#hey uh hi to all the one piece followers i have ^_^ i do original work as well so . thats this

[angelogistics]

dependency

[undying-love]

Paul's grief over time: A Compilation

“During the session [in 1981] Paul fell into a lugubrious mood. He said, ‘I’ve just realized that John is gone. John’s gone. He’s dead and he is not coming back.’ And he looked completely dismayed, like shocked at something that had just hit him. ‘Well, it’s been a few weeks now.’ He said, ‘I know, Eric, but I’ve just realized." (Eric Stewart)

“It’s still weird even to say, ‘before he died’. I still can’t come to terms with that. I still don’t believe it. It’s like, you know, those dreams you have, where he’s alive; then you wake up and… 'Oh’.” (Paul, 1986)

"Occasionally, it wells up. Y'know, and I'm at home on the weekend suddenly and I start thinking about him or talking to the kids about him and I can't handle it." (Paul, 1987)

"Is there a record you like to put on just to hear John’s voice?" I ask Paul the next day. Paul looks startled. He fumbles. “Oh, uh. There’s so much of it. I hear it on the car radio when I’m driving.” No, that’s not what I mean", I persist. "Isn’t there a time when you just wish you could talk to John, when you’d like to hear his voice again?" For some reason, he instead responds to the original question.“Oh sure,” he says and looks a little taken aback. ‘Beautiful Boy". (1990)

"Also not obvious is that McCartney [for the Liverpool Oratorio] has penned a gorgeous black-spiritual-like piece for mezzo-soprano that intones the last words spoken to John Lennon as he lay dying of gunshot wounds in the back of a New York police car -- "Do you know who you are?" McCartney gets a bit choked up at one point when he reveals, "Not a day goes by when I don't think of John.” (1991)

"Delicious boy, delicious broth of a boy. He was a lovely guy, you know. And it gets sadder and sadder to be saying “was”. Nearer to when he died I couldn’t believe I was saying “was”, but now I do believe I’m saying “was”. I’ve resisted it. I’ve tried to pretend he didn’t get killed." (Paul, 1995)

"Paul talked about John a a lot, but the strange thing was that it was in the present tense, “John says this" or "John thinks that. Very weird." (Peter Cox, 2006)

“John Lennon was shot dead in 1980. That totally knocked dad for six. I haven’t really spoken to him a lot about it because it is such a touchy subject." (James McCartney, 2013)

"It's very difficult for me and I, occasionally, will have thoughts and sort of say: "I don't know why I don't just break down crying every day? […] You know, I don't know how I would have dealt with it because I don't think I've dealt with it very well. In a way… I wouldn't be surprised if a psychiatrist would sort of find out that I'm slightly in denial, because it's too much." (Paul, 2020)

"Like any bereavement, the only way out is to remember how good it was with John. Because I can't get over the senseless act. I can't think about it. I'm sure it's some form of denial. But denial is the only way that I can deal with it." (Paul, 2020)

"When I talked to Paul about John and when he missed John most, he couldn't answer me for a long time and his eyes teared up. And I asked him where he thinks about John and when John comes into his mind and he just … he lost it, he completely lost it." (Bob Spitz, 2021)

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

The following two are from the gossip website Datalounge, so they may or may not be true. Still interesting though:

"The one time I was ever actually in a room with Paul, zillion people between me and him (and no way I'm gonna bother him, all of us who travel in celeb circles have people we're fans of and all of us inexplicably try to hide it to seem "cooler"), he started talking loudly about himself and John, and how hard it was not to have him there. I remember him saying something along the lines of not a day passing that John's not still in it with him, but it's not like he can pick up a phone and say, "Hey, just needed to hear your voice today," and even when he got craggy responses, he still missed them. He misses it all, and it's bothering to him that he misses him more as time goes on -- it doesn't heal, he just learns new ways to bandage the wound."

“Since everyone is anonymous here, I guess I can give a bit of info I got from a female friend of mine who at one time worked as one of Paul’s assistants. [...] She does not know for certain if John and Paul were involved but she suspects it since to this day whenever John’s name is brought up he acts in her words ‘like a widow’ and he also addresses John in present tense. He would say things like, ‘John thinks that the music should be like this,’ and during his bitter divorce from Heather he was saying, ‘John says that this is getting nasty.’ Kind of creepy." (this one actually seems very intriguing because it sounds very similar to what Peter Cox said, about Paul often talking about John in the present tense, saying "John says.." or "John thinks...")

[radiance1]

Vlad has been asleep for a few centuries now, in a goddamn coffin that he specifically made just for that like the weird rich person he is. He was also, the phoenix king.

Or at the very least, one of them.

Honestly, Danny couldn't give less of a flying cheerio how long Vlad would sleep for if it wasn't an inconvenience to it.

But it was.

You see, he's the ghost prince, prince of the infinity realms, dragon of infinity, son of war and ward of time, etc, etc.

And somehow, he has bloody paperwork.

Even though the Infinite Realms fell into Anarchy eons ago.

So he honestly doesn't know why he has paperwork, and it's so much that Danny has been spending centuries doing it and he's so tired of it and then he remembered, hey? Who likes can do mountains of paperwork without breaking a sweat and could finish this way better than Danny could?

Vlad Masters.

Hasn't seen the guy after his mother died, don't know where exactly he is, but he isn't in his lair (yes Danny managed to get in, don't ask how) and Danny is going to find this man by the Ancients because he cannot deal with those anymore.

He barely even made a dent!

Anyways, so Danny goes over to Earth because he hasn't been there for a hot minute, and that's probably where Vlad is and uh, woah there is this really Earth cause it's lookin mighty different to how he saw it last time-

Why was the Earth currently covered in flames? Black flames that look mighty familiar to someone else's that he knows actually. You know, someone who should have been sleeping the centuries away instead of, oh he doesn't know.

Taking over the mortal world?

It even seems that Vlad got himself a goddamn cult too! How neat! How much time did it take you to assemble all these people Vlad? You even gave out pieces of your power when you could've been, oh, he doesn't know.

Helping him with paperwork?

So, he's kinda mad about this, pissed, actually. So, he goes to find where exactly Vlad is in this reign of madness, finds a literal crack in reality and just heads on through because he couldn't care less about that actually.

What he finds is not what he expected.

Cause you know Vlad? Phoenix king who is probably trying to take over the mortal world instead of helping him with paperwork and was supposed to be sleeping inside a coffin?

Yea scratch that. Because that isn't a coffin.

When the hell was Vlad sleeping inside a magical barrier-

And who the heck was that spamming Vlad's signature black flames while laughing manically, and who in the infinite realms were those guys who were currently fighting said spammer.

"What exactly, in the Infinite Realms, happened while I was doing paperwork?"

===

So, the Justice League is now combating a new world ending threat. Some cult who wants to cleanse the world in the name of their deity so they could hand it to him once he reawakens.

Which, apparently, might've been around for centuries, slowly preparing for this day which, dedicated, but not the good kind of dedication really.

So, back to the fight, they're fighting this possible immortal who's been taking over the bodies of each new head of the cult for centuries and, well, he genuinely had power to back him and his cult up.

Not really a shock there, to be fair, since he claimed his powers to originate from the sleeping deity who blessed him with a portion of his power.

Vlad didn't, bro just stole a portion of his power and claimed it as a blessing lawl. Not that the cult knew that-

So the Justice League managed to break their way into the place holding said sleeping deity that also acted as the base for the cult leader and, well. Yea he truly does have the power to back himself up and, if the magic users had anything to say about, a very magically powerful deity he follows too.

So they're kinda screwed if said Deity wakes up, they don't even know when he will actually, neither did the cult leader. He just will 'eventually' which isn't as descriptive as some (read: Batman) would like.

First things first, beat up and disband the cult, figure out a way to prevent the sleeping deity's awakening later.

So they were fighting a battle (shocker I know) with their forces spread between their world and the pocket dimension and things weren't looking quite as good as they hoped. Lots of causalities, both civilians, heroes and even villains alike, a whole lot of magic and powers being thrown about and the monologuing of the cult leader who was floating above said sleeping god.

You could even think it to be symbolic in some way, that he thinks himself above a god.

So, safe to say, in all of this chaos they weren't exactly expecting a new voice to join the fray.

"What exactly, in the Infinite Realms, happened while I was doing paperwork?"

And the owner of said voice, to be a goddamn dragon.

[endofradio]

FRAGMENTS OF FEAR — CHAPTER 2: TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT

PROLOGUE | CHAPTER 1

WARNINGS: n/a

NOTES: i realized it makes more sense that abigail most likely takes place in massachusetts so i did some tweaking with the setting 💀 originally it was gonna take place in new york but uhhh i guess we are going with massachusetts instead.

SUMMARY: sylvie wakes up to find herself in a mansion, and she’s not the only one there. things get quite awkward between her and frank.

WORD COUNT: 2,536 (i actually locked in)

TAGS: @tommyshelbysangel @reclaimedbythesea @shawsfinalgirl @creelmalfoylaufeyson69 @atcarpenter @blackwolfstabs @maggotssmichael @witchy-weve-monbebe

if you’d like to be added to my taglist, just send over an ask to my inbox saying you’d like to be tagged! you can also just message me.

Sylvie’s eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she noticed was that she was in quite a fancy-looking bedroom. Well, she could tell it wasn’t hers. She slowly sat up from the bed, wincing in pain as her head began to throb almost instantly. What the fuck?

Confused, Sylvie looked around the bedroom. “Where the hell am I…?” She whispered to herself. She began to climb out of the bed, trying not to stumble over as she did so. “Jesus Christ…”

As Sylvie staggered over to the door, she noticed how she almost felt as though she was hungover. What the fuck had happened to her? She couldn’t remember anything, either. She only remembered being in her bedroom, and that was it. She couldn’t remember anything else after that, and when she tried, it was almost like a blur.

Once Sylvie opened the bedroom door, she carefully made her way down the stairs, and that was when she heard voices.

“Come have a drink with us, Joey!”

“Gotta go check on the kid soon. Maybe after.”

Kid? What kid? Sylvie only felt even more confused. As she continued to slowly walk down the stairs, she noticed a group of people hanging out by some sort of bar lounge — four men and two women. One of the men was riding on a tricycle around a pool table, gawking at his surroundings.

“No party poopers allowed.”

Sylvie reached the last few steps without tripping over, and that was when everyone in the room took notice of her.

The man on the tricycle looked up, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Oh, look who’s awake. Come and join the party, man! Peter’s… uh… in charge of the drinks.”

Sylvie raised an eyebrow and started to carefully survey the area. What the hell was she doing in a mansion of all places? She didn’t remember being brought to this place — she just… woke up and found herself in it. Was this some sort of lucid dream?

“You look lost,” one of the men then snidely remarked. Sylvie turned to look at him, taking in his appearance. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t exactly pinpoint it. Was it the accent? The demeanor?

“Yeah, I am,” Sylvie responded, crossing her arms as she looked up at the man. “I don’t know why I’m here, exactly.”

The man shrugged, taking a sip of whiskey from the glass in his hand. “Well, Ava, I could explain that to you, but I don’t think it’d make you happy.”

Sylvie narrowed her eyes. “That’s not my name. My name is—”

“It’s your name while you’re here.” The man coolly interrupted. “Now, you gonna relax and have a drink with us, or nah?”

Following the man’s question, a bit of a smug look formed on his face, as if he almost knew something about Sylvie. There was something surreal about this entire situation, and Sylvie wasn’t liking it one bit.

“I don’t… I don’t drink.”

The tricycle guy rolled his eyes. “This chick better not be as boring as Joey is…”

The man in the glasses scoffed, shooting a glance at him before looking back down at Sylvie. “You sure about that?” He asked, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“What do you mean?”

Interrupting their conversation, the man on the tricycle spoke up, taking a puff from the joint he was currently smoking. “Hey, Joey, can I have a piece of that candy?”

A dark-haired woman, who must’ve been Joey, took out a lollipop, sticking it in her mouth. “Get your own.”

The joint-smoker rolled his eyes. “Fuck you, too.”

He continued circling the pool table on the tricycle before speaking up again. “You grew up with a bunch of brothers and sisters, huh? I’m like… an expert at reading people.”

Joey raised an eyebrow as she sucked on her lollipop. “Oh, really?”

“Mhm. You’re like… a nanny or babysitter, looking after that kid. And,” the man turned around, gesturing to the various people in the room, starting with the blonde girl first, “teenage runaway hacker turned black hat for the feds.” He began to come up with his own observations about the rest of the individuals, such as “private security,” and an “explosives man.” His eyes then landed on Sylvie. “As for you, uh… I dunno, also gonna go with a teenage runaway.”

The man in the glasses let out a sharp chuckle, casting a quick glance at Sylvie before looking away from her. Joey was clearly unamused. “You might be the least perceptive person I’ve ever met.”

“How the fuck would you know that?”

Joey rolled her eyes. “You literally got nothing right, Dean. About anyone.”

“Crisp $100 bill right here if you can tell me one true thing about me.” The man in the glasses then offered. He took out his wallet, retrieving a $100 bill and waving it in front of Joey.

Unimpressed, Joey simply responded with a “pass.”

“Mhm.” Dean started doing laps around the pool table again, continuing to take hits off of his joint. “See? She’s a fraud.”

Joey glared at him before tilting her eyes at the man in the glasses, carefully analyzing him. A few seconds later, she threw out her observation. “You used to be a cop.” She casually stated.

Used to be a cop. Wait a second…

Peter’s eyes widened. “No way. Did he arrest you or something?”

Joey shook her head. “No. It’s the stance, the walk, the shoes.”

Sylvie’s gaze fixated on the man, her expression hardening. The more Joey spoke, the more she felt as though a pit was gradually forming in her stomach.

“Not to mention the standard-issue Glock, the shoulder holster, and he used police hand signals back at the house.”

Standard-issue Glock. Shoulder holster.

Sylvie tried not to think about it too much, but it was getting difficult. The man was looking more and more familiar by the second.

Then, that was when it all hit her. The glasses.

“Not a street cop. No, too smart. You need to be in control. So, I’m gonna say detective. Homicide or vice. And, he tries to hide it, but he’s from Queens. Probably only been up here a few years.”

Queens.

Sylvie could feel her chest tightening. It was definitely him. Joey’s description only confirmed her suspicions.

He was in my room. How the fuck did he even find me?

What the fuck is he even doing here?

Trying to push the thoughts out of her mind, Sylvie reached into the front pocket of the denim jacket she was wearing, taking out her wallet, taking out a $20 bill. Might as well see what Joey had to say about her. “Uh… how about me? I’m… curious.”

Joey took the $100 bill from the man before glancing at Sylvie. She carefully studied her for a few moments, then steadily approached her. “God, you poor thing.”

Sylvie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, just look at you. Tortured artist, much? Most likely a loner, never really had any friends. You’re not from here, either. Chicago, I’m guessing?”

Sylvie slowly nodded. “Yeah… that would be correct.”

“You also seem like the kind of person who had to fend for yourself most of your life. You never had anyone, except for yourself.”

“How did you…?” Sylvie didn’t know what to say. She felt uncomfortable. Exposed.

Joey shrugged. “I suppose I have a talent for reading people.”

“Hey, uh, you do me, too?”

Joey turned around to glance at Peter, eyeing the bill that was in his hand. “I almost feel bad taking this… ‘cause you’ve basically got a fucking neon sign over your head that reads ‘muscle.’”

While Joey was analyzing Peter, Sylvie casted another quick glance at the bespectacled man that she was almost entirely certain was Adam. She had a multitude of questions, but she figured she’d might as well hold off until later, until she could talk to him privately.

“Quebec, right? You got bullied in school? Probably by Dad, too. So, when you got bigger than everyone else, you turned the tables. Made it into a career.”

Sylvie was alarmed by Joey’s skill at being able to pick apart people with such precision. All it took was just one look at somebody, and it was like she was able to figure out all of their secrets like it was nothing.

Next up was the blonde girl, Sammy. Grinning, she waved a $20 bill in front of Joey’s face.

“Wow, really? A twenty? That’s cheap, considering you come from money.”

Once again, Joey was spot-on. Sammy looked at her with a pleased smile on her face. “It’s true.”

“Which means you’re only in this for the kicks.” Joey continued. “You don’t get your hands dirty. You use a keyboard instead of a gun and tell yourself that makes what you do not as bad. Good luck when the illusion wears off.”

Sammy handed Joey the $20, a look of approval on her face. “Very good.”

Joey then approached the man next to Sammy who was wearing a leather jacket. “No money.” He said, chuckling.

“Then I’ll just leave it at ‘semper fi,’ and you’re getting off easy.”

Dean was left, and clearly he was offended that Joey hadn’t decided to bother with him. “Hold on, now, you forgot about me.”

Joey raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t want me to do you.”

“Aw, c’mon. This is fun!”

“You’re not a professional.”

“I’m the best motherfuckin’ wheelman in this town.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t good, I said you’re not a professional. You’ve got… loose wiring. Probably a sociopath.”

With those words, Joey turned around. She was about to leave, when the man in the glasses let out a snide chuckle. “And you are a junkie.”

Joey stopped in her tracks, and the room went silent.

“Cop knows a junkie.” The man continued, taking a few steps towards Joey, carefully observing her. “Your little candy affectation, long sleeves, why you don’t wanna drink with us… you in recovery or something? How many days ya got? We gotta be worried about you?”

Sylvie was starting to feel even more uneasy than she had previously felt. Yeah, she was dead certain the man was Adam. The threatening aura was right there.

“No.” Joey calmly responded, staring him right in the eyes. As calm as she looked, even she appeared mildly intimidated.

“No?” Adam repeated, his voice quiet and cold. He got even closer to Joey, his face mere inches away from hers.

“Don’t ever fuck with me. I will know.”

“I’m gonna go check on the girl.” Joey then said. She turned back around and left, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

“I knew it. Junkies never share candy.” Dean commented with a chuckle. Adam turned around and gave a nonchalant shrug.

