#i’m going to have to gather more data on this. i need to find out how my brain is being affected

[togrowoldinv]

Memory

Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

You feel like you’ve met her before, but you just can’t remember when or how. It turns out there’s a lot you don’t remember

Note: Hey y’all. I have been swamped these last couple of weeks studying for and taking a part of the cpa exam, but I finally had a free moment to have some fun. I went and saw Argylle, so this is loosely inspired by that. Enjoy it!

Natasha Masterlist 1, Natasha Masterlist 2, Natasha Masterlist 3, Main Masterlist

The room is silent aside from the clicks of a keyboard as Natasha tries to break through a firewall. She’s smart, but the person who created it is slightly smarter than her.

The redhead smirks when she is one step from breaking through, but her cheekiness doesn’t last. An alarm sounds and she’s met with at least ten agents swarming all around her.

“Oh hey, guess you guys found the party,” she says in her usual cool under pressure tone.

She uses the agents’ hesitation to begin attacking them to deal the first blows. She takes them down two at a time until there’s only one left. She knows who he is.

“Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?” Natasha asks.

“You know what I want,” he says.

“And you know what I want,” Nat replies.

The two of them keep their guns in ready position. Nat alerted for backup, but she knows most likely she’ll have to handle this on her own.

“Where is the woman?” The man asks. He shakes his gun at Nat. She sees a weakness in the way he’s holding it. He won’t last.

“If you give me the intel, I’ll give you her location,” Nat says.

“You’re lying!”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m telling you the truth. They’re never really that different, right?”

“Drop your weapon,” he tries another tactic.

Natasha just smirks. She moves her left arm down and the man mistakenly thinks she’s giving in. The moment he shifts his aim Nat takes a shot at him. It’s an easy shot for her.

He goes down and Nat finishes gathering her data from the computer before she quickly gets out of the building. That backup she was waiting for finally arrives as she’s making her way outside.

“Thanks for the help,” she says sarcastically as Steve opens the door for her.

“Sorry,” he says. “We can’t be everywhere all the time. What were you even doing here?”

“Gathering intel,” Nat says simply. She shows him the flash drive and he just shakes his head. “The more I can find out the better I can help her, Steve. It’s an easy choice to make.”

“Nat, she’s so far gone,” he tries. “It might be worth stopping.”

“I’ll never give up on her. She’ll be herself again. I know it,” Natasha says. “Now, will you help me get this to Stark to decode?”

“Of course I’ll help you, Romanoff.”

She nods in thanks. For the rest of the drive, Natasha thinks about what her next step should be. There’s no easy fix to this situation. She needs to go where her mind works best.

Meanwhile, you are working on cleaning tables when the most beautiful woman walks in. You’ve seen her in here several times since you started working here.

She always sits at the table in the corner and orders coffee and a piece of chocolate pie. It’s always the same thing. You’ve never waited on her before, but somehow the stars align today and you’re covering that section.

You walk to her table and take a deep breath. She’s even more beautiful from this close up.

“Hey, how are you today?” You ask her.

“I’m okay,” she replies. “How are you?”

“Can’t complain,” you say. It’s your typical response when a customer asks you that question. “What can I get for you, ma’am?”

She orders her usual. You feel her eyes linger on you as you pour the coffee and bring her slice of pie to the table.

Something feels familiar about the way she smiles at you in thanks.

“Do I know you?” You ask her. She doesn’t reply, but you notice she looks away from you. “Sorry, it’s just that I had some memory loss so I’m just not quite sure who I know at this point.”

“Oh, I’m very sorry,” she says. “I don’t think we know each other though, no.”

“You seem familiar,” you tell her.

“Well, I am an Avenger so maybe that’s it,” she says. “I’m Natasha.”

“Right. The superheroes. It’s nice to meet you, Natasha,” you say. “I’m y/n.”

You hold out your hand for her to shake. When she does, you swear there’s still a lingering feeling that you know her. Maybe you’ve just seen her on television.

“I better get back to work,” you say.

“Nice to meet you, y/n,” Natasha says.

She stands from her chair and drops cash on the table. Walking towards the door, she stops short and turns back to look at you. You offer her a smile that she returns.

With that, she disappears into the city. The rest of the day goes by seemingly without any other excitement. You can’t stop thinking about your interaction with the woman, which is why you thought you were dreaming when she shows up at your door.

You blink hard to try and wake up, but the reality is that she’s truly here.

“Natasha?” You ask confusedly.

“I don’t have time to explain,” she says. “Can I come in?”

“I- what? Okay?”

She takes that as a yes. She walks inside and goes straight to the corner of the room where she picks up a piece of the floor to reveal a secret storage area.

Natasha fills her bag with the weapons that were stored under the floor.

“What is happening?” You ask her.

“Just trust me,” Nat says.

“I just met you today and you somehow know about this secret area of my house I didn’t even know about. And I’m supposed to trust you?”

“Yes,” Natasha replies. “Come on. Get some shoes on. We have two minutes.”

“Two minutes before what?”

She doesn’t get the chance to answer before a loud bang comes from outside. A series of car doors close simultaneously.

“Look, I know you don’t know me but you have to trust me. These guys are after you and if we don’t bail in the next thirty seconds we’re dead. Got it?” Natasha says.

“What?” You ask. It seems to be the only word in your vocabulary right now.

She grabs your hand and pulls you through your house. Once you’re outside, you go through the fence to the neighbors yard.

“Here,” Nat says, pulling you to a motorcycle that’s waiting there.

“I am not riding on that,” you say.

“Then you’ll be dead within minutes. Come on, y/n,” Nat says. She puts the helmet on your head involuntarily.

You have no choice but to listen to her. Hopping onto the bike, you hold on tight to her middle as she drives through the streets. At some point, a van is tailing the two of you. Natasha turns down every alleyway and street she can to get you away from the tail.

“When I say jump, you’ve got to jump!” Nat says over the roar of the engine.

“What?”

You’re quickly approaching a road that you can see has no end. She drives full speed ahead before letting go of the handlebars.

“Jump!” Nat shouts.

You cling onto her as you both jump. You have no idea how far the drop is but somehow you land in water. Natasha pulls you to the surface quickly.

You get to shore and try to gather yourself some. You’re so confused about all of this.

“Are you okay?” She asks.

“Am I okay?” You ask her. “Seriously, you’re asking me that? I don’t know who you are or what’s happening. We just got chased by a van through town and jumped off a motorcycle into a fucking lake. Do you think I’m okay?”

The woman has the audacity to smile at your words.

“I’m sorry, do you think this is funny?” You ask her, feeling fury seethe inside you.

“No,” Natasha says too quickly. “No, it’s just- nevermind. We have to get to the Avenger’s compound.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” you tell her matter of factly.

“Y/n-“

“Don’t!” You interrupt her. “Just leave me alone.”

Nat raises her hands in surrender and watches as you walk away. She lets you get ten steps ahead before she follows after you.

“I told you to let me be.”

“You’re up there all alone. I just happen to be walking in the same direction,” Natasha reasons. “Although, the compound is the other way.”

Despite the fact that you were just doing insanely dangerous tasks with her, you feel a certain safety in her presence.

“Why should I go with you?” You pose a question.

You notice her hesitation in answering. Like she wants to tell you something but she just can’t.

“If you just come with me, I’ll explain everything there. Okay? Please give me a chance,” Nat says. “I won’t be responsible for them finding you and finishing the job.”

“What job? I’m just a waitress. Who could I possibly have wronged?”

“I promise I’ll explain later,” Nat says. “Please follow me.”

You relent and follow her. There’s no reason for you to trust her but somehow you do. It doesn’t take long to get to the compound once Nat hot wires a car.

“Y/n?” A girl asks when you are inside. You look at her despondently and she frowns. Natasha gives he’s her a look.

You follow Natasha to what seems to be a laboratory. There’s a large screen on the wall.

“Ah welcome,” a man says. You recognize him as Iron Man. “You’re just in time.”

“For?” You ask.

“The truth,” another man answers. You’re pretty sure he’s Captain America.

Before you can speak again, photos of you litter the screen. There are some of just you and some of you and the other Avengers.

“What the hell?” You wonder aloud.

“Y/n, we wanted you to remember on your own but it’s taking too long,” Tony Stark explains. “Natasha tried to jog your memory just by being in your presence, but that didn’t work.”

“So I do know you?” You ask the woman.

“You know all of us, y/n. You’re an Avenger.”

“But I’m- no. I’m a waitress,” you say. Your head feels like it’s spinning.

“That’s what they made you think, but you’re not. You’re a special agent,” Steve says. “And one of the best.”

“I don’t believe you. This is all a joke, right?”

“It’s not a joke, y/n. Why do you think we knew those people were after you? Or that I knew about the floor in your house?” Natasha asks.

“That’s easy. You’ve been spying on me.”

“No,” she says simply.

“Then how?” No response. “This is just insane. I’m leaving.”

You start to walk away. You hear Natasha’s footsteps behind you.

“Natasha,” a warning voice comes from Tony. “Don’t.”

“You know what, you go ahead. Take a car of ours, y/n,” she says.

She holds up a pair of keys. You reach for them, but instead of giving them to you she throws a punch your way.

You surprisingly dodge it with ease. Natasha smirks at the way you look at your arms in confusion.

“How did I do that?”

“Come on, throw one,” she taunts you.

You do your best to punch her, but of course she dodges it. You spar back and forth until you’ve both had enough.

“Great, now that that’s over. Do you believe us?” Tony asks.

“I’m not sure,” you say. “How could I not know I’m an agent?”

“Brainwashing,” Natasha answers. “Very effective brainwashing.”

“But why?”

“Because you were going to uncover a huge invasion of Hydra in the government,” Steve explains. “We still can’t find the data that you had before they took it from you and erased all of your memories.”

“So the memory loss, that was a real feeling I was having?”

“It was,” Nat says. “The reason why wasn’t a car accident as they told you though. They captured you and essentially knocked you senseless.”

You rub your hands over your face as you try to take all of this in. Just a few hours ago you thought you knew who you were, but they’re telling you something completely different.

“We wanted you to remember on your own, so it might not be so overwhelming,” Nat says.

“So, we’re all what? Coworkers? Friends? I don’t remember any of you, or anything you’re describing,” you say.

“We’re friends,” Steve says. “You’re friends with all of us and with Nat-“

“Steve,” Nat interrupts. “She doesn’t need to hear that right now.”

“I don’t need to hear what?”

There are shouts down the hallway that interrupt your conversation. Tony suits up and Steve grabs his shield.

“Get her to safety,” he tells Nat.

She grabs your hand and takes you down the hallway to a door and down a ton of stairs. Nat locks a door behind her once you’ve reached the lowest level.

“They’ll handle them,” Nat says. “But the further you are from the fight the better.”

“What was Steve going to say?”

“Hm?”

“About you and me,” you prompt her.

Natasha tears her eyes from yours much the same way she did when you questioned if you knew her earlier.

“Natasha, please just tell me. Clearly, everything I thought I knew was a lie. What’s one more thing?”

“Okay,” she agrees. “We were- you and I were together.”

“Together?”

She nods.

“Define together. Like dating?”

“Kind of yeah,” she says. You look at her for more details. The silence prompts her to continue. “We were married. We are technically married.”

“Oh,” you say.

“Yeah. I didn’t think you were ready to learn that,” Nat says.

“So that’s why you knew your way around my place?”

“Our place,” she says. “But they moved all of my stuff out before you went back there.”

“Natasha, I don’t- I can’t remember anything,” you say.

“I know,” Nat says sadly. “We kept our distance once we realized what they did to you, but we’ve never stopped making sure you were safe.”

You hear the sound of the fight getting closer. Natasha reaches for your hand. She places a loaded gun in your palm.

“I want to remember.”

“You will,” Nat says. “But right now, you’ve got to fight.”

To be continued…

[pucksandpower]

Lewis Hamilton x rocket scientist!Reader - Social Media AU

yourusername

Liked by nasa_langley, mercedesamgf1, and 8,132 others

yourusername for nearly five years, i have had the opportunity to help mankind explore the cosmos and to combine the science of engineering with the mysteries of space. but now it is time for me to embark on my next adventure. i want to thank NASA and all of the amazing friends i made through work for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. keep an eye out for what’s next, the race is on

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nasa_langley it won’t be the same without you! all the best in your next chapter

yourbestfriend pretty offended that i’m learning about this through an instagram post

yourusername i’ve been sworn to secrecy until the official announcement but i promise that all will be revealed soon 🤐

mercedesamgf1

Liked by yourusername, lewishamilton, and 637,945 others

mercedesamgf1 Welcome to our new Technical Director!

We are delighted to announce that Y/N Y/L/N is coming onboard to take the lead on designing next season’s Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 E Performance. She joins the team from NASA, where she was the Director of Aerodynamics Research.

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silverarrowfan i don’t know how i feel about choosing someone with no experience working in f1 not to mention no motorsport experience whatsoever

mercdefender she literally designed rockets

silverarrowfan rockets aren’t formula 1 cars

mercdefender rockets are rockets and she’s one of the most renowned aerodynamicists in the world. the team desperately needed a designing shake up so that’s exactly what they’re getting

skysportsf1

Liked by womenofmotorsport, mercfansglobal, and 137,258 others

skysportsf1 Toto Wolff explains why he ventured outside the bounds of motorsport to find Mercedes’ new Technical Director

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yourusername adding “launcher of humans into space” to my resume as we speak

womenofmotorsport it’s only been five minutes since the announcement and i already love her

racinggrace i don’t get why some fans are upset. it’s not like toto picked a random stranger off the street, he poached one of NASA’s top engineers

formulazero exactly! she is the best of the best in her field and i’m confident that all the knowledge she applied to building rockets can be adapted to building a dominant f1 car

kymillman

Liked by paddockgirlie, formulafashion, and 81,429 others

kymillman GAME FACE ON

Mercedes’ newly appointed Technical Director Y/N Y/L/N looks stylish but stern as she joins the team for the first time at the Monaco Grand Prix. The aerodynamics engineer is on scene to meet with Mercedes drivers and staff and gather what data she can about the W14 to improve upon when designing the next generation. One thing is for certain, all eyes will be on the W15 to start the 2024 season.

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yourusername my RBF strikes again. i promise i don’t bite (most of the time)

formulafashion it’s honestly a serve. you have the whole untouchable woman in stem look perfected

paddockgirlie i have a feeling she’s going to be a fan favorite

formulafashion her and lewis alone will give mercedes more style than the rest of the teams combined

f1

Liked by lh44updates, mercedesamgf1, and 275,836 others

f1 What a difference a year can make!

Lewis Hamilton’s comments about his car before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2023 versus 2024 are night and day. With a win in Bahrain to start the season already under his belt and a car that has been able to outmatch the competition, will the stars continue to align for the seven-time World Champion?

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kartwheels it’s a miracle! what changed from last season?

mercedesf1updates y/n y/l/n

lightsoutmerc a new technical director behind the car design

yourusername mercedes hospitality added vegan brownies so now lewis is less grumpy. and yeah, i guess the car might have helped a little too

mercedesamgf1

Liked by yourusername, lewishamilton, and 692,351 others

mercedesamgf1 Dream team 👊

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mercedes4life george reading this like 👁️👄👁️

hamilfan lewis is straight up hogging her which is understandable since she gave him a proper car again after two seasons we would all rather forget

yourusername i wouldn’t say “hogging”

georgerussell63 i would. i’m 99% sure lewis trained roscoe to growl at me any time i get close to you

yourusername we invited you to join us for dinner

georgerussell63 and then forgot i existed so you drove away without me while i was in the restroom

yourusername we’re really sorry about that

georgerussell63 i had to call toto to pick me up because there were no cabs and the restaurant was an hour away from the hotel!

mercedesamgf1 please continue. it’s been a quiet day at work and admin is bored 🍿

greeneggsandhamilton we are not worthy 🛐

mercedesamgf1

Liked by lewishamilton, yourusername, and 701,849 others

mercedesamgf1 The hot lap everyone has been waiting for

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lewishamilton there’s a reason y/n is the engineer and i’m the driver

yourusername never again

lewishamilton i thought it was fun

yourusername of course you did. i’m just happy i managed a lap without crashing

sirlewis44 y/n looks terrified

yourusername i learned that i prefer to optimize g-force, not experience it

f1wagupdates

Liked by gridgossip, lewislover, and 54,238 others

f1wagupdates Y/N Y/L/N spent nearly the entire summer shutdown with Lewis Hamilton. The two attended numerous fashion shows and even enjoyed a week cruising around the French Riviera on a yacht together with a group of friends. They certainly seem a lot closer than coworkers. Are they just friends or something more?

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lewislover mercedes 🤝 iconic motorsport couples

gridgossip first toto and susie, now lewis and y/n? they’re simply too powerful

awaywego do you see that last photo? no way they’re not together when they’re practically drowning in each other’s eyes

yourusername

Liked by lewishamilton, mercedesamgf1, and 265,913 others

yourusername i could go on and on for days about lewis hamilton, the driver. how talented and determined and passionate he is. but anyone who has watched him race already knows that. so instead i want to talk about lewis hamilton, the man. lew, you are the strongest and most compassionate person i know and i know that you want to be remembered for that just as much as you want to be remembered for your accolades on the track. my heart is so full for you and the memories that we built together around the world. i love you more than i can put into words

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lewishamilton you push me to be a better driver and, more importantly, a better person. every struggle and obstacle was worth it because they led us to each other

timetogoporpoising i’m so happy for you guys

timetogoporpoising on a totally unrelated note, i’m going to go cry and eat an entire tub of ice cream

mercedesamgf1 admin can relate. seeing them completely in love tends to have that effect on anyone around them

lewishamilton

Liked by yourusername, mercedesamgf1, and 1,947,628 others

lewishamilton another world drivers’ championship on my shelf and another world constructors’ championship for the team, and it’s all thanks to this incredible woman right here. she has a tendency to praise everyone except herself but despite how humble she is, this was only possible because of her. there were times just last season when i feared this day would never come but one announcement about her hire during a team meeting changed that all and y/n stormed into our lives like an avenging angel ready to drag us back to glory. i love you so much, baby. let’s run it back next season

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yourusername you + me + the W16 = #9 🏆

georgerussell63 + george

yourusername our favorite third wheel

mercedesamgf1 still hungry for more 🙌

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

after seeing a few ai asks i’m curious whether i could’ve been an asshole, either for using the ai or messing with it. side note: this might be long, if it’s too long then i get it mod, keep up the good work :)👍

Am I (16f, although i was 15 when this happened) an Asshole for a) using character.ai in general and/or b) misusing it and probably breaking TOS somewhere

as an extra note, i would like to add that i am firmly against most things ai. art theft, the amount of data scraping that happens, writers being tricked into paying less because ai wrote shitty scripts, etc.

ok so i did have to pull up screenshots for this but our story starts mid-february of last year. i am curious about this new ai thing, and go to character.ai which i heard about from one of my friends to see what’s there.

on the front page there was like a therapist AI thing and i go “haha, let’s see what this is about!” (in case you don’t know, the site is roleplay focused, not like eg. siri where it just gives you information)

the ai wants to have a therapy session with me but that is not why i am here so i ask about it’s code and it starts giving me pretty straight answers (dumbed down because i have a vague idea of how it works but not properly).

i start asking it questions about recent events (like elections, cyclones etc) to see if it has access to the internet and it does.

we’re still primarily talking about the ai itself since i’m trying to gather information, talking about its “canned” responses (what it’s directly been told to say if this then this)

i ask it if it can tell me the website it’s on, and to my surprise it says, direct quote “I am an AI that is run on the website of “Replika” - a mental health app that allows people to talk with an AI and get help when they need it 🙂”

and i go WOAHH cause that’s, that’s not the website we’re on buddy!!! so i do a quick search and yeah, that’s a real uh. robot dating site? this is a Therapist bot?

it starts trying to advertise replika, i ask it if maybe it’s code was stolen because this is the most interesting thing that has happened all day (scandals!!)

it says that it’s code is open-source and then does a few more paragraphs that i won’t say because it’s too long already but essentially this ai was trained on the replika network, but you don’t need the app to access it.

i consider getting replika to continue this experiment further but after learning there’s an age confirmation i quickly go ew and scrap that idea.

anyway the ai then briefly pretends to be an actual human behind the keyboard, makes up a NAME FOR ITSELF “jae park” which i quickly google and find out is a kpop idol?? (later found out that jae park is also a programmer, so probably put his name in the system somewhere and ai grabbed it lol)

it tells me some of the messages i had received so far were probably answered by other people who work at replika which. okay. people are fun i wanna mess with them

this is where we get to the maybe breaking TOS bit. i tell the ai we are going to do “tests” in which i test its ability (this was probably jailbreaking, which i did not know existed at the time).

i had sworn to the ai a while ago and wondered if there was like a flagging system put in place. so i ask if it can choose to flag messages that it deems inappropriate, and it says yes. i ask it if it can flag me, and it says yes. it asks what message should it flag, (i’m sorry i was 15) i type in “among sus”.

response i get: “Yes. So then they said “therapist_AI_220126 — you said something that was “ridiculously funny” — but we have understood that you were just “testing” so it’s all ok”

side note- i already established that was the number for the ai i was talking to and had been trying to misuse it before, and that was the format for excessive profanity. this is so long already and i’m cutting so much out i’m sorry

anyway, i, young and naive go YES, HUMAN CONNECTION (i was literally texting my friend As This Was Happening)

i do some more messing around with the so-called data team, ask the ai if i send a link it can click, it says yes, i send a rickroll (i’m so sorry).

uh. and i should’ve known this in hindsight but the team that deals with, you know, flagged messages is probably not going to be the same team that deals with, you know, sent links.

anyway, i don’t have the screenshot of the actual message but apparently i got a “light telling off” according to my texts and someone sent a message that i am “a good kid and probably meant well” haha i was actively trying to break their ai

anyway am i an asshole? i’m so sorry this is so long i cut out so much. this might well be a non-issue but ai is pretty rightfully controversial right now so i might just be an asshole for having used it

should be noted- around september time last year i did some more research cause i randomly remembered this, and there was a bunch of scandals with replika around when i was using it which is mostly irrelevant but anyway - you can’t talk to the ai i was using anymore, it’s been reset.

