#i guess i would honestly HONESTLY have to hand it to raymond which is so!!! girl kakashi is an active combatant living under martial law To

[yappacadaver]

im just obsessed with his themes and motifs, i love when guys have suffering tailor-made just for them, and i love watching how their psyche tries to grow through the torture dungeon's twisting labyrinth, until the shape of their soul is a cast of it

[conscience-killer]

I was tagged by @prince-luffy who is a very good egg. Also I'm in a waffling mood so there may be waffling. I might also be drunk.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

25. Eight years of writing. Twenty-fucking-five. That's pretty pathetic lol.

2. What’s your total word count?

112,442. Almost a novel. Probably. It's a lot of cocks either way.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Always Sunny currently, Preacher and Gotham in the past.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos:

1 - The Bird and the Worm

2 - Checkmate

3 - From Despair to Where

4 - Nice Guys Finish Last

5 - Lost Souls Forever

All Gotham, although Figure It Out is almost catching up with LSF which makes me happy. There's quite a bit of of novice cringe in that list, so click at your own peril. I guess we all had to learn somewhere.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Where Did You Sleep Last Night? for sure. Honourable mentions to Comeback Kid and Time to Pretend, though.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All His Suits Are Torn. :)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nah. Never written for a popular enough fandom.

9. Do you write smut?

Does the Pope shit in the woods?

10. Do you write crossovers?

Never fancied it. I've always preferred to stick as close to canon as I can. Alternate scenarios to episodes and scenes have always been my jam.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. More gifs than I can count though, sigh.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not that I'm aware of. Years ago someone asked to translate Checkmate (I think?) to another language but I never saw anything of it. Maybe I didn't look hard enough.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I don't think I ever would have considered co-writing if I'd never met @constant-sinner. Our styles and kinks and preferences just gel so well.

Please check out our most recent collab: My God Is the Sun. We hadn't worked together since Evol in 2019 and it still just flowed so nicely. I do love me some shameless plugs.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

You can pry Cricksden from my cold, dead hands. A third of their fics on ao3 are mine and that pleases me greatly.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Father of All Motherfuckers was my only wip but it got shitcanned because I just didn't have the time (or the ideas, lol). Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth rose from its ashes and honestly I'm happy about that. I really enjoyed writing it. I have toyed with the idea of a set of confessional fics using some of its remnants too, but ehhh. Maybe.

16. What are your writing strengths?

As Raymond says, whimsical blasphemy.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I've never been a fan of dialogue. Some of my stories have masses of it which leads me to believe I was possessed by some sort of loquacious demonic entity at the time. Junkie had zero dialogue and that wasn't even a conscious decision, but goddamn it felt nice.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

If I could speak more than a few words of another language, sure.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Gotham.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Blasphemy (The Victimless Crime). It probably always will be. That fic helped me a lot and led to more fun than I could have ever envisioned. I owe it a motherfucking shitload.

tagging: @jessicorvus @bensonstablers and any other fic-writing mutual whose name may or may not have disappeared into my glass of Baileys. Salut.

[snezfics-n-shit]

Sicktember Day 18: "Wear Your Coat, You'll Catch a Cold"

Fandom: Ace Attorney Characters: Gregory Edgeworth, Winston Payne Notes: At the local bar, catching up with Winston Payne, Gregory Edgeworth reflects on not heeding the phrase he found himself saying more often than his younger self may have liked. Set in the January of 1999, so there’s nothing really spoiler-y going on because, well, the 90s in the Ace Attorney timeline is pretty much 90% births. Guide for names: Marie = Miles’s mother, Constance/Connie = Winston’s wife, Perrianne = Raymond’s mother. 

     As the new millennium drew another year closer, it was generally agreed upon in modern science that merely being cold is not enough to catch a cold. Gregory Edgeworth knew that, and he also knew how embarrassed he would be when his mother still held onto the misconception of purely cold-borne viral illness. Becoming a father seven years ago, however, changed Gregory's view on the matter a lot.

For starters, the warning of a common cold resulting from neglecting to wear proper outerwear now frequently passed his lips. Not a moment went by where he was completely unaware of how he once couldn't stand those very words, though. Perhaps, subconsciously, he found it to be more convenient than to scare his son with the harsh realities of hypothermia and frostbite; colds were easy to understand, hardly serious, and just unpleasant enough to be something one would rather avoid. 

Secondly, there was the small caveat that while cold temperatures were not the cause of the common cold, they did have enough impact on the immune system to make colds more likely. Combining the cold weather and Gregory's son attending a public school filled with all sorts of microbes that the human body would rather do without made for a good reason for Gregory to at least try following through with the words he now preached.

These things considered, Gregory was well aware of the mistake he had made in making his trip to the local bar without a proper coat. He could defend himself all he liked, insisting Payne’s invitation came so quickly that he hardly allowed himself time to check the evening’s weather, but it just didn’t matter once he sat at the bar, doing his damndest to keep his snuffles quiet.

“Winston!” Gregory waved his friend over, forgetting the napkin in his hand that was used as a last resort tissue. “I thought you’d be here first.” 

“Well, you know the missus. Connie wouldn’t let me leave without a coat.” Despite the words used to explain his late arrival, Winston made it clear in his tone that his wife’s advice was always much appreciated. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be wearing one? I always hear you telling your assistant to bundle up.”

“I guess it just slipped my mind.” Gregory answered honestly, fighting for dear life not to cough as he spoke. “Funnily enough, I told Miles and Raymond to bundle up if they were going to play outside just before I left. Kids come first and all that, though Raymond’s hardly a kid anymore.” 

“I understand.” Winston nodded. He and his wife didn’t have children of their own just yet, though they were actively trying, and therefore regularly had discussions often reaching a similar agreement. “Hey, Ray’s graduating high school in the spring, isn’t he? I think you told me his mom invited you to the party, too.”

“That’s right. Perrianne, er, that is,” Gregory’s face flushed as he started to correct the impromptu first name basis,  “Mrs. Shields is really going out of her way for this. I’d hate to make any assumptions here, but I think she deserves something nice to keep her mind off her late husband.” 

“Damn,” Winston couldn’t help but comment, “it really makes you think about what could happen, you know? Worst case scenario happening and leaving a grieving family behind?” 

“I try not to.” Gregory absentmindedly wiped his nose with the napkin crumpled up in his hand. “What with both my parents passing and Miles’s mother making it clear she never wanted to see me again.” He sank into a slouch. “That worked out for her, I suppose. I never heard anything from Marie after she dropped Miles off, and then four years later, I got a call from her father inviting me to the funeral. I’m pretty sure her entire family lives off the grid, so if anything were to happen to me…”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Winston exclaimed, eager to change the subject in order to save Gregory from the pit of worry that was pulling him in. “We’re just breaking into our thirties, we’re smart, we’re healthy–”

“E’SSHHOOUH!” Gregory’s sneeze was followed by him frantically grabbing another handful of napkins to clean himself up. 

“You give people’s hearts a good workout whenever you sneeze like that, Gregory. You do know that right?” 

“I’ve been told that from time to time, yes.” Gregory snuffled before giving a raspy laugh. “But you’re right. It’s too early to be worrying about such matters. My health has been pretty good.” 

“I don’t know, Gregory.” Winston raised a brow. “Sounds like you might be catching a cold.”

“What? No, I don’t think so. You know how long my hay fever goes on for.” Gregory’s excuse was rather flimsy.

“Gregory, it’s January.” Winston tsked. “Maybe I should have Constance call you up once in a while to make sure you wear your coat.”

Gregory wanted to laugh at the teasing suggestion, but his lungs obligated him to cough harshly into one of the already abused napkins he held. 

“E-Excuse me.” He said sheepishly before coughing again.

“That’s it. I’m ordering you a hot toddy.” Winston stated, clearly unwilling to take ‘no’ for an answer. “Heck, I’ll get one for myself, too. You’re probably contagious anyway.”

“Hey!” 

With no real energy to object, Gregory let Winston place the orders. Going to a bar was a rare enough occasion for him that he was actually surprised this establishment took the order without issue. Whenever he and Winston did go out, simply asking for beers from the tap just to serve as evidence against any accusations of loitering was fine enough. 

Once the hot beverages were placed in front of them, they both savored that first whiff of the drinks’ soothing scent. Even Gregory, whose congestion was gradually proving to be stubborn in allowing the registering of scents, found it to be quite pleasant.

“Well, cheers.” Winston initiated, but was disappointed when the clinking of glasses was followed by only him taking a drink. “What are you hesitating for?”

“Ah, you see,” Gregory scratched the back of his neck, “I have what Marie used to call a ‘cat’s tongue.’” He chuckled softly. “I’m not particularly eager to burn my tongue when eating or drinking.”

“How are you going to fully benefit from the hot toddy’s warmth then?” 

“I’m sure it–,” Gregory paused to clear his throat, “I’m sure it won’t lose its healing benefits if it cools off just a little bit.” 

Winston sighed in exasperation. 

“First you won’t stay warm by wearing a coat, now you don’t want to warm up by drinking a hot toddy while it still lives up to its name.” He teased. 

Gregory shook his head and proceeded to take a sip, burning his tongue in the process, just as he predicted. 

“Next time, I think I’ll just wear my coat.”

[tiringwritings]

byler au

where it’s halloween 1989 and mike has organised a date (which is not a date but more like going out with his best friend, but max insist that it’s totally a date) to spend more time with will because after everything they been through, they deserve to do something normal and so he planned to take will to the cinema.

max told him that there was this super new horror movie that would have made them both jump in fear and maybe hold hands (not because that was what she did when she went to the cinema with lucas and a particular loud scream had made her jump,totally not the case) and mike would have lied if the idea of will holding his hands hadn’t made his cheeks flush.

so even when he kinda of despised horror movie because they would give him nightmares (mike would never admit it though) he decided to go for it

everything was going smoothly mike picked up will with his old rusty car that his parents allowed him to drive only once in a week, and drove them to hawkins cinema.

he told will to wait next to the box office while he got popcorn and then he would have bought the tickets

and he did exactly that,

but when he got back, his hands holding a big basket full of popcorn

he noticed will holding two tickets

“mike you won’t believe it!” will said excitedly, his smile so big that mike almost got blind because of it

“i thought i told you i would have bought the tickets?”

“oh but you already bought the pop corn.. anyway… i was talking to the lady and guess what movie they released today!!”

“w-what?” mike replied a bit flustered at the idea that his plan had been basically ruined, by will nonetheless

“ghostbusters II!” will almost shouted, too excited, as he showed mike the two tickets

“and you bought it?”

“of course i did! it’s gonna be super epic i feel it!”

and honestly mike loved the first ghostbusters they even dressed as the characters at halloween of too many years ago

but now knowing that he probably won’t have the chance to hold will hands because ghostbusters was’t that scary (honestly), he kinda of hated the idea, but will he was being so excited and he already had bought the tickets, so mike couldn’t do anything else than going for it.

and of course as soon as the movie started it did with the infamous song and will looked at him with literally sparkles in his eyes, his voice as quiet as a whisper, singing the ghostbusters song

mike had never seen him this happy in a while and honestly if ghostbusters made him happy he was as well.

and maybe their hands brushed once every while when both of them reached for the popcorn

and maybe will was right that the movie was going to her epic because it literally mind blowed mike.

and maybe it wasn’t that bad that they didn’t end up watching the scary horror movie because as the movie was ending will was even more happy and excited than when he was at the begging.

and maybe mike wouldn’t have traded ghostbusters II with anything else at the world because as Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore came out as heroes once more

will was so excited that basically held mike hands until the end of the credits and mike held it even tighter.

“what did i told you? fucking epic!” will exclaimed as they were heading to mike’s car

“yeah you were so right! dustin and lucas will be so mad that we saw it without them” mike replied opening his car

“oh right, shit, well, we will see it once more together.. but honestly i’m happy i saw it with you”

and mike prayed to god that the darkness of the night would have covered his flushing red face. he wasn’t used anymore to confident, blunt will.

“i-i am as well” he spluttered while turning on the car motor’s.

and maybe mike was very very glad they went for ghostbusters II instead of the very scary new horror movie

because when he parked in front of the byers house, him walking behind will as they reached the front door, will turned around and said

“well, i, um thanks for the evening mike. i had so much fun”

very normal indeed, the thing was that mike didn’t expect will to walk in front him, so near that he could spot will’s moles, and totally wouldn’t have thought (not even in his dreams) that will would have moved even closer and

kiss him on the cheek.

what the fuck, did he really, oh my god, my cheek, his lips, my what? wait did i just imagined it no wait i did not am i breathing correctly am i not wait maybe i am dying maybe vecna is still playing with my mind yeah this is the most plausible answ-

“mike, omyfyckinggod i’m sososo sorry” he replied his hands covering his mouth “i saw you there and i dunno why i did that i wanted to show you i much i am grateful but i dunno why i did that omygod i’m sorry i you we can forget this actually happ-”

and maybe mike kinda of went through whatever happened to will when he kissed his cheek two seconds ago because his brain was empty when he literally moved forward to kiss will on his lips

(idk man i wrote this while literally watching the ghostbusters movies and i just thought idk)

[hotdamnhunnam]

Can I request for Raymond Smith these please? :)

👩‍🍳🏖🔮

Thanks for your request for my Emoji Fic Fest! 💗

..................................................

Beach Balls

Pairing: Raymond Smith x F!Reader Warnings: smut, swearing, sex on the beach, public-ish (brief reference assuming there’s an audience) Word Count: ~1.3k Emoji Prompt: 👩‍🍳🏖🔮 (key words are in bold)

He’s giving you his bitch, please face.

You’re giving him your beach, please face, because Ray’s aversion to beaches is honestly such a disgrace. His OCD ass really needs to get over his hatred of salt in his slicked hair and fine grains of sand stuck all over the place.

You’ve stepped out of the kitchen with something hot clutched in your hands as you come to join him on the couch. He’s a grump and a grouch. Yet be that as it may, by the end of the day, your goal is to take him to the shore and you’re certain it’s not out of reach.

He repeats himself loud and clear, same shit you always hear. “I am not going to the beach.”

“I knew you would say no. I baked your favorite tart to tempt you though. It’s ginger peach.”

He can tell, by the comforting smell, blend of butter and sugar and spice absolutely divine. “You’re too kind. But do you really think baked goods will change my mind?”

“Baked goods and something else perhaps…” you purr as you settle in place straddling his lap. You know exactly how to get your man to fall into your trap. “Remember when we went to see that fortuneteller just for kicks, her crystal ball declared that I’m the only weakness in your fortress? That I’d always find the holes in your resolve and get your brick walls to collapse?”

He does remember as it had been pretty recent. Just the other weekend. And indeed once Raymond feels the heat of you that always hits him in his crotch and in his heart, hotter than this freshly baked tart… he worries his resistance is already weakened.

And you can sense it too, the way he melts for you, as you proceed to feed your man a big forkful of flaky crust and sweet syrupy peach. You whisper words into his ear sure to paint pictures in his head that fucking stick. You’ve always known what makes him tick. “I want to fuck you on the beach. Wet sand beneath and blazing sun above, as we make hot passionate love, waves crashing all around us while you pound this cunt with that big fucking dick.”

Of course it works—he groans around the peachy mouthful that you fed him and you flash a wicked smirk, as you pull out the sticky fork. Crumbs of the crust and traces of the fruity filling are still clinging to the tines and your tongue cleans them off with a sensuous lick.

You knew that shit would do the trick. Especially now as you level up your game by dealing his alpha male pride a playful little kick. “But I’m not sure you’ve got the balls to do the dirty out in public.”

Ray gulps down his bite of tart and then glares up at you appalled. He will not stand for such an insult, not at all. “You of all people should know better than to doubt my fucking balls.”

You shrug and roll your eyes, grinding down on the bulge between his thighs. “The closest that you’ve ever come to fucking me in public was a private bathroom stall. Or in my office with the door locked but that doesn’t count as public just because we could hear voices in the halls.”

“Bitch are you really testing me?”

At that you get up off his lap and casually head toward the door with tart in hand and grab your beach bag, which you had already packed. Wink back at him suggestively. “I guess we’ll see.”

***************

“Is this public enough for you?”

He says it in a huff—grating and gruff, the brush of his beard ever coarser now that salt and sand have stuck into the scruff. You’re both sharply aware that others may be watching and no doubt loving the view. It’s not as if you’re putting on a show on purpose for the world to watch you two, but there’s just such a thrill in knowing passing strangers could stroll by and see your man’s bare backside thrusting viciously while he’s on top of you.

It’s obvious that Ray still hates this place. Clear from the gritting of his teeth and from the grimace creasing up his sweat-streaked face. He hates the scrape of sand beneath you and the brutal beating of the sun above you. But you love when there’s a little bit of hatred in the way that he makes love to you.

Never towards you, of course—rather towards what you make him feel and make him do, which is a whole lot fucking worse. Your presence in his life is such a blessing yet your power over him is such a curse.

For someone so extremely self-possessed, so serious about control that he is honestly obsessed, it’s quite unsettling how readily he lets you take the reins and make him yours.

He steals back some of that control by owning all your holes with feral fucking force.

You haven’t yet answered his question as to whether this beach is public enough for you. Too breathless from just how epic the sex is but when Raymond cups your jaw your eyes flit open and you read answer me slut in his ferocious gaze of blue. You love the way he has no need for words to tell you what to do.

“Mmm, just enough,” you tell him blissfully as his thick cock plows into you savage and rough. He’s always much more than enough but you still want to act as if you won this game you came to play. “Just fuck me on this beach all day. I always knew you had the balls, Ray.”

He shoves deeper into your soaking wet core with a low grunt. Down to the hilt, making you gasp from being so perfectly filled. “You like the feeling of these big huge fucking balls slapping against your slutty cunt? Just like you want?”

“Fuck yes, sir…” you shout out loud enough for all the world to hear it as you hit the heights of pleasure. Fall to pieces as his shaft rails you to bits, and as his skillful fingers tease against your clit, applying just the perfect pressure.

“Take it all,” he growls as his sack tightens and stiff cock begins to powerfully convulse, racing the rhythm of your pulse, all set to paint your inner walls. His lip curls up against your ear in a demanding fucking snarl. “Take all the cum from these big fucking balls, you dirty little girl.”

Oh yes you fucking will, take everything he has to fill, and you will proudly let this man drill you in front of all the world.

He’s more than just a little proud too. Your shameless and openness and riskiness, when it comes to delicious frisky business, is just one of countless things he loves about you.

Raymond Smith is now a much kinkier bastard than he ever was without you.

By the time he’s thoroughly flooded your tight pussy, you’re both sprawled out on the sand loosely, savoring the sensation of his meat inside your heat all slick and juicy. When he at last slides out of you his cum drips out and paints a pearly path across the sand beneath the space between your legs. You’re both reduced to fucking wrecks.

Then as you cuddle through the sun-kissed afterglow, he glances over at the partly eaten peach dessert you’d brought and asks you something he just has to know. “What was even the point of the tart if your plan was to tempt me with sex?”

You smile and give him the innocent answer he probably expects. “Just to butter you up a bit. Knew you would love it.”

Don’t tell him just yet that this tart filled with peach also serves some less innocent subtext: now that your man has finally fucked your pussy on the beach… you’ll soon ask him if he wants to fuck your peach next.

..................................................

Emoji Fic Masterlist

Emoji Fic Tag List – below; if you’d like to be added or removed, just let me know!

@happyhunnams @band--psycho @est11 @edonaspanca @starbooty @innerpaperexpertcloud @i-love-scott-mccall @six-camelot @alexa-rae-dreamz @coffeebooksandfandom @thesuicidalflower @flaireandsynch @helloheyhihowdyheya @gemini0410 @waywardodysseys @zozebo @bettergetusetoit @emilykjh @little-diable @rocketqueen @mrspeacem1nusone @miss-smutty @rayslittlekitten @abby-splace @chubbychubbs28 @miraclesoflove @tegggeeee @hunnambabe @missusnora @kesskirata @vixenrebellion @thexhostess @pomegranatearildreams @kandii395 @severewobblerlightdragon @itspdameronthings @niki-xie @cind-in-real-life @saweetspoiled @poge-life @few-proud-emotonal @samanthaisnthome @melodranas @soaharleys @charlie-hunnams-old-lady @simpmasterjr @nataliewalker93 @lovebarefootblonde @marvelousmermaid @tsukuyomi011 @sciapod @midnight-dreams-23

[galaxyedging]

When the West Was Wild

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Silva x OFC (no description, a last name is given in later chapters)

Story summary: A women making her own way in the lawless West has her quiet night interrupted by a stranger in need. While helping him she finds a few unmet needs of her own.

Chapter summary: Some light is shed on Silva's past but it creates more questions than it answers.

Warnings: mentions of pregnancy loss and racism. Nothing explicit.

"Raymond Becker, Sir." Silva held out his hand to Sheriff Rockwood, who eyed it before taking it. "Sheriff Rockwood. Mr Becker?" Silva nodded.

"So now I have a name, can I ask why you are here? Are you a relation or something?"

"Not quite. I've worked with the family on and off over the years. We've become close friends. When William decided to move out here, he asked me for my help getting them acquainted."

During this whole interaction she had just been trying to react appropriately. The news of her husband's apparently demise hadn't hit her yet. The Sheriff kept glancing over at her, while Silva did an incredible job of spinning a tale. It was almost scary how believable he was. Had he ever lied to her with that much ease?

Finding her voice she looked the Sheriff in the eyes. To protect Silva she would have to sell this. "Will, asked Raymond to stay with me while he tended to some business in New York. Since his father thought he'd run off...I guess he didn't even..." That's when it hit. Huge sobs spilled from her. Hot tears streamed her cheeks. She may not have loved her husband anymore but no one deserved to be left for dead at the side of the road. He'd set off for home but haven't even made it. Life could be cruel with our plans.

Silva quickly carried over the chair from her writing desk, holding her hand her encouraged her to sit down.

"I'm sorry to upset you Mrs Ahlborn. Especially given your current condition." Her eyes whipped up to him. "The doctor shared the good news with me. He thought I should keep a watchful eye on you out here."

Had the doctor told him Silva was her husband? Did they have any idea when William died? She thought it best to remain silent, wait to see what the Sheriff knew. She quietly sobbed into her handkerchief.

"Not that I wasn't already looking out for you. I knocked than night someone was shot, we believed, not too far from here. Remember? You told me your husband was in the bath after hunting with the neighbour."

"He wanted to get cleaned up for his journey."

"So your husband left...?"

"The day after." She knew she had just effectively revoked Silva's protection from his past crime but the way the conversation was head she was more concerned about them being accused of this crime.

"Oh, I must have misunderstood. Doctor Robinson said your husband was here."

The Sheriff stated, leaving it hanging in the air.

"That would be my fault. The good doctor never asked my name, he was too concerned with his patient. He assumed and I didn't correct him." Sliva explained.

"You often let people think another man's wife is your own?" Sheriff Rockwood cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No sir, but honestly I was in shock. My good friend had asked me to look after his wife. Not his pregnant wife. I don't know anything about looking after a woman who is with child. My wife and I were never blessed before she passed. Sadly."

A gasp slipped from her lips, which she disguised with a sob. Was that another lie or a truth he hadn't got around to telling yet?

"But I will try my utmost to care for you both before we can get you to your family. I gave William my word. I won't break it now." Silva had crouched down to look her in the eye.

Sheriff Rockwood seemed appeased for now. He cleared his throat. "Well, I'll leave you to your mourning. My condolences. If there's anything I can do just let me know."

"My husband..William...his body....when can we lay him to rest properly?"

For the first time Sheriff Rockwood softened. She didn't know what to make of it. Maybe he had been in a similar position once upon a time. "Your husband is in the care of the Undertaker. He will be expecting you to make arrangements when you can."

"Thank you." Her voice was small but genuine. It was a comfort William was being cared for.

The Sheriff gave Silva a nod before letting himself out.

