#but i started using that tag for the idea of combining the two families before we found out darius's surname

[yoditopascal]

Like A Prayer (Part 4)

summary: best friends with wade you’re always being dragged into something even when he’s not trying to, what are you to do when you find the fate of your timeline in the hands of yourself, your chaotic merc and an angry wolverine who’s hellbent on drinking himself to death?

content warning: romance, some angst, a little fluff, character deaths, canon-typical violence, smut, lots of cussing, mutual pining, found family, drug and alcohol use, reader insert but with no use of y/n cuz I hate that shit, deadpool being deadpool, mentions of poor mental health (depression anxiety and ptsd mostly), scent marking, the honda odyssey scene needs a warning all on its own MINORS DNI

a/n: edited by the ever so lovely karmiccc on ao3! Comments and criticisms are welcome!

tag list: sorry if you weren’t tagged I tried tagging everyone that asked but some usernames didn’t work! @allmyn1ghts @blooket-scares-me @amararosesblog @talanyra @spideybv28 @sadslasher13 @night-spectrum @eveieforeve02

Previous Chapter//Next Chapter

On Your Left Babygirl

Wade watches from the corner of his eye as your feet drag behind you, the now limp Wolverine was pressing his full mass into the two of you, and you were clearly struggling with the newly added weight.

“One Anchor Being coming right up, on your left, baby girl!”

“This Logan has everything! He can do pretty much anything the old model could plus he even sings musicals! And he’s actually wearing a costume like he’s not embarrassed to be in a superhero movie for once!”

“I don’t understand.”

“You said my universe is dying, because this sad sack of nuts got himself killed. Well, problem solved!”

“Y-you actually think you can replace an Anchor Being with this?” Paradox says between laughs pointing at Wolverine still on the floor. “I wouldn’t have accepted any other Wolverine bee tee dubs, but you’ve brought me the absolute worst Wolverine there is!

“What do you mean the worst one?” Wade asked, walking closer to Paradox.

Just as Wade was less than an arm’s length away from Paradox, you saw the off brand Mr. Darcy reachout and grab something behind his back. You jump forward placing yourself in between the two men just as Paradox drew his weapon.

“Wade watch-!” You don’t get to finish your sentence as Wade watches in absolute horror as you disintegrate into nothing in front of him.

Wade falls to his knees as if trying to catch your particles that were still floating about in the air before disappearing entirely.

The distinct snikt of Wolverine unleashing his claws breaks Wade out of his trance as he watches the Wolverine, now back on his feet, lunge for Paradox with his claws in pure rage before disappearing too.

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

Logan groans as he sits up, cracking his neck back into place. He raises a hand to shield his face from the harsh rays of the sun above him as he lets out a sharp hiss from the incoming headache he was starting to get from the combination of the fall and all the alcohol he drank earlier.

Barely starting to sober up, he looks around himself with a grunt as he stands, taking in the environment around himself.

If he had to guess he’d had no idea where the fuck he was. The scene around him was dry and arid like a desert, only this one didn’t seem familiar to him at all. There was all kinds of trash and debris around him like it had been dumped here and forgotten. Taking in a few greedy inhales, Logan scented the air, coming back with only faint traces of smoke, dirt and something else, something sweet and fresh and familiar but still different at the same time.

Turning his head to follow the source of the smell Logan spots you, laid out face first on the ground. He walks up to you apprehensively, not knowing if he could trust you or not but as he approaches he realizes you’re out cold.

Getting a closer look at you now he’s able to take in your features up close. If you were a shapeshifter of some kind like he previously thought, you were a hell of a good one. At first glance you looked just like her, the same hair and big doe eyes that used to look up at him. You were even dressed the same way.

Squatting down to your level Logan’s able to get a much better whiff of you from here. There’s no mistaking a scent, even when Morph and Mystique used to try and trick him back in the day but it never worked because they could never change their smell.

There was no doubt about it, the smell was definitely yours. Shamefully Logan found his eyes wandering down your frame slowly as he drank you in, eyes lingering on your ass for a few seconds before turning you over onto your back, and God, even your face was the same. The longer he looked at you the more he realized you really were her. Only, you had less pronounced smile lines, and were less muscular, having probably only known peace in your life, you had appeared more softer than she had been. Just as his gloved hand was a breath away from caressing your cheek, he’s ripped from his inspection by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind him.

Standing to his feet, he looks back at you one last time before looking at the disfigured body of the guy in red from before as his bones snap back into place. He sniffs the air again, realizing the man that had just fallen from the sky. He smelled absolutely rancid to him, stinking of blood, gunpowder and a distinct sickly cancerous smell.

Definitely a threat. Logan concludes as he starts to walk up to him.

Wade coughs as he rolls over onto his back, looking down between his legs as Wolverine walked up to him, stopping right as his feet, “Don’t just stand there, you big ape. Give me a hand!”

Wolverine stared down at him, his hazel eyes swirling with contempt and silent fury as he unsheathed his claws.

“No, I’m actually okay, thank you,” Wade barely finishes his sentence before he’s being stabbed through both his sides, letting out a sharp curse as Logan hoists him in the air like a kebab.

“Where the hell are we?!” He demands.

“I don’t know! It all looks kinda Mad Maxy but that would be copyright infringement, wouldn’t it?!” Wade cries out as Wolverine harshly drops him to the ground.

“Fucking jokes,” Logan scoffs before turning his back to him, walking towards your still unconscious form.

“Hey hey! You stay away from my pookie bear, you hear me?” Wade warns as he cocks his gun pointing it at the back of Wolverine’s head.

“Or what?” He dared the man to continue.

Wade lowers his gun as he realizes how fast the situation was starting to escalate, his eyes dart back and forth between you and the very ready to rip his guts out Wolverine before he curses to himself. After putting his gun away, Wade raises his hands up in the air as a way to appease Logan as he began to warily approach him.

“Look, we don't have time for this alright? If we don’t make it back to that Paradox asshole. Everyone I know is going to die,” Wade starts to explain the situation to him but Logan rolls his eyes as he turns back around, continuing to walk towards you.

“No, my fucking problem,” Logan replies coldly as he waves him off.

Wade felt his blood boil. He was never a patient man, nor a very nice one, but compared to this guy? He was a fucking saint. It was an insult to everyone that his Anchor being replacement had to be such a dick.

“Is that what you said when your world went to shit?” Wade shoots back to Wolverine, stopping him in his tracks again.

“Come again?” Logan growls, turning back to face him.

“Yeah, I heard all about you.” Wade began as he turned around, becoming increasingly exasperated by the situation at hand, ”You screwed up everything, but you really should be thanking me for pulling you out of that bed you shit-“

Wade let out a scream as searing pain shot through his body. Looking down he sees the infamous adamantium claws of Wolverine protruding through his chest.

“Oh, you backstabbing son of a bitch!” Wade grunts in agony as he’s hoisted in the air again, this time on his back.

Fighting back against the pain, Wade uses his own momentum to flip himself behind Wolverine, throwing them both onto their backs on the ground, the blades of the Wolverine’s claws tearing more of his flesh and bone on their way out as he did so. Without missing a beat Wade pressed his guns against Wolverine’s sides and shot out several rounds as the older man let out a guttural scream of pain.

“Are you ready to be calm now?” Wade asks almost mockingly, guns still pressed to Wolverine’s ribs.

He’s met immediately with a headbutt, no doubt breaking his nose underneath the mask.

“Fuck!” Wade swears in pain as Wolverine rolls off him.

Not giving Wade any time to gather his bearings, the older mutant grabs him by his ankles before throwing him into a wall. Wade heard the bones in his arm snap as he crashed through the cement wall, tumbling backwards against a sunken monument that seemed familiar to him. Wade groaned as he stumbled back up to his feet, his arm snapped back into place painfully as he reloaded his gun.

“I don’t want to fight you, Peanut! Doesn’t matter what you did. I just need your help.” Wade called over to Wolverine as he stood across from him in the wasteland.

“I don’t fucking care,” Logan snaps back as he spits out a smoking bullet, the rest falling from his torso, his healing factor working over time to push them out.

“Fuck, this is gonna hurt,” Wade says more so to himself than anyone else, “Alright! Fuck it! Let’s give the people what they came for!”

“Let’s fucking go,” Logan says as he crouches down to his knees, readying himself for whatever Wade was about to throw at him.

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

You take a sharp much needed inhale through your nose as the final bone in your spine snaps back into place. Sputtering out a cough you sat up bltrying to block out the blinding light of the sun with your hand as a headache pulsed through your skull. Looking around you slowly take in the dilapidated scenery around you.

Where the hell were you? You thought to yourself as you looked down at your watch to check the time.

The screen was broken, a crack having spiderwebbed across the screen. You weren’t exactly sure when it had broken but from what you could tell from when it had stopped working it was well beyond midnight.

“Oh I’m so fucking fired tomorrow,” You say with a groan as you rise to your feet dusting yourself off.

The sound of shouting and rapid gunfire drew your attention in the distance. Approaching the sound as cautiously as you could, you peek over a mound of rubble to find Wade being held down by an enraged Wolverine with Wade’s katanas and baby knife sticking out of him, reminding you of a human pin cushion.

“Let’s see you grow your fucking head back!” He shouts as he goes to sink his claws into Wade’s throat.

Picking up the first thing you see laying around you run up behind the Wolverine hitting him in the head as hard as you could, breaking the branch in your hands on impact. With a heavy grunt, he stumbles off of Wade onto the ground.The Wolverine clutches his ear as he snaps his head up to glare at his assailant. The rage in his eyes shifts to shock as you stand over wade protectively, glaring down at him with your broken branch raised high and at the ready for you to swing at him again if need be.

Snapping out of his daze, Wolverine gets to his feet and with his claws sheathed going to strike the red suited clown again, when hastily Wade rises to his feet, immediately moving you behind him with his hands raised up in surrender.

“Wait, wait, I can fix it! I know how to fix it!” Wade shouted at the Wolverine not willing to put you or himself in the Wolverine’s wraith.

“Fix what?” Wolverine asks has he slowly starts to lower his fist as he looks back and forth between you two.

“Whatever it is that you did that made you so bad! Those freaks in the TVA, they have the power to end our universe, but they can also change yours!” Wade says pushing you further behind him, not liking how the man was eyeing you.

Logan looks between the two of you incredulously as if trying to understand if what Wade just told him was true or not.

“Well?” He asks gruffly, eyes now completely focused on you.

Realizing he was talking to you and that your answer might be his deciding factor on whether or not to help you, you take a deep breath as you walk out from behind Wade who looks at you skeptically for a moment.

“We just traveled the multiverse trying to find you because of the TVA,” You began with a surprised chuckle still reeling in that fact that you actually did do that as you returned Logan's intense gaze,“Until today I didn’t think any of this kinda stuff was possible… But it is so I believe him,” You said exchanging a look with Wade as you finish, he nods his head to you almost in thanks.

Logan stares at you a bit longer before letting out a frustrated huff as he looks away, sheathing his claws. You nearly let out a beath of relief at the sight until the older man resumed his attention on you two again. The Wolverine looked back and forth between the two of you as he felt his nerves starting to grate again.

“How the fuck do you know this clown?” Logan asks annoyed, his fists were down at his sides but still balled up ready to fight again if he needed to.

Peeking over Wade’s shoulder, you part your lips about to answer him when suddenly you're cut off by a new voice.

“Hey! We fight each other, we lose,” Said a voice from above you all.

Puzzled, you all look up in the direction the voice came from.

“Who the hell is that?” You asked scrunching your face up in confusion as you use a hand to block out the harsh rays of the sun from your vision.

“Dear God its him…” Wade said, astonished.

“Who?” You asked as you and Wolverine share a confused glance.

Above you, on a worn down billboard, stood a man. He was covered in loose fitting dark clothes with a hood draped over him, blocking his face from view.

“That my little chocolate drop is the One. The superhero equivalent to comfort food or molly. White guys’ answer to all the disappointments in another A-lister,” Wade went on rambling as the cloaked man jumped down and landed before the three of you.

“Now that’s a superhero landing!” Wade clapped as the cloaked man turned to point out into the desert

“They're coming,” The man said.

Alarmed, you all look in the direction of his focus. On the horizon you all could see three cars speeding towards you, all three of the giving off serious Mad Max vibes.

“Well they’re definitely driving angry,” Wade joked, though you could tell by the drop in his voice that he was assessing the entire situation very much aware of the danger you two were about to be in.

“I got this,” The cloaked man said pulling down his hood to reveal a familiar face, “Stay close.”

“Aye aye, Cap,” Wade says walking up behind him to wrap his arms around the man before he pulls them off of him awkwardly.

As the cars neared they circled around the four of you a few times, some of the men blew out crude whistles making you cringe in disgust as you clutched your broken branch to your chest. Finally they stopped, their vehicles parked around you, caging you four in.

“Cassandra is going to be giddy when she sees what we caught!” A man with stringy greasy hair grins, showing off his filthy teeth to the group, “You know you can’t run.”

“You see anyone running, dick for brains? You’re not gonna love what happens next,” The cloaked man retorted.

“Oh my god, he’s going to say it!” Wade says smacking one of his katana’s that still protruded from the Wolverine’s chest.

Logan stumbled back a bit with a weak ‘ah fuck’ as you instinctively reached out to steady him. He turned his head to look at you as soon as he felt your hands on him. You held his eyes for less than a second before abruptly removing yourself from him, now focusing on looking at anything else but him.

“Avengers Assem-!” Wade begins to shout as if anticipating what the cloaked man was about to say, however that’s not what he said at all.

“Flame on!”

“Sorry, what now?”

The cloaked man shot out into the sky in a ball of fire. He hovered over everyone for a moment before blasting out a stream of fire directly at the greasy man that had spoken before. The greasy man grins as he holds his hand out, absorbing the flames before he twists his fingers cutting off the cloaked man’s power like a faucet. The man barely had a second to register what happened before he began his miserable descent from the sky. He hit the billboard he was standing on before twice before flopping on the ground, completely unconscious.

“We don’t know that guy,” the Wolverine was quick to say.

“We thought we did,” Wade agreed as he looked over the unconscious man before turning back to the group of thugs.

“Oh but I know you,” A beastly looking man with pitch black eyes said as he dropped down to their level from atop a car.

His dark orbs were fixated on Wolverine, who returned his glare with his own as he bared his teeth at him with a growl.

“Holy shit… Sabretooth… your brother,” Wade said, a hint of excitement in his voice as he looked between the two.

“Ready to die?” Sabertooth asked as he stalked towards them, eyes never leaving Wolverine.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Time!” Wade calls out as he begins to remove his weapons from Wolverine’s body giving him a long winded nonsensical pep talk in normal Wade fashion.

“Shut the fuck up!” Wolverine growls out, shoving him back into you.

What an asshole you thought to yourself with a scrunched up face.

The Wolverine lowered himself into a fighting stance before the two mutants lunged for each other. The two collided briefly in the middle as the familiar sound of metal tearing against bone and flesh rang through the air, before sliding past each other entirely. Both brothers stood on opposite sides of the dry field.

“What is it, girl? Is there trouble at the well?” Wade mocked with an innocent tilt of his head.

You might’ve laughed at the Lassie reference if it wasn’t for the fact that not a second later Sabretooth’s head rolled off his shoulders and right at your feet. You scrunched up your nose again, turning your head away in disgust as Wade picked it up.

“Behold! The head of your precious Queen, Furiosa! I have the Wolverine! I alone control her! You come for me! You come for her!” Wade declares as he raises the head in the air like a prize before he leans over into Logan’s ear, “I’m so sorry. I know it’s pronounced him. I’m gender blind. It’s my cross to bear.” Logan simply rolls his eyes at him.

“Who’s next?” He challenges looking around at the men who were left, waiting for someone to step up to him.

The greasy man let out an amused chuckle before calling out to one of his partners “Toad! You’re up!”

You look towards the other mutant and resist the urge to cringe again as he shoots out his slimy green tongue and pulls a lever. Instantly it activates a giant metal magnet that drags both Wade and Wolverine off their feet and into its pull.

“Wade!” you called out, unaware as a giant sentinel leg comes flying at you from behind, stunning you as it flies towards your companions, carrying you with it.

“Oh fu-“ Was all Wolverine had managed to get out before you and the sentinel leg crashed into him and Wade, knocking out the three of you on impact.

[folkwhoredoll]

by the shore - rafe cameron x fem!reader

pairing: rafe cameron x fem!reader (friends with benefits)

synopsis: being friends with rafe has its benefits

word count: 1.7k

warnings/tags: smut! (f oral, unprotected sex), few curse words

request: rafe x Reader, they are best friend that’s are on a family trip that they take every year in summer, reader is good friends with both Sarah and rafe, rafe and reader are a bit tipsy messing around and find their way to the beach and that’s were the smut happens :) hope you can do it thank you.

a/n: hi everyone! it's been a while since my last post because things got busy in nursing school but since it's summer break, i can now post again! thank you to the one who requested this <3 i hope you'll like this one. happy reading!

masterlist

➶-͙˚ ༘✶

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the beachfront estate where you and the Camerons vacationed every summer. The annual family trip was a cherished tradition, one you eagerly anticipated each year. It started long before you even entered school, a yearly event your parents initiated to celebrate their friendship with the Camerons. Naturally, you also formed a growing friendship with Sarah and Rafe.

Though, if you were honest, "friendship" didn't quite describe the bond between you and Rafe. Whether you and the Cameron heir were dating was unclear, but he acted like you were most of the time. Almost no boys dared to ask you out, not with Rafe always glaring at them from behind you. He accompanied you almost everywhere, even pretending you were his girlfriend to keep other girls away.

But your relationship with Rafe wasn't simply a friendship because of what you two did behind closed doors. It was no secret that Rafe had several experiences, his natural charisma drawing girls to him. Perhaps that's why you couldn't resist him when he told you he admired you months ago. He was your first.

Not one soul knows about it; you couldn't risk it.

The evening air was filled with laughter and clinking glasses as your families gathered on the deck, enjoying the night of their getaway. You felt a pleasant buzz from the beer you and Rafe had been sipping, the alcohol buzzing through your veins. Sarah had to excuse herself to answer a call from Topper, leaving you and Rafe alone under the twinkling fairy lights.

Rafe grinned at you, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Wanna take a walk down to the beach?" he suggested, his voice slightly blurred but full of excitement.

You smiled back and nodded eagerly, the idea of sneaking for a late-night adventure sounding perfect. "Absolutely. Let's go back before Sarah gets back and decides to drag us into some boring game."

