#is just another part of the phoenix picture

[godofsmallthings]

the commitment to the reputation social media wipe makes me FERAL every time i think about it. the old taylor is DEAD. there is literally no way to experience her past in the way it was originally intended. there are accounts that archive the posts and they're certainly all out there floating around on the internet and easily accessible, but when she killed her old self she MEANT IT.

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Endings and Beginnings - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Pregnancy, Second Person POV ("You"), No Physical Description about Reader

This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Summary: It's Maverick's retirement party but Rooster's far more concerned about you, his pregnant wife, than anything else.

A.N. Rooster is retired in this story and it's set a few years after TGM.

Edit: Part 2 is now out!

Master List

Maverick was officially retiring from the Navy. Or finally, depending on who you asked. The Hard Deck had been cleared out for the party and several generations of naval aviators, active and retired, and their families were spread out around the space. Drinks were poured continuously, there was pizza and snacks and even a cake with a Tomcat on it for later.

“Are you sure that you’re okay to be here?” Rooster asked you softly, grabbing your hand.

“I’m fine,” you assured your husband. “Just pregnant.”

“Very pregnant,” Hangman added, causing Rooster to glare over at him. Phoenix whacked Hangman on the arm your behalf, causing the blond to huff and complain. “What? It’s true!”

“I’m fine,” you repeated, squeezing Rooster’s hand. “I’ll sit down if I need to and there’s plenty of water and snacks that I can eat.” You released his hand and nudged him in the direction of Maverick, who was chatting with a few pilots his own age. “Go, mingle. Shoo. It’s a party. Party.”

“Only if you promise to let me know if you need to go home or to the hospital or—”

“—Rooster, I’m fine. The baby isn’t coming for another two weeks. Now, go. I think Mav’s been trying to subtly introduce you for an hour now.”

“Keep an eye on her for me,” Rooster told the others before heading over to Maverick.

The newly retired pilot was all smiles as he chatted with his old friends. But as soon as Maverick spotted Rooster walking over, he quickly moved to pull him over to the older crowd of pilots.

“She finally kicked you over here?” Maverick asked, referring to you.

“Apparently, I’m hovering too much,” Rooster joked with Mav.

“Well, it’s a perfect time to reintroduce yourself to everyone.”

Maverick gestured around the half-circle of former naval aviators. Slider, Hollywood, Wolfman, Chipper, Sundown, Merlin, and Viper all nodded to Rooster and Rooster shook their corresponding hands. It had been a long time since he saw any of them, what with the whole paper incident, but Slider still dragged him in for a noogie like he was eight-years-old.

“So, you were Maverick’s RIO in that whole business?” Merlin asked, referring to the mission.

Even though the mission was still highly classified three years later, the fact that Maverick and Rooster had barely made it out alive wasn’t. Well, that and word got around when an old smashed up Tomcat was unloaded off of a carrier.

“How was that?” Merlin continued.

“Most terrifying experience of my life,” Rooster responded, half-joking, half-serious.

“I understand completely,” Merlin mused, causing Maverick to smile and shake his head.

“That’s not why you turned in your wings, is it though?” Viper asked with a knowing expression.

“No, no,” Rooster replied immediately. “When I got married and my wife and I started to plan for having our family, I decided that I wanted to be there for every step. And I didn’t want her to worry about me coming home at the end of the day. So, I finished up my service requirements and retired.”

And, well, for a kid who lost his father to the Navy, Rooster’s reasoning didn’t raise a single eyebrow. Every naval aviator knew the risks involved in their line of work and while technological advancements helped decrease training accidents and fatalities, they were still always a possibility.

He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let his child learn about him from pictures, like he had to with his own father.

“And Maverick says that you’re switching to commercial?” Wolfman spoke up.

“Yeah, I have one more test to take and then I’m ready to fly, but I probably won’t start until we’re settled with our baby,” Rooster explained, nodding along.

“Your first one?” Viper guessed with an all-knowing smile.

“How could you tell?” Rooster inquired, earning a chuckle from the other fathers in the group.

 “You got that look in your eye.”

“Not too different from the rookies at flight school,” Hollywood added with an amused smile.

“It’ll pass eventually, but the first one always gets you jittery,”  

“Being a father is like learning how to fly—utterly terrifying at first, and there’s definitely a learning curve to it, but once you’re up there and you’ve leveled out, you won’t even remember what it was like before you learned in the first place.”