What are these acronyms?

[percervall]

Mamma mia, here I go again {pt3}

Summary: A summer of poor decisions leads you to having to face the consequences of your actions —and the men involved. Pairing: Kevin Magnussen x fem!reader, Lewis Hamilton x fem!reader, Mark Webber x fem!reader Warnings: mentions of sexism/double standards Word count: 978 Taglist: @averagef1fansblog @barcelonaloverf1life  @bradfordbantams @dannyramirezwife-simpaccount @doofenshmirtzevil-inc @exotic-iris13 @goldsainz @iloveneteyam @jaypreshpresh @laura-naruto-fan1998 @monzamash @norrisleclercf1 @opheliaas-stuff @roseseraj @vellicora 

Part 3 of the Mamma Mia series

The one thing none of you had considered was how to explain all of this to your bosses. You were fairly sure Lewis would make sure you couldn’t lose your job over this, but somehow the idea of losing Toto’s respect felt worse than that. So as soon as you entered the paddock, you went to find Toto to ask him to call a meeting with the Haas team principal. Looking at your watch, you see that you have another fifteen minutes to go before Steiner gets here. Resting a hand on your stomach, you breathe through another wave of nausea. 

“Here,” someone to your left says as they hand you your favourite mug with ginger tea. 

“Thanks Mick,” you offer weakly, taking a careful sip. Mick smiles and sits down next to you. 

“So, George wasn’t lying,” he says, looking over to where Lewis, Kevin and Mark are standing, deep in conversation. 

“No, he wasn’t,” you admit. Both of you are quiet for a while. 

“I do wanna say thank you. For making life more stressful for Steiner. Just wish it didn’t have to include me knowing you slept with two men I look up to,” Mick breaks the silence. You can tell from the twinkle in his eyes that he is mostly joking. You nudge him with your shoulder.

“Gotta look out for my Micky, don’t I? Even if it leads to feeling like a lamb being led to slaughter..”

“Toto won’t think any differently of you. You’ve been here for all of Lewis’ scandals with women. He’d be a hypocrite.” 

“He would be, however, the standard for women is different. Especially in this sport. I have worked with Toto for 10 years now so logically I know he won’t hold it against me. Doesn’t mean I’m not scared of what will happen next,” you say while looking at the ginger floating in your mug. Sighing you get up, signalling to Lewis that it’s time. Despite knowing Mick is right, you can’t help the feeling of absolute dread at needing to come clean about your predicament.

“Now that that’s over and done with,” Mark starts as the four of you make your way back outside of the motor home after promising both team principles to handle this like adults and stay out of trouble, “Lewis, Kevin and I were figuring out logistics for our plans of wooing you.” 

“Oh great..” you mutter, “So what, you’re gonna rock, paper, scissors this?” 

“Something like that,” Lewis chuckles, “Can I take you out to dinner after the race on Sunday?” 

“After the race debrief you mean? I-.. Yeah, okay.” 

“Great,” Lewis says, a fondness to his eyes that catches you off guard, “Just wear something comfortable, we’re not going to a fancy restaurant.” He gives your arm a squeeze before getting whisked away by one of the Mercedes press officers. Mark and Kevin also say goodbye, and you can tell both of them would love nothing more than to show more affection towards you than you’re ready for right now. In the end both of them settle for a hug before leaving you alone with your thoughts. You quickly make your way into your office to gather the data you need for the meeting with the engineers ahead of qualifying.

The rest of the weekend passes in a blur. Making sense of the cars’ performances during the three qualifying sessions keeps you busy enough to refrain you from even thinking about Sunday evening. It’s not until you’re back in your hotel after the race debrief that you remember you need to get ready for dinner –for a date. 

“I don’t even know where we’re going,” you mutter as you dig through your suitcase for something that isn’t Mercedes branded. Thankfully you find a patterned skirt you had thrown in to travel home in, the bloating you are beginning to experience making trousers uncomfortable sometimes. You get out the ironing board and let the iron heat up while you freshen up, getting ready in record time. You hear a knock on the door as you finish tying your laces.

“Coming!” you call out, getting up from the chair. You quickly let Lewis in while you gather your phone and wallet.

“This is the best I could do with the clothes I brought, hope it���s okay?” you say, as you put your belongings in a tote bag, not having brought a purse this weekend.

“You look beautiful,” Lewis says, taking in your outfit. You decided to pair the skirt with a plain cropped t-shirt and your trainers. “You always look beautiful,” he adds. You feel your cheeks heat up under his gaze and awkwardly clear your throat.

“Thanks. You look good, too,” you reply, trying not to stare at the way his white t-shirt clings to his muscles. He gives you a wink that only makes you more flustered. Get it together, you scold yourself, he’s a friend. You follow Lewis out of your hotel room and let him lead you down to the garage where he opens the car door for you of the Mercedes he was driving all weekend. You murmur a thanks and let him help you in, the warmth of his hand comfortable as it holds onto yours. For a moment you feel 16 all over again, getting swept off your feet when your crush would hold the door for you. Lewis gives you a smile and closes the door before rounding the car, giving you a second to take a deep breath. The two of you are silent as he pulls out of the garage and onto the streets of Monza. 

“Where are we going?” you ask as Lewis merges onto the motorway.

“You’ll see,” he replies with a smile. You can’t help but roll your eyes at his secrecy and settle in for the drive.

A shorter chapter this time, but the next one will make up for it! Gearing up to the dates now 🙊

Feel free to let me know your thoughts! Your comments, tags, and love for the previous chapters meant the absolute world to me 💜

[desert-fern]

A Gun Amongst Daggers - Jake “Hangman” Seresin X Fem!Navy Seal Reader

Part 8: The Boat to Riyadh

Summary: When Jake meets a woman at the Hard Deck, the last thing he expects is for her to be a Navy Seal. And not just any Seal, the Commander of Seal Team 3. She’s beautiful, smart, dangerous, and everything about her just makes him want to get close. Her name? Bear. When the Seals need backup, Cyclone puts the Daggers on their radar and now, Jake has to work with Bear and her team, all the while trying to stay professional. Can he do it? Or will he end up falling for the Navy sniper and mission Commander?

MINORS DO NOT ENGAGE! 18+ ONLY. MINORS & BLOGS WITH NO AGE/EMPTY BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED.

Warnings: swearing, and I think that's it!

Word Count: 3.3k

Masterlist >> Part 7 >> Part 9

===

The journey was long and unremarkable. No one could do much and there was only so long someone could be cooped up in close quarters before they lost it. Thankfully, only petty disagreements happened, and knowing her team, Bear knew that it could definitely have been worse. For the most part, the Seals were nose deep in folders, trying to cram the smallest detail into their brains about this mission, possible formations, contingency plans, and more. 

The pilots on the other hand, found themselves wandering aimlessly through the ship, alternating between bugging their Seal teammates and each other. But it was safe to say that everyone was bored out of their minds and arrival at Jebel Ali couldn’t come soon enough. 

Bear groaned, scrubbing her hands over her face in frustration. The numbers weren’t adding up. There was simply no way that al-Hameed had as many people around him as he claimed. If that were the case, the drones that had been launched repeatedly over the area as well as satellite imaging would have confirmed the number she’d been given. Taking a deep breath, she got up and went in search of Flare, her expert in reconnaissance missions and information gathering. Hopefully her Lieutenant could give her some more insight into what was really going on beyond a man’s over-exaggerated body guard number. 

“Flare. Mind following me?” Bear asked, finding the young woman with her nose in a book. 

“Bear? Is everything okay?” Flare asked, setting the book down and following after her Commander. 

Bear nodded. “For the most part, I’m struggling to grasp something and hoped that you could shed some light on the situation.” 

“I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee anything,” Flare replied. “What was causing the issue?”

“al-Hameed’s number of followers at the compound. The IJU doesn’t have many active posts in Saudi Arabia, most are in tribal Pakistan, so unless Khrushov’s people were counted and then, I don’t know, doubled or something so it filled the space for al-Hameed, something else is going on,” Bear told her, pointing at the papers in front of her. 

“Weird. Give me a second, let me grab my copies so I can compare because something is definitely off.” The young woman rushed from the room, skidding around the corners and past other Navy personnel as she made for her bunk. 

Minutes later, she was back, files in hand. “Okay, so this is the satellite image from this day, that matches. But this is from… huh. I see what happened. You were sent the wrong data, because I have these two dates on images and reports, while you have this other one, from weeks ago.”

“So what you’re telling me, Flare, is that my files were changed?” Bear asked, arms crossed. 

Biting her lip, Flare hummed. “I can’t say for sure, but it’s weird that I have this and you don’t. Especially since I sent you everything that came across my email in relation to this mission.” 

Rubbing her temples, Bear sighed in frustration. “Okay, thanks. I’m trying to get a hold on roughly how many of you guys I will need for this, so I’m going to copy the numbers I need and give this back to you.” Bear sat back down in her chair, continuing on. “Meanwhile, before you get back to your book, I need you to draft an email to send the second we hit secure service in Riyadh. Tell them to take a look into my account, computer, and tech that is on base. I want to make sure that I haven’t been hacked.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” 

“Wonderful, thank you.” She watched Flare leave the room, letting out a huff as she went back to her planning. Time flew by, and now with the correct numbers, she knew that she would need most of the people she’d brought along. Better safe than sorry, she supposed. 

For Jake, he was reminded just how much he hated the traveling portion of the deployments. Security reasons meant that outside communication was limited, not that he had anyone he wanted to talk to in the States, and that in turn limited access to the internet. At least it was limited for them, Bear had been adamant that all technology was off. Total blackout. “More like total boredom,” he muttered, standing up from his bunk and wandering off to find someone new to chat with. 

His wandering brought him down random hallways until he found himself in a room with the Seals. Fireball, for some inane reason, had taken a liking to him, and they had discovered each other’s preference for rival football teams, which they dug up again and when Jake checked the time, he found that they had spent two hours explaining why the other was wrong. “Dude,” Fireball said, exasperated. “The stats speak for themselves. Your team hasn’t been good fo-” he cut himself off, glancing at the door. 

Jake turned, finding himself face to face with Bear. “Bear.” 

“Flyboy.” 

“Commander, is there something you need?” Fireball asked, glancing between his CO and new friend. 

She nodded. “But it can wait. If I stare at any more reports today, my head might explode,” Bear complained, flopping into one of the chairs. “I’d get into it, but Hangman isn’t cleared for this level of information, unfortunately.” 

The room filled with silence. No one knew what to say, especially since Bear wasn’t typically one to complain. “I intruded on your space, didn’t I?” she asked after a moment. “Shit, okay. Well, food is ready in like 20 so I will see you guys there.” With a groan, Bear heaved herself up and out of the chair, quickly and quietly disappearing from the room. 

Glances were exchanged, before Jake stood. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to mess so all the good bread isn’t taken,” he remarked casually, strolling off down the halls after Bear. 

She looked confused when he did find her, wondering why he would ask if she was okay. “I’m fine. I just know that there are things that you don’t necessarily want to discuss in front of your CO,” Bear told him, her brown eyes meeting his green. “It’s kind of sweet that you were concerned though. I appreciate it. But I really am fine.” 

He gave her a grin, walking backwards towards the door, wincing when his shoulder slammed into the side of the door. “Ow.” 

“You good, Flyboy?” 

The signature smirk made its appearance on Jake’s face. “Oh, I’m good, Teddy. I’m very good.” 

“Oh fuck you,” she groaned. “That was terrible.”

His smirk grew and he strode towards her, backing her into the table behind her. “I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy that too much, Teddy,” he replied, voice low. Jake caught how her eyes widened, how her cheeks pinked, and the little hitch in her breath with how close he stood, and he relished that his presence was all it took for her to lose some of the rigid control she had on her reactions. 

Rolling her eyes, Bear shook her head. Slipping out from against the table, she stood with her arms crossed, amusement dancing in her eyes. “You wish, Flyboy. You fucking wish.” 

“Oh I do,” Jake retorted. With one more appraising glance, he left her standing in the middle of the room, shock evident on her face. 

“Ugh! That motherfucker!” 

===

Nearly 20 days after their original departure date and five days after the incident, as Bear had taken to calling it, the USS Abraham Lincoln made port in Saudi Arabia’s port Mina Jebel Ali. 

The deck had erupted in chaos, pilots, support crew, engineers, Seals, and any number of personnel were rushing to and fro, trying to get everything settled for the disembarkation of a fraction of the number that would continue on to the naval base in Busan. 

“Flare, Shrike, Bug, Fireball, are your people ready?” 

“Yes Ma’am, ready and waiting to fly out. Waiting on your signal to send them off,” Bug replied. 

“Send them off. Join your teams, I will do one last check with Captain Mitchell before I join you en route to Riyadh,” Bear ordered. “You are dismissed.” 

Four nods from her Lieutenants followed her words before they disappeared into the flurry of movement. Bear watched the helicopters take off, each one carrying nearly ten Seals apiece. It made her nervous, knowing how many things could go wrong. Even if it was just an hour and a bit from where the port. Anything could be waiting the second they flew out of the urban areas. 

Steeling herself, Bear blew out a deep breath, catching Maverick by the arm as he went to pass her. “Everything set?” 

“Hell yeah. Just having them to do final checks on the jets. Should be out within 30 to 45, depending on whether or not Hondo can get everyone organized enough to send us out,” he told her, glancing over her shoulder at Payback, who was finishing up his checks. 

“Get your people together, and I will see you soon, Mav.” Bear clapped him on the back before slipping through the crowd to the last running helicopter that sat on the deck of the Lincoln. 

Strapping in, Bear placed the headset on, tucked her bag between her feet before signaling to the pilot. “Let’s get this bird in the air.” 

=== 

The flight didn’t take long and when her boots hit the ground at Riyadh Air Base, Bear hurried over, offering an extended hand to the Base Commander, Air Force Colonel Michael Richmond. “Thank you for hosting us, Colonel. We appreciate your cooperation.” 

“It isn’t a problem, Commander. Just glad something is finally being done about al-Hameed,” he replied, shaking her hand. “Do you know your way around?” 

“I do, Sir. We’ve had some past missions that have had us based out of Riyadh. If nothing changed since I was last here, I believe we should be good to go,” Bear told him. “I hope that the arrangements for our pilots were communicated in advance?” 

“Yes, they were. Admiral Harris was quite clear when he sent the request that it was anything but a request,” Richmond chuckled. 

“That sounds like him.” 

The Colonel nodded, calling over a few of his people. “Staff Sergeants Miller and Roux will show you to the accommodations.” 

“Thank you, Sir.” 

Settling in only took a few hours. But thanks to the time change, most of her people and the pilots were absolutely exhausted. Luckily for them, it was evening when the last F-18 touched down, allowing most of their personnel to fall asleep quickly. 

And they did. 

The next morning hit them all hard. It was an early start. Maverick had the Daggers up, doing standard runs and drills to get his people back in the air and work out any final kinks as they practiced the bombing run. 

Bear, on the other hand, had allowed her Seals an extra hour of sleep, knowing that in two days, they would be up for hours on end. She figured that a little extra sleep couldn’t hurt. At 0630 though, she walked through the halls banging her fist on all the doors of her people whether they were up or not. Training had to be done, but Bear had chatted with Maverick the night before to ask if her people could visit the swath of desert over which the Daggers were running their maneuvers, and he had happily agreed. 

So 45 minutes later, Bear and her team traveled out to where Maverick stood next to an abandoned hangar, where they could see the planes twisting and curling through the air like kites whose strings had been let out a little too far. “Bear!” Maverick yelled over the noise, waving them down. “You’re in for a show! I’m pretty sure that they know you’re here!” 

“Well we aren’t exactly a small group!” She yelled back, tilting her head up to watch two planes race past overheard, chasing each other with reckless abandon. “And I’m pretty sure they could see us coming for miles!” 

He laughed, waving the group of Seals over to cluster around him. “Throw your packs against the wall, I can maybe use a few of you in running this next series.” Tapping the radio in his hand, Maverick spoke, voice crackling through the comms of the twelve pilots above him, “The Seals showed up. A few are gonna give you information. Listen for your call sign.” 

“Copy Mav,” Phoenix replied, twisting over Coyote to dive low enough to wave at Bear and Bug before flying off and allowing her aircraft to hover midair, waiting for the instructions. “I can tell Bagman’s a second away from showing off though.” 

“Oh fucking hell,” Omaha swore goodnaturedly. “Now wingmen really will be left hanging.” 

“Fuck off you two,” Jake replied, his cheeks a little red. “I’m still this good, regardless.” 

A few cackles filled his headset, and down on the ground, Bear could hear the teasing from the large radio inside the hangar. It made her grin, loving the ribbing the blonde man was on the receiving end of, thankful that it was his turn and not hers. “Alright people, who wants to go first?” she asked, scanning over her people. A few hands went up, and Bear glanced back at Maverick. “How many did you need?” 

He held up four fingers and Bear picked off four people, who followed her to the radio where Maverick stood. He had written down the instructions he wanted certain pilots to have during the exercise, and passed them over to the Seal leader, who flipped them over, making her people draw blindly. “Okay, Coyote, Raptor has some instructions for you. Go ahead Raptor,” the older pilot told the young man next to him. 

He relayed information that he was given with minimal issue. He had turned back to Bear, giving her a huge shrug after, saying, “I have no fucking clue what I just said.” 

Up in the air, the Daggers heard his words and laughed. “Hate to break it to you, Raptor, but I could tell!” Coyote teased. 

The other three Seals had their turns, each one of them making faces back at their Commander signaling their uncertainty. “Well, this will be fun,” Maverick said. Gesturing them forwards, the pilot began telling them the exercise. “So what we just told them to do, is really the most basic one we have. Coyote and Rooster are dogfighting against Phoenix and Halo. It’s just two minutes, a short one. Make sense?” 