The next couple of days blurred. Arrangements were made. Silva, or Raymond, was a constant comfort as she spoke to various people about the funeral. It was held quickly as it was best to buried the remains as soon as possible. By the time they were found, decomposition had well and truly started. Even after the grave was filled with earth the stench lingered. The fresh flowers on the grave helped slightly. The Father spoke some lovely words and then it was done. William was gone.

The next day a telegram came. William's father wanted to her to settle his estate. He was contesting her claim to any money as William had left her before his death. The paper work could be filled out with a lawyer in the nearest city.

When she told Silva this he blanched. "I wouldn't be able to go there with you. I might be recognised."

"It'll be fine. I need to go sign the paperwork, there is a doctor I can see to make sure everything is going well" She reassured him.

"You can't go alone." His voice was small, almost pleading.

"I didn't say I would. You can't go but Thomas could. Sadly, no one will look twice at a well built black man escorting a well to do white woman on her travels."

The trip wasn't too bad. Well it was uncomfortably, hot and dusty but uneventful so she was grateful for that. The doctor's office was cool and clean, a welcome change once she had freshened up from the journey. After a few questions, he conducted a physical exam, during which he had made noncommittal 'Mmmms' and 'Aaaahhs.' The doctor sat her down in front of his desk.

He came around to perch on the edge of it. "Ma'am, I'm sorry to tell you that you are not pregnant."

Her heart felt like it had been ripped from her chest. Had she don't something wrong to hurt the baby? Was it because she hadn't been excited, that she didn't feel like a mother? Has she wished this on her child? "You mean I lost the baby?"

"No, Ma'am. Apart from the swelling of your stomach. There is no sign that you were pregnant. From what you told me of your illness and all the changes in your life it's more likely that you have introduced something to your diet that doesn't agree with you. That coupled with the stress could cause irrigation in the stomach. Apart from that you are a very healthy woman. I can give you something to help resolve the issue and you'd have to stay away from what ever it was that caused it but you'll be fine."

"But the doctor said..." He cut in. "How did the doctor come to that conclusion?"

"I..." She had no idea. Silva had spoken to the doctor. "I don't know. I had fainted. My husband spoke to him."

"Your doctor wouldn't be advanced in years would he? It wouldn't be the first time one of my older colleagues saw a woman of childbearing age have some symptoms and just assumed."

"I..." She was speechless. Later when she looked back on the moment she would be able to name the emotion that flooded her. Relief. It that moment all she felt was relief. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to be a mother. It wasn't that she didn't like children. She enjoyed their company. The way they looked at the world. Their innocence, their boundless joy. She just didn't see herself being a mother. She wondered what that said about her.

The doctor had sent for Thomas who escorted her back to the hotel. She explained as best she could to him befoe he left her in her room to rest. The events of the of the last couple of weeks had left her numb. The wind rattled the windows as she lay on the bed. She thought about Silva. She hadn't been in the cabin in the cold weather. She wondered if he'd be warm enough. He always seemed to run a little warm when he lay his hands on her. When his firm body pressed against hers.

What had happened to her? A handsome, mysterious stranger shows up at her door and she loses her mind. She knew very little about this man. In her heart she felt like she knew him. His company was easy, it was as if they had known each other for a life time. He was smart, kind, helpful. Thomas and Mary thought so too, it couldn't be all in her head. Thomas and Mary were the sharpest people she knew. Mary could spot a liar from a mile away. Thomas had a way with people, she had seen him break up a fight between two men at the saloon who were ready to kill eat other. He had them drinking together by the end of the night.

Still, she had to look at the facts. Whether it was self defence or not, he killed a man on her property. Thomas found a wanted poster on the dead man. It had a drawing of Silva, his description but no mention of his crime. The amount for his bounty was odd, it wasn't terribly high for murder. It was also for his capture and conviction. Someone cared about getting justice not just outright killing him. That was a rare thing out here for murder.

She weighed up her options. Silva had said he might get recognised. So it was possible that someone here might know about him. No one knew of her connection to Silva. She could find out some information, get an idea if someone was still out looking for him. As well as satisfy a few questions of her own.

The police station was only a short walk from her hotel. On the walk she debated what her cover story would be. Should she go with the guise of researching an article? Maybe not, it could lead to follow up questions, they may want to know what other articles she had written. Grieving widow it was, looking for any information on her husbands killer. Luckily, the station was fairly busy. A deputy greeted her on his way out but that was all the attention she got. There was a waiting area to the left of the main desk. There, wanted posters were displayed on the wall. The first one she saw was a man who liked to scalp people. The second was a pair of men wanted for stage coach robbery. She shuddered, it could've been them that killed William. They could have taken the life of the man she once loved. Suddenly, 'grieving widow' wasn't an act. William was gone. He wasn't in New York where her mind had tricked her into thinking he was. He was in the ground, not far from the home she had basically convinced him to move to. She was complicit in his death. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Ma'am are you alright." A short, rotund man with greying blond hair spoke softly to her.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I...my husband was murdered a little while ago. He was travelling by stagecoach. I guess I hoped to find someone who may have done it. Having a face to blame, even if I'm not sure it's them, may have made me feel better. It's silly." She tried to look embarrassed at being caught. She wasn't the most gifted at lying. Unlike Silva seemed to be.

"It's not silly Ma'am, grief can be hard on us." As she averted her eyes they fell on Silva's likeness, the poster was partially obscured with another. Without thinking she lifted it. "Ma'am you might not want to look at that one. It's unseemly."

"Sodomy?" She read the poster.

"Yes, Ma'am he was caught..." He leaned in conspiritorily, lowering his already soft voice. "...laying with another man. A local Sheriff's widowed son. This was a while back but the Sheriff insists we keep it up."

She straightened her back in an effort to keep herself together. "So it should for that ungodly behaviour. If you'll excuse me, this had been a little too much for me."

"Of course. Ma'am." The bid each other a good day before she left with more questions than she came in with.

Tags @kirsteng42 @babydarkstar @prolix-yuy @thegreenkid @hquinzelle @fangirl-316 @gracie7209 @jedifarmerr @doommommy @scorpio-marionette @sturkillerbase @harriedandharassed @aynsleywalker @mswarriorbabe80 @quica-quica-quica

@rise-my-angel tagging you so you don't miss it.

[rev3rb]

Spoilers for the end of DGS2, but the thought has been plaguing me for a while now.

I just can’t stop thinking about how odd it feels that Asougi chose to be a prosecutor in the end. While some of that oddness definitely comes from DGS’s rushed wrap up post 2-5, I also just feel that Asougi’s own reasoning for becoming a prosecutor hits a little wrong.

Narratively I get why he became a prosector. It’s to set him up on an opposite but complementary path to Ryuunosuke (among other things), but I feel like for his own personal story, it doesn’t make a ton of sense the way it was done. At the very least, it feels like it’s a decision Asougi should have made much further down the line.

The rest goes under a cut bc this gets a little long.

When Asougi gives Ryuunosuke Karuma, he explains why he wants to become a prosuctor, saying the following:

“Because I’ve seen it now. I’ve seen what’s inside me. The demon that reared its ugly head that day. It was only for the briefest of moments, the last time I came face to face with that inspector... but it was unmistakable, I wanted to kill him. I’ve always known there are demons that live inside people. And now I know there is one in me. The fact that it very nearly consumed me is something I’ll carry with me until the end of my days... while I devote my life to fighting those whose demons have got the better of them... as a prosecutor!”

I don’t know if it’s just me, but if anything, it feels like this should reinforce Asougi’s want to be a defense attorney. Maybe that’s a little odd, but bear with me here.

He’s basically saying that while he knew that there were bad people out there with ‘darkness in their hearts’ (essentially), he’s come to realize that he too has this potential to do bad in him. If anything, shouldn’t that make him realize that good people can do bad things? Shouldn’t that make him realize that there are people out there who make mistakes? Wouldn’t it then make more sense that he’d feel compelled to help those people?

I understand that getting convicted of murder results in capital punishment here, but wouldn’t that make for a great new shift or addition in Asougi’s original goal of wanting to change the justice system? Now that he understands that good people can mess up, wouldn’t trying to change the law so that convictions aren’t necessarily so harsh be a great goal for him?

Sure, I get that Asougi’s goal wasn’t as noble as you’re initially lead to believe as it really had more to do with wanting revenge and all that, but with how he talked in 1-1, I can’t help but think it wasn’t all fake. I like to think that Asougi really did have ambition to change the legal system along with his goals of finding out what happened to/getting revenge for his father. But we’ll never really know since DGS2 couldn’t give us time to properly talk to Asougi about stuff like that.

Yeah, he can do this from the prosecutor’s side of things. No doubt that it would be much easier that way in universe, so in that instance his reasoning for becoming a prosecutor would track. However, from the way Asougi’s talking here, that doesn’t appear to be his goal at all. It really does come off more as “I want to contain the darkness within me while I punish those who let that darkness get the better of them.” It feels rather harsh, even if I’m unsure that it’s supposed to come off that way.

On top of all that, I feel like a character having this kind of goal would fit well with the themes of the game. DGS’s characters are not as black and white (for the most part) as the characters in the mainline games. Take a look at the true culprits across both DGS games. A number of them never intended to hurt anyone, and some that did never intended to kill anyone. There’s grey morality everywhere, and yet if a person is convicted of murder, they’re faced with capital punishment. (The games themselves sorta get around this by having the less guilty characters not actually kill anyone, which feels like a bit of a cop out, but I guess we can’t be too morally grey now can we?) A character trying to align the universe’s punishments with the grey morality seems like it’d be a nice fit, and interesting to boot, but I digress.

To bring things back to Asougi specifically, I suppose another way to read what he said is that this realization caused Asougi to lose faith in people, something he’s said is vital to being a defense attorney. In which case, becoming a prosecutor is his only real option if he wants to still become a lawyer, but there’s another issue I take with it.

When Asougi first tells Ryuunosuke he’s going to be prosecutor, he says he’s going to study under van Zieks to become as formidable as he is. The problem is that, not but a few days earlier, Asougi said that he’d never be able to forgive van Zieks. While that doesn’t mean that Asougi wouldn’t be able to work with van Zieks, it would no doubt be difficult due to those lingering feelings of resentment. On one hand, this tells us that Asougi is putting aside his feelings to better himself as a lawyer, which is good, but it feels very odd that Asougi would have such a change in attitude towards van Zieks in such a short time period.

Not only that, but van Zieks also no doubt has some conflicted feelings towards Asougi as well. Without getting into a big analysis on how van Zieks might feel towards Asougi himself post 2-5, I feel it’s safe to say that those feelings would be complex. Add on that Van Zieks has purposefully distanced himself from people for years, and while he’s shown that he's slowly moving past his issues, I can’t imagine he and Asougi would get along well at first for the same reasons I stated earlier. They could tolerate each other, yes, and ultimately, I do feel that they’d be able to properly accept everything and become good colleges... but again. That. Takes. Time. Likely a lot of time in their case. It’s just not going to be a good environment to learn in at that point in time.

It honestly feels like they’d get on better if they were rivals in the courtroom where they can grow to appreciate each other’s abilities without having to actually directly interact much at first like how van Zieks and Ryuunosuke did. From that point it would make a ton more sense if Asougi were to decide he wanted to change sides. Then again, maybe that anamosity and tentative truce would escalate if they were on opposite sides of the courtroom...

But look. All I’m saying is imagine if Asougi stuck with being a defense attorney and tried to change the law surrounding convictions. He ultimately could have become a defense attorney like Raymond Shields, where he takes guilty clients who deserve some sympathy in an attempt to get them less harsh punishments. It would have been cool.

TLDR: Prosecutor Asougi works, but it feels like a weird and awkward choice at that point in time. On the other hand, defense attorney Asougi could have been really cool.

[dontjudgemeimawriter]

Excerpt-- Martel Bridge

Wanted to share another excerpt. I’ve shared lines from this before, but it’s a sweet scene so I thought I’d share the rest of it. I think at some point I shared an excerpt where Raymond & Terran were playing two truths & a lie? This takes place directly after that if I did.

--

“Want to go up the bridge?” Raymond asked, interrupting my thoughts. He gestured ahead of us, where the Martel Bridge had come into view. 

Martel Bridge was a huge bridge that crossed the Sarala [River]. I’d been so occupied looking around that I hadn’t noticed it, and for a moment I paused. I’d never seen it from this angle before. Usually if I came close to it, I’d walked through Violet, where the slight incline was hardly no--ticeable. But the path we were on stayed close to the shoreline, and far ahead I could see that we’d end up passing under it.

“Go up it?”

“Yeah, there’s a passenger walkway and you can climb up the tower,” he gestured along the bridge, though I couldn’t tell exactly what he was pointing at. 

He went ahead, starting to jog while still looking back at me, flashing me a daring smile and I forgot about looking around for spies but just focused on catching up to him. I broke into a run, and it’d been a long time since running was thrilling. When he saw me catching up he ran faster, and I sped up, catching up to him but still a bit behind him when he slowed to a stop as the shadow of the bridge came over us. 

“Why are you running?” I asked when I’d caught up close for him to hear, but rather than answering, he laughed and went over to the door that was partially propped open, with a label that informatively read “Martel.” The door bounced off of him, close enough for me to catch, and he’d slowed down but was still ahead of me, leading me into the dimly lit metal stairway that led up a flight before opening onto another door. 

This time when it opened there was a howl of engines, and I paused for a second to look at where we were— a walkway set slightly lower than the road, with metal floors and a grate on one side to keep us from falling to to beach below. A railing and half wall kept us from being directly next to the cars racing by, but for a second when one raced by and I felt the air hit me, I tensed up for a moment.

“Come on!” Raymond called, and he kept moving, still itching to run, and his footsteps made the metal floor clang, and I took a step and placed a hand on the grate that kept me from falling, looking through the spaces in the metal to see the river. “Terran!” He’d stopped moving, still a good ten feet ahead of me. This time, he waited for me to catch up, saying something I didn’t catch as another car raced past us.

“What?” I said when I’d caught up to him.

“Scared of the bridge, assassin?”

I shook my head, and it was too hard to really reply, but it wasn’t the bridge that slowed me down. It wasn’t even really the cars a few feet away on one side or the fall the grate protected me from. I’d climbed rooftops, after all.

“Where are we going?” I asked, and he turned around and pointed at the first tower that rose above us, with a part that reached out and connected to the second tower. I knew that the road part that we were approaching could be raised if tall boats needed to pass through. I’d never thought much about the top of the towers.

“The pedestrian bridge,” he called, and then kept moving, not running but not waiting for me, and then there was another door where the tower connected and inside it it was dark and quiet again and more mental stairs led up, and I could tilt my head back and see that they circled the edges for five rounds up.

“This is more stairs than I expected to climb today,” I said, and Raymond was already halfway around, and he paused to let me catch up.

“How many stairs did you expect to climb today?” he asked with a grin.

“I wasn't even going to leave the room this morning,” I responded.

“Still think it’s too dangerous?” he was grinning, his hand resting on the railing one foot on a higher step than the other, but now that I was within a few feet of him again and he wasn't running away, I could hear how fast he was breathing.

That made me smile a bit, because yes I’d slowed down a bit, but despite him staying ahead of me and my comment about the stairs, it’d hardly winded me. “Well, I guess no one’s going to catch us together here,” I said, looking at the walls surrounding us, thinking about how loud of a clang the steps made that would tell us quickly if anyone was coming. 

I felt his hand touch my arm and turned back to him, and for a second he looked like he wanted to say something. He was a step taller than me, and I didn't usually have to look up towards him but I was, and I saw when he decided against whatever he’d wanted to say and withdrew his hand from my arm, and he shifted his weight to the foot on the higher step and he was farther away from me.

“What?” I asked, and couldn't help but feel like I had once again ruined his happy moment, somehow.

He smiled. “I like you better. Unfocused. That’s all.”

And now I had to pay attention to it again, to how I was acting and if I might be missing something, and what about my comment made him say that because honestly it sounded to me like the same type of paranoid comment he hated. “Why?”

He grinned, his eyes crinkling up in almost-laughter. “Because of this, because it’s more fun, because we aren’t fighting or even worrying about everything.”

He was still happy but the comment seemed to twist something, to pull at my own having-fun. “Focusing isn’t why I worry about things,” and I was obviously still worried about things, anyway, so what did he mean? “Do you just not like me telling you what to do?” 

It had come out before I could stop myself, and I could feel it, the snapping, the arguing, the fighting back, and then Raymond reached a hand toward me again— my face, my shoulder, I wasn’t sure— but I jerked away from it on instinct. His face flashed in hurt, and I’d messed up again. He’d reached toward me for comfort, of course he had. 

“Sorry,” I took a deep breath. 

He nodded. “Thanks.” he didn’t meet my eye for a moment, then asked, “Should I not try to touch you?”

My wincing had been my fault, not his.  “It’s fine.”

“Is it actually?” he asked, concern in his voice.

I paused. I owed it to him to answer it honestly, and why had I winced? “I don’t know why I reacted like that,” I said after a moment. “But you can.”

He nodded and gave me a smile, but it was less genuine than it had been a minute ago. “I don’t like when you tell me what to do,” he said thoughtfully. “But even if you are, I prefer it to come from this Terran. The one that isn’t just thinking about survival, but… I think… might want to be happy.”

How was I supposed to respond to that? When had wanting to be happy come into the equation? 

I tried to figure out something to say for a minute, but Raymond broke the silence. “Let’s keep going,” he said, and started climbing, not running this time. I kept pace with him, climbing the winding stairs until we came to a doorway that led out onto the open bridge.

It was empty and the wind was louder here, rushing around us and chilly. A wide stone walkway with brick half-walls that Raymond walk over to and leaned on, and I joined him, leaning on it next to him. Looking out was the river, far below us now, stretching out back along the way we’d walked until it curved in the distance,

I looked down for the bridge below us, but could hardly see the edge of it— the angle we were looking was too steep, the bridge we stood on blocking the view down and the tower we’d climbed blocking the view back, cutting off our view of any connection to the land.

The city was visible though, and I was so used to being in it that for a moment it looked foreign. The stone beaches and boardwalk, the docks with various boats. Inland the buildings began to pile up, getting taller and becoming more box-like. From here I could see an expanse of roofs I’m sure I’d traversed at some point.

“Nice, huh?” Raymond said as I took it in.

“It actually looks pretty,” I said, not sure why I was surprised until Raymond voiced my exact feelings:

“Can’t see the corruption from here, huh?”

I nodded, looking around again, once again trying to get an angle where I could see the part of the bridge that would bring us back to the land. “It’s like we’re cut off from it.”

Raymond took a deep breath, one that I knew how it felt just by how deep it was, and he closed his eyes for a moment in relaxation. I took a moment to breathe in myself, taking in the faintly water-scented air and letting it settle deep within me. 

And for a moment I let myself imagine it. Leaving Calson. Leaving the syndicate, leaving Zachary. As if the syndicate really was confined to that city. As if I were really on an island floating over the ocean, that there wasn’t actually a bridge between us anyone could cross. 

I looked over at Raymond. If only we could leave. 

His eyes were still closed, but his relaxation hadn’t seemed to stick. His breathing was shallower now, and his hands gripped the edge of the brick wall tightly. 

Was something wrong, or was he just tense? Might just be everything that had been going on— maybe he was still hurt I’d snapped at him, maybe he was still unsure about trusting me, maybe it was because he hadn’t slept, maybe it was because Jodi was still missing. 

I reached to him, placed an arm on his shoulders the way he might, moving closer to him in a sideways half-hug. His arms relaxed as I gave him a squeeze, and he leaned into me, leaving his head on my shoulder, and I’d successfully offered comfort.

I couldn’t think of what to say, though— I still wasn’t good at this— so instead I went with something that I hoped would distract him a bit. “I don’t like the taste of walnuts, strawberries, or cilantro. Which is the lie?”

He took a breath before answering, a slight laugh. “I guess it is your turn. Do you have the it-tastes-like-soap thing?”

I didn’t answer, but he didn’t expect me to. While he thought, making a low “hmmm” sound, I gently patted my hand against his shoulder. Had he ever been this close to me, this much physical contact? I’d initiated it this time, and he’d leaned into it, and I thought about his question earlier about touch and how much I’d used to see him and Mika hugging and wondered if it was different because it was his sister or different because it was me. 

“Strawberries,” he said, leaning his head to look at me.

I smiled, feeling like I’d won. “Nope. I like walnuts. Only if they’re roasted, though.”

“And you don’t like strawberries?” He grinned. I shook my head and he accepted it. “Should’ve known you like walnuts. You love coffee.”

“Why is that related?” I asked, moving my hand up from his shoulder to the side of his head, cautiously, ready to stop if he didn’t want me to, but he seemed to accept it and I touched his hair, the side of his face— soft, warm, comfortable.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Aren’t nuts and coffee related? Are nuts put in coffee?”

I thought it over, remembering the labels in Zachary’s cupboard. I didn’t usually pay much attention to which one it was, Zachary usually made enough for me to have in the morning. “I don’t think so, just flavors.”

He grinned and took a deep breath, gazing out at the cityscape. I lifted my arm to check my watch— 4:52. Only about an hour left of the 24 hour agreement, and I wanted it to last another day, another week. To stay here, where it at least felt like no one could find us. 

“Terran?” his voice was quiet, hardly audible over the sound of the wind, and I may not have heard it if his head wasn’t still so close to me.

“What?”

He’d tensed up again, I could feel it. He took a deep breath before speaking, and when he did I could hear that he was afraid. “I think they know I’m alive.”

--

Taglist: @puzzleddragon02 @sleepy-night-child @drippingmoon @thegreatobsesso @thelaughingstag

[frederickthegreat]

my thoughts on TUA season 2

(spoilers, obviously)

- opened with Klaus and Ben, my kings. Klaus’s hair looks so weird straightened while short 

- AWESOME opening soundtrack 

- seeing all their powers so controlled makes me wonder how they leveled up to that skill in the alternate timeline. like the only time we saw Klaus use the powers of other ghosts in the correct timeline was when two of them caught him falling out of the sky. however Diego did end up controlling bullets and Allison used her voice to technically kill one of the Swedes

- the homeless man screaming Allison’s name alongside Luther... funny shit

- big teddy bear Hazel

- Elliot was fucking awesome i think he was a great addition as a side character. rip tho :(

- honestly i don’t understand why Diego would WANT to save JFK. like it’s not that big of a deal. does he not understand what messing with the timeline can do??

- Lila... impeccable

- Sissy and Vanya... impeccable <3

- yeah and fuck u Carl

- ugh, Klaus’s beard. disgusting <3

- Ben and Klaus definitely act like they should be, given that they’ve been stuck with each other for over a decade. i’ve seen some people calling Klaus an asshole for not telling his siblings about Ben, which is completely understandable (cause he was an asshole), but I’m guessing it was because he was afraid? that sharing Ben with his siblings would mean that he would lose him to them, or his siblings would find him selfish, or they would ask something of him that he couldn’t give. if that makes sense

- that ghost bitch comment was funny tho 

- to the guy who called Klaus pretty boy at the bar: sir you don’t know what you’re getting into

- Raymond!! he’s such a sweetheart, i really liked him in the show. i’m really happy that Allison has found a bit of normalcy (as normal as the 1960s Civil Rights movement could be). it shows how passionate she is about what she believes in: even though she knows the movement is far from over, even back in 2019, she’s not gonna abandon it

- Allison staring at the moon every night: either thinking about Luther or how the moon blows them all up. maybe both

- of course Luther would be working for Jack Ruby

- awesome cinematography during the mental asylum escape 

- yeah it makes sense that the Handler would still be alive. she was a cool villain. although it would’ve been awesome to see how evil a fish could be

- Diego’s plan was pretty stupid. that’s my boy

- honestly they revealed how Klaus started a cult really well by having one of his followers find him at jail. Klaus, ever the musical aficionado, of course writes his scripture based off of pop songs

- Raymond and Klaus meeting!! that was cool to see how their paths connected

- Lila painting Elliot’s toenails green. ugh i love that crazy bitch

- i LOVE how they incorporated the umbrella man!! tbh i’ve always believed he was the one behind the assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald was framed 

- honestly a bit understandable that Luther was planning on killing Vanya? cause he had no idea who she is now, but them reuniting was actually really sweet. he’s grown up so much

- the Swedes and their cats.

