#i feel like we've talked so much about men in black with this piece

[linktoo]

I got an ask wondering about who is my favourite character in Disco Elysium, which I stand by my answer of being not really one in particular. But, Dora is one character I've been thinking about a lot and I think I want to expand on that.

The story is told through Harry's eyes, and regardless of his in-depth analysis of and narration of his attributes, it's unreliable. Undeniably so. This is part of the story, I really do feel for Harry's inability to move on. I feel for his aching loneliness, and his need to be needed. The crushing feeling of missing someone so achingly bad, only for them to learn that they have actually forgotten a lot about you and moved on is a feeling of deep rejection, devastatingly demoralizing and painful.  "I betrayed her, overwrote her, and happier for it" is a visceral line of feeling the alienation of someone you've lost to time, someone you used to know but has moved on without you. 

But I really can't help but feel so much for Dora's position in all of this. As a woman in a male dominated society your emotions are seen as both weak yet mature, you are constantly objectified down into pieces of meat, and seen as vapid and shallow when you put yourself first. When you choose to finally stand up for yourself, that is long after you've known better, long after you’ve been embittered by your initial innocence and first experience.

“You were my first. My first kiss, my first time to have sex.”

The game continues to emphasize how Harry loved her, how Harry missed her, and yet I get deeply uncomfortable with how her presence is described with her physique rather than her actual self as a person. 

“A dolorian figure, cut in black, moves below. It's still her. Her legs, her breasts, her hips…”

[...]

“‘No, Harry.’ She shakes her head. ‘It's just regular skin. I'm not as beautiful as you always thought I was.”

It’s reductive. It’s dehumanizing. It’s not about her, it’s what she represents. The most perfect goddess of a woman, put on a pedestal and quite literally turned into a deity. Not to be loved romantically, but to be worshipped as a religious figure. Worshipped for the violence and destruction she creates to degrade him and feed into his self loathing, and thus Dora becomes Dolores Dei.

There is a selfish hope and longing that comes with any sort of kindness or pity she give him. She knows that and her words are cautious, she has been through it before, and no longer feels any sort of way about it. She is vulnerable, she did used to care, she is sympathetic to his pain, but she firmly does not anymore and will not allow her empathy be used against her.

YOU - "But… that's not a very good way for things to be." DOLORES DEI - "It's not, but…" She looks at her feet. Little golden sandals cover her toes. YOU - "But what? Tell me there's something good…" DOLORES DEI - "I don't know why I said but. There is no but." YOU - "That's it?" DOLORES DEI - "That's it, yes," she looks up from her toes. "We've talked about it a million times. You will get over it, just like I did. People do. Things will get good for you again…"

I understand that detachment so deeply.

There is a pain to know men you trusted and cared and loved only to be seen as a reductive version of yourself. The one who is “nice”, the one who is “ethereally beautiful” and that’s… about it. You’re not good for each other. It didn’t work out. But by finally deciding it is best to remove yourself from that relationship, you are considered the slut that left him. You are considered the gold digger, the shallow bitch, the uncaring freak of a woman. We didn't really get to know about her and I don't think she was good to him either.

And I just can’t help thinking about that. I’m glad she’s happier now.

[cowgurrrl]

Bug

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Summary: The BuzzFeed Puppy Interview [1.6k]

Warnings: mentions of a pet passing away, grief, puppy shenanigans, a happy ending (and surprises)

"The last time we were here, I was pregnant." You say as you settle onto the ground next to Joel. 

"I know, it's been a minute! How old are the twins now?" The same producer from the last time you and Joel did a Buzzfeed promo video asks.

"They'll be six in July," Joel says, beaming with pride, and you nod. 

"Is this your way of announcing something?"

"No!" You and Joel say at the same time, making everyone laugh. Once things settle, you introduce each other to the camera and wait excitedly for the puppies to come clamoring onto the sound stage. It only took six years, but you're finally getting to do the puppy interview with Joel, and you both immediately melt when the little baby pit bulls pad their way over to you. 

You specifically asked if you could work with pit bull puppies to raise awareness about the misconceptions surrounding the breed in memory of Daisy. It's been six months since she passed after fifteen years of belly rubs, snuggles, and love, and you've felt the ache since then. Seeing the tiny versions of her makes you feel a little better.

"C'mere, honey," Joel coaxes as he half-lays on the floor and scoops up the tan one. "Oh, look at that little face." He murmurs as he kisses her head and tucks her safely in his arms. Meanwhile, you're working on getting a shy black one to toddle over to you with little whistles and kissing sounds.

"It's okay. You don't have to be scared." You say, but he doesn't budge. The other two puppies, one grey and one brown, cuddle between you and Joel, and you take turns leaning down to kiss their heads and petting them.

"What was the process like working together on this film?" The producer asks.

"It was really fun! I always like having him work with me on things, and he just has an ear for scores and music in a way that I don't, so I think bringing him on for that was a perfect choice." You say, your eyes flitting to the black puppy who's still hesitant at your presence.

"Havin' her direct me and make notes was different than how we've worked together before because this is the first time she's been a director and producer, but it was a really cool environment. Our kids got to come to set with us and raid the craft station, so it was a good time." He's always been guilty of talking with his hands, but the puppy whining at a lack of attention really highlights it and makes you laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you feelin' neglected?"

"Joel, do you have any favorite movies or shows of hers?" 

"What a great question!" He exclaims, and you laugh. "I love everythin' she's been in and done, but that's 'cause I love her so much, and seein' someone you love do somethin' they love is just… the most special thing in the world. But I do have a special place in my heart for Self Made Men 'cause that's the first thing I ever saw of hers, and she's just so pretty in it. I mean, c'mon." He says, and you pretend to roll your eyes. The grey puppy climbs into Joel's lap and begins nipping at his arm to get him to put the tan one down and hold him instead. "Oh, don't be like that. I've got two hands for a reason." 

"What's your favorite album or piece of music Joel's made?" The producer asks you as Joel holds the puppies, alternating between head scratches and lightly pushing at their chests to get them to play. 

"I still really love the album he was making when we first started dating." 

"Glass House?" Joel asks, and you nod. 

"Sometimes, I'll put it on in the background while reading or doing something. It's just so nice, and it's so beautiful, both lyrically and sonically."

"Look at you with your vocabulary." He teases. 

"I married a musician a couple years ago. I hope I'd sound like I know what I'm talking about." You say as the two puppies in his lap finally have enough of him, riling them up, and they run off to play. The brown one joins them quickly, but the black one still lingers around you. You open your hands to him to let him smell, but he doesn't actually sit with you until his siblings come skating by and spook him. "Oh, sweet angel! Are you just so shy and little?" You coo as he snuggles into your chest, hiding his face like he got caught. You pet him gently and adjust so he can rest comfortably in your arms, and something in your chest settles for the first time in months. There's a fleeting thought, but you dismiss it quickly as the producer asks another question. 

"What is your love language?" She asks, and you laugh.

"Joel's is acts of service and touch."

"Hers is… I wanna say," Joel squints at you as he thinks. "Words of affirmation, and I'm gonna say touch." 

"You got it." You say, holding out your hand for a high-five. The trio of puppies start playing a little rough, and you and Joel immediately go into parent mode. He disengages the fight by picking them up while you protect the whimpering puppy in your arms. 

"Woah, woah, woah!" Joel says. "I understand that you wanna play and you're explorin' different things, but that's not how we treat other puppies, okay?"

"I can't believe you're gentle-parenting a pair of puppies." You laugh, and he shrugs as he puts them back down before reaching out and scratching the ear of the puppy you're holding. He makes a content noise and leans into Joel's hand. You smile as you look down at him. 

"It worked on the five animals we raised."

"What's one thing you could give a lengthy PowerPoint presentation on with no prep?" The producer asks.

"New York City history," you answer quickly. "I lived there for several years when I was in my late teens/early twenties, and it's kind of mandatory if you're gonna live there to know different bits of history. I just found it so fascinating."

"I think mine would probably have to do with guitars or somethin'. Especially since I started makin' them." Joel says.

"Oh, yeah. He made one for Ellie's birthday recently. It was just gorgeous, and it sounded perfect, too. You could probably teach classes at this point." 

"I don't know bout all that, but I do know a lot bout it." He says.

"Tell us a little bit about the Big Dreamer Foundation." The producer says. You and Joel each say a little bit about the foundation you created together to support arts programs and give kids scholarships to go to the programs of their dreams. Since you've started it, you've been able to send hundreds of kids to school and provide them with resources they wouldn't have had access to before. You even hint a little bit at the community center you're planning on building in your hometowns to support the arts there and help bring the community together. Starting the Big Dreamer Foundation with him is by far the most rewarding of everything you've ever done. 

As the interview goes on, you continue cuddling the black puppy as the others play and eventually fall asleep on Joel. When you come to the end and you're promoting the movie, you look at the people who brought the puppies from the shelter. "Are these guys available for adoption?" You ask, and someone nods. You look back at Joel and see him already looking at you and the puppy. 

"Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" 

"I don't know. What are you thinking?" 

"I'm thinkin' there's no way we're goin' home without a puppy." He says, and you take a deep breath. You've been hesitant to bring another dog home since Daisy died. You weren't ready to love something else as much as you loved her. You also weren't ready to admit that she was really gone. But the kids miss having a dog around, and, honestly, you miss it, too. You didn't know you could even consider adopting another pet until the tiny black puppy captured your heart. 

"What's this one's name?" You ask the people from the shelter.

"That one's Bug."

"Bug." You echo in a baby voice. You look between Bug and Joel and feel tears spring in your eyes for some reason. "Baby, I think we need to take Bug home." You say. He makes a sympathetic noise and pulls you and Bug into his side.

"Then, Bug needs to come home with us." He murmurs. 

By the time the video goes live, Bug has come out of his shell and adjusted to the chaos of the Miller home. It turns out he loves music and will often sing along if Joel hits the right note on his guitar. He also loves cuddling up in bed when you're doing story time with the kids and is exceptionally patient when they try to put costumes on him to act in their plays. He's perfect. BuzzFeed includes pictures and videos of Bug with your family and a sweet memorial to Daisy at the end of the video.

You'll miss Daisy for the rest of your life but you know she would want you to love again. Her mysterious entrance into your life still baffles you, but you like to think she sent Bug your way in an equally baffling experience. You like to think she's still watching over you and the kids in her own way. You like to think she's just as happy as you are when Bug settles into your family like he was always meant to be there. 

[ravennaortiz]

Two Worlds

Summary: How does Manny handle finding Juice in his sisters house. Sons/Mayans AU. 18+ Flashbacks/Time Jumps.

This was requested by @hatersaremymotivators using the prompts number 2. I'm not the right man for you and number 7. Stay away from my sister.

Neither man spoke for a moment as they stared at each other. "Go ahead and finish putting your shirt on." drawled Manny his face giving Juice no hint as to what he was thinking. Juice yanked his black tshirt down quickly and stepped to the table where the Mayan was sitting. "You must be Manny. Lupe has told me a lot about you" stated Juice as he extended his hand out to shake. "Odd she's not said a word about you" replied Manny as he leaned back in the chair letting his words fall between them like grenades.

Juice nodded as he withdrew his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Angel and the others had warned him about Manny. That he wouldn't approve of Lupe dating a Son. "Listen man. I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot here. Finding a random guy in your" started Juice trying to make light of the awarknedness. "I'mma cut you off. Facts are I never wanna see you in my sisters house, around my sister, say her name ever again after this moment" stated Manny as he leaned forward on his elbows his eyes never leaving Juices.

"Are you asking me to break up with your sister?" questioned Juice taken aback. "No I'm telling you. You two should never have been together in the first place. I get my sister being a bit naïve on the danger but you? Your a grown man who knows the darker side of the leather we wear. Sons and Mayans might have an alliance now but what about when that gets broken? Mayans and SONs will both want her dead." snapped Manny his voice tight and low with anger. Juice was shocked at the venom in Mannys voice and couldn't speak for a moment. "I would never let anyone hurt Lupe. Your sister" started to reassure Juice before Manny sighed and stood up. " Look, I've been told your a good dude and that you are treating Lupe like she deserves. I appreciate that but I want you to stay away from my sister. This will be our only talk on the matter." stated Manny as he made his way out of the kitchen. "I don't repeat myself either by the way" called Manny over his shoulder.

Four Months Prior

"The regal Guadalupe is gracing us mere peasants with her presence tonight boys" greeted Angel as he kicked EZ out of the chair for her. "Eres un niño"(you such a child) stated Lupe as she rolled her eyes at Angel. "I love when you call me names mami" purred Angel as he leaned in to her space. "¿No recuerdas qué pasó con el último hombre que entró en mi espacio personal? (Do you not remember what happened to the last man who got in my personal space?). replied Lupe as she patted his cheek as she smiled at him. "Sí. Lo enterré. (Yes. I buried him) answered Angel with a chuckle.

"You two are so weird" muttered Coco as he took a drag off his cigarette as Gilly nodded in agreement. "Says the man who pretended to be his daughters brother for most of her life and now wonders why she wont listen to him" snipped Lupe making Gilly and Angel laugh. "You know you could be nicer" replied Coco as he rolled his eyes. "I'm letting your kid live with me. How much nicer do you want me to be" replied Lupe with a raised brow. "I have a list" replied Coco with a smirk as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "On that note I'm going to get another beer" replied Angel as he stood up while Coco and Lupe bickered away.

A couple hours later a guy with a mohawk and tribal tattoos on his head caught Lupes attention as he spoke to Bishop and a man named Chibs who was the President of the Sons. Lupe sipped her beer as she studied the well muscled man with a gorgeous smile. "I'll catch you guys later" stated Lupe as she stood up and made her way over to the bar where the men were now standing.

Juice had been casually scanning the crowd still not feeling quite at home in the Mayans clubhouse when a leggy brunette with curves he would love to travel stepped into his view. Juice felt his soul leave his body when there eyes met. He was so entranced in her aura that he didn't register she was speaking to him until he felt Chibs nudge him in the back.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear you" half fibbed Juice as he felt himself start to sweat as she cocked her head to the side. "I said, hi I'm Guadalupe but you can call me Lupe. " repeated the gorgeous woman in front of him as she let her eyes drift over him. He's even hotter up close Lupe thought to herself. "Juice" replied Juice as he stook out his hand to shake. The feel of her soft skin against his roughened made sparks fly as she laughed. "Something tells me your momma didn't carry you for months on end and endure birth to just name you Juice" joked Lupe as she smiled at him. Juice chuckled as he nodded. "Real name is Juan Carlos" he explained as he took a sip of his beer to calm his nerves. "Juan Carlos. I like the sound of that" purred Lupe as she put her hand on his forearm. "I like how you say it" replied Juice as he shot her a wink.

Next Morning Lupe's House

Lupe had just stepped into her kitchen, where Letty sat drinking coffee and eating breakfast ,when she heard her front door open and Angel call out. "To what do I owe this early morning visit?" inquired Lupe as she walked into the living room yawning. "Did you bed a Son last night after you ditched your friends?" inquired Angel with arms folded as he shot her s sly look. "Hmm, I dont' think I understand your question" replied Lupe as she put on her best poker face.

"I'd say you gave him that good shit cause he was up before me and made us both food before that old man with scars picked him up just so you know. So like keep that up cause he cooks better than you" inserted Letty as she joined Angel and Lupe in the living room. "Letty" grumbled Lupe as her face warmed and Angel dropped to the floor laughing. "What? You deserve to have your back" started Letty making Angel howl louder with laughter as Lupe cut her off. "Enough! Room now please" snapped Lupe as she closed her eyes. "That kid is great" stated Angel as he wiped tears from his eyes after a couple minutes. "If you must know. Yes and we are going out to dinner next weekend" sighed Lupe as she made her way back to the kitchen with Angel hot on her heels.

Present Day

The clubhouse door slamming open and an angry tirade of Spanish mixed in with English had every Mayan in silence. Lupes eyes were ablaze and her mascara streaked cheeks were a sight as she scanned the room for her brother . Manny sighed as he slid out of a chair and made his way to her. "I'm a grown ass woman!" snapped Lupe as she jabbed her finger into her brothers chest. "Hell yeah she is. Look at that grown woman body" shouted Angel as he tried to diffuse the situation. "How dare you tell Juice to break up with me. Have him telling me " I'm not the right man for you?" continued Lupe each jab getting harder as her temper flared. "He's not Lupe. Being in two worlds is " started Manny as he stepped back slightly as his chest ached. "Screw you" interrupted Lupe as she stepped back into his personal space.

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[queenquinzel715]

Pt 1 2. Half Orc Captain Hamal

Brief SA/Suicide warning

Word count 1,832

(Y/n) pov

Ever since I could remember I've always worked, but when my parents died it tripled. I had to pay for the house they left me, which is falling apart. I lived next to the main tavern in town, so it only made sense to take the job as bar maiden. Every night I serve all different creatures along with humans, so it can be a lot more rambunctious than people are used to. During the day I try to fix my home, but can only get so much done with the four hours before I have to leave.

Today starts like every other. I eat, then start hammering the boards to the wall. I'm halfway through the main wall when someone bangs on my door. I keep hold of the hammer as I answer the door. The King's guard is standing there with three of his followers. You see they just run the town how they see fit, and that meant tormenting the poor people that live here.

"We've gotten complaints of this eye sore." His voice tries to boom, but I swear he's pushing it too hard.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm trying to work as fast as I can, but it's only me." I plead.

"Well no wonder. A woman can't build a fire let alone fix a house." He and his group laugh at what he believes to be a joke.

"Well if that's all I'm gonna get back to work." I try to shut the door, but he moves his way inside.