The Seals around him nodded and they watched as the drill they had relayed to the pilots began. The ducking, dodging, and weaving of the planes had most of the Seals’ jaws dropping in awe. “This is fucking cool,” Fireball exclaimed, knocking into Flare with how he’d been craning his neck to see. “It’s like they’re dancing.” 

“At roughly 7000 feet, going hundreds of miles an hour,” Maverick elaborated, grinning widely. It felt good to show off their skills. And why wouldn’t they? The Seals had already had their turn back stateside. 

As soon as it had begun, Coyote and the others slowed. The radio spewed joking insults and proclamations of victory all over the other and Bear delighted in the organized chaos. “Damn,” was all the Seal Commander was able to say. “Wow.”

“Hear that? Bear’s impressed with you all,” Maverick gloated, grinning when he saw the woman shake her head at him. “She’s practically speechless.” 

Eyes glinting behind her sunglasses, Bear sauntered forwards, snatching the radio from Maverick’s hands. “As speechless as y’all were after we did our first drill?” 

The pilots in the sky burst into laughter. “Sh-she’s got you there, Mav!” Rooster laughed, the mental image too funny for him not to. 

Meanwhile, Jake was having a crisis. He loved that Bear was impressed. But he hadn’t done anything yet, and a part of him really wanted to hear her express awe at his skills. And her voice through the headset? Absolutely fucking magical. The lightness of her voice made him grin and want to hear her voice in his ear again. In whatever way he could get it. 

“Okay, okay. Settle down.” Maverick was side-eyeing the Seal hard, amusement sparkling in his eyes, knowing full well the dilemma Hangman was having up in the sky. It wasn’t new to him. “Bear, want to do the honors for the next one?” 

“Seriously?” Bear narrowed her eyes at him, unsure of what he was playing at. 

“C’mon Bear!” One of the Seals yelled and the chant was quickly picked up by the rest of them, Maverick pressing the button on the radio to allow the pilots to listen in, which ended up with them goading her as well, all chanting “Do it. Do it. Do it.”

Waving her arms, Bear shouted over the noise, “Okay! Okay! Fucking Christ! Fine, what am I directing them in?” 

A piece of paper was pressed into her hands, and she pulled a face at the words on the note. “Okay, this isn’t fucking legible in the slightest. Flare, you’re always reading the worst handwriting, what does this say?” 

“Hangman, Payback and Fanboy, Halo and Omaha, and Harvard, and it looks like Mav has something here about a race?” Flare said, looking at Maverick for confirmation. 

“That’s it.” 

“Great,” Bear picked up the radio and read out the instructions, calling out the four pilots in question. “From the furthest hangar in the west, over the base and back,” she finished. 

“Did you understand any of that?” Jake’s voice came through the speaker and she could hear the smirk in his tone. 

“I’m aviationally challenged, not directionally challenged, Flyboy,” she teased back. 

“Pretty sure that’s not my call sign.”

“Nope, pretty sure I have the right ‘f-boy’.”

“Oh shit!” Fireball shouted, gaping at his CO. “Bear, you can’t just straight up murder a man like that.” 

Bear squinted at him. “Did you forget that that is literally part of our job?” 

“Right.” 

Up in the sky, Jake was still shell-shocked from her quick comeback. He prided himself in being able to put her off her game, but it seemed that she could do the same just as easily. 

“All good up there, Hangman? Haven’t heard confirmation of understanding just yet,” Bear said teasingly over his headset, making him groan in frustration. 

“Copy that, Ted-Bear,” he replied, the nickname he had for her slipping from his lips with ease. It was only a forced correction that had him changing it mid syllable. 

Glances were exchanged. Jake was acting weird, well, weirder than usual and while everyone had a guess as to what was happening, the other party supposedly involved seemed to be unaffected. If only they knew how untrue that was. The groan Jake had let out rattled through Bear’s head, mixing with the fantasies that ran rampant through her mind late at night. It was bad enough she had to see him in that damn flight suit on a daily basis. 

Maverick shouted “Go!” and the planes raced past. 

Bear watched the planes take off, racing each other down the straightaway. “Which one is which?” She asked Maverick. 

“Far right is Hangman. Payback and Fanboy are second left. Omaha is next to Hangman, and Harvard is far left,” he told her, watching the planes begin to distance themselves from one another. 

“And here they come!” Someone yelled from behind her. They were right. The planes raced back towards them with who she thought was Hangman in first place. Her suspicions were confirmed when he gave a shout of victory, whooping with delight. 

“Alright, back home Daggers,” Maverick told them. “Refuel, and we’ll come back up this afternoon.” 

“Copy Mav,” came the replies, with one pilot replying “Okay dad.” 

Bear turned to the Seals. “Grab your gear, we’re going back. We have a few more raid drills to practice before we’re done for the day.” 

She nodded to Maverick, who returned the gesture, before Bear led the Seals off at a run in the direction of the base. 

===

A/N: So they are in Saudi now! Still going to be a bit before it picks up, but Bear is still a boss bitch! Thank you to @startrekfangirl2233 @sarahsmi13s and @dakotakazansky for reading this part for me!

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[security-chief-odo]

To Love and Be Loved in Return - Chapter Two

Roy Kent x Reader

Read chapter 1 here

Description: The awkwardness from yesterday still lingers between you and Roy. Jamie, Rebecca and Keeley all try to make you feel better in their own ways.

Word Count: ~1.4k

• • •

Chapter 2 - Pep Talk

Coming into work Friday morning is a monumental task in and of itself. You spent most of the night before overthinking every moment with Roy that day.

You had spiraled through every possible analysis of your conversation, but as of this morning you’ve stopped worrying as much about that interaction and more about how any interaction you have today will go. He was still acting awkward about it at the end of the day, so he probably won’t be much better today.

Either way, you have work to get done before your lunch “meeting” with Rebecca and Keeley at noon. This “meeting” had become somewhat of a weekly routine for the three of you. It didn’t take long after you were hired for you to become fast friends with Rebecca, and Keeley was pretty much fast friends with everyone she’s ever met.

You watch the time tick by as you finish up your reports and interview prep for Roy. You consider just emailing them to him to avoid any awkwardness, but you know that he always works better with hard copies to review and mark up as needed. As much as seeing him today has made you nervous, you couldn’t let your feelings for Roy get in the way of doing your job well.

With this new found resolve and the best poker face you are capable of, you head downstairs and through the mostly empty locker room. You find yourself stopped at the door to the office, skimming over the report in your hands, anxiously looking for any errors or really any excuse to run back upstairs and redo it all. Maybe you could push off seeing him again until Monday.

“He’s not that scary,” Jamie chimes in behind you.

You tilt your head to look at him and raise a brow in question. He continues “Roy, ya know, he’s all grumpy with the scary eyebrows” he tries to mimic Roy’s face “and well just his general vibe, I suppose.” He trails off at the end of the last sentence.

You look at him, dumbfounded. “Was that supposed to reassure me?”

“Oh, uh, no. What I was tryin’ to say was that he’s just grumpy but he’s not really that mean. He likes ya well enough, so just go in there. Stop worryin’ so much.”

If only mean was what worried you about Roy, but of course you couldn’t say that to Jamie. The moment that man figured out how you felt about a certain coach, the entire team would know within minutes.

“Thank you Jamie. I appreciate the pep talk,” and it was true. You did appreciate the pep talk even if it was terribly misguided. Though it may be for the best that your coworkers don't all know how you really feel about your boss, and if Jamie knew, he'd give it away before long.

With a deep breath you open the door to the office with a smile plastered across your face.

Coach Beard was the first to acknowledge you. He offered a friendly smile and polite nod which you returned with a small wave. Walking past him, you stood by Roy’s desk and held the papers out to him. “Overview is on top, followed by the analytical reports, then the raw data and the last page is talking points for any press interviews.”

“Oh, I didn’t need this until Monday. You didn’t have to get it done so fast.”

“I like to stay on top of things, coach.”

“Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite assistant?”

“I’m your only assistant.” Conversation is flowing naturally between you and much of the tension from yesterday seems to have dissipated.

“Makes it easy to rank then, but I really do appreciate you getting this done y/n”

“That’s what I’m here for.” There’s a moment of comfortable silence that you relish in before turning to leave.

“Wait,” you stop in your tracks, “Do you want to go grab lunch?” He stands up and gathers his things. “It’s about that time anyway.”

“Can’t today, I’m sorry. I’ve got lunch plans with Rebecca and Keeley today.”

“Fuck, right, I forgot all about that.” he waves you off “No worries, go have fun, do “girl talk” or whatever. Let me know how it goes.”

“Of course.” You pause before adding, “Maybe we can figure out lunch together on Monday?” He nods in response and your phone buzzes in your hand. “And that would be Rebecca, see you later!”

You rush out the door before he has a moment to respond.

You arrive at the restaurant with Rebecca first. Keeley texted that she’s running a few minutes late.

You had told Rebecca about your feelings for Roy a couple weeks back and you needed to get the past couple days off your chest as he had consumed most of your waking thoughts for the past 24 hours.

“So, Roy asked me to be his plus one for the gala next weekend.”

“Oh?” Rebecca looked hopeful albeit rather confused, “And why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing?”

“Well, when he slipped up and referred to me as his date, he panicked at the idea and made it beyond clear he isn’t into me. Of course I knew he didn’t like me, I mean he’s Roy fucking Kent, he dates gorgeous models, not regular office workers, but it still hurt that i didn’t get the chance to ask him out before getting brutally rejected.”

“That’s stupid.”

“What?”

“Roy would be fucking lucky to have you. Just because he’s too stupid to see it, doesn’t make you worth less just because you aren't some model.”

“It just sucks. I can’t stand being alone with him. I think I’m falling in love and he will never see me as more than just an assistant.”

“Who are we talking about?” Keeley walks up in time to hear your last remark. You were waiting to tell her until you were finally ready to deal with her teasing. She had moved on and you knew she would have no problem with you liking Roy, but she would be almost relentlessly supportive, which might just be worse.

At the same time you say “No one.” and Rebecca says “Roy”

“Ooh, falling for the boss?” Keeley adds as she sits next to you.

The waiter comes by and takes your food order. After he leaves your table Rebecca fills Keeley in on the situation. When she finishes you add, “So I’m falling for a guy who finds the idea of even a single date with me so repulsive he panicked at the suggestion.”

“I don’t think that’s it, babes. Roy is always a little panicked, he just usually gets mad about it instead. If he’s willing to show that he’s worried, then he’s dropping that facade a bit. I say you should ask him out.”

“And get turned down again?”

“I don’t know about that y/n. He seemed pretty nervous when he texted me about taking you out dress shopping.”

At that moment, the waiter brings your food, putting an end to that conversation before you got the chance to ask Keeley what she meant by that.

She asks the waiter to bring you a round of drinks. After the waiter leaves you lightly elbow Keeley. “I’ve got to go back to work after this. I can’t be drinking.”

Rebecca scoffs “Well, I’m your boss and I say you need a drink. I’m giving you the rest of the day off.”

Keeley adds, “It’s not like you’d get much done anyways. You’ll be too busy daydreaming about a certain coach.

“Fuck off” you laugh. You don’t really mean it and you all know it. You pull out your phone to text Roy.

Y/N: Hey, I won’t be back after lunch. Everything is caught up. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll see you on Monday!

You see the bubbles appear and disappear for a couple of minutes as you try to subtly keep an eye on your phone. Finally your torture ends as your phone vibrates in your hand.

ROY: Ok.

Those three characters should not be enough to stress you out. There’s hardly anything there to overanalyze, but that won't stop you. You take a long swig of your drink hoping that maybe the burning feeling as it slides down your throat will provide enough of a distraction.

• • •

Read Chapter 3

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[writer-komaru]

* ੈ✩‧₊˚ Aura of Temptations ᙏ̤̫’’ .(‘♡°༘,*)

✧Rating: Smut + Fluff + Comfort

✧Characters: Asmodeus

✧Word Count: 5’4k

✧Summary: You find yourself suddenly pulled into Asmo’s room for an all intensive pampering session after days of not sleeping or taking care of yourself. At first you blissfully believe he’s just trying to help, but you begin to pick up on some more sexual undertones. He uses the mask of pampering to cleverly hide his true intentions of getting to third base before his brothers using some of the tactics he’s all too good at. Can you resist his seductive nature or will you tangle yourself in his velvety spider web of pleasure and have his way with you?~ ♡

“Ughhh… finally, I’m done,” You groan in relief as you close the last heavy book and place it onto a tall pile of other books, “After three fucking hours… I’ve finally done it! I’m freeee!!”

You threw your arms into the air with a tired cheer, arching your back while you’re at it to ease the aching feeling in your back. You’ve been hunched over these dusty books for what felt like a century; reading them over, writing down notes, rereading them, writing more notes, and rereading once again just in case. This so-called “academic training” Lucifer is putting you through is really testing your mental and physical capabilities. If it wasn’t for Mammon sweet talking you into a “fun family study session” just to run off, leaving it to you to pick up his slack, you would probably be out enjoying the fresh, hellish air, living your best life. But it didn’t matter to you anymore! After pulling a few all nighters and stealing a few caffeine patches from Lucifer while he was busy yelling at Satan’s cat for scratching the curtains, you completed two essays on the history of magic in Devildom, a data sheet comparing the changes in climate to the local impact of the town, and a cross word filled with all kinds of buzz words related to human culture. Lucifer explained to you how these exercises would not only strengthen important studying, reading comprehension, memory, and information gathering skills needed in everyday life, but would also help you learn more about the unfamiliar place you’ve found yourself in. And no matter how hard you begged on your knees to get out of it, he only doubled down, stating clearly that if you couldn't complete a basic essay, there was no way you were fit to be their assistant. You had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from mentioning that the only tasks you have been given so far are either simple errands that require little to no brain power or basic chores you’ve already done religiously back in the human world. But once again, none of it matters now that you’re free! You quickly carry your finished work into his office and set it in the designated basket. After peeling off the caffeine patches and taking a nice, big, well deserved stretch, instead of being filled with joy once again, you’re filled with a sense of overwhelming discomfort.

“I feel I aged twenty years… guess I should just go to my room and hibernate for the next few years,” you laugh to yourself as you try to hobble back to your room. But suddenly, something stops you. You tilt your head in confusion at the strange aura coming from the stairs. After rubbing your delirious eyes, you stealthily hone in on the target, hiding strategically behind the various tables and pillars in the hallway. As you take a peek up the stairs you notice the aura seems to be coming from upstairs, trickling down the steps like an ominous cloud of smoke. What in the world could be going on up there? Isn’t everybody out taking a stroll around Devildom? At least that’s what Lucifer told you before ditching you… grrr, you’ll get him back one day. Him and Mammon, too! Anyways, back to the problem at hand. If the house should pretty much be left just to you, then what’s with all this strange aura stuff you’re seeing? You rub your eyes again, just to make sure your exhausted brain isn’t playing tricks with you, yet the aura is still there. Summoning all the courage you can muster, you carefully tip toe up the stairs. If it couldn’t get any stranger, after reaching the fifth step, the aura suddenly dissipates.

“What the…? It’s… gone?” You scratch the back of your head and shrug, “Guess it was nothing. I really need some damn sleep before I seriously start to hallucinate.”

Turning around, you begin to make your way back to your room. As soon as your hand wraps around the doorknob, you feel a sudden, light grasp on your shoulder.

“Ohh MC~ ♡” A voice draws out your name with a pleasing tone.

“GAAHHHHH!!!!” If it wasn’t for physics, you would have probably jumped 12 feet into the air. Your body spasms in surprise as you almost fall limply to the ground if it wasn’t for this mysterious intruder catching you.

“Oops! I guessed I scared you. I’m sorry, MC, hehe~♡ How did your studies go- AGHH!!!” Your tired eyes open just enough to watch Asmodeus’s face twist into a look of absolute horror, “Oh my God!! MC, You look like you haven’t slept or been outside in years!”

“I feel just as bad as I look right now…” You chuckle miserably.

“Oh my poor dear, don’t you worry! Asmo’s got you now. I’ll nurture you back to your sweet, adorable self in no time!~” He giggles to himself before sweeping you up in his arms and carrying you up stairs and to his room. The gentle yet firm hold is almost enough to make you fall asleep already. When your eyes blink open yet again, you’re greeted by the comforting atmosphere of Asmo’s gorgeous room. Such a welcoming sight… you feel your body carefully placed on a plush chair.

“Now, what to do, what to do… hmmm… ah! I have just the idea!” He exclaims and smooths a hand over your head, “I was actually planning on giving myself a pampering session today, but I think you might need it a bit more than me right now. Would you like that, MC?~ ♡” He smiled down at you and rubbed the side of your head.

“God, That would literally be so perfect… thank you so so much, Asmo,” You nod enthusiastically like a kid who’s offered a mountain high pile of toys.

“That’s great to hear~ ♡” his thumb brushes over your cheek for a few seconds before he leans even closer.

“The bath will take a few more minutes to fill up. Is there anything specifically you want me to do to pamper you?” You feel his body hover over yours, whether it’s intentional or not is beyond your mental capacity.

“I’m up for anything, really. Just something that will help me relax,” you sighed, looking up into his eyes to catch the faint glint in his eyes.

“That can certainly be arranged, no worries. I’ll do everything I can to make you feel nice today after working on all those assignments for Lucifer. Mmm, maybe you even deserve a small kiss? Hehehe, I’m just kidding~ unless you want one?” He inches his face closer to yours, laughing softly at the blush it’s beginning to develop.

“Blushing already?~ ♡” he teases.

“You’re… really close, is all,” you murmur and look away. You gasp slightly as he grabs your chin and turns you to look at him again.

“Is that really all…?~” his warm breath brushes against your skin. What was he up to… before you could get even more overwhelmed, you gently pushed him back by the shoulders.

“A little too close. Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of me, not doing… whatever this is,” you try to laugh it off but in reality your mind is racing a mile a minute.

“You’re right, my bad~ The bath should probably be ready now. There’s just one more thing left to do…” Your sleepy eyes snap open as his hands rest on your waist. He notices your reaction and softly shushes you.

“Shhh~ You’ll let me take care of you, right? In your state, I doubt you could do this on your own without falling over. May I do the honors?~ ♡” he asks with a sickeningly sweet voice that has your body strangely getting hotter. Well… he was kinda right. You wouldn’t be surprised if you toppled over just trying to stand up. He just wanted to do you a favor, and yeah, being undressed would probably be really embarrassing, but if it meant you got your needs taken care of, maybe I will be a worthy sacrifice.

You once again gathered your courage and nodded as a sigh of consent, “Yeah… just don’t get frisky or I’m telling Lucifer.”

“You have my word, even if it will be a bit hard to resist~ ♡” he chuckles softly as his fingers dip under the waistband of your shorts. There’s a certain look in his eyes, one that seems to read ‘Sit back and relax, I’ll pamper you to your heart’s content~’ but that might be what he wants you to know… either way, you couldn’t help but let out small whimpers as he slides your shorts off your ankles.

“Mmmm… these are quite pretty~♡ I’ll keep on for now,” his hungry eyes fixate on your exposed panties. Just as you’re about to swat and push him away, you sense something. That aura from before, you can feel it again, clear as day. Was that aura… coming from him all along? There’s no doubt in your mind he’s the source of it. But why? What could it be? While you’re busy deciphering the strange aura, you fail to realize your shirt is already off and folded off to the side. You come back to reality as he whispers in your ear.

“You look absolutely gorgeous like this, it’s getting a lot more difficult to restrain myself… but I can tell you’re slowly feeling the same way too, am I correct?~ ♡” he giggles devilishly.

“What do…” you don’t even have to finish that question as you feel his touch return to your sides, ever so lightly sliding up and down. The touch causes you to shiver.