As he walked back over to the bar lounge, his gaze met Sylvie’s, and she swallowed nervously.

“You okay?” Sammy then asked. “Don’t mind Frank. Trust me, nobody here likes him.”

Frank? Oh, right… fuck.

Sylvie felt like she was going to panic. Now, she remembered everything — him staring at her through the mask he was wearing, standing right in front of her… when he briefly pulled down his mask to reveal his face. She remembered him holding some kind of syringe… and then it hit her.

He fucking kidnapped me, didn’t he?

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Sylvie eventually muttered, and she steadily approached Frank, staring at him directly the entire time. When she reached him, he looked down at her with a slight smirk.

“Well, you look exceptionally pissed.”

Sylvie narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I am.”

“If you’re gonna start screaming at me, how about we take this somewhere private?”

“Yeah, gladly.”

Frank leaned against the wall in the hallway, looking down at Sylvie with a deadpan expression on his face as he patiently waited for her to speak.

“So…” he muttered, crossing his arms. “The fuck’s up with you?”

Sylvie drew in a deep sigh. “Why the hell are you here?” She asked. “That’s my first question. I moved to Massachusetts thinking I’d never see you again.”

“Both of us decided we needed a bit of change in our lives, didn’t we? Besides, I know you missed me.”

“Shut up.” Sylvie rolled her eyes. “What change?”

“Got bored.” Frank answered matter-of-factly. “Y’know, doing the same shit gets quite old after a while. Bored with my job, bored with my family, bored with my life. It wasn’t for me.”

“So, you quit being a cop and abandoned your family because you got… bored?”

“Mhm. What’s up with your life? It’s been a long five years, hasn’t it?”

Sylvie’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. Frank’s nonchalant demeanor about this entire situation was pissing her off. He just… didn’t care, but she couldn’t be surprised either. He was never really the kind of person to care about anyone or anything.

“I’ve been trying to turn my life around. I quit drinking and all the other shit I was doing. I’ve actually been doing great.”

“Quit drinking?” Frank repeated. “Suppose that means avoiding alcohol like the plague now, since you didn’t even want to have a sip of anything.”

Sylvie shrugged. “Decided that’s the best for me.”

“You’ll change your mind, eventually. The temptation’s always there. Just a matter of time before you give in to it.”

“You’re a real fucking asshole.”

Frank shrugged. “Just being honest. Now, what was the other question you were gonna ask me?”

“You fucking kidnapped me, didn’t you?”

Frank let out a small chuckle. “Shit, so you do remember everything. Yeah, I did, but I was just doin’ my job, y’know. I was given the order.”

“How the fuck did you know where I live?”

“You’d be surprised.”

Sylvie broke eye contact with Frank, unable to bring herself to look at him anymore. “So, you went from being a cop to a goddamn criminal? That’s ironic.”

“I learned some things by going undercover. Also, you still look the same, I see.”

Sylvie looked back up at Frank. “What do you mean?”

Frank gestured to the black lace skirt she was wearing. “Still dressing provocatively as usual, huh? God, do you dress like that on purpose?”

“You’re sick, you know that?”

Instead of responding to Sylvie, Frank only continued. “I’d be very surprised if you don’t have a boyfriend by now. Y’know, you’re the kind of girl that men would die to have.”

Sylvie tilted her head, an unimpressed expression on her face. “And you are a pervert.” She scoffed. “Also, what happened to your wedding ring? Got bored of your wife, too?”

Frank rolled his eyes. “You really had to ask that, didn’t you? I never even loved her in the first place.”

Before Sylvie could say anything else, Frank turned around, making his way back to the bar lounge. “Good talk, by the way.”

Sylvie just stood there and watched as he left, feeling a different combination of feelings all at once. She felt confused, and angry. She didn’t think she’d ever have to put up with Frank’s snarky, irritating attitude ever again, yet here they both were, now stuck in a mansion together.

(unrelated, but this scene from house md is basically just frank and sylvie’s dynamic in a nutshell 💀)

[rowiewritesstuff]

YAN ES SOUNDWAVE!!

TFP Yandere Soundwave X Reader

Lol for the flip off part I imagined the breaking bad scene. I have to make my sibling draw this sometime lmfao

Soundwave saw you first when you were in Texas at the satellite array. You had quickly noticed the camera that moved to look at you all, and you jumped up and smashed it with a crowbar. 

Soundwave’s tentacle slithered into the room, and you were ready. Your crowbar slammed into his tentacle, drawing energon. He recoiled, and slammed all of you into a wall. He dragged you out to get a better look at you. The kids all followed behind you quickly. Your arms were pinned to your sides and you struggled in his grip. 

A second later, you’re face to face with a black visor. It’s pure silence as you stare at him with a glare on your face. “What, don’t talk?” Soundwave merely tilted his head at you. You dropped your scowl slightly. “Oh. You don’t- my bad dude. But still, fuck you man! Put me down”

Soundwave found you amusing- he actually had to stop himself from reacting. He dropped you from his face level to see what you’d do.

You quickly grabbed onto him and climbed down his sleek form, using the grooves to avoid falling. As soon as you were on the ground, he used the crowbar he stole from you to cut the lines to the array.

Miko quickly snapped a picture, and he nodded as he took one as well. Two to be exact- one of you. 

As he jumped into the air he found it amusing as you flipped him off, a serious look on your face.

When you got back to base, you were commended for your bravery. “Nah bro when I see him it’s round two!” you shouted, punching your fists together. 

Ratchet sighed, hoping that he wouldn’t have to patch you up in the near future.

The next time you saw Soundwave was when he was stealing the energon harvester. You were on the lift, holding the artifact still. When he opened the door, he reached for the harvester.

“Uh-uh! This thing isn’t leaving me, buddy!” You quickly got out the knife you’d been saving for this occasion. A smiley face appeared on his visor as he snatched both you and the artifact up. He had to electrocute you to stop you from stabbing him again.

When you woke up, you were laying on a metal table. You rubbed your sore back as you moseyed your way down the table’s leg. The door then slid open, and your worst Decepticon enemy came through. You quickly ducked under the table. You then realized that you had to be on the Decepticons’ ship. The door was beginning to slide shut so you ran for it. Before you could get even a foot out of the door, a familiar tentacle snatched you up.

“What’s your deal?” You yelled at him.

That ever-so-irritating smiley emoji popped up on his visor as he pet your head with a careful digit. 

“Hey, knock it off! And let me go- the Autobots will come for me!” You swatted at his servo.

“No escape- you’re stuck- here- little human.” Voice clips pieced together. 

You glared at him. “Why am I here?”

“Amusement.” 

You gaped at him. How could he say that so calmly? You were silent as you were placed back on the table. Soundwave stood back in the corner of the room and watched you.

You were determined to not be ‘entertaining’ for him. So you plopped down on the table and flipped him off again. 

You sat there for about thirty minutes, neither of you moving when your boredom overpowered your pettiness. You looked down the table again, then to the door, and back to Soundwave. 

As quickly as you could, you darted down the table. Halfway there he caught you again and put you back onto the table, going back to his original place in the room.

Hours turned to days, and days to weeks, and weeks to months. He always watched you. You knew that even if you were to escape the room, he’d bring you back. He was watching anywhere there were cameras- on the Nemesis and Earth.  You could never escape from him by yourself. You just had to bide your time until your Autobot friends came back- or until you could find a way to kill him in his sleep (which was hard- he was a light sleeper). 

Until then, you’d be entertainment to the silent stalker. You just hoped he wouldn’t get bored with you- you had seen what he did to those he lost interest in.

EDIT: This was the silly meme I was talking about lol

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Force of Habit Part Three

Previous Part | Masterlist | Next Part

Pairing: Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto x Reader

Rating: M (Part Four will have explicit sexual content)

Notes: There are going to be four parts total.

Warnings: Mentions/descriptions of anxiety; sleeplessness; unhealthy coping mechanisms; fluff! !

Summary: The two of you work in steady silence for a couple of minutes before Carmy turns to check the cornbread again. As he does—as the full force of his attention is turned from you, you feel your shoulders sag a little bit. You’ve been so familiar with this man’s scrutiny, but you’ve never been on the receiving end of his…Interest. 

Well, you’re surely getting ahead of yourself. That wasn’t interest, it was just calm. Right? 

Then again, you’re not used to calm from Carmy, either. 

“With respect, ma’am, what the fuck are you doin’ back here?” The words are sweetly spat at you. Your eyes wander the man asking—the The Original t-shirt, the apron, the chain around his neck. 

“Loving the respect, bro,” You arch a brow before nodding to the right. “What’s with the gun on the counter?” 

“I’d like you to answer my question first.” 

“I’d like to see your gun license.” 

“Cut it out, cuz,” Carmy warns the man as he steps into the kitchen. He fully interrupts your bicker sesh as he introduces you, skirting around the counters to join the two of you. 

“Oh—The broad with the mixer,” The man with the chain grins at you as he turns back, his hand outstretched. “Richie Jerimovich. Lovely to meet you.” 

“Yeah—I’m still fascinated by the gun. Is some of the meat you get in here still moving when it arrives?” 

“It’s for safety, sweetheart.” 

“...Okay,” You manage, turning to look at Carmy and jerking your thumb over your shoulder. “Mixer’s outside, Fak’s got the handcart.” 

“Awesome,” Carmy nods.

You turn to leave, and spot brightly colored recipe pages on the wall in the corner of the room. Your eyes widen a touch, and you go still at the sight of them all. Something in your gut twists, like someone pulled a plug in your belly. The feeling swirls with discomfort and nerves. You can hear the clatter of dishes, the choral yell of, “Heard,” from a swarm of chefs plugging away in your little pressure-cooker of a pristine kitchen over a faint ringing sound—

“Hey.” Carmy’s voice snaps you out of it, plugging up that feeling. Your head twitches toward him a touch, your eyes still set on the pages. “You okay?” 

“...Yeah,” You manage, eyes still resting on the wall. “Yeah.” You swallow thickly and duck your head a touch, eyes set fastidiously on the floor as you head out back to meet Fak. The three of you wheel it in, and you wait as Carmy unloads the kit and looks the pieces over. 

“Satisfied?” You ask as he straightens up.

“Yeah, looks good. C’mon, I’ve got the check in the office.” 

You follow him back into the office, taking hold of the proffered check. 

“Do me a favor, uh,” Carmy winces, pointing at it with his pen. “Don’t…Don’t cash that for a couple of days.” 

“Got it.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Sure. The warranty paperwork and stuff are all in there, so.” 

“Yeah.” 

You nod, raising the check in silent thanks before turning to go. 

-- 

Globe runs like a dream. Thanks again

Carmy's message pings on your phone at nearly one in the morning. You frown a little bit, looking down at the phone and taking it up. You scan the text a couple of times, debating on how to answer. You finally swipe open the message and type back, 

Glad to hear it :)

You expect it to end there, but before you can set the phone aside, it’s buzzing with a call. Your brow furrows at the sight, but you accept it, raising the phone to your ear. 

“Hello?” 

“What are you doing up?” 

You smile a little, leaning back against the couch, eyes set on the tv. 

“I could ask the same of you, Berzatto.” 

“We had a stove crap out on us at the end of shift. Fak just finished fixing it.” 

“Mm.” 

 “So?” 

“...Couldn’t sleep,” You admit. 

“That still happen a lot?” 

“What do you mean, still?” 

“You never slept well back in New York.” 

You’re stunned by the assertion. 

“Not at the beginning,” You agree, “But it got better toward the end there.” 

“Because you saw a way out?” 

“...Maybe that was it,” You agree, “I tried not to think too much about it.” 

Carmy hums thoughtfully. You can hear the murmur of a tv over on his side, too. 

“You okay?” He asks. 

“I’m fine.” 

“You seemed kinda glazed in the kitchen earlier.” 

Your mouth works wordlessly. You can’t even deny it. You clear your throat uncomfortably, pushing yourself off of the couch and striding over to the fridge. 

“Just wasn’t expecting to see that stuff,” You admit.

“Did you like what we did?” 

“In New York?” 

“Yeah.” 

You lean back against your counter, nudging the fridge shut and tucking your phone between your shoulder and your ear as you pull the reusable cork out of your bottle of wine. There’s not much left—no point in bothering with a glass. 

“Not all the time,” You admit before raising the cool glass to your lips. 

“Surprised you liked it any’a the time.” 

You nearly inhale the wine as a laugh overtakes you. 

“What!” You screech once you’ve swallowed roughly. “I did like some of it!” 

“The food wasn’t your style.” 

“...No, I wasn’t,” You agree, “But…I don’t know, it was a good experience. I got out when I needed to.” You consider, then—“Would you still be there if it wasn’t for…You know.” 

“I would.” 

“Wow,” You mutter, “Didn’t even have to think about it.” 

Carmy grunts, then draws in a deep breath. You can practically imagine him scrubbing his hand across his face. 

“...You should get some rest, chef,” You say softly. 

“You ever feel too tired to sleep?” 

“Yeah,” You nod, “it’s the fucking worst. It’s like…Your body’s slow, but your head’s a livewire.” 

“...You gonna be up long?” He asks. 

“I don’t know. Might just be one of those nights.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” 

You figure he’ll let it end there. You’ve never really chased one another down for time, for conversation. But instead of the, Goodnight that you expect, you get, “You want some company?” 

-- 

“I think the cornbread’s ready to come out. Can you just—give it a stab?” You ask, nodding back toward the oven, eyes still set on the cutting board. 

“Give it a stab,” Carmy mutters, couching down by your oven. “That a technical term?” 

“Keep it up, chef, and you’re not getting any.” 

You glance back as you hear the oven door open before turning back to the jalapeño you’re chopping. You step over to the stove, pushing the diced pieces into the pan. 

“Verdict?” You ask. 

“Needs another three minutes.”

“Heard.” 

“You still don’t have to do that.” 

“Force of habit.” 

You glance over as Carmy sets the knife that he used to test the cornbread in the sink. 

“Smells good, chef,” He offers, stepping closer. Your stomach flips as his arm brushes against yours. 

“You don’t have to do that,” You tease. 

“Force of habit.” 

You roll your eyes at the teasing, glancing at Carmy. He’s watching you with a lightness that you’ve never seen. It makes you smile even wider. You shake your head, turning back to the food and pushing the stir fry around the pan, reveling in the delicious scent and sizzle. 

“...I don’t think I’ve ever seen that,” He says. 

“I know we cooked a lotta hoity-toity shit, but I’m almost positive you’ve seen a stir fry before.” 

“I meant you smiling in the kitchen.” 

Your brows raise a bit, gaze still set fastidiously on the food. 

“Didn’t always have a reason to.” 

You see Carmy nod out of your periphery, his hand landing on the counter beside you. The two of you work in steady silence for a couple of minutes before Carmy turns to check the cornbread again. As he does—as the full force of his attention is turned from you, you feel your shoulders sag a little bit. You’ve been so familiar with this man’s scrutiny, but you’ve never been on the receiving end of his…Interest. 

Well, you’re surely getting ahead of yourself. That wasn’t interest, it was just calm. Right? 

Then again, you’re not used to calm from Carmy, either. 

-- 

The tv could be displaying static for all you know. You’re not focused on it. You’re focused on the feeling of Carmy’s shoulder beneath your head, and watching the steady rise and fall of his belly. The two of you are slouched back against the couch, feet up on your coffee table. Your arms are folded tightly around your chest, like you have to keep them from wandering as you’d like. Your eyes drift down to Carmy’s left hand where it’s resting on his thigh.

“...What’s that one?” You ask. It’s a bad idea, but you unwind your arms and run a fingertip over Carmy’s knuckles. You see his fingers flex a little at the touch, as if the hand itself was startled. You feel his head shift against yours, his hand tipping back to give you a better view. 

“Sense Of Urgency,” He ticks off, moving his fore, middle, and ring fingers as he explains the S O U. 

“Mm,” You nod a little. Then, “I thought you’d gone for sous and then wimped out on the last s.” 

Carmy chuckles, mutters, “I did not wimp out.” 

“You never do.” 

The two of you go quiet again. Now that you’ve started slipping your finger along the back of his hand, you can’t bring yourself to stop—and Carmy doesn’t shrug you off or push your hand away. The two of you watch your fingers slip back and forth for a bit before he tips his hand back again, catching your fingertip between his knuckles. The speed and firmness of the motion makes you laugh, surprised. He gives it a squeeze before letting go again. You let your head shift on his shoulders, eye the tv. You blink for a moment before asking, “Are we seriously watching QVC right now?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Is there anything else on?” 

“You’re tellin’ me you don’t want…Whatever the fuck that is? What the fuck is that? Is that a tent or a shirt?” 

You cackle, turning your head into Carmy’s shoulder, looking away from the tv, and away from the oddly structured pink shirt. You’re still giggling when he takes hold of your hand again, intertwining your fingers and pressing his knuckles against your palm. You sweep your thumb along the side of his hand, and feel the both of you draw in deep breaths. 

--  

It starts to happen again. Your world narrows. You’re at work, or you’re home. You don’t see anyone that you don’t work with. You don’t see the few friends you’ve made in the city; you don’t talk to family much. You’re submerged. Your hands grow rough, and your patience wears thin. It’s dark when you leave for work and dark when you head back home. You even spend your days off in the restaurant, trying to find more efficient ways to run the kitchen, from systems to recipes. 

The only friendly conversation you get to make is with Fak, in the odd instance that you’ve had something break down. 

Your latest gear breakdown is inexplicable—your fucking fryer goes down. Your team hardly manages to pull together to get your orders out. Your throat is raw from yelling orders, asking where things are, directing people this way or that. You move at half-speed as you’re cleaning up that evening. Maybe Fak can see the way your weariness shrouds the weak smile you give him. Maybe he doesn’t think it means much when he mentions it to Carmy. Either way, Carmy is waiting for you outside as you lock up the shop. 

