#chapter one

[keeping-writing-frosty]

New WIP Posted On AO3

Teenage Wasteland (3711 words) by afrostedlemoncoward Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Original Work Rating: Mature (For bad language, drug usage, and mild sexual scenes) Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Tegan Raines, Samantha Corino Additional Tags: Original Fiction, Young Love, Teenagers, 1990s, Original Character(s), Original Story - Freeform Summary: In the spring of 1997 close to summer break, fourteen-year-old Tegan Raines. A former orphan and foster child, now living with her grandparents. Meets the new girl across the street who, unbeknownst to both, have their lives changed for both the better and the worse.

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[mirhashi]

Sea’s unfortunate soul

Chapter one

Ithaca..he could see it. Odysseus was so close after losing everything, he was so close to seeing his wife. He only had himself and the small raft he made himself. He was navigating through the waters, he didn’t dare take his eyes off the island.

“I’m coming..wait for me Penelope just a little longer” Odysseus whispered under his breath. The waves around him slowly grew. “No..” Odysseus tried to quickly change the direction of his raft but it was too late. “No!” His raft was sent into a nearby rock formation.

The raft was destroyed as he went flying onto the rock tumbling. He grabbed onto the edge of the rock pulling himself up. He looked around frantically. The waves around started to grow aggressive before they slowly formed in a giant godly form.

“There you are, Coward�� Poseidon whispered his tone full with hatred. His long navy blue hair slowly faded into a white and flowed around in the water. His eyes only glowed a blue stared down at the mortal. His face fins flared up in anger. He had a cut of pale aquamarine toga held up by the wise eye golden pendant with sea green jewels hanging from it. Pearls wrapped around his wrist.

“I’ve been waiting, for this moment” his clawed hand came up “for the perfect time to strike” he clenched his fist. He pointed at the island “When your home’s so close, and you reached your coast. That’s when our paths collide!” He slammed his hand down beside Odysseus causing the man to fall over.

“I’ve got a reputation” he sneered leaning in close. “I’ve got a name to uphold, so I can’t go lettin’ you walk or else the world forgets I’m cold,” he said standing up straight his form dwarfing the mortals. His face fins flare up. “Now get in the water.” He sneered narrowing his eyes “Get in the water, or I’ll raise the tide so high all of Ithaca will die” he said raising his hand water formed around it before forming a small island and a wave crashing over it before the water went back to liquid. “Get in the water” he sneered “Wait” Odysseus tried to stand slowly “Get in the water,” he said looking down at him “Stop this please..” Odysseus begged,

“I’ll make tidal waves so profound both your wife and your son will drown.” Poseidon said. “No!” Odysseus fully stood. “Get in the water!” Poseidon yelled slamming his hand down Odysseus fell back covering his face. He sat between both Poseidon’s index and ring finger. He wasn’t going to kill him with his bare hand.. he wanted Odysseus to have a slow painful death.

“Get in the water!” He sneered pulling his hand away “Don’t mistake my threat for a bluff” he sneered the water around him growing dangerous as it slammed against the rock that kept Odysseus out of reach of the cold and unforgiving sea and its ruler.

“You have lived more than enough!” Poseidon snapped moving around the rock. “Get in the water!” He yelled slamming his fist into the rock causing some of it to break. Odysseus fell back his chest heaving his eyes widening.

“Get in the water!” Poseidon moved back in front of Odysseus “I’ll take your son and gouge his eyes!” The water formed a human, resembling Odysseus's son with no eyes. “That is unless you choose to die!” Poseidon sneered slashing the form of water and making it disappear. “Get in the water” he sneered

“Aren’t you tired Poseidon it’s been ten years how long will this go?” Odysseus begged falling to his knees and looking up at the god. “We’re both hurting from losses so why not leave this here and just go home..” Odysseus said slowly standing from his knees.

“I can’t,” Poseidon said looking away. “Maybe you can learn to forgive,” Odysseus said slowly stepping back. Poseidon's eyes shot open there glowed brighter “No” The water around them slowly wrapped around Poseidon’s body his fins flaring up his claws flexing as water slowly formed and solidified into a trident in his hand.

“Ruthlessness is..mercy upon.OURSELVES!!” Poseidon pointed the trident at the rock.

“DIE”

he yelled slamming the trident into the rock and breaking it with ease. Odysseus went flying into the water. The cold water was quick to pull Odysseus deeper.

Odysseus reached up trying his best to get to the surface but the ocean was throwing him around like a rag doll. I’m sorry…Penelope I’m not coming home.. his eyes widened when a colossal finger wrapped around him enclosing him in darkness as it pulled him out of the water.

“I’ll give you a choice Odysseus” Poseidon said his voice neutral but still filled with hatred. His clawed fingers slowly stretched out revealing Odysseus's curled up form.

“You can choose, death, or can serve me for the rest of your pathetic useless life,” Poseidon said narrowing his eyes. Odysseus looked up at him. If he died here he wouldn’t see Penelope, if he served Poseidon he wouldn’t see Penelope, either way he wouldn’t see her..he couldn’t see a world without her. But if he does serve Poseidon he might be able to get on his good side even if the chance is slim to none.

“If I go with you..swear to me my wife and son will be protected,” he said looking up at Poseidon with fear. “I don’t own you anything you don’t get to bargain with me” Poseidon narrowed his eyes

“Please…show some compassion” Odysseus whispered feeling Poseidon’s clawed fingers tighten around his fragile body “I don’t show pity to a man who blinded my son” he sneered “then show pity to my son and wife if not me..my job is to protect them if you take me away you take me away from that responsibility..” he whispered. Poseidon stared at him in silence. “Fine, both your wife and son will be under my protection..but if you make one wrong move or try to get away I’ll destroy them myself” he sneered.

“Deal” Odysseus whispered. Poseidon turned away from Ithaca. Odysseus cast one more glance at it before Poseidon descended into the water his body merging with the water and Odysseus felt himself being dragged with him. Forever being taken away from his home…and his free will.

[writeyouin]

Oo I got something for TFO

If possible would you be open to doing a human s/o with D-16? Like the human came from another planet that was destroyed and they got stranded on Cybertron and somehow managed to end up in Iacon city?

D-16 (Megatron) x Reader – The Creature From Another World - Part 1 of 2

A/N – This is so much longer than I thought it would be. I think it may be the most fun, silly fic I’ve ever written and I am so happy that I got to write it. Also, SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE TRANSFORMERS ONE MOVIE IN THE FINAL SEGMENT!

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

It was all Orion’s fault. Everything that was likely to get D-16 in trouble was his fault. It was always, ‘Hey, what if we searched the tunnels for something even more valuable than energon?’ Or ‘You want to come into the archives with me? Of course, I have a permit. It’s not like I would try breaking in… again.’

This time, the line that was sure to get D-16 into trouble was, “Hey bud, don’t tell anyone but I got us a pet!”

D-16 rubbed his helm exasperatedly, “A pet, Pax! Why can’t you just obey the rules for once.”

“Hey, there are no rules against keeping pets,” Orion said excitedly, heading over to his locker to retrieve the creature in question.

“Of course there aren’t! Because no one would be stupid enough to keep one!”

“You just haven’t seen it yet. It’s really cute.”

“I hope your spark eater tears off your face, Pax. I really do,” D-16 deadpanned.

“Not a spark eater,” Orion chuckled, then he began whispering into his locker, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt ya, little cutie. That’s it, settle down now.”

D-16 shook his head, “You’re gonna get demoted all the way down to the 40th sub-level and when you do, I’m not gonna save your sorry aft. Besides Pax, there isn’t enough energon to go around as is. How’re you gonna feed a pet?”

“That’s the thing,” Orion said eagerly. “It doesn’t fuel up on energon.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of thing doesn’t need energon?” D-16 asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him as he tried to peek over Orion’s shoulder at the so-called ‘pet’ he was trying to grab.

He heard some scrabbling, Orion said some more soothing words and then Orion turned around, holding a creature half his size around the waist in both servos.

“D-16, meet our new pet, Minitronus.”

“Minitronus!” D-16 said excitedly. He knew Orion had only picked the name to foster his attachment and ensure that he kept the creature a secret.

D-16 got close to Orion’s pet, resting his hands on his thighs as he bent down. “Whoa, what is it?”

“C’mon D-16. If you don’t know, I’m not gonna tell you.”

“You have no idea, do you.”

“Not a one.”

The creature chittered angrily, pushing at Orion’s servos.

“It looks angry,” D-16 observed.

“It’s just getting used to us. That’s all.”

Orion began stroking at the creature’s head.

“Okay Pax,” D-16 said, resigning himself to Orion’s crazy new pet, as he knew he would from the start. “C’mon then. Tell me all about it. What does it eat? Where’d you find it? And most importantly, how’re we going to keep it a secret?”

