#i did have to skip day 5 because i had no ideas for it sorry | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tigertales9 · 7 months

Text

Hard Reset IV

Pairing: Joe Burrow x Reader

Warnings: 18+ / Smut

Description: This fic covers the week 5 lead-up and win against the Cardinals.

Time/Place: Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 - Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 / Cincinnati, Ohio & Glendale, Arizona

A/N: This is the fourth fic in the Hard Reset series.

Since we have a secret wedding coming up in the next chapter, I decided to use the bye week lakehouse idea from my Sink or Swim fic for the honeymoon location. I'll copy & paste the relevant bit here in case you haven't read it or to refresh your memory:

~ ~ This took place just before training camp in mid-July ~ ~

"Remember when we went to that party at the lake last summer? There was that cool lakehouse that we drove by a couple times when we got lost looking for the party?"

You furrow your brow as you try to think back, your face lighting up when the memory clicks into place. "The tall, narrow three-story house with the rooftop deck?"

"Yep," he grins, opening a tab on his computer and swiveling it to show you the screen. "It's called 'The Crows' Nest' and it's an Airbnb."

"No way." You lean closer for a better look. "It's even more awesome than I remember."

"I booked it for three nights during our bye week."

"Shut up!" you squeal, slapping Joe's arm as he looks simultaneously stoked and smug.

"I hope three nights is enough," he says nervously. "I thought about doing four, but . . ."

"Three nights is plenty," you interject. "If I remember correctly, it's about an hour and a half drive. We'll have an amazing getaway and be back in plenty of time for you to prep for the 49ers game the following week."

"I love that you already know my schedule."

"Front, back, side to side, Mr. Burrow," you purr, giving him a saucy wink.

~ ~ ~

All of that set-up is because the upcoming lakehouse honeymoon is mentioned in this chapter, so let's get to it . . .

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

Monday, 10/2/23

You wake up to an empty bed, a satisfied smile gracing your lips as you think about the toe-curling sex you had with your man the night before. You slip out of bed, checking the clock before heading into the bathroom to pee and wash your face.

You eventually walk down the hallway and check Joe's office before heading downstairs, a little surprised that he's nowhere to be found since it's still pretty early, your eyebrows rising when you see a note on the kitchen counter. You pick it up and read it out loud.

"Couldn't sleep so decided to head to the facility to get an early start on work-out - treatment - film. I'll be late getting home tonight since a group of us are watching MNF at Sam's. Love, Joe."

You toss the note down and get your coffee started, a little surprised he's skipping his standing video game session with his high school friends. They play almost every Monday for a few hours until Monday Night Football kicks off at 8:15 pm. Some weeks they play even longer, especially if the MNF match-up isn't very sexy. Usually the only reason he skips it during the season is if he's playing football on Monday (in which case they postpone it to Tuesday) or if he's in a stank mood because he played bad the day before.

Your mind flashes back to yesterday's 27-3 loss to the Titans. "Stank mood for sure," you mumble to yourself, yawning as you add a glug of creamer to your coffee before heading upstairs to your office.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Tuesday, 10/3/23

You wake up to an empty bed again, your brow furrowing as you go through your morning routine before heading down the hall to Joe's office, a smile curling your lips when you hear football noises coming from inside.

"Hey babe," you greet, dropping a kiss on his neck as he hits pause on the game film he's watching. "Hey," he echoes, swiveling his desk chair around to face you. "Sorry I got home so late last night."

"It's okay. Did y'all enjoy the game?" you ask, brushing your fingers through his messy hair a few times to try and tame his rampant bedhead.

"Not really," he grumbles. "We kinda half-ass watched it while talking about what we need to do to get better." He makes a pensive face before giving you a big grin. "Oh yeah, check this out," he says, grabbing his phone and pulling something up before handing it to you. The vid features Ja'Marr and Tee arm wrestling on Sam's kitchen island while several other guys holler encouragement. The vid cuts out just after Ja'Marr wins.

"Y'all got a little bored last night, huh?" you laugh, handing him his phone back.

"Well, it all started when Ja'Marr made a comment about Tee not being as fast as him, so Tee was like 'yeah, but I'm stronger' so of course they had to arm wrestle."

"Of course," you agree. "Was Tee mad when Ja'Marr beat him?"

"A little," Joe shrugs, "but then he was like 'whatever, at least my dick's bigger'."

"Please tell me there's not a dick measuring vid," you mutter.

He gives you a cheeky wink before scrolling his phone like he's looking for said vid.

"Joseph!" you swat his arm. "I don't want to see it!"

He laughs at your scandalized expression before setting his phone on his desk. "Relax, babe, there's no dick measuring vid. At least not on my phone."

"Y'all are too much," you giggle, rolling your eyes playfully. "Everything's a damn competition."

"Wanna know who won?" he asks.

"No!" you chirp, sticking your tongue out when he chortles at your obvious discomfort. "You want some breakfast?" you ask, changing the subject before he decides to give you the unwanted dick report.

"Nah, I'll just grab something at the facility." He checks the time before wrinkling his nose. "I better get going. Lot of stuff to do today."

You lean down and give him a kiss before heading for the door. "I'm gonna get a shower. Have a good day."

"You too," he says, giving you a smile before turning his attention back to his computer.

~ ~ ~

You head downstairs about thirty minutes later, narrowing your eyes as you see another note on the kitchen counter; you snatch it up and read it.

"I'll prob be late again tonight since we're talking about new offensive schemes (thank fuck!) Lots of film to watch & I'll just grab dinner at the facility with the guys. Call me if you need me. Love, Joe."

"Could have told me that to my face," you grump, chewing on your lip and trying not to get too aggravated; he always spends extra time at the facility when shit's going sideways, so this is nothing new. It feels a little weird, though. Like he's avoiding you for some reason. "Don't overthink it," you warn yourself. "He's struggling and trying to figure his shit out. Don't make it about you."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wednesday, 10/4/23

"Okay, fuck this," you mutter as you once again wake up to an empty bed. You heard him come in last night but pretended to be asleep since you were tired, aggravated and didn't feel like talking, but you def feel like talking now.

You snatch your phone off the bedside table and hurry down the hall to make sure he's not in his office before heading downstairs, your eyes rolling when you spot another damn note on the counter; you heave a sigh as you start to read.

"Sorry I got home late again. Big day today installing the new offense! I'm feeling optimistic for a change. Hate to say it, but I'll be late again. Going to Sam's tonight for pizza and film watching. Love, Joe."

"Shit," you grumble as you set your phone on the kitchen counter. "Can't unleash hell on Mr. Feeling Optimistic," you mutter under your breath, trying and failing to push aside the uneasy feeling the situation's giving you. You roll your shoulders as you wait for your coffee to brew. "He hasn't technically done anything wrong," you state, still trying to convince yourself. "The last thing I want to do is make him feel bad for doing his job."

~ ~ ~

You spend the next several hours doing your (mostly) normal routine:

a harder than normal work-out to relieve some stress

a couple hours of work followed by a virtual meeting to tie up some loose ends on a work project

a few chores and then some errands including a final stop to grab some Kung Pao chicken from your fav family-owned restaurant before heading home

You change into slinky shorts and a t-shirt as soon as you get home before pouring a glass of wine and tucking into your spicy dinner.

An hour later you're tidying up the kitchen when your phone rings; your brow furrows as you check the display before answering. "Hey Sam. What's up?"

"Is Joe there?"

"No. I thought he was eating pizza and watching film tonight at your place."

"Umm, yeah, I left the gym a few minutes before him and we were supposed to meet at my house, but I got a low air pressure warning on one of my tires and stopped to air it up. First place I stopped was out of service so I had to go to another gas station. Took almost thirty extra minutes and when I got home he wasn't there. I tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail. I waited an hour and tried calling again but the same thing happened."

"That's weird," you mutter, your pulse immediately picking up. "Hopefully he didn't have a wreck or something."

"Oh, I'm sure it's not that," Sam mumbles.

"Well, let me know if you hear from him."

"Okay, you too."

You end the call and immediately try Joe's phone, a knot forming in your stomach when it goes straight to voicemail. You open your fav traffic app and chew on your lip as you look for accidents in the area he was traveling. "Nothing," you mutter, feeling slightly better until another hour passes without hearing from him.

You try his phone again, your heart thudding in your chest when it goes straight to voicemail. "Where are you?" you whisper, pacing back and forth as you try to decide what to do.

You wait thirty more minutes and are just about to call the nearest emergency room -- after Sam texts you asking if you've heard from Joe yet -- when you hear the garage door open, a flood of relief washing over you when he ambles in the door looking slightly disheveled. The odd look on his face makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up; you decide to play it cool.

"Hey," you say, giving him a smile. "How was practice? Did y'all install the new offense?"

"Yeah. Still have a lot of work to do, but I think we're headed in the right direction."

"Good." Your eyes drop down to his long fingers fiddling with his wristbands before you recapture his gaze. "How was the pizza at Sam's?"

"Fine," he shrugs, looking at his feet. "Nothing special."

You feel a wave of nausea hit at his obvious lie. Please let me hold down this Kung Pao, you think to yourself before speaking. "Sam called me several hours ago asking if I knew where you were. He had to stop and air up a tire, and you weren't at his house when he got there. He tried calling you but your phone was off." The color drains from his face as you continue. "Then he texted me a few minutes ago asking if I ever heard from you, so I know you haven't been with him."

He shifts his weight from one foot to the other but doesn't speak.

"You wanna tell me why you just lied to my face?"

"It's not what you think," he mutters, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallows hard.

The action draws your gaze down to his throat for a few seconds before it shifts back up to his face; you become very aware of his facial hair, a thought flashing through your mind that it's a damn shame you're mad at him since you love to feel his scruff against your skin.

A darker thought creeps into your head when you consider the fact that he just lied to you about being with Sam. Is someone else enjoying the feel of that scruff? you muse to yourself, your stomach turning at the thought of him cheating on you.

You spin around and sprint down the hallway, barely making it to the guest bathroom in time to slam the door and fling the toilet seat up before emptying the contents of your stomach into the bowl. You spit a few times as you gasp for breath, eventually flushing the toilet and walking on trembling legs to the sink to rinse your mouth a few times and splash water on your flushed face. You pat dry with a hand towel and open the door, rushing forward two steps before crashing into a large, immovable object. Joe wraps his hands around your upper arms to steady you, his expression hard to read as you wrench yourself out of his grasp and step back.

He heaves a sigh before speaking. "We were supposed to meet at Sam's, but when he didn't show up for like twenty minutes I decided to take a drive to clear my head. I couldn't get my thoughts to stop racing," he continues with a shrug. "Thinking about how bad I've been playing, wondering if the new offensive scheme will help. I just needed a distraction."

"What's her name?" you snap.

"Huh?"

"The distraction. What's her name?"

"It's not like that," he soothes, reaching for you as you step farther out of reach.

"Then how is it?" you challenge. "You were out of contact for several hours with your phone turned off. That's not just a drive to clear your fucking head!"

He hesitates for a second and you spin around and stride for the stairs, launching yourself up them two at a time before heading through the master bedroom and into the bathroom, quickly brushing your teeth before hurrying into your walk-in closet.

You wrangle a suitcase into the middle of the closet floor and start flinging clothes inside with the same vigor that Joe uses when spiking a football after scoring a tuddy. You punctuate each motion with a curse word, your entire body shaking.

Eventually you become aware of the fact that he's standing in the doorway watching you; you give him a glare before continuing to pack.

"This is just a huge misunderstanding," he states, fiddling with his wristbands like his life depends on it.

"Obvs," you sneer. "I clearly misunderstood the nature of this relationship. Who could blame me, though?" you ask, plowing ahead before he has a chance to interject. "You've never given me a reason not to trust you. Plus you've been oh so vulnerable with me lately -- worried I'm gonna leave you, desperate to hurry up and get secretly married to put your mind at ease." You swallow hard around the lump in your throat, grateful that you're too stunned to cry. If I start crying, I may never stop, you think to yourself.

You stop packing long enough to lock eyes with him. "Meanwhile you're out doing God knows what with God knows who and lying straight to my face about it."

"I can explain everything," he urges. "I'm just trying not to spoil a surprise I set up for you."

"Surprise! I'm a lying asshole!" you chirp, giving a derisive snort before a petty idea hits you. If he wants to watch me pack, let's give him something to see. You walk deeper into the closet and start easing short, slinky cocktail dresses off of their padded hangers, folding them delicately before laying them almost reverently in your suitcase. You pull open a few drawers on your lingerie chest and scoop out copious handfuls of lacy, barely-there wisps of fabric in the form of bras, panties, teddys, thigh-high stockings and a few other naughty confections, smirking at his worried expression as you place the items in your suitcase.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"Where have you been?" you counter, crossing your arms in a defensive posture, your substantial engagement ring catching your eye when the overhead light glints off of it. "Oh … here … you can have this back," you mumble, sliding the ring off and handing it to him.

"What? No way!" he sputters, gently pushing your hand back toward you. "Jesus, I've fucked this up so bad it's not even funny," he grits out. "I seem to fuck everything up these days."

"Don't play the victim."

He takes a deep breath and stares at the ceiling for several seconds before looking at you. "Will you please put your ring back on? I promise I'm about to tell you everything you want to know, but I can't think straight when you're not wearing your ring."

Something in his tone -- a pleading vibe -- makes you do as he asks.

"Thank you," he rasps, clearing his throat before holding a hand out to you. "Let's go sit down and I'll explain everything."

You stare at his hand for several seconds before placing your hand in it, your eyebrows climbing upward when he lets out the breath he was holding. He's shook, you think to yourself, hoping he has a damn good explanation for lying to you.

He leads you to the sitting area in your bedroom, gesturing for you to sit in one armchair before dropping into the other, his fingers immediately fiddling with his wristbands as he starts to speak.

"Okay … so … you know the lakehouse we're going to during bye week?"

"Yeah," you answer, your mind conjuring up an image of the cool, modern three-story house that you've been looking forward to staying in ever since Joe booked it back before training camp started. Back then it was just going to be a quick getaway during bye week, but it's morphed into your (first) honeymoon destination since y'all are getting secretly married just before you leave for the lake.

"Remember when I showed you the pics on the Airbnb site and you said -- if you were doing the decorating -- you'd arrange the furniture different in the master bedroom?"

"Yeah," you answer, thinking about the master suite that takes up the entire top floor of the house; one of its coolest features is an oversized skylight situated just above a sitting area. You mentioned it would be cooler to position the bed under the skylight so you could look up at the night sky while lying in bed.

"Well, I got in touch with the homeowner, Mr. Thompson, and asked him if I could switch the sitting area and bed for our stay." Your eyes go wide as he continues. "I told him I'd handle it, I just needed someone to let me and Sam in."

"We're not going for two more weeks, though," you mumble suspiciously.

"True," he agrees, "and I figured I'd go Monday the 16th -- the day before we arrive for our stay -- but Mr. Thompson said I could go anytime since no one else is staying there between now and then."

"That's … interesting."

"Mmm-hmm. So Mr. Thompson gave me the caretaker's number so I could set up a time for me and Sam to move the furniture."

If this is a lie, it's elaborate as fuck, you think to yourself as Joe continues.

"Max, the caretaker, agreed to meet me today. It's about an hour and a half drive, and I had just enough time to get there when I said I'd be there, so I left without Sam."

"Did you try calling Sam before you left?"

"No. To be honest I was a little aggravated." He shrugs before continuing. "He knew I was antsy to get on the road, and I felt like he was drag-assing."

"So you turned your phone off to teach him a lesson?"

"Maybe," he grins, having the decency to look a little sheepish about it.

"QB1 behavior," you mutter. "By the way, you better send him a quick text to let him know you're alive."

He does your bidding, and your gaze is drawn to his sexy hands as he types the text; you squeeze your eyes shut as a thought hits you. "Since Sam didn't go, who helped you move the furniture?"

"Max plus a couple of guys he brought with him. That king-sized bed is heavy as fuck so I was grateful he brought some extra muscle." He sees your skeptical expression and starts scrolling through his phone. "I'll show you the texts where we set it up," he offers, turning his phone where you can read it. "Here's the text from Mr. Thompson giving me Max's number. -- And here's where I texted Max to set up a time to meet. -- And here's his reply …"

You feel a flood of relief as you read the texts, your eyes meeting Joe's over the top of the phone for a split second before you break down crying; you drop your head into your hands as the sobs escalate, his concerned voice seemingly coming from a great distance even though his mouth is close to your ear.

"I can have Max send me footage from the security cams," he states. "The entire outer perimeter is covered so you'll be able to see me drive up and meet him and the other guys."

"That's not necessary," you wheeze, trying hard to draw breath and stem the steady flow of tears. "I believe you."

"Then why are you crying?" he asks, a slight tremble in his voice giving away his raw emotional state.

"Because I'm so relieved," you sniff, wiping your eyes before meeting his gaze. "I thought you were cheating on meeeee," you wail, your voice trailing off into sobs again as he stands up and scoops you up bridal-style; he drops into your chair with you sitting crossways in his lap, his deep voice like a balm to your frazzled nerves as he does his best to soothe you.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispers. "I would never cheat on you, okay? I was trying to set up a fun surprise for you, but I'm too much of a dumbass to get it right."

"You're not a dumbass," you sniffle, smiling as he wipes your tears away before dropping a kiss on each of your flushed cheeks. "It's not your fault that one of Sam's tires needed air."

"Yeah, this is all Sam's fault, the fucker," he grumbles, laughing along with you for a minute before turning serious. "You're shaking really bad," he states, running his hands up and down your arms. "Are you cold?"

"A little, but I think it's mostly a st…stress reaction," you stammer."

"Shit," he sighs. "I can't believe I did this to you."

"It's okay," you whisper. "You didn't mean to."

He drops a kiss on your forehead before standing up and setting you back in the chair, quickly grabbing a plush throw blanket off the foot of the bed and tucking it around you. "Sit tight for a sec. I'm gonna run a hot bath."

You nod your head as he turns and heads toward the bathroom, taking several slow, deep breaths to try and relax before he reappears. "Bath's ready," he states, gently pulling the blanket off of you before picking you up to carry you to the bathroom.

Five minutes later you're both immersed in the oversized tub, with him behind you and your back leaning against his chest. He runs his big hands up and down your arms, trying to chase away the chill bumps as you flutter your eyes closed and try to relax.

You spend the next fifteen minutes enjoying the feel of him rubbing your arms, your shoulders, and your thighs. "That feels good," you groan, the tension leaving your body with every stroke of his talented hands.

"Good." He drops a kiss on your neck. "Just relax."

"Sorry your surprise got ruined," you sigh, leaning your head to the side as he drops another kiss on your neck. "I think it's super sweet you went to so much trouble to surprise me," you continue, reaching a hand down to squeeze one of his thighs. "Can't wait to sleep with you under that huge skylight."

"It's gonna be amazing," he murmurs, his hot breath and scruff against your ear causing a shiver to run through you. "Still cold?" he asks. "No," you whisper, maneuvering around until you're facing him. His gaze is drawn down to your bare breasts just visible above the water. "You sure you're not cold?" he asks again. "You're chill bumpy, shivery, and … this," he breathes, ghosting his hot, wet fingers over your hard nipples, his eyes meeting yours when you give a soft moan and lean into his touch. "I'm the opposite of cold," you admit, gasping when he wraps his hands around your waist and slides you onto his lap, his mouth immediately capturing yours in a slow-burn kiss. His tongue tangles with yours for several minutes before he pulls back. "Let's go to bed," he orders, helping you out of the tub before stepping out behind you.

You quickly dry off and head into the bedroom, folding the covers down to the foot of the bed as your entire body hums with anticipation. "Y/n?" Joe calls from the bathroom. "Come here, please."

You walk back in the bathroom, an inquisitive look on your face as he gestures toward the open closet door; you turn your head to see what he's pointing at, a hot flush rising in your cheeks at the sight of your suitcase overflowing with lingerie. The sound of his voice pulls your attention back to him.

"Who were you gonna wear all that stuff for?" he asks, the edge in his tone sending a shiver down your spine.

"Nobody," you shrug, closing the distance between you and tilting your head up to look at him. "I thought you were cheating on me so I decided to make you a little jealous."