"When I say complaints I mean they want this hole gone." He looks around the small house as two if his followers come inside with him. "However I can ignore this eyesore for some simple payment." He smirks at me, his eyes look down to me gripping the hammer tighter.

Before I could blink he ripped the hammer out of my hand, and threw it across my kitchen. I try to run to the backdoor. Of course he grabs me, but by the back of my hair. He uses my hair as a guide to move me to the couch my father built, throwing me face first onto it. With my dress getting ripped, to them tying my hands to the armrests, and them laughing as they grabbed at me I black out. I still see, feel and hear everything that is going on. I just lay there, helpless. Once they are done I'm cut from the armrest, and left there with one leg hanging off the side, my face in the cushion, and the sharp pain in between my legs. With some miracle strength I sit up gasping at the pain shooting through my whole body. I look around what's called my home, but now it's nothing but a nightmare. A reminder of death, pain of loss, pain of force, and just pain of work. I sit there for I don't know how long before I realize it's dark. I take a deep sigh as I gather myself to grab the pieces of dress on the floor.

Something seems to snap in my brain as I slowly stand on my feet as I look around. I go to the closet where I keep my clothes, and grab a random dress. Once it's somewhat on I give one last look before leaving, and walking through this awful town. My daze-like eyes scan the town, and the forest as I walk ahead. I feel the forest floor poke at my feet.

Hamal pov

Everyone is laughing, cheering their drinks, overall having a good time. I look around the tavern for a certain (h/c) bar maid. I was actually going to talk to her this time. I've had enough of my own men making their own practical jokes about me. It's getting dark out, when I notice she still isn't here. I'm lifting my beer to my lips as Talen, a werewolf that has been on my crew for years, comes hurling through the people with a worried look on his face.

"There's something wrong with (y/n)."

"What do you mean?" I immediately sit up, slamming my beer mug down.

"I saw her walking in the town with this off look, and when I got close I smelt blood, and different human smells. When I came here she was heading to the woods." He hurries out.

I don't even respond, I just run out of the tavern to the woods. I can smell her blood like it's an arrow. I see a clearing up ahead, but when I come through I see my (h/c) haired barmaid standing on the cliff.

"(Y/n) don't!" I try to get her attention, but she jumps.

(Y/n) pov

I heard a deep voice yell at me, but it's too late. I'm hearing wind in my ears blocking everything out. My body crashes with the cold water making me lock up. I open my eyes to see the bubbles clear as I sink lower. I'm almost to the ground when my chest tightens. As my body makes contact with the ground I see two long cloud-like things swim around in a circle above me. I'm in awe as they come closer, and see half human octopus, and a mermaid. They grab my arms, swimming me to the top, making me gasp for air. I'm coughing as I'm squinting my eyes at them while they hold me up.

"You stupid girl! Why would you do that?" The octopus woman firmly talks.

"Octia please the poor thing doesn't need you berating her for her choices. Let's just get her to Kelim. Hopefully he can get all the water out of her lungs." The mermaid tries to reason.

I feel tentacles wrap around my waist, and arms around my shoulders guiding me to the small cave that was under the cliff. We go through a portal of some kind like pushing through a thin sheet. I'm placed on a dock with the mermaid sitting next to me.

"I'm sorry." I say softly as I black out.

I go in and out of consciousness. At one point I'm in a tent, the next a man is upside down looking at me, another I'm alone, but the final time I wake up I'm surrounded by a group of women, some with worried faces, some with curiosity, and some just looking at me. They gasp all at once, but the mermaid that helped me moves away. I stay just how I am until I see a man look over a woman's head.

"Good, you're awake. You gave the girls a fright." I just look at him. "I'm Kelim the doctor of this island, if you will. Sadly we don't know why you jumped, but you have a lot to learn. I got the water out of your lungs." He helps me sit up.

"Why would they help me?" I finally ask.

"Well I saw you jump, and Nixie felt your sadness. She says she felt something wanting to hold you." Octia answered.

I deeply sigh as I look at the cabin we were in, and how the water women are able to be inside from a small pool in the floor.

Hamal's pov

My men have kept their distance as we load up the ship. You could say I've been in a harsh mood these past couple of weeks, would be an understatement. I watched the woman I cared for deeply jump to her death, and I have a deep imagination of why. Talen was able to sniff out which scent it was, and found three of the King's guards as the owners. I take them to the forest, and let my men do as they wished with them as I sat on the edge of the cliff.

"We're all loaded up sir." A demon crewman softly tells me.

We set sail through the deep sea. It doesn't take long for a storm to come through. My life has just plummeted. The storm gets rougher as we try to fight the currents. As waves push and pull my ship I see what look like arms moving the waves. I glide as much as I can with the wind, and waves. My ship evens it as the wind dies down, but it's going to close to rocks. My men are pointing at things in the water. I see men and women merfolk push the ship in the direction of the land. My men start to shout, but when the elves are trying to calm everyone down.

"It's a portal. Relax!'' They yell to the others.

A portal? Why are they taking us there? We go through the portal to a whole other world full of different creatures. I point to the anchor to signal I'm stopping, and yell to the men to drop anchor. I watch from my wheel as my men jump from the sides to meet with the others. I watch as merfolk go onto land, crowding this certain cave.

I ignore it, thinking that it is their home, but when I see (h/c) hair come up from the water of the cave. My hands drop to the ship's railing, gripping it to the point of almost breaking it. The merfolk women move her to the front. I get a better look at my barmaid that has fins coming from out of her head. I watch her in complete awe like if I blinked she'd be gone. She moves with so much elegance as she moves in the water. I quickly grab a net as she gets to the ship's side. I pull her over the edge, finally having her in my arms.

"I watched you jump." I couldn't believe she's here.

"I…I know. Nixi, Octia, and Kelim helped me get my tail." She turns to the group of merfolk women. "I have a family again." She seems to be talking mostly to herself, but it makes me smile. "I heard you yell." She turns to me in a timid voice.

"I couldn't lose you, but I understand why." I sit on the bench I have behind my wheel. "One of my men, Talen, saw you walk through the town, and saw how dazed you were. Also since he's a werewolf he smelt…" I stop myself from saying anymore."Sadly I was too late." I lean my head against the side of hers. "I've watched you every night since I docked in that dreadful town. How you'd serve so many people with that darling smile, and even with my rambunctious crew, you laughed." I chuckle at a memory from my crew members falling off a table trying to dance on top. "I just couldn't keep my eyes off of you, and now I don't think I ever will." I look down at her tail causing her to giggle.

[zalrb]

You have posts about building up relationships, but they're all about tv shows. Are there ways to build up couples from strangers to stelena level love without the benefit of multiple episodes without the relationship feeling contrived - like rose and jack. If they weren't teenagers I'd be harder to accept their id die for you status even though we've only known each three days.

Oh, I have posts about movies too, they're just less popular.

Cecilia and Robbie in Atonement. When I read this ask, my mind automatically went to them but I felt like I should do a list since I have so many ships and sometimes I forget a few, not because I don’t ship them, but just because I have so many but I don’t know there’s something about Cecila and Robbie … it’s not just that I find their story beautifully tragic because there are a lot of beautifully tragic ships on this list, it’s McAvoy and Knightley together and as actors unto themselves, the way they hold the emotion of their characters and their relationship in their bodies

and the cinematography, the certain directorial choices that reinforce the romance

and romance and period of the film

like the fact that Cecilia was in the fountain

and so just to get close to her, just to feel something that’s touched her, Robbie puts his hand atop the water

and they gave us this scene!

It’s a beautiful film and they’re a beautiful ship.

or

OK well first of all, it’s beautifully shot with the soft blue lighting and it’s extremely sensual with the waves crashing in the background mingling with Chiron’s sighs, the close ups of the hands grabbing at the sand and then smoothing the palm over the sand,

and then there’s the context of this being the single most vulnerable, single most intimate moment, connection Chiron’s had with another person

[I think what’s so great and so heartbreaking about this confession is the second line where it goes from “you’re the only man” to “you’re the only one” so it’s actually not just romantic, he hasn’t had that kind of connection or intimacy with anyone else in any other capacity, it’s just and always has been Kevin.]

and then there’s the fact that this is an intimate, gentle love scene between two Black boys/men. I just love this movie so much.

There is such a weight to this movie and to the dynamics portrayed in this movie and there’s almost this cosmic connection between Chiron [Black] and Kevin

that I think the actors portray really well

because it’s a movie with very little dialogue so they convey so much without speaking and obviously a lot of that is the acting but a lot of it is also having the chemistry to pull it off.

or

(I mean, granted, they have three movies but still) and with Willabeth I kind of talk about how they're a great ship in pieces/different posts

by the way, when mindy kaling says “you can’t write chemistry”

this is what she means because it’s written in the script that will catches elizabeth and presses her against the wall

but it didn’t state that it would be like this

this, though,

they brought that shit to life

like there’s this perception of passion as being carnal rather than sensual or like strong emotion that brings about an intensity or a kind of ‘i burn for you’ type deal but when I think of passion, I think of shit like this

and Elizabeth and Will’s intense need to protect each other and stay with each other

I don't even care for this couple but I broke down how cinematic language can reinforce a connection between two characters and help the romance along

Their dance scene — which is beautifully shot — is a good example of a scene that uses certain cinematic language to enhance tension in a scene without relying on those things to create it,  like this [...]

and there are more.

[the80srewinders]

Our Diagnosis Story

We've been posting about our life before we found out about DID especially about before the host knew they had alters. We never posted our full journey, just bits and pieces when needed. Since this is a DID/OSDD blog we should post our full story, and since 80s culture has something to do with our healing, it fits perfectly on the blog. Other people with DID have posted their journeys before so we'll join and add ours.

Trigger warnings for csa, physical abuse, emotional abuse, rape, bullying, RAMCOA, medical trauma, isolation, and ableism apply for this part.

The body was born with brain damage, causing mental and physical disabilities. The body is mildly physically disabled, but can't do skating, lifting or sports. We were born with level 2 autism spectrum disorder. If you're wondering why I'm telling you about the body's mental and physical health, it plays a part in why we developed DID.

We'll never know how old the body was when we were first sexually abused or who did it first. But because of clues, all in our memories, we figure the sexual abuse first happened at 2 at the latest. Our first memories possibly date back to when we were 3, theres a small unlikely possibility it dates back to when we were 2. I, host, believe my memories date back to when the body was 3. My first memories are in third person, and with imaginary friends who were sentient. The really distressing dissociative experiences didn't start until the body was 4 that I know of. I'm not sure what most of the memories of when I was 4 even consist of or how many I have- all I know is the number is definitely under 30 memories in all. But I have plenty of memories where I'm wondering if the world is real (derealization.) I always thought that was a normal thing everyone did but didn't talk about- there's more of those, we'll come back to that later. I remember mentally feeling nothing- no fear, no sadness, no happiness, I just... existed. I didn't feel like anything at the time but looking back I feel like a fly on the wall or a spiritual observer in the room- I didn't feel anything, I was detached from the people around me, I was ignored in all my memories except the ones of me with one of the abusers in particular. I don't remember much about the memories with him at that time outside of he showed signs of grooming me.

When the body was 5 we started public school. Things seemed okay at first, but soon the autistic behavior became a problem. I wasn't diagnosed with it yet, so my guardians at the time and school staff thought I was just defiant. I remember almost nothing from when I was actually in the school, except for a few memories: being threatened with being shoved down a storm drain on the playground at recess by another student (don't remember anything about the student, they're like those black silhouette men on the caution warning signs- a distorted, shadowy ish but more opaque figure), not being allowed to sleep on the floor during naptime because I get sick too easily, and watching these "lesson" documentaries (I only remember what two of them were about.) If any other bullying happened when the body was 5 I don't remember it. But when I was 6 the bullying really got severe- and I remember none of it. I also have only one memory I know for a fact is from when I was six and theres a few memories that are possibly from when the body was six but the exact date is unknown. This is the year I lost to dissociative amnesia caused by DID. According to people who were around me back then, I was not myself- I was distant and upset. My mom even told me that when I was six I was mad at her for "sending me to school to get tortured" when the word "torture" wasn't in my vocabulary back then and I never knew that happened. I don't even know how I knew the bullying was severe- I only remember a little bit of it from 2009. I believe it was when the body was six I started writing in different names because that felt like it was who I was- I never knew my legal identity until I was 5 and that was just my first name, it took me until I was 7 to fully know my legal identity. When I was met with my legal identity, it felt uncomfortable and embarassing. My name was uncomfortable, like a slur, sign of danger or something I should be ashamed of. When I was six and seven, I'd be found randomly staring off in the school restroom, when ever since I could remember I've been scared of most public restrooms. I was running around trying to kiss boys which is weird because before I was 8 I was lesbian. I remember none of these things but they happened. This behavior was out of character and I never knew it happened until other people who witnessed it brought it up. In 2009 the bullying got more severe- two incidents I remember are a girl spitting in my food, making me eat it causing me to get severely sick, and being punched. I was homeschooled after that, and when I was, the time loss became noticeable to me- without consciously feeling like I fell asleep, I'd suddenly have a sense of being "back" from being somewhere else in the room or the house. But I had no memory of consciously falling asleep or waking up- my consciousness never felt like it was cut off, yet I'd be hit and rushed with this feeling that I went unconscious and was "back" in the chair or wherever. I'd mentally ask myself "Weren't you here just seconds ago?" I'd also feel like I was in different parts of the room than I really was, like under the chair. This was another thing I thought everyone experienced but no one talked about.

When the body was 8, we started visiting the body's cousin. She was less than a year younger than me, and our guardians thought it would be a good idea for me to be around her. Because I was (diagnosed with it the year before) physically and mentally disabled, our guardians thought it was a good idea to isolate me from other "normal" or really just outside people and have my cousins as my only friends. This is just the tip of the isolation iceberg I endured as a child. The cousin made a pass at us the first day, and would sexually abuse us sadistically for an unclear number of years.

When the body was nine, we officially entered a mental health crisis. I had no self esteem and wanted to be a "normal" girl. I saw the cousin do everything we couldn't but wanted to- skate, do ballet, have after school activities, have friends, and eat things we couldn't due to the physical disability. We also were recently diagnosed with autism- and the way it was explained to me was, I was being isolated because thats what you do with autistic kids since they have trouble socializing and other stuff I'd rather not repeat since its ableist. I also told off the sexual abuser from when I was around 2-6 when I was nine but have no memory of doing so, and supposedly what I told off had to do with him doing mind control on me and I don't remember if I told off the sexual abuse or not from what the person who told me this said. After that, my mental health got worse. I was consciously creating masks of what I wanted to be- these masks had names, ages, even their own family I wish I had and history. Whatever I thought was easier I'd pretend to be, and even tell strangers I was. I refused to identify with my real name and felt dysphoria with it. When I was 8 a phenomenon started that I still have, but especially had a lot when I was nine- those things you never knew happened, but you should remember them, and feeling like you're doing something wrong by not remembering them so you lie and say you do remember them. It could be anything- a vacation, a family night, a christmas party. It felt like it was "the rules" that I had to remember these things.

When the body was eleven, I had my first real encounter with an alter. I was thrown out of my body completely; I was watching myself from the other side of the room. And I felt like someone elses thoughts were being received by my brain and I was sharing thoughts with someone. I'd heard a voice briefly telling me to do things when I was 8 but when I was 11 this voice made itself prominent and was a part of my daily life, when previously I only had an internal monologue when I needed one- just to associate things together (often when I was deep in thought and detached from the world) and I don't remember clearly what else it was used for but it would come and go, pop up here and there. This inner voice was repetitive- it would be stuck on saying the same phrases over and over then get another set of phrases it would repeat over and over, in a way to block out "bad thoughts." This was a mostly unconscious thing.

When the body was 12 and 13, the abuser from when we were 2-6 would go on vacations and the dissociation really became prominent. Mostly identity disturbance. By this time, I didn't know what I really liked because I felt like my brain was pulling me in all different directions and it was exhausting. I would feel like my looks changed to someone else entirely, I'd always look in the mirror to make sure I still looked like myself. I even kept a strand of hair in front of my eye to "ground" me because I didn't feel like my looks turned into someone elses when I had the hair as a reminder my looks didn't change. My mannerisms would change to said person, I'd almost sense them behind me or inside of me. I would randomly be thrown overboard from my body and looking at it from the side like I was sitting next to myself. This happened a lot. Random objects or people would suddenly feel like they didn't really exist and that scared me. Sometimes the world felt dreamlike or just unreal when that happened.

When I was 15 I still had all those experiences, but a new one was added to the list- I would mostly unconsciously pick up random objects and forget I had them. I don't know what made me do that. I would pick up objects out of a remote liking and forget I was still holding them or had them. I didn't even feel them in my hand. I did this a lot anywhere. I wasn't even fully in control of myself.

When I was 16, I had amnesic switches somewhat often but didn't notice until years later when I found things I wrote and drew and didnt remember doing. There was a girl in my head I didn't consciously create I'd see and identify with. I started hearing coherent responses from another. But when I was 17 things would finally lead to our diagnosis.