“I keep telling him to relax. He’ll be a natural,” Maverick spoke up, squeezing Rooster’s shoulder.

Rooster glanced through the crowd to check on you and found you sitting at one of the tables with your feet propped up on the opposite chair. You looked calm, but uncomfortable—though you’d told him that ‘nearly nine months pregnant’ and ‘comfortable’ did not go together no matter the situation.

“But speaking of, I should probably go check on my wife,” Rooster replied, his nerves and ‘Mother Hen’ tendencies, as Hangman called them, shining through.

“Of course.”

“Don’t let us keep you.”

“It was an honor to meet all of you again,” Rooster offered in goodbye, before checking on you.

The retired naval aviators watched him go and then turned to Maverick.

“God, he looks just like Goose,” Slider replied quietly.

“And with the mustache and the Hawaiian shirt too,” Wolfman agreed, sharing looks with the other retired naval aviators.

“Yeah, he does,” Maverick stated softly, watching Rooster weave through the party. “Just wait until you see him at a piano.”

Rooster slid through the crowd over to the back tables. You were still sitting with your feet propped up, a full glass of water in front of you, and your usual easygoing smile on your lips. Bob, Phoenix, and Hangman were keeping you company and spread out around you.

“You alright?” Rooster asked, walking to your side.

“I’m fine. Just wanted to sit down for a little bit. Baby Bradshaw seems a little excited about the party,” you stated, your hands resting over the swell of your bump. Rooster placed a hand under yours, where Baby Bradshaw tended to kick for the last few days. “How’s Mav doing?”

“I think he’s enjoying himself a lot. He hasn’t seen his old TOP GUN buddies in a while, so it’s nice for them to all come out to see him.”

“Well, Penny can be very convincing when she wants to be,” you mused with a smile.

Wordlessly you moved Rooster’s hand to the side, where the baby was pressing on you. Though you were growing tired of being pregnant, you didn’t think that you’d ever get tired of the way that Rooster just flipped a happy switch whenever he felt your baby.

“What are you all doing over here?” Rooster asked, turning back to the others.

“Actually, we’ve got a poll going about the baby,” Bob explained to Rooster.

“What are the votes?”

“I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix declared confidently.

“Which means that it’s a boy,” Hangman stated, just as confident.

“You only said that after you found out that Rooster and I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix retorted, causing Hangman to shrug his shoulders.

"So what?”

“I think that it’s a boy too,” you offered up. “The way that I’m carrying says that it’s a boy.”

“It’s not an exact science,” Rooster pointed out.

“No but call it mother’s intuition.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“God, you’re so whipped,” Hangman grunted, earning an elbow to the side from Phoenix.

Rooster and you ended up leaving the party among the first wave of people—mostly elderly and people with small children. But not before you received a whole bunch of random baby gifts from all of the people who missed your shower a month earlier.

“Do you want a hot bath when we get home?” Rooster offered, glancing over at you as he drove home.

“Maybe,” you sighed, shifting in your seat.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just uncomfortable. Nothing either of us can do for that.”

“You want more of that tea that Penny got you then?”

“Yeah, maybe that’ll help,” you murmured, leaning back in your seat. Your hands rubbed up and down your bump, trying to soothe yourself. “I think that Baby Bradshaw just got a little overexcited about meeting everyone all at once. But maybe some tea and a bath will help.”

“Coming right up,” Rooster assured you.

You pulled into the driveway and Rooster walked around to help you out. Usually, yo would just push his hand away and insist that you were more than capable of getting yourself out of the car, but this time you happily accepted his help.

“Are you sure that you’re alright?” Rooster asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” you replied, pecking his cheek. “Just slow.”

Rooster walked with you to the front door, keeping a protective arm around your waist. You walked into the kitchen and Rooster instantly moved to heat up some hot water for your tea. You leaned on the countertop, just looking completely uncomfortable with your existence.

“I’ll grab the bags out of the car and then I’ll start your bath,” Rooster promised, pressing a loving kiss to your forehead.

“Thank you.”

Rooster jogged down to the car and gathered whatever bags were sitting in the trunk. He left the go bag in the car, just in case, before heading back into the house. He wasn’t even completely through the door when he spotted you waddling towards the stairs.

“I’ll run your bath, babe, just sit and relax.”

“I’m not going to take a bath,” you called back, moving up the stairs slowly.

“You need help?”

“No, I just need to change.”

“Oh, okay,” Rooster replied, setting down the bags.