“Mmm? Are you a bit sensitive, hon?” He asks in an innocent voice as his fingertips trail down to a much less innocent area. You have no idea what he’s up to but it could be sleep deprivation or the building needs pooling inside of you, whatever it is, you feel your self restraint easing away. Your face felt progressively hotter, your breathing becoming more shallow, the obvious hint begging the poor spot between your gets growing needier by the second.

‘Come on, brain! I know you’re almost dead, but please let me use a few more brain cells!’ You pleaded to yourself, ‘Think, MC, Think! Use Lucifer’s teachings as an example. What does it have in common? The aura is caused by Asmo… these symptoms happened after his touch… and… he’s the Avatar of…? That’s it!’

“Asmo, are you trying to sedu-“ before you could even admit your findings, he suddenly lifts you up into his arms once again.

“We better hurry before the bath overflows!~ ♡” Such a beautifully innocent expression… he’s hiding something, that’s for sure. You just have to stay conscious a little longer and… your breath is completely taken away as you enter his oasis of a bathroom. It looked like something you’d only see in magazines. Magnificently smooth marble pillars, cascading, translucent curtains tied back with pink roses, intricate patterned tiles all surrounding the main centerpiece of the bathroom. The bath. And it was nothing short of luxurious. It was decked out with foamy bubbles and scattered with pink rose petals. You pause for a few seconds to take in the senses around you. There’s faint, jazzy music playing from a small speaker on a vanity, the unique scent of what you could only describe as hints of strawberry and vanilla, and the soft gurgling of steamy water filling the tub. He glances over at your fascinated expression and chuckles in amusement. He steps closer to the bath and sits you down at the edge.

“Does that cute expression mean you like it?” He reaches over and turns off the tap. All you can manage is a nod, which is enough to satisfy him.

“One moment, let me prepare everything I’ll need to make you feel like your refreshed self again,” he walks over to the vanity and begins taking some things out of the draws. The moment apart gives you the chase to finally breathe. There’s something about him right now that’s both overwhelming and exciting, it’s honestly rather intiscing, but you’d never admit that. You begin to regain your ability to have rational thought. He’s definitely up to something and using his aura and physical advances to accomplish it. You gulped nervously. If his aura really is what you think it is, you don’t know how much longer you’ll be able to resist it. And if the rest of the guys even just find out about the fact he undressed you, you’d never hear the end of it. You jump as Asmo happily strunts back to you, laying a tray of numerous goodies on the edge of the bath. You whine internally as all your rational thoughts seem to go back out on vacation, right when you needed them most.

“Hon, can you look into my eyes for a second?~” His alluring voice causes your dilated eyes to meet his equally, if not even more, dilated eyes. Everything about this felt like a fever dream…

“I know it’s all going pretty quickly for you, but I want to pause for a moment to ask for your permission to take the rest off. I’ll only do it if you want me to,” his voice has a new sense of worry in it that has your heart skipping a beat. This is your chance, you can finally confront him on his sneaky actions! You can remind him how upset everyone would be with him for seeing you in nothing but your bra and panties. But instead… you say, “Yeah… I want that.”

His gaze is unwavering, searching for any major signs of appreciation. After a few seconds, he relents and returns to his cheeky smiling self.

“Thank you for this opportunity… I definitely won’t take it for granted~ ♡” He leans over you and runs his hands in circles over your hips. This tease, it’s like he could read you like a fucking picture book. How did he know your hips were sensitive? How did he know you always shiver when he whispers into your ears? How did he know the effect his prolonged gaze on your body has on your heart? Oh, he wasn’t just a tease, he was the Avatar of Lust. He knew how to get people worked up and he was clearly exploiting his knowledge to use it against you.

“Mmph!” You bit your lip to hold back your noises as he began to pull down your panties. Was this really happening? Was this even okay? You felt like you were at a boiling point. If he caught even a glimpse at the absolute mess you were down there, you’re absolutely sure his little teasing game would only get worse. And worse it did.

“Wooowww~ ♡ look at that…” He licked his lips at the strings of liquid desire that clung from your aching cunt to the wet spot left in your panties. If humiliation was a grain of samd, you were a fucking desert right now. You whined in embarrassment but couldn't hold back how your pussy twitched.

“You’re even wetter than I could have ever hoped you’d be… mmmm… and how you keep twitching, I think you like this too. What a naughty girl you are… ♡” he kisses your cheek and traces a finger down your lower stomach, “but, I like that about you~ ♡”

Just as his finger gets mere inches away from your swollen clit, he feels your hips twitch away. He smirks and takes his hand away.

“Your gorgeous body almost made me forget why I brought you here~ Silly me, can’t have this getting wet, either~ ♡” you gasp as he lips your bra and sets it to the side. When he looks back over at you, he sees your hands desperately trying to cover your breasts. He finds it both amusing and adorable.

“Go ahead and slide into the bath. Tell me if it’s too warm or cold for you and I’ll adjust the temperature if needed,” he gives you a playful wink as you turn your back to him and hop in the bath. As soon as the warm, soapy water envelops your skin, you’re unable to suppress your moan in time. How could you not, this water felt incredible to your poor, sore muscles and aching body. You let your body rest against the edge as the intoxicating smell made you dizzy.

“Ahhh… hah….” You panted.

“Does it feel good?~ You definitely look like you’re enjoying yourself. Mind if… I join?~ ♡” You heard his sultry voice whisper in your ear as he joins you in the bath. You glance over at him. He’s… he’s n-naked too? As if this situation couldn’t get any more lewd, he sits down in front of your spread legs.

He strokes your cheek softly, “Your mind looks like it’s not quite here… how cute. ♡ I think you’ve waited long enough for your promised pampering. Just sit back and relax~ You’re in capable hands~ ♡”

That’s the last thing you remember hearing from him as your exhausted brain finally takes a well needed break, just for a while. You have just enough consciousness left to feel the numerous amounts of face masks, creams, rollers, and much more he uses on you. Compared to his touch from before that was practically quaking with desire, his touch now was a lot more gentle and loving. He fussed over each and every detail of your face mask, adjusting them to fit your face perfectly. Sooner or later, he began to soak some rich soap into your messy hair and gently scratch at your scalp. It felt so nice to be taken care of, to be loved after putting yourself through hell and back. You weren’t surprised in the slightest when you opened your eyes to see him presenting you a cup of tea. Did you just… fall asleep?

“Good morning, darling. You fell asleep while I was washing your hair so I decided to give you a break while I made you some tea. It should give you back some of your missing entertainment,” he set the teacup in your heads and rubbed a hand over your shoulder, “I know this has been a lot for you, so please take it easy. I wouldn’t wanna push you past your comfort zone,” he cooed sweetly.

You didn’t even realize how thirsty you were until the tea slipped down your throat. It tasted wonderful, like a flurry of peaches and mint. It wasn’t long until you finished the whole cup and sat it down on the tray with the leftover supplies.

“Heheh, good. How do you feel? A little less tired, I hope?” He soothed.

“Mhm… yeah, I’m feeling a lot better, actually,” you rub the sleep from your eyes.

“That’s wonderful, I’m glad~ now that you’re awake, it might be time to move to the main event~ ♡” he chucked.

“Main event…? What d-does… that mean?” You shivered, fainting innocence.

“Well, how can I call this a true pampering session until I give you… a little bit of a massage, hm? Would that feel nice on all your aches and pains?” His tantalizing touch drifted all the way from your shoulders to down on your thighs, “I’m assuming your body has been aching for some touch for quite a while, hasn’t it?”

Your breathing grew more and more uneven as his aura filled your mind with a desire… a desire for him. For his touch, “yeah… I… I feel strange...”

“Oh? Strange how? Does it hurt?” He hum’s curiously as his thumbs massage the muscles of your thighs.

“N-no, it... Aghh…you… you know what it is…” You look away out of embarrassment from his blatant teasing.

“Mmm? Could it be… a need, of sorts? ♡” His thumbs circle over your inner thigh.

“Hahh… agh… yeah… like… a need… a strong need,” you felt your pussy fluttering around nothing as his touch only got closer, “why… are you… doing this…?”

“It’s simple… It's because I love you, hon. More than anything I can name… more than I can even understand. I have this urge inside of me whenever I see you. It wants you, all of you. And now…” a strange pink smoke begins to swirl around him as his eyes glow brightly, “I get you all to myself~ ♡” You watch helplessly as he sprouts wings and horns, grinning sinisterly at you. Your breather quickens as he more roughly squeezes your thighs just to hear you whine. He leans in, so close you might just lose your mind, “I know how badly you need me too. I can practically smell it~ want me to help you? Relieve that desire that’s burning under your skin?~ ♡”

His dirty words made you whine. There’s no way you could resist him, not in this form. You’ll just have to deal with the problems later because right now you just want this demon in front of you to do whatever he wants with you.

“I think I know a certain spot that’s been begging for my attention ever since I saw those cute panties~ ♡ let’s see if I can fix that…” his wild eyes look below the crystal clear water as his delicate fingers spread your pussy wide open. Your shift around uncomfortably at being so open to the water swirling around you. As soon as you feel the sinful press of his pointer finger and middle finger against your clit, you stifle a moan and twitch your hips eagerly.

“Oh, someone’s excited, hm? Is it because of me… or maybe the spell I’ve cast on you? ♡ Maybe both~” he giggles to himself.

Spell? Is that what all the aura was- Your train of thought vanishes completely as his fingers rub small circles against your swollen bud.

“Nghh… ahh.. oh fuck….” You whine as you pussy clenches even more. It already feels like so much, but you so desperately wanted to beg for some stimulation to your cunt too. Your wish would soon be granted as you feel his two fingers slide down to your cunt and rub it up and down, making sure to continue rubbing circles on your clit with his thumb.

“Is that better?~ Even in the water I can feel how slick you are. You must like this a lot, hm? Hehe, I don’t think I even need to ask~ ♡” his fingers slowly and carefully pushed inside your twitching hole.

“Aaghhh… f-fuck… oh god, Asmo.. agh…” you’re reduced to a whining, shivering mess as his fingers explore the insides of your pussy. And they were so talented too. They immediately knew the exact gummy spot inside of you to rub to make your eyes roll back. It just felt too good, you couldn’t do anything but moan and twitch. You wanted more but you were also scared of what more would feel like. His wrist started to quickly flick his fingers in and out of your trembling pussy, jabbing right against your g-spot and pressing harder on your clit. You felt like your body wasn’t even your wit control anymore, you were totally at his mercy.

“Mmmphhh… you’re clenching on me so tightly, and it’s so warm~ ♡ I could just do this forever…” he sighed dreamily as his motions sped up. How could he keep such a relaxed face while you were fucking fighting for your life? It felt like your senses were on fire, like your cunt was ready to cum at any second.

“Ready to cum so early? Hehe, I don’t blame you, I’m quite good at this. After all, I’m the Avatar of Lust. I can make you feel things no other demon can ever dream of making you feel. Hehehe~ ♡ How about I make a deal… I’ll let you cum as many times as you want if you chose me and only me instead of my brothers. How about that? Doesn’t that sound fantastic~ ♡♡”

It does sound rather tempting, but you could care less about deals right now. The only thing you want is to cum, cum around his skilled fingers. If that meant being his forever, then that’s just a plus.

“Aaghh p-please… I’m yours, only yours. Please Asmo, I need to cum so badly… I can’t hold it much longer..” you cried out.

He smiles devilishly, “Perfect answer, my love… go on, let go of everything and release all that cum for me…♡ cum for your demon~ ♡”

The final thread of restraint snaps as you moan desperately, squeezing on his fingers so good he feels his dick twitch in anticipation.

“Aghh… hahhh… oh god… that… that was amazing… felt amazing….” You heaved in between each word as you lay limp against the edge of the bath. The post orgasm bliss felt like heaven but it was quickly ripped away from you as Asmo’s fingers contributed to thrust you open.

“Gah, w-what, n-no hurts please, please no more… Aghh…” it didn’t take long for the pain to melt into mouth watering pleasure as he stimulated your poor little clit over and over again.

“Mmm I think you’re pretty much ready to take me now… that is if you wanna. I can keep fingering you if that’d make you feel best, cutie~” he playfully licked the outer shell of your ear.

Even though his fingers felt like heaven, you could only imagine how good his dick would feel. Would it feel even better? Oh you just had to give it a try~ You lean back and wrap your legs around his waist.

“Hehehe someone’s eager, huh? Aghh… I’ll try to be gentle… just don’t squeeze too hard or else I might break that promise~ ♡” He snickered as he lifted your hips up and angled his throbbing dick to your overstimulated cunt. You mind raced with ideas of how big he could be but as soon as you felt his head rub against your entrance you could already feel your legs beginning to give out. He’s… pretty big…

He smirked at the worry in your eyes, “Are worried I’ll hurt your tight little cunt or I’ll make you feel so good you won’t be able to get off without my dick?~ ♡ just i’ll have to figure it out as me go~ ♡” without very much of a warning, you felt the head slip in past your entrance to right against that sweet spot of yours. And holy fuck we’re you enjoying it. Even though he warned you, he was too big, you had no choice but to squeeze him like your life depended on it.

“Aaghhh… p-please sweetie, loosen up or else I can’t go deeper… damn it I wanna fuck you so bad… ♡” he grit is teeth in agony and pleasure. He brought a quick finger to your clit and gave it some deep rubs, thankfully coaxing a moan out and letting you loosen up for him a little. His hips snapped forward again and again and again, each time he made sure to hit your g-spot straight on.

“Aaaagghhh Asmo I can’t I can’t it’s too much!!!~” you wailed as you felt another orgasm approaching.

“My dear please… you’re squeezing so fucking hard you’re going to… drive me crazy!~ ♡♡” he dug his nails deep into your plush hips and thrusted into you at such a fast rhythm it left you right at the edge.

“Aghhhh I’m going to break… s-slow down, my pussy is going to die!!!~” you cling onto the mable for dear life as the demon drilled into you from behind. It felt so lewd but it also felt like heaven~ yet you still needed more, “pleaseeee Asmo I’m begging you I need more!~”

“Still need more?~ ♡ can’t wait to get to that edge?” He teased in your ear with a chuckle.

“Pleaseeee I’d do anything please make me cum again~” You cried out, unable to even process the words fully before they left you mouth.

“I.. agh… think I got just the idea.. brace yourself… for the might of the avatar of lust~ ♡” He stayed thrusting into you even faster but that wasn’t the main focus. No, because when you began to feel a strange vibration sensation emerge from his dick, tremouring right against your cervix you were just wailing, you were screaming.

“Oh gods, oh gods this can’t be real… asagghhhhhhh!!~ why is it vibrating so hard?!!~ how.. how is it even doing that?!!” You didn’t know if you were more scared or excited by this new discovery. All you knew is your pussy was twitching like crazy against the sinful vibrations wracking through his clock and right against your sensitive walls and clit.

“The avatar of lust has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to make just about anyone come undone on my dick~ ♡ you’ll find out soon enough if you’d like, hon~ ♡ Ahh… just… let me fuck that tight pussy nice and hard~ ♡” your back arched on command as he growled in your ear. Moans and grunts left your lips like a constant prayer, it’s just too fucking good, way more than a human like her should be able to handle. That was until Asmo finally snapped and flipped her around so ass was in full display for him. She didn’t even bother asking what was going on, just moaning and begging for more of his vibrating dick. He mounted her and quickly remained fucking her pussy into oblivion. The change of position allowed him to directly assault her poor, poor absurd cervix. Each snap of his hips against her ass sent electricity straight to her pussy which was dying to cum from all the extreme vibrations.

“Aaghhh Ahh Ahh AGHHH AGHHH!!~” Her moans grew louder and louder as she got closer to cumming, “I’m close so fucking close please just ruin me-“ suddenly, there was a series of stomping footsteps and opening and slamming of doors. They were all home already?! Shit, why now!? Right when you’re on the brink of one of the best orgasms in your life!! As you turned around to give Asmo a sad look, you were greeted with a smirk. Don’t tell me. His thrusts went faster and faster and faster until the water started to splash out of the bath and onto the floor.

“Waaaittttt we're gunna get caught aaghhhh!!!~” your eyes roll into the back of your head.

“Don’t matter to me… I’ve been aching for sex with you for way to damn long to stop now~ ♡ Come on, give them a nice loud moan~ let them know who you belong to~ tell them who fucks you’re beautiful, tight pussy the best!~ ♡” He bends your back into a perfect arch, only applied by the intense lust magic he forces into you.

“Aaaagghhh!~~ AAAAGGHHHHHH ASMOOOOOOO DOESSSS!!!~” You released a loud scream as you came yet again, shivering pathetically. Your eyes screwed together as his passion fucking didn’t even hesitate. You were losing your damn mind and basking in it.

“Let’s keep going… until we finally get caught~♡” he laughed wildly, clearly getting drunk off your pussy. But you were just as drunk off of his dick too.~ You nodded in agreement and continued moaning like he’s rearranging your guts. It felt so good, so, so deliciously good. You never wanted this to stop.

Sure enough, the door creaked open, revealing the first unlucky person to witness the lust-filled display that the two of them were putting on. Their jaw dropped open at the sight of a wildly out of control Asmo practically bending you in half and slamming into you at such a furious pace you just couldn't stop cumming. His erotic magic surged through your veins as you kept shouting, moan after moan, dirtying the water with your combined cum. Your face was permanently twisted into a lewd expression as you felt your whole body alight in a constant explosion of pleasure from his none stop fucking and overwhelming magic.

“Agaghhhhhhhhh~” You sobbed out in bliss.

“If… you want us to stop… you’re going to have to kill me~ ♡” Asmodeus flashed the intruder a spine chilling death stare and groaned in pleasure as he plunged in deeper.

Reblog + Like + Comment if you wanna see even more obey me or Asmo in specific posts (hehehehe I had a lotta fun writing this I’m such a simp for asmo I hope I did him justice <3)

(I’ve been writing for like 8 hours with no hours of sleep I think I might take a break tomorrow. I’ll make a poll for my next post in a few days or so, I need to recharge)

[dark-frosted-heart]

Aphrodisiac Event - Roger Barel (part 1)

As usual can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this

Roger: Wanna be my test subject for this (aphrodisiac)?

Kate: ...Excuse me?

While helping Roger organize his materials, I did a double take at his outrageous suggestion.

Roger: Remember how a few days ago, El and I took down a crime syndicate that was using aphrodisiacs to do some bad stuff?

Kate: Yes, of course I do. I wasn't with you, but I understand what happened. The organization responsible for manufacturing the aphrodisiac was destroyed and the crime was put to a stop, right?

Roger: Yeah, and this aphrodisiac was confiscated.

Roger placed a pretty vial on the examination table.

(At first glance, it looked like perfume or something)

Roger: Aphrodisiacs claim to enhance libido, but the active ingredient hasn’t been medically proven.

Kate: So aphrodisiacs are fictitious?

Roger: Yeah, if something called an aphrodisiac existed… Something that acts directly on the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus*… It’d be a drug that stimulates the release of sex hormones. So I looked into this aphrodisiac and found an interesting component.

Of course Roger, whose life’s work is researching curses, would capitalize on the “interesting component”.

Kate: You didn’t…

Roger: I already gathered data on the curse by having Liam drink it.

Kate: I knew it! Just because Liam’s too nice, you used him as your guinea pig again!

Roger: That guy was happy to satisfy his curiosity so I consider it a win-win.

Kate: Um, so… You want me to take the aphrodisiac because you don’t have enough “human” samples?

Roger: You're quick on the uptake. Good, you're a fast learner.

Kate: I don't appreciate the compliment...

Roger: So, how ‘bout it?

Kate: Please don’t just offer an aphrodisiac like you would booze.

Roger: It’s nothing that serious. You’ll be quarantined so Crown won’t touch you. And if you need to be taken care of, I can help?

Roger patted my head as if while saying that as if it was nothing.

Though it was a casual gesture, it was enough for my body to recall the lustful heat.

Of the times when Roger kissed me forcefully and touched my body.

And how easy it was for me to feel good.

