t looking forward to the rest of this conversation. “No, mom. Scar is a person.”

 His dad snorted and crossed his arms. “Son, they may look like people but that doesn’t mean they are.” His dad’s gaze went to Scar, who flinched. Grian’s grip grew just a bit tighter, trying to protect Scar from his father. “Has this borrower been feeding you lies? Honestly, they love to say they aren’t pets and ‘deserve better’.” His father shook his head. “It took a lot of training to get my borrower to stop spouting that nonsense.”

 Scar let out a little noise at that, the thought of Grian’s dad training a borrower to be a good little pet sounding horrific. Grian felt the same but he pushed through. “He didn’t have to tell me anything. Anyone with eyes,” and good morals, though he didn’t say that out loud. “Can see he’s a person!”

 His mother hummed. “I don’t like the tone you are taking with us, mister.” She said with a frown. “Maybe getting you that borrower all those years ago was a bad idea.” She glanced over at her husband. He didn’t look happy.

 “I’m starting to think so. Perhaps parting with it would be best. Maybe it's even the reason he wanted to come here and not work in our company.” His father theorized and Grian’s eyes widened.

 “What? No! Scar is not the reason for that, I made that decision on my own.” Grian said, his voice turning desperate. He was starting to feel like he was a kid again, trying to talk himself out of being in trouble.

 “Well, it’s already lied to you about being a person. Who knows what else it’s put into your head.” Grian’s father shook his head and sighed. He then held his hand out and Grian took a step back, holding Scar tighter. “Come on, hand him over.”

 Grian shook his head. “No.”

 His mother sighed. “Come now Grian, don’t be difficult.”

 Grian clenched his jaw, done with all of this. “No! I’m not a kid anymore, you can’t tell me what to do. I’m not handing over Scar, he’s staying here with me.” He narrowed his eyes and used his free hand to point at the door. “And you two are no longer welcome here. Leave.”

 “Excuse me?” His mother said, eyes wide as she placed a hand over her chest, looking offended.

 “Yes, excuse you. If you want to talk about Scar like that, then I don’t want you anywhere near him or me.” Grian said, keeping his stance firm.

 His father wrapped an arm around his wife and glared at Grian. “That thing has seriously poisoned your mind.”

 Grian laughed and shook his head. “No, actually. I think that was you two.”

 His mother gasped and then started to cry softly into her husband’s arm. His father held her tighter. “Well then…you can forget about us paying for your college.” He headed towards the door, leading his mother along. “And when you end up crawling back to us, you can bet that little borrower is as good as gone.”

 Grian kept his face carefully neutral and his father just sneered. Without another word, his parents slammed the door closed behind them.

 Grian let out a huge sigh and practically crumbled to his knees onto the floor. That whole conversation had left such a sour taste in his mouth. But it had needed to be done. He brought his hand away from his chest and opened it up more to check on Scar. “You okay?”

 Scar nodded, though he looked more than a little shaken up. Scar met Grian’s eyes. “M-Maybe you should have just not said anything though…cause now your college--”

 Grian cut him off. “I don’t care about that. I’ll get a job or take out a loan or something. There are other ways to pay for it.” He said and then he brought Scar closer to his eye level. “I care about you Scar. And I’ve let my parents get away with saying things about you for too long.” He brought his head closer and gently rested his forehead against Scar’s before closing his eyes.

 Scar pressed back, his small weight familiar and calming. “Thank you, Grian.”

 Grian hummed and then lifted his head and looked at Scar. “No, Scar. Thank you. I think…it’s because of you I didn’t turn out like them.”

 Scar shook his head and laughed a little. “No, I think that was all you G. You’ve never been anything like your parents for as long as I’ve known you.” Scar smiled. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

 Grian smiled and used his free hand to wipe away a stray tear. He stood up and went over to grab his phone. “How about we finally have some lunch? I don’t know about you, but I am starving.”

 “Sounds great! I’ve got quite the appetite myself.” Scar said and Grian grinned, starting the call to order them a pizza.

 It would be a bit more difficult without his parent’s help but Grian was confident that he didn’t need them. He was determined to make his own way, as far from them as possible. 

 As the pizza came and they sat and ate together, talked with each other, laughed together. Well…Grian knew they were gonna be okay.

[linawritestwst]

hello, can I request a female reader who comes from a wealthy family and is very spoiled, but isn't a brat because they know money has to be earned with the dorm leaders pls. if not all is good

dorm leaders x s/o who comes from a wealthy family headcanons (fem!reader)

FINALLY AN ACTUAL WRITING POST JDKDKLSDLS. okay, okay, i'm trying to get back into writing, i really am ;w; i'm probably a bit rusty, i haven't wrote twst x reader content for a long time, but i hope you like these headcanons anyway, anon! i hope they're not too similar to the disney princess ones i wrote in the past, haha.

riddle rosehearts.

♡ he's gonna be honest, he didn't trust you at first. he did assume that you're gonna be a more arrogant and selfish person, considering how spoiled you are, but when he found out just how sweet you really are.. yes, that was a pleasant surprise. and when he sees you trying to do something without anyone's help, he really does admire you. but hey, you can ask him for help, if you need it, he's not gonna think you're too lazy or anything like that. 

♡ riddle also was surprised when you thought the queen's rules were interesting and asked him to tell you more about them. like, he thought you'd be the last person to try and follow them. and then you said that you want to respect riddle's wish for everyone to follow the rules and you also just want to learn more about him. and what's the better way than asking him to help you memorize the rules?.. you were right, riddle did have a lot of fun, but then he started to slowly get distracted because of how cute your reactions were. you just kept going "oh, i see!~" and "how interesting, i'll make sure to remember that!", like, stop making him fall in love with you, y/n!

♡ when you start getting some VERY expensive gifts for him, he's torn between "y/n, i'm truly grateful, but you really didn't have to buy this for me" and ".. this is actually very beautiful". riddle really can't thank you enough for your gifts and his face gets red everytime he sees them, but he's not sure if he deserves all this stuff. when you assure him it's nothing and you just wanted to make him happy, he doesn't even know how to react. his heart just keeps beating faster when you are around and he doesn't know why.

♡ as riddle keeps learning more about you, he becomes ashamed of his first impressions of you. just how could he think you're rude and selfish just because of your family? you're such a kind and gentle person, you're like.. you're like a princess to him, haha. he doesn't know what to do with his feelings though, he wasn't sure if it's okay for him to accept your gifts, how is he supposed to know if it's okay to date you?? but um.. maybe his feelings are actually mutual.

leona kingscholar.

♡ .. he's literally a prince, so yeah, he's not that impressed. but yes, he's also a member of the "so your family likes to spoil you? oh, you're definitely not a good person" gang. and he's a bit jealous of how supportive your parents are, like sure, they get you a lot of gifts, but they also listen to you and they genuinely love you a lot. it must be nice to be a rich girl who's not only spoiled, but also loved and cared for.

♡ at first he tried to avoid you and said that he's not interested in talking to you, but when you kept on trying to know him better, he gave up. he just got tired and thought that if he tells you everything you want to know, you'll finally leave him alone. but he doesn't feel good about it, it's like.. of course, you'd expect him to eventually give up, you're used to getting everything you want. it's like he lost to you in a way.

♡ he's surprised that you're actually.. a very active and determined person for someone who's so spoiled and wealthy?? like sure, he already knew about kalim, but you had a completely different energy compared to him, so leona didn't expect you to be so curious about everything and wanting to become close with everyone. but he's not gonna lie, it's pretty fun to talk to you sometimes. though you are the one who usually does all the talking and this guy is just chilling, but he doesn't mind.

♡ leona can't understand what it is about you that makes him want to spend more and more time with you. he wasn't supposed to get attached to someone like you, but.. oh well, it's too late, he's totally in love with you. and people are not surprised at all, some of them even lowkey shipped you and leona, i mean, the prince and the girl who comes from an extremely rich family?? yeah, it was like shipping celebrities to them. 

azul ashengrotto.

♡ IF LEONA WASN'T IMPRESSED AT ALL, THIS MAN TOTALLY IS. like hi?? hello there?? do you wanna chat?? wanna discuss some stuff with him?? this guy is treating you like jamil now, he keeps trying to talk to you, he is very nice to you and he tries to impress you all the time. floyd finds it annoying and says things like "man, azul has a huge crush on this girl, doesn't he", even though he knows it's probably not a crush. NOT YET.

♡ but then, it happens. azul finds out that you're not only extremely rich, but you're also a very nice person who genuinely wants to be friends with him. oh no, now he feels a bit.. wrong. like why are you so kind to him?? he knows you don't need anything from him, so why would you even be interested in him?? and you also said that you like his personality and you think he's pretty.. why are you doing this to him. stop there, cute rich girl, STOP RUINING HIS PLANS.

♡ and now, the tables have turned. now you are the one who follows him around and goes "azul! azul! come on, let's chat~", azul has no idea what to do, HE EVEN TRIES HIDING FROM YOU WHEN HE HEARS YOUR VOICE. meanwhile the leech twins like to see him suffer, so they always tell you where you can find him. and when azul asks "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT", they go "azul, we're just trying to fix your love life". 

♡ azul even starts feeling guilty for trying to fool you in the past, it doesn't help that you said you like his personality, but that was just him trying to make you trust him. and he refuses to admit that he's in love with you, even though HE KNOWS THAT HE IS. he still tries to avoid you and push you away, because he feels like it would still be him lying to you if you two end up dating. so, if you don't want to lose him, you gotta tell him that you love him for who he is, no matter what! 

kalim al-asim.

♡ YEAH YOU TWO WOULD IMMEDIATELY BECOME BEST FRIENDS. when people saw just how good you two get along, everyone went "they are definitely gonna become a couple, aren't they". jamil is SO TIRED of you two. you and kalim always know what to talk about, you have similar interests and sometimes you have moments that make you two go "haha, that was cute, but we're still just friends! :).. we're just friends. totally." 

♡ you two would try to impress each other with cool gifts all the time. you'd be like "hey, kalim, look what i got you" and he'd be like "thank you so much, but look what I GOT YOU" and the cycle would never end. you just can't help it, you appreciate each other so much, you just really want to show how important this relationship is to you! but you two would never mention that all these gifts end up making you fall in love with each other even more.

♡ you would most likely have to be the one to confess your feelings to kalim, because even though he's not a shy type at all, he is pretty oblivious and he would think that you just see him as a friend. and even if you do see him as a friend, he doesn't mind at all! he just really likes to hang out with you and this relationship is precious to him, it doesn't matter if it's platonic or romantic. so, if you actually want more, you have to take that chance and tell him the truth!

♡ when you two become a couple, EVERYONE JUST KNOWS THAT YOU AND KALIM ARE GOING TO HAVE THE COOLEST DATES EVER. you and kalim never settle for something simple, if you are going on a date, YOU ARE GOING TO REMEMBER THIS DATE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. your dates are always fun, exciting and you two still end up giving each other way too many gifts. please go easy on him, y/n, jamil is the one who will have to figure out where he should put all of these. the urge to just throw them all out is strong though

vil schoenheit.

♡ vil also didn't trust you that much at first, though he had to admit that you have a really good taste in fashion. also your skincare/makeup products recommendations were very useful, at first vil was surprised that you know so much about it, but then he remembered that you can easily afford the best stuff. and as vil grew to understand you better, his conversations with you eventually started becoming much longer. 

♡ when vil found out just how mature you really are, he started respecting you even more. it was a nice surprise for him when he heard you say that you don't want people to think of you as someone lazy and selfish, because even though your parents like to spoil you a lot, you know that money has to be earned and you're grateful for everything that you have. now vil realized that you're actually a very hardworking and responsible person and he enjoyed talking to you even more.

♡ it takes a while for vil to realize that what he feels isn't just admiration and respect and that he actually has a crush on you. and when he does realize it, he is a bit confused, this feeling is new to him, after all. however, he still makes sure you see him as someone more confident and now, when he knows that he's in love with you, he really does want you to see only the best side of him. little does he know that you already love vil for who he is and you'd still love him no matter what flaws he has..

idia shroud.