Rafe laughed, a deep, infectious sound that made your heart flutter. The combination of alcohol and the intimate setting seemed to excite you.

The two of you stumbled down the wooden steps leading to the beach, giggling and shushing each other while your hands gripped tightly around your beer bottles. The fine sand was cool beneath your feet and the ocean waves lapping gently at the shore.

Rafe motioned for you to sit near a large rock, sitting down first to make sure that it was comfortable enough. You positioned yourself beside him, sighing contently as you took in the view before you.

"Remember when Sarah and I built a sandcastle when we were like, ten? Then you ruined it with your soccer ball." You said.

"In my defense, I didn't mean to kick it towards your castle." Rafe chuckled at the memory. "And I got the worst punishment from you because you refused to speak to me for a week."

You hummed, sipping more of your beer. "Still not over it."

He snorted, leaning his head back.

The next moments were spent in silence. You and Rafe took turns drinking what was left from the bottle, smiling whenever you would make eye contact, and leaning closer and closer to him until your shoulders touched.

You took a deep breath when you felt Rafe kiss your cheek suddenly. "What was that for?"

"What? Can't I kiss you?" He smiled innocently. "It's not like we haven't done anything more than a kiss."

You threw him a look, knowing that in a few moments, you would be doing something that friends don't normally do. How Rafe could always be turned on, you could never understand. But you don't complain, not when your hormones also betray you every time you see his muscles strain from his tight shirt.

"Come on, Y/n. No one can see us from here." He whispered, his breath tickling your skin as he lowered his face to your neck.

You didn't say anything, and Rafe took it as a sign to move further, abandoning his beer to the side. He placed one hand on your thigh and another hand on your waist. Your head was spinning from both the alcohol and Rafe's hands, suddenly not able to speak as you savor the moment of his lips on your neck.

"What would our parents say when they find out what we do?" He wondered teasingly, smirking when he saw you discreetly push your thighs together. He loved you like this: submissive as you let him do whatever he wanted.

"Probably celebrate. They've been teasing us for years." You finally replied, a laugh coming from your throat as you remembered the times when they would try to set the two of you up in every gathering.

Rafe suddenly lifted the skirt of your sundress, causing you to gasp. "Out here? Really?"

His other hand moved from your waist to your back, feeling for the zipper of your dress. "It's a perfect spot. No one can see us or hear us unless you scream, of course."

His cocky attitude made you roll your eyes, though your cunt already fluttered at the thought of being bare under his body as the sunset. "We have to be fast, got it?"

You didn't give him a chance to reply as you tilted your body, swiftly pushing him back so you could move on top and straddle him. Rafe, although shocked by your sudden movement, smiled cheekily as he witnessed you reach to your back to unzip your dress.

"Damn, baby." He breathed as he eyed the way the straps of the dress dropped, hastily helping you to get out of your clothing. He licked his lips as he stared at the sight of you. Your breasts perked up as the cool sea breeze touched your skin, leaving you in your underwear.

"Take it off, Rafe." You told him, helping him take off the shirt that accentuated his muscles.

Following your request, Rafe moved quickly and placed his shirt on the sand beside the two of you, lifting your hips and guiding you to lay on his shirt.

He finished removing the rest of his clothing, never cutting eye contact with you even as he pulled his cock out. You made a quick look back to the house, making sure that you were not within anyone's eyesight.

You gasped as Rafe pulled your panties down, your cunt fluttering at the excitement. He lowered his head down until it was leveled with your pussy, his manhood hardening at the sight of your wet folds.

Without warning, he gave your cunt a long lick, pushing his warm tongue as deep as he could reach. You moaned loudly and quickly gripped his hair, your back arching as he sucked on your clit.

Rafe reached a hand upwards to cover your mouth, not too tight to restrict you from breathing but just enough to muffle your moans. Your chest heaving as you gasped, the alcohol and his tongue working together to give you the best pleasure.

Rafe himself was groaning as he enjoyed the sight of your writhing body, his heart swelling with pride, knowing that it was only him who could make you feel that way.

Your moans were exchanged with whines when he suddenly moved away from your pussy, kneeling in front of you as he stroked his stiff dick.

"You said we have to be fast." He chuckled, teasing you. "Ready, baby?"

After seeing you nod, Rafe pushed himself inside you, a loud groan erupting from his lips as he felt your warm and wet folds around him.

"Best cunt in the world." He whispered to himself.

You let out a loud moan as he filled you completely, growing needy and desperate for a release. "Move, Rafe. Make me cum, please."

Your words sounded like music to Rafe's ears, further feeding his ego. "Since you asked nicely."

In one quick movement, Rafe thrust in and out of you, lifting one of your legs to wrap around his waist so he could reach deeper.

The sounds of both of your breaths were mixed with the sound of the ocean waves as sweat grew on the surface of your skin. You were shamelessly whining and moaning in every thrust while Rafe was closing his eyes as he groaned in pleasure.

He pushed your other leg upwards, having you nearly folded in half as he pushed harder. He looked down to where you two were connected, his cock twitching at the sight. "Taking me so well, baby. Come on, I know you're close."

You were panting, breathless, and unable to speak. Your hands were clawing on Rafe's shoulder, wanting to push him away from the overwhelming feeling.

"R-Rafe…" You breathed out, feeling your pussy pulsate around him.

"Yes, Y/n. Go on, cum for me." He urged you, his pace never stopping nor slowing down.

You looked at him, admiring how he looked with his disheveled hair and warm cheeks. His muscles were tensing as he thrusted faster.

Without warning, he pulled your legs apart slightly, just enough so he could reach your clit with his hand. You almost screamed at the contact, another surge of gratification taking over your body as he pinched your bud.

"Fuck, Rafe!"

He smiled, hips going faster until he felt you cum around his cock. Your hips were jerking upward as you released, thighs shaking as you squirted on him.

Rafe moaned loudly, and after a few more thrusts, he released his load inside of you, not letting a drop go to waste.

You were quiet as you panted underneath Rafe, your legs still shaking occasionally while you enjoyed the feeling of both of your cum inside you.

Rafe was whispering compliments in your ear softly, stroking your skin as he slowly pulled himself out. He then helped you back into your underwear and dress, gently guiding you as you regained your balance. Rafe was quicker as he dressed himself up, grabbing your hand immediately and leading you back to the house.

"Let's clean up inside before Sarah finds us here."

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

In my spare time, when I'm not watching dramas I'm either reading books or watching people talking about books on YouTube. One tradition I've always really enjoyed is their "Mid-Year Freak Out" tag, especially because I like the idea of getting a chance to reflect on the year so far as well as look to the year ahead.

This year I thought I'd combine my two passions and use (and in some cases alter) the prompts for my own use, i.e. so that I can talk about dramas rather than books.

The only rule: answer the questions (and go wild I guess).

And we start the list with the biggest risk! No The Trainee is nowhere near finished and, no I have no idea how it's going to finish (it's GMMTV it could drop the ball through the floor and into the earth's core for all I know) but, if it manages to keep going the way it's going, I'm going to absolutely love it. I've mentioned before that The Trainee reminds me a lot of Misaeng, what I haven't said is that Misaeng is my (tied) favourite drama of all time and if The Trainee can get anywhere close to making me feel like I did the first time I watched Misaeng (which it is so far) then it's on to a winning formula.

So far it's got everything I look for in a drama: a solid cast with excellent chemistry, a plot that focuses on the little battles of everyday life, and an excellent mix of fast friendship and slow burn romance with plenty of character development along the way. It also doesn't hurt that it's got the balance between slapstick-funny and emotional tension pretty much bang on either.

I can't get this drama or it's characters out of my head and I am deeply, deeply, invested in where things are going next so, as a nod to the hold it has on me and my hope that I've found a new all-time fave, The Trainee is my favourite drama so far so GMMTV DO NOT LET ME DOWN.

Thai BL opening themes can be very hit or miss for me (I won't lie, I have skipped many an opening sequence because I can't stand the song) but Wandee Goodday's "Fan With Benefit" caught my ear the first time I heard it and refused to leave me alone after that. I think I listened to it on repeat for at least 2 weeks and then at least once a day after that.

It's fun, it's flirty, it's got a chorus I like to dance to and it has now found itself on my "Songs to Cook Dinner To" playlist (I don't know if that says more about the song or how I cook dinner).

Now if only the drama lived up to its theme song...

Last Twilight would have been on this list had I not dropped it in December and, as a result, rendered it ineligible for a 2024 drama. I'm still absolutely fuming about how badly it let its audience down and how terribly it handled an extremely nuisanced topic to the point its final messaging was almost harmful.

I'm not going to get into this in too much detail because my frustrations have been voiced much more eloquently by people @lurkingshan and @twig-tea. I will say, however, that I loved the first 6(?) episodes of Wandee Goodday and I'm really sad about how much I didn't enjoy the rest of the drama.

There were a lot of things to like (and a lot of potential) right from the start: two couples with great chemistry, an ace character with actual depth and dimension, really sweet relationships (both familial and friendships), and the foundations for some interesting explorations of various interpersonal dynamics. Unfortunately none of these things really got followed through on and instead Wandee decided to go dark (with topics like mental health, sexual assault, loss and grief, parental neglect and abandonment to name a few) and do it badly. I don't mind if a show wants to explore difficult topics, in fact I really appreciate it, but what I won't tolerate is a drama introducing those topics as central plot points and then skimming over them in the most superficial way possible.

If you can't be bothered to put in the effort to properly research/explore difficult topics, do not include them in your drama.

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SHOW SINCE IT FIRST GOT ANNOUNCED. Which unfortunate because I was so excited for it I got stressed about it living up to my expectations (or not) and then couldn't watch it when it came out. It's annoying, it happens, I know how to fix it.

Anyway, I've given it some space, I've dealt with the other things that were making me stressed and I am now ready to devour it give it a go.

I have long been a fan of Ahn Pan Seok's works and I really appreciate his directorial style, the themes he chooses to tackle, and the way in which he explores his topics of choice. I will fully acknowledge his work is not for everyone; he favours slow (extremely slow) stories with characters and plots who are realistic to a frustrating (and sometimes infuriating) degree. You also need to have a pretty in depth understanding of Korean society and its problems, taboos and concerns to fully understand the underlying messages of his dramas and the structures/beliefs/views he's critiquing. That being said, for me that is the perfect recipe for a drama that's going to claw itself into my brain and stay there.

Secret Love Affair, One Spring Night, and Something in the Rain all had a lasting impact on me and, thanks to @lurkingshan's posts, I'm pretty sure Midnight Romance in Hagwon will join them.

It may come as a surprise after the last entry but I actually try quite hard to not get hyped about upcoming releases, mainly to avoid creating any expectations which can then be disappointed. I like to go in with as open a mind as possible.

As a result, there are a few upcoming releases I'm keeping an eye on but none I'd say I'm properly "anticipating" (á la Midnight Romance in Hagwon). The closest I can get is Monster Next Door which I am genuinely excited for and which I plan to watch from day 1.

I'm not completely sure why I'm looking forward to it so much, I think it's because I do love a good opposites attract, foes-to-hoes dynamic and Monster Next Door seems like it's going to offer that to me in spades alongside a serving of comedy and a sprinkling of heat. Bring the introvert-extrovert pairing and let me watch them be stupidly whipped for each other, it's all I need for now.

Technically all of the dramas on my Want to Watch list because I want to clear it but I'm aware that that's a bit of a reach.... If anyone can spot any dramas on here that you think I should prioritize (or dramas you think I should scrap), recommendations would be appreciated.

I also want to watch more Japanese BLs. The few I've got through, I've enjoyed and, for a lot of them, I've already read and loved the source manga so I know I'll enjoy the plot. Unfortunately I really struggle with the short episodes (30 minutes is not long enough for me to get invested) and that I have to commit to binging them and can't watch them while they're airing, which is a whole other issue. I'm thinking of focussing on Japanese GL for now as a hook (I'm not enjoying the current Thai GL line up and I'm running out of Korean GL I can find online) so I guess the dramas I "need" to watch are She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat and Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko.

* Biggest surprise

* Newest favourite actor/director/writer/producer

* Most beautiful drama

* Newest fictional crush

* Newest favourite character

* A drama that made you cry

* A drama that made you happy

And there you have it! Lightly tagging @lurkingshan @twig-tea and @italianpersonwithashippersheart but no pressure! Anyone else who wants to do this, feel free! Just tag me so I can gather more recs to make my To Watch list even longer.

[pluralthey]

is there a good place to start if we want to learn about idletry? im very interested in the story and all the bits and pieces revealed so far but i dont know if youve like, stated the basics both about the characters-in-story and how you’re releasing the comic

hi there. unfortunately, idletry became a passion project very abruptly and many details were added very quickly without regard for how long the project would take. once i did realize how large the project was, i decided that i would not even kid myself on the idea of holding in spoilers for the next 5 years, and those two factors combined make the information available very chaotic and slapdash -- somewhat intentionally.

i don't even have the comics tagged separately for easier access among the idletry content -- although, i could go back and give them a separate tag.

i can summarize the story and say that it's about a funny little talking honey badger/tasmanian devil named jessie gaylord who has for the last 10 years of her life been on heavy psychiatric medication in an attempt to mitigate a pervasive delusion that the world is a fictional story. she also has a notorious aggressive streak. these medications work primarily by leaving her so tired that she sleeps most of the time.

the story begins when her medical team has run out of typical medications to try, and they must order an older, more aggressive type of drug which is not commonly used anymore, and has a lengthier process to manufacturing and approving the drug. during this time, she is not on any medication, and she becomes more urgently fixated on convincing people that the delusion is true.

she ends up attempting to contact the writer, who is referred to as God, and she receives a response. she immediately attempts to write the story herself, and she's granted the ability to do anything within the story so long as she can write it out. (the intricacies and limitations of this power have been elaborated upon in a bunch of fragmentary posts, so i won't try to condense it here)

at the end of the first act, she kills the first writer and becomes the new God of her world. the rest of the story is about what she does after acquiring omnipotence, and it heavily features a character named fate -- or shiloh, as jessie calls her -- with whom she enters an intimate relationship.

she has a happy loving family composed of a father named adam, a mother named evelyn, and an older sister named emily. there is a later minor subplot about a cult following who worships her after she becomes God, and this cult is initially organized by an ant called samanthuel -- or samwich, as jessie calls them. these are usually the other characters i mention and i am too lazy to link them right now

the comic itself is currently being written. the script stands at around 51,000 words at the time of writing this as i work on the second act. after it's written, i will let it simmer for a few months and then write a second draft to start to relieve the story of its bloat. depending on its length at that point, i will either need to write a third draft, or i will start drawing the comic.

chances are, during the second draft, i will start to thumbnail or sketch scenes which receive little to no editing, as i know they will likely remain relatively unchanged even through multiple drafts.

the sketch strips are to tide me and an eager audience over in the meantime, but they've sort of dried up as i focus all of my attention on finishing the first draft and taking care of a puppy that was kind of just forced onto me.

i've made a couple of full-length comics before and they have taken years. it is, unfortunately, just the nature of the process. for idletry, i plan to self-publish the comic. i've never published something in print before, so that is the most daunting part for me.

the plan at the moment is to crowdfund this, but, to be frank with you, i no longer pay rent, and i care very much about having this comic as a printed book. i have no issue with paying the cost of printing out of my own pocket by the time it's done and am even anticipating that outcome ahead of time, despite having a pretty reliable audience by now.

i'm on the fence about releasing a digital book version, as i very much want to retain digital color versions of the pages that are more vibrant, but due to the explicit adult content of the story, i don't want it to be free-access.

tl;dr: it's about a lesbian incel with anger issues who's given omnipotence.

i'm still working on the story because i want it to be good.

i'm planning on printing it as a physical comic book once it's done.

[sarawritestories]

The Trade

Harry Wells x Fem Reader

Tags: @eonash @twilightlover2007 @yetanotherwells

Summary: It's the holiday season and Y/N's favorite time of year. Knowing Harry is upset not being with his daughter to celebrate the holidays. Y/N knows the perfect gift for him.. even if that means she has to sacrifice her freedom to get it.

Content warning: kidnapping, taunting, and a big cliffhanger

Word count: 1404 words

She should have been at the West House celebrating the holidays with her friends. Though, the last few days were bothering Y/N as she was interacting with her favorite grump from Earth-2. He was not himself. He was withdrawn, barely made smart insulting comments to Cisco, and barely bantered with her. It didn’t take her long to figure out why. He was missing his daughter and not being able to celebrate the joyous season with his family. So that was why she was in the industrial district shivering in her long sleeve dress, doing nothing to retain warmth, instead of enjoying Grandma Esther’s egg nog.

Y/N heard a car door slam and peeked from around the empty rig where her own car was parked. Seeing Harry get out of the S.T.A.R Labs van. She decided to move closer to get a better view as she reached the S.T.A.R Labs van as a breach opened, and Zoom appeared. Y/N pressed herself flush against the vehicle as she peeked over with wide eyes watching the speedster approach Harry.

The two men were having a discussion she couldn’t make out what they were staying and was focusing on staying out of sight. A flash of light illuminated the night sky as another breach opened only for it to close just as fast as Zoom returned with a young woman with short brown hair her clothes dirty. “Jessie,” she whispered to herself. Harry embraced her tightly, and just as quickly as she was in his arms, a father and daughter reunited. She was gone, and he was holding air. Y/N’s heart broke for the scientist. She wasn’t close enough to see his face, but she knew that he was in pain, losing his daughter for the second time.

Zoom returned once again and began to speak. Her heart pounding in her ears, her body had started to move before her brain could catch up with her. “Zoom!” Y/N screamed out her voice, not sounding like her own, as it echoed throughout the open space. Both men looked in her direction, Harry’s eyes widened as his mouth parting slightly stunned.

The evil speedster turned back Harry, “I told you to come-“

Y/N held up her hands and interrupted him, “He didn’t know I was here, Zoom. I saw him leave I followed him. He had no idea I was here.”

Zoom sped up to her, causing her to stumble slightly. He circled around her like a shark stalking his prey. He stopped behind her, his masked face close to her ear as he whispered, “Is that so?”

She forced herself to straighten her back, resisting the urge to shiver at his close proximity. “Yes, and I have an offer for you.” She moved her head to the side to meet his gaze, staring into his black orbs as lightning was rippling off his body. She provided some distance between her and the speedsters, walking towards Harry on the platform.

Harry’s blue eyes locked on hers as he grabbed her arm and whispered, “What are you doing, Y/L/N.”

