#but oh..... the price is so steep...........

[elegyofthemoon]

my need to powerwash my brain by spending my time exploring the dreamscape vs the dreamscape trapping me in stealth games

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Oh yeah did I mention I’m gonna try going to my first Pride event tomorrow? Yeah that’s gonna be fun hopefully.

[possiblytracker]

phone broken and tablet slowly breaking, monthly costs already ~£300 and only going up, student loan money not enough to cover it, haven't been given any shifts for over a week, left on read by my boss after asking for breaks and limited hours and a schedule, have about 3 sets of clothes left but shopping for more would demolish my budget, may freeze in my hovel this winter as energy bills skyrocket, classes starting but only bus routes to campus shut down by travel companies for being "unprofitable", still have to find time to personally research and draft a 12k word dissertation by christmas,

[noxtivagus]

THE ZACK FAIR BRAINROT IS SO REAL

[pomefioredove]

now I'm actually invested in this idea. maybe I'll write a full length fic someday idk... for now I have short hcs

parts 1 | 2 | 3 | kalim | bad ending

summary: crowley decides to "give away" yuu to the highest "donation" for financial reasons type of post: headcanons characters: all nrc students additional info: can be read as platonic or romantic, except malleus is pretty romantic, second person pov, yuu is gender neutral, maybe a little ooc I wrote this as soon as I got up

crowley has had his fair share of "what the fuck" moments from you but this was really taking the cake

he acts so... casual about it?

swaggers into ramshackle one morning and says times are tough and your personal expenses are straining the budget so he's decided to "put you in someone else's care"

"The screening process will be vigorous to make sure you end up in good hands!" like you're a cat or something "Your expenses will be covered and you'll have somewhere to go during break!"

okay great. pretty obvious you have no say in this, so you don't even argue. what's the worst that could happen?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Ace, Deuce, Jack, and Epel find you the next day to say they're pooling their money to buy you

"To what?"

Epel shrugs. "Oh, well Crowley said we need to offer a donation to prove we're capable of supporting you..."

(you think that if not for the laws of this land you would have slaughtered that old fart)

Jack goes on a really long tirade about how shady and underhanded this is, making sure to reaffirm that he believes you should be free to make your own choices

"So you'll let me go once you get me?"

"Uhhh..."

Ace thinks once they buy you you'll have no choice but to do all of his homework for him

Deuce says that's not really how it works- and even if he tried, Riddle would kill him

(they've already gone over this twice before finding you)

Epel happily volunteers to take you home with him over breaks, probably the only positive in this mess

even if he thinks the whole thing is kind of funny

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

incapable of keeping his mouth shut, Ace accidentally spills the plan to Riddle, who is understandably aghast

you can't just give away a person under your care like a toy!

of all the irresponsible things...

of course, he'll have to put up his offer, too

purely for your sake! with a nicer room and a brand new copy of the dorm rules, maybe you'll stop getting yourself into trouble

he's got some family money (doctors, naturally) and considers this a worthwhile purchase, for his sanity and yours

of course, Trey and Cater overhear and may or may not be pooling their own cash for a chance, too

going behind Riddle's back on this is a risky venture, but hey, someone's gotta be on your side, here, right?

I mean, between a bunch of sixteen year old boys, the housewarden, and them, who would you choose?

actually don't answer that

...not that it's much of a secret, anyway. Cater's already got their gofundme equivalent link in bio

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Leona initially plans to have you become a live-in lackey like Ruggie

but then he really starts thinking- and, hey, the possibilities are endless, right?

for one, you'd make a really good pillow

he might have to kick Grim out for your full attention, but you could learn to live with that

and malleus would hate it

...that's reason enough for him

plus, he's got money to burn, so why not?

either way, he sets his bid at a reasonable (maybe too confident) price and sits back to watch the chaos unfold as everyone scrambles for a piece of the pie

news travels fast around school, after all

then Ruggie finds out that you could dethrone him as Leona's #2 and is understandably a little annoyed

that's his cushy post-grad job gig, thank you! he's worked hard for that!

besides, why should Leona get to hoard you? the guy can barely take care of himself!

so, Ruggie ends up outsourcing to a few dozen classmates for the necessary funds at a steep I-owe-you price

he's gonna be eating nothing but dandelions for a while...

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

now, Azul is annoyed

once the news goes school-wide, it's all anyone can talk about

talk about good marketing...

why didn't he think of such a brilliant scam? he could have negotiated with Crowley to have a café brand deal tie-in!

of course, he's already set his bid, with Jade and Floyd offering to pitch in as necessary

it's a risky investment, sure, but a worthwhile one

Azul tells everyone that with the prefect's "obvious" popularity, having them at the café a few nights a week would drive sales through the roof

though that's really just what he says to shirk suspicion

a likely excuse coming from him, though, really, it would just be nice having you around

and if not for his own affections, Floyd's incessant begging and Jade's subtly manipulative comments about "how nice" it would be having a new face around would be enough for him to cave eventually

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"Kalim, no," is the first thing that Jamil says

"I strongly advise against this. It's another one of Crowley's silly scams and you could end up a target bec- are you even listening?"

hint: he is not

the second Kalim found out that he could get to take in his favorite magicless student like one of his treasures, he was all over it

(AKA infinite sleepovers)

and for what? a little optional donation to prove he's got the funds? he's got cash to spare!

he's already got your new room in Scarabia set up before he even puts his bid in

right next to his of course :)

and despite what Jamil insists, he himself might be working behind the curtain just a little to ensure he's the one who ends up with you

after all, why should Kalim get everything? this might be a valuable learning opportunity for him

You don't always get what you want

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

as much as Epel tries to keep the rest of his dorm from finding out, it's inevitable

he's actually a little surprised that the news didn't get to Vil sooner

with Rook around campus, surely he must have said something...

when Vil does find out, though, he just sighs

oh, of course. what next, will everyone meet each other in the arena and fight to the death over the prefect?

of all the silly, immature things...

oh? what's that? he's bidding anyway? of course he is, silly potato. he can't have some unwashed miscreant making you sleep on polyester bedding

(really, he's the only person on campus worthy of your time)

Rook has also been mysteriously absent from the dorm lately, though his initials on a poem and a strangely large sum of money end up in the donation pile

but really, that could be anyone... Rook would never dare betray Vil again, right?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Ortho finds out directly from the other first years and sends Idia the details immediately

with a little note of encouragement, of course: "could be excellent for improving your social skills!"

Idia understandably freaks out

"WTF!!!! nooo way! this is a person, not a chatbot we're talking about here! I can barely keep virtual pets alive!!!!"

(liar)

(...but this is still different)

the conversation ends there, but semi-anonymous bid from someone named "gloomurai" gets cashapp'd directly to crowley

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

everyone in the room immediately turns to Malleus

"For the record, I think it's wrong to be bargaining over a human being," Silver says first. "But if anyone could handle it with grace, it's you."

Lilia laughs. "Oh, you're just saying that because you like the prefect so much!"

"Father, you're the one who likes the prefect so much,"

"Oh, right! carry on then. After all, I'm sure we could share,"

Sebek is the only one relatively against the idea, though Lilia luckily manages to get him to lower his voice after his third speech about how you aren't good enough for his liege

Malleus is rather quiet through the whole evening, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with any of the points made

he disappears for a short while, and when he comes back he seems a little more confident

though, of course, he goes to you first

seeing him at Ramshackle in the middle of the night is a familiar and welcoming sight after all of the chaos of your week

and he's in a great mood!

"Child of man! I've come with news," he says. "I have heard of your predicament and have come up with a solution!"

you immediately sulk. "Oh, no. You know I think this whole thing is terrible, right?"

"Yes, Silver mentioned you might not like the idea of being bought and sold like a trinket. But worry not, I do not plan on paying for you in money,"

you pause, at a loss for words, and then tentatively continue. "You're not...?"

"Of course not. What a primitive idea, I was baffled to hear it myself. My proposal will be more traditional: a modest sum of treasure, and a generous amount of livestock and the finest crop Briar Valley can offer,"

certainly he's not this naive, you think

"You really think Crowley is going to accept that over money? I'm pretty sure Kalim just bid away an entire country's worth,"

he laughs. "You speak as if this is some kind of business deal! I'm quite confident that my dowry will be best,"

huh. that was a strange way of putting it

but then again, you still didn't really understand how things work here, so you go along with it

and you allow yourself to relax. he seems confident in his offer, and he doesn't even see you as some kind of prize to win!

"Oh, well, alright. Thanks! I'm glad you're on it,"

he smiles. "Rest assured, child of man, you're in good hands. My dowry will far outshine the others, and the wedding will be even better,"

"I was honestly getting a little nervous for a momen- wait- wedding!?"

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Sebastian (Pressure) fluff. I need it.

"I gotta ask, do you have personal beef with those Squiddles? Because you sure like harassing them with that light of yours."

"I don't do it on purpose! If that damn Angler stopped killing the lights in every big room, maybe I could see my own hand in front of me!" You scowled up at the sea creature while standing in his humble shop.

Why was Sebastian always taunting you whenever you died to something unexpected..only to act all friendly-like in this place?

Well, you had to be grateful he was the only thing down here that wasn't trying to kill you, and that no other monsters could barge into the shop when you least expect it.

So for once, you could breathe easy..

Until he decided to remind you of those creepy squids who were somehow always in your way.

He must get a kick out of watching you perish.

"Oh of course, blame everybody except yourself." He tsked. "You have more than enough clues on how to survive each creature you encounter...but maybe they should've spoonfed all the details to you instead-"

"I don't need this from you." You huffed. "My damn hands are cramped from holding a locker shut against Pandemonium, Eyefestation gave me a killer headache, nobody bothered to tell me about the people in the walls-"

"And don't forget about those Squiddles, hehe."

Silence.

"Okay, okay. I've had my fun. I'll shut up about them now."

"Thanks. You have any medkits available?"

"Right on my tail, buddy. Hope you got enough data."

"More than enough." As your eyes surveyed the items strapped to his tail, they eventually wandered over to the desk with batteries laying out.

But it wasn't them that caught your interest, but rather the file on the table. 'How curious..is this for a monster I'm gonna meet soon?' You went over to investigate.

"Is the document for sale?"

"Wow, you might be the first to ask me about that and be able to afford it! The others before you barely had enough for a flashlight." Sebastian chuckled, clasping his hands together. "If you're interested, give me a thousand data, and I'll have it ready for you to read when you return to the surface. And don't worry, it's all there. So I won't have to kill you to to reveal any information."

You blinked, realizing what he meant by that as you read the folder's cover and why he was asking so much for it.

Sebastian's Document

Of course, you knew he'd be recognized as a specimen, too, but to be put with Pandemonium, the Anglers, and all those other monsters that tried to eat you alive?

For some reason, it made you frown a little.

"This is your file, and they let you keep it?" You turned back to him.

"...I stole it. And I'm not gonna lie...I regret reading it." He muttered, suddenly looking a bit tense..and sad, even, although he was quick to mask any signs of vulnerability when he realized you were staring. "Anyways, it's a steep price. I'm sure you'd rather spend your assets on-"

"What if I buy it and take it off your hands right now?"

For a moment, his ear fins perked up with surprise, glowing eyes widening. But he was quick to give you a suspicious gaze. "Really? You're that nosey about my lifestory? Pretty weird if you ask m-"

"It's more of a courtesy to you."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean..you look like you're carrying a heavy weight just from that folder being there. You haven't stopped looking at it since I mentioned it." You pointed out, seeing his ears twitch again. "You've always told me "out of sight, out of mind" with the Anglers. Couldn't I say the same about you and that document?"

".....using my own words against me, eh? What're you, a damn psychologist?" He teased, although his words didn't hold as much spite or sarcasm as usual. "But no, you're right. I'd rather forget about it forever. So if you want it that badly, be my guest." His third arm made a grand gesture towards the table. "Just don't get caught parading it around. And don't come crying to me when you realize you needed something else instead of-"

"I won't, trust me." You exchanged the data, taking the folder. "I'll be on my way now. I got a crystal to find."