You lock the heavy bolt and turn, holding your hand out. Carmy’s brow raises, and he digs into his pocket as he glances from your face to your hand. 

“Thought you were quitting,” He mutters, his own cigarette bobbing between his lips. 

“I know.” 

“What happened to the rubber band?” 

“It snapped and landed in the fryer.” 

He smiles a little, passing you a cigarette and holding up his lighter. You lean in, drawing a deep drag in and groaning softly. You draw it back, muttering, “Fuck,” You as glance at the smoldering tip. 

“That bad, huh?” 

“That bad,” You nod. You keep your eyes set on space over Carmy’s shoulder. You can feel your hand shaking just a little as you raise the cigarette to your lips. Carmy’s eyes sweep your face, settling on your hand. It’s a moment before he’s plucking the cigarette out of your hand, flicking it away. 

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” You manage, exhaling the smoke. You flex your tired hands before rubbing them together against the evening chill. Carmy raises his hand, setting it on your lower back and turning you from the shop with a murmur of, 

“C’mon.”

Tag list: @missredherring ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta ;  @paintballkid711 ; @massivecolorspygiant ; @blueeyesatnight; @recklessworry ; @amneris21 ; @ew-erin ; @youngkenobilove ; @carbonated-beverage​​​ ; @lorecraft ; @moonlightburned ; @milf-trinity ; @nolanell ; @millllenniawrites ; @chattychell ; @dihra-vesa​ ; @videogamesandpoorlifechoices​ ; @missswriter ; @thembosapphicclown ; @brandyllyn ; @wildmoonflower ; @buckybarneshairpullingkink ; @mad-girl-without-a-box ; @winchestershiresauce 

[thekinkyleopard]

The Happy Ending

A Sequel to “The Gathering” Found Here

Alistar x Draeko

⚠️Content warning⚠️

Sic Fic, Care Taking, Fluff, Smut, Cold Sharing

Description: Kanai brings Alistar home after his night out torturing the crew with his demon virus. Al is feeling extremely needy, and fiesty. His target? Drae. He needs his special pet. Very specific instructions, the mutt is more or less happy to oblige.

Author’s Notes: This part was supposed to be IN the original but it just NEEDED to be it’s own piece. So I shall starve you no longer. @aller-geez Owns Draeko and did the cover art!!

Alistar burst open the apartment door and immediately made a bee line toward the room Drae shared with Kanai. Originally Kanai and Al got a two bedroom apartment, and since Drae moved in, he just sort of shacked up with Kanai, but occasionally spent nights with Al. He flung open that door and made dead eye contact with the curled up pup who had yanked his gaze off the TV with a shocked suddenness. “Uh!? Oh! Hey Al!” Cheerfully his tone switched from surprised, to delighted, but then dead silent as his face fell. What the hell was he looking at?

“I am unwell,” he said simply, standing there, almost ominously.

“Okay, yes, I can see that, do you need someone to care for you?” He asked with a gentle casualness to spare him feeling pressured. The demon shrugged just staring at him deeply.

“I suppose you could say that,” his lips now pulled into a smirk, but his darkened eyes could only hold the demeanor of brooding dominance for so long. He broke. His body lurched forward, he gripped the doorframe for stability “Hhah’AETTTSH’uh!” Loudly the sound bellowed from his stinging throat, his nose dripping afterwards. Quickly he tried to save his bravado by clearing his throat and shoveling his hand over his moistened nostrils and lip.

“Oh Al…” Drae clicked his tongue before quickly getting himself out of bed and making his way over to feel the demon’s forehead with his palm. “You seriously need to lay down,” feeling slightly worried a bad cold could also, send the demon back into hell.

“What I need…” he sniffled loudly with a wet “SNndFf,” “is you to come to my room, and there’s a box…” he swallowed an over whelming amount of saliva that began to pool under his tongue. “Fuck…” he cursed at the inability to control any of the orifices on his body as of current. “And I want you to wear what’s in it first,” his voice, though strained and scratchier than usual came out incredibly serious.

“I…uh…okay,” the mutt tried not to ask too many questions, it never seemed to help either way, and once Al wanted him in on something, there was no way of getting out. He sighed shaking his head back and forth but, while Al turned to make the way toward his room, he stumbled, the smaller quickly reaching to snag his thin lanky arm, keeping the red head from falling forward.

“Jeez, you can barely stand at this point, Al! How long have you been sick??” He asked the demon clinging to his arm to keep his steady. The red head shrugged loosely.

“Since this morning?” He responded almost unsure, but he was pretty certain that was the truth.

“And have you taken any meds? Slept? Drank water?” Drae shot questions at him while he looked him up and down and could tell from a simple glance, the bastard hadn’t been doing anything to get better, just making it worse.

“I had a beer before the show,” he coughed harshly, a small squeak followed through the end of each one as his throat wheezed. His arm dangled across the mutt’s thin, small shoulders trying to keep himself upright as they spoke. Drae sighed now and shook his head.

“A beer is not productive for your health…Come on I’ll get you all situated but let’s get you in bed first,” the mutt helped to drag the tall, lanky demon back to his room and plopped him lazily, as well as heavily onto the bed, Al splayed out on his back as he stared up at the ceiling, losing himself in this distant feeling of floating away.

“Mmmk I’ll be here…don’t forget….box,” he lifted his arm to point his long black index finger toward the closet to which contained, said box. Draeko rolled his eyes, only to oblige and go toward the closet, opening it up to be greeted by a medium sized box. Curious. The mutt secured his fingers over the lid and swiftly opened it up, blinking several times trying to comprehend exactly what he was looking at.

“Uh…?” He questioned at first before pulling the pink material he had been met with, out. “Is this…” he muttered openly, more to himself than anyone. It was. As the material unfolded and opened up, it was revealed to be a skimpy, pink nurse’s outfit. “Alistar…where’d you even get this?” He looked over with slight irritation, Al smirked, but was still looking up at the ceiling.

“Spencer’s…thought we could use it for a special occasion….seems like one,” the demon spoke casually before the sudden urge to spill, threatened him. His body twitched, he rocked back and forth. “Oh…oh…Hh’HIH’TSCHHIEWW!!” He let it out, a small mist of spray falling above him only to come crashing back down to his face. “Oof I needed that,” Al sighed, schlucking his over flow of snot that kept building inside his nostrils, down his throat. “Man, those feel so fucking good, why do you hate them so much?” He asked and finally looked over at Drae, who was currently getting adorned in his new fit to appease the demon. As he slipped on the nursing uniform, his face was painted with a very bright red blush splashed across his cheeks.

“I? Uh…I dunno I just don’t like them…It makes me feel like my head is going to explode,” he shrugged his small, thin shoulders, finally zipping into the dress fully, nothing underneath. Al licked his lips with anticipation, a pointed tongue slipping out cautiously like a snake, also in part from the mess collecting across his mouth.

“That’s the best part though? It’s all this pressure…and I just want to fucking release… and it’s going to feel so good…sneezing is like edging,” at the finish of his sentence, Al bit his lower lip almost sucking on it as his eyes devoured the small mutt.

“Nope, two different things, you can’t convince me…anyway, I’m going to get you some meds, you don’t need to cum, you need to rest,” rolling his duo colored eyes before making his way out of the bedroom now. Al could only huff angrily. What did he mean? Surely he could have some meds THEN cum, healing and cumming are not mutually exclusive things. How dare the little mutt think he could deprive him. He’d teach him better.

Meanwhile, Draeko now making his way through the living room found Kanai, as he often was, glued to his screen researching, this time? The nuisances of co-dependency and toxic relationships. “Drae…would you consider yourself ‘co-dependent’ on me and Al?” His dulled heterochromia eyes peering over the top of his laptop now to gauge the other’s reaction before he paused blinking a few times with a smirk. “Donnie pick that out?” The hybrid blushed brightly again before nodding in response.

“No to the first thing, yes to the second,” sighing deeply with slight embarrassment.

“He has such good taste,” Kanai clicked his tongue as he took a moment to appreciate the fruit before him…but..there was plenty of time to pick it later, plus, clearly Al had plans if the pet was dressed up. He’d just borrow it for later, for research purposes. There’s a reason this pleases them both so much…maybe he should look that up too. Soon he didn’t even realize Drae had left the room again, now in the kitchen. Nai shook his head and returned to his previous task at hand.

The mutt was searching frantically through all the different medications they had available within their cabinet, but couldn’t seem to figure out what was necessary. This virus seemed incredibly serious, he’s never seen Al sick, frankly didn’t think it was possible. However, here they were. It’s fine. He grabbed some mucinex, and some standard Nyquil. This would help, hopefully, at the very least…he also grabbed a bottle of water and on his way back to the room, grabbed the box of tissues from the bathroom. Eventually, he was able to make his way back to Alistar’s room and begin to organize the things across the demon’s dresser.

Who in turn, sat up now, blackened palms flat against the bed as he watched every move the other made. “Sooo what’d you bring me?” He asked curiously sniffling his nose softly, nostrils stretching up and down.

“Medicine, water and,” gripping the box of tissues, he handed it now to Al. “Tissues, you’ll need these so you can stop spreading your germs all over the place…cover your mouth!” The mutt scolded and tsked him while also dramatically making the motion for covering one’s mouth. “You probably got everyone sick today,” shaking his head back and forth, the demon could only side smirk with an animalistic grunt.

“Mmm, yeah? I like it when you mommy me,” wiggling his eyebrows back and forth, the mint and grey eyed male could only roll his orbs back, though his lips fought, they did curl into a small smile.

“Cut that out! You need health care!” Very serious again he pointed an index at Al shaking it sternly before turning back and grabbing an appropriate amount of medication to dose him. “Now I don’t know the correct dose for demons…maybe it’s different…maybe it’s not…but if it doesn’t seem to help, we will up the dose,” nodding confidently now. Al shrugged his shoulders lazily and opened his mouth without haste, and rolling his Ruby eyes back with disinterest. It wasn’t til Drae’s fingers got closer to his mouth when the demon clasped his lips around the male’s index and thumb sharply, he slid his tongue around them to capture the pill. He swallowed it all while still gently sucking Draeko’s delicate fingers. “A-Al…” Draeko blushed brightly before snapping his fingers back from the other’s taunting mouth.

“Mmm, my bad, cub…impulsive thoughts…” winking one of his tired blackened eyes toward the mutt. Drae bit his lower lip trying to fight against the hormones slowly rising in him with each pressing antic.

“You didn’t…uh…want any water with that?” He asked still sitting very closely to the demon, Al dragging his index finger now slowly down the trail of buttons aligning the mutt’s costume.

“No…the only thing I want is you right now..” licking his lips hungrily before his hand swiftly, and aggressively gripped the material in a quick fistful and slowly pulling him closer. “Can’t you help me? Nurse?” The lack of emotion, the fact Draeko couldn’t see his soul behind those deadly, blackened scleras only made it harder for him to resist the danger of it, every time. Like a mouse caught in the corner of a really hungry cat.

“Al you’re going to get me sick…” he whimpered weakly as his eyes traced up and down the demon’s tatted, mischievously reddened grey face.

“Exactly,” he hovered just a little bit closer his tongue sliding over his own lower lip as he barely just inched away, and the mutt was feeling weakened by each second…. “Just say ye-…h’Hih...” until, Al hitched. Bringing him back into reality for what this situation really was. Draeko quickly stood up and Alistar released his grasp accepting the defeat for now.

“HEhH’TZSCHh’UE!” He sneezed into his hand for the first time, trying to mind Drae’s words at the very least, if he was going to get any tonight. Especially after that. His hand now wet causing him to open palm at the air. “Tissue….” He mumbled before finding the box behind him from when he sat it down. Snatching one sheet out of the box he quickly wiped off his hands, and face as well. “Is this better for you?” Side eyeing the mutt with his narrowed black eyes. The mutt could only smile in return, reaching over and running his thin fingers through the sticky, damp threads of Al’s long, red, messy hair. With his free hand, he put it over that of Al’s, the one wiping and helped dab gently around the anti-Christ’s face, until eventually Drae was the only one holding the tissue.

“Yes, thank you,” his sweet face and gestures only made the desires worse for the demon sitting in front of him. “Have you eaten today?” Lovingly the hybrid touched the back of his hand to Al’s burning forehead, he snuffled loudly, his nose so congested from the illness not even the mucinex was clearing him up. However, it was a fever dream to think human medications could be fruitful to his demon snot. He grabbed another tissue and began to violently rub at his nose in large circles, it clicked loudly as he groaned in the process. Drae could only pity his poorly demon.

“Okay well, I should make you some soup then, because good food is important, you need to eat, I can’t keep telling you this,” shaking his head back and forth to chastise the red head who scoffed in return.

“Look, we dont eat in hell, it’s a new thing for me, my vessel doesn’t really signal hunger like that…” he shrugged again, it was an air of calm, causality almost yet, it was true. He could technically survive a long time in this vessel without eating, but it DID need to eat. So he sighed and grumpily laid back against his headboard and folded his arms against his chest.

“You are such a turd, you know that?” Drae chuckled softly shaking his head back and forth, his hair bouncing almost hypnotizing Al slowly as it did so. He just couldn’t stop thinking with his downstairs head as the mutt swayed around in that saucy pink outfit walking away to make him his meal. God he looked so delicious tonight. He knew he was going to have his way with the little hybrid, maybe pull him back by his cute little ears…he huffed loudly through his mouth.

“Uncle fuckin Christ…” he hissed, lowly in his itching sore throat. His head was pounding harder by the second, and the longer he was alone with his nasty, vile thoughts of all the ways he was going to defile the mutt, his cock had grown hard in his pants. “Cub’ll probably be a while..no?…” he palmed and teased his bulging jeans, digging the heel end of his hand for more defined friction. The possibilities…the idea of spitting into Draeko’s open mouth to force feed him his sickness. He let that one take him pretty far as his hand shoveled his hand through the hem of his pants, grasping at his length roughly, squeezing.

“Shhhhiiiii…” he gasped as he pictured his little pet sicker than a dog tomorrow when he was done, sniveling nose, dripping nostrils, puffy eye bags…it was enough to get him leaking already. “Yesss…” he huffed, holding in his breath, but when he felt he was losing himself too far to his habit, he pulled it back in. He couldn’t blow it like this, no no. There was always a greater, much better plan to follow. “Hh’h….no..” he sniffed loudly trying to shovel the feeling back inside. He was desperate to withhold himself from any further sneezing until he was balls deep inside the squealing mutt.

“Okay I’m back with yo-….Al!” Drae squeaked as he tried not to allow himself to spill the soup when he jumped. The demon looked over lazily, with the movement of a snail trying to cross the street, he pulled his hand from his pants.

“What? I got bored in here…was thinkin’ bout you in that sexy little outfit….” Lips pulling up in a devilish grin that made the hybrid feel very small and perceived in this moment. Incredibly vulnerable as he crossed the room to place the bowl at Alistar’s bedside table. “See? How can I not get fucking rock solid when you’re this sexy, bringing me soup?? To feel better?? Like you’re ASKING for me to pound you,” he licked his lips again, reaching his blackened hand out to grip him hard in one handful by Draeko’s asscheek.

“Okay but, at least eat first, alright?” He giggled swatting back at the demon’s hand and then teasingly wiggling his hips toward him. “Maybe, I’ll give you a treat…something that won’t involve me…catching your disease,” he shuddered a bit at the idea of being sick again any time soon.

“Mmm…promise?” he watched closely as the other danced about him, almost making him feel warmer than he already did in the first place.

“Promise! Now eat!” The mint and pink haired male nodded quickly almost getting impatient with the other’s insistent stalling. Did he really hate eating that much? Well too be fair…he was kind of distracting.

“Mmmh…feed me?” Raising a thin red brow looking up at Draeko with those dangerous blackened eyes. What was he feeling? He hated this. He couldn’t read the demon. Was he being funny right now?

“Are you serious?” Draeko asked, raising his own thin mint brow in return.

“Please~?” The demon half smiled, trying to be a bit more convincing this time.

“Okay, okay, I’ll feed you,” the mutt giggled, rolling his eyes trying to hide the fact he was actually…kind of excited to help the larger in such an intimate way that no one else would ever be able to help him.

“You’re such a good boy…” Al whispered tenderly before Draeko brought a spoonful of the soup up to his lips. The hybrid blushed brightly again, shifting as he sat on the bed beside the red head. He couldn’t control the feeling going straight to his groin, those words. They were too good not to turn him into an absolute puddle. The demon took the spoon into his mouth, shlucked off the sustenance, and down his throat he swallowed it. They did this for a while in silence, just staring back at one another, deeply. It was almost unsettling to see the anti-Christ like this, but his eyes never left those black holes, before Draeko finally spoke, clearing his throat.

“See? It’s good right?” Asking the demon who could only shrug his shoulders in return, rolling with the punches at this point. Whatever got him to his main goal in time.

“I mean…yeah it’s okay,” he said honestly, after swallowing his last spoonful. “I’m fine now, I don’t want anymore of that… I just want this now,” his hand reached around and grabbed playfully at Draeko’s taut little ass, scooting closer to him on the bed and starting to nip impatiently at the male’s soft, inviting neck.

“You didn’t eat all of it though!” The mutt giggled nudging his elbow softly into the other’s side almost trying to suggest he wanted the demon off but putting forth no real effort to get him off.

“I want dessert now, Nurse,” he continued his motions, the bites getting harder as his other hand came up to cup the opposite side of Drae’s neck, grasping it so tightly a few of his fingers tangled in the mutt’s hair. Slowly he took larger bites, leaving darkened marks across his soft flesh.

“Fff…hnn..Ali…s-star…” he whimpered trying to shoving him a bit, but ultimately winding up taking a fistful of red hair and yanking it back with purposeful force.