She gave him a small reassuring smile and patted his hand slowly removing his hand from her arm. She turned back to Zoom, who followed her back to the platform, choosing not to use his speed, “Don’t keep me waiting.”

Y/N took a deep breath and took a step away from Harry and closer to Zoom, “I propose an exchange,” she met his eyes, and a shiver rippled her body this time. “Give Harry back his daughter,” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry’s head snap toward her, but she refused to meet his gaze.

Zoom tilted his head, “In exchange for?”

At this question, Y/N turned to Harry and gave him another smile, his face a combination of realization and shock on his face. She turned back to the evil speedster, “Me, Zoom, In exchange for me.”

“No! Absolutely not.” Harry protested, reaching out to grab her hand, but she moved too quickly to for him to pull her away and got closer to Zoom.

“Think about it. If you keep his daughter, you only hurt two people. But as someone who is close to Team Flash, you take me, you can cause pain to a larger number of people.”

“What makes you think that I wouldn’t just keep you both?”

Y/N bit her lip in contemplation of the question. She crossed her arms, “Because you take me, you agree to my terms. Leave Harry and His daughter here on this Earth and let them live with the guilt and the pain of someone sacrificing herself to protect them. A pain that would be lifelong.” She shrugged, secretly hoping that he would take the bait.

Zoom walked up to her, his tall frame crowding her space, his face getting close to hers, “What are your terms?”

Y/N tampered her excitement that her plan was working, “Five minutes to say good-bye to Harry.” She added, “That gives you enough time for you to grab Jessie.”

Zoom moved from her face and nodded his head, and sped into a breach.

Y/N turned to Harry, who had tears in his eyes. “Princess,” He whispered.

She briskly walked towards the scientist, “Don’t. I’m doing this to save your daughter, and I don’t want you to feel guilty.” She grabbed his face gently with both of her hands and pressed her forehead to his. “Listen to me, okay? You are going to go to the West house and tell them what happened to me.” As her eyes were closed, she could feel his hands wrapping on top of hers. Her voice waivered slightly as she continued, “Then you tell them to close all the breaches.”

She felt his hands pull hers from his face as he lifted his head. Her eyes opened, and he began shaking his head fervently, “Absolutely not, I know I’m not the only one who will object to that idea. We will not leave you stranded alone with him.” He squeezed her hands, “I will not leave you.” He whispered.

She met his eyes, taking in the vibrant shade of blue, committing it to memory as she smiled, “They will if you tell them that’s the only way to keep this city safe from him. Harry, they will listen to you because they trust you just like I do.” She pulled her hands away only to embrace him in a hug.

Y/N felt his arm around her waist, the other holding the back of her head tenderly. His voice waivered as he asked, “Why? Why are you doing this, Y/N? You could walk away right now.”

The younger woman pulled away from him and smiled, “It’s the holidays, Harry. You should have your family with you on the holidays.”

Harry rubbed his hand over his face, “Princess, I-“ He looked at her, not knowing what to say, so instead, he grabbed the back of her neck and crashed his lips onto hers.

Y/N felt butterflies in her stomach as she returned the kiss, though it was brief. She pulled away from the kiss right as the breach opened, and Zoom and the young girl emerged. The two faced them as they walked toward them. Y/N turned back to the Earth-2 scientist, “Promise me that you will have the team close the breaches.”

Harry gives her a curt nod, pain in his eyes, “I promise, Princess.” The young woman that was in Zoom’s captivity rushed past them into her dad’s eye.

In a moment, she was thwarted from Harry and suddenly in a cage in a dark grungy room. Her hands bound above her head. She struggled in her bonds as Zoom’s voice boomed through the cave, “You are a fool.” His voice grabbed her attention.

Y/N gave him a sly smile, “Funny a lot of people tell me that, and yet I now get to confront you, alone,” she paused and looked in his direction, “Jay.”

Zoom stood still for a brief moment, Y/N’s heart rate speeding up. Then he reached back and pulled his mask off to reveal what the young woman had been suspicious of the whole time. Jay revealed his face with a maliciously smiling at her as he sped closer to her. He grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her to look at him. “Oh sweet little, Y/N, we’re going to have so much fun.”

TO BE CONTINUED..

[munson-blurbs]

Combining this with a request from @slightlyvicked because they were just too good not to make into one ultimate smut-fest 😈

"Hi! You wanted requests? I just had this idea pop into my head - inexperiencedEddie with FemReader gives it to her so good that she sort of passes out and has to call Steve in panic 😂"

Warnings: smut smut smut (18+ minors DNI!!!!!), oral (m & f receiving), fingering, unprotected piv (pls use protection), orgasm denial, dom!Eddie, sub!reader, choking, slight degradation, language

WC: 2.1k

A/N: I try to give my smut a plot, but sometimes I get a bit...distracted 😬 as always, feedback & interaction are really appreciated!

Reposting w/ new tags. Fingers crossed.

—

Eddie Munson loved to take his time and explore you.

Before you two got together, his only experience had been a sloppy hook-up backstage at the Hideout. It wasn't his proudest moment, but it wasn't like he'd pictured losing his virginity in a bed of rose petals. He just moved in a way that felt good to him and that he hoped felt good to her, zipped up, and went on his way.

But you? You were different.

You had walked into the first party of the summer flanked by Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley. Eddie had shown up with the intention of dealing, making a few bucks, and then splitting as soon as humanly possible. Parties were not his thing. But you know what was his thing? Cute girls with incredible smiles who danced like no one was watching.

He waited until you made your way outside to get some fresh air, sipping some mystery punch that tasted vaguely like rum. He followed you out and struck up a conversation about life post-high school. You'd talked for hours until you were practically falling asleep, and Eddie asked you out when he'd dropped you off at your house.

Seven months later, the beautiful girl at the party was no longer a stranger. You were the one who spent more nights in his bed than not, who combed the tangles out of his hair after a shower (together, of course--saving water, y'know?), who greeted him by peppering his face with kisses and a shy, "Hi, Teddy." You were certainly the only person allowed to call him that.

You infiltrated every thought he had. When he perused the bookstore, he looked for something you'd like. He added songs to his repertoire that you listened to on the radio. And when he watched movies from the curtained-off section of Family Video, he couldn't help but picture you and him instead of whatever actors were moaning on screen.

That's what he was thinking about as you lay curled up into him, pressing lazy kisses along his jawline, keeping him warm even on the frigid January night.

"Teddy," you murmur, bringing a hand to his face and stroking his stubbly cheek with your thumb, "what's on your mind?"

"Nothin'," he mumbles, rolling over to kiss your lips, but you pull away.

"You're cute when you think you can lie to me," you smile at him. "C'mon, tell me what's going on."

"Was hoping," he starts, a blush creeping into his cheeks, "maybe we could try some new stuff."

"Like what?" you ask, curiosity piqued.

Eddie clears his throat. "I wanna be rough with you. Take control." Sex was always a give-and-take between you, allowing each other to give into pleasure. A perfect balance of power that he yearned to disrupt.

"We'd have, like, safe words," he continues, "and if it gets too much, we can stop--"

You cut him off with a kiss. "I trust you," you tell him, and he smiles, "and I want you to take control of my body."

He nods. "Okay. If you want me to stop, just say, um, red, I guess. And orange for 'slow down.'"

"Red and orange," you confirm. You look at him expectantly, waiting for his instructions. "Whenever you're ready, baby."

He pulls you in for a deep kiss, pushing a strong hand under your shirt. "I fucking love you," he growls into your lips. "Want you on your knees f'me." You swing your legs over the bed and get on the ground like he asks.

He stands up, towering over you, pulls down his pajama pants and boxers, and taps the tip of his hard cock against your mouth. "Open," he orders, and you do as you're told, swirling your tongue over the angry head and lapping up his leaking precum.

Grabbing onto his narrow waist, you take more of him between your parted lips. You feel him shiver and utter a muted, "Oh, fuck," as he bucks his hips into you. "Your mouth feels so good."

"Mhm," you respond, knowing the vibration will drive him even crazier.

He tugs on your hair and thrusts harder. “Open your pretty little throat," he hisses, "take me like the slut you are."

You feel yourself growing wetter when he degrades you and you clench your thighs. Eddie notices, of course. He notices everything about your body. "Already turned on?" he laughs roughly. "God, haven't even touched you yet. You're too easy."

His cock hits the back of your throat and you gag, tears running down your face. You try to wipe them off, but he bats your hand away. "Wanna see you choke on me," he grunts between thrusts. "See how I ruin you." But he only manages a few more seconds before removing himself, and you whine from the loss.

"Did you think I was gonna be done with you that quick?" Another laugh escapes his lips. He pulls you up from the ground by your shirt and pushes you on the bed. "I'm gonna taste you first."

With that, he practically rips the oversized t-shirt off your body and hooks a finger into your panties, sliding them down your legs. He buries his head between your thighs, methodically placing kisses along the insides leading up to your sex. You whimper and tremble under his touch, leading him to clamp his hands down and glare at you. "Stay still," he demands.

"Y-yes, sir," you croak, and that's the end of your thought process as he licks a stripe across your wet folds with his wide tongue. Your legs rest on his shoulders as he toys with your clit, sucking on it like it's the sweetest candy.

"You gonna cum for me, princess?" he asks, and you're too blissed out to notice the malice in his tone.

"I'm s-so close, sir," you whine, trying to lift your hips. And then he pulls away.

"No!" you cry out involuntarily. "I need you, please." But begging won't help you this time. Eddie gives you a wicked grin as he kisses back down your thighs, purposely avoiding your throbbing need. When he feels you calm down, your breath slowing, he dives back in, greedily attacking you.

This time, he plunges two fingers into your soaked pussy while he uses that perfect tongue to work your clit, pumping them in and out until he feels you tense. As soon as you give the indication that you're about to cum, he breaks all contact.

"Why do you keep doing that?" You're so frustrated, you could cry. "I took you so well, just like you asked--"

Eddie takes the fingers that were just inside you and pushes them into your mouth. "Maybe this will shut you up," he snarls, climbing on the bed. The top of his shirt is wet with your slick, and he pulls it off, revealing his toned chest.

"And if it doesn't?" you challenge, words muffled around his fingers.

He manhandles you, adjusting you until you're draped over his legs. "You said I could control you, all of you, but you broke that promise three times," he explains, "so now you'll be punished three times. Count."

His ringed hand meets the flesh of your ass with a crack. "One..." you manage. He spanks you again, even harder. You wince with the pain. "Two..." Your body tenses, waiting for the third, but he doesn't deliver it right away.

"I'm gonna spank you so hard it's gonna leave a mark." It's both a promise and a threat. "And you're gonna take it like the sex toy you are."

"I'm your sex toy," you sputter, "only yours, sir."

"Flattery won't get you out of your punishment," Eddie sneers, but you can tell that he's smiling. He gives the final blow and you nearly scream as he makes contact with your body. He stalls for a moment, concerned that he's actually gone too far, but you whisper, "Keep going," and he proceeds.

Eddie straddles your waist, giving you a perfect view of his hard-on that stands straight up against his stomach. You want to reach out and grab it, but hold back to avoid further punishment.

He catches you eyeing him and takes his cock into his hand. "So greedy," he teases. "Don't worry, I'm gonna fuck you now." He uses your slick for lubrication as he inserts only the tip of his dick. You bite your lower lip to keep from complaining.

"Oh, you wanted all of me?" he goads, and you can only manage a nod. "No, no. Gotta hear you, princess. Need to hear you beg to be my sex toy."

"Please, Daddy," you cry out, "use me. I can take it. I can take all of you so good, you'll see. Let me show you. Please."

Eddie shudders with pleasure. "I love when you're needy," he replies, and finally pushes himself all the way into you. You wrap your legs around his torso, allowing him to thrust even deeper.

"You feel s'good inside me," you tense around him, feeling his length slam into you over and over. "Nothing compares to you, Daddy."

"Do I make you feel good?" he pants. "Do I make you cum?"

"Y-yes, sir. Gonna cum right now--" No sooner do the words leave your swollen lips do you realize your mistake. Eddie pulls out of you before you can even process what's happened, your walls clenching around emptiness.

"Fuck you," you spit. Whatever the punishment is, you'll take it, as long as he knows what he's doing to you. He's prepared for that response, and he reaches down to grab your discarded panties.

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" he says angrily. "I thought you knew that sex toys don't talk, but I guess I was wrong." He balls up the panties and shoves them in your mouth. "Taste what I do to you and be grateful, and maybe I'll let you finish."

He watches you as your eyes roll back. Teasing you, denying you your hard-earned orgasm is fucking magical, but he also know that he can't hold out much longer. He repositions himself and continues fucking you, placing a ringed hand around your neck. The cold metal meets your body's perspiration, giving you chills. His other hand grabs your left breast, groping it roughly. He leans down and bites on your nipple, tugging it as he pulls away.

You let out a moan, as loud as you can with your limited supply of oxygen, and he knows he's a goner.

"You're gonna cum for me now," he orders you, and with his permission, you let go with an earth-shattering orgasm. You see stars for a moment as you cum, pulled back to reality when you feel his sticky release pooling inside of you.

"Holy shit," Eddie's the first to talk; your brain is still scrambling for words. "That was..."

"So fucking hot," you fill in, pouting slightly as he pulls out of you. You try to move and realize you can't. "Eddie?"

"Yes, princess?"

You blush at the nickname. "I, um, can't feel my legs."

Eddie laughs, but it's sweet. All of the aggression is gone. "Poor thing. But I can't say I'm mad, because now I can just hold you all night and you can't leave." He gingerly pulls you closer. "You okay?"

"More than okay," you reassure him. "I love watching you be in charge."

"Wasn't too much?" he questions, nuzzling his head into your neck.

You kiss his forehead, tasting the salt of his sweat. "Just right, Teddy."

He smiles and kisses you softly. "Be right back. Just gotta go wash up," he looks at you pointedly. "Feel free to join me when you can walk again."

You giggle as you watch him pad out of the room, not-so subtly checking out his ass. As soon as you hear the shower running, you reach over to the phone and punch in a familiar number.

"H-hello?" Steve's groggy voice answers.

"Steve?" you whisper, embarrassed but slightly excited to brag about your night, "what do I do when I'm too fucked out to move? Like, no feeling in my legs?"

Your best friend groans. "You make your boyfriend carry you around and take care of you, and you don't call Steve Harrington at two o'clock in the morning."

"Then don't let Eddie rent porn, and we won't have this problem."

[bluestrawberrybunny]

Hehe. @briandraws and @shygirl4991 because you two seemed interested in these goobers. You can ask me not to tag you anymore and that’s fine-

Still no idea what their ship name should be, so if anyone has any ideas, go ahead and feel free to share them! ^^

Gonna be writing a fic for these goobers eventually.

But yeah, Kris is taller than Donnie. In the show, he’s 5 ft 6 (from what I’ve found. My god, he’s shorter than Luigi-) and Kris is around 6 ft 1, and torments him for this relentlessly.

So, some more general info about this ship below the cut because these dorks and consuming my brain rn. I guess kinda spoilers for the fic?? IDK. It’s more a quick rundown of the plot. If you wanna read the fic I’m gonna write blind, then ignore it.

Kris used to be a Purple Dragon, but sort of switched sides shortly after they started working for Shredder. He sort of became an informant for the turtles, having struck a deal with them so that he could continue to keep the reputation of being a Purple Dragon without actually having to deal with the beat-downs the turtles would give them.

Kris is a year older than the turtles, Casey, and April.

Before they found out that he’s a part of the Purple Dragons, April ended up having a crush on him during her stint of time hating the turtles after her father was mutated. But Kris wasn’t into her and shut her down quick.

At some point, the Purple Dragons and Shredder find out about Kris betraying them and beats him up, threatening to hurt his family if he dares to double cross them again, which leads to him fighting the turtles.

Donnie is confused by all of this and knows something is up, so he heads to Kris’ apartment, where he finds out that he lives with his elderly grandpa and helps take care of his triplet younger siblings (Mark, Ethan, and Amy (If you get the reference you now platonically own my heart)) alongside his twin brother Manny. Donnie then promises Kris that he’ll help him, and Kris sort of brushes him off.

But eventually the foot do kidnap Kris’ family (who had no idea he was a Purple Dragon either), and the turtles jump in to help Kris rescue them, which is when Kris finally decides to quit the Purple Dragons for good and join the team. All of this takes place before the Kraang invasion of New York, so he and his siblings are there for season 3’s events, and Kris joins in for season 4’s events too because my boy is going to space. Manny doesn’t get involved much because he is not much of a fighter. Although he and Mikey do become friends who begin shipping Kris and Donnie together once they see how the two interact.

April is ecstatic over Kris joining the team, and Donnie is now unsure of how he feels about the whole situation because he’s still having his bi awakening, y’all.

But he does have some rivalry with Kris, similar to how he does with Casey, although it is very one-sided. Kris just goes along with it cuz he’s grown to love messing with him.

But after Kris shuts April down for the umpteenth time (yes, she goes after him like Donnie does with her because haha irony-), Donnie realizes that he isn’t really competition for April’s affections. But he still keeps doing what he’s doing and having this rivalry with him, even though April has been completely removed from the equation.

Haha, turns out he’s bi and has a thing for Kris and this realization sends our beloved Donatello SPIRALING.

And to my fellow TMNT 2012 fans… remember the Bigfoot episode?

Kris is absolutely seething with jealousy towards Bigfoot throughout that whole thing. My guy turns greener than all the turtles combined with jealousy. He’s actually the reason Bigfoot runs away because dude just snaps of her for daring to get so close to Donnie and keep bugging him like that.

He eventually confesses to this once the turtles tell him off, although he does say it’s because Bigfoot was “being creepy” towards his “friend” *cough* crush *cough* and that it made him uncomfortable to see Donnie uncomfortable.

And, Donnie may be a genius on paper, but he is dumber than a box of rocks with this shit because he completely misses all the signs that Kris is in love with him. Like… my guy a bit stoopid and I love him for it.

Not gonna spoil how they get together tho.

But as an official couple, they are unbearable. Kris will annoy Donnie while he is working. Donnie will drag Kris into his science stuff and ramble about it for hours. No, Kris will not understand a single word he said but will listen to the yapping anyway.

