#hadn't saved for a billion years

[ruairy]

.

[wyrmwhispers]

On the idea of “is Paul lying about this being the best path” my interpretation is no, he's not. At the very least not purposefully lying, although it may not be the actual truth. And by that i mean that there's no future where all the Harkonnens die miserable painful deaths and then yippee the Fremen rule Arrakis and Paul is there living happily ever after with Chani, that he sees. but what i do think is true is that the path Paul chooses is the one that allows him to meet all his goals which, in relative order of priority I'll say are:

revenge on the harkonnens

keep the people he loves alive (jessica, chani, alia)

free the fremen from harkonnen control (maybe, if it's convenient or if he has time)

and the really shitty thing about this list is that number three is extremely convenient and helpful for number one but not in a good way and number one is really non-negotiable for him. Like from his perspective he needs revenge against the Harkonnens, that's why he joins the fedaykin because fighting against the Harkonnens like that feels like revenge. But the idea of taking it all the way to the top and getting revenge not just against the Harkonnens but also the emperor for killing his family and the entire imperium for standing by and doing nothing is too tempting for him to ignore. And he caveat on the second point is that the people he loves being happy isn't necessary just that they're alive. (*cough cough* Chani in the movies *cough cough*)

So i think that the future Paul picks, the narrow way through is the one that satisfies all those best and you'll notice that “do right by the oppressed indigenous people” and “don't murder 62 billion people” aren't really on there. not because he doesn't care about those but… he doesn't really in comparison to the aforementioned goals. Post-water of life, he sees "the best path through" where he gets everything he wants and sees the jihad as an acceptable price and reasons it as "inevitable" whether or not it actually was.

all of this means that yeah, to him there very well may only be one way and yeah the one that he chooses is the best one from his perspective even if you've read the books you'll know that he kind of fails at point number two in trying to protect both Chani and Alia.

Lastly, in the later books Leto II talks about the Golden Path and that its the only way to save humanity and blah blah blah. Frank Herbert pretends like he mentioned it in Dune and Dune Messiah but he didn't. Although I do believe he had some ideas about it in Messiah but it wasn't fully formed until Children of Dune. How I always interpreted that in retrospect is that Paul saw the Golden Path but wasn't willing to make the sacrifices necessary (becoming a sentient sandworm god, living for four thousand years, etc. which... fair) and tried to half walk the Golden Path without ever fully committing to it and fucks it up and leaves it to Leto II. All of which to say, the Golden Path isn't a thing in the original book so the "narrow way through" is not the Golden Path because Frank Herbert hadn't made it up yet and its not what I'm talking about.

[jangillman]

President Trump's Achievements

Hey!! What has Donald Trump done while he was in office (as at July, 2017)!!!

1.Supreme Court Judge Gorsuch

2.59 missiles dropped in Syria.

3.He took us out of TPP

4.Illegal immigration is now down 70%( the lowest in 17 years)

5.Consumer confidence highest since 2000 at index125.6

6.Mortgage applications for new homes rise to a 7 year high.

7.Arranged 20% Tariff on soft lumber from Canada.

8.Bids for border wall are well underway.

9.Pulled out of the lopsided Paris accord.

10.Keystone pipeline approved.

11.NATO allies boost spending by 4.3%

12.Allowing VA to terminate bad employees.

13.Allowing private healthcare choices for veterans.

14.More than 600,000. Jobs created

15. Median household income at a 7 year high.

16. The Stock Market is at the highest ever In its history.

17. China agreed to American import of beef.

18. $89 Billion saved in regulation rollbacks.

19. Rollback of A Regulation to boost coal mining.

20. MOAB for ISIS

21. Travel ban reinstated.

22. Executive order for religious freedom.

23. Jump started NASA

24. $600 million cut from UN peacekeeping budget.

25. Targeting of MS13 gangs

26. Deporting violent illegal immigrants.

27. Signed 41 bills to date

28. Created a commission on child trafficking

29. Created a commission on voter fraud

30. Created a commission for opioids addiction.

31. Giving power to states to drug test unemployment recipients.

32. Unemployment lowest since may 2007.

33. Historic Black College University initiative

34. Women In Entrepreneurship Act

35. Created an office or illegal immigrant crime victims.

36. Reversed Dodd-Frank

37. Repealed DOT ruling which would have taken power away from local governments for infrastructure planning

38. Order to stop crime against law enforcement.

39. End of DAPA program.

40. Stopped companies from moving out of America.

41. Promoted businesses to create American Jobs.

42. Encouraged country to once again

43. 'Buy American and hire American

44. Cutting regulations 2 for every one created.

45. Review of all trade agreements to make sure they are America first.

46. Apprentice program

47. Highest manufacturing surge in 3 years.

48 $78 Billion promised reinvestment from major businesses like Exxon, Bayer, Apple, SoftBank, Toyota...

49. Denied FBI a new building.

50. $700 million saved with F-35 renegotiation.

51. Saves $22 million by reducing white house payroll.

52. Dept of treasury reports a $182 billion surplus for April 2017

(2nd largest in history.

53. Negotiated the release of 6 US humanitarian workers held captive in egypt.

54. Gas prices lowest in more than 12 years.

55. Signed An Executive Order To Promote Energy Independence And Economic Growth

56. Has already accomplished more to stop government interference into people's lives than any President in the history of America.

57. President Trump has worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any President since Truman.

58. Has given head executive of each branches 6 month time Frame dated march 15 2017, to trim the fat. restructure and improve efficacy of their branch.

Observe the pushback the leaks the lies as entrenched POWER refuses to go silently into that good night!

I hope each and every one of you copy and paste this everywhere, every time you hear some dim wit say Trump hadn't done a thing!

THANK YOU!!!

Oh, yeah, and there's this..........

[sixtynineinchnails]

I've been wanting to make this post for months and in light of the recent ex-presidential ear piercing now seems as good a time as any.

As a non-usamerican, as someone who is pro Palestine, as an anarchist: I am begging you with every fibre of my being to go to the fucking polls this fall and

VOTE.

Disclaimer: I don't live in the united states and I never have and I probably never will. I can never truly understand what it's like to be a usamerican and I'm not going to pretend like i could. I fully expect to get called a fascist or some shit for saying your should exercise your right to vote but at this point I don't care. I'm scared, we're all scared, and news like we've just gotten tonight is only going to compound the fear and chaos and conspiracy thought and fearmongering and hopelesspilled doomerism we’re all dealing with rn. I don’t want to make anyone’s day worse. I'm not looking to debate you. I just want to say some things that i’ve been thinking about for a long time now while a couple people might actually stop to listen.

The united states of america is the most powerful country in the world.

What happens in the united states government this fall will affect every single person on the planet, in some way, for better or worse.

You aren't just voting blue to avoid trump turning the united states into an alt-right theocratic dictatorship (which on its own is bad enough). You're also voting to avoid the right from gaining power (where they haven't already) in of other powerful democratic countries. You're voting to stop Palestine (and let’s be real, probably a handful of other places) from being wiped off the face of the planet with nuclear bombs. You're potentially voting to avoid a third world war. I'm not saying this to spread fear of these things happening. I'm saying this because if you're not already aware of how huge the scope is here: you're not voting to save your country, you're very likely voting to save the entire world.

I can't speak to how people feel everywhere (if you’re also a non-usamerican please feel free to share how this is/has/will affect your country in the notes) but I want to speak to my own for a bit. I can confidently say that what happens in america heavily affects the political and social situation here in canada. We would not have had a convoy of thousands of people drive across the country (which takes days to do) to occupy our capital city for a month and halt almost $4 billion in trade to protest, i kid you not, wearing a mask during covid, if trump supporters hadn't paved the way (and directly influenced canadians to follow in their footsteps). We wouldn't have had "concerned parents" protesting against sex-ed and LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools (protests full of armed+mounted police which they brought their young children to during school hours) if trump supporters hadn't paved the way. There are people waving flags and signs around on street corners along major roads every single week everywhere from the largest city in our country to small towns of under 5000 people. I’ve heard of people who’ve spiraled into such severe conspiracy rabbitholes that their entire lives and personalities have changed in just a few years. Despite being canadian nationalists, these people and their patterns of behaviour are all a direct result of donald j trump and his followers. And no matter your political leaning, pretty much everyone hates our current prime minister, our economy is bad, even people with decent incomes can’t afford to eat, and everyone is frothing at the mouth for something to happen. If america votes trump this fall, I see very little hope that our country won't vote conservative (our main right-wing party). They will backpedal decades of LGBTQ+ rights and Indigenous peoples' rights and climate action funding and children's education and a whole pile of other important stuff. They have made it very clear that they will follow the exact same path as right wing america and there are a scary amount of people here who want that. And even if canada remains centre/left while sharing the largest land border in the world with a trump dictatorship....well I for one can’t see that going over very well either.

And that's just my country. I know a lot of other countries have been battling a similar spike in alt-right groups and conservative ideologies following the last trump presidency. I don't think any of us are truly prepared for what will happen in the event of another one.

Look. I hate biden too. In general I disagree with the very concept of colonial government and money and the division of countries/states/etc and the legal/carceral system and a whole whack of other shit that we have to live with right now. Someone’s said this before but if any of us thought that telling you guys to blow up a walmart would save your country from a fascist dictatorship I for one would encourage it. But none of us are actually going to blow up a walmart, and it wouldn’t solve anything at this point anyways. We all have to take action in whatever ways we actually can and will. Voting is one of many small, simple steps you can take, should take, fucking better be taking. It’s easy, it’s legal, if you mail in you don’t even have to go to the polling station, and if you really can’t vote for whatever reason, encourage everyone you know who can to do so. Hell, if I could vote on november 5th I would crawl my ass over the border on my hands and knees to do it. I'm sorry that the two options are a fascist police state and an even worse fascist police state run by a man who thinks he's a god, but not voting won't fix that problem. You're not going to establish a revolution by purposefully not taking part in social change, and encouraging others not to either. Not voting against trump = voting for trump. If you don't vote and that orange nukefucker takes over your country it is your fault. And we’re all going to pay for your inaction, especially the people in places like Palestine who will be in significantly more danger than they already are if trump gets his fake tanned hands on the situation.

Anyways. Keep fighting. Stay safe. Do what you can. Don't give up. There is always hope for a better future. And for fucks sake go vote.

Oh and if we do end up in the worst timeline this november and I see you anti-voting fuckers making "lmao time to move to canada" jokes...count your fucking days.