♡ yeah, he's also one of those people who judged you when they first met you EVEN THOUGH HE LITERALLY ALSO COMES FROM A NOBLE FAMILY. idia thought that you're either gonna be kalim number two or you're actually much more rude and you're never gonna stop bullying him.. and it turned out to be the first one. oh well, now he has a different reason to avoid you, you're not only extremely rich and spoiled, you also want to talk to him more and you run to idia everytime you see him.

♡ when idia keeps refusing to talk to you and runs away from you, you just start finding out more and more info about him and you start getting as much anime/game merch for him as you can. you know his favorite series, his fandoms, his main interests, you've also asked ortho (who's just a sweet innocent boy who wants you and idia to become closer) about what kind of merch he wanted to get, idia absolutely has to pay attention to you now, right? good job, y/n, this guy is NOT leaving his room but it's because he can't stop looking at all the things you got for him.

♡ okay. um. maybe you're actually not so bad. maybe he actually wants to know a bit more about you. but idia is still too shy and he's not sure how to start a conversation with you, so you'll have to be the one to make the first move.. though you probably knew that already. and you're alright with being the one who's more talkative! you're even okay with simply sitting next to idia in total silence, you just enjoy his company that much.. and you just have a huge crush on him.

malleus draconia.

♡ .. like leona, he's also probably not that impressed. however, if leona is much more suspicious of you, malleus doesn't think you're a bad person at all, in fact, he actually can relate to your problems a lot. when you say that people tend to be scared of you, find you annoying or simply think you're a bad person, wow, malleus gets it. hey, maybe you two can bond over your loneliness? malleus sure could use some company.

♡ you and malleus understand each other very well and you two become friends very quickly. he likes to hear you talk about your family, your interests and your life, and even though he can easily get anything he wants, he still appreciates all your gifts and he likes looking at them everytime he feels a bit.. sad. malleus gets attached to you very quickly and he makes sure no one says anything bad about you because of your status and family. 

♡ you and malleus have a very strong relationship and you always know what to say when one of you is feeling down. malleus wishes people wouldn't judge you the minute they find out about your family, but you tell him you're used to it and you don't pay that much attention to it anymore. you have malleus now, right? and because of that, you don't have to feel so lonely anymore. and of course, this goes for malleus as well, he's very lucky to have someone as kind and understanding as you by his side. 

[akwolfgrl]

LFT part 34

What is that guy's issue?” Zoro put his sword away as he walked towards the barrel. Zoro had told him a few times he wasn't interested in selling him his sword. Zoro began digging through the barrels searching for something decent.

“You must lose a lot of swords if you think you have to carry three of them around. Unless of course you're copying that infamous Pirate Hunter,” Zoro ignored Tashigi as she came up behind him.

“Yah, pirate hunter,” Zoro muttered to himself.

“He's made quite the name for himself, Roronoa some call him a demon. He is known throughout the East Blue for his sword skills, but he's clearly not a good person to have earned the moniker of demon. A bounty hunter is not someone who has any honor, and swordsmen without any honor shouldn't be allowed to be called swordsmen. Someone who uses their swords just as a way to make money. It's too bad for real swordsmen being compared to him, it's all backwards. Pirates and bounty hunters calling themselves swordmasters makes no sense to me. They even have most of the world's legendary swords as well, it's such a tragedy,” Tashigi continued to talk as he looked for swords.

“Oh don't know,” Zoro chuckled. “It's the kinda thing that you have to look at on a case by case basis,” Axe hand Morgan may not have been a swordsman but he was a Marine. A Marine who allowed his men and his son to terrorize the village they were at. A little girl had almost been torn to shreds by a vicious animal, and when he killed it he had been tied up, left without food or water. The world wasn't black and white, it was made up of shades of gray. “You never know what people are capable of or what they've been through.”

“I don't give a damn, I'd be more than happy to welcome criminals as long as they have money. I remember when my shop used to be filled with people shopping before trying their hand in the GrandLine, but ever since that monster you call a Captain was put in charge I hardly ever get any customers,” The man complained, it would explain why he was asleep when Zoro arrived.

“Captain Smoker isn't a monster, he's done great work cleaning up these streets,“ Tashigi retorted.

“He's a damn devil fruit user! That is more than enough reason to call him a monster!” The man yelled back.

“This is my Shigure. I'm going to work as hard as I can to perfect my skills and one day I'll take back every single last one of the legendary swords, because the filthy hands that hold them do not deserve them! I am including the War Lords of the Sea! They are nothing more than a pirate with a fancy title! That includes Dracule Mihawk! Yes. The twenty one top O-Wazamono, the twenty one O-Wazamonos, as well as the Ryo-Wazamonos, I'll find them all! I'll keep them safe!”

“What about my sword? Do you want to take my sword from me? Wado Ichimonji,” Zoro asked, turning to look at her as unsheathe his sword, just because she looked like Kuina didn't mean she could have her sword.

“Oh um I'm not trying to get them back for my sake, I just don't want criminals to have them,” Zoro turned back to the barrel of swords when one caught his eye, he warped his hand around its handle, this sword was cursed. He took it out of the barrel, its red and gold sheath in good condition for being so cheap. “Oh I think that's, just a sec let me check my book,” Tashgi flipped through the pages of the small book she had on her. “Ah, just as I thought! That blade would be Kitetsu! Kitetsu the third! Its predecessor is an O-Wazamono and the first Kitetsu is a top O-Wazamono,” Zoro took the blade out of the sheath looking at the moderately curved katana with a white edge and a blue hamon that looked like flames. “Hey are you really only selling it for 50,000?” Tashigi asked. Zoro would happily only pay that much.

“Y-yeah?” The man's voice sounded shaky and unsure.

“That's unbelievable! It's an authentic Wazamono.” Zoro stared at his reflection in the sword. “Wow you must buy that sword!” Zoro had every intention of doing so. “It's worth at least a million berries or more,” Zoro was not going to tell Nami how his swords were worth. He didn't trust her not to sell them behind his back. “You can't pass it up, it's so valuable,”

“Dammit! I can't sell it!”

“I didn't think so, I knew it must have been a mistake, it is a legendary sword after all ”

“It's not what you think!” The man cried out as Zoro tightened his grip on the sword and swung it down, now facing towards Tashigi.

“The swords cursed.” Zoro spoke, a cursed blade had not what he had been expecting to find but still he had.

“Huh? How the hell do you know that?”

“Just…do,” Zoro didn't know how he knew, but he could feel it, feel with every part of him that this sword would love nothing more than to bathe in blood, be it his or his enemies it didn't matter. He would enjoy taming it.

[northwest-cryptid]

I can't explain it very well, and I know a lot of people will probably hate to hear it. But Limbus Company feels like seeing someone running around wearing the corpse of a friend like a cheap cosplay and everyone praising them for being the authentic real thing.

It makes me feel insane, because I know so few who actually understand the problems I have with it. Fewer who seem to understand we're never going to get back what we lost.

But I do find it really funny how Project Moon became the very thing it wrote about. Obviously to a less extreme degree, or at least a less direct degree; and everyone who played LC and said "wow this guy sucks, how can these people overlook all these crimes and still just go on with their lives!?" Play Limbus Company, pay for Gacha, and when I dare to mention how ironic that is; I'm slapped in the face with how I'm a bad person because this is how they cope with their trauma or something.

Mind you these are all like, 3 different issues that stem from the same larger issue with Project Moon as a company. I've heard people say this is a problem with "the greater market of games as a whole" but I just don't buy that when you have so many indie games that succeed well enough despite being authentic and true to themselves.

Project Moon made Limbus as a funding project, a way to have an ongoing story they could add to the lore with; while funding bigger and better projects. That was the intent originally; but when they earned more than they could have ever hoped for their true colors got revealed immediately, and we lost what was once a very promising company, game series, and world setting. Seeing how much the community has in the past, and continues to influence the direction of the company it's kind of sad to see this happen because it feels like we let this happen in a way, even though I do believe I did my part in trying to prevent it.

But hey, truth is; people like Limbus Company, it's not that it's necessarily a bad game or bad characters or even honestly a bad story. So I don't necessarily fault people for that, more power to them; I'm happy they can enjoy it. However It's not Lobotomy Corporation, hell it's not even Library of Ruina which wasn't even Lobotomy Corporation. We're never going to get the same setting as Lob Corp, sure maybe on the surface level shit. We're always going to have fixers, and horror themes, and shit like that whatever. It's never going to be able to grapple with the shit Lob Corp did though, it's not going to be able to tell those stories, it's not going to be able to go to the places Lob Corp did, because that's not who Project Moon is anymore, and they know VERY well that if they deviate too much from what's marketable, it's not going to make them money.

I could get into it, but I don't really feel up for it right now, not that my opinion genuinely matters that much. I'm sure I'll get one or two weird anon messages about how I'm stupid and "if I don't like it don't play it" or some shit. Sure I understand, and like; for the record I don't play it. But I'm not just sitting here bitching for the sake of being mad about something or complaining. I'm not even mad or upset, I'm fucking sad because what I loved about Project Moon, and it's world, and it's characters, and what it was saying and doing as a company? Yea that doesn't exist anymore, and it won't come back, we've lost it and there's no going back to the way it was.

Man if only we had been warned about the true horror of corporate greed and the corruption that comes from wealth and power somehow :P

[saintsir4n]

3. BUSTED

keep liking and commenting

WARNING: GUNS AND EXPLOSIONS

WHEN Carson pulled up in her baby – correction her hellcat, people parted as she did so. She blew her car a kiss, something she always did and quickly joined the rest of the crew. Letty was behind her, swaying her hips and chucking an arm around Carson and Mia.

Carson thought it was a good turnout, the area was full of cars, even a few she did the designs for.

She then nudged the Ortiz woman, seeing her godbrother talking to two blondes.

"Oh he's in trouble now," Carson said, laughing alongside Mia, trailing behind Letty who annoyedly walked over to Dom.

Letty appeared in front of them, growling at the blondes, "I smell." she sniffed the air, "Skanks, Why don't you girls just pack it up before I leave tread marks on your face?"

The blondes turned away, leaving Dom to his girlfriend's ire, "Letty, I was just talking," he tried explaining.

"Yeah, whatever." Letty snapped, looking as pissed as ever.

Dom gave up and went over to Hector and his acquaintance Edwin.

It was Carson's turn to swing an arm around the Ortiz racer, "That's what you get for going out with him instead of me and Mia."

"Yeah, could've had us," Mia added, gesturing between her and Carson.

Letty cracked a small smile, but it quickly faltered when they heard Dom's voice, "Okay, Hector..."

Carson's attention was quickly captured by a lime-green Mitsubishi. Brian stood next to it, leaning with his hands in his pockets, scanning the crowd until his gaze settled on her and smiled.

She couldn't help but smile back, but to say Vince wasn't impressed was an understatement. He and Jesse were near, and Leon was off making sure the cops were elsewhere for the night.

"You tell him where we're gonna be Summer?" Letty asked quietly, making sure that none of the guys could hear.

Carson shook her head, "Nope."

"You're a shitty liar," Mia pointed out, whilst looking around for another familiar face.

Carson shrugged, "And what about it."

She then nudged Mia, nodding over to Keelie who made her way over, squealing when she joined the women, who all welcomed her, one much more intimate than the others.

"Hey, girl," Keelie smiled at the youngest Torreto, who blushed faster than anyone thought possible.

Vince and Jesse shamelessly scanned Keelie's outfit, whilst Dom continued to talk to Hector, well that was until Brian came closer.

"One race, 2g buy-in. Winner takes all," Dom said, making Carson break from the girls, "Hector, you're going to hold the cash."

"Why Hector?" Another racer asked, handing his money over to Hector.

"Cause he's too slow to make away with the money," Edwin said, making them all laugh.

Carson handed her money over, silently praying she would get it back tenfold, "Don't forget I could chase him down even in heels." Luckily she was wearing sneakers today.