“Hey! I said HEY! YOU UP THERE! STOP PETTING ME! I’M NOT AN ANIMAL, YOU BIG DUMB IDIOT!”

The giant metal man smiled at you affectionately, opening his mouth to say something you couldn’t understand. It all sounded like scraping metal and electrical noises and you couldn’t make sense of any of it.

Ever since the Quintessons had abducted you, your life had been nothing but trouble. You were their prisoner but when they found out your planet had nothing of worth, they decided it would be better to experiment on you. The only consolation was that you could at least understand the Quintessons, who had multiple translator devices on their ship.

You were very fortunate that the Quintessons didn’t view you as a threat since they didn’t bother keeping you in any kind of high-security prison and so you managed to escape before they did anything too terrible. The worst you suffered were a few zaps from a weak cattle prod, probably testing your nervous system.

Yet, having escaped the Quintesson ship, you had landed yourself into deeper trouble. You had found yourself on a living metal planet, and though a few plants grew on the ever-transforming surface, the pocket computer you had stolen from your captors informed you they were poisonous.

Fortunately, you had thought a few things through regarding your escape. You had managed to grab a backpack, stuffing it full of provisions and interesting gadgets. The food was stored in dehydrated cubes so with proper care, it could last you months, maybe even an entire year. The backpack also contained a device to keep you warm, a cube that turned into a forcefield when thrown to the ground, and most importantly one of the translators that had allowed you to understand the Quintessons along with a few other gadgets.

However, despite your planning, things hadn’t gone very well for you. After touching down on the planet, you boarded a train that you hoped would take you to civilisation, and while it did take you to a city underground that was more beautiful and advanced than you could imagine, it was clear that the alien life-forms there had never seen an organic creature before.

The few you tried to talk to initially screamed as if you were vermin and tried to blast, stab, and crush you in succession. As you scrambled for your life, you took a kick to the back, saved by your pack which had broken your much-needed translator.

You ran and hid, keeping out of sight and soon you started feeling like the vermin the metal people viewed you as. You learned quickly to keep out of sight and made your way to where there were fewer bots, spending many quiet hours either sleeping in vents or trying to repair your translator with the limited knowledge you had.

Yet, your luck couldn’t last forever and eventually, you ran into a vent that turned out to be a transportation tunnel to and from the mines. It was there that Mr Big-Red-Idiot-Bot caught you and took you to the charging bays. At first, you thought your luck was turning around and that he was going to take you to someone who would be able to understand you since he was obviously trying to be gentle with you. Then it became clear that he just thought you were some kind of stupid animal in need of care and he adopted you as his pet.

“What are these things?” D-16 asked, gently lifting your top.

You slapped at his servo, swearing at him even though he couldn’t understand you. Orion laughed, “I don’t know, but that’s how it reacted to me too. I think they’re to keep it warm. Either way, it doesn’t like it when you touch them. Oh, and hey, check this out, it does tricks.”

Orion shoved you back into his locker where your bag was. You ran to your pack, hurriedly grabbing your broken translator and showing it to the new grey bot. You had tried repeatedly showing it to Big Red, but he didn’t get what you were trying to do and always just laughed at you.

“What’s it holding?” D-16 asked.

“Playing with some scrap metal. Isn’t that cute? It has a favourite toy! I think Minitronus might have belonged to someone else once because it has all these adorable toys in there and it can make its own fuel.”

You sighed. Clearly, the grey bot was no better than Big Red, but at least he wasn’t trying to kill you. You shook your head and began searching your pack for some tools to repair the translator. Upon seeing you grab a screwdriver, Orion took it from you.

You yelled a few more insults, demanding it back but Orion just teased you, holding it just out of reach.

“Aww does Minitronus want the toy? Do you? Do you? That’s it, reach for the toy. Grab it.” He cooed.

D-16 rolled his eyes, amused by both Orion and his new pet. He snatched the miniature ‘toy’ screwdriver from his friend, handing it back to you. “Don’t tease it, Orion.”

You nodded gratefully at D-16 and he ruffled your hair. This time, you didn’t bother insulting him since he had given you what you wanted.

The work alarm went off overhead and Orion slammed his locker shut just in time for the influx of workers to come through the shared stasis bunker on their way to work. D-16 tried to fight against the crowd to stay by the locker but Orion pulled him into the fray, muttering that it would look suspicious if he wasn’t at work on time.

“But what about- Will it be okay in there?” D-16 whispered as they headed into the lift.

“Sure,” Orion said from the corner of his mouth, trying to be quiet. “It’s been in there for days and it's been fine.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Now be quiet and act normal.”

D-16 smiled and gave a small awkward wave to a bot in front of him who was observing the pair with a raised optical ridge. Over the years, Orion had caused more than his share of trouble so D-16 was used to the scrutinising looks from others, though he always got nervous when they both had something to hide.

You sighed and rested your hands on your hips. It was awful being constantly stuffed in a locker, especially since Big Red didn’t seem to think things through. He shoved you in your new ‘home’ whenever other bots were around or when he went to the lift which you assumed meant he was working. The problem with that was that his species didn’t tire easily and could work a very long time, and with this being what you could only assume was the poorer part of the city, there were always other bots around. You had to get your translator fixed quickly, or else you would spend the rest of your life in the locker. Still, things weren’t all bad. It was warm and safe. You often used your backpack as a pillow, sleeping through the first few hours before getting back to your repair work. You had privacy and a personal collapsable service suite that pulled moisture from the air so you could drink or shower - it even took care of your waste by vaporising it; alien inventions sure were convenient. Besides, now the other bot knew about you too, and perhaps he could help you. Resignedly, you set about keeping to your normal routine and began some light repair work, too awake to rest now. You only wished you knew what you were doing and that you had even the faintest idea on how to fix alien technology; your life depended on it.

Orion and D-16 were the first up and out of the elevator, avoiding the usual crowds by skipping the last few minutes of work with a lame excuse about being called upstairs. Honestly, the pair got into so much trouble they were often called up to meetings with higher-ups for tellings-off, which Orion usually tried to talk his way out of, and so nobody so much as batted an optic when they left.

Upon getting up to their quarters, Orion and D-16 were both relieved to see that the rotation team had already filed out, presumably having taken one of the other lifts to a different mine. Orion ran to his locker and hurled it open.

“Aww, look,” He pulled D-16 close to get a good look at you. “Minitronus is recharging. Hey, do you think it’s dreaming of us? Pets do that, right? Dream of their owners?”

“I mean, if Minitronus is thinking of me, that’s a dream. If it’s you, it’s a nightmare.”

Orion elbowed D-16 in the chassis then reached in to grab you.

D-16 pulled him back, “Whoa hey, don’t wake it.”

“We have to. It’s time for walkies and this is the only time we can get out of here quietly before the others catch up.”

Reluctantly, D-16 let Orion go.

You jolted awake, terrified until you remembered where you were and that you were now the ‘pet’ of an advanced alien. You settled groggily in his arms, wondering what he was going to do with you now.

He proffered you some words that sounded like two lawnmowers smashing together, but by his expression, you could tell he was happy. Then he jostled you, miming something you couldn’t understand until it was too late.

You scowled at Big Red with your arms folded, too insulted to even try yelling as he tugged you along an empty alley on your new wire lead.

This was a new low.

“I don’t think Minitronus likes walkies,” D-16 commented as you dug your heels into the floor, trying to hold your ground.

“Nonsense,” Orion said, trying to be gentle as he pulled at your lead, making you stumble forward, “It’s just not used to it yet.”

D-16 patted his thighs, “C’mon Minitronus. That’s it. Here Minitronus. Minitronus.”

After a few more attempts, you realised that the gentle electrical hum Grey kept repeating must be his name for you. Huh… Well, at least the repetition meant they had a stable language.

You listened again and tried to mimic the sound, making both bots pause to look at you.

“Did it just…?” D-16 asked, pointing at you.

You mimicked the sound again.

“It did,” Orion agreed. He ran over to pick you up, spinning you in his arms, “Who’s a smart Minitronus, huh? Yes, you. You are!”

Although your mimicry had been good, it wasn’t quite enough to convince them that you were sentient. Rather, they were looking at you like a parrot who had picked up a new phrase. Instead of repeating your name, you had managed a babyish mumbling somewhere close, that sounded more like Mini–Tron.”

D-16 beamed and petted your head, quickly coming to love his new pet. Orion was right, it was smart and cute.

“That’s so cool, I wonder if we can teach it more words.”

“I’m definitely teaching it swears,” Orion laughed.