When I was 17, my inner voice was telling me to do things repeatedly. When I was done, I would feel this sense of satisfaction that didnt feel like it was fully me feeling it. This led to me seeking mental help and getting misdiagnosed with OCD. I followed treatments for it (not meds- the body can't process them safely) and nothing worked. This would continue into 2020 when after talking about my "high wired" episodes where I'd be "driven" to talk a lot with no control or exact subject and feel like crawling out of my skin and my head spinning (these started at 7 I guess) and feeling "driven" to stay up and be productive almost only in the late night early morning hours with a sense of satisfaction, I was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. Those two things are common in CPTSD and were overlooked. By 2021, I was mostly unproductive until those occasional late nights, deep into doing things repeatedly to the point I was tired and getting other people to do things for me so I wouldn't have to touch or move the same object many times, and distressed by "voices." When I admitted one of my triggers into the behavior was seeing the abusive cousin that's when the possibility I had DID or OSDD was put in the picture. Starting in late 2021, I had to go through a lot of testing for dissociative disorders and personality disorders. In the process, around December 2021, the alters started unraveling. They would introduce themselves, and I'd keep a list of them. This was around the same time I started becoming obsessed with the 80s because of the music, and by February of 2022 I didn't feel the need to do things repeatedly because of the "voice" that much. The diagnostic process ended in November 2022 and I was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. During the diagnostic process, we found a shared interest in the 80s. It started with music, which after loving the aesthetic in the music videos, we fully became obsessed with 80s culture and used our shared interest in the 80s to increase communication and reach functional multiplicity with the help of therapy. I look back at the time before I discovered I had a system, and I realize how I was a stranger to myself. I didn't know what happened in my own body but thought I knew everything about myself. I was so detached from myself and had to learn about myself. But here we are today- we've made so much progress in self discovery that we'd never go back. We're proud of who we are and wouldn't want to be anything else now.

[safyresky]

Electricity

Phanniemay 2018: Day 1 Theme/Prompt. Ya girl is very uncreative with half the prompts so consider this Part 1 of 2 (since I linked themes) in Dani’s first attack on retconning Phantom Planet ;) 

[Sorry if it’s a bit OOC, I can never quite get the Danny Phantom characters the way I feel they should be/the way I like, but boy howdy I tried ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.]

Summary: How much electricity would it take to power some kind of device to make everyone forget about the events of Phantom Planet the weird asteroid and, more importantly, Danny’s secret? (Post PP since we’re literally discussing erasing it)

Words: 2,000

Genre: General

Warnings: one instance of swearing, but aside from that I think we’re in the clear!

It wasn't long before Danny got tired of everyone knowing his secret.

Like, it wasn't very long at all—two weeks of it went by before he begun to really, really not enjoy the new found "fame", or whatever you wanted to call it.  

By some small miracle, the whole world didn't know his identity, which was a relief. It hadn't reached the GIW yet, either. But all of Amity Park knew and that was exhausting him. He was just really in demand and while it was nice to not have to deal with the bullies anymore, since the whole entire student body was appreciating him (he had saved their butts more than a handful of times, so it was no surprise), it meant he didn't really have a moment to himself anymore.

Everyone was talking to him. Everyone was inviting him to hang after school, or to parties on the weekend, or to other things and it was just a lot. Like, hello! He was still the town hero and just because he saved the world from that really stupid asteroid with the equally stupid name he really didn’t want to say (even though he loved puns, you just had to draw the line somewhere, you know?), didn't mean he didn't have classes and homework and school stuff to do! Being Danny Phantom didn’t excuse him from that (but man, he wished it did). 

Sam and Tucker were also on the receiving end of the attention as well, and they seemed to be enjoying it or at least, in Sam's case, tolerating it. Danny hadn't asked them yet—largely because he hadn't had a chance to. In fact, the three of them hadn't really had time to themselves without SOMEONE coming to bug the trio about something or other in...a while.

They finally had a moment to themselves one Friday at lunch. Danny sat with a frown on his face, hand flat against his cheek as he prodded the limp salad back and forth with his fork. He let out a sigh.

"Something bugging you, Danny?" Tucker asked, taking a break from devouring his burger.

"I wish I could make everyone forget about me being Phantom."

"Really?"

Danny let out a very long, loud, ugh, dropping his fork and slamming his head down on the table.

"Finally! I thought it was just me," Sam admitted taking her seat across from them. "I'm at my wit's end with Paulina."

"Yeah, I'm honestly surprised you've been playing nice for as long as you have," Danny admitted, Tucker nodding.

"Well, I mean, I figured I should try and tolerate them. They didn’t like, outright attack you once they found out. I gotta give them some credit there as much as I don't want to. But I can only take so much," Sam said, her eye twitching as she squished her water bottle a little too hard, some of the liquid spilling out. "I'm tired of this."

"Honestly? Me too," Tucker admitted.

Danny and Sam both looked at him, shocked. 

"What?"

"It seemed like you were enjoying the attention the most," Danny replied, with a small laugh.

"Sam's not the only one who can play nice, you know. Besides, they keep asking me about techy stuff! I'm dishing out all this info and I'm not even being paid. And the constant invites? And being cornered in the hall with all sorts of questions? It was great at first, but now it’s just tiring. You may be able to phase through the floor but I can't. Nor can Sam," Tucker said, polishing off his burger in one last bite.

"Heh, right," Danny said, smirking.

"We've barely been able to hang out at all since it all went down," Sam pointed out.

"I could go for a vacation, to be honest," Tucker said.

"That would be nice. Just a break from like, everything. Actually, I might be able to arrange something ASAP for us."

"Vacations are temporary, though," Danny said. "I was thinking more permanent."

"Wait a second," Tucker said. "You were serious about making everyone forget? Like, everything? The whole disasteroid—"

"Don't call it that," Sam and Danny both interrupted.

Tucker plowed on, ignoring them both. "—and the world saving, and you being Phantom?"

"That about covers it," Danny said with a shrug.

"How would you make everyone forget?" Sam asked. She looked like she was considering it. "That would be a hard thing to accomplish."

"Sam's right. Would you do it with science? Or with sci-fi?" Tucker asked, wiggling his fingers in a spooky way. You could almost hear the corny sci-fi sound effects around them.

"I think in this scenario, it's more of a sci-fi kinda thing."

"Well we smashed the Reality Gauntlet," Sam said. "Otherwise that would be the perfect solution."

"Maybe we could rebuild it?" Tucker suggested.

"Mmm, not likely, Tuck. Danny disintegrated it, and we would have to make the gems with the power to alter form, life, and reality—plus a power source. And then we'd have to make the gauntlet…it's literally impossible."

"What if there was some kind of mind wipe?" Danny said. "Like with The Force, you know? This is not the ghost boy you are looking for..."

"Yeah, as cool as that sounds, I think that's also another far-fetched idea."

"Oh!" Tucker said suddenly, startling the other two. "What if we pulled some kind of like, Men in Black mindwipe?"

"That little pen like thing that made everyone forget about the alien stuff?" Danny asked.

"It's called a neuralyzer, first off." Sam said, only to have two dumbfounded looks thrown her way. "What? I liked the movies, okay? Anyway, that could work, if it existed, but it has drawbacks too, you know."

"Like what?"

"Let's say it exists, and you got your hands on a huge neuralyzer, with enough power and enough range to cover all of Amity City. You would want to make them forget the events of two weeks ago. So you put in the date, click it, and then not only would they forget the whole asteroid thing, and about you being Phantom, but they would also forget the entire time leading up to when you used the neuralyzer on them."

"On top of that, there's a whole bunch of different ways it works depending on what part of the Men in Black canon you're looking at. There's the movies, comics, an animated series—"

"We're getting off topic, Tuck. Also, have you ever noticed how similar the Guys in White are to the Men in Black? It almost sounds like they ripped off the movie for their own organization."

"Who's getting off topic now?" Sam teased.

"Haha. That's fair. Seriously though, do you think the Guys in White have a neuralyzer?"

"Well, if they really are a rip-off of the Men in Black, or like the MIB's ghost department, then they may have something similar."

"Let's try to avoid throwing Danny right at the Guys in White, all things considered," Sam said.

"Good point," Tuck agreed. "Besides, your parents are ghost hunters and deal with the same kinda tech as the GIW do. Maybe they could come up with something."

"There's a thought," Danny said. "I wonder if they could do something like that?"

"Danny, they invented a portal to another dimension that gave you ghost powers. I think they'll be able to make a neuralyzer-like thing no problem."

"Now how would they build it is the real question," Tucker said. "I mean, in the first movie they have two versions, the pen one and that vintage one, and this is after years of improvements on the tech."

"Plus, it is alien tech," Danny added.

"And in the second movie—"

"Which was not as good as the first," Sam mussed.

"—they have a deneuralyzer that's like, huge. Like, portal size, I wonder if that would imply that the neuralyzer itself was once that big?"

"That means that whatever mind erasure thing we can make, if it was similar to the neuralyzer, would be huge to start."

"And, to cover the area of the City? It would have to be huge. Even bigger than huge, probably. The Statue of Liberty's torch was a big neuralyzer, and that was just for New York City! Amity doesn’t really have any giant landmarks we could use as a cover for one."

"I don't mean to be that guy—except for that I do—but have the two of you considered how much electricity something like that would take? What about the environment?!"

"I'm surprised you're only thinking of this now," Tucker said.

"I'm always thinking about the environment!"

"Yeah, but like, you're only wondering now how much electricity it would take now! Do you know how bad their electricity bill is?"

"Do I want to know?" Sam asked.

"It's bad." Danny said. "Which isn't surprising, considering that the amount of electricity of just one of their inventions generated gave me super powers. The portal powers itself now, but when I turned it on, well." Danny shrugged. "Look guys, I'm seriously considering this."

"It's not a bad idea," Tucker said.

"Okay, fine, it isn't and I really miss being left alone. But there are some things to think about here, Danny."

"Like what?"

"How do you make yourself not forget, if we find a way to do this?"

"If we control it from the Lab we should be safe. The Lab is like, everything proof."

"Do you make your parents forget again? They've been a huge help. And we can’t mindwipe Jazz, she’s been an even bigger help. Even the popular kids have, despite all of their...quirks," Sam said, eye twitching again.

"I think this time, I'm going to have my parents remember. They have been a really big help, especially now that they aren't trying to rip me apart molecule by molecule."  

"Man, having the jocks off of our backs has been real nice." Tucker said. "If we went through with this, I'd miss not being bullied."

"Well, sometimes people in stories have déjà vu when they've been mindwiped, or carry some things over. Brains are complicated and we probably couldn't really fully get rid of the memory itself, if in the movies it's possible to reverse the effect of a neuralyzer. Scientifically, we can't quite erase memories—the closest we've gotten is repressing them, having them eventually be forgotten but with cues that can bring bits of it back. Either way, the memory would be in there somewhere."

Another blank look from Danny and Tucker.

"What? I may have been looking into it for...reasons." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Then there's also the question of if it's ethical to make everyone forget without their consent," Tucker said.

"Maybe we should leave ethics out of it? This is already complex enough," Danny said.

"That's fair."

It was silent for a bit, Danny deep in thought while his friends waited.

"Well Danny? What are you thinking?" Sam asked.

"I'm thinking that it's worth a shot. It would be nice to have some semblance of a normal life. The popularity was nice for a bit but ah, I'm tired of it."

"Me too."

"Same."

Danny shot up, hands on the table, a proper smile on his face. "What the heck, it's worth a try. What do you guys say?"

"I'm down," Tucker said.

"And if there's any way your parents can make it environmentally friendly, I'd be down to give it a shot as well," Sam added, with a smile. "Now maybe sit back down? We still have the rest of lunch and four more classes to go to," she finished, placing her hand on top of one of his.

"Ah, right," Danny said, sitting back down.

"What do we do with the statues of you everywhere afterwards?" Tucker asked.

"I completely forgot about those," Danny replied. "Uh, I dunno...vandalism? Make them disappear?"

"Vandalism? Fuck yeah," Sam said, with a small fist pump.

[I don’t own Men in Black, or Star Wars, as an fyi. I know there’s not really a need for disclaimers but ah, can never be too careful you know :)]

[aki-mochi]

Levi x Reader: Drunk Love

WARNING: NSFW!! Levi stood there, completely nude, in front of Erwin and Hanji as he covered his stuff while avoiding their gazes. His cheeks turning pink with his hair messy with fly-aways in every direction and his body covered in bites and hickeys. Erwin stood in Levi's living room, not amused, while Hanji was laughing until she was in tears.

"Sooo...you wanna tell me why you are...?" Erwin trailed off.

"I dunno....I-I...just woke up like this...."

"You were drinking last night, huh?" Erwin asked, more like stated.

"A little...." he mumbled, then clicked his tongue.

"Woooow Levi~!" Hanji laughed more.

"Shut up" Levi slightly growled as he tried to remember his actions last night.

~flashback~

Levi sat at a table in a bar with a few of his friends and co-workers, passing time and attempting to get away from the stress of work. Eren, who happened to be one of his best workers, offered him some food while drinking his drink. No sooner did another song start to play, a familiar woman entered the bar with Mikasa.

"I've never been in a bar.” Mikasa stated.

"We can't buy alcoholic beverages so we can just have water and some food. Give us some free time from all the work we've been asked to do." Y/n replied.

She nodded in agreement, looking around at her surroundings only to see the men at Levi's table looking towards them. Truth be told, Y/n and Mikasa worked in the same building as Levi, just on different floors. The two had met on a few occasions and even had small talk in the elevator whenever they were going to the same floor for meetings, but never actually got close to one another.

Levi glanced at the two as they came in and made a bit of a face. "I guess they're getting the same thing you are, Eren." He smirked behind his glass as he looked at Eren's drink suited for him being underaged. Eren pouted and gave somewhat of a glare towards his boss. "If you weren't my boss, and I wanted to not get fired, I'd slap you like I do Horse-face." He mumbled in his glass of apple juice.

"You sound like you're plenty drunk on apples," Levi stated as he set his glass down. "Now you finally have a chance to talk to that girl. I've seen you eyeing her at work." Hearing his comment, Eren did a spit-take with his drink; coughing and pounding his chest a bit. Once he got his breath back, he looked at Levi like he grew two heads.

"Are you insane or drunk?!" He slightly yelled in a whispered tone.

"I'm neither. You shout about being better at your job than The Titan Company down the road but you can't even talk to a girl."

"Yeah?! W-well what about the girl you stare at?! You seem like you stalk her!"

"The only time I even see her is on the elevator. Are you sure you aren't drinking beer?" Levi retorted.

"I'm underage to be drinking unless someone spiked it when I wasn't looking." Eren calmly stated as he took another drink.

"If no one did, they might need to so you can actually grow some balls for at least an hour and act like a man instead of a loud little kid."

Eren glared. "Shut the hell up....I do act mature. Just on some levels." He, then, turned away to stare at the ebony female with a slight blush on his slightly dark skin.

”Can you prove that?" Levi smirked at Eren's attitude.

"What did you say?" Eren growled, thinking his boss is picking a fight when he doesn't feel like throwing a punch while Mikasa is here.

"I said to prove that you aren't a child and go talk to her," Levi told him.

"Fine. I will." He suddenly stood up and walked towards the two sisters, feeling confident in his moves. Levi smirked as he watched, wanting to see how much of a train wreck it would turn into. But the minute Eren was only five steps away, he froze. His face turned a sheer scarlet red and felt his palms get sweaty. But what he didn't expect to happen, was that Mikasa noticed him and gave a small wave to him, making him lose his cool and speed-walking back to his seat before face planting the table. Mikasa flushed a faint pink but couldn't help to give a minuscule smirk from his failure to walk over.

"You’re a wuss" Levi muttered.

"Fuck you....." Eren mumbled against the table.

Levi smirked and took a sip of his whiskey before standing. "Let me show you how it's done," he stated as Eren groaned and watched him as he made his way towards the girls.

Levi walked over to the older of the two with a confident stride, the alcohol taking the edge off of his normal attitude. Y/n was too busy talking to Mikasa to notice him. Taking a french fry off her plate, she ate it and smiled as she was talking about her latest masterpiece for the company due to being in the advertising department. Mikasa mentioned a work project that’s due next week before looking over Y/n's shoulder to see the male.

"This seat taken?" Levi asked.

Y/n turned towards the voice of the male and her eyes widened. "M-Mr. Ackerman....! It's nice to see you again." She smiled softly at him.

"The same to you" he stated. "We don't see each other often. I thought we could talk."

"Of course! Come sit with me!" She smiled and patted the seat on the other side of her. He gladly sat, looking towards Eren and winking in success mainly to show off before talking to the two women. Eren growled and slammed his hands on the table and walked over once more before offering a hand at the grey-eyed female.

"May I sit with the beauty who I'm looking at~?" He asked with a smile.

Mikasa looked and blushed brightly at his words but nodded. “Sure."

With a small hum, Eren sat beside her before gently holding her waist to bring her closer to him. Her blush darkened, looking at her plate of food like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Y/n eyed the boy, a little surprised at his actions before drinking her iced water, smirking behind her glass as she knew Mikasa has a crush on him. Levi rolled his eyes, ignoring Eren as he talked to Y/n, keeping up a conversation about her interests. About an hour later, Levi was not feeling like his usual self. His cheeks were flushed while his eyes were dilated, black pupils taking up more of his steel-blue corneas. Y/n had offered to take him home while Mikasa stayed with Eren since he's completely sober. After that, Mikasa waved as she left with the green-eyed boy.

He tried to refuse, saying he was fine but she insisted, eventually giving up as he slumped over the table. Y/n slung one of Levi's arms around her neck; the other around his waist while leading him outside. Digging in his back pocket for his wallet and keys, she pressed a button to activate its panic alarm. Upon hearing a frantic horn, she turned to her left to see the flashing lights of a sleek black Ford Mustang. After calming the automobile, she gently helped a drunk Levi into the passenger side before slipping herself behind the wheel. Y/n opened up his wallet and found a small piece of paper with his name and address written in beautiful cursive. Pulling up the GPS on her phone, she punched in his home address to help her navigate before revving up the engine and beginning to drive to him home.

Levi did his best to keep the alcohol's side effects from taking over, grinning as he remembered the feeling of her hand in his pocket but stayed quiet until they got to his house. Once Y/n had gotten him out of his car and into his house, after she had unlocked the door with his keys, she walked him to his room and placed him in bed. She gave a small huff from how heavy he is for a short man. As she tried to leave the room, Levi had grabbed her wrist to keep her in place.