Kris also came up with a stupid human disguise that somehow worked so he and Donnie can go on dates in public, although they do frequent Murakami’s place for the obvious reasons (although it was strange when Kris first showed up there since he was sort of involved in that first fight but had ran the second he saw 4 giant turtles come in and beat up his… coworkers?? They definitely weren’t really friends. Bro was a part of the gang for survival purposes only)

They are insufferable when it comes to PDA after a while. It takes Donnie a bit to get used to it, since… first boyfriend and first relationship, but once he’s warmed up to it, he’s all for it. Hand holding, kissing, cuddling, they even started calling each other those cheesy pet names, but only in front of others. Like, Honey-Bun, Turtle-Pie, Schmoopikins, all of those.

Kris brews Donnie’s coffee and will drag his ass to bed if it kills him. He takes care of 3 9 year olds. He can handle a grown-ass (sort of…) turtle.

So… that’s all for now :3

[spnhunter4life]

Winchester's Girl

A Dean hockey AU. I went to a game with my coworkers last night and came up with this idea. However, since I have neither the motivation nor the knowledge of the sport to write out a full-fledged fic for this, have a bullet pointed summary of what I came up with. (What would this be called? An imagine maybe? I feel like I've seen posts similar to this called imagines.)

A/N: Ok, so this turned out to be longer than I anticipated (imagine that). This is a bit more actual story and less summary than I expected when I started this. I still think it fits better in this format though, because it's easier to skip around where I want and not put the effort into combining it all together somehow. Also, just a heads up, this is tagged friends to lovers because I think that's the best way to describe it. I also think the lovers part tends to imply that there will be smut, but that is not the case here.

Word Count: 3.5k

Masterlist

You and Dean have been friends for so long, you can barely even remember life without him. You met in eighth grade when your family moved to Kansas and immediately clicked. You had a lot in common, but you especially bonded over your shared love of hockey. You were there to be proud and support him as he transitioned from the local high school team to the college team, and then again when he made it to a professional team. Nothing made you more proud or excited than hearing that he had become center for the Kansas Hunters.

All the guys on the team knew you. You were even pretty good friends with a few of them. Since you attended more of his games than you might care to admit and had even been known to attend a practice or two if you and Dean had plans after, the rest of the guys jokingly referred to you as Winchester's girl.

"Hey, Winchester! Your girl is here!" They would call out to him when they spotted you entering the building on practice days. It was Benny who said it the first time, and it just sort of caught on from there.

"Who is that girl?" Cas's new girlfriend asked one night, spotting you at a party following a big win. "I think I've seen her at every single one of your games." Cas barely even needed to glance in your direction to know who she was talking about. "Who, Y/n? That's just Winchester's girl."

A couple years ago, during the off season, Dean decided it was time to take you skating. Despite being a lifelong hockey fan, you'd never actually learned to skate. You were a little nervous about falling over a lot and making a fool out of yourself, but mostly you were excited. You loved watching Dean on the ice, the speed and ease with which he moved. It was like he was flying. You wanted to be able to experience that freedom for yourself.

Despite his laughter and teasing -- "How can someone who spends so much time at a hockey rink be so terrible at skating?" -- he was a very good teacher. He had endless patience and was familiar with the way you learned which made it easy for him to pass on the secret knowledge of how to balance on two blades in a way you quickly understood.

By the end of the first lesson, you were a little bruised from falling so many times but had also figured out how to stay upright and move around. And if you were still moving at a snail's pace as you got used to things while Dean zoomed by you, at least you were on your feet.

You and Dean have this years-long running bet of sorts. It started in high school when the two of you were in chorus together, you because you enjoyed it and wanted to be and Dean because he had to in order to get his fine arts credit -- although you suspect that no matter how much he denies it, there was a small part of him that enjoyed it. Your teacher had a requirement that at the local band/chorus contest, everyone must participate in at least one small group piece on top of the pieces you sang as a full choir. Dean pestered you for days before you finally agreed to do a duet with him. "But," you told him, "only if you score a goal within the first three minutes of the game tonight." You weren't sure why you decided to make him work for it instead of just agreeing. After all, you knew he was a decent singer and would make a good duet partner. Not to mention you enjoyed spending time with him, so working on a song together wouldn't exactly be a hardship. But you'd already offered the deal and weren't about to take it back. Of course Dean's eyes lit up at the challenge and he immediately agreed. That night, just over two minutes into the game he scored a goal. He immediately looked up, finding you in the crowd quickly since you tended to sit in the same place, and winked at you. You knew it was his way of gloating in the couple seconds he had available to do so, and you rolled your eyes at him but couldn't contain your smile.

After that it became a thing. If there was something Dean wanted from you -- something he wanted help with or something he wanted to do that he knew you'd enjoy but you were a little hesitant about (like going to homecoming with him) -- he'd use the "if I score a goal in under three minutes" challenge as a way to get it.

After a while, it evolved into more of a silly game. It became an almost every game occurrence. He still brought up big things once in a while -- "if I score in under three minutes tonight, you have to go talk to that cute guy from the library you won't shut up about" -- but it was mostly little stuff. "If I score in under three minutes tonight, I get to pick the movie we watch this weekend; If I score in under three minutes tonight, you're buying me a pizza; If I score in under three minutes tonight, you have to come with me to the show my friend and his horrible band are putting on. If I have to suffer through it, so do you."

You suspected that he liked the challenge of it, that he wanted to give himself a reason to really work hard. While he definitely wasn't managing to score in time every night, he managed it enough to gain a reputation for himself as an early game scorer. "Watch out for Winchester in those first few minutes of the game," you'd heard people say. "If he gets anywhere near your goal, he will score."

Just like the first time, if he won the challenge, he would find you in the stands and wink at you. In the college years, this led to the more intense fans -- particularly the young women who knew what he looked like beneath the helmet -- to speculate who he might be winking at and why. In the last couple years with the Hunters, it led to even more teasing from the guys about you being Winchester's girl.

It has been a brutal game against the Hunters' biggest rival the Leviathans. More fights have broken out than you've seen in probably the last three or four games combined. One of the Leviathans' defenders broke his wrist in the first period. The score has been neck and neck, neither team able to gain a lasting advantage over the other. There is about a minute and a half left in the game when Dean scores a goal, putting the Hunters two points ahead, the biggest gap of the whole game. The crowd cheers, none of them louder than you, you're sure.

It happens in the middle of the next play. One second Dean is flying down the ice, all fire and determination. The next, there's a collision of bodies. You don't think anything of it. It happens all the time. Until three of the bodies pull back and the fourth is left lying on the ice. You can't do anything but stare as the big black 67 of Dean's jersey stares back. Fear holds you prisoner and you can't move, watching helplessly as the coach steps onto the ice, followed soon after by an EMT. He manages to find his feet and is escorted slowly off the ice. You're on your feet in an instant, heading for the locker room where you know he'll be looked at.

You pace back and forth outside the locker room, not daring to actually go in. You know you're not allowed. So you pace, biting your fingernails as you listen to the final moments of the game and wait for some sort of news on Dean. The buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game, and you know it's only a matter of time before the rest of the team is here. Maybe then you'll get some answers.

"What are you doing back here?" A hard voice demands. You look over to see the Leviathans' coach staring you down. He must have been passing by on the way to the other locker room. "You shouldn't be here," he says, not giving you time to answer.

"I know, but-"

"Get out of here," he demands. You know he's doing the right thing. He's probably dealt with overzealous fans before that wait for players outside the locker rooms and is only defending the privacy of the opposing team. But you don't appreciate his tone, especially given the circumstances.

"She's fine," a second voice says before you can answer. You look over the coach's shoulder to see Cas standing there, the rest of the team behind him. None of them look happy.

"Novak," the coach says. "I was just trying to make sure you weren't bothered. Fans shouldn't be back here."

"You're right, they shouldn't," Benny agrees. "But that's Winchester's girl. If she wants to be here, she has every right." The nickname that at first made you blush and now makes you roll your eyes never sounded so good. It's like a badge of honor. In a way, the team sees you as family. They will defend you and let people know you belong here with them. With Dean. The coach backs off.

"Just tell me how he is," you ask, turning to Benny and Cas with pleading eyes. Of course they don't have any more idea than you do, but you just want them to go in, assess the situation, and come back to tell you what's going on.

"Why don't you go find out for yourself?" Benny answers. You look at him in surprise. "I can't go in there," you tell him.

"Sure you can," Kevin disagrees. "Nobody's undressed in there. You can be in and out before we've got our pads off." You wait for only a second to see if anyone will protest and when they don't, you rush inside. Your eyes zero in on Dean immediately, sitting on a bench and talking with the EMT, who turns his head at the sound of the door opening. A look of surprise crosses his face and he stands up. "Young lady, you can't-"

"Yes she can," Dean cuts him off. His eyes are looking slightly unfocused, but they are fixed on you. You hear the rest of the team file in behind you as you make your way over to Dean, slowly, like you're afraid he'll break if you move too fast. You look him over as you move. His helmet, gloves, and skates are off. He looks ok, except for the eyes. "What happened?" You ask, sitting carefully beside him. "Are you ok?"

"That depends," he responds. Fear fills you again. Is the injury that bad? "Depends on what?" You ask. On if he has surgery to fix it? On if he never plays hockey again? The horrible possibilities flood your mind.

"Did we win?" He asks. You're too stunned to answer. You replay his question in your head a few times, sure you must have misheard him. "Are you serious?" You finally ask.

"Yes, I'm serious," he responds. "Did we win?"

You let out a frustrated breath. "You were up by two with barely more than a minute left. Of course you won," you answer. "Then I'm fine," he says. You feel like you could smack him. Why must he be so difficult? Why couldn't he just answer your question.

"Dean. What happened?" You demand. You can hear the edge in your voice.

"It's just a minor concussion. It was nothing. I'll be fine," he says dismissively.

"It was not nothing," you argue.

"It's hockey," he answers, as if that is explanation enough. "People get hurt. You should be used to that by now."

Sure, you've seen lots of players injured throughout the years. You've even seen Dean injured. But it was always something minor. Bumps and bruises, a sprained wrist, a broken nose one time. It wasn't the same. "I should be used to seeing you laying flat out on the ice and not moving?" You demand. Something in your voice alerts him to the fact that you're done with the joking and avoiding.

He sighs. "What do you want from me here, sweetheart? It's over and I'm fine. There's nothing more to do about it."

His question catches you off guard. What do you want from him? For him to never play hockey again? No. That wouldn't ensure he was never hurt again, and he loves it too much. There are many reasons you could never ask that of him, not the least of which being you have no right to ask. Do you want him to assure you that he's alright? Because he's already done that. So, what then? If you're being honest with yourself, what you really want is to hold onto him for a while, and for him to hold you back while your brain works on accepting the fact that he really is ok. But you can't ask that.

Instead, you agree with him. "You're right. I'm sorry. You just really scared me out there."

"I'm sorry you were so scared," he says sincerely. "But I promise, I really am ok."

"I know," you say with a forced smile. You give his hand a squeeze before leaving the room, giving the rest of the guys the privacy they've been patiently waiting for.

It's a couple weeks after the concussion incident. Things between you and Dean have been the same as usual, except they haven't been. Not really. You can't pinpoint what it is that's different, but there's definitely something. It's New Year's Eve. You're at a party with Dean and a bunch of guys from the team. Dean has been at your side all night. You wouldn't go as far as calling it weird, but... it's definitely not usual. You've attended a lot of parties together and while you make a point of knowing where the other person is and even spending a fair amount of time together, you do usually hang out with other people too. Not that you're not hanging out with anyone else. It's just that apparently you're staying together while doing it. Not that you're complaining.

The midnight countdown is fast approaching. You're not currently dating anyone so you've resigned yourself to not having a midnight kiss this year. You don't mind. You don't really see it as the big deal a lot of people seem to. You think to yourself that Dean better find someone very quick if he plans on kissing someone though. For some reason, that thought doesn't sit quite right with you. You're not sure why. You've never cared before who Dean kissed.

The countdown starts. You watch the people around you as they scurry to be near their partners. The count reaches two and you turn to Dean, preparing to clink your beers together in celebration. The count reaches one and Dean's free hand goes to rest on your cheek as he leans in and presses his lips to yours. When he pulls away, it leaves you breathless. The room explodes into cheers and the clinking of bottles and glasses.

"Why'd you do that?" You ask, ignoring the celebration going on around you.

"Should I not have?" He asks. It's a mild question, but there's a challenge in it. As if he's daring you. But daring you to do what?

"No, it's not- I didn't say that." You're not sure what he was hoping you'd say, but this is clearly at the very least not the wrong response. He waits for you to continue. "It's just... we've both been single on New Year's Eve before. You've never kissed me."

"It's never been right before," he shrugs. He sees your confusion and explains. "You and me, I think we've been heading in this direction for a long time. And I think everyone but us could see it. It's why the guys tease us so much. It's why there's a bunch of hockey obsessed girls out there who are insanely jealous of you even though up until now there hasn't been anything to be jealous of. I think it's why all of my girlfriends haven't liked you very much and your boyfriends have hated me."

"I wouldn't say they hated you," you protest. You're not sure why. It's probably the nerves at the implications of what he's saying. It makes you feel better to say something, unhelpful as it may be. He just gives you a look before continuing.

"I don't know if we honestly didn't know we felt this way or were just lying to ourselves about it. But you can't tell me things haven't been different between us lately. I know it's not just me." Was he right? Was that the change you've been noticing? You're not sure if you would have come to this conclusion on your own. After all, this was Dean. Steady, reliable, Dean who you've never seen as more than a friend. But now that the possibility has been brought up, now that he's kissed you, you can't deny what you're feeling.

"Things have been different," you admit. "I just..." How to finish that sentence. You just what? Never saw Dean in that way? Not untrue, but what was the point in bringing it up? Objectively you've always been able to clearly see why other girls fought tooth and nail for his attention. And now that you are looking at him that way, it is a pointless statement. You weren't expecting it? Also true, but obvious enough without having to say it.

Dean is usually good about letting you sort through your thoughts at times like this, but today he doesn't have the patience. "You just what?" He prompts. "Didn't expect the night to go like this?"

"Well no, I didn't. But that's not what I was going to say."

"Then what?"

"I don't know," you sigh, frustrated at your inability to find the words you want. You start speaking without really thinking, and thankfully the right words come to you. "I guess I just didn't realize why things were different. I noticed it, but I couldn't figure out what it was."

"And now that you know?"

You give him a little mischievous smile, feeling more confident after having some time to process. "Being just friends was getting a little boring anyway. Too predictable. I think it's about time we change things up."

Dean grins back and it lights up his face. You nearly catch your breath at the sight. Having your eyes opened to your feelings is like peeling a film off your eyes that you've lived with your entire life without knowing it's there. It's like seeing him for the first time, and he is the most stunning man you've ever seen. "Alright," he says. "Let's change it up then. If I score in under three minutes at the next game, you have to go on a date with me. Maybe you even have to kiss me."

You stop your jaw from literally dropping open, but you know he can read the look of disbelief on your face. "Your next game isn't for four days." You point out. "You're really going to make me wait that long?"

He shrugs, but you can see the teasing glint in his eye. He's all talk. "We've waited for ten years. I don't see what another few days could hurt."

"Screw that," you say. You set your beer on the table next to you and throw your arms around his neck, pulling him down to you. His hands settle automatically on the small of your back, arms around your waist, and you can feel his smile as he kisses you. You can't help but to smile back.

You're soon interrupted by a shouted, "Hey, Winchester finally got his girl!" from a drunken Benny, followed by whistles and catcalls from the rest of his teammates. You can't fight the heat that rises to your cheeks, but you sit through the ensuing teasing and congratulations as patiently as you can. Thankfully it's short lived as there's more exciting things happening -- it is a party after all -- and Dean's arm around your waist certainly helps calm your nerves.

"Don't be embarrassed," Dean says, knowing you've never been one for PDA. "You know they don't care." You aren't so embarrassed that you won't get over it in a minute or two, but you appreciate his attempts to calm you nonetheless. "And look on the bright side," he adds, brightening at whatever he's thinking. "At least now we're all on the same page the next time they call you my girl."

You smile. He's right. 'Winchester's girl' has a whole new ring to it now. It might have taken us a while to catch up, but they were right. You are, and always were, Dean's girl.

Secondary note: I realize I switch tenses halfway through this. I don't really feel like fixing it though. Also, I've tried to at least keep the present tense section all present tense, but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm switching back and forth. I usually write in past tense and found myself reverting back to it without realizing multiple times. I've reread it to try and catch anything, but it's late and I'm tired, so I probably missed some. I'll probably read this over again sometime in the next day or two to find any errors, but I wanted to get it posted. Hope you enjoyed!

Tags:

@123passwort @buckybarnes-1917 @chicken-nuggs-and-cozy-hugs @globetrotter28

[velvetwyrms]

hello! really enjoying fftfu! I had a question because you've been referencing tarot cards with each chapter. do you read the cards yourself or just have an interest? :o (absolutely no idea if this will send from my main or my fandom blog tumblr is such a Functional App if it doesnt send from the latter this is @karkatvantasasslesschaps lol)

Aaaa good to hear from you! Thank you for your question and your always lovely tags, they really make my day!! 💖🥰

In nutshell, I’ve been fascinated by tarot for years, as another member of my family is a practicing witch of 30+ years, so I’ve grown up learning about many of these practices and rituals. I see the cards and their meanings in a lot of things and situations IRL all the time, including in books (Annihilation with the Reversed Tower/Tower/Reversed Tower anyone?), so I’m excited to incorporate these into my own works!

I have only practiced Tarot a few times for myself (all very insightful experiences) and I would love to continue more frequently. I have a couple of decks, one of them being flower-themed, which is what I have been basing the ‘Tarot & Flower’ combinations for each chapter on.

Flowers, water and light will all be reoccurring themes throughout the chapters, and I always consult the meaning behind the flowers featured on the cards before assigning them to the chapters to make sure that they work well.

The reason for the flowers is a hint at the bouquet that Lee gives Gaara which basically kickstarts their relationship, as small kindnesses like these are very rare for Gaara to come by.

The meanings behind these choices are as follows:

During the first chapter: The Tower and Venus Flytap:

The Tower of course represents unexpected, massive change and upheaval (my favourite card for sure!), and Venus Flytraps signify resilience. Definitely appropriate for both Gaara & Lee’s situation and their worlds suddenly turning upside-down upon meeting.

For chapter two, A combination of 6 of Swords (Gazania) and 5 of Wands (Pale Persicaria):

6 of Swords means gradual change away from chaotic situations, danger, and offers a solution to current problems (a long journey or pain), which Gaara has just been subjected to.

