#if I didn't have anything to stop me my entire ao3 account would be gone. I hate the thought of people reading my work

[bumblebeehug]

Massage Misunderstanding

Summary: Happy comes to the conclusion that Lucy and Natsu really should stop making such suggestive sounds when massaging. Notes: I honestly don't know what this is supposed to be. It's already published on my ff.net account but I thought y'all might like it here too. Translation - Ao3 - FF.net

***

It was just a normal day in the Fairy Tail guild where everyone was having a happy time, one or two small fights in the background and Mira serving drinks to the guild members. Natsu, Happy and Lucy had just gotten home from another mission, and Lucy dramatically laid her head on the table where they sat.

"Urgh, my muscles are killing me!" She groaned, vincing at her slightest movements.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad Lucy!"

"Yeah Lucy! I told you that you should have gone with us on our morning runs," Happy exclaimed. "You're just out of shape!"

"I'm not going to get up at 5 in the morning to go on runs with you two. Our stamina isn't even close, you just run ahead anyways," Lucy answered with a pout. "Besides, you never let me sleep a full night's sleep. I can't sleep with fur in my face and an overgrown baby taking up all the space!"

"That's why I keep telling you that we should cuddle, I wouldn't take any space that way."

"No, but you would overstep my personal boundaries. Now shoo, let me recover in peace."

Natsu just frowned, ignoring his partner's attempt to get him to leave her alone.

"Is it really that bad?" He asked with a slight concern. He knew that she would be okay after a few days, but he really didn't like seeing her in pain. "Your back I mean."

"I'm not dying or anything, but I could really use a massage. I'm gonna ask Kinana to give me one if she has a moment to spare," the blonde explained. "She must have been gifted with the hands of a God, I don't think anyone can fix soreness as well as she does!"

Happy snickered as he heard Lucy's praise.

"Lucy, did you know that Natsu also is really good at giving massages," he revealed.

"Wait, seriously? Natsu, is it true? How come you've never told me this?" Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief. How could Natsu, whose only skill is burning things and fighting people, be good at giving a massage?

"Meh, Happy is exaggerating." He just shrugged. "I've only given a handful of them, I wouldn't know if they're any good," he explained. Maybe that was a lie. He had given massages to a good bunch of the guild, and had gotten just as many compliments.

"I'm totally not exaggerating!" Happy exclaimed. "Well it doesn't matter, you'll get to decide that for yourself Lucy. Come on Natsu, give her a free trial!"

"No way. She doesn't want me to anyway, let's just go fishing or something," Natsu said, trying to get away from this forced labour. He found it so incredibly boring to give massages. There was never a reward for him, it was just a big waste of time in his opinion.

"Wait a second mister, who said I didn't want you to give me a massage?" Lucy protested, feeling curious about this new skill she had found out about the dragon slayer.

"I'm not gonna give you one either way." Natsu stood his point this time. Last time he did it the requests kept coming, keeping him from doing anything productive that day, He was not going to have that again.

"Pretty pleaseee!" Lucy gave him her best puppy eyes, but at no avail. "I'll cook food for you the entire week, I really need a massage as soon as possible!"

Natsu's interest peaked slightly. He would get something out of it if he did it, and he never refused food.

"Two weeks or no deal. And don't tell anyone, got it?"

"Deal!" Lucy chirped. "Come on, let's do it now! I think the infirmary is empty!"

Natsu just sighed as he watched Lucy skip there in advance.

"Happy, if my entire day gets ruined, then it's your fault."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, let's just go now before anyone catches on!"

As Natsu and Lucy prepared to satisfy the blonde's poor muscles, the rest of Team Natsu entered the building.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia's sweet voice filled the guild hall, informing everyone about his arrival.

"Hello Juvia," Erza greeted, leaving Gray to her. "You haven't seen Master or Mirajane, have you?"

"Ah, if Juvia's not wrong she believes that she overheard that Master is in a meeting with the council. Juvia hasn't seen Mira-san today, but she believes you may possibly find her behind the counter," Juvia answered before turning her attention back to Gray.

"I see. Thank you Juvia. I just wanted to tell Master that we're back from the mission, but if he isn't here I'll just inform Mira. Well, if I can find her."

"You're not just gonna leave me, are you!?" Gray mustered to say, feeling a bit sweaty in Juvia's tight embrace.

"Sorry Gray-san," Wendy timidly excused. "I'm feeling a bit tired from the mission so I was planning on finding Lucy-san and Natsu-san."

"They owe her a pastry for ruining hers last week," Carla further explained.

"I wonder why Happy hasn't come to greet you yet Carla," Wendy teased. "He's usually the first one to notice us when we come back from missions."

Carla let out an annoyed puff.

"I haven't noticed. I'm just glad that Tomcat isn't pestering us today."

"It's still odd though," Gray said. He had gotten himself a free moment while Juvia ran to get some new handmade gift. "I usually can't even get a moment to relax before Fire Breath tries to pick a fight."

"Maybe they went on a mission alone?" Wendy said.

"They said they wanted to rest a bit though before taking a long mission with a big reward." It was Erza's turn to invite herself to the conversation. "I'm not sure if it has anything to do with Natsu and Lucy, but Mira was lurking outside the infirmary. She seemed excited so I didn't want to interrupt."

The gang started asking the rest of the guild about the original team Natsu's whereabouts, but no one seemed to know where the three members held house.

"I'm gonna talk to her," Gray finally said. "She's been gasping at the door for ten minutes, whatever she's doing can't be more important than knowing where our friends are."

"Juvia agrees. Mira-san should probably go back to work soon anyways. Let's ask her."

As they all came closer to the door to the infirmary Wendy started blushing. Did she really hear..? No, she must have been mistaken.

"What's the matter Wendy?" Carla asked quietly.

"No, no, it's nothing… I think. Unless!" Wendy gasped. Maybe that was the reason Mira's ear was pressed to the little gap between the floor and the door. But was it really Lucy and Natsu she was hearing? Maybe she was a bit too tired from the mission to think right. The voices must be distorted from exhaustion.

As they got closer more members of the group started hearing what Wendy was suspecting. They tried to ignore it while talking to Mira. Whatever two members that were having fun in there could keep doing what they were doing - the group just wanted to know where three of their team members were.

"Sorry to interrupt you Mira but can we ask you something?" Erza said, taking the lead.

"Ah!" Mira finally started to get back from her dreamland. "Yes of course. Welcome back by the way. I must have missed your arrival," she pardoned herself.

"It's fine, we were just wondering if you have any idea where Natsu and Lucy have gone? They were supposedly in the guild before and no one saw them leave so we feel quite confused," Erza explained. Mira burst out in a fit of giggles.

"Yep, yep, I know exactly where those two are! They're a bit occupied right now though."

"Well, where are they? We wanted to say hi at least," Erza insisted.

Instead of answering, Mira just pointed to the door that led into the infirmary. The rest of the group couldn't believe their eyes.

"You're joking, right?"

"There is no way!"

"Juvia knew it!"

"I really shouldn't be listening to this…" Wendy blushed as she held her hands over her ears.

"It's quite inappropriate." Carla shook her head disapprovingly.

"In the guild hall? That's bold." Gray snickered tauntingly.

"Wait, does that mean that Happy is there too?!" Erza exclaimed as she came to the realisation.

"Gross!"

The group felt confused by their discovery. None of them knew what to do with this new information, but it was hard for them to just leave Natsu and Lucy to it. They might have wanted this to happen a bit more than they cared to admit, and they weren't going to lie - they were quite curious about what they were doing.

Let's head a few minutes back where Natsu and Lucy had just arrived at the infirmary. The blonde had just taken off her shirt, and laid down on the infirmary's only massage bench as Natsu locked the door.

"So, let's see how good you really are," Lucy mumbled confidently. She already knew that Natsu had dry and calloused hands, so it couldn't feel that good, right?

"Take off your bra too."

"H- huh?" Lucy stuttered as she felt her face warming up slightly. Was that really necessary? Kinana usually found ways to go around the bra, and that worked perfectly well. "W- why?"

"I'm gonna use oil so that I don't scrape your back. You don't want your clothes ruined, right?"

"Ah, of course…" With a blush embracing her cheeks she unclasped her bra and pulled her arms out of the loops. In one smooth movement she removed the bra under her and then tossed it to her left, where her shirt laid neatly folded. She took a moment to consider if it was worth pulling down her skirt too, and since she definitely didn't want to deal with washing an oily skirt, she decided to drag it down slightly, just so that it still covered her buttcrack.

While Lucy was stripping down, Natsu had turned around to grab the oil. He remembered where it was since he'd given the rest of the guild massages, and after moving around a few bottles he found the small, cylinder shaped container. It was only half full (or was it half empty?) but it would be plenty for one massage.

When Natsu turned back around he was met with the sight of his best friend half naked, with her head facing him.

"Ya ready to be blown away?" Natsu joked, his signature grin dancing across his lips. Lucy let out a small giggle.

"Do your worst." Lucy winked playfully. Little did they know that Mira-Jane just happened to walk by the room, hearing all of the following conversation.

"I'll start out slow," Natsu informed, finally placing his slightly warmed up hands on her stiff shoulders, earning a quiet groan from Lucy. Knowing it was probably a groan of slight discomfort having sore muscles kneaded, he decided to ease up on the strength he put in. "You okay there Lucy?" he whispered, keeping the voice down in an attempt to be calming.

"Mmh, yeah… God, that feels good," Lucy groaned. She figured the secret behind these magical hands must be heat, because while it was only barely the same temperature she took baths in, they were still hotter than Kinana's hands.

A minute passed with Natsu just slowly rubbing his hands up and down her back to get her blood circulating, when he decided to begin the real kneading. He started out lightly, beginning at the nape of her neck (exactly where she smelled the strongest) and working himself slowly to her shoulders and down to her arms. Now, while he had massaged many people, he had never before massaged such a loud person. At almost every motion he made, Lucy let out a small sound. If he didn't know better he would think she was moaning.