-

TLDR: usamerica is not the only place in the world affected by the actions of usamerica. If you’re still railing against voting at this point you’re pro-trump lmao.

[galexibrain]

Hnnnnng something about Vegeta's entire arc that I find so important is that he didn't change BEFORE becoming an ally (sort of).

I've seen ppl call him "undeserving" of a family or of forgiveness and happiness bc he didn't formally apologize for being a prick but. Hnnnnnnnnnnnngggggg.

He only became capable of change, of feeling remorse for what he did, and subsequently caring enough to put his life on the line for others BECAUSE he had a family.

After Namek he hadn't changed at all. It took him more than ten years of domestic life and a brief return to his old ways before he finally was able to admit that ok, he's changed, he likes the way things are now.

People grow with their circumstances. Vegeta wasn't a poor uwu boi at any point we see him in canon. Freezer's subordinate or not - he was horrible. Despicable.

And maybe he deserved death.

In another fandom, about a character with a situation not totally unlike Vegeta's, someone once said:

"No character deserves a redemption arc. They either have one, or they don't."

Killing Vegeta, or shooing him away after Namek wouldn't have done any good. It wouldn't have brought back all those he'd killed. Not the billions of unnamed people on other planets, not Elder Tsuno's village. Moori says so in Moro Arc: they didn't forget what Vegeta's done, but they know holding a grudge won't help. And guess what? Now Vegeta's saving them all. (Not by himself but he has a key role in defeating Moro.)

Justice isn't when the villain "gets what they deserve".

Later, and I'm including Super/Moro arc here, bc that one hit SO GOOD, Vegeta uses the fact that he's still alive despite all he's done to try and do something good with that sorry life of his. And he helps make the universe a little better. He saves lives, in some cases gives them back, even.

And that's the key for me: the universe would not be a better place without Vegeta in it. There's no longer anything left to achieve by killing him for the sake of "justice" (a word that can mean many things).

Vegeta knows he's on borrowed time: once he dies he will face the music. He's accepted that, ever since Buu. But while he's at it, he can do more good than he could if he was dead.

A redemption arc isn't "oh, this character is sorry for what he's done, now we can forgive him". A redemption arc is an arc, and it must start somewhere, usually when a villain is still far from being redeemed. (Surprise lol.)

[tonberry-yoda]

Comfort - Portgas D. Ace

notes - AHHH IM HERE!! Sorry this took so long, I was really busy this week going to concerts, going to work, stuff at home, and setting up my new room, so chaos has been more than normal for me this week lol. But I am so glad I got to write such a relaxing Ace fic, this was really nice for me to just spill out of my soul! This was also for that poll I did earlier this week! I hope my Ace lovers enjoy this one and have a lovely evening! I love you all, stay super hydrated!

word count - 966

"What are you doing?" Ace laughed, watching you dig in the sand like a dog for the fifteenth time.

"I'm telling you, Ace," you tried to explain. "There's gotta be treasure in this sand. The map says so!" You pointed to a map that was sitting next to you; old and covered in sand.

"Isn't that thing like a billion years old?" He picked up the map and turned it over in his hands a bunch, still not understanding how to read it.

"Maybe it is, but who knows, that treasure could still be here!"

Ace just playfully rolled his eyes and grabbed your arm, pulling you out of the sand. "Come on, babe. Let's just get a hotel for the night and wash up. You got sand in your fingernails."

"Yeah, but it's rich Alabasta sand, so it's fine." you joked, following Ace and taking back your map.

"Still gross though." he teased, running his hand to your lower back and pressing a kiss to your cheek.

The two of you walked for a while to the nearest town, not even realizing how late it had been. When you walked into town, it was pitch black and freezing cold.

Ace shivered and held open the hotel door for you. "Man, it's cold."

"Maybe cuz you always have your nips out, Ace." you said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and thanking him for holding the door.

"You leave my nips alone!" he defended, dramatically pressing his hand to his chest.

You turned to him, shocked that would say such a stupid thing in a lobby with people in it, but just rolled your eyes.

He smirked at you and grabbed your hand, getting the two of you a nice room.

Once there, it was like heaven. You slipped off your shoes and threw yourself onto the bed with pure joy painted onto your face.

"Scoot over, y/n," Ace said, clapping his hands together. "Or I'm gonna land on you."

He didn't even give you time to move and instead landed straight on top of you, making you lose your breath for a second before busting into laughter.

"Ace, what the hell?" you said between deep breaths and a little bit of laughter.

"Oh, damn, you were just so cozy looking, I thought you were the bed." He winked at you and hugged around your waist, burying his face in your chest.

"Wait!" You jumped off of the bed, making Ace pout. "Before you go burying your face anywhere, I'm taking a shower. I smell like," you took a whiff of yourself and dramatically fake gagged. "Yeah, I smell like I should probably take a shower."

"Let's save water then," Ace smiled, taking off his hat and already slipping off his shorts to just a pair of boxers. "Lemme take one with you."

You couldn't say no to someone who you loved with all your heart and so happened to be pressing kisses down your neck.

"Fine," you said, pushing his face away. "But you're washing your own hair."

"What?!" Ace exclaimed, pouting. "But I haven't had head scratchies in ages! Not fair."

You turned on the shower, stripped down, and waited for the water to heat up as Ace sat behind you, whistling and reminding you how pretty you were. You blushed, of course, and turned to Ace, smacking him on the bare arm.

"Owie! What was that for? I was calling you pretty!"

"For making me blush." you said, turning away, your face as bright as a tomato at this point.

Ace grabbed your hand and pulled you into the shower, sighing at the warm water. He rubbed your shoulders while you washed your hair and would occasionally whisper sweet nothings into your ear as you washed your body, washing his own self in the process.

You two hadn't had self care like this in forever and it felt nice to just enjoy yourselves for a while. Being on his little boat was stuffy and the last time you had stayed in a hotel as nice as this was when you first joined his crew, which feels like ages at this point.

You looked at yourself in the mirror as you wrapped your towel around you and saw Ace behind you with stupid goo goo eyes. You turned towards him and gave him a peck on the lips before turning back and drying yourself off.

"I'm gonna ask for about six more of those kisses, cutie, so you best be prepared for that." he whispered in your ear before placing a kiss onto it and drying his own self off.

You took one of Ace's shirts that he took and didn't even bother to put on any pants over your underwear as you walked over to the bed, yawning. When you slammed yourself onto the soft mattress, Ace laid right next to you and smiled.

"Can I get another one of those kisses?" he asked nicely.

You obliged and gave him another quick peck.

He pouted and then asked, "Yeah, but longer. Can I give you a kiss this time?"

You thought about it and then smiled with a little nod.

Ace apparently took that as his opportunity to be his hottest self and tilted your chin up and bringing your face as close as possible before pressing a long kiss to your lips that made you hungry for more.

When he pulled away, he smiled at you and you hugged around the back of his neck. Ace rubbed little circles into your back and buried his face in the crook of your neck.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Ace."

It was nice to get a bit of comfort in a world where you two were always being chased.

~~~~~

one piece masterlist | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated

~~~~~

[cyberrose2001]

Girl, I have a good one for you. If you recall the episode s2 ep21 in TFP when Prime got the Starsaber destroyed. He had a bit of an attitude at the end. Sure, everyone could understand why, but it makes you curious.

Place a f!human reader, supposely close to him. She cannot stand him acting this way and basically yells and bitches at him. In the end, he argues back which frighten her since she hasn't seen him mad. She runs only for him to come and apologize leading to confession and a nice NSFW!!

Consequences

TFP Optimus x human!fem!reader

I'm so sorry that this took waaay longer than intended, my word doc glitched and didn't save half of it so I had to rewrite the rest from memory :(

Either way, Medli, your requests are always so delicious to write, and I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Overstimulation, orgasm denial, oral sex.

Word count: 2531

You can't stand him being like this, cold and distant. Optimus had just returned from retrieving the first set of the precious Omega keys that supposedly would revive Cybertron, but only with great sacrifice.

It was bad enough that Optimus thought he had lost another team member at the hands of Megatron, our rookie who tends to bite off more than he can chew. He hid his emotions well, but at that point, you could tell in his optics that he was about to snap. A force that you were sure would send shockwaves throughout the team and across the cosmos.

You knew that impact was evident when you watched Optimus walk through the ground bridge with a shattered Star Saber. A powerful weapon forged by the Primes solely delivered for Optimus's use is now destroyed, broken beyond repair. You can feel his EM field in the air, instantly dampening the atmosphere in the room. It's heavy, laden with sorrow and, worst of all, silent.

He hadn't said a word to you. Not even a glance or a nod. Nothing, nada. He skipped past everyone's worried looks and made a bee-line to the base computer, where the next set of Iacon coordinates remained projected onto the screen, waiting for him to decode them. The emotions on Optimus's face were difficult to read, a mixture of despair, desolation and, most of all, focus, all colliding behind these brilliantly blue optics you've come to love and drown yourself in.

But those hardened eyes won't prevent you from giving him a stern talking-to. You've grown close with the stoic leader for the short time you've known him compared to his potential billion-year lifespan. You're not afraid to tell him to take a break or say things how it was, no matter his intellect. And right now, the Prime needs a break.

You slowly approach him from behind. Even when he is helm deep in the monitor's circuits, you are sure he can still hear you. After all, Archivists were the eyes and ears of his home planet. You give him a light tap on his pede to try and draw his attention to you.

"Hey." You call out to him. His frame is unmoving, delicate servos feverishly typing away. He hadn't seemed to notice you, or maybe he was ignoring you. You give him another firm tap of your foot, which turns into kicking.

"HEY!" You yell to him, "I know your ears work. Get your head out of the computer and stop ignoring me!"

That got his attention. His servos stopped in their tracks, but his back still faced you. He seems to be listening.

"You need to take a break. You're overworking yourself." You fold your arms, "Those coordinates can wait. You can't decode them properly while your processor fries from lack of recharge."

"I'm fine." He says bluntly, not even bothering to turn and look at you.

If there's one thing you hate more than being ignored, it's when Optimus lies through his teeth.

"Optimus, you're not fucking fine!" In frustration, you throw your hands in the air, "Don't lie to me because I know when you do. Ever since you got back, you've totally ignored everyone… your team… even me! You're being a total bitch to everyone that actually cares about you. That's not who you are. Now, it's best that you get your head out of your aft and that damn computer and get some fucking rest!"

