#i totally get it i have just assumed a protective posture

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Let’s assume for a second Meghan has been‘flagged’ as a fixated person or even a person of concern, can they be eligible for IPP? If she has been identified as a concern, can the government simultaneously give her that level of protection and access to intel?

This is all just speculation.

Disclaimer first: This is beyond my knowledge of national security.

Can a fixated person be eligible for IPP? Yes. Because everyone is eligible for IPP.

Would they actually get it? Mm, probably not.

Let’s talk it out.

First, the kind of information that protected people get in this case is information about the security threats against them and details of security plans designed to keep them safe. They wouldn’t be getting information about other protectees unless they’re at the top of the hierarchy (like say Charles or William) or the other protectee is their minor child because the compartmentalization of whereabouts and security plans is part of the safety plan.

Could a fixated person extrapolate the knowledge from their security plans to make educated guesses about someone else’s plans? Yes, they could. So that’s a risk that would be taken into consideration while determining someone’s IPP status.

But by and large the issue with fixated people (as I understand it) is not access to information but access to the person of their fixation. Which is why security exists in the first place. As long as there’s a degree of separation and security - and there would be between Meghan and Kate because Kate is the Princess of Wales and that comes with a totally different security posture than, say, the Duchess of Edinburgh - that’s really all that’s necessary. The security posture could change if the fixated IPP is in the same room, for instance like at the Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving where William and Kate sat in the front row of Section A but Harry and Meghan were sat across the aisle in the interior third row of Section B with sleeper agents positioned all around them.

Second, all the IPP (Internationally Protected Person) designation means is that the person has diplomatic status worthy of a protection detail. That’s all. It doesn’t come with a special security clearance or unrestricted access to anywhere or anyone their cold black heart desires. There are still rules and procedures they have to follow because all being IPP means is that they’re protected from the public. IPP does not mean that they don’t have to follow the rules and procedures of *other* IPP.

So what does that mean? It means that if the IPP fixated person wants to go somewhere near the subject of their fixation, they still have to follow the rules and procedures of the subject’s security team. They don’t get to just waltz right through the security checks and get all up in Michelle Obama’s business (IYKYK).

In other words, just because Meghan is IPP doesn’t mean she has free access to Kate. She still has to follow the rules set by Kate’s security team and I would imagine that if Meghan were to return to the BRF, William would draw his family’s security net even tighter to block any chance of Harry and Meghan trying to get through. For instance, there’s renewed gossip that Harry wants to move into KP Apartment 1 and/or KP Apartment 7 (Apt 1 being the former Gloucester residence next door to William and Kate’s 1A apartment, which supposedly the Waleses have taken over for more office space, and Apt 7 being part of Diana’s former residence). William will mostly likely probably block that because his family still uses 1A. And likewise, he’d probably block the Sussexes from returning to the Windsor estate, since his family is there now as well. (Meaning Harry and Meghan’s only options is St. James’s Palace or a country estate outside of London…neither of which meet Meghan’s very exact specifications.)

Third, the last piece of the puzzle: the security risk and threat assessment. Everyone who goes up for IPP status (or heck, even just to take a job in the civil service - which, let me remind everyone, the BRF is. They’re essentially government workers who live very cushy lives supplemented by generational wealth) has to go through a security risk and threat assessment where everything from our families to our hobbies to our known associates to our health to our travel to our neighbors and home is investigated and assessed via background checks and investigations.

(And yes, this most likely means that anyone who marries into the royal family who does not come from a known associate - eg a family known to the BRF like the Spencers and Fergusons were - probably has had background investigations done for them to be able to meet principal members of the royal family. Kate and the Middletons probably had one, though perhaps not as in depth since she and William were together for so long, but there certainly was one done on Meghan when Harry got serious enough with her that he wanted her to meet The Queen.)

Now the thing about background checks and investigations, security clearances, and IPP status is that if you leave the civil service to go work in the private sector for a few years and then you decide to come back and be a fed again, your old checks and clearances aren’t there waiting for you like an old coat you buried in the back of your closet for 5 years. You have to undergo a total and complete reinvestigation. And if there are things that pop up in your reinvestigation over behaviors or diagnoses or actions you did while employed by a fake mental health startup and Netflix (for example) that have violated certain codes, standards, ethics, laws, or that exponentially increased your vulnerability to being exploited by foreign adversaries, or that have exposed you as a significant threat to the mental, physical, and social wellbeing of a principal staffer, well, then, you’re not getting that job and you can kiss your old security clearance or your old diplomatic status or your old RAVEC status goodbye. Even if you’re related to the principal staffer(s) in question.

So to sum up. A fixated person is eligible to be declared IPP. But they still have to go through all the checks and threat analyses to actually receive IPP status, and that’s where the issue is.

Ignoring “fixated person” (since again, that hasn’t actually been confirmed and is only just gossip and speculation), this is why Harry’s latest tactic is to say “if only my father would just give it back to me.” He is eligible for IPP just on the basis of being King Charles’s son, and he has Tier 3 (case-by-case) status because of that. But Tier 3 isn’t good enough; he wants Tier 1 (25/8 permanent) status, but RAVEC’s position is that Harry is disqualified Tier 1 because of his own behaviors and actions. Harry wants Charles to overrule the government and so far Charles hasn’t, because he’s likely read the report that bringing Harry back in poses more danger to the Waleses than leaving him out.

To which I say yes, that’s true, but bringing Harry in means they can better control him and what he does, so it’s a safer security posture to begin with. The issue is Meghan, who has proven time and time again that she doesn’t play by anyone’s rules but her own and has no interest in being on a team. In that case, it’s a safer security posture for her to be on the outside and away from everyone where it’s easier to monitor her so that her arrival or appearance can be more easily and more carefully planned for.

Which is ultimately the core conflict. Harry wants Meghan. The BRF doesn’t (or can’t). So Harry will emotionally blackmail everyone to force them to accept her. They refuse. Meghan says “it’s me or Kate and if you don’t choose me, you’re all racist.” The BRF laughs and chooses Kate anyway. They go on a worldwide tour of privacy to declare everyone is racist. No one cares. So they go crawling back to the BRF. The BRF says “only Harry, no Meghan.” But Harry wants Meghan. The BRF doesn’t. And around and around and around we go.

[tyrannuspitch]

thinking about jotun culture again

as it currently stands my headcanon on why the jotuns we see (all adult men + warriors) are wearing very little is that it's basically posturing, which is expected of warriors specifically, and even then probably not 24/7.

it's not clear exactly how impervious jotuns are to the cold. a lot of people assume that abandoned jotun babies would die of the cold, but it's not actually stated - they might be left to starve. and even if they are, we're still talking about babies, often ones already judged as "weak", so... your average jotun adult might have basically no lower limit on the cold they can endure.

and if that were the case, there wouldn't be much reason for them to wear clothing at all. after all, there are plenty of real life cultures where the traditional clothing is as little or less than we see on mcu jotuns, or nothing at all, because the climate is such that it just isn't necessary.

but if jotun's practical need for clothing is zero, and their everyday clothing is minimal but not zero... then why wear it? modesty taboos, sure - but where do those taboos start? i'm not an expert on these things at all, but i kind of feel like they have to be outside influence...? and if jotunheim and asgard do have a long and closely intertwined relationship, as they do in my headcanon, then that's a possibility...

but we should also consider the armour. mcu jotuns don't just wear little clothing - they wear little armour. they have a sort of short, fitted, armoured skirt/kilt, and then high status warriors like laufey have tiny, decoratively arranged metal pieces over the arms, torso and head that are probably better described as jewellery than as armour.

deliberately making yourself vulnerable can be an effective intimidation technique. it's not very tactical, though, and if it were a new idea it would probably cause panic/loss of trust... which suggests it's deeply engrained in jotun culture. it's not, for example, the jotuns getting desperate after the war and their subsequent isolation left them with a total dearth of resources to make armour with.

and then. there's the fact that the jotun warriors we see aren't only minimally clothed or armoured - they're also all completely hairless.

we know jotuns grow hair. loki in his jotun form keeps all his hair, including eyebrows. but the jotuns raised on jotunheim have neither. all jotuns, including loki, are also beardless, in contrast to the norm for asgardian men.

i've seen it suggested that loki doesn't have a beard because he can't grow one, possibly because jotuns in general can't grow them. but then why the hair, and why the eyebrows? i think it's actually the opposite - both loki and other jotuns choose to shave their beards.

(and incidentally - surely the presence of any hair, from an evolutionary perspective, suggests that they aren't actually 100% impervious to the cold...)

i think, for most jotuns, it's part of their male gender role, and a point of pride, to have as little protecting them from the cold / the elements / harm in general as possible. no armour, no warm clothing, not even their own hair. they actively choose to remove even what naturally occurs - perhaps symbolically linked to actively choosing to face the dangers of battle for their people?

it might sound odd on the surface to say that removing a "male" characteristic like a beard is a male gender role, but there's plenty of real-world precedent. iirc, ancient rome was pretty strictly (socially) anti-beard and thought shaving was a sign of Civilisation. and modern europe has emulated this at various points, although we're not currently strict about it.

which gives jotun men an interesting possible perspective on asgardian men. having hair on their heads could be seen as weak and feminine. but having hair on their faces could, potentially, be seen as barbaric, animalistic, and hypermasculine in a threatening way...

and on the flipside - i think asgardians probably find clean-shaven men intimidating, because they look like enemies such as jotuns and dark elves. but then they're simultaneously being cast as powerful, probably hypermasculine "beasts", and as womanly, and therefore weak...

and in fact, beyond connotations, thor actually canonically views jotuns simultaneously as super powerful monsters who could overrun asgard any day now, and as cowards.

and of course, if we remember half of what's going on with loki... often "weakness" and "cowardice" and "effeminacy" are pretty clearly seen as threatening in and of themselves, even while people claim the opposite...

so. demonisation for contradictory things at the exact same time. the enemy is both weak and strong. this is a very common part of bigotry, but it's always kind of psychologically fascinating to me.

[nyxnightshade1332]

Expectations When Expecting (prologue)

Chapter 15

Chapter 16:

Deuce, she concluded, was the reckless type. These kids are gonna kill me... She thought to herself, watching as Deuce picked his go-to spell.

The cauldron spawned above the monster's body, dropping just behind it as it stepped forward to swat at Deuce.

"Begone! Begone! Begooone!" The monster howled, launching a rock that barely missed the reckless boy. Deuce gave a yelp of surprise as he rolled out of the way.

"Aw, crap! He's got Loosey-Deucey on the ropes!" Ace muttered in shock. "Not on my watch!" He called out, throwing a wind spell at the grotesque creature. It, in return, turned toward the ginger giving a ground-shaking roar that made the group stumble in place.

Ace stumbled, falling as he barely avoided the boulder that was launched at him.

"Stay away from me!" Grim hissed, puffing up slightly as he ran around, trying to look for an opening.

The monster bellowed angrily, throwing another hit at the cat who barely dodged. "It's like nothin's even hurtin' it!" Grim hissed.

Yuu stood in the same place, watching the boys fight while she felt the familiar presence of her deceased lover attempting to pull her out of the cave. She simply stared across the cave at the sparking in the distance.

"Either I'm seeing things, or there's something sparkling over there." She remarked, making Ace follow her gaze.

"No way..." He yelped, rolling to the side to avoid being crushed. "There! Behind the monster! There's something sparkling in the mineshaft!"

"Could that have been a magestone?!" Deuce exclaimed, alerting the monster, who threw another hit toward Deuce, suddenly more irate.

"GWAAAAAAAH! Nooo giiive yooouuu stooooooone!" It bellowed angrily.

Grim ran up to her with the intent to cower behind her. "Yuu, we need to book it, and fast! That thing's gonna pound us into tuna paste!" He hissed, tail puffing.

She looked to the monster who bellowed, throwing an inky fist at the boys. "Y-yeah. Okay..." She stated, signaling for Ace and Deuce to follow before she grabbed a stone off of the ground.

"SCATTER!" She hissed, launching the rock with deadly accuracy at the monster's head before running out. When she heard the monster howl in outrage, she feared it chasing after them. However, by some miracle, she and the others managed to make their (not so grand) escape.

.

.

.

"Th-This should be far enough, I think?" Grim wheezed, curled on Yuu's lap, seeking comfort. She scratched behind his ears while keeping her posture slightly curled in on herself protectively.

Ace collapsed onto the ground next to her, wheezing slightly. "Owww..." He whined, massaging his muscles. "What was that thing? No one said there'd be anything like that!"

Deuce, being the only one who remained standing, took large gulps of air. He was clearly exhausted. "That was no normal ghost, that's for sure."

"I'd assume so given the large amount of goop coming from it." Yuu agreed.

"Let's just give up and go home. I'll happily take the expulsion if it means never having to fight that thing again." Ace muttered, massaging his shoulder. Yuu watched him wince as if he'd hurt it during the fight.

Deuce, however, cried, "What?! Nuh-uh, not happenin'! I'd rather die than get expelled from Night Raven!" His sight fogged by fear of getting expelled.

Ace wrinkled his nose in disgust when looking at Deuce, scoffing. "Big talk from someone who's not even half the mage I am. You want that stone so bad, go get it yourself." The ginger stood, dusting himself off. "I'm out."

"Oh YEAH?! Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!" Deuce taunted angrilly. Ace turned on his heel to face the dark haired boy, eyes filled with outrage.

"Whaaaaat?!" He growled, marching toward Deuce. "Who the hell are you callin' chicken, huh?!" He hissed.

Grim stepped in, slightly concerned about the blue-toned boy. "Whoa, Deuce... Is it just me, or did you, like, turn into a totally different person just now?"

Deuce gave a bewildered yelp, coughing. "Sorry... Lost my cool for a second there."

Yuu sighed shakily, turning to the group. "So now what? We sure as hell can't go in there anymore."

"Can't you guys just blow that thing up with magic?" Grim chimed, curling up by Yuu's feet.

Deuce gave them a sigh of exasperation before explaining. "Using magic at a greater scale, or using different types of magic - those things require training." He looked pitiful to Yuu.

"That's why magic academies exist." Ace mentioned. "It takes a lot of training before you can snap your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic. Not to mention, the more flustered you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

Yuu thought for a moment, her hand resting against her chin. "I'm guessing this is why Grim's only able to use fire, right?"

"Hey!" Grim protested, looking up at her. "I'm gonna learn how to use WAY cooler magic than that, for the record!" He stood up on his hind legs enthusiastically. "I'm just hittin' my stride here!"

"Sure thing, Grim." She gave him a small smile.

"Anyway," Deuce cut in. "We need to find some way to defeat that creature and get the magestone."

"Yeaaaaah. Just like the time with the chandelier, right? You 'found some way,' and now here we are." Ace grumbled coldly, referring to Deuce. Yuu's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"We just fought that thing and it creamed us. So what exactly is your plan here, genius? Because I sure don't trust you to improvise!"

"What?! You're the one who-" Deuce bickered.

Grim rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Yuu sat there for a moment, feeling her heart jump slightly, and she felt her body become warmer. Her patience had finally worn out.

"Would the two of you just quit it already?!" She growled, her eyes shooting daggers at the boys, making Grim jump at how her tone had hardened.

"Woah, that was loud..." Grim stated.

"You two have been fighting since we got here and I, for one, and fucking tired! Give it a rest, suck it up, and work together!" She stood up, pacing in an attempt to bring back her temper.

"With Loosey-Deucey? No way. He'd get me killed!"

"Like it'd be some treat for me to work with you?!"

"Boys." She warned before taking a deep breath. "What if we came up with a proper plan first?"

"A proper plan? Like some kinda buddy move?" Ace scoffed. "Is that a joke? You always say the lamest things with the straightest face, Yuu."

"Agreed. No way could I work together with him." Deuce stated.

Grim paused, before he gave a cat-like smirk. "I mean... I guess, but... Gettin' expelled on the first day... That's pretty lame too. Maybe even lamer." Yuu noticed the boys flinch slightly, giving her an opening.

"Oh, definitely. Nothing cool about getting yourself kicked out of a school on the first day."

"Ya know what? Fine. Let's just get this over with, then." The ginger gave him. "All right, Yuu. What's the plan?"

"I knew you'd come around." She teased slightly. "Okay, so. Here's what I've got..."

.

.

.

Standing in front of the entrance, Yuu watched the inside with newfound excitement. She felt the familiar ghostly presence brush her hair and she felt a warmth in her hand, almost as if he were holding it.

"H-hey, Yuu... Is this plan of yours really gonna work? I'm sca- I mean, I'm a little... uh, hungry." Grim questioned, standing behind her leg.

"Don't worry about it, okay Grim? This could work." She stated. It has to. For my child, for me.

"It really could. Let's go, Yuu!" 

[biblicallyaccuratebeskar]

Metal Home

Read Chapter 17 Here

Also on AO3

Chapter 18/22: ~2.4K words

Surrender

Dranga was a dreary planet, covered with unending plains of brittle brown grass shivering in winds of frigid temperatures. The new outfit did little to protect against the elements.

I never thought I’d be wearing the uniform of a stormtrooper. It was about as uncomfortable as I assumed. The armor felt flimsy. I tried not to think about that.

I tried not to think, actually. There were so many thoughts about what could go wrong. What already had. With everything at stake, I couldn’t be in my own way. My chest was buzzing with fear and purpose.

Luke and I landed out of sight and walked as much in sync as we could towards the entrance of a bunker, the only thing rising above the grasses in eyesight. It was guarded by two (other) troopers. I was ready to start shooting when- “You will let us pass without announcing our presence,” Luke called to them with a slight wave of his hand.

“We will let you pass without announcing your presence,” they responded monotonously as the door swished open. Creepy.

As we lowered to the underground facility in the elevator, I asked Luke, “Was that a Jedi thing?”

“You could say that.”

We arrived at the ground floor and exited, nodding to each other as we turned in opposite directions. Our plan was to split up to cover more ground looking for Din in the limited time was had before the squadron arrived. There were comms implanted in the helmets in order to communicate.

The hallway I went down wasn’t very populated with only the occasional trooper or personnel passing by. Nothing on the walls indicated if I were any closer or farther away from a detention block, but luckily no one batted an eye at me.

I rounded a corner and came to a hallway with only one door, large and padlocked with two guards standing watch outside. This could be it. I concentrated to see if I could feel him there and there he was, that familiar twinge in my stomach coming from behind the door.

I walked confidently towards the guards, ready. Shooting them from afar, I’d learned at the storage facility, wasn’t a good idea. I’d have to talk my way into this one.

“Captain needs you two in the command center. Said it was urgent.” I was totally talking out of my ass and I hoped it landed.

“Uh-huh. And what does he need the both us for exactly?” one shot at me.

“He didn’t tell me. Just said you need to get up there.” “What’s your code call, trooper?”

“Uh...”

Well, might as well try.

“You are going to unlock this door and leave.”

“What did you just say?” he spat at me.

“You are going to unlock this door and leave.”

They both froze and I thought I blew it until the other one punched in a number on the keypad, the door opening with a hiss. Then, they wordlessly marched away.

I was shocked that it worked, but had no time to dwell on my success. Diving in the door, I realized it was a massive room with a single cell in the center and a console off to the right. The cells bars crackled with electricity. Inside the cell was one man, sitting in the middle with the posture of someone being held down by a great weight.

It was Din.

I kept my composure as I closed the door behind me and walked over to the console, scanning around for security cameras. I saw two. Luckily, there were manual controls for them on the console. I turned them off and turned off the electricity, the room falling quiet as the humming sound ceased. Finally, I unlocked the cell, multiple bars sinking into the floor to form a doorway.

It was all I could do not to dive on him.

He didn’t look up at me, back hunched, hands draped over the knees pulled close to his chest.

“Didn’t get enough in the last round, huh?” he growled. His voice was raspy and tense.

I knelt by him and took off my helmet. “Tempting. But we both know I’m the better sparring partner.”

“Larkin!” We surged together. His arms wrapped around me tightly and everything was right again, but for only a moment.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he murmured.

“Neither should you.”

I could hear wheezing in his breath and saw he was shaking. “What did they do to you?” I asked, looking over him. I realized with horror that there was patches of dried blood all over his clothes. A tear in the fabric revealed a fresh bruise.