"God, Natsu… gnh… harder," She whimpered out, blushing slightly for a moment when she realised how it sounded. She didn't have time to worry about that though since Natsu followed her order, making her groan out louder.

Natsu himself actually found that he got weirdly flustered by her sounds. The fact that he could hear a gasp coming from outside didn't really help either since it made him feel like he was doing nasty stuff - stuff he only thought Gildarts or that nasty Gajeel would like to do. To cover up his reaction to Lucy's pleading, he immediately followed through, only resulting in also adding speed to the massage.

"Does it feel good?" Natsu heaved out in an attempt to ignore the heat in his lower belly.

"Uh, oh yeah, a bit sl- ahn~… slower though."

"Oh yeah, sorry, got a bit too excited," he quickly apologised. Now that her shoulders felt kneaded through he carried on down on Lucy's upper back. He could feel some really tight knots there, and he felt a bit bad for her, knowing how much of a bother they must have been. Natsu himself had really good blood circulation, so he was only sore for a few hours if he strained himself too hard, but Lucy had to deal with that pain for multiple days, if not weeks sometimes.

"Happy, could you get me some water?" Lucy managed to get out. She got a bit sweaty from the heat in the room.

"Aye!"

Soon enough she had a glass of water in her hand, and with wobbly arms she managed to take a few sips before accidentally spilling it on the floor. Lucy didn't have time worrying about that though, as Natsu carefully dragged his hot and oily fingers along her waist.

"Look at how wet you are," Natsu whispered out in an attempt to tease her for getting her arms and hands wet. "You're even dripping, Lucy"

"Ggnhh~ come on Natsu, it's not- mmh… it's not funny" She managed to get out. Natsu had just poured on some more oil and was now caressing her hips.

"You're making a mess," Natsu commented smugly. Lucy could hear his grin in his voice.

"Well so are you," she answered, aiming at his overuse of the oil.

"Everything to make the princess feel good" Natsu witted. He didn't really care about the multiple new smells that now lingered outside of the room. He didn't even know how long they had been there, but he also didn't care as he currently felt like he was in a fog of Lucy's smell and whimpering.

Natsu had now worked through every single knot he could find, and was topping off the treatment by dragging his nails loosely over her entire back. Lucy let out a loud sigh in relief - she definitely loved how his hands had felt, working so thoroughly on her body, but it made her surprisingly tired. A quick run over her armpits made Lucy gasp out loudly, giving Natsu one last sound that he never really had heard before. Weren't people supposed to laugh when they got tickled? Well, it didn't really matter since he had gotten a response either way.

"Let me clean you up before you get clothed," Natsu said sincerely, happy to see his friend so satisfied.

"Alright. Thank you for this Natsu, seriously. It felt great. And I promise, I won't tell the others about it. It'll be our little secret." Lucy blinked playfully, happy that she had her own secret masseur. She definitely didn't want to share, that much she knew.

After they both got cleaned up and Lucy got clothed they finally got a good look at each other. Both looked sweaty and had a small blush, probably from the adrenaline kick from keeping a secret from the guild, and Lucy's hair was messy. They grinned at each other before opening the door that kept them apart from the rest of the gang.

As Natsu and Lucy walked out from the infirmary they were met with half the guild, who all were blushing furiously.

"I can't believe they-"

"Shhh, not with Asuka here!"

"Lu-chan oh my god! It finally happened! How did it feel?"

"I must say I'm quite surprised you both kept your relationship a secret for so long!"

"Juvia would like to apologise to Lucy-san for thinking she was a Love Rival."

"I can't believe flame-head lost his virginity before me!"

"Wa- wait! You're all misunderstanding!" Lucy finally gasped out. "He's not-, we're not-, I'm not-!"

"Meh, let's leave them Lucy. I'm really hungry, let's go back to our place and get some food." Natsu grabbed Lucy's right wrist and started tugging her along and through the crowd.

"OUR place?! Last time I checked it was me who paid the bills!" Lucy argued. "AND it's me who does the grocery shopping! You can't even fold your own laundry!"

"That's just because your way of folding it is too complicated. Why does my drawer have to look as neat as yours anyways, it's not like anyone checks them."

"I only started doing that folding because a certain person and a certain cat wouldn’t stop looking in my panty-drawer!" Lucy burst out, forgetting the crowd behind them.

"Jeez Luce, we're just confused how you can wear that stuff. It doesn't cover anything!" Natsu tried to defend himself, earning a light smack on the head.

"Don't go talking about what my panties cover-" "or doesn't cover" Happy added, "in public! Urgh, just be quiet until we get home."

The rest of the guild looked wide eyed at the door which Lucy and Natsu just left through.

"Do you think they got married on a mission or something?" Someone in the guild asked, not expecting an answer.

"What do you mean? Lucy and Natsu have always been like this." Happy said.

"Are you telling me they've fucked all this time!?" Levy burst out in shock. Wendy screeched at her choice of words.

"What? Natsu was just giving Lucy a massage" Happy revealed before leaving the guild behind, catching up to Lucy and Natsu.

A bunch of sighs and groans filled the guildhall as they got back to their day to day business, rather disappointed.

"Are those two never going to get together?" Mira cried out with a defeated look on her face.

"Welp, at least Natsu's still a virgin," Gray shrugged, taking a seat at the bar where a gloomy Juvia held place, muttering something about love rivals. "Some things will never change."

[blackholelynn]

His Salvation - Part Seven

<- Read Part Six

Summary: You have left your old life behind and started over with Dean, but you soon realize that you know almost nothing about the hunter you now live with.

Pairings: Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings: Nightmares, aftermath of grief/loss, description of suffocation, swearing - these warnings are for the series of parts as a whole, so while some of these warnings may not apply on this part, they will apply for future parts.

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: It's finally finished! I'm not going to pretend that I have any excuse for not posting the final part of this, but it's done! Not exactly a happy ending, but who knows?