"A little jealous?" he snorts. "Just the thought of another man looking at you makes me insanely jealous." He wraps his hands around your waist as he continues. "The thought of another man touching you makes me homicidal."

"You threatening to kill me?" you tease, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, I'm threatening to kill him," he states matter-of-factly.

"You have nothing to worry about as long as you don't cheat on me."

"Promise?" he asks, the hint of vulnerability in his tone a complete contrast to the possessive anger of a few seconds ago. You wrap a hand behind his nape and pull him down until his face is about an inch from yours. "I promise," you whisper, pressing a kiss on his full lips. "You're the only man I want."

He pulls back and stares down at you, his demeanor shifting from vulnerable back to possessive. Provocative. You lick your lips as his hands tighten on your waist, opening your mouth to speak just as his mouth crashes down on yours. The kiss is intense, no teasing just taking, his need to possess you crystal clear as he slides his hands down to your ass and lifts you up, carrying you to bed while stating his intentions.

"I'm gonna lick you until you beg for my cock," he growls, the vibration of his deep voice in your ear causing a flood of liquid heat in your core. "Then I'm gonna fuck you senseless."

You're so drunk with lust that you can't form a coherent response. Instead you shove a hand in his hair as he eases you onto the bed, his eyes capturing yours for a few breathless seconds before he maneuvers his way down your body to make good on his carnal promise.

The next hour passes by like a fever dream, with him devouring you with a ferocity that has your body responding in kind, meeting his intense need with your own as you lose yourself in the feel of his hands and mouth on you, the hot velvet caress of his tongue bringing you to climax twice before he sinks his thick cock inside your tight heat. He rides you hard as he nips and sucks your neck and breasts, leaving love bites as you rake your fingernails up his muscular back, his first climax hitting just before your third.

He eventually pulls out and rolls off of you with a primal groan, your mutual heavy breathing the only sound for the next several minutes before you turn your head and give him a smile. "That was amazing," you pant, your eyes going wide as he rolls you onto your stomach.

"I'm not finished with you yet," he purrs in your ear, crawling between your spread thighs and biting the nape of your neck as he enters you from behind.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thursday, 10/5/23

You wake up before Joe the next morning, stretching your deliciously sore, nude body beneath the slinky sheets before turning to look at him; he's sleeping peacefully, his pretty pink lips showing a hint of a smile as if he's enjoying a nice dream.

Last night felt like a dream, you think to yourself as you ease out of bed and head to the bathroom. The stomach-turning angst when you thought he was cheating, followed by intense relief and mind-blowing sex, was enough to give you an insane case of emotional whiplash.

"Crazy shit," you mumble to yourself, shaking your head at your reflection before turning on the faucet to wash your face.

You're patting your face dry when Joe walks in, giving you a smile before yawning and raking his long fingers through his messy hair. "Good morning, gorgeous," he greets as he walks up behind you, leaning down to press a kiss on your shoulder before meeting your eyes in the mirror.

"Good morning, gorgeous," you echo, biting your lip as the heat radiating off of his nude body causes your core to contract. Jesus, I'll never get enough of him, you think to yourself. "I'm gonna have to wear a turtleneck for my virtual meeting today," you state, pointing at the mark on your neck.

"Did I get a little overzealous marking my territory last night?" he asks, dropping a kiss on the love bite, the tip of his tongue darting out to give it a quick lick.

"Just the right amount of zealous," you giggle, watching his expression in the mirror as he notices the marks on your breasts.

"Do they hurt?" he murmurs, sliding his fingertips over the love bites plus the rug burn caused by his scruff.

"No," you breathe. "They just feel a little warm and tingly."

"That's good."

"Mmm-hmm," you hum, mesmerized by the sight of his big, strong hands delicately caressing your breasts, a gasp escaping your lips when he ghosts his fingertips over your hard nipples.

"Are you sore?" he asks, his voice husky with arousal as he slides a hand down to cup your mound, his erection thickening and lengthening against you.

"A little," you admit, "but it's a good kind of sore."

"Stop me if it's too much, okay?"

"Okay."

You both watch in the mirror as he dips one long finger inside your slick heat before pulling it back out, spreading the moisture over your sensitive folds as you grind back against him; he repeats the sensual action several times, his eyes dark with arousal as you bend over and press your forearms against the marble counter, rising up onto your tiptoes as he continues to tease you.

You arch your back in invitation as he lazily circles your swollen clit with slippery fingers. "I need you inside me," you whisper, your pulse picking up as he grabs his erection with his free hand and nestles the tip against your entrance; he meets your eyes in the mirror before slowly pushing inside, hissing in pleasure as your walls clench around him.

"I'll never get enough of you," he growls as he starts to thrust.

~ ~ ~

An hour and a half later -- after a couple of orgasms, a shared shower and a quick breakfast -- you give him a kiss before he heads for the door.

"I'll be home for dinner," he calls over his shoulder.

Your mouth drops open in exaggerated surprise. "No way!" you tease. "I was starting to think we'd never have dinner together again."

He spins around and walks back to you, cradling your face in his hands before speaking. "I know I've been gone a lot this week, but trying to figure shit out plus installing the new offense has been pretty intense."

"Not to mention sneaking off to upgrade our secret honeymoon love nest."

"That too," he chuckles, leaning down to press a kiss on your lips. "I can't wait for the bye week."

"Me neither," you purr, giving his plump butt a squeeze before he heads for the door.

~ ~ ~

Later that night -- after dinner, a couple episodes of Forensic Files, and some less-intense-but-no-less-satisfying sex -- y'all are lying in bed talking about the upcoming game in Arizona.

"If we lose," Joe says, making a face at the awful thought. "I only want to see you in the family & friends area after the game. My parents can wait for you outside, then y'all can ride to the airport together."

"Can't do that, babe."

"Why not?"

"Because your mom will get her feelings hurt. She's already a little upset that you're not meeting us after losses, but if you meet me and not them, she's gonna be seriously upset."

"Then she shouldn't be so extra with the praise every time I lose. It's fucking annoying."

"You're her baby," you soothe, pressing a kiss on his pouty lips. "She's always gonna try to make you feel better."

"If I play like shit, I don't want to feel better."

You sigh at the grumpy look on his pretty face. "Tell you what. If she starts in on the praise, I'll step in and gently shut it down."

"Really?" he asks, giving you a skeptical look.

"Really," you answer. "I'll just steer the convo in a different direction. I've done it a few times with her, and it's worked pretty well."

"You do have the magic touch when it comes to handling her like that. You're way better than me at it."

"Because I use a little finesse instead of coming at her like a wrecking ball," you tease.

"I have no patience for finesse when I'm pissed off."

"I know," you chuckle. "That's what you have me for."

He rolls onto his side and pulls you against him, your back to his chest. "We make a good team," he states, dropping a kiss on your shoulder.

"The best," you agree.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sunday, 10/8/23

You stand against the wall in the large room designated for family & friends of the visiting team at State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the thrill of victory putting a huge smile on your face as you wait for Joe to appear.

The game had been the Joe & Ja'Marr show, with Joe throwing for 317 yards, and Ja'Marr catching 15 passes for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns. The almost-telepathic connection between the two of them was on full display as they led the Bengals to a 34-20 win over the Cardinals.

An excited buzz flows through the room as Joe walks in; he ignores the attention as he quickly strides up to you. "Hey," he greets you, leaning down to drop a kiss on your lips before pulling you into a tight hug. "Hey," you breathe against his sweaty neck, tempted to lick him but restraining yourself due to the crowd of people watching you, including his parents.

There's a wicked grin on his face when he steps back, like he read your mind. Speaking of telepathic, you think to yourself, giving him a discreet wink as his parents step forward to greet him.

A minute later he turns his attention back to you, leaning down to press his lips close to your ear. "See you at home," he whispers, the four words so full of heat that you feel a blush rise in your cheeks as he turns and heads for the door.

~ ~ ~

A little while later, as you're sitting in the airport waiting to catch your flight home, your phone rings. Your pulse picks up when you see who's calling.

"Hey gorgeous," you greet.

"Hey gorgeous," Joe responds. "Are my parents right there?"

"No. They went to find a bathroom before we board."

"You need to get some sleep on the plane," he says, his voice dropping an octave like it always does when he's thinking naughty thoughts. "I've got plans for you when I get home."

"Can't wait," you purr before a thought hits you. "Your parents are spending the night, so we'll have to be somewhat quiet."

"So we'll have mind-blowing, hair-pulling, screaming-orgasm sex minus the screaming."

"Sounds good," you whisper, your eyes going wide when you see Joe's parents headed your way. "Your parents are back."

"I can't wait to see you."

"Me too," you mutter, smiling at Robin as she sits beside you.

"Can't wait to get you naked," Joe growls. "I'm gonna …"

You loudly clear your throat when you notice Robin looking at you. "I better go; we're about to start boarding."

Joe's dirty chuckle brings a hot blush to your cheeks. "Love you, babe," he states.

"Love you, too," you whisper before ending the call.

"You look a little flushed," Robin says, pressing a hand against your forehead. "Do you think you're coming down with something?"

Just the hots for your sex god son, you think to yourself, giving her a smile before answering. "I feel fine. I think the excitement of the win is just now catching up with me."

"That's probably it," she agrees. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure."

"Definitely."

"Speaking of that," she continues. "Since we're getting back so late, let's push brunch tomorrow back a couple hours. That way you kids can get plenty of sleep. Does that sound good?"

"Yes, ma'am," you agree. "I know Joe is gonna be super tired when he gets home."

"For sure," she nods. "He'll be so tired he can barely walk."

He'll be even more tired when I get through with him, you think to yourself, standing up and grabbing your bag when they call your flight.

#joe burrow #joe burrow fan fic #joe burrow fanfic #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow imagine

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meidnightrain · 7 months

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ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS STAY - ei

❝ here you are now calling me up but i don’t know what to say. ❞

summary: even though you’ve been pushed away multiple times, you’re not backing down from getting the archon to open up to you

warnings: reader is gn, inazuma archon quest spoilers, raiden archon quest spoilers, slight hurt/comfort

notes: day 5 and a break from the angst finally! sorry this was supposed to be posted yesterday but something came up!

taglist (open): @staretes , @rynnlvrs , @sentifua , @i-probably-sleep-too-much , @reilly34 , @qqingque , @akutasoda , @mhiieee , @starryshinyskies , @rintosae , @kazemiya

“name.” not even a nickname, not even love, not even a greetings.

“almighty shogun.” not ei, not beloved, not even a hello back.

there’s a sort of heaviness in the air you breathed, you can smell the scent of petrichor though the sky was clear. but then again, the unorthodox would become reality when you were with the raiden shogun.

she’s different than when you last saw her centuries ago, more open and definitely not controlled by the husk of a puppet she hid her face behind. perhaps it was a good idea to have helped the traveler alongside miko. you huffed, shifting your feet as you locked eyes with the woman you once loved.

they were no longer cold and striking but instead hopeful and warm, a welcome change but a bit too late, centuries late. here she was calling you up, but you weren’t sure what to say. truth be told, you were still picking up the pieces of the left she made of you when she decided to end it all.

“you’ve been well,” ei tried to say with a smile though her comment came out as more of a question and her cheerful smile one of confusion.

“i suppose the traveler talked you out of staying your days in the plane of euthymia. i should’ve warned him not to get close to you, you were always good at manipulating those around you.” you murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, not daring to look at your former lover.

“name…that’s not what…” she trailed off, her smile beginning to quiver at the cold look in your eyes.

“you know you had me in the palm of your hand, then why did you lock me out when i let you in. why are you even here, don’t beat around the bush. you never even bothered to visit me after you ended us,” you shook your head in disbelief, an exasperated expression on your face much to her dismay.

all the confidence she exuded had faltered, leaving behind her facade she put on in front of her people. how shocked the inazuman would be, to know that their almighty archon could be left speechless by just a few words. “i wanted to apologize. after makoto…i wasn’t thinking straight.”

“so you’re blaming this on makoto? are you serious?” you looked at her with a mixture of anger and sadness, crossing your arms.

ei waved her hands quickly, not wanting to fan the rising flames that had been mere sparks in your beating heart. “no that’s now that i meant! it’s just that, when i was in the plane of euthymia, all i thought about was you and how we ended. i regret it every day.”

you let out a small hum, nodding along with what she had to say. you weren’t sure if this was a worthy excuse to be sold by but then again, you did feel the same way. people like her always want back the love they pushed aside when they realise they didn’t have it anymore while people like you are gone forever when they said goodbye.

“let me remind you, this was what you wanted. you ended it.” you turned on your heels, walking away from her. despite being broken up for years, it seemed that both your hearts were still synchronised, beating like one even despite the fact she didn’t have one. and you felt her non-existent heart skip by just a few beats at your words.

is that what makes you stop in your tracks involuntarily? just because she broke your heart then doesn’t mean you had to return the favor, did you?

“you were all i wanted.” you sighed, your head hung low, your back facing her view of you. there are unspoken words, threatening to unravel from your tongue.

“but not like this.” you longed to say to her face, to hurt her like she hurt you but you couldn’t dare to. people like her always wanted back they love they gave away.

your feet moved on their own as you turned back to her, feeling what felt like hope blooming in your chest, hope that maybe this would work now. ei’s frown morphed into a warm smile though she tried to hide it, covering her mouth and looking away at you. you took her offered hand, intertwining your fingers, yours warm but hers cold. “so how do i know that you won’t make the same mistake twice?”

people like you want to believe her when she said that she changed. the more that you thought about it, the less you knew. all you knew was that she had driven you off the road and into the woods but now that you were in control of the wheel, you’d make sure that instead of crashing once more, you’d both make it through.

<- prev masterpost next ->

#🕊️ - 1989 event #・ nouveau livre ˎˊ˗#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin x you #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #genshin x gn reader #genshin impact x gn reader #raiden shogun x reader #raiden shogun x you #ei x reader #ei x you #🗞️ - genshin impact fics #🪧 - event: 1989

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cliowo · 2 months

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In this essay, i will explain the reasons why sky children of the light has become an increasingly unwelcoming game to new players and veterans alike-

Yeah yeah i usually only share my words here but tumblr feels like a really comfy place for me to share unfiltered thoughts and i needed somewhere to vent ig (skip if you have no idea what I'm talking about)

When I first started playing in prophecy, sky was a really fun game. We didn't have the request for a guide function then and I'm actually really grateful for it because the joy was in exploring each of the different realms and season areas on my own and randomly stumbling across spirits whose stories were waiting for me to discover. Maybe it was because I was a dumb moth - i didn't even know how to access seasonal spirits trees - but the pressure to cr just wasn't as intense as it is for moths today. The back to back seasons and "days of" events seem to have sucked the fun of exploring the world of sky for moths because they're so focused on grinding for candles/hearts/event currency that they just dont slow to smell the in-game roses anymore. And the thing is I get it because there's just so many new cosmetics as well as older ones from past seasons and events to farm for.

I mean sure you don't have to collect every cosmetic but 1 cape costs like 70 candles on average, same for a pair of pants iirc, a prop/acessory at 40-70 candles (70 if its an instrument??) , and hair at around 40-50 candles; and the best part is you can only earn 20-21 candles max in 1 reset 🤡 Add all of that plus the need to look for event currency in fear of facing such prices in the event rerun and you get stressed out moths facing existential crises every 2 weeks when ts arrives😀 Sorry moths, the economy is bad irl and just as bad in sky.

And what of the veterans? Yeah, well, we get no friends as everyone starts to quit the game and those that stay live off copium revisiting the places we once visited with friends- Or maybe that's just me

New friends, you say? *cue flashback to moths begging for help with cr* we exchanged like maybe 5 sentences max at chat benches🥲 i have nothing against helping out but it does make it difficult to form a bond when they disappear right after and you fade into their constellation of ubers

And then we have the seasons.

... Honestly the only season that made an impression with me after aurora was the recently concluded season of the 9 coloured deer, which was also another collab season💀

I actually had to check the sky wiki for this:

Remembrance - ironically very forgettable. What was the story again? Was it the one with the group of spirits living in one specific hole in vault like why- vault is bigger than that sad hole- OH THE PLUSHIES okay maybe this one was passable... im trying okay

Passage - ??? Havent finished this season's quests so uh- so far it seems like... a cult..? In isle...?

Moments - if they wanted a camera in-game, they could have just added it to like the days of sunlight event (the camping one) or smtg. They did not have to force a season for a camera💀 imho the camera was the only thing worth mentioning abt this season and i don't even take pictures

Revival - i suppose aviary is pretty and it's nice that the spirits have somewhere to stay now. Not particularly impressed. Don't really remember the story in this one.

...i heard rumours of a furniture season after the 9 coloured deer. Looking forward to hearing what they'll name this one lmao

The quality of "days of" events is still acceptable to me. Just maybe ignore the numerous iaps and the fact that we have multiple umbrellas but only 1 is f2p (don't understand whats up w that btw)

And also the recurring bugs💀 I've been playing for at least 3 years and I've faced these bugs/problems multiple times:

1. Unable to light frends constellations because the screen just yeets itself into oblivion or some random environment feature where i cant press the button

2. Game crashes (after every update istg-)

3. Splitting servers

4. Sky discrimination and gate keeping, aka refusing to let me open the game

5. Being unable to collect currency/dailies (it's not my internet i checked)

The lack of compensation is another matter entirely

I don't know man I'm tired. The only reason why I still have it installed is because it's my only link to the people I used to have fun and relax with. Not everyone has discord or insta or some other social media.

If you made it this far thank you for coming to my ted talk. Feel free to leave your thoughts- just remember to be respectful

Tldr:

The sky economy is bad. For everyone. Moths (and maybe even vets) are stressed out and vets are losing friends. The seasons are increasingly dull and the long-lived bugs are frustrating.

#rant post #rant #sky #skycotl #sky children of the light #skyblr #might delete this later idk

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toaster-hair · 10 months

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There’s a Human in the Neighborhood! (chapter 5)

(important authors note: Hi nyall :3! Sorry i havent written in so long, ive been more hyperfixated on other things like across the spiderverse and lolita fashion, and i’ve also been working on other projects. I have a skullgirls au tumblr blog, my original comic raw!fruit, im redrawing the welcome homes cast’s portraits with my own headcanons added, as well as general oc content. But with welcome homes new update, it motivated me to write again. I feel as though when welcome home is finally finished up, ill rewrite this entire fic to make much more sense. Anyways, heres a content warning. As said before, this fic focuses on how gross human anatomy can confuse wholesome puppets. Its a bit hard to write about gross anatomy stuff without veering into nsfw territory, so suggestions would be appreciated. But this chapter in particular is about periods! The fic is written about a gender neutral AFAB reader, so if youre amab or if periods are just off the table for you, feel free to skip!)

A painful stab at your stomach woke you up from your slumber. “Ough..” your sudden movement spooked your cat. You held your torso in pain, feeling a sharpness in your pants. It was still dark, with the only light being the sun coming through your blinds. You stood up, making your way to the bathroom and….

Blood. Lots and lots of blood stained your undergarments. That explained the sudden pain you were feeling, it was just that time of the month! You went back to your bedroom to make sure you didn’t bleed the bed, grabbed some clean clothes, and turned the shower on. You also grabbed some pads out of the cabinet under the sink. You brought them from your old house but you should probably buy some more later.

You stepped into your shower and let the warm water soak your body head to toe, flourishing yourself with all kinds of soap. Once you were finally cleaned up, you stepped out and dried yourself. You put on your clean clothes, grabbed some pain killers, and went back to bed.

You woke up once again a few hours later. You got up, did your morning routine, had breakfast, fed your cat, and picked up the phone. You decided you would call in sick because of the pain and nausea. God, why does the first day have to be the most painful? You dialed the number for FishEgg Boba and waited for an answer.

“Helloo? This is FishEgg Bobaaa. How may I help youuu?” You heard Casper answer the phone.

“Hey Casper, It’s Y/N. Uhh.. I know it’s only my second day but I’m calling in sick. I’ve got… cramps real bad. I don’t wanna move that much. Is that okay?”