- the Umbrella company building with the nuclear family mannequins... creepy, awesome shit

- baby pogo baby pogo baby pogo baby pogo

- shanked diego shanked diego shanked diego shanked diego

- did anyone else get vibes from Klaus’s episode opening that he was an escort to the old woman? like how he was being shown off at her arm or something and getting out of jail from a call from the governor. idk maybe the lady was just very taken with him, as anyone would be

- Elliot, our helpful king

- Allison and Klaus’s reunion was so sweet!! i’m so glad they got to interact so much more in this season 

- Ben getting Raymond out through a haunting... hilarious

- sweet intimate moment between Lila and Diego

- Ray meeting Luther was hilarious, but i do feel for the poor guy. i mean i’m not in love with my adoptive sister but still

- the sit-in was really well done and beautiful while terrible. the ‘riot’ that ensued was very appropriate for today’s setting 

- D-Dave

- honestly i was scared that Klaus was gonna be overly attracted to him or whatever, which would be weird cause he’s years younger than Klaus, but honestly, at the core he just wanted to save Dave’s life. even if it means never meeting him in a different timeline. he truly loved Dave. and that ptsd flashback was done so well

- i knew Lila wasn’t trustworthy but i didn’t REALLY expect that! 

- Vanya and Luther talking with each other, Luther admitting the apocalypse wasn’t all her fault. beautiful

- the Majestic 12 reminds me of the conspiracy theory that only a few families control basically everything in the world. the Majestic 12 may be based off of that, idk

- idk about everyone else but Klaus’s scorpion and the frog story made total sense to me! frogs ARE bitches

- the diner scene.... ugh. it really shows that the two of them did fall in love and they did stupid in love things, like talking about their family, about why Dave wanted to join, favorite colors, favorite foods, etc. however that’s seen later on when Dave visits the compound

- yes it’s very disheartening when Klaus is attacked, but honestly i think it had to happen, just like the riot had to happen. the 60s weren’t a fun time for lgbt people and poc. it was only going to be a matter of time before the show HAD to acknowledge the consequences of Klaus’s ‘flamboyancy’ in 1963 Texas. it doesn’t make it right or easy to see, but it’s realistic. 

- it also makes sense that Klaus fell off the wagon after experiencing something like that. yes we all would’ve liked him to stay sober, but sobriety and recovery aren’t linear. 

- Allison is so happy with Ray can we please drop this pseudo-incest plotline let’s MOVE ON 

- Texas Grace ! who is not actually Grace rip (i think? i was a bit confused lol)

- the scene with Harlan running off was really upsetting but we got to see those weird light particles that we saw in the first season

- Pogo Pogo Pogo Pogo

- Klaus being a dick to Ben again, as brothers do. i do feel bad for Ben though it must be sooo frustrating. that scene with him and Allison was really sweet and funny tho

- i just have to say that Luther and Diego are so fucking funny this season it’s awesome. like there are a LOT of good lines overall by everyone but they’re hilarious. “At least he didn’t shank my ass” “no bro, he shanked your heart”“Dads part of a sinister CABAL that’s plotting on killing the president.” “a caBAL?”“You two still a thing? *leans in* do we need to talk?” “No, she’s married.” “Woah dude... that’s rough.” and countless others

- the sibling reunion!! 

- Klaus really does get left out of everything tbh

- Ben :(

- sisters and Klaus!! that was so awesome to see. and Klaus’s hairpins, Vanya saying she’s gonna tell Sissy she loves her, their dance sequence, Klaus calling Allison out on that incest. beautiful

- the fucking Swedish cover of Hello was PERFECT i mean i was sad for the Swedes but it was hilarious. there were a couple beautiful shots of the boat on fire though

- god it must’ve been so traumatizing for Allison to be thrust into such a hostile place with no voice and no way to contact her family

-  idk about you guys but long live Team Zero

- calling Ben that he was becoming their father was a bit uncalled for 

- the fact that Klaus didn’t help Dave’s chances, and in fact escalated Dave’s own timeline.. his trembling hands... robert sheehan is an amazing actor

- the Black president bit lmaoo loved it

- the way Reginald spoke to Diego.. i’m gonna throw hands with an old man

- Klaus LITERALLY looked like he was having a seizure and they all just... played it off?? 

- poor, poor Carl. nah fuck him lol

- that bloody opening scene was awesome! and thank god Five got to say fuck. the fact that it was about a candy bar makes too much sense

- Robert Sheehan acting as Ben: amazing showstopping spectacular he’s so talented

- the whole multiple Fives and Luther bit was honestly really funny, and i immensely respect smaller Five over bigger Five. 

- yes Klaus, you survived a family of seven. you got this

- not sad about Carl dying one bit!

- Ben... that was such a beautiful scene. not just the content of the scene, but the cinematography. Ben fading away... Vanya hugging him... ugh. the main takeaway i had from that scene is that at the core of it all, Ben and Klaus love each other immensely. they have a weird, dysfunctional, fucked up relationship, where Klaus is an asshole and Ben definitely shouldn’t of possessed him without his consent, but they’re still brothers, and Ben forgives him. 

- oof Ben’s funeral was hard. also was it just me or did Klaus’s kid actor sound weird? like it sounded like Robert was dubbing his lines 

- all the siblings back together again!!!! Klaus going with Vanya to save Harlan!! Vanya telling him Ben forgives him and that it wasn’t Klaus’s fault Ben got stuck with him!! everyone in the car!!! be still my beating heart

- yeah didn’t see Lila having powers coming tbh. i really feel bad for her she’s had such a rough and traumatic life, especially with the Handler as her only parental figure

- the Swede brother and Five putting down their weapons: “enough.” the Swede wanted revenge for his brothers - an eye for an eye, but there was a mutual understanding between the two of them: they would do anything for their family. if the Swede hurts one of the Hargreeves, Five would never stop coming after him. i thought it was very beautiful 

- mmm Reggie’s foreshadowing coming into play. proud of u Five

- the ending was so beautiful. everyone got closure in some type of way. except now Klaus is alone with nothing but his dog tags :(

- EMO BEN HAHAHA WTFFF?? is Lila in the sparrow academy? why was Ben’s portrait over the mantle piece? did Five disappear?? is the sparrow academy just older versions of the siblings who stuck around?? so many questions

FINAL THOUGHTS

- Ellen Page’s acting consistently blows me away. she is amazing 

- beautiful cinematography, funny writing, pretty good acting. i didn’t like the soundtrack as much as i did the first season’s, but some of it wasn’t bad.

- i’m glad ben got peace, but i’m also glad justin min isn’t gone for good. his social media presence is too vital for us

- i swear to god if they keep treating klaus as a joke and don’t let him get any actual development like everyone else had (he barely got closure with Dave, he reconciled with Ben through a second party) next season, i’m gonna riot. PLEASE i want to learn more about his powers now that Ben is gone. what happened to seeing tons of ghosts when he’s sober??

- Luther and Diego were probably my favorite duo of the season, I’m so happy that they’ve reconciled and are bonding more. 

- just seeing Vanya grow and be happy was amazing 

all in all, really wonderful season. i probably liked it better than the first one. now it’s time to consume fanfiction and maybe finish my own (check out “god doesn’t want him and neither does the devil” on ao3!)

[spencers-dria]

Congratulations on almost 150 love! So I just recently watched Suburban Gothic and I fell in love. So I was linking maybe you do a Raymond X Reader? Raymond and reader get a case but Raymond doesn’t know Reader is pregnant ((they are married for about 2-3 years)). Raymond is confused as to way every ghost he encounters is over protecting his wife the reader, becuase I like to believe spirits can sense things like souls of babies and such. So when the evil spirit goes to harm Reader the spirits block and protect her. After they finish she finally admits she’s 1-2 months pregnant and wanted to surprise him. The baby will be born on Halloween and gets Raymond’s abilities. Maybe Reader and Raymond also get a black cat? If not Halloween then I was thinking maybe reader gives birth on Friday the 13th under a blue moon in October? Just a thought!

Little Pumpkin

🎉150 Follower Celebration Day 5!

Raymond x fem reader

Pure Freaking FLUFF

Warnings: mentions of spirits/hauntings, pregnancy and birth related topics

A/N: due to the timeline covered in the request I couldn’t fit it all in but would be willing to consider covering the rest in a part two if you’re interested and enjoy this one. I hope this is what you were looking for and that you enjoy it!

—————————————————————————

The first time it happened, Raymond thought nothing of it. It was a normal house call, and the family had been haunted for months. The house had a chill, but this was expected in February weather. Y/N had descended into the basement first, per their usual routine with Raymond following cautiously behind, peeking over her shoulder in a child-like fashion. That’s when it started. Lights flickered, their candles blew out by a mysterious draft, and just spooky business in general. They knew immediately there were dark spirits residing there. A dark tendrils of smoke emerged on the steps, creeping their way towards Y/N and wrapping around her legs. What they didn’t expect was the second presence that appeared. The smoky fingers quickly withdrew. They couldn’t see much, but they could hear the fight occurring around them. They waited on the basement steps until things calmed down, before a faint figure of a young woman appeared, shooting a quick wink to Y/N before disappearing back into the darkness of the basement. Raymond and Y/N shared a quick look of confusion before checking the basement and the rest of the home for stragglers and were surprised to find it now “ghost-free.

As they walked out hand in hand, Raymond commented “you know I can honestly say that was a first for me.”

“What? Having a ghost wink at you?”

“Oh no. I was quite the phantom’s man back in my single days. It was just my first time going into a dark, spooky basement without screaming like a little girl.”

The sincerity in his statement only made Y/N giggle harder. She loved her quirky, charming husband.

Raymond was lucky enough to have a family business, which meant he and Y/N always worked as a team. A few years into the marriage and they had really hit their stride. He would do a lot of the research on the location, past owners, local legends, etc. and whatever else he could find to figure out just what it was they’d be walking into. But Y/N, she was the “muscle” so to speak. She was much braver than he, and he loved her for it. They would take time to sit down with the owners together and do their best to determine just what was plaguing that home. Sure they’d find the occasional raccoon in the attic or something of the like, but surprisingly most of their calls were genuine. Together they ran a very successful and popular business.

——————————————————————————

The second time it happened was around the end of March. It was starting to warm up again, which mean Raymond was back in his rompers and boots, which Y/N loved. For some reason unbeknownst to him, she could not keep her hands to herself when he wore them. They had just begun to ascend the stairs of a very worn down home. Y/N kept teasing him, turning around to blow kisses or wiggle her hips a bit more than usual with each step. She got a little too distracted, tripping on a loose board and falling straight back. Before she could topple straight into him, she seemed to stop in midair, before slowly returning to an upright position.

“Was that- did they just catch you?”

She nodded, speechless.

They shared a look of surprise before continuing up to the attic. An hour or so later they had helped the spirit to find a lost heirloom it simply could not move on without.

That night in bed, Raymond simply couldn’t shut his mind off. Something was going on and it seemed to center around Y/N. He curled up tighter in his alien bed sheets, which he insisted on keeping despite a few eye rolls from the missus. Raymond turned on his side to find his wife also wide awake.

“Can’t sleep huh?” she asked, reaching out to stroke a thumb over his cheek.

He closed his eyes and hummed and the sweetness of her touch before opening his eyes again to meet her gaze.

“Yeah there’s just a lot on my mind lately. The ghosts have been- weird around us. Well, around you really. The kind ones never harm us but, they seem to be going out of their way to help you. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. You’re absolutely wonderful.”

He says the last statement so matter-of-factly there’s no doubt in her mind of his sincerity. She scoots closer until their noses are touching, as she continues to rub her hand across his face and through his hair.

“I was waiting for the right time to tell you” she whispers, a mysterious twinkle in her eye. She takes his hand and lays it gently over her belly, his long delicate fingers splayed over her skin.

“You’ve got a little one on the way.”

His brows knit in confusion. Surely she can’t mean…

“Raymond, you’re gonna be a daddy.”

His eyes grow big as his mouth opens, but no words come out. His face reads of pure adoration and joy, as he looks down, rubbing his fingers across what is soon to be her baby bump. When his eyes return to hers, they both share laughter of pure joy and disbelief.

“You’re sure? There’s really a baby in there?”

He stares at her belly with such awe. Y/N already knows he is so in love with their child. She couldn’t ask for a better father for her baby.

After much kissing and many giggles, Y/N rolls over as Raymond pulls her back against his chest, snuggling into her shoulder. He grabs her hand and places it back on her belly, before sliding his gently on top. They fall asleep together with sweet dreams of a future family.

———————————————————

Now that the secret is out things have gotten quite interesting. The spirits have been much more blunt with both of them. They were getting unsolicited but much appreciated advice from the most unexpected places.

An old woman haunting her granddaughter's house told them all the best foods and vitamins to help nourish the baby while still in the womb.

The spirit of a farmer’s wife told them all about the best birthing positions.

Spirit’s of two young ladies, sisters, helped teach them about the different options between breast feeding, pumps, and formula.

Several delightful young girls haunting a school have them lots of good ideas for names.

—————————————————————

They found out from the doctor that they’d be due in October, and the couple was absolutely ecstatic. A Halloween birthday for their first born. They couldn’t ask for a more perfect way to start their family.

Raymond began shopping accordingly as soon as he received the news. This included baby onesies which read: wicked cute, little pumpkin, and baby boo. Y/N just knew he’d go even more overboard with the newborn pictures.

“Look at this one though!”

“Raymond we have more baby clothes than they will ever be able to wear!”

He held up a little hat, knit look like a pumpkin, with a little green stem and leaves on top. As he held it up to his face, he gave his wife the saddest of puppy dog eyes.

“The hats pretty cute.” She leaned in and kissed his nose. “But you’re cuter. This is the last one though, Raymond. I mean it!”

It wasn’t.

—————————————————————-

Then one day it happened. They were helping with a haunting of a local business owner. Once again, the spirit was giving some input on what to expect, since they’re expecting.

“Oh and don’t worry, it shouldn’t take too long before you’re able to tell them apart.”

The wide eyed and confused glance shared between the couple told the haunt all it needed to know.

“Oh I’m sorry. I thought you knew… you’re having twins!”

After the initial shock and excitement wore off, Raymond turned to his wife with the biggest smirk.

“Looks like we’ll need more baby clothes after all.”

[a-trying-writer]

[[ sr--hk fic. slow days. ]]

There were barely any days that were “slow days”, but today has become one of them the moment Racter woke up. He normally would have an ocean of ideas flowing through his mind of so many beautiful possible concepts, however now, his mind felt groggy, and his train of thought went nowhere new or interesting.

He notched it up to something like writer’s block, even though he disliked the general thought of it, and decided to take the time to relax in a different way. Perhaps browsing through various forums through the BBS for possible inspirations, or see if Gobbet was still looking for someone to make a costume for Koschei. It was slightly humorous to think she could even try to dress the drone up without Racter’s permission.

“Hey, Racter,” Capricious called out to him from the hatch. “Do you want something to eat?”

The rigger pulled out a cigarette stick from his pocket as he took a moment to think about it. “Actually, my friend,” he answered, “may you come down for a chat?”

The decker walked down the stairs, staring at him with a perked brow. “Is something wrong?”

“No, all is well,” he said as he got up from his chair. “Well, aside from the fact that today has been rather... off, so to speak.”

“What do you mean?”

Racter lit up the cigarette with a torch, then took in a deep breath before stepping up to the decker to lift her cybernetic hand up. He blew out the smoke with a heavy sigh while turning the her limb around. “I am simply struggling to come up with new ideas, or build up on old ones,” he said.

“Ah, I see.” Capricious gave him a smile as he fiddled with her arm. “Well, I got some errands to run, so you could come with me and get some fresh air, and maybe get something to eat on the way. I mean, I know you like being a basement dweller, but come on, Racter, give yourself a break every once in a while.”

“Very well, my friend,” he said as he let her arm go. “But you do know that I do take my breaks, and sometimes those breaks involve ‘entertaining’ you, no?”

“Yeah, no, this is different from the norm, since we are actually leaving the ship, Racter. Even a workaholic like you gotta leave your zone every once in a while, no?”

“I suppose you do have a point... Fine, let’s go, my friend.”

Capricious gave him a firm nod before heading upstairs with him, as well as Koschei once he sprang out from his hiding spot to follow suit.

After buying supplies from the local shops, and chatting it up with the vendors, Capricious brought Racter to rest on a bench and eat. “You know, during the first few days here in Hong Kong, it was awkward to use chopsticks again after so long,” she said as she parted the sticks. “But Raymond did force us to learn, being the kind of man he was -- old fashioned and stubborn. Honestly, it’s a blessing he did, because, well, look at where we are now.”

“It’s a simple technique,” Racter said as he pinched the noodles with his own pair of sticks. “Once you get the hang of it.”

The decker giggled briefly as she chewed on the rice. “Sure, but not everyone can... so let me ask you this; can you make specialized cyber for eating different meals?”

Racter paused as he thought about it. It was a simple idea that he somehow overlooked, that could definitely be beneficial for the future. “That would lead to some who would be skeptical about implanting cyber,” he muttered.

“Sure, but you have to remember that not everyone would accept it, such as how some people would never accept an organ donor’s organ, because it may ‘taint’ them. But, even so, I guess some people would like that idea, because it would make life a little easier for them.” Capricious picked up some more rice to eat with the sticks. “Anyway, it’s just a thought I want to throw out there, so you don’t have to take it seriously.”

The rigger was silent as he continued to eat, but his eyes were fixed onto something that the decker couldn’t see, which meant he got lost in thought.

Capricious giggled to herself then proceeded to eat her meal in silence beside him. It was a comfortable silence, she thought.

[yandere-ac]

Hey buddy, do you know a channel named Etce? It's a guy that makes gameplays of Animal Crossing, and his favorite is Maple. It's so funny how he sounds low-key like a yandere for her, with made me imagine what it would be if we, the darlings were villagers, and maybe the yandere villagers played the role of humans trying desperately to cage us in their islands lol (like Audie being human and trying to take you with her) sorry, it's just so shitpost idea I hoped it made you laugh a bit tho :D

Yandere Human Audie x Villager Reader x Yandere Human Raymond

Rescue me

Another day in hell. That’s pretty much how life was for you nowadays. Each day you wished it would be your last and everyday just got worse and worse. Even if you wanted it all to end, you couldn’t. But let’s start from the beginning shall we? Your name is Y/N. You are a F/A villager who, unbeknownst to you, was a REALLY popular villager. People had online groups talking about just how badly they wanted you, people drew tons of art of you, some really cute, other a bit...questionable. Some people were even selling you for millions of bells. Of course, it all started small. So when a moderately big group of people on the internet started to talk about how cute you were and how they wanted you, you didn’t put much thought into it. You were very flattered at their compliments and left it at that.

However, once it came out that you would be signing up for the nook inc island getaway package, all hell broke loose. It was the day before the move when you decided that, why not check out the little fan group you had. As much as you hated to admit it, you did get a small boost in confidence from all the nice people who seemingly liked you. And right now you were pretty nervous about the whole move. So you quickly typed in your name into your phone and searched up. Your eyes widened at what you saw once you hit search.

947 619 results in 0,8921 seconds. What the hell?! Why did your name have so many results?! This...this had to be some weird coincidence, I mean, maybe you just shared a name with a popular actor who just blew up. Yeah that’s probably it. But all rational thought left you head once you saw that the little group was now the top result, and the little group wasn’t so little anymore. No, quite the opposite. It had gone from maybe about 5000 people to around 230 000 people. Each and every one of them, praising you, talking about how much they loved you. Some of them even wrote out detailed descriptions of what they would do with you if they found you, things that made your face flush scarlet red, why in the world would someone write that?! What reason did they have?! You felt disgust and discomfort flow throughout your body. Now feeling even worse than how you felt before! Should you even move?! What if you encountered one of these weirdos?!

Yet, you still went. You couldn’t exactly cancel your flight now could you? You’ve already sold your home and you couldn’t buy it back. You just hoped that you didn’t get paired up with a crazy person. And still, it would seem like luck wasn’t on your side.

Knock knock knock

Oh god.

“Y/N! Good morning my sweetheart!” And so, it began. You turned to look at the human in front of you, trying to push down your instincts to whimper and tremble. You had found it easier when she believed you weren’t horrified of her. Last time you shook in her presence she came very close to you and asked what was wrong. When you told her she was scaring you she simply picked you up and carried you to her house. There she spent the next 3 hours spooning and cuddling you, whispering various things in your ears all while you quivered in her arms, terrified of what she would do. Who was this woman? Why it was the island representative, Audie. The girl had long orange hair that went down to her waist and blonde bangs. On her head rested a pair of white sunglasses with purple glass, she never really used them for sun protection so you guessed it was for the aesthetic. She had yellow eyeshadow and winged eyeliner, bringing out her intense blue eyes. Eyes that would strike fear and dread throughout your entire body once they made contact with yours. She was wearing the same tropical muumuu that she always wore. Audie was looking at you with a big smile on her face. You would be lying if you didn’t say that she was a very beautiful girl. But all that beauty was overshadowed by a possessive and clingy nature. She was crazy, she saw you as hers and would make sure you belonged to her and her only. She seemed normal enough when you, her and a third islander moved to the island together. A little strange but still very bubbly and happy to be around you. You probably should’ve realised that she was one of your fans sooner than you did.

She would get annoyed when you hung out with the other resident, Kevin, a yellow bird. Soon you started to see her hitting him with a net, telling him to get out of the island along with other horrible things. And you realised that the more you tried to comfort and hang out with him the more Audie would hit him. You didn’t know what to do. You would report this behaviour to Isabelle but she told you that there was nothing she could do since Audie was the island rep. She was untouchable, and so, you could only helplessly stand back as Kevin was being harassed. You knew if you tried to intervene, Audie might do something more drastic. The whole situation was bad and apparently even Tom Nook has privately told Kevin that it might be for the best if he moved out.

All of the abuse led to Kevin finally moving out. You felt bad for the poor guy. But you were even more scared of Audie. What was truly scary was the fact that Audie had acted nothing but sweet around you. Giving you cute outfits and accessories and furniture. In a way it scared you more than if she would be hitting you as well. Because she was honestly terrifying when she acted nice around you. She would be unaware of how strongly she came off while near you. As a result she would usually be oblivious to your fear of her, which would result in very little personal space and a lot of touching. Not anything inappropriate, no, touching your shoulder, twiddling with your hair, stroking your arm, even giving big hugs that would shake you to your core. She was so much bigger than you, so to have her overpower you like that, you felt completely helpless in her strong grip. She could do anything and you would be powerless to stop it. And that’s why she was so much scarier when nice. She would practically drown you in affection that you did not want. Yet she either didn’t care or didn’t notice.

Going back to present day however. Audie was now walking towards you and you could feel yourself Yelp as she grabbed your hand and kissed you on the cheek. “H-Hello sweetheart...” you didn’t want to call her that, it’s literally that you couldn’t NOT say that. She changed your catchphrase to “Honey” and your nickname for her to “sweetheart”. So you had no choice but to call her that. You could feel your hands start to shake slightly and you tried to make it stop, but that only made you tense up in your whole body as trying to calm your nerves only made them worse. Audie was quick to notice this. “Oh? Why Y/N, your shaking. Is something wrong?” What do you say what do you say? “N-No I’m fine! I uh...I’m just a little cold that’s all...” you probably should have said something else as once she heard this, Audies eyes lit up and instantly you knew you weren’t gonna like this. “Awe you poor thing. Here let me help you!” And so, she lifted you up in her arms and carried you to your bed, where she proceeded to spoon you. At this point you figured you might as well not hold back, as long as she thought you were just cold and not afraid. And so, your whole body started to tremble. No matter how many times she did this, it would never be any less scary. “Oh my. Your shaking very bad. You must be absolutely freezing! Looks like we’ll be here for a while.” Shit.