Series Tag List: @leigh70

Dean Winchester/Jensen Ackles Tag List: @siospins2

Supernatural Tag List: @hobby27

Also cross-posted on my AO3 account, you can read it here!

~~~

Dean woke up with his entire body screaming in pain, which wasn't unfamiliar to him. What did surprise him was the white and slightly scratchy hospital linens clinging to him. In his haze, he felt the irritation of the IV in his left arm and moved to promptly remove it, not thinking of the aftermath.

A gentle hand rested over his, one he recognized and trusted, and immediately he stopped what he was doing. "You need to leave that in. You lost a lot of blood."

"You're still here," Dean said, more to himself than to you. His jaw was slack in awe, and the relief was making his eyes glassy.

You squirmed under his gaze, ducking your head to avoid it. "I wasn't going to dump you at a hospital without making sure you were okay. Not when it was my fault you got hurt."

"Sweetheart, you're why Sammy isn't preparing a hunter's funeral for me." His hand reached for you, and you didn't shy away from his touch for the first time in a while. You weren't sure who needed it more – you or him. He cupped your cheek, running his thumb along your cheekbone. "You did good."

You leaned into his touch, feeling a few errant tears escape. "No. I didn't. I froze, and you nearly died because of it.”

“But I didn’t.”

Even though he was right, Dean’s words didn’t soothe the guilt that was starting to fester deep inside you. Would any of this have even happened if you hadn’t left the bunker? If you hadn’t gone with them in the first place? The thought of the alternatives terrified you more than anything, and you stood up from the chair by Dean’s bedside, pacing to release some of the anxiety.

“But you might next time. I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can,” Dean insisted earnestly. He sat up in bed, grimacing with the effort, and looked at you imploringly. “Look, you were right. I shouldn’t have been treating you like a kid. We can start going on hunts together, and Sammy and I will show you the ropes. Trust me–”

Tears started to stream down your cheeks as you crossed your arms, shrinking in on yourself. “Dean, I don’t even know what I want anymore! I mean, I ran off with you without a second thought, like I was some…some Disney princess! Like you were my prince charming that would make all the pain disappear, but that’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works, and I can’t stay.”

“What are you saying?” His voice broke, a vulnerability that was rare for him to show. It broke your heart, but you knew what you needed.

“I’m saying I stayed to make sure you were okay, but I’m leaving. I have no idea who the hell I am anymore, and until I figure that out, this isn’t going to work.”

And then you turned and left the room in a rush. He called out something after you, but all of your senses were completely wrecked as you scurried away from yet another problem. A contentious voice inside you scolded you for not being able to have a conversation – the adult conversation that needed to be had – but it wasn’t something you were capable of at that moment. You felt like you were crawling out of your skin.

Sam was pensively sitting in the hallway, and when he saw you leave the room, he quickly stood in your way to try and talk to you. “He’s awake?”

“Yeah,” you answered simply, trying to go around him.

But he stopped you by gingerly grabbing your arm. “Woah, what’s going on? Did something happen in there?”

“I just…” Your brain stuttered, trying to find the words to explain what had just happened, but it couldn’t put anything together. The only thing you could do was look up at Sam in sad confusion, starting to cry even harder. You desperately wiped at the tears running down your cheeks in an attempt to stay somewhat composed, but it was an exercise in futility.

“Okay, let’s just take a moment,” Sam offered, guiding you to one of the chairs in the hallway. He sat beside you and attempted to comfort you as you cried, one hand on your back to try and ground you. Once it seemed like you’d be able to speak again, he asked, “Is everything okay?”

You quickly nodded as you pulled yourself back together again. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I have a favor that I need to ask you, though, Sam.”

“Of course. Anything.”

“Take care of Dean for me?” When you saw the confused expression on Sam’s face, you added, “I’m not going back to the bunker.”

Sam stilled for a second, processed what you said, and offered a small and understanding smile. “Okay. Do you mind if I ask you one question first?”

“Shoot.”

“I’m not asking this to try and convince you to stay. I just want to know: are you sure?”

It was the first time someone had asked you that question, and it hadn’t been accusatory. Just a genuine question coming from a place of concern. So you thought about it.

The last few months you had spent with Dean crossed your mind. All the good memories came first, like the movies you had watched, the nights you had shared, and the few times you had left the bunker to have “proper” dates. But those times weren’t the only ones. The nights you had shared were soured by the constant nightmares. All the times you spent with him in the bunker were plagued by the grief that followed you like a dark shadow. You remembered those few dates fondly, but you also recognized the terror of being outside those concrete walls.

You returned Sam’s smile, although yours was more forced. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve got a lot to work through, and I need to do it on my own. I don’t know how yet or what I’m going to do, but I know that’s where my focus needs to be.”

“Alright,” Sam conceded, standing up from the chair. “Then I’m guessing this is goodbye?”

“Yeah,” you answered as you stood. “I’m sure I’ll see you guys again, though, so don’t forget about me.”

Sam chuckled at your teasing tone and pulled you into a small hug. “Never. You’re welcome anytime.”

It was a warm moment that broke up some of the despair of the most recent events, but as always, those moments come to an end. You returned the hug briefly and, after that, left the hospital. You didn’t turn back, tried not to even think about turning back, because you knew that your resolve wasn’t strong enough to go through with it if you didn’t go all in.

Sam stayed in the hospital and entered Dean’s hospital room to evaluate the aftermath. He only found his older brother staring off into space, looking lost. It was clear that the loss Dean had been so afraid of had just occurred, and to make matters worse, he was part of the reason it had happened.

The younger Winchester took your place at Dean’s bedside, clearing his throat to get his older brother’s attention. “She just told me.”

“She’s gone.” It was a resigned statement, not a question. Dean finally came out of his stupor as he met Sam’s eyes. “Did she say where she was going?”

“No, she didn’t. I don’t think she wants us to know, and you know what, I think that’s for the best. You’ve gotta let her go.”

Normally Sam would expect a fight from Dean after he said that, a barbed remark meant to make Sam back down, but all he got was Dean limply lying back in the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was resigned more than anything, and that was almost worse. There was no further discussion of the issue. Not when he was discharged from the hospital, not when they arrived back at the bunker. The remnants of your stay in the bunker lingered for a long time, only serving as a reminder of the forbidden topic.

“I told you to make sure she wasn’t in the room when Urdr got there,” Naomi chastised, standing up from her desk chair.

Castiel stood in front of her desk, but it was clear that he was somewhere else – practically a shell of his former self. “I was unaware that she would be there so quickly.”

“That is unacceptable!” Naomi snapped. When she realized how emotional she was becoming, she straightened her blazer and rolled back her shoulders, letting out a deep exhale. “This was the only way we could get the Norns on our side, and after making a deal with us, we got one of their sisters killed. You can see how this is an issue, correct?”

“Yes.” Castiel’s response was robotic. He had been conditioned in every way to obey Naomi, and she couldn’t have been happier with her handiwork. A grisly means to an end.

Naomi sat back down and smoothed her hands over the clear top of her desk. “Then I will have to think of alternative methods to secure our position. I just have one thing to say before I dismiss you.”

“Of course.”

“Keep an eye on our ‘bait’ to make sure she doesn’t ruin another one of our plans. I’d hate to have you dispose of her.”

Castiel’s brow twitched. It went unnoticed by Naomi, but surely if she had seen it, he would’ve been kept for more conditioning. Instead, once she saw him nod his head, he was whisked back to Earth with no memory of the encounter in the first place.

Without knowing why he was drawn to go look for you, and when he found you, he only felt his guilt return. You were curled up in the back seat of yet another stolen car, holding a flannel to your chest as you cried. Yet again, another of his friends was in anguish, and while he wanted to comfort you, something told him he shouldn’t.

So he did nothing but watch as you processed all of the feelings you had been running from. And it hurt.

[one-vivid-judgment]

Good day~ I hope it's okay to request something? If so, can I request sfw/nsfw headcanons for my beloved Y7 man - Takabe Mamoru, please? Thank you~

To tell you the truth, before deleting your previous blog, I read all your posts, but never commented or requested anything, because I was a bit shy. Well, I still am. I remember you wrote something about disliking your RgG writings and the reason why you deleted them. But I actually really liked them, no matter how bad or silly or ooc or whatever they were in your opinion. I just liked them and the way you wrote about different things/characters. What I wanted to say that time? Hm... I'll say it now - you're a great!

~ Takabe Anon

First of all, I'd like to thank you for this kind message! Honestly, back then I didn't have the best relationship with writing and I always ended up thinking that whatever I wrote was garbage after some time; I even contemplated deleting my whole AO3 account and never going back, though thankfully that did NOT happen. It would've been a disaster if I had let the nasty thoughts win.

Thankfully, that has changed now (who would've thought that actually developing a good writing schedule and actually being kind to yourself would do that to you, huh?), but I do feel bad for deleting it all and I'd like to apologize for it, even if it doesn't change anything. There were people who genuinely loved them, and now it's all gone and they can't enjoy them anymore. This is like trying to "re-build" all that, in a way, though hopefully my writing has improved in these two years or so that I've spent away from here! 

Anyway, here they are! 

Takabe headcanons (SFW + NSFT)

• A good ol' gentleman. Will open doors for you, pull your chair back for you, open the car door then take your hand. If you eat out, he's paying for it, not even letting you take out your wallet, no sir. Not to mention the gifts; necklaces and bracelets and things like that, which sometimes are on the VERY expensive side. Not that he minds spending money on you though. 

• He is on the protective side, almost as much as he is with his boys. You can bet that, if someone messes with you and he finds out, it's gonna take A LOT to stop him from taking matters into his own hands, depending on how severe the offense was. Murder is not on the list, but everything else is fair game for him. 

• He doesn't flaunt you around, but if someone asks, he's not about to keep you a secret either. His boys tried to tease him once about you, and all he did was nod and shrug it off, no sign of embarrassment on his face. They haven't tried to pull any of that ever since. Point taken. 

• Generally pretty vanilla, actually. He's more of a love-making kinda guy—the one exception being when he's had an absolutely awful day at the office and needs to let out the stress. It's like he forgets his own strength, which usually results in many, MANY marks all over that are hard to cover up. Expect the absolute sweetest aftercare in the world to make up for that. 

• Call. Him. "Sir". He's heard that plenty from his boys, sure, but this? This is another thing entirely. Something about seeing his partner writhing under him and screaming for "Sir, give it to me harder!" Not that his boys need to know that one though. 

• Expect to be praised for the smallest things. He can't help it, he really can't. You'd be sucking him off and he'll inevitably end up petting your hair and praising you for a job well done—bonus points if said blowjob happens under his desk at the office and there is a chance you might get caught by some random Seiryu grunt.