“Oooh. Sure that’s fiiine. Just make sure to come in tomorroww. See you thenn. Hope you feel better sooon.” And with that, he ended the call. You felt kind of bad. It was only your second day, and you were taking a break already. You were probably missing out on some training too! But at the same time, everyone made it seem like yesterday you were working too hard when you weren’t even on your period! You can’t imagine what it’ll be like to work like that while on your period.

You then remembered your plan to get more pads. You were good for now, but it was always a good idea to stock up. You put on some outdoor clothes consisting of some basic gym sweats and a baggy jacket. You gave your kitty a goodbye kiss on the forehead and headed out the door. Gee, this was the second time in a row that you went to Howdy’s.

Wait… Oh yeah they’re puppets. I forgot. I mean you forgot that they were puppets. Of course they won’t have pads. You went back inside and grabbed some money, looks like you were heading out of town after all. As you headed back out again, you spotted Wally walking out of his house as well. You walked over to him, sense you promised you would chat in the morning last night.

“Hey Wally! You wanted to talk more this morning, right?” you stared down at him.

“Oh! Yes! I wanted to know about how it went. Ah, but shouldn’t you be at work right now?” he asked.

“Oh, uh.. Yeah, the thing is that I’m uh, not feeling very well. So I’m taking the day off. I’m going back tomorrow though.”

“Ah, I see. You aren’t sick again, are you? Do you want me to go get Poppy?” He held at your knees like a dog jumping on its owner.

“No, no. Not sick, it's just.. I may gross you out at the explanation?” You gestured with your hands “Is that okay?” You asked. He stared at you with a blank expression but nodded his head.

“Okay so basically uh.. When a human with a womb starts puberty.. Uh, and a womb is used for baby making purposes by the by, their womb starts to shed for a couple of days straight each month. That’s because the womb wants to make a baby but doesn’t have the ingredients to make one, causing the womb to pump out blood. This can cause pain, nausea, all that nasty stuff. That’s just a basic explanation, anyways.” He kind of just. Stared at you with half lidded eyes the entire time. “Uh, I don’t need to explain what blood is right?”

“Oh no, we have that too.”

…

What.

“W-wait, if you’re bleeding.. Then.. did you just start puberty??” There was this look of anxiety on his face, which felt so odd and out of character.

“No, no, you still bleed even after puberty. Well, that is until you hit your 60’s or something. It’s not gonna go away for a while.. Haha, if I was still that young, I wouldn’t even be here!” You laughed at him a bit. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry.. I don’t know much about how human bodies work…” He looked away out of embarrassment.

“Oh, I can show you.” You reassured him. “Ah- What??” He stared at you slightly horrified, slightly considering your offer.

“Yeah dude, there’s a ton of books about human anatomy. Going from the bone to the skin. I can order you one online! If you want, of course.” You pulled out your phone and showed him various different anatomy books.

“Oh… No thanks, I'm fine.” He turned down your offer in a slightly disappointed tone.

“That’s fine. I need to go out of town for a bit to go get something, see you later!” You waved goodbye as you started to walk to the train station. You then suddenly felt a sharp pain in your stomach, but you kept on walking.

You couldn’t see him, but you knew he was waving goodbye right back at you.

(A/N: i wrote this in one night i hope you enjoy!! Ill try to include sally and julie in the next chapter :3333)

#welcome home #welcome home fanfic #wally darling #wally darling x reader #y/n #gross #periods #menstration #x reader #toaster-hair #should this fic be abbreviated to THN or TAHITN

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joels6string · 1 year

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More Than My Father's Son

Joel Miller x f!OC

Chapter 5 - Search and Rescue

Summary: A chance encounter on patrol leads to intel too troublesome to leave uninvestigated.

Rating: E

Word Count: 5.5k

Content: NSFW, high levels of violence normal to the TLOU world, angst, fluff, miscommunication trope (it’s Joel Miller…), slow burn, Joel’s traumatic childhood, getting together, smut, canon divergence after SLC, fix-it fic

Chapter 4 || Series Masterlist

The green that normally surrounded you had exploded into flames, the orange, yellows, and reds bursting from the trees and raining to the ground was a sight you’d never tire of. As the leaves had begun to change, the knot always present in your chest loosened. Joel and Tommy had repaired your roof, and cooking lessons with Indy were still ongoing but had proved somewhat useful as the jeans you’d been given upon arrival were passed back to the swap shop in favor of the next size up.

“Are you coming over tonight?” your favorite chef called from ahead of you, the next outpost on your assigned route coming into view, “Ellie was asking, guess she prefers my cooking.”

The smug look on your partner-turned-friend’s face said it all, Ellie’s budding relationship with her half Indy’s skill at cooking and half the fact that she let her sip at a whiskey that still went down rough during dinner.

“Only if you’re making that soup again,” you replied, your eyes following a leaf as it twirled through the sky.

“You want me to make that soup because Joel likes it,” her tone was teasing and all-knowing, “And I know you send your leftovers with Ellie to give to him.”

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“He brings me the containers back.”

It was true, Joel did like it, and no matter how hard you tried to remember just how she did it, the steps never stuck. You didn’t expect him to be the one giving you away. Although, Ellie was in on the ruse of telling him bringing him home a bowl was always entirely her idea.

Things had been tepid but pleasant after the summer incident. You’d spent two weeks letting the cut on your hand heal and Maria had taken too much time in forcing you out of your house and into society. You had a shelf of books now, your focus having improved enough over the last four weeks you could sit in the new armchair Tommy had found with you in mind for at least an hour at a time. Ellie supplied you with more than enough movies, opting to spend Fridays at your house now filling you in on her weekly favorites. Maria always made sure you had the day off.

You sat for drinks at the Tipsy Bison every Thursday, keeping quiet but sitting with the group as they conversed candidly. Indy had come to realize Joel was only someone to fear if you’d earned it, teasing him constantly about seeing another glimmer of that fire from the field again while Tommy teased her bravery for poking the bear. It all felt right and wrong at the same time, the walk back to your house Joel always insisted on accompanying you for the most natural twenty minutes of the evening.

“We’ll go to the market when we get back,” Indy said as she pulled the heavy steel door shut behind you, “You’re buying.”

“Deal,” you agreed, “I’ll even write the recipe down this time.”

In an abrupt motion that had your heart skipping, she bolted quickly to the open window, her rifle pointing up at the sky as you followed after her, ready to fire at whatever threat she’d spotted but finding nothing out of place or amiss.

“Oh,” she sighed in relief, lowering her weapon as your eyes darted around, “Sorry. Thought pigs were flying.”

“Fuck you,” you groaned, laughing as you shoved at her shoulder, finding the logbook on the table and pausing at the neat ‘Clear -J’ on the most recently filled-in line, “We all clear?”

“Just check the back.”

The floorboards creaked beneath your boots as you wove through the remnants of office furniture, your hand gliding over rotting wood just lightly enough to keep it from splintering into your skin. The fall air was crisp as you breathed it in, the cold of wintering hinting in the sweet aroma. It would frost soon, the mountains welcoming winter sooner than you would have liked for its extended stay well into the months you’d recognize as spring.

“Is anyone there?!” you heard a voice calling, the hair on the back of your neck prickling as you pulled your pistol from the tattered holster on your thigh, “Please!”

“Shit…” you hissed under your breath, your back colliding with the wall beside the door, your head peering around just enough to see a man in the clearing ahead.

“Please! I…I need help! Just…I saw horses!”

“Mother fucker,” Indy sneered as she took cover at the other edge of the frame, “I’m not falling for this. Tell me you’re not falling for this?”

Almost every single one of your razor-sharp instincts told you to hop on the back of your horse and bolt, save a single tickle at the back of your head. There was a tug on a thread that had been loose for months now, the reminder that at one point in the not-so-distant past you’d been a straggler collected by a man willing to take a chance.

“Jesus Christ,” Indy scolded at your silence, “Let’s go.”

“Who’s with you?!” you yelled through the missing glass, Indy groaning as she clicked the safety off on her weapon.

“Just my son!” the man replied, hope seeping into his voice, “Please! I’m unarmed!”

“Well that’s fucking stupid,” Indy muttered, earning her a dirty look, “He’s lying. Millie, he’s lying. Eugene barely made it home alive two weeks ago—“

“Show me the kid!” you demanded, ignoring Indy entirely, your fate now dependent on this momentary lapse in judgment.

When a boy no older than eight emerged from behind a tree that should have been too narrow to hide him, your spine straightened. You could hear Indy muttering under her breath as the frail child slid behind his father, peering out from around his hip with wide, terrified eyes. With your gun raised, you kicked the door open, Indy following closely behind and demanding for hands to be in sight at all times, the man obliging as he watched with fear and hope swirling in his gaze.

“Talk,” you instructed, the muzzle of your gun inches from his forehead as he dropped to his knees in surrender.

“We’re…looking for a place called Jackson,” his voice was shaking, eyes averted, “It’s a myth…but we couldn’t stay…had to chance it.”

“Are you bit?”

“No!”

“Spores?”

“Traveled in open air, I swear.”

“Anyone follow you?”

“We snuck past a camp three days ago, but they never saw us.”

“A camp?” Indy cut in, “Where?”

“By the river.”

Another problem added to the growing list. Maria and Tommy would want as much information about the visitors encroaching on the protected territory, risking Jackson’s people and resources wasn't something either of them took lightly. The possibility this man was a scout passed through your mind, flashing like a warning beacon as you felt Indy’s eyes staring. She’d left this decision up to you and was impatiently awaiting your verdict.

“Is this your dad?” you asked the boy, putting your gun back in its holster and hoping for the best as you kneeled to get on his level, “Tell me the truth.”

“How did you get that scar?” he asked after a nod, timid as a mouse, his big brown eyes so terrified it made your stomach clench.

“Bad people.”

“Like the people at the river?”

“You tell me.”

“They took mommy.”

Caught in a lie, the man began to stammer in defense as Indy doubled down, her gun still raised as she took a menacing step toward him. He detailed their journey, the narrow escape from the hunters camping on the water banks, and the loss of his wife who had been taken as the child's eyes remained transfixed on the long scar slashed across your nose and cheeks. He promised none had followed, swore on his life, begged for at least the boy, James, to be taken to safety or spared, your own intentions becoming murkier to the survivor who had begun to weep.

“Let’s go,” you snapped, “Give me your pack, the kid can ride with me.”

“So I get to ride with the weirdo?!” Indy chastised as you began to search through the man’s bag, finding food that had been stretched too thin and clothes worn down enough to be sheer.

“Where are you taking us?” you were asked as Indy helped the small boy up to sit in front of you in the saddle, her grip on the father's coat collar rough as she tugged him towards her own waiting mare.

“It’s your lucky day, Simon,” she taunted, “We’re headed to the mythical land of Jackson.”

The first face you saw as the wooden gates of Jackson closed behind you was unexpected, Joel bursting out of the stables and running with Tommy hot on his heels.

“Who the hell is this?” he growled, placing himself between you and Simon as if you hadn’t just ridden miles beside him on a horse.

“Simon,” you answered, the way the new gray and black flannel Joel was wearing hugged his shoulders slowing your speech, “and James. They come bearing bad news.”

After scans to the backs of their necks, the Tipsy Bison welcomed them just as it had you almost three months ago. They devoured the food put in front of them unlike you had, Tommy and Joel immediately planning the scout of this supposed encampment for the following morning at dawn.

“They’re armed,” Simon warned, his face falling at the decision to take on the hunters head-on.

“So are we,” Joel replied, his tone hard and menacing, “You two comin’?”

“Of course!” Indy answered with an air of sarcasm, “Who could refuse?”

With the help of Simon, an ambush was planned, Tommy thanking you for having the judgment to trust the stranger enough to bring him back. It had gone against every one of your most basic instincts, trusting a man in the wild like that, and your eyes drifted over to Joel as you contemplated exactly why that was. You hadn’t trusted him either, and he hadn’t trusted you, but here you sat beside him in a bar enclosed in the safest stronghold the United States had to offer.

“Is your wife alive?” Joel asked Simon as Tommy began to lead him and his son to the inn for the night.

“Last I knew,” he answered sadly, the reality of why that was settling onto Joel’s face in a furious scowl.

“Can you handle a gun?”

“Joel…” you scolded, this man clearly in no state to be storming into the trenches, “He’s not up for it. If there are women there, we’re getting them all out regardless.”

Your tone left no room for argument, and Joel’s surrender was swift as you turned to follow Indy to finally begin your evening plans, “Yes ma’am.”

“She’s terrifying,” Simon muttered when you were just out of earshot, a smirk ticking up one corner of Joel’s lips.

“She is, ain’t she?” he chuckled, smiling fondly as you disappeared further and further into the gray autumn dusk.

An impatient Ellie was seated on the stoop of Indy’s single-story home, her face lighting up when you rounded the corner before bounding down the street to meet you. Her “you’re fucking late” had you smiling, your arm slinging around her shoulders as you explained yourself honestly, promising to make it up to her Friday when she came by.

“I already picked the movie,” she bragged as you dropped the bag of groceries onto Indy’s counter, “Something with planes.”

“Talk to me, Goose!” you recited, a toothy grin breaking onto Ellie’s face.

“Goodness gracious great balls of fire!” Indy chimed in with a bushel of carrots as a microphone, Ellie promptly inviting her to join the Friday festivities and beaming once again when it was accepted.

The lessons in the kitchen were just as much for you as they were for Ellie, her dinner postponed dinner party having ended before it began when Joel walked into his kitchen so filled with smoke it had left his eyes red for two days after. You’d teased him about it passing him at the stables after patrols, for a man that had tossed smoke bombs he scrounged up from expired explosives and sugar, he certainly had gone soft.

“This is what you’re missing,” Indy informed as she tossed a bushel of green herbs in front of you, “Thyme.”

“Guess it’s time to start learning how to grow herbs in my backyard,” you replied, trying to keep a straight face through the terrible joke that had Ellie practically on the floor and Indy giving you a dead stare that reminded you of someone else.

Gardening was something that had piqued your interest, it always had. You’d tried to maintain a small Pothos in your dorm room, the lack of light killing even the most hearty of plants, and then the world had gone to shit. Ellie had griped about her hatred of farming rotation, but every time you passed Maria in the streets or saw her at the Bison, you were tempted to request a week here or there in the greenhouses. Winter was approaching, but a book on the subject sat waiting by the armchair in the living room, Joel having accompanied you to the swap shop with the last of your venison from his freezer to exchange for the pile of to-be-reads.

“Don’t chop food with that!” Indy screeched as the familiar click of Ellie’s switchblade broke through the comfortable silence, “You kill things with it!”

“I washed it!” Ellie defended, grumbling to herself as she pocketed it, picking up the provided knife laying beside her on the counter.

All you could do was laugh at the exchange, your fingers staining green as you plucked at the thyme you’d been thrown. The prep went quickly with three hands, the pot bubbling on the stove as the deck of cards was quickly brought out, a lively round of blackjack ongoing between Ellie and Indy as you dealt.

Clean-ups and laundry services were wagered, with Ellie bringing home the big win of Indy’s hand in clothes washing for the next week, a full basket waiting to be scrubbed back at her little converted garage. After dinner was shared, Ellie was sent home with two containers, one for her and one for Joel, with Indy sliding you a third with a knowing smirk.

“Before you go,” she blurted out as you followed Ellie out the front door, “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t listen to me today.”

Quickly you spun, running out onto the porch and almost knocking Ellie straight onto the ground, “Oh,” you sighed in relief, “Thought pigs were flying for a second.”

“After I fed you dinner.”

“See you bright and early.”

“Can’t wait! Nothing like the smell of gunpowder in the morning.”

When Ellie asked where you were going as you walked her home, you skirted around the subject. There was no need to worry her, she’d already been particularly on edge since the incident six weeks ago. You knew she could tell you were lying, and as much as it ate away at you, it was for the best. Her life had become exponentially easier and less burdened once the walls of Jackson had welcomed you, but you knew the years of freedom from worry would be short for her already being 15, she could savor the time she had to be carefree.

As you rounded the corner from the greenhouses to the back gate closest to her little house, soft notes of music greeted you, the sight of Joel on the porch gently plucking the strings of an acoustic guitar lit by the dull orange glow of his backlight held your gaze as Ellie bid you goodbye. She laughed while your brain caught up to her words, a quick, nervous goodbye mumbled as you quickly glanced at her teasing expression before returning to what would be seared into your memory. Your feet carried you subconsciously toward him, his eyes finding yours in the dark.

“Hey,” he greeted, gruff but soft, tuning the instrument in his hands with subtle turns of the pegs, “Thanks for walkin’ her home.”

“Sure,” you choked out, your mouth dry, “I didn’t know you could play guitar.”

“Yeah. Been playin’ since I was a kid. Haven’t touched one in some twenty years now though.”

“Sounded fine to me.”

“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

With nothing but a gesture, he welcomed you to take the empty chair on the porch, a round table with a bottle of whiskey and a tumbler set between the two seats. He picked up where he’d left off, unbothered by your intrusion, his shoulders relaxed and his features serene as his fingers ran off of muscle memory untainted by decades of disuse.

“Help yourself,” he offered, his chin ticking towards the amber liquid to his left, and you filled the empty glass halfway at his invitation.

The whiskey was warm as it settled in your stomach, the cool night air nipping at your nose and cheeks as you settled back in the chair, your eyes fluttering closed as the notes of his song traveled with the breeze. This was contentment you hadn’t felt in a very long time, not one you could vibrantly remember anyway. Your thoughts calmed for a moment, each twang of the guitar recentering you in this serenity, your fingers tapping absentmindedly on the glass now sitting ignored in your lap.

“I ain’t carrying you home,” he teased, one of your eyes opening into a slit to peek at him.

“Can I have a blanket at least?” you jested in return, enjoying the toothy grin stretching up on his face.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Another gulp of liquor preceded your meditative state returning, his song continuing longer after finding the perfect harmony. You weren’t sure how much time had passed when silence roused you from tranquility, his fingers pulling the glass from your lazy grip.

“No, keep going,” you mumbled, it was almost a whine, but a breathy laugh followed the request.

“Yes, ma’am.”

It seemed darker, a little cooler, Ellie’s lights were still on but some of the surrounding windows that had been illuminated before were now black. Joel seemed indifferent to the late hour, decades of long, days-long stretches without sleep still wearing on him, the dark circles beneath his eyes improved but not indiscernible. His hair had grown longer, the length now closer to what you recognized from your time on the road, the curls behind his ears beginning to reappear.

“You should get home,” he announced, pouring a glass of whiskey and downing it in one shot, “We got an early mornin’.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, already missing the state the night had put you in and hoping it lasted long enough to get you to sleep, “Okay.”

“Want me to walk you?’

“No. I’m okay. Thank you though.”

A restless night followed, the faint hint of a song replaying in the back of your mind enough to at least stop you from screeching into the gray morning light as it filtered into your windows, the cold sweat coating your skin enough to remind you of the horrors that had filled your nightly rest. You dressed quickly, eating breakfast slowly as you watched the clock tick closer to 7 AM. The sun greeted you a little later each morning as autumn approached, the air still with its overnight frost stinging your lungs as you took off towards the stables. Joel’s house was on your way, the hope of crossing paths with him inflating in your chest like a balloon all to be popped as he was nowhere to be found despite your slowed steps.

The stables were bustling with the team of six heading out, the Miller brothers, Indy, Paulie, and Eugene all prepping their horses during your apparently late arrival. Indy teased you while you scrambled to fill your quiver and grab a few magazines of ammo for your handgun, your breathless thank you to her as she passed the reins to your saddled horse to you putting you in her debt. “Ellie’s laundry is now yours.”

“That is not a fair trade-off! For putting a saddle on!? Are you out of your mind?” you argued to your laughter, “I’ll help you. Best you’ll get.”

Despite the stakes and danger that lay ahead, the ride was surprisingly lighthearted. When the river came into view, however, business took over. Tommy and Joel had established that the hunters had likely moved closer, opting to camp for a few days between shifts. Jackson might have been a myth to some men, like Simon, but to others, its lands were a hunting ground for unexpecting survivors eager to regain some normalcy. Hunters, slavers, and cannibals alike stalked the woods preying on the innocent. Fear that this group was a faction of slavers was high, few groups took women and kept them alive.