"(Y/n)," he muttered.

"Levi. You're drunk. You need to rest." She said softly so as not to hurt his pounding head.

"Only if you rest with me." He said, not because of how many shots he’s had, but because he’s wanted her since the first day he saw her and this was the only way he could get himself to say it. Y/n smiled and pried his hand off her arm so she could help him get comfortable by stripping him of his clothes. Y/n flushed a scarlet red when he was now only in his briefs which held a proud tent.

He smirked a bit as he watched her. "You can look if you want"

"I-I rather not, thank you...." she stuttered before going to find him some bed clothes he could wear; giving him time to look over her body that was shown by the jeans and shirt she's wearing. Her hair pulled up into a ponytail and her feet dressed in regular tennis shoes. He blushed from more than the booze in his system as he looked over her, letting her help him dress before laying in the bed with him. Y/n covered him up along with herself and sighed softly as she turned her back to him so she can sleep since it's after midnight.

But with Levi still drunk, he couldn't go to sleep. No. He didn’t want to go to sleep. He had a beautiful woman in his bed and he wanted her to be his woman. No one else’s. Levi took advantage of his drunk state and suddenly rolled Y/n onto her back, pinning her to the bed. She blinked, shocked from his sudden actions.

"L-Levi....?" she stuttered.

"Y/n.....~” he purred in her ear while sliding his hands up her shirt, making her shiver at his cold slender hands on her heated skin. "Let me love you," he whispered before colliding her lips with his own, making her body stiffen. She soon felt intoxicated by his touch and kissed him back, craving for more as she entangled her fingers into his soft black hair as she moaned.

Levi kissed her deeply as his hands made their way to her breasts, feeling the soft flesh against his skin. Arching her back at the feeling, she pulled away from his lips for air but gasping the minute he latches his own to her sensitive neck. She moaned his name when he bit her neck then pulled back with a smirk. Y/n looked down to see that Levi had, somehow, stripped her bare naked without her noticing. Trailing kisses down her body, she moaned and ran her fingers through his hair again as she closed her legs when he got between them. He rubbed her thighs soothingly before kissing them to help her relax. Once he thought she was ready, Levi opened her legs and placed his head between them. His tongue slid along her folds before flicking at her clit. Her hips jolted upwards while her fingers tugged at his hair, giving loud lewd moans.

Levi smirked and started to go faster, making her squirm and squeal in complete ecstasy as he tasted every inch of her. He then sucked her bundle of nerves into his mouth as his tongue did wonders. Y/n panted as she arched her back off the bed while her head flew back into the pillows, desperately wanting to move away but his hands held her down in place as he ravished her more. His teeth gently grazed her clit, making her lose control of the volume of her moans as they got even louder before she finally released with a squeak. But Levi kept going, making her beg as he continued to drain her of every drop before pulling off with a small pop. A trembling Y/n laid there panting heavily as Levi licked her clean, sitting up to look down at the beautiful sight under him. Levi chuckled and laid beside her with his arm draped over her waist.

Y/n calmed down from her overstimulated high before she made the bold move to pin him to the bed instead. Levi looked up at her in slight shock from the sudden move before his breath started to hitch when she started to rub the bulge in his pants. She hummed and stripped him bare of any clothes before suddenly going down to suck his cock. Levi's hips bucked at the sudden pleasure of her hot mouth on him, panting as he felt her tongue do circles around the tip.

"(Y-Y/n)~" Levi moaned as he gripped the sheets. "Ngh...! I-I'm gonna....! Ah!" he gave a loud moan as he came in her mouth. Y/n swallowed it all, a little disappointed that he came that quick, and sat up before marking him in hickeys and love bites, loving the sounds that were coming from his mouth. After she was satisfied with her work, she straddled his hips before pushing herself onto him, making her gasp and him moan. When she felt comfortable, she bounced on him as her hands rested on his chest. Loud slapping noises of skin colliding and loud moans filled the room. Y/n decided to bounce faster and go all the way down, earning her a loud moan from Levi as he gripped her hips to help her keep steady.

Pretty soon they both hit their high and came together. Y/n collapsed onto Levi's chest, panting heavily as he held her close to him. Having to pull out, he laid both their bodies on the bed and pulled her to his chest after covering them both with the blanket and going to sleep.

~back to the present~

Y/n walked out of the bathroom only to see a naked Levi standing there, in front of his boss and co-worker as he tried to suppress his blush. Smirking, the said female walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and satisfied hum.

"Don't worry, Mr. Smith~. Levi was a good boy last night with all the moans I made him do~."

At that, Hanji ran out with Erwin on her tail, trying to suppress their nose bleeds while Levi was a blushing mess at the moment from her comment. Y/n laughed at his reaction and kissed him briefly before giving him a warm smile and going to make breakfast. Levi sighed as he went back to his room to get dressed.

'Maybe getting drunk wasn't so bad after all......'

[robert-de-niro-only-fans]

Escape

Jimmy Conway x Paulie's Daughter! Reader

Hiiiii, this fic is a little surprise I've been working on and I've got a few others in the works. I hope you guys love it! ❤️

TW: smut, mentions of crime and crime families, murder, marriage, mentions of pregnancy

Word Count: 5.2k

As you stand in front of the mirror, your head spins from the morning you've already had. Women everywhere, whizzing around you doing your hair and makeup, getting you into your wedding dress. All that to make you a bride.

And you do look like a bride, you think as you stare into the mirror.

Behind you, you hear a familiar voice, "Ahem, ladies, could I get a moment alone with our bride?" Jimmy. He's being extra charming today, as many of the women left the room giggling because he spoke to them.

"Wow... (Y/N), you look gorgeous..." he creeps up behind you and delicately places his hands on your sides, as if he might break you. He looks at you in the mirror, before gently placing a kiss on your shoulder. "You're gonna stop traffic when you walk down the aisle. I can't wait to see it," he moves your veil and hair to give you a kiss on the cheek.

You don't say anything, just stare into the mirror. After a small pause, Jimmy turns you around, "Hey, you alright?"

Finally, you get a good look at him in his tux: all black with an off white shirt and a deep green vest peaking out from the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, "Yeah, I'm okay, just nervous," you put your hand on his chest, looking him over again, "I'm glad you're here. You always calm me down, and you look great by the way."

You knew it was an unconventional choice, but you wouldn't have picked anyone else to be your Maid of Honor. And Jimmy was happy to do it for you, even with Tommy and Henry making fun of him for it, at least until they got asked to be bridesmaids.

These were guys that in another life, you never would've been friends with, probably wouldn't have even known. And truthfully, your dad didn't want you being friends with them, because he knows what they are: criminals, nothing but criminals. But they're the only family you have, and Paulie had to admit that it was so cute seeing you get into trouble with Henry and Tommy and then go to "Uncle" Jimmy to get you out of it.

Jimmy wouldn't have done that kind of thing for the guys; they needed to get pinched and learn what it was like, but he would do anything to keep your pretty face out of jail. Since you've grown older, old enough for your father to let you get married, you and Jimmy have grown to be best friends. He's not so much the Uncle he used to be to you.

"(Y/N)?" Jimmy starts, "we got something to tell you, honey."

Just from the man's tone of voice, you can tell something is terribly wrong; you just know him too well. At that point, Jimmy opens the door, and Tommy, Henry, and your dad Paulie shuffle in.

"What's going on?" you say sheepishly, taking a step back from the men before you.

"You may wanna sit down," Jimmy motions to the little couch in the room.

Your dad reaches for one of your hands and you pull it away, "What is it, papa?"

"Sweetie, let's sit down, so we can talk," he places a hand on your back, and you both sit on the couch together. Jimmy, Tommy, and Henry all stand around looking like tough guys: arms crossed, keeping an ear out for anyone who might be listening outside the door, their faces looking stone cold with a bit of worry in their eyes.

"(Y/N), that guy out there," Paulie starts, referring to the groom waiting to marry you, "he ain't the guy you think he is."

"What?" you ask quietly.

"Well, uh, the guys here-" he looks up at the three men standing around you, "Jimmy, uh..." He just couldn't say it to you.

"We've been keeping an eye on this guy, scoping him out," Jimmy finishes for Paulie.

"What? You were spying on my fiancé?" you ask, feeling hurt.

"You didn't think we was just gonna let you marry anyone, did ya?" Tommy pipes up.

"And I'm glad we did," Jimmy cuts back in, "that guy out there, (Y/N), he's a liaison for another crime family! They were using you for information, and now he's able to identify all of us."

"What? No... He's- he's... a union rep," you cast your eyes down as it dawns on you; it was all a lie and a great cover up so he could talk about his friends and you wouldn't even realize. God, did you feel stupid. If anyone was gonna catch him in that lie, it should've been you. "I'm so sorry..." you whisper as tears drop down onto your wedding dress.

Paulie immediately pulls you into a hug, "Hey, hey, it's okay, baby girl. It's okay. The guys here have a plan." He tries to comfort you as you cry into his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, you know I'd never try to put any of you in danger. I'm sorry I was so stupid!!" You feel horrible and angry with yourself.

"Shhh... You gotta keep your voice down, honey," you feel Jimmy's hand rubbing circles into your back as he kneals next to you. "You're not stupid. It took us a long time to crack this guy. He covered his tracks well."

You turn to Jimmy, tears mixed with mascara running down your face. "Hey..." he says, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the tears from your face, "Don't cry, angel. You shouldn't cry on your wedding day."

"But-" you get close to him, "it's not my wedding day anymore."

"Still," he pulls you up off the couch and into a hug, "you look too pretty to cry, and besides, we gotta get going."

You give him a confused look, trying to get it together, "Get going? Where are we going?"

"Well, uh, you and I are going on your honeymoon; Tommy and Henry know the rest of the plan."

"Honeymoon? We're not gonna cancel it?" you question.

"Listen, sugar," your dad grabs your attention, "this is the one day we can get your fiancé alone. He didn't dare bring any of his associates; we would recognize them, especially after all the recon we've done. So Jimmy's gonna sneak you out of here, and you're gonna go away for a while, and we're gonna get rid of this crook and tie up all the loose ends."

Just a few moments later, Tommy and Henry go back into the church to make it seem like everything is normal. No one is gonna think anything of Jimmy and your dad being with you, because that's the order the ceremony will go in. Your dad waits out in the hallway, as if he's waiting for you to put the last few finishing touches on your dress, and as everyone clears the hall to go to the church, he signals to Jimmy that it's time.

You and Jimmy quietly sneak out of your dressing room to head to the car. Before you run off, you turn back to your dad, giving him a big hug, "Please be careful, papa. I love you so much, and I'll miss you."

"I love you, too, (Y/N)," he gives you a kiss on the forehead, before you turn to head out the back hallway of the reception hall.

On the way out, Jimmy grabs a huge plate of hors d'oeuvres and holds the door open for you. You make your way out to this random convertible (probably stolen), seeing your suitcase in the backseat.

"Mines in the trunk," he lets you know, before setting the plate of food in the back and helping you in the car. Seconds later, you're peeling out of the church parking lot.

• • •

You and Jimmy can't help but laugh as you get further and further away from your wedding ceremony. You can't explain why you're laughing so hysterically, but it feels like old times getting into trouble with Jimmy. Plus, it's a welcome distraction.

"Jimmy," you interject the laughter.

"Yeah?" he asks, coming down from his laughing fit. You've already reached the highway heading from upstate New York into the city to get to the airport.

"Jimmy, I gotta get out of this dress," there's a serious tone in your voice that tells Jimmy this is more urgent than you let on.

He quickly whips out his switch blade, "Okay, lean forward." And then you feel the cool metal of the blade grace your back as he cuts the ribbons corseting your dress.

The dress loosens around you, and you look over at the man, "Thank you," is all you say before sliding the dress down over your hips, then throwing it up in the air, letting the wind take it down the highway. Jimmy has an impressed look on his face as he glances at you with a half smile on his face.

He reaches over, placing a hand on your bare thigh, pulling your wedding garter down your leg before holding it above his head and spinning it around like a lasso. "WOOOOOO!!!!" he yells at the top of his lungs as he flings the little piece of lace. Anything to make you laugh, and it does get a rise out of you.

There's a pause for a moment as Jimmy takes in the view of you in your white lingerie; his eyes don't linger for long though, because he doesn't want to make you uncomfortable.

Though, you can't help but feel sexy for moment before climbing into the backseat to change.

"Hey, bring that food up to the front seat when you're done," he says, looking at you in the rearview mirror. You smack his shoulder, realizing he can see you changing. He chuckles and flips the rearview up. You spend the rest of the trip leaning on Jimmy and snacking on the hors d'oeuvres on the tray, until you arrive at the airport.

Because you skipped the wedding ceremony and reception, you arrive way earlier than you're supposed to, but it's no issue, Jimmy already worked it out by moving your flight up. It also works out better, because there will be goons at the airport looking for you, but by the time they get there, you and Jimmy will already be gone.

• • •

After a few hours when you arrive in the Bahamas, Jimmy gently runs his fingers through your hair to wake you up from your nap. You were conked out on his shoulder, exhausted from this morning. "C'mon, sleepyhead, let's go have a honeymoon," he helps get you up and grab your bags.

"Mmmm," you yawn following him, "you say that like it's your honeymoon or something."

"Well, it is now," he chuckles, grabbing your hand to lead you off the plane. After a warm welcome from some locals at the check in desk, you head over to your private villa, right on the beach. Even though it's already dark, the island is beautiful. The warm breeze makes the palm trees wave; the sand is soft under your feet; and the sound of waves crashing is seriously so relaxing.

Inside your villa, it looks so cozy and clean, and you're so ready to get some dinner and go to bed. That's just what you do. Jimmy calls the office to order dinner to your little beach house, and you pop into the bathroom to take a shower and change.

By the time you're done, dinner is too. Jimmy greets you with a little side hug and pulls your chair out for you to sit down at the table. "Comfy? In your little robe and all?" he asks, eyeing you up and down quickly.

"Mm-hmmm," you moan, stuffing your face with delicious food. Jimmy chuckles at you before doing the same.

After getting your bellies full on tasty seafood, you decide that it would be a good idea to go to sleep, that way you can make the most of your time on this lovely island.

As you and Jimmy make your way to the bedroom, you're met with a reminder of why you're there in the first place: rose petals and candles littering the room.

Jimmy sees the way you pause, "Do you want me to get rid of this stuff?"

"I- uh, no... It's okay," you look back and forth between him and your bed.

"Here," he says, leading you to the couch, "Stay here."

He goes into the bedroom and closes the door behind him. For a few moments you hear huffing and thudding as he blows out candles and throws them in the trash, and you hear his arms hitting the bed as he wipes the rose petals away. Jimmy exits the room with a trash bag in tow, tossing it out on the front patio before returning to the living room, breathing a little heavy, and holding his arm out, motioning you to the bedroom.

You stand up and put your arms around him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, Jimmy."

He places his arm around your waist and presses a cheek to your head, "You're welcome, sweetie. Now go to bed."

"You're not coming?" you ask.

"I'll sleep on the couch. You have a good night, and sweet dreams," he gives your arm a squeeze before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

As you settle into bed and try to sleep, it sinks in. Your relationship that you'd been so happy in is over... And here you are in another country for an undetermined amount of time while your ex-fiancé gets "taken care of." Even though his intention was to hurt you, you can't help but mourn what feels like the loss of your happiness. In fact, there's only one place you can feel happy right now, and you won't sleep until you're there.

"Jimmy?" you whisper through your sniffles. You stand before him as he sleeps soundly on the couch. "Jimmy?" A little louder this time, and that does the trick.

The man takes in a sharp inhale through his nose and his eyes pop open, "(Y/N), hey," he rubs his eyes, "you okay?" You just stand there quietly sniffling, and then Jimmy sees the redness in your face, "Hey, hey, c'mere honey, c'mere." He holds the blanket up for you to climb in, and he immediately wraps his arms around you, cuddling you in his cozy little spot on the couch. You simply bury your head into his chest, and let out a few tears. "Shhhh, shhh," he says as if cooing a baby, "it's okay, I'm here, everything's gonna be alright."

• • •

The sun brightly lights the whole open floor plan of your beach side escape, warming you and Jimmy in your bundle of blankets. You awake to the feeling of his fingers lazily combing through your hair, and when you crack your eyes open, you see him happily smiling down at you. You place a hand on his chest, and he covers it with one of his own, giving your fingers a squeeze.

"Morning, you hungry?" he greets you.

"Mmmm... Good morning, sweet man," you happily nuzzle into him.

He cups a hand on the back of your head, "Whaddaya say we get some breakfast, then ya wanna go swimming later today? Hm? We got that beautiful beach right out there." His head motions towards the large glass doors that look out onto the sand and sea.

"Only if we can stay here a little longer," you hum into his chest, perfectly content with just cuddling up to him all day long.

"Okay, princess, we can stay a little longer."

• • •

After a relaxed morning (yes, you both dozed back off to sleep for a while) and a nice breakfast of fresh fruits, juice, and pastries, you wait on the back patio for Jimmy to change into his swimsuit. When the sliding glass door glides open, you turn and see the man in swim trunks that hit about mid-thigh, short sleeve button up shirt that's unbuttoned, a gold chain, and a cigarette. Of course Jimmy dresses like that for the beach.

"Whaddaya think? How do I look?" he jokes at you.

You walk over and places your hands on his bare chest. "The view looks pretty good from here," you chuckle lowly.

Jimmy grunts, "You better watch those hands of yours," he warns, moving you off his chest before lightly taking your fingers in his. "Alright, let's go," he says, leading you towards the waves.