But this sort of suffocating intimacy was not even the worst part of Audie. As island representative, she was the only one who could build and terraform the island. And she used that for bad things. The first thing she did when she found out she could move houses was to move yours next to her. After that, she completely surrounded both of your houses with a fence. Audie could exit the “yard” anytime, all she needed to do was pick up a part of the fence and put it down. But you, you were stuck. You could not get out and could only watch the island from inside your little “enclosure”. She also started to decide what you should wear. Sometimes she would give you cute clothing, things that you actually enjoyed wearing and felt comfortable with. Other times...other times she would give you skimpy outfits that barely covered you and made you feel very uncomfortable. At times like that you felt grateful no one else could see you. It was only you and Audie. But that didn’t exactly make you feel good. Anytime you wore them, Audie would squeal and blush and inspect you. She would walk circles around you, like a wolf circling a terrified bunny. Just waiting to pounce on it and sink it’s teeth into the poor critter. Luckily, Audie has never done anything...like that to you. She at least respected you enough to not force you to do anything. And that was at least a comfort for you. It was one of the very few comfort you had.

However, you weren’t ALWAYS trapped. Sometimes, Audie would hold a strange sort of...event? It’s very weird. She would open the fence and let you wonder around but shortly after you could see people arriving through the airport and drop off hundreds of Nook mile tickets. It would be insane to see how much they would give Audie. And at first you didn’t know why, you were aware of the fact that some people sold their villagers, but from what you knew, Audie didn’t do that. It was only later that you realised why they were here. They were here for you. They would pay up to 200 nmt just so they could get an hour of talking with you. You thought that was really weird, but to be honest, you didn’t mind it at all. It was the only time you could walk around the island and you could even talk to other people. Those other people being the paying humans of course. But it was nice, you enjoyed talking to some of them. You didn’t particularly like the humans that would only gush about you, telling you how much they loved you, and only asking you about stuff over and over again. It was just tiresome and very annoying. But every now and again there would be the humans that would talk to you like a normal person. Those were your favourites. Out of everyone, three humans stood out to you.

The first one was a girl. She was pretty short, maybe a few inches taller than you. She had light brown skin with freckles and blond hair. Her eyes were big and said hair was tied up in two pigtails. She was wearing a beige layered tank dress that looked very cute. Her name was Coco. She used to see you all the time. She was a frequent costumer, but then one day she just...stopped coming. Maybe she ran out of tickets, maybe she just lost interest, or maybe she found or bought her own Y/N. Yeah, that was a concept that made you really freaked out. The fact that there was apparently a bunch of copies of you out there. It happens to everyone who buys the nook inc getaway package. Either way, it didn’t matter. She stopped showing up, and you never saw her again.

The second one was a tall chubby man with yellow curly hair and a brown moustache. His skin tone was a bright shade of yellow. His eyes were kinda narrow but you could still see his very prominent blue eyes. He was always wearing a red ringmasters coat, always wearing it with such pride, you thought it was very cute. His name was Chops. Chops was always very nice to you. He would treat you well and act like a gentleman, sometimes it would come off as a bit weird but you knew his intentions were good. But after one visit where he asked if you would ever like to see his island, you never saw him again. And you were really excited as well...you thought that you could get away from this place but...apparently not. You didn’t believe that he just stopped going here like Audie said. By now you were smart enough to know that Audie wouldn’t let ANYTHING like that fly. You see, she kept a close eye anytime someone was there to visit. It was all part of the deal. They would get to come and hang out with you just as long as she was there with you. She would of course stand back a little, giving you and the customer some space. But never the less, she would be there, watching.

And the third person was a tall skinny guy named Raymond. Out of all three, Raymond was probably your favourite. He was around the same age as you, maybe a year or two older. He was very pale, you got the impression that he wasn’t exactly the type of person to tan. He would wear a grey waistcoat with a blue tie. His hair was blond and very neatly kept, he was very adamant about being precise. He wasn’t a neat freak per say. But he wanted things to stay orderly. But one of the most captivating things about him was his eyes. He had heterochromia, his right eye was brown and his left eye was green. On top of his eyes were a pair of glasses. And although he himself had said that he didn’t like his eyes, you thought they were beautiful. And anytime you would say that, you could see his face heat up as he muttered a thank you. You really liked Raymond, and you got the feeling he liked you as well. You liked him a lot more than Audie and you hoped she didn’t figure that out. Because once that happened, Raymond would probably get thrown out and not be allowed to see you.

Luckily, you don’t think she suspected anything. She seemed to trust Raymond since she left you two alone when he was over for no extra charge. It was amazing really, you don’t know how he did it but he apparently got her to trust him. And you were grateful for that. Because you and Raymonds conversations were usually the most genuine out of all your interactions.

“Hey Raymond? Could I ask you something?” You asked the guy sitting next to you. The two of you were sitting under a cherry tree near by the beach. He looked at you with a smirk. “Of course you can! You can tell me anything my dear Y/N.” As he said this, you could feel a smile form on your lips. He was always so sincere with you. “Okay so...how many tickets have you spent visiting me? A lot right? Why wouldn’t you just save up those tickets to buy or go for a villager hunt to find a copy of me? Wouldn’t that be easier than spending so much just to get an hour of speaking time with me?” This so something that had bugged you for a while. You didn’t understand this man. Why would he spend so much just to talk to you? Raymond let out a deep chuckle at this, pushing up his glasses on the bridge of his nose slightly before looking at you.

“It’s because, my dear Y/N. I don’t want a “copy of you”. I want to hang out with the real you, you who are living on this island. You mean a lot to me, and to see you not remember me...well it wouldn’t feel right...” he said. You could feel tears prickle your eyes. Did he really mean that? Did he care so much about you? “Woah woah what’s wrong?! Was it something I sa-“ before he could finish that sentence, he could feel two small arms wrap around his waist. You were now crying into his chest, with him awkwardly trying to comfort you by patting your back. “Hey now, don’t cry. It’s okay-“ “No no it’s not! You don’t understand!” But as you said this, Raymond pulled you out from his chest, grabbing your shoulders as he stroked one of your cheeks with his hand. “But I wanna understand! Please Y/N! If there’s something going on, I want to know so I can help! Just...please...tell me what’s going on? I care about you Y/N...” as he said that you could feel your heart skip a beat. Should you....

And so, you told Raymond about the whole thing. You told him about Audie, about Kevin, about the strict rules. About everything. You tried to keep your breath steady but it was hard as all your emotions spilled out. Once you were done it was easy to see the disgust that lingered on Raymond’s face. You didn’t blame him. It wasn’t exactly the lightest thing to process. But after a few minutes of silence, Raymond grabbed your shoulder and looked at you with a serious yet sad look. “Y/N I-.....I’m so sorry....I didn’t know how bad Audie was and I-....I’ve been supporting her...I’ve been paying her nmt just so I could see you. I’ve been giving her the satisfaction and encouraged by directly contributing to-“ before he could continue you grabbed his hands. Raymond looked down at you and got the message. Right now there were more important things to dissolve rather than blaming someone. “Okay okay...you’re right. Well what can I do? Do you need anything?” He asked you. You didn’t know. Should you...yes. “Take me away from here.” You said short and simply. “What?” Raymond responded, making sure what he heard was real and not something he imagined. “Take me away from this hellhole! I don’t wanna live here! To Audie, I’m just some toy for her enjoyment. I don’t want to live here! I don’t want to live here! I don’t-“ Raymond quickly pulled you in for another hug. Both to comfort you, and to silence you. He didn’t want Audie to hear... “Okay okay. Shhh, it’s okay. I’m here Y/N....” Raymond got quiet for a few seconds, almost like he’s considering something. “Come to my island. You’ll be safe there and I’m sure my residents would love you.” He told you, gently stroking your cheek. “Thank you Raymond. Thank you so much!” “Of course Y/N. I promise you. I WILL get you out of here...”

And so, the two of you started planning. Planning on what to do, planning on how you’d do it. There was barely any time left for Raymond’s visits so he agreed to come back the next day. You and Audie waved goodbye to him as he entered the airplane and left the island. Audie grabbed your hand as she looked down at you. “Did you guys have fun? What did you guys talk about?” She was acting and talking very sweetly but you knew what that question meant. It wasn’t “I’m interested in what you discussed” it was “I’m paranoid and need to know what you were doing without me.” But by now you were used to these questions and knew how to get around them. “Oh you know, just life in general. He talked a little about how his island is going and I talked about my life. I told him about the delicious peach pie you made last week.” Any and all suspicion that Audie had melted away once you aged her a compliment. You knew that if you ever wanted to change the subject or get away with something, you needed to sprinkle in a compliment. And just like always, Audie let all of her guard down. “Aww! That’s so sweet of you! I love you so much!!!” And just like most times, she wrapped you up in a big hug. You tried to steady your breathing as you responded to her. “I love you to...” and you stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Audie released you. “Well I just wanted to say, this was the last visit! I’ve got so many Nook mile tickets now that I don’t even need any more! So you don’t have to interact with these weirdos anymore! And guess what? The first thing I’m gonna do is fix up our home. Maybe I can convince good old Tom Nook to give us that big Villa so we can live in the same house! Imagine it, we could hare the bed, I could hold you every night. We would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together! I could spend my mornings and nights with you! Oh just thinking about it is making me all giddy!”

As she said this, you could feel your whole body tense up. Your eyes went wide and you felt all the air escape your lungs. You wanted to cry, to scream, to yell out for help. But only meekly whimpers came out of your throat. “Oh darling, you’re so happy you can hardly breathe! Well don’t you worry dear. There’ll be plenty of celebration time later!” “N-N-NONONO! H-Hold up i-why...why can’t we celebrate a little tonight? W-why don’t I...sleep at your house tonight? I-I mean if we’re gonna sleep together, we might as well start getting more accustomed to it...” as you said this, you could see Audies face turn into a shade of dark red. It seemed the two of you had very different ideas of what you would be doing once you shared a bed. Of course, nothing happened later that night, just you asleep in Audies arms. Her grip on you was very strong. To get out, you had to slither your way away from her, it took about 30 minutes to do this as any time you made a slight movement, Audie started groaning and moving. You had to be careful, if she woke up it was game over. Once you were free of her grip, you carefully searched the whole room for her phone, making sure not to step on any creaking floor boards in the process. After about 3 minutes, you found it lying on the nightstand next to Audie. So carefully, you approached it and picked it up from the table. Now walking out of the room, preparing to rummage through it. You entered all messaging apps and looked through them all to find Raymond. Finally you found a conversation between Audie and Raymond on an app called “Discord”. You wasted no time, quickly typing in a message for him. You just hoped he would be awake at this time...

“Raymond? Is this you? It’s Y/N. I’ve taken Audies phone. She’s planning on stopping the visits and she’s gonna limit my freedom even further. Please I need your help.” As you sent this you felt even more panic rush over you. The reality of the situation hasn’t quite settled in yet but now? Now you truly realised what could happen if Raymond didn’t help you. Your hands started to shake and your eyes filled with tears, it was getting harder and harder to breathe quietly. You needed to get out of the house before Audie heard you! But just as you opened the door you could feel the phone vibrate. It was Raymond! Before you opened the text, you quickly went out of the house, making sure to carefully close the door. After that you ran towards the big fence, it was higher than your entire body. But you couldn’t stay here. Looking around you saw a tree stump with a sharp golden axe lodged into it. Should you? You have no other choice! So you ran towards the axe, picking it up with struggle. And then, with all your might, all the pent up fear and anger, you struck the fence with force. After maybe two swings you had broken up a small part that you could fit through. And so, you ran, you ran to the beach near dodo airlines. Picking up the phone to look at the new message.

“Y/N?”

“Okay calm down, we’ll figure this out...I made a promise to help you and I’ll be damned if I don’t keep that promise.”

“What if I double the amount of nmt to see you? Would that work?”

You thought about it. But no. Audie wouldn’t care. “No, that’s not gonna work, Audie probably has ten thousands of tickets by now...” And after about 20 seconds you got a reply. “I’ve got it! Why don’t you go to the dodo airport, open the gates and tell me the dodo code!” This....this could actually work! You wiped your tears away and quickly replied. “Yes! I’ll go do it right now!” And with that, you quickly ran into the dodo airlines. You asked Orville to open the gates and that you wanted visitors, and after a quick weird look he complied, telling you the dodo code. He was probably not used to villagers wanting to go but it wasn’t exactly any rules against it. You pulled out your phone to text Raymond, he had left a message to you. “Alright! Let me go to the airport!” You smiled to yourself as you read this. Is this it? Are you really gonna escape? You texted him back. “The dodo code is B2GT7.” And now you just had to wait. You sat down on one of the stools in the airport, twiddling your thumbs as you waited. But then. Something awful happened.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?” You quickly turned around in shock to see the person you wanted to see the least. It was Audie, standing in the doorway. Her hair was disheveled and she looked this close to snapping. Your whole body started to shake more violently then it had ever done. “A-A-Audie?! I-I-I ca-an exp-plain!” You couldn’t keep your voice steady as you hastily backed up against Orvilles desk. Orville was looking at the both of you, very concerned but mostly scared. “YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE OUT HERE!!! ESPECIALLY AT THE DODO AIRLINES! WERE YOU GONNA FLY AWAY AND LEAVE ME!!!!” Audie was now approaching you at a rapid pace. It didn’t take long before she was towering above you. “I really thought I could trust you Y/N! But it seems I’ve been giving you to much freedom. Until we get the shared house, you’re gonna be locked inside my house!” As she said this, she grabbed a hold of your arm and started dragging you

away, you were punching and trying to pry off her hand but it wouldn’t budge. Once you were outside of the airport Audie continued. “Maybe I’ll have to put the new basement to use. Yeah, until we get the shared house, you’ll be chained up in my basement. I can’t trust you on the main floors, they have windows and I wouldn’t want you to escape again!” Once you heard this, adrenaline kicked in to the max. You used all your strength to kick Audie in the shin. She instantly released you to grab her leg. Letting out strings of grunts and curse words. You tried to run back to the airport again but Audie tripped you and grabbed your legs. Now dragging you back to the house. You tried to grab onto anything, digging your nails into the ground. But nothing slowed her down, she was determined to take you with her. So you cried out for help. Hoping that someone, ANYONE would hear.

And just then you could hear footsteps approaching and Audie letting out a grunt. Suddenly, her grip on your feet released and you could hear a big thud. Turning around, looking back, you could see Raymond. He was leaning over Audie, two hands pressed against her throat. He was strangling her! You quickly ran up to him and tried to pry him off. “Raymond no! Stop! Please stop!” He looked at you, hate in his eyes, yet none of that hate directed at you. You gave him a pleading look. And so, Raymond stood up. Taking his hands off her throat. Audie immediately started to cough, desperately trying to get air back into her lungs after it being forced out. Raymond wasted no time however. Grabbing your hand and running off to the airport. He slammed his hands onto the desk that’s Orville say by. “TAKE US AWAY FROM HERE! NOW!!!”

The flight home was very quiet. Neither of you wanted to bring up what happened before you left. Raymond felt ashamed over himself. He decided to try to break the silence. “Listen I-“ “you tried to kill her...” He didn’t know how to respond in a way that wouldn’t make him sound like a psycho. “...yeah...I did...I’m...im sorry Y/N. I tried to stop myself, but right then, that moment. When I saw how horrified you looked...I guess the adrenaline took over...a-and I know that’s not a valuable excuse! I know that! What I did was inexcusable! But...I don’t know, I guess I just lost control...” as he said this, you leaned your head against his shoulder. “I don’t care what happens to Audie. I care about what COULD have happened to you. What if she got loose and attacked you?! What if someone saw it and called reinforcement!? Do you really think I’m worth going to jail for!?” You turned around to look at him as you said this. There were tears flowing through your eyes. Raymond cupped your cheeks with his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away your tears. He looked into your eyes and leaned closer, kissing your forehead. “You’re worth dying for Y/N...”

After maybe 2 minutes of flying you finally arrived at Raymonds island. Salamacis. You always liked that name and this would be the first time you ever visited Salamacis. The island was still very bright. It appeared to be around 5pm at the island when you arrived, and as the plane flew closer to the ground you could see the decor of Salamacis. It was beautiful, the entire island was decorated in a very classical manner. The ground was covered with stone paths except for the flower gardens full of white and black flowers. There were full of zen gardens everywhere, In fact the whole place screamed of “Zen”. It was very nice. You could also see the occasional islander running around. Some of them saw the plane and waived, some of them even ran after the plane. And sure enough, as you and Raymond walked out of the airplane, A small group of villagers had gathered around you. They all looked curiously at you. Your grip on Raymond’s hand tightened, but Raymond stroked it gently with his thumb, trying to calm you down. He let go as he walked toward them all, with you following behind him. “Everyone! This is my friend Y/N! She’s going to be living here from now on! I want you all to treat her with respect and kindness. As she is a new addition to the family.” Everyone was quiet for a few seconds before a small rabbit ran up to you. She was black with a few white spots here and there and had a black tuff of hair on her head right between her ears. She was wearing a black box skirt uniform and a black beret. “Hello! I’m Mari! Welcome to Salamacis! You’re Y/N huh? We’ve heard so much about you! If you want we can give you an island tour!” “Yeah! Let’s give them a tour!” “Follow us!” They all said as they ran away, you felt much easier as you ran after them. But you stopped midway and ran to Raymond. “Thank you Raymond. Thank you for everything.” And with that, you gave him a quick pick on the cheek and ran after the others. You got a feeling that you were gonna enjoy it here. Meanwhile, Raymond was standing by the airport wide eyed and blushing like crazy.

“So we don’t actually have an open plot for you to live in...so you’re gonna have to sleep in my house.” Raymond said as he led you up the stairs to the bedroom. “I know that it sucks that you just got out of the Audie situation and now still have to share house with someone, but don’t worry! I’m gonna sleep downstairs on the couch!” As he said this, you two arrived in the main bedroom. Just the mere sight of it made you let out a small “woah” to which Raymond laughed slightly. He thought your amazement was adorable. The room had a king sized bed in the middle, with a big fluffy rug under it. You went up to it and sat on the bed. The blanket was made with a soft material and the mattress was so comfortable that you practically fell into it once you sat down on it. You immediately laid down, basking in the comfortable material as you stretched. “So, again, if you need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, feel free to come down and ask. Alright? Goodnight Y/N.” And so, as you got down under the blanket, Raymond turned to walk down the stairs. “A-Actually Raymond? There is one thing I wanted to ask...” as you said this, Raymond made a total 180 and looked at you. “Yeah?” “Would you...would you sleep with me tonight?” Once you asked this, Raymond’s eyes went wide, it looked like there was about a thousand thoughts going through his head. “Y-yeah! Of course!” And so, he walked up to you. Lifting up the blanket and laid next to you. You crawled up to him, embracing him. And he did the same, he was wearing a silk rope with some imperial print. It felt very comfortable. You rubbed your face against him, feeling yourself drift off to sleep. “Goodnight Raymond....I love you...” and just like that. You were out like a candle. Raymond felt his heart beat faster. You...loved him?

“...hhhehheh....hehehe, oh Y/N...” Raymond laughed quietly to himself. He had you, he finally had you! After months of searching! After thousands of Nook mile tickets! At first, he just wanted one of you. But when he found out that you were the original you! That made him interested in you specifically. And that interest only grew and grew until it became a monster-like obsession. He wanted you, he needed you. He was gonna do everything it took to get you. When he attacked Audie, he went in full intention to murder her. Such a disgusting individual! How dare she treat you like nothing but a mere pet! Raymond felt ashamed for what he did, not because he regretted it, but because he did it in front of you. You should never have had to see that side of him. But not to worry, you would never ever HAVE to see him like that again! Now that you lived here with him there was nothing that could come between you and him! He was gonna treat you so much better than Audie did. You would be allowed to walk around freely! Talk to anyone you wanted! Dress in any way you wished! If he found you at the Ables sisters and you wanted the 1 000 000 bell crown? He would buy it! No questions asked! He would even let YOU decide where to place your house once you got it! ...but there’s no rush. If he could have you like this, next to him, for a few more weeks...maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing...he knew that he would eventually have to let you move out into your own home. After all, he just said that he wouldn’t be like Audie. But maybe a little bit more time with you wouldn’t hurt. You wouldn’t mind! The proof was right in his arms. He didn’t even suggest that he slept next to you, yet you still asked for it! And you said you loved him! Oh you were gonna be so happy here! He was gonna make sure of that. He’s your friend. Your saviour. The one who’ll always be there. The one who’ll always have time for you.

The one who rescued you.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Oh was this a shitpost idea? How about I turn it into a 6 0 0 0 W O R D F I C ? No but for real. This is probably one of my favorite ones. It was such an interesting idea and like...I got so much inspiration. Also sorry to the anon that wanted a wholesome happy ending. It’s more of a bittersweet ending. But if you feel bad for Y/N, I don’t think Raymond is gonna do anything since Y/N is pretty much in love with him. There. Happy ending! So yeah...more Raymond :D wooo! Hope y’all are hungry because I am serving some food! This time featuring friends as the villagers beck didn’t want to come up with villagers myself!

[hanawrites404]

One Dance

Game : The Arcana

Pairing : some slight hints of various pairings

Characters : Asra Alnazar, Nadia Satrinava, Julian Devorak, Portia Devorak, Muriel, Lucio Morgasson, Wynne Toprak, Lyra Slaquer, Sèbastien Slaquer, Raymond Slaquer (the Slaquers belong to @the-soupiest-artist) and Maura Hickey (who belongs to @puzzle-piece-angel)

Warnings : None

Timeline : Modern-Dance AU

This story is based of this song :

And this story is an introduction to the Vesuvia Dance Company and its members, so come along and let's see what does it have in store ✨✨

3rd person POV

"Tch. Boring......."

The wind whooshed against her as she tucks her flowing strands of hair behind her ear. She was leaning against the railings of her balcony, her hands resting on the cold metal as she examined her painted black nails.

To her, black was always the perfect colour. And she nearly never altered it to any other shade. It would be too tedious again.

The woman crossed her legs as she drank her Limoncello from the rim of her glass, the bubbles of the alcohol fizzed inside. Her throat bobbed with every sip and jingled the translucent crystal attached to her dark choker. The liquor quenched her dry throat, pricking it with its gas bubbles and bitter taste as she sighed the cold air.

The sparkling alcohol matched with her eyes as they stared upon the heads of the people walking past her apartment from the balcony. The cars driving away looked like playthings to her, and the trees swaying against the soft gust seemed like shrubs. Nothing was of interest to her outside as she continued to drink her beverage and blink away the yawn from her eyes.

She thought of going to bed again since she had nothing to do either inside or outside, but then a simple phone call from her friend changed all her plans.

"What is it Asra?" She answered, not a good afternoon, not even a hi. She wasn't in a mood for this.

"Heya Wynne! How are you doing first of all??" The person from the other side of the phone didn't seem unfazed by her disinterest because of his experienced friendship with the woman. She sighed and replied, admiring her nails again. "Nothing much, just passing my precious time as always" she chuckled at the last phrase. "What about you? What's the occasion for calling me?"

"Well, I missed you dearly-"

Wynne instinctively made an expression which spoke out 'Oh really?'

"And I have something to propose to you"

The girl blinked from curiosity and pulled away from the railings, walking inside her penthouse, still holding the glass of Limoncello and her phone near her ear as she told him to continue.

"So! You and I both know how much you love to dance right? You have also given performances at your workplace and you just love to lose yourself to the club music. You are a very awesome dancer, Wynne. And you don't mind showcasing your moves to everyone"

"Yeah, so what?" Wynne rubbed her temples, Asra was sure taking his sweet time and her forbearance.

"Well, I have sort of an offer for you. Why don't you meet me at the address I'm gonna text you and I'll spill everything when you arrive"

"Wait what?!" Wynne places her hand on her coffee table, her voice of disbelief and bafflement. "You got to be fucking kidding me Asra. Please tell me what is it and don't you dare cut off like this"

"Sorry Wynne, but I am busy. I promise I'll tell you everything there. Goodbye!"