“Okay, listen up,” Tommy announced, a plume of smoke visible from the shoreline of the river less than half a mile away, “Indy, Arrow, find the women. That is your job. Take out who you can, but the four of us will clear you a path. They ain’t gonna want to see any of us, it’s gotta be you. Understood?”

Not that you were a soft place to land, but you understood the sentiment.

“Joel and Paulie, take right, Eugene and I will take left,” Tommy finished, Joel’s grumbles of protest were heard throughout the group as you suppressed a smile, “We’re all making it out. No questions asked. Be safe. Be smart. Home for dinner.”

“I am not cooking,” Indy butt in, “Not this time.”

“Well, the Bison it is then,” Eugene conceded, “I could use one of Seth’s sandwiches. Haven’t had one in a bit.”

“Okay, focus,” Joel snapped, “We can worry about dinner when we’re all out. Alive.”

“You’re insufferable when she’s around…” Paulie mumbled what he though was only to himself, Tommy’s arm immediately shooting out to stop his brother from lunging, “Eugene and I can take the right! He’d get me killed keeping his eyes locked on his prize.”

“I swear to God!”

“Shut the hell up! Both of you!” Tommy snapped, “Joel, with me. Jesus Christ.”

“You should look a little less excited,” Indy whispered in your ear, your jaw snapping shut at her warning.

Gravel cracked beneath your boots as you crept towards the muddy bank, not a soul spotted mingling about yet, red flags waving in all of your heads as you continued the approach. Indy was muttering under her breath about how fucked this was, there was no way this wasn’t a trap, and you were inclined to agree.

“It’s too quiet,” you hissed at Joel as the two of you took cover behind a large boulder, the camp completely visible and notably deserted, “Something is wrong here.”

“Yeah,” he growled, “Shit.”

“Look, camp’s empty,” Paulie spoke too loudly, everyone’s wide eyes shooting to him filled with confusion and rage, “maybe they left something behind.”

“Push forward,” Tommy commanded, you and Joel both sighing in disagreement, “We gotta at least look around.”

With weapons drawn, you crept forward, noting that even though this camp was haphazardly put together, it was expansive. Someone had no intention of leaving here anytime soon, the question was where that someone might be. The silence was deafening, your leg throbbing as memories clawed at your fragile psyche that had just begun to shoddily repair. It had been silent that day too, until gunfire echoed through the neighborhood and the pain became too much to resist.

“Hey,” a deep southern voice rumbled from beside you, “I got you.”

“He asked me to bring her back,” you choked, recalling the ride back to Jackson with Simon and James in tow, “either way.”

“And we will.”

If only the confidence in his voice was reassuring.

Muffled voices were heard, halting all of you in your tracks, cover being taken as Joel went ahead alone, your heart hammering as your eyes stayed locked on him, your finger twitching against the trigger of your gun as every muscle tensed waiting for the need to strike. When Joel halted and crouched behind a pile of firewood, his arm shot up, four fingers pointing up towards the sky. Six on four was no concern, in fact, it was probably almost too easy.

“Okay,” Tommy began, the plan now being set into full motion, “Ladies, you know your job, we’ll do the rest. Search every tent, they gotta be in one of ‘em.”

“There has to be more than four,” Indy warned, pulling you back down to the ground as you rose, still staring at the man ten yards ahead of you.

“Maybe. Maybe not. They’re probably out huntin’ and this our time for an easy strike. We pick those four off and take the rest out at the wall when they come lookin’. Easy.”

The logic made sense. It was now or never, with or without Indy at your side. As she went to press her argument with Tommy, you took advantage of her distraction, taking off uncaring of who followed. You and Joel had taken out more than four hunters in your day, you could do it again. The sound of your boots had him rising to his feet, his finger pointing to a larger tent off in the distance, the one the men were closest to. There was no doubt in your mind he was right.

With a nod, you were off, Indy hot on your heels as the men engaged the four sitting around a fire, somehow managing to finish the job without a shot going off in an attempt to not alert anyone who may still be lurking nearby. The tent you and Joel had assumed housed who you were looking for turned out to be filled with supplies, ones you hoped you had the time to search through later, leaving you and Indy to search the remaining half a dozen tents.

“Nothin’?” Tommy asked as your head emerged from the third with a downtrodden expression, “Shit.”

“Maybe they’re deeper in the woods,” you suggested as Indy came back from searching the final three with nothing, “It would make sense. Isolate them, make them feel stranded, helpless.”

“Okay. Fan out, whistle if you need. No more than ten minutes and we regroup. I’m serious. I don’t like this.”

Stress and tensions were high as you and Indy walked deeper into the woods, her warnings it was time to turn back went unheeded; they had to be here, they had to be somewhere. A whistle from your right set your feet into a sprint, Paulie and Eugene standing outside a dilapidated shed sealed with too shiny a padlock. A hand stopped your gun as you raised it, Joel coming to stand beside you with a look of warning in his eyes.

“Be smart,” he cautioned in a low voice, knowing how you got in high stake situations, “I’ll get it.”

The butt of his shotgun took out the lock in three blows, the edge of the door shattering at the impact. You went in first, your blood running ice cold in your veins at the sight before you.

“Oh my God…” you muttered, Indy’s equally shocked breath echoing beside you, “Joel…”

“Christ,” he exhaled, his hand pulling you slightly behind him as he surveyed the group of eight all staring at you with wide, terrified eyes, “We’re here to help…and we don’t have much time.”

Indy took over, the group sighing in relief when everyone was on their feet. At least they could walk. The walk back to the horses was quick and guarded, the six of you forming a perimeter around the women all huddled together, one visibly pregnant but you doubt she was alone in that. They were understandably skeptical, but somewhat hopeful it seemed, all of them looking to you like a beacon of hope, of reason.

“Get them on the horses. Indy, Arrow, can you share one?” Tommy strategized, with fourteen people and six horses, this had turned into a predicament, “Paulie, Eugene, get on the last one. Joel and I will walk.”

“I want to check that tent,” you reminded them, Indy staying back to help get everyone loaded up to go while you, Joel, and Tommy advanced, Paulie and Eugene staying planted in the middle ground.

There was some food that would come in handy, various boxes of ammo you stuffed into packs uncaring of what it was, you’d find a use for it, and one little canvas sack of what felt like dry beans that had your lips lifting into a smile when you brought it to your nose.

“Hey Tex!” you called out, tossing Joel the bag as soon as his attention was on you, his brow furrowing as he peaked inside, the contents setting his face aglow.

“Well I’ll be damned,” he sighed, grinning so wide it sparkled into his hazel eyes.

“Hey,” Paulie snapped, “Why’s he get that?”

“Cause Deacon has a favorite,” Eugene answered with a wink in your direction.

“Deacon has a debt actually,” you corrected, movement catching in your peripheral.

The whistle of your arrow through the air caught everyone’s attention, the cry of a man taking a bolt to the chest cavity setting off a row of dominoes on a trail to disaster. As more men emerged from the trees, panic set in. Five turned to seven and then seven to twelve… Tommy was screaming at Indy to take off, don’t even slow down until the walls of Jackson were well in sight while Joel bellowed at you from behind a stack of firewood to get to the god damn horse, but as a chain of automatic gunfire cracked through the woods the world fell away.

Standing like a target in the middle of a field, the rattling of the assault rifle had you frozen in place. The echoes of FEDRA soldiers, the rumbling of a tank, the smell of smoke, gunpowder, and decay, the screams of the QZ citizens caught in a war zone…

“Tommy!” You didn’t know a Tommy. Who was Tommy? “Cover me!”

Cover him. You could cover. You knew how to cover. Your pistol was heavy on your thigh and cold in your fingers as you pulled it from its holster, firing off in front of you despite having no target in sight.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ!” Maybe there was a target.

Whipping around wildly in search of him, your ears began to ring as a flash bang went off, shrouding your surroundings in a smoky haze. It all came flooding back as the piercing shrill grew louder, the smoke growing thicker as you began to choke, and you weren’t sure if the tears streaming down your face were a product of the burn or the memories that now went hurtling to the forefront of your mind and trapped you in your nightmares here in the light of day.

An arm wrapping around your middle pushed what little air you’d been able to bring into your lungs, your feet forced to shuffle as it pulled you backward, your back hitting something jagged and splintering as you were tossed to the ground and caged in. You couldn’t hear a thing, your eyes locked on the dirt as your body focused on its need for air. Someone was in front of you, you could feel the heat radiating off of them, something was grazing against your cheek, a jacket maybe, or the edge of a knife. You couldn’t be sure. Bullet shells rained down from above you, one brass cylinder falling into your lap, smoke still billowing from the searing metal, at least whoever it was wasn’t shooting at you.

“Joel, get her out of here!”

That name... You knew that name.

“Joel?” It was a plea, an anchor, a place to ground yourself.

His canvas coat was rough in your fingers as you realized it was gripped between your knuckles, the comforting sight of a red and black flannel coming into view as you breathed in the familiar scent of leather and wood. Joel.

“Move,” it was a command, his voice hard with what could be anger or focus, you couldn’t be sure.

A large palm swallowed your upper arm whole as you were lifted to your feet and forced to take off into a sprint you weren’t prepared for. His grip kept you upright every time you tripped, the whinny of a horse startling you as you were lifted and tossed into a saddle.

“You ride and you don’t look back, you understand?” he instructed, shooting his eyes over his shoulder, “Do you understand?”

With a snarl at your lack of response, he slapped the horse’s back end, your hands forced to grip the horn of the saddle for dear life as the horse took off in a gallop.

“Joel!” you yelled as you steadied yourself enough to look back and see him disappear into the trees and gunshots, “JOEL!”

Chapter 6

Pretty art of them from this chapter that makes me swoon (why is tumblr eating the quality of images worse than usual today. annoying.)

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fic #tlou fanfiction #tlou fic

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cookiepie11 · 8 months

Text

Tickletober day 2 - accidental (ddlc tickle fic)

Hey! So I skipped day 1 since I lacked ideas or motivation XP sorry bout that!

This is a sfw tickle fic so if you don't like that you can scroll now ^^

Lee! Natsuki Ler! Yuri (this can be a ship or just friendship whatever you want! :3)

"Yuri thats not how you do it!" Natsuki said with a frown and tried to snatch mixing bowl away from Yuri (despite being like 20 times shorter than her)

"Okay just chill out" she replied annoyed and gave her the mixing bowl "H how am I supposed to do it then?"

Natsuki took the bowl and flipped her short hair for emphasis "Okay so you hold it tightly against yourself and you have to mix it hard and quick!"

"Oh I see sorry." Yuri said feeling slightly shy

"Don't apologise dumbie!" Natsuki teased and smirked up at her, and gave her the bowl back "just stir the damn mixture it's almost done"

"Oh okay" Yuri smiled with a slight blush and took the bowl back copying natsuki's technique and seeing how much quicker it all mixed together using her method.

~ 5 mins later ~

"okay now we have to add the sprinkles to the mixture for extra sweetness and kawaii magic" Natsuki quoted to which Yuri laughed.

"I bet you got that from one of your anime manga things didn't you natsuki?"

"huff.." natsuki said with a blush and crossed her arms "how did you even know that?'

"Because you used silly and cutesty words" Yuri said and smiled down at the smaller girl who had an angered face

"MANGA AND ANIME ARE NOT SILLY!" Natsuki said and poked Yuri's side.

"Ah! Hey don't poke me!" Yuri said with a blush and poked natsuki's belly catching her off guard resulting in a giggle.

"Gah- don't do that!" Natsuki said embarrassed.

"why not?? Yuri said and tilted her head before finally catching on "oh? Oh are you really that ticklish?"

"WHA? No!!" She replied defensively

Yuri smiled down at the cute girl and started to spider her long nails up her sides making her squeak

"Wahait yuri stahap!" She giggled and tried to grab at Yuri's hands

"This is a chance that I can't let pass sorry!"

"Hahah fuhuck you Yuri" natsuki said and laughed not even fighting at he hands anymore.

"Exscuse me? Language natsuki!"

"Okahay actually stop now!" Natsuki yelled

"okay okay." Yuri stopped and smiled "hehe that was.. cute"

"WAH? shut up you...dumbie!" Natsuki said flustered

#sfw tickling community #sfw tk blog #ddlc tickles #Lee natsuki #Ler Yuri #augtickletober2023 #tickletober #tickle fic

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thegongoozlerreacts · 6 months

Text

Dead Plate (Part 1)

hello!! its been a while since ive posted but here i am!!! so this game is Dead Plate created by STUDIO INVESTIGRAVE

i had played one of their games before, Elevator Hitch, and i really really enjoyed it! so im very excited for this new game that theyve released

though, this game is probably really different from Elevator Hitch, because that game was a visual novel type of game while this one has restaurant tycoon gameplay

still, im very excited

i hope i can get all the endings today (but probably not) as always, spoilers under the cut!

i know its literally just the title screen BUT it looks very classy

also the music? its a bop like yo BellKalengar is the composer and sound designer and like yo!! amazing job its literally just the title screen and im amazed already LMFAO

alright then lets begin

lolol i like the way they named the buttons for doing the tutorial, skipping the tutorial or just leaving the game on auto progress time to show up at 5 am then

the art is really cute these characters are really cute too esp the protag

i know its just the tutorial but i am very nervous LOL doing service jobs make me nervous (even tho this is only a fictional one)

bro protag why did u skim the interview thing 😭 is that why u've had 28 jobs in 7 years 💀

ooh interesting the cooks have an order in which they cook meals i need to remember that

wow so theres a lot to do huh theres seating the customers, taking their orders, bringing those orders to the kitchen, serving the food, going to the cash register to take their payments, cleaning up the tables AND throwing out the trash its a lot more than i was expecting,,,, lol good luck to me i guess

so like fun fact im actually not that good at playing games LOL esp this kind of game where theres like people and they have like a happy meter kind of thing going on i wonder if any of the endings will be tied to how well we do during the work day ?? probably

also can i just say that the music is really good i like the kinda jazzy (is that the right word??) vibes going on

it makes me less nervous about serving customers since its very chill LOL

WHY IS THIS CUSTOMER HITTING ME WITH A HARD QUESTION

I HAVE NO IDEA IF WE HAVE TO-GO BOXES OR WHATEVR WHAT HUH ?????

there is a right answer and i have no idea what it is im gonna lose my mind please. ok well lets pick an answer

im gonna go 'no' since the restaurant has a strict menu that changes daily right? so maybe they wouldnt do to-go boxes or ordering ahead and stuff (RIGHT???)

oh phew ok i picked the right one

LOL the banter between the protag and the tutorial guy (i dont know his name)

??? what the hell this customer just left right as i got the food bro 😭😭 have some patience damn this aint a fast food place

now i have to throw away this perfectly good meal (sorry cooks)

oh no now the real game is starting uhh aight alright then lets go

ok so that was like only three customers, i did pretty well but the day's not over yet shdajhsdsakhj i feel like a disaster n it was only three customers LMAO

oh it was only 3 customers for day 1 nice (i got jumpscared by the sound effect for the day ending LFMAO)

ooh green onion rolls,,, it looks good damn now i want to eat LOL

BITCH YOU LIVE LIKE THIS?????? damn,,,,

the music for this area is pretty chill tho

THE BATHROOM IS FLOODING??? AGAIN ?!??! BRO ??? THATS DISGUSTING

the window has a horrible view its just another building

oho? she? who???

bro dont leave the dishes for later thats sooo gross

??? HOW DID YOU BURN CEREAL???? WHAT DID YOU EVEN DO ??

i am appalled at the protag's lifestyle i cant even

so he has not finished writing lyrics and love letters for this girl he mentioned earlier the game is not revealing her name and im wondering why hmm its very sus

sorry im laughing so hard??? its mostly empty except for some cans and the fucking green onion rolls im cackling?? they look so out of place in this fridge LMFAO

bro how are you so bad at cooking that you burnt food in the microwave??? what are you doing???

wait. is his bed the couch???? bro i feel so bad for this guy

he biked through the rain,,,,, and he thought doing it fast would dry him,,, in the rain,,,,, im starting to understand why he somehow managed to burn cereal

he doesnt own an umbrella

aww this is cute thanks boss

he LIVES here??? wow damn his apartment is upstairs thats very cool

LOL protag keep ur mouth shut

day 2 here we go

SHIT HELP I TOOK TOO LONG ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS LEFT NOOO im restarting jkdsljlds its a good thing i saved

ahh i did way better this time but the day ended right as i was about to take out the trash LOL

oooh those look tasty too

oops ok so like i started day 3 right

well i was like 'i'll take out the trash before serving any customers' so that i can just easily clean up the tables right

uhh but then suddenly this happened ??? so like protag dropped the bag and cut their finger and the boss is having an odd reaction to the sight of blood methinks

HTHE BOSS JUST SLAPPED HIM ??? WTF

bro he just slapped him then was like 'oh dw someone else will clean it up' hello???? you just slapped ???? me ???

ok then moving on to the rest of the day i guess??

kinda weird looking but it still looks appetizing (the magic of art LOL)

oh shit theres a magazine ?? oops im gonna go back and read through previous ones oh nevermind its just the same one lmao

ohhh so this is where i buy items ok aight

and this catalogue is how our protag knew about the job for a waiter it also has an interview with our boss (Chef Vincent Charbonneau, i finally know his name) about the low number of employees i was wondering why we were the only waiter in the restaurant and i guess thats why

ok i bought the rollerskates cuz i need to be faster for the customers

oh and u can interact w the telephone to call 'her' but she doesnt pick up oof

sorry what is happening right now

what is that weird squelching sound?!?!?

BRO?? WTF WAS THAT ??? so like his body felt itchy, pressed Z to scratch and then suddenly lines were all over his body and then knives came out and i am so very confused

i think that was just a dream but what a weird nightmare

i guess onto day 4 then ?? at least i have my sick new rollerskates now

ooh that looks tasty

man i think im too slow cuz the timer always runs out while one more customer is still around lmfao, oh well

oh shit another nightmare

ohh so i can only equip one item at a time hmmm well since i bought the watch anyways i guess i'll use it

PFFT A CUSTOMER LEFT SORRY LADY,, she was waiting to be seated but i was preoccupied with serving food oopsies

restarting the day then

the nightmare hmm is the protag's name Rody since thats what it says on the label

DAMNIT I TOOK TOO LONG AGAIN

ok im just gonna use the rollerskates this time

AGGHH I KEEP TAKING TOO LONG ON THIS ONE CUSTOMER

restarting again,,,,

should i just let it go? probably but im not going to

IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND IVE RESTARTED SO MANY TIMES

ok well youve not seen it but i have restarted day 5 soo many times and i am hungry so,,, here's where i'll leave it for today

even though i am struggling and getting frustrated, im really enjoying the game so far! i wish i wasnt so terrible at playing it so i could see more of the story LOL

like what is up with the boss? who is this girl that the protag likes so much? what is up with his weird nightmares??? and will i ever be able to finish day 5 ?????

tune in next time LOL byebyeee

#dead plate

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leasstories · 2 months

Text

Letter six:

TW: Depiction of grief; after Eddie’s death

Letter 5 - Letter 7

April 30th, 1986

Eddie,

I don't even know why I am writing those lines. But I miss you, and I'm angry at everyone who treated you badly. I saw Mrs Cunningham at the store and she started badmouthing on you. You can't imagine how much that hurts. To hear words about your boyfriend, your lover than you know aren't true.

I have to find a way to make see how you really where, who you were deep down. I just can't the idea that people still hate you and you did everything in your power to save them...

They should be so fucking grateful. But the problem is that they don't know that. They don't know how you really left us nor why.

I've been feeling sick lately. I don't know what happening to me.

Anyways, I called Hopper this morning. I got a part-time job as a secretary for now. He didn't want to give me a full-time job because of my current mental state.

He already told me that if one day I didn't feel like going to work, I could skip and he'd still pay me. He is a sweetheart but I can't accept this.

Wayne's invited me to play poker this afternoon. He told me all about how you've stopped playing with him when you were 15. You know, he wished he had one last game with you. He told me you were good at it. I wasn't that good. I wish you could have taught me...