With that, you began ducking down to renter the vent and continue your journey into the abandoned site-

"Hey."

You paused and looked back at Sebastian, tilting your head as you wondered why he seemed nervous again--wringing his hands together.

"Um..thank you, genuinely..for taking that off my hands." He cleared his throat, sweeping back his dark bangs. "I hope that whatever you find in there doesn't..get in the way of our "partnership". I'd hate to lose my number one customer."

Nodding, you gave him a reassuring smile. "You won't lose my business, Seb. That I promise."

"..now hold on we aren't THAT close to start going by nickna-" He began to snap, but you've already disappeared into the duct. "Aaaand they're gone...hmph..well..least I don't have to worry about that anymore."

Sighing, he looked around the shop, wondering what he should do now.

What you did was certainly a nice gesture.

He only hopes you'll keep your promise and not be afraid of him.

[amnestria-the-elf]

So we're all just supposed to be fucking grateful that Larian gave us "new Wyll content" (evil ending for a man who is canonically incorruptible, what the fuck) and simultaneously broke him again (giving low approval greetings to a romanced PC, what the fuck).

I... I just... the simultaneous feelings of rage and utter hopelessness are overwhelming.

Listen, if you've read any of my posts you know I have a pretty clear "Don't yuck anyone's yum" policy. If you think an evil Wyll ending is interesting, fine. But here's why it falls flat for me.

First, like I said above, Wyll is canonically incorruptible. It's literally the entire basis of his character. He is a man who was coerced into making an infernal contract to save a city and had to pay a horrible price for doing so, then spent seven fucking years alone in the wilderness doing his damned best to protect the people of the Sword Coast, while all along telling his horrible, abusive patron to just fuck off already.

Now, could you argue that during the events of the game, Wyll develops a taste for evil? Sure. There are plenty of opportunities for his villain origin story to unfold. But they never do. His moral compass never wavers. Turned into a devil? He feels shame, because it's an outward sign that he was doing things for Mizora that were morally wrong, and he didn't see it before. His approval rating for the PC shoots through the roof if you save Karlach, a sure indicator of his true moral compass. His father kidnapped? Fuck that noise, we're gonna save him. Rescue Zariel's "asset"? Ugh, fine, but don't get distracted from the real reason we're here. His father gets tadpoled? Oh hells no, we're gonna take down these assholes and save the godsdamned world. His father accuses him of being an agent of a devil and is super pissy about it? "Everything I did, I did for the people of the Sword Coast."

For fuck's sake, he will leave the party if the PC gets too evil, even knowing it means he'll probably turn into a mindflayer immediately. Even if he's romancing the PC. Unwavering moral compass. So giving him an evil ending without also going back and changing everything about his character just feels like lazy writing to me.

Which brings me to the second reason all of this rubs the wrong way. Wyll deserves so much more content. More romanced greetings, more reactions to other characters' choices, a final boss battle that is actually about him, a default ending that actually makes fucking sense (I have another post cooking about the Avernus ending, so I will leave it for now.)

And please, spare me your "But Wyll was rewritten after early access" bullshit. That's Larian's problem. They chose to listen to feedback and do a late-stage rewrite. They then chose to implement it poorly and never fucking fix it. Other characters, who already have far more content than Wyll, have had even more added over the course of the seven released patches. Wyll, on the other hand, has been sitting around completely ignored until now when we get this evil ending.

Many have rightfully pointed out the inherent racism steeped in all of this. I want Larian to be better. But as Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." I already didn't have much hope about Patch 7 for Wyll, but this... honestly, this is worse than him just being ignored again.

The thing that kills me the most is that this is just going to be more fodder for the fandom to completely mischaracterize Wyll, for those who already haven't bothered to think critically about his character at all to just be like, oh, cool, Wyll is evil now. Nope. You've completely missed the point.

I'm just... so tired. I've worked very hard to put this little bubble of Wyll enthusiasts around me (hi friends I love you all!) so that I can hold on to some shred of sanity in this fandom. The world needs heroes of color. Just let Wyll be the hero in peace.

[flwrstqr]

𓈒 MAYBE ONE LESSON FOR ONE KISS? ˒

── ୨୧ bf!beomgyu x f!reader 𝗀enre. fluff, one shot, 𝒘𝗈𝗋𝖽 counts . . . 1387 𝔀arning not proofread, kisses┊DANi NOTEZ ‎⸝⸝⸝ my first txt post 🤤😱 but had this idea for like over a year so finally posting it >< ◞[ continue on to . . . library , request ]

! feedbacks and reblogs are highly appreciated and encouraged! PLS REBLOG ♡

YOU SIT CROSS-LEGGED ON THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR, nervously plucking at the strings of beomgyu's guitar. the instrument feels awkward in your hands, but his reassuring smile makes it all seem a little less daunting.

"okay, so this is how you play a G chord," beomgyu says, his fingers effortlessly moving into position on the fretboard. you try to mimic his movements, but your fingers fumble and you end up producing a discordant noise.

"ugh, how do you make it look so easy?" you groan, pouting at him. he chuckles, the sound light and musical.

"years of practice," he replies, leaning closer to adjust your fingers. his touch is gentle, and you can't help but feel a flutter in your chest.

"see, i'm such a good teacher," he teases, flashing you a playful grin. "you should pay me."

"oh really?" you raise an eyebrow, matching his playful tone. "and what exactly do you want as payment, mr. i'm good at guitar?"

he taps his chin, pretending to think hard about it. "hmm, how about a kiss per hour per lesson?"

you laugh, feeling your cheeks heat up. "a kiss per hour? that's your price?"

"yup," he says, leaning in closer, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "it's only fair, don't you think?"

your heart skipped a beat, warmth spreading through your chest. "that's a pretty steep price, don't you think?" you teased, leaning in closer.

he grinned, his eyes locking onto yours. "worth every second."

you closed the distance between you, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. he hummed contentedly, his hands finding their way to your waist.

"well," you said softly as you pulled away, "alright, fine. but you better make me a guitar pro by the end of this."

he grins wider, his face lighting up with excitement. "deal. now, let's get back to that G chord."

with his hands guiding yours, you manage to form the chord correctly this time. the sound that follows is much better, and you look up at beomgyu, who is beaming with pride.

"see? you're already getting the hang of it," he praises, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. "at this rate, I'll be collecting my payment in no time."

you giggle, feeling a surge of affection for him. "i'll hold you to that, bomgyu."

he leans in, his lips brushing against yours in a soft kiss. "i look forward to it," he whispers, before pulling back and picking up the guitar again. "now, let's move on to the next chord."

as the lesson continues, you find yourself more focused on the closeness you share than the guitar itself. by the end of the hour, you're both laughing and exchanging kisses, the guitar lesson becoming a sweet memory you'll cherish.

"see? best teacher ever," beomgyu declares, giving you one last kiss before setting the guitar aside.

"i can't argue with that," you reply, snuggling into his side.

[akutasoda]

Hii! How are you? I hope you're well!

I have a request,,, Roommate with Aventurine collage au if possible? Reader recently just bought a house but can't really support themselves so they ask one of their friends if they want to move in with them with a few agreements, none of them want to since they already have a place to stay not until Aventurine comes by.. Reader close friends? Are they even friends? Wait of course they are. Aventurine tell reader he wants to move in with them. What? Well I guess there's no other opinion since reader money is tight.

Atlas Aventurine finally moved in with them, it's a bit surprising considering that he's rich.. why would he want to move in with reader anyway? Ahem thing has been great.. a little to great reader was wondering why they never received any electricity bill that they need to pay along said with water bill.. it turns out Aventurine already paid both of it without reader knowledge since he will definitely get scolded... But what is this? Aventurine? Holding them close.. huh? Confusion came to reader. Aventurine never been this so love affection, unless.. no way right?.. they never thought they might end up falling in love with Aventurine. They're just friends.. now way this can happen. Oh well.. maybe begin in relationship with Aventurine isn't bad after all.. right?

This ended up longer than I expected HELP 😭 I'm craving for angst.. but probably need to stop before I start digging my own grave 🚶 I am not ok 😇 it can be fluff, angst comfort.. or just some wholesome love story.. reader is gender natural 🫂

history hates roomates

synopsis - you decide to room with someone you barely knew but you become very well acquainted, almost too well

includes - aventurine ft topaz + ratio

warnings - gn!reader, college/modern au, maybe ooc, fluff, slight crack, slight angst towards the end, wc - 2.7k

a/n: im doing well! hope you are aswell!

college seemed great. you had been accepted into your ideal collage and had made some great, hopefully lifelong, friends. however, the only issue was that you needed to look for a place to stay for the rest of your course. getting to and from college was becoming more hassle than what it was worth as you didn't take up the initial offer of dorms, but now you were deeply regretting that decision. you had spent hours scrolling on the college's website looking at the dorms in hopes of someone putting out a request for a roomate but nothing ever seemed to come about.

in honesty, you were getting tired of constantly looking for places to stay that reduced the amount you needed to travel - you cursed yourself for not taking up the dorm offer when you first got accepted. a sigh escaped you as you were getting bored of searching and decided that it might be better to turn in for the the night but one listing caught you're eye. it was a decently sized house, designed for student stay as the college would sponsor some similar places, that was within a walkable range of your college, it seemed almost perfect if the pricing wasn't so steep but you were desperate at this point so you contacted the lister and showed your interest just in case someone decided to take it before you could - maybe tomorrow you could ask a friend to go halves?

---✩

even as you walked toward your first class of the day, all you could think about was who might be willing to go halves with you on the place. hopes weren't exactly high as it was quite pricey on it's own but in contrast to some of the dormitories it wasn't that bad! your brain was practically on autopilot as you walked into your class and sat down at your designated seat.

maybe if one person wouldn't be willing to go halves, you could ask two friends? however, the more reasonable part of yourself knew that most people either had dorms or were fine with how they got to college daily. you were so engrossed with thinking of a solution that it barely registered that topaz, and numby, had sat beside you.

numby caught your attention first as topaz used that opportunity to pose the question 'everything alright over there? you seemed pretty lost in thought'

to be honest, nobody knew how topaz managed to have numby by her side at all times on campus, some rumours were that she simply paid the headmaster. it was to be expected that not many people wanted to be sat next to the whitette in class with numby always being there, fortunately you weren't all that fussed with the critter - it became rather adorable after a while. so sitting next to topaz had let you become extremely close with her and eventually friends.

'well it could be better' you eventually responded 'i finally found a place near enough to the college but it's rather expensive, kind of need someone to room with'

numby perked it's head and topaz hummed in acknowledgement before adding 'i'm sure you can find someone, ask around a bit and see'

'i only found it last night so i haven't had the chance to ask yet, but i will' you paused before realising 'would you room with me?'

'as much as i would love to, i've got my own dorm here but you shouldn't have a problem finding someone else' she plastered an almost guilty smile on her face 'sorry though'

a small sigh escaped you 'no it's fine, im more at fault for not taking up a dorm originally'

the door to the class opened and you both watched as the professor walked in, topaz leaned over and whispered 'i'll come find you at lunch and we can talk about this later', you nodded and she nodded back.

---✩

your class finished slightly earlier than normal and so you decided to wait outside of topaz's class for the last couple of minutes. while you waited you decided that it might be a good idea to have another look to see what else might've been listed and double check that the lister was still holding the accomodation for you - they had been very generous so far and you didn't want to test their patience and make them wait too long for a final answer, mainly because they're probably was a handful of students also eyeing up the place.

luckily topaz hadn't made you wait too long and you three walked to the normal spot that you'd hang out at. topaz sat opposite you and immediately she demanded to see the place you were looking at.