“Ooohhh….little Cub…” he smirked and his blackened orbs rolled back. “That’s not how the game is played, is it? Be my good boy now…” nipping and pulling at Draeko’s flushed earlobe.

“So-Sorry patient Satanos…I shouldn’t forget…” shaking under the demon’s hot mouth against his flesh, soon the Anti-Christ began to twist and pull at the buttons keeping the dress sealed. Making a perfectly sized hole with a few plucked buttons opened now, he stuck his hand inside the hybrid’s dress to glide his warm palm across his chest. It was soft, silky, his fingers danced across the goosebumped skin, before finding a rising little bud, Al smirked.

“Mmm that’s much better…and looky here…found a friend,” he smirked before clasping his mouth back at the little dog’s jaw, biting the tightened delicate flesh, Draeko cried out. “Shh…Aht, aht…” the demon proceeded to whisper across the other’s moistening flesh. His index and thumb rolled and pinched, almost trying to pluck Drae’s stiffened little peak right off his chest. The slight tinge of pain caused a shiver down the little hybrid’s spine unable to control himself as he melted into Al’s palm. “See….? This is all we need to feel better isn’t it, cub?” Turning Draeko’s heated, blushing face toward his own hungry, and sunken one.

“Y-Yes, Patient Satanos…” Alistar growled at the sound, invested within the noises that escaped his little pet.

“I think it’s time I play doctor now, don’t you think?” Grazing his teeth over his lower lip before his body started to push forward until Drae helplessly fell to his back on the bed, Al hovering over him darkly crimson hair cascading over them.

“A-Al…but I’m not sick…you are! You need rest!” The smaller tried to protest but his body refused to deny the demon of pleasant, positive reactions.

“Why? This will make me feel so much better….” His hand slipped out of Drae’s outfit only to take both his palms and glide them up the other’s thin frame and sides. “First we’ll do your physical before we do some….medical insertion,” the demon snickered, his blackened eyes only made it that much more irresistible to the hybrid. It always felt so dangerous being intimate with Al, like at any moment he could lose himself and take his life in the throes of it.

“Y-Yes, Doctor Al,” unable to hold back the playful giggle that left his throat, wiggling his hips back and forth with anticipation.

“First,” the redhead gripped the pink material and then ripped it clean off the small body below him, the buttons popping and snapping off with loud plucks, flinging in different directions around the room. “This needs to go,” now his crimson gaze was heated and starving as it took in the sight of a very nude and lewd Drae laying underneath him. “That’s much better,” his fingers now started to trace, at first, softened patterns with his long nails. It began with gentleness, before it only got rougher, bright scarlet marks trailing down the mutt’s exposed front.

“A-Ah..~” the mint and pink haired man moaned softly, unable to keep his bodily squirming at bay. Alistar was enjoying himself, so much he almost had long forgotten he was sick, but it was far from that. The pounding in his head only matched the rhythm of the pounding in his cock, his stuffed nose making it difficult to get the full spectrum of Drae’s pheromones, so it caused him to sniffle harder, desperate to get a stronger whiff. However, it only left him needing more, his body heating over between pleasure and illness. It was the mixture of pain in his aching bones, and the desire in his pulsating cock that fueled his innate desires to devour and destroy the mutt.

“Hnn…seems here you’re going to need some extra special care….” Al’s long red hair curtained around him as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Drae’s perked little bud. Sliding his tongue teasingly across the flesh. Pulling, biting, lapping at it without restrain. It was going according to plan…almost too easy, the deep pressure pounding inside his skull would soon be released, if he could withstand keeping it all in.

Al tried to keep his mouth too busy to focus on anything else, but the slight tickle in the base of his nose was really something else pulling his mouth back up, releasing the bud. “H…H’HDGXNT!” He tried to hold it back, but this feeling, it wasn’t as satisfying as the feeling of letting it all out. “Hih’AESSSHH’ue!” It came out in a strong gust as it decorated and splashed across the small 3 specied male’s chest.

“B-Bless you…M-Master…” Al looked his darkened eyes back over to see Drae still flushed, cheeks still pink and his eyes still half closed as the pleasure of it all. Fuck. Al loved it when the little mutt called him that. He could practically cum right now. Alistar lazily slid his arm over his leaking nose, so none would drip onto his little lamb.

“That’s it….” he quickly removed himself from his jeans, without removing the clothes themselves, he simply unzipped and pulled himself out. “Gimme your fucking mouth,” Al now had himself sitting up, taking Drae by a fistful of his hair he brought the mutt’s surprised written face to his cock, the mutt suddenly scrambling to his knees in front of the other. “Go on Cub, blow my mind like you always do,” licking his lips purposefully as those black holes stared the hybrid down into submission. Drae could only whimper in response before he was taking the demon’s length past his lips, and deep throating with a great purpose that caused Al to throw his head back. “Fuuuuuuck….just what I needed…just like that…” he bit his lower lip until a line of crimson dripped down his greyed flesh. His fingers, they never sought to give the smaller a break as with each bobbing motion, Alistar was in control of the exact tempo, not Drae. The mutt’s eyes squeezed shut as he allowed the length to plow his tonsils, body getting hotter, needier by the second as he continued his motions. Not fitting any in his mouth was unheard of as he made sure every inch was loved and attended. “Shit…I’m gonna..” his chest hitched and his breath caught in his throat like a surprise that he was expecting. There were two pressures, as the time passed and Drae’s mouth never ceased it’s motions.

Alistar was almost afraid he’d cum too soon. He was in pure bliss, was this what heaven was like? Honestly he hoped not, he’d be really pissed with his father for fucking that up. This was it, if he wasn’t careful this could end sooner than he planned. He gasped loudly, but it held in his throat before a loud sneeze bursted past the barrier of his lips, and the spray mist of saliva fell upon the other’s soft, features. “HEh’EZSCHhh’iiEW!” His eyes squinted shut while his body afflicted, nose scrunching it was almost a sight to behold for Drae. “Snnndfff!!” The anti-Christ snorted the most, if not all, of the mucus collecting within his sore, tickling sinuses.

This whole scene was almost far too much for Draeko, his hand moving down to pump at his own leaking, twitching length. Fingers curling around it but not given enough time to stroke before he was reprimanded.

“AHT! Did I say you could touch?” The demon looked at him with a seriousness that chilled the little mutt to his core. Drae lifted his head off the other’s cock with a pop, licking his moist lips to speak.

“I’m sorry, Master,” his flushed, wet face really doing too much for the demon. He grabbed him swiftly by the neck now, and then dragged the mutt into his lap.

“Hmmm I’ll take your apology by you doing all the work,” Al growled through his stuffy nose and gritted teeth, he gripped the mutt’s haunches and pulled his naked body downward on his lap, grinding their lengths together causing them each to moan. His own cock still poking through the hole in his boxers and jeans. There was no time to waste with pants. The redhead quickly excreted a small puddle of drool into his palm, only to bring it around and slide it over Drae’s waiting hole, pushing his teasing middle digit past the tightened puckered ring. “Oooh, I can tell you’re hungry for me, cub,” biting his lower lip, Draeko looked down at Al’s, duo colored eyes lidded and hazy, his ass just barely meeting the demon’s cock tip.

“Please…Al…I need you so badly…” his arms snaking around the demon’s neck, pressing both their naked chests to each other, sweat sticking, Al dragged his claws down the younger’s supple and soft back. He left bright red bleeding streaks in their wake before he whispered into the hybrid’s ear.

“Mmm at one cost little cub,” Al was very slowly, softly, a feather light touch, pressing his tip toward Drae’s hole.

“Anything….” Draeko replied almost breathlessly as his hips met each teasing grind.

“Open, your mouth…” Alistar’s voice like a rock being dropped into a still pond of water. Sudden, confronting, loud, in it’s own way.

“W-What?” He tried to sit back enough to meet eye contact with the other now, not that there were any clues to pick up from that.

“You want this cock?” The demon asked, serious tone and a cocked brow.

“Yes….please….” Now whimpering with almost a sadness as he could barely hold on to his need for more. Tears welling in the ducts of his heterochromiatic eyes.

“Share my cold,” his voice stern, emotionless, it cause the hairs in Drae’s arms to stand to attention, it was chilling. He nodded gently and opened up his mouth for the demon to see his bright, pink tongue. Awaiting.

“Stick it out,” he told him, again the tone, it was enough to make a baby cry how sinister, and selfish it came off. Exactly what the mutt needed in times like these, and so he stuck out his tongue.

Alistar, took his hand and now gripped Drae’s open maw, thumb on one cheek, his other four fingers pressing tightly together to squeeze his mouth open further, using a force that was sure to bruise. Al now focused, his eyes narrowing to look at the mutt’s open, awaiting mouth. It was coming…he felt it like a giant force was pinching his entire face. It all felt tight, an undefeatable stuffiness.

“Hih’AETTTSHH’uh!! Hh’TSSHEW!” Twice the Anti-Christ blew sneeze into Draeko’s wide, open mouth, before sliding his tongue flatly against the surface of the mutt’s own. The aggressive ways the spit wound up hitting across the hybrid’s mouth, caused Drae to flinch ever so slightly and this brought Al great joy. “Good boy…” he snuffled loudly before connecting their lips in a heated, rough motion. Teeth pulling at flesh, and tongues, despite the clear understanding of where they fell on the spectrum of homosexuality, regardless, battled for dominance.

“You have permission now…” Alistar told him. Drae then began to slowly push the throbbing length inside his wanting entrance, taking no time to adjust or get used to it, that was Drae’s favorite part. The slight sting of being entered so suddenly without adjustment. His hands clasped on each side of Alistar’s shoulders as he lifted himself up and down, quickly, there was no more waiting. The demon tried to keep at an even pace but the more his sinuses started to close up and sting, the less he could focus on how amazing it felt to be shoved up inside the mutt. His tightened ass squeezing every inch, how much better could it feel while sneezing? He adjusted his gaze, ah yes, ceiling light was on. Perfect.

Alistar looked up toward the light, his eyes squinted, and his face suddenly felt very full, there was no fighting this back, especially as Al allowed it to tickle, and feed the monster. He sneezes again, loudly, a thick film of saliva fills his mouth, before he swallows it quickly. “HEHH’DZSCHh’iEEW! HN’DTSCh’UH!” His eyes squint shut, and his nose scrunches significantly while the movement pushes through his face. He takes a deep breath as his hips involuntarily thrust upward into Drae further, his arm tightly lacing around the mutt’s waist, pulling him closer. They keep going like this for a few moments with Alistar’s claws digging into Drae’s soft sweating flesh. “I’m going to fuckin cu-H’HaH’TSSSCHIEEWW!!! !!” At the same time he lets another head bursting explosion from his mouth, hips throwing themselves up one last time before spilling his seed over. Hitting the mutt hard in his G spot causing him to cry out. Simultaneously, Alistar was cumming and sneezing in one fluid motion, just as he had wanted. His body convulsed, emptied, and the pressure in his head? It felt like a fresh lobotomy. No thoughts. Head empty. Just bliss. Draeko could hardly stand seeing the scene it turned him on so much. His body hot, orgasm close, all he could do was continue to milk and drain the demon’s cock for all it was worth, while working his own length, but a few strikes into his prostrate? Game over, the mutt was seeing stars and outward he came in ribbons across their chests. “A-Aaahh!!! Al!!!” He cried out while losing his sanity and emptying himself of every drop.

“That’s my good pet….” He coped gently, now running his blackened hand through Drae’s mint and pink locks, both of them sweating and breathing profusely. When suddenly it hits Drae like a sack of bricks, the realization of what he just allowed to happen….

“FUCK….now I’m gonna get sick! How’d I let you talk me into this??” Suddenly panicking, he tried to get up but Al just kept the hybrid anchored down to him.

“Easy, you’re a slut for me and Nai….we know we can always get your yes,” he smirks before pulling the mutt into the base of his armpit. “It’s one of my favorite things about ya…besides how soft you are,” burying his face into those familiar strands of hair that are much stickier than usual.

“Oh mannnn….” Drae groans loudly burying his face into the large heaving demon. “Well….was that at least everything you’d hoped it be?” The grey and mint eyes looked up at him curiously, a smile spread across his cheeks.

“Oh man Drae…I truthfully don’t know why you creatures complain so much about illness…” he huffed a chuckle through his nostrils. “That was the best orgasm I’ve ever had,” sighing with contentment before he found himself feeling heavier, exhausted. More so than he had ever felt, maybe that was yet another symptom of the illness. Being extra tired during bed time. He hummed lightly in thought. “Mmh,”

“Well, I’m glad I could help then,” the mutt giggled pressing closer to the demon, listening to the sound of his stuttering heart beat. Different than it normally was, usually it was like a hummingbird, and frankly sounded like it would pop out through his chest. Almost, pleasantly, it was slower while the two entangled with one another, yet another thing Al didn’t normally do, but there was something very special about this night. His first experience with a cold, with his favorite pet by his side.

The End

Author’s Notes: Well would you look at that! I done released the sequel in a week! Not two, not three, ONE! Ugh. That’s so nice. 🥳 I’m so proud of myself ~ Hope you guys enjoyed 🫶🏻

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Little Bird

Fandom: Elvis Presley, American Musician, RPF

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Addison Goodwin

Characters: Elvis Presley, Addison Goodwin, Jess Goodwin, Jess Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, Original Female Character, Jerry Schilling,  Marci Cunningham,

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 4621

Summary: Walked down the aisle, breakin' my heart, Lay down my pride, I know I gotta let you go.

Tags/Warnings: One Shot, Elvis and Addison, Weddings, Flashbacks, Love, Established Relationship, Marriage, Angst, Fluff, Abandonment Issues, Kisses, Dancing, Love, Graceland, Pregnancy, Maybe time line shift, Song Fic,  Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Writing Challenge, Little Bird // Jonas Brothers, First In Line // Elvis Presley

Notes: Another lil Elvis and Addie one shot for yall.

Honestly thinking of everything he missed makes me want to scream and cry.

ELVIS & ADDIE // SONG LINK // HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE

‘Ugh would you stop it,’ Jess snapped batting her sister’s hand away from her face as she tried to manoeuvre an uncooperative brown tendril away from her line of sight. Lisa pulled back, sighing as Jess’ own hand immediately went to the strand of hair as she tried to fix it herself.

‘Hey, it’s not her fault,’ came a voice from below them. Jess watched as her mother rose from where she had been crouched, unfurling the layers of her dress so they weren’t touching the floor, a chastising glare on her face before she said, ‘she’s only trying to help.’

‘Sorry,’ Jess said looking at Lisa who shrugged but smiled, ‘it’s just it won’t cooperate.’

‘It looks fine,’ Lisa said reassuringly as Jess looked past her mother, trying to tuck the piece of hair out of the way.

‘Lisa’s right,’ Addison said as she reached her hand out, moving the strand into a place where, much to Jess’ surprise, it stuck. Once it was tucked away Addison placed a tender hand on her daughter’s cheek and said, ‘besides, in five hours, hell probably five minutes you won’t even remember that silly strand of hair that was annoying you. All you’ll remember is the excitement and happiness of getting married.’

‘Yeah, I don’t even remember what I wore on my wedding day,’ Lisa chuckled.

‘Or that you’re meant to invite people to it,’ said a deep velvety voice from behind them. All three of the women turned to look at where it had come from. Standing there, decked out in his finest tuxedo, was Elvis. His lip was curled up in a smile as he watched Lisa roll her eyes once more.

‘Hey, I remembered to invite you guys…eventually,’ Lisa said as he walked towards them.

‘Yeah, six hours before it was set to happen,’ Jess teased.

‘It’s not my fault Jessie is the traditional one,’ Lisa said, ‘anyway it’d be boring if we were the same right?’

‘It’d give me less of a heart attack,’ Elvis countered earning himself a shove from his youngest daughter.

‘Anyway,’ Addison said moving them along, ‘traditional or a little… fast-paced-’

‘Rushed,’ Elvis said at the same time.

‘You’re both doing what you wanted right?’ she said looking at the girls.

‘Yeah,’ both of them said in unison. Addison smiled, touching her daughter’s cheek once again hoping that her words would calm her just a little. She could tell she was nervous and though she knew it was more excitement than worry she hoped she had helped. After all when Addison had been nervous her first thought had been to run, she didn’t want her daughter quite literally following in her footsteps. Yet as Jess smiled back at her she could see her words had soothed her.

‘So just enjoy it okay? It’ll go by in the blink of an eye and you’ll be wanting to do it all over again tomorrow I promise,’ Addison said.

‘I think my bank balance might have something to say about that,’ Elvis jested earning a swat on the chest from Addison though when she looked back at her daughter she was smiling.

‘Thanks Mom,’ Jess said.

‘No problem honey,’ Addison said.

‘Uh, guys,’ Jerry said from the doorway capturing everyone’s attention, ‘everyone’s ready. The wedding party’s downstairs waitin’ to head out.’

‘Well, I better go and take my seat then huh?’ Addison said.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Lisa said grabbing her bouquet off the dresser it had been laying on before she turned back to her sister and said, ‘see you down there, okay?’

‘See ya,’ Jess nodded, feeling reassured as she touched her shoulder gently and then headed out the door.

‘I’ll see you down there too. Remember just breathe, okay,’ Addison said. Jess nodded and then said, ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too honey,’ Addison replied.

‘What about me?’ Elvis said as Addison moved to walk away from them though she stopped, rolling her eyes as she placed a hand on his chest.

‘Jury’s still out,’ she smirked and though she was sure it would mean she would have to touch up her make-up she didn’t move away as he leaned down to kiss her, their lips meeting briefly before she headed out of the room.

Once she was gone Elvis’ attention fell to Jess who, though she was feeling a lot better, was watching her reflection nervously in the mirror. She had spent months agonising over this wedding. Since she had gotten engaged she had planned everything out meticulously and now it was all here. She sometimes wished she could be different, that she too could call her parents just hours before she got married and ask them to jump on a plane but she wasn’t built that way. She just hoped that all her stressing and obsessing would be worth it.