[donutloverxo]

First time

Kinktober day 15 - Virginity kink

Please note that my work is not to be reposted or published anywhere other than my Tumblr or AO3 account without my permission. Reblogs are most welcome though!

Note - So anon asked for step dad Steve and I can't do that to Steve. This started out as step dad ransom but then me being me couldn't go through with it🤦‍♀️ so he's supposed to be your stepmoms husband which still makes him your step dad, I think.

Dividers by @whimsicalrogers

Warnings - 18+ONLY! smut(m/f), dub conish, painful sex, unprotected sex, implied age gap, loss of virginity, bloodplay.

Pairing - Step dad!Ransom Drysdale x reader

Word count - 2.3k

Masterlists are linked in the bio!

“Oh! Don’t act like you care. I can tell you wouldn’t give a shit if I left for an entire year. I’m not one of your barely legal bimbos you can manipulate however you like,” Karen ranted on and on to Ransom. You didn’t know what they were fighting about today - you didn’t care to find out either.

“God! Would you fucking give me a break? All you do is yap your trap all day long,” he snapped at her.

You looked at the main door, to leave your house you would have to go through the hallway where both of them were having their ‘lively' discussion, which you had no intentions to be a part of.

Karen gave him a deadly glare - which literally gave you chills even though you weren’t on the receiving end of it.

She walked closer to him, until she was only inches away from his face, “For your own good,” wrapping her palm around his chiselled jaw “don’t forget your place. You do not curse at me or yell at me.”

He didn’t say anything back, simply holding her unwavering glare.

She looked at the stairs, her face instantly lighting up into a faux smile upon seeing you. “Darling, what are you doing there? Come here,” she said extending an arm to you. You walked down to her, she engulfed you into a hug, soothing a hand over your head, “Mommy has to go away for a while, to Paris for fashion week. I know that’s not something you’d be interested in.”

You shook your head. No, those events were a bit too stuffy for you. You dared to sneak a glance at Ransom, he was fuming. His jaw clenched hard, his face and neck flushed as he heaved. You weren’t sure if that rage was directed towards you or your stepmother.

“Fuck this shit,” he spit before leaving and slamming the door behind him. You cringed at the loud noise it made. You were relieved that he was gone, given what he had done in his impulsivity and rage, you didn’t want to be around him when he was that angry.

“Well?” Karen’s question snapped you out of your thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“You better not be going to meet that Jack or John or whatever.”

“His names Jeremy, Karen, and I really like him. If you got to know him - ”

“I don’t need to know him. He does not bring anything to the table. He doesn’t even deserve to breathe in the same air as you.”

“A rich guy can treat me badly too. I don’t know why you think I can’t be happy with a normal person.” you shook your head. She of all people should not be questioning your taste in men.

“His fathers a fucking high school teacher, honey,” she scoffed. “No, I won’t have you dating a nobody.”

“Well, Ransoms a friggin' murderer!” you screamed. “What kind of man conspires to kill his own grandfather?!”

She had married him just months after he was declared 'not guilty' of not one, but TWO murders. Although, everyone knew that he definitely did it.

You begged her not to marry him. But she seemed to be completely smitten with him, besides she had never really valued your opinion or seen you as an adult.

“Say what you will about Ransom. But he has the name - he’s a Thrombey, he comes from old money. As annoying as he can be - he’s not hideous to look at either, I suppose.”

That was the only thing you might be inclined to agree with. You hated that some part of you was attracted to him. Even though, he was a terrible person. He treated ‘the help', the people who raised you and cared for you as if they were beneath him.

He treated Karen like shit - which she may deserve, you knew of her affairs and the one French boyfriend she was visiting under the guise of business.

He was however, completely indifferent to you. He never got in your way, sometimes you could feel his eyes on you, following every move you made. Sometimes you wondered... if maybe... some part of him found you attractive as well.

You knew you weren’t much to look at, especially compared to your stepmother, but then why else would he be staring so much?

Was he plotting to OFF you as well? To get you out of his way. You’d be inheriting most of your late fathers estate.

***

You closed the door behind you, as quietly as you could so as not to wake anyone. You got home a little later than midnight. You weren’t used to staying out that long but it was one of your best friends birthday.

“What were you doing out so late?” You yelped as you heard his voice.

“Ransom! Oh my gosh, you scared me,” you tried to catch your breathe.

“It’s after twelve. Who were you out with?” he raised a brow. “And what the hell are you wearing?”

“Huh?” you looked down at your bodycon dress. You weren’t used to wearing clothes that tight but this one just seemed so pretty and perfect to capture Jeremy’s attention. “It’s Karen’s design,” you shrugged. It was provocative but classy and respectable which was your stepmothers brand.

“What kind of message do you think you’re sending dressing like that? If you want to be the talk of the town - ”

“Ransom, oh my god! It’s just a dress and I’m - I’m a virgin!” you confessed. It wasn’t something you were ashamed of - why would you be?

“What?” his eyes widened and his mouth gaped.

He had known you were a pretty little thing since the moment he met you. So shy and demure and pure. Of course you’d be a virgin. Like a perfect present waiting to be unwrapped.

You almost smiled at that. Stunning Ransom like that made you feel smug for some reason. “Yeah. I’m saving myself for the right guy.” you replied in a small voice, averting his gaze and looking at the carpet.

He took two long strides and walked over to you, before you knew it he had a firm grasp on your waist, pulling you against his hard chest. “And what’s the right guy like, sweetheart?”

“Someone - uh,” your brain blanked, having him that close to you, feeling his warm breath on your face almost made you black out.

He bent his neck till he was closer to your ear, “Well, don’t lose it to Jeremy or whatever. He won’t even know what to do with a sweet thing like you.”

You gasped, trying to push him away but his stance was unrelenting. “That is so inappropriate, Ransom! You’re married!”

He grabbed at your failing wrists, pinning them behind your back, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. Karen and I have an arrangement. You ever been kissed before?” he asked, his tongue peaking out to kick his plump lips.

“Wh - ” you swallowed a heavy lump of air, looking away from him, “No,” tears streaming down your face.

He chuckled, licking a firm stripe up your cheek, moaning at the taste of your tears. “We’ll fix that tonight, princess.”

You shuddered in his hold, it finally hit you. He intended to have his way with you. “Karen!” you screamed at the top of your lungs.

“She’s not home, sweetheart,” he smirked, pushing his knee between your legs, “I thought you wanted this? I heard you saying my name while touching yourself. I’ll do better than your little fingers ever could,” he grinded his knee against your core.

You whimpered, scared out of your mind for your life and ashamed. Ashamed of being caught, of being aroused and getting more and more wetter. Your hips rolling against his knee to seek more friction.

“That’s a good girl,” he praised, pulling your bottom lip between his teeth till it hurt and then releasing it with a pop. “If you keep being good and take what I give you - I’ll make you feel good too.” He held on to your forearm, dragging you up the stairs towards his room.

“No, no... not in your room. In mine, please,” you whimpered, his nails digging in the flesh of your arm. They might have an 'arrangement' but you doubted Karen would appreciate you doing the deed in her bed.

“Fine with me,” he dragged you along, locking your door behind him as he pushed you down on your mattress.

He pulled his t-shirt over his head, quickly discarding all his clothes. You couldn’t help but shamelessly ogle him. His broad shoulders, defined chest and abs. He was bigger than any boy you knew. Your jaw dropped at the size of his cock, slapping against his abdomen when he pulled down his boxers.

“Like what you see, princess?” he smirked.

Hovering over you, his hands tearing your dress apart, you feebly tried to stop him, “That was expensive, Ransom!”

“I can just buy you another one,” he winked, rolling your panties down your legs.

You rolled your eyes. Yeah, with my own money.

Your arms flew up to your naked chest and mound, to cover up and save your modesty.

He growled, pulling them away and pressing them on the mattress above you. “These better fucking stay here all night, understood?”

You were too afraid to do anything but nod.

“Never popped anyone’s cherry before... this should be interesting,” he snaked a hand between your bodies, pinching your clit causing you to jerk away from him.

He didn't bother fingering you or preparing you, he knew you'd be tighter without it - he had about enough of foreplay anyway.

“Please, be gentle,” you requested, looking up at him through your doe eyes, pleading him - you had never felt so utterly helpless.

He cruelly laughed at your misery, his lips curled up in a devilish smirk, “I don't do gentle, kitten. You'll take what I fucking give you - ” he growled positioning himself between your legs, brushing his leaking tip over your chaste, untouched folds “and then thank me for it. Like the slut you are.”

You couldn't even begin to grasp or point out the logical fallacy of a virgin slut as his cock plunged into your heat, piercing through your virginity, splitting you in half.

Your back arched off the bed, you slapped your hands over your mouth to keep from screaming. It was painful, that was all you felt - pain. As he held onto your waist, his fingers digging in your flesh, his hips pulling out and then driving into you with an unrelenting pace.

You could not stop crying, or twisting your head from side to side. Knowing it was all you could do - he wouldn’t stop - no matter how much you pleaded. You weren’t sure you wanted him to stop.

He pressed a few kisses and nips to the crook of your neck, sucking on a spot as you held back a moan.

He propped himself up on his elbows to look down at you, your eyes and nose swollen, your make up running down your face - you looked more beautiful than you ever had before.

“You look so pretty when you cry, kitten,” he cooed, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your lips.

He kept driving his cock into you, searching for that special spot as you kept mewling under him.

His heart swelled with pride, nobody’s ever fucked you before, he’s the first man that’s ever seen you naked or to be inside you.

“Do you want me to stop?” he stilled his hips, “Just say the word then.” He knew you wouldn’t.

You sniffled, shaking your head, “No, keep going, please.”

His lips curled up in a grin, taking some kind of twisted pleasure in your misery, “You’re something else, kitten.”

“Oh,” you closed your eyes, your toes curling, your legs holding onto his waist as you felt your orgasm creeping up on you.

Ransom leaned over you when he felt your heat convulsing around him, pulling your earlobe between his teeth, “This is the tightest little cunt I’ve ever fucked,” he grunted, driving each word home with a powerful thrust. “You like that, kitten?”

All you could do was nod, the pain was well as much more subdued now but you were still sore and exhausted. “Yes, I like it.”

“We’re going to do this every night from now on.”

He pulled out fisting his cock over you - he wasn’t going to impregnate his newest plaything - his white, hot spend painting your stomach and titts.

Your fingers swirled the sticky substance around on your skin, you were curious to see what it tasted like. You clenched your legs shut, your pussy still tingly. This was not how you planned your first time to go but you had no regrets.

You knew you were absolutely wrong to think so but being desired by Ransom gave you a strange kind of pride.

You gasped when you heard a click, sitting up on your elbows you looked at Ransom clicking pictures of your pussy with his phone.

“Wh - what’re you doing?” you tried to close your legs but he kept a firm hand on your knee.