'defiantly worth finding a roomate for this place, it looks pretty decent for it's price, as steep as it may be' she scrolled through the details to confirm and take a final look at the images, even numby was looking over her shoulder doing small jumps in agreement.

you huffed slightly 'but who would be a decent roommate? it's not like im asking for a lot but im going have to see them everyday and every night until i graduate' you wish that your situation was a bit more fortunate, that way you wouldn't have to find a roommate and just rent the property for yourself.

topaz smiled 'yeah some roommates aren't the best but again, im sure you could ask another friend who doesn't have anywhere?' she watched as your expression made you seem extremely fed up and she only laughed 'i know i know, it's not that simple'

she handed your phone back and paused before adding 'i could always put some words out in your favour, some people i know haven't got anywhere'

'like me?' both you and topaz turned your heads to the approaching blondette.

'i wouldn't wish that fate on anyone' topaz sneered at him

he feined a small laugh 'you're words hurt me but surely im not that bad?' he turned to you and smiled 'so what about it?'

you were shocked at his straight forwardness, he hadn't even seen the property yet, and how did he even know you were looking for a roommate specifically? you weren't exactly jumping at the idea to room with someone who was practically a stranger to you either.

'not to be rude, but rooming with someone i barely know is quite bold, surely you must understand that' you glanced quickly over to topaz who was practically glaring daggers at him.

'i do understand that but any friend of topaz is a friend of mine, if she can get one thing right it's a decent taste in friends' he smiled at topaz and she looked ready to punch him.

you did know that aventurine was an accomplice of topaz, you weren't to sure if they were friends or not though. in honesty, he was a safe bet for a roommate. like topaz, you knew he was quite wealthy and so he could always pay his half of the rent and on time which would be ideal but again, you barely knew him and surely he could afford his own accomodation by himself?

'look, i can see your hesitation but i promise that i'd be an ideal roomate and i could even pay more than my intended dues if you wish?' aventurine looked all too happy for you're liking but really what other choice would you have, you doubted that you could find another roomate anytime soon, it was a gamble but maybe it'd pay off?

'alright fine but surely you'd like to see the property first?' you posed and he shook his head

'im sure that you chose a great place, just send me the details later and when you plan on moving in, tomorrow's more ideal yes?' he paused and then added 'topaz can give you my number' then he simply walked away with a wave goodbye.

---✩

true to his word, you sent him the details later that night and before you knew it, you were stood outside your new accommodation the very next morning. it felt a bit like a fever dream honestly, the accommodation that seemed idyllic was now where you'd stay until graduation but at the cost of rooming with someone who you barely knew - topaz didn't exactly help with her telling you that she wouldn't room with him for all the money in the world.

aventurine arrived shortly after you did, in a car that clearly had a personal driver, he greeted you with a smile and when ypu asked him where his stuff was he assured you it was arriving later and he wanted you to have first pick on your room. it still felt rather surreal to you but you tried pushing those thoughts behind and tried to be more grateful about finally having accommodation more convenient to the college.

and even a week later he was true to his word, aventurine was an ideal roomate. almost too ideal. you were yet again hanging with topaz and numby at lunch and she was very curious as to how much longer you could fair with him as a roomate but to her surprise you could only give positives.

he was always very considerate of your space and anything you owned, he would make for surprisingly good company and was just overall, extremely easy to live beside. the only downside you could think of was that it could still be a bit awkward between you two when talking but considering that you two were practically living together, it was expected to become easier as even after a week it felt much better than before.

although, recently a concern has a risen that you may be behind on your rent and bills. nothing had arrived in the mail and it was worrying because you didn't want to be kicked out, so you reached out and asked just to be told that they'd all been paid. a split second of confusion overcame you but it quickly dissolved when you realised exactly who was paying your side of the rent and bill. it may not seem that bad but in the agreement it was made extremely clear that both parties would pay half of the overall total, no debate. you needed to talk to him about this.

'has something happened?' aventurine asked looking extremely confused, he'd barely stepped foot in the accommodation before he noticed you waiting for him with your arms crossed.

'yes, without me knowing, you answered before continuing 'i realised that i haven't received the rent and bills in a while, so i asked'-

'i know, i should've told you but surely it's not that big of a deal?' he cut you off, 'i already told you before that i wouldn't mind paying more than i needed to'

'yes but that's beside the point, i just wish that you would've asked me or told me even' it was true that it wasn't a big deal but you felt bad that he was paying more than agreed

'that's understandable, but i take it that you won't make me stop paying for them?' a smirk crawled it's way onto his face and he watched you mutter out a 'whatever' before walking toward you.

'will this suffice for an apology' he said before giving you a hug. he pulled away fairly quickly to see your shocked face and proceeded to walk past you and ruffle your hair, to which you quickly snapped around and yelled at him and he only laughed.

---✩

it had now been quite the while since you started rooming with aventurine. naturally, you two had become much more well acquainted to the point that you call him a friend. even after all this time, he still held up being an ideal roommate and this convinced you even more that this was a fever dream. it baffled you that you now sometimes hung out with him at college aswell.

he had informed you earlier today that he would be back a bit later than usual as he was joining a couple of people to an event, formal or not you didn't quite know. aventurine promised that he would try and not be a disturbance on returning but at this point you wouldn't mind if he was. but you settled to just tell him to have fun and that you don't mind when he comes back, he didn't really have to tell you either but the thought was sweet.

however you didn't expect to be woken up by the doorbell at who knows what time in the morning. you sleepily managed to get to the door and unlock it only to be greeted with two figures - one a very clearly tipsy aventurine and the other being the top student at the college, veritas ratio.

'apologies for the inconvenience but i tried warning the gambler to watch his intake, however he clearly didn't listen to me' ratio started 'again apologies but you're going have to take him now, you are his roommate afterall'

'it's fine really, i don't mind that much' you answered, brain still half clouded with a sleepy fog. ratio nodded and helped you steady aventurine against you with his arm around your shoulder before wishing you luck and leaving. you quickly tried to lock the door again so you could escort aventurine into his room.

with some difficulty, you finally managed to get him into his room. admittedly you'd never been in it before and you felt a little bad about entering but you couldn't just lay him down on the ground outside his door, well you could but that would be unfair. he'd have to deal with the fact that he was going to sleep in his current attire but you doubted that be the top of his concerns in the morning.

however you didn't anticipate aventurine to grab onto you as you tried your best to leave quietly. as you were attempting to pry yourself away you heard him mumble a simple request 'just stay a little while'

you sighed and for some reason you decided to comply, you told yourself that you would stay until he fell asleep then you'd leave and go back to your room. or atleast that was the plan before aventurine took your compliance and wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a hug - that's fine, it just made it harder to leave but you could manage, is what you told yourself.

unfortunately, you never managed to pry yourself from aventurine and you're sleepy state made it easier to fall asleep then and there. however, you woke up before aventurine and managed to scramble before he woke up, although he woke up not too long after and met you, rather guilty, in the kitchen.

he seemed to remember last night as he started with 'i apologise for my behaviour last night, i wasn't quite in control of myself' he barely could meet your eyes shich was very uncharacteristic for the outgoing blonde and you knew that he probably never wanted to bring this up again.

'it's fine, you were slightly tipsy and it's understandable, barely anything happened either so it's completely fine' you noticed that he still looked rather sad

'thank you' he replied for going back upstairs.

it couldn't be ignored, the somber tone that filled the house felt almost suffocating. in honesty, you found it sweet that he trusted you enough to ask you to stay with him but he was drunk, you knew aventurine wasn't that affectionate but he still seemed to hold a sense of consciousness... no, you were overthinking. you two were friends, that's it. so maybe it was bad you both wished for something more than friends...

taglist - @little-miss-chaoss, @frankiesteinn

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Commission Menu!

I've removed the "Pay What You Want" commission option, though you can pay more than my asking price on any of the commissions. The commission menu itself has been increased though! I had originally intended to open commissions in September, but emergencies happened, forcing me to open them early.

On the menu are:

A set of four quilted magnets or decorative pins.

A set of four coasters, with several options for more coasters as well as insulated batting to make them into hot pads/pot holders.

A single mug rug, with insulated batting as an option. For my shop, I use insulated batting for the mug rugs. For commissioned pieces, it's two layers of cotton batting or an extra $5 for insulated batting.

Due to popular demand, a single serving dining set. This is for a single placemat and matching coaster.

A four piece placemat set. If you would like me to make more placemats for a set, please contact me about this.

A single mini quilt. These range from 18x18 inches to 25x25 inches. They're excellent wall and table decorations!

A single table runner. I'm rather fond of these because of how flexible they are with regards to use. How so? Hang them on a wall, drape over the back of a couch, lay across a car seat, use it on an altar or shrine, etc.

A pine tree wallhanging. These are an excellent alternative to a Yuletide tree. They're hung on a wall and you can decorate it with your favorite pins or buttons. If you would like some decorative pins, I can make those (see the first item on this list). No trees will be cut down, cats won't be climbing up it nor break ornaments, it takes just a couple minutes to set up or take down. Storage is also very easy! Oh, and it can be made with a wide range of colors.

A rag quilt. I have different size options available! These are made using a quilt-as-you-go technique and are very quickly made. Oh, and they're EXTREMELY warm! My house gets very chilly in winter, and the rag quilt I've made for myself works like magic.

Just the quilt top. This is available in several sizes, the largest being twin. This is for just the quilt top. You will need to purchase backing, batting, and either do the quilting yourself or hire someone else. You will also receive all fabric scraps left after the sewing is done.

Please read over the details and don't be afraid to ask questions. If you're a monthly supporter, you will automatically receive a 15% discount, but you have the option to pay more than my asking price should you decide you don't want to use the discount.

Please reblog! It's the only way other people will see this post. Liking this is only a bookmark for you. Remember, Tumblr is a blogging site with social features; it's not a social media site. You are, however, welcome to share this post on any social media site you use.

Remember: commissioning me, purchasing anything from my shop, or donating to my goal will earn you an entry into winning a free quilt when said goal is reached.

Commissions close November 1st.

After November 1st, I'll be focusing on making a stack of quick and easy quilt tops to practice free motion quilting. Those quilts will be sold at a steep discount. Once I'm comfortable with FMQ, I'll be making larger quilts again, and these will be listed in the shop.

At some point, I'll take a break. Financially speaking, that's not really an option unless we pay off the last vet bill and the water heater installation. If those goals are met, then yes, I'll take a long overdue and well-earned break.

If you're willing to give me full artistic license and the only input you give is choosing the size range from the commission menu, use GOHOGWILD for a 15% discount. Please know there's a 90% chance it will be a Halloween quilt. Halloween is my favorite month, and celebrating it with quilts is always a pleasure. You are not required to use the coupon code, and there's the option to pay more than my asking price. I just really want to make some Halloween quilts.

Here are samples of my work, some of which you can purchase from my shop here.

[kittenintheden]

No Thoughts, Just Vibes

Oh, you know, just a little Solstice/Midwinter treat for you. Enjoy!

Rating: E Pairing: Astarion/Tav (descriptionless) (BG3) Content warnings: PWP, PIV sex, oral sex, sex toys, tooth-rotting fluff

---

Their adventures by night in Faerún take them all over, from the Underdark to check up on Astarion’s siblings and their new spawn charges to Waterdeep in search of potential arcane solutions for certain undead individuals with sun sensitivity.

In fact, they find themselves entering Waterdeep just in time for Midwinter. The magicked streetlamps of the place glow golden and are festooned with all manner of wintery decorations, which feel oddly out of place in the seaside city but have a magic all their own nonetheless.

It’s just past dark when they approach a wizard’s tower, having spent the daylight hours getting to know the tavern and inn down the way while the sun still sparkled off the water. Now that it’s safe once again, Astarion and Tav ring the bell near the tower door and are greeted with a series of chiming meows in the style of a popular carol.

“He really doesn’t have to try so hard,” Astarion says, smirking despite himself. “And yet.”

“Let him be the dork of his dreams,” Tav chides playfully. “He deserves it. We all do.”

On cue, the large door of cypress wood before them swings open and their wizard friend holds out his hands in the foyer of his tower, arms wide.