I didn't really answer, I still cannot talk about you, except to defend you. As for Wayne he can only do it when he's remembering something about you. It's hard to hear him talk about you, but I can't be selfish, he needs it and that's why I'll let him talk about you as much as he wants. Even though it hurts.

Wayne said he would stop by this afternoon.I really have to clean up the trailer... I never have the strength to do mundane tasks and the trailer is a real mess. You would tell me: "Sweetheart, you're worse than me." And you would have chuckled.

I really don't want Wayne to see how bad I'm doing. He is already there for me more than he should. Besides it would break his heart and the poor man already has to cope with your departure so I don't want him to have to cope with my shitty mental state.

I know he already sees I am not doing good, I just don't want him to see the extent of how bad I feel. I don't want to add this pressure on him. I don't want to become a burden.

Anyways, little genius finally finished writing the campaign. Even if it's hard I promised to him that I would read it so that's what I'm going to do right after writing this letter. I will tell you about everything about it tomorrow. But I'm sure it's gonna be good, as you always said, the kid's a genius, even though his ego is the size of the World Trade Center. I know you would have laughed at this joke. And called me a "smarty pants" but that's true ! Don't even try to argue with me on that !

Anyways, he gave me the campaign and I'll try reading today. They are going to play it on Friday. I can't watch it, I don't feel capable of doing so. I'm sorry Eddie, I know you want me to watch the campaign, I know you don't like the fact that I asked Dustin to kill off my character. But DnD without you makes no sense.

On a more positive note, I'm going out with Gareth and Jeff tonight. They said and I quote "we don't want to be sulking all alone in your house tonight so let's go The Hideout."

Gareth even added "please sneak some beers for me." Im not so fond of the idea but who am

I ? Definitely not his mom, so he'll get his beer. Don't worry, I'll supervise him.

The boys are missing you too you know. We're all missing you.

Eternally yours,

- Your sweetie

Taglist: @abellmunsonmovie

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x yn #eddie munson #the loneliest universe

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ranaissingle · 1 year

Text

Coffee or Tea pt.5

Masterlist Part 1 Part 4

Summary: Cuddles and then fluff and then smut. The true holy trinity if you ask me

Rating: M (I will mark where the smut starts for those who want to skip it)

Pairings: Austin x AFAB!Reader Word Count: 2.5k ( I think that's a record lol) Warnings: sex stuff, p in v sex, unprotected sex (pls use protection kids)

A/N: The long-awaited final chapter is here. It took me literally 5 days to write all of the smut bc, and I can't stress this enough, I have no idea what I am doing. Thank you all for following me on this journey. This was my first fanfiction, and the reception of my writing has been greater than everything I could have ever dreamed of. I love you all.

Also, please send me requests I have no inspiration

♡━━━━━━━♡━━━━━━ ♡━━━━━━ ♡

Following their less-than-innocent activities, Austin and Y/N had elected to retreat into her room to spend the rest of the night together.

Austin sat up from the couch with Y/N's body still securely wrapped around his and her legs hugging his waist.

"I'll take us to bed now m'kay?" Her soft reply of "mmhm" and nodding into his shoulder was all he needed to begin the short walk to her room.

He gently placed her on the bed with a tenderness that made tears well up in her eyes. His hands were soothing on her tense skin, and the gentle smile on his face made her heart skip a beat.

Austin looked up from his ministrations to catch her eyes.

"Darlin? Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?" The worry in Austin's voice was palpable. She dug her palms into her eye sockets to stem the flow of tears.

"N-no. You were perfect, it was nice. So nice that I don't know if this is real or a dream and I don't want it to end and I'm so scared that it will." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she had the chance to realize what it was she was actually saying. They were warbled from her tears and teetered on the edge of a confession she wasn't sure she wanted to make.

"It's all real Y/N, all of it and I don't want you to think that it is anything but real." Austin's voice cut through her anxiety like a knife through butter. Her shoulders sagged where he massaged her arm and he let her fall against his chest.

"Sorry, I've never felt or done any of this before so I guess you could say that I'm a little... shocked is all. I didn't think you would stick around afterward honestly."

Austin's laugh was crisp, "I’m sad you think so little of me, princess.'

"No! It's not like that. I know you wouldn't leave me like that because I know you are a good person. I guess I just have abandonment issues." She chuckled dryly.

"Listen darlin', I have meaning to tell you that I-. Well, I lov-"

She could swear she heard buzzing in her ear. He didn't say what she thought he said. Did he? No, he didn't, because that wouldn't make any sense.

Her nails dug into her palms.

That would mean that for the first time in her life, someone had loved her the way she did them. But that's not possible. Is it?

The thoughts spiraled in her mind and each one was darker than the last. He was lying to her. He was lying to get her to sleep with him. He was going to use her and then leave her alone like all the others.

Her hands felt clammy.

A large warm hand enveloped her own and the fog in her mind began to clear.

"Come back to me darlin'. Come back, please." The soft voice gently lulled her back into awareness. She felt like she was coming back up for air after being trapped underwater.

“Sorry. I- I didn't-" She could barely get a word out as she gulped down the fresh air.

Austin moved his hands to cup her face and repeated his earlier words.

"I love you. I love you so much it hurts. You are all I think about darlin' you are all I want."

"Austin." She gasped his name and pushed her lips against his soft ones.

She moved her mouth against his with a fervor she wasn't even sure she had. His tongue swiped the seam of her lips to ask for entrance and she happily gave it to him. He worked her in ways much different than before. He tilted her head every which way while he brought his hands down to palm her hips and bring her closer all at once.

Y/N was back in his lap with her legs stretched over his and Austin pulled away from her to speak.

"We don't have to go any further tonight if you don't want to. We don't even have to do it all if that's what you would wa-"

"I love you." Her voice was clear as a summer morning and almost like she had gathered more courage she spoke again.

"I love you Austin. More than I have ever loved anyone in my life."

Smut starts here (MDNI)

Austin groaned loud and fierce before he crashed his lips over hers again.

He was everywhere. His hands reached down to palm her clit once more through her clean panties.

"I know your body so well Y/N. I knew what to do before I even touched you for the first time." He punctuated his sentence with a quick flick of Y/N's clothed clit making her gasp and buck her hips into his. She felt his hard bulge straining against the seam of his pants.

She reached down to palm it softly. Austins' groan was so loud it practically shook the walls of her small apartment.

She retracted her palm before stuttering out, "S-Sorry! Did I hurt you?".

"No darlin' not at all. If anything, it feels too good. Something about your little hands just gets me goin'."

"Uh, do you... Do you want me to keep going?"

"Yeah baby, I want your hands on me for the rest of my life." His exasperated sigh and far-off stare told her all she needed to know.

Austin enveloped her hand with his and brought it back down to the source of his mental fog. He opened her palm and pressed it against himself.

"Ugggnh" He groaned and moaned while she unhurriedly palmed him through his pants.

"Just like that darlin' you're doin' so well, agh!" He moaned when she applied more pressure to a particular spot. He was putty in her hands writhing and twisting his hips at every touch while panting into her neck. Despite the consuming pleasure, he still found the strength to work her most sensitive bits. Austin's fingers slowly lifted the hem of her panties up and away from her nether region to glimpse the dripping oasis he knew was there. He slowly pushed his fingers in between her; much to her appreciation. Her hips bucked against his hand and her head fell into his neck.

"Austin!~" Y/N's voice was pained.

As if this was her first time with him all over again. Like Austin hadn't just brought her to climax less than a half hour before. She felt she had all the energy in the world. Perks of being a woman she supposed.

"You already want more don't ya darlin'? I just rang you dry earlier and you're already craving huh?" He circled his finger around the rim of her entrance and she tensed in his arms.

"You're such a greedy little thing arent ya." He pushed his finger in slowly while still rubbing his thumb against her clit. She tried to keep her hand's movements consistent where she rubbed it over his cock, but with all the ways he was touching her, it felt nearly impossible. She could barely breathe let alone execute accurate muscle movements.

"Austin uh- slow down, I can't- I can't touch you at the same time~" Y/N's panting gasps made it hard to let out a coherent sentence.

"Oh, but I know you can darlin' You're gonna have to if you want me to keep goin'." She could hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was enjoying it. Almost too much. Her arms shook with the effort it took to keep her hands steady as she rubbed over the ridges of his cock as a white liquid dribbled slowly out of his tip.

"You're doin' so well darlin'. Your hands feel so good Y/N Jesus! I don't know how much longer I'm gonna last." His face had scrunched up at his confession but his hands were mercilessly pounding her. He had managed to put in another finger and found that spongy spot inside of her once again while she was focused on him.

"I'm gonna need ya to stop touchin' me darlin' I want to finish inside of you. Can I?"

Now, normally she would have turned this suggestion down immediately (assuming she had gone this far with anyone save for her vibrator) but it seems at that moment, Y/N suffered from a temporary moment of insanity.

Y/N gasped at his suggestion and whimpered as the visual of his cum leaking out of her crossed her mind.

"Austin please, please I want you inside me so bad." She leaned her head against his shoulder and whispered in his ear, " I want to feel you Austin, please. I want you so bad I can barely think."

"Darlin' you are making it so hard to be gentle with ya right now." His head lolled back against the headboard to compose his thoughts before he perked back up signaling he had come to a decision.

He gazed at her intently, causing Y/N to squirm in his lap. He had managed to get her writhing against him all over again with nothing but his gaze. A gaze that said he was going to devour her and leave nothing left.

"Come closer darlin', this is gonna be a bumpy ride." He drew one of his hands around her waist to tug Y/N closer to him. Austin's fingers traced the seam of her shirt and looked at her for permission. With a nod from her, he grasped the fabric and pulled it up over her head, tossing it aside in the room."

He didn't say a word as he ogled her chest like a starved man.

"Jesus darlin' every time I think you can't get any better you prove me wrong."

"Austiiin~" The need in her voice had Austin at her beck and call. He would have moved mountains for her at that moment. He moved the both of them to where she was laying on the bed and he hovered over her.

"I know baby, I'll help you feel good don't worry." Austin reached back in between her legs to gather some of her slick on his fingers and rubbed it over his swelled shaft.

"I'm gonna put it in now darlin' alright? It might hurt a little so just tell me and I'll stop, hm?" She nodded and he pushed her legs apart to align himself with her leaking hole. He groaned at the sight of her. He pushed himself slowly into her and she felt the air leave her lungs as he stretched more than she had ever thought possible. The ridges of him pushed and prodded against her in the most perfect way.

"A-AUSTIN!~" His name fell from her lips in a cascade accompanied by moans of pleasure and whimpers. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades to quell the growing burning sensation in her stomach. Austin had stopped his movements in order to give Y/N a moment to breathe and grow accustomed to him, but she wanted anything but the sort. She pulled his head closer to her lips and whispered so softly he barely heard her at all.

"Please Austin, I want to feel you moving inside of me." He didn't even give me the chance to finish before he was pounding his hips against hers. The fervor with which he pushed against her made her see galaxies in her vision almost immediately.

"Fuck darlin' I would spend the rest of my life inside of you." He brought his hand up to thumb her clit and her choked sobs spurred him on. His other hand reached up to cup her cheeks and bring her into a searing kiss. Y/N's heart fluttered against his chest and Austin's groans of pleasure only made her gush more.

"Come on darlin', you're doin' so well for me. Jesus." His speed continued to increase until he was spindling her so hard that the bed frame started to shake and rattle against the wall.

"You're so beautiful, my god. You look so good when you're hungry for me baby." His fingers played with her clit and prodded her already stuffed entrance.

Y/n felt something bubbling up inside of her. Something that threatened to spill over at any given moment, and Austin felt it. Y/N clenched herself against his cock which created the most delightful friction between the both of them. Austin's labored breaths and hands tightened around her body bringing her closer to the edge of the proverbial cliff.

"Darlin, are you close? I can feel ya clenching around me. Fuck, you re squeezing the shit out of me! I'm gonna wring you dry just you wait baby." Austin's moans and groans grew louder in tandem with hers until neither of them could hear the other anymore.

"Are you gonna come baby? Come on I want to see how you look when you finish darlin'. You'll let me see it won't you?" His voice sounded desperate and it hitched after each thrust. He would not allow himself to cum until he had seen you fall apart under him for the first time.

Y/N felt like she had transcended time when her orgasm came crashing down on her.

"AUSTIN!" The anguish in her voice shocked her as her thighs shook and her nails dug deeper into Austin's back making little crescent shapes moons as a mark of her pleasure.

"That's it baby! Fuck! Your cunt is so goddamn tight. Ungh! I'm gonna cum darlin'. Your insides are gonna be full of me."

He pounded into her impossibly harder before letting out a moan so loud it shook the walls while the emptied himself in her. She felt him sputter inside of her and the liquid painted her insides. Austin's heavy body collapsed next to her with his head and part of his shoulders resting over her.

Both of them let out heavy pants and had equally large smiles on their faces.

Austin was the first to move and pull the blanket from the sides of the bed over the two of them. resting his head on hers and embracing her in his chest. Gently, he brushed back her disheveled hair and caressed her cheek before kissing her temples and cheek.

He placed little kisses all over her face and neck until she eventually fell asleep in his arms more relaxed than she had ever been before.; and when he was sure she was asleep he whispered in her ear,

"I love you so much I would die for you Y/N." Austin had never felt for anyone so strongly. Austin had never felt such strong emotions for anyone, but for some inexplicable reason, you had captured his heart and held it in the palm of your hand. He was willing to follow you anywhere and everywhere, forever, with a smile on his face.

♡━━━━━━━♡━━━━━━ ♡━━━━━━ ♡

PLEASE READ ALL OF IT!!

You girlies will be pleased to know that I have improved how shy I get writing smut. I had the gall, the audacity, and the gumption, to write most of this while in a Starbucks when I should have been doing psych homework. But alas, I have no shame. I literally typed a vagina as a "dripping oasis" IN A PUBLIC PLACE. BRB gonna go kill myself. I am also planning an Austin Butler x OC series SO would the girlies prefer a reader insert or would an OC be good too? PLEASE let me know because I'm so stuck lol. I feel that it's hard to have an in-depth story with just an x-reader parameter. I would still use pronouns like you and your etc. but just the name would be decided already and I would be able to give more personality to the character BUT I would still keep it race and body neutral. idk tho. I hope you bitches enjoyed this poor excuse for smut lol I still have to get better at writing it.

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oldmemoria · 7 months

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caught up with cringetober because I literally forgot to do it, individuals and explanations under cut

Day 1: Heterochromia I’ve come to the revaluation that my sona is already cringe as hell considering not only can his entire body change color but he also has differently colored eyes as a staple of his design. They’re usually yellow and blue but this time I color picked the blue from the trans flag and the mint from the Vincian flag for this color palette, it turned out really pretty :)

Day 2: Self Insert Now she isn’t my self insert anymore, but back in the day when I was at “peak cringe” she definitely was. This is my warriors OC Icypelt and I have a post going over part of her story on my profile somewhere. She’s been through a lot and I think her modern design is very pretty :)

Day 3: Unnecessarily complex fit/design Spider scene is kinda infamous in my brain for having wayyy too much detail but I love them and I think this might be my favorite one out of this batch, super cute, the pose is really cute and the colors are nice and fits her really well :D

day 4: Angel x Devil inevitable MCR reference ik, Helena and Revenge, love them dearly. Poor revenge man this one is cute and looks like a sticker!!

Day 6 (I skipped day 5 because I didn’t want to open up ms paint today): neko i kinda hate this one but cat Gerard yay

Day 7: Pinterest base at first I wanted to draw hobie in place of Gwen but I remembered that I haven’t really drawn Mikey with her even though they’re supposed to be friends so I drew her instead. Idk. The height difference is not accurate because of that but Jumping Spider is small because he’s based on a jumping spider and those are tiny who would have thought

Day 8: tumblr sexyman i have never played undertale a day in my life i just know a lot of people wanted to jump sans’ bones

day 9: Crossover ship/rarepair OH BOY THIS ONE GOES KIND OF HARD AND IM EMBARRASSED ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY KIND OF WORK FOR EACH OTHER UM MIGUEL OHARA X CLOTTED CREAM COOKIE IM INSANE OMG-

day 10: fursona i already have a fursona I already drew and yes I colorpicked from the lesbian flag how could you tell /j

Day 11: Yandere LYLA is technically canonically a yandere because spoiler alert she tried to kill Miguel’s fiancé via overheating her in the shower (essentially literally boiling her like a lobster) because she was “in love” with him (she said if she did have autonomy and had feelings the would be in love with him but she doesn’t but idk who knows I don’t).

day 12: niche interest ik MCR isn’t exactly “niche” but the black parades story in particular has always caught my interest and I have my own interpretation of it and a whole kind of story I’m still developing and character arcs and headcanons and interactions and yeah you get it, death in particular has evolved into god knows an OC on his own I just keep him attached to MCR because… it makes more sense that way, ig-

day 13: creepypasta does this count- whatever grimdark is just the same thing as a creepypasta- I’m not really in the MLP fandom anymore but it was my first ever “fandom” I was actually apart of. My first hyperfixation if you will. I wasn’t in the grimdark part of the fandom because I was too young for it but I was actually watching the izzzyzzz grimdark video and I was like “oh” and drew a rainbow factory Rainbowdash. Honestly I should draw ponies more they’re fun to draw

Day 14: candygore (?) im not good at drawing candygore and since I was rushing this o didn’t do it as well as I thought I can, but it still turned out pretty cool

Day 15: song lyrics aaaa inevitable hesitant alien drawing this one turned out so cute!! The colors and the sparkle eek so cute aaa action cat lyrics I’m breaking down right in front of you I’m sorry

planning on doing the rest of the month now, maybe not exactly on time since I’m still in school but I’ll try to get 31 drawings out by Halloween. Love the idea of cringetober because I just love all things cringe. Ack this is so good

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inchidentally · 1 month

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https://www.tumblr.com/inchidentally/747256567724965888/httpswwwtumblrcominchidentally74724237341699

Heyyy!!! Thank you for articulating this and actually, I think that’s eventually the plan. Look, my auntie used to work for two professional athlete as their social media manager (basketball players, 1 established nba starand the other 1 an up and coming nba player who is now in the nba). And i remember the up and coming nba star had a gf before and my auntie suggested to gently introduced her to his social media to curate a wholesome image for the player. You would think that that’s gonna “ruin” him for the fans (esp female fans) but actually, my aunt claims that introducing a long time gf in the picture will only make the female fans swoon. They like a good guy. A loyal guy. A wholesome guy. So that’s what they did. Just include her in some of the photos. Also asked the nba player to mention her more. And then get her more involved. She’s still private and their rs is still private but the fans know her and they have a healthy rs. Like they know that that’s her man.

Now, relating to Oscar. Remember he added a social media manager this year? Kym Illman talked about this in one of his videos. So obviously, Osc and his team are making deliberate moves to grow his social media following. What also *just* started happening more this year? Yes that’s right- Osc became more open to his relationship with Lily. He posts her more. He even tags him now. Literally the exact same plan as what my auntie did with the nba player. My guess/theory is they are going to gently open Lily to the public more. I think they are doing this delicately because this girl is not just some pr girl. This is actually Oscar’s gf for 5 yrs. So i think they are being very cautious about it. I predict that we will soon hear her voice and listen to her talk a little. Maybe just a short one but we will soon get to know her better (in a controlled way because i really think that Oscar and her want to keep their rs private).

But I agree. My auntie said that letting a longterm gf remain in the background and be mysterious is actually going to fuel more obsession. So giving the public just little bits of her and allowing them to get to know her personality better is a much better plan. It’s like eating small meals throughout the day rather than skipping meals and then binging at night. It also allows the gf to be less of an idea and more of a real person. Keeping Lily this “idea” can quickly become this overly sweet and toxic deification of her. She’s not an idea. She’s a person.

Also, it really helps with Oscar’s image. Trust. It also going to keep him out of the “gossips” and crazy fangirl interest/obsession. Since they like Lily and they like the fact that Oscar has been with her for 5 yrs, they are most likely going to not be romantically obsessed with him. They are going to adore the fact that he’s a wholesome guy and how lucky lily is to have a man like him. Instead of obsessing to be his gf. Something like that.