‘Ready honey?’ Elvis asked snapping her from her thoughts. Jess looked at him and nodded, allowing him to link her at the elbow before grabbing her bouquet so they could walk out of her old room. They walked across the hall and down the few steps to the landing where Jerry was waiting.

‘You look lovely Vegas,’ he said.

‘Thanks,’ Jess said, those nerves still swirling around inside her, ‘is everything ready?’

‘Yep,’ Jerry said making her nerves fade just a little. She peeped around the corner, spotting most of her bridal party gathered in the hallway, ready to head out onto the lawn where her fiancée would be waiting.

‘Well I’m ready when you are honey,’ Elvis said looking down at her.

‘I’m ready,’ she said. Jerry nodded and with that, he headed downstairs and started to direct everyone out the door. Jess watched as the pairs of groomsmen and bridesmaids started to filter out, flashes of a camera going off the moment they stepped outside. And at that moment she was glad to be hidden given that this was the last minute she’d have without all eyes on her. As she pulled back her pretty features going pensive Elvis watched her closely. He could see her getting into her own head, like she normally did when she had a lot to focus on, like her mother did. In all the years he’d known her she hadn’t changed; she was still that sensitive soul he had met at fourteen years old not that that was a bad thing. If anything it was the perfect balance. Where Lisa was outgoing, free-spirited and rebellious Jess was her opposite and yet he loved them both equally. It just meant that he parented them differently. As he watched her start to succumb to her nerves he deployed the tactic he always did when this happened. Where her mother would use logic and reason Elvis simply elected to make her smile.

‘So,’ Elvis mused making her gaze fall on him, ‘still wanna do this?’

‘Dad,’ Jess groaned though there was a smile on her face.

‘I’m just sayin’. Kitchen stairs are right there we could have you halfway to Texas by nightfall,’ Elvis joked.

‘I thought you liked Scott,’ Jess countered.

‘Oh you know I’m just playin’ with ya,’ Elvis said nudging her with his elbow as he pretended to sigh, ‘though I can’t say I’m happy both my girls are leaving me in the same year.’

‘We live right around the block!’ Jess giggled, ‘besides I thought this is what you and mom wanted. No more babies, living your kid-free life and whatnot.’

‘Yeah and then your sister got knocked up,’ Elvis said.

‘Oh come on you two look good as a Granny and Grandpa,’ Jess teased running her finger along the flecks of grey that now wove into his sideburns.

‘Don’t let your mother hear you call her that,’ Elvis retorted making Jess’ smile widen which in turn made his own smile grow, he’d succeeded. Whatever thoughts she had been fretting over now gone as she enjoyed their teasing. It had been a joke on his end and though he knew it didn’t mean anything he couldn’t help but feel there was a hint of truth to what he had said. He had given both his daughters away in the space of six months, one of them even preparing to have her own baby in the next couple. It was a change that was coming. One he hadn’t really prepared himself for and though it made him sad he was also happy for them both. After all, it wasn’t as if he wished the hardships that he and Addison had gone through to get together.

‘I’m happy for you Jessie,’ he said after a moment. She hadn’t been looking at him, instead, she had been watching as the final couple of the wedding party headed out, signalling it was time for them to head down the stairs, though she looked up as he spoke a smile still playing on her lips.

‘I’m happy for me too,’ she said.

✵✵✵

Addison had been right. Jess had barely had time to breathe throughout the day let alone worry about what she looked like. Fortunately, though the day had gone off without a hitch and once the ceremony was done out front, the dozens of pictures taken, and the meal completed she could finally relax. She had enjoyed every minute of it even if it had meant being the centre of attention, something she normally left to the rest of her family. Luckily, she only had more spotlight moment before the night would fade into drinks and dancing, she just had to get through it first.

Jess watched as her father climbed onto the small stage the band was on, immediately capturing everyone’s attention. He smiled as he stood behind the mic, looking towards her for a second with a smile before he said, ‘hello again,’ earning a chuckle from the crowd.

‘Now, I know you’re all excited to get to a night of dancing and drinks but uh first we gotta do something. When Jessie first told me she was getting married I was happy for her but I had one stipulation, please don’t ask me to help plan the damn thing,’ Elvis said earning another chuckle from the crowd, ‘fortunately for me she’s got quite the team around her so I didn’t have much to do though she did put me in charge of one thing. Music.’

‘God knows why,’ Jerry heckled causing a giggle to emit from Jess and the crowd.

‘Well anyway even with my limited knowledge I managed to find a band Jessie and Scott quite liked and if you’ve enjoyed them up to now I know you’ll like it when they really get swingin’ but uh when the topic of the first dance came up I was surprised to find out there was only one song Jess had thought of, I’d say Jess and Scott but I know my daughter well enough to know he probably had no say in the matter,’ Elvis joked glancing at Jess who rolled her eyes and Scott who smiled, kissing her temple as he held her from behind, ‘so if you’d like to help me welcome the happy couple to the dance floor for their first dance officially married I’m gonna do my only job for the night.’

As music started to twinkle through the airwaves, along with claps and cheers as the couple took to the dancefloor Addison made her way to the fray of the crowd to watch, but where most people’s gazes were on Jess and Scott hers migrated past, watching Elvis as his velvet-covered voice rang out.

When they gave out eyes like diamonds, That would shame the stars that shine, My darlin', my darlin', You were the first in line.

When they gave out lips like honey, That hold a new thrill every time, My darlin', my darlin', You were the first in line.

She didn’t know why Jess had picked it. It wasn’t one of his most famous, one of the ones normally played at weddings but it was Addison’s favourite. Though as she listened to the smoother, more mature voice ring out around the garden it wasn’t as though she was listening to him now. She was reminded of her favourite rendition, one performed in a voice much younger and gruffer. Though the night sky above them was clear she could almost hear rain battering against the glass of a windshield and feel Elvis’ fingers running through her hair. At seventeen, when her life had been ripped to shreds once more, this time by her mother, she had never dreamed she’d end up somewhere like here. That she’d be standing in her backyard watching her daughter sway gently to the music with a good man at her side. A good man like she herself had.

As she watched Jess she smiled though she could feel tears burning in her eyes. They surprised her, after all, she had managed to make it through the day without crying she had thought she was home free but as she watched Jess throw her head back, laughing at something Scott had said, she felt the happiness spill out trickling down her face. She turned around and headed to a deserted table, reaching for a napkin so that she could dab her eyes. Fortunately, more couples had taken to the dance floor now meaning that no one seemed to notice her absence. That was until she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her middle, a pair of lips nuzzling into her neck making her tears disappear in an instant.

‘Hey,’ she said, allowing Elvis to hold her as she straightened up in his grasp.

‘Hi,’ he said with a smile before he spun her around to face him, ‘how’d I do?’

‘Good,’ Addison said placing her hands on his chest.

‘Just good?’ Elvis chuckled, ‘wow Addie I don’t think I’m gonna recover from that review.’

‘Well I’d tell you what I really thought but,’ Addison said making him quirk an eyebrow as she fiddled with his bowtie, ‘but we know what normally happens after you come off stage and somehow I don’t think that’s appropriate.’

‘Mmm probably not,’ Elvis mused.

‘Maybe we could dance instead,’ she smiled.

‘Sounds good to me honey,’ Elvis said.

Addison smiled, moving out of his grip and taking his hand as she led him towards the dance floor, which was now inundated with couples enamoured with one another as they moved slowly along to the song now being played by the band. As they moved to an open space Elvis’ hand went to her waist his other clasping one of hers as she nestled into his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head. They moved in silence, content with holding one another as they rotated in a slow circle. Addison’s eyes fluttered closed as she took in his warmth, his cologne a familiar comfort. Yet when she opened her eyes her line of sight was on Jess and Scott once more, still dancing in their own content little bubble, and her mind flew back to a memory.

‘Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?’ Marci said as she slipped on her shoes. She was lingering by the front door, a concerned look on her face as she watched Addison struggle to keep Jess in her arms. It was bedtime but Jess hadn't seemed to have gotten that memo, her bright eyes watching Marci as she tried to get to her.

‘No it’s fine,’ Addison said, wincing as her hair caught in Jess’ pudgy fist before she untangled herself.

‘I can you know,’ Marci said, ‘it’s only Bill.’

‘You cancelled last time,’ Addison said guiltily, ‘go. Honestly, have fun. We’ll be fine.’

‘Well we’re eating at Charlie’s if you need me,’ Marci said. Addison nodded.

‘Have fun,’ Addison smiled.

‘You too,’ Marci chuckled moving to pinch Jess’ cheek, ‘you be good for your mama now Jessie you hear me.’

‘Mama,’ Jess echoed making both women smile before Marci headed out the door. Though once she was gone Jess started to fuss. She moved her in her arms, trying to get her into a comfortable position but it was no use, she kept wriggling reaching for the door where Marci had disappeared.

‘Jessie,’ Addison huffed trying to get her settled, ‘honey she’ll be back later okay?’

But it wasn’t working. Jess was starting to cry, big shimmering tears glinting in her eyes before they ran down her reddened cheeks.

‘Oh come it’s not that bad,’ Addison cooed as she rocked her back and forth on her hip though as she stared at the doorway her friend had just disappeared through she couldn’t help but feel as forlorn as the screaming child on her hip. In fact she kind of wished she was headed out to the door too. Though with that thought she felt a wave of guilt crash through her. After all she had chosen this life, Jess. It wasn’t her baby’s fault that her other care giver had a life of her own, one she’d put on hold far too long for both of them. See, soon after Jess was born they had realised that sharing the workload didn’t always mean doing everything fifty/fifty so whilst Marci picked up shifts as the diner they both worked at and went to school Addison tended to Jess, working when Marci could be home. It meant that Marci was out virtually all day so when she did get the occasional night to herself Addison didn’t begrudge her that. Yet over the past couple of weeks things had been different. Marci’s school course had been on break for the holidays and so she’d been home more meaning that Addison could take the better paying shifts and Marci could watch Jess, studying once she was safely tucked up in bed. But as the holidays ended and they’d gone back to their normal routine Addison had found her daughter had quite taken to having someone else put her to bed every night. She knew it was a phase, but she couldn’t deny seeing her fuss and fidget for someone other than her hurt.

As Jess continued to move Addison wracked her brain for a distraction. She walked them through to the small room they shared, Jess’ crib pressed against the wall. She took the teddy bear that was resting in the cot and presented it to her daughter earning the bear a swift smack upside the head.

‘Not that then,’ Addison sighed. Then she spotted a pacifier on her nightstand and offered it to her, receiving a more positive reaction this time as Jess took it out of Addison’s hand and pushed it into her mouth.

‘See that’s better,’ Addison said though Jess still didn’t seem settled enough to place down in her crib just yet, ‘so, you're missing Aunt Mar? Well, you're not the only one…but she’s got a life too y'know. Can't be running around after us all the time.’

Jess looked up at her, a distinct pout on her face as though she could understand what her mother was saying. Addison smiled sadly at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead which to her surprise she allowed her to do.

She did miss her friend though it was hard because she was happy for her, she truly was. She was happy that at least one of them got to have a normal life. That one of them could go out on dates and be romanced and happy. Yet as she looked down at Jess, her big blue eyes, ones that were so familiar, she found it wasn’t just Marci she was missing. She missed Elvis.

She missed everything about him. How infectious his aura was. How no matter how bad of a day she was having he could make her feel better. She could almost hear his voice. If he were here he’d probably handle Jess with a natural ease, the way he did everything. She’d probably settle just being in his arms, that aura comforting her the way it had her mother, but that wasn’t their reality. Addison didn’t have Elvis to rely on and she couldn't keep depending on Marci. So she had to figure it out on her own.

Though as she thought about him an idea came to her and before she knew it she was singing, rocking their baby slowly as they danced in their tiny bedroom. Her voice wasn’t as good as his but Jess didn’t seem to care, in fact as she stared up at her, her pudgy hand wrapping around Addison’s finger as her fidgeting stopped.

There may be others that know you longer, Who pledge their hearts to you, But there's no other could love you stronger, Any stronger than I do.

As Addison continued Jess relaxed, leaning against her as they continued to dance, until eventually Addison glanced down to find her daughter’s eyes were now closed. Though the song ended she didn’t stop rocking her though as they moved she found an odd feeling plaguing her.

It was one of panic. She didn’t know where it had come from but it had come on with such a vengeance she felt tears start to roll down her face. It was one of panic because she knew that one day Jess wouldn’t settle in her arms. One day her comfort wouldn’t be needed. She’d have someone else.

Yes, she had managed to win her favour after two weeks of Marci being the favourite but what about in the future? What about when she met someone? Would she leave her? The way her parents had. The way Elvis had. The way Marci was sure to once she found a guy she could settle down with. Jess was the only thing she had, the only thing she had gotten right in this trainwreck she called life, and yet she knew one day she’d go too. One day she’d be alone. She shouldn’t have been thinking that way after all as a parent that was the goal right? Raise a child to be a well-rounded individual so that they could eventually leave the nest, and maybe find someone along the way who made them as happy as their parents used to when they sang them to sleep.

But it didn’t mean she wanted it.

She’d lost enough already.

Addison was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard Elvis’ voice rumble against her ear and she pulled back to find him watching her expectantly, those same eyes from her memories sparkling from the twinkling lights overhead.

‘Huh?’ Addison said making him smirk.

‘She asks me to dance and then she doesn’t even pay attention to me honestly,’ Elvis said shaking his head in jest.

‘Sorry,’ Addison said meekly. Elvis waved her off noticing there was something on her mind and then his hand moved to her jawline, stroking along it gently as he said, ‘what are you thinking about honey?’

‘Everything,’ Addison said with a wistful sigh as she glanced back to Jess, Elvis’ gaze following hers, ‘I can’t believe she’s grown up.’

‘I know. Both of them are,’ Elvis said as their eyes moved to where Lisa was dancing nearby, Danny’s hands on her baby bump as he whispered something in her ear to make her laugh.

‘What are we going to do with ourselves?’ Addison said.

‘Oh I’m sure we can think of plenty of ways to pass the time,’ Elvis said low enough that only she could hear as he pressed a kiss to her temple making her smile before she pulled back, finally tearing her gaze away from the girls.

‘I bet,’ she mused though her face fell as she admitted, ‘you know I used to worry about this.’

‘The wedding?’ Elvis asked his brows knitting together. Throughout this whole process Addison had been a rock. She’d kept Jess sane, him informed and everyone else in line. Not once had she shown any trepidation.

‘Yeah not recently…when she was little,’ she admitted, ‘I know it’s silly.’

‘Why?’ he asked curiously.

‘Because I was on my own,’ she admitted, smiling at him guiltily, ‘I had Jess and only Jess...and I thought once she finds her person that'd be it for me y'know? That’s selfish isn’t it?’

‘Not at all. Things were different back then,’ Elvis said feeling his own guilt creep in. They’d been together so long now he tended to forget what it was like back in those early days. How raw everything had been for both of them. Yet where he’d clung to anyone he could find, trying to push the memory of her from his brain, she’d clung to Jess, petrified that she’d lose her like she had everyone else.

‘You’re telling me,’ Addison said in a breathy laugh before her smile turned earnest as she looked at him and said, ‘you gave me more than I can ever ask for you know that?’

‘I’d give you anything you wanted,’ Elvis said honestly.

‘How about we renew our vows?’ Addison said. It was an idea that came out of the blue, tripping off her tongue before she had a chance to think about it. She couldn’t help it, after all, today had been all about declaring your love. Was it so odd to want to let people know she still loved him more than anything all these years later?

‘Like I said, let my wallet recover first,’ Elvis teased.

‘Har har,’ Addison said rolling her eyes.

‘Besides, I thought you didn’t like parties? You detested planning our wedding,’ Elvis said raising an eyebrow. That had been an amusement to him throughout the past year of planning this thing. Throughout their wedding planning, she had begged him time and time again to just run away and elope but he had made her compromise. He wanted the world to know they’d finally gotten their happy ending.

‘I like our actual wedding,’ Addison said, ‘the proper one.’

‘The one where we hid from everyone you mean?’ Elvis chuckled as he remembered the day she’d finally worn him down. They’d had their big wedding of course but they’d also had a day just them, their official wedding, away from prying eyes, filled with love and happiness.

‘That’s the one,’ Addison chuckled.

‘Okay,’ he said earning himself a smile, ‘but let’s get today over with first.’

‘Deal,’ Addison agreed. They danced in silence for a moment, their gazes watching all the other couples until they landed on Jess and Scott one more. Lisa was standing at her sister’s side, the two of them talking in whispers as the boys waited patiently behind them. As Elvis watched he remembered something. He was sure it had been a dream, but looking at them together he couldn’t help but feel he had been seeing this moment only years before it happened. Like Addison he had thought about this day. Of Jess flying their little nest. Yet it hadn't filled him with as much sadness because he knew that throughout it they’d have each other. When he looked back Addison was watching him.

‘We didn’t do too bad huh?’ Elvis said making her smirk.

‘No we didn’t,’ she said caressing his face gently.

‘I love you Mrs Presley,’ he said, no longer having to hope that she wouldn’t say it back. He wasn’t dreaming here. She was his, nothing would take that away.

‘I love you too Mr Presley.’

Cause I know if I'm doin' my job correct, Nights like these will happen less, So please just keep me in your heart, When you fly into somebody else's arms, little bird.