"And there's that too," Dom added, whilst Hector playfully glared at her.

"Good luck, guys," Hector nodded at the four racers.

"Hey, wait. Hold up," it was Brian's voice, and he came between them, holding up a pink slip, "I don't have any money, but I do have a pink slip to my car."

Carson made a face and then quickly turned to see Keelie and Mia wiggle their brows at her.

"Hey, you just can't climb in the ring with Ali 'cause you think you box," she heard Jesse say.

That's when Brian pointed to an annoyed Vince, smirking, "He knows I can box." Carson let a giggle slip which earned a glare from Vince. "So, check it out. It's like this. I lose, winner takes my car, clean and clear. But if I win, I take the cash and I take the respect."

The people around them laughed.

Dom smirked with a laugh, "Respect?"

Carson wondered if Brian had any shame or if he just had the biggest balls...which begged the question, did she want to see them?

Mia chuckled, whilst Keelie and Letty smirked.

"To some people that's more important." Brian continued, shooting a glance at the Baker racer.

"That your car?" Dom bobbed his head towards his lime green 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

The rest of the crew and some others walked over it.

Jesse popped the hood and revealed a glistening sight.

Carson's jaw dropped, but it was Jesse who was gushing.

He listed, "I see a cool air intake. It's got a NOS fogger system and a T4 turbo, Dominic," Jesse couldn't tear his eyes away, "I see an AIC controller. It has direct port nitrous injection."

"Yeah. And a stand-alone fuel management system." Dom added, shocked by what he was seeing, "Not a bad way to spend $10,000."

Edwin stepped towards the car, inspecting the car's insides. "You see that shit? He's got enough NOS in there to blow himself up. Period."

"Amateurs don't use Nitrous oxide, not with heavy feet," Carson mumbled, though everyone heard her. Could he handle it? She then hoped that she didn't mess up because all their asses would be on the line. But she did want every part of his car.

"So what do you say?" Brian asked, directing his question at Dom, "Am I worthy?"

"We don't know yet," Dom said, grinning. He pointed towards Brian, "But you're in. Let's go."

"Yo Dom, could I rub your head for good luck?" Carson's jest earned her a swift shove and a few laughs.

It wasn't long before all the racers pulled up their cars to the starting line. Brian had to inch his car backwards, amusing the hecklers around him.

Carson had to admit she was nervous, her biggest competition was Dom, but Brian was new and she'd never seen him race before. She wanted to win, she had to. They were on either side of her. The interior of her car was different from the exterior, neon pink lights clung to the lining, somehow she managed to add it in, not without doing a few extra shifts at the nail salon.

"This is for you Dad," she mumbled, tracing her hands over the wheel and checking the NOS near her, "let's pray I don't blow up in this bitch."

She could faintly hear the chanting from Keelie and saw Mia waving at her.

Brian's cheeky smile was even prominent through her peripheral, but she couldn't get distracted, so when Leon called that they were in the clear, Hector raised his arms. She sucked in deep breaths and let her engine roar, just as loud as the rest of them.

The crowd boomed when the fire blew from the tailpipes.

Hector lowered his arms and yelled, "Go!" Every racer sped off, tears screeching and leaving marks on the ground.

"Come on girl, be nice to me," Carson murmured, determined and serious, thinking about one thing and one thing only. She gripped her wheel tightly, wearing an uncharacteristically mean mug.

With every yard, she skated further ahead, it was now her, Dom and Brian.

Carson's heart was beating so fast she could hear it pumping in her ears, but she didn't care, she switched gears like her life depended on it. The wind blew through the strands of her hair and clung to her face.

She manoeuvred effortlessly and senselessly just like her dad taught her, work with your car, not against it, and that she did.

She knew Dom was smiling next to her, it's all he did whenever they raced.

She could hear the shift in Brain's engine, the fucker used his NOS... way too early, leaving her and Dom neck and neck. Her foot was pressing on the gas so hard, she couldn't feel it. One bottom was pressed and then another. The street lights were merely dots that went by. 5 cars became 2 and with the finishing line in view, there could only be one winner. And with one last stretch, Carson gasped, zooming past the line as Dom was just an inch behind her, just an inch.

She couldn't believe it, not when cheers descended and the crowd rounded her car. She had to blink, if she didn't her eyes would get stuck and she would miss the look on Dom's face.

He was proud when she finally stepped out of the car and allowed the attention to break through.

The crew were quick to applaud and hug her.

"You did it kid," Dom embraced her shortly after her girlfriends pulled away.

"Guess I didn't need that head rub," she joked.

"Yeah shut up," he pulled away, saying, "Uncle Danny would be proud."

"He really would Summer," Vince added and pressed a kiss to her cheek, before picking her up and hugging her again.

Keelie nudged Mia and Letty, pointing to Brian's face when he pulled up in his car, he seemed neutral at first but grew annoyed when he saw Vince all over Carson.

"Here's what you want, right here," Hector said, his hands full of the money and giving it over to Carson with a grin, "There you go."

"Keke, wanna count it," she called out to her friend who happily accepted it.

"You know I do," the nail technician beamed but was ready to fight if someone took it off of her.

Everyone was cheering, Dom was happy and still lifted Letty in his arms, not caring for this loss. He wanted a rematch though.

Brain got out of his car, grinning as the crowd swarmed him.

"Brian, maybe you could be my trophy," Carson's quip made him and a few others laugh.

"That's your new car," Vince made sure that everyone could hear, keeping an arm around Carson.

"Was it fun?" Jesse asked sarcastically, popping the hood of Carson's new car, coughing when smoke poured out. The crowd heckled and laughed.

"Damn, it's gonna give me asthma," Carson said, wafting it out of her face. She still wanted the parts, but they looked like they were closer to death than anything.

"Girl you're gonna have to wear a gasmask driving that thing," she heard Keelie say, attempting to pass over the money, but Carson motioned for her to keep it until they got home.

"What are you smilin' about?" Dom asked, confused about Brian's big grin, everyone was.

"Dude, I almost had you," Brian said, smiling widely, making the people around him cheer.

"You almost had me?" Dom replied, a smirk painted all over his face. "You never had me. You never had your car!"

"Ohhh!" the crowd roared just as Brian's smile faltered.

"Granny shiftin', not double-clutchin' like you should." Dom continued, starting to circle the car, drawing more laughter from the crowd. He soaked up the praise and outstretched her arms, "You're lucky that hundred-shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake. Almost had me? Now me, Summer and the mad scientist gotta rip apart the block and replace the piston rings you fried."

"My new car is a mess Brian," Carson whined, softly pulling away from Vince. "You got a heavy foot, more of an amateur than I thought," she wasn't trying to be mean, but the crowd was eating it up, "but you gotta take some lessons."

"From you, the champ?" Brian's eyes dragged up and down her form, then zeroed in on her eyes, making her smile grow.

He wanted to win, not just for the respect, but for a chance to take her out on a date.

"Yeah, from me," Carson said back, beaming at him.

"You tell him, Barbie!" somebody shouted.

But their back and forth was cut short when Leon alerted them about the police coming at them from all ends.

"Cops!" he shouted and everyone scattered.

"Carson," she heard her name being called, it was Brian. He slammed the hood shut and jumped into his old car.

Carson then tossed her keys to Keelie, "Look after my child, take Mia to the house okay?"

Keelie nodded, knowing she was the only one trusted to drive her car. She then grabbed Mia's hand and went their way.

Carson felt a tug on her arm and she jumped into the Eclipse, turning to Brian, "And I thought I was givin' you some lessons."

"You can later, can't let the champ get caught can I?" he retorted, stepping on the gas, fleeing the scene.

"Nah then you'd just be a sore loser, pretty boy."

"You think I'm pretty?"

"I think you're brave."

"And you know what I think of you," he said, trying to drive as inconspicuously as possible, but the police were close.

Scanning the car's interior, Carson asked, "And what do you think of me, tell me whilst I think about my win."

He chuckled, "You're a skilful artist."

"Thank you."

"Even better driver."

She laughed, "Obviously."

Brian's smile widened when he glanced at her, "The most beautiful girl –"

"Shit, there's Dom," Carson cut him off, pointing at the oldest Torreto sibling who was trying to outrun the police, "Can't keep out of trouble."

Brian swerved, pulling up to the man, "Get in."

When Dom pulled open the passenger seat, he expected Carson to move but she shook her head, "Get in the back 2nd place."

"You're never gonna let that go are you?" Dom groaned, trying to move to the back of the car, awkwardly crouching near the NOS as Brian started to drive.

"Of course, I won't, when have you known me to be humble?"

"It's not in your nature," he murmured, then turned to Brian, "When did you pick her up? Matter of fact why?"

The blonde scrunched up his face, "Want me to leave her to get arrested?"

"I'm right here," Carson expressed, getting their attention, "Just be grateful neither of us are in trouble."

"You're the last person I expected to show up," Dom admitted, staring at Brian, gripping onto the front seats he drifted, causing the police cars to collide behind them.

Carson said nothing, even though she knew he was right. Dom had fired, then humiliated him in front of everyone and even though she took his car, he still showed up, wanting to get to know her and help out Dom.

Brian looked at him. "Yeah, well, I thought if I got in your good graces, you might help convince Carson to keep my car."

"Nope," she was quick to interrupt, amusing the two guys, "but he's in your good graces right Dominic?"

He ignored her question, flicked her ear and received the middle finger

"You drive like you've done this before. What are you? A wheelman?" He then asked Brian.

"Nah, man." Brian denied, shaking his head.

"And just like Pinocchio, his nose grew," Carson remarked, to which the blonde just shrugged off her claim. "Like seriously, how can you just drive like this?"

"Impressed?" Brian sent her a smile.

"I would be if you beat me."

"There's always next time," it sounded more like a promise than anything.

"You ever boost cars?" Dom pressed, wanting their flirting to end.

Brian shook his head.

"Ever done time?" Carson paused, "hard to believe you ever did, especially with how you look."

Dom chuckled at the insinuation.

"A couple of overnighters, no big deal," Brian said nonchalantly.

"It is a big deal," Carson replied, making the blonde snap his head towards her, surprised that she seemed annoyed.

"What about the two years in juvie for boostin' cars?" Dom suddenly questioned, placing a hand on his godsister's shoulder aware she hated the idea of prison or jail because of him. Brian glanced at him. "Yeah, I had Jesse run a profile for Brian Earl Spilner. You'll find anythin' on the web, anything about anyone. So, why the bullshit?"

Carson certainly was surprised but looked out the window and blocked out the conversation.

Brian cleared his throat, "So, what about you?"

"Two years in Lompoc. I'll die before I go back," Dom squeezed Carson's shoulder.

She visited every weekend that he was inside or whenever she didn't have school, she barely scraped enough grades to pass because of him and even four years later he was still grateful, and he would always be.

Carson snapped out of it when she heard engines come from behind them and she realized what neighbourhood they were in.

"Oh shit."

"Ah, great." Dom groaned, cursing himself for not realizing it before.

Brian's brows pinched together, "What?"

"Let's hope he stays nice," Carson said to Dom.

"He won't do anything with you around," he replied, hearing the motorbikes surround them.

Brian turned back to Carson, appearing less confused and more suspicious, "Who's he?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "You'll see."

Carson shifted in her seat, rolling her shoulders back when her eyes met Johnny Tran. Who — on his motorbike trailed the side of their car. Dom glanced at her with a knowing look, aware of their history. They didn't date or sleep together, just one drunken kiss that she even admitted was good but she set her boundaries, she wouldn't get into a relationship with someone bad for business and more importantly bad for her family.

Johnny in Johnny fashion was always strapped and tapped his gun against Brian's window.

"Follow us!" He shouted and sped off with his crew. Brian followed behind, without question.

They came to a stop in T & K Food Market, a place where Carson and Keelie used to stop by, but had to stop so she could avoid Johnny.

Carson and Brian got out of the car, the former pulled on her seat, allowing her Godbrother for out also.

She made sure to stay close to Dom when Tran's crew removed their helmets and surrounded them.