Eventually, the pair headed back to the underground, with Orion heading in first, making sure everyone was recharging, before signalling for D-16 to follow with you.

“Oh, c’mon, don’t put me back in the locker,” You whined as you were placed on the top shelf.

“Oh no, don’t cry,” D-16 begged, listening to you pitchy chittering. He held a digit to his lips, shushing.

“You two will be gone for ages, what between sleeping and working, and it’s dark in there,” You continued, even though he couldn’t understand you.

You only stopped talking when he held you against his chassis, petting your head. You sighed in understanding. He was trying to keep you safe; this was all for your own good.

‘Okay,’ You thought, feeling strangely comforted by Grey’s actions. ‘If this is how it has to be for now… Okay.’

Orion gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to D-16, glad that he had managed to keep your mewls under control.

“Goodnight, Minitronus,” Orion whispered before shutting the door.

“We love you,” D-16 added.

You shook your head after the door shut; life was going to be interesting with those two.

“PAX!” Elita-One shouted, jetpacking up the empty elevator shaft to catch up with Orion and D-16 who had stolen away from work early for the third time that week.

Orion held you behind his back, hiding you just in time before Elita got in his face.

“Captain, what a surprise!” Orion grinned cheekily, already trying to smooth-talk his way out of the situation. “Me and D-16 were just saying what a great and wonderful leader you-”

“Can it, Pax!” Elita glowered. “I’ve had just about enough of you. It’s bad enough that you’re a troublemaker but now, you’re dragging D-16 down with you and- what’s behind your back?”

“My back? Nothing at all,” Orion shoved you into D-16’s open arms, and he in turn hid you behind his leg, trusting that you wouldn’t run away if he wasn’t holding you.

Elita grabbed hold of Orion, slamming him into the lockers, her eyes narrowing when she didn’t see anything worth hiding. She glared at D-16 who held up his servos in a shrug, gesturing to Pax who was already babbling about how strong she was and how no other Captain had had the strength to throw him so hard.

While Pax created a distraction and Elita-One continued her tirade against him, D-16 shuffled backwards, sneaking you out for your daily walk.

You had grown used to the routine now, learning the building’s alarms that marked the beginning or end of a shift. When it was coming time for Orion or D-16 to take you out, you always hitched on your backpack, just in case you needed anything, though you had long since learned not to work on your translator in front of Big Red, since he kept assuming it was a toy and continually threw it for you to fetch. Honestly, he was doing even more damage to the already broken machine, and it stressed you out constantly whenever you were forced to catch it before it hit the ground.

When you and Grey were alone, you always did repair work at the end of a walk, since he would take you somewhere quiet to rest for a while.

You had been living with the pair for just over two months now and in that time a few things of note had happened.

First, they had entrusted knowledge of you to a few of the others in their ‘platoon’ or whatever the group they worked in was called. This had happened after an incident wherein you had escaped your locker to explore and a silver and blue bot with a passion for dance stumbled into you and squealed. Big Red, and Grey hurried to your rescue and had to explain their ‘pet’ to him.

This led to you being the worst kept secret in the mining facility, though it was bound to happen eventually with so many bots living in close quarters. However, all the mining bots found you sweet enough and they all had a code of honour that meant they kept you secret from anyone with authority like Elita-One or any of the other captains.

Yet, while everyone knew about you and you were generally allowed out of the locker most of the time, it was still only Orion or D-16 who took you out, and they still tried to get out of work a tad early to check on you.

One of the other changes in your life was the delivery of a big bundle of wires as ‘toys.’ That was another word you had learned to mimic since Orion kept bringing you play-things and repeating the Cybertronian equivalent.

This happened after you kept picking up pieces of scrap wire on walks, taking them with you so you could use them in your repair work. At first, Orion and D-16 took them off you, afraid you would hurt yourself somehow, but when you kept collecting them and fought hard to keep the few you had, they assumed it must be a normal nesting behaviour and brought you a great deal more than you needed.

You were delighted with the gifts and hugged both bots for it. Then, after saving the few you needed for your translator, you weaved the extra wires into a new over-shirt. It was uncomfortable, but quite practical since your jumper was wearing away and you needed a new one to keep decent when you were washing your actual shirt.

Another problem to occur was your hair. In your time with the bots, it had grown very long, and much to your bemusement, Orion had tried cutting it. The whole thing had gone disastrously, and you suddenly understood those dogs that got terrible haircuts because they tried to escape their groomers; you could only be thankful that the bald patch was beginning to grow back.

The final change was Grey’s idea. He felt confident that you were well trained since you now responded to your name, paying attention when you were called through the miners’ hab-suite. Because of your actions, he often let you off-lead, which you were immensely grateful for. He rarely put the lead back on you unless he thought something was unsafe, so whenever it went on now, you clambered onto his shoulder, trusting that he would take you home and away from danger quickly.

It wasn’t a perfect life, but things were slowly improving. You could only hope that your lucky streak didn’t break and that you would be able to communicate your needs fully before the year was up.

D-16 sighed, sitting on the side of a tall building overlooking the city with you in his lap. You were content to let him pet you while you toyed with your translator. You went in an almost trance-like state whenever you tinkered with it now, honestly not expecting anything to come of it but needing to work all the same.

He continued speaking in his gentle, rhythmic noises and you hummed as if you understood, pressing a wire down with the flat of your screwdriver.

“- and that’s why I know what we’re doing is important. Even Sentinel says so. Us miners, we’re keeping Cybertron alive,” D-16 said proudly.

“Who’s Sentinel?” You asked absentmindedly.

D-16 screamed, accidentally throwing you off his lap.

“Hey, be careful!” You scolded. “You could have dropped me over the edge.”

You picked up your translator and brushed yourself off.

“Minitronus, you’re talking!” D-16 accused.

“Yeah, well so…are… Oh my God, I did it!” You breathed. Then you punched the air excitedly, “I DID IT!”

“WHAT IS GOING ON? HOW ARE YOU TALKING?!”

“I fixed my translator,” You squealed ecstatically, waving it in front of D-16.

“Your- Your toy?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, practically bouncing on the spot.

“This is impossible. You- You’re our pet!”

“No. Not a pet. Not anymore. I’m (Y/N). Okay, (Y/N),” You repeated your name slowly, trying to get it through to Grey who still looked panicked.

“Primus, this is insane.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“You’ve got to explain everything to me, right now.”

“Okay, sit down,” You patted the ledge.

D-16 did so, and you jumped back into his lap.

“What’re you doing? You can’t sit there now. You’re not an animal.”

“Hey,” You pushed against his servo, staying stubbornly in place, “I’m not going back on that ledge, I could fall.” “Fine,” D-16 relented. He went to pet your head again then stopped himself, keeping his servos stiffly by his sides. “As long as you explain yourself, you can sit wherever you want.”

Having told D-16 everything and had him explain a few things in return, things thankfully changed. Initially, things between you and all of the mining bots were awkward, with haunted comments from some of the bots like, ‘It saw me in the wash racks,’ or ‘I can’t believe I tried to rub its belly… No wonder it slapped me. Oh. Oh no.’

Once everyone got used to the idea, your life improved. You were still kept secret since none of the miners knew how the higher-ups would react to an alien species, but with some ingenuity and a few favours exchanged for information about your species and planet, they all came together to transform your locker into a proper living space, complete with all the amenities they could manage to scrape together. They even began forming a plan to try and have you off-planet and en-route somewhere you could survive before your supplies would run out.

After D-16 and Orion were over the weirdness, you still had them take you on your daily excursions, sans the lead since you were no longer their pet. Orion managed to laugh about the whole thing, but D-16 grew to be even more strained around you. However, you didn’t get to ask him about it till you were next alone with him, which was a long time afterwards.

“So… Do you hate me now?” You asked him one day while he walked a few paces ahead of you, keeping an eye out for anyone who he would need to hide you from.

“What?” D-16 sputtered. “I- I don’t-”

“It’s okay,” You smiled easily. “It’s a strange situation.”

D-16 felt his insides squeeze. He had held onto you while you slept. At the time, he thought you were cute. Now though… You were still cute when you slept, but it was a different kind of cute – Softer, somehow.

“I told you everything,” He sighed, defeatedly. “My life, my dreams, my fears.” He shook his head, continuing mournfully, “And you didn’t understand any of it.”

“Not true,” You contradicted, running to stand in front of him.

He watched you warily.

“I might not have known what you were saying, but I did understand you. Your tone, expressions, the sound of your voice. I understood more than you think.”

D-16’s spark pulsed.

“Let’s go home,” He said quickly, turning on his heel and walking away from you.

The two of you had to go where you wouldn’t be alone or things would change again.