"Ya know, uh," Jimmy catches your attention.

"Hmm?" you chirp, hand still happily in his.

"How come you're still wearing this?" he asks, holding your hand up, and tapping his thumb on your engagement ring.

"Oh... um... I'm not sure, honestly," you look down at your hands, wringing them together and fidgeting with the little piece of jewelry. As you take your first few steps into the ocean, you slip the ring from your finger. "I guess it doesn't mean anything anymore," you ponder to yourself before chucking it into the water.

Jimmy raises his eyebrows in surprise, "You didn't wanna sell it?"

You turn around and pat him on the chest, "I know you and the boys back home will make me more money than that ring is worth. It wouldn't surprise me if it was fake, knowing what I know now."

• • •

Time got away from you as the two of you enjoyed your day in the sun. After walking along the beach and Jimmy dunking you in the waves a few times (don't worry, you got him back), it's already early afternoon. And boy, were you beat.

"Hmmm, I think it's time for a nap!" you yawn, "This sun has got me drained."

"Wanna go inside?" Jimmy points to your little beach house.

"Yeah, but I don't think I can walk another step," you whine playfully, giving the man puppy eyes.

There's a long pause as Jimmy gives you a serious look, but he's only kidding. "You want me to carry you, don't you?"

"Yes, please!"

And with that, your feet are swept out from under you. Jimmy walks you across the sand and through the sliding glass door, right to the bathroom.

"What are we doing in here?" you question as he walks right into the shower, "Jimmy?!"

"Gotta rinse all the salt and sand off," is all he gets out before the shower faucet sprays cold water on you and the man holding you. You squeal loudly and practically jump from Jimmy's arms! You hold onto him tightly for warmth; luckily the water heats up quickly though.

"You bastard!!" you yell and give the man a swift pop on the chest.

"OW!" he giggles and rubs the spot that is quickly turning red.

Your face forms a pout, feeling bad for smacking him, "I'm sorry." You take a step forward and rub your hand on his chest to sooth the spot. When you place your other hand on his chest, you look up at him. Suddenly you feel his strong hands gripping the back of your head, and his lips meet yours. Your back comes into contact with the shower wall, and you're completely surrounded. You feel the muscles of Jimmy's arms squeezing around you as his tongue urges it's way into your mouth.

You could hardly explain it: the timing and the situation feel so wrong, but he feels so 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, like everything you had ever wanted- no, 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥.

Water soaks your hair, your face, your bodies as Jimmy fiercely kisses you. He's almost scared to stop.

But when you gently suck his bottom lip into your mouth and give it a nibble, it's game over.

Your friend-turned-lover rips open the shower curtain and starts walking you to the bedroom, his lips and his body never leaving yours. His tropical shirt slaps the ground in a wet heap, quickly followed by his swim trunks.

His lips find your neck, and you finally get a moment to catch your breath. Pressed against him as you step backwards, you feel his hands frantically working the straps of your swimsuit. You pull back from him just enough to see his face, and he freezes like a deer in headlights.

You simply look each other over, taking in the features of the other's face for a moment, before you lean forward and place your lips to his chastely, kissing him just once or twice. His rough hands gently caress your back, and then things turn passionate again when he slowly removes your top.

You always thought you'd be nervous to be with Jimmy, but after all, this is a man that you trust with your life. Wait- always? Did this imply you'd thought about being with him before?

In the heat of the moment you couldn't make sense of it. All you know right now is that Jimmy already has you naked and on the bed. It feels like your emotions are in a whirlwind, but Jimmy makes you feel good and you want more.

Your hands rake through his still wet hair, as he showers your chest in affection by kissing and sucking at your collarbone and breasts. He travels further down your body with his ministrations, until he reaches your soft inner thighs. You can feel his five o'clock shadow scratching at the delicate skin there, before he stops and looks up at you nervously. You'd never seen this man look nervous before.

His eyes beg for permission to go down on you and his hot breath passes over your center. You simply push down on his head a bit as a signal to go.

With his elbows buried in the soft mattress, forearms wrapped around your thighs, and eyes closed in concentration, his mouth surrounds that little bundle of nerves, lighting a fire in your belly. The sound of him breathing through his nose and your moans fill the room. Every hair on your body stands on end and your toes curl at the feeling of Jimmy Conway giving you head.

Oh God, Jimmy Conway is giving you head... Jimmy Conway your best friend. Jimmy Conway your Maid of Honor? You quickly push that thought away, then raise your head to look down at the man happily working away between your legs.

This is something you never thought you'd do with Jimmy, yet here you are, and oddly, it feels so... comfortable. You aren't nervous at all. Of course, you can't speak for him.

You lightly scruff up his hair, breathing heavily, "Jimmy..." The first word anyone had said in a while.

"Huh?" he says just after a loud slurping noise. His mouth hangs open in a relaxed way as he catches his breath and looks up at you from under his brow bone.

You let out a laugh in the form of a puff of air and a smile. Jimmy returns the smile; it's a happy smile with a hint of playful mischief in his eyes. A giggle slips out of you, then you both start laughing. At what, you aren't quite sure... the situation, maybe?

Your lover crawls on top of you and cuddles you by pressing his chest to you and wrapping an arm around your waist. Your hands explore his back, lightly scraping your nails over his shoulder blades and the small of his back.

He lets out a soft but deep moan before moving to kiss you again. His fingers nestle in your hair as he softly shows you his affection with his mouth. Your hands rest on his cheeks as he centers himself on top of you, one of his hands gripping under your thigh.

"This alright, princess?" he says in a near whisper.

"Yeah..." you exhale.

"You ready?" He gives you a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah," you repeat, "I am." You give him a warm smile, cupping a hand on his face again, as if framing it to take a mental snapshot.

His next actions are incredibly gentle, but it makes everything all the more sensual. He plants a few kisses on your neck and collarbone before sitting up on his knees. His arm wraps around your thigh, holding it up in the air, as he aligns the head of his member with your entrance. The tip slides in pretty easily because of your wetness, and you can see Jimmy's breathing deepen; after that, the man moves slowly entering you, making you feel every inch of his length.

You had barely started and you're already both a mess. The pleasure is almost too much to take. Once Jimmy starts to move his hips, he leans forward once again, hovering over you on his hands and knees. You look up into his eyes, feeling his hardness moving inside you. Wanting to be closer to you, he drops down to his elbows and brings his knees up. His hands stroke some hair from your face while his hips rut into yours at a teasing pace.

After appreciating your how pretty you are, Jimmy moves his lips next to your ear and lowly says, "You feel incredible, baby. You feel so good..." He gives you a series of sloppy kisses on your jaw and earlobe.

You simply close your eyes, relax into the man on top of you, and give him an airy moan in response, "You feel good too, Jimmy."

"Mmmm, you like this pace? Or you want me to speed up?" You can feel his hot breath against your neck.

"Maybe, um, deeper?"

"Deeper, huh?" he whispers in your ear, "You wanna feel more of me?" He throws a little chuckle on the end of his question, and he readjusts by hooking a hand under your knee and pushing it up towards you for a deeper feeling while remaining close to you.

With each thrust you let out a grunt or breath of some kind, "Oooh... T-that's- Hnnng!"

"That the spot, baby girl?" Jimmy smiles to himself, happy that he's pleasing you.

A very shaky "mm-hmm" is all you can manage.

Jimmy speeds up his movements just a little, but still maintains a leisurely and romantic mood.

With a gasp, you start, "Jimmy, I- I'm-"

"Cum for me, baby," he coos, lightly sucking and nipping at a little spot on your neck.

"Fuck- Jimmy..." your climax hits you hard, making your head spin, and the only thing you can think about is the man before you, "Jimmy, I- I love you. I love you, Jimmy!"

Before you even have a moment to think about what you'd said, you hear, "I love you, too, (Y/N)," and several grunts and groans as he finds his release inside you.

Jimmy rolls off of you and trucks himself into your side. You hold the man in your arms tightly as you both come down from the high you just experienced. You turn your head to see him nuzzled into the crook of your neck, almost as if he's asleep. He cracks his eyes open at you and props himself up, putting his face close to yours.

You feel... shy for some reason as you press your lips to his, almost as if this is somehow more vulnerable than what you'd just done. You kiss each other softly, over and over, for what feels like a few minutes.

"You know, I didn't know you were close to finishing too," you tell Jimmy, trying to break some tension.

"Mm, well, I told you you felt good," he gives you a half smile, "I didn't know you loved me."

"Oh, well... It just kind of came out, but, uh, it was true. Still is." Another sweet kiss.

"You remember when I told you I couldn't wait to see you walk down that aisle? That was true too," he tells you.

You aren't sure where that came from, and it confuses you, "But... You knew I wasn't gonna get married that day."

"Yeah, but I am gonna see you walk down the aisle one day... when you marry me," he looks down and bites his lip.

You let out a flabbergasted little breath, "Jimmy..."

"C'mon, (Y/N)," he coos, "I love you. I wasn't gonna ever let you marry that other guy. Why do you think I looked into him so hard?"

"I don't understand. Why didn't you just ask me out years ago?" your question ends in a whisper.

"'Cuz I didn't realize what I had 'til I saw it in another man's arms," he tangles his fingers in your hair for another kiss, "but I'm not gonna let it get away from me this time."

• • •

Needless to say, you didn't see much of the beach or much of anyone the rest of your time in the Bahamas. You two already knew everything there was to know about another person, so you spent a lot of time exploring each other... in new ways.

So, it's bittersweet going home to Brooklyn. You'd been away a few months to let tensions between the two crime families die down. You would miss all of the alone time with your new man, but you're so happy to see your dad again.

"Thanks for driving us home from the airport, papa," you say, giving Paulie a side hug as he unlocks the door to the house not too far from the cab stand. You're greeted with hoots and hollers from Tommy, Henry and Karen, Tuddy, and a few others as you step inside. "What's this?!"

"Oh, uh, just a little surprise," Paulie chuckles, "A welcome home party for Jimmy and my girl."

Everyone starts exchanging hugs, giving you and Jimmy a proper New York welcome. As you put your arms around Henry's shoulders, you hear Karen from behind him, "OH no! I know ya not still wearin' your engagement ring," she grabs your hand and pulls you toward her to inspect the ring closer. Her voice lowers a bit, "No, this one's different. It's got pearls on it."

The room is filled with confused faces, until Jimmy takes your other hand in his, "Well, uh, we were on a little island for 2 or 3 months, pearls was all they had!"

Suddenly you're surrounded with Ooh's and Aah's and an "Attaboy Jimmy!" as it dawns on everyone that you're engaged.

"Hey, wait 'til they tell ya about how I'm gonna be a grandad!!" Paulie announces, and again the room fills with noise from everyone's surprise and congratulations. Any other family might have found it odd that you rushed into a new relationship, but this group likes keeping a closed circle, and everyone had their bets placed on you and Jimmy from day one.

Speak of the Devil, you feel his arms slip around you and a hand rests on your baby bump. He whispers in your ear, "I love you both so much. This is the way it always shoulda been."

[anthrogothic]

Body/Prision

so, here we go to the second part of the fic. ours has been exciting to write this. I hope you like it <3 (originally written in Brazilian Portuguese. sorry for any error).

Third part here

Pairing: Echo x f!Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Mentions of trauma, anxiety, panic, a little violence but nothing much and ~some physical mentions~ (and echo being a baby who needs care)

Heading towards the lab, you went through documents and reports on your datapad connected to the data network, finding the files of your newly known atypical clones, seeing that there were still three to meet in person.

One of them, with a rather traumatic past in your opinion. Another look like someone who is difficult to deal with. And lastly, one similar to your fellow nerds from college. Already imagining your scientific conversations.

You find your sweet auxiliary Omega standing at the door of the lab. She is also a clone, young and adorable. With short hair, the same color as the sun (if you remember the last time you saw one).

But with Jango Fett's pure DNA in her cells. Only you and Nala know this. Your conscience always brings you that painful twinge whenever the memory occurs to you.

"Y/N! I was looking for you!"

The girl came running towards you, with a scared face, taking your right hand and pulling you with her.

"Hey Omega, Stars, what's up?"

You almost shuffled your legs trying not to fall.

"I've been sent to help with clone ratings today! But Echo is very upset and I can't get him to calm down!"

Before you could ask for further explanation, you were already being dragged to the door of the room.

Stopping at the door, Omega pushed you inside when you spotted the trembling clone sitting with his back to the door, on top of the gurney, aiming his blaster at the three doctors ahead.

"Echo! I found her!"

The girl's voice was a mixture of relief and determination. The other three doctors in the room are clearly pissed off, hands up in front of the clone.

"Y/N isn't even a doctor, Omega!"

He yelled one of them, straightening and clasping his hands at his sides.

"You should have brought security!" yelled the other.

"She'll do it! She is better than you all!"

Screamed the little girl, pointing a finger at the three. You put a hand on her shoulder, signaling her to calm down. Gently you addressed the clone, froze as he stared into your eyes.

It was him… that clone whose record you were horrified to read. He was pale. With metallic accesses on his shaved head, a cybernetic prosthesis that covered his ears, his right forearm also cybernetic and thinner than most strong clones you know. Only the legs, also robotic, were covered by his blacks. His eyes were frightened and his limbs locked together at his sides, his good hand, shaking, still holding the blaster.

"A-Are you Doctor Y/N?"

His voice was deep, shaky and fraught with anxiety.

You, already with your heart sinking at his state, approached slowly, removing your white jumpsuit and leaving it on a small metal table nearby, catching the clone's attention with your tight black outfit.

"Yes… Echo, right? I assume you have a panic attack due to your accident… you shouldn't be brought into environments like this."

Your voice was calm and sweet. Looking at doctors with dislike in your last words. Echo looked away, clearly uncomfortable. The hand that was armed, wavering, and your hand slowly landing on top of the blaster, lowering it slowly, the clone giving way.

Suddenly one of the already impatient doctors approached abruptly and grabbed your shoulder from behind you.

"Let's go! We don't have time for theaters! Sedation didn't work this time, but nothing a dose would not do well on rebel clones!"

Spotting the syringe the doctor was pulling out of his lab coat, Omega jumped on his arm as she screamed. You turned, startled, seeing the fist that the doctor was already closing to hit the girl. In a rush of adrenaline, you punched him in the nose, he staggered backward, and Omega took the syringe from his hand. The other two came to help the doctor, who pushed them away claiming he was fine, looking at you with hate.

"You're in big trouble, girl! And you too, stuck-up scientist!"

His voice really was scary. But suddenly, Echo's voice came from behind you like thunder.

"Do something with them, and you'll have to come to terms with me and my squad."

His voice, full of hate and gravelly. His arm trembled as he aimed the blaster at the doctor, finger on the trigger.

"Not to mention the possible murder he was going to cause with so much sedative in a clone with a body not yet fully mapped to know the consequences."

Snorted Omega right beside you, all proud with the syringe in her hand.

"Uh, Nala Se will love to hear that."

You said, crossing your arms and looking at the doctor in defiance.

The attacking doctor flinched, growling as he left the room. The other two fearful:

"Please, it's our first week here. Don't hand us over to Nala Se. We just obey orders."

Begged one of the doctors, this one was much younger than the aggressor, probably doing residency with another colleague.

"Withdraw then. And let the rest of the team know the behavior of that bantha in the lab coat! He doesn't deserve to be your supervisor. He is the one who has to be supervised!"

Your voice was authoritative and even. All that remained was for the men to nod and leave the room.

Echo threw himself onto the gurney, breathing wildly and running a hand across his forehead. You stopped in front of the clone and slowly sat down beside him on the stretcher. Instructing him to take a few deep breaths, then slowly exhale for a few more, repeatedly. Echo tried to follow your directions, faltering a few times but picking up his pace eventually.

"There is! We make an amazing team! I told you, Echo!"

Omega's voice trying to bring relief to the tense environment. She continued.

"Y/N is the best! She will be nice to you!"

You, realizing the responsibility that Omega gave you, nodded with the girl's words.

"Well… I'm not exactly a doctor, as we've heard… but I know enough. You can trust me, Echo."

The clone looked at you with less awe, bearing in mind what you did.

"I- I feared that I would go through the physical evaluations again. I know they are mandatory, but... they remind me of the Citadel..."

His gaze roamed the metalized room, filled with stretchers, huge equipment, and light panels.

The doctors just didn't care and sedated him whenever it became impossible to assess him. Putting gadgets into his body, pushing him into big gadgets and treating his cybernetics like pieces of scrap metal.

"I don't want to be a problem again... I know I have obligations as a soldier, but I can't be okay here!"

He squeezed the biceps of his other arm with his hand, trying to stay in control as he felt a new wave of anxiety.

You gently placed your hand on his back, feeling him recoil involuntarily.

"Unfortunately it's standard procedure… but if you promise me secrecy, we can only do the basic assessment, and it could be in your room, a theoretically cozy place for you. I can do that from now on if you want."

Echo sighed, relieved at the option before looking at you again. His expression is lighter. Omega already excited to see her clone brother a little more relaxed. You smiled and calmly guided him to the dorm.

All the way the three of you were shot with stares and comments. You scolding each one with your furious glare, Omega stuck out his tongue at the attackers, while Echo lowered his head every time. His tall stature, allowing you to see his depressed expression from below.

Omega opened the door as you arrived soon after, still next to Echo. Omega pointed to the bunk and you asked permission to sit, Echo, growing more and more stunned by your sweet attitude toward him, nodded.

Placing the small silver suitcase you brought along on the floor, you took Echo by the hand, inviting him to sit beside you.

You asked permission with each movement and touch the soldier's body, trying to be gentle, as if his body were the most sensitive of porcelain. You were curious about his cybernetics, but you chose not to bring it up.