Also remember Nico Rosberg? Before he married his wife, he was with her for years and years. He is a party boy and yet we dont really associate him with the party scene the way we do with single Lewis. Lewis said Nico is more of a party animal than him and yet Nico rarely got that image. It’s cause the public knows him as someone who’s been in long term relationship. So Oscar’s team opening Lily more to the public (again in a controlled way) is good not only in making Lily less of an idea and more of a real person to the public, but also Oscar’s image. It keeps the crazies and speculations away.

I’m sorry I wrote a whole essay. I just read your opinion on this and I totally agree.

NO TYSM ANON <3<3 fr like I've always been invested in how the women partners to famous men are treated in any fandom and it's always seemed by far the best tactic to offer up a little bit of contextualizing her into the fandom space - while maintaining a healthy distance for her own safety/sanity - and then before you know it she's fully accepted and all the delulus move on to another rpf ship or another man they want to pretend they could somehow have for themselves.

"less of an idea and more of a real person" EXACTLY. like god of course she wants to keep people as much out of her business as possible and if ppl could be sane and normal then the ideal would to continue as is. but a part of keeping those boundaries from being pushed by fans is a controlled release of content rather than nothing at all. I'm hoping that's what is being built up.

and I totally forgot yea that he'd added a sm manager and that the opeightyone acc has become more active in the same way LN4 is where content can be released through those channels as opposed to their personal accs. I feel like apart from when his humor and sarcasm means that it's clearly him (and the emojis lol) he's pulled back for the most part from his public accs. it's a shame bc we won't get to see those interactions with other drivers anymore but w how much fame doesn't suit him it was probably inevitable!

#inchreplies #f1partnerstalk #and yea oscar is HumanTM after all and his bland image is thankfully all ppl seem to want #which is why they need to manage Lily's publicity carefully to continue that #side note that I love how Carlos is clearly the one wanting to be more public about Rebecca but she's adamantly not replying to his comment #or posting him #and remember how lunatics thought that she was charging for carlos content in ig #and they thought she was suddenly going to be posting him a ton and was paying ??? paps etc #but then she dropped it from her ig and they're still waiting for when she supposedly will start posting him for clout !!!#it's been a whole year but y'know they're still holding out !!

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neverland93 · 4 months

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Peter Pan Imagine/ Respect

“Time for breakfast!” A lost boy yelled

Everyone runs to the tables and gets their plates

“Alright!” One says

“Finally!” An other yelled

They all sit down and about to devour their meals

“Wait!” Pan yelled

“We have to wait.” He folds his arms

“Ugh do we have to?” A lost boy asked annoyed and hungry

Pan gave him the death stare

The play boy just looked down knowing not to challenge him any further.

About 5 minutes pass by and you come out, looking terrible.

Pan looks at you as you take a seat next to him, skipping on even getting a drink of water.

“Can we eat now?” A lost boy asked

“What’s wrong with you?” Pan ignored the boy and asked you

“I - I don’t know I woke up and my sinuses is all messed up and I keep sneezing and coughing.” You said with a tissue in your hand

“You’re running a fever as well Y/n.” Pan said putting his hand over your forehead

“Mmm.” Was all you could say before you lay your head on the table.

“Thats it, boys you can eat, I’m taking Y/n to the med cabin.” Pan says picking you up bridal style and making his way there.

********

“You know you don’t have to do this.” You say to him weakly

“Nobody else is going to, and you’re my only lost girl, I need you better.” He says making you some tea and medicine

You smile and fall asleep, letting the darkness of your eyes take over.

********

Waking up to him sitting down and rubbing his jaw

He notices you and gets up quickly

“What the hell Y/n you’ve been in and out of it for 3 days.” He hands you some soup and crackers

“3 days?!” You yelled

“Yes now eat something now.” He says almost demanding

You do so but slowly trying to recap what the hell even happened.

“I don’t get it I was just having a small cold for the past couple of days I didn’t know it was going to turn into this big thing.” You say in confusion

“Well it did.” Pan said folding his arms

“Are you okay?” You asked

“I will be.” He said

That doesn’t answer your question.

“What’s wrong?” You asked

“You had us worried sick.” He stated still not getting close to you.

The more words that came out of his mouth your heart shattered.

“I-I’m sorry.” You said with a raspy voice

“I told you time and time again to not be out late with the lost boys when it’s freezing cold.” He looked at you up and down, this wasn’t like the Pan you knew, the one who was sweet and kind hearted towards you, this was the old Pan, the one you were terrified of when you first met him.

The one with dark eyes and the not giving a fuck attitude. The one who rolled his eyes and groaned whenever you had a question because you were a girl and he in fact couldn’t stand a girl on his all inclusive boys only Neverland .

Why was he acting like this when YOU’RE the one who’s sick, you have no idea but you were damn sure going to find out.

“Can you tell me what the fuck is wrong with you?” You say

“You wanna know what’s wrong with me? YOU! You’re the problem.” He says yelling at you

“What the hell did I do?!” You say back

“I’ve told you time and time again to not do certain things but you’re so damn rebellious and selfish you do it anyway.” He says

“Thats not true.” You shake your head with tears

“Bullshit. You always stay up late , go out in the freezing cold, drink way too much over your limit, go places that are strictly forbidden, you’re acting like a, like a -“ before he says anything else you cut him off.

“Like a lost boy.” You fold your arms

“Like a brat.” He says back to you

“Fuck you Peter.” You get out of bed and walk out the med cabin. Tears in your eyes and heart on the floor.

How could he say all those things? You guys were so good. You guys were absolutely perfect, or so you thought. Are his true colors showing? Or is this just some boy thing that he has to get over? You had no idea and you weren’t in the mood to find out.

********

“Okay tell me everything.” Felix told Pan

“There’s nothing to tell.” Pan said folding his arms

“So you’re just done with her?” He said

“It’s for the better, you know that.” Pan said looking down

“How so?” Felix asked

“Because she was never going to stay, you know that, she would eventually miss Storybrooke you know she would miss Emma, Regina, Henry. I know her, but I know she gets sad at night, I hear her soft cries in her cabin, she’s going to go back and I’m just making it easier for to leave.” Pan said

“You sound selfish.” Felix folded his arms

“I sound reasonable.” He said back.

Pan knew you were missing your family, he knew homesick when he saw it, he had so many lost boys in and out because of this very reason, they claim to be tough and strong,but then only to realize they are nothing but cowards and quickly return back home to their families.

“Whatever you’re king of the island but let’s be realistic here. You love her.” Felix said

Pan half laughs “Love is something Peter Pan does not do.”

“Once again, you’re king of the island you can do whatever you want. Who says the king can’t have a queen? “ Felix smirked, he was right but Pan was scared to admit it, he loved you. He adored you. But he was scared shitless.

********

(Knock knock)

“Who is it?” You asked

“Pan.” He said

You roll your eyes and open the door

“Is there something i needed to do today? Chores? Hunt? Laundry?” You said

“No I needed to talk.” He said

“Well I don’t feel like talking.” You said

“Well too bad.” He said with an attitude

As you’re about to shut the door he puts his foot down therefore making it impossible for you to do so

“Peter.” You said with annoyance

“Let me talk to you.” He said with soft eyes

Your heart melts but you wouldn’t let him know.

“Fine.” You open the door and sit on your bed

“But hurry because I have to make dinner.” You stated

“I-we-hm.” Was all he said before rubbing his jaw

Uh oh. This was bad. Peter Pan was never lost for words, he always knew what to say, how to say it and when to say it. The fact that he was lost for words scared you a little bit, were you two really over? Your heart was beating so fast you could swear all of Neverland could hear it.

“I’m terrified.” He confessed

Your eyes open wide

“Excuse me?” You said

“I fear, that you might leave.” He says running his hands through his hair

“You’re serious about this aren’t you?” You ask him completely shocked.

“You, mean alot to Neverland, the boys, the mermaids, the Indians-“ before he could go on

“What about you?” You dared to ask

He looked at you and was caught off guard.

“What about me?” He asked

“What do I mean to you Peter?” You asked

“You, you,” he looked at you

Everything was swept under the rug and hush hush until now. But Peter knew what you meant.

The secret meet ups, him lingering in your room late at night, the soft moaning you would make, low whispers he would say in your ear, the way he looked at you the next morning at the table and begged you for more by lunch time.

But it wasn’t always sexual, he always loved being around you, even if it was to watch you cook dinner, or to lay on your lap while you read your books,

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Peter said uncomfortably.

Bullshit you thought.

“If you’re going to lie then you have no business being here.” You stated

Peter cocks an eyebrow

“And how do you know I’m lying?” He gets agitated.

You get close to him and run his cheek.

“Because I know you asshole.” You said with a forgiving smile

And it was like that is what brought him back to you. Just a touch of your skin and his heart melted.

He laughed softly and grabbed your hand kissing it ever so softly before your fingers intertwined.

“See, I don't care for your looks, and don’t take that the wrong way. They don't attract me nearly as much as your voice does when you're teaching me something I do not know. When you speak with passion your eyes light up at the opportunity to enliven me with words, with art, with depth. I am attracted to you because I am in awe of you. I respect the fuck out of you.” He says not losing eye contact and all you could was smile and wipe your tears away.

Peter was never this expressive before, sure he told you things here and there but never stuff like this, but somehow you always knew deep down that he loved you too.

“I love you too Peter.” Was all you could say still wiping your tears.

#robbie kay #peter pan #ouat #once upon a time #peter pan imagine #peter pan request #peter pan imagines #peter pan stories #neverland #fandom

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c-midori · 5 months

Text

THE OCTONAUTS MERMAID AU

PACK YOUR BAGS

“Natquik?”

The critter spoke to him, with his voice… of such familiarity. It was… something Natquik would have heard before, but it didn’t hit him.

There's just no way, the fox thought, as he kept looking in front of him. Was this REALLY Barnacles, having come ashore like this? This POLAR BEAR with the tail of a BELUGA WHALE under his waist? Was THIS the one who fell into that ice cave in 2004? Was it? Who WAS this? WAS it REALLY the REAL Captain Barnacles Bear than so many adored across the Meomiverse, by critter AND creature?

Yes, it was.

“Oh, oh my GOODNESS!” Natquik cheered, running over to give the polar bear a hug. “It’s you! It’s REALLY you! BARNACLES! My BOY!”

Barnacles laughed, just as delighted to see his old friend once again. “Well, even if I’m confined to the sea, a good captain never leaves their walking crew behind!”

“…uhh, I do want to apologize for not showing up any earlier. It’s been hard maintaining the wreck site of the Octopod, so bear that in mind…”

Everyone could just TELL that the captain didn’t go even an INCH above the sea. These last few days, his fur went into contact with the water, and only the water, yet it was still nice and soft, even if the skin below was scarred. They weren’t bleeding, though, so they weren’t going to be a nuisance of any sort. Barnacles didn’t like thinking about his scars, even if they taught him lessons of all sorts.

“So THAT’s where you’ve been!” Marsh facepalmed in realization. “I guess it’s reasonable to stay there anyways… though when I came down there, it was an absolute mess-“

“Yes, yes,” Natquik joined back into the conversation. “Ranger and I took the GUP-A and drove down there to help Tunip and whoever else, but… well, there were… Hey, what happened?”

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Barnacles, having been shook by hearing that, snapped back to respond, a little confused by… them being down there. “I… had no idea you two were nearby earlier. When… was this?”

This went from awkward to straight up embarrassing. Did he make them impatient? He hoped not. He was getting hesitant. Not a whole lot but just enough to start losing words. Which took only a little bit of this concern. No wonder he wasn’t feeling absolutely abysmal through the week; for how much contact he had with the Octo-Agents, apart from that, he was entirely disconnected. Right now, if anything, the Octo-Alert would be going off for the 2nd or 3rd mission this week. How many things have happened this month? Just 1, on October 2nd. 2 days before the crash. Sure, it was just 5 to 6 days now, and usually that wouldn’t make so much of a difference, but he was CAPTAIN BARNACLES. The one who always stayed alert for any situation. And what was he doing? Not that. The moment he realized all of this, he could’ve sworn that his heart skipped TWO beats.

His mind was all over the place for one second, and then he put his paws in his face, ashamed that he failed to do his job he’d have been doing right for 13 years now. A streak of 13 WHOLE YEARS, and he finally broke it. Being the CAPTAIN, the LEADER of the Octonauts, you know that’s most certainly unacceptable.

But was it his fault? No, it couldn’t have been. Hurricane Selma was something beyond his control, and even if he and his crew nearly died, and even if it resulted in the almost complete destruction of the base he called home away from home for years, he DID try to make the most of their predicament.

Heck, why did he chew out Kwazii and Shellington in the past for all their mishaps with the GUPs, when he knew he was near NO better? Don’t even get him started on the fact that he called everyone to the HQ, no one came, the crash happened, and he ended up getting hurt pretty badly because the windows shattered. Everyone else was mostly fine because they didn’t follow his advice. They were thinking right in this situation, EVEN Peso and Dashi.

He was getting too used to being so perfect and overwhelmed all the time. Now that it finally hit him after more than a decade, it hit him SUPER HARD on the head, right between his eyes.

“Barnacles, I’m talking to you. We were there TODAY.” Natquik, worried, raised his voice, trying to get his attention by grabbing his pectoral fins.

“Oh dear… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I…” The polar bear hyperventilated a bit, shaking his head in regret. He couldn’t stop going into deep thinking. “I’m just reflecting on what happened, and I think I was too hard on everyone, including myself…” he sighed, curving his tail around in the sand. “Just be honest, from the times you’ve seen me with my crew… have I been TOO critical?”

Natquik had to admit, for how long he spent working (mostly) alone with only Tracker sometimes, he still knew THIS bear very well… and yeah, Barnacles WAS kinda like what he asked. Not that he was absolutely terrible for it—he was a CAPTAIN, and probably the nicest one ever—but it WAS something he could work on. Shellington HAD told the arctic fox long ago about everyone’s shenanigans, and Barnacles was something he documented for days.

End of the day, though, Barnacles was just trying his best to take care of his friends and family as much as he could… even if it didn’t work out THAT well in the end.

It was a good thing everyone was alive and well.

Maybe Barnacles needed to think of something else. Enough with the existential crises. Fuck those. He knew there was a smaller, more closer issue. Somehow that helped more than something in the past… no, that actually made sense when he thought about it.

It started to click with him that while he’d have seen his sister, he hadn’t seen his cousins. That was ironic. Usually it was the other way around. He usually saw Orson and Ursa all by themselves, but Bianca was nowhere to be seen. Of course, during those times, Tracker was just looking after Bianca back at her den in the Northwest Territories, and that Orson and Ursa were… Well, Tracker didn’t know what they were up to, Bianca just let them go. It wasn’t awful parenting for a polar bear; matter of fact this was probably normal as these cubs were slowly growing up and would have to get used to it eventually…

However, this is MEXICO, not Canada. Bianca’s home was FAR away. And if Tracker was up here, and Bianca down in the Pacific, and if both were mermaids—Tracker had probably transformed TODAY while Bianca got turned about a few days ago—then that was probably a sign that maybe, just MAYBE, those two cubs came with either their mother or something like that…

"Uncle Barnacles! You’re here!"

Oh, just perfect timing, the captain thought. They’d have been hiding in the GUP-A the whole time. What a coincidence, wasn’t it…

“So is THAT why I heard breathing coming from the back of this thing?” Marsh laughed. “Oh me, oh my, I LOVE this job…”

Funnily enough, Orson and Ursa FULLY believed what Koshi said a while back, and they were INSANELY delighted to see their UNCLE like this. That was a GOOD sign, matter of fact. Mom was nearby, no denying that!

Periwinkle was a little shook as well, but not as much because he already saw that other polar bear not too long ago. Compared to Tracker, however, he could totally respect Barnacles. That man KNEW what he was doing most of the time. He was just trying to keep knots tight, trying to keep everyone safe after that disaster.

The older the otter pup got, the more he understood that. Sure, he got the basics at first, but now he could really express his gratitude. Maybe one of these days… as he went back to looking at this Samsung Galaxy S5 he got his hands on from a week ago.

Mum must be proud as well.

Everyone then overheard Yeshi’s flip phone going off. Barnacles didn’t even know he was here, but he enjoyed some company most of the time, so no sweat.

“Yeh, it’s Yeshi. Is that you, Shellington?” The dachshund spoke, having each of the crew, and Paani’s thighs, both on speed dial. “What’s up?”

“What? No way! These guys have to see this! Give us 5 seconds, alright?”

Uh oh? Maybe. Whatever that was, it was a good excuse to see what Marsh meant by "an absolute mess", which in and out of itself already sounded pretty freaky. And this was MARSH saying this. And that bunny had SEEN "an absolute mess" before, ESPECIALLY after Hurricane Elsa’s horrendous landfall in Florida 2 years ago, so you KNEW he KNEW what he was talking about. And you’d think Barnacles WAS aware of just HOW MUCH of a mess was left… even AFTER the crash. He wasn’t. Hopefully this quick trip back would help.

He just couldn’t handle the fact that his… DAD, if anything… was waiting here for nearly a whole week. Having left him behind after one call that didn’t explain much… that felt more than cruel, that felt TORTURING. It was a good thing he could see him at SOME point, even if it WAS over the… due date. Was there even a due date? No idea. Did he ever mention that? Nah, surely not. Definitely a good idea to STILL see Natquik before the end of the week, (well, THIS week, the crash was last week) that was for sure.

The dachshund hung up, and approached everyone with a look that conveyed “this is gonna be so good yet it’s gonna be absolutely awful”.

“Oh, hey Captain Barnacles,” he gave a smile and a wave to the main mermaid, not really caring about him also being like this since he’d have witnessed Paani and Tracker earlier. “Uh, what’s the maximum speed of the GUP-A?” he then asked, making sure he’d be able to catch up.

“Are we really headed back there? Already?” Barnacles looked over at him and at the water in concern. It had only been about 25 minutes, so what was going on now?

“…it’s not you, it’s the Octopod,” Yeshi explained. “It’s not being destroyed. Matter of fact, it’s… completely fine. All I can say is, well…"

"Pack your bags."

Pack your bags.

PACK YOUR BAGS.

Eh, he probably just meant to get ready, the captain thought. No biggie. He could crawl his way back into the water. Paani and Tracker definitely, ESPECIALLY the former, needed some of that blue as well.

“Ah, just look at all of this,” Natquik chuckled. “Seems like we’re having a nice time, aren’t we?”

Captain Barnacles… had to admit it. He was NOT going to be sad in a time like this. Not during this… reunion. Sounded fun to be going on this little trip with them… And besides, Orson and Ursa could just see how graceful he was, now that he was a mermaid! It was wonderful! He wasn’t letting his past get in the way anymore. Nearly drowned? So what? That wasn’t a problem anymore. He was a MERMAID! A REAL MERMAID! And everyone was seeing this! Tracker and Paani were one thing, but the CAPTAIN himself?! That was EVERYTHING!

“C’moooon, Barnacles…” The macaque waved over to him, now half in the water. “We’re all a big pod here… aren’t we~?”

He was right. Everyone who'd been turned since day one really had to be in some kinda pod. Barnacles HAD seen H2O before, so he knew where this was going.

Heh. Octopod, more like Octo-POD…

“Paani, you bet I’m coming!” Barnacles shouted at him, as he prepared to swim as fast as he could, prideful of his form like he should be. Whatever this was all about…

HOW PERFECT, indeed.

The fact that, in retrospect, this was an endless loop of going back and forth between land and sea, the latter being where the captain slept in. Gosh, Midori, you’re a horrible writer…

You need to improve on this. Your grammar is good, your punctuation is good… but your storytelling falls short. Have these last few chapters been nothing but fillers? Maybe. Gosh, I’m pathetic…

That’s it. I need to let go. I need to go full throttle here. Or at least speed up a little more. I can’t just sit around and fall back into the flaws of my old fanfics. I have to do something.