D-16 was falling in love with you and he couldn’t let that happen. There were too many unknowns and he had his planet to think about. He was a miner – the life force of his planet. That’s what Sentinel Prime always said, and work came first.

Besides, you weren’t going to be on Cybertron forever. You couldn’t be. Once your supplies ran out, that would be it for you.

D-16 couldn’t get attached. It wasn’t like you were a pet anymore. You didn’t belong to him, even if he wanted you to.

You ran through the destruction of Iacon City, terrified by everything that was happening. Honestly, you had missed most of the events leading up to it, having been stuck in Sentinel’s tower, but you had seen the so-called Prime torture and brand D-16.

Afterwards, you tried to find him or Orion, but you were small and Iacon was big and the city was collapsing around you.

You screamed as you were grabbed seemingly from nowhere and looked up to see D-16, though he looked slightly different thanks to the new infusion of Megatronus’ T-Cog which you hadn’t seen him take from Sentinel’s corpse. Also, there was one other change – his angry red optics, which bore into you.

“D-16,” You shouted, “What’s going on? Where’s Orion?”

“Orion is dead,” He growled. Though he had made a promise that nobody else would be deceived, you needed to hear that lest you side with Orion over him. Besides, it wasn’t a lie. Orion was dead – Dead, and replaced by Optimus Prime. “And my name is Megatron.”

“Orion- Orion’s dead,” You repeated, too shell-shocked to even cry at the moment.

“Yes,” Megatron glossed over your emotions, far too focused on his rage as he transformed around you, keeping you safe inside his alt-mode. “And we’re leaving.”

“Where are we going?”

“To war!”

Yet, even as Megatron burned with hatred and his desire to bring down the corruption that fuelled his planet, he was already reading the intel sent by the disgraced High Guard, informing him of several nearby planets where you would be able to get the organic fuel you required to stay online.

Megatron had lost everything. He was not about to lose his beloved pet too. You were his, and you always would be.

A/N - Hey, I worked really hard on this so please comment, or at the very least reblog. Likes aren't enough anymore guys, they just aren't.

[ashleyrosereads]

Sun Shower - Ch. 1

a Ridoc x fem reader fanfiction

I know I'm not the only one obsessed with Ridoc after Onyx Storm so I putting all my passion into a Ridoc x reader fanfiction that I hope you enjoy! also eventually this will be 18+ just be patient

The chiming of the bell announces eight o'clock, it's time.

The ringing strikes my ears and throughout my entire body as I move toward the line forming for the riders quadrant, chancing a look at the northern turret. The direction I should be heading in.

I keep my hands from fidgeting, as I wait in the long line. Fidgeting shows nerves. Shows weakness. I will not be making myself a target on day one. Heather told me everything I needed to know for the impending day. Showing nerves on day one was an easy tell of a weak cadet, she said. I trusted every word of wisdom she gave me over the summer, she has been the only girl in our village who lived to tell the tale of the riders quadrant in many years. Even if I didn't trust the information she gave me, it was the only information I had. So I clung to it with every fiber of me being.

I kept my hands on the straps of my pack as I waited, watching the world around me continue to move. There was a breeze in the air, and it was sunny for now. The darkening clouds on the horizon didn't calm any of my nerves though. I could only hope I would get across the parapet before any kind of storm hit.

A strangled sob came from my left. A mother was crying in a man's arms as her child walked into the line. Other families were scattered around clinging to their candidates. Some are sending them off with smiles while others it’s with tears hugging their cheeks. Just like her.

I couldn't help but feel utterly alone in that moment.

Of my own fault though. My dad begged to be here and see me off. But he didn’t need to see me openly defying the lifelong legacy of our healer family to become a rider. It’s better he’s in the dark, then the stress of daily life won’t become harder wondering if his daughter could die at any moment.

He would understand why, but it would still kill him knowing what I’m doing every day. Even knowing I’m doing it for mom. After her death, we'd both been inconsolable. He buried himself in the farm. And the more I thought about Basgiath, the more I couldn’t stand being in the sidelines healing. I want revenge. And I plan on getting it. So I buried myself in training.

The line continues to move and I leave my hands on the straps of my pack to hold me steady. The weight of my backpack is light, but once I get to the front of the line it feels as if I filled it with boulders as I bend over and write my name on the blank sheet before being guided into the door of the turret.

The bright light from the outside dimmed automatically in the dark column of stone. There wasn't a window in sight in the spiraling stairwell leading to the parapet above. I continued forward until I reached the cadet in front of me, about ten steps up.

He seemed to be chatting away with the guy in front of him. He wasn't the only one as there was a muttered chatter that drowned out what anyone was actually saying. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but chatter wasn't it. I assumed it would be quiet, foreboding maybe? How could anyone have light conversation at a time like this. I can’t help but keep moving forward, breathing through the nerves and closely watching each step so I don’t have to fall to a deadly fate too early.

The lack of windows mixed in with the heavy breaths of those surrounding me made for a taxing climb. The walls felt as if they were closing in, not knowing if the staircase was actually getting thinner or the anxiety of what I was doing was catching up to me.

I went to take a step, looking too closely at the stair under my foot and not in front of me. I didn't realize the line had stopped moving and walked right into the candidate in front of me. Almost causing a domino effect of tripping, if he hadn’t so smoothly caught himself on the wall of stone. The man turned toward me, his dark eyebrow lifted hiding behind his curly black hair that hung over his bronze forehead. He crossed his arms, showing off his bulging muscles.

Did all riders look like... this?

“Well hello” his sure voice purrs. “Trying to get rid of the competition early?” He says with a lilting voice.

I froze for a moment. Not sure what to say to that...Joke? “No. Just not paying attention. Sorry about that” I answer. He shrugs it off.

“No harm, good last minute balance practice” his smile hasn’t faltered, as he waited for her to do something, say something. What was I supposed to say to that? “Ridoc” he adds, holding out a hand.

“I'm not interested in making friends” I try to snap. The last thing I need is to be getting attached to anyone on the first day of death camp.

“What about the benefits?” He asks, making me scoff. What is this guy on to make him so damn lighthearted walking into the most dangerous quadrant in existence.

The line moves and he takes a step up backwards, not glancing behind him. No hand on the wall, nothing.

My confidence that he will make it across seems more sure than my own.

“You setting up your conquests already?” I ask because, well honestly, maybe the other people have a point. As the light toward the top of the turret brightens a distraction is alleviating.

“Well I’m looking to celebrate tonight, this guy here’s not interested” he gestures his head toward the blonde guy in front of him who doesn’t acknowledge the exchange.

“How unfortunate for you.” If I had this guys confidence I’d rule the world.

“Well it doesn’t have to be.” He winks. I can’t help but laugh. In the eye of death this man is cracking jokes.

I can hear the front of the line now. People giving their names before crossing and shouting outside. Is that rain too? Oh shit.

“So my room or yours tonight?” He leans against the stone wall, crossing his legs.

“We don’t get rooms until after threshing” I correct him. Heather told me that. She also told me not to get distracted by advances until after threshing, not only because then I'll have my own room but also because if someone distracts me then they can easily stab me in the back. Literally.

“Right right.” He bites his lip, contemplating “we will just have to find a nice broom cupboard then. I’m sure there’s plenty.”

“You are-“

“I know, irresistible.” I’m struck silent. Something is what I was going to say but I don’t find it in me to continue as we’re only a few people from the front. He goes to turn around but peaks back over his shoulder.

“You want to skip me in line?” He asks pointing at the spot in front of him.

“Why so you can push me off as punishment for almost getting you killed before parapet?” I ask, feeling my brow raising in question. I didn't realize it was possible for his smile to widen.

“No, there was no almost killing. You’ll have to be more inventive than tripping me on a staircase if that's your goal. I was thinking that if I follow you to the other side I’ll have more motivation to get there so I can start scoping out those cupboards.”

I let out another scoffing laugh. “Your impending death isn’t enough?”

“Not when you’re the other option” he winks.

“Name” the cadet barks from the entrance. Ridoc turns his head to the cadet. There were two there one taking names and another brooding by the opening.

And my gods they do all look like him.

“Ridoc Gamlyn” he says and the cadet scribbles the name.

“Alright. Go on.” He jerks his head to the exit of the turret. Ridoc turns one more time.

"See you on the other side Beautiful" He says before strutting out onto the parapet. The weather had worsened, there was a small spot of sun light in the dark clouds but not enough. Luckily the rain was only a slight drizzle and the wind didn't sound too relentless but making it across was still going to be a feat.

"Name" Barked the cadet, this time to me.

"Y/N Y/L/N" He scribbles it, barely looking over the parchment before waving me off.

"You're next."

[evil-swedenish]

Rereading 91w….. they plague me….