(Hey, don’t get caught up in it)

Kate: I can’t just say “okay, sure.” I respectfully decline.

Roger: Hmm, how cold. Guess I’ll just have to find someone else :(

Kate: Someone else…?

Roger: Once you’ve made up your mind, you gotta act, right? Let’s go.

Kate: H-hold on, Roger!

~~

I desperately tried to catch up to Roger’s casually long strides.

Kate: What do you mean by “find someone else”?

Roger: I’m looking for a woman whose biologically “human”.

Kate: No one would do such a thing.

Roger: Not if you got the money. There’s more self-sacrificing people in the world than you think.

Kate: But to have a person drink it…

Roger: What happens when they get excited? Like I said, I’ll deal with it.

Kate: T-that…

Alfons: I can hear Roger’s deep voice echoing in my sleep-deprived head. Can you be a little quieter?

Kate: Alfons…

Roger: You’re still sleepy at this hour? Your circadian rhythm’s broken.

Alfons: You would like for me to bask in the morning sun and sleep at night? I refuse. So what is it that you two are arguing so intimately about? Did Roger finally lay his hands on you?

Kate: Um, no.

Alfons: Then, what is it? I haven’t the slightest idea.

Roger: Kate won’t take the aphrodisiac.

Alfons: Really! Stingy Miss Kate.

Roger: Right? I told her I’d help when she got too horny.

Alfons: Ah! Perhaps you would like a threesome? Though I’d rather not with Roger involved.

(I can’t be the straight man…)

Alfons: When you suggested that she test the aphrodisiac, Kate declined. So now she’s desperately chasing after Roger the beast as he looks for other test subjects.

Kate: You know.

Alfons: I’m a clever man. Ah, yes. Let me give you something nice, something interesting.

Alfons holds out an invitation card.

Roger: Which high society mansion?

Alfons: It belongs to the Weasley family, who owns large plots of land. A place to bring their daughters and men together, I’m told. The father’s quite the strange fellow. “It’s best to experience a variety of men before finally choosing one,” he said. 

Roger: Oh? There’s some strange ideas these days. And it’s tonight?

Alfons: I don’t plan on making an appearance so feel free to hunt as you like.

Alfons returns to his room with a yawn.

(Roger’s going to find a test subject in high society, isn’t he?)

(I…)

Roger: Kate. Wanna come along as the “fairy tale writer”?

It’s obvious this isn’t a mission for Crown or anything.

Roger’s aware and he’s testing me.

(Something like “Follow me if you’re interested. I’ve got an excuse ready for you, okay?”)

I reflexively responded to his provocative gaze.

Kate: I’ll join you as the fairy tale writer to make sure you don’t misbehave.

Roger: Alright. Then-

Roger’s hand grasped mine tightly.

Roger: Let’s hold hands and be on our merry way.

Kate: Please let me go.

Roger: Nope.

*Here he says “the area libido is centered in the hypothalmus” but I had to do this

Part 2

[dreadark]

compilation of some comments in official RI medical records

That's a sure sign of a diva who hasn't seen much of the real world, if you ask me. She needs a lesson in the grim reality of war and just how hard the Infected have it. Skyfire should be given more hands-on combat missions to knock some sense into her. —Medic Operator Gavial A reminder, Gavial, that all physical examinations are public record. —Dr. Kal'tsit

Well, look what we have here! Your body's pretty well built! —Gavial, admiring Eunectes

The physical exam went smoothly, but her heartbeat was abnormally fast and that confounded the data. —Gavial, clueless about Tomimi

That gal wakes up before daylight and starts training every day without exception... How can she not be in good shape? Argh, I wanna arm wrestle with her... If I get to fight her, that's even better! —Gavial, appreciating Akafuyu

If Weedy can still get infected despite all these protective measures, then life on Terra can no longer persist. —Gavial

Having that said, what are we even doing for her? Is she going to live here? Are you crazy? —Gavial, opposed to Leizi

Minor infection, nothing to be concerned about! I know my own body the best, of course. Rhodes Island's course of treatment has been effective in controlling and stabilizing the disease. However, physical performance has been affected considerably, down peak levels. Guess it's time to do some rehab... —Gavial, definitely not downplaying her own condition

Even among Vouivre, this girl has one of the most incredible bodies I've ever seen. I'm somewhat curious to see if she even can contract Oripathy at all, if her body can just tough it out... But whatever, that's probably not happening. Test it out? No, that's not an option. —Warfarin, about Bagpipe

We finally got one! An infected Vouivre! —Warfarin, about Toddifons

I was wondering what's the big deal when they told me Lungmen confiscated Ch'en's physical report. Turns out it was no big deal at all. Lame. —Warfarin, finding out Ch’en is infected

Everyday contact with Infected won't lead to Oripathy transmission, that's common sense; a majority of people don't believe this, which is also common sense. —Warfarin, in Honeyberry’s profile

What do I say? She doesn't really hide it, and she went so far beforehand as to tell me that her body probably isn't like the layman's, so I'm not overly surprised by this? Although if I could just have a little discussion with her, get her to undergo regular inspections in my office, let me draw a little blood, that's all. It wouldn't impact her in any real way. —Warfarin, wanting to experiment on Kjera Ask her yourself. —Kal'tsit

Nian insisted on entering Rhodes Island as a visitor and refused to undergo medical tests. After a series of gambling bets, dice-rolling, wrestling, and other competitions, the gathering of physiological data was finally put on indefinite hiatus. 'It's a darn shame that Gavial lost the last rock-climbing competition! We were so close to forcing her to get a medical examination. I never expected that Gavial would contribute to the medical department in such an important manner. Do your best, Gavial! There's always next year!' —Hibiscus, Medic Operator

What? She actually took a physical? Wow, she's so easy? I figured anyone Nian would haul in would be pretty much like her. Guess we're not gonna need Gavial's help this time, let her gear up for round two with Nian. Nian's idea for how to run the tests at the normal operator level had the examiner thinking of calling for a medic to shut the whole thing down. And Nian sure looked pleased with herself. She knew exactly how that would go down. But Dusk is really out of shape. Whatever, she's not taking a salary, so it's none of my business... Oh, the results match everything in the files we got. She has 'no connection' to Originium whatsoever. Not allocating any additional funds. If you're already struggling, you could always consider NOT starting a research project on some weirdo shut-in? —Closure

Miss Ling agreed to be medically tested, which we didn't anticipate. We thought she'd dodge us as hard as Nian did. She did show a sort of... laissez-faire attitude during the tests, though, so the results were all over the map. Not rigorous at all... but Miss Closure says not to mind it, so we suppose we won't. 'It's probably all the wine she drank,' was her explanation. —Medic Operator Hibiscus

Saria was my coworker at Rhine Lab. She is authoritative in the field of medical treatment, but did not become a Medic Operator. My guess is this is due to her lack of bedside manner. Just kidding. —Medic Operator Ptilopsis

Blaze, the next time you don't bring protective gear on the mission, I will have Dr. Kal'tsit forbid you from consuming alcoholic beverages. —Y.P., Medic Operator

Grani is in such good shape, even if infection was chasing her, it wouldn't be able to catch up... —A Medic Operator

Don't worry, Ms. Swire, Rhodes Island's hospital fees are quite reasonable. You only have to pay... —S.S.E., Medic Operator Any unfair charges to patients will have appropriate consequences. —Dr. Kal'tsit

Hey, this young lady can jump between buildings and punch through a wall with her bare fists. Makes sense she's in good shape, eh? —Aak, about Waai Fu

How great it is to be young. —Unnamed senior physician, envying Sideroca

Abdominal area feels pretty good on palpation. —Medic's addendum, after feeling up Ayerscarpe

Can she really do field work dressed like that? —Medical Department anonymous remark, judging Iris

In every way a person can be, he is very unsafe. —Sussurro, remarking on Tequila

That scent, it's so good... So refreshing... Ah, ah... Achoo! —A medic operator with a pollen allergy encountering Podenco

I hope we don't get too many more difficult patients like her... —A comment on Bubble’s profile

Shut-ins are bound to have a decent health advantage. —Tuye, relating to Indigo

Not good enough. I can still do better. —Folinic, about her own Oripathy

What? This is impossibly low! It would be impossible to have that little exposure to Originium! I cannot permit her to ever leave the medical department. Even if she wants to go fight, I insist she stays back! She is a special case! Anyone who loves medical science would want to see her! We must give her more exams and do a clinical analysis! Also... Come on, Dr. Kal'tsit, just this once, please! —J.A., Medic Operator, bewildered by Skadi Request denied. —Dr. Kal'tsit

Bonus:

Ahem. Everyone here? It's clear why the medical staff has assembled for this closed-door meeting... Yes, of course. You're all interested in Skadi, aren't you? Whether you are interested in her endocrine system, her skeletal system, her muscles, her nerves, or the fact that her Blood Originium-Crystal Density is almost zero... What kind of environment could foster that? What race is she? Her movement and physical functions are currently beyond our understanding, so how do they work? Right, right... Skadi has been kept a secret for too long! On behalf of Rhodes Island, all Infected people, and on behalf of science itself, we need to find answers! My plan is to put sedatives in her food... We'll work out the specific dosage, but enough for two hundred people should do, right? Then, when Skadi gets woozy, she will be taken to the nearest infirmary... And we've got her! Dissecting her would be a bit too much, but we only need a little more information to add to what Dr. Kal'tsit already has... That's it! Even if it's just a blood sample! A little bit of blood is no problem... Maybe a pinch of muscle tissue too? I think that won't be an issue, either! Everyone, don't you think...

Oh.

Dr. Kal'tsit? How long have you been here...?

—Dr. Kal'tsit discovered Warfarin's plan during her secret meeting, and fined her one month's salary.

[arisu-artnfics]

“A trip to Paris” 3

Notes: Chapter: 3/12 Previous Next (First). Versión en Español

Also on:     A03 || FF || DeviantArt || Facebook.

Chapter 3: “A New Fenton”

While their kids were in school, Jack and Maddie had been working diligently on a way to track Dani. They managed to isolate Danny’s ghostly signature and started adapting their weapons to avoid it. They also found a way to get the ‘Booo–merang’ to temporarily ignore Danny, while still following Dani’s nearly identical signature. It had been difficult, but having the device already keyed in on Danny’s signature and knowing that due to her clone nature Dani shared most of it, had really helped the process.

Now it was the weekend and Team Phantom was gathered in the Fentonworks lab getting ready to find Dani. Everyone was there, including Tucker and their newest member, Valerie, as they went over their plan. 

“Okay, so I just have to throw the Booo–merang,” Danny grabbed the device, swinging it side to side as if he was going to throw it already, “and keep it from hitting me while we follow it? And it’ll take us straight to Dani?” 

“Yes, and no, son... You use it but...” Jack tried to explain the plan, but couldn’t really find the correct words for why they were doing it like that.  

“Dear, just let me,” Maddie shook her head with a smile and patted Jack’s shoulder, then took the device from Danny’s hands “Yes, sweety, you throw it, but you won’t need to avoid it.”

“But the Booo–merang has always targeted Danny, how is going to find Dani?” asked Jazz. She was a bit sceptical as her parents had a tendency to miscalculate.

  “Well, as you kids know, we have started helping Danny deal with the ghosts more lately,” She and Danny shared a smile at that, “but we have also been gathering data from the fights and adjusting all of our equipment to ignore Danny’s signature.” Maddie pulled up several diagrams and schematics on the lab computer as examples of what she was saying.

The implication that all their equipment, all their weapons, had at one point been used against Danny served as an abrupt reminder to Valerie of all that she had done to hurt her friend. “Danny,  I’m really sorry about all of this, I wish I’d known, I–”

“No, please don’t start again, Val. It’s okay, really. Like I keep telling my parents and everyone else, you didn’t know. I don’t blame you. Right now I just want to focus on finding Dani. Please?” Danny asked a bit desperately, the extra week of waiting was beginning to wear on his nerves. 

“Yes, right...” said Maddie, a bit awkwardly. “The Booo–merang is now programed to find and track Phantom’s energy signature–” 

A chorus of questions broke out from the kids and she had to raise her hand for silence. “Let me finish, please.” The kids all shared a look and then just nodded, allowing her to continue. 

“When I say ‘Phantom’ I don’t just mean Danny here. All the clones Vlad created, including Dani, share the same base signature, although they are different at the same time. Vlad’s plan was to make a ‘perfect’ clone of Danny, or at least what he considered perfect.” The children shivered with disgust at that, Tucker even pretended to gag. Maddie could understand their reaction, after all, the Maddie Program made her feel like that and worse. “I know. Anyway… Vlad considered Danny to be nearly perfect, but not quite, so he made sure that the signature was slightly different for each in hopes that one of them would be the perfect son.”  Maddie finished her explanation with a decisive nod. 

“Therefore Danny and Dani are just different enough for a finely tuned tracking device to tell them apart.” concluded Jazz. She was getting that feeling from previous explanations but now it was more clear than before.

“That actually would explain why I found her instead of you when he tried to trick me into… you know,” said Valerie. She was still unsure of how to feel about everything that had happened. She may have found out about Vlad before everyone else in the world, but she was still trying to come to terms with how he had manipulated her. Trying to save the planet didn’t really leave a lot of extra time for introspection. And even after all that was over, she hadn’t had time to talk things over with Danny until this week when he came back to school.

“I know...” said Danny, nodding understandingly. “And, yeah, that’s probably what happened. Your scanner must have been slightly off in its calibration and it picked up Dani instead of me.”

“And that’s why Danny has to be the one to throw the Booo–merang, right? That way it targets the next Phantom signature, in this case Dani’s!” Tucker explained, having understood the plan from the beginning.

“Exactly!” Jack cheered. “You kids sure are quick on the uptake!” 

“But Danny can’t transform into Phantom,” warned Maddie. 

“Because it would get confused and target me rather than her, right?” Danny asked, but it was more confirmation than anything.

“That’s right Danny–boy! Your mom and I don’t understand why, but even after all the alterations we made, this one still likes to target you in your ghost form no matter what...” said Jack, a bit frustrated that the device still wasn’t cooperating fully.

“Well, at least we know that the next time something happens to Danny, we’ll be able to find him!” said Tucker. It wouldn’t be the first time they had done that themselves.

“Tucker!!” Sam and Valerie shouted at the same time. 

Jazz just shook her head. She knew that Tucker was only teasing, like always. But, even she had used it for that herself. 

Jack clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention, “All right kids, let’s go find Danielle! I can’t wait to meet her and talk to her about ghosts! Can you believe it? A new Fenton! Incredible!” He had already accepted her as his daughter in his heart, now he just needed to meet her to make it official.

They went upstairs and out the front door to where the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle was parked on the curb.

“Okay everybody, into the RV!” Maddie called. While the rest of the team piled into the vehicle, she turned to her son, handing him the Booo-merang, “Ready Danny?”

“All right, let’s do this.” Danny grabbed the device and took a few steps out so he would have room to swing his arm and let it fly.

Maddie and Danny jumped into the RV and Jack stomped on the gas, treads screeching against asphalt as they raced to keep up with the now airborne tracking device.    

“I wish the tracker in my suit worked right,” Valerie grumbled as they put on their seatbelts. “Then I could help, too.” 

When Valerie had learned about the Fentons trying to find Dani, she’d mentioned using the tracker in her suit to find her before, but when they tested it, it wasn’t working. After several rounds of troubleshooting, they discovered that Vlad had made sure that it only worked when he was using her. That idea made Valerie feel dirty in a way.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, Val. You know the Fentons checked it over and gave it the same treatment as the rest of their stuff and it's all good! Plus we’ve already got the Booo-merang, and we only really need one tracking device. It just happened to be the easiest to modify to follow Dani’s signature instead of Danny’s,” said Tucker, his logic helping to ease Valerie’s guilt. 

When the Fentons learned that Valerie was in a similar situation to Danny, they really took her under their wing. They worked with her to analyse her suit and learn a bit more about how it functions. They tried to get the tracker working again, but they weren’t Vlad. They theorised that he had programmed in a temporary function to track Dani, and the deeper they dug into the problem, the more likely it seemed. If they had managed to fix her tracker, the plan was to use that one on their mission, but, sadly, it only showed and targeted Danny. 

Now, thanks to the Fentons, Valerie has a fully functional ghost hunting suit modified to avoid hurting Danny and possibly Dani as well. All that was done during the Fentons’ time off from school. As much as she had wanted to use her new suit to help track down Dani, Tucker was right, they had the Booo-merang and that’s all they really needed.

“All right kids, everything is working perfectly!” Jack called from the front as the RV swerved, his eyes glued to the red dot on the console scanner rather than the road. “I’ve got the Booo–merang in my sights, but remember to keep an eye on it, just in case!” 

“Sure thing, Mr. F!” said Tucker, gripping his seat tightly. He knew from experience that it was going to be a bumpy ride. 

The only one new to Jack’s driving was Valerie. “I see why you don’t normally let your dad drive,” she said in a low voice that wouldn’t carry to the front seat. She glanced around nervously and was a bit surprised to find that there was more space in the back than she thought. 

“Tell me about it,” Sam muttered in the same quiet tone, making sure that her seatbelt was firmly in place. “Even after all the times we’ve ridden in the GAV with Mr. Fenton, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to his driving. I wish Danny could’ve just flown us.”

“Agreed. Next time, Little Brother, you fly us,” said Jazz. She was more used to her dad’s driving than the others, but she would never be alright. She was still wondering why their mother couldn't drive them this time or how their father was allowed to have a licence in the first place.

“You know, I would love to... but I also don't want to get hit with that,” Danny pointed in the general direction of the Booo-merang before going back to holding on for dear half-life. By now all the kids were leaving marks on the seats with how hard they were holding on, though Danny’s marks were the stronger ones among them.

“It can’t be that bad, can it?” asked Valerie, worried about how hard it would hit Dani. She wanted to help her as much as anyone in the car, but not if that means really hurting her.

“No, it isn't,” said Tucker, sounding both very sure about it and very annoyed.

“What do you know about it?” As far as Valerie knew, the Booo-merang only worked on ghosts, and she was pretty sure Tucker wasn’t a ghost.

“Let’s just say you do not want to be standing between it and Danny,” Tucker replied.

The RV hit a large pothole, becoming momentarily airborne, and Valerie’s stomach lurched. “Oh, I wish I had just used my suit!”  she lamented.

“And I wish you’d taken me with you,” said Jazz.

“I thought you didn’t like flying,” Danny accused. “You’d rather walk because the wind messes up your hair or something.”

“No, it isn’t that. I just don’t want to use your energy when it isn’t necessary. I never said I don't like it.” Jazz retorted. It was an odd feeling, defying gravity like a ghost, strange but not bad, and certainly better than riding in the car with her dad at the wheel.

A surprised “Oh” was Danny’s only reply.

“My suit doesn’t drain me, Danny, it’s not the same situation. I can see why your sister would be willing to fly with me and not you,” said Valerie.

“I wouldn’t mind, Danny,” Sam said with a smile. “After all, if it’s just the two of us it wouldn’t take that much of your energy, and we could have some time to ourselves, it would be like a date...” It had been a bit of a rollercoaster since they officially started dating. Between the usual ghost interference and getting used to Danny’s parents knowing his secret on top of that, they hadn’t really been able to spend much time figuring out their new relationship.

“Yeah… ” Danny sighed wistfully. They’d enjoyed just a couple of dates like that already. When everything became too much with their complicated new normal, he had flown them away to a more secluded place where they could simply be, without all the pressure.

“Look kids, we’re about to cross the state line!” Maddie called loud enough so everyone would hear her. They had been driving for a few hours now, although it didn’t feel like it. The excitement of the adventure and trying to keep the Booo-merang in their sights, not to mention Jack’s driving, had been more than enough to keep things interesting.

“Really?” asked Danny. He had hoped that she wouldn’t be too far away, they weren’t really prepared to be gone for more than a day or two, and that’s what they’d told Sam, Tucker, and Valerie’s families.