“Just need a souvenir,” he responded, taking some more of his cum on your body and then putting his phone in his pocket. He swirled a finger around the blood on your inner thigh, bringing it up to paint the crimson on your mouth, “Go clean yourself up. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

You smiled as he kissed you, “Okay, Ransom.”

Even with your pussy freshly fucked - you couldn’t wait for his next visit.

Tags will be in the reblog! Click the link in the bio to be join the taglist or shoot me an ask/dm.

Comments and reblogs are really appreciated! ❤❤

[discojupiters]

Another Lonely Night in New York

Casually uploading Bee Gees fanfic as if I haven't had this account for almost five years and I'm just now using it to post stuff because I am upset at the lack of Bee Gees fanfic that exists and I need to change that also cuz I haven't posted on any form of social media in literal ages and I just really want an excuse to post classic rock shitposts and whatnot. :D

Ao3 link to the fanfic if you'd prefer to read it there

Another Lonely Night in New York

Robin/Fluff

The rain had been predominantly worse at night than it had been in the morning. Dense raindrops splattered onto Robin's hotel room window as he sat near the window, flinching every now and then at the speed at which the pellets of rain struck the window. The weather had been like this for almost the entirety of Robin's stay in Manhattan, which made it difficult for him to see many of sights that he originally intended to see. He stayed for nearly 4 days straight cooped up in his hotel room and if he forced himself to stay in there a minute longer, he was about to go mentally insane; he had to get out and go outside for a stroll. Despite the brutal showers and the absence of an umbrella, he put on his coat and made his way down to the lobby and out the door. He knew not where his first stop would be nor how long he'd be out, all he knew was that he needed fresh air, whether the air was battling fierce weather or not. Robin trekked out east in hopes to find something worthy of his time.

Robin had originally desired to head to New York in order to find inspiration for new music for his solo album that he was working on. After the Bee Gees decided to take a break for a bit following the release of Living Eyes, Robin found himself in a great opportunity to release more solo albums and expand his talent as a songwriter. His intentions were unfortunately tampered with as the climate in New York at this time was not the best. Little to no inspiration had crossed through his mind for the entirety of his trip and he only had one more day before he needed to be back in London to begin recording sessions.

Robin's mind was as blank as a fresh piece of paper as he strolled through the streets of midtown Manhattan. Bright and colorful lights guided him to Times Square in what felt like no time. Robin had only prayed that something in those lively, radiant billboards and lights would make a light bulb go off in his head and give him enough material to write a perfect song.

The rain showed no signs of stopping any time soon, and it wasn't until now that Robin realized how foolish he looked sopping wet with his hair sticking to his face and neck while everyone else were as dry as bones under their umbrellas. Robin reached for the hood of his coat to hide his drenched hair only to notice he brought the coat without a hood instead of the other one he had in his room that did have a hood. He thought for a moment about heading back to the hotel to spare the rest of his embarrassment but he kept walking, tenacious to find even the smallest bit of inspiration for a new song.

The stop at a crosswalk was the first break Robin had given his legs in God knows how long the amount of time he had been walking for. They ached almost enough for Robin's knees to buckle and give out on him. He could feel people staring at him, businessmen coming home late from their office jobs, young fools in love heading to various restaurants and clubs downtown, rebellious teens on their way to their secret hideouts. All these people nice and dry under their umbrellas while they stared at the lonely freak in New York who couldn't have even bothered to bring the correct coat in order to save his head from the rainfall.

'Another lonely night in New York'

Eagerly waiting for the crosswalk light to flash white, at this point he couldn't wait until it was time to go back home to London. This trip had been nothing but disappointing to him. No benefits to his song writing or even his own well being what so ever. The only thing he'd catch from this trip now would be a cold from the rainwater coating his entire body, making his pants stick to his legs, seeping into his sneakers and making his socks damp, that he'd have to deal with once he got back home. On the bright side if he did catch a cold then he would be able to delay the recording sessions until his voice got better which would give him more time to write some more material for the album.

'The city of dreams just keeps on getting me down'

In the midst of all the dismay washing over him, he almost didn't notice that the rain had suddenly begun to repel him. He could still see the rain in front of him, yet none of it was touching him anymore. Puzzled, he looked above his head to see what had happened, but all he spotted was a black, dome shaped piece of nylon; the canopy of an umbrella above his head. The misty scent of perfume filled his nostrils. He glanced over to the right of him to find a woman holding the umbrella over his head for him. Her resting face was nonchalant as she peered across the street, also waiting for the crosswalk light to turn white, but she gave a coy smile to Robin when she noticed him staring at her.

Robin wanted to speak up, wanted to thank the winsome young lady for sharing her umbrella with him, but the words wouldn't come to him. As the crosswalk light finally changed, everyone made their way across the street. New Yorkers were fast walkers, it was strenuous to keep up with the woman. Her strut was self-assured, even in the six inch stilettos that she wore; it was like she injected confidence into her veins every morning. Robin was mesmerized by her. He was still thinking about the smile she gave him when they were on the other side of the crosswalk, trying his best to hide a cheeky, daydreaming smile.

As the walk with the woman continued, Robin couldn't help but wonder: Was he going to be following this woman around until she reached her destination? Did they both have the same destination? Robin didn't even know where he would end up, he wracked his brain wondering if this woman was gonna lead him somewhere or if she was just doing a quick favor and wanted him to leave now. The woman hadn't spoke the whole time. Her nonchalant expression turned into a gentle smile yet she refused to look at Robin anymore than that one glance she shot at him when he noticed her.

Robin and the woman were now exiting Times Square, the high-spirited lights merely staining the background now as the woman continued to head for the subway. Robin knew right then and there that it was time for him to head back, as much as he adored this woman, he couldn't take a chance. He didn't know her and God forbid he let himself get killed tonight all because he had love fogging up his brain just for a woman who did a single kind deed for him. Again, Robin's mouth couldn't open to say a goodbye. It was like his throat was frozen every time he was near this woman. After an extensive fight to make the words come out, he gave up and instead stayed put in his spot on the sidewalk, waiting for the woman to notice and hopefully say goodbye first. After the woman reached a few paces noticing Robin had left her side, she worriedly glanced around, holding onto her hair to make sure the rain didn't touch it. She glimpsed behind her to find Robin slowly sauntering backwards in order to give her the indication that he was leaving. She relaxed her arms as her gloved hands waved goodbye to Robin, granting him the same kittenish smile she had given him earlier that night. Robin waved back and finally turned around to make his way back to the hotel.

Robin tried hard not to glance back every few seconds to get one last look at the woman, but failed miserably; he couldn't help it. After fully losing sight of the woman, he ran back to his hotel. He was grateful that she helped him, yet suddenly glum now that he was aware that he may never see that woman again. He didn't know anything about her, not her name, not her voice, not her story, but that didn't stop him from falling head over heels for her. He knew that feeling wouldn't last long, it would probably be gone by the time he'd step foot on the plane back to London, but it was a nice thought to occupy his mind with for the time being. It fascinated him at times that he could be so in love with a woman that he knew absolutely nothing about all because she noticed him and did something good for him.

'Cause my baby's no longer around and my feelings can never be found'

Robin made it back to the hotel, tracking puddles of the water all the way up to his room. The first thing he did upon entering his room was remove all of his drenched clothes and head for the shower. Once he dried himself off, he frantically searched the room for a pencil and paper, heading to his window when he finally had one. Before he could even write down a single lyric, he found her. The woman who had helped him. She was making her way down the street of the hotel as if she had been walking in circles this entire time. Was she actually trying to reach a certain destination? Or was she just out and about looking for men to swoon over her through her acts of kindness? It didn't matter to Robin, because at least he got to take one last look at her that night. That was all he needed for inspiration. If that woman was enough to give a songwriter with writer's block inspiration for a new song, than in Robin's book that woman was enough to make the world go 'round. Robin wrote down lyrics as swiftly as they came to him.

'Another lonely night in New York, and my sorry eyes are looking out on the world'

[giuliafc]

Caught in the Loop - chapter 2

Read the whole story:

Ao3 || FFN || Wattpad

Chat Noir bets to Ladybug that he loves the girl behind the spots, no matter who she is. Ladybug bets to Chat Noir that he's only her partner and best friend, she doesn't love him 'that' way. What happens when they accept to get caught into a spiritual 'loop' , living through many alternate realities to prove that they're right and win their bet? They end up losing it, of course. They lose ROYALLY. Lovesquare identity reveal with a twist!

Cover art credit: Rosehealer02

Chapter 2 — Jealousy

Marinette woke with a start. She sat up in a mad haste and then blinked and looked around. And then blinked again. What was she doing in her room? Last thing she remembered, she was in a closet with Chat Noir and Chaoss had triggered the loop. Why was she in her—she looked at her legs and winced—bed? She had been in school. What was going on?

"Oh, good morning, Marinette," came a voice from her back and Marinette turned around to see Tikki rub her little eyes sleepily. "It's unusual for you to wake up so early."

Marinette looked at her watch and saw that it was 5.30 AM. She collapsed back on her bed, landing on her back, and put a hand on her forehead, moving her hair from it with the gesture.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" The little red kwami moved from her place on the side of Marinette's pillow and started floating over her face.

"I… I must have had a dream, Tikki. Nothing—"

She wanted to say 'nothing to worry about', but as she was starting to say that, she turned around on her left to look at the pictures of Adrien and Luka on the side of her bed. The second her gaze landed on the little showcase on display on her wall, she felt herself sucking her breath in and her heart stopped. She found herself unable to continue her sentence as all blood drained from her face.

In full display on her showcase weren't the pictures of Adrien and Luka, nor the other pictures of her friends she remembered having there. No. At the centre of the showcase was a blown up version of… what looked like… a kiss between Ladybug and Chat Noir? There were cuts from magazines and newspapers showing the two heroes together, in poses that Marinette didn't remember having ever struck and doing things that she didn't remember having done. Couple things? She bolted in a sitting position so fast that her head banged on the ceiling of her bed's mezzanine.

"Ouch," she muttered as her hands ran to the tender spot on the top of her head where her skull had met the wall. "That hurts!" She opened her eyes again, hoping that the pain she had just felt would wake her up from whatever daydream she had fallen in, but the pictures of her alter ego in a romantic engagement with her partner didn't go away. They kept glaring at her, almost loudly.