Johnny's eyes were immediately drawn to Carson. Brain didn't like that, not one bit. It was clear they had some sort of history but one subtle head shake from Dom and he forced himself to stay calm.

Carson recognised Johnny's cousin Lance who made sure not to look at her the way Johnny was.

"Summer, long time no see. You miss me?" He asked, carelessly waving his gun about, so she made sure not to rile him up.

"I dunno, but I know you miss me," she replied, feigning interest as she felt Brian's eyes burn into her head.

Johnny chuckled, then suddenly held a gun to Dom's chest, "I thought we had an agreement. You stay away, I stay away. Everybody stays happy."

"We got lost." Dom deadpanned, pulling Carson behind him, "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Who's we?" Johnny asked, "Summer might be a Barbie but she ain't dumb," he then directed his attention towards the unfamiliar blonde standing on the other side of the car, who was seconds away from speaking if it wasn't for Dom.

"Uh — my new mechanic. Brian, meet Johnny Tran," Dom introduced, nodding towards Johnny who adorned a menacing smirk. "The guy in the snakeskin pants is his cousin Lance. So, when are you going to give me a shot at that Honda, 2009 of yours?"

Johnny lowered the gun and scanned Brian's old car, "This, your ride?"

"It was." Brian nodded towards Carson. "It's hers now."

"Really? Don't look like one of your designs, Summer." Johnny's eyes darted between the Eclipse and the Baker woman.

Carson denied, "It's not mine, right Dom?"

The Godsiblings had a feeling of what was about to happen.

Dom agreed, "No it's not. She hasn't taken delivery yet."

"Then it's nobody's car." Johnny said, running a hand over the hood, before shooting a glance at his cousin, "Somebody put in the wrench time. What do you think, Lance?"

Lance stepped closer, gun raised, "It's an amazing machine."

Johnny laughed. "Yes it is," he roughly patted Dom's arm as he turned to his crew. "Let's go. I'll see you in the desert next month. Be ready to have your ass handed to you."

"You're going to need more than that crotch rocket to beat me," Dom played along.

"I got something for you." Johnny climbed onto his motorbike, and his crew followed, all revving their engines as a giggling woman joined him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He finally shot a smirk at Carson, "Stay hot Summer."

Soon they all took off, leaving the trio to stand in silence until Brian broke it, "What the hell was that?" He glanced at Carson, "That your boyfriend or somethin'?"

She just rolled her eyes, making his frustration grow.

"It's a long story." Dom sighed, checking over his Godsister, "We'll tell you later. Let's get out of here."

The moment his hand touched the car, Johnny and Lance appeared guns raised and shot at the car. Carson let out a scream when Dom dragged her away, Brian dodged all bullets from the other side.

The Eclipse caught fire and the cousins left.

"My car —"Carson's whining was cut short when she caught the stench of a familiar smell.

The realisation dawned on Dom, making him yell, "NOS!"

The trio ran away as the car blew up, the flames and smoke blurred their vision and stung their eyes. Carson was shielded by Dom's body.

Dom checked for any injury, just as Brian came over worried that she was hurt.

"I'm all good guys, still pretty," she reassured them, "but my fit smells like smoke."

Dom smirked, knowing that was a sign she was alright but Brian wasn't sure.

She sighed, "Can we go now?"

Dom nodded, and then to Brian, who asked, "Now, what the hell was that all about?"

Carson began to walk ahead of the two men.

"It's a long story." Dom sighed.

"Well, we've got a 20-mile hike. Humour me."

"Tran's obsessed with me!" Carson exclaimed, catching a glimpse of Dom nodding in agreement. "And he's not my man."

"And I slept with his sister," Dom added."

Brian's questions didn't stop there.

___

Carson let out a breath she didn't know was holding when she heard the blaring music from the house. She beamed at the sight of her car, running over and bowing down, feeling around the front tire where Keelie left her keys. After she blew a kiss in its direction she immediately rushed into the house, completely leaving Brian and Dom in the wind. She was greeted by some of the crew with their guilt-ridden faces.

"Nah, you can drop the guilt, I'm not the one who's mad –" her rant was cut off when Dom opened up the door, frustrated and annoyed, "Yikes, where's Mia?"

"Upstairs with Keke," Letty mumbled, getting up from the ground and approaching her boyfriend.

Now Carson knew not to go upstairs, she did not need to walk in on anything in particular, so she left them alone.

Jesse was too busy smooching to realise she was there, well that was until she shoved him away, causing the woman to groan and walk away.

"You're a hater sunshine!" He drunkenly snarled.

"Yeah, should've taken it upstairs Casanova," She gave him a sarcastic smile.

"Yo Dom, why'd you bring the buster in here?" she heard Vince's voice and she turned around, to see Vince's mad expression.

Dom yelled, "Cus the buster kept me and Summer out of handcuffs!" her gaze drifted over to Brain who stood out like a sore thumb, he cast her a small smile, but she could tell he was uncomfortable, which made her feel bad. "He didn't just run back to the fort. The buster brought us back."

Carson decided to block out the rest of the conversation, already feeling Vince's stare and how it hardened when Dom took his bear and strolled over to Brian to give him one.

"Vincent, drop it," she approached him, already feeling a little off about the night shift. The Johnny interaction annoyed her more than freaked her out. Being shot at was the norm. She knew Dom and the guys got up to know good and decided it wasn't her business, but that didn't stop her from worrying. "You're tellin' me blondie bothers you that much."

Vince snapped his head towards her, "I don't trust him, neither should you," his gaze drifted back to Brain who smugly drunk his beer, "Can't believe you like him."

"I...."

Vince stood from his seat, "Don't bother lyin', I've known you since before you knew what pink was. I don't trust him. Leon don't either. Jesse is on the front."

"Vince..."

"The same thing happened with Johnny remember that? You were naive and shit turn sideways."

"Screw you!"

She frustratedly groaned when he stormed off, towards the staircase, gunning for Brian, with Leon and Jesse in stride.

She rolled her eyes and rushed over, pushing through, coming to the blonde's aid, "Cut the shit Vincent." she snapped.

"He shouldn't be here," Vince sneered.

She scoffed, "Get over it." then she looked at the other two, "Learn to form your own opinions dumb and dumber."

"Real hurtful Summer," Jesse pouted.

"Oh, come on, sunshine, we were just about to get along," Leon taunted and she knew if she responded she'd snap.

She looked up at Brain, holding out a hand which he took, "I'm thirsty, let's go get me a drink."

He let her drag him off and into the next room.

She settled to the side, watching him sift through the cooler, admiring his behind. Damn did he have a good ass.

"So," Brian asked, "What do you want?"

"Pink gin," Carson replied, checking her nails.

Brain chuckled, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Prefer gin over beer, especially when it's pink. It's a preference Mr. No crust." she teased, as he pulled a batch out, smiling at the label Carson's only, he opened one and walked over, "You know Dom has a crush on you," his eyes widened as he sat down, "What? It's only a man-crush. Bromance, homies or whatever. Even though he might not show it, he does. He normally don't like nobody. He's emotionally frigid."

"Emotionally frigid? Sounds complicated," Brian said, passing her the can.

She took a sip, "Yeah, what about you?"

"I'm simpler," he replied making her laugh.

"You're a shitty liar," Carson remarked, heartbeat accelerating when he placed an arm around her shoulders. "We've got that in common."

"Well, it's a good thing, I can read you," Brian stared at her intently.

"You wanna read me, take me on dates, ask me questions, damn Brian," she listed.

Brian tilted his head, looking down at her glossy lips for a moment before he met her eyes once more.

"I want somethin’ else," his tone dropped, and thankfully she wasn't drinking or she would've choked, then again she wouldn't mind choking on something he provided.

"What?" she whispered.

"Your full name," he paused, seeing the expression on her face, "What? you know mine."

"Ah yes, Brian Earl Spilner," she giggled shifting closer, "You were not blessed in that department."

"Come on, tell me yours and if it's worse than mine, you've been dishing it out for no reason."

"Carson Baker, no middle name. Dad didn't give me one."

"And your mom?" Brain frowned when she did.

"Never met her," Carson answered, taking another sip.

"Well, she's missin' out," his words put a smile back on her face, "So people call you Summer because..."

"Well other than my amazin' bright presence that I'm graciously blessin' you with," Carson stated, "Mia never thought that Carson suited me. So on a random night everyone got wasted, Vince called me Sunny, that punk," Brian noticed her smile broadened at the memory, "and it happened to be durin' Summer, Jesse surprisingly realised and started callin' me, Summer."

"Cute."

"Right, but you never call me that," she noted.

He took a sip of his beer, "I don't."

They just stared at each other for a while, not caring about the people who walked in and out of the room. His arm that rested around her tightened, drawing her closer, their knees touched, and it wouldn't be long until their lips —

A banging from upstairs broke them apart.

"What the...." she trailed off, before realising, "Mia and Keke."

"Yeah, I walked in on them thinkin' it was the bathroom."

They cheekily laughed.

Minutes passed, their drinks were finished and they only got closer if that were even possible.

Her nails trailed over his leg as he randomly whispered things in her ear.

Using his available hand he picked up hers, wondering how she drove with her nails being that long.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you somethin'," he cleared his throat.

She nodded, "Yeah?"

"What happened between you and Tran?"

She sighed, knowing that was coming, she avoided most of his questions on the taxi ride back, and Dom helped her dodge the rest.

"It was a drunken kiss, that's all," It was an answer that still annoyed Brian, he was jealous, but satisfied that it wasn't anything more.

"That's it huh?"

"That's it."

His sparkly blue eyes trailed up and down, "Good."

She cocked her head to the side, "Why's that?"

"Because I wanna take you on a date."

"But you lost, so the deals off." And my Eclipse blew up, she wanted to add but didn't.

"We can make a new one," Brian paused, thinking back to their car ride, "Sorry if I upset you before, wasn't my intention."

A frown briefly made its way back onto her face and she averted her eyes. The last couple of years had been rough, between her dad's recent passing and Dom serving time, people never thought they would see her so down, but only now she's been okay, happier, more like the old Summer.

"It's all good. You didn't know," she finally replied, locking eyes with him.

"Well, it won't happen again," he promised and she took his word on that. The hand that rested on her arm, played with the back of her top, sending a shiver down her spine, "I like you in pink, suits your complexion," he said in that salacious tone that had her licking her lips.

"And what does a white boy like you know about dark skin?" she flirted once more.

"The darker the berry the sweeter the juice right?" He leaned closer, purposefully misquoting, drawing a small smirk from her.

"And what, you wanna taste me huh?"

His gaze dropped to her lips, "If you'll let me, I can be the judge of that..."

"I don't know, wouldn't want you to get addicted."

Their lips were almost touching, but Carson had some restraint, somehow.

"Carson, your eyes already had me hooked, one taste and I'll be feenin', like the sound of that?" Brian proposed, shifting his body, so his brushed against hers.

"I do," just before their lips touched, Carson pulled away, laughing as she did so. Brian just shook his head, trying to hide his amusement but failing, "Come on, you need a shower. Didn't think you would get a kiss, smelling like the gas and nitrous oxide did you?"

"Worth a try," he shrugged, not pulling away, something she liked.

"Try harder."

His brow quirked up, "That a challenge? You know I like them."

"I guess it is."

Brian craned his head to the side, whispering in her ear, "Wanna know somethin’?"

Carson swallowed harshly, "What?"

"You smell so good," he complimented.

She gently pushed him back, wearing the most cheesy smile, which matched his.

"Come on blue eyes," she said standing up.

Brain leaned back, missing her warmth, but his eyes briefly stuck to her outfit, which she didn't mind. She purposefully wore a tight denim skirt to get his attention.

Carson held out a hand and pulled him up, their bodies collided for a second before she led him out of the room.

"You gonna show me some of your moves?" She pulled him near to the side of the living room, away from where the rest of the team was kicking it, "Sure you can keep up with me Blondie?"

"Sometimes I have trouble handlin' the front of my car," Brian paused, wiping his mouth as he stared down at her, hands trailing to her waist and spinning her around, so her back was pressed up against him. "But the back's my speciality, I guess you'll have to see."