“Nothing I couldn’t take.”

“That bad, huh? C’mon, we’re getting you out of here.”

“We?”

“I’ll tell you on the way back.”

I lifted him up, draping his arm over my shoulders and putting my helmet back on.

“I’ve got him,” I said into the comm link. “Heading out.”

“I’ll meet you outside. Squadron will be showing up any minute now,” Luke responded, voice whispering.

I pulled out my blaster and stuck it against Din’s side, hoping that made it look like he was a prisoner as we entered the hallway as we made our way to the entrance. He was limping, but I could tell he was trying to hide it. I walked as upright as I could, trying to carry the weight he couldn’t.

Coming down the hallway towards us was a huge crowd of troopers led by men in uniform. In a moment of panic, I veered us right to avoid them and we came into a large storage hangar. I didn’t see any exits. We were just going to have to waste some time until the group left the area.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice called out from behind us. I kept us walking. The sound of blasters leaving holsters followed.

I stopped, slowly turning with Din. “What seems to be the problem?” I called out. The group had followed us in and were now aiming their weapons at us. We were cornered.

“When breaking a prisoner free, it’s always a good idea to close the door behind you,” the man wearing a commander’s uniform said with a sneer. Fuck.

“Seize them.” The troopers came towards us and I frantically looked around for something, anything to use. Overhead there were pipes covering the ceiling, one with a red tag. A fuel line. Before I had any second thoughts I aimed my blaster at it and fired.

It exploded into a red and orange fireball, knocking everyone off their footing. Sediment from the ground above rained down as the ceiling collapsed, giant chunks of metal and rock slamming into the ground as I dragged Din to his feet, moving us away from the troopers. I hauled us under an awning on the back wall as the room crumbled around us. The troopers got buried as everything came crashing down. Din grabbed me and pulled me under him as the ground shook.

Finally the world went quiet. My ears were ringing. I was afraid to move, but I cautiously lifted my head. The awning had protected us, but we were surrounded by floor-to-ceiling rubble and no exit. Regret hit me like a shot. I scrambled out under him and to my feet, throwing off my helmet, desperately looking for any cracks or openings, but finding none.

“No, no no no...” I muttered to myself, rubbing my fingertips raw as I tried to claw open a space to no avail.

Din groaned. “Shit,” he hissed out.

I whipped around to look at him. His hands were feebly covering a new dark stain just under his chest plate.

Panic set in. I desperately tried to claw more but it wasn’t working. Nothing was working. Din was hurt, or worse, and we were stuck.

“Larkin.”

“I’m going to find a way. There’s got to be a loose stone somewhere, then maybe we could-“

“Larkin.”

“-tunnel out. That wound isn’t going to get any better and I-“

“You need to stop.”

“No, I am not going to stop, Din, because you’re the love of my life and I’m not going to lose you like this!”

We fell silent, both realizing the words that were said. I squeezed my eyes shut, leaning my forehead against the rubble.

“Take it off,” he said, breaking the silence.

“No, I’m not. Your chest plate is probably the only thing holding your fucking intestines in right now, so I’m not going to-“

“Larkin, take off my helmet.”

I froze. “What?” I whispered.

“I want...to see you,” he said through strained breath.

The rubble in front of me blurred. “I- I can’t. I can’t because that means you’re-“

“Please.”

I slowly turned and crept over to him, lip quivering, and knelt by his side.

He slowly took my hand and brought it to the base of his helmet. I ran my finger along the curve under the visor, trying not to hear his wheezing breath.

I took it off.

My eyes were closed. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. All this time, all we’d been through together I never once saw his face and I loved him anyway. He so fiercely protected that part of himself, proud in his identity and his Creed. It was always part of him to me, never a burden or a bother. Just something we had to navigate. And we did, together. This felt wrong and rushed. I didn’t want to see him because I knew that it would be the first and last time.

I shook my head, and felt a hand on my cheek. No glove. Skin. “Look at me.”

My eyes fluttered open and there he was.

His dark hair was matted to his forehead with sweat and there was a cut on his lip, bleeding onto his chin. There was a good chance his nose was broken. He looked like he’d fallen out of a flying ship.

Din Djarin was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life.

Set jaw, curved nose, facial hair, and dark brown eyes that took in my features as much as I was taking in his. Exactly and nothing like I’d imagined. Perfectly new. Perfectly him.

“Hi,” I breathed, laughing softly through the thickness in my throat. And Maker above, he smiled. “Hi,” he rasped.

Tears poured over and he rubbed a bare thumb over my cheek, wiping them away. I tentatively reached towards his face and paused.

“May I?” I asked, fingers shivering over his stubble.

He nodded, and I gently cupped his cheek, jaw settling in my palm. Din’s eyes closed as he shuddered at my touch.

Slowly, I leaned forward and touched my forehead to his. Skin to skin. No beskar, just us.

The soft depth of his dark eyes opened looked down at my lips. His hand delicately tucked under my jaw with warm and rough fingertips, and angled it up. Our mouths collided, sliding together like they’d always belonged that way. Din’s breath hitched as he leaned forward, hungry and desperate. He was hot and sweet, more than I didn’t dare let myself imagine.

He pulled back, far too soon, eyebrows knitted and jaw clenched in pain. Din was getting weaker, no longer having the strength to hide it.

“This can’t be it,” I said, voice wobbling, cradling the nape of his neck.

“Well, we’re under a...” he flinched, “pile of rocks.”

Pile of rocks. My mind flew to Luke and the balcony.

Rocks were just big pebbles, right?

“Oh, you genius.” I kissed his forehead and left Din’s side, standing to face the rubble.

“Larkin?” he called, confused. I didn’t pretend to know what I was doing, but I had to try.

I closed my eyes, lifting out my hand.

Reaching out with my mind, I traced over the rubble, taking it all in. Every nook, every cranny.

Then, I latched.

It nearly overpowered me immediately. I cried out as I grabbed hold, steadying myself. The size of the mass dwarfed me, it almost jeering at me for trying.

I hated it. I hated how little I felt, how helpless. Fear swirled up inside of me. I hated myself for not being enough and I felt the rubble slipping away.

I thought of Luke’s words, then. The Force was flowing through me, same as everything else. Who was I to blame it? To blame myself? This wasn’t about me anymore. I let go, and it all came flooding in. It was like a fuse lit in my brain. I could feel every rock, every bit and piece of rubble as it left the ground. I heard Din put on his helmet. Opening my eyes, I saw a new group of people standing on the other side, framed by an arch of floating debris.

They wore New Republic uniforms.

I yelled to them, but didn’t hear what I said. They rushed over to us, some passing me to get to Din. In the back I saw Luke emerge. He nodded to me and I detached, everything going dark.

——

Luke Skywalker takes a hold of the rubble, catching it just in time as Larkin falls to the ground unconscious.

Before she fell she told them to not look at the Mandalorian’s face. He notes the significance of this, the last thing she could say, and she chose to prioritize his anonymity.

A med crew had pushes its way past her. When they make it to the Mandalorian, they inject a sedative, common procedure for battlefield injuries. The man weakly tries to fight it but succumbs to it immediately.

He reaches for her as he falls.

In seconds, they were both being ran out in cots and Luke lets the rubble fall.

He had felt something in her the minute he was in her presence. It was strong and true, but he couldn’t put a finger on it at first.

She wasn’t terribly strong in the Force. Not close to his abilities, or even Leia before she closed herself off. But there was some similarity to Leia that he couldn’t pinpoint until this exact moment as he realizes what he felt.

He’d felt it when he was stuck in the Falcon’s cockpit with Han and Leia while they mercilessly bickered with one another. When he saw Leia hold her son, fawning as he cooed.

It was love. Larkin was in love.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 029 The Ghost That Haunted Octopus (ASM 157-159, Ann 10)

MASTERPOST

In this batch, Peter, Doc Ock and May eat KFC together, Hammerhead's back in more ways than one, people throw trashcans at each other and

Ock has such peak schoolgirl behavior.

Remember what happened last time? Doc Ock's back in spite of an entire nuclear exploding with him on it. Can't wait to hear Marvel's explanation for that one, especially since I don't see him as a particularly interesting villain.

Just like last batch, this one begins with a tilted picture of Spidey against a carefully drawn backdrop. Ross Andru, I love you.

So Spidey wants to salvage the Spider-Mobile, and I'm elated. I didn't expect us to come back to it, but it's nice to see continuity. Sadly for me though, our hero can't find it aside from a small part. (There's also the question of how he'd get it out of the water, but all in good time!)

Ross Andru's art really improved, and it was great from the very beginning!

Meanwhile, if you're interested in the rest of the cast...

I'm grinning ear to ear. So Harry follows a therapy, that's good! He doesn't remember finding his father's equipement... and I have to assume, his showdown with Peter too. But "the weeks after" Norman's death certainly stretches it, doesn't it? Oh well. Handy way to stay vague. More importantly, something's going between Liz and Harry. Gee, I'm sure everything will go fine and no drama will happen in the next 50 years.

What am I saying? Let's just enjoy the present time.

And Otto's certainly enjoying his time, showering at May's and putting on that hideous suit of his. Just in time for Peter to arrive with a bucket full of crispy chicken he can't wait to share with his favorite (and only?) aunt.

He's less than enthused. Octavius's schoolgirl posture just compliments his fatigue.

The explanation is bonkers and yet oddly makes sense. It still made me laugh. So the reactor didn't explose right when Hammerhead dove into it, giving the time to Ock to find a protected hatch and secure himself in his indestructible mechanical arms.

Silly, but logical enough. Then the island actually exploded when Hammerhead unstuck himself from the reactor.

Suddenly, Hammerhead's ghost barges in and May does what she does best: she faints. Ock's quite annoyed and leaves with May, just as Peter gives us a nice backshot.

I have priorities, folks. I'm awake since 2 am, and it's almost 5. You can't be angry at me. I'll objectify my men however I can.

He puts on his Spidey suit and follows Ock, accidentally barging in a random lady's apartment. She has a ferocious dog though and she immediately orders him to attack Peter.

He escapes, then Ock gets into a chopper, Spidey webs himself to it, but Ock notices and slashes his web. The issue closes with our hero falling on a desert landscape! Oh no, will he survive?!

#158 starts with Spidey webbing up a glider. Why not! He still loses track of Ock and Aunt May. The next day...

MJ does have a nice outfit. I was afraid that MJ would be wary of Glory for trying to steal her man, but it seems like they're going to become friends instead and I'm totally here for it!

I'm also very much here for the objectification of one Peter Parker. It's giving Ripley on the Nostromo. And hey, they pass the Bechdel test!

At the Daily Bugle, we learn that a competitor has been hiring the Bugle's members. Robbie's afraid that they'd already contacted Peter.

They did not.

Still, with Betty being in Paris with Ned (I miss them already!), Jameson hired a new secretary, and we see a funny scene where she's trying her very best, which obviously doesn't cut it.

More importantly, Peter learns May is at the Brookhaven Labs and goes there as Spidey.

Long story short, Ock thinks he's about to disintegrate Hammerhead's ghost... but instead, the man's back in the flesh! Incredible, two villains I don't care much about. Ock at least has the ridiculous May plotline, but what does Hammerhead have?

In #159, the three enemies knock each other down at the same time, the henchmen in yellow confess they've been working to resurrect their boss Hammerhead this entire time, and Hammerhead escapes with May. Spidey and Ock vow to save her together.

I do appreciate that Spidey and Ock are allies for a chunk of this batch, but dear Lord, there really isn't enough civilian stuff for my taste. Thankfully, we get a bit right now.

Somewhere, people have saved the Spider-Mobile from annihilation... but it seems to be booby-trapped.

At the Bugle, Jameson's second new secretary is having just as hard a time as her predecessor. She quickly decides to value her life and quits.

Spidey and Ock find Hammerhead in his spinning circular office (I know we've seen it before, but I don't remember where and I'm too uninterested to search for it, isn't it a Mysterio issue?), Hammerhead escapes in a chopper and Ock throws trashcans at it until it explodes.

Pretty explosion at least!

Don't worry, May's fine.

What a mess of issues. Check the fluff, skip the chuffs.

In the readers' letters, Larry Twiss mentions Tomb of Dracula from several months earlier and my interest is piqued. Can't wait to reach that! He also mentions the first Superman/Spider-Man crossover and man, I have to read it!

Now, onto Annual 10!

So the main plot of the issue is not particularly interesting: Spidey stops a criminal, but he gets away and becomes the Fly thanks to a scientist Jameson bribes. The real plot, however, is that the Globe has been getting more popular than the Bugle recently, and I wonder if Peter's going to work there for a bit...

The Fly kills the scientist and kidnaps Jameson. If Spider-Man wants to save JJ, he's going to have to fight the Fly!

Sadly, Jameson created enemies for Spidey (when he isn't one himself) is just not a plot I care much about.

The Fly gets taken care of, and Peter stays at the Bugle.

Ooooooh, we're finally getting to the second magazine!

[mental-scurvy]

Me: *makes a post about a fanfic, tags it really thoroughly including the name of the fic*

* the author of that fic sees and reblogs my post*

Me:

[waheelawhisperer]

Just got a bit mindblown by this take on 'Heroes & Monsters' claiming...well, that once Blake knew Yang was coming she dropped her aura & *let* Adam skewer her so she'd have enough juice left to clone 'em both out of there once shit totally fell apart. While that seems great for narrative serendipity milking, I dunno if Blake would've had the mindset for such a ploy at that point in her nightmare come true. Plus...Yang went nuclear *because* the first thing she saw was that stab. Sheesh.

what the fuck

I rewatched the scenes. Blake's first response to Adam's appearance is terror and disbelief. She tries to back away at first and only engages when another student is in danger. She's scared the whole time Adam's talking to her, and I think this is when she realizes the depths of Adam's obsession with her, personally, and starts to understand how far he's willing to go to hurt her specifically. Based on her facial expressions, she's freaking the fuck out when Adam has Yang in his sights. Her lines after Adam fucking stabs her are basically begging Yang to leave her and Adam to not hurt Yang, to no avail. There's no way she's deliberately tanking damage just so she could run later. If she had the Aura for that, she'd just... use her clone to escape to begin with, have Yang cover her escape, and then bail. She's too scared for that kind of coldhearted plan, and it's stupider than just using the clone to get away in the first place. What I think is far more likely is this: we know that people with Aura can recharge it through sheer willpower (see Hazel, Jaune). There aren't many situations more conducive to heroic willpower than this one. Keeping that in mind, I'm pretty sure Blake pushed herself beyond her limits (depleted Aura) for just long enough to get herself and Yang to safety. Seems more in character than fucking letting herself get stabbed, at any rate.

I'm gonna use this post to talk about something that I've wanted to discuss for a while, actually: Yang did nothing wrong in this situation. Yes, blah blah, she was reckless and hot-headed, and every other stupid thing that Taiyang and the fandom likes to say about this scene or whatever, but... no, not really, even if her response had an emotional component (because she's not a fucking robot that Never Does A Wrong Thing, Ever), she actually made the right choice here. She just got stuck in a shitty situation with a near-infinitesimal chance of victory and, predictably, did not win.

Let's discuss the tactical situation. Here's what Yang knows (not thinks, not can reasonably assume, knows):

An unknown assailant just stabbed Blake in the torso, specifically, the abdomen. The abdomen contains lots of blood vessels, organs, and a little thing called the spine. A puncture wound can easily be fatal, and even if it isn't immediately fatal, it can develop lots of complications and kill you slowly and painfully. From Yang's perspective, Blake could be bleeding out. She could be paralyzed. She needs immediate medical attention.

The existence of this wound means Blake's Aura is down. She does not have the innate protection that Huntsmen and Huntresses rely on at this point. She has already been hurt and is vulnerable to being hurt again.

Blake is not moving. Blake is not attempting to get away.

The man who attacked her is armed and demonstrating threatening posture. He is clearly displaying an intent to engage in further aggressive action.

Here's what Yang can assume:

The worst case scenario is that Blake's wound is fatal or crippling. She must assume that Blake needs immediate medical attention because doing otherwise risks leaving her partner dead or paralyzed.

Blake is not moving because she can't move, otherwise she would have done it while Adam was turning to Yang instead of lying there helplessly. Blake cannot escape under her own power.

Adam will continue to hurt Blake if not prevented from doing so.

Adam is stronger than Blake, because he hurt her.

Reinforcements are not coming. White Fang, Grimm, and compromised Atlesian hardware are running around the school. Most of the students are in full retreat. There are few professional Huntsmen or Huntresses on the scene. The protagonist teams have already split on multiple occasions because they can't stay concentrated and still accomplish their objectives.

Here's what Yang needs to do:

Get Blake away from Adam/get Adam away from Blake. She needs to do this, and she needs to do it now, because Blake could be mortally wounded and every second counts. She must make a play that forces Adam to withdraw his attention from Blake, physically separates Adam from Blake, renders him unable to pursue them, and is as close to guaranteed to work as possible,

Get Blake medical attention.

Here's what Yang, crucially, does not know:

The severity of Blake's injuries. She doesn't know if any vital organs have been hit, but she must assume they have because not making that assumption risks not getting Blake to a doctor in time if she truly has suffered damage to her spine or vital organs. She does not know that Blake will be able to get up and carry them both to safety. She must assume that Blake is helpless.

Adam's capabilities. She doesn't know how his weapons work or how his Semblance functions. She doesn't know how he fights or what he wants. She only knows that he has hurt Blake and must be prevented from hurting Blake again.

Yang must process all of this information and make a decision in a split second, because Adam is getting ready to attack either her or Blake, depending on what she does, and has, from her perspective, no interest in waiting for her to work through what she's seeing.

Here's what Yang can do in this situation:

Leave. Some people unironically think this is what she should've done, because abandoning your partner to someone who has already severely injured her is exactly what you should do as a heroic character. I should not have to explain why this is not an option.

Wait for help. There's no guarantee that help will arrive, and the fact that the student teams have already split up means Yang must assume that there's no one to send. Even if someone might show up, Yang does not have time to waste.

Try to talk him down. Risky, because, again, Blake is potentially bleeding out and every second counts, but Yang does try this, in a way, when she warns Adam to get away from Blake. Adam does not get away from Blake. Adam's posture in this situation is threatening. He clearly intends to continue the fight. Continuing to try to deescalate the situation ticks down Blake's timer and there's no indication he'll listen.

Try to distract him or draw him off. Also risky, because she doesn't know what will trigger him to chase her, he can turn around and attack Blake at any point if she isn't interesting enough, and Blake still needs medical attention and can't move under her own power, to the best of Yang's knowledge.

Shoot at him. Reasonable on the surface, maybe, until you actually think about it for a moment. Yang has two types of ammunition: rockets and shotgun shells. Neither are precision weapons. The explosions from her rockets or the spread from her buckshot could easily catch Blake in the blast radius, and Blake, again, has no Aura to protect her. On top of that, she lives in a universe where trained fighters deflect bullets as a matter of course. Nothing is preventing him from just flicking her own rockets/buckshot into Blake's unprotected face. This choice runs the risk of getting Blake killed.

Shoot at something else. Yang has an established tactic of attacking the terrain around her to give herself an advantage, but doing so here, just like shooting at Adam directly, runs the risk of getting Blake caught in friendly fire. She cannot afford to put Blake at risk.

Attack Adam directly in melee. This is her best option. Engaging Adam in melee forces him to turn toward her, to take his attention away from Blake, because if he strikes at Blake while Yang's attacking him, her attack lands uncontested. Engaging Adam in melee allows her to strike with precision and avoid harming Blake. Engaging Adam in melee gives Yang a chance to physically move him away from Blake. She can either press her attack or grab Blake and run if her opener works out. I've spent hours thinking about this, because I need better hobbies, and I still can't come up with a better play for someone in Yang's situation with Yang's toolkit to make after all that reflection and with the benefit of hindsight.