ELVIS TAGS

@girlblogger2002 @sania562 @caitlin1996 @literally-just-elvis-fics @notstefaniepresley   @artlesson8892 @18lkpeters​ @velvetelvis @jaqueline19997 @elvispresleyxoxo @amydarcimarie @presleyenterprise @everythingelvispresley @elvispresleywife @lillypink @richardslady121 @lettersfromvenus @louisejoy86 @ccab

[cenviswasteland]

okay from best to worst top three! klapollo krisnix wrightworth go!! with explanations duh - 💾

oh guess what i just found in the bottom of my drafts. sorry floppy disk you asked me this in march and now its almost june. my bad pestie

anyway i would LOVE to. im gonna cut the post here because it ended up getting pretty damn long and i wanna save the mobile users some pain

[[[hey welcome back thanks for clicking a button]]]

a little preface first: i don't think any of them are the "worst". im a multiship freak and i think all three of these are best and worst in their own way. id love more info on what you MEAN by "best to worst" because that's so very vague. do you mean in terms of relationship dynamic? do you mean in terms of personal perception? do you mean how much i like them?? since i have no idea what exactly youre asking me here, im just gonna shove a whole bunch of headcanons in your face and hope for the best. xoxo follow me

3rd place - Wrightworth / Narumitsu

the iconic, original gangster, blah blah blah. forever cute. theyre just kind of a little bland to me. like i feel as tho we've explored basically everything there is to explore in wrightworth with the exception of the seven year gap? eh maybe thats a terrible take who knows. theyre still lovely tho i love the seemingly constant stream of gayass lawyers on my feed. everybody loves narumitsu!

2nd place - Klapollo

i really don't have much to say about klapollo either. theyre cute as hell and they definitely have a lot more to ponder on (considering that the only game we really get klavier in is AA4 [no DD doesnt count klavs ass got fucking Visited and he was written so poorly thats NOT my klavier gavin]). and generally speaking im an AA4 fiend its my favorite game in the entire series and so im biased. also, another pretty constant stream of gay lawyer content. shout out to hyundere who made like constant beautiful klapollo content until the One Piece happened lol [im a one piece enjoyer too dont come for me this is not criticism]

1st place - Krisnix

my GOD krisnix. theres a lot of things that go into me enjoying krisnix, but the biggest one is the fact that they have the fucking wackiest, least defined relationship in all of AA4. (also, another AA4 exclusive lol). with the 7yg in play, theres so much room to play around. and most of krisnix really exists in their questions and the vagueness of their relationship. theres like a billion things to ask. how does this relationship develop? how did they meet? what were they like for seven years? what led up to phoenix suspecting kristoph in, yknow, the Everything that happened in AA4? what kind of relationship did they even have? were they "friends" that just happened to pull each other into their gravity? were they holding hands and cuddling every night? were they practically strangers until one of them needed to "blow off steam"?

and not to mention these people are both private/secretive as HELL (phoenix is probably the cagiest man ive ever seen ever. and kristoph, aside from being a man with a fucking army of skeletons in his closet, gets an unfortunately small amount of screentime in the game and not a lot of time to get into the meat of his character/backstory [see: black psyche-locks]). that adds another layer. they certainly dont talk about each other. so how did... All Of This happen?

SO. MANY. QUESTIONS. and in general i like my ships a little more "toxic". and i mean. if you know ANYTHING about AA4, krisnix is pretty mutually toxic. i could totally make another post tearing into the inner guts of their dynamic and relationship-- hell, i could probably make FIVE.

moral of the story: krisnix forever. poggies.

anyway yeah i hope this uh. answered all your questions? how the hell do you end a tumblr post

[ashes-2-ashes57cba]

The Bad Batch: Valkyrie

Episode 3: The Solitary Clone (part 1)

This is something new. While the title may be the same, this episode does NOT follow Crosshair and Cody's story. This is an original episode that will follow Specter! I hope you like it :) warnings: references to Cher, references to the Great Gatsby, smoking

Tech carefully concentrated on his work; the flight console needed maintenance, and he was more than happy to take the time and accomplish the task. He rather enjoyed the silence and peace of working alone. Wrecker and Echo were relaxing at Cid’s parlor, and last he knew, Specter was giving Omega another combat lesson with Hunter’s supervision and participation.

“Hey, Tech,” Specter’s voice cut through his silence. He startled a little, jumping his head on the panels above him. “Sorry!” she sheepishly apologized as he slid out and rubbed his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with worse,” he said. “I thought you were training Omega with Hunter.”

“Oh, uh,” she hesitated. She thought of the two now, currently in their bunks after an exhausting sparring session, resting their sore bodies and nursing any bruises. “They’re taking a break,” she excused, running a hand through her hair. “How’s the leg?” She gestured to the bandages still wrapped around his left leg.

“Ah, much better. I will be back to a more than satisfactory status with some exercise,” he said. 

“Great!” A silence passed between the two as though Specter were waiting for something else to happen; she wrung her fingers together, and her feet shifted. “Do you need any help?” she asked, almost hopefully. 

“I do not. I am quite capable of finishing repairs on my own,” he answered. Specter deflated, but she tried not to show it.

“Oh… okay then.” Tech’s head tilted in curiosity, analyzing her stance and tone. He knew he may not always be emotionally aware, but Specter’s downtrodden demeanor was quite obvious. 

“Specter, you have now started to find constant activity and stimulation more than you usually would and more than I usually would,” he said, “What appears to be wrong?” She slowly sat down, hugging a leg and resting her chin on her knee, facing him but not meeting his concerned gaze.

“I still can’t read it. And now, if I’m not doing anything, I end up thinking about it when I don’t want to,” she admitted. He sighed, knowing she was talking about what they dubbed, the Valkyrie File. 

“If I may be blunt?” he asked, remembering Omega’s advice that not everyone wants honesty all the time. 

“I can’t stop you.”

“You must get through that obstacle and either read it in full, or completely purge it from your mind. Otherwise the distraction will make you a liability,” he said. Specter scoffed.

“Well, that’s putting it gently,” she said with a rueful smile. “I know you’re right. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to move on once I read it. I don’t want to change.” Tech took a breath, hoping with sincerity that his words would reach her. 

“Specter,” he started, adjusting his goggles, “change is inevitable. The chances of whether the change will be good or bad is perfectly balanced. Although, knowing you, I do not think your change will be a negative one.” It seemed to strike a chord with her. When she didn’t respond, the words echoing in her head and throughout her body, Tech ducked underneath the control panel again and began to work once more. She sat there, watching him in silence until her comm chimed.

“Go,” she answered.

“Cid asked for you. Said she’s got a job,” Echo reported.

“Yeah, and she said that bringing the others are ‘optional’,” Wrecker added. Tech didn’t react to the message and she knew Omega would still need to rest. 

“Okay, I’ll bring Hunter. En route,” she sighed, standing herself up and making her way over to Hunter’s bunk.

“So you want us to steal treasure, again? After what happened last time?” Hunter questioned, incredulously. 

“Of course not! I want her to steal a particular piece of treasure. There’s a difference,” Cid clarified, pointing at Specter, then the projection of the diamond she had tasked her to steal. 

“It’s not even the real diamond. Why bother?” Echo asked.

“Because it’s an excellent copy,” Cid said, quieting everyone and gaining their interest. “Very few people know it’s a fake. And those who know it’s a fake are smart about it and keep it to themselves; it passes every test and inspection. I need it so I can dupe a buddy into thinking I’m paying him what he’s owed.”

“Well, how much is this fake one worth?” Wrecker asked.

“A million credits, give or take,” the Trandosshan shrugged.

“Then how much do you owe?” he asked, stunned at the amount of credits.

“More than a million,” Cid rolled her eyes. “A lot more.”

“How do you end up owing that much money?” Hunter asked, seething. Cid waved it off, obviously ashamed and unwilling to go into much detail.

“It was a recent business venture that didn’t turn out so good. But who cares—are you doing it or not, sweetheart?” Cid wanted a final answer, turning her sneer to the woman, who had only been listening and absorbing rather than contributing to the conversation. Hunter noticed she was gripping her arm rather tightly and bore her eyes into the image of the diamond and the mansion it was housed in. Specter turned and walked away.

It was dark inside and out; most of Ord Mantell City was asleep, including the occupants of the Marauder. All except for Specter, who had gone straight to her bunk after walking out of Cid’s, but had failed to fall asleep. No one had tried to talk to her about the mission or anything else, probably at Hunter’s request. 

Tech’s warning—the possibility of her becoming a liability—echoed in her head, along with every other troublesome thought. Cid trusted her with a job, they all trusted her with their lives, and yet she couldn’t even trust herself. Tears escaped from the corner of her eyes as she willed herself to reach over and grab a datapad, plugging in the Valkyrie file. Anything beyond the introduction was a mystery.

“Change is inevitable,” she heard Tech’s voice. It was amplified by whispers, more and more of them until she realized it was the Valkyries.

Now I’m really going crazy, Specter thought, shaking her head. The Valkyries—her sisters—refuted the fact, encouraging her to read the file. Here goes, I guess.

Supplementary log: Author: REDACTED While training regimens and weapons have been designed for the Valkyries to achieve the utmost success, it will all be made moot if the sororal bonds are not properly cultivated and implemented. Individually, they must all be able to withstand near-extreme strains that would be caused by frontline combat while also being able to excel within coordinated team attacks. Yet, that is merely the physical aspect that must be trained; the emotional relations—best described as that of a sisterhood—must not be forced, yet its presence is imperative. Without that bond, the Valkyries as a whole will fail. Even if individual specimens are strong enough to succeed, they will not be able to meet the expected results set forth by the program. In the case of the project’s failure, it is possible for an individual to excel without the desired support from the Valkyries or any other teammates, but too many variables are present to accurately calculate the possibility. That is all to say that this is an attempt to do something never done—intentionally—in the history of Kamino’s cloning: to create a family. 

She stopped reading, unable to see through her tears. She put down her datapad and took a steadying breath, wiping her eyes. Not just because the information was too much for her, but because it had taken her months to reach this moment where she figured out what was wrong and accepted it. 

She was grieving. For the life she never had and the part of her she thought she knew. It was a life she would never be able to get back; even if Crosshair came back and they were together once more, it would not be the same. She had to let her brother go and embrace what she had now.

The Valkyries—her sisters that never made it to life—haunted her dreams, whispered in her ear as Cid had shown them the diamond she wanted stolen, sang to her on Serenno to calm her. Throughout the time she had “known” them, Specter did her best to ignore their presence and shut them out; it had only ever brought her turmoil, nothing she did felt right. But now, as she let them dry her tears, she wanted to listen to them and let them guide her. She wanted to see what kind of Valkyrie she could be, rather than keep living the lie that she was a clone. It’s why she turned down Cid’s job; a clone, even one of her standing, would have no training for anything the mission could entail, let alone be assigned to anything of the sort. 

But Specter knew it was what the Valkyries were made for: what she was made for. Whether she liked it or not, she was born a Valkyrie, and it was time she started acting like it. 

The Trandosshan groaned, stirring her porridge as she entered her office. Cid was still slightly hungover from last night and getting up in the early morning was no help to her. She was still riding on the bet that Specter would change her mind and take the job, but with the way the boys have been worrying about her, she couldn’t be too sure. Cid would either have to find someone else to do the job, or find a way to accumulate the money she owed, which was not preferable in her taste. Placing her breakfast on her desk, she turned, grabbed one of her checking books and went to take a seat.

Cid gasped in surprise, startled by Specter’s sudden appearance in front of her.

“Jeez, it’s too early. What do you want?” she hissed.

“I’ll do it,” the woman simply said. Cid smiled, interlacing her claws.

“Well then, I can’t wait to get started.”

“The plan itself is so simple, if you somehow managed to get it wrong, I would be very insulted. I came across an invitation to some rich and pretentious party, hosted by some fellow with the name Jaerono Gatsaebyn, and swiped it before it got to its destination. It’s well known that currently possesses the… ah the name is too long-”

“The Heart of the Eternal White Point Star.”

“Thanks, Shorty. Anyway, it’s not as valuable as the real thing, but my ‘buddy’ and Mister Gatsaebyn are idiots, so they’ve got no clue. Security for the night is going to be loose enough so our leading lady here can sneak right in.”

“So I get in while you guys monitor me, get the diamond, and get out.”

“And you’re sure you can do it, Specter?”

“More than sure, Sarge.”

Specter gingerly made her way up the stone steps leading to the grand manor, picking up her dress so she wouldn’t trip on the fine fabric. She wore heels and a red, shimmering, floor length gown that hugged her torso and hung down from her hips with a slit up the side of her leg. A fur wrap covered her collar, shoulders, and back. Shimmering gloves covered her arms, and more importantly, her tattoo sleeve; and much to her protest, the maroon and teal dye was washed out of her hair and styled to the best of their ability. She carried herself as though she were a noble socialite like the guests that made their way up the stairs. Her confidence never faltered as she approached the single guard at the door, calmly handing him the invitation. The man scanned: she knew he would find the invite genuine.

“Enjoy the party, Miss Valentine Pierce,” he said with a smile and a nod. She jutted her chin and entered the lively house. 

“‘Valentine Pierce’? She seems a bit pretentious, Tech.”

“She is an heiress and debutante. She bears a similar likeness to you, surprisingly.”

“How do we know the real Valentine won’t turn up?” asked Hunter.

“Miss Pierce was last seen on a private cruise with her current lover.”

“I didn’t know you read the tabloids.” Tech glared at Specter. “Well, with the dress I’ve got, I think I’ll be convincing enough.” 

“I’m in,” she muttered into the comm hidden beneath her glove. In her other glove, a beacon that would allow Tech to track her and ping her signal throughout the household, allowing them to map out the household.

“Copy. Standby while we find the control room,” Omega came through her hidden earpiece. Specter grabbed a flute of champagne as she stepped into the ballroom; she couldn’t help but marvel at the architecture and atmosphere. Polished floors, light fixtures of crystal, intricately carved wood: she’d call it a palace. A small group of musicians were fixated on a circular stage in the center of the dance floor, guests danced in rings around it.

She was both enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life, Specter knew at least Omega would find the whole thing entertaining, and also knew the boys had no taste for such finery; the Valkyries fluttered in her thoughts, seemingly enjoying themselves. She wove in between guests, nodding to those who acknowledged her presence. 

“Spec?” Hunter came through.

“Go.”

“Head towards the eastern stairwell, just past the kitchens.”

“Copy.” Specter finished her champagne and placed the empty glass on a passing tray; as soon as she stepped to leave, someone tapped her shoulder.

“Might I have this dance, Miss Pierce?” A bright blue Pantoran with golden hair offered his hand to her. She wanted to refuse, but didn’t want to risk appearing out of character to the real Valentine. So she smiled and placed her hand in his.

“You may indeed,” she said in a lilted accent. The man escorted her to the dance floor just as a waltz began to play. Specter had taught herself to dance as an imaginative girl, but she had brushed up on any information she could cram in before the mission. The whirling 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, was more fun than she’d like to admit, but she couldn’t help but smile as she danced with the man. “Have you been to many of these before?” she dared to strike up conversation.

“Believe it or not, I haven't,” the Pantoran admitted. “I’ve been to a few here or there, but nothing as grand as this.”

“Mister Gatsaebyn knows how to throw a party,” she said with a giggle. “I’ve never actually met him.”

“No one has, from what I heard,” he said as he spun her around. “Apparently, no one even knows what he looks like. People just know him from his parties and wealth.” Specter only hummed in response. 

“I wonder why a recluse would host a party, but attend like a mere guest,” she wondered.

“Perhaps for the chance to dance with a lovely woman like you,” the man said with a smile. She was caught off-guard by the compliment, almost missing the end of the waltz. Specter quickly recovered and bowed to her partner, walking with him to the edge of the dancefloor as another dance started… right by the kitchens. “I suppose I should offer to get you a drink, but then I’d be jealous of the glass,” he flirted. 

“I wonder how often that line works for you,” she teased, having to give him credit for the bold approach. 

“As often as you'd like, Miss Pierce,” he said with a wink. She smirked. 

“...If you're patient enough, good sir. Until then, if you'll excuse me for some air?”

The man chuckled and kissed the top of her hand. “As you wish.” 

Specter smiled and turned to go, casually heading toward the doors to the kitchens until whispers in her head turned to shrieks of caution. The Valkyries were restless; instinctively she wanted to ignore them, but considered their warnings to abandon the set path. 

He’s still watching me, she realized. Specter winced as she passed by the kitchens and opened the glass doors to the balcony.

“I need a reroute. I had eyes on me and couldn’t go through the kitchen,” she reported into the comm, leaning over the rail. The Valkyries quieted to their dull hum, though she could easily imagine at least one of them smugly telling her they told her so.

“You're on the balcony closest to it?” Tech asked.

“Yes.” 

“On your right there is a window. Do not go through that one, enter the one below it. That will have you bypass the stairwell and place you in the hall where we need you,” he instructed. 

Specter looked over, indeed finding a window that looked into the kitchen. Staff hustled to refill drinks and organize hors d’oeuvres; something broke, followed by shouting. Below the scene was a window into a dim hallway, with one side opened; it was about fifteen feet off the ground, a fall she wouldn’t easily walk away from. She hissed, finding there was no easy way to climb into it, especially in heels. 

The window ledge from the kitchen stuck out far enough, but the staff would see her hands, and the frame from the window below was just under half an inch, her fingertips would never be able to hold on. With no other leverage, Specter considered cutting her losses and sticking to their original plan, even if she was spotted. 

But she took a breath and looked again, tilting her head before formulating an idea. Glancing behind her to make sure no one saw her through the glass doors, Specter climbed over the rail and wedged herself between the two windows, forming a solid triangle with her heels on the bottom frame, and her hands pressed against the upper ledge. 

Just as she was about to jump down, the other side of the window opened—her hand slipped as she quickly recovered—and a raspy voice was heard.

“Hey, the boss said no distractions,” said a man.

“I’m just taking a quick smoke. What are you, my professor?” said another, more playful voice, closer to the window, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep breath.

“Please, like you ever made it to school.”

Specter held her breath as a wisp of smoke flew up to her face; her hands and ankles ached, her fur wrap tickled her neck, but even so, she stayed perfectly still. Another puff of smoke rose up. 