"Marinette, you're more clumsy than usual this morning," mused Tikki. The frown on her face was one of concern. "Maybe you should tell your mother that you're not feeling well? Stay at home?"

Marinette's heart was playing overdrive. Her hand moved to the picture of Ladybug kissing Chat Noir and stroked her partner's face. She moved her hand to every picture and newspaper article.

Hang on, a newspaper article?

Marinette removed the pin on one of the articles attached to her showcase and picked it up, starting to read it, but it was only an account of the fight against Dark Owl, exactly like she remembered it. She was nearly putting it back to its place, but when she reached the end, her eyes widened as she read, 'after Ladybug captured the akuma, our beloved couple of superheroes celebrated the victory again with their trademark kiss on the lips.'

"Their WHAT?" she whispered. Her heart was in her throat. She stood up in a haste from her bed and nearly somersaulted down the stairs of her mezzanine. When she reached the floor of her bedroom and looked around, the pictures that greeted her were none that she could remember. Her whole room was plastered with pictures of Ladybug and Chat Noir's achievements. She moved the mouse of her computer and even her lockscreen was different! Instead of the collage she had made with modelling pictures of Adrien, her eyes were met with a similar collage—of Chat Noir? What. The. Proverbial. Heck—? The more her eyes darted from one side of her room to the next, the more her face felt drained of blood and her heart felt like freezing in her chest.

"Marinette? Can you tell me what's going on? Why are you looking at the pictures of your boyfriend as if you've seen a three headed monster?" When Tikki said that, Marinette's panic doubled. No, who was she kidding. It tripled. Quadrupled. CENTUPLED.

"My what?" She turned towards the kwami and stared into her concerned blue eyes with her terrified ones.

"Your—boyfriend. That nightmare must have been really bad, Marinette." Tikki moved a paw to her forehead. "Or maybe you've come down with something. Maybe you should transform and tell Chat Noir you're not feeling well and ask if he can be Mr. Bug for the day. I can bring him the earrings."

Marinette brought her hands to her temples. "This… doesn't make sense, Tikki. I was in a closet with Chat Noir. He was saying, as always, that he would love me no matter who I was, and I told him, as always, that for me he was only my best friend, and then you and Plagg started talking about this loop, and then Chaoss app—" She was interrupted by Tikki's paws on her lips.

"Chaoss you said? The loop?" Her eyes were now wide. "Okay, so now everything makes sense."

Marinette groaned. "What do you mean it all makes sense? What's going on and what happened to my pictures of Adrien?" Her voice rose a whole octave as she said the last couple of words.

Tikki sighed. "Adrien, you say? Oh yes, that makes perfect sense." She must have noticed the look of pure confusion Marinette had shot at her, because the little kwami gave her a pat on the cheek and smiled softly. "I can't be more precise with you, Marinette. You're not my Marinette, I can't give you too much information. From what I heard, in your reality you and Chat Noir are only friends."

Marinette didn't know why, but the way Tikki had said those words and the gleam in her eyes as she said them took her aback. The words of the kwami resounded in her head a few times and she widened her eyes in shock.

"So this is part of the loop?" she asked.

Tikki nodded. "Yes. This is not your reality, it's one of the realities you will be put through as part of the loop." Marinette breathed better.

"So I haven't gone completely mad or something, this isn't real. It's only part of the loop process," she mused under her breath.

Tikki's eyes hardened. "No, Marinette. This reality is as real as the reality you live in. It's an alternate reality that hasn't happened in your timeline, but it doesn't mean that it's less real or that doing something here won't have consequences for the world as it is in this reality, and for my Marinette when she will be back."

"I-I don't understand," said Marinette.

"You have been sent here for a reason, Marinette. Did you say that your part of the loop was betting that he was only a friend for you?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes, he's my partner and my best friend. I mean—" She lowered her gaze. "—he did tell me that he loved me, when we faced Glaciator. He had prepared a beautiful rooftop lit with candles and gave me a gorgeous red rose. But I rejected him because I love Adrien." Tikki seemed to be trying to say something but Marinette continued quickly, "I know it's only a dream to be with Adrien, but I can't help it."

"So you're not Adrien's girlfriend either?" asked Tikki.

Marinette shook her head. "I wish. No, I'm not. And he has a girlfriend now, but I still can't forget him. I have even tried to go out with another boy, Luka. And he's great and all but… I can't be truthful with him and we recently broke up. I can't have a relationship with someone and have to run away from him every five minutes because of an akuma. Luka was great, I really liked him, but I hurt him because I couldn't tell him the truth and that's when I realised that while I'm Ladybug there's no space for romance in my life." She couldn't help it, she felt her eyes filling with tears and covered her face hastily with her hands, as deep sobs shook her frame. She felt Tikki's paw patting her head softly.

"What about your Chat Noir? You said he went in the loop because he wanted to prove to you that he would love you whoever you are, so he still loves you, and deeply."

"He does," said Marinette in between sobs. "That's what he kept telling me from the start. I told you I had to reject him after André was turned into Glaciator because I couldn't reciprocate his feelings."

"But if you're trying to move on from your feelings about Adrien, if Adrien has become unattainable because he has a girlfriend, why turn to someone like Luka and not give Chat Noir a chance? He's not doing that badly as your boyfriend here."

Marinette took her face off her hands and gave a very watery look to her red spotted friend. Her heart hurt at Tikki's words and she wasn't entirely certain why. Was it because Tikki had just pointed out that Marinette had treated Chat Noir not even as a second choice, but a third? Was it because she had said that he was a good boyfriend? She had never doubted he would be; in fact, there was a time when she had thought that, had Adrien not been in the picture, she may have fallen in love with Chat Noir. So… why did she turn to Luka when she needed someone to be with? Why not Chat Noir who had been patiently waiting for her for such a long time? The pang of guilt attacked her heart so suddenly that it caught her by surprise.

"I…" she started to say, but Tikki smiled and put her paws on her mouth.

"You don't need to tell me anything, Marinette. You don't need to justify yourself. But you know what?" she said as her paws left her lips and she met Marinette's gaze with hers. "You're here now to learn a lesson, and I have an idea what that lesson may be." She gave Marinette a smug look and that shocked her a bit. She wasn't used to seeing such a look on her kwami's face—it was more common to see it on Alya's.

"I have no doubts that Chat Noir would be a great boyfriend, Tikki, but I can't be with him because of Chat Blanc," she eventually said.

Tikki looked surprised. "Chat Blanc?"

"It hasn't happened here?" Marinette asked. At Tikki's surprised 'no', her heart beat a bit faster. "One day in my timeline, Bunnyx appeared and brought me to the future. Everything had been destroyed, the moon had been Cataclysmed, and Chat Noir was all white and sitting atop Montparnasse Tower, heart broken. He said that our love had done that to the world. I thought it was a sign that I couldn't be with Chat Noir! Does he know my identity here?" she asked hastily, suddenly fearing that she had been thrown into the reality where Chat Noir had turned into Chat Blanc.

Tikki shook her head. "No, he doesn't. You're only together as superheroes."

"Am I the Guardian even here?" she asked after breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes, you are. Something happened a few weeks ago when Hawkmoth akumatised your classmate Chloé."

So that hadn't changed. She nodded absent-mindedly and took another look at one of the pictures in her room. That one wasn't cut from a newspaper but had probably been taken either with her yoyo or with Chat's baton and printed with her printer; it showed them snuggled together on a rooftop, both smiling.

He had a nice smile there and looked really happy, but it wasn't what surprised her. SHE looked happy too. She ran a finger over the picture, contouring Chat's face and smile, and then sighed.

"That picture was taken a couple of nights ago, after an akuma," revealed Tikki.

So… she wasn't heartbroken here? She wasn't drowning under the heaviness of the responsibility of being a Guardian? She looked genuinely happy. Her gaze darted around and she examined all the pictures she could get close to, looking at her face. Looking at her eyes.

She was happy. Her heart sank. Was she the cause of her own heartache? Had she been rejecting the only boy she could possibly date and be happy with? A boy whose sex-appeal she had never been totally unaware of, nor unaffected by. By the time she thought all of that, her heart was pounding madly in her chest. Had she been a fool in rejecting Chat Noir?

"I… look so… happy," she muttered under her breath.

Tikki flew next to her. "Are you not happy in your reality?" She didn't need to say anything for Tikki to understand. She only needed to look at the kwami. "Oh. You're not."

She shook her head and grabbed the picture that Tikki had said had been taken only a couple of nights before. She gave a very long look full of longing at both their faces, their smiles, their closeness, how his arm wrapped around her shoulder, how she leaned into his chest, how softly they were both looking at each other, the warmth in their eyes and in their smiles. She wanted that. She craved that. She wanted someone to hug her like that. To look at her like that. Someone to lean on like that.

Was she feeling jealous of… herself? Envious of what her self had in this reality? When the realisation hit, she could hardly breathe.

"I need to see him, Tikki," she said as she put her clothes on and then put the picture in the pocket of her jeans.

"If you do—" started Tikki, but Marinette cut her off.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt his feelings."

Tikki put her paws on Marinette's mouth. "I'm not worried about that at all, Marinette. You look as if you need a hug and I can't do that for you." Marinette nodded, her eyes filling with tears again as Tikki continued, "Just transform, call him and meet him at the Eiffel Tower. He's used to you waking up in a mood where you need a hug; especially recently, with all the responsibilities of being a Guardian. But can you do me a favour?" Marinette nodded. "Don't pretend to be her. Just… go with the flow and try to enjoy it. Give him a good shot. Tell him you're not the Ladybug he knows, because he may feel the difference and ask you about it. He can take it, don't underestimate him."

Marinette smiled. "I will, Tikki, thank you."

"You know the words," chirped the red kwami.

"Tikki, spots on!" said Marinette and as the pink energy wrapped on her body, she landed on the mezzanine with one jump, and then flew out of the skylight door.

oOoOoOoOoOo

When she landed on the usual spot at the top of the Eiffel Tower, she hastily picked up the Bugphone and dialled Chat's number. As expected, the phone went into voicemail.

"Has the cat got your tongue? Leave a message! (1)" She smiled softly at hearing the exact same voicemail message that she was used to. Her Chaton was always the same, no matter which reality she was in. But when she heard the beep and knew that it was her moment to speak, her heart started going overdrive. She had told Tikki that she wouldn't pretend and that she was going to be honest with this Chat Noir. But he was used to a different Ladybug, a Ladybug whom she did not know enough about to mimic. What if he didn't like her? What if she ruined the happy life of her self in this reality by hurting involuntarily his feelings? Why had she decided to call him? What did she want to prove? Her eyes filled with tears and she just hung up the phone. She didn't have the heart to ask him to come; and in some way, she felt as if she was stealing someone else's boyfriend for a cuddle. No, it was much better if she didn't call him. She would live this reality and see him today if an akuma appeared—yes, that was the best idea.