Represented by the medicinal flower Gazania (which can be used in combination with aloe), it represents richness and treasures. In the story, this is in the context of Lee’s home becoming an oasis in the middle of the chaos and violence that Gaara has been just through. The richness of love that Lee has in his connections between his friends and family, which is something Gaara only really has on the sidelines at the moment. To Gaara, at least, it is a treasure that he has such community surrounding him.

5 of Wands focuses on inner conflict and obstacles preventing growth (such as miscommunication), much like Gaara is experiencing in this completely new situation. Luckily, as stated in the first chapter’s title, Gaara has ‘found the good ones’ amoung humans, and is completely unsure how to handle that at the moment.

Pale Persicaria (aka Smartweed), is a weed that is used in medicine to stop bleeding (which also very relevant to the second chapter).

Used in combination with each other, 6 of Swords and 5 of Wands represents healing from a period of conflict and turmoil, much like Gaara is just starting to in the second chapter, with Lee & Sakura’s help.

Thank you again for your curiosity! If anyone else had questions about the AU then please ask away 💖

[lumpsbumpsandwhumps]

Bad Ending 1: Catch And Release (And Catch Again)

It really shouldn't be a competition of which was worse -- being violently tortured by a psycho or being so, so lonely -- and yet Jonas still managed to pick the worst choice.

Yaaaaay, one of the first "Bad Endings" is here!! Since there's multiple different, fun ways Jonas's ransom could potentially end, I'll be branching out into many of the options! Some may be a one and done (endings where one of them dies) whereas others might span on for one or two sequel fics.

For this ending, Jonas's ransom was paid in full and on time, meaning he has been returned back home without any fuss (:

As always, if there’s a tag I missed or anything you’d like me to specifically mark, please let me know so I can add it for future fics!

Taglist : @whumpsday @painsandconfusion @suspicious-whumping-egg @t0rture-me

--

CW: Emotional Manipulation, Mentions of Neglect, Stockholm Syndrome, Mentions of Consensual NSFW

Word Count: 3.8K

--

Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was so fucking stupid. What the hell was Jonas thinking in that traumatized little brain of his? The correct answer was that he wasn’t thinking at all or he might have realized how this could blow up in his face like a literal shotgun blast.

But he needed this. He didn’t know why he needed this, but something deep within him was telling him it was as necessary as oxygen. A longing he had never experienced, much less expected, that tugged his heart into his throat to do something before he lost what was left of his mind. This had to be a trauma response of some kind, right? A desire to reach closure during the worst chapter of his life? Something that had been broken in conjunction with his bones and spirit during his captivity that could only start to heal if he listened to his gut feeling?

Well, those were the excuses Jonas was going with in any case.

He could neither confirm nor deny how his psyche was healing due to his parents’ adamance he didn’t need therapy to cope with his ordeal. So, he chose to believe this was perfectly normal and reasonable behavior for a former victim. It wasn’t like he was being obsessive, not on the same level as Malik. He simply didn’t have anything better to do in his abundance of free time than to search up every funeral home in a two hundred mile radius. Family owned, company owned, new ones, old ones – Jonas dug through all the records and phone numbers he could get his hands on. He searched for listed associates with the surname Kelly and Kelley and Kellie and Kelee, for directors named Malick or Malik or Maleek, and every combination of the full name imaginable.

It had taken a good few days of amateur detective work, but it felt like this hit was the one. God, Jonas hoped it was. He wasn’t sure how many eighteen hour days he could spend pouring over phone books and internet results he could handle in a row. Not because he was obsessive, just because he had nothing better to do. Having gotten used to the routine of skipping meals and sleeping sporadically, it was a schedule he adapted to easily, despite the head butler urging him to leave his bedroom for fresh air after the seventh consecutive day of research. He could leave when he wanted and right now he had important matters to attend to. Important matters he could never share with another living soul unless he wanted to be institutionalized at his father’s request.

With the bedroom door locked, Jonas picked up the phone and dialed the number from the directory with shaking fingers. A part of him was hoping he’d found what he was looking for. A part of him was dreading the idea of his captor answering, instead wishing he would hit another dead end instead. He double and triple checked the bedroom door again to ensure he wouldn’t be interrupted, that prying eyes and ears couldn’t see what he was up to. It was highly unlikely his parents would come down this hall of the East wing and a housemaid had already collected his scarcely touched dinner plate. For all intents and purposes, Jonas should be completely alone. Just as he always had been.

The phone on the other end of the line rang a few times, each little buzz causing his heart to beat in matching rhythm. Stupid idea, stupid, stupid. Even if this was the man he was looking for, there was no guarantee he would pick up the call given how close it was to the end of their listed hours of operations. Jonas would never be able to leave a voicemail if that was the case. He could call back in the morning, perhaps, but would that make him look obsessive to call twice in a row? Because he wasn’t obsessive.

A soft click broke through the ringing. “Thank you for calling Kelley Funeral Home, how may I help you?”

Jonas felt like every breath that had been gearing up for full hyperventilation had been knocked right out of him. Weeks of searching had finally paid off when he heard that familiar deep voice, a southern twang on the syllables that melted the words into something smooth and rich. He found him, he found Malik. He found the man who had assisted in his kidnapping and kept him hostage in a basement for months, torturing him for sick pleasure and killing others for a grisly side business. A serial killer, a sociopath, an insane bastard who deserved to rot for all of his bloody crimes under the guise of being a small town sweetheart.

…now what?

“Hello?” Malik asked when Jonas had yet to respond to his initial question.

He hung up the phone, all but throwing the receiver onto his bed like the plastic had burned him. The air he thought he lost came back to him to suck in great gasps, heart racing and trembling from head to toe. Malik wasn’t even physically here and he could still reduce Jonas to a shaking mess with a how-do-you-do alone. Was that everything he had hoped to achieve during his wild goose chase in tracking down his previous captor? What was he honestly expecting to happen? What did he plan to do moving forward now that he had this information of Malik’s whereabouts on hand? The obvious answer seemed to be that he should take this information to the authorities.

Yet…a million different worst case scenarios ran through his head. The police might think he was in on this whole operation, there might not be any evidence for them to find if Malik knew how to cover his tracks, people might think he was obsessive for hunting down the man who tormented him for no reason. And he wasn’t obsessive!

So, he called the funeral home again once it didn’t feel as if he’d break down into a fit of hysterics.

“Thank you for calling Kelley Funeral Home, how may I help you?” He repeated.

“I…I,” Jonas felt his throat close up, unable to swallow whatever overwhelming emotion he was feeling. Fear, sadness, elation. Every hair on his body was standing on edge, the scars littering his tan skin throbbing with phantom pain as a reminder to what Malik had done. “I’m sorry, I-I just, um…”

“It’s alright, take your time,” Malik said in a wretchedly sweet tone that made Jonas want to scream. “I understand these kinds of phone calls can be tough.” He didn’t know the half of it. “Are you needing assistance with the loss of a loved one?”

“Yes.” He didn’t know why the lie came so easily. All he knew was that he wanted to keep Malik on the phone, wanted to keep him talking with that calm, soothing voice and trick him into thinking everything would be alright.

“May I ask who you’ve lost?”

Everyone, everything. Himself, Jess or Jane or whatever her name was, Carly, Todd, all the other nameless victims he was forced to watch meet their ends.

Jonas cleared his throat in the hopes of dislodging the lump trying to choke him up. “My…aunt.”

There was the sound of a few papers shuffling. “I’m terribly sorry to hear that. I’m sure she was a wonderful woman.”

“Yeah, she…sh-she was,” What was he doing, what the fuck was he doing. “I…I don’t know what to do. I need help.”

Malik hummed. “It’s good to ask for help during difficult times like these, you shouldn’t try to carry that weight by yourself.”

Fuck him. Fuck him for being so well versed in the way of condolences when he was the one inflicting unimaginable amounts of hurt onto Jonas for sick satisfaction. It was unfair in the way his honeyed words could coat the inside of his mind and silence all those nasty thoughts. A warm comfort seeped into his bones, helping to ease the vibrating of his wound up muscles before they aggravated any of his more damaged nerves. Malik was right; he shouldn’t be struggling with this burden all alone. That was the point of therapy, of family and friends to fall back on, neither of which Jonas had at his disposal. All he had was a telephone and the business number for a serial killer. Someone was better than no one.

“I…I’m trying n-not to. But I don’t know who…who else to talk to.”

“Have you been able to process your grief since the incident?”

“Um…I don’t know.”

“Well, that’s as good a place to start as any. It won’t help none to arrange a send off if you’re not able to let go yet.”

“How do I…know if I’m still holding on?”

“Seein’ as you’re not actually looking to schedule a real funeral, I’d say you’re holding on pretty damn tight.”

…huh?

“Y’know, lover,” Malik’s voice had dropped, sweet becoming sultry with a single octave. “This would have been a helluva lot more convincin’ if you had used that li’l star sixty-nine trick to hide your caller ID first.”

Jonas felt like a knife had been twisted into his gut, a sensation he was unfortunately quite familiar with. “Wh-what?”

“I saw the area code, Jonie. Ain’t no one calling from upstate for a service down in Ashton. ‘Sides the fact it came up as Robert Belmont. Is that your daddy?” He explained and oh, Jonas could hear the smirk in his voice.

“H-how…what,” No, no, no, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Malik wasn’t meant to know it was Jonas on the other end, he wasn’t meant to know he still had his claws sunk deep into the poor boy.

Instead, he laughed at Jonas’s fumbling. “So, what do I owe the pleasure of my favorite pretty boy calling me at work?”

Yeah, Jonas, what was the reason you had spent the better part of two and a half weeks stalking a deepweb murderer with the intent to give him a call? Was he still going to grasp at straws to preserve his psyche, repeating the lie that it was for closure or police intel or something that was for the good of future victims? Those had to be the real reasons, because the younger man sure as hell wasn’t obsessed.

“I…I don’t know…” He whispered.

“You don’t know?” Malik drawled. Jonas could imagine him reclining back in the office chair looking bored as ever. “So you just felt like wastin’ my time this fine Thursday evening?”

“Fuck you,” The words slipped out before Jonas could stop them, leaving a bitter feeling on his tongue. It felt pathetic to say a shot of anxiety spiked his heart rate at the idea of talking back to Malik in such a vulgar fashion. Before, he would have gotten a backhand to the face and the threat to split his tongue. But he was safe now. He was safe. Malik couldn’t get to him here, despite the fact Tucker and his goons had managed to smuggle him out prior.

“We’re awful brave when there’s five cities between us, aren’t we? Where was that sassmouth when I had you all to myself, or had I already bled that outta you?”

Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him! He had no control over Jonas now! The heir refused to acknowledge the way his hands were trembling again as if they were cold, instead focusing on the heat of anger bubbling in his chest. “Maybe this is a wiretap, you psycho. I could be getting all the information I need to turn you in to the FBI.”

The older man snorted. “The fact that you said any of that is enough for me not to believe you. As if your folks would keep looking into any of this after they got you back. Deal’s a deal, Jonie.”

So much rage that had been burning within him fizzled into resignation just like that. Malik was right yet again; his parents hadn’t bothered to look deeper into his kidnapping or pressing legal charges against any of the perpetrators. Doing so would mean to continue keeping a police case open, which meant having to have a record of proceedings to inform potential business partners if it was ongoing. The idea of a company being primarily involved in a lawsuit, regardless of the details, was bad for investors. Not to mention that as far as they were concerned, the transaction had been made and there was no need to go back on the agreement. Tucker got his money, Jonas got to keep his organs. Why keep digging into old wounds?

Denying him therapy meant they could deny that there was anything wrong with him as a result of the kidnapping. The poor boy was nothing short of perfect, just as every Belmont was. The dark thoughts could swirl in his repressed memories as much as they liked so long as they never exposed themselves to the public. Besides, the entire manor had been upgraded in terms of security, both technical and in manpower – a hefty price to pay to give Jonas peace of mind. Ungrateful thing, no wonder they didn’t want him in therapy, who knew what kind of things he’d blab to a nosy doctor that could be taken out of context to smear the family name. Just because he was a troubled boy doesn’t mean he gets to lash out and throw a fit to bring everyone else down.

“Listen, lover,” Malik said, interrupting the other’s brief bout of self loathing. “When you figure out why you’re so obsessed with me, you’re more than welcome to call back.”

What!? Jonas wasn’t obsessed! Malik was the one who was obsessed, Malik had made his unnatural interest in the Belmont boy very clear from the start. Soiling his skin with scars that still ached in the cold temperatures, forcing him to develop borderline anorexia that refused to let him stomach more than a few bites of any meal, slicing off bits and pieces of him as if the man was attempting to peel away the layers of his soul. But sure, yeah, Jonas was the obsessed one just because he was the one that decided to make the first move after he had been booted from the basement. So much for being Malik’s ‘favorite’ considering he had never reached out once since their separation.

Or was that because Jonas had never really been his most beloved living victim after all, he wondered with icy realization. It was quite possible he was only treasured because he was physically available to be toyed with. A convenience. Similar to how most marriages worked in his family tree, the relationships were arranged based on end goals rather than true love, though in rare cases mutual feelings had been garnered. Malik, however, was not an individual who could grow to develop deep emotions like that. Love was a foreign concept to sociopaths, at least in the traditional sense. He had never genuinely loved Jonas regardless of the bloody affection he flaunted. Obviously he didn’t, or he wouldn’t have abused and mutilated him for personal enjoyment. Jonas had always known this.

So why did it feel like Malik had succeeded in ripping his heart out of his chest once and for all?

He was aware of the tears running down his cheeks before he registered the dial tone ringing in his ear, indicating Malik had hung up some time ago. His hand slowly lowered the receiver to his side, unable to do much else while he processed everything to the best of his traumatized abilities. Tears continued to blur his vision, but green eyes were hardly looking at anything. Alone again. After so much work to track him down, after so many months of listening to him sweet talk like a real spouse, Jonas was left all alone again. The fleeting taste of human connection was a sham, just as he had always known it was during his captivity. Yet now, for some reason, the promise of being loved had felt like the greatest high of his life. Of course, the lows were brutal and unforgiving, but they were so easily brushed to the side of his mind.

Those five minutes of physical affection, those throw away lines of praise, had felt more than enough to balance out losing a couple pints of blood for. A small price to pay all things considered. Even his own parents couldn’t fake a familial bond that well.

Wait, no, hold on. No, no, no, back the fuck up. Jonas was not seriously excusing Malik’s sickening behavior as real love, was he? A couple kisses that the younger man hadn’t wanted in the first place were meant to undo the kicks to the ribs he’d endured from steel toed boots? He was no better than his own mother then, dotting her expensive concealer under her bruised eye and telling Jonas his father was in a foul mood today so don’t bother him. Malik and Robert Belmont were nothing alike, though. Malik’s kindness was much more well versed, making it all the more addictive. There was a substantial amount of distance between Jonas and the funeral home basement, meaning he never had to worry about hands squeezing around his battered throat again. And if that was the case, well…why not reap the reward of Malik’s good graces? It seemed like a solid deal, and the Belmonts were excellent businessmen after all.

The number was redialed before Jonas had finished wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.

“That was fast,” A voice answered in lieu of the same formal greeting. “Darlin’, as much as I love playing phone tag with you, I do have a jo-”

“I want to talk to you,” Jonas interrupted.

The strength in his confession surprised him, a wobble quickly returning to his voice as fresh tears clumped his lashes together. “I…I want to hear your voice,” He whispered.

“…like a phone sex thing?”

Well, there went that attempt at being emotionally vulnerable with Malik. He should have known better. The remaining tears that clung to the corners of his eyes were only dislodged as a result of his body jolting in shock at such a lewd suggestion.

“Wh-what!? No! No, I, I-I don’t even know, Christ…” Jonas could feel his cheeks burning at an uncomfortable degree, barely resisting the urge to curl in on himself to hide his embarrassment from the older man on the other end of the phone. He heard Malik laugh, clearly amused at his flustering, and the smooth baritone only made his stomach tighten further.

There was a beat of silence. “You’re kiddin’, though, right? You don’t know what phone sex is?”

Jonas hoped he sounded as incredulous as he must look right now, ignoring the dried tear tracks and flushed cheeks. “Why would I know what that is? That doesn’t sound like it would work for anything.”

“Aw, pretty boy ain’t lost his virtual virginity? That’s the saddest thing I ever did hear.” Malik teased.

“I, God, fuck me–”

“Would love to.”

“No, shut up,” He wasn’t that desperate. Yet. “I don’t want to talk about this!

There was more shifting of things on a desk and the squeak of a chair. “Well then, what are you holdin’ up my landline for? I ain’t gonna sit here doin’ pillow talk with you all night, I have shit to do.”

Then hang up, Jonas wanted to taunt. The problem with that was Malik really would hang up and had no guarantee of when he would answer his call again. As much as he wanted to believe he had grown the bravado to stand up to the killer, he wasn’t sure his fragile self esteem could take the blow of being readily ignored.

“What…do you have to do?” Jonas asked. Redirect the conversation to be about Malik, narcissists loved that. The older man should be kept plenty engaged.

“Do you really want to know?”

Scratch that. Jonas wasn’t interested in being regaled by grisly details of whatever illegal activities he’d gotten up to since his departure. Ignorance is bliss. “N-no…”

“Then I reckon this talk is done for the night,” Malik said.

“Wait, w-wait!” Not yet, not yet, please, not yet. “You’re…Malik, you’re the only one I can talk to. About anything. N-no one else gets it…”

“A cryin’ shame. Go to a therapy support group like a normal person.”

“I can’t. My parents won’t let me, they don’t even talk to me about it! And, and no one else in the house would be able to understand and everyday I feel like I’m going to fucking explode and you’re the only person I have left who will at least acknowledge what happened!” His voice cracked on the last word in a truly pitiful display.

His outburst was only met with a sigh. “Don’t mean I really care.”

“You like when I cry though,” Jonas sniffled. “You said I’m pretty when I’m in pain.”

“You are,” Malik agreed.

“Well I’m in a whole lot of fucking pain right now because of you. I can’t, I…I can’t handle it on my own. I need someone else to see it,” If he had drank more of the offered water to him during meals, he might have had enough fluid in his system to produce a few more tears. Instead, his eyes and nose merely burned. “Please…”

His pathetic pleas for Malik to take advantage of and enjoy Jonas’s post-traumatic suffering must have enticed him enough to relent, because the phone had yet to click in disconnection. How sad it was that after everything he’d been through, the hurdles he’d overcome to survive, the horrors no young man should have to see, he was begging with his tail between his legs for Malik to torment him again. Anything to have his attention back on Jonas again. Anything to trick the Belmont heir into thinking another person cared about him.