Carson's hips swayed to the beat of the R&B record. She loved Tryese's voice and the way Brian's hands controlled her sides, he did too. She snaked her arm around his neck, pulling down his face, allowing him to whisper a few things, here and there. Between the music and his breathy words, she got more and more lost in the vibrations. Whether it was the alcohol or the vibe she loved it.

She didn't want it to stop.

But one look at the time she cursed herself.

"What's wrong?" He asked, loosening his grip, and letting her turn around. "You mad that a white boy's got rhythm?"

"Barely, you were holdin' onto me the entire time," she didn't mind that at all. "But you were that bad."

"Yeah, might need some improvement with the front but the back was fine," his tone dropped slightly. Carson bit back a smile, "Next time I'll be better," he had a small twinkle in his eyes when he spoke.

"Next time?"

"For sure," he just wanted to be around her in all honesty.

Carson was slightly bummed out that she needed to go, but she thought she would offer him a ride.

"We should go, I need my beauty sleep and KeKe will get a lift from Mia so she's all good."

"You gonna give me a lesson on how to win?" He jested.

"Only as long as you pay attention," she jabbed his chest as he let go of her waist.

"Yes ma'am."

Taking his hand again, they weaved through the drunken bodies.

He caught a couple of glares from Leon and Vince, but he didn't care, he had the prettiest girl holding his hand and felt that nothing could touch him.

She pulled out her keys and opened the front door, leading him outside, down the stairs and towards her Dodger.

"Now, Brian this is my child, so don't be slammin' no doors," she advised, then was taken back when he pulled open the driver's side, "Thanks," she mumbled, smiling to herself when she got in. He did a little jog to get to the other side, joined her and appreciated the ambience of the car. "You ready?"

He nodded, sporting his cheeky smile.

And just like that, she reversed and sped off.

"I'm droppin' you off at Harry's right?" He hummed in response. "How you findin' my child, she's perfect ain't she?"

"She's like you ain't she?" He rebutted much to her amusement. "When did you learn to drive?"

"Dad taught me. First time I got in a car," she paused, effortlessly changing gear, and he watched her every move, finding the way she drove extremely attractive. "I was like a baby but the first time I drove, had to be when I was like 6."

"What?" He laughed.

"On God," and she wasn't lying, "My dad didn't let me steer the car for long. I was on his lap and everythin'. I couldn't press the peddles but he made sure I got a mile in before he stopped. Best feeling in the world when I got my licence."

"When I got my learner permit, the guy in front hit the breaks and I drove straight into him," Brian recalled, even adding sounds for effect, making her giggle. "Made me cause a pile-up, 4 or 5 cars maybe," he shook his head in amusement, "First time I drove."

"You're stupid," she couldn't shake the smile on her face.

She shifted the gears again, glad the streets were clear and no police in sight.

Brian appreciated her car, the interior comforted him in some ways. Same with how she drove; calm yet she was hyper-vigilant, even when she talked.

They were a few miles from Harry's and Carson sped up, drifting into a side street, making him grip onto the sides.

"You trust me?" She questioned, wearing a confident smirk.

"I do," and his grip tightened at the speed she was going.

Her foot was somehow both relaxed and forceful on the gas. Amateurs don't use NOS, he realised how much that was true.

The wind that picked up as she blew through the streets gently tapped their faces until she finally reached Harry's.

"Shit," he breathed out, impressed with how she drove.

"And that's why I beat you," She joked, pulling down her mirror and checking herself out. "Brought to you from the champ," she pretended to hold up a microphone and pushed it in his face, drawing a bashful grin from the guy. "Tell us Mr Spilner, how does it feel to be beaten by a girl?"

He wrapped his hand around hers, bringing it up to his mouth, "Well Ms Baker, if I was one of those greased-up sexist pigs, I would care, but losin' to a beautiful girl didn't hurt. Not when she took me as her prize."

She smacked her hand against his chest, a chuckle escaped him.

"I did not take you as a prize," not yet anyway, "But you owe me a car, I want some fresh parts, even if it's not the whole thing," she reminded him, to which he nodded and went to hop out of the car, not before turning back, taking her by surprise and kissing her cheek. He couldn't wait for the real thing, but would until she asked. "Night Brian and thanks for keepin' me out of cuffs."

"It was nothin'," he smiled, he would do it again in a heartbeat. "Night Carson," he got out of the car, gently shut the door, and then settled his hands over the threshold of the window, just in time to see her put her mirror back up. "You can't avoid me either, I got your number now," he playfully taunted.

"What, you're gonna! text me goodnight?" she laughed.

"You know I will," he said. "Watch out for that text beautiful."

And later that night she did and he texted as promised.

They messaged each other throughout the night and until morning.

Carson Baker was officially sprung.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

a/n:

how did you like the outcome of the race? i didn't want it to look like she was necessarily better than dom, but just this once she beat him and he was proud, they all were.

keelie is the only one allowed to drive carson's dodger because that car is literally her baby. also any thoughts on the side romance of keelie and mia... kia? meelie?

johnny tran was so fine in this film. I wanted carson to have some history, a harmless drunken kiss but of course, husband brian wasn't a fan. his jealousy is showing again!

i loved adding extra scenes and dialogue, especially for this chapter. carson's relationship with everyone in the team was shown a bit more, what were your favourite parts?

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Expense, recast rant, grown-ass people behaving badly

‘Legit dolls are too expensive.’ I call BS, there are plenty of nice lower price dolls that everyone welcomes within this hobby. Most people also have a lot of respect and admiration for hobby skills and are happy to see cute dolls regardless of the cost of the base doll. Yes, it may take you a long damn time to save for a more expensive type or to have the collection of multiple dolls that you may crave but you can either wait and save or get a less expensive starter doll in the meantime and both are ok. Everyone plays at their level in life. I bought a house and a car that are reasonable for my income, I don’t make myself miserable always chasing something more because that’s a never-ending battle, there’s always something better, something more. I budget my extra money in a way that makes sense for my lifestyle, neither over-spending nor being a miser. I have established a reasonable savings and investment plan because I know unplanned expenses can be devastating and because it’s very satisfying to invest and watch my money earn more money. But all of that is just normal adulting stuff so my big point here is that it’s questionable that anyone but a younger teen wouldn’t have learned all of this too and behave accordingly - buying the legit dolls that are within their means also. So that’s why I’m really surprised to see grown-ass people acting crazy over insisting that they are entitled to these bootleg dolls and that others are big meanies for saying ‘Hey, don’t post those here, don’t bring those in - they aren’t part of our hobby.’ Do they also think they can bring their fake Gucci bag to the luxury handbag forum, their rowboat to the yacht club and their KIA to the BMW road trip meets? Usually not, they know better, right?.

Many people are always going to have more dolls, more expensive or rare dolls, more traveling time and money to attend doll events and meets, maybe more stuff for their dolls, possibly more room and a better camera too, the list goes on. But if they are buying within their budget, then that’s the right level of spending for them. Mine is going to be different, maybe a lot more than some people but probably always far less than others so comparisons aren't really even useful. If something doesn’t fit my budget or my life, I need to work around it. Not try to unfairly game the system (buying cheap recasts so my collection is bigger and seems better) or take unethical shortcuts (cheating doll artists out of their fair earnings because I want their thing but won’t actually pay them for it so I go pay for a cheap stolen copy). That’s just bad and wrong thinking. 

And yet here we are, still dealing with having to push back on people who buy recast dolls after all this time. It hasn’t blown over or gotten any better. The hobby at large needs to take a better ‘no bootlegs’ stance and actually condemn this behavior. There’s no real neutral, the jury is in, recasts are a blight on the hobby, they make legit prices go up, drive hobby artists out of business or into a mode of releasing in a more limited and controllable way. The issue itself creates division among the members so if you tolerate them, if you were one who thought you could remain neutral, you see how they have now bloomed up like weeds into a multi-million dollar business for just one recast company, right? That overshadows almost all of the legit companies but maybe Volks and probably tops over the income of all the solo western bjd artists combined. This will only become worse if we continue to tolerate the recasts, as the western economy heads into recession, as doll artists continue to quit, restrict their production, raise their prices. 

It’s also a giant social pain in the ass. Friend gets a recast? Either the friendship is now fucked if you stand your ground and actively uphold your pro-artist only values or now you are called on to compromise those values, become recast neutral and to not criticize their doll, to be tolerant of their bootleg choice, and that’s both in your friendship and also within your hobby space. And of course they will talk about it because you are doll friends, right? So now a recast shares time and takes up space within your shared hobby. And since it’s now fine to have one, your friend will probably collect more (you notice they rarely stop at one, right?) and now the friend may attract another friend or 2 who may also have a shared recast sculpt, you get the picture. But most people are ‘too nice to say no’, and so that’s how they end up sliding down into a group full of recast owners if they don’t take a real pro-artist stand. Even worse if you are an artist yourself and you keep silent, if you don’t speak up and advocate for your fellow artists. We’ve even seen other artists buying recasts now. What level of diseased thinking is that? Bad enough to have these little bands of thieves lurking in their bootleg groups but when another artist joins in, that’s some next level ish.

Ok, I’m done. If you are legit-only, what’s your response to your doll friend buying a recast. Has it happened to you? 

~Anonymous

[kyeop-tato]

A Knock on My Heart — 김선우

summary : one of your bestfriend, yeri, just got dumped by her boyfriend so in order to cheer her up, you and your friends decides to go on girls trip together during your school term break, promising to forget any boys that come between you and your friends. however, certain someone (or might i say a few) came into your life and the promise yall vow to not break, might actually crumble any moment. would you go back home solo or would sunwoo managed to steal your heart?

warnings! : one word vulgar at the end :)

───୨ৎ─────୨ৎ─────୨ৎ────୨ৎ───

CHAPTER 6 : Karaoke Session

The tantalizing scent of spicy broth and grilled meat filled the air, wrapping around you like a warm embrace as the food arrived at the table in quick succession. Sitting in a cozy restaurant with three men you barely knew was definitely *not* on your 2024 bingo card. You couldn’t help but question how your friends managed to bond so quickly with them in the span of one night at a bar. And thank God your period wasn’t acting up today, or this whole scene would’ve been far worst.

As the conversation around the dinner table flowed smoothly, your friends trying to introduce you to the boys, it was as though your ears had tuned out the noise completely. For a brief moment, everything was muted, save for the occasional awkward laughter that snapped you back to reality. Natty, seated across from Sunwoo, was laying on the charm, and he was clearly taking the bait. Yet, you couldn’t shake the feeling that he kept glancing in your direction.

“What is this guy's problem?” you thought, shooting him an annoyed look before focusing on your meal, picking at your level-one mala, as you're not a fan of spicy stuff honestly. The conversation continued between why your group had traveled here and what brought the boys to the same spot, their stories punctuated by the usual “oohs” and “ahhs” from your friends. It wasn’t that you hated their company, but hanging out with strangers wasn’t your scene. You were far more comfortable with just your friends, and as the shy one, you were desperately trying to stay out of the spotlight. You just hoped the boys hadn’t noticed how hard you were trying to keep yourself out of the conversation.

Thankfully, tonight wasn’t a drinking night, so at least you didn’t have to endure any embarrassing antics from your friends—or worse, get caught up in them yourself.

───୨ৎ─────୨ৎ─────୨ৎ────୨ৎ───

After dinner, the guys suggested karaoke. Despite every fiber of your being wanting to say no, your friends were quick to agree. So, here you were, in a dimly lit karaoke room, colorful bokeh lights flickering around as everyone took turns singing. Everyone except you. No way were you going to embarrass yourself in front of your newfound "friends." Instead, you sat quietly in the corner, content to observe.

The karaoke place had a nice perks though. You could bring in outside food and drinks as long as you cleaned up afterwards. Though the venue offered its own menu, the group decided they wanted something else.