“You made it!” Gale says, beaming. “Come, come inside. Please mind Tara, she’s been quite taken with the mistleberry and has made herself sick more than once despite my gentle reminders .” He yells the last words toward the spiraling staircase and from a nook nestled high in the wall, he receives a hiss in response.

“Relateable,” Astarion mutters as he comes inside, but he accepts an embrace from Gale nonetheless, giving him a stilted pat on the back.

Truly, the lot of them are glad their adventuring brought them to Gale’s doorstep. It’s nice to be off the road and surrounded by modern luxury again, and the wizard’s gone out of his way to ensure their modest celebration is full of delights. He’s even procured a top-vintage sanguine refreshment for Astarion.

“Did you imbue this with clove?” he asks, swirling it in his goblet and giving it another sniff.

“Not exactly,” Gale says, cheeks rosy from his own imbibed glass of wine. “Were you aware certain herbal and spiced components cross the blood barrier when inhaled or consumed? Give the resulting blood a bit of an essence for a certain frame of time. Garlic is the most common offender, but I thought I’d skip it, in this case. This donation came from a dear friend in the spice trade. One who doesn’t ask many questions and frequently dabbles in certain other trades.”

Astarion blinks against the verbal onslaught, then turns to Tav and says, “Hold on. Is that why I break out in hives after you’ve put too much garlic in your food?”

Tav’s also delightfully tipsy and she raises her glass to him. “I love you, dearest, but I’m not giving up garlic for you. Some prices are simply too steep.”

The night winds on and on like that until eventually Tav nods a sleepy head onto Astarion’s shoulder and he guides her off to bed in the spare room at the base of the tower. He returns to Gale, who’s ragaling Tara with his own rendition of “Marvelous Midwinter” to her great disdain.

“So, Gale,” Astarion says, interrupting to give Tara an appropriately respectful scritch on her head. “I have a bit of a favor to ask, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Not at all, my friend,” Gale says, swaying. “How can I help?”

Astarion reaches into his pocket and procures a folded bit of something. He hands it to Gale, who unfolds it and examines it with some curiosity before cocking a brow at him.

“Any possibility of, erm. Recreating something to this effect?” Astarion asks. “One tied to a command word, perhaps?”

“Oh, certainly,” Gale says, going into tinkering mode as he examines the object. “I would need a few components, but luckily I have them in stock, thanks once again to my spice merchant friend. A little bit of articifer ingenuity to craft an arcane battery, some relatively complex enchantment, and a… wait.”

Gale gives Astarion another look and the vampire tilts his head and smirks.

“Right, I’m not asking,” Gale says, eyes back on his new puzzle. “Give me a day.”

“Lucky we’ll be here for three,” Astarion says with a light laugh.

The morning of Waterdeep’s official Midwinter celebration dawns bright and mild, the sea breeze rustling through the thick curtains they keep drawn in the guest room to ensure Astarion doesn’t wake up with burns or worse. They doze in the double bed in their underthings, Tav draped across Astarion’s chest and breathing softly as she wavers in and out of sleep. He’d actually fallen asleep last night, pressed up safe against her, and now he smiles into her hair, tracing his fingers up and down her arm.

Eventually she stretches along the length of her body and yawns against his skin, resting her chin on him and looking up into his face. She blinks lazily and runs a finger over the length of his nose with a delicate touch.

“Morning, dear,” she says, voice still rusty with sleep.

“Happy Midwinter, my love,” he murmurs in return. “I got you a little something.”

“Oh?” Tav purrs, sitting up a bit. “Is it fun?”

He arches a brow. “I certainly hope so.”

Astarion tangles his fingers in her sleep-mussed hair and draws her to his mouth, kissing her deeply as she relaxes into his body, letting her tongue stroke against his. He rolls them both to their sides and hooks his leg over hers, taking his time as he lights up her skin in all the ways he knows she loves. She laughs, tilting her head back to expose her throat to him, and he licks along the column of it, though he doesn’t bite. He wants her fully aware this morning.

With one hand, he deftly undoes the clasps of her brassiere and tosses it aside. Her smallclothes follow quickly after. She hums, pleased, lazing onto her back as he kisses down her breastbone, palming one of her breasts and rolling his thumb over her nipple until it peaks. His mouth works at the other, teasing and swirling until she’s arching up into him and rubbing her thighs together.

“Is this my gift?” she sighs. “I like it.”

Astarion chuckles against the space below her breasts as he continues working his way down. “In part, I suppose. But not quite.”

He runs his tongue underneath her breast and then leaves her a moment to fetch something from the side table. She whines at his absence, but he doesn’t leave her waiting long. He rolls back over, slipping a ring snugly down onto the second knuckle of his middle finger.

She giggles. “Are you proposing to yourself? Fitting, honestly.”

“You’re cute when you’re lust drunk,” he says before he puts the weight of his body on top of hers, kissing her deep.

He hauls her leg up by the thigh, wrapping it around his waist so he has better access as he runs his hands down the length of her, gripping her arse tight before moving around to the front and teasing his clever touch between her legs. She’s already going wet, her arousal making for a smooth draw over her skin and she settles into it, a wide smile on her face, knowing she’s in a master’s hands.

Astarion grins. She has no idea.

He places his hand flat against her slit, cupping her and resting the ring against her in just the right place.

“ Deliciae ,” he whispers.

The ring sends a brief, rapid vibration through her core, just beside her clit, and Tav cries out in surprise, bucking her hips and gripping his biceps, her breath going erratic. She’s fully awake now, staring up into his face, wide-eyed.

“What in the hells,” she gasps.

Astarion gives her a light kiss. “I’d hoped you’d like it,” he says. Then, again, “ Deliciae .”

“Oh,” she says, her thighs shaking on either side of him as another vibration pulses through her. “Oh, dearest . Again.”

He's happy to comply, kissing her between her gasps and mewls, repeating the command word in a sultry whisper while he works her with his fingers in the meantime. His own arousal aches where it’s pressed against her hip and he gently grinds it against her for relief, just enough to keep his own head as he watches her break to pieces beneath him.

Tav rolls her head back and opens her mouth in a silent scream as her legs shake, incapable of holding back their shudders as a shivering, powerful peak comes over her under the little toy. It’s familiar but sweeter; her hips rise off the mattress and then slam down as she tips over the other side. Astarion feels her clenching and pulsing, strong and slick, and the entire ordeal is instantly worth it to bear witness to the unraveling. There is no pleasure, no greater high, than knowing he’s the one who brings her to this state. The one who has the privilege. The one she chose.

She blinks back to herself, a moan low in her throat as she tries to clear the spots in her vision. When she meets his eyes again, he’s panting himself, still rolling his hips to get some relief against her side. Her gaze clears as she breaks the surface of her pleasure and she growls, grabbing his face and bringing him down to her mouth, nipping his lower lip between her teeth until he whines from it.

“You liked my gift?” he whispers, breath quickened.

“Oh, yes,” she sighs. “Now let me give you yours.”

Tav’s hand snakes down their bodies to find his fingers and she takes them, slipping the ring off. He’s so dazed with lust that he lets her without thinking about it too much and gladly moves as she rolls them both until he’s the one on his back. Her mouth is so hot on his cooled skin as she places open mouthed kisses everywhere he likes – the space behind his ear, the place where shoulder meets neck, every rib on the way down. She spreads a hand in the center of his chest, over where his heart resides, and presses him into place as she licks down the line between his abdominal muscles.

Astarion’s cock twitches, throbbing against the weight of her body as she continues her path, and she uses her free hand to give him a rewarding squeeze and stroke, running the pad of her thumb over the split underneath the head. She gives his foreskin a little swirl, helping make sure it’s properly drawn down, and he thrusts up into her hand with a pleased murmur.

It’s taken time and significant gentle coaxing to get him to a place where he simply lets go and allows her to lavish him with attention. A lesson he’s forever learning, rewriting centuries of conditioning with care, with passion, with love. He closes his eyes and focuses on her touch, allowing himself the pleasures she’s happy to share with him.

With a slight jolt, he twitches when he feels her warm tongue follow the path of her fingers, rolling circles around the head of him and applying long licks down his length. Her fingers move to his sack, gently rolling his balls in her palm, warming them. She places a knuckle against the spot beneath them, kneading deep but gentle, finding the place that drives him wild.

“You are so good to me,” he sighs as she moves her mouth over his head again. “That’s so good.”

He senses her smile just before she swallows him down, taking his length halfway into her mouth and working him a few times before she pulls off and says, “ Deliciae .”

Astarion’s vision whites out as the knuckle pressing into his perineum sends a hard vibrating pulse through him at the same time she takes his cock in her mouth again. He gives a sharp cry.

“Bleeding hells,” he manages. “I… I…”

She pulls off of him, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, and says it again.

Pleasure upon pleasure crashes over him, lighting up his entire body as he writhes under her touch. She goes slow enough to make it delightfully tortuous, though it would be incredibly easy to push him over the edge in short order. She moves the enchanted ring, experimenting in different places – the base of his cock, the rim of his arse, the crease of his thighs – and each spot brings new sensations.

He’s an absolute mess by the time she draws back and crawls up his body, his hands weakly grasping at her hips as she sits up on her knees, gingerly reaching between her legs to hold his cock in place as she slides down onto it, both of them near sobbing at the sensation.

“I love you,” he manages with what little breath he can hold. “Gods, I love you, I love you.”

“Love you,” she breathes back as she rolls her hips hard against him over and again. “Love this. All of this.”

Tav rides him slowly, firmly, with intention. When they get to a point where they can’t help but pick up speed, grinding one another into oblivion, Tav lifts his shaking hand in hers and takes the ring from her finger so she can slip it back onto his, the movement reverent.

Astarion looks her in the face as he reaches down between them with his fingers spread over the base of his cock where they meet, resting the ring right alongside her oversensitive clit. 

“ Deliciae ,” they say together.

They shatter in the same moment, eyes rolling back, crying out to the morning light. The waves of delight roll like the tide outdoors, rising up the shore and receding back to the great unknown.

Tav collapses onto Astarion’s chest and his arms are so very heavy as he lifts them to wrap around her back. They breathe, and pulse, and live. Eventually, he begins tracing soothing patterns along her skin.

He clears his throat. “I take it that’s the inaugural positive review for Gale’s potential toy venture?” he says.

“Oh gods, that’s where…” Tav covers her face with her hands. “Oh gods, I have to go out there and see him.”

Astarion laughs and she laughs with him.

[savemefromanepicoftimewasted]

Welcome to The Team

John Price X F!Civilian Reader

But when everyone noticed the oh so subtle change in Price’s behavior suddenly, well everyone was on high alert. He’d always smile or nod when passing by someone on base, even giving a gruff hello if he had the time and energy. But this? The way he was practically skipping down the halls with joy was unnerving. No one would ever say anything though, not unless they wanted to have their head on a platter.

a/n:this is my first ever CoD fic, so please be kind! feedback is much appreciated! warnings:mentions of trauma(iykyk)Soap being...Soap, soft Ghost, alludes to sexy times but no actual smut

It was no surprise to everyone on the team that Price had essentially turned himself into the “dad” of the group. Even Ghost had jokingly said in the past how much of a father figure Price had presented himself as. It didn’t matter that he ranked higher than everyone else, they all respected him no matter what. Soap had joked a few times that it was funny watching someone like Ghost call Price dad, considering how “scary” he looked. Of course out on the field no one dared to utter anything about Price’s status amongst them. It was better to stay level headed so that nothing could go awry.

But when everyone noticed the oh so subtle change in Price’s behavior suddenly, well everyone was on high alert. He’d always smile or nod when passing by someone on base, even giving a gruff hello if he had the time and energy. But this? The way he was practically skipping down the halls with joy was unnerving. No one would ever say anything though, not unless they wanted to have their head on a platter.