[thollandsgirl2013]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬

Parings → Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings → Post-No Way Home vibes, Peter is emotionally unavailable, loneliness, light angst, rude neighbor energy.

Summary → Moving into a new apartment should feel like a fresh start, but your cozy optimism crashes hard into the reality.

Masterlist

Moving into a new place should feel exciting, right? The fresh start, the possibilities. But for you, standing in front of the old, worn-down building you were about to call home, excitement was the last thing on your mind. It wasn’t the worst place in the world, but it wasn’t what you imagined either. The studio apartment was cramped, the walls a little too thin, and the smell of the city clung to the narrow hallways like it had been there for years. But it was affordable, close to campus, and just enough to get by while balancing school and your job at the café. So, you were determined to make it work.

The small boxes cluttered the hallway as you struggled to push the last one inside. Sweat dotted your forehead, and you let out a huff, blowing a stray strand of hair away from your face. "Come on, just a little more," you muttered to yourself, giving the box one last shove. It finally slid inside with a dull thud.

What you didn’t notice, however, was the pair of brown eyes watching you from the apartment next door.

Peter Parker leaned against his doorframe, just out of sight, as he watched you move in. You looked so familiar. He could swear he’d seen you before, but where? His mind raced through possibilities, his heart sinking when it clicked. You were in two of his classes at Empire State University. Not only that, but you worked at the café near campus. The one he had been frequenting to get his coffee fix between classes.

You were the barista who smiled at every customer, including him, even if he never really responded. Of course, you didn’t know him. No one did anymore. Not after the spell. He was just another face in the crowd now, and that was probably for the best.

Peter’s grip tightened on his doorframe, then quickly pulled back. He didn’t need anyone in his life. It was better this way—safer. With a heavy sigh, he closed his door softly, disappearing back into the shadows of his apartment.

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

The next day, you finally had some time to settle in. Between unpacking and organizing your small space, the idea hit you: you should probably introduce yourself to your neighbors. After all, you’d be living here for a while, and it would be nice to at least know the people around you. And maybe, just maybe, they could help make this cramped place feel a little more like home.

You spent the next hour baking a fresh batch of cookies, filling the air with the sweet smell of chocolate and vanilla. Once they were cool, you carefully packed them into a small tub and smiled. Perfect.

Your first stop was the apartment opposite yours. You knocked lightly, and within moments, the door opened to reveal an older couple. They looked sweet, the kind of couple you could imagine spending their evenings in front of the TV with a cup of tea.

“Hi! I’m Y/n,” you greeted them with a warm smile. “I just moved in next door and thought I’d bring some cookies to say hello.”

The couple’s faces lit up. “Oh, how thoughtful, dear,” the woman said, taking the cookies with a gentle hand. “We don’t get many new faces around here.”

Her husband chuckled. “Welcome to the building. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

The interaction left you feeling a little more at ease. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all. With a smile still on your face, you moved on to the next apartment—the one right beside yours.

You knocked, a little more confident now after your first successful introduction.

The door swung open faster than you expected, and there stood Peter Parker, the boy from your university. The boy you had seen so many times in your classes but never really talked to. His face was blank, his posture stiff. It took you a second to process that it was him, and your eyes widened in recognition.

“Oh, hey!” You blurted out, a bit too enthusiastically. “You go to Empire State, right? We’re in the same class. And I’ve seen you at the café too.” You paused, realizing you were rambling. “I’m Y/n. I just moved in next door.”

You extended your hand, a friendly smile on your face, hoping to make a good impression. But Peter didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at your hand as if he didn’t know what to do with it. The air felt awkward.

“Can I help you?” He finally asked, his tone flat, eyes unreadable. It was almost as if he didn’t want to acknowledge you at all.

You blinked, taken aback by his coldness. “Uh, I just... I thought I’d introduce myself. You know, neighborly stuff,” you said, your voice faltering slightly. “I brought cookies. I made them earlier.” You lifted the small tub of cookies, offering them with a hesitant smile.

Peter’s eyes flicked to the cookies for a brief second before he shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t like cookies.”

His response hit you like a splash of cold water. “Oh... okay, well... I just thought—”

“Thanks for offering though,” Peter cut you off. “Welcome here, by the way.” And just like that, he closed the door right in your face.

You stood there for a moment, stunned. The tub of cookies still in your hands felt heavier now, and the cheerful mood you’d been in earlier had quickly faded. “That was rude,” you muttered under your breath, frowning. “Who doesn’t like cookies?”

With a sigh, you turned on your heel and headed back to your own apartment. Maybe it was better not to know all your neighbors after all.

‎∗ ࣪ ˖༺ 𓆩☆𓆪 ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

[ranmacapss]

[Ranma ½] ✥ Chapter 1, Here’s Ranma

[reixtsu]

Chapter 1: Unexpected Encounter

Next Masterlist

The city was alive with activity. Neon lights painting the skies in hues of blue and violet. The hum of airships overhead blended with the cacophony of voices in the crowded market square below. For a Stellaron Hunter, such chaos was both a blessing and a curse-it offered cover but also countless opportunities for things to go wrong. Very wrong.

You stood near a vendor stall, your eyes constantly scanning the crowd. Elio's script had been vague, as always, leaving you to fill in the gaps. The mission was to retrieve the data drive, avoid detection, and regroup. Sounded easy enough, but you wished that there were more details within the instructions.

Behind you, Kafka leaned lazily against a lamppost, her lilac eyes glinting with nonchalant amusement. "You're too tense, y/n," she said, her voice as smooth as silk. "Relax. Everything's going according to the script."

You shook your head. "I know, but you're not the one with a five-year-old son to look after," you muttered, keeping your voice low.

She chuckled softly, her gaze flickering to where your son, Hajime, stood beside Silverwolf. The boy was wide-eyed, captivated by the holographic displays at a nearby stall.

"Silverwolf's got him," Kafka assured you. "Blade and I will cover the east quadrant. Focus on the task at hand, alright cutie?"

You nodded, though the unease of a mother twisted in your chest. Hajime was your world, the one part of your life that isn't dictated by Elio's vision. You'd do anything to protect him-even if it meant walking away from the man who shared the same magenta and cyan eyes.

The mission began smoothly enough. You slipped through the crowd, your every move calculated like a ninja's. Blade and Kafka disappeared into the east quadrant, starting their part of the script. Silverwolf stayed behind, her fingers flying across her hacking device as she worked to intercept the rogue agent's signal.

"Hajime," you said, placing your finger into the little speaking device that was well hidden in your ear. "Stay close to Silverwolf. No wandering off."

"I know, mom," He replied, his tone both obedient and slightly exasperated as he sat next to Silverwolf, watching as she continued her job.

For a while, everything seemed fine. Hajime stayed within sight, his curiosity tempered by your warning. But then the stall selling glowing crystals caught his attention.

"Silverwolf, can I look?" he asked, his voice tingled with excitement as he stared at her, practically begging.

She hesitated, glancing at her device then back at him while her fingers kept typing. "Just stay where I can see you," she finally said.

Hajime eagerly nodded then darted off.

Minutes passed, and you felt a flicker of unease. After infiltrating the building and finishing your part of the mission, you went back to Silverwolf. She was sitting, legs crossed as she was preoccupied with whatever she was doing. Stretching, you walked up to her, patting her back until you realized something. 

"Where's Hajime?" You asked, your voice sharp enough to have Silverwolf look at you.

"He went exploring," she said blankly, her gaze scanning the crowd to look for the boy's fluffy blond hair.

Panic surged through you. With a sharp glare, you turned and pushed your way through the market, your heart hammering in your chest and making its way up your head, causing you to have a pulsing headache.

Aventurine had no particular reason to be in the fun part of the city other than the fact that he was bored. His work often brought him to places like this-a bustling, neon-soaked market in some distant planet. But tonight the atmosphere intrigued him. Surely the higher ups wouldn't mind if he lingered in the area for a bit.

He strolled through the square with a calm, almost lazy grace, his sharp, neon and magenta eyes taking in the sights. Vendors called out to passersby, hawking everything from the rare spices to glowing trinkets. Children darted between stalls, their laughter cutting through the noise like a sharp melody.

Then that's when he saw him.

A boy, no older than five, weaving through the crowd with the confidence of someone much older. Aventurine paused, his gaze narrowing. There was someone about that child, something oddly familiar that he couldn't place a finger on. Then that's when he saw it. The boy's eyes.

Avgin eyes.

Ones that looked a little too identical to his own.

Realization hit him like a bolt of lightning, but he pushed the thought aside, approaching the boy cautiously.

"Hey there," he said, crouching to the boy's level. "You seem a little far from home."

Hajime looked up at him, his expression wide from curiosity. "I'm not far. Mom's around here somewhere."