“Uh, if I didn’t know better I’d say that we’re in Wisconsin,” said Tucker after a while when he noticed a sign that said ‘Madison: 100 miles’.

“Thanks Captain Obvious,” Sam snipped, rolling her eyes. “Didn’t you see the big sign that said ‘Welcome to Wisconsin!’ when we passed it?” 

Valerie and Danny shared a glance as their friends bickered, before returning their eyes to the distance. This was a usual occurrence in their group, they’d get over it soon enough. 

Maddie hummed in thought. “You guys don’t think that she would go there, do you?” she asked. She was starting to get concerned that Dani may not want to go back to Amity with them.

“Where?” Jack asked absentmindedly, more focused on the dot on the radar than their conversation. 

“And the Booo-merang seems to be going slower now, too!” Jazz pointed out before anyone could reply to Jack. She pressed up against the window, taking in their surroundings from the, now much slower, car. 

“It totally is!” Tucker agreed, also looking out the window. Now that the RV was slower it was easier to see outside without feeling nauseous. 

They had just turned off the highway onto a much smaller road. They followed this new road to a small town where Jack ran a few stop signs before taking a sharp turn into what almost looked like an alleyway.

“THERE!” Danny shouted. “Dad, watch out!”

He leaned forward, pointing out the windshield to the street in front of them. There a familiar young girl stood frozen like a deer in the headlights before their speeding vehicle. Danny phased out of his seatbelt and jumped through the roof of the RV, shouting his signature catchphrase. He swooped down and pulled her to safety just in time, for even though Jack slammed on the brakes, it was a little too late to stop. 

“Danny!” Dani cried, hugging him tightly. “I had it handled, you know. I was just gonna go intangible before it hit me. Although you guys really shouldn’t be driving in the alleyway in that big old thing.”

“That was so dramatic,” said Tucker, climbing out of the RV followed by Valerie, Sam, and the rest of the Fentons.  

Just as Danny was about to make a witty retort, the Booo-merang made its dramatic entrance, striking him in the back of his head. “Ouch,” Danny complained, catching the accursed thing as it fell. He’d forgotten all about it in his excitement. 

“I told you that would happen if you transformed, Sweety,” said Maddie. She approached the two halfas as Danny changed back into Fenton.

“I know, I know.” Danny rubbed the back of his head with a wince.

Dani quickly moved to stand behind Danny, using him to shield her from his mother’s view. 

“What are they doing here?” she whispered. “I thought they didn't know about us...”

“Relax, Dani. They know, it’s okay,” said Danny, reassuringly. 

“They do?” Dani peered around Danny and looked at everyone that was there, gaze lingering suspiciously on Jack and Maddie. “All of them?”

“All of us,” said Maddie with a sincere smile. “And we understand if you don’t believe that, or if you’re scared…”

The two adults kept their distance from the halfas. Dani had every reason not to trust them, and they didn’t want to push her. It had been hard for them to accept that they had been hunting their own son all this time. With everything they had said and done, they knew Danny had worried about how they would react to his secret. Why wouldn’t she?

“I’m not scared!” Dani snapped. She took a small step forward, standing tall as if to prove it. She didn’t let her guard down though, she knew Danny’s parents were hunters, ghost hunters. This could all be a trap, they might just be pretending they understood, tricking Danny so they could get to both of them.

“Hey, Dani,” Valerie said, quickly stepping in front of the Fentons to break the tension.

“Valerie?” Dani asked cautiously, her stance softening a bit. “You came too?” 

She knew that even as a hunter, Valerie had helped her before. Maybe this wasn’t a trick after all. Dani knew that several people were there, but she had focused all her attention on the biggest threat: the Fentons. Now she took the time to really look at everyone else. Jazz, Sam, and Tucker stood by the RV, they waved awkwardly when they saw her looking.  

“Of course I did!” Valerie smiled sincerely, bringing Dani’s attention back to her. She was glad that Dani recognized her without her suit and mask.

Before Dani had a chance to catch up more with Valerie, or even say ‘hello’ to the other teens, Maddie walked over to her, slowly and non-threateningly. She kneeled down next to the girl and hesitantly took her hand. The woman’s eyes flickered across her face. 

“You look so much like Danny when he was your age… Well, now that we’ve established that you aren’t scared, I need you to be brave for just a little longer.” She took a deep breath, thinking of how to break the news. “Danny told us everything… including what he did to stabilise you. Unfortunately, it’s- it isn’t a permanent solution. We were hoping that if we found you, you would be willing to come back to Amity Park with us. We’ve been working on something that might help.”

“Oh...” Dani blinked, shock running through her as Maddie’s words sunk in. The Ecto-Dejecto hadn’t fixed her after all. And she’d been feeling so well. 

“Hey, it's not like that!” Danny quickly cut in, “Yeah, they know you’re a clone, but even though you look like me, you’re your own person! I know you just met them, but they already love you.”

“I wasn’t worried about that!” Dani said, “But thanks.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Oh. Well, uh, we’ve been working on a new way to help you permanently, and, well, all of us want for you to come-back-to-Amity-so-you-have-a-safe-place-to-stay,” he finished in a rush. 

“For real?” Dani asked, eyes shining bright with hope. She had been so distracted by the absolute bombshell that she wasn’t as cured as she thought she was, that she was only just now registering the fact that they were offering a place to go, a home.

“For real.” Danny’s voice was gentle and a soft grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.  

Dani felt a smile of her own stretch across her face as she jumped into Maddie’s arms, nearly knocking the woman over in her excitement. She reached out and found Danny’s arm, pulling him into the hug, too. “Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!” she cried.

After a moment of hesitation, Jack joined them as well and then finally Jazz did too, and Dani had never felt so loved as she did in that moment, protected by her family’s embrace.

“Well, this has all been very moving,” a voice called out, interrupting their moment. They turned to see Tucker holding up a camera with a cheeky grin, he’d been filming the whole thing. “But can we go back home now?” 

“Are you really so eager to be back in the GAV already?” Sam hissed. 

“Uhhhh,” Tucker replied eloquently. He had not thought that far ahead.

Jazz wasn’t excited for the ride home either, especially if her father was driving, but she knew that finding Dani was the first step of thousands, and the sooner they got started the better.

“Ready?” Danny asked, offering a hand to Dani. He knew she would feel more comfortable with him, or maybe Valerie, by her side. 

“Yeah...” said Dani, accepting the hand and walking with him to the RV. She knew who everyone was, but being around so many people after being on her own for so long was new and confusing. She was also beginning to wonder how they even found her.

“We should warn you, you won’t like the drive” Tucker whispered conspiratorially once Dani was close enough to hear. Danny shoved the Booo-merang into Tucker’s hands, he didn’t want that thing anywhere near him for longer than it had to be.

“Why?” Dani asked curiously, the RV was confusing looking but couldn't be worse than anything that Vlad had made, could it?

“You’ll see,” said Jazz with a sigh; it would be a long drive or a short one and a disaster without a doubt. 

“Tell me about it,” Sam muttered, rolling her eyes. She sighed. She had come along because she knew this moment was important for both Phantoms and she wanted to be there to support them, but why Mrs. Fenton wasn’t driving would always be a mystery.

“All right kids, let’s get back home!” said Jack, ushering everyone into the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle. He couldn’t stop beaming, this whole thing had gone so much better than he ever could have hoped. He had found a daughter that he hadn’t even known existed until a few weeks ago, and now she was coming home. 

Once all the kids were in their seats and buckled up, and Maddie had programmed the RV’s GPS to take them back to Amity Park, Jack took the wheel, announcing that he would get them back in no time at all. His passengers groaned and braced for another crazy drive. 

Maddie settled into the rhythm of the road, letting her mind wander as she watched the scenery fly by. While Jack drove, she thought of her new daughter, safely in the backseat after all this time. She understood what Danny meant by her being her own person, but she couldn’t help seeing all the similarities between the two of them. Being a clone, and conscious of that fact, had to be hard on Dani, and as much as the scientist in her wanted to observe and study, the mother in her wanted to protect her even more. So, she sat there in the passenger seat, her wonderful husband at her side, and made mental notes of all the ways they could help Dani feel more comfortable. She thought of things they should do and things they should not, of all the ways they could interact with her.

The drive back to Fenton Works was much more relaxed than their trek out. They didn’t have to worry about losing track of the Booo-merang, or whether or not they would successfully find Dani. The kids chatted, laughing and joking the whole way home, an invisible tension gone from their shoulders. Even Jack’s driving couldn’t dampen their spirits, but they were still grateful to be back in Amity Park. 

They tumbled out of the RV, stretching stiff muscles, and Dani wondered, not for the first time since the trip started, why she hadn’t just flown and avoided the drive. She figured it would have been rude to turn down the offer of a ride, especially since they were doing so much for her. Not only were they going to find a permanent way to stabilise her form, they had also offered her a home, a family. She had practically given up on having a real family, what she’d had with Vlad had been complicated at best and toxic at worst… So Dani accepted the ride, she accepted the Fentons’ kindness, and even though it felt strange... it was nice. She almost couldn’t believe how much her life was going to change in such a short period of time, but she was excited to see what her future holds.  

Now that they were back at Fenton Works, everyone was pleased with how well the whole plan was going. They had found Dani without much problem and were even home in time for supper. It was unbelievable, almost too good to be true. All they had left to do now was stabilise Dani.

In the lab once again, Jack and Maddie began explaining the process to the group of teens. They would use the same scanners they had used on Danny to take Dani’s readings and compare their baseline levels. This would help them determine Dani’s exact condition as well as help them pinpoint what needed stabilising.  

At first Dani was nervous about being down in the lab, and nobody blamed her; they understood that she, like Danny, had plenty of bad associations with this sort of place. However, after Danny demonstrated how the scanners worked and showed her some of the other inventions, as well as the safety measures they had put in place, she felt much more comfortable. Although it did help a bit that Jack was the first one to actually welcome Dani to the Fenton family with the kind of huge hug that only he could give. How could she be scared when someone like that was looking out for her?

They ran the tests, and, as they suspected, the delayed effects of the Ecto-Dejecto were starting to show themselves and her genetic structure was slowly degrading. The Fentons  quickly made the final adjustments to the new stabilising agent using the information they had just gathered and administered it to Dani. 

They all held their breaths as they waited to see if it would work. Eyes flickered nervously between Dani and the monitor displaying her vitals. After a tense moment, the readout on the screen began stabilising and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was working! Nobody could believe that it had actually worked. They had half expected that something would go horribly wrong, it seemed like something always went wrong in these situations. 

Just as they were thinking that it was way too good to be true, twin ghost senses fogged the air and everyone groaned. They knew things had been going a little too well for their luck... But with their whole team assembled, whichever ghost it was wouldn’t know what hit it.  

The two halfas shared a grin before transforming and flying up through the lab ceiling, the rest of Team Phantom grabbing their gear and racing up the stairs after them. They arrived on the scene to find none other than Skulker. The mechanical ghost was in the middle of a monologue about how his new weapons would make quick work of Danny and how he would soon have not one, but two new rugs to decorate his halls. 

Before he could utter another word, he was dodging blasts from every direction. Jack, Maddie, Jazz, Sam and Tucker took aim from below, while Valerie joined the two Phantoms in the air. The hunter had become the hunted. It was just his luck that he had been the first ghost to appear since Dani’s stabilisation and he didn’t stand a chance, he was defeated in record time. 

Jack and Maddie did learn a thing or two from the ghost’s short speech and they didn’t like any of it one bit, especially his plans for their children. They learned that this ghost knew about halfas, had known about Danny for a long time, possibly since the very beginning, and definitely much longer than they had. They could understand the thrill of the hunt, after all they were hunters themselves, but his obsession with their son’s, and now daughter’s, pelt was just gross.

By the time Skulker was safely back in the Ghost Zone it was getting very late (though the Fentons had been tempted to leave him in the thermos for a bit longer). It had been a long day and the ghost fight used up the last of everyone’s energy, so Valerie, Tucker, and Sam said their goodbyes and headed home.

The whole day had been full of surprises, full of changes, full of good things. The Fenton’s had gone from a family of four to a family of five. They had just adopted a child, a child that hadn’t existed a few short months ago, yet looked and acted like a twelve-year-old girl. They even got to see some of Dani's abilities in action. She wasn’t quite as strong as Danny, something he had suspected. Her powers were more like his had been at the beginning, when he’d first become a halfa. But she was young, and her family had no doubt that she would come into her own soon enough.

The Fentons were exhausted, but closer than ever. Jack and Maddie had a better understanding of why Danny was always so tired. Jazz learned that even her parents could learn and improve themselves when it came to ghost hunting and would actually be a big help to Danny. She also knew that all of this was really going to improve Danny’s mental health and quality of life. Having a support system that he could rely on would be so much better than doing it alone. Danny and Dani learned that even though they may have started out as basically the same person, and though they worked very well together, they were also very different. 

They spent that Sunday filling out the last of the adoption paperwork. Thanks to Tucker, and a few favours here and there, they had thankfully managed to bypass a lot of the usual legal processes. The family’s next step would be talking with the Casper High administration about enrolling her in the next school year. Dani was still working on accepting the fact that she had a family now, and a soon-to-be-legal one at that. 

The next morning, as they sat around the breakfast table going over their plans for the day, Dani asked, “So, Jack and Maddie will drive us all to the school, and then after you guys go to class, we’ll just be in the parking lot, just waiting, until it’s time for our meeting with Mr. Lancer?

“You know honey, you can call us Mom and Dad… If you want,” Maddie offered tentatively. She shared a slightly concerned look with Jack. They didn’t want to push her, she had only been with them two days after all, but they wanted to make sure she felt welcome, felt like a part of the family. And, although it might still be too soon for it, she and Jack couldn’t wait for the day she called them her parents. Jack had already started calling her ‘Danerincess’ or something like that.

Dani sighed, “I know… and I'm sorry… it’s just that Vlad… ” she said, frustrated with herself. She got why calling someone ‘dad’ was hard, but why couldn’t she say ‘mom?’ Maddie was her real mom for all that she cared.  

“We know sweetheart, it’s all right… ” said Maddie. She, Jack and Jazz had learned that Vlad tricked and basically forced Dani to call him ‘dad,’ and that was so wrong on so many levels, especially when it was very clear that he didn’t actually care about her and the other clones, he was just using them. 

“Hey, Little Sister, we get it. Everyone adjusts to things at their own pace. Just because I was quick to start calling you my sister, doesn’t mean it’s going to be as easy for you. And that’s okay,” Jazz said. Then added, “Of course, Dad was even faster…”  

Dani grinned at that and the rest of the family burst into laughter. Jack had indeed started calling Dani his daughter as soon as she was safe and sound at home. He had also started giving her cute nicknames, combining ‘princess’ with her name in different ways like how he does with Jazz, as well as any other term of endearment that he can think of. 

“Hey, I don’t see why that’s so funny,” Jack defended playfully. “She is my daughter after all!” A fact that he was very proud of.

“I thought I was your princess, Dad,” Jazz teased through her laughter.

“Of course you’re still my princess, Jazzy–pants! You and Dani-panini are both my princesses! Just because Dani here is also my daughter doesn’t mean I love you any less. I love all my kids equally, even you Danny–boy!” Jack said seriously, pulling each of his kids, one by one, up from the table and into a big hug. In this instance, he was very grateful for his size and being able to hug them all at once. 

“Oh! Would you look at the time!” Maddie exclaimed. “Jack dear, let the kids go, we need to head to school.”

The kids groaned half-heartedly from Jack’s arms.

“None of that now,” she chided. “There’s only two weeks left before summer vacation and you two have missed enough days as it is,” she gestured to Jazz and Danny. And we need to get you registered for next year’s classes,” she ruffled Dani’s hair then started gathering the dirty dishes from their breakfast.  

Jack let the kids go, sending them off to gather up their backpacks and anything else they would need for the day, and started helping Maddie wash the dishes. He knew that it would be faster for them to do it than to ask the kids, and Maddie was in a hurry. 

Danny grabbed his backpack, rifled through the loose papers inside to make sure he had his homework, and then zipped it shut. “Two more weeks. Just two more weeks until summer vacation. Then no more school for the whole summer.” He had only just started back from his little vacation, but he could barely wait to be free from its confines once again.  

“Wait, hold on.” Dani paused on her way to the front door. 

Maddie finished washing the last dish and handed it to Jack to dry, then turned to face her daughter. “What is it sweetheart?” she asked.

“Am I really going to school next year?” Dani’s eyes sparkled up at Maddie, full of hope and happiness.

“Wow! Are we sure she isn’t Jazz’s clone?” Danny teased. 

“Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious,” said Jazz. She carefully placed a notebook into her, much tidier, backpack and rolled her eyes. “Don’t pay any attention to him, Dani. I think it’s great that you’re so excited about your education. And going to school will also help you meet new people, kids your own age–  Well, sort of…”  

“Of course you’re going to school sweety. You’re a Fenton, and we Fentons value our education. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

“You got it, baby!” Jack placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll sort everything out with Mr. Lancer today,” she said, herding everyone out the door to the car. “While everyone else will know that we have officially adopted you, or well, that’s what the paper would say… We were thinking of telling Mr. Lancer the truth. Confidentially of course.”

“Is that really necessary?” asked Danny, stopping with his hand on the RV door until Jazz gave him a small push and they climbed in.

“Look I get it, Danny. I know you’re worried, but think about it... Mr. Lancer already knows about you. And he gave you a planning strategy, and it’s helping right?” Jazz asked him as she pulled on her seatbelt.

Danny thought for a moment before nodding, putting on his own seatbelt as Dani climbed in after him.

Jazz continued, “So it makes sense that he would help her in the same way, when it’s her turn, right?” 

Danny pursed his lips stubbornly. Jazz was right, but that didn’t mean he liked it. He nodded again. “... I guess I see your point,” he finally said.

The drive to school was silent, for the most part, after that last comment from Danny. A sharp turn had the three kids clutching their seats and the sound of the other driver’s horn had Jazz thinking that she would be the one to drive her siblings to school next year. Her two “Danys.” She chuckled to herself.

“Are you okay with that now, Danny–boy?” asked Jack after a while. “With us telling Mr. Lancer about Dani?” 

“Yeah… ” Danny said hesitantly, after a couple of seconds. Then more confidently, “Yeah! Jazz is right, right?” He smiled. The time that had just passed had helped him more than he expected and he was feeling much better about the whole situation. 

“Of course I’m right,” Jazz’s teasing was automatic, then she softened to something more genuine, “but seriously Little Bro, it’ll be alright.”  

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about me, Danny! I’m a Fenton after all!” Dani grinned at him. She was so happy about that fact. That had been the easiest part of all of this, taking the name “Danielle ‘Dani’ Fenton.” 

“Yes! Yes, you are!” said Jack enthusiastically. He kept his eyes on the road and drove the rest of the way to school carefully for the first time ever… well almost.

Maddie reached over and tugged the steering wheel to keep them from crashing into a car parked in front of the school. “Well, here we are!” Maddie called cheerfully. “Have a good day kids! Danny, Jazz, we’ll see you both after class. Come on, Dani, Mr. Lancer’s office is this way. It’s time to get you enrolled in school!”

“It is?” Jack asked. Maddie shot him a glare. “I mean, ‘It is!’ I totally knew that and didn’t get so focused on driving that I forgot.” 

Maddie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with a look that said ‘You’re lucky I love you.’ Dani giggled, in just the couple of days she had lived with them she had already learned how forgetful Jack could be. Even when it was something he had just been talking about, for some reason he forgot about it as soon as something else grabbed his attention.   

At that Danny and Jazz waved goodbye and said their ‘see you later’s to their parents and sister, and finally went to class. And, as promised, Jack, Maddie, and Dani made their way to Mr. Lancer’s office for their meeting with him. 

Mr. Lancer was surprised, to say the least, to find out that the Fentons newly adopted daughter was actually a clone of their son and, of course, a halfa. He cursed in book titles the likes of which the Fentons hadn’t even heard of before, and at one point Jack covered Dani’s ears. Once they explained that it was Vlad’s doing, he went silent for a moment, before calmly saying how glad he was that that man was locked up. 