She wiped away the tears that had already streamed from her eyes and looked for a while at the dimness of the early morning hours turning into daylight, as the sun lazily started its journey across the sky and darkness faded into shades of red and gold. A cool breeze was gently blowing in her face and hair and the sound of the sparrows and swallows chirping was slowly filling the silence of the night. She was so lost in her thoughts and so busy contemplating the view that she completely missed the light thump behind her, until she felt two arms wrapping around her waist; she gasped loudly.

"Did I scare you, Buginette?" said Chat Noir after placing a kiss on the top of her head. Marinette's heart went into overdrive. Oh no. She was so not ready to face him! Why was he there, she hadn't left a message or anything.

"A little," she confessed, looking down to the ground. She barely noticed that he had moved and had sat down next to her. "Why are you here, Chat?"

He tilted his head on the left slightly and gave her a doubtful look. "Are you okay, mon amour? I got a missed call from you on my communicator and you had hung up without saying good morning. If you allow me to say so, M'lady, that was purr-etty out of character for you. Even now you seem… strange. Have you been up again all night trying to figure out how to increase your powers? Do you need a boyfriend hug?" He opened his arms wide and Marinette, who had already felt all blood rush to her face the moment he had called her 'mon amour', felt somehow her face getting even warmer. Her heart was beating so hard in her throat that she felt it even in her ears. Her throat felt dry all of a sudden and her hands felt like ice as her eyes filled with tears.

She looked with longing at the arms open in invitation. She needed this. All her being needed this. Would it be really such a bad thing to take advantage of someone else's boyfriend like this? Was he really someone else's boyfriend in the first place? A part of her was screaming that yes, he was, because she wasn't the Ladybug he was in love with. But another part of herself was debating the point and arguing that she was still Ladybug. What harm could there be in getting a little comfort?

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you, minou. Really, it's nothing. I feel silly I even called y—" As Marinette was saying that, Chat Noir started rubbing a hand down her back, and eventually began giving her a light massage on the neck. This made Marinette go quiet, as she didn't know how to react. Her chaton didn't give her back rubs!

"What’s wrong, Buginette? You usually don't tense like this when I give you a little rub on the back." Marinette's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to be looking at her with a frown as his hands carried on what felt like expert work on her neck. Slowly, Marinette felt her tension fading and when he moved a finger down her spine, she couldn't avoid moaning and shivering. She tensed slightly, as she felt somehow ashamed at how that moan had sounded a little… lecherous? But she couldn't help it; he was too good at it. As his hand reached a spot she didn't know was causing her tension and eased it, making her feel, for the first time in a very long while, calm and relaxed, she instinctively leaned into him, a satisfied little smile curling her lips.

"God you're good at this," she muttered under her breath. Then she felt his arms wrapping tightly around her and she decided that she didn't care if this felt like taking someone else's boyfriend. Technically, she was still her self. Tikki's words also came back to her mind and she finally let herself go.

"Try to enjoy it," Tikki had said. She shouldn't feel guilty about it, should she? For a fraction of a second, as she felt his arms wrap around her she thought of Adrien. But a fraction of a second later, she mentally slapped her own head in shame. Why was she thinking of another boy when she was in Chat Noir's arms trying to enjoy the fact he was her boyfriend? What kind of person was she? She felt ashamed of herself. Then she realised why. Chat Noir smelled like Adrien. That mixture of 'Adrien — the fragrance' and… the smell of… dirty socks? No. She hugged him more tightly and inhaled deeply on the side of his neck, taking in his scent for the very first time. It was smelly cheese. Oh yes, Plagg ate Camembert right? That's what the smell was, Camembert cheese. So it was understandable that Chat Noir would smell of that. And maybe try to camouflage it by wearing a little too much cologne. Somehow the mix felt almost irresistible, especially coming from him.

She had to admit that Chat Noir had some taste in his choice of cologne… She sniffed him again. Mhhhh 'Adrien — the fragrance'... heavenly smell. As she did that for the second time, she felt him chuckling.

"You're tickling me, Buginette. What was that for?" He broke the hug and looked her in the eye. His gaze was soft, a little cheeky as she always remembered it to be, but possibly, even more full of love than the looks her Chat Noir would give her. A pang of electricity struck her in the most intimate depths of her soul as she reciprocated the look. "That's the wonderful girl I love," he said, a soft smile tugging the corners of his mouth. Then he put a hand on her chin and, with no hesitation, kissed her right on the lips.

Marinette forgot how to breathe. Her eyes slammed open at what she considered a daring move, coming from her chaton. She had to remind herself, using the last brain cell that she had left, that this wasn't her chaton, or rather, that she wasn't his Ladybug. And his Ladybug was his girlfriend, he had every right to kiss her, she thought, just before deciding to let herself go completely. Her arms reached his nape and her hands sank into his golden mane. His little moan at the gesture and the purr that started rumbling in his chest when her fingers scratched behind his ears gave her confidence.

She suddenly felt a huge injection of strength within herself and leaned into him, attempting to deepen the kiss; her shock when he opened his lips and let her in made her heart triple the pace of its beats. It was happening, her brain realised all of sudden. This was her very first kiss of such an intensity. Yes, she'd kissed him before when they faced Dark Cupid (and against Oblivio, but that didn't count because none of them could remember it), but this was different. This was mutual. He was very much aware of the kiss and was responding with such ardor that she felt her knees like jelly and a pang of electricity shake her insides. He sucked on her bottom lip and then started peppering her jaw with kisses until he reached the neck of her suit, and used his hand to pull it down a little bit and start sucking on the base of her neck, right on her pulse. The moan of pleasure that escaped her lips made her blush to the roots of her hair.

Oh God, please. She needed more. She wanted more. Let this moment never end! She attacked his lips with hers and deepened the kiss again almost immediately. She felt a physical need to taste him, to be close to him, to become one thing with him. It was almost a primal instinct and deciding to go with the flow, she let her hair completely loose. This was where she really wanted to be, where she really should have been from the very start.

As she thought that, she was making her timid imitation of what he had done that had lit a burning fire in her soul, by leaving his kiss-swollen lips and starting to lick his jaw and his neck down until she reached his suit. She copied what he had done and moved his suit on the neck and tried to suck on the skin like he did, but the second she did that, images of Adrien filled her mind, and she froze on the spot, panting hard.

Why on Earth was she thinking of Adrien while she was making out with Chat Noir? Yes, he smelled exactly like Adrien and this was driving her insane. But it wasn't fair to him. Bad, bad Marinette. He may smell like Adrien but was that enough for triggering her body's response? Was she going to want to make out with any boy who wore the 'Adrien — the fragrance' perfume? No, she was sure of that. The smell wasn't what was triggering it. It was something else. Was it… guilt? Her feeling guilty because she was making out with Chat Noir? Or was it maybe that he really reminded her of him?

He was also panting hard as she kept sucking, but when she stopped, she noticed that he went a little rigid and now seemed uncomfortable. He purposely put his hands on her shoulders and moved her a little bit, to look into her eyes. Marinette's heart was pounding so madly in her chest that she thought it would soon come out as she panted deep and hard.

He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look at him, a gleam of confusion in his electric green eyes. "Who are you?" he asked and Marinette's eyes widened in shock.

Shoot. Of course she wasn't at all comparable to his girlfriend who had been used to doing those things with him for a very long time. Now she was in trouble. She lowered her gaze, unable to look at him in the eye and felt all blood rush to her face.

"I…" she started to say, but Chat Noir stopped her and started looking around her as if he was trying to find something.

"Are you a… sentimonster?" he asked himself, but then corrected himself immediately, "No, that's impossible. A sentimonster would have tried to grab my ring after distracting me." He must have seen that she had reached a shade of red deeper than her Ladybug suit because a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he again grabbed her chin and forced her to make eye contact.

"I… I'm Ladybug. Really, Chaton. I swear, I'm not a sentimonster, you don't need to be worried about me. Just… Oh, I don't know how to explain it to you!"

Chat Noir picked his baton up and had a look at the time. "It's only 6.30 in the morning. There's plenty of time," he mused. Then he leaned with his back against the metal structure of the tower and crossed his legs, and his arms on his chest. "Maybe you could start from the beginning. I won't leave until I know what happened to my Buginette."

Marinette wished the ground would swallow her whole, but she knew that Chat Noir was right. Not only had she technically taken advantage of another girl's boyfriend, but she had deceived him, not telling him the truth. Telling more lies would have just made her hole wider. And deeper.

She sighed, looked down and started to talk.

———————————————-

Notes:

(1) thank you to the Miraculous Wiki for the transcript of "The Collector" where I've taken Chat Noir's Canon voicemail.

———————————————-

Author's note

———————————————-

Hi there! That's chapter 2… hope you liked it! Sorry it took me so long to update. I went through a little block and couldn't write anything for a while, so I started translating one of my long stories in Italian to get some inspiration back.

Now the inspiration is back though, so keep following! I decided to update the Loop because it was the story that got the most reviews while I was having a block. So if you're curious to know how Marinette's first loop will end and about Chat Noir's first loop too… you know the drill. Reblog with tags and comments, let me know what you think! I love reading your comments, and your reviews have been what has brought me out of the block I was having. So carry on commenting!

Also, if you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon.

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[AO3 LINK]

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I actually didn't see much of her for the next week. First and foremost, because Comeau took a week off to go do something arty so his shifts fell in my lap, and secondly because…

Well, I don't know. She just wasn't around. It started to worry me after the first few days. Did I just act too surly and actually drive away the only ray of sunshine in my otherwise drab world? Listen to me wax fucking poetic. Been talking to Steph too much, maybe.

But when she popped back up again, it was where I was least expecting it.

I had gone into Tim Horton's to use the washrooms — that's all, I think they're just barely better than the swill at Starbucks and equally overpriced. While I was peeing, I heard from the next stall…

"KIM?!"

So this next thing isn't all that easy for me to tell you about. I let out a HUGE fart. I mean, she literally scared it out of me so I think I can be forgiven, but the entire washroom went pretty quiet right after that was pretty loud. Just about the most embarrassing moment of my short, sweet existence.

Clearing my throat, I tried to make my voice higher and reedier, like an old lady's voice. "Sorry, dear, I don't know who Kim is!"