“Ten minutes,” Malik finally huffed. “That’s ‘til closing time. I suggest you don’t waste it.”

Jonas blinked. He…really wasn’t sure if all that groveling was going to work when the other man wasn’t physically here to witness his damp cheeks and trembling frame. But it had. That brief discard of dignity had earned him ten minutes of talk time with a killer who stalked his nightmares. Laid out in those terms, that hardly seemed like a prize to win at all.

“Tick tock, Jonas.”

“Um, I…,” Shit, shit, what were they supposed to talk about? What would be a topic that might entice Malik enough to answer the next time he called if this conversation was anything to go by? Something humiliating, something cathartic…

“What’s…h-how does…phone sex work…?”

[elvisabutler]

💻 6 For Fluff & 6 for Angst if you can with professor Presley and Belle please 🥺

calm

fandom: elvis presley | elvis ( 2022 ) rating: t pairing: elvis presley ( professor big daddy ) x female reader ( nicknamed belle ) wordcount: 1251 warnings: no use of y/n. beyond that talk of insomnia and vague general health issues. mentions of elvis's temper. this is actually more fluff than anything else. faintly implied sexual acts. author’s note: so thank you for this anon! i combined the two sentences into one request since that are very complimentary and it made sense to from my perspective. if you wanted a separate thing for each one feel free to stumble into my humble ask box and tell me i did an oopsie. this is done for my 1k gala, based on the lines "“Sleep doesn’t come that easy without you.” and “I feel like I can breathe better with you around.”. i fudged the second line a little but it's still the basic idea, most of the same words too. this is the professor presley universe, i'm assuming if you're reading this, you've already read the previous parts. if not, click the tag and join us along for their ride. y'all know the drill, real elvis or austin elvis works fine for this despite the moodboard.

The most hilarious thing- the funniest thing you realize when you think about your relationship with Elvis is how you both calm each other. You act as the simple waves of the ocean in Hawaii- a place Elvis tells you he's gonna take you to one of these days- settling each other's minds and sending fear running for the hills. You act as a balm for aches of the heart and of the body for each other. It's- you could have never predicted that knowing how you always stood strong and vibrant and so ready to fight if need be. You could have never predicted this knowing how Elvis might be everyone's favorite professor but you've hear how he's got a temper- hell since fooling around with him- since beginning to fall completely and irrevocably in love with him you've seen it in person. Needless to say the idea of either one of you being a calming influence is laughable until you realize how you compliment each other.

Feminine anger is different than male anger. Feminine strength can be different than male strength. It's the strange combination within your relationship that works and allows both of you to be stripped bare underneath shower heads and in bathtubs alike. It allows you to laugh about the rain falling on your heads heading into campus with him cursing how he's gonna look like a wet dog and you reminding him that he's your wet dog and you happen to like him that way.

You shouldn't be so wrapped up in each other, you think, but Elvis is older and you like to fancy yourself wise enough to know what you want. You figure it's the situation of knowing that this is what the universe intends for you. That it intends for you to spend the rest of his life with him in whatever way you can. That it intends for you to spend as many hours of your life with him as you can. Still- you have to visit your family back home and you know this. You'd love to introduce him to them but- but this thing is so new and you're both so scared of breaking it that you both agree to do the holiday seperate. You both agree that it's better for you to have it with your family and him with little Lisa and Priscilla along with his father. After all, you could meet her next time, meet her when her father and you weren't concerned about the tension of new introductions ruining things.

In hindsight, you should have taken him with or split your time between your family and his. In hindsight nothing could have prepared you for seeing your boyfriend the- God help you- love of your life- your soulmate looking worse than you've ever seen him when he picks you up from the airport. He starts to help you with your bag before you swat his hands away and throw the bag in the trunk of the car, slipping inside and touching his face, pulling him into a soft kiss. "Elvis- what- what happened, why didn't you tell me?"

Your mind is racing a mile a minute trying to think of what could have happened to make him look like this and wondering why he didn't tell you. Almost as if he senses it he nuzzles at your hand and places a small kiss to your palm.

"Belle- don't. Nothin' happened. 'm fine, jus' wanna get home 'n in bed wit' ya." His shoulders sag a little almost as if tension had been sitting there before you came into the car, before you touched back down in Tennessee. You frown.

"Did you- Elvis have you been sleeping?" The real question should be have you not been sleeping but your mind is so jumbled seeing him like this that you settle on that question instead.

Elvis shakes his head before licking his lips as he turns on the car. "Not- Sleep doesn't come that easy when you're not here, darlin'. Kept tossin' 'n turnin', stomach and my head acted up after I got to see my lil girl and her mama and my daddy but- 'm- you're here and I know all I need is a good night's rest wit' ya. Be good as new."

You start to open your mouth but decide to wait until you're away from the airport and are halfway on your way home to Graceland before you say anything. "You could have told me, I'd have come home to-"

He cuts you off with a wave of his hand. "No, no, you needed to spend time wit' ya family. Ain't gonna get accused of keepin' ya from 'em. It'd make a pretty bad impression and I wanna keep 'em on my good side. Make it so ya daddy will let me marry ya." He says it almos like a joke but you see the way he looks at you after he says it, expectant and a little nervous. Your hand moves to grasp his and squeeze it.

"After everything I told him about you, he would let you in a heartbeat." You hum quietly before biting your lip. "Have you been stressed?"

Elvis focuses on the road instead of answering for a good few minutes before shrugging, wincing as the movement hurts just a tinge. "Lil bit. Couldn't sleep, felt like I couldn't breathe a lil one night." At your wide eyes he curses under his breath before backtracking. "Not- not like that Belle, no, you jus'- ya make it easier to relax. It's easier to breathe when you're around. Relax and take things easy."

There's something about hearing those words, about hearing the effect you have on him that has your chest feeling a little tight and has tears starting to form in the corner of your eyes. You're not- You don't think you're sad but it's humbling and touching to hear that you have such a power over the man who has so much power over you. You're quiet for long enough that Elvis finally speaks again as you're a few minutes away from Graceland.

"I know that's a bit much but-"

You sigh and shake your head, sniffling before you say a word. "The feeling is mutual, you know that. I'm just a little younger so I can take the sleep deprivation better."

It takes Elvis a second to realize what you said and you see how his lips purse and how he runs his tongue over the front of teeth under his lips in faint annoyance. Fond annoyance, but annoyance nonetheless. He finally parks the car and turns to you, pulling you into a kiss. "Callin' me an ol' man. Thinkin' I can't keep up wit' ya. Don't 'member ya sayin' that before ya left."

You smile as you pull away, shrugging. "I did call you an old man and I definitely think right now you couldn't keep up with a snail." You watch as his eyes narrow playfully. "But, after a very long nap, maybe even an extended sleep since it is the afternoon, we could revisit my hypothesis. Even if I'm not a science person I'd hate to be spouting off something false."

Elvis's only answer is to leave the car, crooking his two fingers in a come hither motion as he does. The two of you shower and sleep until early the next morning where as it turns out, he can keep up with you.

taglist: @thatbanditqueen and @softsatnin mostly because i did promise professor presley stuff for harley would get tags and norah wanted to make sure she didn't miss it.

[s-creations]

Hues Chapter 4: Budding

Luigi makes good on that promise for a date.

He's nervous. Peasley's nervous. Mario, Wario, and Waluigi are worried good brothers. But they're no match for Peach.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms Rating: General Audience Relationship: Mario & Luigi (Nintendo), Wario & Waluigi (Nintendo), Wario, Waluigi, Mario, Luigi (Nintendo), Mario/Princess Peach (Nintendo), Luigi/Prince Peasley Additional Tags: IT'S HAPPENING EVERYONE CALM DOWN!, First date, everyone's nervous, Mario & Wario & Waluigi are good big brothers, but they're not match for Peach.

It really shouldn’t be this hard.

As a prince, Peasley had been trained for many items and issues that were laid at his feet. Diplomatic meetings to citizen confrontations, sword fighting and strategic defenses, being kind but fair in every decision decreed, how to carry himself to appear approachable but one of equal measure to his citizens, practically everything. 

He’s also been on a fair amount of dates. Primarily that on citizens' wishes, when he was younger and had more of a chance to explore. 

Bottom line is that Peasley should be well prepared for anything. 

So why was just picking out an outfit becoming such a hassle?

Letting out a few slow breaths, Peasley’s eyes darted across his bed. Where almost every inch was covered with every piece of clothing and fabric he’d brought with him. Wishfully thinking that if it all blurred together with how quickly his eyes moved it would seek out the perfect combination. In some way.

“How can I have so much to wear and yet have absolutely nothing?” Peasley weakly grumbled out. 

His brows furrowed deeper at the bedroom door being knocked on. Believing it to be either Merri or Gigi, he simply called out, “I’m a little busy at the moment.”

The subtle request was apparently ignored when the same door was opened. Peasley faltered when he turned, planning on a firmer request to be left alone, to find Peach approaching him. The princess offered a warm smile to the stunned prince. 

“P-Princess Peach,” Peasley said quickly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you- What can I help you with?”

“I wanted to check on you,” Peach gently replied, “Tonight's kind of a big night, are you excited?”

“Oh, that’s a word for it…”

Peach’s eyes looked over towards the bed at the number of garments laid out before them. “...Feeling a little nervous?”

“Why do I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing? How do you impress someone without appearing smug? Luigi deserves the best but I don’t want to make him feel, I don’t know, under dressed? How? How do I do this?”

Letting out a heavy groan, Peasley collapsed into a nearby chair. Rubbing the heel of his palms against his closed eyes. 

Peach, on her part, started to carefully pick and shift through the garments. Pulling a few to the top. “You really want this to work. …What’s going on in that head of yours? I feel that it’s more than just picking out something to wear.”

Peasley looked up at this, now defeatedly leaning against his hand. “I don’t want to be just a ‘prince’ for Luigi, I want to be Peasley…”

“Can’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

Peach offered a small smile as she carefully pulled out a pair of black dress pants. “It is strange to be a member of a royal family, isn’t it? We hold a lot of power that we can appear as terrifying beings to others. To some, we’re not even people, we’re just a title.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Peasley nodded, “Yes…”

“Which is why the brothers are such a breath of fresh air for me. They don’t care about my title, that I’m royalty. Sure, they’re respectful towards me when they need to be. They know when to enter the role of entourage. But they also know that I’m more than just my heritage.”

“Mario is an absolute gentleman. When it’s just the two of us, he knows how to treat me well. I never have to be a ‘princess’, I can be just Peach. I’ve become more comfortable being myself when I’m around him. And I know Luigi will treat you the same. You can be nervous, you can be flustered, and I know he will never judge you for it. Luigi is just as excited about this evening as you are. You have nothing to worry about.”

Peasley jerked in surprise when a folded outfit was plopped down onto his lap. The same dress pants now paired with a button up cream colored shirt. A relatively straightforward outfit.

“This is just a time for you and Luigi to get to know each other. Keep it simple, it’ll be fine.” Peach finished off with a smile. 

Peasley, however, still didn’t seem very sure.

“Can I share something with you?”

“Of course.”

“...Back in the BeanBean Kingdom, it had been passed down that we would be needed. That our knowledge would pull us from our isolation as we’d need to help save our lands. I was selfishly hopeful that time would come when I was no longer here. As the fear of…such a burden would be great. Then we received the report we’d been waiting for and I was asked to act on behalf of my kingdom. There was already a panic in knowing what arriving here meant.”

Steadily growing worried by the words, Peach pulled another chair forward to sit next to the prince. “These worries are not unfounded. I was nervous when I received the letter from Queen Bean. However, we’ve clearly established that our kingdoms will have a strong bond.”

“...That is true.”

“But this is more than just our duties.” 

“When I first learned of the brothers, it was after Luigi’s victory over King Boo. We have Boos in the BeanBean Kingdom. Up in the mountains where abandoned towns lay. We avoid them, obviously. The point being I knew the dangers Boos held and was absolutely shocked upon hearing of Luigi’s triumphs. I became curious about the being brave enough to face beings so feared. The more I heard, the more I learned about his, a-and Mario’s, adventures the more I found myself…”

“Fantasizing?” Peach giggled as Peasley’s face turned a deep blue, “You’re okay, you’re in a safe space.”

Peasley gave his own laugh in return, “I suppose that word is the most accurate for this situation. I kept thinking about Luigi, I’ll admit. What he looked like, his personality, just…what was he like? I’m…pretty sure I fell for him long before I even met him. I just sunk deeper in once we were face to face. Then we started to talk and I sunk further. Then he saved me and I know I’m completely gone. Luigi has my heart, even if he’s not aware of it.”

“Pardon me for this. But I’m still not understanding where your worries lie.” Peach said cautiously. 

The wistful look over Peasley’s face slipped away as his shoulders dropped. Nervously wrapping his arms around himself. The outfit pressed close to his chest. “Because…I believe he deserves better than myself.”

Biting her bottom lip, Peach gently reached over to pull the prince free from the self-imposed hug. “Don’t you believe you should leave that up to Luigi to decide?”

Peasley gave a nervous laugh, “Why do you think I’m panicking so much over the smallest detail?”

“Well, then it’s best that I’m here to help. Let’s get you set up! You’ll have that confidence back in no time.”

_____________________________

“You are not.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Mario, please, I’m nervous enough as is.”

“I just want to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Which is just code for ‘trying to intimidate Peasley’.”

“No, of course not! …I mean, if it’s a perk I could call it that.”

“Mario.”

“Luigi.”

The younger twin turned to glare at his brother. Who just gave a smug smile back.

“Mario…please… This is really important, I want to impress him. And having you here will make him uncomfortable. Can you please just…not be here?”

“Nope.”

Luigi let out a groan, “Mario, please!”

“I’ll just be in my room! You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Mario, I love you, and I understand that you want to know everything will be okay. But you will make me more nervous than I already am and I want to make this the best night I can. Please, please, please, please just give me a few hours! Just the two of us. Please.”

Mario casually turned to the next page on his paper, “I told you, you won’t know I’m here.”

Giving up, Luigi flopped down into the nearest chair. Letting out an exhausted sigh. 

It had been a few days since Bowser’s attack and subsequent rescue. Peasley, Merri, and Gigi claimed that, even with the excitement, they needed to remain in the Mushroom Kingdom. Just to make sure that the twins did have proper control over their powers. Which in turn meant that the younger twin had time to take Peasley on the date he’d promised.

Attempting to ignore the nervous hurricane of butterflies in his stomach, Luigi had done his best to figure out what he wanted. Thrilled with the idea that the prince would be visiting the twin’s cozy household to actually be on a date with him! 

The only wrinkle was that Mario informed Luigi that he wasn’t going to be gone for the night.

“I didn’t follow you when you and Peach went on your date.” Luigi grumbled out.

“True, you got me there,” Mario replied calmly, “But I just want to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”

“I know I’ve had some…issues in the past-”

“Being left on the side of the road on the bad side of town is not just an ‘issue’.” 

“The point I’m trying to make is that I can handle this. I know you’re protective, but Peasley’s not like anyone else. He’s…different.”

Mario finally looked up from the paper hearing this. Finding Luigi staring off into the distance with a warm smile on his face. 

The older twin let out a small sigh. Knowing he was overthinking things. After all, Peasley had done nothing to make Mario even assume the prince would be planning anything or would attempt anything that would hurt Luigi. But Mario was still the older brother. Meaning he still had a role to play. Which was keeping Luigi safe and annoyed.

Just as Mario opened his mouth to make another remark, their front door was knocked on. Both looked confused as it was far too early for Peasley to arrive. 

Mario slid from his chair to answer it. More than a little surprised to find Peach beaming behind said door. Dressed in such casual clothing that it took Mario a few minutes for his mind to catch up.

“Hey Peach, what can we help you with?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to come to the castle tonight?” She asked calmly. 

“Oh, um, well…” Mario turned back into the house hearing Luigi join them.

“Good afternoon princess,” the younger twin said, “is there an issue?”

“Of course not. I was just hoping to steal Mario away for the evening?”

When Mario connected the dots, he attempted to put his foot down to say no. Only for Peach to grab his arm to pull him out before an argument could start. Luigi watching on in quiet confusion.

“Thanks Luigi! I’ll make sure to take good care of him and return him before the day’s over. Enjoy your evening with Peasley!”

Still in quiet shock, Luigi only moved forward to better watch as Mario was pulled away. The older brother was clearly torn between following Peach and going back to the house. Even though he didn’t put up much of a fight.

Letting out a small laugh, Luigi closed the door. Sighing in some relief as he leaned against said door.

“Thank you, Peach.”

_____________________________

Green Pipe traveled, Mario suspiciously glared up at Peach’s joyous face.

“So…what did you have planned?” He asked. 

“Oh, nothing major. A few snacks, a few movies, just some fun stuff. Things to keep you entertained and your mind will be off of…everything else.”

“Did Luigi put you up to this?”

Peach let out a snort. “Absolutely not! If anything, I’m fulfilling my obligations of being a sibling.”

Mario’s new point of argument frazzled out of his mind hearing the word ‘sibling’. “Wait, what did you mean by that?”

“Do you honestly think I wouldn’t want to be an older sister to Luigi? I want him just as happy as you do and I know Pealsey will be good for him. Plus, they’re so cute together. This also means that you need to relax and not be in the way.”

“I wouldn’t be-”

“Mario, don’t lie to me.”

Said hero huffed, “Maybe I was planning on peaking in from time to time.”

“See, I knew you would. Which is why I appeared, to help you both out.”

Mario did his best to not grumble as he was led further into the castle. 

Then, a light bulb went off in his head.

“Hey, do you mind if I make a call?” Mario asked.

“To whom?”

“Not Luigi, promise. Just…want to check on something…”

“It wouldn’t be to call Wario or Waluigi, would it?”

“...Well-”

“You don’t need to worry about them because they’re already here!” Peach said gleefully as she pushed the double doors open. 

The large room they entered was full of entertainment items. Numerous games, movies, and comfortable chairs that were scattered everywhere. A large tv was mounted on the wall in the center of the room. Wario and Waluigi were already in large, plush chairs. Happily sucking down whatever food or drink that was in reach. The former looking up upon hearing the doors being opened.

“Hey, it’s Mini-Me! What brings you here?”

“Uh…Peach.” Was Mario’s weak reply.

“Huh, same.”

“Where’s Green Bean?” Waluigi asked.

“...At home.”

“Why?”

“Because his date’s tonight.”

That caused the other brothers to freeze up in realization.

“Shit.

“Shit.”