—-------  

Ghost had been watching the way Price paced around the room, muttering under his breath as if trying to remember something important. It was something he’d started doing before missions, especially difficult ones. That wasn’t what concerned the taller man though, not at all, it was the smile that spread across his face. Price looked like he’d won the lottery and was getting ready to retire. He couldn’t remember the last time he looked so happy before, it was unnerving. Who was this man, and what had they done with Price? Had they started controlling him through a toxin? It would be the easiest way to get him vulnerable.

“Good mornin’ sir.” Ghost grabbed his own mug, popping in a tea bag as he watched Price prepare his own cup of tea.

“Ghost.” Price nodded his head, pouring two small scoops of sugar into the mug.

Hmm, maybe it was the sugar that was poisoning him, it would be the easiest way to poison someone who was otherwise oblivious. Ghost, not to be suspicious, scooped one measly scoop of sugar into his own mug, pouring hot water into the cup. Price took his mug and headed back down to his office to work. Ghost waited until his tea had steeped before removing the bag and stirring it slowly. Sighing deeply he pulled the bottom of his mask up and over his mouth, taking a slow sip as to not scald his mouth.

The flavor of the tea washed over his tastebuds, the sweetness of the sugar following soon after. He waited to see if he’d started to feel any different, would his mind slow to a crawl, or would it hit when he went out to see the other men. He finished the mug over the course of a few minutes, rinsing out the cup and setting it onto the drying rack nearby. After pulling his mask back down, he headed out to try and find Soap and Gaz. 

They were both relaxing in the common room, playing a card game that Ghost didn’t really understand fully. The tea had settled in his stomach, and it was with that realization that they were wrong.

“I hate to say it boys, but Price isn’t being poisoned, sugar isn’t contaminated.” Soap angrily threw down his cards, they were all shocked.

“You’re kidding, there’s obviously something going on!” Gaz watched the way Ghost shook his head, truly confirming that they were wrong once more.

“I’ll call Laswell, have her send a priest.” Soap all but threw himself out of the chair.

Gaz started laughing, having a priest come and check on Price due to his weird actions would absolutely go down in history. It was justified though, Price was being weird and they were going to figure it out. Soap was getting ready to dial the number before Ghost snatched the phone out of his hand.

“No, we’re not calling Laswell because Price is acting a little weird, we’ll figure it out on our own.” Ghost kept the phone out of Soap’s reach, thankful for the extra height.

“Gi’me the damn phone!” Soap was doing everything he could to snatch it, only failing so effortlessly.

“No! We’re not calling her!” Ghost was doing his best to keep the phone away as Soap tried to yank his arm down.

Gaz calculated how easily he could snatch the phone from his hand, seeing which odds would work best in his favor. Lucky for him Ghost’s arm dropped ever so slightly as Soap yanked his arm down. Neither soldier realized that Gaz had the phone until he’d already dialed the number and hit call.

“Gaz, long time no talk, how’ve you been?” Laswell was suspicious, no one usually called her unless it was an emergency.

“Price is compromised.” Gaz didn’t even try to stop himself to help articulate his words.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” That was a horrible thing to hear, what were they going to do?

“He’s been unusually happy for the last few weeks, and you know Price.” Gaz had turned on the speakerphone so that Soap and Ghost could hear as well.

“Sounds serious, I’ll send someone over to check on him. Anything else?” Laswell had known all along, but she wasn’t about to ruin the surprise.

“No, that’s it.” Gaz waited for her reply, frowning when he realized that she had hung up.

To be fair, he would’ve done the same thing if needed. But who would she be sending? They’d need to know in order to let them inside. It was probably some military doctor, someone that Laswell had vetted to the point that everyone was in good hands. Now it was all about making sure Price didn’t leave until then. 

“Alright, we need to act normal so that Price doesn’t know we’re onto him.” It sounded simple enough, acting calm, cool and collected so that they could snoop.

Until they were all in the common room, and Price was downright giggling at his phone like some lovesick teenager. It was nearly impossible to calmly sit and eat a meal together, not while they watched Price whisper to himself before replying to another message. Nope, this was the final straw that had pushed all of them over the edge.

“Price, I-” Soap was cut off by someone knocking on the door.

All four men turned to face the door, now on edge to who might be outside. People very rarely knocked on the door unless they were new. Gaz bit the bullet, heading over to the door and opening it slowly. He stared blankly at Laswell, and what looked to be a priest standing outside. She pushed the door open fully and headed inside.

“Good day boys, I’m here with a friend of mine. This is Father Murdock, he’s a priest.” Soap’s jaw had nearly hit the table, while Ghost’s eyes were wide.

“A priest is going to help us figure out what’s wrong with Price?” The guy didn’t look any older than Gaz.

“Yes, now if you boys don’t mind we’ll take it from here.” She had ushered everyone out threw the door, locking it behind herself so they couldn’t sneak back inside.

Ghost was the most affronted, how dare he get shoved out along with the other two idiots! He’d been the only one doing any actual research. Okay, maybe Gaz calling worked out in their favor a little bit more, but that didn’t change things! He’d been shunned out, and it was annoying. What the hell could they have been talking about to begin with? 

—----

“Alright, when are you going to tell them about her?” Laswell knew the whole story, the person she’d brought as the “priest” was an old friend of the family.

“Was thinking about having her come visit for a few days, but need to make sure there’s nothing going on first.” That was true, Price wanted nothing more than for you to visit.

“Well, make sure that they don’t end up freaking out and causing more chaos.” Nothing more annoying than cleaning up their mess.

Price nodded at her, face pulling into a frown to hide how he was truly feeling. Sometimes it was fun to mess with the team, and today was one of those days. Laswell shut the door behind her, and Mr. Murdock as they both left.

“You guys are right, I’d keep an eye on him a little longer. And please only call if there’s a bigger emergency next time.” Laswell patted Gaz’s shoulder before heading out.

Soap wanted to retort that this was a big emergency! Price had started to change and they needed to figure out what was going on. Did he have a secret family they didn’t know about, and was getting updates from his partner? Nah, that man was almost as closed off as Ghost when it came to feelings and relationships.

Unanimously they came to a decision that Soap would be the one to ask Price why he suddenly had what could only be considered a pep in his step. If it wasn’t for Ghost following him the entire time Soap would’ve chickened out multiple times. Why was he being made to do this? It would’ve been better if Ghost or Gaz asked! With a resounding sigh he pushed open Price’s door and walked in, waiting until the older man looked up to acknowledge him.

Price’s hands didn’t stop for even a second, typing away to help get the paperwork finished in time for dinner.

“Hey Captain. The guys and I were talking and wanted to ask you something.” Soap was downright panicking, sweat running the back of his neck.

Price stopped typing and slowly turned to face Soap, the Scottsman was more intimidated than he wanted to let on.

“I met someone, didn’t think you would find out for a little while.” Price turned to face him, a more neutral expression hiding everything.

“Wait, you’re da’ing someone?” Soap was shocked, Price never talked about his relationships.

“Aye, and I don’t want you haggling me about it.” Price didn’t give him a chance to say anything else before walking off.

Soap however knew he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut with the new information he’d gotten, so he did what anyone else would do. Ran and told everyone that was around what he’d heard. Gaz was just as shocked, jaw dropping open dramatically as Soap told him everything. Ghost was slightly less surprised, but no less happy for Price. Soap could only tell that Ghost had any type of reaction was the way his eyebrows rose underneath the mask. None of them were aware that Price was currently on the phone with you, discussing plans for the next time he could visit.

“You better be taking me out, I deserve it.” You couldn’t stop your giggle, cutting up onions for your dinner.

“Of course, my boys won’t be there so it’ll just be us,” Price was downright ecstatic to see you, hoping the days would go by sooner. “One of these times they’re going to ask to talk to me, you know that.” You carefully scooped up the onions and dumped them into the pot on the stove.

Price sighed softly, he knew it was only a matter of time before Soap had found out who you were. It was kind of scary how intelligent he could be at times, but Price needed that on his team.

“I know, and that’s why I was going to ask if you wanted to come here.” It was a long shot, but Price would love to have you visit him and meet everyone.

“Really? You’d let me come down and meet all of the boys on your turf?” It was risky, especially considering you were a civilian.

“Of course, they’ll find out who you are by the end of the day so why not meet the lot?” In reality he wanted nothing more than for you to be in his arms.

“Well, I do have some vacation time I can use. If you aren’t busy within the next two weeks I can make it down.” You were already planning on what to pack, maybe you could get some little things for all the boys.

Price promised he’d set a week strictly for the two of you, promising that he wouldn’t get called away at the last minute so that you could meet everyone. Of course he couldn’t truly guarantee something wouldn’t happen, he was only human. He had no doubt in his mind the boys would keep you safe if he suddenly had to leave, but he didn’t want them to flirt with you. Ghost would be as friendly as he could be, but everyone else would definitely flirt.

“Tickets bought, I’ll see you in a few weeks.” You were overly proud of yourself, now packing the essentials was the next thing you had to focus on.

“I can’t wait darling.” Price was over the moon, which meant right now he needed to stay focused and make sure there were no loose ends after missions.

“See you soon.” You wanted to wait to hang up, listen to the gravel tone for just a few minutes longer.

Unfortunately you knew that John, as you’d come to call him strictly, had plans he needed to attend and therefore had to end the call anyway. Your job wouldn’t hesitate on giving you the time off, you were one of the best employees and they couldn’t risk losing you. Plus what’s a few days? You’d go and visit John, meet his children, and then head home. It would all go smoothly and you weren’t going to complain. 

It would be perfectly fine, and you’d get to spend a few days with John. It would all work out perfectly fine.

—-----

You had clearly jinxed yourself, because not only did you not wake up with your alarm to leave for your flight, but then your flight had been delayed nearly three hours. You’d told John the moment you found out, more angry that the world was suddenly against you. If that didn’t ruin your entire day you were stuck on a flight next to a man determined you sleep against you. You had all but demanded to be moved to a different seat. The one positive is that they’d had a free seat open in first class. It would only take a few hours until you were reunited with John and then you’d meet the boys.

You had made it only about five steps out of the airport before your eyes landed on John, excitedly running over and throwing your arms around his neck.

“I’m so happy to see you!” Truth be told it was the only thing you’d been thinking about for days.

“Glad to have you back in my arms.” John tightened his grip, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek.

You giggled at the way his beard rubbed against your skin, pulling back just enough so that you could see his face. It never stopped to amaze you at how gorgeous he was, everything about him screamed perfect.

“Why don’t we get you back so you can relax. The boys might start hounding me to see you and I’d like at least a few minutes of peace.” John took your bags swiftly, heading over to the truck he’d taken to come pick you up.

It was more than obvious it belonged to the army, despite the fact that no one seemed to even bat an eye at the pair of you. Was this the normal thing when you were part of the military? Or did John get special treatment for looking so intimidating? You weren’t complaining at all, the man had that rugged angry dad type of vibe you’d always been into. He simply just checked every box on your list, and clearly you’d done the same for him.

John helped you get into the passenger seat, keeping a hand on any part of your body to make sure that you got in safely. He couldn’t recall the amount of times one of the boys had fallen out of the truck due to exhaustion, or being too drunk. It was funny to watch, but wrangling them up when he was downright dead on his feet? Nightmare. 

“Are you excited to meet everyone?” John rested his hand against your headrest, pulling out of the parking spot with ease. It made you a little jealous at how effortless he did everything.

“Excited and a little nervous, I just want to make sure I don’t end up accidentally upsetting anyone by saying the wrong thing.” John had told you the quick gist of everything back when he knew things were serious.

Ghost, or Simon as John had called him in private, dealt with a lot of PTSD and trauma, things that even he refused to ever elaborate on. Gaz, or Kyle, was one of the more neutral of the men, though he did have his moments of self doubt and wondering if he was doing the right thing. Alejandro wasn’t in the state so you wouldn’t be meeting him unless he came back before your flight home. And then there’s Soap, or Johnny as John had strictly begun to call him. He was the rowdiest of the bunch, a little reckless when it came down to it but he got the job done. It was obvious how much John cared about his men and making sure they stayed safe no matter what.