Omega was sitting by your suitcase, legs crossed on the floor, handing out all the little devices you needed to gauge the clone's basic physical parameters, but never looking away from him.

You explained what you were doing and why, warned of any movement or approach of the small devices and their purpose. Echo just nodded, getting a lot more confident in you.

You can't help but notice the tight, visible muscles. The heat radiating from the clone's body. The sharp, attractive shape of his body in that tight black outfit. Feeling the slight reactions whenever your fingertips touched him. The shy look he gave you.

Omega looked uncomfortable, pacing back and forth when you were wearing the last device on Echo's body, checking his heart function.

"Omega, what is it?"

Echo said low but firm, surprising you by the contrast to the voice that trembled earlier.

"I lied to Nala Se, saying that I went to get more supplies with Y/N, that it would take her time to get to the lab, so I could take her to you. If the confusion gets to her ears, she'll find out."

Omega ran her hand constantly over the back of her neck and through hair, the little eyes fearful.

You widened your eyes at the girl, remembering that you was requested earlier and for her boldness with the doctor (as if you didn't know her). Already trying to devise a plan to cover up the improvised procedure with Echo.

"Hm... I can talk to some clone friends to claim that we left Kamino for a few hours… I don't want Nala Se mad at us. And about the fight, well, we just defended ourselves."

You said with a smug smile on your full lips, forgetting your hand resting on Echo's covered chest, your hand already warming the spot. He watched your hand standing there, your skin seemingly smooth, the fingers small and delicate, rising and falling with his breath and causing a strange sensation deep in his racing heart.

The way you welcomed him and tried to keep him safe. You defended him. Just like your brothers before it all happened. He hadn't experienced this in a long time. But like a knife, he slashed his thoughts and threw them aside. He no longer allowed himself to wander through such things, after all, what kind of relationship could he have, being like that.

He came back to consciousness with your movement, withdrawing you hand and standing up, Omega already picking up the small suitcase from the floor.

"A-Are we done yet?"

A slight disappointment was clear in the clone's voice. You crouched down between his spread thighs, looking him in the eye, giving the clone's eyes access to your light cleavage and your silvery cord that went between your breasts.

"We've finished the basics, Echo. You are strong and healthy. I'll be back to do the rest tomorrow, after my shift, if you're comfortable."

Your eyes were like adorable little twinkling stars. So comforting and sincere, just like you, all the time with him. He nodded, a slight smile breaking his pale lips, bringing a slight, sweet swell to his heart.

You stood up, carefully taking the clone's hand, pulling a pen out of your pinned hair, and jotting down your personal communicator code in the palm of his hand.

"Let me know anything, Echo. Drink water and do the breathing exercises before going to bed."

Smiling, you turned around, heading for the door, being caught up by Omega just after she gave your brother a hug. The door closed as you remembered to scold the brave little girl for her attitude earlier.

Echo was left alone. Only with the sound of his heart pounding in his ears in the dim light in the room. The raindrops hitting the glass.

He put his hand where yours was moments ago, reading your code by pulling his palm away from his chest. He was calm. Something impossible after days of evaluations.

But beyond that, he felt real, alive, and eager to see you the next day, as much as his guts and gears wanted to say otherwise.

[bruhstories]

Vogel und Jäger

- PART TWO

Summary: After waking up, you realise the realities of the world you've been pulled into. Pairing: Zeke Jaeger x Fem!Reader (mafia AU) Warnings & Content: stabbing, language, angst Word Count: 1.7 k

A/N: make sure to read part one, otherwise this won't make any sense xD there's still a bit of build up going on, but starting with part three we'll be getting some action

You woke up from a restless sleep, crumbs of mascara stuck to your face. God, you needed a shower and a toilet immediately. The club was dead empty from the view upstairs, only a few people cleaning the tables and moping the floor. You stretched your arms and walked to the door, surprised it wasn't locked.

"Ah, miss Y/L/N, good morning! I hope you had a pleasant sleep." Someone startled you and you cleared your voice.

"Hi, who are you?"

"Oh, my apologies, I am Onyankopon." The man smiled and handed you a paper bag. You peekee inside and saw something which resembled clothes and toiletries. You recognised the stag pin in his chest, another of Zeke's employees. "I assume you'd like to clean yourself up. Please follow me."

"I'd love that, thank you." You smiled and followed Onyankopon downstairs. He told you bits and pieces of the Jaeger family overthrowing the police and gaining control of Paradis City, how the Marleyans wanted control over the city's resources and docks, all kinds of information you weren't entirely sure you were supposed to know. He walked you to the backstage, where all the strippersdancers got ready, encouraging you to use whatever you needed for you'd be the star of the club. That didn't help you in any way, instead it was anxiety-inducing, and your toes curled at his affirmation. You quickly took off last night's makeup, brushed your teeth, washed your face and body in a sink and got dressed. The clothes were simple, a long, light blue shirt — clearly a man's — and a pair of leggings. You wondered whom they belonged to, perhaps that grim-looking lady, Yelena. She terrified you with her look that could kill. Your hands hovered over the vanity in the dressing room but decided not to waste any more time and folded your old clothes, placing them in the paper bag.

"I'm ready." You walked out of the room and met with Onyankopon. He smiled and guided you out through the back door. "Hey, Onyankopon, who's Mikasa?"

"Oh, miss Mikasa is our best assassin. She's loyal only to Eren, though, which is an impediment for Zeke... I probably shouldn't have said that." He opened the door of a superb black car and you climbed inside with a sigh. You heard how the mafia was based on trust, and no one trusted you.

Most of the ride was silent, your eyes wandering out the window until Onyankopon parked in front of a huge and heavily guarded mansion. You knew the Jaegers were rich, but this was beyond obscene. You opened the door and Onyankopon scolded you for doing that, but you assured him you were perfectly capable of doing things by yourself. He walked you through the beautiful front garden of the mansion, through the large hallway and into what you assumed to be a living room. Or an office? Whatever that was, it was as big as the dining room of the orphanage.

"Ah, the little bird has arrived! You look splendid in my shirt." Zeke welcomed you and you felt your cheeks warm up at his words. The heat disappeared just as quickly when your eyes met with Yelena's. "Come, sit. I suppose you're hungry."

You nodded, feeling saliva building up in your mouth at the sight of croissants, bagels and all kinds of foods you've never had before. Historia was rich, but even her money wasn't enough to feed so many mouths. Doors swung open and you saw Eren barge in, followed by a few people close behind. He plopped on a couch opposite you, the same inexpensive look on his face.

"Let's get over with this. I've got shit to do."

"Impatient as always." Zeke rolled his eyes. "Y/N, do you swear to obey and serve the Jaeger family?" The question caught you off guard, but you nodded.

"I do."

"There, done." The older Jaeger brother shrugged and Eren clicked his tongue.

"You almost didn't let Mikasa walk out of this room alive because she swore loyalty to me and this is all you do to her? You're getting soft, brother."

The air in the room grew thick, almost impossible to breathe it in. All eyes were on you, and you didn't know if what you felt was shame or fear, or both.

"Very well." Zeke walked behind you and took your left hand, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Hold that there, will you, love?" He smiled and you slightly relaxed. Until — a sharp pain, followed by electricity and heat shot from your hand, through your arm. A blood-curling scream erupted from your throat, tears falling from the corners of your eyes as you squirmed and thrashed at burning sensation, your hanned pinned to the table with a knife. Blood seeped from the wound and you panicked, no one in that room rushing to your aid. No one blinked, no one felt sorry. "Swear your loyalty to me. To the Jaeger family."

"I swear! Oh, God, I s-swear! Please!" You begged, feeling your temperature falling from your cheeks. Zeke twisted the knife and you fell from the couch, knees hitting the wooden floor.

"Who do you belong to?" He asked, unphased by your whimpers, sobs and yelling, as he let go of the knife that still pierced your flesh.

"T-to you! Make it stop, p-please!"

"Good enough for me. Any objections?" Zeke eyed his little brother.

"Just stitch her hand. She's annoying." Eren clicked his tongue and poured himself a cup of coffee. When Onyankopon pulled the knife out, blood gushed out of the fresh wound and you felt the room spin and your head heavy, vision blurry — you fainted.

A hard slap across your cheek woke you up and you met with Yelena, eyes drifting to your bandaged hand. It was damn painful to move it, and you used your other hand to support your weight, shifting your position on the couch.

"Finally." Eren got up and and handed you a file. You flipped through it and found pictures and information of the men from the club.

"Y/N, this is Armin, our bookkeeper. He'll be paying you after every successful show. And this is Mikasa, she'll train you in self-defence. I suspect you won't need it, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Zeke pushed the glasses with his index finger.

"You stabbed me." You bluntly stated, eyes glued to the bandages.

"It'll heal."

"It'll heal? I'm already in debt, you didn't need to stab me!" You got up and instantly felt a gun to your head. Great.

"Sit." Yelena's voice was brash and commanding. Your brain told you to listen to her, but your instincts told you to provoke her, to taunt her. Teeth gritting, you took a deep breath and lowered yourself down, deciding to do both.

"You're not gonna shoot me without Mr. Jaeger's permission, so don't point your gun at me." A satisfied smirk creeped on your lips — you didn't technically provoke her, just stated the obvious.

"Can I shoot her?"

"No." Zeke enjoyed the show, and unbeknownst to you, he, too, felt somewhat proud of your little snarky remark. "You still have to prove your loyalty. Talk to the band, choose some songs for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You're free to settle your training hours with Mikasa, and to go wherever you want, but you are not allowed to step foot anywhere outside the centre of Paradis. Last thing I need is some Marleyan kidnapping you and torturing you for information. Or the cops. Dismissed."

"Mr. Jaeger, if I may?" You waited for his nod of approval. "Since I won't be living at the orphanage anymore, where exactly am I going to stay?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Blouse, Springer, come here." Zeke waved his hand. More people, more names.

It slowly dawned to you that the Jaegers had a thorough structure with extremely loyal people, and you'd have to quickly find your place there and earn their trust, lest you died a painful death. A bubbly brown-eyed woman and a cheerful-looking man approached Zeke's desk, and finally you saw someone less serious. Onyankopon was nice and all, but he wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine. These two seemed... fun.

"These are Sasha Blouse and Connie Springer, leaders of the drug cartel. You'll stay with them until you're capable of living by yourself."

The duo smiled at you and you felt genuine warmth from them, making you wonder just how bad the mafia was. They seemed to like working for the Jaeger brothers, but you couldn't judge that just yet.

"Oh, we've already moved your stuff to their place, so there is no need for you to visit Historia. Now go, we've got work to do." Zeke placed a cigarette between his lips before turning his back at you.

You were right, Sasha and Connie were fun people. They talked a lot, and you warmed up to them with a few jokes and puns. Connie handed you a phone containing a few contacts, neither of which were Zeke or Eren— apparently you weren't allowed to speak to them, they would speak to you. Sasha explained how you had to forget your past, and dedicate yourself solely to the family — no relationships, no friends, no acquaintances. You were not permitted to fall in love, which was understandable, considering the circumstances, but hard, considering the inability to control feelings.

"Don't worry about it too much. Zeke and Eren care about their subordinates, as long as you listen." Connie wrapped an arm around your neck. Besides, you're one of the lucky ones. Boss never spares witnesses, so he clearly saw potential in you." Somehow, that didn't make you feel any better, you only felt more weight on your shoulders.

"Yeah, I heard you can sing!" Sasha beamed, clapping her hands. "I can't wait for your first show, I bet it'll be awesome."

"It has to be, otherwise you'll have to come to my funeral." You shook your head, exiting Jaeger Manor. A honk caught your attention and you saw Mikasa impatiently waiting for you in a car. "Any advice before I go?"

"Don't get attached to any of us." Connie sighed.

"But trust that the family will protect you if you're loyal." The woman encouraged you before hugging you. A hug, something you never thought you'd get from a mobster.

[beomglocks]

colors ; k.th

part of the badlands series!

colors: “you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece.”

based off halsey’s badlands album.

warnings and other: museum curator!taehyun, old money!y/n, mentions of depression and grass smoking, little bit of angst i guess??

taehyun sighed as he took down the 11th painting this week. the museum hadn't been very busy in the past couple of weeks, maybe because the weather was getting colder. one part of him figured that many people just wanted to be bundled up at home watching holiday themed movies and drinking warm drinks rather than appreciating enchanting artworks.

he couldn't fool himself though, he knew the truth. today's generation didn't care about the fine arts anymore. a shame, seeing as everything around them seemed to be inspired by it.

kang taehyun worked at his local museum. he had been offered the position by the owner one night while roaming the place. this should've been a red flag looking back. the owner seemed desperate for someone to fill in the position since the previous employee had left without notice. nonetheless, taehyun took the job and didn't regret it one bit.

open 24/7, the red haired boy was always working on the clock. not that there was much to do seeing as most of the people his age or even a bit older didn't hang around museums purely for the joy of it. actually, his only job was to exhibit the newly arrived collections, clean and dust them off, and conduct regular tours and workshops for the public. due to this and the fact that not many people even came by he would take regular breaks.

once in a while you'd see the occasional old person or art expertee roaming around the small museum. if you were lucky, you'd see the local edgy teens posing next to a piece they didn't understand just to get an aesthetic picture. taehyun would also have the unfortunate job of shooing them away or scolding them for getting just a bit too close.

recently his boss, who was the museum manager and maybe the only other person besides taehyun that worked there, had informed him that due to funds and unfortunate unforeseen events, the museum would be closing down in about a month from now. this caused taehyun to fall deep into a depression since this was his only job and he loved it here. the museum was like his second home. he found comfort in the silent images displayed throughout the building. they always told him a story and when new pieces came in he would sit and stare attentively at the new anecdote being told to him.

taehyun smiled sadly at the piece he had just taken down. it was a painting of 2 people kissing however both of their faces were covered by white cloths. this was his favorite and he didn't even have a clue as to why. probably because of the uncertainty of what the other was feeling or because of the fact that the other couldn't see each other's faces through the cloth, that would've made the kiss more exciting in his opinion.

he stepped out of the museum and into the frosty air of the outside world. it was only autumn so why was it so cold? he thought to himself. he discreetly pulled out a prerolled blunt and his white lighter from his pocket. he lit it and stuck in between his slightly chapped lips.

maybe smoking dope wasn't the healthiest thing in the world, especially for a boy so young, barely 19, but it helped taehyun get his mind off the inevitably of losing his job and being homeless for the winter. he shuttered at the thought. he would have to room with one of his friends, he sighed shaking his head. no, he didn't want to be a burden, yeonjun had helped him enough as it is.

he looked at his surroundings taking in the cold autumn afternoon. the trees had long lost their leaves and were bare. the sky was a murky gray color as if it were threatening to rain any time soon. he noticed a girl bundled up in winter clothes near the entrance of the building glance at him. he smiled at her and she jumped at the eye contact, thinking that he wouldn't catch her. taehyun chuckled as he watched her rush into the museum. "back to work," he said out loud to himself.

once the blunt had been almost gone, he smoked what was left of it and headed back into the empty museum. he was feeling light-headed, the effects of the blunt finally taking action, but taehyun was used to it so it barely affected him as much.

he made his way to the girl who was now starting to take off her jacket and scarf. taehyun tapped on the girl's shoulder to get her attention. "hi," he smiled at the girl, showing off his dazzling smile. "if you'd like, i could give you a tour of the museum." well what's left of it anyways, he thought to himself.

"oh...no thank you," said the girl. she smiled warmly at the worker. "well not to be invasive of your decision but it's sort of in my job description," taehyun replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. the girl sighed in defeat, "i guess i have no choice then."

taehyun laughed as he took her coat and scarf to hang up in the public closet, "yep, trust me. they say im not that bad of a tour guide, im quite fun to be around if i do say so myself. i promise not to bore you too much." the girl nodded, not entirely convinced. "if i do end up bored i will hold you accountable..." she took a moment to take a peek at taehyun's name tag, "kang taehyun," she joked.

as they walked through the museum the girl couldn't help but notice that it was fairly empty. "why are there almost no paintings in here?" she laughed hesitantly. "i thought this was a museum?" taehyun stopped walking, turning to her with a sad expression on his face.

"the museum is expected to close in about a month or so," he stated simply. "oh...that's terrible. may i ask why?" the girl responded. "my boss says we've run out of funds or something like that," taehyun chuckled bitterly. "people don't really give a shit about good art these days anyways."

"that's a shame..."

they continued to look through the various paintings that were still up and occasionally the girl would ask to see the ones that were taken down and left on the floor. it seemed the two were lost in each other's company as night started to approach.

"thank you for the tour of this lovely museum taehyun. it was fun but it's a shame such a nice museum like this is closing down," the girl said softly. taehyun nodded solemnly, he just wanted to get this day over with and crash at his apartment. he didn't blame the girl before him but talking to her reminded him of his harsh reality. a notification coming from the girl's bag made both of them jump as they were both lost in their thoughts.

"ah, that must be my father. he's kind of annoying when it comes to my curfew," she chuckled, digging her phone from her bag. taehyun watched her with a bored expression until his eyes reached her bag. he hadn't noticed this earlier but she had been carrying a louis vuitton bag. his eyes bulged at the expensive item that was so close to him, they got even larger when she fished out the latest iphone from it.

taehyun wasn't poor per se, he had just enough to get by since he was living paycheck to paycheck. however, he had never been in such close proximity to any luxury items. he suddenly felt weird being this close to this girl.