"Asra! ASRA!!!" but she was too late.

"UGH, fucking bitch....." Wynne snarled as she clutched her phone tight in her palm. The device then vibrated in her hand and she rolled her eyes, opening her phone to find that Asra had sent her the destination in their chat. It was an address that was unfamiliar to Wynne, and thanks to the wonder which had already accumulated in her mind, she growled, and finally decided to reach the place.

Wynne swallowed the last sip of her drink and looked down at her clothes. Assuming that Asra was calling her to a public place, she decided to change from her casuals to a sleeved black crop top and matching palazzos and chunky heels. She combs her blue hair and applies her dark lipstick before grabbing the keys of her old red Cadillac, and she descended the stairs after locking her house.

"Asra, this better not be a prank or I will slap you to grave" she murmured grimly as she started the engine of her car and drove to the address. With a bit of traffic and breakers in between, it took her somewhat half an hour to reach an unknown college building. Now, why would Asra call her here? Was it perhaps for a college reunion? Then why was he talking about dancing? She had so many questions, and Asra owes all the answers to her after leaving her hanging on the phone like that.

"Winnie!! Over here!!" The woman turned her head to the call to find her best friend trotting while waving towards her. It didn't take her long to notice the tie-dyed rainbow shirt and glitter pants with sparkle sketchers, as Wynne just nodded and waited for Asra to finally stop by her car so she could give an earful to him for leaving her edged at the cliff. But calming her urge to denounce him, she patiently asked.

"Alright, I'm here. Now what? Why did you call me near a college?"

"A college?" Asra snorted and burst into a laugh. This made Wynne even more confused and annoyed as she snarled silently and eyed him, unamused. By phoning her at an unknown place when she was in a particularly bad mood only to laugh at her, she had set up her mind to drive away right in front of him and crush him with her car. But then, he luckily spoke on time before she could act her frivolous murder.

"Boo, this is not a college. It may look like one, but it's not. Trust me" Asra winked at her. Wynne, still being unamused, leaned her forehead against her fingers as she replied lethargically.

"Well, what is it then? Care to explain after calling me here without any proper explanation?" She already wanted to leave honestly. And can't she just sleep?

"Of course. If you would follow me, Milady" Asra being the gentleman offered his hand out to her though he was aware of Wynne's already increasing irritation. He stayed patient because he didn't want to reveal the surprise yet to her. The vexed girl grunted again and got off her car, placing her fair hand over his tanned one. Asra gently squeezed her hand in his with a warm smile on his face. That seemed to lower her irritation as she squeezed his hand back. Asra with a small blush spreading across his golden cheeks led her near to the campus, and Wynne followed him gradually.

Soon both of them were near the polished mahogany doors after passing the lobby inside. And before he could enter, Asra checked on his friend with another appreciative smile. Wynne raised her eyebrow. To her, Asra looked very gladder than usual. Though he was known to be a happy guy, he looked....... exceptionally optimistic today. Was today someone's birthday? Was today her birthday? She had no idea what the hell was going on and what the hell was wrong with Asra.

"What's the matter?" She asked. She sounded calm, but inside she was bubbling with novelty that what exactly he had in mind.

"This is not a college, Wynne" Asra repeated what he said before.

"Yeah, so what? Please don't pull another suspense now" the woman placed her hand on her lip. She loved the suspense, but too much of it makes her feel lazy.

Heh, as if she wasn't feeling lethargic already.

Asra chortled and patted her head, and he finally pushed open the huge doors to uncover something imperial, stupendous and incredible enough to leave Wynne's mouth gaping and her eyes caught mesmerized.

Inside the so-assumed as college, was a tremendous majestic dance theatre of what looked like belonging to a prosperous french period. It glittered with gold and red, as a satin rose sprinkled with dewdrops glimmering of sunshine. The walls were delicately painted with a royal maroon gloss and regal purple imprints of what left an impression of lavender flower. Even the hall gave off the scent of apricot and apple orchards. The hefty velvet curtains hemmed the rectangle stage elegantly, the spotlights modern, and the footing was simply immaculate.

"Asra......This is-"

"Alluring? Captivating? Hypnotising??? Is there any other English word I am missing??"

"Well, I would say that yeah. But...this place is like a fantasy!!" Wynne exclaimed as she idolised the beautifully festooned and pleasingly symmetrical ceiling. "I know right? Told you so. I'm glad you liked it. It's one of my favourite places to stay at" Asra joined her as she entered in, the click of her heels grating into the carpets of the theatre.

"Yeah......it's like this has come straight from the golden era of art. Like in one of my school history books! I...I never would have guessed that it would even more wonderful in real life. I thought it was more of a vision of romantic people which were just left as dreams" Wynne skimmed the sides as she examined the details closely, thinking internally about how much work must have gone into creating such a painting over such a vast canvas.

"Well, this theatre runs on donations and funds, but it's sure undeniable that this dance studio is glorious and alluring" Asra shrugged.

"Yes...it is........ Wait" Wynne stopped in mid-sentence and turned to him, her hand still on the wall. "Did you say, dance studio?". Before Asra could open his mouth to reply to her, another unfamiliar voice echoed from a corner. It sounded soothing, pleasant and graceful, but Wynne could not recognise who it was. However, the source was soon revealed as she walked towards both of them, and both of their eyes got fixated on her.

"Oh! A guest! Is she the person you were talking about, Asra?" The fair lady enquired, and Asra nodded in agreement. "Yup! She is the one. The 'blueberry syrup' " Asra winked at the unknown lady.

Wynne was now really questioning her existence....... blueberry syrup..........

Seriously?

"Oh! Now I see why you called her that" the soft ravenette chuckled, even her laugh chimed blissful which can send anyone to ease. Asra giggled and agreed to her, his dimple delicately forming on his cheek like a tiny crescent moon.

"Anyways, here she is. Wynne" Asra introduced the bluenette to the foreign lady, who smiled sweetly at her and Wynne waved for a greeting.

"And Wynne, this is Lyra" Asra finally disclosed the name of the gentle lady, who then stepped closer to Wynne and reached her hand out for her to shake, which the other lady gladly took after staring at her pale hand. And as she had guessed, her hand was soft like feathers.

"Lyra Slaquer, but you can call me Lyra. It's a delight to meet you, Wynne. I hope you enjoy your stay over here" she spoke with another cute smile. Wynne nodded and took her hand back, breaking a small grin herself. The name 'Slaquer' whistled a bit familiar to her, but she had never met Lyra before so it was kind of odd, but she pushed the thought and quickly replied to her.

"I too wish to enjoy my visit over here. This place is still kind of anonymous to me since Asra did technically blackmailed me to arrive here" the woman stared at the white curlyhead with narrowed eyes.

"What?!" Lyra gasped as her hand partially covered her mouth. "He did?! I'm so sorry for that, Wynne! He usually does not do that though" she grabbed her chin in her two fingers.

"Wait, I never blackmailed you" Asra's purple eyes widened in scepticism.

"You provoked me. You fed my curiosity and you left me fucking dumbfounded by your sudden hanger, you agitated me so much that the urge you aroused in me won. And whose fault do you think it is??" Wynne crossed her arms and stared at him, with her weight on one leg.

Asra's cheeks lit up with bright pink by the lady's question. It was not a surprise that Wynne caught his fib about being busy just to bring her here. He had known her ever since they were kids, and Winnie was the most attentive one out of the two. A smirk engraved on her dark lips as she tapped her foot on the floor, waiting for a comeback, though she was already aware that he doesn't have an answer. He was caught, he was very badly caught. And he sadly had nothing to objectify with.

Lyra meanwhile just looked from Asra to Wynne, then back to Asra. She was waiting for one of them to speak, but someone calling her name, presumably from backstage, snapped her out. "Coming!" The twirly ravenette replied, and she rushed to attend to her call. But soon after she stopped at her heels for a moment, and turned back to gently grab Wynne's hand and then finally walking with her.

"Come on Wynne! Let's make you meet everyone. I'm sure they will love you" Lyra notified her and she continued dragging her. The blue-eyed lady sounded so favourable and eager that Wynne couldn't muster the will to pull away and refuse her. She was better than deterring the warmth of a civil lady like her, and Wynne peeked back at Asra, who just waved at her, mugging 'have fun' to her.

'I will kill you.....' she gestured back at him with a scowl and flipped him off until Lyra and she completely disappeared behind the stage. And good thing she didn't notice Wynne being blatantly horrible and rude.

Not that Asra minded her cynicism anyway, he still loved her for how she was.

"Guys, listen up! We have a visitor here. She is Asra's dearest friend!" Lyra with a sunny smile as twinkling as the moon inaugurated her to everyone present backstage.

But little did Lyra know that Wynne already knew four motherfuckers present inside.

"What the heck? How are you all at one place?? And most importantly, what are you guys doing here???" Wynne pointed her finger from puzzlement at all of them and questioned the troop she knew very well through conventions and clashes she would never forget. Some of them which she found awful, and some of them surprisingly candy. She honestly never wanted to meet any of them at all, but profoundly in her heart, she was obliged that she was oriented with the six awesome and decent idiots.

"WYNNE?!!" A particular red-haired fellow, a ginger girl, a raven head man and a purplenette lady, together cried out the lady's name. The four were in a greater shock than she was in. Because neither Asra told them who the guest was, nor did they expect her to be the visitor out of any other persons they could have guessed. Now that's quite a shocker eh?

"Oh~ you know them???" Lyra bent towards her, her blue eyes shone with inquisition. "Yes...Yes, I do" Wynne sauntered towards them, this time, with a wooden floor, her heels gave off the clicking like of a ticking timepiece. Her hands were crossed, and she was tickled that how all the pals she was intimate to were existing in the area.

"Since when?" Lyra strolled with her. "Long story, Dear. It's all thanks to Asra, you can say. He is the cause why I know all of them. Like I met Nadia during one of his get-together parties, and then I met these two siblings- what was their name again? AH! Julian and Portia, at a grocery store when I and Asra wanted some stuff. And like that, I met his other best friend, the giant guy over there, Muriel"

Wynne brought up each one of them as she enunciated about them to Lyra. The ravenette listened to the bluenette with peak attention. She adored the manner and the refinement she held up while chatting to her. It was ethical, posh and highly lordly, just as a splendid black swan.

"And that's the story in a nutshell. Now tell me" Wynne kept her hands on her hips and glared at the four. "What's going on here?". "Wait, Asra didn't tell you what exactly is this place and what is our purpose here??" The physician asked her with mistrust.

"Well, no. He told me nothing. But he did say that this is a dance studio" Wynne tapped her chin, trying to recall what else he had asserted.

"Well yes, you are correct on that. This is a dance studio. Which includes the theatre along with the backstage, the rehearsal rooms, a canteen area with the lobby, a recreational cabin and the dorms. Our dancers live here and we provide them with a comfortable and hygienic place to stay along with necessary hospitality, and they all perform for the company" Nadia replied.

"Wait, the company? You guys are running a corporation together?" Wynne cocked her eyebrow again. This all was very new to her, and pretty intriguing too.

"You can say like that. This is Vesuvia Dance Company, and I'm proud to say that we all are like a close-knit family here. I run the company and also work as the organiser. Portia is the set painter. All the lavender imprints you saw on the screens were done by her" the umber woman referred to the chubby girl as she waved heartily at Wynne.

Judging by Portia's denim suspenders splattered with numerous sorts of pigments, she did look like a very hard worker. Just like how Wynne always knew her to be.

"And that gentleman over there, Muriel, he does the building work. So the stage and every scenery of the bureau is retained by him. During performances, he also makes sure the lights and every other piece of equipment are operating appropriately. Portia occasionally teams up with him for the arrangement of struts and special effects. Without him, the true magnificence of the dance would never have reached the audience" Nadi commended.

Muriel's cheeks blossomed pale red as his jade eyes shyly lowered down. Portia had the opposite reaction though. She just grinned and locked arms with the giant man catching him off guard and turning him more rattled than ever.

"I-It's not that much of a big deal" he mumbled abjectly. Wynne chuckled at the scene and muttered 'cute' before facing Nadia so she could introduce the medic next.

"And you must know Dr Devorak. Just as his profession speaks, he takes care of the condition of every member of the company and assures the safety of everyone from likely injuries or illnesses. He also schedules a diet plan if required, and he is also quite sincere in his work, and the members easily recover, all thanks to him"

"And....did any previous member die even though he was around?" Wynne heckled, and Julian fell right into her mockery as his face burnt deep red, the vivid colour spreading across his porcelain skin. He was positively ashamed, and Wynne snagged him so badly he was staggering. But luckily, Nadia seconded him up as she soughed.

"No Wynne. No one has died. The doctor is a qualified physician, and every one of us relies on his skills of treatment. He is also very humble, so there is nothing for us to be concerned about in terms of health" She retorted. "Alright. I believe you" Wynne shrugged with a sly smile, although the flush on Julian's cheeks didn't vanish. Wynne was like a harpy when it comes to disparaging someone, which sometimes makes Julian fear her. Other than that, Julian did like her, she can be cute sometimes and he has seen it. But just like every ambivert, all she requires is the right time to express it.

"And moving on, Asra is our principal dancer, so he is the one who comes with most of the choreography, but he also ensures to give opportunities to the other dancers to suggest any addition. With his and everyone's aptitude, the event comes out to be beautiful" Nadia affirmed with a low smile on her swift lips.

"I see....." Wynne held her chin in her fingers and nodded.

"And the thespians along with Asra are, Lyra, Maura, and-"

"Hello guys! What's up?"

"Woah Woah Woah!! Take it easy! We didn't go anywhere" Julian stumbled back onto a table as he attempted to brace away from the not-so sudden jumpscare of the stranger who appeared to have popped out in between out of nowhere. Well, a stranger to Wynne, to be precise.

"Haha, sorry Ilya. I was just excited to meet the new guest, and I didn't wanna miss them!" The outsider gleefully met the sights of the new lady with his azure ones, a purple glisten romped within his iris, just like how the gold flapped inside the matron's lustrous eyes. Other than his apertures, she noticed how he looked a bit similar to Lyra, contemplating the same type of hair and complexion of the skin. She then looked down at his clothes. The uproar he was wearing captured her eye, reasonably. Wynne was stringent, and a fashionista filled with critique, but what the man was having over him wasn't so terrible to her at all. She could see the striped black-white sweater, baby pink pants,

And were those turquoise crocs he was wearing???????

"Interesting...." Was all that Wynne could say.

"This is Raymond. He is our pianist, and he with his band performs along with the dancers. And he also conducts the music" Nadia enlisted. "Oh, so he is the soul of the performance huh. Pretty....... eccentric" Wynne eyed Raymond who glanced innocently back at her. She rasped and dabbed Raymond's shoulder as she reacted. "But sure. He is cute".

"Oh! If I'm cute then you are the loveliest girl in the whole world, and the ebony fabric on your fair body is like shadows surrounding the glowing moon" Raymond's eyes sparkled with esteem and cherish towards her, like a child recognizing their favourite superhero. That wasn't a good sign for Wynne at all. Especially deeming that it has only been minutes since he and she got introduced to each other. But, inferring that he was the type of guy to give random sweet compliments to anyone, she coolly answered.

"W-Why thank you Dear. You are.....pretty yourself. I like your hair".

"Thank you, Ms Wynne. You are too nice" he blushed with a wide beam. "Yeaaaaahhhhh" Wynne internally winced but tried not to show it to not come off as rude and anguish the cute boy.

"Alright! I think that's everyone in the area. There are three more people who are left to be introduced, but other than that, I hope everything is to your liking, Wynne. Asra brought you here so you could think about joining the company" Nadia rolled a strand of her long hair around her finger.

"Wait, join you all???" Wynne asked.

"Oh my gosh, you are gonna join us??? PLEASE DO!! I would love you for that!" Raymond practically jumped on his feet with enthusiasm.

"W-Wait, but why??? Why do I have to??" Wynne struggled to justify.

"Well, why not. We all have seen you perform before, Wynne. And you would make an exceptional dancer! Also, it's very fun hanging around with everyone and dancing too, don't you think?" Portia added.

"Yeah Wynne, Pasha is right. We know you don't like being around people so much, but we would give you space when you need it. We may stick close, but we will make sure to not bother you much" Ilya gently smiled at her. She did frighten him sometimes, but Julian would be happy to have a bit of her insolence and sarcasm hovering around. Everyone would love to have that.

"I agree with Julian. You are a wonderful lady, Wynne. It would be our absolute pleasure to have a talented entertainer as you dance with us. I promise I won't talk much if that annoys you. But I want to get to know you better, Wynne. I bet you would be very fun!" Lyra playfully whacked her shoulder, only to receive a deathly grimace from the bluenette's wolf-like eyes.

"O...Oh...." Lyra cautiously procured her hand and backed a bit away from her. She wasn't dreading of her if anything. She just got more.....intimidated. She had never met a woman with such grimness flooding out of her, yet be so nimble as a twilight waft along with the gloom she hauls. Lyra felt like a little butterfly just witnessing a vicious spider open her gapes and watch it flash with yearning and malevolence, but close enough, she could see the dignity and that dwelled deep in those gazes.

And those golden orbs had apprehended her just like a tempting spider's quagmire.

Wynne was never known to miss her target anyway.

"S-Sorry....." Lyra's diamond orifices veered under and a weak rosiness escorting her cheeks.

Wynne just shut her eyes, sighed softly, and immediately gawked at Muriel who was typically tight-lipped the whole time. But she decided to inquire him too because his opinion also mattered after all. "What do you think, Big Guy? Would you be happy to have me over?" She straightforwardly asked. The huge man was taken aback for a bit, he had believed that Wynne won't bring any mind to him, and obviously, she proved him wrong. And now he had to respond to her because everyone else had their eyes on him too.

"I......." He started.

"Mhm?" Wynne waited.

"....................."

"I won't mind" that's all he said.

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of solace and rejoiced while Muriel just reddened and pouted. He wondered what made the people so relieved when all he did was say 'yes' for the new girl to stay. But what it truly meant was that they were ahead in favour by one more vote.

Wynne snorted. "Yeah yeah, celebrate all you want, but still. I haven't agreed to this yet. So technically there is still be left to decide. Now don't get too much excited already" she stated.

"You are certainly right on that. But we are willing to wait for your final decision, Wynne. Whether positive or not" Nadia told her, and the others agreed to her, nodding and muttering to each other. "Good. I don't like rushing things. I'm glad that you understand" Wynne's lips curved into a slight smile, and everyone else in the room returned a grin. "Of course. We want you to be comfortable after all. You are our friend" Julian added. "And we promise to support ya!" Portia said. "You can speak to us if you ever have any trouble, Wynne" Lyra peered at her. "And we promise to not irritate you at all!" Raymond assured her with a bright grin on his lips.

"We......We would take care of you too....." Muriel softly smiled.

Wynne softly chuckled, shaking her head delightfully and placing her hands on Raymond and Lyra's shoulders. She gleamed at both of them, and she thanked all of them for the patience and hospitality they all gave to a newbie like her. She truly felt honoured and warmly greeted by all of them, and she felt much pleasanter than she was feeling appearing for the first time. Nadia was pleased to see how everyone welcomed Wynne. She was looking forward to the guest making herself comfortable among the partners and come to be a valued part of the small artsy gang and relish the beauty of dance and music together with everyone.

And am I missing someone important to introduce?

"So! What did I miss, lovely ladies and gentlemen?" Some other unidentified person barged in like a typical theatrical garish zealot. Just as assumed by his way of the fashionably late entry, his clothes were incredibly contemporary and vogue and his shirt were half-buttoned to expose his semi-hairy chest. The unknown man rested his elbow at the frame as his piercing emerald eyes stridden around on everyone's faces until it spotted its victim. A certain gal in black.

"Ah! Gotcha" the stranger grinned and grazed his teeth over his lower lip. He pushed himself back on his feet and walked towards his prey. His hand brushed through his curly dark locks, the hooves of his shoes made a satisfying click with every step he got closer to Wynne. He wasn't focused on anyone else other than her, his eyes glimmered under the daylight, like lush green leaves after monsoon showers.

Wynne perked up her eyebrow up. Who is this guy now, she pondered. She glanced at his shirt for a moment and noticed patterns of peacock feathers with splats of prominent blue and white matching the print. Very remarkable, she thought. But also somehow very familiar too. The design on his cloth was something she had seen somewhere before, but she couldn't recollect when exactly.

Nevertheless, the unfamiliar man wearing the familiar clothing gently took hold of her hand and locked his emeralds with her gold.

"And you might be......" She started.

"Sèbastien Slaquer at your service, mademoiselle" he fervently kissed her knuckles, nurturing the sweetness of her skin on his lips.

"Ah...Slaquer......french....Wait a minute" Wynne interrupted.

"Yeah, what's the matter? Remembered something important?" He tilted his head and looked at her, his eyes taking in the charm of her marvellous face and dusk merging with her rosy skin.

"Slaquer.....no wonder why it was sounding so weird to me.......I think I have heard this name before.....in a brand name" Wynne held her chin.

"Oh, you have? I don't know. My brand sure is well-known--"

"Wait, did you say, your brand???" Wynne gripped him. "Yes of course" he shrugged. "Hmmm.....that explains your shirt..... the peacock designs..... peacock designs???"

Wynne suddenly gasped. "You are french, aren't you?!"

"Oh, are you giving me a racist remark now?" Sèbastien knocked and chuckled at his joke. "But yes, you are right. I'm french. And so is my little brother and my cousin behind you" he gestured to both Raymond and Lyra who were currently casually conversing with each other. "Ohh those are your siblings? Alright," Wynne nodded. She wasn't surprised because the three of them did kind of resemble each other. The opaque curly hair, ivory skin, thrilling eyes.

And speaking of Raymond and Lyra, Wynne noticed how personal they were. Both were standing near one another, and Raymond never halted eye contact with Lyra, and Lyra also had her entire attention on him. They didn't seem to mind anything happening around them. They just talked, but every word they said to each other pertained only to them. They were just cousins, but Wynne was mildly amazed how they behaved like mutual siblings who loved each other to the brim.

It thawed her heart, but also made it ache as soon as she realised she doesn't have such a person whom she can call a sibling. Her mother was never there to give her a sibling.

Wynne was always alone at such times.

"Anyways, what do you call a peacock in French by the way? Maybe that would remind me" Wynne turned to the tall man. It disturbed her how he towered over her. She was fundamentally disturbed by how ALL of them towered over her.

Heh, looks like someone has taken Portia's place of being the smallest.

"Oh, Paon" he answered within a second.

"AHH! I got it! That's your fashion brand, ain't it so?" She banged her fist on her palm as soon as she ultimately understood the name she was trying to remember all the time. "Well yes, you are correct again. Wait, you mean you know my work??" He gazed at her. "Mhm. I have seen it. Peacock layouts are your trademark, along with the colours, royal blue and brine green. Your type is modern, but also have a slight tinge of French flavour, dating back to the eighteenth or nineteenth-century or so. I have even seen the blogs that talk about you, very impressive I must say" she complimented him.

"O-Oh...Why thank you for your tributes, mademoiselle. You are pretty vigilant and almost figured out my whole style. Not many people can, you know" he laughed. "Of course, no problem Mr Slaquer" Wynne giggled. She found Sèbastien relatively interesting already, even after knowing him only for instants. Not only she liked his judgment of fashion, but also how he and she shared the same passion for design.

"Oh please, call me Sèbastien. It's my upmost pleasure to meet you, Miss......."

"Wynne. Wynne Toprak" she said.

"Toprak?? You mean, Priddell Toprak??" Sèbastien asked her. "Yup. I don't use my middle name too often, actually" she mentioned. "Ohhh I am have heard about you a lot, Ms Toprak. I have witnessed your works too, but I just wasn't lucky enough to see your beautiful face until now. Lucifer's Wings, that's yours right?" He questioned.