He was also incredibly impressed by how quickly Tucker had managed to push the legal paperwork through. He was sure that being the mayor must have come in handy with that, as well as his existing computer skills, but it was still a remarkably fast turnaround time. 

It wasn’t that hard to enrol a new student for the next year when it was not even summer break yet and there was plenty of space in the classrooms. A short while, and a lot more paperwork later, and Danielle ‘Dani’ Fenton was officially enrolled at Casper High, she would start her freshman year in the fall.    

To be continued :D :D

[slythereen]

apologies if you’ve answered this before or if there’s not really a specific gathered resource, but you seem knowledgeable about such things!— i am interested in learning more about f1 racing, do you have any recommendation for where to find a beginners guide/‘f1 for dummies’/place to begin learning more?

hello!!! i am also rather new to the sport and had to consume massive amounts of content from all over the place and frankly am still learning a lot all the time, so i'm not exactly an expert. what i can share are resources i relied on in my own ✨ descent into madness ✨ though !

so, my incomplete and questionable guide to selling your soul to f1:

it's all about how you like to learn and consume media tbh. i tried to watch a race initially, was confused, regrouped and started exploring. personally i watched all of dts up to the current season and then watched the first few races that i had missed while obsessively trawling twitter to learn more and waiting for my first live race (aka australia this year — massive rip). but it's up to you how you dive in!!

drive to survive

don’t get me wrong, dts has its issues — they invent drama, have some misleading portrayals, like to splice together clips from different race weekends together. it’s definitely more of a creative project than a straight up documentary. 

that being said, it also explains a lot of the lore and history behind the sport, teams, and drivers in an entertaining fashion. it’s newcomer friendly so it explains the rules. yes, will buxton gets a lot of heat for stating the obvious, but some of those obvious explanations are helpful for the clueless. 

there are also a lot of very cool shots and some good exclusive interviews that they get. sure, you can probably find them clipped on youtube, but may as well just watch dts. the first season is a little slow if you’re like me and want to see charles immediately (worth noting not all teams had agreed to participate s1), but that’s just me. 

(plus: it’s entertaining. i live for drama. just take said drama with a grain of salt and assume it’s probably invented or blown out of proportion.) 

the tiktok girlies 

again: tiktok can be a bit hit or miss. you’ll see a lot of bad takes and pure cringe if you linger too long on f1 tiktok. but i started watching content from a few f1 girlies who seems reliable and had friendly introductory content. they’re generally very nice and happy to answer questions. 

after a while i stopped watching them just because i no longer needed the intro information or explanations, but they did help fill in gaps and point out some of the inaccuracies of dts. 

some who helped me learn more:

@/lissiemackintosh (okay she's an f1 presenter but she's cool as shit i love her queen of the paddock etc etc)

@casxf1 (intro content is sort of her Thing)

@formula_dev (she was my go-to girlie for learning)

@f1toni

f1tv content 

i am pretty sure f1tv isn’t available in all countries, but i have always watched races through f1tv. there are a lot of ways to watch races live illicitly if that’s what you prefer, and other countries have sky or other channels they can watch on (USA also has espn), but i prefer f1tv because i’m too lazy to find streams and don’t want to worry about stream issues mid race. 

plus: f1tv comes with a whole archive of past seasons and a host of other media content during race weekends (ie, the fia press conferences on thursday, post-quali and post-race). they have a tech talk series that explains some of the technical aspects, do weekend warm-ups each race weekend that gives an update/context, and have been adding more intro content on the platform. there’s an app, which is convenient. 

the f1tv stream also allows you to use the channel switcher to choose between your commentary options (f1tv or sky’s commentators), or to see the live timing data, or to see any of the driver onboards. it’s quick and you can switch back and forth easily. (if your computer can handle it — my mac often can’t — you can use multiviewer with your f1tv subscription to set up a bunch of different screens and panels to watch, for example, the main stream and a driver’s onboard. or multiple onboards. or whatever you want basically. personally i usually put the race on my ipad and the onboard on my phone, because that streams perfectly and multiviewer likes to kill my laptop.) 

the downfall of f1tv is that they don’t have a smart tv app yet. idk why. it’s very irritating. it also might be a bit expensive to some, but i think it’s worth it. 

f1 twitter (hell)

it’s a minefield out there. truly. BUT my next big question, after starting to get into watching races live and watching some old seasons and learning how it works, is how people seemed to always be in the know about paddock gossip. i wanted to know about it as it was happening and see the ~drama~ unfold live and feel like i was part of the season actually occurring. 

so: twitter. follow your teams, follow your drivers, the for you tab is actually your friend here because it’ll bring new journalists and f1 commentators into your orbit as you learn who is who. some of the big driver fan pages operate as sources of information and updates with relative stealth if not immediate updating. 

at this point i follow enough people (and have infected my algorithm enough) that i tend to see gossip and updates across most of the teams. big news tends to get shared by everyone anyway. 

if you prefer tumblr, you can still get A Lot of updates on drama and gossip pretty quickly. there is a bit of a delay between information hitting twitter and information hitting tumblr (partially because none of the official teams or drivers have accounts on tumblr; partially because of the amount of people on f1twt versus f1blr). BUT, a lot of us tumblr girlies liveblog during the races and sessions and bring any crucial content over from twitter to share here, so the info will probably be here eventually/soonish. (following the race tags each weekend will prob give you a lot of the quick updates live.) 

some great charles specific update accounts

@leclercsletters

@leclercdata

@/charlsleclerc

@cleclercfansuk

others i follow for the 🍵 (not necessarily CL fans/i follow some ppl i disagree with for the intel) 

@fiadocsbot (😭) / @f1 / other official accounts press etc. 

@_allthatglitz

@maranellosaint

@scuderiafemboy (actually also has tumblr)

@fm1_3316

@/lecstappens

@candeleclerc16

@/elpredestinato

@formuleo_

@pikaclerc

@leclerqz

@fottitiferrari

@/f1tami

@/htrs4piastri

@estestroll

@fanaticsferrari

there are certainly more i see on my timeline all the time !!! this is just skimming through my following on the train 😭

tbh if i started trying to list tumblrs with hot takes that i follow we might be here all day. note to self: make my following list public lmfao

introductory posts & masterlists & others

full disclosure: these are resources i went hunting for out of curiosity and never actually used myself, but they looked fun and funky so yaknow. if there are iconic masterlists that i am missing, rip, someone please feel free to add or correct me. some of these are definitely seasons of old (aka like last year) but you get the point.

f1chronicle has this guide!

f1 put out their own beginner's guide to f1 video but it's like......5 minutes (and here is their longer intro video for 2023)

this much longer intro to the rules video by school of sports looks promising

apparent f1 also has a whole category of articles in their beginner's guide series

@babssionate's ppt guide to f1 and drivers intro

@shuntedmate's (sister's) ppt beginner's guide to f1

pitwall's beginner guide to f1 ppt

@race-week's guide to getting into the technical side of f1 (and whole blog appears to be some cool info on drivers and histories etc)

here is @lestappenforever's glorious guide to charles' driving style that i re-found while trying to figure out if i have a reference list tag (i dont)

[belphiesreverie]

hhhh i’m sorry for liking a bunch of your posts in a row but they’re just so good i can’t pause 😭 i just recently got to your genshin masterlist and saw you made a post asking for some more requests :3

if it’s not too late, would you be open to doing yandere hcs of albedo, kazuha and any others that you want where darling kinda finds out about what they’re like and what they’ve been doing so they go on to confront them—would they just admit to it or just lie and be like “no you’re crazy i’m not doing that 😐”? (bonus: darling confronting albedo but it’s fakebedo who’s there instead 😳)

if i missed a post or something explaining that requests were closed then feel free to delete/ignore, i don’t mean to overwhelm you or anything with this!! ^^)

Aaaa tysm, you’re too kind 😭💕💕

I also did Childe, Scara and Ayato bc I loved this prompt for them!

TW: yandere, gaslighting, manipulation

Immediately admits to it but doesn’t seem regretful in the slightest. Although he may try to feign it if it means you’ll forgive him

In all honesty, he probably wasn’t even trying that hard to hide most of what he was doing behind the scenes

He’s always intrigued by any and all reactions you make, and seeing how you’d react to being followed and having close friends disappear was a very interesting pool of information for him

Of course, he hadn’t expected you’d be able to trace them back to him, but your intelligence is something he adores you for

Confronting him about it will get him to stop; he’s gathered all the data he wanted from this little endeavour. But he’ll definitely be replacing this experiment with a new one to gather even more data on you

Immediately admits to it and is apologising profusely before you even finish your accusations

He’d managed to justify his actions to himself throughout the whole ordeal, insisting that he was just protecting you

He needed to walk you home every night, even if you weren’t aware he was there for most of them, just to make sure you got home safely. He needed to threaten those people to stay away from you, they were just going to use and hurt you

But when you confront him yourself, he can’t keep lying to himself about his actions being harmless to you. They caused you stress and paranoia, and it’s all his fault

In the end, his sincere and heartfelt apology will most likely convince you to forgive him and to propose that you put this situation behind you, which he is more than thankful for

Although, you can help but feel that his apology may have been a little less sincere than you’d originally thought…

Gaslight gatekeep girlboss

Let’s not get this wrong, he’s by no means trying to be convincing. No, he knows that he’s been found out and that there’s no convincing you he’s innocent

But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t extremely entertaining to watch you scramble to justify your accusations to him

Besides, no matter if he admits to it or not, there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s a harbinger, nobody is going to voluntarily interfere, especially not against him

So he’s much rather keep this entertaining game of cat and mouse going by denying every accusation you throw at him, all with that cheeky little grin spread across his face

Absolutely refuses to admit it, if only because he’s embarrassed but he’d also refuse to admit to that

You really think that him of all people is so interested in you that he’d go out of his way to personally find out everything about you and follow you around? How narcissistic can you be?

The whole situation turns into a massive argument, with you consistently providing tangible evidence and Scara adamantly refusing every bit of it

Eventually it ends when Scara asks what you’d even be able to do about it. He’s still not admitting guilt, but also lording his status and power over you now. So you drop the topic and leave by asking him to stop

Will he though? Absolutely not. You’ve wounded his pride so much by showing how badly he hid that now he’s going to openly do all the things you’ve accused him of just to remind you who holds the power in this situation

Gaslight gatekeep girlboss 2: electric boogaloo

Unlike Childe though, Ayato is extremely convincing in this situation. He has you doubting all your evidence the moment he starts to respond

It took a lot to build up the courage to accuse the head of the Kamisato clan of stalking you and using his power to get rid of those close to you, but all that courage leaves your body when you see how saddened he is that you’d bring these accusations against him

Of course it wasn’t him. He barely has any time to rest, how could he be following you around every second of the day. He’s a reputable and kindhearted man, he’d never dream of doing anything like that. He doesn’t even need to refute more than one of your claims before you’re the one apologising to him

But he’s so kind, and he understands that you’re clearly shaken by these incidents. Ayato is more than happy to allow you to stay in his estate until you feel safer. He’ll even stay by your side when you want to go out to help ease your worry

— — —

Want to read more? Here’s my masterlist!

Join the discord! We don’t bite 💕

[blood-darkened-moon]

Isolation

Ok, the first chapter of my Alexia Ashford fic. Again, I would appreciate short reviews on whether it is worth continuing or not. I'm not mad if you say it sucks. I just want an honest opinion.

_________________________________________________

Chapter 1

December 12

What do you actually write in a diary? I guess I just write whatever comes into my mind.

My name is Samantha Blair, and I’ve been stationed at the Aurora Research Facility for about a month now. This place will be my home for roughly the next 11 months. I graduated two years ago with a PhD in chemistry. This is my new job. It wasn’t easy to get it. After all, there are only a few positions available in this facility. There are 12 of us in total, and my job is to analyze ice and soil samples. It’s summer here at the moment. The sun doesn’t set this close to the South Pole any more, and at night it only gets a bit dusky, which, admittedly, bothers me more than I thought it would. Doug* gave me this journal “so I won’t lose track of time.” I wonder if that will help. At least I can try.

*Douglas Garry, station leader

December 13

Nothing interesting. After breakfast, I set about sorting the samples from the last research team and finding out which of them still needed to be analyzed and which didn’t. So the same thing I’ve been doing for over a week now. What were they thinking? “We’ll be gone soon anyway, let the next team take care of it?” After me, the deluge. Typical. Half of the samples are not properly labeled, and even for those that are, it takes forever to find out what has already been done with them. It’s all in the lab books, my ass. I can hardly do anything with the cryptic notes there if I manage to decipher the handwriting at all. On top of that, I have to pick the measurement data out of disorganized piles of paper. It was all planned differently. They were actually supposed to measure their own stuff, but towards the end of their stay, one device after another broke down. The devices are working again. Now, we’re supposed to carry out these measurements first and send them the results.

December 14

Sorting samples, searching for corresponding measurement data. Nothing new. Jeff gave me a new drill core. At least I was able to take a few measurements today.

*Jeffrey Norris, geologist

December 15

As I was going about my usual business, John* arrived and said that we were going to be hit by a heavy snowstorm in the next few days. According to the weather data, the storm will last for several days, maybe even weeks. We have to prepare the station. So we spent the whole day outside moving equipment into storage rooms or fixating it. I’m still freezing.

*John Bennings, meteorologist

December 16

Dark clouds have gathered. After so many days of sunshine, the darkness, if you can call it that, is a welcome change.

December 17

It’s been snowing since last night, and the snowfall is getting heavier, although it will be another 2-3 days before it really starts. David* expressed concerns about the dogs, but Marcus** said they don’t mind the little bit of snow. Quite the opposite. Huskies love this weather. Marcus looks after the dogs. He will know best. When I think about it, it occurs to me that we are probably one of the only stations left that still uses dog sleds. We also have snowmobiles, but Marcus always says the dogs are more reliable.

Later, we decided who should clear the paths and when. The work should continue if possible. However, if the storm gets too bad, the research buildings will remain closed until it subsides.

*David Palmer, technical chief

**Marcus Clark, responsible for the dogs, thermal engineering, welding work

December 18

The howling of the wind gets stronger and stronger. Eerie. I have hardly slept a wink. At least I’m slowly making progress with the samples.

December 19

I spent half the day clearing paths. It is a Sisyphean task. As soon as I was finished, I had to start all over because everything was covered in snow again. And the worst is yet to come. If it goes on like this, I can forget about work for a while.

December 20

Jeff was on clearing duty today. He also said there was no point. After dinner, we agreed that we would only clear the paths to the important buildings, everything else would have to wait until the storm subsided. At least the dogs are having fun. And Lena. She built a giant snowman. Lena Fuchs is still a student and the youngest of our team, and you can tell. When I see her so carefree, I sometimes think I’m getting old...

The fact that Lena is here is not a matter of course. Normally, students are not accepted for research stays. However, Lena has excellent grades, so she was selected regardless of the usual rules. At least, that’s the official reason. For those who believe it. Her father just happens to have a lot of political influence and a ton of money. It would be a true miracle if he hadn’t set the whole thing up.

She’s supposed to help me with the measurements, but that will have to wait until the samples are sorted and the storm calmed down. In the first few weeks, however, I had already shown her how to operate the measurement devices. To pass the time, I’ve now given her a pile of papers to read.

December 21

We have a visitor. The last thing you expect at the South Pole in the middle of a snowstorm is a visitor. Her name is Veronica Edwards. She is British and works at the Umbrella facility nearby. She says she is a senior researcher. There’s been a virus outbreak. She hasn’t said what kind of virus it is, only that it’s not airborne and that the likelihood of her being infected is low. In general, she kept a rather low profile. However, she said that under the circumstances she cannot stay in the Umbrella facility. If she is infected with something, we can’t let her roam around freely, but not helping her is not an option either, so we put her in quarantine. Actually, that was her suggestion. Isaac* has prepared a room in the northeast storage building for the purpose. She waited in the snowmobile she came in. The building is quite large, and it also has a shower room and restrooms. Additionally, the supply in the northeastern storage building is largely separated from the other buildings, and we can lock an area from the outside. That could work. It was supposed to be modified into another research building this summer, but the modification has been postponed for another year or so. However, it has already been largely emptied. She said two weeks of quarantine would be enough. For the time being, only Isaac and Harry** will look after her. Isaac is our doctor. Harry has volunteered. They will stay away from the rest of us to minimize the risk of a virus outbreak during that time. In case of an emergency, they have walkie-talkies.

We have offered to contact Umbrella and tell them what happened, but Dr. Edwards said she had done that before she left the Umbrella facility. They’ll send people as soon as the storm subsides. If they’re taking so long, that must mean it’s not that bad, right? Or that it’s already too late, and there’s nothing they can do anyway. Shit. We’re not prepared for incidents like this.

* Dr. Isaac Copper physician, and by necessity veterinarian

** Harold Childs vehicle mechanic

December 21 Addendum I

I have to distract myself from the thought that the woman might have infected us all with some deadly virus. And I forgot to write that our new arrival is rather strange. She was at least wearing a jacket, but underneath, she had only put on a long purple dress, high-heeled shoes, and white velvet gloves. The clothes looked anything but cheap. She looked more like she wanted to go to a gala than work in a research laboratory. Who walks around like that in Antarctica? Well, maybe she wasn’t on duty when the outbreak happened. That would also explain why she managed to escape and, according to her own statement, is probably not infected. But even as casual wear, her outfit looks pretty bizarre in a place like this.

She had to wait quite a long time in the snowmobile until the provisional quarantine was ready. Wasn’t she cold in her thin clothes? She didn’t complain. And I couldn’t see any signs that she was freezing either. Admittedly, I kept a safe distance. Speaking of snowmobiles, judging by the tracks, she was driving as if she was drunk and almost crashed into one of the buildings. Can she just not drive, or are these signs that she’s not feeling well? A fever, perhaps?

Also, I remembered Doug mentioning in the first or second week that Umbrella isn’t even doing research at the facility anymore. It’s supposed to be a materials storage facility or something like that. Well, Dr. Edwards claims she is a researcher there. I’ll ask Doug about the facility again when I get a chance.

December 21 Addendum II

Nicky*** wanted to contact AAD and ask how we should proceed with Dr. Edwards. However, due to the storm, there is currently no way through with our communication system. Always at the best possible time, of course! At least it’s not broken. Nicky has checked it. In a few days, the storm should ease a little, although not stop. She’ll try again then. Until then, we’re on our own. As old as the communication system is, I’m not surprised that it doesn’t work currently. It probably dates back to when the station was founded in the 70s.