Now that struck a chord. Optimus spins around fast, slamming a fist into the concrete floor next to you and sending debris into the air, some almost hitting your face. He crouches close to your frame, harsh ex-vents grace over your body, and whips your hair around. But you stand your ground, albeit slightly terrified at the change of Optimus's demeanour.

"I do not suppose you believe Megatron wouldn't stop at nothing to get his claws on the next Iacon relics?" He growls. He's so close to you that you can see every dent and imperfection on his faceplate, some from his most recent battle with the Decepticon tyrant, "I will NOT stop until I decode the remaining coordinates. I will not let you or anyone prevent me from doing so. So if you would be so kind…"

He looms closer to you. He's growling at you. You step back but almost trip on the rubble scattered behind you, "Leave me alone."

You're trembling because of two potential reasons. Optimus has never raised his voice or got angry at you, not even at the other bots. And the second is the ungodly amount of blood rushing to your loins. You're at his mercy under his gaze. While you are surprisingly horny, you're intimidated by the pinpoint optics burning holes in your body.

"Fine. You wanna be left alone? Then I'll leave you alone." Your own fists are clenching now. You can't look vulnerable before him, "Come find me when you're not busy making out with the computer screen."

And with your final blow, you turn on your heel and storm out of the base, ignoring the wide-eyed faces of the other bots, who had unfortunately witnessed the whole thing. You didn't care where you were running to; you just needed to get out of there and blow off some steam. Something that Optimus should be doing as well.

-

Optimus watched you run out of the base, his optics softening a fraction. While what he said about not resting until he decodes the rest of the coordinates was true, Optimus caught himself lying when he told you to leave. You were the only thing preventing him from breaking down and losing his shit. You are why he hasn't locked himself in a stasis pod and cranked the dial to ten billion years so that he doesn't have to endure a moment longer of this Primus-forsaken war.

But watching the human he loved run away from him, he realised his mistake. Optimus has just pushed away the only human tethering him to the edge of a self-hatred cliff, and he's just cut the cord.

He releases his death grip on the crumbled floor, letting the pebbles fall out of the servos. You probably hate him now. You probably don't even want to see him again, and he doesn't blame you. But the least he could do was apologise before you leave for good.

-

Your feet are starting to ache. You know you've been walking for a while when there's nothing but desert sand and the worn-down asphalt of the road to keep you company.

You hadn't meant what you said to Optimus to come out so harsh. Most of the time, when you would first tell him to recharge, he would be reluctant but would oblige. Tough love was your philosophy. But this time, your philosophy may have been a step too far today. You greatly underestimated how stressed the Prime was. That was a mistake on your part. That fact that he was grieving the potential loss of a teammate and the weapon that could win the war? It would've helped if you were more understanding and compassionate.

You should turn back; the sun was beginning to set. It looks beautiful, and you wish Optimus was here because you know he would enjoy this as much as you do.

Speak of the devil. A low rumbling noise grows louder from some distance behind you; you know it's Optimus. Most likely coming to banish you from the base for how you spoke to him.

He rolls behind you and flashes his high beam, and you stop. You can feel and hear him transform behind you, but you don't turn to look at him because you feel ashamed.

"Optimus, I'm sorry for how I spoke to you." You take a deep breath and cradle your arms to your stomach, "I… I didn't realise how troubled you are about…"

A cold servo wraps around your shoulder, sending goosebumps across your body. Optimus carefully spins you around to face him, and he oozes your exact amount of regret. His optics cast a brilliant glow across your form, and the remaining flickers of the sunset reflect off his metal, casting him in an orange hue.

"Y/n, I should be the one who apologises." His downturned dermas hurt your heart, "There was no justification for my actions. I should not have lashed out at you the way I did."

"But there was justification for it, and I was careless about your feelings." You say, bringing a hand to the servo resting on your shoulder, "I shouldn't have said those things, I realise now."

A small smile creeps into the corner of Optimus's dermas, "Perhaps not, and while I am very saddened by today's events, I do not think you realise how much your words encourage me."

"But…" You're cut off by a smooth thumb brushing over your cheek.

"I should have told you this a long time ago, but… Primus, you are the only thing in this universe holding me together." He takes a sharp intake, "I love you more than anything."

Your breath catches in your throat. Optimus, the greatest warrior to ever grace this Earth, just confessed to you. In the middle of the desert, when the temperature is dropping but you don't even feel it because the warm glow of his optics and his confession sparks a fire in your chest.

"Optimus… I do… I love you… I." You struggle to find the words—instead, you involuntary shiver.

Of course, Optimus notices and give you a slight chuckle, "It is getting cold. May you accompany me back to base?"

You nod, and instantly, he transforms into his alt mode, leaving the passenger door open for you and you make haste and climb in, and he buckles the seat belt for you. Staring out the window to witness the last of the sunset, resting your head against the window as Optimus turns his heater on for you. You sigh in contentment as he pulls onto the road and journeys home.

-

"OptiMUUS… hngh… please." You whine from the bed and tug at the restraints on your wrists, soft, breathless begging as Optimus's grip on your thighs tightens and relaxes with every swipe of his glossa.

You could say that this was a form of payback, a playful punishment from when you yelled at him earlier. Even though he had forgiven you for saying those harsh words, he told you on the way home that he still needed to "put you in your place". At the time, you had no idea what that entailed, but little did you know the method Optimus liked to 'punish' you was to edge you on the cusp of euphoria multiple times only to deny you of any orgasm.

It was torture, but you kind of deserved it.

"P-Please, fuck…" You beg, writhing your hips as Optimus drags his glossa around your folds, then circles your clit, "I can't- no more… FUCK."

It was an endless back-and-forth pattern. Optimus would lick your folds and collect your fluids on his glossa before dragging it back to your clit, circling it and increasing the pressure momentarily. And just when you were so close to cumming he would stop teasing the bundle of nerves and go back to licking strips up your pussy. You tried rocking your hips desperately to chase the high, but it was in vain as he would instantly pull away and watch as your hips writhe around to find friction.

"I do believe you are close. Am I correct to assume so?" Optimus grins, pressing light kisses to the inside of your thigh and, in turn, smearing your fluids over your soft sweaty skin.

"You asshole," You groan as he presses a firm kiss to your clit, "You know I am-aahHHH!"

Your whine cuts you off as Optimus wraps his dermas around your clit and gives you a harsh suck, and rolls it around his denta.

"I do not like your choice of words, Y/n." He growls against your clit, sending vibrations throughout your body, "I am not the 'asshole' you speak of."

The sucking at your clit sends electrical shocks through your thighs, making them shake and clench around his helm. Your hands find purchase on the berth under you, and you grip the sheet so hard you can feel it rip. You can feel him smiling against your mound as you thrust your hips into his intake, finally feeling your orgasm wash over you. It was sweet relief from a long two hours of edging, and you weren't sure how much longer you could've handled his glossa torturing you.

Optimus lifts his helm from your pussy, and you're trying so hard not to whine as you watch him lick up a string of arousal still attached to his dermas.

"F-Fuck…" You whimper, hips stuttering. The torment is finally over, you think. But you were severely wrong when you felt a cold digit rub at your folds, and he pushed it inside. You cry in overstimulation as he curls the digit, pressing against your G-Spot in a mind-numbing, relentless thrust. Similar to Megatrons antics in retrieving those Iacon relics, this bastard is stopping at nothing until he retrieves every last orgasm from your trembling body.

Optimus chuckles as you throw your head back and try to maneuver your hips away from his servos. He's enjoying watching you become an overstimulated mess, he's getting a high out of it, and it's taking all your strength not to slap him in the helm. You love him, but this is getting too much for you.

"You seem to be enjoying your punishment, hm?" Optimus smirks and strums his thumb to your already hyper-sensitive clit, "It certainly looks that way. I wonder if I can make you overload again."

You let out a string of swears as he thrusts his digit with haste, his thumb circling your clit and increasing the pressure. The wet sounds between your thighs are lewd and only add to your pleasure. The room becomes hazy and distant as you clench around his digit, and a second orgasm slams your body within the span of two minutes. Optimus lets out a guttural groan as he feels your walls clench around his digit; Primus knows what it would feel like with his throbbing spike inside you.

Optimus watches as you pant, sweat covering your entire skin. He gives a breathless laugh and leans down to kiss your soft lips, his glossa transferring some of your fluids onto your tongue. During the kiss, he groans as he slowly drags his digit out of your dripping pussy and relishes the little whine you give him.

"You're mean." You groan out against his intake. Your body is exhausted from his torment, and you're sure he can feel your muscles quivering against his plating. He innocently chuckles as if he hadn't just made a mess of you.

"I can assure you this was a one-off. No more torment, love." Optimus kisses your forehead, servos tracing circles on your thighs, "But on this occasion, you needed to know the consequences of your actions in future."

[thewidowsghost]

Lost, Then Found (Max Mayfield x Adopted!Harrington!Reader) - Part 1

Series Masterlist

Max Mayfield Masterlist

Main Masterlist

@baylegend6 asked:

Can you write a fem y/n x Max Mayfield y/n is the older sister of El by 1 year. She is taken in by Steve's family. She goes to school with the party and meets Max who takes a interest in y/n the two become friends and y/n trusts Max that she tells her the truth and shows Max her powers as proof. Max falls in love with y/n and asks her to the snowball and confesses her feelings and the two date. S4 y/n and El defeat Vecna saving Max and Hawkins

Steve Harrington slows down outside of the middle school, and (Y/n), his younger adopted sister, opens the door to slide out of the car.

"Hey, kiddo," he stops (Y/n) before she can get out of the car. "You have a good day, yeah?"

(Y/n)'s expression softens, and she smiles. "I'll try."

Stepping out of the car, she shoulders her backpack. (Y/n) takes a step towards the sidewalk but jumps backward as a blue Camero almost runs her over. She's so startled, that a heat had started rising in her fingers, and (Y/n) probably would've blown up the car if she'd had less control.

Staring after the car, (Y/n) watches it turn into the high school parking lot.

"(Y/n)! Hey!" (Y/n) hears Dustin call.

"You almost got run over by a manic!" Lucas says as he, Mike, Dustin, and Will walk over to meet her.

"No kidding," (Y/n) agrees, looking over at the car. She watches as a girl with long, fiery red hair gets out of the passenger side of the car.

She's pretty, (Y/n) thinks before she shoves the thought away. I'm not supposed to like girls that way.

. . .

(Y/n) finds herself at the back row of her science classroom, tapping her fingers on the desk quietly.