“Who wants to watch a movie!” Peach gleefully called out. Already walking to the large wall of movies to look them over.

Wario quickly waved Mario over to frantically whisper, “Do you think one of us could sneak out?” 

“Me, what about you two? Luigi’s my brother, I should be the one that goes back.”

“But Peach is your girlfriend. You’ll have a better chance of distracting her.”

“Hey, two idiots, don’t you think Peach will spot right away when we’re down one.” 

“Stuff out Waluigi, you’re not part of this conversation.”

“Gentlemen!” All three flinched as Peach pointedly slammed down a stack of movies she had pulled. Smiling in a way that made all three of them freeze in terror. “In case you three even have the audacity to try to plan something, the nerve to think about ruining Luigi’s date, I will personally oversee your punishment. Which will be my decision. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am.” Was the fearful response from all three.

“Wonderful!” Peach beamed while picking the top most movie, “Now, how about we start our own evenings?”

“Your girlfriend is scary.” Waluigi mumbled out.

Mario couldn’t help but laugh, cheeks flushed softly, “Yeah, she is.”

_____________________________

“Okay, okay, okay,” Luigi took a step back while nervously shaking his hands, “Everything looks ready. All’s set up, food’s done, now we just need…”

He couldn’t help but jump hearing the front door being knocked on once more. Rushing over, he took a few calming breaths before opening it. Luigi felt his heart race finding Peasley on the other side. Said human feeling a little over dressed with how simple the prince was dressing.

“Um, hello.” 

“Hello,” Peasley replied breathlessly, “You, um, you clean up really well.”

“T-Thank you. You look comfortable.”

“Oh, is it too casual?”

“N-No, no!” Luigi quickly attempted to correct his comment, hearing Peasley’s concern, “No, you’re cute. I-I mean, you’re dressed up cute! You’re cute as well! But we were talking about your outfit so I wanted to assure you that you looked great!”

Peasley bit his bottom lip as he watched Luigi stumble over himself. Smiling as his mind was flooded with, ‘Grambi Above, he’s absolutely adorable.’

“Luigi, you’re okay, I understand. Thank you for your kind words. I’m not too early, am I?”

“O-Oh, no, you’re right on time actually. Would you like to come in?”

“Of course, thank you,” Peasley looked around the home eagerly as he slowly entered, “You home is wonderful. Very cozy.”

“T-Thank you. We’ll be taking our food from the kitchen to the backyard.”

“Sounds wonderful! What will we be partaking in?”

“A family recipe. Spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce, a family recipe.”

Peasley perked up at that, “Is this an Earth meal?”

“Y-Yeah!”

“Oh, I’m very eager then.”

Luigi couldn’t help but giggle as Peasley led the way to the adjoining room. The prince clearly excited as he stared over the food being offered. Happily following Luigi’s lead as they built their plate. 

“Here, I’ll carry these out if you’ll get the door for us.” 

“Such a gentleman.” Peasley laughed softly. 

The collective demeanor the prince had held for so long fell away when Peasley did open said door. Eyes seemed to immediately focus in on the garden. It wasn’t large, but it was clearly well loved. The foliage a beautiful green, flowers an array of vibrant colors, large vegetables peeking out between the numerous leaves. 

Peasley had left the small patio to happily dart between the greenery. Bubbly discussing with each individual plant about how wonderful they looked and how it was clear they were properly being cared for. 

He only stopped when he realized he’d basically abandoned his food to coddle plants.

Blushing a deep blue, Peasley stood back up. Facing Luigi with a sheepish smile. “Ah, sorry, got a little carried away there.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Luigi replied. Having placed both plates onto the small decorated table. A rather adorable set up that held a beautiful array of flowers held together in a small vase. Flowers that Peasley noted were from the garden he’d just been admiring. 

“I figured you’d want to see the garden and would get a little excited.” Luigi finished with a smile.

Peasley felt warmth bloom out from his chest. Cheeks carrying a darker blue now while he fiddled with his hair. “Still, it was not very regal of me. Composure is important for a prince.”

“Well, what’s important for Peasley?” Luigi asked softly. 

Peasley snapped his mouth closed. Clearly stunned by the simple question. “Ah, well…I’m not sure. I’m sorry, this is probably not how you thought this evening would start.”

Luigi hummed softly as he joined the prince in the gardens. “Isn’t that kind of the idea of a date? To get to know each other more? You don’t need to be a prince here.”

Peasley was surprised when his hands were collected in Luigi’s. The human squeezing them gently to offer some comfort.

The prince couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Suppose it is…”

There were no arguments as they walked back to the table. Luigi makes sure to take the time to push Peasley’s chair in before sitting in his own. 

“Alright, so, how do I eat this?” Peasley asked.

“There are a few ways.”

“What’s your way?”

“Fork and spoon in each hand.” Luigi stated as he picked up his own utensils in each hand. Waiting for Pealsey to follow the same.

“Now, grab some of the noodles and sauce. With your spoon under your fork, twirl it around until what you grabbed is wrapped around it and… Ta-dah! The perfect bite!” Luigi held up his food ladened fork with pride.

Peasley clumsily followed Luigi’s lead. Barely holding his fork up before said food slid off and plopped back down into the plate. “Ah, I suppose I’m not very skilled at this.”

“It takes a while to be, honestly. Here, another way is to just put a few pieces in your mouth and just slurp.”

“...Slurp?”

“Yeah, like so.”

Peasley watched with quiet fascination as Luigi easily but rather loudly sucked a few noodles into his mouth. Placing a hand over to hide while he chewed, the human gestured for Peasley to follow suit. 

While apprehensive, Peasley attempted to follow the instructions once more. Again, he wasn’t as fully successful as Luigi had been. But he was clumsily able to put some of the food into his mouth. The flush of nervousness was quickly forgotten when the flavor finally hit him.

“Goodness, this is amazing!” Peasley called out happily.

“I’m glad you like it,” Luigi beamed, “and that you were able to eat some.”

“As am I. Although that was not certainly not the most dignified way to eat this.”

Luigi watched as the prince took another bite. “I told you, you don’t need to be a prince here.”

Finishing his latest bite, Peasley hummed softly. “I suppose you did… You said this was a family recipe?”

The human nodded, “It’s one that my mom used to make all the time for Mario and I. I was so excited to find substitutes in the Mushroom Kingdom for this.” 

“Used to make?”

“Ah, she and our dad…passed away.”

Peasley faltered, “O-Oh, I’m so sorry to hear.”

Luigi quickly shook his head. “To use your own words, you couldn’t have known. It’s fine, it was…years ago.” 

“But it still hurts.”

“Yes…” The hero cleared his throat, “Sorry, we should be enjoying ourselves!”

Peasley smiled softly, “Yes, we are… Let’s see if I can manage this once more.”

Attempting the twirl technique again, the beanish prince was provided another clumsy bite. Covering his mouth while he chewed, Peasley offered, “Was your mom the cook of the family?”

“She taught Mario and I everything,” Luigi replied with a smile, “But our dad is why we got into plumbing. He was an electrician and taught us the importance of hard, earnable labor.”

“Why did you two pick plumbing then?”

“Don’t really know. Something must have happened when we were babies that just stuck with us. Even with our differences in work, our dad was still able to get us an internship long before we were able to go to school for it. We weren’t the best off financially, but they did all they could to make sure Mario and I had a good life…”

Luigi swallowed weakly, “It was more than just emotionally challenging when they passed. Mario did his best to take over the role of being a parent. He was able to make an argument for us to stay together instead of going to an orphanage. We got into trade school as quickly as we could and jumped onto the first job offered to us. Probably not the best idea since our first job was kind of a trainwreck. It only took a few grueling years to get the contract to break and we struck out on our own… Actually, our first personal job was how we ended up here.”

Peasley, absolutely enthralled, swallowed his current bite before replying with, “What happened? I mean, what happened to bring you two here?”

“...Oh, I haven’t thought about that day in a while. Well, the job was more a call from the mayor to every available plumber. There was a rather large flooding issue in the sewers that were entering into the streets. No one had a clue as to where that much water could have been stored for so long.”

“Mario and I joined the search and we went way, way deeper than the other plumbers did. We even went past the crumbled area that had recently been excavated. That…was probably illegal, now that I think about it. But, anyway, we were only a few feet in before the ground gave way. I don’t know how far we fell, but I’m shocked we survived. We’d somehow ended up in a really large and old tunnel. In our attempt to find a way out, we came across a large green pipe. And, well…I got sucked in first. Mario jumped in after me. Here we are, I guess that’s all.”

“It sounds like a rather big twist of fate.” Peasley quietly commented.

“Suppose it is…” Luigi gently shook his head, offering a smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to take over the conversation.”

“No, no you’re fine! I wanted to hear about it, I did ask after all. Do you…think if you could go back to Earth, you would?”

“...I’m not sure.”

Peasley hummed softly at that, taking another bite before continuing on. “Earth is a rather strange topic. Everyone here knows of it, but no one’s been able to visit there as the Green Pipe is always closed. It appears we can only receive visitors.”

“That is strange. The Green Pipes are always blocked?”

“For as long as I can remember. You and your brother’s arrival is the first time the pipe has opened during my life.”

“Strange…” Luigi smiled, “I think I’ve held this conversation long enough. What’s the BeanBean Kingdom like?”

“Wonderfully green. Filled with so much in the way of wildlife and foliage. My kingdom is based around agriculture, very different from the Mushroom Kingdom.” 

“Really?” Luigi blinked, “There’s a lot more nature in the Mushroom Kingdom than Brooklyn. I figured this kingdom also dealt with agriculture. With the Mushrooms and other powers up and…whatnot.”

“Actually, the Mushroom Kingdom is known for their technological advancements. While all kingdoms are aware of and use the pipe system, only the Mushroom Kingdom can build and maintain them. They’ve had that knowledge and tools to do so for centuries, if not longer.” 

“Huh, I didn’t know that.”

Peasley laughed softly, “My kingdom may have been in self isolation, but we know a lot more than people expect us to.”

“What about your parents?”

“Well, you know a bit about my mother. She’s the current acting Queen and was born into royalty. My father came from a family of farmers, who mainly sourced vegetation. But, my father actually specialized in growing roses. It’s how my mother and him met. She had, uh, snuck out from the castle to see the market on her own. Which was not allowed when she was younger. That rule has since been changed.”

“You said you had a garden at the castle. Is it your fathers?”

“Oh no, it’s been maintained at the castle for years. He did, however, improve upon it when he was granted access to it. Which really didn’t take long to get. It helped that he knew how to improve the growth, along with his ability. Which was thankfully passed down to me, helped me maintain the garden to his original vision…” 

“Ability?” Luigi perked up.

“Have I not shown you? Ah, well, let’s correct this oversight.” 

Placing his napkin to the side, Peasley walked over to the warm soil. Cupping his hands together to create a dome over the selected area. On his part, Luigi leaned forward to watch. There was a flash of green and Peasley slowly moved his hands away. In their place grew two roses, one a deep red with the other a warm yellow. 

Luigi let out a gleeful gasp. Clapping as Peasley gently plucked both up. Pulling out a small knife to shave off the thorns and cutting the stems shorter. After both were thorn free, Peasley tucked both behind Luigi’s ear. The human’s face turned a deep red. 

Peasley let out a soft hum as he gently cupped Luigi’s cheek. “I must say, yellow is a very good color for you.”

“T-Thanks.” Luigi was still happily flustered as Peasley sat back down. “Can you grow anything?”

“Unfortunately no. But those that I can’t grow on my own I can at least help become stronger, healthier. I can also communicate with the land. It’s actually how I was able to find you in the hedge maze.” 

“Wow…that’s amazing Peasley.”

The prince flushed once more, “Thank you.”

He looked down as his fork clinked against the plate. Finding it completely empty. “Oh, goodness, suppose I’m finished.”

“Did you want some more?”

“No, but thank you. I was just enjoying myself so much, I suppose I kept eating without realizing.”

“I hope you at least left room for dessert.”

“Of course I did.”

_____________________________

The relatively quiet calm of movie watching was broken upon hearing the door being knocked on. Peach paused the movie before calling out, “Come in!”

A Toad guard peeks in, “Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness. But we wanted to inform you that Prince Peasley and Luigi have arrived-”

Said Toad jumped away as Mario came barreling out of the room. With Wario and Waluigi close behind after their shoving match determined who was going out of the room first. Nervously leaning back into the room, Toad said, “Should I not have said anything?”

Peach laughed, “No, you’re fine.”

Trying to be as quiet as they could be, the trio of brothers slowed their steps as they neared the ‘visitor hallway’. Newly appointed area. All crowding at the turn, harshly whispering to each other about keeping quiet as to not be found out. They peeked around to find Luigi and Peasley standing by the bedroom the prince had been staying at for the visit. Each holding the other’s hands. 

“They are kind of cute together.” Wario whispered in admission. 

Mario, who was smiling at the scene, replied with a quiet, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“I still know a good area to hide anything, and I do mean anything.” Waluigi grumbled back. 

“Noted,” Mario and Wario replied back.

“What do you think they’re talking about?”

“I can’t hear.”

“Well, I’m trying to listen but you two keep talking.”

“I’m surprised you’re having issues given how large your ears are.”

“Stiff talk bro, given your length.”

“Would you two please hush. Can anyone read lips?”

“Nope.”

“Negative.” 

“Great.”

“Do you think they know we can hear them?” Peasley whispered while doing his best to hold back his laughter. 

Luigi knew he should feel upset with now being overseen by three people instead of just the normal one. But it was an overall funny situation. So he couldn’t help but smile back. “Probably not.”

“At least you know they care about you.”

“Sure, we can go with that. Sorry about this, it’s not how I thought the night would end.”

Peasley released a few giggles, cutting himself off with a small cough. “It’s fine. I assure you it would have been far worse if we’d been in the BeanBean Kingdom. …Not to make you worry or anything.”

“No, that’s…understandable. Either way, thank you for giving me a chance.”

“Thank you for offering it. I don’t suppose claiming to be in a…relationship would be too far out of a request.”

Both felt their cheeks heat up.

Luigi gave a small smile before answering with, “I would say that would be more than okay with me.”

“That is wonderful to hear. I don’t believe the remaining time here will allow us another outing. But I will send word to you once I arrive back to my kingdom.”

“That sounds perfect. And maybe I’ll be able to visit you soon.”

“That would be amazing, but we’ll just have to see what the future holds. I will wait with bated breath for your arrival.”

Peasley gently pulls his hands away to rest one on the bedroom door. “Thank you again for a wonderful evening.”

Luigi smiled, “Thank you for joining me.”

The handle had barely been turned when Peasley paused. Luigi didn’t have time to ask if everything was alright when the prince quickly faced him again. Said royalty pressing his lips gently against the human’s cheek. Remaining connected for a few seconds. 

Pulling away, Peasley weakly remarked with ‘Good night,’ before entering his room. Able to now hide his deep blue flush behind the bedroom door. 

Luigi remained frozen for a few moments in stunned silence. Wide eyes now staring at the closed door. Hand gently placed against the same cheek. At some point, he regained feeling in his legs and he slowly moved away. Still in stunned silence. 

Mario, Wario, and Waluigi weren’t around the corner when Luigi reached it. No doubt all rushing away when the younger brother started to move. Even without asking for directions, Luigi seemed to know where to go. Giving the entertainment room door a few soft knocks with his free hand before entering.

If he’d been paying attention, Luigi would have picked up on the fact that the other brother’s were flushed. Breathing heavily as they tried to look relaxed as they peered back to Luigi. Peach biting her bottom lip as she held back a wide smile as she watched. 

“Hey,” said Mario, “you’re back! How did it go?”

Luigi didn’t say anything. The older brother slid off the seat to approach his brother. Only to pause when Luigi broke out into the biggest smile. Hands eagerly flapping before he closed the gap and pulled Mario into a tight hug. On his part, Mario laughed and wrapped his arms in return. 

“I’m going to say it was good?”

Luigi nodded back, face burying into the crook of his brother’s shoulder. Overwhelmed with happiness.

“Are we going to stay like this for a while?”

Another nod. 

“Okay then.”

Peach smiled softly at the exchange, turning away to start the movie back up to allow the twins a few minutes alone. She made no complaint as the other brothers sat with her. Claiming either side of the princess.

“A pretty happy ending for today, wouldn’t you say?” Peach said.

“I’m just happy we didn’t have to do any heavy lifting.” Wario replied. 

Letting out a low hum, Waluigi said, “Should we be worried that both brothers are dating royalty now?”

“Says the person who’s dated royalty before.”

“Please don’t remind me of that.”

[kitkatsudon]

KitKat reads the TKEM Novel: Introduction & Prologue & Chapter 1

Hello all! Those that have seen my account over the past couple of days will know that I have recently come into possession of copies of both volumes of the TKEM novel. I always had the vague idea in my mind that these would contain information that we don’t see in the show, characters’ inner monologues and such like, so as someone seemingly on a quest to find out everything there is to know about this show (how did it end up like this? I’m not going to dwell on that before I start regretting all my life choices), I have taken it upon myself to read these books and share this knowledge with the rest of what’s left of this fandom.

These books, of course, are in Korean, which is a language I do not speak and don’t have any intention of learning in the near future. I definitely couldn’t learn Korean in a quick enough time frame to be able to read these books in a satisfyingly short amount of time, so instead I’m utilising the power of the internet and using two online translation services, and then sort of combining the two with my preexisting knowledge of the show to create a usable translation that feels mostly right. So here’s my disclaimer: some of this stuff could very easily be mistranslated, because I’m embarking on this journey with just the powers of the internet, homosexual audacity, and autism to help me along.

So! Here’s how this is going to work. For every chapter of the book I manage to translate, I’m going to make a new post where I summarise the events of the chapter, share my thoughts on it, and then share any specific new details that we’ve learnt. All of them will be tagged with ‘kitkat reads the tkem novel’ so if you want any of the information in this series for whatever reason, hopefully these posts will be easy to find. In this post I’ll cover the prologue and chapter 1 because the prologue is barely anything at all, but from here on out it’ll be one chapter per post… whenever I finish the next chapter.

Ok then. Shall we begin?

Prologue

The novel starts with a bit of preamble about the show’s lore, not much that anyone who had already seen the show wouldn’t know, but I suppose it makes sense to open like this if they were trying to appeal to people who hadn’t already seen the show? It’s an interesting choice, though, because some of this stuff is information we don’t find out until a little later in the show, for example how the two worlds split thanks to the life/death of Crown Prince Sohyeon. However, without the visual nature of the show to keep it appealing, having a little bit of backstory about the Kingdom of Corea would be nice to have so new readers aren’t totally confused about the setting of the novel when it begins.