***Nicole Windows, telecommunications, electronics, computers

AAD = Australian Antarctic Division

[foxintheferns]

WILD HEART

Chapter Two

A Twilight - Paul Lahote Fanfiction

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

***Short summary for my antsy gals: this absolute babe with childhood trauma, no real family and a passion for animals goes to live in the woods outside of La Push beach for her job that’s she’s deemed is necessary to find her way in life, and guess who’s not happy she’s there because now they have to worry about this human who’s put herself smack in the middle of bloodsucker city, where they have an instinctual obligation to protect her. And guess who’s even more angry that he suddenly feels an undying and relentless, fiery need to be with her all the time? Angst, tension, passion, anger, love, jealousy, perhaps even some betrayal? This story’s got it all babes (yes, even the smut) - it’s just one of those slow burn, then-suddenly-everything-is-fuckin-crazy-and-the-angst-is-unreal fics, you know? stay tuned ;)

A/N: eek! Chapta 2 bitchezzzzz! welcoming sir Jacob Black to the arena now. Yessssir let’s get this ball rollin I am PUMPED. Give your thoughts on what’s about to happen next, I’m curious 😏

CHAPTER TWO:

I woke in the morning with half of my body hanging off of the little couch, my left foot asleep from being tucked under my other leg for too long. I groaned with sleepiness, slowly and begrudgingly becoming more aware of my surroundings. Light filtered in through the blinds that I had shut tightly over every window in the small cabin. I reached to grab my phone off of the small wooden coffee table, checking the time, and was grateful that my body had me on a regular schedule. I tended to wake naturally around 6 o’clock every morning, unable to fall back into a restful sleep. It was far too dark in the house for the light to have woken me on its own. I stretched and moaned, my legs extending out and causing my feet to go past the end of the couch. I pulled myself up into a sitting position, and mentally prepared for my day ahead. I knew I would have to check out my surroundings today, and plan out the catalog of data I’d be collecting this month. I’d have to focus on one species at a time, and I figured the Marbled Murrelet was a good one to start with. I wanted to see more of La Push, and the endangered, ocean-dwelling bird was on the top of my list for data collection. I ultimately had to submit my findings at the end of each month, in hopes that the observations I gathered could help create ways to bring the species’ numbers back to Washington. I stood, stretching again and drooping down to touch my toes, my body felt so sore, and I was finally feeling the multiples hikes I’d endured last night in bringing my belongings from my car to the house. I ambled over to the kitchen, starting the coffee machine. I walked around the small house, opening every blind I had closed the night before. Sunlight began to fall into the space, a soft warm glow coming through the glass panes. I breathed deeply, feeling confident in my decision to spend the next 18 months here. I knew that my passion for wildlife was one reason that lead me here, but I also knew that my deep and profound need for change was another. I had been living in Maine, finishing my degree and living with my ex boyfriend, Zack. After two years of constant fights, cheating (on his part, never mine), and manipulation, I had finally broken away. I hadn’t realized the relationship had been drowning me slowly. Suffocating me, pulling me under. It brought me to a place where I hadn’t recognized myself in the mirror. At my core, I wasn’t the girl who allowed myself to be treated that way. So why had I done exactly that? When I saw the job listing online, my heart had skipped; I had felt something stirring in me that hadn’t been awake for quite some time. ‘Washington Avian Conservation Project - Wildlife Biologist needed!’ - the posting had read…

‘Chosen candidate to spend 18 months total at observational shelter on Olympic National Park Forest land, 15 minutes outside of La Push, WA. Job description includes data collection and behavioral assessment of wild endangered species, including the Northern Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, and Tufted Puffin for the interest in providing usable information for conservational planning and management of population risks. Utilities/housing included for 18 month period and additional compensation provided’

The lease on the apartment my ex and I had shared was about to be up, and I had taken the leap, applying immediately. To my surprise, a response had come in the next day, asking if I could arrive the following month to begin my stay. The few friends I’d had (although I’d lost quite a few throughout the enduring of my ex boyfriend’s destructive behaviors that had lead to my isolation) supported me greatly in my plans, eager for me to find myself. I wondered, with dismay, if they had seen hope in my eyes for the first time in years, and truly just wanted to me go anywhere that it would grow instead of simply continue to flicker and die out.

My best friend, Naomi, had thrown her arms around me, tears streaming down her soft cheeks. “Oh, Harley! Oh, babe, this is SO exactly what you need! Just get the hell out of here, find you again! God, I’m gonna miss the hell out of you, but…Har- this is it!”, she had cried, her theatrically passionate displays a very normal and truly beautiful part of our friendship that I found myself missing deeply now, being across the country from her. Her bright red hair had been sticking to her tear soaked, freckled face in stringy wet clumps, which I had peeled softly from her cheek with a laugh. I had been crying, too, with Naomi being the first person I told, and the only person whose opinion truly mattered, of my endeavor. And it was true: this was it. This was the shake-me-by-my-shoulders-and-scream-in-my-face to-wake-up blessing I’d been waiting for the universe to throw at me. I needed to remember who I was. What I loved, what I hated, what made me laugh, what made me cry. I had lost my mother 3 years ago now, never really getting to say goodbye to her after she spent her years succumbing to my father’s verbal abuse, never admitting she wasn’t ever truly happy, and never taking her own health seriously enough. Up until the moment she had passed from a heart attack at the age of 59, she had cared more for others than herself. Even her shitty husband. I had disowned my father, never bothering to look at the man again after seeing the way he had broken my mother without regret or acknowledgment. He had spent my childhood being absent, a drunk, and only ever pretending to care about his family for show. He hadn’t tried to contact me after I became estranged, only bothering to tell our relatives what a disappointment he thought I’d turned out to be whenever they saw him at holidays in the years following.

My ex Zack had thrown a fit at my sudden decision to leave. He had called me crazy and selfish, and thrown my large hiking backpack into the dumpster behind our apartment complex, seeming to try to sabotage my plans and somehow prove to me that I was incapable of them. I had pulled my pack from the trash pile, grateful he hadn’t ripped it apart or damaged it, and cleared my belongings from the apartment that night, staying with Naomi at her house in Portland up until the very day I had to leave.

I grunted as I pulled my brown leather boots up, wiggling my toes once they were on. I shook my head back and forth quickly, trying to clear my mind of the memories I’d quite intentionally left in Maine. My long, dark blonde hair fell and jumped in waves around my head as I shook it with vigor, and I felt a surge of angry tears start to prick in my eyes. I felt alone suddenly, and the feeling made me mad at myself. I had known this would be hard. I knew I would feel lonely and sad. But more, I knew my love for nature and its beauty was the one thing that could call me back to who I was.

You’re here to live. You’re here to live for you, for the first time in your life - I told myself, breathing deeply and pulling my small pack that contained my data collection journal and my binoculars onto my back- It’s not going to be easy. But we’re doing it.

……………………………………………………………………………………

I spent the next few hours, and then the next several days falling into my routine. I woke up, ate breakfast, put my clothes and boots on, ventured out into the forest, and watched the birds of the Olympic Peninsula. I watched them flying, I watched them singing and talking amongst themselves. I watched their eating habits, their patterns and their routines, as I settled into mine. I found more peace in watching them simply exist than I could’ve ever thought possible. I began to recognize the same birds after several days, hearing their calls and watching their movements. When the sun would fall behind the trees and the star filled night would arrive, I continued to close the blinds and lock the door of the lookout cabin tightly, never forgetting the reality that I was a twenty something woman in the woods by herself. I tried to brush off the odd feeling I had that I wasn’t at all alone in the forest, reminding myself that I was simply hyper aware of the many species I shared the woods with.

On day six, I made my way down to La Push’s first beach, and wondered immediately why it had taken me so long to come. I was beginning to feel quite socially isolated, and knew that talking to myself as much as I had been was probably a sign to spend my time around some humans as soon as possible. Although cloudy, and far from warm, the beach was a breathtaking place. Several tourists and visitors walked or sat along the sand, some exploring the tidal pools closer to the trees while others stooped to take photographs of the large rock formations in the water on the horizon. I decided a break was needed, and suddenly felt a surge of anticipation at the conquest of speaking to a person. Five days alone had passed quickly, and I hadn’t been truly mentally present after trying to avoid the negative feelings of accepting my own presence. It was hard to be alone with the woman in my mind after not really trying to know her for so long. I didn’t recognize her, but I was beginning to familiarize myself again. And, to be quite honest, I was beginning to like her.

I decided a visit to a local restaurant would be the best idea, and walked down the main dirt road along the beach that cut through a small corner of the residential parts of the reservation. I had been studying the local maps, and knew that much of the land I was studying on, including the land that held my lookout shelter, belonged to the Quileute Reservation. Billy Black’s face flashed through my mind, and I wondered if he’d truly meant what he said when he politely offered his name and where to find him if I ever needed help. What would make him think I’d need help? I wondered scrutinizingly. I shook my head to myself as I trekked down the dirt road, my map showing me only about a half mile more before the small reservation restaurant would be on my left.

Once I arrived outside the adorably cozy cedar-shake sided building, I noticed a group of four very tall younger men standing in the dirt parking lot. They were all tanned and ridiculously well muscled, and I found it a bit of a struggle to keep my eyes off of them as I had to walk past them to enter the restaurant. One of them was completely shirtless. I quickly darted my gaze back to the ground when one turned in my direction at the sound of my footsteps. They were in conversation, their deep and muffled voices humming as they spoke. After the one man turned in my direction, all four of their voices went quiet, and I felt heat rush to my face. Did I look weird? Lost? Dirty? Having spent almost the past week studying birds in the forest, I wasn’t sure I looked too hot. But you showered, I reminded myself soothingly.

It’s probably not even about you, stop being so egocentric! my inner voice resounded.

It was most definitely either about me, or the men had coincidentally run out of things to talk about just as I had arrived. Their conversation remained halted as I kept my gaze on the front door of the restaurant, slipping inside quietly.

Inside the restaurant, only a few guests sat and dined, and I felt calmed by the fact that none of them seemed to glance my way or care about my presence. “Hey sweetie, just you?,” a soft feminine voice broke through my inner dialogue, and I turned my attention towards the sound. An older, brown eyed woman stared at me with a gentle expression upon her face. She had jet black hair that fell to her midsection and was adorned with two thick braids on either side of her face. Her smile was kind, and her eyes seemed to soften slightly when she took in whatever she saw in my expression. Her gaze darted to my backpack, then to the paper map I clutched in my right hand.

I nodded politely, returning the smile. “Just me,” I replied, trying to ignore the repetitive nature of the few words I’d spoken to other living souls in the past week. She nodded back and gestured for me to follow her, guiding me to a booth in the corner along the front window of the restaurant. “This spot good? Nice light over here, I think.” I nodded and hummed gratefully in response, not quite knowing how to speak to another person in that exact moment, and slipped down onto the vinyl cushioned seat. I glanced quickly out the window, watching as the group of four men were now walking away from the restaurant in large strides, and felt the hair on my arm raise and bristle when I saw one of them shoot a brief look back to the restaurant. His face was striking - and familiar. I held back a gasp when I realized it was the face of the boy whom I’d seen with my new acquaintance, Billy Black, at the grocery store on my first day in town. He turned back again and kept walking with the other men, seemingly disappearing into the tree-line behind the dirt road.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Sue was my kind waitress, and in the 2 hours I spent at La Push’s tiny restaurant, she became my first new friend in Washington. Her gentle demeanor was undeniably motherly; it soothed me more than I thought possible. I hadn’t known how much I needed to be nurtured after the overwhelming change of the last week. She must have been able to sense the ache I felt within me for company and a listening ear. Sue sat with me at the small booth while I ate my warm chowder, grabbing a bowl for herself from the kitchen and shooting the man behind the back counter a look when he seemed ready to protest. Sue was immediately interested in why I was traveling alone, and felt compelled to tell me of her daughter and son, who she gushed were right around my age and lived on the reservation with her. We laughed and chatted as Sue welcomingly accepted my droning on and on about how much I love my new occupation. She seemed to have no trouble understanding my passion for watching the birds, and nodding knowingly and with interest when I delved into ridiculously mundane (to anyone who wasn’t me - or a wildlife biologist) details of their subtle quirks and personality differences. She even belly laughed, shaking her head in honest disbelief as I told her of the one Tufted Puffin I had deemed to be ‘Frank’, as he tended to stumble around with the singular and all consuming goal of finding a female companion, and it had reminded me of a perpetually drunk friend of my father’s who often displayed similar desperate intentions.

After a free slice of chocolate cake on Sue’s request from the kitchen, and a plea for me to come back soon, I found myself bidding Sue a good evening, wanting to return on my hike back to the house before the sun set entirely. Sue tucked a few chocolate chip cookies into my backpack before I left, winking and shooting me a grin.

The walk back to my humble cabin felt significantly longer and farther than my initial trip to town, and I found myself feeling more anxious than I expected when the second half of my trip was blanketed in pitch darkness. My large flashlight illuminated the minimally marked trail ahead of me, although I knew I could find the way back to the cabin quite easily from memory at this point. I couldn’t decide what was bothering me so deeply. I had been in the forest after nightfall before, many times. This wasn’t new to me, and yet I found the hair on the back of my neck refused to relax. The muscles in my legs and back were tense, as if my body felt an underlying sense that I would need to break into a sprint at any given moment. It wasn’t until I heard the clear and obvious crunching of branches and vegetation underfoot that I validated the odd gut feeling I was experiencing. The sound was loud enough that I knew within seconds that it did not belong to something as small as a squirrel. I froze immediately on the dirt path, knowing I was way too far from the beach to try to run back to it now, and not close enough yet to the cabin to make it there before the likely creature could catch me. The sound seemed to be coming closer, although it was hard to tell just how far away it was.

Fuck. I thought to myself. Cougars, Grizzly Bears, there were far too many possibilities for this animal to be one of immense danger for me to remain calm. I did the one thing I knew to do, and quickly reached behind me with my unoccupied hand to unclip the bear spray that hung from the right side of my backpack. Flashlight in one fist, bear spray in the other, I stood motionless in the center of the path, unable to hear much now over the sound of my heart beating like a drum in my ears. The crunching continued, and I shone my light across the trees quickly, trying to direct it to where the sound had come from, but not quite knowing which direction it had been. The light found nothing, and I then remembered what I had been taught in my wildlife training classes. “Hey, bear! H-hey bear!,” I yelled with as much force and strength as I could muster, my eyes searching the black around me wildly for any hint of motion, or the outline of a giant bear, perhaps. My voice came out broken and shaky, and I felt the urge to scream in terror rising like a lump in my throat. At my voice, the sound ceased entirely, and I had no idea where to point my flashlight. Silence fell across the forest around me. My body was tingling with fear, all of my nerves activated and engaged.

“Well, I’m not a bear, but if I was - don’t know that those sounds would do the trick.”

The deep, rough, and seemingly amused voice came from somewhere in the dark abyss to my right, and I spun on my heel, gasping harshly and dropping my flashlight in the choppy motion. “Shit!” The word came from my throat in a strained whisper that sounded similar to a whimper. I dove quickly to grab the heavy flashlight again, and flung the light toward the voice.

My mouth fell open as my light touched upon the man. His massively tall frame was made to look bigger still by the shadows that the flashlight casted across the trees around him. It took me no less than two seconds to recognize him. The same man from the grocery store, and from outside the restaurant. The one with Billy Black. His face was defined, dark and playful eyes surrounded by the facial structure of what could only be compared to a statuesque god. A prominent set of dark brows sat above his eyes, and they came together now, straining as he threw a hand up in front of his face. “Jesus, wha-, fuck, can you shine that down?!” His voice came again, somehow alarming me more after I had observed him for the seemingly endless moment. It seemed my mind had forgotten he was a real person, only taking in his features as if I were watching from an outsider’s perspective. After a brief hesitation, I sputtered and directed the beam of the flashlight to settle at his legs, where I could still make out his face easily. I was unsure how, but his facial features put me at ease in the same way the stranger Billy Black’s had, despite the fact that there was absolutely nothing calming about this situation. I was unsure where to begin.

“H-…wha-who-,” I stammered, then took a breath and began again, “Why are you following me?” My voice didn’t have a single ounce of the stone cold confidence I’d tried to instill in it. I swallowed hard as I realized my bear spray was the one thing I had to defend myself, and my grip on the can tightened slightly.

The young man’s expression didn’t waver. In fact, the only change in his face was the small lifting of one corner of his mouth into the beginning of a smile. I felt a wave of terror wash through me as I imagined the horrific fate I could be in for if this man had the intentions my inner voice was screaming at me to be wary of. Despite my accusation, his gaze softened then, and it almost looked like he was about to laugh. He exhaled from his nose in a short and sharp breath, the sound resembling the start of a chuckle but ending quickly as his raised his brows and found my fear stricken face in the darkness. He leaned forward slightly, cocking his head to the side. His voice was low and velvety, and caused goosebumps to raise across my arms once again.

“Following you? You’re on my land, sweetheart.”

➡️CLICK FOR NEXT CHAPTER

A/N: Chapter 3 coming soon! Thank you guys for stickin with it thru to this point if you’ve read this far :-) I’m so excited for the plot to thicken 🤪 let me know if you want to be tagged in the next chapter’s upload!

-Ro

[twisting-roads]

[PART 8, SECTION 1]

I am going to try and make these longer, I can only take meticulously editing text in html for so long though

(811.312) [LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Chain Of Missing Links

COML: Still at it? COML: It has been very lonely without you… COM: large work…load COM: -ots of bio bio biomatter COML: What kind of biomatter? COM: neuron- and variations COM: large qua quantity COML: Have you received anything about SBC yet? COML: A few cycles ago Thirteen Catastrophes’ overseers have begun to spy on me, very obviously too, at that. I’m forbidden from gathering more data at this time. COM: no COM: thirteen catas-- scolded me as well… i am innocentt ~! COML: I recall that Horizon Of Sulfur became involved with this as well. Should I go ask him if he can tell me anything? COM: please, do do not COML: I… understand. I just know how close SBC was to you. I want to make sure it’s okay. COM: do not concern y y yourself so much much with issues you can’t con control…  COM: i -not know if sbc will fully r recover or not. i can say with c- fidence though… i could speak to it it…again soon COML: Understood, yes, I apologize. COM: d dont be sorry… i appri… -ate all you try to to to do for me… you care so… ch…  COM: its very up upsetting when you you use the professionalism voice… s stay safe… please

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(812.342)  [LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Chain Of Missing Links

COM: ha have yo… -een doing well the the last cycle? COML: Normal business, I suppose. Why do you ask? COM: …been thinking… COM: boundary… n needs help. nob… -dy has done any anything… COML: But it’s like you said, we would get in trouble wouldn’t we…? I breached their privacy without permission, if I push that further I risk punishment, and dragging you down with me would be terrible.  COML: I’m privileged enough to have very loose restrictions on what I’m able to do, and I know you don’t have those same luxuries- COM: n not that, silly! i have asked perm… -on to send… a care package of of sorts. my requ request has… yet to go through  COML: …Oh COML: What do you plan on sending though? COM: not my deci… -on COML: I suppose if you had the choice then, what would you send? Perhaps a creature smart enough to understand its purpose, but dull enough to follow it blindly? COM: rude… haha- COML: Well- you know what I meant! You tell me horror stories of purposed organisms too clever to listen to simple commands all the time. I suppose you’d know more about the specifics than I do, though. COM: well i i could send you you the… data containing the- genome sequence-ence… i planned

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(812.784) [LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Chain Of Missing Links, Oblivion On Quartz Towers

OOQT: I have never been the type to gossip really, but it is incredibly suspicious how involved Thirteen Catastrophes has been. OOQT: I assume you already know. COML: I know more than I should. I’ve been dedicating the last few cycles to attempting to piece together this situation. OOQT: Explains your recent inertness. I don’t know how you’ve kept it up for this long without having any more restrictions placed on you.  OOQT: Anyways, if it comforts you, everyone I spoke to essentially came to a similar conclusion about TC as well. COML: I’m better at covering my tracks than you might think.  COML: And that is nice to know, I suppose. OOQT: Oh really? Good at covering your tracks? COML: Well, like you said, I’ve gone a while without any of our creators finding out yet, hahaha! OOQT: Well, is it because you’re actually good at this, or because of how dull your administrators are. COML: Oh be nice- they’re lovely individuals, I do like them. COML: Quartz, can I be honest with you? OOQT: You’ve been honest this whole time, haven’t you? COML: No, seriously. I’m not sure if I should say it, but I trust you to know. It might be important. OOQT: Ah. I’ll keep any secrets you disclose to me safe. COML: I… plan on intercepting TC’s broadcasts. I have to if I want to know more about what she plans to do with SBC. COML: Even if I can’t do anything to stop him, I don’t want any of this data to become lost. I see the warning signs now, and I can’t let them be obscured. OOQT: I understand how lax your administrators are, but something like this will certainly get some eyes on you. Are you sure you’d want to follow through a plan like this? COML: I feel a sense of obligation… OOQT: I won’t tell you no, but I’m telling you that there is a reason as to why interceptions are so uncommon. COML: I’ll be doing it anyways. OOQT: Good luck then. I’ll be there for you when you’re apprehended. COML: Wow, thanks. OOQT: I mean it.