“Where did you even get those?” the raspy one asked.

“The boss gave ‘em to me.”

“No he didn’t.”

“Fine. I found them in the study. You know, for a rich guy, this is one of the cheap ones,” the playful one said. 

“Who cares? Come on, we’re behind schedule,” the raspy one hissed.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” He took one last huff before flicking away the cigarette and walking away. Specter waited a few seconds, listening to the footsteps grow further away from the window, before swinging herself inside the hallway and pressing herself against the corner.

“I’m at the hallway, now what?” she whispered into her comm.

“Third door on the left side,” Tech instructed.

“Copy. Standby.” She waited as the guards’ footsteps disappeared past the other end of the hall, before cracking her neck and getting into character.

“Ddo You beilieeeeve in life after luuuuuv?!” Specter drunkenly sang, bursting into the room, stumbling in her heels. 

“Guest, you can not be in here,” the droid on guard stood up and replied, waving its arms as she wobbled closer.

“Oh quiet you,” she muttered, smacking at its hand. “‘M jus gonna be a bit, gotta fix mah haiyrrr.”

“Guest, you can not be in here,” the droid repeated.

“Yooooo sssound like a funny butler, hahaaa,” she draped her arms over the droid’s shoulders, brushing her fingers on the back of its head.

“What do we do about the security system?” Omega had asked.

“That’s the hard part. Gatsaeban has an older system, one that can’t be hacked into from any network or external force. It’s all controlled and monitored from a room inside,” Cid explained.

“Human or droid?” Specter asked.

“Droid. I found receipts of custom work he had done. It’s a combination GU-series Guardian police droid and a KX-series security droid; normally it patrols the property, but for the party, he’s keeping it in the security control room.”

“I can create an override switch, but Specter will have to access the charging port on the back of its head,” Tech offered.

“Done. Plus then we can kill two birds with one stone and find where exactly the diamond is,” said Specter.

“Guest, you must leave,” the droid ordered. Specter only smiled, slipping the chip out of her glove and inserting it into the droid’s charging port. The droid flailed its arms—she took a step back, ready to fight—before it went limp where it stood. 

“...Okay?” Specter whispered, wondering if anything went wrong.

Suddenly, the droid's eyes flickered and it hummed back to life, standing up straight and observing the room. It came upon her, slowly raising a hand and robotically waving it. 

“That you, Tech?” she asked. 

“I have access to its motor functions and data retrieval,” Tech said through the comm. Specter giggled.

“Alright then. Well, how much access to the house’s systems do you have?” Droid-Tech turned to the control console, taking inventory of what he could and couldn’t do.

“Not much. I can keep you off of cameras and get you through most doors. Cid was right, this system is old but secure.”

“What about the diamond?”

Droid-Tech walked—albeit, much like a newborn—to the access port, plugging in and scanning through the data with flashing eyes.

“Second floor. West wing. There is a private vault you should be able to access from the master closet,” Tech reported. “There is a service lift on your right when you exit this room; I'll be able to override it.”

“Thanks. I’ll let you know when I’m up there,” Specter nodded, heading out the door and slipping into the lift. Once the doors closed and she started rising, she slouched and took a breath.

It felt strange to be on a mission without the others, but Specter also realized that she was excelling. The Valkyries fluttered and whispered their praises, though she swiped away at them.

Maybe I’ve just gotten too into it, she sighed to herself.

The lift stopped and the door opened to a dim hall. Specter peeked out the doors, finding there weren’t any guards in sight, before heading toward the Western wing. Oddly enough, doors were opened just enough to see what was inside. She passed by the study the guard from earlier had mentioned, as well as an observatory and a display room filled with antiquities and other treasures. But Specter continued on to find the-

“Master closet,” she whispered to herself, coming upon a large room, filled to the brim with luxurious clothes and accessories. “I’m here, Tech, but I don’t see any vault.”

“Try the right-hand wall,” he said. Specter pushed aside designer coats, capes, and everything that was in her way, growling in frustration when she was met with only a blank wall.

“Nothing.”

“That’s not possible. You’re standing right in front of it.” Specter clicked her tongue; if Tech sounded confused, then they were in real trouble. She knocked on the wall, finding that the section in front of her was indeed hollow, but there was no way—at least that Specter could see—to access the vault. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to figure out some sort of plan. 

I hate to do this, but we’re running out of time, she thought to herself, taking a breath and closing her eyes, listening to her inner self and the Valkyries. They whispered, convincing her to move. 

“Specter, where are you going?” Hunter came in. Her eyes snapped open.

“I guess to the main showroom. There’s something in here…” Specter slowly entered the chamber, marveling at the glittering jewels and exotic weapons. The Heart would not be in there, she knew that, but the Valkyries were restless nonetheless. 

Something out of the corner of her eye got her attention. A beautiful, single-edged axe was displayed on a pedestal; scratches and wear on the blade and handle told her the classic weapon had seen combat, and without any chips or cracks, had survived for many years. She took it off the display and felt its weight in her hands. It felt almost… familiar. If not familiar, then correct. The Valkyries urged her to take it, they too praised its correctness. It had called to her.

And it would do nicely to break down the wall.

“Wrecker, are you ready with that cover?” she asked, walking back over to the master closet.

“Oh yeah! Just tell me when!” he eagerly replied. Specter shifted the weapon in her hands, raising it up and testing her swing before giving the order to-

“Light ‘em up.” 

“I do have one more question.”

“What is it, Shorty?”

“...How would they feel about impromptu fireworks?”

Cid grinned.

Guests ogled and cheered for each color flash; no one noticed Specter striking the wall with the axe with every boom and bang. The wall chipped away, enough to where Specter could pull away the panel to climb inside the private vault.

“...No...”

See what happens next in part 2! I had to split this episode in two parts because this covered 14 pages in my master doc lol

[thunderblessedhero]

HOW ARE YOU ALL ALIVE???

N: Hoooo boy. You all… are probably in severe need of a recap. A lot has happened in the last… what, two hours? And even before that…

August: okay but I get to do the recap cause I was in the middle of it all!

Blake: hey, hey, hold on- I was missing for well over a month and presumed DEAD! I probably have like, a billion questions to answer, let me do it-

Hugh: Oh my god, we can ALL do the recap together, you idiots. We all kinda have our own piece of the story to tell, anyways.

N: Right, right, so where do I start… Well, a few days ago, I managed to find Zekrom again. After seeing what happened in Opelucid, we both decided it was time to end Team Plasma once and for all.

August: and while N was busy tracking them down, Hugh and I were following their trail! basically, after a LONG week of traveling, we made it to Humilau City and found their frigate hidden close by. Cheren, Hugh and I raided it, hoping to dismantle whatever super weapon they’d used to freeze Opelucid… but at one point we got chased off. except for me! I stowed away to find out where they were going. I told Hugh to rendezvous with Cheren and these ex-Team Plasma guys who were also there hoping to destroy the weapon at the giant chasm. also, their super weapon was Kyurem btw- from what Drayden told me, its the third piece of the original dragon. yknow, the thing Reshiram and Zekrom used to be a part of. basically its the husk that was left over after they split… and the DNA splicers- the artifact that Team Plasma stole and modified- could be used to fuse them all back together.

Hugh: The frigate landed, and while August went after Ghetsis and Kyurem, I raided the ship in search of my little sister’s stolen Purrloin. I… found it, but it’s a Liepard now and doesn’t recognize me. But… I’ll worry about all that later.

August: while I was fighting Ghetsis, N and Zekrom came flying in seconds before it tried to kill me.

N: Zekrom had picked up on Kyurem’s pain and tracked it- that’s how we managed to get there, in the nick of time no less. But… I wasn’t prepared for what Ghetsis- my… father, had planned. He used the DNA splicers to fuse Zekrom and Kyurem…

August: I tried to defeat it, but the thing was too strong. we were seconds away from losing when- lo and behold- RESHIRAM decided to show up to the party

Blake: uh huh, so basically, I didn’t die, which is good! Plasma just faked it to make an example out of me- originally I think they… were going to genuinely kill me, but Colress convinced Ghetsis I could still be useful in helping them find Reshiram.

Blake: they, uh… I’m not sure what they used to make that video look legit, but I have my suspicions. as far as I’m aware, they still have Nox, whose illusions are close to perfect, so- that’s my guess, at least. I just… really hope he survived that hit.

N: ….

Blake: …anyways, while I was being held captive that Colress freak ran some experiments on me. I lied and told them I couldn’t call Reshiram to my side on a whim, so he just opted to experiment on my chosen abilities to try and make me summon it.

Blake: it was… pretty messed up, not gonna lie. I’m not gonna go into detail about it. but it did help me tap into some of my powers. I can summon fire in my hand now, but more importantly, I learned to communicate with Reshiram across long distances via telepathy- not that I told any of this to Colress, of course. so then began me and Reshi’s silent planning- I told him to keep his distance until the time was right. eventually, I learned about the Kyurem project, and what they were planning to do once they got their hands on Reshi.

Blake: when the frigate landed in the giant chasm, I had NO idea August was even on board or planning to take on Ghetsis. my plan was to let Kyurem start its little region-freezing spree, wait until it needed a moment to recharge and catch its breath, then swoop in on Reshi while it was weakened and take Ghetsis out.

Blake: but as you can probably tell, that… didn’t end up being what happened. I heard the guards shout something about seeing Zekrom fly in after them, so Reshi and I jumped into action. It… it was rash and stupid, I know, but ever since I learned about N being back in Unova I’ve been worrying myself sick thinking about what might happen if Ghetsis caught word. of what he might do to him.

Blake: I managed to stun Black Kyurem, but not for long. it… well, the moment I arrived Ghetsis was quick to finish what he started.

August: Kyurem absorbed Reshiram, too, and now…

N: The original dragon is off on a violent rampage around Unova.

Hugh: Yeah, I got there just in time to see that monstrosity blow a hole in the chasm and trap Ghetsis under a pile of boulders. It’s not following his command anymore, by the looks of it, but it’s definitely not on our side either.

Blake: it was like the dragons were all struggling for control in one body…

N: And now its off in the far north of the region, flattening mountain ranges- thankfully there’s not a lot of civilization out there, but its only a matter of time before it reaches a city or town.

August: after everything ended, Keldeo found me again and said he knows someone who might be able to help. and like, we need all the help we can get obviously, so now we’re following him to wherever this backup of his is.

August: aaand now you’re all caught up! here’s to hoping whatever Keldeo wants to show us can help us split the dragons again. the DNA splicers were destroyed with Ghetsis, so… this could be our only hope…

[clarktooncrossing]

HEY THERE PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT'S ME, CLARK!

For the last twelve years peeps have asked me if I was opened to commissions. I had only offered services like that once, resulting in a weird transformation comic where some dude gets turned into a sexy duck. Hey, guy's gotta pay for pizza somehow, folks. Especially when Pizza Monster keeps stealing mine! At this rate I should stop spending my moola on deep-dish and use it to fortify my home. Luckily I might be able to do so now, thanks to all of you out there! For you see, it was during those twelve years that a few of you kept coming back to my deviantART page to see what crazy new things the Clarktoons and I were up to. Whether it was to see how many characters I could cram into one Sketch BOOM, hear my thoughts regarding Christmas Specials in Giraffe's Eye View, or simply to witness whatever cute crap Bumper was up to, 500 of you weirdos liked whatever I was doing. I couldn't be more grateful to those 500 peeps. I've always said my purpose in life was to make people happy, so knowing I've done so for that many people helps remind me that I'm doing something right. You all are truly the best and there's nothing I could do to express my immense appreciation. Or is there? A few of you may recall my promising something whenever I reached that many followers. While I've been distracted with my recent hacking incident or preparing for the upcoming Holiday seasons, I didn't forget about said promise. At long last, I have opened myself up to commissions! If anybody out there wants me to draw some silly silly, I'm ready to do so [within reason]. Details and prices will be posted in a journal sometime soon, but for now let's get to a commission paid for by my friend @the-pale-servant.

She had paid me to draw a Full Body piece for her Hollow Knight OC, Giolla. I'd go deeper into detail, but I know next to nothing about these games. Instead here's Jart's description of the character for some context:

Well they are a vessel created by the Pale King and lived in the White Palace with the King and his Lady for a short while before their kingdom fell to ruins. Now they live their life as a wanderer and console  the bugs dying of the Infection, their shield is memento from a friend and lover long passed from the plague

Let it be known that she also said I didn't have to know anything about the series to get this backstory. Uh huh. So I didn't have to know who the Pale King is or what significance the White Palace has, eh? Not to make this piece I didn't. This is actually my second attempt at drawing this character, the original sporting a different pose. I wasn't fond of how it turned out, so it was back to the drawing board with a better, more dynamic sketch. From there it was just a matter of coloring and getting Jart's approval, which only happened after I muted the colors. After years of making art that looks like Walt Disney's vomit, it feels so weird using darker colors. Still, my friend seemed to enjoy it as I hope the rest of you do. If anybody out there wants me to draw something like this with their own characters, be on the lookout for that upcoming journal and feel free to send me a Note via deviantART. Until then-

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[adams-rockstar]

Amanda’s Missing Piece: A Saw Fanfiction

Chapter 8: Just An Observation

“Watch your step.” Amanda warned, as she let Adam and herself into her apartment.

The place, although fairly cluttered, was definitely in better shape than his…...then again, whose place wasn’t?

The bar was pretty much below the ground, as far as he was concerned.

“It’s alright, I’m used to it.” He chuckled, browsing around the general area, as she shut and locked the door behind them.

“It’s not, really, but thanks anyway.” She insisted

Adam just chuckled even more at the idea that anyone could actually feel the need to excuse a place like this, after seeing a place like his, even if she did…...to his knowledge, anyway, only see a quarter of his apartment, and only very briefly at that.

“Are you kidding me?” He laughed. “Didn’t you see my place? You’d think I’ve never had anyone over.”

He followed her back, toward her kitchen area, where she paused her little tour to set some stuff down on the dining room table and start skimming through her cupboards for something.

In doing so, he immediately became sidetracked, when he noticed a familiar little piece of paper laying near the middle of it.

It looked a little more worse for wear, for sure, likely having spent some time folded up in Amanda’s pocket or bag for who knows how long, but the name and details for his buddy’s show, the very one that he had originally tried to invite her to, could still clearly be read.

He smiled to himself, staring down at the flyer while Amanda did her own thing in the kitchen, before peering up from it.

“Hey, what does Roxy like to eat?” She called out to him. “.......Adam!”

She called out to him again, still waiting for an answer.

“Huh?” He finally responded.

“Roxy.” She repeated, coming back out to where he was. “....what kind of food…”

She smiled back at him when she saw how his face seemed to have lit up, upon noticing she still had the flyer. “.......what kind of food do you usually feed Roxy?”

“Hmm? Oh.” He chuckled, sort of embarrassed-like. “I actually have no idea.”

“What?” She laughed.

“Yeah, my uh…” He started to explain. “..one of my neighbors was generous enough to pour something out from their dog’s food, for me to keep on hand for her.” His face lit up at the recollection of it, and her. “Like I said, I’m not exactly the only one around there, she's got wrapped around her little paw.”

“Well, from the looks of it, you were at least her favorite.”

“Well, no. I’m pretty sure that’s you, from what I saw.” He pointed out. “...anyway, why do you ask?”

She smiled at the claim, opting to let him have his little win rather than argue it, as she offered him a small, rolled up bag of kibble she’d found left in one of her cupboards.

“My last roommate had a dog, just a little bigger than her.” She shrugged. “..guess she didn't take everything with her.”

He opened the bag and smiled a little more, as he gave it a quick skim over.

“Well, she’s definitely not picky. I can tell you that much. I think it’ll do.” He chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Well, I just remembered you mentioned you didn’t like the idea of her being outside all night, so that’s assuming you think we can catch her, of course.”

“It’s definitely worth a shot.” He agreed, smirking a little, as he glanced back down towards where he’d set the flyer to take the bag from here. “...so, what’d you think?”

“Your call. If you think we can, and bring her in for the night.” She shrugged, turning back to grab something from the fridge, thinking he was still talking about the dog.

“I’m grabbing something to drink, you want anything?”

“I’m okay, thanks.” He laughed, sensing he might be about to call her on a bluff. “...and I meant about the band.”

“What about it?”

“Ohh, so that’s not why you kept the flyer, then?” A little smirk crept back across his face. “...interesting..”

She shot him her own little amused look, one that was expressing just a little more amusement than she’d intended to let on, before rolling her eyes. “What? Would you rather I have thrown it away?”

“No, no.” He assured, that same little smirk not leaving his face. “....just an observation..”

“Mmhmm…” She smirked back, her tone clearly conveying just how unconvinced she was. “...an observation, huh?”

“An interesting one.” He corrected.

“Right, then, smartass…” She teased, glancing out her kitchen window. “It’ll be dark in a couple hours or so, you wanna go try our luck with that now?”

“Like I said, it’s worth a shot.” He chuckled. “I usually bring her a couple little slices of ham, as a little treat, when I can.”

“I see…” She returned back to the fridge to scope it out a little more, before comin back with some roast beef slices. “Will she settle for some roast beef?”

“She’ll love it.” He assured her, as he took it and slid it into the kibble bag, as they headed back for the door. “...am I driving this time? Or you?”

“Very funny.” She teased back, watching him, as she let him go out ahead of her.

“I thought so.”

She grinned a little, to herself, over him as she shut the door behind the two of them.

It didn’t matter in the least to her, how much time she spent with him.

Seeing this side of him, the side that had caught her completely off guard and which she completely adored while she was watching him before, was never going to get old

“You coming?” He called back to her when he noticed she hadn’t caught up with him yet.

“Right behind you.” She chuckled.

[writingbyclem]

A Friend [ISWM]

Concept: @caffeinatedreese It’s your babies! Essentially this is just a piece of backstory for an Original Character in mine & Reese’s Secretary Cinematic Universe lmao. Hope you enjoy!