Again, Yang must consider all of this in a split second: the whole exchange, from Adam stabbing Blake to Yang losing her arm, takes 13 seconds of screentime. There are 3 seconds between Yang realizing Blake is hurt and her telling Adam to get away from her. Adam has assumed his threatening posture by 4 seconds after that at the latest. Yang activates her Semblance and commits to the attack 2-3 seconds later. 10 seconds after seeing that Blake is hurt, Yang is in the air, aiming for Adam. We've had literal years to come up with a solution at this point and I still haven't seen a single post that convincingly argues that what Yang did wasn't the best choice she could've made. The only possible alternative I can think of is Yang committing to the attack and then demonstrating the sort of lateral mobility she displays from Volume 5 on, but even that runs the risk of exposing Blake to attack because Blake is behind Adam and to his left (Yang's right). If Yang jukes toward Blake, she's moving directly into the path of Adam's attack. If she goes the other direction, she's put Adam between her and Blake and the momentum of his attack can easily bring him back around to threaten Blake. The only way I can see this working is if Yang pulls off an extremely technically precise move (sliding low under a sword slash that comes out so quickly she canonically can't react to it in time) to put herself down by Blake so she can grab her and flee, but this still doesn't solve the problem of Adam's position: he's still right there and able to threaten both of them. She needs to move him, which means she needs to strike him, ideally with her opening move, which means she has to attack him head-on.

tl;dr: Yang did the best she could in a terrible situation and the writers, the fandom, and her own father have been calling her stupid for it ever since.

[n-ugg]

"Why didn't you fucking tell me, Wilbur?" Schlatt was trying to keep his voice low as he asked him. They were both having a bit of a private meeting in the back rooms after the presidential debates.

Wilbur tilted his head, being unsure of what caused the sudden shift of character. "Didn't tell you what?" He fixed his posture and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Tell me about my fucking son!" Wilbur's persona broke as he flitched at the sudden outburst. Schlatt noticed his own shift and went back to being in a lower tone. "About my fucking kid Wilbur. You knew how fucking long I've spent looking for him. Why didn't you tell me shit about finding Tubbo?" Schlatt walked closer to him, getting more pissed off by the second.

Wilbur took a couple of steps back, raising his hands a defensive manner. "Tubbo? I didn't know he was your kid. We just found him at the side of the road and took him in." He was quick to defend himself, not wanting to get headbutted by the ram hybrid.

Schlatt started to walk backwards as he ran a hand through his head. "Was the horns not fucking obvious for you or what?!" Not caring about wanting to stay quiet anymore, Schlatt raises his voice as both hands stretched out then dropping to his sides. He fully turned around as he looks through the cabinets in the room.

He needs a drink.

Wilbur takes a few steps foward. "In my defense, I didnt want to assume or ask the kid if he was abandoned." He walked to the long table in the middle of room and rested his arms on it, to keep it himself up. "Why would you even leave the kid in a box in the side of the road anyways?"

Schlatt slammed the two doors of the cabinets hearing the question. "Did you fucking forget where I was before you dragged me to your stupid lava and water world?!" He turned to face Wilbur, who is still trying to appear more stoic, making Schlatt more pissed off. He started to walk to the other end to meet with Wilbur again. "I was a fucking con man, dumbass! I needed the money and I needed to protect my son by hiding him away!"

Wilbur shrugged and closed his eyes. "You shouldn't have done that if you knew how risking it was to your kid." Both hands slam against the dark wood in front of him. Making him flitch back and open his eyes again, looking meeting with Schlatt's eyes. Having his eyes filled with anger and a smile spead across his face.

"Do you want me to bring up your past, loverboy?" Wilbur gotten tensed by the name. Curling his hands up into fist out of pure annoyance. "You started this shithole by making a drug van, try to start a war against god, then turned my kid and your brother into a brainwashed soilders! If anything, you're more of an asshole then me!" A small chuckle left Schlatt as he started to walk a bit backwards, wanting to make sure he wasn't in swinging distance.

Wilbur moved back from the table and tried to straightened his posture. "No, I fought for what was right. I fought for freedom, the two followed me in my fight."

Schlatt rolled his eyes, he knew Wilbur had a shitty justification for pratically children soilders. He needs that damn drink. "Yeah, alright Loverboy, you're right with wanting to have a mindcontrolled army that you forced to stay with you by guilting them. Like your younger brother and his very close friend wont follow due to them having a lack of leadership in their lives growing up. They totally didnt want the approval from a leader that they looked up to for years."

Wilbur's anger begain to grow as he tries to keep himself in line. "Philza was a great dad, he-"

"How did you know I was talking about Philza?" Wilbur closes his mouth, not wanting to lash out. It's what Schlatt wants. "Philza constantly left you guys to have an adventure. Techno left to go fight his stupid battles. And you left the younger two for your own adventures to see other places. You three left two really young kids alone to fend for themselves. What leader figure did they have?" He turns back to get the cabinets.

"You promised-"

"-to not speak of it! I fucking know!" Schlatt was quick to cut him off, not wanting to hear anymore shitty excuses. "You also promised to keep an eye out for my kid!" He finally found a liquor bottle, he grabbed the tall bottle and a cup. Schlatt turns around to face the table to open the bottle and pour himself a cup. "But you fucking turned him and his friend into a fucking mindless soilders!" He grabbed the cup by holding it with his hand over the top.

Wilbur was gritting his teeth as his nails dug into his palm. Schlatt had a small smirk. he took a sip from his cup, like a little celebration sip. "I didn't turn him into a soilder, Schlatt! The two joined willingly! I wouldn't even place my brother in harms way! I was a better father to them then you-"

Schlatt spat out the liquor and started to cackle as he places his cup back on the table. "You think you're a better dad then me?!"

Wilbur nods his head, being unamused. "Yes, yes I do."

Schlatt continues to laugh. "How about your own damn kid, Funky? Yeah, why dont you ever pay attention to him for once and leave my damn kid alone?!" There was a mixture of amusement and anger in his voice as he chugged down the final remains that was left in the cup. That deserves another drink.

Wilbur cringed at the questions before answering. "Its Fundy. And I do pay attention to him."

Schlatt gestures to Wilbur's outfit with the cup in hand. "Why are the outfits different?" He downs the drink, ignoring the burning in his throat.

"Because he's my son-"

"Pretty sure the fox doesn't like to get babied." Wilbur takes a moment to think back on the uniforms. Fundy always wore a pastel version, it does make him look like a child. But he looks like a little champion. "Pay attention to his tail and ears. It stays close to his body for a reason, he's uncomfortable and hates it." Schlatt raises the bottle and starts to drink the liquor from there.

"Shut up. You don't know anything about my son. You dont even know his name, let alone how he feels." Wilbur has changed from arguing to just being defensive.

Good, easier to piss off.

"And you do?" Schlatt raised the bottle towards him, with one hand being stuffed in his pocket. "I just told you he doesn't like and explained how I knew because I pay attention to-"

"I said shut up Schlatt!" There it is, he's breaking. "You need to leave my son out of this, he doesn't need to be ridiculed by you."

"You dont want to ridiculed, Wilbur. Im just stating facts and you're getting mad about it." Schlatt took another swing at the bottle. "Besides, if you're going to bring my kid into this by turning him into a kid soilder, then I should at least be able to tell you about how your kid feels."

Wilbur turned on his heels and went to the door. "This meeting is over, see you at the elections." He opened the door and was ready to walk out

"See ya there loverboy." Wilbur slammed the door shut.

Schlatt smiled to himself, proud of making Wilbur break his stupid character. He takes another swing at the bottle. Thankfully, his team up will help him win tomorrow and he'll be able to protect his son from that family. Its the least he can do after Tubbo needing to live with them for so many years.

[yoonguurt]

And What Would You Like?

Pairing: Jooheon x reader

Genre: fluff, smut

Warnings: thigh riding, penetrative sex, protected sex (this is the right way)

You glance at your glass self staring back at you from the mirror, looking as pleased as you felt. Your eyes scan over your reflection in all its ridiculous glory, and you let out a scoff. The woman in front of you is clad in, in your opinion, the most hideous outfit known to man. Your torso is covered in a darker green shirt with oversized golden buttons, the sleeves sliced in a way that reminds you of shark teeth, and that thought kind of makes you feel slightly better. Your leggings are probably the most comfortable leggings you’ve ever worn, but the red and white stripes printed on them make you feel like a walking candy cane. You hate candy canes. You think the shoes might actually be the worst part of this outfit, they fit fine but look far too big for your feet and the same ugly green as your shirt. They have little bells on them that jingle every time you move and the sound of bells haunts your nightmares now. Then there’s the hat. That fucking hat. No, that is definitely the worst part. It’s floppy and red and just pure uncomfortable. It itches and has a weird smell no matter how many times you wash it, and in true Christmas spirit, another damn bell.

You don’t hate your job, but you aren’t sure why you came back. The pay is ok at best, the customers can be a bit assy,  but you do have your coworkers. You say coworkers, but you know you’re only thinking of one in particular. Your mind flashes an image of the cutest dimples and you know that’s the main reason you came back for a second season as one of Santa’s elves. You sigh and grab your keys and trudge out the door. Pulling into your usual spot in the mall parking lot, you feel the urge to turn your car back on and head right back home. The urge only double as you look into the mirror in your sun visor and see that stupid hat again. Your hand flies to your keys that are still in the ignition, ready to turn it and speed out of there. Your hand only has to move just a small amount and your car is ready to go, but before you make that move, you were the sweetest laugh from somewhere in your memory. You hate that just the phantom laugh has the power to make your heart flip and causes your hand to move from the keys. 

Walking through the mall doors immediately makes you want to turn around. Despite the early hour, the speakers are blaring Christmas music, and though you know why, it annoys you. The murmur of constant talking adds to your already forming headache. You can see the line already beginning to form and you already know that you won’t be getting out of here till late. You weave through the small crowd gathering near the corner of the mall where everything had been set up, rounding the corner only to pause in a bit of surprise. Everything is vastly different this year. Last year had been the first year this particular company had set up a Santa area in a mall so everything was pretty, for lack of a better word, crappy. You remember the short, raggedy green carpet that had been set up for people to line up on. It had definitely seen better days, the edges had long started to fray. The carpet let up to a single chair, that always looked like it was one ass away from collapsing. 

The difference today is striking. The green carpet had been replaced, it was still kind of stiff as if this was the first time it was being used. The shitty chair had been replaced by, well many things. The flashy new carpet led to a very large platform with stairs on either side of it. On top sat a very different chair than before. This one looked like no one had ever sat in it, it was very ornate with carvings painted in gold on the top and sides. Directly in front of the chair was a slide. You thought that part was pretty neat, a little bit of an extra reward for having to wait in such long lines.  You walk forward, slightly turning your body every now and then to keep from running into people. You greet the twins, Ella and Emma, as you pass, assuming they’re going to be the second group of partners with you this year. They each give you a wave as they stay in place at the bottom of each set of stairs, which means you’ll be at the top. As soon as you reach the top of the platform, you’re met with the sound of jingling bells. You immediately turn your back to the direction of sound, biting back a smile that really wants your face to split in a wide grin. You do your best to seem like you’re busy doing something as the sound of bells continues behind you. It doesn’t take long for the noise to stop, a whiney sound replacing the jingles. You slowly turn around to see the cutest pout you have ever seen. “ Aw come on. You know I hate when you ignore me!” The sentence was drawn out as the man before had let it out in a whine. “I know you do, Jooheon. That’s why I do it.” You laughed as you replied, knowing it would only cause him to pout at you more even though you meant nothing by it. He gives you a playful shove, pout intensifying before his face shifts into mock anger. Your playful session with Jooheon comes to an abrupt halt as a man dressed in a Santa suit walks up from a third set of stairs hidden behind the platform. You give your partner a quick huff of a laugh and shake your head as you make your way to the right side staircase and motion for the first child in line to start climbing the stairs. 

You can’t even count how many children you had ushered from the stairs to Santa. Your shift was longer than you remembered and your stomach has been reminding you that you needed food for hours no. It had been a very busy opening day and there just hadn’t been enough time for you to grab something to eat on your almost nonexistent break. You had just enough time to rush to the restroom on the other side of the mall and then rush back. You really can’t wait to get home and take a shower and get some sleep before you have to do it all again the next. Grabbing a broom, you help sweep and clean up the village area, all four of you working together to get it done quickly. Finishing your part of cleaning didn’t take long at all so you put your supplies away and wished everyone a quick goodnight and head to the mall entrance. Just as you push through the doors of the mall, you hear someone calling your name from behind you. You turn to see Jooheon jogging to catch up with you and you chuckle a little as you pause and wait for him. Your chuckle turns into more of a giggle when he stops in front you, hands on his knees. You can tell that he is only slightly out of breath and his posture is just an exaggeration. He jerks his head up quickly, flashing you that gorgeous smile and you will your cheeks not to blush. “Hey you wanna go get some food from the place up the street? I know we didn’t get much of a break so I thought you might be hungry and I’m already going. Wanna keep me company?” You feel your stomach do a little flip and your mind immediately tells your body to shut up and that he’s just being nice. Realizing you’ve been silent for a moment, you nod your head and start to tell him that you’re totally down for some food, but a rumble from your stomach beats you to it. Jooheon laughs and your demanding hunger grumble and nods his head toward the parking lot. “Come on then, I’ll drive.”

This was very new. You had never spent time with Jooheon outside of work. What do you even talk about? You weren’t the kind of person to get nervous easily, but you were starting to get that nervous feeling. The two of you walked to his car in silence, shoulders just barely brushing. You took a step to the side, not wanting to crowd Jooheon too much, but almost immediately you were brushing his shoulder again. Jooheon sped up slightly to make it to his car before you did, grabbing his passenger door just in time for you to step up to the car. He flashed you that boyish smile as he held the door for you and bowed slightly and made a swiping motion toward his car. The action caused you to let out a loud laugh as you sat in the seat. Once he had closed the door, you watched as he jogged around the front of the car and planted himself in the driver’s seat. He gave you another quick smile as he turned the key and buckled his seatbelt, casting you a glance to make sure you had done the same. “Safety first.” You giggled at his words, rolling your eyes slightly even though you appreciated the gesture. 

“You good with the chicken place up here?” His eyes never left the road as he spoke, voice calm. Once you gave him an affirmative answer, he nodded his head with a quick ‘cool’ as he switched lanes. The car went silent, but it was in no way an uncomfortable silence. To you, it felt like two people that had lived together for a while, two people enjoying each other’s company while still doing their own thing. You let out a small sigh of content, just enjoying the ride. “Everything ok?” This time Jooheon turned his head in your direction briefly, a look of concern on his face. You gave him a small and a nod, telling him that it wasn’t a bad sigh and he smiled back at you. As he turned into the drive, you realized that though you had passed the restaurant, you had never actually stopped here. A flash of panic shot through you, worrying that there wouldn’t like anything here. You quickly talk yourself down, telling yourself that it’s a chicken place and of course chicken tenders are an option. After your almost panic, you feel the car come to a stop as Jooheon pulls into a parking spot. 

“Pick a table, any table.” Jooheon says in his best over the top magician voice. You give him a playful shove, which he returns. His shove is a tad bit harder than you expected and you start to tip backwards. You close your eyes, preparing yourself for a fall, only to feel a pull on your arm. You feel warm breath on your cheeks and you open your eyes to find Jooheon’s face directly in front of yours. You take a moment to admire his lips up close, your breath hitching as you realize that all you had to do was lean slightly and you’d be kissing him. It feels like forever that you two stand in silence before Jooheon finally speaks. “Sorry. I guess I used a little too much force.” His voice is barely above a whisper and you could feel your cheeks starting to burn, glancing up to see that his are tinted pink too. You take a quick step back and quickly place a smile on your face. “Just check your strength next time, Muscles.” You punctuate your sentence with a small huff of a laugh. He quickly follows your laugh with one of his own and a nod as he follows you toward one of the outdoor patio tables. 

After ordering your food, there is a little bit of awkward silence between the two of you and you do your best to think of something to talk about to ease the awkwardness. “So, why a mall elf? Is it the costume?” You have a bit of a smirk playing on your lips as you wait for his answer. “I just really like kids. I know some of them can be a pain, but most of them are pretty well behaved and I really like seeing the way their eyes light up when they finally get to Santa. What about you?” That was in no way what you were expecting and there was no way you could answer that question honestly. There was no way you could tell him that the only reason you came back was because of him.  You didn’t think about the possibility of him asking you the same question. You really should have thought a little longer. “I just really like Christmas is all.” You mentally scold yourself for such a lame answer. It wasn’t like it was a lie, you really did love Christmas time, it was just a ridiculous answer. You watch as he smirks briefly before giving you a nod. “So what do you do during the rest of the year?” His eyes were focused on yours, almost burning through you. It took you a moment to answer, too focused on his chocolate globes. “Something very similar.” You pause to let out a laugh. “I work in my family’s convenience store. You? What does the cheeriest elf around do on a normal day?” He straightens his back a little and his face turns a bit serious. He’s quiet for a moment, letting his professional aura sink in a little more. “Bakery cashier Jooheon at your service.” His straight face immediately breaks, a giant smile plastered across his face. “A friend of mine owns a bakery and I work for him. He lets me off on the days I work at the mall.” Before you could respond, your food was being sat on the table. You quickly grabbed your chicken tenders, not really realizing how hungry you were until food was right in front of you. You heard a chuckle as you began to dig into your food and you suddenly felt embarrassed for shoveling food in your mouth. Your eating slowed as the two of you continued to make small talk, slowly learning more about each other.

The conversation continued well after the both of you were done eating. Jooheon checked his watch and quirked his eyebrows. “We should probably get you back to your car before it gets too late.” He motioned to sever and told her that you were ready to pay. You watched her walk back into the building quickly coming back at and setting a single ticket on the table. “How much do I owe?” Your focus was on your wallet as you flipped through it to get your cash. “Nope. I got it.” You lifted your head, eyes slightly widening to find Jooheon already handing the server her his card. He turns to face you, smile wide and eyes crinkling slightly. You’re slightly in awe at just how beautiful yet boyish he looks. You get an overwhelming feeling of wanting to pinch his cheeks but wanting to kiss him at the same time. You open your mouth to protest, only to be cut off by the server bringing Jooheon’s card back. He thanks her and she grabs the tray of trash and tells the both of you to have a good night. 

The drive back to your car is filled with soft music. The volume isn’t high, straining slightly you do your best to make out the voice. It’s not one you’ve heard before but it somehow sounds familiar. It's a smooth and honeyed sound, every now and then a growling texture making an appearance. The transition from soft vocals to the graveled rapping is seamless, you almost don’t notice the change. It leaves you feeling warm and calm and it’s very easy to get lost in the sound of the voice. You can feel yourself zoning out, trying to focus on the lyrics. You can make out enough to know that  it’s a song about wanting to confess to someone and it resonates with you. You can feel  how desperately the artist wants the object of his affection to know about  his feelings. The song is nearing its end when you finally realize you’re pulling up to your car and you really want to know who the artist is so you can look them up, but you can’t seem to make yourself ask. You both sit silently for a moment before Jooheon’s voice rings out in the air. “Thanks for coming with. See you tomorrow for the ole shift work? You give him a nod. “Thanks for the invite,I had fun.” You reach for the handle, trying not to swing the door too hard. You give him a smile and a small wave as you step out of the car and move to close the door. You hear Jooheon call your name and you pause and lean down a little to look at him. “Get home safe, yeah?” You laugh and agree, telling him to do the same as you close the door. 

You’re beyond grateful at the feeling of the hot water that falls from the shower head. Showers have always been your favorite part of the day, even to the extent of taking more than one on occasion. Most of your showers where the run of the mill get clean showers, but sometimes you would take far longer than you needed. You really liked being able to take your time, sitting down in the bottom of the tub and letting the water just run over your body. You could almost feel the weight of the day being purged from your body. Showers were your way of relaxing, and though this one was no different, you didn’t let it drag on. You were more tired than usual, which probably had something to do with the slight mental strain of being nervous about the hangout/date with Jooheon. Was it a date? You wanted to entertain that thought but you couldn’t allow yourself. Jooheon was just being nice since you two hadn’t had lunch, nothing more. Even though your brain spent energy telling yourself that was all it was, your heart still felt a small flip at the possibility of a date. 