"Meet the human brain," Mr. Clarke sets the model of the brain on his desk. "I know. I know, it doesn't look like much. A little gross even, right? But consider this. There are a hundred billion cells inside of this miracle of evolution. All working as one. No, no, I did not misspeak. I did not stutter. A hundred billion."

The door closes, and (Y/n)'s gaze flies to the door.

"Ah, this must be our new student," Mr. Clarke says.

"Indeed," the principal. "All yours."

The redheaded girl starts to walk towards the only other open seat – the one to (Y/n)'s left, nearest to the window.

"All right. Hold up," Mr. Clarke says and the girl stops. "You don't get away that easy." He waves the redhead back up to the front of the room. "Come on up. Don't be shy." The teacher looks at Dustin. "Dustin, drum roll." The boy taps his fingers on his text book. "Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California," Mr. Clark says, and (Y/n) fixes her gaze on the girl, who was trying to look everywhere but at any of (Y/n)'s fellow classmates, "the latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine."

"It's Max," the girl mutters.

"Sorry?" Mr. Clarke asks. "Nobody calls me Maxine. It's Max."

"MaxMax," Lucas whispers.

"Well, all aboard, Max," Mr. Clarke smiles. "You can take a seat next to Ms. (Y/n) back there."

(Y/n) almost crawls into her own skin when she sees Max studying her before she moves to the empty seat beside (Y/n). She does almost laugh when she sees that her four friends – Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas – had turned to follow Max's movement to the back of the classroom.

Max glances over at (Y/n), who's (E/c) eyes gleam with amusement as she watches her friends.

. . .

"There's no way that's MadMax," Mike says as the five of them watch Max skate around on her board at lunchtime.

"Yeah," Will agrees. "Girls don't play video games."

"Excuse me," (Y/n) smacks Will's arm gently.

"Ow," Will exclaims, though the smack hadn't hurt.

"And even if they did," Mike glances at (Y/n) apologetically, "you can't get 750,000 points on Dig Dug. It's impossible."

"But her name is Max," Lucas argues.

"So what?" Mike asks.

"So, how many Maxes do you know?" Mike asks.

"You guys are being creeps," (Y/n) comments, moving away from the boys. "I'm going inside."

She circles the fence towards the stairs, but (Y/n) stops when she almost runs into Max.

"Oh," she stops suddenly. "I'm sorry."

Max studies (Y/n)'s face, she (Y/n) feels her skin growing hot, though she doesn't know if it's from her power, or embarrassment. 

Or both.

"You're friends are total creeps," is Max's only comment, and (Y/n) mouth twitches.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you that I just told them that," (Y/n) replies, her (E/c) eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Where were you headed?" Max asks.

"The library," (Y/n) admits. "You wanna come?" she offers.

Max takes a moment to consider the offer. "Sure."

. . .

Dustin and Lucas sit outside the arcade, Lucas looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Still no sign?" Dustin asks.

"Jack shit," Lucas replies. "Just (Y/n)."

"Oh! Damn it. My mom's gonna murder me," Dustin mutters.

"So go home. I'll radio if she comes," Lucas replies.

"Oh, yeah, nice try. You just want me out of here so you can make your move," Dustin retorts.

"Oh, 'cause you're such a threat," Lucas says.

"That's right," Dustin agrees proudly. "She will not be able to resist these pearls," he makes a purring sound like a cat or a tiger.

Lucas rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"Ten o'clock," Dustin hits Lucas's arm. "Ten o'clock."

"What?" Lucas questions.

The blue Camero skids to a halt in front of the Arcade.

Max gets out of her brother's car, arguing incoherently. The car's tires squeal as the car, and (Y/n) raises an eyebrow at her new friend.

"My brother's an asshole," Max says. "C'mon, let's go."

. . .

The three boys – Dustin, Mike, and Lucas – ride up to the school singing the Ghostbusters' theme song. The three boys rack their bikes. "Who you gonna call?" the boys sing.

"Ghostbusters!" Will exclaims – he and his friends – dressed up as the main characters from the Ghostbusters movie.

"Hey, guys," (Y/n) joins her friends, dressed simply in black jeans, a red shirt, a black leather jacket, and black Vans shoes.

"Guys . . . Guys! Guys!" Dustin shouts, interrupting Lucas and Mike's arguing. "Why is no one else wearing costumes?"

Walking down the hall, some of the other kids laugh at Lucas, Mike, Will, and Dustin.

"When do people make these decisions?" Dustin asks out of the corner of his mouth.

"Everyone dressed up last year," Will mutters.

"It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you," Dustin replies.

"Just be cool?" Mike offers.

"Who you gonna call?" A boy calls from behind. "The – !" (Y/n) silences him with a glare.

. . .

(Y/n) leans against her locker, watching as Lucas and Dustin unsuccessfully invite Max to go trick-or-treating with them later that night.

Max's gaze falls on (Y/n), who was watching the boys with amusement.

Feeling eyes on her, she looks over to find Max watching her closely.

Lucas and Dustin trudge away, and (Y/n) takes their place.

"Nice thought," (Y/n) comments. "Bad execution."

Despite herself, Max laughs.

"We do want you to come with us," (Y/n) says. "We took a vote and everything."

Max's mouth twitches. "That's presumptuous of you."

(Y/n) expression screws up in confusion.

"Maybe I'll see you later, stalker," Max says, and she turns around, shouldering her backpack, and walking away.

. . .

(Y/n) steps silently into the house after walking home alone – Steve had picked up Nancy from school and they'd gone out.

She sighs, heading up the stairs. No one else was home. No one else was ever home. Her adoptive parents were always at work, and she really only ever saw Steve when he was picking up – or dropping her off – from school.

She drops the backpack onto the floor, dragging with exhaustion from trying to be so happy all the time.

(Y/n) missed her younger sister, Eleven, who had died less than a year ago.

(Y/n) sits on the floor, and allows her hands to catch fire.

"How did they find us?" Mike asks as he, Dustin, Lucas, Eleven, and (Y/n) run down the stairs.

"I don't know, but they knew we were in the gym," Lucas pants, he and his friends running down the hall of the middle school.

"Lando," Dustin gasps.

"Stop!" (Y/n) says suddenly, and the others stop in their tracks, watching as they have harsh, bright lights shining in their faces.

A scream rips itself from (Y/n)'s throat, and a wall of flames surges towards the 'bad men."

(Y/n) shakes the fire from her hands, staring off into nothing.

. . .

"If I get another 3 Musketeers, I'm gonna kill myself," Lucas comments as he and his friends leave the house.

"What's wrong with 3 Musketeers?" Dustin asks.

"'What's wrong with 3 Musketeers?'" Lucas echoes.

"No one likes 3 Musketeers," Mike agrees.

"Yeah, it's just nougat," Lucas adds.

"You'd like it if you'd never had candy before a year ago," the words slip out of (Y/n)'s mouth, and she almost kicks herself. The other glance over at (Y/n), who looks apologetically at the others. "Sorry," she mutters.

The five kids return to the road, walking towards the next night.

A figure wearing a Micheal Myers mask jumps out from a bush, and the others scream. Steam rises from (Y/n)'s shirt, and she swats the sparks from it.

The figure lifts the mask from her face, and the four boys and (Y/n) see Max.

"Holy shit! You should have seen the look on your faces!" Max laughs. "And you," she points her fake blade at Lucas. "Who screams like that, you sounded like a little girl." Max turns, starting to walk towards the next house. "Hey, you guys coming or not? Oh, I heard we should hit up Lock Nora," Max says, turning back to the group. "That's where the rich people live, right?" she laughs. Lucas, Dustin, and (Y/n) follow after Max, leaving Mike and Will trailing behind slightly.

. . .

"If you're not out in an hour –" Billy Hargorve threatens his step-sister as he drops her off outside the arcade.

"I'm skating home. I know," Max rolls her eyes.

"Hey! Watch the attitude, shitbird," Billy retorts.

Max huffs, rolls her eyes, and flips Billy off as his tires squeal.

The redhead enters the arcade, moving straight to Dig Dug, but she groans when she finds an Out of Order sign on the arcade machine.

"Sorry about that, Road Warrior," Keith, still eating his Cheese Puffs, tells the redhead.

"What happened?" Max asks.

"Short circuit in the motherboard," Keith smacks the machine. "A real bummer. But fret not. I got another machine up and running in the back."

He leads Max back to the staff office. The door opens and Max finds (Y/n) sitting in the office in front of the old Dig Dug machine, smiling sheepishly.

Max rolls her eyes and she steps into the office.

"You better get me that date now, Harrington," Keith threatens.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," (Y/n) grumbles.

As soon as the door closes, Max whips around to look at (Y/n). "What the shit, stalker?" Max asks.

"Sorry, I just needed a safe place," (Y/n) replies, fiddling with her fingers.

"To do what, exactly?" Max asks. "Be creepy?"

"To tell you the truth," (Y/n) answers. "But if anyone finds out, you could be arrested. Or worse."

(Y/n) can tell from the look on Max's face that the girl was about to laugh. "Killed?"

"I need to know," (Y/n) pauses, looking Max straight in the eyes. "Do you accept the risk?"

"Oh, my God!" Max says, looking exasperated. "This . . . this is so stupid."

"Do you accept the risk?" (Y/n) replies, her eyebrows knit.

Max rolls her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. Fine. I accept the risk." The redhead slumps into a chair, and (Y/n) sits back down on her stool.

"Last year . . ." she pauses. "Will didn't get lost in the woods. He got lost somewhere else."

. . .

"And that's the last we saw of her. After that, she was gone. It feels like yesterday," (Y/n)'s jaw tightens noticeably, and Max adverts her gaze.

"Yeah, I mean. I bet. Wow."

(Y/n) nods.

"It's crazy, but . . . I really liked it."

(Y/n) recoils, "Excuse me."

"Well, I mean, I had a few issues," Max replies.

"Issues?"

"I felt it was a little derivative in parts," Max says.

"What're you talking about?" (Y/n) asks, frowning heavily.

"I just wish it had a little more originality," Max says. "That's all."

"You don't believe me?" (Y/n) frowns.

"(Y/n), come on, seriously? How gullible do you think I am?" Max asks.

"Why would I make all this up?" (Y/n)'s eyebrows knit angrily.

"I don't know. To impress me or something? Or you're just, like, insane," Max says.

(Y/n) sets her jaw. "I tell you all this, and this is how you react?"