Rhys Williams was walking in the rain, heading to the Shelter their brother Riley Williams worked at. They’d just finished another day of schooling at The Space Academy. From their results so far, they guessed they would at least get to be on the Supporting Crew if not one of the main crews.

They were trying to untangle their pair of headphones, to listen to some music when amongst the tapping of the rain they heard a noise.

‘…mew?’

They paused, looking around them. That sounded like a cat. A baby cat. A kitten. Was there a kitten out here in this cold rain?

‘mew!’

Yeah, definitely a cat out here.

They put their phone and headphones away, looking at the street around them where a kitten may have squeezed themselves into.

‘mew..’

“Yes! I’m coming!” Called back Rhys, getting onto their knees to look under a nearby dumpster.

‘mew!’

They eventually found a small black kitten, next to some damp cardboard. He couldn’t have been older than a few months and he was soaking wet.

Rhys scooped him up and stuffed the kitten into their jumper, to start getting him warm.

‘mew?!’

The kitten mewed in confusion, leaning into Rhys’ warm body temperature subconsciously.

They fussed over the kitten in response, sprinting the rest of the walk to the shelter.

Riley had been standing in the lobby, scrolling on his phone. Rhys was thirteen minutes later than usual, when arriving at the Shelter. It was odd. They hated being late, especially for their shifts.

His questions were answered when said individual burst through the front doors, with a drenched black kitten shoved down their hoodie. Not to mention Rhys was also soaking wet.

“…Hey-.”

“Hi.”

The kitten had been taken by one of Riley’s co-workers whilst he dragged his younger sibling to dry off with some towels and change into their dryer uniform.

“Do you think the kitty is gonna be okay?” Asked Rhys, head still half in their shirt.

“I don’t know Rhys, I barely got a proper look at him. Mary will take care of him whatever happens.

Rhys hummed in reply. They hoped the kitten was okay. He looked kinda cute.

Two hours later, Rhys had been stacking some dog food, keeping their mind off things when Riley came into the back.

“Hey? Can I borrow you for a second?” He asked.

Rhys looked over, confused.

“Uh yeah, what’s up?”

“…I have a theory.”

Rhys nodded with a confused hum and followed their brother into one of the check up rooms. A lot of distressed meowing was coming from the room. Baby meowing.

A crate had been set on the floor in the room, pointing to a corner where the black kitten Rhys had rescued had pushed himself up into the corner and was yowling and hissing at anything that moved. Riley held up a clawed plastic glove.

“Yeah, he’s not a happy baby at all.”

“I noticed.”

“Do you think you could maybe see if he’ll come to you?”

Rhys paused. Did Riley really think this kitten had gotten attached to them that quickly??

They found themselves kneeling on the floor and sweet talking to the kitten. The boy softened at the sight of them, and then army crawled over to them across the floor, keeping a wary eye on Riley. As soon as he was in Rhys’ arms again it was loud purring and rubbing his fur against them, wiggling happily in their grasp.

Rhys was melting at the sight, returning the rubbing with scritches and strokes and kisses on his forehead. Not to mention the baby talking to the kitten when he got vocal.

Riley chuckled, watching the sight. He gently moved a basket onto the floor, containing toys and treats for kittens. With one last look he exited the room and headed to the break room, swapping Rhys’ name over from Storage to Acclimatising Room. He hoped their roommate at the academy liked cats! Because there was one thing for sure, those two were joined at the hip. That became more apparent when Rhys came to Riley at the end of their ship with the kitten, introducing him to Beanjamin Peets Williams, his new cat nephew. There went another quiet evening. Now he was supervising Rhys, making sure they didn’t blow all their money on cat supplies.

And he loved it.

Cei’d been laid in bed, asleep. They were then awoken to a lot of loud shuffling in their dorm.

“Rhysssss?”

“Oh! Hey- Cei. I thought you were sleeping-.”

“I was. What are you doing?”

“…Putting up furniture?”

“It’s 2am.”

“…I may have. Got something.”

“Mhm?”

“I got a kitten.”

“What.”

“He just- I found him in the rain and he got attached to me so I couldn’t leave him at the shelter-.”

“Cool.”

“And- What?”

“Cool.”

“Wha- That’s all you have to say?”

“Rhys. It’s 2am. I like cats. I’m going back to bed.”

“Right- Right- You’re right! Sorry-.”

“Goodnight Rhys.”

“Goodnight Cei.”

“You’re lucky this is our last year, because if you pulled this any earlier-.”

“I know, I know! I’ll uh message next time!”

“…Uh huh.”

[genogenocrazycatman]

Throne - Chapter 15

Throne [Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net]

Characters:  Original Female Character, Red Haired Shanks, Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo, Yasopp,

***

“I can be very disarming.”

“Looks like you’ve been disarmed,” I jabbed, not looking up at him.

Benn let out a loud laugh at that.

Shanks grinned. “You wound me.”

“Clearly, I’m not the only one.”

Hello people. So if you don’t know, what’s going on here then the simple version is that this a Shanks x OC fic.

If you follow me, and the One Piece stuff I write, then you’ve probably heard me talk about this fic. Hey look it’s finally here.

***

Chapter 15

 "Did you miss me, Captain?" I asked, leaning down and smirking at Shanks.

  "Like you even have to ask,” Shanks scoffed, resting his head in his hand. “Of course I did. So much so that I'm sitting here at this ungodly hour-"

  "It's like 8:00 am," I cut him off, deadpan. I slid into the booth across from him, picking up one of the menus from the metal rack at the end of the table and flipping to the first page. "Hardly ungodly."

  "The Devil’s hour-“

  “You know what- ” I glanced up at him again. “Since you’re awake, that may actually be true. You win this round.”

  Shanks shook his head. "Still feels like I lost."

  I smiled as I flipped through the menu. "Good. Someone has to keep you humble. I've seen your face all over the papers these past few years. They've officially put you in the same league as Kaido, Big Mom, and the Old Man. I'm sure Benn could use a break."

  "Beck’s probably half the reason we're in those papers," he retorted.

  "How is my favorite?" I asked.

  "Ruining all my fun," he said with an exaggerated pout.

  ‘How the hell is he cute?’

  "Good.” I nodded, setting the menu down. “I'd be disappointed otherwise."

  "What about you?" Shanks asked. "How are you?"

  The waitress made her way over to us at that moment, which I appreciated. The momentary pause gave me a second to think about how to answer.

  It had been two years since I'd hidden all my shit in Rayne's secret hideout and took to the seas, leaving the island that I had called home for over 20 years. How do you condense that into an answer fit for polite conversation? Not that any conversation I ever had with Shanks was polite.

  I prattled off my order before turning my attention back to Shanks, who was still looking at me expectantly.

  “You know, I was more aware of the outside world than most everyone else in Aurora, but knowing and experiencing are two totally different things. And I knew it was going to be hard, but some days are just brutal. Everyone else has a head start, and it feels like I’m desperately trying to catch up sometimes.

  “But it’s been worth it,” I answered honestly. “It’s been nice to just exist without worrying about stepping on toes or starting a witch hunt, getting to do things and see things like other people.”

  There was a lot more behind that, and I felt like I owed it to Shanks to explain, but now wasn’t the time. I just wanted to take a moment to enjoy reuniting with a friend.

  Shanks’s smile softened. “I’m glad. You seem a lot happier.”

  I calmed, relieved that he didn’t push further. “I am.”

  Shanks shifted in his seat, sitting upright. “I told you piracy would suit you," he said, smugness seeping into his tone. “It’s like you’re glowing.”

  I raised a brow at him, settling back and crossing my arms over my chest. "Captain, who said I'm a pirate?” I challenged.

  “I could be but an intrepid adventurer-“

  “Uh-huh,” he deadpanned.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to keep up my stern demeanor. “Or I could be writing a book about-“

  “How to attract Trouble with a capital T?”

  “If I remember correctly, I am Trouble.”

  “Of course. How could I forget?”

  “I could be a bounty hunter,” I threw out there. “Here to chop off your head and deliver it to the Marines on a platter."

  "You like me too much to decapitate me."

  "But do I like you more than the billions of bellies I'd get in exchange?"

  "I'm worth more alive," he offered.

  "That's true," I conceded. "Guess I'll have to barter with Benn then. I'm sure he and I can come to some agreement regarding your surrender. I'd offer him a cut."

  "He'd probably pay you to take me."

  "True, I would be doing him a favor."

  We just stared at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles. I had forgotten how easy this was.

  "So Eliza, if you're not a pirate," Shanks started, as my food was set in front of me. "What are you?"

  "I was only sort of joking," I said as I picked up my knife and started to spread butter on the stack of pancakes in front of me.

  "About? The piracy or bounty hunting?"

  "Bounty hunting,” I answered.

  “So this is a plot to capture me. I see. The truth comes out.” He grabbed his fork, touching his food for the first time since I arrived.

  “You have some time before I do.” I doused my pancakes in syrup. “I’d like to at least see what the boys will offer me to look the other way.”

  "Then I guess it's good that they'll all be at the tavern tonight. Care to join us, Eliza?"

  "Just can't get enough of me, can you?" I joked.

  "Never," he answered, casual as ever. "Plus, I've got three years to catch up on. I got heard a little when we returned to Aurora, but-."

  "You went back?" I was surprised. "For what?"

  "Best sake comes from the West," he explained. "Plus, I was hoping to see my favorite bartender, but to my surprise, I found out that she left. And now the tavern employs her harem."

  “Oh no,” I groaned, hiding my face behind my hands. ‘The girls.’ "They're not my harem,” I corrected.

  "Really? Cause I think they're all in love with you. And isn’t releasing slaves a bit above a bounty hunter’s pay grade?”

  I dropped my hands back to the table, picking up my fork again. “So, you knew I wasn’t a pirate?”

  He shook his head. “No one really answered the question about what you had been doing. They were too busy telling us about how great you are, and how cool you looked, and how nice, and how strong, and-“

  “You can stop,” I said, pointing my fork at him.

  As a bounty hunter, I was picky about my targets. I didn’t target any old pirate with a price on their head. I wasn’t going to send someone to Impel Down for the rest of their life for something that any one of my brothers could be doing. But slave traders were fair game, and I could usually collect a pretty penny.

  For a few months there, I lingered in the waters surrounding the Sabaody archipelago, taking these bastards out before they could get to the auction house.

  I was able to get most of the victims started on their journeys back home, but there were a few who had nowhere to go or had been willingly turned over by their families. For the most part, they chose to start anew.

  After hearing me talk about Rayne and Gene, they’d asked if I could get them started to the West. I warned them that Aurora wasn’t welcoming, but they insisted, saying that after what they’d been through, they were sure they could handle a couple of jackasses. Plus, they didn’t have to worry about devil fruits or pirate family members, and Aurora was lowkey enough that they would likely never have to worry about being snatched again.

  I was glad to hear they were doing well, even if they were apparently embarrassing me.

  “Now you’re getting shy on me?”

  “Shut up,” I muttered.

  "You still don't accept compliments well."

  "Your hair's still ridiculous."

  "I know what you're trying to do," he said. His eyes focused on my hairline. "But I can't let that one go when you have a streak of your hair that isn't even the same color."

  "A standard color,” I countered.

  "Mine is natural. It grows this way. It’s more natural than yours."

  "I never said that your hair wasn't natural. And I’ve never accused you of dying it. It's just ridiculous. But so are you, so it fits."

  "You look like a skunk."

  "You smell like one."

  "Weak."

  "Whatever."

  Shanks let out a giant yawn.

  “Did you not sleep?” I asked, taking in his appearance. His clothes were more rumpled than usual, and he had bags under his eyes.

  “I told you I was caught up,” he said, eyes glancing over at my journal, which sat on the table beside him. “You’re not the only one who was excited,” he settled back into his seat. “You know, you could’ve just met us at the tavern,” he said. “Though I do appreciate the theatrics.”

  “I thought about it,” I admitted. “I also thought about the possibility that I would walk into a tavern where a bunch of dudes vaguely remember me, and it would all be really fucking awkward, even though you’d probably be too nice to actually let it be awkward. So if you actually wanted to see me, you could reach out.”

  Shanks threw his head back and cracked up laughing.

  “Will you shut up?” I hissed, throwing a napkin at him as all eyes turned to our table. I hid behind my hand. “God, this is so much worse than if I had just shown up,” I muttered.

  “You’re not any better. There’s only one fucking place to stay on this damn island, and it’s not like you showed up once you knew I was here.”

  He blinked owlishly at me for a moment. “I could’ve gone to the inn,” he agreed as realization set in.

  “Captain,” I started slowly. “How long have you been at this table?”

  “About two hours,” the waitress said as she filled my coffee cup.

  This time, it was my turn to crack up obnoxiously. “I can’t believe you waited here for two hours!”

  He shrugged. “You’re an early bird, and you like breakfast. I figured you’d end up here eventually. In my defense, I was still half drunk when I came up with this plan and sleep-deprived when I decided to act on it. And I was right.” He gestured towards my pancakes.

  “You’re hopeless. What if I decided I wanted to get lunch? Dinner? What ab-”

  “I’ve been waiting three years to see you, Eliza. What’s a few more hours?”

  “If you can wait a few more hours, then you should go to bed, and I can meet you later at the tavern,” I offered.

  He waved me off. “I can sleep when I’m dead.”

  “With the way you drink, that’ll be sooner rather than later.”

  “You say that, but I’ve seen you put back an entire bottle of whiskey like it’s water and not have even a hint of a buzz. If I had to guess, you could out-drink half the crew.”

  I snorted. “Just half?

  “You could always challenge them tonight if you want to back those words up.”

  I pretended to think about it for a second. “Don’t tell them I’m coming. It’ll be a surprise.”

***

Previous | Next

***

Master List | Mobile Version

[ggomos-maribat]

[7/?]

original prompt | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

this snippet is inspired by this post that had me wheezing yesterday

“Tim, can I ask for advice?” Marinette shuffles over to sit beside her sleep-deprived brother, handing him a cup of green tea. 

He stops typing to take a sip of the drink. “Sure, what is it?” 

“So I caught Dad researching some, um, modern slangs,” she begins. “And I thought it’s pretty harmless, y’know? He’s doing it to understand us better. I didn’t mention it at all but the definitions were a bit questionable.” 

“Uh huh, go on.” 

Marinette frowns. “But one day, this thing happened.” 

—

Marinette finishes lining up the freshly baked macarons on a circular tray. She perks up when she notices Bruce entering the kitchen. 

“Hey, want some macarons?” She picks a strawberry-flavored piece and hands it to him. 

Bruce takes a bite. “Mmm . .  this shit bussin’.” 

Marinette’s too stunned to speak. Her brain freezes, flashing back to the time she caught him researching slangs. Oh no . . . But before she formulates a coherent response, Bruce finishes the macaron, pats her on the head, and leaves for work. 

—-

“He said WHAT?!” Tim nearly does a spit-take. 

“Yeah, he said that.” Marinette cringes. “I was wondering if I should tell him not to say those things.” 

Tim sets down his mug and holds both of her shoulders. She stares at the dark circles under his eyes mirroring his. “Nettie, listen to me, you can’t tell him.” He narrows his eyes. “Every instance he does that will be the drug that will motivate me everyday to live and we need everyone to witness it first.” 

“Uhh, okay.” 

“What else did he say?” 

—

Marinette glides down the grand staircase with her new dress. For a rare time, she’s made a piece for herself and herself only. Bruce passes by and she waves him over. 

“What do you think of my new outfit?” She does a spin. “I just finished making it.” 

Bruce gives a nod of approval. “Slayyy.” 

—

Alfred has gotten them all to be present at the family dinner that night. Marinette slips into the seat next to Tim, casting a furtive glance at her father. She both hopes and dreads that he strikes during mealtime. 

As utensils scrape on plates and chatter fills the room, she patiently waits. Suddenly, Damian clears his throat. “Father, I refuse to attend the gala this Saturday.” 

Bruce sighs. “We already talked about this. All of you will go, and no exceptions this time.” 

“What if I have homework?” 

“Then finish it before Saturday.” 

“But Father—” 

“You are going to the gala, Damian,” Bruce declares sternly. “Periodt.” 

The madness that consumes the entire room is peak chaos. Tim and Marinette lean against each other, covering their mouths to muffle their laughter. Dick’s fork falls and clatters on his plate. Both Stephanie and Jason are choking on their food, while Duke and Damian wear looks of confusion. Cass’ eyes grow wide. Even Alfred quirks an eyebrow. 

“Sorry, B, what did you say?” Dick coughs. 

“Periodt. End of discussion.” 

“Oh. My. God,” Stephanie whispers, wiping her chin. 

—-

Marinette is certain that Batman will also make it a point to throw out straight-faced slangs during patrol. After transforming, she asks Alfred to help connect her to the comms so that she’ll be able to hear the others while still being untraceable. 

“The robbers are heading to an abandoned building,” Oracle reports. “I don't think that place is anywhere near accessible.” 

“That’s sus,” Batman comments.

“Sorry, that’s what?” 

—-

Inari positions herself on a rooftop near where the other vigilantes are. Nightwing does an extravagant flip when he moves from one building to another. 

Batman only mumbles but the sound is picked up by the comms: “So extra.” 

The sound of someone wheezing follows after. Inari guesses that it came from Red Robin. 

“What was that, B?” Red Hood asks. 

“I said your movements are on fleek today, Nightwing.” 

—

“I got him!” Robin calls out, pinning one of the criminals in an alley. 

“Good. Wait for us, Robin. They’re going to catch these hands,” Batman instructs. 

Inari bites her lip to keep any noise from escaping. It’s a good thing she recorded all of that. 

Taglist: @tinybrie @sinoffalsejudgement @its-maemain @kamarallil @toughluna @golden-promises

*if you want to be tagged, feel free to ask in the comments and I'll add you to the taglist :)