Pack your bags, Midori. This HAS to work.

~~~~

What a complete mess, everyone thought, dumbfounded as could be. Their once abandoned base clearly went through something… And this? This wasn’t bad, but… WHY?

"I just… I just don’t believe it,” Dashi shook her head. “One minute, I look away, and… the whole HQ is full of… I’m sorry, I’m just amazed.”

“You could say that again,” replied Tweak. “It’s like a… well, it’s a FUCKING mess, is my best description…”

Within minutes, maybe even seconds, most of the main area, excluding the launch bay, had just… gone up in flourishes of all kinds of little sea creatures, like someone had spilled 5 or 10 bags of licorice allsorts in the laboratory. Of course, Shellington did that once and while he had to clean it up, nothing really happened after that…

…But now, where the FUCK did all of these fish AND coral AND WHATEVER THE ACTUAL FUCK come from? It wasn’t here this morning, right?! No, it couldn’t have been! This was NOT normal, that was for sure. Coral reefs don’t form THAT fast outta nowhere, and not in the LITERAL OCTOPOD!

Almost everyone had been outside of the site when this situation occurred, most of them collecting the broken off fragments of metal and glass from the trail left by the crash. Inkling, for one, was a big help, as he and Min were using each other’s unique bodies to get every single bit out of the sand. It may have been mere Planck units of this trash, but to the two it was quite the difference maker to get it out.

It sounded familiar to most of the crew. Hadn’t something similar happened back in… maybe 2012? No one could really remember, but oh well. Maybe it’ll hit everyone eventually. For now, though, all they could do was just… look at this thing. It was perplexing, to say the least. Still expected, however; the whole thing was flooded to the last corner… well, except for Kwazii’s room. He wasn’t letting that stay here once he figured something out.

Speaking of, where was he?

Damn, the bunny thought. It WAS pretty colorful there. She wondered if, maybe, just maybe, she and Dashi could go in there, check out the environment that took over… It didn’t have to be so worrying, did it? No, not at all. Tweak knew better than that. She learned a lot from her mistakes. All for Dashi. All for her crew.

All for everyone.

“…you’re thinking deep, mate,” Ryla looked over at her, the same idea on her mind. “You don’t wanna go in there… Do you?”

Just hearing that made the bunny’s ears twist like a doughnut. “You mean, like… Oh me, oh my, oh for cloud’s sake,” she laughed it off, “you know me too well… uh, Dashi?”

“What’s up?” The dachshund turned her head to face her. “You and Ryla seem to be discussing something. I like that…”

Oh boy, both the bunny AND the wombat thought. This WAS gonna be awkward… Perhaps they’d just swim off and let her find out herself… that wouldn’t be right, would it? No, absolutely not. They best ask her. That was the RIGHT thing to do, as the former learned at this very point. Heck, what was she doing being careless like this when she almost died so many times, ESPECIALLY on 3/30… This wasn’t being careless, though. She just wanted intel on this kind of thing. Make sure everything was alright in there. Where was Shellington anyways? Inside? Probably.

“We… wanna investigate,” Tweak smiled, blushing a little, “and I think you’d wanna join. I mean, it’s not like we should be SUPER scared; the Octopod already crashed anyways… you in~?”

No way Dashi would pass up some time with her 2 besties. She nodded almost immediately, revealing her camera which she stashed on her right.

“Race you!” the dachshund mermaid giggled, which made Tweak shudder a bit. Not in a bad way, she just needed to figure this out. Dashi AND Ryla were FAST, being dolphin and needlefish tailed, and the bunny was just an electric eel. Not like she was far slower than either; she was sure she could go fast like them… Whatever, it was time to stop overthinking so much. Besides, eels are… cool.

So, that’s when the 3 took off, heading right into the holes made in the windows of the HQ. Good thing those were already there when they got turned… well, for Dashi and Tweak to a further extent as they’d have been here longer.

Roughly a few seconds in here and they were already mesmerized just seeing what had happened up close and personal. Sure enough, that was REAL FLORA, and REAL FAUNA flourishing through here. Like, if every little coral and fish were lined up end to end, it’d extend from San Diego to BEYOND LA. Maybe up to Santa Maria even. And it was all shoved into here… the former base of such a wonderful crew for so many years…

Dashi’s notice went not to what was covered, but rather to what WASN’T covered. Chairs that had been knocked over, including Inkling’s, and the COMPUTERS. Ah, the COMPUTERS… The screens definitely suffered a few cracks and whatnot, and more than likely inoperable, but just seeing this, in what was once her home away from home? Fascinating.

“It feels like it’s been forever,” the dachshund chuckled, as she picked up the instruction manual for the system. “I can’t believe how fast things change…”

Not minding soggy paper, Dashi just looked through the pages. This kind of thing she’d have been reading a week ago to recap on troubleshooting some small errors Shellington had. Now, the ink was slowly fading away, off the surface.

Normally, it wouldn’t be much, but to the IT officer, it just felt so… odd. When she first saw Hurricane Selma on the radar, she didn’t think a whole lot about it other than “oh, we should take caution of that,” but now the image of that was part of some the last memories before she… died. Died? No, she’d have survived that. She just lost her legs… well, they weren’t amputated, she got turned into a mermaid of course, but… there was definitely more to that than she could chew. A WHOLE lot more.

Last week, she was just making sure the latest version of Octo-OS had been installed.

Last week, she was just getting photos of that one cool betta fish she saw.

Last week, she was just calling Koshi and Yeshi to say goodnight, and that she missed them so much.

Last week was so close yet so far away.

And now?

Last week was the past.

Yes, her life truly did change a lot.

Dashi… didn’t know how to feel about that. There was no denying that the same went for so many others here.

“Uhhh, guys…?” She turned around, a single tear floating up from her eyes. “Do you ever think about… YOUR past?”

Much to her surprise, they did. Tweak herself had wondered quite a lot. And, unfortunately, unlike the dachshund, her past was a little more turbulent.

“Well, y’know, Dash,” the bunny spoke up, “I don’t think I’ve EVER told you this, or maybe I did, I can’t remember… I just turned 7, when I first met Cap. He was 14; it was 2009. Inkling invited us two to Victoria, to take a ride on the first iteration of the Octopod. Inkling had known about Nat and my Pa for quite some time and he thought this would be nice… and then, for reasons I don’t think I’ll ever know, we crashed and we almost died. I’m glad the glass stayed intact, but I’m sure neither of us thought of going back, yet, we did…”

“I don’t think I’m proud.“

To her, using one brain cell to remember it, then letting it die, the first days of being like this—before apologizing to Barnacles—might as well have also been the past anyways.

“Oi, listen up,” Ryla, in a matter of milliseconds, swam up to her side. “I’m glad I met you as much as I am that I met Dashi. If I never did get the chance, I’d have no idea what I was missing out on… Mate, I’d wanna go back and tell my past self to TRULY join the Octonauts… not stay back as a silly little Octo-Agent more than 10 years later…”

Dashi excitedly nodded in agreement. Like if she and Ryla never met, if she NEVER joined this crew of “explore, rescue, protect,” she’d be left in the sand. And while not every past could be good at all, all critters like Tweak deserved some level of love.

“Y-yeah…” The bunny giggled. The fact that she’d have even come this far was memorable. Even if last week WAS the past, being something, being here, even by a single bit of stardust WAS something to be proud of.

“Thank you… thank you…”

The “core”, despite the HQ being the most likely spot for it, slept all the way down in the laboratory, exactly where the transformations spread out from. There was TRUE abundance. Like the eye of a hurricane, like Selma, but instead of being calm, it was where ALL the commotion was. For the little creatures that swim around here, it was their home, their downtown, their big city, their Vancouver, their EVERYTHING. If it had REALLY been a few half hours since this happened, then it was safe to say that this REALLY was spontaneous. That, or these creatures were hiding here the WHOLE time after the crash.

In the middle of it was the sleeping body of a sea otter. It was Shellington, obviously. Waiting, waiting, and waiting for Barnacles to come back and see all of this. He wasn’t scared, he was actually delighted by the eruption of life here. To the creatures who built their homes in the walls and counters and whatnot, he, ironically, wasn’t much of a disruption, even with his huge shark tail. That’s what happens when you’re so well known across the seas, so now all the creatures are getting up close and personal with his tail. Piss off, he’s Kwazii’s AND Paani’s.

Shellington could… kinda hear the conversation between the mermaids upstairs. He could make out what they were saying, and with the honesty in his otter brain, he could understand why this bloom was a little terrifying for some. Poor Peso would shit himself if this kind of thing happened right in front of his very eyes. That’s what happened for the scientist. He was IN here, questioning if he or anyone was REALLY gonna get anything done, just as the first coral popped up. It overtook nearly everything in here, and whilst Shellington didn’t mind, it was pretty bizarre seeing how things like these happen.

Perhaps now was a good time to get up. Kwazii had to be here as well, right? He’s probably in the launch bay gnawing on his tail right now.

5 more minutes of rest would be on his mind, but Paani and Barnacles were coming back and he had to be ready to explain all of this… as if he KNEW why this happened either.

And he could already hear the GUP-A approaching. Oh, jumping jellyfish. Time to get his mind on the right lane and speak up.

“Good thing… I could replenish that energy from swimming so fast,” he yawned, swimming up through the main area and admiring all the colors. It was quite dreamy for him. He’d have seen vast colors, but not in such a compact spot like here. Somehow that made this even better.

Hopefully, this was the LAST time they had to do this kind of thing. Going back and forth between the Pacific Ocean and Guadalupe was the most headache-inducing thing in MONTHS, and that was GOING to stop for sure. Just round up everyone, get them to shore, and… well, Natquik’s idea was pretty low in terms of detail. It was understandable, yes yes, but he’d probably have to go deeper.

“For your assurance, the water is safe for legs,” Barnacles said to the crew inside the GUP-A, as it came to a stop just in front of the wreck. “It seems like the site’s been cleared as well; I didn't detect any scattered debris around here!”

The 4 occupants of the ship (Yeshi stayed behind to look after the Octoray and check for any damages from earlier) all donned their gear and swam out without issue, all following the captain. Bianca had taught her cubs the essentials quite a long time ago and they were putting those learned lessons to good use. Maybe one day, they’d be just like her.

“Oh, now what’s all this about~?” Almost immediately, Barnacles had noticed the changes around here, just to be greeted with Shellington and Dashi.

“Hey, Captain!” The dachshund waved over, making way for him. “You were gone for a little while, so we just tidied up a little…”

“Ah, I see. Good to be here as always,” Barnacles liked the sound of that, as he turned around, beckoning Paani and Tracker inside. “I hope you don’t mind a little extra company… and somehow this is the SECOND narwhal I’m friends with.”

“The second?” Dashi tilted her head in confusion. Of course, she KNEW about Boris… but was the captain being serious? There was barely any way he knew TWO of these-

“H-hi, Dashi!”

Oh, of course it was Tracker. That was worth a few chuckles. What was he doing here anyways? Nevermind that, she was still intrigued on this place becoming a reef in so little time, as was Barnacles who circled around the coral floored area, trying to make sure his eyes were working properly. Being out of sea for 20 minutes after 5 days down here probably wasn’t a good idea, but it shouldn’t have harmed him at all, right?

Right. He was a beluga anyways. The only reason he could breathe underwater was…

Wait.

Barnacles was actually pretty shocked at this realization more than he should’ve. Beluga whales can’t breathe underwater! They’re sea mammals! Polar bears can’t breathe underwater either!

Sure, some of his crew made sense. Paani did, as did Kwazii, Shellington and Pearl. Also, Tweak and Min… AND obviously Ryla.

But others like himself, his sister, Peso, and Dashi? They’d be dead by now. And sure, Inkling could go on land, but that wasn’t the point. This was the opposite. Dolphins don’t breathe underwater. Neither do dachshunds. Or polar bears.

This whole kind of thing was an absolute clusterfuck. Mermaids shouldn’t be real, but now they are, and somehow those who are tailed with those of mammals can survive down here, and now the Octopod is like THIS?!

A random solution that Shellington made months ago simply can’t do this kind of thing. No, this was no workplace accident. This was SUPERNATURAL.

“Barnacles… stop overthinking so much,” he started telling himself. “You know you’ve gone through so much, you’ve put yourself down so much for this… you promised you’d stop… stop overthinking… a good captain NEVER does that!”

He slammed his paws on the computer.

“NEVER!”

Everyone stopped talking and just looked at Barnacles. He was visibly shaking a LOT. His flukes kept swishing up and down, and he kept breathing loudly.

“I… I don’t get it!” He shouted. “I don’t understand ANY OF THIS! WHY DID WE EVER END UP IN THIS SITUATION?! WHY DID WE END UP HERE OF ALL PLACES?! WHY IS THIS ALL HAPPENING TO BEGIN WITH?!”

“Hey! What’s all of this about?” Natquik tried to get his attention. “Barnacles, what’s wrong?”

“THIS ISN’T LOGICAL AT ALL! THAT’S WHAT!” The polar bear replied in panic that slowly turned to sadness. “I… I CAN’T TAKE ANY OF THIS!”

At that, he slowly approached the window in front of him, preparing to BOOK it out of here. He WAS DONE. If he was going to be trapped in a sea of psychological torture, he had to get used to it some way or another. Until then, he was NOT showing his face.

“Barnacles, wait!” Bianca called out. “Please, just stop for a moment… just explain to us what’s wrong!”

There she was. His sister. Seeing all of this unfold. Now THIS was too far. He wanted to feel sorry, but he'd have hit his breaking point, and it was too late.

“…Life makes no sense. I need time to think.”

And so, he lifted his tail, and…

SMASH!

…broke the window, and made a swim for it.

No one had EVER seen Barnacles so upset before, so this was easily quite heartbreaking. The fact that he went from all happy to absolutely broken in minutes… Peso, in particular, was willing to be that he was holding in ALL of this for a REALLY long time.

As for Tweak, though… What she once considered the past came back to mind. The times she had, when she would fall into fits of rage, just like her captain did right now. The times she had, when she even attacked her best friends. The times she had, when she hid away from everyone…

She was horrible.

When she looked back at that, it made her ears droop. It made her feel pathetic. Absolutely abysmal. The fact that she was like this in the past made her choke a bit.

But now? She had LEARNED from that. She learned from her mistakes. She learned what was right and what was wrong. And that? That was worth it in the end. She felt so much better about herself now.

Tweak wanted Barnacles to do the same. She knew his struggles. And he was behaving like she used to. What a pile of trash, right?

No, not at all. Barnacles was critter. Like humans, it was normal for critters to struggle, to stress, to cry, to hit rock bottom. He just needed to recognize it for once and maybe even get HELP. Tweak knew he could rebound from today, and become better than before.

“Uh, guys?” She looked around, until facing the other mermaids… yet she still didn’t see her Pa. “I’m gonna go talk to Cap. I just wanna make sure he’s alright. In the meantime… I guess… wait here.”

And yet, Ranger Marsh STILL didn’t get to see her. The odds were NOT in either of their favors.

Tweak went through the same hole in the windows Barnacles created, twitching her nose as she tried to memorize what path he took. Obviously he wanted to get away from here, so that was worth noting. Where would a polar bear hide, anyways? Would he have made some sort of den?

Now, Tweak… was knowledgeable about this area. Very knowledgeable, in fact. She could circle around the wreck about 2 times and she’d get an idea of where everything was. Together, with what was left of the external pods, even the only non-flooded part of the Octopod (that being Kwazii’s room, that lucky bastard), they formed a compass, became her compass, and with the Octopod having fallen flat on its “face” and northwards…

“He went between the HQ and the rec room,” she told herself. “That’s northwest. And from what I’ve seen…”

She gasped, having gotten the perfect idea. That same cave she and Dashi were in earlier? There’s no way he wouldn’t be in there! She nodded, just thinking about it, before swimming down and not noticing that her tail was starting to change color from a sickly yellow to an alright green, like a mood ring.

Maybe that was the whole point. Or maybe just because she was cool.

~~~~

Barnacles couldn’t get himself out of it. Everywhere he went, he kept remembering that he was like this, that he was in this situation, and to him it was really uncomfortable. Not that he wanted his legs back—that was impossible anyways, so he didn’t mind living with it at first—but he just wished he knew what any of this was caused by.

He hid himself in this cave. His face was down in the sand, making sure he would NOT get a glimpse of the Octopod. He wanted to be ALONE with his OWN thoughts, in hopes that he could calm himself down. Not that it was any easy, though.

It was REALLY embarrassing. He’d have just fallen into a panic attack all because he hadn’t seen Natquik in so long and now the logic was getting to him. If he was alone during so, this wouldn’t be that bad, but this was in front of HIS CREW, HIS SISTER, HIS COUSINS, and HIS FATHER.

…even though, logically, natquik was his step… father? no, he wasn’t even his father, moreso his brother, as his mother never remarried, but barnacles saw him as just his father regardless.

Tweak laid flat on the top of the cave, ears pulled back, staying as quiet as she could to see if she could hear him. Was Barnacles aware of this place as well, or was it just her and Dashi? It WAS still of some close proximity to the base, so it definitely could just be his first resort.

She took a quick peek in, looking for his easily identifiable bright blue suit and his fantastic white fur. And while it was night time, Tweak’s eyesight was… certainly better than most other bunnies her age, and she was 21!

“Well, this is when my tail comes in handy,” she whispered, using it like a bungee cord and swooping down with her whole body. Now, electric eels definitely don’t do this, but oh well. She looked left and right, up and down, side to side. Nothing, up until she looked up once more and saw…

“P-Peso?!” Tweak was surprised. “What… What are you doing here? I said wait at the Octopod, not…”

“S-sorry,” the medic sighed. “I figured if anyone else were to help, it was going to be me.” He and Tweak both swam up, still looking down at the cave. “I just hope he’s okay.”

Alright, thought the engineer. That was valid. Peso was such a good friend to the captain anyways. So trustworthy, so brave, so peaceful… sometimes, she aimed to be like that. The more she thought about it…

“Well, of course we can do this together.”

Tweak went back down again, going more closer in to see if Barnacles really was in there. Surely enough, he was just an inch from the left wall, having gone polar bear fall flat. Dead? No, he couldn’t be. He seemed mostly solid, so definitely nothing attacked him. Perhaps he was just asleep, which was the most likely case.

“Yep, he’s in here,” Tweak gave a thumbs up to Peso, who promptly swam down. “Just stay quiet.” Neither the orca nor the eel wanted to wake up the beluga whale. They just wanted to wait for him. Stay close, just don’t scare him.

How Barnacles ended up reminded Peso of himself. He’d once have been this self aware of all of this. Back in the first days when he was resting on the sands of Isla Guadalupe, he kept questioning how everything in his life led him to this kind of thing. Despite how messed up his childhood was, though, it didn’t really harm him. However, Barnacles was 8 years older, Peso being 20, so it wasn’t a huge surprise the captain reacted differently.

But then, much to the surprise of the other two, the polar bear started to tilt his head upwards. As Peso and Tweak started to back up a little, he brushed away the sand on his face, full of tears.

“…T-Tweak?” He said in a raspy tone, just looking at the bunny in particular. “W-what are you doing here? I… I wanted to be alone right now.”

“…Sorry, Cap.. I…” the bunny started blushing in embarrassment, her tail slowly changing color back to yellow. “I just… wanna… help you.”

Bold words coming from someone who tried to leave him for dead, but Barnacles knew she meant it. Noticeably, throughout earlier today and yesterday, she HAD become a bit more sociable, which was definitely thanks to Dashi and Ryla.

“Well…” He sighed. “I… suppose you’ve changed for the better. I just… don’t get why I’m like this… why am I such a coward?”

Tweak sank to the seafloor, now sitting with her back against the cave wall next to Barnacles. She looked down at him, still laying down.

“It’s not you, Cap,” she calmly said. “You ain’t a coward. I don’t think ANY of us expected to become like this. It’s like how NO ONE crashed the Octopod… it just gave up. None of these changes are on us. It’s how we react to them, and, well… Ya know how I was on day one? AWFUL.” She wrapped an arm around him, making sure he was feeling even a tad better. “Needless to say? That was quite shameful of me, but it doesn’t DEFINE me… I’ve grown to learn that… Like my Pa did.”

“It doesn’t define me, Cap. It doesn’t define you either.”

Yeah, of course that was the case. Peso did. Dashi, too. Even Inkling. Tweak was NOT wrong at all. It didn’t help a lot, but he was understanding this, and that was helping a little already.