"Come on, Kim, I know it's you! I can see that freckle on your toe!" My toes scrunched in on themselves, digging into the flip flops. "Too late!"

"Why would you even have noticed that?!" I demanded, hating that she caught me like this. Seriously, if the toilet flushed and sucked me down into an unknown subspace pocket, I'd have been grateful.

"Last week, while we were kicking back at your coffee table and listening to music?" Her running shoes scuffed nervously at the tile. "Noticed you have a freckle there since we weren't doing much of anything else. Dunno why, guess I just think it's cute."

"I have plenty of freckles. Why is this one cute?"

"Because it's in the middle of your middle toe? Not really sure…" Then I heard her flush. "So, whatcha up to?"

"Trying to pee. Which I did, a little prematurely. But at least I already had my pants down, so I guess it could have been way worse. Why, what about you?"

As I emerged from the stall, I expected her to be out there already. But she was going, "Hang on, just getting things situated…" There was a little rustling, and then she emerged with her arms spread wide, as if giving a glorious reveal…

Wearing a barista uniform. For the antichrist conglomerate slowly devouring Canada.

"You work here now?!" I exclaimed, glancing up and down the brown-and-black uniform, at the little visor perched atop her head. "Why? I thought you had a job at Second Cup."

"I had to quit when I went to uni," she said reasonably as she went to wash her hands, glancing down at her slacks and then back over at me when I joined her at the sink. "But um, I wanted to have a little more spending money when I get back for my second year, y'know? And Second Cup is fully staffed right now, and so is Delicious Cup — I already asked. And with Julie working there…"

"Nah, I get you." Seriously, somebody needed to smack some sense into Powers.

Towelling off her hands, she asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you hated Timmy."

"Well, 'hate' is a strong word…" An accurate one. Though I'll admit, I got some really shitty service in Montreal one year that kind of solidified it from disinterest to hate. "Just needed to use the can."

"Right. Well, we do have one of those!"

"Yeah. Um…" My voice was quavering a little, I felt stupid. "Sorry for… y'know, when I…"

"Didn't say 'pardon me'? It's cool," she laughed. A sigh of relief erupted from me; I really was grateful she didn't make me say it, or say it herself. "This is the place to do that, right?"

Nodding, I towelled off myself. It was weird. We were being weird, and I couldn't quite figure out why… until she put her finger on it for us.

"But yeah, starting the job has been pretty crazy. I meant to drop by sometime this week, but with work, and my mom's birthday, and stuff…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," I said with a smile of relief. She wasn't ditching me. That shouldn't have mattered as much as it did, but I was seriously soothed to know that. "Been quiet around No-Account." At the last second, I stopped myself from adding "without you" to the end of that.

"I'm really, really sorry. But I can make up for it! This week is less crazy. Wanna go to the zoo?"

For some reason, that made me chuckle. Something I almost never do lately, and her suggestion of going to the zoo was enough. "Really? But it's so far away, and so pricey…"

"I just got my first paycheck. My treat, to make up for being gone lately."

"Well…" Again, she did that weird thing where she enchanted me with her warmth and enthusiasm so much that I couldn't say 'no'. "What day? I'll probably be working."

"Then you pick. I get off at five today, so that's not enough time, but I'm off Saturday…"

"Me, too. Around noon?"

"Sure," she answered with that sweet, shy smile that made me want to flush her down the can. "Meet up there, or at your place first?"

"We can just meet there." I turned toward the washroom door, but something was holding me back. "Um…" I wanted to say something about how much I missed her, even though I didn't fully comprehend why. "Hey…" I wanted her to know that despite how shitty of an attitude I had sometimes, I really truly valued our fucked-up, almost-one-sided friendship.

And while I was stammering, trying to get past my hangups, she hugged me from behind. "Yeah." Then she released me and held the door open. "My break's probably way over by now."

"Right," I sighed. "Go back to slinging brown water. See you tomorrow."

"See ya!"

And she went back behind the counter, while I went down the street shaking my head so violently that it almost came loose and bounced across to the other side.

                                      ~ o ~

The zoo was fine. I'd visited it before, of course, but it had been years. More or less you can expect the animals to do the same things they did the last time, so it's not like a repeat visit will reveal anything new.

But the animals ranged from cute to interesting; giraffes and cheetahs and hyenas, oh my. Knives wanted to look at literally everything, and who was I to stop her? This was the reason we came, so it would be dumb for even me to act like that was strange of her. Meanwhile, I walked around with an iced capp I got from near Tundra Trek and mostly watched her reactions, skipping around in that white babydoll tee and jean shorts, eyes wide and mouth flapping about how much fun she was having, and how big this animal was or how small that one was. That was the real attraction for me.

Which began to worry me a little. Really, this whole thing with Knives already did. Not because I was developing some big gay crush; I didn't think that was it, and I'm no homophobe. But if I wasn't crushing on her, then what was I doing? This was such a weird friendship, and kind of the opposite of the casual relationship I normally enjoyed with my sparse acquaintances. Something about it was so… intense. But that was probably all Knives, and very little from my end. She was a force of nature.

Once we had seen and done most of everything there was to do without paying extra, like buying souvenirs that nobody would care about in two days, we headed back to catch the bus toward our respective homes. When she brought up dinner, I almost jumped on it.

"Let's do Sneaky Dee's. It sucks, but if we get there early enough, it might not be deafening and full of annoying college kids."

"Like me?"

"Yes, like you. One is enough."

"Hmm, I was gonna head back to my house, but…" Her cheeks bunched in a smile. "You think we could get Stephen or Julie to show up? Make it a real reunion."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

Her smile slipped a notch. "Do you not want them to come?"

"Nah, it's fine. Even if Julie is a cunt lately, especially to you."

"That's just Julie," she laughed it off. Not that I thought she should have; the way she acted toward Knives was totally unacceptable, and I still wanted to give her a piece of my mind about it. "Just Stephen then."

Shrugging, I stretched my arms overhead and crossed them behind my neck as we rode along. "What about Neil?"

"He probably wouldn't want to see me. Too many awkward memories." Then she cleared her throat to push past that detail. "Steph could come, though."

"Sure. She's been acting like she wants to hang outside of practices and shit lately. So… I'll invite her, maybe Stephen and Joseph. Julie can eat a bag of dicks."

That seemed to startle her slightly. At first, I thought maybe I had gone too far, but instead she whispered, "I've never heard that phrase before. It's hilarious! Because like, a whole bag of dicks!" She giggled, and I giggled with her. Sometimes I just couldn't help it around that doofus.

                                      ~ o ~

Not too much later, we were in Sneaky Dee's. It's kind of a grubby hole, but the food is pretty good, drinks are medium-cheap and sometimes they play decent music. Steph showed and so did Stephen, though Joseph stayed back because he was busy "mixing". Probably a lie, but who cares? Knives made a dumb joke about "Steph and Stephen", which made Steph laugh while Stephen and I just rolled our eyes at each other.

It was nice. We talked about the Sex Bob-omb days, and the Sonic and Knuckles days before that. Made noises about getting a band together ourselves, but with Dynamite Headdy doing as well as it was, Stephen had no real motivation to spin more plates.

Everything was going fine… until we started talking more in-depth about the end of Sex Bob-omb.

"Haven't heard from him since then," Stephen confirmed as we stared at the mostly-empty plates, patting our stomachs. In his case, scratching at his stubble. "Can you live in subspace? Like, I still don't really understand that whole thing very well."

"No, I don't think it's a place you get to stay," I went on. "Of course, I've only been there once or twice. Scott dragged me through a door so we could escape from a crazy samurai." I tried not to glance at Knives, and she didn't seem to notice, either.

"I think there are subspace pockets along with the highways," she said as she sipped at her lemonade. Guess she was serious about not drinking. "But there aren't buildings or restaurants or anything there. So they must be living somewhere in normal space, right?"

Steph shrugged, leaning against the table on her elbows. "Wouldn't know. Never had much experience with it myself. So Scott dragged you through, Kim?"

My body was already freezing up, a response to being needled about my past with Scott so much. "Yeah."

"He was always kind of self-centered, in that dopey, doesn't-realise-he-is way," she mused as she stared across the restaurant at the back of the neon sign in the window. "Even when you two were dating…"

"Oh yeah," Knives said as she turned to me. "You never talked about that much." And I didn't want to now. But she wasn't going to let it drop, was she?

"What is there to say? He was an idiot, I was an idiot for not seeing how much of one he was. He liked to pretend that he rescued me from Simon to make himself more 'heroic'. I'm better off without him."

"That's what you say about Jason, too," he laughed, and I felt myself growing even more earnest in my desire to be silent and not have to react to any of this. "And… that's probably true. Sometimes I worry about Hollie going through the same thing eventually."

"She deserves it. They both do."

Pointing her fork at me, Steph said, "You always do that. Blame everyone else for all your problems. Not saying they're all your fault, either, just… maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle?"

"Always," Stephen sighed.

"Well, I think you guys are being too hard on Kim," Knives put in with a little pout, picking at the communal plate of nachos. "Scott dumped me, too, and he wasn't very smart about how he did it, but that's just Scott; he doesn't know how to handle serious stuff until he can't avoid it, I think. That's not her fault."

"Yeah, you and she both dated Scott," Steph said with a slightly suspicious smile. "Funny that you're hanging out together now, despite that."

"Why is it funny?" It was a genuine question, not an accusation. Of course it was. Knives was such a wide-eyed marshmallow.

"Uhhh, because normally you don't get along with your ex's exes?"

Shrugging, Stephen grumbled, "I get along with Julie better than most of you do."

"That's because you turned out to be gay."

"What does that have to do with it? We still broke up when I started dating Joseph."

"Have you ever noticed all our names start with an S, a K, or a J?" Knives observed out of nowhere.

"Yeah… well, except for Neil."

"Or those other guys," Steph said. "Like Lucas Lee, and the other people who Scott beat up?"

Stephen shook his head. "No, they don't count."

"Why not?"

"They aren't part of 'us', they're the bad guys," he went on reasonably, gesturing to the table with an open palm as if the gesture would help sell his argument. "But then they still do that supervillain thing." When both Steph and Knives kept staring at him in confusion, he sat up a little straighter in the hard wooden booth. "You know… Lucas Lee, Roxie Richter, Gideon Graves… Ken and Kyle Katayanagi. That thing."

"Alliteration," she breathed. "The highest form of evil."

"Ohhhhh," Knives said with a hand in front of her open mouth. "That's so weird how I never noticed! But what about Todd Ingram? I mean, I hearted The Clash At Demonhead, so I remember him better…"

"He's the outlier. I mean, not every villain has to adhere to the trope for it to be a trope."

"What's a trope?" Steph asked. But Stephen wasn't listening; he was staring at me, eyes squinting slightly. I tried to ask what he was staring at…

But I couldn't. My lips wouldn't move, and my eyes wouldn't blink. Nothing happened despite my best efforts.

"Oh shit," he whispered. "Kim turned to stone again."

                                       To Be Continued…