Feeling a slight chill as you step out of the shower, you rush to grab your favorite of black sweats and plain black shirt that is just a tad too big. You quickly dress yourself and rush to put your work clothes in the dryer, flicking your heat on as you pass the thermostat. Your nightly routine didn’t consist of anything too intensive. You washed your face with a simple face wash, followed by an equally simple moisturizer and a brush of your teeth. Due to the cold, you made sure to dry your hair, not wanting to possibly get sick, which was the final piece of your routine. Your apartment has started to warm up slightly, but you still bury yourself in your bed, dragging the blanket all the way up to your chin. 

Your alarm snaps you out of sleep and you already feel your mood dip. The fog of your dreams lifts enough for you to not fully remember what it was about, but your heart is swelling with feelings of Jooeheon, which leads you to believe he played an important part in your mind's nightly escapades. It isn’t the first time you’ve dreamt of the dimpled man, and you can feel that it probably won’t be the last. Your thought drifts to the day you met Jooheon and a smile immediately graces your lips without you even realizing it. You laugh slightly at the memory, feeling so long ago even though it’s only just been a year. 

You had been sitting in a bland room waiting for your interview to start, eyes panning the room. It was just a small room with dull gray walls, the paint was slightly peeling and there was no wall art anywhere in the room. The only sign of movement was the man on the other side of the room, bouncing his leg. You could practically see the sweat starting to bead up on his forehead and you felt a little bad for him. This was obviously something he wanted and anyone could see how nervous he was about this interview. You noticed as he glanced at you, leg still bouncing only faster. You quickly react by flashing him a smile and giving him a thumbs up as a lady in slacks calls his name. He hadn’t been behind the white door for long before he came back out, this time with a large smile on his face. You had been struck by how boyish his smile had been, not expecting it. Immediately after you were struck by just how attractive the man was and how his smile seemed to fit him perfectly, even though you had never talked to him. After getting the job, you were shocked that Jooheon had been assigned as your elf partner. The company had wanted every employee to have a partner. The partners would work every shift together, the company felt that it would bring some sort of consistency in the village. As soon as you had arrived, he gave you that dazzling smile and you knew that you were going to be hooked. 

You got ready much like you had the day before, mirror mental meltdown included. You hold out hope that today will be a good day, the day before hadn’t been awful despite not getting a lunch. Your hope was very swiftly smashed as you looked at the line already forming. It was twice as long as the day before and from the looks of it, most of the kids were in no way well behaved. Your shift went by in a slow wave of crying kids and impatient mothers. While today you were given a break, Santa really needed to get a way for a few minutes, it felt like there hadn’t been a point. You did your best to maintain your cheery elf persona, and you had done a very good job of it. When it came time to leave, you moved straight toward the door. Staying and cleaning wasn’t really part of your job, but you liked to help out the mall staff, but you just couldn’t bear to be here a minute longer. You gave everyone a quick goodbye and a small wave of your hand.

Your hand is reaching for the door handle when you hear your name being called and you almost groan out loud, the only thing stopping you is the recognition of Jooheon’s voice. You stop and turn to face him, giving him a tired smile. “Hey, think you might wanna get some food again? You know, try to have some fun and get rid of this shitty mood?” You can feel yourself deflate a bit. You would absolutely love to hang out with him again, but you’re drained. You peek up at him and his face has the softest expression on it and you feel your stomach flutter and your mood soften slightly. You realize as you look at him that there is absolutely no way that you can say no to his adorable face. You finally smile a little bigger and give him a small nod. He flashes you a giant smile and grabs your hand and pulls you into the parking lot. 

You look at Jooheon in confusion as he makes no move to turn into the chicken place you went to the night before. He lets out an airy chuckle before looking at you and flashing a smile. “I thought we might check out the 24 hour diner down here.” You give him a nod and tell him that you’ve been wanting to try it for a while, just haven’t gotten the chance. He opens the diner door for you and you smile and thank him as a bell rings out from above the door. You hear someone call out a welcome to you and you nod in their direction and mutter a thank you as Jooheon leads you to a booth in the back corner of the diner. The two of you sit and almost immediately an older woman stops at your table with some menus and a question of what you would like to drink. 

The table is silent as you both study the menu, deciding what your stomach is in the mood for. You end up choosing a cheeseburger, Jooheon choosing the same. “You know, we’ve never swapped numbers.” Jooheon’s voice is a slightly higher pitch than normal, but you’re certain you would be the only one that would notice something like that. You nod and emit a small laugh when he slides his phone across the table, the new contact screen already showing. You slide him your phone before adding yourself into his contacts. The conversation is more small talk, talking about how awful the shift was and singling out the kids whose behavior made them hard to forget. You can certainly feel the weight and bad vibe of the day slowly melt away throughout the dinner. The waitress comes back once you finish your food, taking your plates and asking if you would like any dessert. You quickly order a small bowl of ice cream, Jooheon deciding that he’s fine without dessert. 

Your ice cream doesn’t take long to make it back to the table, and a smile lights up your face as the waitress sets it down for you. Everything is silent as you enjoy your dessert until Jooheon’s voice grabs your attention. “Hey, hold still.” His arm reaches across the table and you feel his finger swipe at the corner of your lip. You can feel your breath hitch and it honestly feels like time has slowed. You watch as his eyes find yours and his arm retracts to his side of the table, his finger making its way to his mouth. You hold your breath as you watch him suck the ice cream off of his finger. You can feel your mouth dry at the action and while you clench your thighs together. Your eyes stay focused on each other for what feels like an eternity, before the waitress interrupts by asking if you needed anything else. Jooheon licks his lips before turning his attention to the older woman, flashing her a smile and asking for the check. It’s silent between you two as you wait to pay. You move to get your wallet, Jooheon only shaking his head when you try to hand him your share. 

Jooheon holds the diner door open for you, walking slightly faster than you to open the door of his car. You smile as you make your way to the car door. “Thank you for such a great date I didn’t even know I was having.” Your voice is light and you laugh at your joke and you see Jooheon’s cheeks turn slightly pink. As he moves to shut the door, you glance over his form, breath catching as you see the slight strain of his pants. You take a moment to take a deep breath as you clench your thighs with more force than the last time. Jooheon makes his way around the car, his pants clinging to his thighs in a way that has you clenching around nothing and you almost let out a moan. The car ride back is silent and not the comfortable kind, it’s full of tension and it is taking all of your control to drive back the want to grip his thighs at every stop. After what feels like forever, Jooheon finally pulls up beside your car. You know you should thank him and open the car door, but you can’t seem to make yourself move. You sit in silence for a few more minutes before Jooehon speaks. “Has it really not been obvious that I like you?” 

Your head snaps to face him, his expression serious. You stare at him for a moment before you realize that you should probably answer him, but your voice seems to not work so you settle for a shake of your head. He doesn’t say anything and you finally muster up the will to make yourself speak. “I-I really had no idea.” Your voice trails off into a whisper at the end as you struggle to keep eye contact. “After interview day, I had hoped I would see you again and when we found out we were partners, I was freaking out inside. I was excited to get to know you and by the end of last season, I was chin deep in feelings for you. I kicked myself for not getting your number last year and I hoped you would be back this year.” You’re barely breathing as you take in his words. He liked you. Jooheon. Jooheon liked you for as long as you liked him. Your mind was spinning, going back and forth between shock and happiness. It took you a few moments to realize that Jooheon had gone quite and you hadn’t responded. You rushed to let him know that you felt the same, your words coming out in a jumble. “Ireallylikeyoutoolikealot.” You mentally kicked yourself, knowing there was almost no way that he understood that. It’s clear by the way he looks at you, beaming smile, that lets you know that he understood. 

There is a period of nothing but staring, neither of you really knowing what to do. Over time, you both start slowly leaning towards each other, not moving at a hasty pace. Your lips finally touch and it almost takes your breath away. It’s very sweet as Jooheon brings his hand to rest on your cheek, thumb rubbing your cheek slowly. It quickly escalates from soft and sweet to heated as his tongue swipes your bottom lip in a silent plea for entrance, which you grant without hesitation. Your makeout session takes another turn as Jooheon places his hand on your waist, squeezing slightly. When you two finally break apart, your chests are heaving as you try to catch your breath. It’s silent for another beat before Jooheon asks if you want to come back to his apartment, which you quickly agree to. He gives you another slow kiss before starting his car and pulling out of the parking lot.

You can’t give an accurate estimate at how far away Jooheon’s apartment is. It feels like days since you left the mall parking lot and Jooheon’s hand rubbing your thigh isn’t making it go any faster. His slow movement and the fact that his hand occasionally dips closer to your needy core seems to make it only drag on. The slow and sensual music on the radio making it even worse, though it does remind you to ask Jooheon about the artist. Jooheon finally pulls the car into a parking spot in front of his apartment building, not hesitating to immediately make his way out and around the car to open your door. His hand finds yours immediately and he tugs you along behind him. 

As soon as you’re in his apartment and his door is closed, your back is pushed up against it, Jooheon’s lips on yours. His hands find purchase on your waist as yours rest on his abdomen. You can feel the muscle underneath your hands and you let out a moan as you run your fingers over his defined abs. You can feel his body tense and shiver as you move your hands over his stomach. His lips make their way down your jaw and onto your neck, finding your sensitive spot almost immediately. When you let out a gasp, you feel him smirk against your neck as he continues to suckle on your neck and you just know you’ll have a mark the next day. His hands slide down to rest on your ass, squeezing and placing a small smack, causing you to let out another moan. He pulls back, lips pink and pupils blown. You’re trying to catch your breath when he takes your hand again and leads you to his bedroom. 

Neither of you bother shutting the bedroom door, making your way straight to his bed. He pulls you around in front of him, kissing you slowly as he leans you back to lay on the bed. When your back meets the bed, he climbs over you making sure to rest most of his weight on his arm while the other hand makes its way to cup your face. His lips slowly make their way down your neck before he leaves a little bite and the junction of your neck and shoulder and his tongue darts out to swipe over the spot. He leans back, resting on his knees as his hands make their way to the hem of your shirt. He looks at you with a quirked eyebrow and you nod, giving him permission. He teases as he slowly removes your shirt, bending down to litter your stomach with kisses. He moves up your body as your shirt moves higher, making sure not to leave a single spot untouched. His hands move to unclasp your bra as soon as the shirt is tossed on the floor. His mouth finds your hardened bud, tongue swirling as his other hand moves to the other breast. You let out a whimper as he begins to roll your other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. 

He brings his mouth back to your lips, placing a quick peck on your lips as his hands make their way to the waistband of your leggings. You hold your breath as his hands move slowly down your body, his eyes fixed on your face. He grips your leggings and slowly pulls them down your body, lips ghosting over the newly exposed skin. After kissing his way back up your legs, making sure to pay special attention to the inside of your thighs, he sits back up and moves to set up against his headboard. You whine at his absence, his teasing and attention to your body having your underwear soaked. “I noticed you looking at my thighs in the car, baby. Why don’t you come up here and have a seat for me.” His voice is dripping with lust and though you didn’t think you could get wetter, you feel your juices running down your thighs. You slowly roll yourself onto your stomach, making sure to stick your ass in the air as you crawl over to his leg. You make sure to maintain eye contact as you straddle his thigh, slowly lowering yourself down. You immediately get a rush of pleasure as soon as your core makes contact with this cloth clad thigh. He lets out a groan, letting you know he can feel how wet you are. He moves his hands to your ass, giving you a slight push causing you to glide across his thigh. You let out a loud moan at the friction, hands immediately coming up to grab your breast. You open your eyes to find Jooheon’s eyes fixated on you, teeth sinking into his lower lip. 

You move your hips slowly, dragging out your pleasure. Jooheon watches you with black pupils as he gives you a push every now and then. You can feel your orgasm slowly building and your increase your pace slightly, making no move to hide the moans falling from your mouth. All at once your feel the tightening of your climax speedily increasing and your grip Jooheon’s shoulders as you lose yourself in the feeling of his thigh on your clit. When the band finally snaps, your nails dig into his shoulders and you let out a loud whine. You feel Jooheon tense underneath you as his nails dig into your ass.

He quickly lifts you off of his thigh, placing you softly on the bed beside him.He quickly removes his clothes and you’re struck by just how gorgeous he is. You let your eyes scan his form as he removes his underwear, dick slightly slapping his stomach and you feel your mouth water at the sight. You get rid of your underwear, tossing them somewhere on the floor as you start to crawl toward him. You reach for his cock, wrapping your hand around him and giving him a slow tug. He moans a higher pitched moan and you can feel yourself clench around nothing at the sound. You move to slide your hand again before his hand wraps around yours. “Normally I would spend hours getting each other worked up, but I’ve thought about this for a while. Baby, I need you right now.” You chuckle a little bit as his flustered honesty, moving yourself to lie back down, legs spread for Jooheon to see your dripping pussy. He groans as he reaches to the drawer beside his bed and grabs a condom, ripping into the foil immediately and rolling it on himself. He looks at you with a questioning look and you know he’s giving you a chance to stop this. You response is a hand sliding down your body and dipping your finger into your entrance. You give him a come hither motion and he whines and moves forward and lines himself up with your hole. You bring your finger up, still glistening with your juices and tap his lips lightly. He eagerly opens, taking your finger into his mouth without hesitation and lets out a deep groan of appreciation at your taste.

He thrusts into you without warning, causing you to let out a gasp as you cling to his shoulders. He leans forward to bury his face in your neck, biting a little harder than before. You reach down and dig your nails into his ass, letting him know to move. He leans up from your neck, giving you a deep kiss as he pulls almost completely out of you before thrusting himself back into your core. His thrusts are soft but hit deep and you can’t help the guttural moan you let out as he quickly finds the spot inside of you that has your vision fuzzy. He realizes he’s found your sweet spot and he makes sure to hit it with every thrust. He moves his hand to play with your clit, thrusts speeding up. His fingers seem to work magic as you feel your second climax quickly approaching. Jooheon’s thrusts get sloppy as he increases pressure on your clit and within seconds you're letting go for the second time, quickly followed by a whine from Jooheon as his hips still. 

His body slumps on yours for a few moments before he leans up and gives you a soft kiss, pulling his length out of you before removing the latex from himself and tying a knot throwing it in the small can in the bathroom. He returns with a warm washcloth and he gently wipes you down, ridding you of all the dried fluid. He throws on a pair of sweatpants on himself and tugs open a drawer and pulls out a large tee and hands it to you along with placing a kiss on your temple. Out of nowhere the thought of the music from the car pops into her mind. “Oh hey. Who were you listening to in the car?” He turns to you, tips of his ears red. “Oh. Um. That was me. I play around with music in my free time.” It hits you why the voice felt comfortable and you smile wide. “It’s really good. I like it alot.” You let out a giggle as his gives you an embarrassed thanks, cheeks heating up with pink. “Do you maybe wanna stay the night and watch a movie? I can run you to get your car so it’s not in the lot all night.” You give a smile and nod your head. “I do have one condition though.” He looks at you with a confused look. “We are absolutely not watching anything that evolves elves.” He laughs and nods as he crawls into his bed and wrapping his arms around you. “No elves. You got it.”

[youngbloodlisk]

Lost Time // Lee Hyunjae

"But even more, I've missed..."

request: "he is needy but he forgot that you're on your period + after period s*x?"

- criminally short

- why the fuck was this so hard for me to write ?/!.$/???

- i apologize to my TOTAL SWEETHEART of a requester cause you deserve way better than this piece of shit

- but I promise I tried my very hardest

- which is maybe even more pathetic

- what warnings does this need

- fingering?

- implied fem rec oral

- protected sex bc wrap it up !!!

- this one ended up rlly tame

- some angst

- and smut of course

- plz stay safe and healthy as well, you sweetheart!!

"Please?" He looks at me with puppy eyes, which is an insane contradiction to what he's asking.

"Hyunjae, even if I wanted to, I can't. You know that. Do you really wanna deal with the mess?"

"Yes."

I scoff at him.

"Don't let your dick talk for you."

He sighs with a hint of defeat in his voice.

"... Ok, no. No, I don't."

"Exactly." I turn back to my phone, assuming the conversation is over.

... I'm wrong.

"How much longer will it be?"

"I only started yesterday." I roll my eyes lightheartedly.

"So... tomorrow?"

"Hyunjae!" I laugh, which only annoys him.

"What?!"

"I will tell you when." I lean over to place a soft kiss on his forehead. He pouts, but I can see in his eyes that he feels bad for begging like he did.

It's not his fault he has needs, but it's also not my fault that I'm on my period.

I cuddle into his side, both to reassure him that it's okay and to gain come comfort as my body begins to feel like it's being ripped apart (because it kind of is, to be fair).

A few days later, I can feel that Hyunjae is growing impatient, but he'd never tell me that.

I have to make him.

"Hyunjae?" I slowly step into our shared bedroom while he pulls on his tshirt, finishing up getting changed.

"Yeah, baby?"

"It's only gonna be a couple more days."

He realizes what the conversation topic is and sighs roughly.

"Yeah, whatever. A couple more days of nothing, I get it."

His tone is almost sarcastic, that's how much of a jerk he sounds like.

"What's with the sudden attitude?"

"No sex, I can understand. No eating you out, I can understand. But my girlfriend won't even give me a blowjob, so excuse me if I'm a little pissed."

Usually, I wouldn't respond in a hostile way... but with the way my stomach feels and the hormonal imbalances...

"Listen, don't think I don't wanna be satisfying my boyfriend, but when I'm fucking bleeding I don't really feel up to that. You can't even wait a few days without getting all whiney."

"Whiney?" He widens his eyes, very defensively.

"Have you even seen yourself?! At least I'm not moping around the house making someone else feel guilty for not satisfying me. I'm a little preoccupied getting punished for not making you a father. Would you rather we do that? Get me pregnant and you won't have this problem. Just a whole different one."

"You're being ridiculous! How hard is it to suck me off? Or give me a handjob? Anything like that?"

"Why is this suddenly an issue?! You've never been this needy when I'm on my period before, what's your issue now?"

"Sorry if I find my girlfriend attractive."

"You have a hand, asshole. Use it."

He rolls his eyes and I slam the bedroom door behind me, on my way to make dinner for the two of us.

Even if I can't stand him at the moment, I'm not gonna let him starve.

At least... not in two ways.

Finally, the day comes.

I toss out the last necessary cotton item of the month before taking a hot shower, making sure to shave in any places I want.

When I get out, I quickly dry off about 90% with a towel and proceed to wrap the towel around my body.

On the way from the bathroom to the bedroom, I pass Hyunjae in the short hall.

I only say one word as I walk straight into the bedroom, not even glancing at him.

"Green light."

He stops dead in his tracks.

"Hey, wait-" He follows me into the room, where I'm tossing my clothes into the dirty hamper. "Seriously?"

"Do you think I'd be kidding?"

"Well... no. I just didn't know you were still gonna tell me after that fight."

"I said I would tell you, right? I'm a woman of my word."

"Right..." He stands there by the doorway, just staring at me. I stand by the bed, just staring at him.

"You gonna stand there and look like an idiot or are you gonna take this towel off me?"

His posture straightens at my boldness and his eyes fulfill with an excitement that, honestly, almost looks childlike.

A smile spreads across Hyunjae's face.

The fight is all but forgotten.

Within a couple minutes, I'm laying underneath my boyfriend. Our lips move in sync together, and his clothed body presses and grinds into my naked one. His hands wander quickly.

You can definitely tell he's been waiting for this moment for a week and he is not in the mood to go slow.

His fingers lightly press against my clit and a small groan leaves me.

"I've missed that..." I whisper into his lips.

"Me too... but even more, I've missed..." Hyunjae trails off as his fingers go lower and feel the growing wetness. Two of them push into me.

I grip the back of his shirt and whine at the feeling.

"Fuck, baby, don't do that... you'll have me cumming in my shorts..."

He pumps his fingers, but it's easy to tell that he desperately wants to be inside me.

Being the thoughtful guy he is, however, he continues to make sure I'm totally ready first.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I think he's also forgetting that I haven't felt him inside me in over a week now.

"Hyunjae, please just fuck me." His fingers halt and he gives me a look that says...

Wow, that was so fucking hot. I just got 10x harder within two seconds, if that's even possible.

I feel cold air and absence when he pulls his fingers out and moves to take off his clothes.

I lay back and wait for him to strip completely, finally matching me.