"I mean, yeah?" Max says, getting to her feet, grabbing her skateboard, and walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" (Y/n) asks, also standing up.

"Story time's over, isn't it?" the redhead asks. She opens the door into the main part of the arcade, and (Y/n) follows close behind.

"I don't understand what's wrong. I gave you what you wanted," (Y/n) sounds legitimately confused.

"I wanted to be part of the group, not a part of some joke," Max turns to face (Y/n).

"It's not a joke," (Y/n) insists.

"You did a good job, okay?" Max says, and (Y/n)'s head tilts a little to the side, her eyes wide with confusion. "You can go tell the others I believed your lies if it gets you experience points or whatever."

Max starts to walk away, but (Y/n) rests a hand on Max's arm, and the redhead stops. "We have a lot of rules in our party, but the most important is, 'Friends don't lie'. Never ever. No matter what."

"Is that right?" Max rolls her eyes, stomping back towards Dig Dug, ripping the 'Out of Order' sign off the screen, and pressing the tape onto (Y/n)'s shirt. "How do you explain this?"

"I had to do that. To protect you," (Y/n) replies, pulling the 'Out of Order' sign off her shirt and holding it loosely in her hand.

"To protect me from who, exactly?" Max turns to the Dig Dug machine. "The big bad government kidnappers from Hawkins Lab?"

"Quiet," (Y/n) hisses, the paper going warm in her hand.

"Or maybe it was to protect me from the Demogorgon from another dimension," Max says, even louder, and a boy standing two machines down glances over at the two girls.

"Seriously, Max, quiet down."

"Oh, no, no!" Max says light a laugh. "You know what it was? It was Eleven. The girl –"

(Y/n) finally steps forward, placing her hand over Max's mouth. "You are going to get yourself killed. Do you understand?"

"You're serious?" Max asks, once (Y/n) lowers her hand.

"I wish more than you that I wasn't," (Y/n) replies, the piece of paper starting to smoke in her left hand.

. . .

(Y/n) tosses a stone at Max's window to get the girl's attention.

"Hop on," (Y/n) gestures to the seat of her new bike once Max opens the window.

"What?" Max asks, looking confused.

"I have proof."

. . .

"I said medium-well!" Lucas calls from his bike, riding beside (Y/n) and Max.

"Who's that?" Steve Harrington asks, looking towards Max.

The three join Dustin and Steve.

. . .

"You told her?" Dustin hisses, he and (Y/n) ducked behind an old car.

"'So what?'" (Y/n) asks. "If anyone has the right –"

"So what?" Dustin interrupts.

"You wanted to tell her too. So did Lucas."

"But we didn't, all right? We agreed not to tell her and to look for Dart," Dustin says.

(Y/n) goes to say something, but then a, "Hey, assholes. How come the only one helping me is Lucas and this random girl?" comes from Steve. "We lose light in forty minutes. Let's go! Let's go, I said."

. . .

Max watches, her eyes wide with amazement, as (Y/n)'s hand blazes, welding pieces of metal to the bus.

Steve pours a trail of gasoline from the center of the junkyard to the front of the bus. "Hey, sis?" Steve says, and (Y/n) looks over. "Don't accidentally set us on fire? Okay?"

(Y/n)'s gaze twinkles with amusement, and, a careful fifteen feet away from the line of gasoline, she snaps her fingers, sparks cascading over the body of a broken down car.

Max steps over to where (Y/n) had gone back to welding metal together.

"Here," Max hands (Y/n) a bottle of water and a granola bar.

(Y/n) pauses her welding to accept the water and granola bar. She sits down, leaning against the bus.

Max sits down beside her. "You're amazing," Max flushes brightly, realizing her slip-up at the last second. "I mean –" She stops when she sees (Y/n)'s shy little smile.

"You are too," (Y/n) replies softly. "Amazing, I mean."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first," Max murmurs, playing with her fingers in her lap.

"I wouldn't have believed me either if it hadn't happened to us," (Y/n) replies, summoning a tiny flame to dance in the palm of her hand.

Darkness is beginning to fall on the junkyard, and Dustin, Lucas, Steve, (Y/n), and Max enter the bus, closing the door.

. . .

(Y/n) sits on top of the bus, looking into the fog with a pair of binoculars.

"It's kinda awesome," Max says, and (Y/n) turns to see her standing at the top of the ladder.

"Huh?" (Y/n) asks, scooching over so Max could take a seat beside her.

"The fog," Max clarifies. "Looks like the ocean."

"You miss it?" (Y/n) wonders aloud.

"What?" Max tilts her head in question.

"The ocean," (Y/n) replies, shifting slightly to look at Max better. "The waves? California?"

Max shrugs.

"Hawkins seems pretty lame, I bet," (Y/n) says.

"No, no, no, it's not that. It's just . . ." Max pauses, and (Y/n)'s gaze rests silently on her. "My dad's still there. So . . ."

"Why?" (Y/n) asks, not knowing the answer.

"It's this legal term called 'divorce'," Max explains patiently. "When two married people don't love each other anymore –"

"Ohh," (Y/n) realizes. She'd heard Steve talking about their parents possibly getting divorced, but she shoves the thought away.

"My mom and my stepdad, they wanted a fresh start away from him," Max continues. "As if . . . As if he was the problem, which is total bull. And things . . . are worse now. My stepbrother's always been a dick, but now he's just angry . . . all the time and . . . Well, he can't take it out on my mom, so . . ."

"He takes it out on you," (Y/n) finishes.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this," Max mutters. "Your childhood was so much worse than mine."

(Y/n) glances back out over the fog, as though considering Max's words. "You shouldn't measure trauma," she says finally.

(Y/n) looks back over to meet Max's gaze.

"When did you get so smart," Max teases.

(Y/n) scoffs comically, nudging Max with an elbow.

Max sighs before she continues, "It's just . . . I know that I can be a jerk like Billy sometimes, and I do not want to be like him. Ever. I guess I'm angry, too, and . . . I'm sorry." Max looks like she's about to cry."

"Hey, listen," (Y/n) straightens. "You're nothing like your brother, okay? Last I know, you didn't attempt to run me over with a big blue car," she jokes, trying to make Max smile – at least a little. It does work, because Max cracks a grin. "You're cool and different. And super smart. And like, totally tubular," she deepens her voice on the last two words, mocking Dustin and Lucas from Halloween night.

Max laughs, her eyes crinkling. "Nobody actually says that, you know."

"Well, I think I do now," (Y/n)'s eyes gleam with amusement.

"It makes you sound really cool."

"I like talking with you, Mad Max," (Y/n) says, and Max's smile widens.

"And I like talking with you, stalker," Max replies, and (Y/n) is glad for the darkness, hiding her darkening cheeks.

Suddenly, a growling sounds rips (Y/n) and Max out of their moment.

"(Y/n)!" Dustin's voice comes from below in the bus. "What's going on?"

"Hold on!" (Y/n) shouts in reply. She presses the binoculars to her eyes, and then sees the demodog appear from the fog straight ahead. "Straight ahead!" (Y/n) replies.

(Y/n) watches Dart. "Why isn't he coming closer?" She hears Dustin asks.

"Maybe he's sick of cow," Steve replies.

"You sure that's not a dog," Max says.

"Max!" (Y/n) looks bewildered.

Suddenly, blood pounds in (Y/n)'s ears when she hears Dustin's, "Steve? Steve, what are you doing?" And then she sees when Steve steps into the middle of the foggy clearing.

Max grabs (Y/n)'s shoulder, shaking her out of her daze.

The two girls descend down the ladder. (Y/n) makes her way towards the bus door but Lucas stops her. "What are you doing?" he asks.

"I gotta help," she replies. "I'm the only one who can."

Lucas pauses, considering the reasoning. "Fine," he says, moving to the door to open it.

"Shut the door when I get out, you hear," (Y/n) meets Lucas's gaze. The boy nods. "On three." (Y/n) says. "One. Two."

"Three," (Y/n) and Lucas say in unison, and (Y/n) charges out the door.

Steve and (Y/n) stand back to back, as they hear the familiar chittering sound of the demodogs.

Steve makes a whistling sound, as if to call the monster closer, and it dives at the Harrington siblings. 

Word Count: 3525 words

Taglist:

Lemme know :)

[simpsandships]

A Prank gone wrong? [Sasuke x Naruto]

The Hokage's Office

"The war had finally ended and the ending consequences, you two lose an arm each! Well, the chakra from nine-tails made it easier to heal Naruto, but Sasuke's arm is still not fully healed, but with how his injuries are, I'd say he'll be just fine. So, now that Sasuke is getting discharged, it is your responsibility to share your apartment with him, do you hear me Naruto?" said Lady Tsunade, in a serious voice.

"But baa-chan, can't he go back to his own house, to the Uchiha quarters?" Naruto had asked her, not actually hating the idea of Sasuke living with him for a few days.

"You dobe." This time it was Sasuke who cut him off, "First, the villagers don't trust me yet, and the way these elders have acted all these years only ever caring about their own selves, do you actually believe they'd be okay with the idea of a death-row convict like me going back to the Uchiha compound?"

"But why wouldn't they!!?" that really angered Naruto. Sasuke too, was a war hero after all, and without him by his side, he wouldn't have been able to wake those people up from the infinite dream. "Sasuke saved them, he saved all of them, all the villages and all the people!"

"Sadly, that's not how it works. Well, either way, I can ask the elders to drop all the charges against Sasuke but the living-arrangement needs to be taken care of by you. People trust you more than anyone and if you trust Sasuke blindly to let him stay with you, the people will start trusting him too, and then the elders won't have any other option but to acknowledge him and drop all his charges." Lady Tsunade explained.

Naruto finally understood the strategy to make people trust Sasuke again, "What an amazing idea! No wonder you are the hokage!!"

"It's pretty astonishing that a gambler like you managed to come up with a plan like that." Sasuke added, pretty impressed.

"Actually, it was Shikamaru's idea." Shizune interrupted, "that boy sure is a genius!"

"I know right! Shikamaru's awesome!" Naruto giggled, remembering how he always came up with the best of ideas when they were in a pickle.

Something shifted inside Sasuke. His stomach flipped and he felt a small lump in his throat. Somehow, he didn't like it when Naruto was praising someone else. Although he knew that Shikamaru might have had a thing for the blonde from the village of Sand, but still.

"Okay, since we're all clear about everything, Naruto, let's go back."

"Huh? Go where?"

"To your apartment, of course."