Wynne's cheeks turned a slight pink. She always thought that she can improve her style more and more, so she never found her methods perfect. And someone just breaking it to her that they admired her works and call her beautiful on top of that turns her shy and flustered.

"I-I...Thank you. And yes, that's my brand. I started it when I was like, 15 years old or so" she replied. "Woah, now that's a young talent I see. Very terrific, Ms Toprak. And I love how you make black match every other colour of your clothing. Your mode is very diverse and comfortable for anyone. Now that's how I want fashion to be. It should be dispersible to everyone, without any discrimination. And also with being unique, but also not too bizarre, if you know what I mean" Sèbastien's eyes shot to Raymond for a second.

Wynne bobbed her head. "I agree with you. Clothes which are different but also not too much of it. We don't want to walk around looking like piñatas now, do we?" She shrugged. Sèbastien broke into a fit of laughs and he shook his head. His laugh sounded like harmony to her, she chuckling with him too.

"Also, I am guessing you work with Nadia in designing the dresses for the dancers?" she continued. "Yup. Right. I have a contract with her for that. And Raymond has one too for his band to perform in the theatre" Sèbastien rubbed his neck. "Ahh...I see......Well, my friend had invited me here to take a look, and decide whether I should join the company with all of you or not" she noted.

"Oh! So you are going to design with me too?? Like a collaboration??" He sounded pretty energetic about it. "Well, maybe. But I also am a dancer. So let's see what happens" Wynne shrugged again.

"Woah...what a gifted lady. I'll be looking forward to work with you, mademoiselle" he softly kissed her hand again. "Oh it's nothing much. Trust me, Dear. But sure, I'm anticipating too" she sadly smiled at him. She still wasn't sure if she should join or not. But seeing so many likeable people who welcomed her so sweetly, made it hard for her to refuse. But also, what worse can happen if she joins? She loved dancing, and maybe along with fashion, she can make her career in another field too.

But still, she needed a bit more time. Though her mind was already telling her to agree to the contract and sign in. But she still needed to wait. Not just yet, please.

"Ohh!! What a lovely lady in the house!" Wynne heard another adorable voice from the entrance. She glanced at the new blonde woman, her long hair as golden as daffodils and her eyes as green as polished malachite. She also noticed the dress she was wearing. A long red skirt and a white buttoned top. It was simple but pretty, along the black ghillies with distinguishing neat white socks.

"Oh hello there. Nice to meet you" Wynne turned her attention to the blonde dame, whose cheeks lightened to blush as she bashfully smiled at Wynne.

"Nice to meet you too! I'm Maura. You must be Wynne, right? Asra told me about you" she replied. "Yeah, that's me. In flesh" she snorted.

"Ah, Wynne. Maura is the one who planted all the flowers and plants in the garden. And she always knows what type of flower would suit anyone. Also, not only she is the gardener, but she is also a prudent performer of Irish stepdance. It looks very difficult to me, to be honest. But Maura always does it so effortlessly" Sèbastien added on. Maura blushed harder and timidly thanked the man for the compliment, who just patted her head with a playful wink in return.

"Oh! Now that's very sweet of you. I absolutely loved the sunflowers in the garden by the way. They are my favourite. Every other flower in the garden were beautiful too" Wynne smiled at her. "Of course! I'm glad you liked them. I love sunflowers too. They sure a happy radiant flowers, don't you think?" She glinted at Wynne. "Definitely. I love them because they remind me of my mother, that's why" Wynne sadly smiled, the fond portraits of her precious mother as her hair and eyes lustrous as the cloudless floral elegance of nature flooding into her psyche. She dearly missed her, too bad she was no more.

"Oh! That's wonderful! I'll make sure to make a bouquet of sunflowers for you once they fully blossom. You can even gift them to your mom. And tell her I said hi" Maura twinkled. Wynne was seized aback by her abrupt tenderness. People were being too much nice to her today that it seemed so alien to her. But appreciating her generosity, Wynne warmly smiled.

"Thank you, Maura. She would like it" she still couldn't believe that such kind people still exist.

"My pleasure, Wynne. This is the least I can do" she smiled back.

"Also, Irish dance, now that's very interesting. You gotta show me some moves and teach me one day" the bluenette placed her hand on her hip. "Ohh for sure! I would love to. What dance do you do? Or do you specialise in some other thing than dancing" Maura leaned her head.

"Ah! I'm usually into hip hop and ballet. I learnt a bit about belly dancing too, it's also called Raqs Sharqi in Arabic. And other than dancing, I also run my fashion brand, and that's my real profession. It's called 'Lucifer's Wings'. I still remember how I took days to come for a decent name" she facepalmed and chucked at her forenamed naivety.

"That's a very nice name! You gotta show me your works someday then. I bet they will be very very beautiful and elegant, just like you!". "O-Oh....thank you for the.....compliment, Dear. And of course, I'll show you my latest designs, if that will satisfy you" Wynne brushed back her bangs. "I am sincerely honoured, Wynne" Maura grinned at her, her hands behind her back and her cheeks pink.

"No pressure. Your welcome" she raised her shoulders. Alright, she had to admit. She had started to like Maura too. Who wouldn't? And it was funny how she presently was liking the Slaquers and Maura more than the six she already was aware of. Maybe it's the benefit of the joy of meeting new people. Maybe........

"Also, I have a small question, would you mind me asking?" Wynne blinked. "Not at all, sweetie. Ask away" the blonde replied.

"Asra said this place runs through funds" Wynne blinked again.

"But who exactly is funding you all?"

Maura wasn't the one to answer her question. And neither was Sèbastien. Or Raymond. Or Lyra. Or any of the five.

It was the one out of the six who was known to be snooty, and robust, and blond.

And a passionate pup person too.

In came the notorious devil with two of his faithful albino pair of hounds growling at everyone in the room. His garnet coat with gold trimmings and the spotless Tom Ford Customs, obviously costing so much it would make our pockets spontaneously explode, were dry cleaned and smoothed very strictly, and his hair was huddled back with shower gel, replacing the pleasant smell of vanilla in the air with a tincture of mint.

"How are you all losers? You missed me?" The man removed his Gucci glasses and straightened his silky black gloves on his hands as he looked down at everyone.

"Tch, not him again" Wynne heard Sèbastien scoff and cross his arms. He looked irritated, and so did Maura, but she didn't have any frown on her face like him. She just looked..... unsettled. Meanwhile, others in the room were feeling as uncomfortable as both of them too. Muriel was looking away, Portia began to mind her business, Julian hid behind his papers, Lyra and Raymond tried to ignore the man and Nadia just sighed tiredly and rubbed her temples to give some comfort from the headache she just got. Possibly because of the new blond who entered.

"Hello Lucio" Nadia was the one who bothered to greet him, and she didn't look like she had a choice.

"Hello, Noddy! So how are my wife and her useless crew doing?" He cocked.

"Ex-wife, for your information. And they all are doing better than you, anyway" she scowled.

"Ah, still defending them huh? You do know this won't stop me" he smirked and kept his hand on his hip. Nadia closed her eyes, breathing calmly. "I don't care if you stop or not, but you are wrong. You always will be. My crew will always be committed and hard-working. And they all mean a lot to me no matter what bad you say about them"

Nadia's words effectively dissolved the tension in the room. Wynne just kept up at her place, listening to everything. She wasn't stunned to find him here. If her five friends would be here, then so would he.

The surprising fact was that she preferred the blondie over everyone else due to their previous relations and memories. It may sound unbelievable, but Wynne knew Lucio more than anyone, and it probably was the same with Lucio too, that he knew Wynne more than he knew anyone else. She was just a kid she met the guy when he was younger than today. And it has been two decades since, yet they kept in touch and their love never deteriorated.

Maybe.....maybe Wynne did have someone to call a sibling.

"So good to see you here, Lulu" she sounded pleasantly happy. That adds to another reason for joining the company.

"Wait- WYNNE?!!" The man was startled, finding his close friend at a place he least expected to. His lips widened to a grin and he forgot about everything, only to dash to the lady and tackle her in the biggest hug he can ever lend. Wynne laughed, and simply held his back, embracing his nostalgic warmth and scent close to herself, remembering every time they spent together merrily.

Sèbastien was dumbfounded, his mouth agape. Maura too was a bit astonished, that a sophisticated lady like her would be friends with such a flamboyant and hyperactive person. Well, she didn't judge it. Opposites do attract, you know. Maybe that was the case here. Maybe......

"What...What are you doing here??? I didn't know you were coming for a visit. Noddy never tells me anything" Lucio implored, fretting at the last sentence. "Well, it was more like a surprise visit. Nadia didn't know, so don't blame her" she replied. "Arrgh, fine. If you are saying it, then I'll gladly listen" he winked at her."Good" she cracked a tiny smile, snickering in the middle, and he joined her with the laughs.

"Now now, do you work here too??" She asked as she stopped.

"Work?! No!! I don't work with these idiots. THEY, work for me" his chest surged like a roasted turkey's bust.

"Oh yeah???" She raised her eyebrow, her eyes darting to Sèbastien. He shook his head, denying Lucio's statement. He then crossed his arms, and behind Lucio's back started mocking him by making his hand talk like Lucio and mouthed the gibberish with his eyes rolled up.

Wynne almost got caught by wheezing and cackling like a witch. Luckily her convenient hand covered it up.

"--And that's how I brought them all here. I am their saviour, Wynne. I raised them from the streets and gave them homes and look how they repay me. Not even a decent formal greeting!!" He bragged. Wynne already knew that the 'saving' part was not true no matter how fondly she thought of him, but she still played along to not dishearten her best friend.

"I understand, Monty. They are pretty tired too, you know. You can excuse them for that" she augmented, perfectly roleplaying.

"Excuuuuuse me?!! I work for hours at the meeting of the cooperations and look at me!! Not even a sweat on my brow. Oh, come on!! Are you all that lazy??? You are such losers for god's sake UGHH" Lucio hysterically placed his hand on his hip and cited them all. None of them were diverted, just as predicted. But Lucio was just pouting as always, and Wynne was feeling hotter and also sheepish. Were the two things even proportional?? She imagined so.

"U-Uhhh" she slowly walked to him and carefully placed her hand on his shoulder. She clasped her fingers around his joint and sighed peacefully.

"Hey...Lulu. I know you are worried about them and thinking that they are not....... trying harder, but they all deserve a break, you know. They all are like you after all. You all are humans, you need rest. You need fresh air"

She stopped and breathed a bit.

"And you know what you and your mates want??" She asked him, with a small beam of mischief on her lips.

"Huh??? What do I need??" He raised her eyebrow at her. She then grinned and booped his nose.

"You need ice cream, Silly! Ice cream! Who doesn't want a sweet cold treat on such a hot day hmm?? Come on all!! Let's have ice cream outside! I'm sure Asra can cover us up on that, free of charge" the bluenette invited everyone over, melting the potent tension just like ice cream under the giant ball of burning gas, leaving sweetness and chill dripping all over.

Everyone agreed to Wynne and relaxed from Lucio's outburst. They were finally keen to take a break they deserve and make their way through the other side at the exit. Lucio and his pets already ran to where they would most probably find the ice cream guy of the house, while everyone else silently thanked the blue lady for preventing Lucio to turn things worse. Some shook her hand, some gave her a quick hug and a bright smile, while some gave her thankful glances. She welcomed all of them with a simple nod, happy to help of course.

"You did great, Wynne. Thanks for shutting that asshole up" Sèbastien patted her head before moving out, shoving his hands in his pockets and whistling away a loud ballad. Maura followed Sèbastien, but she stopped to gently shake Wynne's hand and give her one of her confectionary smiles, also thanking her for saving her from the virago.

"It was nice to meet you again, see you soon" and she went away, her skirt fluttering with the inside wind, as the bluenette saw her walking.

"Hey...that was considerate of you, stopping Lucio from flaring on all of us. I never liked him screaming at anyone, but thanks to you, now I can finally breathe fresh air" Lyra humoured and Wynne chuckled with her. "No problem, Lyra. Lucio and I have been together since my childhood. He had been like this since his college days. So it's not shocking that he is still like this. I honestly love it" she laughed.

"That's great, even for him. I'm happy that you have someone close to you" she gladly smiled. "Yeah, I am happy too. You also have awesome siblings, take care of them just like they take care of you, okay?" Wynne leaned on her weight. "Ah! Of course! Ray Ray is my closest confidant. We are just cousins, but I treat him as my brother. Sebby is also very sweet to me, but he is one thirsty man for gossip and he often turns......scandalous" Lyra whispered the last thing to her.

"But I'm really glad they are here for me, and I'll be there for them too! I'll protect them at all costs!!" Lyra puffed her cheeks with resolution and adherence. Her adorable reaction made the goth lady guffaw from amuse. She held her stomach, one of her hands fanning her face and gashes of laughter accumulated at the nook of her eyes.

Watching her laugh was like watching a thunderous hurricane reflecting a widespread rainbow, or like a broken glass casting an bewitching silhouette.

"You are such a sweetheart. Keep it up like that" Wynne patted her shoulder out of appreciation. Lyra shied a little, she found the other lady's laugh so mellifluous as a psalm's ensemble. She creased a ringlet behind her ear and ogled fondly at the shorter woman.

"I am trying my best, Wynne" she timidly replied to her. "I know, Dear. I know" she closed her eyes and exhaled. She unfolded them again, only to glimpse back into her sapphire watches. Lyra was so captivated by her that her heart skipped a beat when she observed the golden blaze and crystal frost inside her. It was enthralling.

"Also, may I ask for a favour?" Wynne gently held Lyra's chin and poked it up her lips. She didn't even realise that her mouth was open in awe that she blinked rapidly, and stammered a bit, her face flickering to an apple glow. Soon she regained her composure and answered back to her, not making her wait for long.

"Yeah?? What's the matter?"

Wynne stayed silent for a bit.

"......................."

".............................."

".................."

"......................................................"

"Can you show me the contract papers? I gotta sign up"

The clock strikes at 11, and so does the cap of Wynne's pen. Finally, she wrote her name on the paper and learned to become one of their family. She was having fun and was impatient for her first performance.

Well.....maybe Asra did the right thing annoying her huh. Bless him for that, and everyone else of the Vesuvian Dance Company.

Now let the extravaganza begin!

[snarkwrites]

13.12, heat, ray palmer [m]

Title: heat

Theme: bonfire - look, i swear, this relates to the theme ya’ll. It’s.. bonfire adjacent.

Fandom / Character(s): Legends Of Tomorrow/Arrowverse,Ray Palmer (atom) and OFC, Avaleigh Benson.

Warnings: Filth. Sweet and gentle, loving filth. Unprotected filth. Pretty much it... Kids, go outside. Read a book. This is not for you.

Word Count: 2.5 k, roughly. 

And I thought, what better way to start 12 Days Of Christmas challenge from @champbucks this year than to write about Ray. because I love him and I want to. Well, apparently, just writing about him wasn’t enough. I had to write sweet filthy things with him. So, here we are. Enjoy?

Also.. I made the banner. So don’t steal it or repost.

TAGGING:

@chasingeverybreakingwave & @helluvawriter 

[ about my writing | masterlist | multifandom tag doc ]

“There’s a snowstorm blowing in. We should stop and make shelter for the night.” Ray stated it matter-of-factly as he nodded towards the abandoned cabin just a few feet ahead in a clearing. I eyed the cabin and then him and snorted, shaking my head no vigorously. 

“Ray, no. I’m sure if we keep walking, we’ll be fine. And we might even find the Waverider.”

“We’re stuck.” Ray came to a full stop and whirled around, staring down at me. “We’re stuck and we’re lost. I can’t even tell how far we are from the nearest town, let alone the one we have to be in. It’s safer if we make shelter now. Trust me on this.”

I went silent, biting my lip. The darkness was settling in. The temperature was rapidly dropping too and it only served a reminder that I’d come out with Ray on this mission with my thinnest leather jacket.

My only actual jacket.

We were lost in the woods, in the freezing cold. On Christmas Eve, no less.

I stopped walking because for a second or two, I could’ve sworn that I heard the ringing of a lone church bell. But the wind picked up and I hugged myself real tight, straining to hear over the sound of it howling. “I thought I heard a bell, Ray.”

“Me too. But we need to get inside, okay? It’s freezing out here. You’re freezing.” his eyes roamed over me and he shook his head. He started to remove his own thicker jacket but I shook my head no stubbornly. “I’m.. I’ll be fine, okay? Let’s just.. Get in that cabin I guess.”

Every part of me wanted to object heavily about what I was agreeing to. As a horror fan, I’ve seen what the cabin in the middle of the forest might be home to and frankly, I wanted no part of my skin being made into a suit.. Or being someone’s appetizer.

We were just a few feet from the cabin by now and I stopped, hesitant to get any closer.

“Ray, maybe this isn’t a good idea.” I called out, fidgeting nervously. “What if someone does live here and we burst in there..”

“If someone lives here, then they can at least tell us where the nearest town is.. Maybe even give us a ride. Look. We’re not arguing about this, okay?”

The tone he said it in caught me off guard a little. But it also served to make me realize that I was being childish, to an extent. And probably annoying and or possibly slowing Ray down. The thought had me nodding and going silent.

I took a deep breath as I gazed at the cabin.

“At least knock!” I hissed as Ray stepped onto the porch and approached the door.

Ray knocked and my breath caught in my throat. When the door swung open, Ray peered in and I hissed, “Are you shitting me? Have you not watched a horror movie, sir? It never goes well for the nosy ones!”

Ray stepped into the cabin and I swore up a storm quietly, stepping onto the porch and through the door behind him. Right behind him, literally.

Ray turned back, I guess to tell me that it was safe and all was clear, the cabin was empty, but instead, we found ourselves body to body. I swallowed hard and stared up at him, poking my tongue out. “You know you’re fucking lucky, right?”

“Not lucky. I just know how to tell when a place is empty or not.” Ray shrugged, a hand raising to rake slowly through dark and shaggy hair. I grumbled a little. And it hit me then, neither of us had really taken any decent amount of steps back or away from one another. 

Another loud gust of wind blew through, making the old glass windows in the cabin rattle and I hugged myself just a little tighter. Ray rubbed his hands together and then placed them on my upper arms. “This is going to be okay.”

“I know, I’m not scared.” I muttered, even managing to dredge up a halfway convincing eye roll and blow my hair out of my face as if I were just impatient or mildly annoyed at the setback and the situation we found ourselves in.

I was lying when I said it, of course, but I had far too much pride to own up to that. I took a deep breath and spoke up again. “We need to build a fire.. Something. And that fireplace looks like it hasn’t been used in a thousand years.”

“Probably only one hundred, but I see what you’re getting at. First, though.” Ray slipped off his thicker jacket, holding it out to me. Again, I shook my head. Too stubborn to accept the offer. And maybe, too afraid that if I did, having the scent of his cologne in my nose constantly might actually fuck around and be my undoing, at last.

“You’re freezing. Take it before you get hypothermia.” -again with the firm tone, Christ.. Are you trying to kill me, sir? 

“Nice try, Raymond. But that tone? Doesn’t always work on me.” I stared up at him, standing straighter, trying to make myself taller. To at least appear that the tone did nothing to me. To seem like I wasn’t quietly panicking. Like my first instinct wasn’t to melt against him and just.. Let him protect me.

Because God knows, it really was. And I didn’t know why, exactly and honestly? That kind of irked me.

The man just has this magnetic pull and I’ve been drawn in since I joined the team four and a half weeks ago.

I spotted an old axe leaning against the stone wall surrounding the fireplace and I stepped away from Ray, wandering over to it. Hefting it up with a quiet grunt.

I turned to find him right behind me and again, to find us body to body. He eyed me and the axe I was holding. “Where are you going?”

“We just established this, sir. We need a fire of some sort. So, I’m going to cut wood. Problem solved as soon as I find a dry enough spot out there to start it.” 

I went to step around him and his hand circled my wrist, prying the axe from it gently as he stared me down. 

“The only place you’re going is over there. To sit down and warm up. With my jacket. I’ll go find firewood, okay?”

“I hear what you’re saying, but I’m going to have to politely and respectfully tell you no. I can handle it. Besides, I need to… Think.”

And that I did, because as I stood there, another alarming thought came to mind. If we start a bonfire, that’s all well and good, but just how in the hell are we going to manage keeping warm when we’re trying to sleep?

There’s only one way I know for sure will do the trick and… Somehow, I get the distinct impression that Ray Palmer is not going to cuddle up with me all night. No matter how much I may or may not want him to.

He’s kind of been… Distant since I joined the team. Mick told me once over beers that it wasn’t so much me as it was Ray, going through a dark place at the time. He told me to just keep trying with the guy. To give him time and space. He’d come around and then I’d be wishing to all hell Ray would back off.

,, not likely” I found myself thinking as my mind replayed the conversation. In the process, I managed to miss Ray, taking the axe, putting his jacket around my shoulders and walking out of the cabin.

I wandered over to the window and pulled back the rough and ragged plaid covering it, peering out. Ray stood out in the snow, swinging the axe at a tree. I shook my head and laughed to myself softly.

The growling of my stomach reminded me that yes, I’d skipped out on breakfast.. And lunch.. In favor of more research and some alone time in the waverider’s library and I grumbled to myself, feeling around in the pocket of my own thin leather jacket.

When all I came up with was a pack of cinnamon chewing gum, I scowled and tossed it on the table beneath the window. “Naturally, I didn’t eat a fucking thing all day.” I mumbled to myself as I shook my head.

The thought had me wandering to the little area in the one room cabin that served as a kitchen. Peering in the cabinets and cupboard. There was canned food there, but I wasn’t sure how well I trusted my life to it. I mean, it looked relatively new, which I did find strange… Given that the cabin was empty. It was obvious that someone had been here and they’d been here recently.

Maybe it was a hunter’s shack or something. I put all my current nagging concerns about the cabin we’d found out of my head and went back to snooping around. I found a linen closet. A heavy blanket the only piece of actual bed linen stored away inside. And the blanket looked bright and vibrant.. Again, I reminded myself this might just be a hunting cabin. Or someone’s get away for weekends.

The door swung open, making me jump a little in surprise and I ran over, trying to take some of the wood from Ray’s arms.

“Wait a minute, I literally just saw you chopping away at that big tree..”

“Yeah, and I’d still be out there too if I hadn’t found the stack of firewood around the side of the cabin already cut.” Ray dragged a hand across his forehead and I laughed softly, shaking my head a little, despite my best efforts not to, stepping closer to him. The smell of wood and his cologne permeated the air around us and I licked my lips, taking a shaky breath as I stared up at him.

“We need to get the fire going. And you, sir… You need your jacket back. I’ll be fine.” I tapped my foot against old hardwood floor and tilted my head, looking up at him expectantly, waiting on him to take the jacket back.

“Why are you so stubborn?” Ray asked the question, pushing the jacket I’d taken off and held out to him back at me. I held it out again, more insistent. He grumbled, but when he saw that I wasn’t intent on giving in, he took the jacket, slipping it on.

After a few seconds of the most intense silence I’d ever endured in my life, he cleared his throat. And naturally, I was off in lalaland, revisiting the tangent from earlier about just how we’d keep warm while sleeping, so I jumped at least a foot in the air and put my hand over my heart.

“I make you tense.” Ray trailed off.

“No, no. It’s not you. It’s getting used to everything.” I shrugged, a little nervous because he honestly had not one clue just how dangerously close to the truth he was. “This is a lot to take in, sir.”

“You can call me Ray. Or Raymond. Sir’s a little.. Formal.” Ray was stepping a little closer. His hands settled on my upper arms, rubbing them as if he were trying to warm me up. I gulped because suddenly, it felt like all the air got sucked right out of the room.

“I’ve been calling you sir for over a month now and it didn’t bother you before.” I eyed him as I said it, curious. Why was he just now noticing? Why was it just now bothering him? That little sliver of hope sparked up and I tried my best to dampen it. Because surely, he’s not feeling the same magnets pull I am. He gives every sign to indicate otherwise. That he tolerates me, at best. That I might be an annoyance or in his way for the most part.