He rolls on a condom, catching me looking his naked body up and down in the process.

"Glad to know you still like what you see." He comments as he gets into a position to line himself up with me.

He starts to rub his tip through my folds. He looks at me with a sweet, excited, and lustful smile.

"How could I not like it?" I can feel his ego rise and his hands hold my waist as he slides in slowly.

Hyunjae lays on me, holding up most of his weight with his arms sitting on either side of me, and pushes in as far as he can.

He starts to carefully rock his hips.

His deep moans are like soft music in my ear, only intensifying the pleasure.

His impatience starts to show again when he suddenly picks up his pace.

The knot in my stomach tightens more and more.

"Hyunjae..." I moan out his name, and he holds me close as he hits me as deep as he can go.

"Baby, I'm getting close." His shaky, breathy voice warns.

"Me too." My hand lightly claw at his back, feeling his back muscles flexing and feeling his body behind to shake ever-so-slightly.

My own body starts to tremble. My head presses back against the bed as the knot in my stomach unravels and I clench round him with a strong cry of pleasure.

"Just a bit more and I promise..." Hyunjae subtly apologizes, knowing that he'll start to overstimulate me a bit before he can release.

"It's okay, you're good." I give him some reassurance.

He holds his pace as best as he can, but gets jerky and inconsistent right before his collapses onto me and cums into the condom.

We lay and breathe for a moment, before he pulls out and rolls off of me to take off the condom, tie it, and toss it.

Once it lands in the nearby trash can, he turns to look at me.

"I love you." He sighs out, eyes now devoid of anything but adoration and love. I can't help but smile at the beautiful sight.

"I love you, too."

"I'm sorry for being an impatient bastard. I won't do it again."

"Oh please, with how horny you get? Yes, you will." I laugh lightly.

"Ok, maybe I shouldn't make promises... but I'll try."

"Good enough for me." I grab his hand and bring it up to my lips, placing a kiss on it.

"Isn't the guy supposed to kiss the girl's hand? Isn't that my job?"

"Sure, if you live in the past. If it's your job, then do it."

"Your hand isn't exactly my favorite place to kiss..." He props up on his elbow and leans down to press his lips against mine.

What was meant to be a sweet kiss does not last that way very long, however.

His lips end up leaving my lips and slowly traveling down my body. He kisses the whole way down until his eyes are looking up at me from between my legs.

It might be a long night...

Hyunjae says one last thing before his mouth meets my clit.

"We have to make up for lost time, right?"

[bisexual-inuyasha]

The Hook

Chapter 2: Getting to Know You

Prompt: “I shouldn’t be here.” “Well you are. Don’t even think about leaving.”

The next morning, Ling woke up alone. Ed had reminded him Al expected him back. And besides, Ling was all talk. He could kiss Edward Elric but anything more would have to wait until he dealt with his suitor situation. It wasn’t cheating, he knew. But that didn’t mean it was right.

Was he a suitor when he never bothered to ask? Ling’s eyes were itchy with lack of sleep. His cheek tingled from where he’d slept on it. God, mornings sucked. Especially early mornings after a late night.

Even still… he smiled. Last night had not been a total waste. He wrapped his fingers around something warm and smooth, something that had rested against his curled stomach through the night.

“Young Lord, I’ve brought you a snack before your meeting. You barely ate yesterday, so I brought extra.” Lan Fan’s voice carried through the doorway, especially loud. “Do you need anything to drink?”

“He’s gone, Lan Fan.” Ling sighed, sitting up. He was decidedly less dressed than when he’d gone to his rooms. By the time Ed left he was too tired to shrug into his sleep clothes. He’d been missing a shirt and his pants had already been half off. He’d just stripped into his undies and fallen asleep under a mountain of blankets.

“What’s that?” Lan Fan sat across from him, her legs crossed and posture careful. “A gift?”

“You could say that.”

It was only a small cat figure, crudely carved from a soft wood Ling had never gotten around to figuring out on his own.

“It’s. Um, cute?”

It wasn’t. It looked awful. Edward wasn’t artistically inclined in that way. Ling couldn’t care less. “Thank you.”

“Speaking of gifts, you’ve got another. It arrived this morning.” Lan Fan took a bite of Ling’s food. “You should eat.”

“What was the gift?” Ling scooped up a mouthful of rice. “Who was it from?”

“Not Edward Elric.” Lan Fan spoke around her food. “The other man you’re supposed to be involved with.”

Ling’s throat felt dry. He coughed. “We’ve certainly not been meant to be involved yet, Lan Fan. That won’t happen for another month. You know there’s quite a long engagement process in Xing.”

“Yes, Sire. I’m aware.” She closed her eyes. He watched as she considered for a moment. “When you are ready for my opinion I will be sure to give it.”

Irritation flared through Ling but he let it pass. Lan Fan was always free to give her opinion. The only thing putting him off was that he knew what her opinion was. And that she was right. He took a deep breath and pushed a smile onto his face. “I await the day.”

Today was not like the last two. He had so much to do. It was not like his engagement meant the kingdom stopped running. And his hands-on approach to ruling meant he couldn’t shove many duties onto his advisors and court. He was entangled in all of the decisions, from clan relations to trade negotiations. He had all the details and all the paperwork.

So he dragged himself up, splashing cool water on his face. Lan Fan raised an eyebrow at his undress.

“It’s not like it’s anything you haven’t seen before.”

“No, that’s true. I used to kick your ass when you’d wake up half naked after getting mugged in the Hua clans.”

“I wish you wouldn’t remind me of starving days.” Ling put on a pouty face. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to respect me now, Lan Fan? I’m working hard as emperor.”

“I have the utmost respect for you, Sire.” She smiled at him, and it was genuine. She wasn’t too angry at him, then. “I just want you to be careful. You are walking in a thin place. The thin places are difficult to keep you safe in.”

“You don’t have to protect me from everything, Lan Fan.” He gathered up his robes. With a celebration came the expectation of finery. “Though if you want to help me into this ridiculous outfit, I’d appreciate it.”

She did, and by the time his first round of consultation was to start, he was fully dressed. His hair was pulled back today, in the proper style. He arranged his expression into an indifferent coolness.

“Don’t forget, Sire. You’ve got the matter of the gift to deal with.”

His stomach clenched. “Don’t worry. I won’t forget it.”

When she wasn’t looking, Ling snuck the little cat into his pocket.

The mysterious suitor’s gift was on his mind through the whole morning. As his constituents asked about the borders of their fields and the negotiation, he ran his thumb over the figurine in his pocket and tried not to look towards the table where the gift waited for him.

A maze of questions and conflicts and negotiations later, he was being led to the gift. A no stuck in his throat. Refusal built like a physical pressure in his chest. The urge to leave was so strong his hands shook with it.

His advisors were clueless. And of all the days, Lan Fan was busy with other affairs. She wasn’t even in the palace. For the first time since he was inaugurated, a clammy sweat broke over his forehead.

He stood at the box. He didn’t care what was in it. It wouldn’t change his mind, whatever it was.

But accepting the gift was a furthering. For every step into Xingese tradition he took, the expectation he would follow through grew. Maybe this is why he just stood, staring at the box, for several minutes.

The longer he took, the heavier the silence around him grew.

Low rumbling started in the back of the crowd. A few people grumbled and a couple shouted as someone aggressively, and rudely, shoved their way through.

Ed pushed his way near the front, a notebook in his hand, his metal fingers clasped around a pen. Ling heard him shout over the thin wall of people ahead of him. “Well, get on with it. How else are any of us supposed to know what’s in it?”

Ling laughed. He pulled the fabric wrapping from the box. It was a nice enough fabric. From far away, the cloth had just looked like a boring eggwhite, but up close he could see damasked swirls twisting around the corners. The box was equally almost boring--cream, slightly darker, with a line of gold around the opening. His expectations were low.

And good thing.

The gift was a simple, expensive shaving set. Ling felt like this was something Fu would have enjoyed. However, he, with his lack of facial hair and attachment to his other bodily hair, had no use for it. He quirked a brow, put the nice, ivory handled blade back into the oversized box beside the crystal container of what he could only assume was cologne. Maybe?

A single boom of laughter sounded from the general vicinity of Ed, but no one else seemed to think anything of the gift. And then, to his horror, one of his advisors cleared their throat.

“For when he is here, Sire. To shave your husband.”

Ling carefully closed the box. He was trying, and failing, to look nonchalant.

“Sire, should we respond with a gift in kind?”

Ling ground his teeth. “I will be in my room, crafting a response for my… suitor.”

He’d chosen the word specifically for its connotation of uncertainty. A suitor has not been accepted yet. The advisors all glared, and a few of the crowd closest to him gasped. He could feel the burning in his cheeks. Anger, embarrassment, and maybe a smidge of disappointment flooded his thoughts. He needed to be out of here.

Murmuring grew behind him, growing to a small roar as the heavy doors to the court closed behind him.

It was hard to stomp through all his layers but he did his best.

The kitchens were busy when he arrived. Lan Fan was elbow deep in a bowl of dumpling filling. She took one look at his face and picked up the bowl to move towards him.

“We should go, Sire,” she finished kneading the ingredients together and dumped the bowl into the arms of another kitchenhand. “Your face may frighten the staff.”

He shuttered his expression, pushing the emotions and thoughts deep inside until he could be somewhere private. It was not easy, and from Lan Fan’s face he could tell he was not fully successful. He tried, though, and that was the best he could do.

“It was bad?” Lan Fan spoke under her breath while she washed her hands.

He couldn’t speak on it. It was insulting, actually. The kind of gift given to a stranger. But worse so, because it was a gift truly meant for the gifter--a gift of expectation. A note that said one day, he expected Ling to serve him.

He did not become Emperor to serve over-confident old men.

The thought made him bristle. His face contorted into a sneer, despite his best efforts to keep a neutral expression. He turned away, so that only Lan Fan could see him. “It is best discussed somewhere else.”

She didn’t respond, only dried her hands and hurried from the room. Ling followed, though he could only go so fast without tripping over the length of his robes. The hindrance was especially frustrating, and even more so because he wanted to move. To push himself, quicken his steps and his body until he couldn’t hardly breathe.

He already didn’t want to do this.

He had a growing list of reasons to refuse.

Except.

Except there was a reason he accepted in the first place.

It was enough to fuel the fire inside him higher, until he was nearly bursting at the seams in his shuffling pace.

Finally, they were in an empty room. A quick glance around told him it was an empty washroom, and if not for Lan Fan’s very blatant disinterest in men, they may have been in trouble. As it was, she only slammed the door closed (a cathartic sound, though it did nothing for his thrumming body.) When she turned towards him, there was only concern. He hadn’t realized he’d expected anything less. But now, some tightness around his lungs loosened.

He’d been expecting a reprimand.

“What was the gift?” She started pulling his robes off of him.

Briefly, he wondered if this was unusual. The thought left his mind as soon as it crossed. He shifted his shoulders to help her remove the uppermost layer. “It was a shaving set.”

“Hm?” She moved to his front, untying a sash. “But you don’t have any facial hair.”

“It wasn’t for me to use myself.” Ling’s hands shook again. “Hua explained. It was for me to use, on him.”

Lan Fan’s fingers fumbled on the sash. “That doesn’t make sense, Sire.”

“It was meant as exactly what it was.” Ling stepped back and finished undoing the sash to his underrobe himself. “A notification of expectation. A signal that he wants me to be a doting husband.”

“I can see how in some twisted way that makes sense.” Lan Fan frowned. “Though he must be aware it doesn’t give a good impression.”

“He doesn’t think he has to care. He offered his hand in marriage without knowing me, Lan Fan. He wasn’t taking me into account at all. He wants Xing.”

“No.” She sat on an empty countertop. Her expression bothered him. “Not just Xing. He wants you, too. Sire.”

His skin felt raw. Only a few days ago, that may have been a relief. Now it was an irritation digging its way into his blood. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s been keeping tabs on you through the advisors. He has asked specifically after your health and happiness. The reports have been mixed, but he’s asked more than once.”

For a moment, Ling went cold. “Have any of them mentioned--”

“No. No mention of him. But the Amestrian does seem interested in you, specifically, Sire.” She frowned. “Though, I can say from your reaction to the gift that it’s a hopeless cause on his part.”

“What do I do?” He sat on the floor. At least a dozen tailors would be scandalized at his treatment of his clothing, but what did he care? Those same tailors complained every time he wore an outfit a second time.

“I cannot answer you, Ling. I’m sorry.” She smiled. “You should go to breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry.” He was too angry to feel hungry.

“Ed will be there. Surely, he will calm you down.” Lan Fan smiled. “Besides, you should at least try.”

Ling closed his eyes. “I’m not putting the robes back on.”

“You’ll scandalize us all, Sire.” But she was still smiling when she said it. “Please, at least keep your head around the boy.”

Ling blushed. He left, tired and still irritated.

He ignored the stares of the others. Admittedly, his under robe and darkest, loosest pants were not the usual outfit for an emperor. It would take until tomorrow for the rumors to reach outside the kingdom. And when they did, he’d solidify them with his announcement of withdrawal from the marriage.

What had Ed called it?

A soft rebellion.

He sat, heavily, in his seat at the top of the table. Ed and Al sat near him, like they had the night before. Soon, this would become noticeable. Soon, he’d have to deal with all of the fallout from there. Right now though…

“I like your new look.” Ed tapped his fingers on his glass, taking a deep drink. He stared Ling down, questioning. “It’s certainly to stir up some talk around here. Especially with how you stormed out earlier.”

“Surprised you noticed over all your laughter.” Ling stretched in his seat. The dining hall was chilly as the flame of his anger started to wane. “Al, you wouldn’t believe how loud your asshole of a brother laughed at me in my own court.”

“I’m sure he didn’t laugh half as loud as he snored.” Al contemplated, rubbing their chin. “Though I guess he didn’t do much snoring in your room last night.”

Ed and Ling both squawked a protest but Al just snorted.

“I gotta say, though. Your kitchen knows how to make a roast quail that just melts.” Al took a bite, a nibble really, and savored it.

“Al’s a bit of a foodie. In fact, I don’t think they’ve ever enjoyed a place we’ve visited as much. They go on and on about the food here in the room. Do you know how much I had to hear about the sugared sweet potatoes? That was a half hour rant at least.”

“They were good! And one of the cooks said she’d share her recipe with me.” Al’s eyes narrowed, a slow and innocent smile spreading across their face. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t had to hear--”

“Ha! An-any way.” Ed waved his arm, the shine glinting with the bright lights of the room.

Ling caught the metal fingers in his, and Ed’s face lit up like a cherry sparkler. “Did you polish this?”

“Uh…” Ed’s mouth fell open as Ling openly observed the newly cleaned screws and gleaming plates. “Well, yeah. I mean, if I’m going to be modelling for an emperor, I figured it best be up to emperor’s standards.”

“Silly Edward.” Ling pulled the hand towards his face, checking the wear and tarnish. The scuff was still noticeable at the thumb, bits of unreachable fade peeking out from beneath overlapping metal. “I like your hands either way.”

Al coughed. “People are going to notice if you guys keep all that up.”

Ling dropped Ed’s hand and turned to his food. “So you say the quail is good?”

His appetite did return. He ate steadily through baked quail, quail egg dotted rice, taro starch candies, fried squash blossoms, sweet tomato filled dumplings. Occasionally Al would ask about a dish and he’d explain whatever he knew--not usually very much--and they’d write down a few notes to ask about later. And occasionally, he’d glance over to see Ed, a wide grin on his face, eyes alight, cheeks still tinged pink, and his heart would stutter.

This was the feeling he’d dreamed of as a kid. This excitement buzzing through him whenever he looked at Ed. The easy comradery between himself and the two brothers.

Ling leaned over, keeping his voice quiet and his body language inconspicuous. Al didn’t even look up.

“Let’s meet up where we met the first time, tonight.”

Ed nodded, and they continued through their meal until Ling had to excuse himself.

If Ed’s face turned a deeper shade of red, Al didn’t mention it.

As much as Ling was enjoying his scandalous outfit, he couldn’t justify doing any more official work in it. He changed into a simpler, less heavy version of the outfit he wore that morning. He hadn’t seen Lan Fan at breakfast. He assumed she had a good reason for wherever she was. Still. He wanted to tell her he’d made up his mind.

He toured through the city, overseeing repair projects and brokering deals between bickering businesses. The people weren’t quite sure what to do with him. And he was still learning exactly how to be what they expected of him. His advisors had tried to shepherd him into similes of past emperors. He chafed under their pressures as they tried to fill a shell they’d formed for him. The worst times were when they could cite legitimate reasons for their herding.

For example, he was exposed and in danger while out in the towns. So therefore, they must be able to have him well guarded. This very logical set of observations was followed with therefore every step he made had to be very meticulously timed and prescreened. Theoretically, he would spend only a small allotted time at each job, and no more.

One thing was always true, no matter how meticulously planned his outings. Each job multiplied. If he showed up to discuss the demarcation of a farming plot, the result would mean that already grown crops would have to be divided. Inevitably, a dispute would have to be settled. Then, as is only polite when you’ve just told at least one person they’ve less crops than they thought they did, he’d sit for a tea.

Today he didn’t get to lunch. Or back for another round of celebrations. And this was the way it always went, for any of his days he spent out with the people.

It was his favorite part of the job.

By the time he returned to the palace he was exhausted deep in his very bones. The robes, lighter he’d thought than the earlier ones, weighed him down. And still, he had dinner to go through. And the aftermath of this morning to handle. He wanted to sleep.

Then, he remembered.

He had a meeting. After dinner.

His steps still dragged, but a little less.

He made his way to his room and collapsed in his bed.

Only to jump up a moment later, shouting. “What the hell?”

A body wiggled under his covers. Fighting his way from a mountain of plush blankets, Ed’s head popped up. “Oh, you’re back. You were supposed to be back hours ago.”

A soft smile lit his face despite the heaviness of his limbs. “I can’t half ass a job with the people. They’d never forget and the bitching wouldn’t end for years. Probably until I died.”

“Even during your engagement?”

Ling scoffed. “Don’t play with me. You and I both know that’s a sham.”

“You sure?” Ed hugged the covers to his chest. Ling thought it was awfully cheeky that the Amestrian could sleep in his bed, wake up, and immediately start asking prying questions. Maybe he should have been bothered. Instead he was mildly impressed.

“Am I sure that the supposed suitor of mine who I’ve never met, who has no reason to have any interest in a decades younger new emperor in a country with an assassin problem, is nothing more than a sham of political leverage?” Ling slid his top off. He’d put it back on before dinner. But now, he needed to be lighter.

“Leverage? And what does that mean, for you?”

This conversation was a heavy one. Heavier than the exhaustion in his bones. Heavier than the robe he’d allowed to slide onto the floor. Heavier still than the thoughts that had been running through his head all day. “Do you know how I became Emperor?”

Ed frowned. “You fought your way through the other heirs, made alliances, made deals. That’s how every Xingese emperor ascends, right?”

“No. I’d have never been able to fight my way through 43 heirs.” Ling rubbed his eyes. “Promises. I made promises to those I didn’t need to fight my way through. Promises that their clan wouldn’t starve. Promises that I wouldn’t mercilessly kill those clans whose heirs I did have to fight through.”

“Sounds better.” Ed smiled. Ling didn’t.

“If I promised you, right now, that I would fix Amestris for you. That utilizing my marriage to your ruler, I would root out and destroy the corruption that causes Amestris to spread into neighboring countries like a virus. How would you feel?”

Ed’s face shifted, first to anger then to thoughtfulness, before finally landing on doubt. “How could you, even if you did marry him? Amestrians aren’t trusting. They’ve been in war after war--”

“Exactly. And yet, with the resources of Xing, the possibility arises that I could. And this is the possibility I’m faced with. Right now, I’m new, and my rule is based on promises that are thin until I fulfill them. And some of them will only be fulfilled when I die and haven’t killed off the opposing clans. When people aren’t used to honesty, believing in good things will become impossible.” Ling sat on the bed, pushed aside the covers. Ed was still dressed in this morning's clothes. As any normal person would be, Ling decided. “Having a strong military force behind my decrees would go a long way to making people take me seriously.”