"Wait, we're staying in my apartment? Like I get it that we need to stay together, but my apartment is way too small for the two of us."

"We'll manage."

And with that Sasuke pulled on Naruto's collar as he dragged him out of the room.

'Ah, young love ~' both Lady Tsunade and Shizune smiled.

...

"Baa-chan is very nice, you know. Although she can be so serious sometimes, ya know!" Naruto said, as the two boys jumped over the roofs heading towards Naruto's apartment. But then he slowly took a glimpse of Sasuke's face from the corner of his eyes.

Sasuke's expression seemed neutral, just as usual but his hair had gotten longer, hadn't it? And Sasuke's height had also increased, and Naruto definitely couldn't deny that he had surely gotten a lot more handsome than what he was when they were still academy-graduates. But this time, Naruto was also popular among the girls, so, he wasn't actually losing.

But Sasuke might have caught Naruto staring, that he turned to look at Naruto's face and smirked, "What, don't tell me you've fallen for this face too? ~"

A major blush rose to his face as Naruto yelled, "As if teme! Just who do you think you are!? I would never...!!"

Sasuke was definitely enjoying it, he mimicked Naruto in his voice, "Come back Sasuke ~ I'll die with you Sasuke ~ You can't leave me Sasuke ~ These were the things you probably said a billion times till now, and what else was there? Oh yeah, be mine Sasuke, give yourself to me ~~ " he teased.

The little blush that had occupied Naruto's face intensified and now his entire face was red. He was blushing immensely and his pulse rate had probably increased. "H-Hey!! I never said the last part!! Just stop messing around!!"

"Oh, and not to mention, I was your first kiss, oh, and your second too. But honestly, the I'll die with you Sasuke part was really something else ~" Sasuke had no intention to stop his teasing. Plus, he was seeing a different side of Naruto now. Usually, Naruto was this loudmouth who went on talking confidently even about stuff he was wrong about, but this Naruto who was blushing like that, sure was cute. Wait........cute?

Naruto had had enough, his heart hurt because of his fastened heartbeats. He immediately jumped towards Sasuke, trying to grab him and cover his mouth to stop him from saying anything more, but Sasuke got hold of both his hands. "Not that easy."

"Let go of me bastard! I won't let you say any other weird stuff!" Naruto yelled, still flustered. But Sasuke had caught hold of both his arms so there was no way of shutting him off.

"Honestly Naruto, I get that you were obsessed with me, but I thought you saw me as a friend, who would've thought ~"

Okay, that's it. Sasuke definitely had the upper hand and he was saying all that just to rile him up. But Naruto wasn't going to lose either. If he can't use his hands, then there's just one way left to shut him up. Although... that would be... but who cares!? Naruto couldn't lose!

[Author here - Any of you guessed what 'other way' Naruto was thinking about to shut Sasuke up? ^^]

"I mean, I understand I'm quite a looker so, it was justifiable for those fangirls" Sasuke kept continuing, "but you are a totally different story ~ The war hero lusting over the guy who almost destroy - " Sasuke's words faded and his eyes widened as he felt a pair of soft lips crashing into his own.

Naruto had inched closer to him and had pushed his lips onto Sasuke. It wasn't anything like the previous two kisses they had shared. And it was Sasuke's turn to get flustered.

But the kiss did more than that. Sasuke's face had gotten redder that's for sure, but the longer the kiss went on, his knees felt weaker. His heartbeat rose and temperature increased. Just how the hell did he know how to kiss like that!!!? Sasuke could feel Naruto lips licking his own, gently nibbling on his lower lip, waiting for an entrance. Sasuke's mind short-circuited. He could feel the intensity of the kiss and that send shivers down his spine. Was that longing? Whatever it was, Sasuke was completely absorbed in it. Although, he knew all too well that Naruto had only kissed him to shut him off, but as the thought of Naruto doing this just for winning a situation send an excruciating pain through Sasuke's heart. Wait, did he want Naruto to kiss him in real? And as if unable to handle that, Sasuke kissed back.

He parted his lips, just enough for Naruto to slip in his tongue and explore the insides of Sasuke's mouth, as he released Naruto's hand and sending his arms around his neck, pulled him closer. Seeing that as a sign maybe, Naruto too, wrap Their bodies crashing, and their mouths moving in a perfect sync. The innocent-at-heart kiss had slowly turned passionate with 'want' written all over it. Naruto had definitely initiated the kiss to shut him off, but seeing Sasuke actually get into it, sent Naruto into a frenzy. His heart burned and heat travelled to places he hadn't had expected. He was kissing Sasuke and he wanted more.

Sasuke too was getting hard. Their tongues danced in perfect harmony as they grinded against each other, through their cloths until,

"mm ~" Naruto moaned, when Sasuke had accidently rubbed his knee against Naruto's @-@, that they momentarily separated from the kiss.

Their faces flustered and both huffing for air, they had the words, 'need' and 'desire' written all over their faces. What they had experienced now was something they'd never experienced before, never even imagined it. One joke. Just one joke and they were already a mess.

Now, Sasuke had never been one to be in awkward situations or instances where he wasn't in control. And with how the kiss with Naruto had felt, only he knew the extent to which things could go wrong in so many ways. And there was no way he was willing to risk that. Naruto had saved him from an eternity of loneliness and he wasn't going to lose all of that for some stupid prank Naruto pulled, that majorly went wrong.

Although, it didn't look like Naruto hated it. His face was coloured red and his lips parted slightly, it was clearly evident that he wanted more too.

Sasuke was the more mature one, he couldn't have let things go further south, he had to do something. He had to... But the face Naruto was making then was...

"So.. irresistible" Sasuke murmured, and immediately bit his cheeks. And within seconds, before Naruto could even comprehend it, Sasuke activated his rinnegan.

"S-Sorry Naruto... but this, never happened."

"Wha..." Naruto immediately shut his eyes, being affected by whatever Sasuke did and began to lose balance.

But Sasuke caught him and waited for him to stand back up.

Slowly, Naruto gained his composure back and looked up at Sasuke, "teme? What happened?" he asked confused, gaining his balance back. "Feels like I passed out? Are you okay though, huh, your face, it's red!? Are you okay?" he brought his face near Sasuke's once again, genuinely worried.

'Too close, idiot' Sasuke thought and put a palm against Naruto's face. "Nothing usuratonkachi! Let's go to your apartment already. I'm tired."

Naruto pouted, whining, "So mean!!"

But they both resumed their walk towards Naruto's apartment. And they would've made it inside the house as well, if only Shikamaru wasn't standing just outside Naruto's door.

"Well, took you guys a while. Looks like Tsunade-sama gave you the details already. You guys will be living here from now on, right?"

"Ne Shikamaru! How did you know, we would choose this place to stay? We could have refused the offer." Naruto asked, excited.

Shikamaru just looked at Sasuke and smirked, "How I wonder ~"

Sasuke flinched but looked in a completely different direction.

"But that aside, you're coming with me, Naruto! Back to that study, you need to finish 6 more scrolls today!"

"Whoaaaa...... no way!"

"You'll get plenty of time to be with Sasuke but only after you finish your work! Move your ass, Naruto!"

"Uhh fine!" Naruto yelled, obviously not happy to be separated from Sasuke. But he had to do what he had to do, right? "Ne Sasuke, you'll be okay without me here, right?"

"You're 100 years too early to be worrying about me, usuratonkachi." Sasuke said that, but his face had gotten gloomier that Naruto was going.

Naruto smiled at that and waved him a 'bye-bye' "See ya later, teme!"

...

Sasuke had holed up in his room (Naruto's bedroom, since there was only one bedroom in Naruto's apartment) and clenched his fists, "Making you forget that... was the only thing I could do. Honestly Naruto... you're an idiot... " 

[If you liked it, then here's a link to 7 more oneshots]

see ya later - Ciao ^^

[gavotte-paradisio]

So my household has Paramount+ again after a few years of not having it. We'll only have it for a month so my mom and I can finish Star Trek: Discovery (and hopefully get through a decent chunk of Strange New Worlds) and so she and my dad can finish Billions

I was going to say I forgot how much I loved Discovery. I didn't. It was my Star Trek gateway. Back when The Original Series was on Netflix, I'd find myself watching it and saying "Discovery referenced this! Discovery referenced this!" Sonja Sohn (Gabrielle), Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael), and Wilson Cruz (Culber) are all faceclaims for ocs of mine.

What I'd forgotten was why I loved it.

First of all: I can see myself in the characters. In Adira's desire to prove themselves. In Tilly's awkwardness and joy. In Stamets' persnickety nature and difficulty connecting with others. In Michael's struggle between making the logical decision and the just one, and the inevitability that no matter which one she picks, someone will disagree with her.

Second of all: They talk like coworkers, like friends, like lovers when applicable. The conversations feel so real. An unspeakable tragedy had just occurred, and someone who hadn't been close to anyone who died but was researching the causes was saying she was going to go save the world in a silly voice and complaining about mac and cheese. LIKE REAL PEOPLE

Third of all: In the midst of the realistic conversation mixed in with sci-fi technobabble, someone (usually Saru, Culber, or a side character), will just drop a nugget of wisdom, and it hits so much harder than it ever could have if the same line were written into a relevant TOS episode. Especially because I'm watching with my mom, who's going through a lot of difficulties and tragedy with her family, I can just feel her next to me, taking the time to process and react to what was just said.

[k1ngj0ve]

Back when Dethklok was new and PIckles and Nathan believed in it with their whole hearts but hadn't really gotten anywhere yet, the two of them had the idea to get Vegas-Married.

"Its the perfect plan!" said Pickles. "This way we cant accidentally Vegas-Marry a groupie or a stalker and get our lives ruined!" "Plus we can file our taxes jointly and save money!" Nathan agreed.

Ofdenson, who didn't get invited to their midnight ceremony, agreed that this was a great plan.

A few years later when they discovered Toki, they quickly learned that he was underaged and couldnt actually live and work in America without a legal guardian and a lot of paperwork.

There were a few ways this could've been handled, but the idea that the band gravitated towards was that someone ought to adopt Toki.

Skwisgaar, having been the one to want him to join, was first to volunteer but Pickles quickly pushed his hand down and insisted that he and Nathan ought to be the ones to do it. "If Skwisgaar did it there might be legal trouble in the future," he said, and though he didnt explain what he meant everyone was quick to agree. "It should be me and Nathan-- since we got Vegas-Married theyll be more likely to believe that we want a kid."