“It did, I just never said anything.” Ray mumbled, leaning down a little. His hand left my upper arm and smoothed over my hair, tucking it behind my ear. “You’re soaked.”

,, you don’t know the half of it, Ray.” I thought to myself, clearing my throat abruptly. Oh, I was soaked alright... 

I should’ve backed away, stepped back.. Done something. Anything.

But honestly, I didn’t want to. I was freezing. Tired from the hike we’d taken from where the Waverider dropped us to here. Panicking because there hadn’t been any word from the team at all for hours now, so we had no way of knowing what was going on until they checked in. Hungry, because of course, I hadn’t eaten two meals today. And most of all, I was more than a little.. Frustrated. By my current little ongoing internal war where my feelings for Ray were concerned.

“Snow is wet.” I muttered quietly, my fingers curling in the front of his jacket. I was trying to will myself right out of anything that might be kicking around in my head. Anything I wanted to do that might just make tonight so much more awkward. I laughed softly, shaking my head.

“What?” Ray questioned, tucking his fingers beneath my chin to make me look up at him.

My mouth opened and closed. I didn’t dare say what was threatening to come out. Because I wasn’t entirely sure if he’d actually stopped to think about it yet, either.

“How are we gonna keep warm tonight?” I finally managed to find a way to phrase what I’d been thinking without seeming too forward or taking the risk of making things awkward as hell.

Ray took a shaky breath. I took at least two. Neither of us were saying anything. The soft bump of our bodies as we migrated closer had me gulping as I made myself hold his gaze. Waiting. Wondering what he’d say.

“Do you have any ideas?”

,, fuck. What exactly do I say here, huh?” I wondered to myself. I shrugged because shrugging was so much easier than opening my mouth and saying what I was really thinking. I raised my hand and dragged it through damp hair, shivering a little as a blast of cold air hit me. Ray’s hands settled on my sides, moving up and down slowly.

“You’re freezing. Let’s go out to the fire.”

I nodded. And for once, I didn’t put up an argument when he started to walk outside. I fell into step beside him, quietly trying to figure out just exactly how to answer what he’d asked without seeming… Forward.

Because the thoughts in my head were anything but proper at the moment. All I could think about was the way hard muscle and the warmth of him felt, pressed up against me cautiously like he had been for a little bit while we were in the cabin.

Ray dragged a thick log over and we sat down on it, staring into the fire.

“Body heat. The answer is body heat.” Ray shattered the silence with those words and I bit my lip, tearing my eyes off the fire to look up at him. He was looking at his hands, a quiet chuckle coming as if the thought only just occurred to him.

I coughed, mostly to cover up the fact that I was reeling more than  a little. To make some kind of sound to lift the tension a little. And finally, I found a response. “We’re both adults. Not like it’s a huge deal, Ray.”

Oh, but it was.

I didn’t dare let on how huge, either.

Ray managed a smile, nodding as he swallowed hard. “Right. Not a big deal at all.” he muttered quietly. I huddled against him a little, flashing a smile. His arm slid around me and god help me, I only barely stopped the whimper that was threatening to come out.

“This isn’t so bad.” I muttered quietly, my voice muffled by his jacket.

“It’s not.” Ray cleared his throat and answered, his voice husky. I could feel the warmth of the bonfire we’d made starting to take over, and combined with the body heat between Ray and I, I was starting to feel a little more relaxed.

I yawned and so did he.

“It’s late.” Ray mumbled, barely stifling a yawn as he spoke.

“Or early.” I mused, glancing up at him.

“If we’re going to try and regroup, figure out where we are and how far we are from where we need to be tomorrow, we need rest.” Ray spoke up again after a few seconds. I nodded in agreement.

“I think I saw a blanket in there. Some canned food too.. If we have to stick around.”

“I wonder why the team hasn’t made contact? I hope nothing’s happened.” Ray looked worried when he said it and I nodded again, agreeing with him. “They might have had an emergency stop or something.”

But honestly, it was worrying me too. It didn’t seem like they’d go hours without checking in. And almost as if on cue, the comm devices attached to our wrists went off in unison.

“Ray?”

“Avaleigh?”

“Yeah?”

Ray and I were looking at each other intently, waiting on our team members to speak.

Sara took over.

“How’s everything going?”

Ray and I raised a brow as we shared a look.

“Good? I mean except for us being lost in the forest?” I answered, a brow raised because something sounded off with Sara.

“Shit. The Waverider didn’t land where it was supposed to. Fuck.” Sara swore and took a few deep breaths. “Okay, let me try to track you guys.”

“Thank god. Maybe with some idea of where we are…” Ray trailed off. I held my breath, waiting.

“You guys are almost 10 miles from the town you need to be in. Okay, don’t panic..”

“We’re not.” Ray and I answered in unison. Ray continued, “We uhh, we found a cabin in the woods for the night.”

“Oh, thank god. Tomorrow, you two are gonna want to find a ride into town. We’ll check in again in the morning, bye!”

And like that, Sara was gone. I paced a little, trying to puzzle out exactly what had just taken place, because Sara was acting a little off. “You don’t think they’re in danger, right?”

“No, but I do think they’re up to something.” Ray mused aloud, rubbing his chin. He chuckled quietly, mumbling to himself as he shook his head about whatever it was that he was thinking.

I eyed him. I didn’t ask what he meant, either. I got the feeling that I might not want to know. Especially not given the fact that I know full well that Sara and Mick know exactly how I feel about Ray Palmer… No thanks to my big drunk mouth and lacking inhibitions, or me going all pouty when I got touchy-feely with Ray after a night of bar-hopping with Sara and Mick and then winding up spilling everything to Sara and Mick over beer the next morning at breakfast while Ray was still sleeping in our bunk.

It should’ve been glaringly obvious to me if I really stopped to think about it. But I wasn’t thinking about anything but the current situation.

And how uncomfortable I thought it was going to make Ray feel.

“I don’t… I feel like it’s gotta be a major emergency, otherwise, they’d have checked in before now.” I stretched and promptly hugged myself again when I realized just how much bite the cold air had to it. The fire was getting smaller.

I was so tired that I could barely hold my eyes open. One quick glance beside me showed that Ray was yawning, moving around a little to keep awake and keep warm and rubbing his eyes more than a little.

“We should probably put out our fire for now and go inside.. Try to figure out the sleeping thing.” I stood abruptly, because I was suddenly filled with energy and tension all at once. And not a bad tension either…

Ray, on the other hand… I was almost 1000 percent certain that he was either silently freaking out or silently annoyed that he was stranded here overnight with me and that we’d have to resort to body heat to keep warm.

Before he could say or do anything, I sprang up, hurrying towards the cabin. The one blanket I’d seen earlier looked reasonably thick, so that was a plus I supposed. By the time Ray stepped in and shut the door to the cabin tightly behind him, I was unfolding the blanket. 

I sat it to the side and slipped off my jacket, emptying the contents of the pockets on the table and when I heard the heavy clink of metal against wood, I smirked and grabbed for my father’s lucky Zippo.

I’d seen some candles in a drawer earlier too.

Turning my back to Ray, I busied myself digging through the drawers until I found the candles. My eyes settled on a row of old glass beer bottles lining the windowsill as if someone had been using them for makeshift vases.

When I couldn’t get the candles to fit properly, I took the bottle and hit it against the side of the heavy wooden table. The neck shattered away from the bottom portion and I took a candle from the box, shoving it down inside. I lit the candle and moved on to the next candle and bottle doing the same until I had all of the bottles filled with a candle and all of the candles lit.

I stuck my hand against the table and grimaced the second I felt a little shard of glass dig into the top layer of skin on my palm. “Ouch.”

“Let me see it.” Ray had just been standing there, leaned against the door, watching me and looking as if he were lost in thought until I got the glass stuck in my hand. Then he was across the room and at my side, reaching for my hand.

I squirmed, because a fun fact here… I am an actual giant baby when it comes to any sort of pain or illness. And the shard of glass had dug down into my palm pretty deep at this point.

“I’m fine. If you find my pocketknife there on the table, just hand it to me.” I nodded towards the spot on the table that my pocketknife had settled on when I emptied my jacket.

Ray eyed me as if I were losing my marbles. “You’re not fine. That’s in there pretty deep.”

I blew at my bangs and tapped my foot. “Hello, which one of us was basically living on her own at 11? I’ve got this, Ray.”

“You do realize you don’t have to do everything yourself… Right? Besides, I know where that knife’s been. I’ve seen how you use that knife. It’s definitely not sanitary to go digging out a shard of glass with.” Ray wasn’t letting go of the gentle grip he had on my wrist. I gazed down at the way he held my wrist in his hand and gulped to myself because it hadn’t ever really occurred to me just how big his hands were in comparison to my wrist.

Then again, to be fair.. He’s not been the touchy sort.

Until tonight.

And neither have I… Until a few nights ago when I went out bar crawling with Sara and Mick and proceeded to make an entire idiot out of myself flirting with the man when we all got back to the Waverider.

When I realized that we were migrating closer together all over again, I tilted my head, looking up at him quietly. “Fine. Go ahead, Dr.”

I flashed a smirk, even though every part of me was dying to snatch my wrist out of his hand because I am… Not a fan of pain. And I’m so used to doing all this stuff for myself that I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted anyone else to do this stuff for me but me. 

I jumped and flinched as he carefully tried to push the shard of glass to the surface of my skin. If I flinched and fidgeted any harder, I probably would’ve flown through the roof. Ray stopped and looked at me calmly.

“What? It freakin hurts, okay?” I babbled. Flinching again a second later when Ray caught hold of my wrist gently all over again and tried one more time to work the shard of glass to the surface.

“Are you done now?” Ray asked, his eyes locking on mine for a few seconds. If I thought the tension between us was high before, it felt… So much higher now.

So much higher. I almost couldn’t breathe.

“Okay,alright.” I tensed just to keep from squirming. Ray eyed me and I bit my lip because the look in his eyes was… Definitely an intense one. Smouldering. His touch got even more gentle and I didn’t think that was possible, given what he was trying to do. “Count to three out loud, Avaleigh.”

“One, two” and before I got to three, he was chuckling, holding the thin shard of glass up a little as he gave me a teasing grin. “Got it.”

“I didn’t even feel it, how?” I mumbled after a few seconds of staring.

Ray merely shrugged. He nodded to a stack of mattresses in the corner of the room, in front of a floor to ceiling window. The moon flooded the area with light and only added to the mood set by the lit candles, the flames shadows dancing on the walls. “We should probably get settled in.”

I eyed the mattresses for a second or two, shuffling my feet as I cleared my throat. I intended to answer him verbally, but the only sound that came was me, clearing my throat. Instead, I managed a nod and finally, my mouth seemed willing to work again.

“I put the blanket on that stool over there.. I’m gonna get comfortable.”

“Get comfortable?” Ray questioned, fidgeting slightly as he gazed down at me. His hand was lingering at my side and just the way it felt had me swallowing down a lump in my throat. If he had any clue how I actually felt, I found myself thinking, he wouldn’t touch me at all. Or I don’t believe he would.

“Silly man.” I stopped in front of him and tilted my head, flashing a bit of a teasing smirk up at him as I continued, “I’m an actual human furnace at night. I can’t sleep in layers.”

Ray coughed abruptly and for a second or two, yeah. I felt smug, because I got it in my head I was right. He wasn’t interested in me at all. In fact, I’d probably just made things awkward. Which bothered me, but for the time being, my weird brain being what it was, I chose to take comfort in the fact that yet again, I was right. I absolutely had to be. All the signs were there.

I slunk across the room, stopping in front of the door to the bathroom that I’d found earlier, while Ray was out getting wood for the fire we built outside. Pulling the handle, I stepped inside and after taking several long and deep breaths to center myself again, because god knew, all the touching and the looks and that firm fucking tone he kept taking with me tonight were all.. Combining to take it’s toll… I proceeded to strip down to my underwear and the thin strapped long tank top I’d had beneath the black and gray striped sweater I’d been wearing. Then I stopped and thought about it, and swearing under my breath, I slipped the thin sweater back down over my head too.

No sense in making him feel even more uncomfortable than he already did.

I could make it one night sleeping half clothed instead of naked as I preferred.

I stepped back out into the main part of the cabin and stretched, making my way over to the mattresses, walking right past Ray as I did so. I flopped down on the pile of mattresses, wiggling around until I got as comfortable as I could while still leaving Ray some room. Ray made his way over to the mattresses, carrying two of the candles over, sitting them on the little stool sitting next to them. And he bent, about to climb over me to settle in behind, pausing, hovering over me and staring down.

I bit my lip, staring right back up at him. It felt like everything around us just sort of...Froze. Or disappeared altogether.

He leaned down a little. “This is okay… Right?” he asked quietly. The way his voice dropped almost to an intimate whisper had me barely biting back a whimper.

“We’re adults, Ray. It’s fine. Besides, I don’t fancy being taken out by hypothermia, okay? I.. Trust you.”

“You trust me.” Ray repeated quietly, getting the slightest hint of a goofy grin as he did so. I licked my lips and tried not to stare at his mouth. More to the point, just how close it was to mine right now. Or the way it felt, with him lightly pressing into my body from above. I wiggled a little before I could stop myself, causing us to rub together. He sucked in a breath. Kept staring down at me, biting his lip. 

“I just said that, didn’t I?” I mumbled, mostly to break the silence hanging heavy in the air. To distract myself from what my mouth really wanted to do at the moment. He chuckled quietly, nodding down at me with that goofy and bright grin still plastered on his face. “You did.”

“Are you getting in? Or do you want me to move over…” the question was asked awkwardly. I was horrible at this. The worst. You’d think that knowing I had not a snowballs chance in hell with Ray Palmer would make me bolder somehow, but it didn’t.

It only made each touch… every single one, accidental or not… that much more intimate. It had me tense because I couldn’t even catch my breath around the man right now. I was stuck in a cabin with him overnight and it only amplified the fact that I wanted what I couldn’t have.

Ray swallowed hard and climbed over me, settling in behind me. He started out lying on his back, his arm behind his head. I tried to hug the side of the mattress that I was on, despite knowing that we were supposed to be trying to keep body heat between the two of us. I just… Couldn’t.

“This isn’t going to work…” Ray spoke up and I rolled over to face him, biting my lip. “It will. And this blanket is thicker than I thought.” I mumbled the words, lost in his eyes. He shook his head and insisted, “We’ll never keep enough body heat between us to stay warm with you trying to hug the edge of the bed, Avaleigh.”

“I didn’t want to crowd you.”  I muttered in a daze, still staring. 

“You won’t be. And you feel like you’re freezing. Human furnace my ass.” Ray air quoted what I’d said before getting into bed, his words falling away as he started to stare at me all over again. I moved just a little closer. “Better?” I inquired as I yawned.

“You can get closer. I can’t keep you warm if you’re still halfway off the bed, Avaleigh.”

I moved a little closer. Our bodies were brushing together now. My heart may have fluttered a little because I could feel hardened muscles pressing against my body and the contrast felt so good. My breath caught in my throat as he put an arm over me and he eyed me.

“Are you okay?” Ray’s quietly mumbled question sent a shiver right through me because I’d been adrift in my own thoughts and internal conflict and I forgot how close we were lying together.

“Yeah, I’m fine. This is good.” I flashed him my best grin. Inside? I was… melting. Literally dying to get closer. Even though I was body to body with him in the little bed already. I felt his fingertips digging into my lower back just a little and I was pulled even closer. Somehow, my head wound up nestled just above the center of my chest and when my lips brushed right against bare skin, I felt his body shiver beneath them. His fingertips dug in even more.

I bit my lip, raising my head to look at him as if I were asking if it were okay. He chuckled quietly and his other hand wound up dragging slowly through my hair. Catching here and there, playing with strands before tucking beneath my jawline. His mouth inched closer to mine and time seemed to slow to a stop.

It felt like a lifetime, but his lips brushed mine clumsily. My hand raised, lingering on his shoulder for a second or two. But that didn’t feel right somehow, so I moved it, my fingers dragging through shaggy and dark hair, tugging at it lightly, just to be greedy and deepen the kiss.

I never imagined Ray Palmer liked to bite when he kissed. I’d always just… sort of thought it’d be soft and clumsy, gentle like I know he is. But this kiss was so much more than that. It was gentle and yet it felt desperate. Full of desire. His mouth locked on my bottom lip and I whimpered into the kiss. He pulled me partially on top of him and I trailed my tongue over the outline of his mouth hungrily. His fingers tangled in the ends of my hair, gathering it at the back of my neck and using his grip to pull me into the kiss even deeper. When he bucked into me from below, I whined into his mouth, rocking right back against him.

The kiss broke and we pulled apart, gasping for our next breath, wide eyed. I swallowed hard, preceded immediately by a few shaky breaths and my mouth opened and closed as words failed me all over again, but Ray was already raising to sit, putting me in his lap with my legs wrapped around him.

This is not how I pictured tonight going by any stretch of my imagination and I was frantically combing back over the way it had gone so far to try and piece things together and figure out if I’d missed anything somehow.

“You’re overthinking. You always get a wrinkle in your brows.” Ray muttered in a husky tone against my mouth, smirking at me a little.

“Oh, I’m overthinking, huh?” I challenged.

But one of us had to think a little. And honestly, my mind was still blown.

Ray’s hands moved up and down my sides gently. That hungry look was back in his eyes again and I gave up trying to puzzle it all out. I knew what I wanted. Obviously, this was what he wanted at the moment.

The hungry gaze turned serious and he pulled me in more, rocking me right over the way he strained at his jeans, which he’d opted to keep on. I hissed against his mouth, a whine coming on the tail of the sound. “Ray.”

“Want you so much, darling. It’s driving me insane.” he muttered against my mouth as it fell open willingly. His tongue trailed over my lips, then outlined my teeth, before finally meeting mine in a deeper and slower kiss. A kiss he seemed determined to draw out until neither of us could breath on our own and were breathing together instead.

His hands roamed more, moving lower down my body. Slow. Gentle and deliberate as if he were learning every single curve to my body to commit to memory. 

“I’m right here. I’ve been right here the whole time. You have no idea how much I want you. How much I care… I love you.” I blurted it out, a quiet helpless whisper against his lips before I could restrain myself and the fact that the words were out there felt so freeing.

I melted against him completely, my legs squeezing the sides of his body as they circled his waist. When the kiss broke, I took his face in my hand, dragging my thumb over his lower lip, leaving it to quiver as I did so.

The more I rocked against him, the louder his groans got against the shell of my ear. The harder his fingers dug in and the more his hands roamed my body. Fingers gripped the hem of my sweater with precision and in a split second, he was tugging the thin garment up and over my head, letting it settle on the floor as his mouth continued to dominate mine hungrily. “Say it again, Avaleigh.”

“Say what?” I asked the question despite knowing full well exactly what I’d just said and what he wanted me to repeat. And given what Sara told me about how close he’d been to Kendra and just how that had ended, I kind of had the feeling I knew exactly why he needed me to repeat it.

“You know what you said, sweetheart.” Ray’s tone was thicker, laced heavily with desire he wasn’t bothering to hide now. That hungry look in his eyes was so much hungrier when they fixed on mine as he pulled away to stare and roll his thumb over my swollen and bruised lips.

“I love you.” I meant it and I’d say it a thousand times, but at the particular moment, I said it because I’d do anything to get his lips back against mine. His hands wandering all over me again, squeezing and rubbing. Touching me in that gentle way. I’d never felt quite that special in my life.

His touch had me melting. His kisses had me addicted.

My fingertip trailed down the center of his chest, toying with the button to his jeans as I rocked against him urgently. I could feel my underwear soaking through and I knew he had to feel it, there had to be a wet spot forming on his lap where I was sitting, grinding myself against the bulge strained at his jeans. 

“I mean it, Ray.” I promised, pulling his face closer, my mouth latching onto his lip, nipping and sucking until he was bucking himself right up into me and moaning into my mouth as my tongue slipped between his lips when they parted. His hand dragged through my hair and settled on the back of my neck, pulling my mouth in completely as he deepened the kiss and took over, a low growl hanging in the air only to be swallowed by the kiss just before it broke and we took a few seconds to breathe.

“I love you too. Kind of why I kept my distance, Avaleigh.” Ray admitted quietly, a sigh following as his shoulders dropped a little, almost as if he were ashamed to admit it. “Then the other night when you came back and you were touching me and flirting, I..” before he could finish, I was melting against him all over again, my fingers tugging impatiently at the waistband of his jeans, snagging the button and pulling it free from the buttonhole. His teeth scraped against my bottom lip.

“You’re sure?” he breathed out against my mouth, his breath shaky. I licked my lips and nodded, not a second's hesitation. My finger trailed slowly over the zip of his jeans and his breath caught in his throat. 

“Ray, c’mon… Please?” I begged, rocking myself over the bulge and bearing down just a little harder as I did so, an urgent and needy whine escaping my throat. Ray���s hand slipped down between us, palm settling against my soaked panties and he growled as he closed the distance between our mouths and bodies all over again.

“You’re so wet already… How? I haven’t done anything.” he mumbled lazily as he worked me onto my back, positioning his body between my legs to keep them open. His hand cupped and squeezed me through my underwear and he leaned down, mouth catching against mine clumsily, a brief little peck as he moved from my mouth down the front of my throat.

I never once stopped to think that Ray might like to bite.. But his teeth latched onto soft skin and a shiver raced through me as I raised my arms, wrapping them around his neck. My fingertips dug into muscular shoulders just a little deeper and his body tensed and released tension under my fingertips as he crashed his mouth against mine all over again after his mouth ventured up my neck and met my lips all over again because I was whining, begging him for another kiss. 

We’d both long forgotten about how cold we were. We’d both forgotten about any earlier awkwardness. Everything was just rapidly melting away and suddenly, I was dreading tomorrow when we’d have to leave the solitude of our little found paradise behind.

One of his hands wound up on my thigh, squeezing as he rocked himself against me and his other hand cupped and squeezed my dripping sex, practically growling every time his hand came away a little wetter than before. I rose to sit as best as I could and lowered my hand, tugging impatiently at the slipping waistband of his jeans, gazing up at him as I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

He nuzzled his nose against mine and chuckled softly, slipping from between my legs to stand, letting his jeans hit the floor and pool around his ankles. He kicked them free and they settled on the floor a few inches away from my discarded sweater. Then he was lowering himself all over again, settling between my legs and his hands were all over me. Slipping beneath my tank top and working it up, letting me raise up so that he could pull it off and toss it over his shoulder before gently pushing me flat against the mattress all over again, a hand at either side of my head as he rocked into me and I met each barely clothed thrust with a thrust of my own, my moans echoing quietly into the room surrounding us and disappearing into thin air. 

My hand slipped down between our bodies almost around the same time as his fingers caught in the banding of my panties and the quiet rip of fabric filled the air between us. He tossed them on the floor and I tugged at the waistband of his boxer briefs, pouting up at him. He rose up, letting them hit the floor, kicking them free at his ankle to join the growing pile of clothing on the floor around the mattresses already. 

And then he was pressing himself against me completely. Carefully, as if I were made of glass. Touching me all over, his mouth dancing all over my skin and when he wasn’t kissing, touching me, he was staring down at me with this look of total adoration in his eyes and I was looking back up at him the same way.

He leaned down to kiss me and our faces bumped making both of us laugh softly. His hands slipped down to my sides, gripping and as soon as I felt his thick cock graze right against my folds, I whimpered and rocked myself up into him just for more friction. As if all the friction I’d gotten earlier wasn’t enough. I was aching, throbbing even. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.

“Sorry.” he apologized and I giggled, playfully latching onto his lower lip with my teeth and rubbing myself against him as much as I possibly could. His cock brushed against my center again and I whimpered, catching hold of his face, mumbling against his mouth in a pleading whisper, “Ray, please. Need you now, baby.”