"what do you mean by curfew?" taehyun asks hesitantly. the girl sighs, "my father is one of south korea's richest chaebol's, maybe one of the big three at his point." she rolled her eyes as if this information was nothing. "he's super strict with me because i guess i'm just his show pony daughter whom he can show off to say he's a good father."

taehyun gulped, had he just been casually hanging out with the daughter of one of the richest men in korea? he felt sick at this. she looked up at taehyun's uneasy expression, "oh my god im sorry i just dumped that all on you! i just needed to catch a break so i came here, i didn't mean to drag you into my life story."

taehyun fixes his face, laughing nervously, "no- no its fine really. we all need a break sometimes right? im glad you got to have that time here." the girl smiled up at him, completely misreading his nervous laughter, "im glad i got to spend it here with you taehyun."

"oh before i go!" taehyun watched her pull out a checkbook from her bag and his stomach dropped. he silently watched her scribble some stuff onto the slip and tear it out, handing it to him.

"there's not too much i can take out of my account without my father flipping out but i hope this helps even just a little. whether it be in your personal life or with the museum."

taehyun eyes the check and chokes when he sees 50,000 dollars written neatly on the black line. he swears he can feel sweat going down his face like in the cartoons. "i- i cant possibly take this from you." he moves to hand the check back but the girl refuses to take it back. "taehyun, you love this museum with your entire being. i see the way to look at the paintings and the passion with which you explained them to me. i'd hate to see that taken away."

"plus, if you're gone who's gonna give me the tour when i come back?" she laughs as if this is something casual. taehyun's hands shake as he pockets the check, "i seriously cannot thank you enough...you don't know how much you just helped the museum and m-"

the girls phone dings again and she grumbles, "ugh why can't he just leave me alone. sorry but i think i really gotta go for real before he tracks my location or something crazy like that."

taehyun nods wistfully at the mention of her having to leave. he was really starting to enjoy her company.

"oh by the way," the girl giggles as she pulls her coat on hurriedly.  "was that you smoking weed at the corner of the museum earlier?" the girl chuckled to herself again just remembering it. taehyun furrowed his eyebrows, "why would you say that kind of thing at out loud and at my job?!" he scolded in a playful hushed voice.

"i just thought it was funny and you also smelled of weed the entire tour, i didn't mind though so don't worry," the girl concluded. she was starting to walk away towards out the door now. "i'll walk you out," taehyun offers. "such a helpful employee. is this in the job description too?" the girl jokes, turning to him while a smile on her lips. "well, not exactly," taehyun says smoothly.

she shakes her head, "i'll see you soon taehyun." he watches her walk off into the darkness of the night when he suddenly remembers something.

"hey what's your name by the way?" he shouts after the girl. for some reason taehyun really was hopeful of seeing her again.

"y/n!" came the disembodied voice of the girl he had just met.

[paversandplatters]

||𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚙|| (5/20)

Apocalypse! Au (TW! Minor gore and cussing)

Reader x multiple

Chapter 5: A Flock Found

They pack a wheel barrow to the brim with the newly acquired supplies they find not botheringing to leave behind much of anything, making sure to cop the twenty five gallon container of gasoline from the tool shed out back behind the building... Lord knows they'll need for the grand task ahead of them. By the time the light in the south western sky began to fade from a light gray to pink over the backwaters of the panhandle they're ready. They slip outside through the rectory's side door and creep single file along the edge of the property. Y/n takes the lead, periodically glancing over her shoulder for any sign of the herd that had crossed the highway or any sign of the group that occupied this space all too recently. She carries a glock with a full magazine just in case. The dusky air gets clammy and cool on the back of the stranger's neck as he follows them to the car. They climb in hurriedly, stowing their provisions in the rear cargo bay. Y/n kicks the engine on as the newcomer clambers into the passenger seat next to her- much to the dismay of the other two- unfolding an old dogeared map.

"They usually stick pretty close to the ocean." He says almost to himself, silently calculating the mileage between them and the gulf. "Probably should start down by Perry or Carwfordville." He senses movement ahead of them through the windshield and glances up in time to see a couple of jagged shadows emerging from the woods about a hundred yards away, drawn to the sound of their engine. Garbled growls can be heard over the drone of crickets. The trace smell of garbage on the breeze, the light and space of the outdoors is almost overwhelming to him. He feels like he's been asleep for a hundred years, locked away in that dank and dirty church- he starts to feel dizzy.

Y/n gooses the accelerator and the SUV lurches away. He sinks into his seat as they roar down the road, swerving to avoid the half dozen or so biters now skulking out of the woods blocking their path. They sideswipe one the creatures, ripping a chunk of its shoulder, splattering fresh gore across the glass of his side window.

"You get used to it." she states after he flinches in disgust. He just stares at the splatter, flecks of bone chips, and a long trail of black bile.

"I don't think anyone can get used to that ..." Nick mutters from the back seat.

Night falls and the darkness deepens behind the trees on either side of the road. Most of the streetlights in this part of the country have gone the same way as the internet or cable TV, so the road only gets darker and darker as they head south towards the steaming thickets and festering swamps of the coastal lowlands. The going is slow, most of the two lanes are crowded with rusted out wreckages ,the carcasses of cars and trucks so old now that the weeds and switchgrass have begun to grow up from their metal endoskeletons. The two young men in the rear breathe heavily, thickly, half asleep while Y/n drives and softly hums some forgotten tune. They had passed the jerky and water around a few minutes ago- their standard fare of supper- and now their bellies growl and their eyelids droop with exhaustion.

"You never gave your name..." His hushed voices rings out from the shotgun seat.

"Hadn't crossed my mind at the time, sorry about that... It's Y/n" She chuckles softly. "The one with the headband is Nick but goes by Sapnap, don't ask i don't know- the other one with the accent is George." he just simply hums in reply.

"What about you big guy? What do they call you?"

He takes a moment to regard the woman seated next to him; his head still trying to wrap itself around this complete stranger who's shown him nothing but kindness. On the one hand, she seems trustworthy enough, friendly, a good listener, courteous and capable of single handedly taking out an entire chapel full of reanimated corpses... On the other hand she seems like a walking time bomb. He'd seen her type before- they type that's too kind until something or someone breaks that trust. A hairline trigger. The sad fact is he doesn't have a large array of options. Staying in that hellhole of a church with those enslavers, listening to the groans of the dead, waiting for whatever those bastards would do next quickly loses its charm... Seeing the aftermath of her cleaning house with that knife had given him an odd charge- a cathartic release. He's also aware that he'd never be able to find the caravan on his own given the sorry state he's in. He really has no choice but to go along with her and her scruffy ass men and hope for the best.

"I don't have a name.. that is, one that I can remember.."

She desperately wants to pry, how could he not remember his own name? But the thousand yard stare and glassy gaze is enough to stop her from inquiring any further. "Well we've gotta call you something big guy." She's met with silence in response. "Alright, I guess Big Guy it is then." He offers only a meek hum in response. In an attempt to silence his own raging thoughts his eyes landed on the red bandanna tied to the rearview mirror for what was probably the hundredth time since he started on this way too long car ride.

"... What's that about?" He points to the red scarf.

"It belonged to a friend of mine a long while back, before Sapnap and George were a thing." Her hands tighten their hold on the wheel. "I was caught by 'traders' and he was stuck in the same hole as me... Couldn't have been any older than fourteen at the time. One night the compound was under attack, their front gate was breached- luckily we were kept at the very back end, so when the opportunity came we managed to escape our holding cell and I hoisted him over the wall. Told him to keep running, to not look back. He got away but I was caught again," She takes in a deep breath before resuming her story.

"I was quickly sold off to some asshole who had these two chained up for breaking into their stores... one thing led to another and we snuck out and snagged this ride... we've been moving around since." It was obvious by her tone there was a lot she was leaving out and probably for a good reason. Notably the two in the back seat were dead silent, so much so that it made the air feel heavy and dense enough to cut with a sharp enough knife. Suddenly he was wishing he hadn't bothered to ask in the first place

"That sign back there," He manages, desprate to break the heavy air "Said 'Cross city 12 miles" He glances up from the map in his lap, gazing out the side window at the stewing darkness of Dixie County Florida. "Got a feeling we're getting close."

The vast patchwork of wetlands passes in a blur on either side of them. The land oozing a low blanket of methane as gray as mold, clinging to the shadows of pine thickets and gullies like dirty lace. The air smells briny and rotten with dead fish. Every few minutes they pass the ruins of a small town or wreckage strewn trailer parks. No sign of survivors in these parts, though only the occasional silhouette of an upright corpse shambling by, it's eyes like twin yellow reflectors in the darkness.

"We can't just keep burning gas all night." Sapnap says from his place in the rear, his voice all cranked up with pain and panic "and we can't just go off of what you overheard those traders talking about- Much less go off of feelings.." Big guy just keeps a neural face.

"We're in the ballpark" He persists "Believe me they'll be hard to miss." Y/n grips the steering wheel, her jaw working overtime on a piece of gum, snapping and chewing complusively as she drives.

"How many vehicles do they have in this convoy?" George questions between wheezy breaths.

"No idea... but it's quite a few ."

"That's pretty general."

"They'll be easy to spot." He replies once more, gazing back out at the darkness. "Our best bet is to follow the coast, they like to keep close to the water.."

"Why's that?"

He shrugs. "According to those 'traders' they keep their eyes peeled for ships or any possible way they might get their asses the hell out of here. Most of the bigger boats around here have been destroyed by the hurricane that hit a couple years ago, so it's a long shot that they'll find anything..."

They're about to give up the search when they start to climb the gentle slope- at first so gradual it's almost unnoticeable - up the side of a vast malodorous landfill- the barren trash-strewn scrubland to their left reaches across miles of sandy berms, all the way down to the deserted ghostly boardwalks that wind their way along the beaches. The sky has begun to bruise pink with predawn light and Y/n has just started to say something when the Big Guy sees the first faint streaks of red dots in the distant haze.

"LOOK!" He points his large gnarled hand down at the far dunes of ashen white sand winding along the coast. The surface is so pocked and windswept it resembles the dark side of the moon.

"Where?" She cranes her neck, slowing the vehicle down to a crawl.

"I don't see anything."

"About Half a mile up there... Look at the tail lights!"

She takes a deep cleansing breath as she finally sees the caravan chugging along the coastal road in the predawn light, it looks like embers throwing up puffs of smoke in their wake.

"Holy shit, I see it." A big smile washes over her face, Glad she decided to follow through with this insane plan.

"What do you think of those boys?" The two young men in the rear lean forward, transfixed by the sight, each of them rapt and silent as they gaze at the convoy.

"What are you doing?! Blaster your horn at them," George stutters anxiously. "Don't let them get away !"

Y/n smiles to herself, in her former life she used to be fascinated by the wildlife shows, often catching them in the late night showings after work before she turning in for the night. She remembers one episode in particular, on the behavior of sheep vs the behavior of wolves. She remembers the flock mentality; the sheep moving almost as one, easily managed by a single sheepdog. She remembers the instinct of the Wolf, stealthy, patient as it and its pack creep up on the flock. She shoots a glance across the dark interior at the larger man sat next to her before turning her head to face the two sat behind them.

"I have a better idea."

Taglist

@the-wandering-pan-ace @hvrcruxes

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes

It's Task Force 141's first mission after gathering intel about the whereabouts of Samantha Coleman. Gary and the rest of the team proceed to briefing and would probably head straight to their rescue mission. Do these mini summaries even make sense? Find out soon.

Chapter 3 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

Previous Chapter : Soap - F.N.G.

"Run Through the Jungle"

Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Task Force 141

Task Force 141 - Mess Hall

Gary was almost done with his raccoon story when the PA system alerted them of an immediate briefing. Simon nodded to him and got up making his way to the briefing room. Gary also noticed the rest of his squad from earlier walk to the door, and was France crying on Alex? Much to his curiosity, he went to John who was still sitting by the chair.

"Anything you want to tell me, Soap?" he asked, patting his comrade's shoulder. 

"Bugger off, mate. Let's just go to the meeting." he replied, Roach couldn't tell if he was sad or disappointed or mad, but it may have something to deal with France crying.

"Whatever mate. I'm always here if you want to talk it out." he assured, and he was in fact true. It's been a month since the Task Force was created and Gary was the team's therapist, everybody's friend and ally no matter what. He always felt that he could feel everyone's emotions and believes he could be a sponge for someone who's unable to deal with the trauma. Ghost was one of his customers, he had a lot to deal with and Gary was always there for him.

"Few hours ago, our informants intercepted with a group of armed men on a safehouse near the borders of Germany. They told us that there was a man named Augustus who happens to be our step closer to Nero." Gary took note of the information General Shepherd relayed, his scribbles became faster as the General continued.

"We also received word that our hostage, Samantha Coleman is with them in one of these houses. We have to proceed with caution as this area may be rigged with traps or surrounded with tangos." he added.

"As for rules of engagement, fire only when fired upon. This is a local settlement and civilians may be anywhere. We don't want to create unnecessary civilian casualties just to retrieve a single person." he instructed. Gary took a quick survey of the room, everyone looked at the screen intently, he could see MacTavish's eyebrows furrowed in anger, France's eyes were downright sad and Alex, despite being a CIA agent, actually looked worried.

"As for assignments, I'll let your captain take the floor." Shepherd concluded and exited the area, Price then stepped forward and began briefing.

~

The silent chirping of the crickets echoed from the nearby forest. Gary took a cold exhale and leaned on the railings just outside their quarters. 

"Big day tomorrow, huh?" Ghost surprised Roach as he spoke.

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I spotted, but I still know the basics." Gary answered. He and Ghost were assigned for sniper support a few clicks away from the Alpha Team lead by Alex and the Bravo Team lead by Captain Price.

"Your math is good and fast?" Ghost asked, chuckling at the question. Gary inhaled before he answered the question.

"Yeah. Try me." he dared, glancing at the masked man.

"Suppose there's a target about 516 meters far, the wind is one half value." Ghost planned out the situation. Gary's gears started turning as he scratched his freshly shaven chin.

"Five degrees. Descending." he muttered. Ghost thought about it and agreed.

"Yeah. Your math is still on point." he mused laughing at him.

"What do you think Nero is up to? I mean it all doesn't add up. And what's with erasing memories?" Gary flooded the man with questions. Simon just pondered without saying any words.

"I dunno mate. I'm as baffled as you are." he replied, waving to Alex and France who were out on a late night walk.

"Say Gary, what's the deal with the new girl? One minute she looks tough as nuts then the second Soap comes in she's fucking crying?" Ghost rambled. Gary could feel a hint of jealousy but not entirely. It's as if he's mad and jealous at the same time.

"Well, we were too far from their table and I couldn't hear anything. Maybe they had an argument while Soap was out with her on the training room?" Gary speculated, he saw Simon's fists clench as he left his side.

"Eh. Not that I care anyway. Get some rest, spotter. Big day tomorrow." he remarked and went to his room.

"Yeah yeah." he replied waving at the two walking around the oval. They both waved back and Gary yelled good night to them before entering the quarters himself.

Gary plopped on his bed and closed his eyes. He was actually nervous enough that he could hear his own heartbeat, he took deep breaths and lulled himself to sleep. He wanted to see to it that they save the hostage tomorrow and a perfect sleep is what he could contribute right now.

GERMANY

0458H

Gary hated the ghillie suits. It was heavy, uncomfortable and animals sometimes land on you, but it does the job well. Treading the dense forestry just above the safehouse, Gary and Simon head out to look for a perfect spot.

"This one's got a view of the houses." Ghost whispered, signaling Roach to move forward.

"This is Echo Three One, we've cleared the two houses on the right, all empty. Over." Alex reported over their comms.

"Bravo Six copies that and the two houses here are also clear." Price reported.

"Looks like it's going to be the one on the far side." Soap concluded.

"I've got eyes on the safehouse. There's no activity on all windows. Proceed with caution." Ghost reported.

"Rog." Price replied.

"Copy that, eye in the sky." Alex replied.

Gary put out his spotting scope and placed his eye behind the lens.

"I've got my eyes on them, Ghosty. Alpha Team is on its way." he whispered.

Ghost rolled some knobs on his sniper making a soft clicking sound as he spins it.

"Don't call me that, Bug. I have eyes on Bravo Team. Still no movement from the safehouse." 

"This is Alpha Team, approaching the left side of the safehouse."

"Bravo Team is Oscar Mike as well."

"Roach, did you see that?" Ghost whispered.

"Yeah. The winds are shifting." Gary noted, sticking out a tool that detects wind speed.

"Three Fourths value at 400 meters. 15 miles per hour. Adjust to 15.3" he informed, calculating on Ghosts still shoulder with a pen. Decimals are too dangerous to calculate mentally. Ghost's sniper clicked once again to adjust with the wind, he took a deep breath and his targets stabilized once again.

Leaves rustled behind them, Roach quickly held on his rifle and slowly turned back to check if it was an animal. Nothing, but before turning back on his scope, he saw a black figure from the corner of his eye.

"Bollocks. We've got movement on our Six." Roach reported. 

"Remember our ROE, Roach. Fire only when fired upon." Price reminded.

"I'll take care of it from here. You go check on that." Ghost said as he turned back to his scope.

"Roger that. Be safe." Roach quickly ran to the direction if the rustling.

He couldn't make out much of the figure, but he was sure enough it was human. He tried to look for areas where the leaves were disturbed but with the wind picking up, he was clueless. Then there it was again, movement. He quickly dashed to it's direction, not wanting to get lost again. His boots slapped the fresh soil as he made his wauy to a clearing.

'Left, right then left by the rocks.' Gary mentally noted his each turn so he could easily remember but when he's chasing someone whom he felt like it doesn't know where it goes, then it's a whole different story.  

Gary was alone in the windy forest, in pursuit of a person who's out on the woods at five in the morning. He wanted to go back but there's something that bothered him and convinced him to keep chasing it.

"Roach, you okay? They're almost in the safehouse." Ghost pointed out.