“Sounds cowardly to me.” Ed crossed his arms. Ling was going to have to reign this conversation in, or he’d get no sleep before dinner.

“Yes, cowardly,” Ling wrapped his arms around Ed’s waist. “I’m certainly cowardly enough, but maybe not enough for this.”

Ed fought back his grin, but to no avail. “Well, I can’t believe I was lured all the way to the palace under false pretenses.”

“You mean you don’t want to become my mistress?” Ling placed a kiss against Ed’s throat. He wouldn’t usually be so forward, but he had found Ed in his bed.

“Don’t think I’ve got the legs.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to anyway.” And then Ling pulled Ed down, curled around the small statured boy, and fell asleep.

This way, exactly, was how Lan Fan found them. Ed, lying awake in Ling’s arms, and Ling, deep asleep.

“He seems relaxed.” Lan Fan shut the door quietly behind her. “This is good. I wanted to talk to you privately anyway.”

Ed sputtered. “He’s right here, it’s not like we’re alone.”

Lan Fan gave him a deadpan stare. Then she opened her mouth, talking loudly. “Ling! Oh, Ling, it’s an emergency, Ed is cutting off my leg with his automail arm. He’s going to kill me Ling, watch out!”

Ed gaped, waving his free hand in her direction. “Stop it stop it stop it! What are you doing?”

But Ling didn’t wake up. He only snuggled deeper into Ed’s chest, wrapped his arms tighter around Ed’s waist, and hummed contentedly.

“So, as I was saying.” Lan Fan on Ling’s desk, glancing through some of his pictures. “You came here before he got back. Before lunch. You must be hungry.”

“Starving, actually.”

“Careful, he’s got to be starving too.” She rested her chin on her hand, staring him down. “He’s been known to nibble in his sleep.”

“You two are close, yeah?”

“What are your intentions with the Emperor of Xing?” She uncrossed her leg, hopping down from the work desk. “How can I trust you?”

“We had an interesting conversation about trust earlier.” Ed looked up to the ceiling. “I don’t have any intentions, to be honest. I barely know him.”

Lan Fan was at the edge of the bed now. He could feel her cool touch on his leg, a threat more than a comfort. “That’s not a very comforting answer, considering what’s on the line.”

“You couldn’t very well trust me if I lied to you, could you?” Ed swallowed. “I like him. I have since I saw him half-passed out in the garden. He was so far gone he couldn’t stand, and he thought the flowers were stars.”

“It’s hard to understand why you went out after him.” Lan Fan’s grip on his leg tightened. “I had assumed he wanted to be alone. Why didn’t you?”

“I--” Ed hesitated. How much did he want to tell her? “I’ve had that look on my face before. The one he had when he went outside. I hadn’t wanted to be alone, then.”

“So you just took a chance? Followed a hunch?” She sat on the bed. Ling shifted beside him. “And then stayed out there with him, until we found you.”

“He doesn’t remember that part, I think.” Ed spread his fingers over Ling’s arm. “He asked me to lay with him. I didn’t want to disappoint him.”

“You really don’t want anything from him, do you?”

“Just a chance.” Ed turned his face into Ling’s hair. “A chance to get to know him.”

“He wants you to.” Lan Fan sighed. “It’s time to get ready for dinner, now.”

“Right.” Ed ran his fingers through Ling’s hair, careful to keep the metal from tangling. “I should probably go. You probably wanted to talk to him, yeah?”

“I think it would be best.” Lan Fan didn’t move. “After all, it wouldn’t do for you two to arrive at dinner together, again.”

Ed moved carefully, lifting Ling’s arm and sliding out from beneath him. “He sleeps like a log.”

“Only after his visits to the people. It drains him but he loves it. He doesn’t do well sitting still.” She stood before Ed could reach the door, hand outstretched. “I think you’ll love him, before too long. I wish you good luck, Edward Elric. It is no easy task loving Ling Yao.”

He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s worth it, every step.” Her hand hung in the air, waiting. “But he is emperor. And he doesn’t understand how important he is.”

“I make no promises.” He shook her hand and left, feeling somehow that he had made a vow, despite his claims.

Maybe he was already a lot deeper in than he thought.

They didn’t sit together at dinner this time. Ling was dressed in the robe he’d worn to town, only slightly rumpled, and smiling at everyone. A few people had attempted to ask him about his show over the gift this morning. He waved off their questions easily and changed the subject.

He’d even had one of the waiters sneak a baked taro bun over to Al, who had greedily devoured the whole thing. But he didn’t look at Ed.

Lan Fan stuck to his side, slyly moving him away from the less pleasant visitors. Ling pretended not to notice, but at one point he grew frustrated with a conversation, grabbed her around the waist, and did a circle around the room with her, ignoring any woh tried to talk to him. She laughed at him, and he ended up laughing with her. It was only a single round but it was enough to stir up the murmuring all over again.

The abrupt change had successfully signaled a change, however. The groups of people chattering needlessly started to break up into smaller groups, and music began playing. Ling watched as people stopped paying attention to him, concerning themselves with their own conversations.

He took a deep breath and sat down, rubbing his hands over his face. “God, that was becoming insufferable. I receive one shaving set and everyone has jokes and questions.”

“I think it’s more than that, Sire.” Lan Fan stretched. “Are you keeping your appointment?”

“A good emperor always does, right Lan Fan?” He grinned at her.

She squeezed his hand. “Just guard yourself, sire. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

He stuck his tongue out. “You’re always so serious. Never want to just have fun.”

“I have all sorts of fun when I’m with you, Sire.”

They both burst into giggles. He stood, brushing at the wrinkles on his top. “I’ve best get going. Ed disappeared quite a few minutes ago. He’ll be worried if I don’t show up soon.”

“Sire?” She tugged on his sleeve. “You do deserve to be happy. Don’t let any of us make you doubt that.”

A lump rose in his throat. “And is that your official opinion, Lan Fan?”

“That is always my opinion, Sire.”

He was still riding the high of knowing he’d be able to rely on Lan Fan, even if he made the selfish decision, even if he allowed his pride to rule just this once, when he made his way to the archway. Ed sat beneath, staring up at the tiny white flowers that dotted overhead.

“They do kind of look like stars, if you cross your eyes a bit.” Ed thumped back, stretching his arms above him.

“You’ll never reach them. They are the stars, after all.” Ling sat down and matched Ed’s pose.

“Do you remember asking to watch the stars with me?”

Ling shook his head. “No, I don’t. But I’d like to get the chance to try for real.”

“Well, that’s all up to you. I could always be your mistress.”

“You wouldn’t, you’re far too moral for that.” Ling hummed. “No, I’m going to call off the engagement. I can’t follow through with it.”

“Is this because of me? Don’t make a decision like that because of me. We just met, after all. What if we like different music or something?”

“Don’t worry. I’d probably have made this decision even if I hadn’t met you.” Probably. Maybe. Ling hoped he would have. “I’ve given up a lot to be Emperor. But I feel like this would be giving up more than I could actually bear.”

“I won’t argue with you.” Ed turned on his side. “I can’t say I wasn’t hoping.”

Ling opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a hand grabbing his arm. Lan Fan was here, and she’d obviously hurried.

“Lord, there’s been a development. We’ve just received word.”

Ling frowned, his brow pulling together. “What is it? Is everything ok?”

Lan Fan looked towards Ed, and then back to him. “Your fiance is heading here, to meet. He cites a misunderstanding as the cause, but I fear he may have learned of,” she made a vague gesture towards Ed. “Your extracurriculars.”

Ed’s face turned red again, a sight that would have usually sent Ling into cheery, warm feelings. But now his stomach felt it was digging its way into the dirt.

He would be meeting his suitor after all.

Ed grabbed his hand, already sitting up. "I shouldn't be here. People are bound to start showing up soon to congratulate you."

Ling didn't let go of Ed's hand as he moved to leave. "Well, you are. Don't even think about leaving me here."

Ed stopped, looking to Ling uncertain. "But--"

"Please."

And so Ed stayed, waiting for Ling as advisors came to tell him he only had two days before the King of Amestris arrived.

[orsuliya]

Who are you, Miss A-Yue?

It turns out I might be a clown of the greatest calibre! Or... am I?

The thing is, you see, that for some unfathomable reason I became convinced A-Yue was a ninja maid. Which... may not be, in fact, entirely correct, as @girllovescomic​ had promptly pointed out. Alright, I said. And immediately went to investigate where this possible misunderstanding could be coming from. The results are not entirely conclusive, yet very interesting nonetheless. There are lots and lots of tiny details, which make little sense... unless one assumes that A-Yue is supposed to be Awu’s bodyguard.

The thing is that A-Yue is not among Awu’s original Wang maids. She’s nowhere to be seen in Wang Manor and I cannot spot her in that flock of maids attending Awu during the original wedding. Unless I am more eyesight-impaired than I thought myself to be, this means she appears only later on. But when?

Not during the siege of Huizhou, I can tell you that much. Not during Awu’s visit to Wang Manor after her return to the capital nor upon her entrance to Yuzhang Manor... Why, it seems like the first time we see A-Yue is in the aftermath of Yuxiu’s brave defense of Awu and her subsequent wounding. Awu comes back home, is accosted by Zitan, speaks to a noticeably worried Song Huaien and the next thing we know, she’s being served by A-Yue. This doesn’t have to mean anything, but it looks rather suspicious for an obviously important maid, one clad in an outfit practically identical to Yuxiu’s, to simply appear out of nowhere.

And then A-Yue proceeds to escort Awu back into danger zone, that is, to the Imperial Palace. About five minutes after an unexpected assassination attempt. What’s really interesting is that she keeps very, almost unnaturally close to Awu on this occasion, following just a step behind her at all times. It could mean nothing, of course. And yet, isn’t it remarkable that this relative newcomer is the one accompanying Awu and not Su Jin’er?

It could also be completely coincidental that she is present while Song Huaien thanks Yuxiu for covering her mistress with her own body. Or... is it? You did what I could not, he says, while A-Yue listens attentively from behind Yuxiu’s shoulder.

Another thing: A-Yue makes something of a habit out of physically supporting other people, be it Yuxiu or Awu.  And now that I think about it, it does look like she is always prepared to steady or even catch her charge, as needed.

The next thing we know, a very rude eunuch turns up at Yuzhang Manor with an armed escort. If you watch closely, it’s obvious that A-Yue walks one step closer behind Awu than Su Jin’er. And Su Jin’er has the highest possible status of all female attendants barring Auntie Xu. Once things become tense and men start aggresively posturing, Su Jin’er keeps staring ahead, while A-Yue rather noticeably casts her gaze around. Hmmm, could she be assessing possible dangers to her mistress? Who knows...

And again, when Awu walks down the stairs to the provided carriage, A-Yue is the first to follow.

She is then forbidden from accompanying Awu any further, but it’s a rather curious detail all the same.

Next, Su Jin’er is the one who goes with Awu to see Zitan on his deathbed bedrest, which is something that Xiao Qi very much does not approve of. True, Su Jin’er is Zitan’s acquitance, while A-Yue is not... but if that was the only reason, then why doesn’t she go with Awu to visit Jinruo? Instead, A-Yue and Nanny Xu are the ones that do that. Also, guess who runs to Xiao Qi when Awu drinks herself into unconsciousness? No born and bred Wang maid would do that, not as her first resort. And you know what? Xiao Qi allows himself to show some actual exasperation while in her presence.

During Daddy Wang’s coup A-Yue is nowhere to be seen; this time Awu chooses to take Pang Gui with her. Which is understandable, since he’s bound to be better in an outright fight. After the coup... guess which maid gets asked about whether there are any news from Xiao Qi when he’s nowhere to be found late into the night. And which one accompanies Awu and Xiao Qi to Yuzhang Manor when they go to greet the Screechers. Xiao Qi could have very well been the one to choose A-Yue for this outing as Awu would have needed to dress and get ready after her morning lie-in. Also, it would make sense, since I suspect Su Jin’er or Nanny Xu would be Awu’s natural choices for any visits to her childhood home.

Song Huaien is a man on a mission... and he chooses his allies wisely. He, ah, covertly calls A-Yue away from her daily tasks and asks her to play messenger...

...which she teases him for rather shamelessly. But not like a maid with little to none previous acquitance with Song Huaien would do. She’s mean in a very sisterly way, not giggling about his awkward courtship as Yuxiu’s friend might have done, but instead directly making fun of Song Huaien himself. I wouldn’t have expected our general Song to give flowers to a woman, she says, which makes me wonder how would she even know what a total mess he is with such things. Unless she was a Ningshuo girl, that is.

A-Yue’s involvement in the medicine caper is also very interesting. She is the one who makes Awu’s contraceptive tea and reminds her that she should take it. Moreover, her reaction to Auntie Xu taking it away is telling.

She doesn’t protest when Auntie Xu says that the tea might have been steeped for too long. She just turns, observing very closely and even worriedly as the tray is carried away, while at the same time listening to Auntie Xu’s somewhat incoherent muttering. Yet A-Yue catches all of it, why, she even smiles - somewhat condescendingly - at Auntie Xu’s claim of having an excellent nose. And she is so focused on that tray that Awu needs to call her back to reality. But why? I think somebody here might be in cahoots with Xiao Qi, don’t you? It only becomes more plausible as A-Yue turns out to be the one responsible for keeping custody of medicinal herbs.

I also don’t buy her reaction to Auntie Xu’s outright panic in the kitchen. It’s obvious that something is very much not okay, yet A-Yue shows no serious worry. Oh, she asks the right questions and puts on a mask of concern, yet at the same time doesn’t seem eager to investigate further and shuts up when Auntie Xu tells her not to ask any questions. Hello, A-Yue is no cowed housemaid. She makes faces at Auntie Xu and Screecher both, she teases Song Huaien, she acts like an older sister to Yuxiu and doesn’t keep proper distance from her mistress. And now she just shuts up? Yeah, no.

Her behaviour around those herbs is also pretty sus. She’s a bit too helpful in fact, rushing to unwrap them even as Nanny Xu already does the same and she announces herself in a very rehearsed way when she brings back the remaining supply. Here I am, Auntie Xu! Really? What’s more, she doesn’t make a peep when asked to sneak out and discreetly summon an unfamiliar doctor. She simply nods, as if making some calculations in her mind and rushes away. Methinks somebody went to inform Dawang before summoning that doctor. Why? Well, Xiao Qi stops in place once Nanny Xu touches upon the subject of Awu’s medicine. Could be guilt. Could be that he already knows she’s onto him.

Enough about the herbs. Instead, let us look at other outings. Awu wants to keep her first meeting with Helan Zhen secret... and so Su Jin’er is the one to accompany her. Then Su Jin’er falls sick, but she’s healthy again by the time Awu goes to dance for Screecher’s freedom. Coincidentally, by then there is no need to keep secrets any more; Xiao Qi already knows what’s what. And look at what happens when Awu and Helan Zhen go for a walk.

I’m not saying that A-Yue could take out Helan Tattoo. I’m also not saying she couldn’t. Awu knows that she could be walking into danger, so why not take Pang Gui instead? Ah, we’re trying to appear friendly and accommodating? Then A-Yue is a much better choice. If she is a bodyguard in the first place, that is.

Next suspicious thing, although that could be a matter of translation: when A-Yue speaks of Awu going with Xiao Qi to Ningshuo, she refers to it as returning there. Hey, A-Yue, your Ningshuo cred is showing!

Then, when Awu in on the run, she’s very sure that Miracle Baby will be safe traveling alone with only Nanny Xu and A-Yue to protect him and get him to Turnip. Let’s face it, Nanny Xu is not somebody who should be entrusted with what amounts to a covert mission. And yet Pang Gui goes with Awu and Su Jin’er, while A-Yue takes charge of Miracle Baby and Auntie Xu. Miracle Baby is much more vulnerable than Princess Yuzhang, so how come Awu divides the group this way? Unless she absolutely doesn’t trust Pang Gui to behave in a discreet manner... or A-Yue is indeed a secret operative. Or both.

Let’s skip to Awu’s confrontation with Turnip over Auntie Xu’s grave. Pang Gui is the one to invite Turnip to come... and yet it’s A-Yue who remains present during the actual conversation. Could it be that Pang Gui taking her place would be too much of an overt threat? Yeah, okay, that one is a bit of a stretch. And so is this picture:

Very symbolic, don’t you think? It looks as if Ningshuo soldiers are standing guard over Awu. Okay, back to actual proof!

A-Yue, who had never really taken part in dressing Awu or putting up her hair, suddenly does just that as Awu gets ready to play her part in Xiao Qi’s fake coup. Battle music and all. It could be that she’s the last close attendant to be left standing. Which she is, now that I think about it. But it’s also pretty neat that she’s the one to dress Awu for war.  And then...

How many ninjas can you see on this picture? Because I see six, five in black, one is salmon. Why would Awu take a maid with her to the palace in the middle of the Yuzhang Acting Company performance? That doesn’t make sense, they’re practically going into battle.

And again, look what happens once Xiao Qi is supposedly gone and Awu is expecting an attack any moment. She doesn’t take Hu Yao with her. Not even a dressed up Hu Yao! She takes A-Yue.

How would a maid - and not even a palace maid at that! - help in evacuating Zitan?

And yet she does. The moment they hear enemy troops moving through the secret tunnel, two people rush to pull Awu back. One has a very respectable reaction time. And it’s not Pang Gui the Inept Ninja.

One bodyguard rushes the client to safety, looking back from time to time just in case, while the other covers their retreat.

Pang Gui is in the know! He must be, since he stays behind to stop Song Huaien’s Mooks, letting Awu charge into unknown danger with only Zitan (oh so useless), his two attendants (also useless) and A-Yue (potentially immeasurably useful) for company. The whole time they’re running through the palace? A-Yue sticks to Awu like a burr, steading her every time she falters. This girl is a bodyguard and a well-trained one to boot!

And oh look, somebody keeps turning to stand face to face with danger, even as Zitan’s attendants huddle behind her.

Once cavalry arrives, A-Yue sprints for Awu and pulls her out of the way, just as Tang Jing commands his people to protect their Princess. Then, perfectly in accord with Tang Jing’s next command, A-Yue gets Awu to safety.

Have I mentioned that A-Yue keeps looking around in a very cold, professional way? This is no brave maid, this is a skilled operative searching for potential threats to her VIP. Neither Tang Jing nor any Ningshuo soldier tries to help Awu and A-Yue, they just cover them. Could it be that they know Awu is in good hands?

And that’s it. Now, coincidences happen. But what’s more probable? That A-Yue is a normal, if very brave and dependable maid... or that she is Xiao Qi’s agent, carefully handpicked to protect Awu and seamlessly integrate into her entourage at the same time? Those two ninja maids Xiao Qi presents to his wife in Huizhou are good fighters, but they don’t exactly make the best maids. Let’s say, though, that they were all he had at hand in Huizhou. But what would stop him from sending for another guard? One who would wait for Awu’s arrival in the capital, rapidly learning all there is to know about being a personal attendant.

So... am I a clown or not?

[sergeantsporks]

Detour

Rating: Gen, General Audiences

Trigger Warning for minor emotional manipulation

Morgana has one last stop before the Eternal Night begins, to eliminate a possible wizard threat from her past.

It doesn't go quite as planned.

Ao3

or read under the cut

Morgana studied the humans wandering below her. What were they wearing? Did she really have to… fine. Fine, she would blend in. She dismissed her helmet, and glamoured her armor into an off-the-shoulder top and a pair of leggings with boots. She shook her head. It was nice to feel the air on her face and let her bangs and braid flow free, at least.

Eternal night wouldn’t be much longer—it was almost time. She was wasting time, but she told herself that one less wizard in the fight would make things easier. One less wizard to deal with. This was most absolutely a necessary part of The Plan. Right. Completely strategic, and not at all self-motivated.

Morgana touched down outside of the city. She was thankful that the young shadow magician had run about the city while she watched so much, because she found her way easily to a small café and sat down in a chair outside to wait.

It was strategic, she told herself again, one less wizard to worry about. Her feelings had nothing to do with it.

“H—” A familiar accent cut short into a squelched yelp. Morgana turned to look at her waiter.

“Hello, Hisirdoux.”