The only semi-new thing we really learn from the prologue is that the palace (which I will call Haeungung Palace from here on out as part of my personal mission to spread this information) is located specifically on Dongbaekseom island in Busan. This is something I had pretty much figured out already by being a big nerd and looking at screenshots of the show and comparing those to maps of Busan, but it’s nice to have this for real confirmed by a canon source. Another thing to maybe mention is that the flower symbol of the royal Jeonju Lee family is a plum blossom, but this is also something that you could probably work out beforehand.

In conclusion, this is a good introduction… but a little useless to established fans of the show, who I think would make up most of the demographic of this book. Still, it’s best for them to cover their bases.

Chapter 1: Find the clock rabbit

The first thing to mention here is that “clock rabbit” refers to the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, which the English subs on Netflix call “the white rabbit with the clock” but I’m going to say “clock rabbit” because that seems to be the direct translation, and it makes all Yeong’s lines about “Is it a rabbit or a clock?” make a lot more sense in my mind. This chapter covers four scenes from episode 1 of the show: the scene where Gon is being dressed by his new attendant Park Gyubong and he catches the talismans that Lady Noh put in his room, the scene where Gon and Koo Seoryeong have their meeting after Gon goes riding, pretty much all of the rowing scene sequence from the race to Gon going to chase after the “clock rabbit,” and then Gon very briefly in his study alone, looking at his Alice in Wonderland book.

What stood out to me the most while reading, getting over the fact that they’ve changed the order of the scenes from the show (Cheonjongo in 1994 is happening next chapter), is how much extra dialogue they’ve cut out. Again… I guess it makes sense, if they’re trying to condense a sixteen episode drama into two volumes of a book then of course they’re going to want to get straight to the point, but this is disappointing for me personally because a lot of what they cut out are the fun, familiar conversations that Gon had with Yeong throughout episode 1. For example, Gon and Yeong never have their conversation after Gon finishes his ride where Yeong reveals that there are more talismans than Gon thought, and they also cut out the conversation between Gon and Yeong in his study after the race day, which means we don’t get “are you having fun, Captain Jo?” and we don’t get their following conversation about Gon wanting to find his saviour, and Yeong assuring him that he’s grown up well and he doesn’t need anyone to save him anymore. Which is… fine. It’s fine, but it’s still disappointing. Even without coming at this from a Gonjo angle, their friendship is still very important to me, and it’s disheartening to find out that where the show abandoned it very quickly, the book doesn’t seem to be developing it at all. That’s not to say that there aren’t moments, but it’s not as much as I would have liked.

The other big thing that stood out to me is… well… how do I put this? The book really wants you to know that Gon is perfect and amazing and handsome and the best man in all of Corea and no one else could ever compare and he’s just so incredible and wonderful and everybody loves him so much and every woman is in love with him because he’s just that good. Which is hilarious to me, as a loser (affectionate) Gon truther, because this man exists in my head as an adorable mess of mathematical equations, overthinking, and pretending to be fine, and it’s just… no matter how many times they tell me how perfect and shiny he is, I’m just not going to believe it. Let me give you an excerpt, so you can see the tone of this and know what I’m talking about.

Gon’s body, which he trained to protect himself against any danger, was perfect because his safety was the security of the kingdom. Gyubong was impressed anew by a glimpse of his hard and wide shoulders.

Gyubong glanced at the pride of the Kingdom of Corea before he could meet his indifferent eyes. His sharp nose, smooth lips, and sharp jawline stood out under his straight eyebrows. The third king of the Kingdom of Corea boasted an appearance that deserved the love of the kingdom’s people.

Like— it’s so unserious! They’re really trying so hard to ram it down your throat how utterly perfect Lee Gon is - and in this scene it reads like Gon’s eyebrows may be straight but Park Gyubong sure isn’t. They also mention Gon’s “long legs” when he’s running after his clock rabbit and… wow, does this answer that age old question? Is this what Yeong knows that Gon uses his long legs for - running away and giving Yeong a headache?

So, after all this, what have we learnt so far?

Park Gyubong is either very confident in his heterosexuality or he has a huge crush on King Lee Gon

“The royal courtiers often found the principled Captain of the Guard more difficult than the easy-going king” which… hurts me, a little, to imagine the palace staff bitching about Yeong behind his back. Does it make sense? …yes, to be fair yes, yes it does, it makes a lot of sense for Yeong to rule Haeungung palace with an iron fist as he tries desperately to take care of Gon’s safety, so I just hope that none of the other members of staff are being too mean about our beloved Yeongie :(

Yeong’s naval rank is confirmed to be a Soryeong/Lieutenant Commander! If you’ve seen my post about military ranks in TKEM then you’ll see that this is something that you can see in the show by looking at his epaulettes, but it’s nice to have it confirmed in writing here

Yeong was described as being “born and bred to serve the king.” This is something we knew already, but having it said explicitly here… it’s doing something to me, so it’s getting its own point.

Yeong specifically says to Park Gyubong that “His Majesty doesn’t like other people’s hands touching his body.” It’s not just any touch, he specifically mentions hands. Fanfic nation, do with this information what you will.

Mentioning the moment where little Yeong joined little Gon in crying after Lee Ho’s funeral is something that hurts Yeong’s pride. We can only assume that Gon knows this because he has brought it up in the past and Yeong has got very flustered about it.

On that topic, Gon thinks about that moment after his dad’s funeral after Yeong is like !!!!! when Park Gyubong mentions covering Gon’s scar.

Lady Noh has been noticeably anxious about finding Gon a partner ever since he turned thirty (Korean age). Gon isn’t sure if it was before that, but thirty is the age that he mentions. The Korean word for partner used is 짝, which Wordreference tells me means “pair, mate, buddy.” Interestingly, not necessarily wife, very gender neutral. This is in Gon’s internal monologue so again, fanfic nation, this one’s for you.

It’s also said that Lady Noh is more like a mother to Gon than his own mother was, which again is something we already knew but it’s very nice to have it written.

It’s crossed Lady Noh’s mind that Gon might have a secret mistress and that’s why he has never been interested in getting married, but she figured that this was illogical because Gon is always being watched while he’s in the palace. Thank you for your hard work, Jo Yeong!

The issue of marriage is apparently the only duty of Gon’s that he ever abandons, which… idk, there’s something there.

Gon feels like he’s free of all his worries when he goes riding, especially with Maximus, so riding is basically like Gon’s therapy :D

Maximus is his “favourite horse” which is something else that’s just nice to have in writing

It is mentioned several times in this chapter that Gon “is the favourite of every woman in the kingdom.” It’s giving… heteronormative, but that doesn’t surprise me. However, Koo Seoryeong doesn’t count herself as being one of these women because she can see up close how Gon is putting on as much of an act as she is.

Koo Seoryeong’s ex-husband was not only from a chaebol family but also a conglomerate leader. This is interesting to me because it’s mentioned in the show that he’s the second son so… what happened to the first son? Is he the leader of his own separate corporation? Was he just not as good as his younger brother?

Gon finds the way Koo Seoryeong is clear about expressing her desires uncomfortable because, as the king, he’s never been able to have his own desires or express his own desires freely

“Yeong’s nerves were on edge” while Gon was rowing in the competition, because it was an outdoor event. He finds these things stressful because Gon already came close to death once, and you never know if it’ll happen again

As soon as he hears a gunshot, Gon is immediately transported back to the night of the treason. Even if he doesn’t show it outwardly, it’s crossing his mind at the slightest trigger.

That time at the rowing competition is the first time that Gon has run away during an outdoor event. He runs away often and he knows he causes trouble for the Royal Guard, but this is the first time he’s done it at an event like that.

Gon can recognise Yeong just by his footsteps

Gon leaves his duties in the palace once or twice a year - either because he wants some personal time, or he’s in desperate need of it because he feels too overwhelmed by his regular life. I already assumed it was because of that, but to have it confirmed… fanfic nation, this is for you again

Gon was still thinking about the night of the treason when he got his Alice in Wonderland book out at the end of episode 1, and he could still vividly feel the sticky blood on the soles of his feet, and the feeling of something constricting around his neck. He felt like it could still happen again at any moment. Clearly, Lee Gon needs some better therapy than just going riding with Maximus.

Final thoughts: I’m very much enjoying seeing into the characters’ minds like this, especially Gon, since we’ve had a lot of him this chapter. I like how the book is able to show how often Gon is thinking about the night of the treason, making it and therefore his PTSD a much more present thing than in the show. It remains to be seen whether the currently hilarious Gon-worshipping is going to become annoying after a while, or whether or not seeing the characters’ inner thoughts is going to start annoying me when the main romance plot gets going. If it’s in the same tone as the Gon-worshipping… yeesh. That’ll be an experience.

My main thought so far? Not enough Yeong. There’s not as much Yeong as there was in the show, and there isn’t even much Yeong there. This book could be greatly improved with more Yeong. I suppose we’ll have to stick to fanfiction for that.

[winterspiderpurrs]

Okay this is more of a prompty/plot bunny but I love your idea of Peter being raised by Winter @lil-jolly in your ask. The idea would honestly be more then 5k work it needs to be like 500k and I just don't see myself writing/dedicated to that.

BUT

Here is my layout and if anyone wants to run with... do it and tag us!

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

Option A :

Peter's parents shield agents investigate hydra scientists- maybe they knew with being double agents they were on a short time line before they got caught.

Maybe one of the parents discover Bucky, know he has moments of clarity but that if you say your his new handler he listens without fault.

So the take him out of cryo and tell him his top-secret mission.

" Mission parameters: if Handler Dr Richard Parker or Handler Dr Mary Parker are non operational, missing in action, compromised, defective, listed as traitor, seek out family member.

Protect Handlers son at all cost. No matter what future handlers request. Your ultimate mission is to protect one Peter Benjamin Parker. Born August 10th, 2001. Queens New York.

Only seek out outside help if it will assist you in protecting one Peter Benjamin Parker.

Ready to comply? "

Option B:

It starts off with Winter being on the plane that the Parkers were on. This time they decided to take Peter with them as they tried to escape, so he wasn't safe at home in Queens. So maybe Winter takes out Richard and Mary, and when it's time to take out Peter he can't. Maybe he sees this kid and it reminds him of his sister( deep in the recessed part of his mind) or of Steve. He knows if he doesn't complete the mission he will be tortured but he doesn't want to kill this (4-6) kid. He kills the pilot and takes Peter with him, not returning to hydra. Let's everyone think they all went down on the plane( maybe he takes his arm off as proof of his death??)

Now honestly you could combined the two of this to work together.

Now we could have two things happen from here.....

Either Winter takes Peter on the run training and raising him all over the world, constantly moving( thank you online schooling) as way of education of what he can't teach Peter. Maybe Peter enters into a contest for Stark Industries without Winter knowing( I'm thinking web formula or a fancy new arm). And that's how Tony gets involved.

OR

Maybe the Parkers had a lake front property with lots of acres that gets locked up in a trust for so many years. No one visits it, Ben and May don't have access as they have to keep battling in court cause of house the wills are listed. So Winter takes Peter there knowing they could live in the secluded area without people bothering. Let's just say the surrounding property is owned by one Tony Stark. The Parkers were the only ones to not sell their property when Tony came to buy it. Maybe Tony at some point notices people living at the lake house.

Now if you want Peter to get powers still you can have it where Peter is part of a homeschooling group to have " normal " social interaction. So he goes on field trips and still does the Oscorp thing. Maybe even the Stark Expo Ironman mask happens still.

Now if you go with Winter Killin the Parkers then I would expect Peter having a heart to heart with Tony even tho Winter killed his parents it was cause of hydra. The man who raised him didn't have a choice. And if he could forgive him then Tony should be able to as well.

Either way. Winter slowly grows into more of Bucky, or switches between personalities. They raise/train Peter. Tony Stark gets involved in someway.

WinterIron.

Like.... I feel this would be good.

[adamwatchesmovies]

All Fun and Games (2023)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

There are so many people out there whose dream is to make a movie. Though you might lower your expectations when you learn you’re about to watch a directorial debut, you're still excited. “I'm going to pay close attention so I can tell people years from now that I saw the mark of a great director coming.” When, even with lowered expectations, the movie you see isn’t good, it’s doubly disappointing. I don’t want to be mean to All Fun and Games directors Ari Costa and Eren Celeboglu. I also want to be fair to you by admitting this film is not worth seeing.

In Salem, Massachusetts, young Jonah (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) finds a strange knife in an abandonned home. Its hilt is made of human bone and there’s an inscription on the blade. When his brother, Marcus (Asa Butterfield), reads the words out loud, he becomes possessed by an evil force. His sister, Billie (Natalia Dyer), her boyfriend, Pete (Kolton Stewart), best friend Sophie (Laurel Marsden) and uncle Bob (Erik Athavale) have no idea the “games” Marcus wants to play are deadly.

There are two major issues with “All Fun and Games”. The first is that it isn’t frightening. The idea of someone you love suddenly turning against you is ripe for potential but evil Marcus never uses his familial ties to his advantage. There’s little suspense, even in situations that should naturally generate it. The games of Hide-and-Seek and Tag, for example. You hold your breath for a moment, but no more than you would a normal game with friends. Some of that comes from the second major issue: the premise itself. The idea of games with deadly consequences isn’t enough anymore. Ready or Not did something different by supplementing the idea with comedy and social commentary. All Fun and Games doesn't do anything. This problem is amplified by the fact that some games work against the film itself. Playing Hide-and-Seek, for example, means the people who already want to get away from Marcus are allowed to do so. The villain searching for our heroes… continues searching for them. So what?

The premise gets increasingly convoluted as we learn the backstory behind the knife, particularly the way it leads the characters into playing a game of Tag. I think even the filmmakers knew that what they had was rather thin. The final running time is only 76 minutes.

All Fun and Games isn't devoid of merit and what’s good about it shows the people at its helm may have a promising career ahead of them. The Fletchers are dysfunctional, sometimes in a slightly comedic fashion but never to the point where they become over-the-top. The children bicker in a way that feels genuine considering the relationship between their parents and their age. Minus one sentence where Billie reminds Sophie that they’re best friends, everyone sounds real and the actors who’ve received the script by Costa, Celeboglu and their co-writer JJ Braider, deliver it convincingly. I’ll even go so far as to say that before people start getting possessed, you won’t understand why anyone would give the film a bad review.

The unimaginative premise and rushed conclusion (I had to double-check that I didn’t miss anything), combined with the missed potential and the lack of scares or tension means All Fun and Games is a movie you’ll forget right away. Usually, I say that it’s better to be memorable than good but that rule doesn't apply for directorial debuts. There’s potential here and although it isn’t entirely successful, some aspects of All Fun and Games make me think the next film by the people involved could be good. (June 30, 2024)

[updates-from-po-town]

We’re back in business, baybieeee!

Long story short, being disbanded didn’t last long. You numbskulls missed us and we missed you. Team Skull is a family yo!

So since our poor Shady House just sat empty in our brief absence, we decided to slap a few dozen new coats of paint on it and move back in! And with Aether outta our hair, we can leave all that crap behind us and get back to our regularly scheduled chaos. No more wormholes and interdemensional horrors, just good old, family-friendly, petty crime.

Follow to stay up-to-date on what’s going down in Po Town, and send your asks if ya got ‘em!

Wanna be a part of the fam, but you're not in Alola? Check out the Team Skull Expanded Directory HERE!

NEVER LET UP!

~Account run by Head Grunt Calla

Pelipper Mail: OPEN!

((Follows from @ratt-teeth , ooc rules and info below the cut, please read before interacting! Last updated: 10/24/23))

__________

Heyo, it's the mun here! Everything here below the cut is blog info and housekeeping~

GENERAL INFO AND BLOG CANON:

This blog acts as the in-universe "official" page for Team Skull. It's run by Calla, who is considered the "head grunt" of the team. While it's supposed to be run as an official update account, she often uses it as a personal blog. More info on Calla can be found here and here.

While this blog is mostly gen, it's definitely more on the pg-13 side. Given the nature of Team Skull, there will be swearing, adult humor, and innuendo. If this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to block, I promise I won't get offended!

In the history for this blog, Team Skull reassembled about a year or so after disbanding, this time without any influence from Aether. They're back to just being a gang of goofy hooligans.

Should also note that this will more or less follow Sun and Moon's canon. I didn't particularly care for a lot of the plot changes in USUM, especially regarding Lusamine’s arc, so I'll be disregarding most of them.

While anyone is welcome to interact, I generally prefer other human characters over sentient pokemon. This blog follows the canon that pokemon are only slightly more sapient than real life animals, and Calla will assume most pokemon-run blogs are just people role-playing, and she's just playing along. (Whoa, meta!)

The above rule also applies to canon characters from other franchises/series.

Pelipper Mail is open and will be treated as if it was actually delivered via Pelipper (or other flying Pokemon)

RULES AND BOUNDARIES:

This blog is generally LOW-STAKES. While Calla may occasionally make commentary on higher-stakes events, please do not attempt to rope me into high-stakes scenarios without discussing it first. Absolutely no ultra/death-stakes. While mentions of death are fine and expected (such as in a backstory or in reference to agriculture/Pokemon as food) I prefer not to participate in it directly. I'm mainly using this blog for goofy fun-times, so please be considerate.

If you OR your character are a minor, absolutely NO flirty/romantic interactions. Friendly interactions and banter are fine and encouraged, but both me and my character are full-grown adults. This is a hard line to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety.

No magic anons!

This one isn't a hard boundary, but I tend not to lean too far into things like fallers/alternate realities, Pokemon-human hybrids, etc.

☆ Overall, this blog's canon tends to be more on the realistic side. I started this blog because I loved the idea started by @/realpokemon of combining the whimsical Pokemon world with the mundane-ness of the real world, and the challenge of balancing the two. While a lot of blogs in the community lean into the more zany and fantastical side of Pokemon, I just personally prefer keeping things more in line with the mainline games but with a touch of realism more akin to the real world.

TAGS:

Original posts/relevant reblogs: #updates from po town

Asks: #answered asks

Out of character/maintenance posts: #ooc , #housekeeping and #behind the curtain

Posts involving Guzma and Plumeria: #guzma and #plumeria respectively

Posts involving my various grunt NPCs: #grunt spotlight

Posts that revolve around Calla or her opinions: #all about calla

Posts including the Team Skull regional branches: #team skull expanded