“Now, huh?” Ray muttered back against my mouth. His fingers squeezed my sides as he started to bury himself inside me slowly, peppering kisses over my face and neck, his thrusts long and slow. Our hips smacked softly with the connection of each one and I sighed in content as his forehead rested against mine and we locked eyes. My breath caught in my throat as the tension really melted away. I could feel him stretching me, and it felt so good. Amazing.

My hands wandered up, resting on his shoulders, my fingertips digging into them lightly. Carefully, because I didn’t want to hurt him and I didn’t know if he’d be the type to appreciate marks left behind in the morning.

Then his mouth broke from mine, moving slowly down the front of my throat.. Dragging across my collarbones and up the side of my neck, dancing lightly over my pulse before latching lazily on exposed skin. I could feel the mark forming as he kissed and sucked my neck and I moaned, rocking my hips against him just a little faster, desperate for him to pick up the pace, needy as hell.

“Ray, oh.. Fuck. Raymond.” I moaned out, writhing beneath him. My fingertips dug into his shoulders just a little bit. If he was going to leave marks and everything, I was going to. My hands were all over him, leaving where they rested on his shoulders to slip down, gently dragging my fingertip down his chest or move my hands over his sides. 

Something about me using his full first name as opposed to merely calling him Ray had him snapping. His hips snapping against mine faster, a little harder. His touches got a lot more.. Intense. His teeth tugged at my lower lip and his hand slipped up my side, resting against my neck, his fingers caressing my cheeks. He rolled a thumb over my kiss swollen lips and gave a loving gaze. “Warm enough, Avaleigh?”

“Getting warmer.” I whimpered as he drove deeper, his hips smacking softly against mine with each deep thrust. My hands drifted back up, over his biceps, resting on his shoulders again, gripping and squeezing each time he managed to bottom out or hit my spot and make me moan just a little more. His mouth crashed against mine all over again, a kiss so deep that I forgot to breathe somewhere in the middle of it all. “That’s good.” the soft tone combined with the low gravel of his voice had me biting my lip as I stared up at him, raising a hand, dragging my thumb over his bottom lip.

Every single touch felt so gentle and intimate between us that I was honestly just a step away from going into overload. It was like something in both of us snapped. We couldn’t touch or kiss, rub against each other enough. I absolutely loved it.

My legs raised, wrapping around his hips. The new angle had him groaning into my mouth as our mouths collided all over again. His hands moved down my sides, one settling on my thigh and the other on my hip as he continued to plow into me, driving my body into the pile of mattresses just a little. The kiss broke, his mouth wandering down my neck, leaving a string of bruises and bites behind that I barely felt because they were that gentle. 

“Feels so good.” he mumbled in a daze, stopping to rest his forehead against mine again and stare into my eyes as he worked on catching his breath and I worked on catching mine, pouting because I’d been so damn close to an orgasm shattering through me and again, he stopped. His breath tickled the shell of my ear as his mouth brushed against it and he whispered quietly, “So beautiful.”

“Look whos talking, handsome.” I managed to moan out the words as his thrusts sped back up all over again, only to slow when I could feel my body starting to coil and tense as my orgasm started to build all over again.

The soft and goofy grin he gave as I said it had me giggling against his mouth softly. Our bodies were fully pressed together and his hands glided all over mine, not resting or lingering too long in one certain area. “I love this. I love you. So much, princess.” the lazily muttered words against my skin had my breath catching in my throat and before I could stop myself,  I was repeating them. “I love you too, Ray… Ah- oh.. Right there.” I moaned out as I felt his cock strike my spot and bottom out, my orgasm threatening to shatter through at any second. I almost couldn’t hold back anymore.

My fingertips dug into his side and his lower back, driving him even deeper inside and his mouth crashed against mine, a deep and needy kiss that seemed to deepen even more with each meeting of our bodies and deep thrust into my dripping sex. “Raymond.” I moaned out, my back arching. Ray coaxed quietly, “C’mon, sweetheart. Let go for me.” as his lips left mine, roaming down the front of my throat, teeth grazing against skin.

I needed no further coaxing. My orgasm shattered through, leaving me whimpering and clinging to him as I kept rocking my hips upward to meet his thrusts. His thrust got more erratic with each one and he was kissing me anywhere he could get his mouth, nipping and biting, his hands gripping my body as he fucked into me faster and deeper. “Oh.. Mmm. Taking me so well, darling.” he growled against my neck huskily as his lips locked on my skin, leaving another mark behind. “I don’t want to stop.” he trailed off, me surprising myself when my response was to say “Don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop, Ray.”

I could feel him throbbing, filling me up as he pulled me closer, held onto me tighter and his thrusts slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. As he worked on catching his breath, his hand moved over my face tenderly and he stared down into my eyes. 

“Merry Christmas.” he gave a goofy smirk as he said it and I could my cheeks flaming up. I pulled him down almost completely on top of my, my arms going around his neck. His hands cradled the back of my hair, fingertips tangling in it as his forehead rested against mine and we both yawned and worked on catching our breath, kissing softly. He fell to the spot in bed next to me and pulled me on top of him, his arms locking around me to hold me in place and kissed the bridge of my nose, laughing when I yawned too.

“We should probably attempt sleep. We have.. A long day tomorrow.”

“Lots of walking.” Ray mused, squeezing me tighter.

[hotdamnhunnam]

Dirty Little Liar

A/N: Here’s the next fic for my Dirty Little Secret series!!! 😋 Also my first entry for @band--psycho’s Bingo Challenge! In which Sir Hunnam punishes you for getting off to the thought of another man... but it’s all in good fun, as that ‘other man’ is one of his own fictional characters (Raymond!)

Pairing: Charlie Hunnam/Ray Smith x F!Reader Warnings: smut, swearing, dirty talk, jealousy, punishment (spanking + belting), dom!Charlie Request: This Dirty Little Secret request (anon) Bingo Square Filled: Impact play

Word Count: ~1.8k

"You've been a very bad girl, Y/N."

He says it as soon as you walk in. Sitting down on the couch at the end of the room, he's got his leather belt in his hand, and he's talking in that voice again. A voice dripping with sin, setting fire to every nerve under your skin. There's nothing better, nothing in the world that gets you wetter, honestly, than angry Charlie.

You stop dead in your tracks, at the sound of that. Bow your head, wracking your brain to think what could've made him so mad. You don't know what you've done, but whatever it is... you want punishment. Badly. Your pussy is dripping already. "I... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?" he repeats, snickering darkly, tongue flickering out between the pearly edges of his teeth. "You think you're fucking sorry? Gonna have to prove it to me. Words are cheap."

God, he's so hot when he gets all bossy like this. "Yes I will, sir, I promise—"

"Don't make promises you can't fucking keep."

"So sorry..."

"Shut up and get down on your knees," he commands, smirking with satisfaction as you follow orders immediately. "Now crawl over to me. On all fours. That's a good little whore."

His praise fills you with such immense pleasure, as you grovel over the floor, then finally reach his seat, gazing lovingly up at his beautiful face and settling into the space between his feet. Charlie Hunnam kills you daily with his beauty; all you'll ever want is more. Serving him is your duty—your slutty heart flutters and soars when he calls you his good little whore.

You always love the way he showers you with praise, for how well you obey; his sweet praise is the perfect reward... yet today, something different is surely in store. "But you weren't such a good girl last night. Ain't that right. We both know what a bad bitch you were," he murmurs, every word off of his full pink lips cutting straight to your core. "And you know just what I'm gonna punish you for."

You blink stupidly up at your master, ashamed not to know the answer. You've no fucking clue.

So he tells you. "You wanna sit there and play dumb? Well, I guess I'll just have to remind you, then," he says, leaning in so that the liquor on his breath warms up your skin, enveloping your senses in a ravishing caress. "Know what you've done, Y/N. You touched yourself—without permission—all alone, before Master got home, you made that pretty little pussy come... thinking of someone else."

Um, what the fucking hell?! The moment he says it, you panic in protest, appalled just at the thought of something so unthinkable. "No...! No sir, I swear, I would never—"

"Dirty little liar. I know what I heard," he snarls, folding his belt in half ominously. Playing fifty shades of Charlie. "Who the hell is this bastard? Tell me the name you call out in your filthy wet dreams. The name I heard you fucking scream."

Just then, as the gravelly edge in his husky voice deepens and hardens... now it hits you all of a sudden. You finally realize what he means.

"Say it, bitch," he demands, making your pussy twitch, taking a firm grip of your chin in his free hand. Eyes blazing gloriously blue, the shade that never fails to absolutely ruin you.

No other eyes on earth could ever shine that same dazzling hue. But when it comes to men who don't exist in this reality—only within fictional fantasies—there are at least a few, who ruin you in all the ways that Charlie loves to do. Each of the on-screen characters you've seen your husband play. 

There's one name in particular that you've been moaning often in the past few days. So that's the name you say. "...Ray."

"That's right," Charlie furiously replies, hoisting you up as if you're feather-light, manhandling you like a rag doll as he lays your upper body down across his sturdy thighs. "That's the name you were screaming all night. Not the first time I've heard you get off to the thought of some fucker named Raymond."

Oh, this is gonna be so fun, you think, biting your tongue as Charlie gets you in position to indulge you in a good hard spanking. You're already eager to giggle like a giddy schoolgirl and thank him. Punishment has always been one of your favorite kinks. And now, thanks to this twisted game he's playing... he can act as if you've seriously done something worth punishing. As if you've actually committed the most unforgivable sin: coming for somebody other than him.

Charlie knows just how horny you have always been for his fictional alter egos; of course he knows. You had been crushing hard on Jax Teller for all seven seasons of Sons, long before you met Charlie in person—he teases you about it all too often, and naturally that little crush has become a big source of some hot kinky roleplaying fun, which is a total turn-on.

In addition to the badass biker blonde, it's just as fun with all the other roles your man has taken on... most recently the gangster gentleman named Raymond.

Last night before Charlie got home, while you were waiting up for him, you'd been in bed watching The Gentlemen again because you fucking love him in that film. Of course you couldn't help but touch yourself thinking about how gorgeous Raymond looked in each and every frame, moaning his name. And yes of course it made you cum.

Typically if he arrived home to that kind of fuckery, Charlie would just jump in suddenly. Falling right into the role, taking on full control, putting on his theatrical 'Ray voice' and fucking you over in every damn hole. Because Charlie is Ray; Ray is Charlie; in every way that counts honestly, they are one and the same. Just one man by two names.

But to pretend that Raymond Smith is actually another man entirely? Somebody else...? 

Well, that's an idea you could never have dreamed up yourself. You're just so happy that it's happening thanks to Charlie. 'Cause it's seriously hot as hell.

"Such a bad little girl..." your man growls, in the 'Ray voice' right now, just to fuck shit up that much more, making your toes curl.

Aroused so hard you're seeing stars, you moan and whimper like a whore. The whore you are. "I'm sorry, sir..."

"Oh no, you're not. You good-for-nothing slut. Not yet," he grunts, thick fingers ghosting up your inner thighs, shifting your slutty skirt up nice and high, hands inching dangerously close toward your needy cunt. "I bet you're fucking soaking wet. Is that what happens when you think about him? Hmm? Yeah, let's see just how wet you get..."

His reaches up toward your crotch, the lacy panties that you're wearing... then in one swift motion rips them off. Ruthless and rough, slaying you with his touch, tearing up this expensive piece of lingerie that he had bought, not even caring.

"Ugh—wet as fuck. Just like I thought," he mutters at the feeling of your pussy juices smothered all across the flimsy cloth. 

He stuffs the torn up panties in your mouth, only to pull them out and rub the fabric all over your snout, before he flings the sloppy handful casually down to the ground. You know just why he didn't keep it in your mouth: when Charlie spanks you raw, he likes to make you count, each number falling from your gaping jaw. He likes to hear you clear and loud.

Your ass is ready for him now—your panties stripped, skirt hiked above your hips, back arching high so he can access each and every inch of your bare naked cheeks and spank them raw until you can't sit right for weeks. You shudder in bliss at the feeling of his fingertips, trembling as they brush up against your dripping pussy lips. 

"You're such a naughty little girl. You should've known that you're all mine..." he snarls, slick fingers tracing slowly up your spine. "How many times have you come thinking of this other guy? This so-called Ray? How many times has he fucked you to pieces in your dreams, making you scream? Tell me how many times. I wanna hear you say."

You gasp and sigh as Charlie's right hand comes to rest, the very touch of it a threat, upon the tender skin between your ass and thighs. Then you open your mouth to reply. "I..."

And that is when your master dishes out the first slap, hard and fast, before you can finish the sentence where you lie across his lap, before you can so much as try. It hurts so bad, so good you could just fucking cry. "What's that?" he dominantly taunts. "Can't hear you, cunt. Once? Twice?"

His hand comes down again, just then. A squeal of pleasured pain escapes your mouth, and you're embarrassed at how fucking weak you sound when it slips out; you bite your bottom lip and shut your eyes.

"Three times?" Charlie mutters, with yet another, even harder than the two before.

There is only one answer that comes to your mind, the one truth you can find, just one word. "M-more..."

Right on cue, he continues, blessing you with slap number four. "Better start counting for me, whore."

You do just that of course. Keeping count for as long as he dishes them out. You're on fire by five, and by ten you'll be burning alive, no doubt. 

By twelve, he switches to his savage leather belt. The red hot sting of it is just the most exquisitely excruciating thing you've ever felt. Submitting wholly to the sinful savage dominance of Charlie, till it feels like every fiber of your body, every cell, is burning in the deepest pit of hell, the skin off of your very bones all set to melt...

The night has only just begun. 'Cause if your sex god of a husband has you counting just how many times you've gotten off to this fictional gentleman... then it's gonna be a damn long time before this punishment is done. Hell, you'll be counting past a thousand till your ass is fucking flaming. That's how many times you've cum thinking of Raymond.

And you're more than down for that. Sounds like it's gonna be the best night you and Charlie/Ray have ever fucking had.

***************

Hope you enjoyed this, and would love to hear if you did!! 🤗❤️

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[smallestclowninthecircus]

Tma season 2 notes baybeee

I made myself take several breaks so I could give my frie d who is listening to it at the same time as me a chance to catch up. Honestly just posting them so I have them saved somewhere but whatever.

ep 41: real graham wrote keep watching before he was replaced. Jon feels like he's being watched. But they werent replaced by things related to the eye. It's the web that's on the box that replaces them. Endless hallways and doors to nowhere. I bet nicholas will have ideas what entity this relates to. If it even does. They're like the tunnels in the one with the builder guy. Tunnels closing in etc. Also like the cave diving one. He's assuming it's just one

ep 42: so 100 gecs? (IM SORRY I LIKE 100 GECS BUT LMAO) so there's some entity related to music right? There's the piper episode and the 27 w/ the calliope. Ah yes, this season is gonna be the season of Paranoid!Jon

ep 43: section 31? fucking books. god no. smashed lights? cult lady did that. covered the lights too. she mentioned a spooky clown doll. thats not random.

ep 44: is this that same circus that got mentioned before? it is! the pipe organ! pop off organ! pipe off! mouth on the stomach! yes! mouths in unusual places my beloved!

ep 45: antiques! like that one ep!

ep 46: every time books get mentioned i sigh. hhh sus smells. it got brighter. I get the vibes occasionally that the dark and the eye are sorta at odds with eachother. GRRR BARK BARK LEITNER. ayyy ex altiora. entity go brr. which entity do we thing it is? my guess is The Dark. The book buyer's name is Mike. He has scars? Electricity? The childhood friend of the guy who got it later on perhaps? The Vast? its formatted like an entity idk. This happened before the other one. He got trapped in the wood carving. a win for the web lol spiders go brr

ep 47: did i hear spiral? ITS THE NOT THING FROM THE EPISODE WITH NOT GRAHAM "it didnt move, it shifted" is like the exact same sentence as before. ay john's starting to remember. the laughing woah thats weird. is "michael" one of the entities? "you make it seem like theres a war" supports my theory that theres a struggle between a couple of the entities. I said i thought it was the eye and the dark i believe but im not sure. its whatever entity michael is vs the worms? what did nicholas say the worms were again? The Corruption? still dont know which one michael is tho.

Had to take a break after that episode. smth about the quality of michael's voice makes me feel like im gonna slip into one of those states where it feels like nothing is real, so i got a nice cold glass of water.

ep 48: jesus ok this one's kidna corny. you're telling me love made the crowd go away come on now. Ur losing it big J. also shouldnt it be more sus that "sasha" is so unaffected by the worm incident/ finding of gertrude's body

ep 49: haven't we heard hector's name before? oh is he the crime guy? fucking jared... so it's a throat? chompa chompa. (it's just a little bit hot) the good part about these episodes is that we know whoever's telling the story isn't gonna die. even if it's a close call, they're not dead. hotworth? ok not jared keay. it bothers me how theres so many repeated names, can they not come up with other names? "sasha"'s computer is breaking... sus. Elias our favorite weed man! jon ur so paranoid lmao

ep 50: robert smirk, at it again. this is like that one episode with the old dude who locked his door. who said idle beforehand? was it smirk? fingertips. thats so weird lmao. bahahah tim

ep 51: simon fairchild. im sure jon will mention the name at the end i cant remember where we've heard it. this is just like the cavediving episode. a hand? there was a hand in the last one right? the scalpel! and an eye thing. she's trying to throw them off.

ep 52: thats the guy from before! with the hearts! god i hate this guy writing the statement hh. lights blowing, and brackish water. we know how this ends but its still tense. rainer? reigner? rain man. we've seen him before

ep 53: pls not a leitner. oh boy mans scratched out his eyes. rip skelly. why would gertrude have had this statement off the books? jon stabbed himself?? bruh im? big man are you okay

ep 54: cockney boys! ayy its our favorite delivery men. she cut out their eyes. she knew that the eye was a thing?

ep 55: oily residue like the retirement home!

ep 56: worms? no. spiders?? bruhh. aaah yelling :(( aww martin anyways yeah i called it about paranoid!jon he needs to take a nap and drink some hot chocolate and calm down for once please

ep 57: just remembered, i think theres an entity called The Lonely?? This feels pretty lonely idk. fairchild, lukas/ lucas, some spooky place in norway idk. "sasha" knew he was recordinig hmm suspicious cmon jon figure it out. Sasha and tom. hm sus. for records sake i feel liek i should note here that I did have it spoiled to me simply that that's not sasha, but thats really all. i assumed it was like the thing that happened to graham in S1

ep 58: i feel like i recognize the name eustice (?) wick. someone please tell me im not just watching jon's descent into madness over the course of this podcast. im hoping it isnt so but, (and pardon the dsmp reference) im getting real wilbur vibes from this one.

ep 59: oh dear ok account from the fielding house. swirling designs? Spiral time? oh boyy. oh wait! 6 inch hole in the middle! is it not a spiderweb type design on the table? thats what i had assumed but that description sounds more like a spiral thing. cobwebs is a Web thing. ayy nicholas was right! the box goes in the table! the place that she kissed him was burning. Raymond is an avatar of The Web and agnes is the burning one. Lightless Flame! Why did she save him? i guess she was against this guy eating ppl or wtvr but why was she at the halfway house then? I think she's like michael.

ep 60: the eye go brr

ep 61: breacon and hope once again. tom. sasha's boyfriend. vampires sleep in coffins. the guy just walking in seems similar to the mind control of the vampires

ep 62: bones! its that one leitner. is this mother keay? the mom of gerard? this is what happened to her right? her skin was found on hooks? oh yeah thats what i thought the pages are made of skin. yeesh. The End!! sounds like an entity. phrased like one, and i think i remember it. are the people trapped in the pages? or... kept?

ep 63: eaten by the darkness! cavediving episode! (just like eaten by the sky) did my brain make up one called The Vast? it feels like it should be one, and all these episodes have some similar description about their feelings when they do whatever chosen hobby they have. ok now this one kinda feels like the dark. lights going out and all that. ok so not really a The Vast thing, its more of a Dark thing. feckin smirk gah.

ep 64: dice! the death guy! the death game thing! the person tricked somebody else into becoming death and then they were immortal? but if the egyptians wanted to kill him or punish him or whatever couldnt they just kill him? it worked in the end when he had the person giving the statement stab him, that did the job and actually killed him

ep 65: finally jon is actually acknowledging something is wrong.

So we know Mary Keay was revived most likely with the book by gerard.

Gertrude was way more aware of the entities than Jon. mary keay referenced The End openly and she cut the eyes out of her magazines and all that which makes me think she was aware of The Eye

ep 66: please not buried alive pleeaase not buried alive. lukas of the tundra? didnt we hear the name lukas before? she wanted it to be difficult to find important files because that way bad people couldnt find them?

ep 67: agnes... the girl in the hilltop house? agnes poppin off!! he's really not gonna question how she knew where he lived?? oh no D: the tree. were they the ones working on the house? aww they kissi- OH DEAR. why did she kiss him? it seemed like she cared about him? also she could kiss that other dude on the cheek and he was fine, but maybe it was cuz she was younger? lightless flame go brrrrr.

ep 68: oh god books. yup its bitchboy leitner. mans said "this seems supernatural, its a werd book!" bruuh.

ep 69: heh nice. aw cmon jon listen to martin. gahhh spiders. is that the class we heard about in the other doctor one with the teeth apple? some kind of psych class? oh dear. fucking spiders. aaaah. web do be goin brr. it's like the girl in the homeless shelter! who made the guy leave and she took his bed.

ep 70: is this gonna be the book that mary keay had? Most likely a leitner no matter what. Oh boy latin. Why did it start in latin then become old English? I'm guessing people put them in the book? He cant burn it. Phrophecies go brr. He says eh it's a decade in the future it's fine. Its gonna have changed. Ayy called it. Just accept it, it's a magic book. His death is getting closer. Leitner didnt make them but just collected them? Gertrude burned the book! She burned them down there so no one would know.

ep 71: oh boy tunnels. Our favorite thing /s. is The Buried a thing? Idk this seems pretty buried. Oh dear he's trapped here isnt he. "Not enough space to move, never enough to breathe" is that from the computer episode? With the guy who uploaded his consciousness? Somebody living down there. Hmmmm. Guesses: tom, sasha's boyfriend. Gertrude herself? (Though I doubt it)

ep 72: sweeney todd moment. Meat. The slaughter? Idk we'll see what the supernatural part is. Meat is meat. Similar to the slaughterhouse episode. Is it fucking Jared I swear to God it better not be. Hooligan teenagers, you know how it is. Meat is me lmao. Is the kid gonna be in the freezer. Ok that's good. OWW. Oddly textured candles. Made from people? Human fat or smth? Tom from the meat processing plant!

ep 73: outer bay shipping. Bet it's a subset of breacon and hope delivery. The Dark go brrr. Uh oh mans is gonna die. Leo or whatever. Cult ppl go brr. The people's church of the divine host. Who is the divine host? Is it reigner or whatever his name is? I dont think Jon can quit tbh. Probably an anonymous tip but from who?? One of the entities?

ep 74: fucking teeth hhh. I dont know which entity is related to teeth. Spiral. Isnt the spiral an entity. It feels like it could be related to many things idk. Yeah this sounds like the spiral. Heart attack at 29? Jesus... michael! That's kinda what I was thinking. Sasha goin in the tunnels. Hmm sus. They move the floor. Wack. Bet its tom.

ep 75: Man with a lightning scar. Has one of the leitner books. The childhood friend of the one who first introduced us to leitner. Oh my god that sounds terrifying. Michael crew.

ep 76: scalpel? Hmm spooky. NotSasha... think jon think.

ep 77: another double! NotThem, The Stranger. Not related to the table?

ep 78: what was that at the beginning? Question mark?? Oh boy more NotThem. Decker... what is the deal with the table. Does it contain the creature? Fucking Michael. Bitchboi himself.

ep 79: yes pop off martin. Ugh fucking Michael just leave man. I hate that dude. New person. Hmm. No idea who it is.

ep 80: shitener himself! Ok sir tell us the entities. Ayy The Spiral. Ok we know what that one is. The Eye is the beholding! Oooh. The Stranger. Did elias just kill leitner? Popping off honestly.