Yeri, ever the instigator, suggested a game. “Whoever loses rock-paper-scissors has to buy the snacks, and they have to pay with their own money,” she proposed, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Sounds fun!” Younghoon chimed in, clearly excited by the challenge. One by one, your friends fell out of the competition until it was just you and Juyeon. Naturally, luck wasn’t on your side, and you lost, earning a round of laughter from the group as they rattled off their orders. You sighed, annoyed, but went along with it.

Making your way out of the karaoke room, you were halfway down the hall when you heard footsteps behind you. “Hey, mind if I join? I need some fresh air” Sunwoo said, catching up to you. You shrugged, still unsure how to feel about him, but strangely, a wave of relief washed over you. As much as you wanted to be alone, the thought of walking the streets at night in a foreign country unsettled you. His presence was, at the very least, a comfort.

───୨ৎ─────୨ৎ─────୨ৎ────୨ৎ───

The walk to the convenience store was steeped in an almost eerie silence, broken only by the soft chirping of crickets and the occasional whoosh of passing cars. Inside the store, the atmosphere was no different—you mumbled to yourself, trying to recall everyone’s snack orders. Sunwoo hadn’t left your side, a fact that nagged at you, though you tried not to show it. But when he spoke after you paid for the snacks, his words felt like the final straw for you.

"I thought you were rude, but I guess you're arrogant too" Sunwoo sneered, putting heavy emphasis on that last word.

"Excuse me?" You froze just outside the store, staring at him, clearly offended by what he said. "You talk like you know me. We literally just met, and now you’re calling me arrogant? What's you reason, huh?" Your voice was sharper now, irritation bubbling to the surface.

Sunwoo let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You really don’t remember, do you? Miss Can’t-Even-Accept-An-Apology-and-Gave-Me-an-Irritated-Look?" His eyes flickered with annoyance.

His words hung in the air, and you stood there, stunned, as realization dawned on you. Your eyes widened. "He was that guy?" A silent scream echoed in your mind. You struggled to find the right words, but nothing came out. Sunwoo stood in front of you, clearly enjoying your speechless state.

"I can’t believe you don’t even remember me. I’m hurt" he said, dramatically placing a hand over his chest, feigning injury.

You rolled your eyes at his actions, finally finding your voice. "I had bad period cramps, okay? It’s not my fault you were in the way. And if I seemed rude, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention." You crossed your arms defensively. "Also, I only bumped into you for a second. How do you expect me to remember what you look like?"

Hearing your explanation, Sunwoo’s confidence faltered. His mouth fell open, and he stood there, speechless, as you turned your back to him and resumed walking. He suddenly felt bad that he had ill thoughts of you after that encounter.

This time, Sunwoo matched your pace, the earlier tension between you evaporating into the cool night air. After a sip of your sparkling apple drink, you couldn’t resist asking, "So, do you have a crush on Natty?"

Sunwoo nearly choked on his soda. "What?" he sputtered, eyes wide with shock. You laughed, amused by his overreaction. "Whoa, steady there! Guess I hit a nerve, huh?"

He coughed awkwardly, trying to regain his composure. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, I know her. She flirts when she’s interested, and she was definitely flirting with you. You didn’t seem to mind either." You raised an eyebrow knowingly.

Sunwoo scratched the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Is it that obvious?" You rolled your eyes again, earning a chuckle from him. "What’s so funny?"

"You really like rolling your eyes, don’t you? It’s cute." He grinned, clearly enjoying your reaction.

His playful compliment caught you off guard, sending a wave of butterflies fluttering through your stomach. No one had ever called you cute—at least, not to your face. Flustered, you quickened your pace, hoping to escape his gaze. But in your rush, you didn’t notice your loose shoelace. Before you knew it, you tripped, falling face-first onto the pavement.

Concerned passersby shot you worried glances, but you quickly scrambled to your feet, brushing off the dirt.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sunwoo rushed over, his voice full of genuine concern. He leaned in close, his face inches from yours.

"I’m fine. Really, it’s just a few scratches." You brushed him off, your cheeks burning from both embarrassment and his proximity. "Weren’t you about to say something?"

"Oh, right." You squared your shoulders, meeting his gaze. "If you really like Natty, make sure you’re serious about it. And if you’re just going to mess around, be upfront with her. Don’t be a jerk like... well, someone I know."

Sunwoo’s expression softened as your words sank in. "You really care about your friend, huh?"

Before he could say more, your phone buzzed with a call from Doyeon. "What’s taking you two so long?" she asked, sounding impatient. You assured her you were on your way, and as you hung up, Sunwoo trailed behind you, stealing glances when he thought you weren’t looking, silently admiring you.

When you finally arrived, Natty seemed to pick up on Sunwoo’s not-so-subtle interest in you, though she kept quiet, snacking on her favorite chips. Doyeon and Yeri, meanwhile, tried to drag you into a karaoke session, but you adamantly refused.

"Such a party pooper!" Yeri teased, throwing mock boos your way. "Girls, let her be. She’ll warm up to us eventually" Younghoon intervened, and you gave him a grateful look for getting the hint.

Sunwoo’s mind drifted back to what you had said earlier. "Why am I telling myself I like Natty, but can’t stop being drawn to her friend?" His silent musings didn’t escape Natty’s notice, though she tried not to dwell on it. Still, she couldn’t help but feel that something had shifted between you two, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

───୨ৎ─────୨ৎ─────୨ৎ────୨ৎ───

♡ prev | masterlist | next ♡

a/n : oh no kim sunwoo you gotta make up your mind bro or you gonna break someone's heart here. also, yay to double update for today! hope yall like it :)

[jarino]

Ghost Towns: Chapter 9 (On the Mend)

Link visits Purah in Hateno to fix the Sheikah Slate. Later, he comes across another memory.

AO3 Link

Most of the settlements Link had visited so far had been affected by the calamity, at least to some degree. Hateno, however, seemed to be mostly untouched by Ganon’s influence. It was a quaint little town, and the people rushing to and fro didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

He followed the route the Sheikah Slate showed him, aiming to make his way to Impa’s sister. Along the way, he briefly paused near a stream and glanced in its direction.

Something about this spot felt nostalgic…was it possible he could discover another memory here? Link walked across the small bridge, hoping this feeling would lead him to more information.

Across the creek sat a tiny house, which was mostly dilapidated. Curious, he approached the building and ran his hand across the wooden slats of the front door. No matter how hard he tried, no memory came to him. And yet, there was something about the house that was drawing him in.

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

Link jumped slightly, taken off guard by the voice. Turning around, he saw an older man staring at him with his hands on his hips.

‘I’m sorry…I was taking a look at the house. I didn’t mean to intrude.’

“I don’t care about you snooping, but this is a construction zone. It’s not safe for you to be wandering around.”

‘Construction zone?’

The man clicked his tongue. “You must be from out of town. Everyone here knows this house is due to be demolished.”

‘What?’ Link glanced back at the house, his expression saddened. He didn’t understand it, but the house felt…important. It seemed a shame it was going to be destroyed. He thought about it for a moment before asking, ‘What if I bought the house? Would that keep it from being torn down?’

The man raised a brow. “Unless you have 50,000 rupees on you, I’m afraid you won’t be able to buy it.”

Link deflated upon hearing that. There was no way he’d be able to afford that. It would probably take him years to earn that much. 

The old man seemed to take pity on Link. He soon replied, “Well…I suppose I can make you an offer. If you manage to bring me the building supplies needed to renovate the place, I can probably whittle the price down to 3,000 rupees.

Link looked at him with relief and joy. ‘Really?’

If he sold some of the items he was carrying, he’d have just enough to afford it. Not thinking about it too hard, he immediately agreed to the deal.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” the man said with a smile. “Feel free to bring the materials as you see fit. I’m not in any rush.”

‘Thank you so much,” Link signed with appreciation.

The man waved him off, before heading off to talk with his crew.

Link took the opportunity to enter the house and took a look around. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, and the floorboards creaked loudly as he walked around.

The familiarity of the house still nagged at him, but no new memories came to him.

Link paused. The reality of the situation started to catch up with him and he froze. Why in the goddess’ name did he just do that? He spent all his money just to buy a house. All because of some unexplained feeling…What did he even need a house for?

He thought about it for a while, and that’s when an idea struck him.

He could give the house to the princess.

The castle would probably need lots of time to return to its former state, and Zelda would need somewhere to stay until her home was back to normal. If he managed to get it fixed up, it should work pretty well as a replacement for her.

He hoped this would help him apologize for failing his duty, if only a little bit.

After taking a bit more time to look around the house, Link set off to the Hateno Tech Lab.

When he approached the building, he waited a moment before knocking on the front door. Soon enough, someone opened the door to greet him.

“Hello…how may I help you?”

‘Hi…my name is Link. Impa told me her sister was here?’

“One moment, please.”

The man shut the door briefly, and Link could hear shuffling noises, as well as voices chatting, before the door opened once again.

“Thank you for waiting,” the man said. “Please, come in.”

Link followed him inside and took in his surroundings along the way. There were walls filled to the brim with books, and all sorts of technological marvels crammed into every nook and cranny.

“Linky! It really is you!”

He glanced around, looking for the source of the voice, when his gaze landed on a young Sheikah girl.

‘Hello…it’s nice to meet you,’ he signed with a smile.

Her brows furrowed and she gave a small pout. “You don’t remember me?”

Her comment caught Link off guard. Anyone who knew him from his former life was either ancient, or a zora. It had been a hundred years after all. So why then, did this girl, who looked no older than six, act like she knew him before?”

‘I’m sorry…who are you?’

“Hm…looks like he lost his memory after all,” she muttered to herself. She pulled out a notepad and scribbled something before looking back up at Link. “It’s me, Purah. Impa’s older sister.”

Link stared at her in disbelief. Come again? Just how was that possible?

Purah laughed at his confusion. “I expected that sort of reaction. I know it doesn’t make much sense. Long story short, I experimented on myself, and ended up looking like this. It’s not ideal, but I’m trying to make the most of it.”

So she was as old as Impa, but merely looked like a child? He supposed that made sense…

“Anyway…we’re not here to talk about me,” she continued. “What can I do for you?”

‘Oh, um…Impa told me you could fix the Sheikah Slate for me.’ He pulled it out and handed it to her after he finished signing.

She adjusted her glasses as she inspected the slate. “Hm…yes, it looks like the camera rune needs tweaking. Just one moment.”

He watched as she made her way over to a device similar to the ones on the Sheikah Towers.

“Now…” she said under her breath, “If I take this…and twist this here…it should…Aha!”

Before he knew it, she was done and handing the slate back to him.

“There you go, good as new!” She gave him a wide grin.

‘Thank you,’ he said after looping it back on his belt. ‘What exactly needed fixing?’

“Oh, it was just the camera rune. Now, you have the ability to take pictures and look at the ones previously stored on the device.” She held her hands on her hips and looked quite proud of herself.

Link nodded in understanding.

‘Thank you again for your help. I should probably get going now.’

Purah hummed in consideration. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. You have a lot of work to do, right?”

Link fiddled with his hands and nodded again.

“Then I won’t keep you waiting.” She gave him a gentle punch to the arm. “Knock ‘em dead, Linky.”

He smiled and gave her a friendly wave before taking his leave.

-----

After leaving Hateno, Link decided to make his way toward Faron, searching for more shrines in order to get stronger. Along the way, he made his way through a forest. As he was walking, the tingle of familiarity pricked his neck once more. He pulled out the Sheikah Slate to see if any of the pictures might jog his memory, and sure enough, there was an image of the forest he was currently in.

Link squinted, doing his best to focus on the memory, when he was assaulted by new sensations.

Rain. Fear. Panic.

He and Zelda were running through the woods, both covered in mud and soaked to the bone.

Link was laser-focused on their surroundings, on the lookout for any enemies. It was clear they were running from something.

Suddenly, the princess lost her footing and tripped. Link immediately turned to help her, but she stayed on the ground.

She was so heartbroken, describing the recent loss of the champions and the rise of Calamity Ganon. She was clearly devastated, but she also seemed to blame herself.