Aventurine raised an eyebrow. Why wasn't the boy at least accompanied by his mom then? Was his mom off drinking at a nearby bar or something? "Does your mom know where you are?"

The boy shrugged. "Probably. She's busy. Silverwolf's supposed to be watching me, but she got distracted. Sooo I walked away!"

The name Silverwolf sent a jolt through Aventurine. he knew that name, who didn't? Silverwolf, one of the Stellaron Hunters, a bounty with so many credits for her head. He studied Hajime more carefully, giving him a smile.

"What's your name?" Aventurine asked, keeping his tone light.

"Hajime," the boy said proudly. "Who are you, sir?"

Sir? Aventurine smiled, charmed despite himself. "Just someone passing through. How about we find your mom together?"

Hajime considered for a moment, humming dramatically before giving Aventurine a huge grin. "Okay."

Aventurine couldn't help but genuinely smile as Hajime peppered him with questions. The boy was sharp, his curiosity knowing no bounds.

"Do you live here?" Hajime asked as they walked through the busy market.

"No," Aventurine replied, his eyes wandering off but his peripheral vision on Hajime. "I'm just visiting for a while. How about you?"

"I don't live anywhere," Hajime said matter-of-factly. "Mom says we're always on the move because of her work. But she always makes sure I'm safe."

Aventurine hummed nonchalantly, feeling a pang of something he couldn't quite name. Pity? "She sounds like a good mom."

Hajime nodded enthusiastically. "She's the best! She's really strong, and she knows everything. But she gets grumpy sometimes."

The older male chuckled. "I see. And what about you? What do you like to do?"

the boy tilted his head, thinking. "I really like learning about stars and planets. They's so cool! Mom tells me stories about them all the time. Do you have any good stories, sir?"

Aventurine smiled. "Many, Hajime, like-" He began to ramble on about a star that burned so brightly that it burned the planets around it. Hajime listened intently, his eyes only growing wider with wonder.

You found Hajime just as Aventurine was finishing his story. Relief crashed onto you like a tsunami, but it was quickly replaced by dread as you saw just who he was with.

Aventurine.

He looked up, his gaze locking onto yours. Time seemed to slow, the noise of the market fading into the background. His expression shifted-first surprise, then it morphed into something deeper, something more intense.

You forced yourself to move, your steps graceful despite the chaos inside of you. "Hajime," you said, voice calm but firm. "I told you not to wander off."

Hajime ran to you, his small arms wrapping around your leg. "Sorry mama. But look!" He looked up at you, grinning as he pointed at Aventurine. "He helped me look for you."

Aventurine just stood there, his charm seeming to radiate off him. His gaze never left yours, a slow smile spreading across his face. "It's been a while, hasn't?" He said, his tone laced with something unreadable, making your heart jump a little.

You met his gaze evenly despite the pounding of your heart. "Indeed. Thank you for watching him."

Hajime tugged on your sleeve, momentarily bringing you back into the present away from Aventurine. "Mom, he told me a story about a star! Can I hear more? Please?"

You smiled faintly, your mask firmly in place. "Maybe another time."

Aventurine chuckled, his usual charm sliding into place as he slipped his hands in his pocket. "I'd be happy to. But first, I think your mom and I need to have.. a little chat."

Author’s notes: Here you all go! Your rich sugar daddy baby daddy! I love his gay ass so much… I might do those poll votes on how the story progresses in the future, but let me know if you’re interested so far! I’d love to hear from you!

ALSO!!! If you wanna join the Taglist then comment down below!

Likes, shares, and reboots much appreciated!

Taglist: @godoffuckedupcats, @sweetistic

[sweetprfct]

Please Please Please

Aaron Taylor-Johnson x Fem!Reader

Summary: An unexpected coffee accident turned your life upside down into a world full of glamour and flashing cameras everywhere you turned. You thought with Aaron by your side, it was going to be easy to navigate, but it turns out life in front of the flashing cameras isn't so effortless after all.

Author's Note: Welcome to my new era. I know most of you have read my JQ fics, but I've moved on these last several months now. This prompt was originally requested by @metal-redcherries for a JQ fic, but I decided to twist this a little bit and turn it into an ATJ fic. Anyway, enjoy! :)

Wordcount: 3.4K

Disclaimer: 18+

chapter one - chapter two - chapter three - chapter four - chapter five - chapter six - chapter seven - chapter eight - chapter nine - chapter ten - chapter eleven - chapter twelve - epilogue

“So, I know that we’re lacking staff at the moment, but we are working on getting some more hires…”

Your boss, Keith’s, voice slowly turned into a ringing sound in your ears until you had tuned him out. You swatted your hand in front of your face as a small fly flew in front of it. Your eyes slowly shifted towards the many plants that were sitting on the back corner of Keith’s desk. The plants were creating a new habitat for small flies, and it was annoying you lately. It was all over the office area and sometimes, it would enter your own office. 

Keith had mentioned that he bought some new spray to get rid of the small flies. His plants were too important for him, so he couldn't get rid of them that easily. He loved them and took care of them in the years he had been in this company. The fly problem was resolved quickly, but there were still a small amount that would live within his office. 

It had been a long week, and it was only Thursday. You still had one more day to go, and you were dreading for this meeting to be finished so you could go home. Keith had called you and Asher, his two leads of the department, to break the news that the lab production was expanding, which meant more work for the team with less people. 

You work at a genomic lab, and your position was a chemist lead for five months now, which meant more responsibilities and more document work than lab work.

Same goes for Asher. 

Asher had asked Keith the question of how this was going to work given the less people you all currently have. Keith was currently explaining everything to him. You had tuned them out for about five minutes now as Asher continued to question him. Asher has always been like that. You have known him since freshman year of college, and he always asked ridiculous questions that were unnecessary. 

No one questions Keith’s decisions. Ever. 

And yet, here he was. 

You didn’t understand why your supervisor, Max, wasn’t the one who told you this. Besides the fact that he was barely at work all the time, Keith was the director of the chemical production that went on in the lab, and he already had enough on his plate. You couldn’t help but shake your head slightly at the thought of how unreliable Max could be. 

“Anyway, we won’t be doing this right away.” Keith’s voice suddenly resurfaced back to your attention. “I already made a proposal for hiring new staff so hopefully, we’ll be able to get some new people around here.”

“And we will be the ones training them?” Asher asked, sounding insulted. 

Jesus fucking Christ. 

You rolled your teeth over your lower lip as you watched Keith’s reaction to Asher’s question. You have learned how Keith reacts in a certain way to certain people. You knew that because you have done one on one’s with him and have developed a better relationship with him than he and Asher could ever have. Keith’s eyes sparked in a way that he couldn’t believe he was hearing Asher’s tone of voice.

You didn’t blame him. 

Asher was being rude. 

“As a lead of this team, yes.” Keith answered. 

Oh, here we go.

“As a lead, it’s part of your job to train new hires and support them when they need help. As a lead, you're there for your team to ensure day-to-day priorities and provide proper instructions to certain tasks. It’s what a good leader does.” Keith continued, his voice growing serious. 

The corner of your lips lifted, holding in the smile that was slowly creeping up on your face. Asher was slowly sliding down his seat as Keith continued to explain that if you have any questions or concerns, you both could always talk to Max or talk to him privately. 

Asher anxiously scrambled out of his seat as soon as Keith dismissed the meeting. 

“Have a good day, sir.” You murmured as he gave you a curt nod and a warm smile. 

Keith never had a problem with you. 

Asher, however…

You watched as Asher exhaled a deep breath as if he had been holding it in the last thirty minutes or so. His cheeks were a shade of pink as you both walked down the office area and stopped in front of your office door. 

“I don’t know why you keep questioning Keith.” You murmured. 

Asher gave you a glare and rolled his eyes. “Because don’t you think it’s a little ridiculous that he is giving us more work?”

“You heard Keith. He already is going to hire more people.” You argued. “You know how he is. He probably already submitted that proposal a long time ago. I won’t be surprised if he already found people to hire.”

Asher scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “Why do you always defend him?”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You have known Asher all through college, and you could sense the behavior he projected whenever he was upset. It honestly annoyed you, even now. The behavior he tends to portray was just inappropriate and irritating. 

You saw that flick of idea in his green eyes for a moment. You shook your head immediately before he even said the words. 

“Do you..” He looked around the office, making sure no one was around before whispering, “Do you have some crush on him?”

The disgusted feeling immediately washed over you, making your stomach turn at the gross accusation he just threw at you. 

Was he fucking serious?

Your brows raised in surprise before anger took over you. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Asher rolled his eyes, “Oh, come on!”

“You’re fucking disgusting, you know that? Jesus Christ! What the fuck is wrong with your brain?” 