When she’d possessed Claire, she’d snapped at him. Tried to get him away, to keep him away from Claire and any danger that came with the girl. Tried to scare him off so he wouldn’t recognize her in the girl’s body. He’d done a good job of acting confused at the time, but she’d seen that ever-so-slight change in posture, the slight tensing of his shoulders. Why he hadn’t confronted her, Morgana didn’t know. But he’d known she was possessing the young shadow magician.

Morgana nodded to the chair across from her. “Sit down. I want to talk.”

There it was again, that tensing, that slight edge away. Morgana pushed away a twinge in her heart. She shouldn’t care that he was scared of her. In fact, she should be glad. It would make her job easier. “I… really ought to be getting back to it, so if you want to order anything—”

“I said sit down,” Morgana said sharply. The chair floated up and hit the back of Douxie’s knees, making him sit down, and then scooted in close to the table. Douxie’s eyes darted everywhere, as if looking for someone to save him, but if anyone noticed the teen’s discomfort, no one intervened.

Douxie let out a deep breath, his shoulders still tensed. “Merlin won’t surrender, even if you have me hostage,” he said calmly, “He won’t let you win.” There was a slight tremor in his voice, as if he was thinking about what would happen to him if Merlin didn’t surrender, and Morgana felt that momentary twinge of hurt again.

She leaned back in her chair. Two could play at the ‘totally unconcerned’ game. “I’m not here to kidnap you. It would just be a waste of time—I know Merlin won’t trade for one life if the world is at stake. Even if that life is his apprentice’s.”

A tiny flinch. God, she hated this game. The emotional manipulation, the tiny stings of hurt that destabilized someone enough to make them do what you wanted without making them hate you—she’d never wanted to be anything like her old master. Running the numbers, calculating risk and reward, using people as pawns—that had never felt like her. But just this once, she would stoop to his level. Just this once, something was at stake that she’d lower her principles to get the job done.

She just wished Douxie hadn’t been caught in the middle.

“So, what, you want information? Because I can’t even tell you anything about Merlin’s plans, even if you torture me because—”

“Please, I don’t need you to tell me what Merlin’s up to. The old man keeps his plans close to his chest. Doesn’t share them with many.”

There. A slight pressing of his lips together. She’d touched a raw nerve—Merlin really hadn’t told him anything, but probably had told his trollhunter. And Douxie was acting as if that didn’t bother him. “Right, well, I’m assuming this isn’t a friendly social call, so what are you here for?”

The trembling. The slight shaking of his hands. He was trying so hard not to be scared of her, not to show any fear, and she hated every second of it. But she waved her hand as if she didn’t care.

“Well, quite frankly, dealing with Merlin is going to be annoying enough, and I don’t particularly want any other wizards getting in my way, not even little apprentices.”

The pretense of nonchalance dropped. Douxie’s skin was paler than paper. “So that’s it,” he said in a shell-shocked voice, “You’re here to kill me?”

Morgana examined her hand while her heart screamed at her to give him a hug and tell him that of course she wasn’t here to kill him, of course she wasn’t going to hurt him and she never would. “I don’t want to spill any more magical blood than I need to,” she said instead, “Merlin has to go, of course, but you don’t have to die.” Here it went. The pitch. She had to nail her acting perfectly. “Stay out of the fight, Douxie, and there won’t be any reason for you to get hurt.”

“So, what, just let you run rampant all over the world? Stand by while you destroy Arcadia?”

Morgana gave him a cool look. One more barb should do it. “Shouldn’t be a problem if you really do trust Merlin. Don’t you believe that he and his trollhunter can defeat me?”

“Of course I do,” Douxie replied staunchly, “They can defeat you, and Gunmar, and Angor Rot, and whatever else you throw at them.”

“Then it should be an easy decision to make,” Morgana countered.

Douxie hesitated. “Why do you care so much?”

A slight thrill of panic shot through Morgana, but she kept her outside cool and collected, hoping that Douxie wasn’t as good at reading her as she was at reading him. “Like I said. One less wizard to worry about.”

Douxie crossed his arms. Hm. Maybe he was able to read her. “If you’re so sure you can win, why does it matter if I’m there or not?”

“I’d rather not have one more nuisance in my hair if I don’t have to,” Morgana repeated, “And, like I said, there’s no need to waste magic.”

“If you do win, that’s not the end of it,” Douxie taunted, “If I stay out of the battle and you win, I won’t have any choice but to take up Merlin’s job and fight back.”

He’d gotten more perceptive in the last 900 years. Morgana had been counting him on being the same sweet, bumbling, somewhat-clueless moppet apprentice he’d been when she’d fought Merlin and been sealed away. Apparently, that wasn’t the case, and now he was going on the offensive. “I could just kill you right here, if you prefer,” she snarled, while her inner voice screamed at her not to threaten him.

Douxie’s gaze leveled with hers. “I don’t think you will,” he challenged, “I don’t think you want to hurt me.”

That was it. All the cards were on the table. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go! She’d been quiet too long. She needed to say something, or her silence would confirm just as much as a verbal agreement.

“I—” she stuttered. Oh, that was almost as bad. Fine. “And what if I don’t?” she yelled back, standing up with a scrape from her chair and leaning forward, her hands on the table while the little voice inside her cheered, “What if maybe, just maybe, I don’t want to see you—” people were starting to stare. She couldn’t draw attention to this. She struggled to get her breathing under control and sat back down. “What if maybe I don’t want to see you get torn apart by Gum-Gums, hm? Just—sit this one out, Douxie. You don’t need to fight this battle.”

He crossed his arms, looking away. “You know, for hating each other so much, you and Merlin apparently share a mind,” he said bitterly, “He told me to sit it out, too.”

Douxie was obedient to a fault sometimes—if Merlin had told him to stay out of the battle, maybe he would. “Good.”

“No! I don’t want to sit on the sidelines! My friends—”

“Friends?” Morgana echoed.

“Yeah. Claire. Jim, even though I think he maybe hates me for some reason? They’ll be fighting. And my human friends, my coworkers here, those odd siblings—Aja and Krel? Even if I stand aside and I live, all of them—they won’t survive, will they?”

His voice cracked, and Morgana shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t think about the casualties often. They were necessary for the greater good of all magical creatures. Maybe she was thinking a bit too much like Merlin—something she’d always wanted to avoid.

“War has casualties, Douxie, I cannot pretend otherwise. The trollhunter must die, yes, and I can’t promise that your young shadowmancer friend will make it out alive, either.”

“And I’m just supposed to sit back and accept that?! I want to protect the people I love, but somehow that’s wrong according to you and Merlin!”

“Douxie, you’re not ready for a war.”

Douxie laughed. “Morgana, you and Merlin were asleep for the last nine-hundred years, but I wasn’t. I’ve seen more wars than you or Merlin could ever understand, and some of them used much, much more horrifying weapons than what you and the Gum-Gums will do. I can handle myself, but you don’t think I’m ready, and Merlin certainly doesn’t. I’m not a kid!”

“No one said you were.”

“Merlin seems to think so.”

Yes, that sounded like Merlin. “Merlin is worried that if he lets you loose, you’ll end up like me. Don’t pay any attention to him.”

Douxie’s hands curled into fists. “I’m ready to fight—I am—but Merlin won’t let me. He says I need to keep myself hidden longer. But I’m tired of hiding! I’m tired of being a silent sentinel! I want to do something!”

What exactly was she supposed to say to that? At least he wasn’t scared anymore—he was a little bit too comfortable with her now, as if finding out she wasn’t going to kill him had sent him right back to where they’d been before she’d left—Morgana the older apprentice, and he the younger. Both of them looking for something more. Each of them a willing ear for the other when Merlin had shut them down for the umpteenth time.

“Well,” she said finally, “I don’t really want to fight and hurt you this battle. So perhaps it is a good idea for all our sakes that you sit this one out. It might get ugly if you join in.”

“You don’t have to fight anyone at all. Just call off the Eternal Night.”

She should have known this would happen. “Douxie—”

“You don’t have to go through with it,” he continued, interrupting her, “You could call off Gunmar, or better yet, just not start the Eternal Night and just watch them all turn to stone.”

“No,” Morgana said sharply, “I’m doing this.” She got up, turning to go. “Last warning, Douxie. Stay inside. Stay out of my way. I don’t want to hurt you. But if I have to… well, just make sure I don’t have to.”

Because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to if it comes to that.

[secretpeachtea]

Onigiri Miya Tidbits Ch 4

Title: the celebrity and his con man

Genre: gen fic, reader insert

Word Count: 3.6k

Summary: Onigiri Miya is now hiring and you just happen to be the right person for the job. The business has been gaining popularity since its grand opening, and many customers travel from different cities just to have a bite of Miya Osamu’s delicious recipes. You did expect some craziness from working in food services, but what you didn’t expect was to be bombarded with frequent tomfoolery from a bunch of attractive volleyball players during your shifts.

disclaimer: manga spoilers

A/N: LETS GOOOOO (hope yall enjoy)

Previous///Next

“(Name)-san, you mind passing me the sesame seeds over there? And, on the way back, pass on this order to that customer at the last seat over there.” Osamu held out the finished onigiri on one hand while gesturing an open hand with the other.

You grab the sesame seed container with haste and take the onigiri from your boss. “Got it! You also have another order of one Pickled Plum onigiri, less salted!”

Osamu gives you a thumbs up before getting back to work immediately, and you hand over the order to the awaiting customer. 

You’ve had your fair share of lunch rushes, but today has been busier than usual. You and Osamu haven’t had a single break since the shop opened for the day, at least one customer arriving every time one leaves. Suddenly, the phone rings and you go ahead and answer it. “Hello, this is Onigiri Miya! How can I help you?”

You hear the front entrance open, but since you were busy jotting down the phone order, you didn’t get the chance to glance at the two people who just arrived.

“Why couldn’t Fukunaga just cook some food?” a monotone voice drawled.

“Kenma, the man sprained his wrist and you still expect him to cook for all of us?” Kuroo combed a hand through his signature bedhead and began to gesture at himself as his friend pouted. “Look, I even came straight from work in my suit to accompany you so you wouldn’t have to carry everything alone.”

The two men walked up to the register just as you ended the call. You quickly passed on the note with the written down order to your boss and tucked your hair behind your ear to get it out of your face. You finally got the chance to direct your full attention on the people in line. 

“Hello! What can I-...!!!” You didn’t get to finish your sentence once you realized who was ordering. Kodzuken, the Youtuber you practically spent the majority of your free time watching, was standing less than 3 feet in front of you in the flesh.

“Um...is there something wrong?” Kenma asks slightly confused at your frozen expression. Your mind was a jumbled mess as you attempted to say something coherent, failing in the end.

“N-no! Uh...you...I just...um…,” you stutter.

Before you could make a bigger fool of yourself, Kuroo leans forward with a smug grin. “Hm? Kenma, it seems like you got yourself a fan~”

“Oh…”

You and Kenma just simply stare at one another for a moment not really knowing what to do in this situation. All of a sudden you hear someone clear their throat rather loudly behind the two people in front of you. While you were distracted, you didn’t notice that another customer had entered the shop and was waiting in line. This snaps you out of your daze. “O-oh! Right. Sorry about that. What can I get for you guys?”

“There’s actually quite a bit of food to order, so I’ll list it out slowly.” Kuroo pulls out his phone and opens up a note file. “Two Tamago onigiri, one Miso, three spicy cucumber…”

As Kuroo continues to relay the order, you frequently hear someone scoffing or clicking their teeth in irritation from behind him and Kenma. You try not to pay attention and focus on the large order being made. Kuroo eventually gets to the end of the list and you let him know the total cost.

“What’s the name for the order?”

“Kuroo.”

You type in the name into the register and give him the printed out receipt. “Alright, Kuroo-san. Just letting you know, because it’s a large order, it might take some time.”

“That’s fine. We don’t mind waiting a bit.”

Kuroo and Kenma walk off to the side to let the person behind them order next. A displeased looking man treads forward with a bit of a demeaning posture and a cup of coffee held out in his right hand. He’s adorned in a suit that’s much too tight for his form and has a toupe two shades darker than his natural hair color poorly placed on top of his head.

Before you could even greet him, the man flails out his left arm in exasperation. “Finally! I don’t have time to wait for children.”

You try your best to keep your face from contorting into a glare. Not wanting to prolong his presence inside the shop, you choose to ignore his rude comment.

“Hello, sir. What can I get for you?” You ask.

The man takes a brief glance at the menu. “Make me an Unagi onigiri.”

“Alright. That’ll be-”

“And, make my order before theirs.” He points at Kuroo and Kenma who look up from their phones and seem just as shocked as you are. So, he was going to be one of those customers. You think you see Kenma shifting around a bit from the corner of your eye, but you’re too appalled by the person in front of you to really pay any mind.

“Excuse me?” You’re in a bit of disbelief at the words coming out of this man’s mouth.

He raises one of his unkempt eyebrows and sneers. “You’re really going to make me repeat myself? I said to make mine before theirs. They ordered way too much.”

“I apologize, but I can’t do that for you,” you reply with your teeth slightly clenched in frustration. “There are also a few customers before you who are still waiting for their meals as well.”

“Listen.” He lets out an unpleasant huff and eyes you down with a condescending stare. “I’m on a tight schedule. I think I should have priority. I’m a businessman, so my time is important.”

You shake your head, the fake smile on your lips feeling heavier by the second. “Like I said, sir. I can’t do that for you.”

“Are you kidding me?!” The businessman shouts. You flinch at the sudden outburst. “I waited for those children to finish their order and you can’t even make my order first?”

By now, everyone in the shop is watching the scene between the register girl and the entitled businessman. Osamu looks just about ready to intervene and go off on the customer, but you signal him to stay where he was under the counter. He reluctantly stays back, but makes sure to keep an eye on you.

“Sir, you’ll have to wait for your order like everyone else or find another place to eat.” Your tone is firm despite your exhaustion as you answer back. The man did not seem to like your response very much.

“How dare you!”

Everything happened so fast. The male lifts his right arm that’s in possession of the cup of coffee, obviously getting ready to hurl it directly at you. Your feet are glued to the ground in panic, so you fling your arms over your head instinctively. Your boss practically leaps towards your direction and encases your body with his own to protect you. You hear a splashing noise, but your vision is too obstructed by Osamu’s broad shoulders to witness what just happened. There’s no coffee on you, so you immediately assume that Osamu took the impact. 

“Osamu-san! Are you-” You cut yourself off as you grab onto Osamu’s completely dry uniform. He seems to be just as perplexed as you are, but forms a slightly amused expression when he turns his head. Confused, you look over his shoulder to follow his line of sight and your eyes automatically widen at the view in front of you.

Standing in a puddle of his own lukewarm beverage, the rude man is frozen in disbelief. His wet hair is flat against his forehead and the tight suit is drenched in coffee. The man still held his coffee cup in the air, but what really brings the whole scene together is the tight grip on the man’s right arm by none other than Kuroo himself. He had twisted the man’s arm just enough to have the liquid fall directly downward.

“Whoops~ I just tried to save the nice girl, but I guess I overshot it.” Kuroo’s lips create a mischievous smile. “I wouldn’t recommend going to work with coffee all over your suit and your wig. Although, your boss might, uh, loosen up that tight schedule of yours for you if you do.”

The man comes to his senses and aggressively shoves Kuroo’s grip away. “You ungrateful brats! I’m going to call the police!”

You furrow your eyebrows, not liking the idea of the police getting involved in such a trivial thing. 

Luckily, Kuroo seems to have something up his sleeve. “You can try. But then I guess there wouldn’t be an excuse to not turn you in for harassment and attempted assault. My friend here got everything on camera.”

Sure enough, when you direct your gaze onto the quieter one of the two friends, he has his phone in his hands in a recording position. He must’ve started recording as soon as the whole situation began. The rude customer turns beet red with anger and embarrassment. He must’ve realized that he ultimately lost because he swiftly stomps to the exit and slams the door shut, grumbling insults under his breath. Some of the other customers start clapping with satisfaction, while Kuroo and Kenma fist bump each other.

You let out a sigh of relief, but then you remember that Osamu was still holding onto you. Your boss must’ve been caught up with everything that happened too since he still had a fairly tight grip on you. Despite the warm feeling that was tingling your insides, you lightly tap his elbow and look up at him with a soft smile. “Hey, I think the coast is clear now.”

Looking you directly in the eyes, a light blush forms on his cheeks and he quickly lets you go even taking a few steps back to give you some space. He starts rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “Right. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for such a heroic gesture,” you laugh and Osamu’s face flushes a bit more. You then turn your attention to Kuroo and Kenma with a grateful smile. “Thanks guys. I don’t know if I could’ve held it in any longer if he actually threw his drink on me.”

Kuroo returns your smile and leans against the counter nonchalantly. “No problem. That was really uncalled for.”

Kenma silently nods his head in acknowledgement before directing his gaze to the floor. “Kuroo, the floor is wet.”

The taller man sheepishly turns to you after realizing how much of a mess he actually made with the spilled coffee. “Ah, I’ll clean that up.”

Kuroo attempted to wipe the floor with some small napkins displayed on one of the tables, but there was a surprisingly substantial amount of coffee that was still spread across the floor. You tell him that you’ll just wipe the floor with the mop and to dispose of the used napkins. He tries to apologize again, but you brush it off since it’s really not that big of a deal. You direct him to the bathroom and prepare your cleaning supplies. During this time a group of girls start whispering to each other at the corner of the room, stealing glances at Kenma. Everything that happened seems to have brought some unwanted attention to the gamer.

“Hey, isn’t he that super famous Youtuber?”

“Yeah, that has to be him! We should go and get a picture with him. I bet everyone else would be so jealous.”

“I heard he’s loaded with cash too. Maybe if we play our cards right, he’ll buy us a drink or even a new purse.”

As you mop the floor, you hear the clicking of heels coming closer to where you are. Curiously, you turn your head and see three young females encircle Kenma. You would even say they have pretty faces if their expressions weren’t so predatory. He looks extremely uneasy over the close proximity and sudden attention from the strangers. They all speak one after the other without giving the poor guy any room to reject.

“Hey, you’re really popular, right? I’ve seen you on Youtube and you have millions of subscribers!”

“Do you wanna hang out with us? There’s a bar down the street that has really strong drinks. They’re kind of pricey, but I’m sure you’ll be able to afford it.”

“That sounds like a great idea, no? Come on, you could have some fun with the three of us.”

At this time, Kuroo walks out of the bathroom and immediately notices his friend’s obvious discomfort. He shakes his head in dismay and starts making his way towards the gamer to play the savior role again. This time, however, you seem to be one step ahead of him. One of the girls reaches out to try and grab onto Kenma’s upper arm, and you feel something in you snap. Before she could come in contact with Kenma, you thrust the back of your mop right into her side earning an ear-piercing yelp.

“OW!”

As you turn around to face the group, you make sure to add a little swing to your arms and the bottom of the soaked mop splatters onto another girl’s heels.

“EW! What the hell?!”

“Oh! Sorry about that!” You apologize half-heartedly and tilt your head innocently. You’re proud to say that you were even able to hold your best counterfeit customer service smile as you continued. “You see, the shop is pretty small so you probably shouldn’t hang around in the middle of it. I think there’s a pretty big thrift shop down the block if you wanna kill time. You could also probably buy a replacement purse for the fake one you’re holding now.”

The girls don’t seem as adamant as the previous ill-mannered customer, so they just speedily strut outside with lowered heads and annoyed frowns. Still feeling a bit petty, you make sure to wave a hand sarcastically. “Don’t get your extensions stuck on the door on your way out!”

You feel a pair of eyes trained onto your form, so you make the effort to turn around. Kenma is just quietly fixated on you. You shift a bit at the awkward moment before breaking the silence. “Ah, sorry Kod-...uh...Kozume-san. You just looked a bit uncomfortable with those girls and I was still a bit upset by the man from before.”

There’s a small quirk to the corner of his lips. “Thanks. And, just Kenma is fine.”

Your body tenses a bit at the Youtuber’s words. “B-but…”

It was at this time Kuroo decided to make his presence known. He was slightly bent over with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. “That’s right~ You mentioned that you watch his videos. How long have you been a fan?”