It all seemed to be too much for her, and after venting her emotions, she let out a guttural cry before falling into Link’s embrace. He held her close, trying to provide whatever comfort he could despite the situation.

Link was soon yanked from the memory once more, and it took him a minute to ground himself.

From what he could tell, the princess trusted him in that moment. She had sought comfort from him, at least. It was a far cry from the apathy of his earlier memory. What must have happened between the two events for her to change her mind so thoroughly? Link wanted to find out.

Taking a deep breath, Link attempted to calm himself.

Just who was the princess? He’d only managed to recover a few of his memories of her, and no one else had offered any insight about her beyond his duty to save her. Did her change in attitude stem from some event in particular, or was it merely a matter of time mending their relationship?

Steeling himself, he returned the slate to his holster.

One way or another, he was going to find out.

[marypsue]

You know the drill, it's Sneak Peek Sunday and I'm here with samples from former heroes who quit too late, the third and final part of the AU where (almost) all the Hawkins kids have powers. Enjoy! Or don't, I'm not the boss of you.

...

It’s finally summer, and Robin Buckley is bored out of her mind.

Obviously she didn’t expect that working a minimum-wage job at a mall food court was going to be a font of constant entertainment. But she’d kind of hoped working with one-fourth of Hawkins High’s own resident superteam might mean at least a little excitement. The odd caped villain popping up to monologue dramatically on top of the freezer counter. Alien invasion in the storeroom. Little things, to break up the monotonous mundanity of existence.

Instead, her sole intellectual stimulation’s coming from helping Steve Harrington help his gaggle of impressionable youths sneak into movies without paying, and arguing with him over who has to refill the toppings. The only time Robin’s even seen Steve play the superpower card is to drive off the other gaggle of impressionable youths who like to hang around the food-court fountain and abuse Scoops Ahoy’s free sample policy. And even then, they’re always back in a day or two. Some superpower.

When Robin points this out to him, though, Steve just says, “I could make you do the toppings refills every time, if you really want,” and she realises she doesn’t need to see his powers in action that bad, after all.

She doesn’t even get to see Barbie all day, despite working in the same food court. The smoothie place Barb’s working at wouldn’t hire Robin too, and the manager is a tyrant and a sadist and never lets Barb take her breaks when Robin has hers. All they can do is cast commiserating miserable glances across the rows of tables in the middle of the food court when Robin has to mop the front, and swing by each other’s fine establishments to talk on their breaks. And the Orange Julius Caesar shoos Robin right off if she doesn’t buy something while Barbara’s working. Robin’s spent way too much of her hard-earned Scoops money working her way through every flavour they offer, and started again from the beginning. If she never sees crushed ice again in her life, it’ll be too soon.

So of course Robin’s interested, when she catches Steve and the toothless one with the curls – Henderson? Robin’s pretty sure it’s Henderson – hiding in the breakroom and playing a tape of nonsense, over and over and over again.

Okay. So ‘interested’ might be a slight overstatement. Maybe ‘pissed that Steve’s abandoned her to deal with the mall maggots alone, again’ is more accurate. But still. They’re doing something, and Robin would literally rather set herself on fire than keep manning the counter for one more second.

“Hey, shitbirds!” she announces, storming into the back room and grabbing the tape player from the middle of the shitty card table before either Steve or Henderson can stop her. She holds it over her head, out of at least Henderson’s reach, still spilling its weird droning message. “At least one of you is getting paid to be out front right now. Enough word puzzles.”

She doesn’t really have a lot of patience for the nonplussed look Steve and Henderson trade over the table.

“…word puzzles?” Henderson asks her, at last, and Robin frowns at him.

“Yeah? The week is long, doofus, but it’s not over yet, and if you dillweeds haven’t cracked this thing yet, then sitting back here staring at it isn’t going to make it happen. Do your job.” This she directs at Steve, who has the nerve to frown at her like she’s not making sense.

“Buckley,” he says, squinting at her the way he used to squint at the blackboard in Clicker’s class, “what the hell are you talking about?”

It’s Robin’s turn to stare at him like he’s not making any sense. Because he’s not.

“Your job?” she tries, after a moment. “I mean, I didn’t think you wore that outfit just because you liked the way it looked, but -”

“Hey,” Henderson interrupts, with growing excitement. “Forget about the job for a second. Can you understand what the tape is saying?”

And now Robin gets to stare at him like he’s not making any sense. Because neither of them are.

“I’m not solving your stupid puzzle for you,” she says, at last.

“Not the message, okay! Just the words. Do you understand the words that are coming out of that tape.” Henderson says it like he’s explaining a particularly simple concept to a particularly stupid child. “Do you recognise them.”

Robin glances over at Steve, but sees no help coming from that quarter. “…yes? Is this some kind of trick question?”

“That’s cool,” Steve says, breaking into a grin, like everything makes sense now. “Hey, Buckley, you’ve been holding out on us. You never said you could speak Russian.”

“What? I don’t -” Robin starts, and then sees what she’d seen but hadn’t taken in: the notebooks strewn across the card table, the open dictionary, the scribbled notes… “Wait, this is Russian?”

Henderson nods. Steve nods. Robin looks at the tape player. Now that she’s listening for it, she can tell they’re right. The words spilling out of it definitely aren’t English – the syntax and pronunciation are all wrong. But the message, nonsensical though it is, is coming through loud and clear.

“…huh,” she says, putting the tape player back on the table. “Must be similar enough to – Spanish, I guess.”

Henderson’s giving her some kind of eyeball. “Russian and Spanish are nothing alike,” he informs her imperiously, like he’s the polyglot here. And then his eyes go wide. “Steve. Robin Buckley – wasn’t she on Nancy’s list?”

“Whoa, whoa,” Robin asks. “What list?”

The bell at the front counter dings four or five times in quick succession. Steve huffs out a sigh, and yells, “Coming!”, pushing himself up out of his seat. Robin follows hard on his heels.

“No way. No. You are not getting out of this that easily – Harrington! What list!”

[domripley]

Just Desserts - II

Pairing: Carol Danvers/Natasha Romanoff; Bruce Banner/Tony Stark

Warnings/Tags:  Kink Negotiation, Vaginal Fingering, Praise Kink, Fluff, Aftercare, Sugar Mommy Natasha/Sub Carol

Summary:  When Tony and Bruce invite their best friend Carol to one of Tony’s interesting parties, Carol isn’t excited. That was until she met the older woman, Natasha. So maybe, Tony did deserve a ‘Thank you’.

When Carol woke up at six am, she cursed at herself. Having the fear that she was about to be stood up due to ruining things with Natasha somehow. But shook it off as it was just her anxiety, she got up to prepare for the day. Since she woke up way too early, and had no plans on going to bed, Carol dragged herself out of bed and took an extra long shower. Once dressed, she made herself a bowl of oatmeal. As soon as she fed her cats, Carol sat down and texted Natasha.

Carol: Hey, we still on for this morning?

Only a minute went by before her phone went off.

Natasha: Hey sweetheart, of course we are. When I come pick you up, would you like me to bring you a coffee?

Carol: Yes please if that’s okay with you!

Natasha: Carol, if it wasn’t okay, I wouldn’t have offered. Trust me when I say this, if I want to buy you something, I have the money to buy it. Everything is okay. Promise.

Carol: Alright then, I’d love a coffee. Couple you possibly get me a muffin too?

Natasha: Of course sweet girl. I hope you’re okay with me coming at 8:50 instead?

When Carol replied with ‘more than okay’, she hurried to her room to pick out a better outfit. Right at eight-fifty, Natasha pulled up halfway into her driveway. Locking the door, she began to walk towards the car, only to be greeted by Natasha outside of her car.

“Good morning, I have your coffee and muffin in the car.” Natasha smiled, walking up to meet Carol. Offering her arm as soon as she as close to Carol.

Carol took her arm, and Natasha led her to the car. Opening the door for her, she waited for Carol to get in before shutting the door. The gesture made the blonde blush, watching as the older woman went around the car, and finally got in.

Natasha turned on the car, and turned to look at Carol. “I’m so excited how your hair is going to turn out. I bet you’re going to look so cute.” she smirked, and Carol could feel her cheeks heat up.

“Th-thank you, Nat,” Carol smiled, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Good coffee, yeah?” she asked, accent thick as she focused on the road.

Carol hummed, “Very.”

—-

The Car ride was quiet, but comfortable, and Carol enjoyed it. Occasionally taking drinks of her coffee, and bites of the chocolate chip muffin. As soon as she finished the muffin, Natasha’s hand went to her thigh. “You know, I love the way you blush when I compliment you, Carol. Can’t wait to make you blush in other ways.”

Carol nearly choked on her coffee, earning a laugh from Nat. “Please…” she whispered as if someone wasn’t supposed to hear them. Spreading her legs without thinking, she wanted more from Natasha. Looking at her as she focused on the road, a smirk trying to fight its way onto her lips.

Moving her hand painfully slow up Carol’s thigh, Natasha turned into the salon’s parking lot. “Please what? What do you want, Princess?” Natasha cooed.

“I want you to fuck me, please.”

Pulling her hand away, Natasha laughed. “No, we have an appointment, Princess.”

—

The two walked into the salon, and were greeted by the workers. Natasha took the lead, leading Carol to where she needed to go.

“I’m going to be across the room, if you need anything, let me know,” Natasha smiled, kissing Carol’s hand before letting go of her hand.

Thankfully she was still able to see the older woman from where she was sitting. The woman who had greeted Natasha sat Carol down in the chair with a friendly smile. Wrapping the styling cloth onto her she asked, “I see you came here with Natasha, are you two friends?” she asked, trying to make conversation.

“Yeah, I a bit more than friends,” Carol admitted, biting her lip as she watched Natasha from the mirror.

“She has a habit of picking the cute ones,” she continued before giving her a chance to ask what she meant. “So Nat tells me you want your hair short?”

“Y-yes, that’s what I want.” she smiled, and the lady got to work. Twenty-five minutes later, Natasha came to sit next to you in an empty chair.

“It looks so good so far, Carol.” Natasha smiled, pulling out her phone. Trying her best to not embarrass herself, she watched the hairdresser cut her hair. Thankfully, the woman was almost done so the two of them could get out soon.

“Natasha, leave the poor girl alone, you’re embarrassing her.”

“Yeah, Nat.” Carol smiled, but Natasha laughed it off.

“Maria, please.” Natasha groaned. “Don’t encourage, her.”

“I’ll zip my lips.” Maria laughed.

–

Carol looked in the mirror at her hair, and she loved how it looked. Thanking Maria, Carol waited out in the lobby for Natasha to come back out to pay. What felt like hours (due to the fact that she was still soaked from what happened in the car) was only ten minutes. As she watched her pay, she squeezed her thighs to try and relieve some of the pressure. Making sure Maria didn’t notice as she did.

“You ready to go?” Natasha turned around with a smile. Carol nodded as she got up, following her out the door.

Back in the car, Natasha placed her hand on the inside of Carol’s thigh once again. The drive back to Natasha’s house was tense, occasionally feeling her fingers rub at her clothed skin, Carol wanted to whine.

Finally breaking the silence, Natasha began to speak, “So we’re going to go back to my house, and we’re going to set some rules, boundaries, and if you still want this like I do, then you’ll get your first reward. Understood, Carol?”

��Y-yes, Natasha.” she said, and once again the car went silent.

—

Pulling up to her house, Carol’s jaw dropped. The house was huge, and had tons of privacy, Carol was excited to ask about the flower garden. The two walked to the front door, and when Natasha unlocked it, they both went in.

“Take a seat on the couch, I’ll bring us something to snack on,” she smiled.

Carol did as Natasha told her too, looking around the room as she waited. Finally appearing with cheese cubes, and some water. They sat in silence, before Natasha spoke up again. “Do you have any questions for me, Princess?”

“Y-yes, what are you into, or I’m not sure that’s the right wording, but what do you want to do with me?” Carol asked, and Natasha hummed.