Asher’s eyes immediately turned into guilt as he saw the anger that sparked in your eyes. The tension in his shoulders relaxed as he exhaled a sharp breath.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured, his eyes dropping down to his feet. “I’m just… I’m just upset.”

You shook your head in disbelief and turned around to open your office door, but Asher was quick to grab you by your wrist. 

“Wait.” He said. “I’m sorry, okay? D… Do you have plans for tonight? Do you want to get dinner?”

You couldn’t help but scoff at his question and slipped your wrist away from his grip. You couldn’t even look at him right now. You didn't have the energy today to give him some patience and understanding.

“Yeah,” A hint of irritation through your voice. “Sara and I have Pasta Thursday tonight.”

“Right.” Asher nodded. “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rolling your eyes, you entered your office and gathered your things together. It was the end of the day, and you were thanking your little stars above that it was almost the weekend. You couldn't believe you had to deal with that bullshit. Asher was getting on your last nerve lately.

Pushing the thought away, you zipped up your bag and yawned softly, shaking your head to wake yourself up. It was already 3:30pm, and you still have to hit traffic going home. 

Walking out of the double doors of Genome Dynamics, the Los Angeles heat greeted you. It was starting to cool down from the afternoon air, but it was still hot. It was mid-October, and you were ready for the weather to start getting cold. You walked down the parking lot and threw your bag on the backseat before sliding yourself in the driver’s seat. 

Maybe a little coffee would help you a little bit. 

Your favorite coffee shop was just five blocks down, and you decided to make a little pit stop before going straight home. 

Entering the shop, the delicious smell of coffee immediately greeted you. It sent warm shivers down your body. You loved the smell of coffee, and you loved the atmosphere this coffee shop always had. The shop wasn’t too crowded. There were only a couple of people waiting in line and a couple people sitting around the tables, their eyes focused on their laptop or book. 

You ordered your favorite mocha blended coffee and waited on the other end of the counter for the barista to make your drink. As you waited, you felt your phone vibrate in your hand and Sara’s name appeared on your screen. 

Sara: Got the goodies! On the way home now!

You couldn’t help but smile and text her back. 

You: Great! I’m fucking starving! It’s been a long day.

Sara: Same. Got some tiramisu for dessert too! 🤭

You: Great. I’ll see you soon.

You gazed up from your phone when you heard the barista call your name. You saw the girl set the delicious blended coffee on the counter. Instantly, you mentally cursed yourself when you saw the whipped cream on top. You totally forgot to tell her that you didn’t want any whipped cream, but it was too late. It wasn’t that big of a deal, so you just let it go. You grabbed the coffee carefully and made your way towards the other counter to grab yourself a lid and straw.

Although, you didn’t make it all the way because as this day already been unlucky, you weren’t paying attention and immediately hit something hard the moment you turned around. For a moment, you thought you were that tired that you hit the wall that was behind you but when you slowly looked up, you were greeted by a man. Not just any man. 

You knew this man. 

His curly brown hair was a little longer than you usually would see him in. It was pushed back from his forehead. His beard was trimmed nicely. He was wearing a white button up with a navy blue striped vest along with navy blue trousers that matched with his vest. His white button up and navy blue vest was now soaked in whipped cream and blended coffee. 

Motherfucker.

A small gasp slipped through your lips before stalking towards the counter and grabbing some napkins. 

“Fuck.” You muttered under your breath. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you!” 

You wiped the bundle of napkins on his shirt, and jesus, you couldn’t help but think how he felt almost like a rock. There was nothing in his body but just muscles. He didn’t say anything as you continued to wipe off the coffee from his clothes.

“Of course, my clumsy self would do this.” You murmured, wondering if you were talking to him or to yourself.

Maybe both. 

“My brain is fried, and I can’t think anymore for today. I’m so sorry for this. I swear, I didn’t see you there. I was way too distracted over some stupid pasta waiting for me at home—”

You heard a low chuckle that vibrated through his chest where your hand was. Your eyes slowly gazed up at him. His one brow raised, one corner of his lips was lifted, while his blue eyes were staring right into yours. 

Fucking Aaron Taylor-Johnson. 

“Do you always ramble on like this, darling?” His British accent slipped through his voice, and you wondered if this was some sort of stupid prank. 

“I… uh…” You stuttered, taking a step back. “Been a long day.”

Dimples indented his cheeks as he smiled at you. He looked down at the mess you made on his shirt, and you knew that it probably cost hundreds of dollars for just that one shirt alone. 

“It’s alright.” He said, reaching for more napkins and dabbing it on his shirt. “Accidents happen.”

“I ruined it.” You said. “I can pay for it. I don’t know. It’s probably going to cost a whole paycheck. I can barely afford my own clothes, but I don’t mind. I don’t know, maybe I can pay you monthly or something or get you something cheaper, but I’m not even sure if you would want that. I mean how would I pay you monthly? I’m a stranger. You probably don't even want to see me again—”

You were rambling again, and you were out of breath when he chuckled at you once again. 

“It’s not my personal clothes.” He cut you off. “It’s my costume for the movie I’m filming.”

Your eyes widened from his small commentary, and it didn’t make the situation better. Some Director or someone from the costume department would probably sue you now for ruining a movie costume. 

Fuck. 

Aaron laughed softly when he saw the panic that washed over your face. You didn’t understand how he was this calm, and how he was okay with all of this. 

“It’s alright.” He reassured you. “Although, I’m not sure how the costume department will react to the artwork you made on their costume.”

There was a hint of tease in his voice, but you didn’t find it funny. Your heart was beating a million miles per hour, and he was over here teasing you? 

Teasing you! 

“I’m kidding.” He laughed. “They have some detergent to get this out. I always make a mess on set with my costumes whenever I eat. It’s not a problem.”

The reassurance in his voice finally made your shoulders relaxed, and he probably saw it too because his grin widened. Your conversation was interrupted when the barista called his name and set his drink on the counter. 

“I’m sorry again.” You murmured.

“It’s okay. I’m Aaron, by the way.” He held out his hand.

As if you didn’t know him. 

You introduced yourself and shook his hand, giving him a small smile. 

“Nice to meet you.” He said. “I’ll see you around… hopefully.”

He squeezed your hand softly before walking around you to grab his coffee. You took a deep breath and threw the half empty coffee cup that was still in your hand and sped walk towards the front doors of the shop. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You didn’t even dare to look back at the coffee shop as you walked straight towards your car. You drove off almost immediately and found yourself on the freeway in just five minutes. You mentally cursed yourself for always embarrassing yourself in front of someone that was famous or important. It was like your brain always knew how to short circuit in situations like these. 

Arriving at your apartment building, you tapped your foot impatiently inside the elevator. When the two doors slid open, you walked down the hall and inserted your key on the keyhole to unlock it. You were greeted immediately by the smell of your favorite pasta and garlic bread but somehow, you lost your appetite now. 

“Hey.” Sara smiled, setting the plates on the dining table. “You’re a little later than usual. Busy day?” 

Sara’s your roommate and best friend. You also met her in your first year of college. She was your very first friend on campus, and the two of you were always two peas in a pod. Even now.

“Uh no.” You set your bag down on the floor behind the sofa and walked towards the dining table. “I stopped by at The Insomniacs.”

“A coffee?” Sara raised her brow. “This late? You’re not going to sleep tonight.”

“It’s fine.” You shrugged, feeling more exhausted than ever now. “Coffee doesn’t affect me like that anymore. I'll still be sleeping like a baby tonight.”

You pulled out the chair and sat across from Sara, your eyes studying the pasta and garlic bread that was sitting on the table. You have been thinking about this pasta all day but looking at it made your stomach turn. 

“Besides,” You added. “I didn’t even drink coffee.”

“What do you mean?” Sara handed you the plate of garlic bread. 

You grabbed a few pieces for yourself and set them on your plate. “It ended up on someone’s shirt.”

“What?” Sara’s eyes widened. 

You explained everything that happened from being too exhausted from a long day of work to deciding you were going to grab some coffee. Then, you told her how you grabbed the coffee from the counter and the moment you turned around, you bumped into someone.

“Not just someone.” You said. “Guess who?”

“Your ex?”

You made a disgusted face. “No! Someone famous.”

“I don’t know. Leonardo DiCaprio or something?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “No, it was freaking Aaron Taylor-Johnson!”

“Shut up!” Sara’s eyes widened as she grinned excitedly. “ATJ?! You spilled your coffee all over ATJ?!”

You threw your head back and groaned in frustration before leaning forward against the table and buried your face in your hands. You shook your head as the scenarios replayed in your mind. 

“I’m such an idiot.” You mumbled through your hands before looking up. “It was embarrassing, Sara! The worst part? He laughed about it.”