“Um...about 2 years?” You scratch your cheek shyly as you remember all the lonely nights in your apartment when you binged on Kodzuken’s streams while munching on five different brands of cookies. “The videos got me through some rough patches in college.”

“That’s just about the time he even started making videos. You must be a pretty loyal fan then.“ Kuroo hums in thought. His eyes shift between you and his friend before ultimately landing on his male figure. “Kenma, why don’t you take a picture with her?”

Both of your hands shoot up at the suggestion and start waving them in dismissal. “N-n-no! That’s okay! I don’t want to make him more uncomfortable!”

“Aw, come on! No guy would mind taking a picture with a pretty and sensible girl like yourself. You’re definitely more pleasant than those fakes from before.” Kuroo takes this time to rest his elbow on your shoulder and draw a bit closer to you while still facing Kenma. Your nose catches the subtle musky cologne from the tall man and can’t help but appreciate the attractive scent despite your current predicament. 

The two of you continue to go back and forth for a bit, neither of you backing down with your stubbornness. Kenma just watches in amusement for another minute or two before deciding to finally say something. “I don’t mind.”

You and Kuroo both pause when you hear Kenma’s voice. Once you actually comprehend what Kenma had just said, it takes all of your energy to try and calm your excited heart. Kuroo grins triumphantly and claps his hands together. “Then, that’s that!

After pulling out his own phone from his pocket, Kuroo signals you and Kenma to get closer until your shoulders are touching. You manage to calm your heart to a certain extent and pose with a small peace sign. Kuroo takes a couple of pictures and even changes the camera to selfie mode with all three of you for one of them. 

“Hey, what’s your number? I’ll send the pictures to you.” Kuroo passes you his phone and you type your contact information in. When you return his phone, he sends the images right away and you feel vibrations in your pocket. When you pull it out the check, you can’t help but smile. You tap one of the pictures to see the full screen and surprisingly you look a lot calmer than you had felt at the time. You and Kenma were both holding up a peace sign with happy expressions. You were beaming while Kenma sported a small, but genuine smile. The picture was perfect. You were definitely changing this picture to your lock screen soon.

“Order’s ready for Kuroo-san!”

You let out a silent gasp when you remember that you’re still in the middle of working after hearing your boss. You make the effort to get rid of all the cleaning supplies before rushing back to your spot on the register. “Sorry, boss!”

Osamu’s pretty chill about the whole situation and you’re once again thanking the universe for gifting you with such a kind boss. As you’re passing the food to Kenma and Kuroo in multiple plastic bags, the latter looks into one of them and gives Osamu a bewildered look. There was an extra bag of side dishes and drinks. “We didn’t pay for these.”

“Take it as a thanks for helping out and saving my little coworker.” Your boss just smiles and you just pout at Osamu’s teasing.

“Are you sure? It’s more like we drove away some of your customers.”

“No worries. I’d rather run a small business with decent customers than have to deal with people like them for a couple extra points on reputation,” Osamu reassured. “But, if you’re still concerned, I guess I wouldn’t mind an autograph to put up in the shop. Only if Kozume-san is alright with that, of course.”

To say the least, Kodzuken’s autograph was framed and displayed on the wall next to the windows by the end of the day. Kenma had even posted a picture of him and his high school friends from Nekoma eating the food on social media while tagging Onigiri Miya. This would surely bring in a lot more customers to the shop in the future.

Despite the busy work day and the mishaps in between with impolite customers, you had a great experience. You never thought you’d ever get to stand next to the only Youtuber you’ve ever really wanted to interact with in person, let alone get a nice picture with him. The world was really on your side when you got accepted into this job.

“Didn’t know you were such an avid video game fan,” Osamu points out as you’re both wiping down the counter and putting away ingredients. It was closing time, so the both of you were on cleaning duty.

“I actually don’t play as much. I mostly just enjoy watching other people play since I don’t really have a lot of free time,” you reply back.

“Oh yeah?” Osamu playfully flicks a stray sesame seed in your direction. “You sure you didn’t just fall head over heels for Kozume-san?”

Your cheeks become warm. “W-what? Stop teasing me! It’s not like that!” 

Your boss laughs at your flustered state. Feeling satisfied with your reaction, he changes the subject. “You know, him and Kuroo-san played volleyball in high school the same time I did.”

This piqued your interest. “Did you guys play any matches against each other?”

“Nah. I saw them around, but we never got the chance to play against each other. To be honest, my team was a bit more focused on facing the schools that had the top spikers in the nation.”

At the mention of talented spikers, something clicks in your memory. “Oh! I think there was someone in one of my classes that mentioned something about being on a volleyball team with a top ranked spiker. He said he’s an alumni from...Sarato...Shirata…”

“Shiratorizawa?” Osamu corrects.

You confirm with a nod. “Yeah! That was it!”

“Ah, Shiratorizawa...That team had some pretty interesting players and there was always some kind of commotion wherever they went. If I remember correctly, they had a guy that kind of looked like Benkei*.”

“That’s an interesting comparison.” You snort at this comment. 

“If you ever saw him, you’d agree.” Osamu tied up the last trash bag and hefted it up onto his shoulder. You go ahead and wipe down the now empty trash can.

Placing the washcloth in the laundry pile, you start heading towards the back room to get ready to leave. “Well, point him out if he ever visits the shop, or any one of them for that matter. All of the people you’ve ever mentioned from your high school days seem to be entertaining.”

Osamu chuckled. “You have no idea.”

Benkei: a japanese warrior from the past; also a reference to Haikyuu season 3 hehe

A/N: kuroo and kenma were done so well this past week’s episode and UGH KENMA. actually UGH NEKOMA. This chapter actually took me a fat minute to plan, so i hope it’s not too obvious that i lost some sleep over this (but dont worry i had fun hehe)

[there-must-be-a-lock]

wings & the way down - part 2

Derek Morgan x Spencer Reid

Word Count: ~1580 this chapter

Warnings: Mild angst. Allusions to ~mysterious~ backstory. Strangers with cookies. 

A/N: Thank you all for your lovely comments on the last part! Catch up here if you missed it. Tag list for this is open. 

Friday, January 3: Derek

Derek is playing it cool. 

Or... he would be, if he could stop freaking the hell out. Whatever. 

He wants to be there early, just in case, and he hesitates. He should grab his basketball — tryouts next week, he should be practicing as much as possible — but then he’d have to carry it around while they walk. He grabs his dog-eared copy of Slaughterhouse-Five instead. 

Spencer seems like a reader. Maybe he’ll be impressed. Derek doesn’t have much experience trying to impress adorably geeky college guys, but that seems like a good start. 

He looks at himself in the mirror one more time and thinks, I can’t do this. 

Then he shakes it off, like he’d shake off the nerves before a big game, and he gives his reflection a smile. What’s the worst that can happen, right? He embarrasses himself in front of a pretty boy, he avoids the park, he never sees the guy again. After the year he’s had, some good old-fashioned rejection would be a cake walk. 

Playing it cool. He can do this. 

He walks downstairs, locking up behind himself and leaving the spare key in its spot — its “hidden” spot, which is a totally obvious fake rock, but apparently here in the suburbs you can just do that sort of thing. 

He walks, enjoying the sun, because January here feels like Chicago’s April. He’s not going to get used to this any time soon. 

Yeah. This was the right choice. 

You deserve to do it on your own terms, his mom said, when she hugged him goodbye in the airport. You can be whoever you want. 

It didn’t feel like he was trying to be someone else yesterday, though. It felt like he was being himself. 

He didn’t realize it could be easy like that, flirting with a guy, teasing and laughing and making Spencer smile. The stupid line came out like it was nothing. The fear only kicked in afterward. 

Derek knows he’s charming as fuck; he’s been making girls smile like that since he was fourteen. And it’s not a skeevy thing — not even necessarily a sex thing — he just likes making people smile. He likes the way they stand a little straighter when you compliment their shirt, or the way they bring a hand to the back of their neck when you admire their hair, and the way one nice comment can startle someone right out of a bad day. 

Speaking of. 

He’s walking into the park, now, and there’s a girl walking toward him, blonde with pink streaks in her high pigtails, wearing thick neon pink glasses and several violently colorful patterns. She looks like Miss Frizzle’s ditzier sister. He kinda loves it. 

“I like your glasses,” he tells her cheerfully, as they come face-to-face on the path. 

 Most people look startled, at first, when a stranger compliments them; they’re caught off-guard. Spencer looked like a deer in headlights, yesterday, when Derek caught his attention. 

Not this girl, though. Without missing a beat, she tosses back, “I like your face, sugar.” As their paths cross, she gives him a cheesy over-the-top wink. 

He retorts over his shoulder, “I ain’t that sweet, babygirl.” 

“I don’t believe you,” she sing-songs, and he’s laughing as they both continue on their way. 

Derek makes his way over to the same spot as yesterday, a round table between two curved benches. He pulls out his book and settles down to wait. Spencer isn’t there yet (which makes sense, considering that “same time” meant “two-ish” and it’s more like one-ish right now) but there are two older men playing chess at one of the tables nearby. Otherwise, it’s quiet: two women jogging, a few families on the playground, a guy throwing a ball for his dog. 

For a while, it’s actually a pretty awesome way to spend an afternoon. He doesn’t really notice how much time has passed until he shifts, stretching some cramped muscles. Then he checks his watch. 

They didn’t really set a definite time, though. It was vague. It’s not a big deal. 

Twenty minutes is a normal amount of time to be late. Derek has pulled that move on more than one first date — which begs the question: is this a date? — but he didn’t expect Spencer to be the type, somehow.  

He starts to get anxious around half past. He can think of a dozen excuses Spencer might use, but they’re all excuses he’s used himself, and they all boil down to I don’t actually care. 

He turns back to his book and tries to forget about the time.

At three, after re-reading the same page for the fourth time, he accepts that it’s a lost cause. He sets the book down on the bench and rests his face in his palms for a moment, taking a deep breath. 

Fuck. He is so not playing it cool. 

There was something about Spencer that Derek can’t stop thinking about, and it’s not his bone structure or his eyes or the way his fingers looked as he fiddled with his chess piece. It was the way he blushed and stuttered, completely flustered and unable to hide it, and the way he brushed it off with, “I’m not used to being flirted with.” It was a genuine reaction. He was being honest. He wasn’t trying to pose or posture or do any of the things Derek would’ve done to protect himself. 

It was the little crease between his eyebrows as he studied Derek intently — too intent to be polite — like Spencer was figuring him out, looking under the surface, seeing him in a way that people usually don’t, because most people don’t care enough to look. Most people miss what’s right in front of them. 

It was the way he sat, legs crossed, unpretentious and almost childlike. 

It was different. He wasn’t hiding anything. Derek’s been hiding a lot, these last few years. It was nice to be around someone who wasn’t, and who made it look easy. 

And yeah, it was also his cheekbones and eyes and fingers and smile, because Derek is only fucking human. 

At quarter past, he starts to wonder what he did wrong. 

Yeah, I’m flirting with you. 

It was like a free-fall, the pause after the words, that frozen moment of can’t take it back now and this is going to change everything. It’s the same hot-cold-terrifying-exhilarating shock he felt in the pause after he came out to his mom — same as the moment right before the jury gave their verdict — same as the moment he walked into school the next day. 

But it was different, because Spencer smiled, all slow and shy. No betrayal, no creeping disgust, no pointed questions or even more pointed silence. 

That easy acceptance took Derek’s breath away. It felt like freedom. It felt like the moment the plane’s wheels lifted off the tarmac, the sickening lurch in his stomach, the blaze of something like defiance as he watched Chicago recede into the distance. 

Spencer smiled, and Derek felt like he could’ve ignored the laws of physics and flown away. If that was what “being out” usually feels like, he could see why people might want to do it. The moment of free-fall — this is going to change everything — was worth it, for that. 

This, though? There’s something cold and leaden sitting in his chest, dragging him rudely back down to earth. He should just go. This is an embarrassing amount of time to wait around for some random guy. 

“Tell me who I need to punch,” somebody calls. “A face like yours should never be frowning, sweetness.” 

It’s the colorful girl from earlier, and Derek can’t help but smile at the way she stomps over and sits down across from him, matter-of-fact and brazen like they’ve known each other for years. 

“I was just waiting for you, babygirl,” he tells her, turning the charm up to eleven, and she rolls her eyes. 

“Penelope. The pleasure is all yours.” She holds her hand out for him to shake — her nails have tiny daisies painted all over them — and Derek kisses it instead. 

“Derek Morgan. Charmed, I’m sure.” 

“So who’s the girl that’s got you all tragic-looking?” she asks, and rummages in her massive bag for a minute before pulling out a tupperware of cookies. “Want one? They’re still warm. I was at my friend’s house, she needed some cheering up, we baked. I promise I’m not some creepy creep who’s going to lure you into their white van, oh my god, I just realized that I’m a complete stranger, and this is totally weird! But — cookies?” 

“I’d follow you anywhere, babygirl. And I will totally take a cookie.” He takes a bite of melty chocolate chips and moans. “Marry me?” 

“Alas, your heart belongs to another,” she says solemnly. “I know that face. Spill.” 

“Got stood up, but...” Derek chews as slowly as he can manage. “Wasn’t a girl.” 

He’s starting to get used to that free-fall sensation. It’s not so bad this time around. 

“Oh my god, I shouldn’t have assumed, I’m sorry! Men, right?” She heaves a dramatic sigh, and Derek tries to hide his own quiet sigh of relief. “The worst, I swear.” 

“No biggie. Other fish in the sea, right?” 

“Have another cookie.” 

“Woman, you are a goddess. I am so glad I met you.” 

“I’m glad you met me too, Derek Morgan.” 

.

.

part three here! 

.

[who-talks-first]

Okay I'm having trouble finding everyone's posts from Friday. But I just watched chapter 9 and I have some thoughts.

Opening the episode with Din saying he doesn't gamble then ending it with him making a massive gamble was interesting. Although I genuinely don't think he ever does anything he doesn't believe he can do.

The fights in this episode are amazing. Just stunning:

The fight at the arena. The Child ducking when he sees the Birds activate. "I'm not." Really. Din, stop being so goddamn fucking hot, I'm trying to watch the damn show! The whole dangling the gangster part. "You won't die by my hand." (one of the best parts of the character Din Djarin is he is both viciously ruthless and honorable to a fault. I love it!)

The fighting at the end. Both men flying in sync to kill the beast. The Raiders and townsfolk grudgingly working together. But it would have worked better just leaving the loaded bantha in the valley, luring the best out, and detonating it. Fewer civilian deaths but what do I know, I wasn't raised in the fighting corps. And god at the end when Din soars out of the monster's mouth! I that was how the episode would end as soon as I saw the explosives. But still so fucking cool! Is there a name for that trope? I call it the Hercules.

Can we talk for a second about how Din looks in this ep? The strides, the poses and posture. He exudes so much bde that it physically hurts me. Clearly a lot of that is Mandalorian in nature, if those images of Boba Fett from the comics tell us anything (Fett sitting spread in his ship and Din doing it on the wagon at Sorgan have p much the same energy). Just looking fine as hell through the whole thing, even covered in deadly dragon stomach acid.

And can we talk about how much he says this episode? He explains the Tuskens' behavior, translates, plans, barters, smooches doggies, etc. He talks a lot. And I think that's interesting. Din has this reputation as being awkward in social situations and quiet. And like, it's one thing feeling shy around the beautiful widow who's hitting on you. But he says what he means clearly and more or less concisely, including some one-liners and sarcasm. I think he could be described as "laconic" (my character does describe him as such in the thing I'm writing), which means they use as few words as possible to get their point across. Din has no hesitation in speaking, he just prefers to only speak when he has something to say, if that makes sense.

So happy to see Aunt Peli! And Din being like "eh let them work" That's what we call growth.

The casting. I nearly lost my shit when Timothy Olyphant was under the helmet, looking like a whole ass meal. Like that is the most flattering haircut and beard combo I've ever seen on him. Don't @me but he could get it. And poor typecast Leguizamo. Still great tho. He was fun little asshole.

I love when this show doubles down on the western themes:

Vanth's name, accent, role, and general appearance all line up with a small town wild west sheriff. Just showing up and saving the town, so they're like, you're the Lone Ranger now! Olyphant has played western roles before, including voicing The Spirit of the West (an avatar of the legends and ideals of the wild west modeled on Clint Eastwood's western characters) in the animated film Rango (a lot of the Mandalorian's aesthetic comes from Eastwood's movies).

The Mandalorian theme but softly strummed on a Spanish (nylon string) guitar is very evocative of a border town.

The tuskens represent an Indian tribe. The abandoned mining town. The mysterious stranger who comes to town and saves it. Vanth and Din nearly have a quickdraw shootout! The child is hiding in a spittoon for chrissakes!

It really echoes the 7 Samurai theme of chapter 4. I know it's an overlapping, repeating theme in western film. I guess I was surprised to see it again so quickly.

I don't know how I feel about Din speaking Tusken. Signing was one thing. But I just giggled uncomfortably the whole time feeling it was kinda silly (and I had assumed the reason he signed was because humans couldn't speak Tusken). Was that our big hero, heartthrob, and favorite actor Mr. Pascal sitting in the studio making those noises? Rrrhehh rheh rrhehh! I dunno I'm just. Reeling.

Isn't interesting that Din would annihilate the entire populace of Jawas without batting an eye, but he would do almost anything to protect the Sand People? I know there's something to that, about marginalized/eugenicized groups versus like colonialism and whatever vulture like construct you would attribute to the Jawas. But I'm not smart enough to articulate it.

Okay, so the obvious: Boba Fett. Really shocked to see his armor on someone else. I'd already seen the casting of Morrison, so I wasn't like, "is he dead?" and I knew right away this hick didn't take it off him. I wonder if the Jawas stunned him and removed it. Either way, there's going to be hell to pay. I can't wait to see Din and Boba interact; I wonder how they'll respond to each other. And even though Fett should be in his early 40s (I think) he really looks like hell. I mean, I know he's seen some shit. But I wonder what's been up with him in the last decade or so.

Some stuff I thought I noticed, but I need y'all to help me confirm:

Was that Anakin's podracer engine?

Was that C-3PO graffitied on the wall in the dirty city?

Were we supposed to recognize R5?

There's a couple others but I forgot em. I gotta watch it again.

Some questions:

What was the spherical thing the Tusken Raiders recovered from the beast's remains? The scene mirrored the Jawas and the mudhorn's TSUGA! Tsuga tsuga! Tsuuuga! But that didn't look like an egg. If I didn't know better I would swear it was a pearl. (which almost makes sense if you take into account that this guy eats dirt for a living and could have an organ or extra stomach in there like those gross hard balls they used to pull out of ox bellies) Or was it mentioned earlier and I didn't catch it? There was a lot going on.

What are the sand doggies? They're so cute! And that totally establishes our mans as a dog person. Writers, start your fics!

I'm a bit confused about the town's history. How have the people survived for so long with the beast there? Was it the Krayt dragon that wiped it literally off the map? How does the slaving mining guild fit in there?

It really looks in chapter 4 that those krill are native (it's not explicitly stated tho). If no one even knows where Sorgan is and it doesn't have a big export economy, how do these people in the middle of buttfuck nowhere have spotchka?

On that note, how did that city gangster hear about Fett/Vanth? I mean, I dig that he's a collector of beskar'gam, but like, that's still way out there.

The jingling spurs sound in chapter 5 is deliberately obvious when that mysterious figure comes upon Fennec Shand. Can we assume that's Cobb Vanth there? Because clearly, Fett has been without his armor for a while. If it was Vanth, what did he do with her? I don't believe for a second that she's dead. He's not a bounty hunter and he wouldn't have any idea she was valuable since the Guild had abandoned Tatooine. Barter for help/transportation /goods/labor /etc? Also, if it was Vanth, did he witness the whole thing? If so, he knows who Din is. Maybe knows Toro. I dunno. Lots of thoughts. Did he just stumble upon her while traveling back to his village? I forgot the name already lol Mos Pelegrino?

Okay it's nearly 4 am. I genuinely can't remember if I had anything else to say. Please continue to tag your spoilers cuz I will again not get to view the episode until after y'all do next week. But until then, please come yell at me about our favorite show and space boyfriend. I like crazy theories too.

Love y'all. 😘😘😘