“They’ll warm up to you in no time, I can promise you that.” John had no doubts they would be friendly, at least upon first greeting.

“I know not to hug Simon, I remember that important detail.” You felt anger towards the harsh things that Simon had gone through, even if he was still here today it didn’t erase his past.

“At least not right away, if he initiates the hug then go ahead, but he’s never been big on physical touch.” John would make sure no one even laid so much as a finger on you without him there.

The drive was short, much quicker than you’d been anticipating and now you were nervous to actually meet everyone. What if they realized you weren’t the person that Price should be with and proceeded to give the cold shoulder? That would probably be the worst case scenario at this rate. Now wasn’t the time to think about all the what ifs, not when John was parking the truck and getting out to grab your bags. Unfortunately that did little to stop your brain from running a mile a minute, John trying to get your attention as you spiraled.

“Darling, you alright?” John was getting worried, you were completely lost to the world.

“Yeah, just got lost in thought.” You turned to face him, shoulders slightly tense as you slipped out of the car.

John didn’t want to push, to make things more tense when you seemed to not be doing so well suddenly. He’d wanted you to come visit so badly he didn’t even think about how you would feel being surrounded by nothing but men the entire time. You knew all about them though, surely that wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

“Alright, let’s drop your bags off and then you can meet Gaz first.” Frankly all John wanted to do was keep you holed up in his room for at least two days.

“Lead the way captain.” You smirked at the way John seemed to straighten up.

The walk was short, surprisingly no one stopped him to ask questions on who you were or to discuss something you wouldn’t know of. John did everything he could to keep his career away from you. Your safety was his number one priority and he wasn’t about to risk that in any way shape or form.

“‘Ere we are, if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask, want to make sure you’re fully comfortable.” John placed your bags down beside his bed, turning to face you once more.

You calculated how easily it would be to get him in that bed without hurting yourself in the process. He was skilled, that much you knew, but right now you wanted nothing more than to climb that man like a tree. So, without giving yourself a chance to overthink or talk yourself out of the decision, you quickly ran over and knocked John down onto the bed. You both landed with a soft oof, John wrapped his arms around your waist. You’d been blissfully unaware of how closely the two of you were pressed together.

“Well, if I’d know this was where the day was headed I’d have dressed nicer.” John couldn’t stop the smirk that pulled up his face.

“You say that as if what you’re currently wearing isn’t one of the sexiest things ever.” Sure it was nothing more than a simple gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but god he looked delectable.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” His hands slid up your thighs, hands gripping and squeezing the flesh of your ass.

You couldn’t stop the moan that slipped out, nails digging into his firm chest ever so slightly. Enough to sting, but not enough to do any real damage to him. The air started to electrify around you, heart racing as you pulled him closer. Your lips clashed harshly, hands roaming each other’s bodies as if you couldn’t live without it. John kissed like a man starved, lips moving languidly with your own. The two of you were blissfully unaware of everything else going on, lost in each other's bodies.

“Captain!” A loud knock on his door startled the both of you, you’d all but thrown yourself off his bed.

“What is it?” John’s voice was deep, a gravelly tone that was doing so many things for you in that moment.

“Ghost was looking for you earlier, wanted me to let you know if I found you.” You sighed softly, running a hand over your face at nearly being caught practically rutting against John like a cat in heat.

“I’ll find him in a few, thank you.” Well this wasn’t going according to plan, so now he would definitely need to make it up to you.

However once you two were alone once more and John’s gaze landed on you he was shocked. Your face was flushed, eyes glazed over as you stared him down. He didn’t utter a single word, simply lifted his hand and beckoned you towards him. Thankfully no other recruits had come by to ask anymore questions.

Not that either of you would’ve been able to answer.

—---------

Ghost was reading over reports when Price walked inside, the smile on his face was even bigger than before. They all knew about the special friend in his life, but something must have happened in order for him to look even happier.

“What’s got you smilin’?” Ghost normally didn’t press, not wanting to ruin someone’s good day by being nosy.

“Got a visitor for the next couple weeks, trying to make the most of it.” He grabbed a couple of sandwiches for the two of you before snagging a bottle of water.

“Don’t let Soap know, boy’ll try and flirt with her.” Ghost knew that Johnny would flirt with any woman he found attractive, it was no surprise.

“I’m gonna have ‘er meet everyone at dinner, now if you’ll excuse me.” John didn’t wait for Simon to reply before heading back down to his room.

You were sure you’d lost feeling in your legs entirely, body slumped against his mattress as you kept the thin sheet pulled over yourself. Were you even still alive? Or had John killed you with the best dick you’d ever gotten? The latter, it was definitely the latter.

“There’s my favorite girl.” John smiled as he set down the sandwiches and water.

“I’m not gonna be able to move later, you’ve ruined me.” You grabbed onto his wrist, pulling him down onto the bed beside you.

He went willingly, wrapping his arms around your waist. This was something he’d never expected he would have in his life. But laying with you washed all those insecurities away, it may not have been long but he couldn’t imagine a life without you now.

“If anything I’ll carry you down, but why don’t you get some food and water in you first.” It would be a few hours before dinner anyway.

You nodded, letting John help you sit up and eat. Hopefully after a nice nap you would feel more comfortable and wouldn’t start second guessing everything. It didn’t take long for your eyes to start drooping, exhaustion setting in along with the jetlag. John kept his arms around you, waiting until you’d fallen asleep to lay down himself. Dinner was going to be an event, and he needed to be on high alert.

Your heart was pounding in your chest as John led the way to the lounge area. He wanted to introduce you to everyone and then head out to dinner. This was going to be make or break, nothing but doubt running through your mind. What if Simon didn’t like you? He was the only person you were putting all your faith in.

“Boys! I’d like you to meet someone special.” John pulled you into his side, waiting to see everyone’s reaction to you.

Gaz and Soap were shocked but seemed excited to finally meet you, neither made a move to run over and greet you in fear that John would get pissed. Ghost on the other hand stood up slowly, towering over you as he stopped only a foot away.

“Hi, John’s told me a lot about you.” Your neck was starting to hurt from looking up at the burly man. One thing he’d failed to mention was how fucking tall he was.

“Only good things I hope.” Ghost was downright terrified, he knew you were coming and had probably been told about the mask.

“Of course.” Your smile was gentle, body moving before you could truly stop yourself.

Your arms were wrapped around his waist in a friendly hug, the room falling silent as everyone watched with bated breath. Was it rude to assume that he would end up freaking out? Yes, but knowing all of his past trauma didn’t help. Ghost took a deep breath, arms wrapping around your shoulders to squeeze you even tighter. A squeal slipped through your lips, laughing loudly at how comforting his embrace was. It felt so much like a bear hug you didn’t even want to let go.

“You give some amazing hugs, wow.” You were the first to pull away, eyes locking onto his mask once more.

“Comes with the territory.” Ghost wasn’t going to bring the mood down, not when Price looked so happy.

“Thank you for the hug, I’ll be sure to bring something back for you guys.” At the mention of a treat Gaz and Soap ran over.

They were affronted that Price was going to take you out right after meeting everyone, which is how you’d somehow convinced John to let everyone come. Soap was the first one ready to go, it was adorable to watch him and Gaz together. They were like two children, arguing like siblings rather than teammates. No wonder John was the dad of the team, they all acted like children when they weren’t off saving the world.

“You sure you want those blokes to come with?” John was happy either way, he’d sneak you off for a proper date night later on if needed.

“I am, I want to really sit down and have a proper conversation with them.” It would be much easier at dinner, even if Simon didn’t take off his mask.

“I’ll make sure they’re at least behaved for us.” John would just stare everyone down until they realized they’d pissed dad off.

It was common knowledge that the men listened to Price no matter what was being said, but with you tagging along it could change things up a bit. He made everyone sit in the back seat, reserving the passenger seat for you so that he could keep you close. Gaz and Soap were snickering to themselves, once John linked your fingers together it was game over. Their playful torment was ramped up by a thousand, it was adorable.

“You guys go ahead and get seated, I’m going to make sure everything's good.” It was a cheap lie, all three knew exactly why John wanted to wait to head inside.

“You got it.” Gaz all but dragged Soap out of the car and into the restaurant, Ghost not far behind.

John waited until they were all inside before focusing all of his attention onto you. You lifted your clasped hands, pressing a kiss to the back of his. He smiled softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to your lips. You giggled at the way his beard tickled your face, running a hand through the short hair at the base of his neck. You wanted nothing more than to take him back to the base, but you did promise to talk with the boys.

“We need to stop before I get us arrested for indecent exposure.” You had no shame in admitting to him that you would risk it all. He was worth it.

“Mmm can’t have any of that.” John pressed one more chaste kiss to your lips before slipping out of the car.

He kept his arms around you, letting the hostess at the front know that he was there with a few friends. You could see Soap and Gaz had already ordered drinks, but that wasn’t what truly shocked you, it looked like Simon had taken off his mask.

“Sorry boys, I wanted to keep John to myself for a few minutes.” You smiled softly, resting your head against John’s shoulder as he sat down.

No one made a comment at how Simon was being so open, it wouldn’t do the poor man any good to put him on the spot either way. So instead of putting Simon under the spotlight you turned your attention to Soap and Gaz. They told you all about times that John would reprimand them for goofing off, how he’d go above and beyond to make sure everyone was safe. It made you fall farther in love with the man. Simon would sometimes pipe up with his own stories, he talked about John as if they’d known each other their lives.

The food had been delicious, a greasy burger that dripped down your hands onto the plate below. Normally you wouldn’t have ordered something so messy, but most of the menu had been the same, so you chose what would be the easiest to clean. John wasn’t sure he could love you even more than he did at that moment. He’d known that most women felt too nervous to just enjoy the moment, but you took everything in stride.

“God, this burger is so good.” You shoved the last bite into your mouth, sighing in bliss.

“Aye you’re right, this place is fantastic.” Soap had been the only one to attempt to keep conversation going.

“Next time you guys are close to home, I’ll make some comfort food.” It was something you’d done for every friend, and ex.

“Please, I can’t remember the last time I had a home cooked meal.” Gaz was nearly drooling at the thought, especially if you were secretly an amazing cook.

The rest of the meal went by without a hitch, John paying for everyone’s dinner and ignoring your pleas to at least let you tip. He insisted that you could repay him later, which led to Soap groaning loudly.

“Oh quit whining, that wasn’t what I meant.” John rolled his eyes, wiping his hands with the only clean napkin left.

“Uh huh, sure captain.” Soap smirked, waggling his eyebrows.

John proceeded to ignore him entirely, gathering his coat and ushering everyone back out to the truck. The air had a slight chill that neither of you were expecting, which prompted John to drape his coat over your shoulders. It smelled of gunpowder, cinnamon, and something else you couldn’t quite put your finger on. It was comforting, like a warm hug on a cold day, similar to the way Simon hugged. Maybe it was just an army thing.

You hadn’t realized you’d fallen asleep until John was doing his best to get you into some pajamas. From the feel of it he’d gotten you into one of his shirts and taken off the jeans you had on earlier. Instead of fighting sleep and letting John know you could easily dress yourself, you let sleep take hold once more. Light was gently streaming into the room when you woke, John’s arm wrapped tight around your waist, soft snores filling the room.

This was the perfect domestic bliss you’d always longed for, the only thing missing were a couple little ones running around. You smiled to yourself at the thought, until Soap bursting into the room shattered the blissful daydream.

“Aye! Time to wake up!” His voice bellowed through the room, startling John to the point he had a gun pointed at the other man.

“Johnny! Get out!” John was more annoyed than angry, having been woken up so suddenly did nothing to ease his mind.

Johnny left quickly, slamming the door behind him so no one would catch a glimpse of their captain and his lady friend in the early morning. You laughed and buried your face back into the soft pillows below you. It wasn’t a morning wake up call, it was simply a glance into the future that you had with John.