Sara chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. “I’m sure he found it cute. Besides, he probably won’t even remember you. He has thousands of fans. You’ll slip away from his mind in like a day.”

“Thanks.” You said sarcastically, eating your pasta. 

“You know what I mean.” Sara smiled. “It’s so funny how you always run into celebrities.”

You looked up from your pasta with wide eyes. “What do you mean by always?”

“Did you forget that you ran into Jennifer Aniston in a bathroom once?” Sara scoffed. 

Oh, yeah. Sara would never let that one go. 

It wasn’t your fault. Your childhood friend, Hannah, had dragged you down to an after party event. It just happened that Sara’s—and yours— favorite actress was in that event. You also embarrassed yourself in front of her by stuttering and rambling on about how much you loved her movies and her. Jen was sweet enough to take a picture with you and a video for Sara. 

At the end of the night, you wanted to slap yourself for acting so stupid.

“Well, maybe if you get out of Pasadena, you’d see more celebrities.” You teased her. 

Sara’s job was located in Pasadena. She worked for NASA and even if you didn’t actually understand what she did over there, you knew Sara loved her job. Meanwhile, your job was located in Burbank. A lot closer to Glendale, where you both lived. Also, a city swarming with celebrities sometimes since the Warner Brothers studios was located in Burbank. 

“No, thanks.” Sara replied. “I actually love my job.”

“Yeah?” You leaned back against your chair. “How’s space going? Is there some comet about to hit us or what?”

Sara almost choked on her wine. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the napkin before tilting her head at you. 

“What happened at work?” She asked. 

Sara knew you only would ask that question when you weren’t having a good day. 

You rolled your eyes. “Asher being Asher.”

“That’s nothing new.” Sara argued. “What did the idiot do now?”

You sighed and reached for your glass of wine. As much as you loved the pasta, you couldn’t eat any more of it. 

“Keith pulled us into his office, letting us know about more production coming and that he was planning to hire more people.” You sipped your wine for a moment. “Well, you know how you don’t ever argue with Keith? Well, Asher did. He threw all these questions, which Keith shut down instantly. Asher was all aggravated after the meeting.”

Sara chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Oh, Asher.”

“Then, I told him to quit acting like that and he accused me of having a crush on my boss! Like what the fuck? That’s fucking disgusting!”

Sara laughed. “Oh god. You know he’s acting like that because he likes you, right? He has liked you since we were in CalTech.” 

“And since CalTech, I have told him I’m not interested.” You scoffed. “He needs to move on.”

Sara chuckled softly and sipped her wine, while comfortable silence surrounded the dining room for a moment. You and your friends, including Sara and Asher, met in CalTech. The first year, Asher wasn’t shy about his feelings towards you, but you never liked him like that. Despite the fact that you were still friends until now, that was all that was ever going to be. He was also a complete opposite of you, and you never liked his behavior whenever he got upset.

Later on that night, you and Sara shared the tiramisu, while Sara told you about her day. Then, you helped her with the dishes and eventually retired into your own rooms. As you laid on your bed that night, you stared at the ceiling and let out a deep breath. 

Your body and mind was exhausted.

Just one more day, and it's the weekend. 

__________________________________________________________

AN: Anyone who wants to be tagged, please let me know :)

[chained-spirits]

<<Chapter Art Next>>

Quick edit - can we pretend reaper don't have a sword and sheild in this, this is a RETCON ;)

[inkwellimps]

Jevilary Day 18: Tragic Comedy

In terms of tragic comedy: Life's a joke, and Jevil's in on it. So... are you coming over?

[elmushterri]

Would you ever make a fanfic about your au??? Because I'm so down about reading it, if you do make it

Though I don’t have time to make a full fanfic/plan everything, I have scenes and whatnot in mind. Perfect timing, actually, because I just signed up for AO3 specifically for you guys!

Here’s a couple scenes from what is probably Episode One

[lottielovelace]

princess — chapter one

(ghost x könig's-sister!reader)

summary: Finally you get a chance to visit Simon. You just hope he hasn't forgotten about you. (aka two people trying their best to hide how incredibly into each other they are)

originally posted on ao3 (chapter length: 505 words)

Rating: M

Relationships: Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader, background platonic relationships

Ao3 Tags FOR THE FIC AS A WHOLE, NOT THIS SPECIFIC CHAPTER:Past Rape/Non-con / Rape Recovery / Male Victim of Sexual Assault / Canonical Rape/Non-con (Simon's) / First Time / Getting Together / Manchester as a setting / disclaimer: author has not been to manchester / Simon does bare-knuckle boxing as a hobby / Sparring as Flirting / wrestling as flirting / Identity Porn / Non-Explicit Sex / reader is konig's half sister / Unmasked Simon "Ghost" Riley (while on leave) / reader knows that simon is in the military but doesn't know he’s ghost / medium speed burn

this is a part of a series and a multichapter fic (Ch1, Ch2)

Author’s Note: heads up this chapter is very short, mostly plot, and has little ghost. subsequent chapters will have a lot more :)

When König and Horangi booked a bodyguard job in London, you knew you were going to be superfluous for the next couple of months. It was a pretty low-stakes gig (a rich heir had gotten a few online hate comments and been spooked into extreme paranoia, deciding to hire the best of the best for the job), so any major injuries were unlikely. Plus with it being primarily in London, if things did go terribly wrong, there were medical resources available.

So when you offhandedly mentioned that you might pass on this mission to visit an old friend in the north of the country, they welcomed it. You might be more sociable than your brother, but they knew that close friends were still  few and far between for you. Of course, you don’t know if they would’ve approved had they known your “friend” was in the British military, but hey. What they wouldn’t know wouldn’t hurt them (for now at least).

The pit in your stomach only grew as you took the train up to Manchester. It refused to ease as you checked into your hostel. The kernel clung to you, twisting as you stared at your room’s dingy walls (it was the cheapest you could get. Horangi and your brother thought you were staying with a friend, your financials needed to reflect that.) What if Simon had forgotten you? It had been months. Were his words white lies to placate a pathetic prisoner? Was he even still alive? You didn't know exactly what he did for work, but you knew it was high stakes.

Staring at the moldy ceiling (damn, this really was a shitty hostel), you reminded yourself of the mantra you memorized at the camp.

Manchester. Stuart's. Simon.

Go to Manchester, find Stuart’s, ask for Simon.

Well you’ve already done one of the three.

----------

“Excuse me?”

The tattooed woman at the front desk glanced up at your soft words.

"Yes dear?"

"I was told I could find a Simon Riley here."

"Who’s asking?"

You told her your name and that “I met him while traveling abroad. He said if I ever wanted to get in touch to reach out here.”

"You’re in luck."

You tried not to get your hopes up.

“Really? Is he there?”

“No, but he will be. Just got on leave. Scheduled to monitor open gym tomorrow. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you."

"Oh, I'm not sure…"

"Please, Riley never gets visitors. I'm sure he'll love to see you."

You weren't quite so confident. But you hated to let the nice woman down, especially when she'd been so helpful. You forced yourself to nod, giving her a polite—if muttered—"Sure."

He could always turn you away himself.

A google maps search and Top Ten Manchester Attractions article later, you wound up spending the day killing time at the Manchester Museum. You finished the day with a cuppa and getting a takeaway from Nando's.

You somehow missed the eyes that followed you as you left the shop.

[thewitchwolf]

The Witch Wolf - Chapter 1: Part 2

<<< Previous | Next >>> See you next full moon.

The Witch Wolf Created by Dani Carr & Bree Williams Writer: Dani Carr Artist: Bree Williams Cultural Consultant: Matheus Nogueira

Patreon | Content Warning | Masterpost

[thelost-comic]

Keep reading... [X]

Beloved Audience, we are delighted to announce that the Sponsors have had their fill, and the first installment of the latest adventure of the Great Coliseum is now available for your consumption free of charge!

In this introduction, you will meet the key players of the upcoming season, and learn why the last was cut short unexpectedly in the middle of an episode. We fellow Watchers apologize for the wait, and hope you enjoy the rest of this tale enough to forgive our fumble.

Real life translation: Chapter one is now available for free for everyone to read!

The website and comic are both meant for mobile viewing, and the link above brings you directly to the chapter one landing page, where you can check the content warnings before reading.

All pages are fully described in ALT text both here and on the site.

If the link ever breaks for some weird reason, the URL is thelost.space. If you want to be notified when new chapters come out, follow this blog! The only posts will be updates on the comic itself, so you can enable notifications without getting spammed!

Want early access for chapter 2+? [X] Want the fonts and/or main brushes used in the comic? [X] (dialogue font will be available later today)