"Plus the tax benefits would be real good." said Nathan. "Probably."

Ofdenson didn't think this was a great plan, but it was a serviceable one so he made it work.

Upset at having been left out, Murderface tries to file the paperwork to adopt Skwisgaar, which leads to a 6 month legal battle as Skwisgaar is forced to prove Murderface could not possibly be his father. It ends when it is discovered that Skwisgaar is 2 years older than Murderface, which unfortunately also brings it to the courts attention that Skwisgaar is not legally in the country.

By this point Dethklok had taken off so insanely quickly and so much money was coming in all at once, that Ofdenson ended up deciding that it would be cheaper to annex a plot of land in California and declare Dethklok to be citizens of their own nation as opposed to paying the fines that would be accrued from Skwisgaar having made a billion dollars illegally.

Everyone agreed that this was a great plan.

[identityquest]

I'm always playing catchup I stg... day 5, relationships. I let my followers vote on whether I'd reveal spoilery oc lore during this week and they voted yeas 👍 these two characters are Ash and End, primordial god siblings whos childhood squabble ruins everything for everyone. Deeper lore under the cut

Every narrative I have is connected through a singular setting: the Ether, the overarching plane of existence that everything exists within. The Ether is the body of the first sapient entity, the Beginning, whose dying breath would breathe new life into their dead body. From their flesh arose new souls, the first of which was Ash. Ash—the Middle—was their inheritor and overseer of all creation. More primordial concept-deities came after them, like Time and Space and so on, until their final sibling was born. End—the concept of senescence—would one day devour the Ether and then become a new Beginning, and so the cycle would continue.

Ash hated End for what they perceived as preferential treatment from their absent parent; End would one day grow to overpower the other deities and outlive them. The two siblings quarreled and bickered with each other for eons until one day, their argument reaching a head, Ash struck out and killed End. They hadn't intended to, because no one knew that gods could die. The End shattered into trillions of non-sapient soul fragments, out of the perception of the gods. However, in their death throes they lashed out and split Ash in two. These two new halves, Ink and Paint—gods of darkness and light—would go on to rule over creation like they'd intended. Later, they would drift into a deep sleep billions of years long.

Anyone old enough to remember End assumes they are dead, with only enough non-sapient shards of them left to enforce the concept of senescence over creation. This isn't quite true though—one large shard survived, and is hellbent on revenge. This shard is the Head, the logic centers of the ancient deity. Underpowered and almost basically mortal without the rest of its soul, the Head goes unnoticed by its divine siblings. It seeks out the other shards of the End in order to devour them and regain its lost power.

The Head has lived multiple mortal lives while searching for these shards. The primary shard it's looking for is the Heart—a hypothetical mass of pure, concentrated emotional memory. This one shard would be enough for End to reform and devour all of creation. My character Meyrin is the Head, and right now he's convinced Romsir, and unrelated mortal, is the Heart. Meyrin has followed Romsir across multiple lives, attempting to either ingratiate himself to them or to outright take control over them. Most of these attempts have resulted in both of their premature deaths.

Their most recent life is different though—the collapse of a universe has threatened the integrity of all of creation, and sleeping gods are beginning to wake up. Both of them are on a time limit: Meyrin needs to devour the Heart before his siblings catch him, and Romsir needs to save their universe before everything falls apart. Neither is having a good time of it.

[needlenxggin]

@rathalascendant (post eriks slight memory loss vash stuff because it's about time )

Two years. That's how long ago the city of July was wiped from the face of the planet and it was still something that was brought up almost daily on news networks. The news anchors would tell how the infamous Vash the Stampede had levelled the town into nothingness on a violent rampage but that's not what happened.

Vash tried to save them and his brother... he really, really, did. But, like most things in his life, it hadn't gone his way and he was responsible for the deaths of thousands in his mind.

To make matters worse, whatever Nai had done to him before their fight? It had partially stuck. A lot of his memories were muddled... blurry... He barely recognised Wolfwood and Meryl at times but whenever he began to second guess himself on if he knew them or not he always told himself he did because that was the truth. It was getting slowly a lot better and the memories of them were slowly flitting in but it was a slow process.

Stopping, his eyes lingered on a poster hanging on the side of a building and whilst one hand reached up to tug at his desert shall in order to keep his face partially covered the other plucked the poster from the wall.

"Wanted: DEAD OR ALIVE... Vash The Stampede... sixty billion double dollars." The independent read before crumpling it up and tossing it in a trash can. "No wonder things have been so much more hectic..." He huffed.

The humanoid typhoon was content to just skip this town entirely and keep moving but he froze. He heard a voice? male... and then a womans voice followed which made his head whip around so he could scan the streets.

Why were those voices so oddly familiar and putting him at ease like this? Shaking his head he chalked it up to him being off, like he felt lately, and turned to make his leave when he felt a huff of warm air on back of his head.

Turning he came face to face with... something and it was big and very bestial looking and... it was... rubbing its head against his chest?

[jangillman]

Here's a long list of President Trump's achievements whilst in office. You Koolaid drinking democrats better get yourself another cup, because this is going to take some time:-

What has Donald Trump done while he was in office (as at July, 2017)!!!

1.Supreme Court Judge Gorsuch 

2.59 missiles dropped in Syria.

3.He took us out of TPP

4.Illegal immigration is now down 70%( the lowest in 17 years)

5.Consumer confidence highest since 2000 at index125.6 

6.Mortgage applications for new homes rise to a 7 year high. 

7.Arranged 20% Tariff on soft lumber from Canada. 

8.Bids for border wall are well underway. 

9.Pulled out of the lopsided Paris accord.

10.Keystone pipeline approved. 

11.NATO allies boost spending by      4.3%

12.Allowing VA to terminate bad employees. 

13.Allowing private healthcare choices for veterans. 

14.More than 600,000. Jobs created

15. Median household income at a 7 year high. 

16. The Stock Market is at the highest ever In its history. 

17.  China agreed to American import of beef. 

18. $89 Billion saved in regulation rollbacks. 

19. Rollback of A Regulation to boost coal mining.

20. MOAB for ISIS

21. Travel ban reinstated.

22. Executive order for religious freedom. 

23. Jump started NASA 

24. $600 million cut from UN peacekeeping budget. 

25. Targeting of MS13 gangs

26. Deporting violent illegal immigrants. 

27. Signed 41 bills to date

28. Created a commission on child trafficking 

29. Created a commission on voter fraud

30. Created a commission for opioids addiction. 

31. Giving power to states to drug test unemployment recipients. 

32. Unemployment lowest since may 2007. 

33. Historic Black College University initiative

34. Women In Entrepreneurship Act 

35. Created an office or illegal immigrant crime victims. 

36. Reversed Dodd-Frank

37. Repealed DOT ruling which would have taken power away from local governments for infrastructure planning

38. Order to stop crime against law enforcement. 

39. End of DAPA program. 

40. Stopped companies from moving out of America. 

41. Promoted businesses to create American Jobs. 

42. Encouraged country to once again

43. 'Buy American and hire American 

44.  Cutting regulations 2 for every one created. 

45. Review of all trade agreements to make sure they are America first.

46. Apprentice program

47. Highest manufacturing surge in 3 years. 

48. $78 Billion promised reinvestment from major businesses like Exxon, Bayer, Apple, SoftBank, Toyota...

49. Denied FBI a new building. 

50. $700 million saved with F-35 renegotiation. 

51. Saves $22 million by reducing white house payroll. 

52. Dept of treasury reports a  $182 billion surplus for April 2017 (2nd largest in history). 

53. Negotiated the release of 6 US humanitarian workers held captive in egypt. 

54. Gas prices lowest in more than 12 years.

55. Signed An Executive Order To Promote Energy Independence And Economic Growth

56. Has already accomplished more to stop government interference into people's lives than any President in the history of America. 

57. President Trump has worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any President since Truman.

58. Has given head executive of each  branches 6 month time Frame dated march 15 2017, to trim the fat. restructure and improve efficacy of their branch. 

Observe the pushback the leaks the lies as entrenched POWER refuses to go silently into that good night!

I hope each and every one of you copy and paste this everywhere, every time you hear some dim wit say Trump hadn't done a thing!

THANK YOU!!!

[saskiahaggens]

฿ØⱤĐɆⱤⱠ₳₦Đ 🂡 ~ 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 3

Masterlist

▣ Previous Part / ▣ Next Part

Paring: (?) × Reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 1636

Please remember that English is not my first language, so please don't kill me.

Shibuki stepped up and took Arisu's paper.

"What is the population of the planet Earth. As a courtesy you may round up to the nearest hundred million.", she read out.

"They are asking for an answere in the billions."

"If we're off by just one, a billion flaming arrows will come flying right at us."

"'As a coutensy'. What a cruel joke."

"There is no way we could answer the question."

They all started speaking at once. But they were right; this question can't be answered correctly.

"Damit. All right, we just have to get it right then. Anyone here know the answer?", started Karube surprisingly calm.

"How would I know the answere! I don't even know japan's population.", started Chota.

You simply nodded. To be honest, no one needed to know the world's population for anything. It's a changing number, therefore no one knows the correct answer; even your textbooks have different answers to that question. Still, you didn't care to remember one.

"Shibuki what about you?" Karube questioned, knowing Arisu wouldn't know the answer as well.

"I don't know. Plus, any figures I learned during school would be outdated by now. I've heard the world population increases by 80 million each year. Using that we can deduce the population to be 6.6? No... it's 6.7 or 6.8 billion."

This is a far too ambiguous answer. Surviving a hundred million arrows would be impossible. Nobody wants to answer such a question.

"Arisu! You decide. You pulled the fortune. I'm trusting you with my life. If someone has a problem with it, talk it through with Arisu. I'm not butting in.", sight Karube.

Has he given up? No, there must be something behind this. From everything you've learned about them so far, he's not the kind of guy to give up. Especially when one of his friends is in trouble.

"Dose is hurt?", he suddenly asked you.

"Yeah, but I think it would be worse if it weren't for the adrenaline," you responded, holding your arm.

"Hey, Karube. Why are you letting Arisu decide. We could still be brainstorming together.", asked Chota who scooted next to you.

Karube gave a short speech on Arisus and his past, but you were otherwise busy. He had his reasons, and you wouldn't question him after he saved you. You were preoccupied with the question.

Why didn't they just ask the questions like that? Why the fortunes? There has to be another way to end the game.