And damn, did the future look pretty fucking good.

tags: @gaylemonshark

[nentuaby]

Risella screwed up her face in concentration and spoke the words of command; she felt the power flowing into her, imprinted her will upon it, visualized in her mind a mighty beast; and with a little *pop*, her Guardian sprung into existence.

A very, very little *pop*. She spent a moment gazing down in frustration at the spiky, toothy creature nestled between her ankles. "Right. You see? The spells I've managed to find in books and such work, sort of, but they never turn out how they're supposed to. Please, I need you to teach me how to do magic right."

"Hmm, yes, I see." The old wizard stroked her chin thoughtfully and gazed down at the tiny construct. "Well, yes, I'm willing."

Risella was already mustering her next argument-- "Please, I know you don't take apprentices since-- oh! You will?!"

"Mmm. Well, I'll need you to do me a service in return, of course."

Risella gulped. A wizard's price could be... Very steep indeed. But still... "Yes, of course! Ma'am, I'll do anything. I NEED this."

The old woman shook her head sternly. "Lesson one-- never, ever agree to a contract until you've heard all the terms. I'll give you that one for free."

"I'll give you the second one free too. I hope you understand I don't do THAT often. Lesson two--" She poked the miniature Guardian with her walking stick, prompting it to begin gnawing fiercely at the hard oakwood. "It is absolutely impossible to manifest a Guardian without a prepared summoning circle."

"So my price, girl... I'll teach you to do magic right, if you'll teach me to do it wrong!”

[alienpossession]

Prologue of my own take for this alien story by @apushforfolly

A little bit connected to @fullfriendnerdpurse story because imagine how convenient that he used the guy I planned to use on one of his alien story, and I linked it to my early caption too that you'll find later below. Kudos to @cleanstatevessels for bugging me consistently (LOL) to fulfill my promise

Sander van Broek is a Dutch fitness model and businessman. He's a rather established name in the fitness industry and that caused him to frequently fly all over the globe for fitness expo and bodybuilding meet where he will meet old friends, build new business and personal network or sometimes speak as a panel for his experience. Due to that, Dubai become a very sensible choice of residence for him because it's practically a global hub nowadays, and he's more than lucky to have some people he knows that can show him good places to rent

Sander knew Andrei from a couple years ago as fellow fitness enthusiast. They were cordial at first, but similar type of jokes and life mindset eventually bonded the two men and they've been close friends ever since. Andrei conveniently also worked as a realtor, guess his easy-going personality and charming look proven to be helpful to close deals with the rich and wealthy. Not to mention that he's a polyglot, capable to speak Romanian (his native tongue), Spanish (his girlfriend's native tongue and still part of broader Romance language), French, Russian (language spoken by his boss in the real estate firm), English and Arabic, making him probably a great asset to attract international clientele. All the places he shown were remarkable and located in great spots, but Sander felt the prices to be a bit steep.

"Crazy view, eh? This place gets both of the best sight, and the way this room perfectly captured the sunrise and sunset, perfect righr?"

"Certainly yeah. But again, this is like the 5th place you shown me to be above my budget. I have money, but I don't think I wanna blow it for rent,"

"No worries, price is pretty much negotiable, you know. Let's talk about it while drinking in my office, shall we? We're done looking anyway,"

"How negotiable are we talking about here?"

"You'll be surprised," said Andrei with a smirk, grabbing his Ferrari key and ready to leave the unit with Sander following him closely right behind him

When they arrived in the towering glass skyscraper, Sander cannot help but look upward until his eyes blinded by the sun. Dutch might be the tallest people on Earth, but there's no such tall building in the Netherlands, that's for sure. Andrei tossed his key to the valet and strut to the lobby with confidence in his step, everyone seemed to know him just by looking at him. Well, not like you can ignore a presence like Andrei anyway, he just demanded such attention to every spaces he walked into. As the elevator flies through the floor, he just hummed casually while Sander still marveled at the whole bunch of floors they passed through and how far they are already from the ground within seconds. As the elevator dings at the 66th floor, it opens to a short hallway with lobby in the end of it. The two receptionist greeted Andrei and Sander warmly and as he stepped through the lobby area, the door behind him closed

"That's just the way it is. Don't be afraid hahah,"

"Just surprised on how loud it was, that's all,"

"Okay, you go to the 2nd room after you take left, okay? I'll be there in a sec, gotta talk to boss,"

"Sure thing,"

"Oh, and by the way, what do you want to drink?"

"Anything is fine actually. Just don't get me too drunk, we're still talking about apartment,"

"Okay, as you wished. Just wait for a sec, okay?"

"Sure bro,"

So Sander fidgeted rather awkwardly in the dimly-lit room all by himself, waiting for Andrei to come back. So that's the boss? Piotr something? Sander saw a glimpse of a man with traditional white Arab headdress, the guy is massive and he seemed like a rather stern boss. Is that guy the Russian's counterpart? He's pretty sure he heard Andrei said his boss is Russian, but that one clearly seemed like an Arab and he's pretty sure he read that "Piotr" is the one written in the gold plaque attached to the slightly opened door earlier

---

"Frankie, how's Piotr doing?"

"Still not awake and no response from his body, my Prince. Just very tense and excessively sweating. Probably the slug still trying to wrestle the control over," said the nerd from a hidden office suite right behind the bookshelves within the CEO room

"You see, Andrei? I told you, some of these guys are just not that easy to be taken over. It's beginner's luck that you got someone as massive as him as your vessel," said the Prince from his chair

"Well, clearly Piotr was not easy to be taken over. For starter, he doesn't even understand what the fuck you are saying since he only speaks Russian and here you are prancing as an Arabic prince, and two, I told you I'll take care of him. He trusted Andrei, trust means easier takeover as they won't raise their guard or being too defensive,"

"Show me then. I see you bring a fella earlier. Show me how much "trust" will help you take that guy over. I check his profile, seemed interesting,"

"Pffft, you're underestimating me, Prince Hamid. You see......*take a bottle of wine from one of the small cellar in the CEO room* *take his shorts down* *painted the glass with his black slug* it won't even take more than 5 minutes and he'll be under my control. You'll give that body up to me and the chain of command, including the fate of that dweeb, if I can prove it to you how well my method works," Andrei said as he poured the red wine into the slug-stained glass. The slug camouflaged itself by changing its color and texture to match the wine's depth of color. Mere seconds later and it seemed like it's always been red wine and nothing else ever added there.

"And if you failed?" the prince smirked

"I'll let that nerdy friend of yours used me as he pleased," Andrei hissed while looking at the nerd with disgusted look as the nerd tended to his passed out boss

"Deal. I'm inside a Prince for a reason, young man. I know what I'm doing,"

"Yeah, he's in the middle of a climax when you shot yourself into his asshole. It's not like he can fight you, he's spent. And you got that nerd helping you. Me getting inside of Andrei might be luck, but the rest of those folks you met, the people I takeover, all taken over smoothly because they never thought their own realtor turned out to be something out of this world and all of those process were hella smoother than my first takeover of this stud," Andrei said as he wipes the remnant of the cum-slug in his piss slit with his fingers, give it a delightful lick before putting on his pants back. He then strut to his office to seal the whole deal with his so-called "friend" while the Prince followed him with some distance.

----

"Hey there, sorry. Searched for some of the documents first and talked with the boss about work," said Andrei as he barged into the room where Sander already waited for him

"That's okay, is that for me?" Sander asked, his eyes eyeing the glass of wine Andrei held alongside the bottle and some papers in his other hand

"Oh yeah, for you. Sorry about that," said Andrei, a little bit forgetful about his sole goal as he played Andrei a bit too realistic sometimes while he handed over the wine glass

But instead of directly drinking it, Sander just simply put the glass on the table, which trigger raised eyebrow from Andrei

"You don't want to drink first?"

"Oh no, let's hear first about those units, and maybe if we reached a deal, I'll drink,"

"Ahh....okay *internally cursing Sander*. If that's what you want. So, basically, you can get those units with half of their prices, max,"

"What? Half?! That's so great, how the hell that happened?"

"I told them you're going to be a long-term tenant and with your job, they probably won't have to worry about the payment and all. Just basically convinced them, you know,"

"Are you playing with me right now? Is there something I have to do for them or anything? Half is crazy, bro,"

"No, I'm serious. But yeah, they wanted something. Nothing nefarious or anything, the owner of the last unit just wanted you to help by personally training their son," Andrei said, trying to hide his grin from Sander by turning his back to him and acting busy in his table

"Really? That simple? Huh well, cheers to that then," he said, instantly taking a gulp of the wine in one go due to his excitement

Not even 5 seconds later, the glass dropped to the floor as Sander's body instantly having a massive seizure. His eyes fluttered and mouth foaming like crazy as his body wriggled like a seaweed, flailing here and there purely moved by the spasm of his own body. The Prince steps into the room with his timer recorded 0:25 seconds left. Upon witnessing the state of the man he saw walked earlier, he smirked because there's no way this guy would be back to normal within seconds! But, in a plot twist the Prince didn't see coming, Sander instantly groaned when the timer left 0:08 seconds as he then stabilized and start taking normal, paused breath.

"You thought I'll fail, huh?"

The Prince just seethed in anger. The timer stops at 0:02 seconds, but promise is a promise so a black, oil-like slug gets out from the Prince's ear and then slide off to the floor. It purred upon meeting another slug that came from inside Andrei's body before heading to their respective new vessel. As both men cracked their neck upon the alien entering their brain, Sander murmured

"This guy really didn't see it coming. He simply thought he's going to die or something, that's all what I gathered from his final memory. The burst almost caused his clothes to torn apart by the way, he really likes tight clothing," He said while trying to assess and fix his tight shirt that enveloped his muscular virile form

"Well, the rest of his memories will be accessible to you for the next couple hours so you can lounge around if you want. But yeah, as I said, the owner of the unit wanted you to train their eldest son. Of course the owner is also one of us, but I guess he has that attachment issue to his human vessel or something, some of the team are watching him closely to ensure that he can serve in full capacity or else we will just abandon that old fit man. But in the meantime, I'm the one tasked to ensure we also convert his eldest son. He's based in UK, but he'll move to Dubai in the next few weeks. Since I'm no longer Andrei, you'll do the job alongside Sander, is that clear?" said the alien formerly inside Andrei that now comfortably reside inside the authoritative Prince

Both Sander and Andrei just nodded and said "okay" slowly, one still trying to adjust to a new life with a vessel and the other one still dejected that he just lost a nobility's physique. But not like any of them can say no, they understand that their mission is important to the cause.

"And now, I'm going to leave this premise and contacted HQ for update about our changes. And, let's not try to make my father's suspicious that his youngest Prince went missing for long period of time with no possible info on his whereabouts, don't want to make that old man worried sick. Let's update each other's progress a month from now, hopefully by then you two and Piotr plus the nerd have more progress in branching out, I'm the Prince after all, yall report to me,"

----

"So Mike, how do you like this condo? Your father told us to take good care of it for you. Or you want to look at some spaces to rent on your own?" said Andrei and Sander to the oblivious Mike, not knowing the fate that awaits him.....

[writingoddess1125]

Gigs

This Fine Lady has been in my drafts for like- 8 Months??? Please excuse grammer issues, i didnt re-read it

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Masterlist

0200 Hours Barrancas Del Cobre

The rhythmic thumping of rotor blades echoed through the open sky as Gigs skillfully maneuvered the large military helicopter through the turbulent skies. TF 141, clad in their tactical gear, secured safely inside and ready for the upcoming mission.

"Ready for quick action Pilot Gigs? May have to make a smooth landin lass" Price called to you, walking to your chair as you glanced back at the man.

"Nah Cap, I' like it slow'~ Especially with Becks Sh's a romantic~" Gigs said with a laugh patting the helicoper stick at the made up nickname for the vehicle, earning a few giggles from the boys in the back.