"Yeah haaaah… I'm still haaaah… hot on its trail." Gary panted. He suddenly turned when he heard a yelp.

"It's a girl. It might be our hostage." he radioed and followed the direction of the sound.

Soft sobs and English curse words could be heard from where Gary emerged. This alerted the injured female and she plead at the British solider.

"Please. I'm not an enemy. I'm I'm- I don't know who I am or where I am… Please. Don't hurt me." She was an American girl, possibly around 20-30 years old and had blonde hair wearing a black tank top and grey sweatpants, there were a few bruises on her arms and she was threatening him with a stick.

"Maam, put down your weapon and calm down. I will not hurt you." he dropped his weapon slowly on the ground stepped forward, his hands both raised.

"Good good. I need help." she whimpered, looking at her sprained ankle.

Gary immediately took his ghillie off and ripped a piece of his sleeves to wrap around the sprain, treating it with something from his medical kit.

"There you go… You're feeling better now? Maam?" Gary accommodated. The unknown blonde nodded in agreement.

"So.. you don't know who you are?" Gary asked.

"All I know is that I'm with another girl, Brunette." she added.

"I located the one out on the woods. She's American but I can't ID her. She's about 20 - 30 years old, short blonde hair." Gary informed.

"Is that Maxine?" Alex and France simultaneously replied over comms.

"Excuse me. Do you go by Maxine?" Gary asked politely. The girl quickly covered her ears and screamed.

"Aaaaaah! My head hurts!" She yelled. Gary was quick enough to cover her mouth as soon as she opened it as to not give away their presence.

"I don't know if that's a yes or a no guys. But that definitely is a reaction." Gary said over the comms. He assisted "Maxine" and lifted her up as he tries to get back to Ghost.

"Thick trees everywhere. Any Idea where you are Ghost?" he asked over the secure radio.

"I'm at the same spot I've been since we got here. Can't you retrace your steps?" he replied.

"I could try." he muttered, carrying an unconscious woman on his shoulders across the jungle.

Next Chapter : Déjà vu

[whencallstheheart]

One thing I really don't comprehend is why Liz picking Lucas was really that much of a shock for Nathan stans. I mean, she had expressed just as much interest in him than she did Nathan, if not more at certain times so why is team Nathan acting like Lucas never existed in Elizabeth's affections and that he was never even a choice?!

I get that they interpreted things in a different way, but I know Team Lucas (TL) wouldn't have been SHOOK the way Team Nathan (TN) was if it was the other way around. I know this because we all resigned ourselves to the fact that they were going to go that predictable route in the penultimate episode and while we had HUGE reservations, we didn't act blind to the fact that it was always kind of a possibility.

Now this merely stems from what I've read and seen on social media, but we didn't ignore the reality of what was happening in comparison to TN. We didn't ignore Elizabeth's chemistry and interactions with Nathan, or the small symbolic gestures they shared or the very intent way Nathan pursued her. However it truly baffles the mind that the other team really went out of their way to ignore every time she ever looked, smiled widely, laughed, yearned and had fun & some real passionate chemistry with Lucas. I mean talk about selective watching. 😂

All Lucas stans hear is how Lucas is shady, but Nathan's enormous lie about Jack is brushed over and twisted into a noble sacrifice, whereas I guarantee had it been Lucas, he would have been painted as an opportunistic conman who took advantage of a widow's pain and loneliness, a man who wormed his way into her life in a completely questionable and frankly dishonest way. The truth is that his one lie is bigger than any lie Lucas or really any other character has ever told Liz and that already set off alarm bells for me personally and is just one of the many problems I have with Nathan's character, however we don't have time to go through all my issues with him.

As for the way the story was told, I'm not sure why certain fans think that TN was inevitable and that his reward for apparently just existing and taking care of Allie would be Elizabeth, who has been having intimate after intimate moment with Lucas. Seriously, she went on more dates with Lucas, she would even make the first move with him like taking his hand or being open to maybe kissing him and it was LUCAS that stopped it. I mean maybe in the penultimate episode when Lucas literally put Liz's happiness above his own, I can understand why TN held out hope but to act like EVERYTHING that happened between her & Lucas before that wasn't an honest appraisal of her feelings is just so odd and it kind of came across as denial.

It is also bizarre how TN could ignore and excuse SO MUCH of what she did or said, how she conducted herself and how she would retreat from Nathan more often than not, how he would keep pursuing her and how she would barely give anything back. I mean, how much can you really just blame her fear of getting hurt on her rejection of him? That's a bit too simplistic, because that fear existed equally in her opening her heart to Lucas, plus it seems that TN care more about Nathan's happiness than whether him and Liz really belonged together and if she truly wanted to be with him. 🤷‍♀️

I mean even reading your analysis, I noticed it was based on how Nathan deserved her after everything, but she's not a prize and while I know you did not mean it that way, it just doesn't seem like a good enough reason for them to be together & nor is Ally. I've noticed that TN just adored the neat perfect family 'appeal' they had because Liz has LJ and Nathan has Allie who ironically Lucas helped him adopt with the money he offered.

However, that is not a sustainable enough reason for two people to build their lives together. They have to have that kind of love, spark and connection that is incomparable and cannot be broken.

I think all three characters deserve partners who truly loved each other for who they are intrinsically and not anything else, not Lucas's money which apparently is the only reason she could ever love him, because she's apparently a spineless gold digger, who couldn't possibly love him for his compassion, his unwavering friendship, sense of humour, loyalty and patience 😂 or rather Nathan's automatic dad appeal and the land he purchased and the complete nuclear family they could have created, which I again could understand because that is a tempting offer also and she already loved Allie so it could have fit her too, had she wanted Nathan in that way.

Don't get me wrong, I don't love how long it took to get us here & I do agree that it should have been concluded earlier in the season & Elizabeth doesn't come off looking great. Although in a way, with everything that she has been doing with Lucas, it could have looked a lot worse for her character to have discarded him too, but I suppose that is all a matter of perspective. I don't however believe that Elizabeth is some kind of monster which is apparently what some of TN have landed on because she rejected Nathan. It's like we've forgotten that a woman doesn't owe love or a relationship to someone just because they've put the time in, not Nathan and not Lucas. It would have also been okay if she had just decided to keep them both as friends, that is her right as a woman. Just because she didn't pick what certain fans wanted, they have dragged her unfairly when she was also really struggling with not only mourning her husband and the life they had, but having to pick up the pieces and carve a new life out for herself, whilst struggling with the immense confusion surrounding her feelings for both men. I don't think the cobwebs really cleared for her until Lucas removed himself from the equation, I think that is when she really opened her eyes to whom she could not, rather did not want to live without.

Anyway sorry for the long rant, you just seem like you love to analyse shows and characters the way I do. 😆

It all boils down to perception.  That’s it.  It also doesn’t help that people were essentially forced to pick sides.  Everything became black and white for people.  If one man was a certain way, the other was the opposite... even if that wasn’t true.  But that’s what we’re conditioned to think.  It’s like politics.  The lines may be more gray but people are going to only believe what they want to believe or are told to believe by others within their party.  Nobody’s gonna listen to the other side because they’re the “enemy”.  That’s not really a great strategy for a tv show largely about community.  The show is so proud of the fandom that was built but yet they actively worked to divide it for the past 3 years.

I think a lot of the frustration comes from the fact that Lucas did get all those interactions with Elizabeth.  He got the dates.  He got the almost kiss.  He got the hand-holding.  Nathan got NOTHING romantic with her even though we were led to believe he would at some point since it was supposed to be a triangle.  If she had picked Nathan, at least Team Lucas would’ve had all those moments to hold onto.  At least they got something along the way.  Team Nathan didn’t.  And because he wasn’t getting much along the way, it made people think that it had to be coming.  That they’re putting him through all of this because it’s going to end in his favor.  It felt like the natural course of the storytelling (but now we know there wasn’t even any planned storytelling... they just made it up along the way???).

The two teams are never going to get along now.  People have made up their minds and they will continue to believe what they want to believe.  No side is better than the other.  You have issues with Nathan so why can’t people have issues with Lucas?  That’s hypocritical.  You have your reasons and others have theirs for believing certain things about the characters.  At some point you just have to agree to disagree because this is how things are now thanks to how it was all written and how it was handled on and off screen.  We don’t need to be pointing fingers at the fans.

[pedropascalspain]

YIN-YANG

YIN-YANG

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader.

Warnings: a little swearing.

Notes: It is my first fic in english, so please forgive me if it has some mistakes (I did my best). Also it is my first Javier fic and my first fic since a long time ago. Please tell me if you liked it or not. Maybe I will continue it if people like it.

When you moved to Colombia you didn't expect what you found. In all of your years working as a consultant you'd never imagined that you will end working for the DEA. First of all, you were a quiet person that didn’t like trouble in any kind or form. Second, you never thought you’d abandon your country. But life changes and, after the terrible year you had passed, you needed a change and the opportunity came this way.

When you arrived at the Embassy you were terrified and felt like a fish out of water. You were dressed in faded jeans and a black blouse, not the typical two pieces female suit. You weren’t very friend of skirts or heels and it caused you a lot of problems. Also, you felt everyone were staring at you from the very beginning. And it was true, everyone were looking at you: the secretaries looked at you with condescendence, the men looked at you with mistrust (because you didn't seem the typical woman working in the Embassy) but some of them also looked at you as new flesh, a new opportunity to sink his teeth into. Men. And there was Javier Peña. He didn't notice you on the first week, but he heard rumors in the hallways that awakened his curiosity.

It was near the end of your first week there and things weren't going much better for you. You managed to do your work quite well (as always) but the social part of it wasn't going anywhere at the moment, not that it was different from what you were used to but it always felt like a sting inside of you. It was late on Friday evening when you where grabbing your things from your desk and preparing to go home. You heard some people laughing as they went out of the office together, probably to spend the rest of the evening chatting and having fun at some bar (not that you liked bars anyway). You sighted and turned off the light of your desk and headed to the door when suddenly you bumped into something hard, into somebody hard.

“I’m sorry I thought I was alone and…” you began.

“No worries, I should have been paying attention too. Javier Peña” the somebody hard said extending his hand. You shook his hand as you politely offered him you name. He smiled lightly as he stared at you a little bit too long. You started to become nervous, and noticed his deep brown eyes, his handsome face, his arms, his… “Are you going to the bar?” he interrupted your thoughts with his deep voice and you almost jumped while denying with your head.

“I was heading home” you said without watching him so you wouldn't be distracted again.

“Can I walk with you to the car?”

This time you watched him surprised, “I-I don't have a car yet, I’ve just moved here”

“Then, can I take you home? It isn't very safe to go alone at this time in the Colombian streets, and I assume you live in the building from the embassy like the rest of us”

You didn't know what to say so before you could process it you found yourself saying “Well… I think it’s ok, you're very polite”.

You two walked to his car with a little tension, specially from your part as you weren't used to the light chat while meeting new people. When you were in his car he broke the ice and tried that you could sink into a conversation. 

“Why is it that you didn't went to the bar with the others?”

“Why didn't you?” your defensive self asked in return without double thinking it.

“Touché” he said with a smile.

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it’s just I had a strange week and I’m not quite confortable here yet”

“No offense taken” he said putting briefly his hands up as in surrender, like it wasn't a big deal. “What happened this week if it isn't too much to ask?”

“Well, where I begin…” you sighed again, exhausted just remembering it. “I guess I’m not good adapting to people”

“Adapting?”

“Yes, being what I am supposed to be and doing what I am supposed to do”. Javier raised and eyebrow entertained at your statement and as you watched him you continued explaining yourself. “I know I might sound crazy but maybe I am crazy, and you don't know yet because we've just met” 

He chuckled at that while he drove “That could be solved”

“What?” you said with a confused face.

“Not knowing you, that could be solved, maybe you could use a friend here”

“A friend?” now was your time to raise your eyebrow with a half-smile.

“You know what a friend is, right? Somebody to talk to about work, life…”

“I know what a friend is, thanks for the explanation, but right now I’m skeptical about male friends”

“Maybe I could introduce you to Connie and Steve, my partner and his wife, and then you could believe me more”

“Oh… I… I’m sorry if I was assuming that you…”

“It’s alright. We arrived, want to come diner with us or not?”

You were shocked right there in the parking lot. “Now? Today? I mean….”

“Have you better plans?”

“I don't want to be a burden, it is not necessary”

“Listen” he said while he stopped the car and took the keys, turning to look directly into your eyes “if we are going to be friends -and let me tell you that you need some kind of friends with this job- you need to know me too, and one thing about me is that I never say anything I didn't mean to say, or do anything that I didn't want to do, ask Steve”

“Ok then, it’s a deal” you extended your hand to shake his and he contemplated it, then he looked at you, for a brief moment surprised by your gesture, and then shook your hand. As he did so, this second time you both shook hands he realized how tiny your hand were in his, how soft, how familiar, and he took it a little too longer before he regained composure and exited the car, with you following him behind.

You two entered the building and reached for Steve and Connie’s apartment. While you approached it, you felt like as if you were going to do some kind of performing in front of all the school, you felt as nervous as an 8 year old kid trying to impress his parents. Javier knocked on the door and Steve opened it, watching incredulously at your direction.

“Hi Murphy, this is Y/N, works in the embassy with us and I though she might use some social interaction since she just moved here”

Realization hit Steve’s eyes as he opened more the door to let you both in “of course, I heard about you but I didn't have time this week to come introduce myself” he said extending his hand to you “I’m Steve Murphy, Javi’s partner”

You shook his hand and nodded as you walked in, still nervous as hell “Thank you for letting me pass by, I don't want to intrude”

“Don’t worry, we’re all a team. Connie! Come meet our new co-worker!”. Steve’s wife appeared from the kitchen and gave you a soothing smile while she came to introduce herself. You felt a little better, and went to sit on the couch with the two guys, your jacket and purse still in your hands. 

Javi came to sit in the chair in front of the couch, lighting a cigarette. Steve sat on the other side of the couch and put a bottle of whiskey and three glasses on the table in front of you, proceeding to pour some liquor in each one of them.

You raised your hand while saying “don’t put any for me, I don't drink, thanks”

Steve raised an eyebrow questioning yourself while looking at Javi with humor, and put the other two glasses for each other. “So” he began sipping his drink “do you like being in Colombia?”

“I don't know, I’ve been here for less than a week so far… let me answer this question in a couple of weeks” you said smiling a little. 

Connie reemerged from the kitchen with his own glass of wine “the dinner is almost ready”

“Do you want me to help you?” you offered.

“Oh no honey, just relax, I’ll take care of the dinner” she said smiling to you. Then, you found yourself again between the two boys in an uncomfortable silence.

The time seemed to pass painfully slow with the only sound of the gulps of whiskey and puffs of the cigarette. Connie came to the rescue a little later “the dinner is ready, why don’t you all come to the table?”

You raised up too quickly wanting to end the uncomfortable situation so it made you step on your own jacket, trip and hit your leg with the table. “¡Mierda!” (*Shit!) you exclaimed, while Steve, Javi and Connie stopped to watch intently at you as if they saw a ghost.

“Did you use to curse in Spanish?” asked Steve.

“Of course I curse in Spanish!” you said as if it was so obvious. Everyone were looking at you quizzically and you didn't understand.

“Why?” asked Steve “you said you've been in Colombia less than a week…”

“Yeah, but I am from Spain”, you answered slowly as if you were talking to a five year old boy. The three of you looked at you with even bigger eyes, and you began to guess that maybe because of your appearance and that you've studied english all your life you've ended seeming and sounding like a native, although you doubted it. 

………………………………………

An hour later, all of you had ended dinner and you were thanking Connie for her hospitality. You all had been talking about work, what each one of you did at the Embassy, and more simpler things. You thought that if they believed you were weird at the beginning of the night now probably believed it even more, even if you loosened up a bit and feel more confortable. As the evening progressed, they discovered you didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't go out. You were very responsible and seemed serious but managed to make a few jokes that make them almost spill their drinks because they didn’t expect that coming from you. It was as if you were a strange person, a complete opposite to someone like Javier Peña, for example, anyone could say that both of you were like yin and yang, he was dark, seemed dangerous, like to drink and smoke and had quite a reputation; on the other hand you were shy, easily frightened, more cheerful when you feel comfortable and more innocent, at least in appearance. As it was getting late you were feeling very tired from all you week, so you excused yourself while you got up to grab your things, thanking one more time for the dinner and heading to the door. Javi excused himself and got out with you.

When the door closed, Javi told you “podías haberme dicho que eras de España” (*you could've told me you were from Spain).

You looked at him with amusement when you heard him spoke in spanish and said “y tú podrías haberme dicho que hablas español” (*and you could've told me you speak spanish).

“Pensé que con un apellido como Peña estaba implícito” (*I though that with a surname as Peña it was implicit).

“Y yo pensé que en los rumores que circulan por la Embajada ya se había comentado de dónde venía” (*And I thought that the rumors about me in the Embassy said where I was from).

You both arrived to your floor. “Gracias por todo Javier, y buenas noches” (*Thanks for everything Javier, and good night) you said to him. 

“Javi, llámame Javi, buenas noches Y/N” (*Javi, call me Javi, good night Y/N).

You rolled on your feet to go to your own door when you suddenly felt your head go round and everything began to spin around yourself, you began to loose your balance so you tell “Javi, ¿me puedes coger?” (*Author’s note: the word “coger” in Spain means “to catch” but in Latin America it means “to fuck”, so she was saying “Javi, can you catch me?” while Javier understood “Javi, can you fuck me?”).

Javi's eyes couldn't get wider as he heard that, not understanding what you’ve just said, and before he could even ask you about it, he saw you becoming white and beginning to fall, so he caught you in his arms.