“I want to take you out and treat you to anything and everything you want. I want to treat you like my princess. But in the bedroom? I want to fuck you like you’re a slut, my slut. That’s only if you want that,” she admitted, and Carol looked away. Trying to hide her blush under Natasha’s gaze. “If that’s what you want, I’d have you give me your safewords, hard limits, soft limits, and what you want.”

Carol thought about it, and Natasha never rushed her to answer the question. “We can watch a movie, and go out to eat. I don’t want to rush you with your answer, princess.”

“I’ve got my answer, Natasha.” Carol shyly smiled, turning her head away.

“Look at me, Carol.”

Carol looked at her instantly, earning a smile from the older woman. “What is your answer, sweetheart?”

“I’d like to do this with you, all of it.”

“Mm, alright. Well, before I can fuck you, we’ve got to discuss everything.”

“What safewords would you like to use?” she asked.

“I’ve seen the traffic light system, and I really like that. Red for 'stop completely’, yellow for 'slow down’, and green for 'I’m okay’.” Carol informed her.

“Good girl,” Natasha praised, noticing the way she blushed at the praise.

“Hard limits and soft limits?”

“Nothing with blood, or bodily functions. Nothing with needles, or electricity or water. For soft limits, I’m willing to try anything except for my hard limits.” she said, smiling softly as she played with her thumbs.

“That’s fine with me, and what do you enjoy?”

“I really like praise, and verbal humiliation. Spanking, strapons, orgasm denial, face slapping, spitting, things like that. I’ll be honest, I haven’t tried that much.” Carol admitted, and Natasha smiled.

“I’m glad you were honest with me princess, and we’ll start out slow today. Are you ready to play, sweet girl?” Natasha asked, and Carol nodded.

“Color?”

“Green.”

“I’ll be back, I’ve got to grab a few things. When I come back I want you out of those shorts, keep your panties on, and I’m so glad you’re wearing a tank top. I want you to pull it down, along with your bra. Can you do that for me?” Natasha asked, caressing.

“Yes, Nat.”

“Good girl.”

As Natasha left the room, Carol got to work. Pulling her shorts off, she waited a couple of seconds before doing the last part of what the older woman wanted. She was soaked, and the feel of the air conditioner on her exposed breasts didn’t help. Carol sat sit as best as she could, tapping her fingers against her thigh kept her mind busy. The anticipation of Natasha coming back in was becoming too much, almost thinking she was forgotten. But when she came back in, Carol bit her lip.

“Look at you, so pretty for me,” Natasha cooed, holding a duffle bag as she got back onto her knees. “Today we’re just doing a little, the next time we play, though, we’ll be going over some rules. But for today? You can come as much as your pussy can take.”

With that, she trailed her fingers over the inside of Carol’s thigh, slowly. Watching as goosebumps formed on her skin, a sly smile on her face as Carol tried her best to stay extra still for her. Earning a groan as she moved her hand away. “Don’t complain, kotenok. I’d hate to deny you of any orgasms.” she teased, and Carol shook her head.

“No, please, I’ll be good.” Carol blushed, looking away as Natasha palmed your breasts.

“Do you like when I touch you?”

“Yes.”

Natasha hummed, moving one hand to pinch at Carol’s nipple. Removing her other hand to push her panties to the side, sliding her middle finger into her wet cunt. Chuckling, Natasha slowly began to move the finger, curling it up as she fucked her harder. Carol whined, a single finger wasn’t enough. She needed so much more.

“Please, Please give me more!” she begged, and as if Natasha was waiting for her to crack, she slipped in two more fingers. Natasha never breaking eye contact with Carol, even as she leaned in, taking her clit into her mouth.

“Fuck, fuck, Mo-Natasha, please,” Carol whined.

“Patient, princess. You’ll take what I give you, or you don’t get anything, understood?” Natasha continued once you nodded. “Because I’d hate to not give this pretty pussy attention. So fucking wet for me.”

Natasha slowed down her fingers, pressing the pad of thumb against her clit. “Tell me, Carol, whose pussy is this?”

“It’s yours, please, please fuck it. Fuck my pu-” Carol was cut off when Natasha began fucking her. Curling her fingers with each thrust, licking her lips as she watched the younger woman try to squirm away.

Pulling her fingers out of Carol just as her orgasm was beginning to start, Natasha brought the same hand down onto her pussy. “Aw, were you about to come? My bad, sweet girl.” she laughed, adding to Carol’s embarrassment.

Sliding her fingers back in, she continued where she left off, but this time, let Carol come hard around her fingers. Natasha fucked her through her orgasm, pulling them out when she was finished. Sucking her fingers, making she kept eye contact with as Carol.

“You taste so good, baby,” Natasha hummed. “You did so well for me today, Carol. I’m proud.” Natasha praised, reaching up to kiss Carol’s forehead.

“Let’s cuddle for a bit, then we can go out to eat if you’d like.”

“I’d love that.”

[urloveangel]

Hey! I loved your post about how when you have things you want to buy or invest in you think about how you can make more money to easily afford them, and the Universe always provides. It really resonated and I of course happened to see it at the exact time I needed it, haha. I wanted to ask if you had any examples in particular of this happening that you could please share? I would love to hear about those if you do. It’s so relevant for my journey right now. Thank you, I love your blog 🥰

Aw thank you angel, glad it resonated and helped you 💗

It’s all divinely orchestrated, never a coincidence 😊

It happens to me all the time tbf I’m so grateful my levels of abundance and opportunities continuously expand and increase. At some point I realized that the saving up perspective comes from the scarcity/lack mindset and limits how much I can create/earn. But truly I’ve been shown over and over again that there’s no threshold to what we can create and attract.

I’ve learned to surrender and trust instead because I choose to live in the world of abundance and where the Universe loves to bless me and provide for me.

Thanks to this shift I manage to earn more and more, I can afford vacations even to further places that I wouldn’t be able to afford a year or 2 ago. I also invest a lot (and tbf primarily) in my healing, consciousness expansion and education (for personal growth but also to support my business and purpose around helping others). I invest in energy healing sessions, ceremonies, courses, certifications, books, herbs etc. These investments are the most rewarding I’d say and I feel like the Universe rewards me for my commitment to my spiritual growth and serving the awakening of our collective by creating more abundance in my life. Plenty of times I invested in my healing and courses even though some were pretty expensive or scary to invest in (at least at the time) but then I’m always rewarded back tenfold (not saying it’s always financially tho) and somehow I’m able to invest even more next time.

Notice how I also call these investments instead of spending money etc. which is a game changer too! Words and how we see those energetic exchanges matter very much!

The good quality food, classes, sessions, treatments, nice quality clothes, holidays, books etc etc are all investments in myself, my well-being, my business which also then reflect on how I can show up for others and help them and share my abundance with them too ❤️ For me claiming abundance and ability to invest in myself is also a big part of ancestral healing / healing of my lineage ❤️

The way the Universe expands my abundance also comes in various ways very often it’s unexpected - eg. a new client for my healing business, a promotion or bonus at my 9-5, receiving money from family for birthday or other occasions, receiving gifts and the actual things I wanted to get myself from others without me having to spend a penny, unexpected refunds, or unexpected opportunities to save on some things or no longer having to pay for something I have before (it happens on its own not as a result of me trying to find ways to save, like the Universe removes it for me).

It’s also good to know when to ask for help (taking action is important in manifesting and trusting the Universe) - even when it comes to financial support when you want to invest in your own transformation and growth (I wouldn’t necessarily do it for material goods personally). For example check if you can get a credit card, a bank loan, a payment plan, ask your family and friends if they’re able to support your healing journey, education, business growth (eg suggest that instead of small not so meaningful birthday gifts you’d like them to gift you a healing session or chip in for a course). Feel into the situation and put yourself out there, explore different opportunities. Asking for help is completely fine, we’re not meant to do it all on our own. Ofc be mindful and take time to understand the terms and how you actually feel about it (don’t do it if it feels too risky or you’re too anxious) but we deserve to get support. People borrow/ask for money for luxury bags, cars, houses, university degrees etc so you can also invest in yourself and your growth which are more important than the former.

But yes most importantly (dare to) ask the Universe for what you want and that you’re open for support and trust that you’ll receive it. Nothing is out of reach. See yourself living that life, having that thing/experience. But also don’t attach too much to the outcome. You’ll be perfectly fine whether you receive it or not because it’s not about what happens / what you have it’s who you are - on identity level you’re already abundant and you’re grateful for it with all your being ❤️

The Universe, our ancestors, our spirit guides and higher self want us to enjoy this journey and show up for ourselves, so give yourself permission to do just that 💫

[jaijaitbinks]

"I'm just a guy who takes photos for fun"

Saitama is an anonymous photographer whose pictures are in a professional level. He simply sells them (at normal prize, for less than what they really cost) to a bussiness man who runs a photography gallery. This place holds photos from lots of different artists, but the public's favourite exhibition is always Saitama's. Genos is an amateur photographer and when he discovers Saitama's work, he decides that he needs to find that guy to improve himself. He first asks the man who buys the photos, but he won't reveal anything (because then, Saitama would become famous and he wouldn't get those high quality photos at such cheap prize). Genos surfes the internet, but nobody knows Saitama's identity, so he tried to investigate on his own. One day he wants to take a photo from a bridge, somehow stumbles and his camera almost falls into the water, but Saitama casually cathes it in the nick of time. They start talking and eventually become friends. Saitama gives Genos advices and tricks and sees that Genos is more skilled than he thinks.

Genos doesn't know who Saitama is until he goes to his apparment and sees all the pictures hanging and is like "OMG is you, I've been searching for you, you're my idol." Saitama begs Genos to not tell anyone and he finally agrees...but only if he takes Genos as disciple. Saitama accepts, resigned. Genos starts making a name for himself, but still thinks there's something missing: his main inspiration, his opus magnum. However, after spending one afternoon together, Genos wants to take a picture of the beautiful sunset. While he tries to find the perfect angle, the lens stops on Saitama (and Genos realizes the beauty of his sensei XD) "I'm sure someday you will find your muse, Genos." Genos looks through the camera, takes a picture without Saitama noticing and then stares, realizing he has already done it. I just made this because I liked the idea of Genos looking at his sensei as if he were a masterpiece.

OH. MY. FUCKING SHIT.

HOLY FUCK I LOVE THIS SO MUCH WHAT?????

I MIGHT BE DUMB BUT I WANNA KNOW IF YOU WANTED ME TO LIKE. WRITE A SCENE FOR THIS FOR THE SERIES I HAVE ON AO3 OR IF YOU WERE JUST SHARING, BUT EITHER WAY THIS IS LOVELY AND I'M GOING TO BE BRAINROTTING TF OUT OF THIS.

LIKE

Okay, maybe Genos does polaroid photography on the side as well? Like he takes professional photos to earn money and make a name for himself, and then the polaroid photos are a side thing he does just cuz he loves the aesthetic. Then, at some point, he tells Saitama this in passing or Saitama finds his polaroid camera and he tells him that.

Saitama suggests "Hey, maybe we could take a selfie with it then? I think that'd look nice in polaroid." And Genos is internally over the moon. He agrees to it, of course (but if anyone asked later on why he had a photo of him and some bald guy in his wallet, he'd say it's only because he was fulfilling his sensei's request and he didn't know where to put the picture afterwards cuz he didn't want to throw it out), and they take the photo together.

He puts it in his pocket to develop, and for a while, they go on with photography lessons, walking around abandoned streets and snapping pictures. ("There's photo potential everywhere, Genos," Saitama had said, "Even in the grimy ruins where there's no signs of life. The fact there's nothing and no one to touch this area anymore is beautiful." Genos looked on at him with admiration and awe.)

It's only when they end their little trip and he goes home that he remembers the polaroid, and promptly takes it out. And he does not know how to describe it to anyone else that wasn't himself that the small, soft, gorgeous, and enchanting smile he had the fortune of capturing in that white-framed photo was single-handedly the light in his dark room, the first bloom of spring, the Northern Lights from a mountain view. It's one of two things he would never give away.

Not even to that other thing—person. Not even to him, he wouldn't give the photo.