"I got it!", Arisu called out. "The answere is 6.8 billion."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Answere

6,900,000,000

The penalty will now begin. It will continue for as many days as necessary until complete.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"What have you done!", called Shibuki out.

"As if you knew the exact answer." you bluffed back, which caused her to shut up.

"The problem was unsolvable form the beginning. So, I didn't try to figure out the correct answer."

"No offence Arisu, but you had to find out something else. May you mind explaining it before we are shot?", you asked while Karube helped you stand up.

"It's the fortunes. Each fortune contains a rank and a problem. But what is the rest of the text for?", he asked, and it clicked.

"Your best direction is south!", you called out what was written on Karubes' fortune.

"Arisu you really are something else. Alright everyone! Run until your lungs give put!" Called Karube when the first arrows hit the ground.

He grabbed your arm and started running south, trying to doge the arrows. Karube also bought the table, which he previously used to shield you and Chota from arrows.

"At this reate we'll die frome the heat alone!", yelled Chota.

You'd never realize how loud arrows could be until 100 million of them were fired at you, let alone the heat. Some objects even started exploding, and if Karube hadn't dragged you along, you would have given up and accepted your fate a long time ago.

"We got so far! Don't you dare give up!", he encouraged Chota to run faster.

You stumbled across an old well at the end of the path, but it had been filled in. You started to lose hope again, when an arrow hit the earth, and you noticed a clinging noise. Karube dragged you all underneath the table, before rushing out to check where the arrow struck. What an idiot. The table was too small to fit all of you and would give in anyway sooner or later, so you jumped to assist him; at the very least, the others would be saved.

This time, you have the chance to actually help them. You would also return the favor for saving you earlier. You thanked the adrenaline for existing because you could feel the heat, but you couldn't feel the agony of your hand burning any further than earlier, when you tried to put out the fire on your arm.

You both pulled open a huge metal door which led to a bunker. Karube wasted no time in pushing you near the edge to allow you to climb down while he yelled out for the others.

After you hit the ground, you kept an eye out for the others and whether they needed assistance. At least, you tried since it was pitch black down there. You heard Chota, Shibuki, and Arisu climbing down and directed them to the wall so you wouldn't bump into each other. Karube was the last one to get down and finally lights flickered on.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Congratulations

Game Complete

•~•~•~•~•~•

A monitor began to flicker on. What were the higher levels like if this was only a level three? How should you survive them, or why would you play them at all?

•~•~•~•~•~•

To return to the surface, please take the path that leads to the sewer.

•~•~•~•~•~•

You all started shouting in delight, and Karube pulled you in a headlock while jumped Arisu. Chota sobbed as he embraced Shibuki. You weren't sure if he was crying out of joy or agony at one point, because all your wounds were starting to hurt.

Suddenly, the monitor came back on and informed you that you had been granted a visa. A little register on the end of the room started beeping and a few moments later Arisu held out a paper and a card.

_________

Visa

Immigration status

verified

__________

Y/n L/n

__________

Points earnd this round: 3

Total points: 3

Valid until Tuesday 7/14

Please remain aware of your remaining time balance.

Registration: ♧3

____________

"The text all looks the same.", figured Karube.

Shibuki must participate in the games in order to receive the visa and/or the cards. It's not like she'd gotten anything else out of it.

"Shibuki. We're out of danger for now. It's time you tell us what you know."

"Fine but first let's get to the hospital. Y/n wound could get infected. We need to look for supplies. I can talk as we go. I'll tell you everything I know, about this place they call Borderland.", Shibuki exclaimed while walking away.

"Well, you get a piggyback ride," Karube said as he knelt down in front of you.

"I hurt my arm, not my leg."

"Yeah, but you saved my friends, and I can't repay you for that. Let's not forget that you may have saved me back there as well. We were significantly quicker at burring that door. So, no back talk.", he mumbled, and you gave up.

Shibuki told you all she knew about this place, but you couldn't focus. You felt that Karube was exhausted, but he still wouldn't let you down. You thought it might hurt his pride, so you stopped asking. You were also exhausted. Perhaps as a result of what you had just survived or because you hadn't slept in a while. I mean, before you were bought to Borderland, it was the middle of the night, and after that, it was dawn there, so you were awake for at least a day, added was Karubes warmth and you slept in quickly.

Unknown to you Karube turned slightly red, as you nuzzled your head in his neck. He thought no one could see it, but Chota caught him.

"Oi, Karube got a crush!", he shouted out.

Arisu chuckled but pulled him in a headlock after. "Not so loud. You'll wake her up."

Shibuki giggled and tried to redeem Karube. "How long do you know her?"

Chota murmured, slightly embarrassed by the fact, "…a day."

"Only a day and she risked her live for you? She must really like you already."

"Probably," Karube murmured, while his thoughts began to wander.

Arisu smiled as she glanced at your sleeping face. He had no idea who you were or where you came from, but you were kind of his guardian angel.

Arriving at the hospital, Karube put you in one of the beds and drew a blanket over you, after Shibuki treated you wounds.

"You really are quite something huh?", he asked more himself them you. "Many people just died, because their visa expired and here you are sleeping through it all."

Chota and Shibuki left to get some sleep and Arisu was who knows where, so he was alone with you.

"Thank you.", he mumbled turning away.

"You saved the two people I cared most for, but still your stupid to risk your life like that."

If Karube was honest he would admit that he didn't sleep the night. He wasn't sure about Shibuki, but he heard Chotas' and Arisus muffled cries. If he wasn't worried for you waking up, he probably would have done it too. He could have left but he decided against it. You saved the things that mattered most to him, so he could at least take care of you… for now.

[jerzwriter]

Reset - Character Profiles: Chloe Daniels

The house was nearly silent as Chloe made final preparations for her trip. She had yet to experience the relief that normally filled her as she checked off the boxes on her to-do list, but she wasn't anxious either. Perhaps it was because this was becoming old hat; this was to be her fourth tour, after all, and she knew what to expect. At least, that's what she told herself.

She looked at her watch; her plane was taking off in just six hours. Six hours until she could escape to where the only thing that mattered was her work. Where she was as anonymous as one of the billions of trees that surrounded her. It was the only place she felt at peace. She was just shy of thirty-two years of age, and she had accomplished more than those who were twice her age. Still, it seemed to impress no one, at least no one that mattered.

With her education, her ability, her pedigree, and, if God hadn't smiled upon her enough, her beauty was at least as incomparable as her mind. Of course, she excels, people would say; she's had every possible advantage. Why wouldn't she?

Chloe pretended not to hear the chatter. She made a conscious choice not to focus on the words, though each one was etched in her mind. At thirty-two, she had already managed to create a legendary career... but she had no idea how to create a life.

"You know, you don't have to go," a voice said softly. "You don't have to do this."

Chloe turned to her step-sister Jenna with a half smile. "I don't have to do what, exactly? My job?"

Jenna's arms crossed in front of her chest. A knowing-looking reminded her sister she could pull this off with most, but not with her.

"Cut the crap, Chloe. You can do your job here, in Durham. You could do your job in LA or New York City if Durham is not your thing. Hell, the CDC would gobble you up in a second... you don't have to head off to parts unknown again to make a difference. You have nothing to prove, Chloe."

Now it was Chloe's turn to serve a knowing look in the form of an irritated smirk.

"Come on, Jenna... the hell I don't."

All characters will have somewhat different backgrounds in this universe. Learn more about Chloe's below.

Since Dr. Chole Daniels is an OC, some basic background.

Full Name: Chloe Alexandra Daniels

Her Family: Chloe was the only daughter of Dr. Richard Daniels, a world-renowned epidemiologist, and his late wife, Camillia Koval Daniels. Camillia died from p.vivax malaria when Chloe was nine years old. Her father remarried her stepmother, Anna Caradis when Chloe was twelve. Anna was a widow and had one child, Jenna Caradis, who is Chloe's only sibling.

Her Past: Chloe's father worked in the field for the WHO and other organizations. His innovative work in the field of epidemiology earned him awards, recognition, and prestige. His first wife, Chloe's mother, was a nurse who traveled with him. While Chloe's family healed from various parts of North Carolina, she spent her childhood moving from location to location, most of them remote, to support her parent's work. Her mother came down with p. vivax malaria, and complications that arose from it caused her death. Her father fell into a deep depression, knowing he had saved the lives of countless people, but could not save his own wife.

He met Anna at a fundraiser the following year. Both widows, they bonded, and Anna helped bring Richard back to life, and she brought joy to Chloe as well. The family somewhat settled in Durham, where Dr. Daniels accepted a position at Duke, but they still relocated on occasion for shorter periods of time. It was a happy time, but short-lived. When Chloe was 16 and Jenna was 12, Anna died suddenly of an aneurysm. After that, the family of three remained in Durham.

Richard loves Chloe very much, but he always puts very big expectations on her shoulders. He loved Jenna as his own but never expected her to live up to the standards he set for Chloe. The two girls were very close, but Chloe was often hurt by the nature of her father's relationship with Jenna, and that led to her wanting to escape. She attended Cornell University for her undergrad and then Columbia School of Medicine, but she spent a good portion of those years traveling to different regions of the world.

Before she even completed her residency at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC, she was already involved in groundbreaking research and sought after major hospitals and universities worldwide. Yet, she chose to work in the field for the WHO more often than not.

When we meet her, she has been working at Duke for 6 months after returning from a tour in the Amazon. But she was unhappy and resigned to accept another assignment in the rainforest. Her relationship with her father is strained as his expectations remain sky-high, and while he is very proud of her successes, he doesn't let her see it... always inquiring about what's next. Meanwhile, Jenna is a dressmaker in Durham. She's very successful at what she does, but Richard lauds her with compliments, leaving Chloe feeling hurt.

Romantically, Chloe has tended to be hurt more often than not. Although, the erratic nature of her life has made long-term friendships and relationships challenging. She did fall in love with a surgeon, Nasim Khan, while she was in NYC, and they enjoyed a loving three-year relationship. When he started talking about rings and a future, Chloe panicked and accepted a position with the WHO. They did not end things when she left, but the distance proved to be too much of a challenge, and they broke it off two months into her assignment.

Chloe's happiest when she's working in the field; it is what she knows, but it is also an escape from reality and provides her with a cover for not laying down roots.

She is a strong, determined leader who earns the respect of others through her knowledge and fairness. She can be quite funny, but it's often to hide scars. She is warm and friendly, but she becomes very nervous when she gets too close to people in any type of relationship.