“I’d like to say something as well, Captain,” Another voice came from behind him, and almost immediately he looked around, and…

“Oh... oh dear,” Barnacles shook his head in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you earlier, Peso… right, what was that? Keep going.”

The penguin happily nodded. “Well, I think it has to be said for the future, especially now that we’re here. If you ever, EVER feel any sort of discomfort, like if you’re feeling annoyed or upset, or, like right now… please, Captain… talk to me, and tell me what’s the matter.” He calmly explained to his captain, flippers wrapped around the bear’s shoulders. “I may not be perfect at this—I’m a medic—but I’m trying my best with everyone here in mind, especially YOU. I’m willing to bet you’ve been holding in these feelings of anger and sadness for so long, and I think it’s safe to say that you need to let them out sometimes.”

Surrounded by two of his best crew, both who had been in his fins and went through similar issues… just wanting to look after him and wish him the best. Barnacles was fully believing this. This was valid, all of this was valid. It was like his father. They were all just trying their best to keep each other going, above AND below the surface.

“Thank you, Peso… now that I realize it,” he inhaled deeply. “I have to stop bottling this up. I make mistakes, and that’s normal. I just need to get up from them. It’s what everyone wants for me… It’s what I want for myself… so that’s what I’m going to do.”

He exhaled, slowly hovering over the sand and clearing out his face, making sure his fur was white enough. He was truly aware of his mishaps and his reactions. He wasn’t gonna let them kill him. The two other mermaids were delighted, hearing his words of acceptance and his wishes to move on. If his crew could learn their lessons, so could he. So why doesn’t he get going, starting now?

“That’s my Cap.”

~~~~

Above the surface, Yuma was frustrated in their own ways.

Standing and looking at the dark coast as they used to all the time probably didn’t click with their new friendship. Perhaps they needed a taste of what Koshi liked. Did they even ask? Surely THAT would REALLY break the already thinning ice.

“H-hey, Koshi.” They looked back at the puppy. “I’m sure you’re aware of what I do in my spare time… uh, what are your interests anyways?”

Now this was a question Koshi enjoyed getting. Sure, no one really asked her about it, but this coyote, who she'd been staying with for a little while now? THEY asked.

“One word, mate: Mystery! All of it, I tell you,” she gave a bright smile. “Don’t mind what kind, whether it be the disappearance of a kelp cake or the entire Octopod, I’m all in for it. I’ve read more than… 79 novels about this kind of thing. Maybe more, no one knows. See? THAT’s a mystery. And right now I’m in the middle of one!”

“Heh, I see, I see,” Yuma nodded. “You really are enthusiastic about that whole thing. Makes me wish I had something to enjoy myself…”

“Well, you’ve already got yourself,” the dachshund started to suggest, “and I think that’s already good enough… THOUGH, it looks like you want a taste of something else…”

To that, the coyote gave a nod. They DID want a bite out of… anything else, really, than just living this low life of theirs. Any gateway out of that, and they’d be free. Free from the burden that they left everything behind over in California. Sure, they liked their parents, but… holy smokes, Koshi meant SO MUCH to them. Why turn back to hiding away all the time… when she was here? An associate of a bunch of the coolest folks on this PLANET!

That’s when Yuma had an idea. They went inside, looked for the nearest pencil and paper, ran back out, and after trying to remember for a few seconds, sketched

“So, the other night, this little guy just WADDLED over to me while I was listening to music as always, and I have NO IDEA what the HECK it is-“

“Wait a minute-“

Within TWO seconds of seeing the drawing, Koshi proceeded to slowly put a paw to her face, only for both her and Yuma to realize…

How can I just adore the Octonauts like that, if I have no idea what…

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

Just the realization made the two laugh uncontrollably like they were the only ones on this island.

“Mate, I don’t believe it!” Koshi wheezed. “You’ve been honored to the point where Tunip visited you PERSONALLY! What kind of thing needs to happen, for THAT?”

The coyote shrugged with a smile, figuring it wasn’t a big deal after all. After all, that little guy could rebuild his literal flesh. Surely he’d be fine. Not like they told Koshi they caught him by accident, because they DIDN’T.

“I assume you don’t have to return to duty anytime soon, Kosh? I’m sure there are many others here, seeing as the…” Yuma then asked, pausing for a moment to then clarify a little something else.

“Sorry, I just don’t really know what’s been going on for the last few years. This Octoray, these Octo-Agents…”

“I only knew the Octonauts.”

Well, it wasn’t like the Octonauts were ALWAYS popular. Sure, their voices and GUPs were HEARD throughout the 2010s but that later fell down to East Asia for seemingly no reason at all.

The resurgence was fading back in, and now was a good time to truly thank them AND their fellow friends for their efforts, even if these last few years were off the beaten path—going above the surface? Oh, the irony. Koshi, who'd been on one of these pre-Octoray missions with her sis, understood exactly what the enby coyote meant. And who else to blame but… No, enough with the blaming. Koshi wasn’t involved in the Tweak-Barnacles debate and even she knew there was no time for chewing out anyone.

“Well, at least this Octo-Watch comes in handy,” she then replied late. “And no, I don’t think I’ll be needed back any time soon… They’ll find me themselves, unless they’ve had one too many hot cocoas!”

“One too many hot cocoas?” Yeshi chimed in, having stood before them just eavesdropping. “Koshi, where have you been?”

“And speak of the inner core,” the other dachshund looked back with surprise. “My brother, Yeshi! Didn’t think you’d come back, now…”

Meanwhile, the coyote just stopped in their tracks and took a moment to FULLY compose themselves. One other critter was totally fine, but two’s a crowd. So, what did this ‘yotey do?

“H-hi, I’m Yuma, and welcome to Jackass.” said in the fastest and most awkward way possible, finished with a blush, but at least they stayed put. That was a record, wasn’t it?

“…it’s nice to meet you.”

That was something to be proud of, actually. Having warmed up so much thanks to Koshi… none of Yuma’s previous “introductions” could match up… no, they’d have FAINTED before.

“Nice to meet you as well. What’s all of this about?” Yeshi then replied, eyes going to his sister in particular, who did feel just as awkward as the coyote.

“…I made a friend. I’m more than sure of that.” Koshi would proudly announce. “It’s been boring just waiting here for nothing, so I used nights like these to meet up with…”

At that, she walked over to Yuma, and gave them a hug. And despite the height difference, hugs are hugs, and that was something everyone could use. ESPECIALLY someone like this coyote.

“…yeaaaaah. I’m still warming up to it,” they said with an expression of innocent embarrassment. “I had NO idea about you guys… I don’t tend to leave my home a lot, or at all.”

“…scary, I know.”

Unsurprisingly, that WAS to be agreed with. How could someone live like that for so long? Maybe that happened with someone among the other Octo-Agents, but with some typical citizen like Yuma? Ouch.

It was encouraging all three of them… to DO something.

Would they be able to pull this off?

Maybe, even with this unknown dude. Did they know?

Of course they did.

~~~~

“Alright, Cap… just take some nice, deep breaths,” Tweak would continue comforting the polar bear. “Y’know, I was actually gonna tidy up the launch bay and move the GUPs to their designated spaces. If you wanna stay with me, go for it.”

This kind of thing had happened a lot now. Barnacles would definitely have a break under the company of the engineer, like most of his crew had, but everyone was on standby waiting for him, and knowing how they trusted him, he would HATE to keep them waiting.

He thanked the bunny for the offer, but shook his head and swam up to the HQ. The 4 Octo-Agents who remained walking were back in the GUP-A, as was Bianca just comforting her cubs like a good mama bear does, even after they’ve become a mermaid… We already know this stuff, so let’s move on.

“Shiver me whiskers, ye returned!” Kwazii eagerly shook his paw, noticing the much softer expression he took on his face. “Why’d you lose it like that?”

It wasn't something he wanted to talk about, but Tunip was right next to him, and that little guy already proved illogical for the real world. Kwazii couldn’t read minds, even if he believed he could, but as he and Barnacles both looked at the Vegimal, then at their own tails, he somewhat figured out what had happened.

“…I was just worried for all of us. It got too weird for me, and I had to leave. I’m sure it’s all safe, though…” the captain told the kitten, the concern in his eyes having become minuscule. “Best not to worry anymore.”

“…well, Captain,” Dashi looked over at him, with a gentle smile. “If that’s what you’re going for, that’s okay… I just think we should get this whole thing done with.”

“Yes yes… MY thoughts exactly,” Natquik would slowly nod in agreement. “I’ve had these plans for all of us to leave this place… Although I’m not sure about the Octopod.”

“Oh, so that’s what it’s called!” Came a little voice from near the computers, which definitely belonged to one of the hundreds, THOUSANDS of little creatures. “We just came upon this wreck, and we figured we’d make the most out of it!”

Indeed, they’d have made a CITY out of this place. From the HQ to the library, they were everywhere. These creatures of all sorts just took full advantage, within HOURS, and no one knew until this hour.

In retrospect, this was actually quite heartwarming. Even without intention to, the mermaids had been fixing up this place for these little guys, all this time.

The Octopod was inoperable. Lost to the seas for good. And yet, it served as a landmark, a symbol, a reminder, a memoir, a TRIBUTE… to honor what nearly every creature adored.

When it really came to mind, it made tears flow among the crew. Not of sadness, though. These were tears of JOY. Knowing they have REALLY accomplished something, even after this whole ordeal.

In the end, all that time didn’t go to waste after all.

Marsh wanted to enjoy this moment. He really did. Yet, he still felt uneasy. Like, something else was happening behind their backs. He didn’t know what, but it didn’t feel right.

He looked below his feet, and off the edge of the HQ’s remaining glass was the ocean floor… and it was FRACTURED.

Now, the bunny didn’t know a whole lot about these kinds of things. Tweak would—she WAS an Octonaut so she KNEW the sea—but she wasn’t here, and whatever this was, it couldn’t be good.

It was probably an earthquake. An aftershock of March 30? Maybe, but there hadn’t been many, if any earthquakes here during then. Not to mention, others didn’t seem to mind, and the Octopod was still stable, so there was that.

What was it, the ranger thought. Was he hallucinating? Oh no, was he running out of oxygen? Probably, but after checking his Octo-Watch for a moment, it became obvious he was doing entirely fine.

And yet, the ground was still cracking.

Things were gonna get BAD.

“Hey, Ranger!” Natquik looked at him, smiling broadly. “Are you seeing this~? It’s… it’s stunning!” He’d beckon once or twice, before seeing the bunny’s big ears droop, as he just kept looking down and away from the Arctic fox.

Now THAT was unusual. Mermaids were one thing, yes, but seeing Marsh this… quiet? Emotionless? He was a pretty fun guy to be around, but right now he just… floated there.

“What… What's wrong?” The professor swam over to him. “W-why are you just… Why so quiet?”

It then clicked in the bunny’s mind. “Nat! Sorry I scared you, heh…” he HIMSELF blushed in embarrassment, before returning to a fearful expression. “I’m scared. I REALLY AM.”

“Easy now,” the fox would hold his paw. “What’s this about? What is it you’re looking at, that’s making you feel this way…?”

“THAT…” Marsh worryingly pointed right at the ground. Of course, there could be ANYTHING in there, so Natquik didn’t really understand what the bunny meant at first. Maybe there was a little creature that tried to bite him, or whatever.

As he looked left and right real quick, however, it became more clear as to what had triggered the ranger’s fears. And even worse, this kinda thing was reminiscent of something HE HIMSELF had gone through.

This was surrounding the entire Octopod. Was a sinkhole about to open up? Once more, the two didn’t know, but it spelled IMMINENT DANGER.

Not to mention… that blue-purple glow it emitted, AND the increasing temperature REALLY weren’t reassuring at all.

It was like… A LASER.

“Oh NO.” Natquik’s eyes got big. “Wait, I know who can help… PAANI! Over here!” He immediately called over for the macaque, whose attention was easily drawn. He eagerly waved at them, unaware of the situation., before putting himself between the bunny and the fox, his fins blanketing them both.

“Listen up, pancake!” Marsh would tell the manta ray. “You see that sand? There’s some kinda… thing going on, and it’s ABOUT TO GO BAD!”

“NOW, that’s a SIGHT!” Paani was astounded by the internal light show, before being given an awkward look by the two land dwellers.

“I mean, what makes you think it’s so bad anyways? It’s probably just a tunnel where those creatures came from-”

This was when the ground started to pulse, like a heart. Slowly, but it could be heard, and if it didn’t look bad, it CERTAINLY was now.

“OKAY, THAT’S IT!” Natquik shouted. “EVERYONE EVACUATE!”

The others had all heard him, at first a bit confused. Like he himself was, they didn’t understand it, before ANOTHER pulse came from below.

“Uh… did anyone feel that?” Kwazii would ask, only to let out a “YEOW!” after being pulled away by Barnacles, who, despite having no idea why he was instructed, believed Natquik more than greatly as he did for all his life.

It was best for others to follow, especially when the ground pulsed a THIRD time and glowed even more, resulting in the Octopod getting jostled around as a result. Everybody had to catch their bearings, before realizing their base had been turned UPRIGHT. And not at any other angle, no, this was a PERFECT 90 DEGREES. Normally, this would be a good thing, and it WAS, but… this wasn’t right.

“Wait, but what about…?!” Shellington tried calling out to the others, pointing at all the creatures inside. “We can’t just leave them here!”

“I’m sure it’s just a false alarm,” Peso would reply as he swam past the scientist. “It shouldn’t be too long!”

It wasn’t any use. You knew Barnacles and you trusted Barnacles. But THIS didn’t make any sense. Wasn’t the whole point of the Octonauts to EXPLORE? RESCUE?! PROTECT?!?!

Where were they going?

The otter was NOT going anywhere. He wanted to look after these guys, even in the midst of… whatever the ordeal was. He DID feel sorry for the other mermaids, seeing as he was ESSENTIALLY leaving everyone behind, INCLUDING KWAZII.

As he kept close to the HQ’s floor, he could hear the whispers of these little things. All of them, seemingly chanting something… some kinda name. What was this about? They didn’t seem bothered at all, did they? Surely they’d be aware of the danger themselves as well, but no, they just kept standing there like nothing was going on… continuing with their… ritual…? What was this?

Shellington tried to lend a hand, in hopes they’d climb on or something. He did have quite a long and sturdy tail too, so there was plenty of room for some of these smaller creatures. And yet they still didn’t budge… except for ONE little guy, who went up to his ear.

“We’ll be okay,” was all it said to him. As worried as the otter still was, he figured he’d have to let them go. If this was how things would be, then so be it. Besides, he couldn’t just leave Tunip—who looked over him—in the danger zone either.

Meanwhile, Pearl found it unbearable to watch her brother like this, before he IMMEDIATELY dashed out of there with the vegimal in his paws, faster… than an electronic rabbit. It was humiliating. It really was, and yet, Shellington—as well as the rest of the pod—loved the company of everyone in that reef and he didn’t want them getting hurt. No, never. And whilst he risked his OWN life, it was for others to save THEIRS. He’d apologize the moment he was in his sister’s proximity.

“FASTER, everyone!” Marsh would call out, “before it… IT… Uh…” He stopped. Perhaps everyone should calm down a little. Was it really as bad as he feared? Maybe it was entirely unrelated, to just be something entirely normal down here and not harmful at all.

He should’ve asked someone who KNEW about this thing. Someone who had past experience with these tremors. Someone who worked hard, day and night. Someone who meant so much to him…

Or, he could just ask Kwazii-

“TWEAK!” He gasped. With all his senses HOT, he immediately swam back towards the Octopod. “Stay back, y’all! I’ve gotta FIND HER!”

“Ranger, wait!” Natquik grabbed his arm. “If you go down there…”

“…Let me go down with YOU!”

To that, the bunny gave a bit of a smile, before the two, using their (inferior) legs, made a swim for the LAUNCH BAY. That’s where she’d always be, making sure the GUPs were in shipshape… most likely so since Kwazii couldn’t operate any.

Through the holes left days ago, Marsh squeezed his way in, trying to look for his daughter with great speed, only to conclude that, once again… she wasn’t there.

“C’mon… What is it?” He sighed. “Why can’t I just get a SINGLE MOMENT TO SEE HER AGAIN?! There’s gotta be something, SOMETHING going on…”

First it was the crash. Then it was getting here. And now everything was about to blow up. And yet, through all of this… No Tweak. Everyone was here, EXCEPT for Tweak.

She wasn’t dead, right? No, if she was, Barnacles would LET HIM KNOW. Which, he didn’t say anything explicitly about such, so that WAS a good sign.

“Please, Tweak…” he put his paws to his steam-covered helmet in despair. “Where ARE you?”

“Right behind ya, Pa.”

And THERE SHE WAS. Exactly how Marsh expected, maybe BETTER than before.

He was just at a loss of words. He swam towards her and gave her a big hug, relieved that she was doing well as always. Probably not even aware of the inbound eruption. Just enjoying herself, as hinted by her dark green eel tail.

“Sorry I didn’t speak up any earlier,” the engineer said with a hint of awkwardness. “I’ve been working a LOT since, and that’s taken up quiiite a lot of my schedule…”

That was totally logical. Though, for how proud Marsh was of Tweak for all that hard work, she DESERVED a BIG break, now that she was like this, as he thought with all honesty.

“Well, uh, do you have more things to do… in here?” He’d kindly ask, just trying to ignore his impending doom, but Natquik was silently panicking in the background, and THAT was concerning his daughter a little.

“Can’t say I do, but no worries, Pa.” Tweak replied with a hug and without hesitation. “You’ve been on my mind the WHOLE time. MY mind~!”

Now that was something the ranger was happy to hear. Of course he was on her mind, but getting that reaffirmation was always comforting. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just like with his favorite Arctic fox.

But then, he remembered the whole thing going on around him. Natquik was outside, calling for him to “get out of there”, and the water wasn’t just warm—it was HOT, like a bowl of ramen!

“Hmm, my oxygen’s getting a little low now,” Marsh kept in a light mood, rubbing the fog off his helmet. “Why don’t head back to shore and talk all about it, alright?”

Tweak eagerly nodded, figuring it was all for the better anyways. To get to spend that long-awaited time was all she wanted at this very moment.

As the two would make their way out of the base, the ground below SLOWLY started to cave inwards, and the sand was getting everywhere. Tweak quickly covered her face until it settled, which was only a few seconds down, before rapidly looking back and seeing what had happened.

“Uh, is that supposed to happen?” Marsh also looked back with a chuckle, before catching sight of Natquik swimming towards him in panic. He was already following the bunnies, but he WAS caught off guard, despite being just as excellent in swimming as the ranger was.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be good!” The fox shouted out, as he tried doggy paddling his way to the coast. It wasn’t very effective, his arms and legs were getting tired, and he even feared he’d drown here. The panicking had drained his energy and in this kind of thing there was no time to replenish it.

Marsh was about to turn back to try and reach him, until another figure snatched Natquik by the paw and darted past the bunnies like nothing. Tweak, a little shocked, recognized who it was almost immediately.

“Oi! Ya think the coast is close~?” Ryla laughed joyously, giving the old fox a pat on the back. “C’mon, Tweak, let’s get these blokes some fresh air RIGHT NOW. Gotta take a breather, because I reckon we’ve all been flat out for SOME time now!”

Tweak was taken a little by surprise, but she eagerly accepted, grabbing Marsh by one hand and the wombat by the other. From there, they’d RAPIDLY breach the water, despite the heavy load from all 3 of the critters the former cave diver dealt with.

The 4 all floated on the surface, not sure what to do at this point. More than likely, the rest of the crew had already made it to Isla Guadalupe, or at least got MUCH closer than they were right now.

“So, uh, mates.” Ryla looked at the others, perplexed. “Is that it? Are we just stopping here?”

No answer. Just… just waiting here. Was anyone else aware? Definitely, but oh well.

“Well, uh, that’s what I wanna know,” Marsh shrugged. “Is it NOT happening, or are we, like, out of the blast radius?”

“…W-well,” Tweak stuttered a little. “I think we’re going to be completely okay, right guys?”

“Right, guys?”

BOOOOOOOM!

…And then, it all unfolded before their very eyes.

#mermaid au #mermaid #octonauts #alternate universe #octonauts au #octonauts mermaid au #reclaimed by nature #meomi

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