"Ohh A romantic I see, well a romantic with this many men with big guns? Would mistake for a slag-" Price said earning a loud laugh from Gigs as they went through a mountain pass, the trip had been smooth sailing so far.

However it seemed smooth sailing wasnt a guarantee. Ghost glancing back as he saw two dots coming behind them- Fast.

"Gigs!- Company" He loudly announced, the crew looking back as Gigs clicked her tongue.

"Well Shit! Hold on tight, boy's it’s ’bout to get rough!" Gigs cackled, fixing her helmet as she kicked up the helicopter towards a tighter canon pass, seeing two attack copters getting closer.

"Price! Look in my bag 'eal quick, you need a good shot"

She hollered out, the men preparing for a air attack as Price went to the back of the copter to the pilots coop, reaching in as he couldn't help but raise a brow.

Pulling back a Pila Launcher, With a few rounds of ammo as well. Price walking to the door as he slid it open, the men taking a look at the launcher of choice.

Alejandro looking to Gigs with a terrified laugh- "You keep this on hand!?"

"Oh Bless You Darlin' you shou'd see wha' I keep in my panty dra'er" She said with a wink and smile as she flicked up some keys, Grunting as she saw the two on her tail and flicked up the gas.

Lets Fuckin Go-

As she zips through the canyon, dodging enemy fire, the team bracing themselves hard, holding the leather straps as they felt gravity slamming against them. The enemy helicopters are hot on their tail, as sound of gunfire from them heard- but Gigs is in her element. She dips the chopper into a tight barrel roll, narrowly avoiding a missile that streaks past, exploding against the canyon wall.

"How the bloody hell are we still in the air!?" Gaz shouts, gripping his seat for dear life. Ghost grabbing his vest to keep against the seat as he hissed himself at the harsh movements.

"Cause I’m just that damn good baby!" Gigs yells back, her voice full of adrenaline-fueled excitement. Price loading the Launcher as best as he could, his body slamming into the copter side, Alejandro grabbing him to steady as the doors swung open. Price holding steady as he aimed at the closest helicopter-

"One Down! Need to reload!" Price yelled out as contact was struck, Starting to reload as fast as possible. Gigs glanced around quickly however, knowing the second copter could take them down especially when she saw missles fire- till her eyes spotted the canyon wall.

"Fuck Fuck Fuck!"

Gigs pulls the chopper into a steep climb up the canyon, gaining altitude fast.

"Come on Beck's!, Clime for me sug!" She yelled out as the boys felt themselves go vertical.

"You're Fuckin' Mental!" Soap yelled out with a laugh as he felt his feet dandle from the seat.

"Time for some fireworks, boys!" She flips a switch, and flares shoot out from the helicopter, confusing the incoming missiles that explode harmlessly in the sky perfectly turning the guns on the remaining copter-

"Gotcha You Bitch!"

A whistle of excitement leaving Gigs as she howled and shot down on the copter watching it explode fust a few hundred yards from them.

"WOO!"

Gigs laughed out as she zipped through the canyon to a lower pass, close to the drop off point were she would need to hide out.

The men in the back a bit frazzled by the fast pace combat and worrying excitement from their female pilot.

0600 Landing Spot

After securing their landing the group disbanded from the helicopter, Gaz who was familiar with helicopter trauma seemed ready to simply walk back to London at this point..

"Ill be here waiting for y'all" Gigs told them, The men nodding in understanding as they gave a short brief at the task at hand. However Soap eyes began to wonder over the female pilot specifically her ass.. Seeing how he couldn't tell if he saw attracted to her, attracted to the crazy- or both- however his wondering eye was quickly caught as she looked Soap immediately and locked eyes with him.

Soap felt a bit intimidated by how she looked him up and down, like she was mentally doing math on him.

"What?" He questioned, which seemed to make her smile.

"Youre goin on a date with me pretty boy" She said suddently, Patting his vested chest with a smirk before walking off.

"Pretty boy?" He scoffed, glancing around at the rest of the team staring at him and Alejandro suppressing giggles.

"How it feel Soap getting a date with her?" Gaz said as he slapped the man's back who was just now realizing what happened.

"I got a date?-" He innocently asked, looking to Ghost who nodded softly in confirmation.

"I got a date!?"

[hsr-texts]

find your cinderella

꒰‧₊˚✩彡‧꒱ ┊ ━━━━ prologue

꒰⸝⸝₊ʚ♡ɞ ┊ streamer!reader x mystery hsr character ꒱

꒰⸝⸝₊ʚ♡ɞ ┊ otome event ꒱

꒰ ☰ WORD COUNT ┊1.4k ꒱

꒰ ☰ DESCRIPTION ┊ ━━ When you do an unboxing livestream for your subsribers, you find an invite to an exclusive event called the "Find Your Cinderella" masquerade gala where you are guaranteed to find your supposed true love, as a rather enthusiastic manager told you. ꒱

꒰ ☰ NOTES ┊HIII omg you guys THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!! Getting 1k followers is so crazy for me because I've never had a blog be received with this much love and support before so I've decided to make an extra special otome game style fanfic! ꒱

“Guys, look! The package just came in!”

You rushed into your studio, holding a sizable metal box. Inscribed on the sides was a logo of two masks, resembling a certain Aeon. Placing it down on the floor, you gave a sigh of relief. “Aeons, that was heavy!”

Your eyes glanced at the live chat and saw all the messages, curious about the package.

“Seems like you guys are more excited than I am,” You couldn’t help a small chuckle leaving your lips. “It took me quite a lot to get a hold of this limited edition package from LumiPro. Like, do you guys know how much it cost?”

A few comments popped up trying to guess the price.

You shook your head. “100,000 credits.”

The chat then flooded with shocked emotes and comments. It was more than a fair reaction. You found yourself silently thanking the stars that your current occupation as a streamer granted you a steady income. Otherwise, you probably would’ve had to eat the same type of cup noodles for months.

“Anyway!” You clasped your hands together. “Let’s open it up already! I’m dying to see what’s inside. What could possibly warrant such a steep price?”

Your index finger pressed on the button at the top and heard a voice.

“Vocal identification. Please state your name.”

You uttered your name. It was a good thing you added an auto-censor to your setup so that any sensitive information that could get you doxxed would be redacted in the stream. You didn’t want stalkers showing up at your home after all.

“Permission granted.”

Faint clicks of metal against metal could be heard as the mechanisms worked to unlock the box. A hissing noise came from it as the lid opened. You watched, feeling anticipation and eagerness bubble within your chest.

A hologram was projected from the box, showing a person wearing professional attire. They smiled.

“Thank you for purchasing from Luminous Productions. We’ve curated a package that we believe would be of most use to you. For further questions, you may contact support on our site. We hope you enjoy it to the fullest.”

You took a peek and gasped at the sight. “Guys, oh my god, they just gave me a new PC!”

They must’ve done their research because you did mention in your stream a month ago that you were looking for a better PC.

The chat seemed to be as excited as you were, knowing this meant you’d be able to go back to your regular streaming schedule.

You could tell this was a real high end PC after seeing the graphics card and CPU model. Not only that, but it came with a new headset, keyboard, and mouse. You took out the stuff and gently placed them on the floor, letting the viewers see it.

After noticing that there was more in the package, you rummaged around for the other objects. Your hand made contact with some sort of fabric so you pulled it out.

Your eyes widened as you realised that it was a fancy outfit. Upon looking, you could estimate that it was your size too. Was this tailor made?

“Holy shit…”

It seemed like it was for a real special occasion, not even just your run-of-the-mill party that regular people go to. This outfit would probably fit right in with a red carpet event for rich folks or celebrities. Well— One may say, “Hey, aren’t you a celebrity too?” but you weren’t cocky enough to claim the same status as those with inter-galactic levels of fame.

A slip of paper fell out of the outfit’s pocket and you turned to see what it was.

You squinted in confusion. A ticket…? After picking up, you couldn’t help but notice the holographic shine to it first. How pretty.

“Find Your Cinderella Masquerade Event?” You mumbled in confusion. Who was Sugo? You couldn’t recall knowing anyone that went by that name.

Suddenly, the screen flickered for a moment and a new window popped up next to your stream.

A person showed up, wearing what you could only describe as a pink clown outfit that somehow combines cuteness and gaudiness in one. They grinned at you with amusement.

“Heya to all those viewers watching at home!” Even the way they spoke seemed to have a theatrical ring to it. By the way the chat was going insane, the people watching the stream could also see them.

“My name is Sugo and I’m the event organiser of the Find Your Cinderella Gala, or the FYC Gala for short,” they introduced themselves with a flourish. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Uh… hi?” You didn’t know how to respond. This was quite a bizarre experience to have someone hijack your stream to introduce themselves. Was this legal…?

They chuckled. “Yeah, sorry for the sudden appearance but I figured that it would shake things up a little. I’m sure your dear fans appreciate having two exciting things happening at the same time. You can bet that this’ll go viral too~”

“Right… So what exactly is this Find Your Cinderella Gala?”

“Glad you asked, dear anomaly!” They beamed. Eh? Why were they calling you anomaly?

“See, I’m doing a collaborative project with LumiPro. I proposed to them a large-scale event with celebrities from all over the galaxy, which would be broadcast to every streaming platform out there. The premise is simple, all attendees are there to find their one and only, their true love, their Cinderella, you get the idea.”

“So it’s a speed dating event for rich people?” Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It sounded like a stupid idea. And yet, a part of you was intrigued.

“Right on the money! What a clever streamer, it’s no wonder you got such high compatibility ratings with the other attendees~”

“A what?”

Their eyes gleamed with amusement. “So, we didn’t just pick the celebrities at random. I bet you’re wondering why a small time streamer is getting an invite to such an exclusive event, right?” They tilted their head, leaning on their desk.

You nodded slowly. It was still a mystery to you why you’d be invited when there are far more famous people in the galaxy.

“Behind the scenes, we’ve been developing an advanced algorithm that can find your best match in a group. How it works is that we pick a participant, feed it available information on said participant, then it calculates how well the person would get along with those within the group,” they explained, “What’s interesting for your case is that your average compatibility score with the group is 90%. Most folks that got tested only came up with a 60% average compatibility rating.”

You raised an eyebrow at this in skepticism. “Don’t you think that’s just a bug or something?”

They shrugged. “It could be, but we’ve done several tests and it always came out the same. We were hoping to add you in to act as an outlier to our pool of data.”

“So I’m just a guinea pig for your weird little experiment?” You gave them an unamused look.

“It’s just to see if your results were really true or if it was just a mistake on the algorithm’s part.” They shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll be a fun time for you regardless of my motives. A win win for all parties involved, don’t you just love that kind of thing?”

“I guess but doesn’t this come with strings attached?”

Sugo whined. “Ughhh, you’re gonna make this way less fun if you go in already knowing what you’re getting!”

“What kind of sane person would do something without knowing the full details?!”

A groan came from them. “Booo, that’s so boring! Life needs a special surprise factor that keeps things fun and interesting.”

They sighed after. “But fine. If you’re so skeptical, then I can throw in a 500,000 credit compensation if you end up not enjoying it. So even if you do lose, you still gain something!”

You stayed silent, trying to figure out if this was really worth the trouble of dressing up and going to a party.

“Anyway, that’s all the information I’m contractually allowed to give out. It’s your choice whether you want to go or not.”

“Can I have some time to decide this?” You asked them.

Sugo nodded, smiling in amusement. “Of course! It’s not good for a show to spend too much time on exposition, after all. Let’s give the player some time to shine, hm?”

“I have no idea what you’re saying.”

They giggled, ignoring what you said. “Bye bye! I’ll see you at the gala!”

Their window disappeared, leaving you with your viewers again.

You sighed. What a strange person. Did you really wanna go? It’s not like you had much to lose. Plus, you would be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t want to find out what that compatibility rating was all about.

“What do you think, chat? Should I go?” You turned to the screen, waiting for their input.