“Also, don’t walk through the kitchen yet,” you warned him, grunting a bit as you walked.

“Why?” Rooster asked, moving to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

“There’s amniotic fluid all over the floor and I haven’t gotten a chance to clean it up yet.”

“Amniotic . . .” Rooster trailed off before the realization hit him like 10 G’s all at once. “Babe!?”

Part 2

[concord-and-cliches]

disco attorney! turnabout elysium! some other third possible combination!

(id in alt text and under the cut, sketches also under the cut)

[image ID: Part one of two of a Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover fancomic.

Panel One: Miles Edgeworth, gesturing with one hand and pointing with the other, says, "Witness, your name and occupation, please."

Panel Two: Harry Du Bois, standing at the witness stand, says, "Oh, okay."

Panel Three: A copy of the previous panel, with no dialogue.

Panel Four: Harry looks off to the side with a nervous expression. Text in the panel reads: "ENCYCLOPEDIA [Trivial - Failure] - Uh…"

Panel Five: Harry, with a concerned and worried expression, has a white ring around his head with three thought orbs that are coloured blue, yellow, and red. Text in the panel reads: "HALF LIGHT - YOU GOT AMNESIA AGAIN. YOU'RE FUCKED." "Logic - No, it's just been a while since you've been on the stand. You're nervous, that's all." "COMPOSURE - Better shake off those nerves before going any further."

Part two of two of a Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover fancomic.

Panel One: Kim Kitsuragi is sitting in the gallery, alongside vague depictions of other people, including Dick Gumshoe, Pearl Fey, and Kazuma Asogi. Text in the panel reads: "PERCEPTION (SIGHT) - The lieutenant's looking right at you from the gallery." "AUTHORITY - Uh-oh." "REACTION SPEED - Quick! Just say anything!"

Panel Two: Harry grips the witness stand and shouts with a frantic expression: "MY NAME IS RAPHAEL AMBROSIUS COSTEAU AND I'M A F(asterisks)T."

Panel Three: Edgeworth looks on with an affronted expression.

Panel Four: Maya Fey and Phoenix Wright have shocked expressions.

Panel Five: Kim has one arm leaning against the gallery, and his head in his other hand.

Panel Six: A slightly-edited copy of Panel Two, but Harry has a pensive expression, and text in the panel reads: "DAMAGED MORALE -1", alongside a purple X.

Three separate mini-fancomics involving a Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover.

The first one is two panels, featuring Elizabeth Beaufort. In the first panel, she is crossing her arms and wearing an outfit similar to Apollo Justice's. She is thinking: "(I went to law school for this?)" In the second panel, she is looking at a screen with an annoyed expression, thinking: "(For a man like that to be among my peers?)" On the screen, there is a picture of Phoenix Wright, and text that reads: "Phoenix Wright's Accomplishments: -Ate Glass -Cross-Examined A Bird -Been Tazed -Been Whipped -Been Impersonated -Been Assaulted With Coffee"

The second one is a drawing of Kim Kitsuragi doing Edgeworth's pose in which he grabs his left arm and looks away with a pained expression. In the style of Ace Attorney, there is a text box which reads: "Kitsuragi: Thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings."

The third one is a drawing of Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth standing together, smiling at one another. Text in the image reads: "MILES EDGEWORTH - "Nice suit, by the way. I like the blue. Goes with the burgundy."

A Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover fancomic featuring Dick Gumshoe, Harry Du Bois, Phoenix Wright, and Kim Kitsuragi.

Panel One: Gumshoe, with a determined expression and his hand in a fist, says: "True art has always been a war against oppression."

Panel Two: Harry grabs Gumshoe's shoulder and points at him with his other hand. He says to Gumshoe, who is smiling, "Oh my God. Dude, we are biving so hard right now."

Panel Three: Harry and Gumshoe begin talking to one another with numerous empty speech bubbles indicating so. Phoenix and Kim look on from the background.

Panel Four: A close-up of Phoenix and Kim, who have disconcerted expressions. Together, they think: "(Two of them…)" /end ID]

[eternalsams]

Cherry Pie ⇴ J.Seresin

pairing: Jake Seresin x fem!reader

content/warning: 18+, smut, fwb situation, swearing, alcohol consumption, boys will be boys, 'love' confession, just a bit of angst, no use of Y/N, pet names like "honey" or "sweets", COMMUNICATION IS KEY.

summary: You just moved in San Diego and you needed help with all the boxes and furniture. Naturally, you called Jake to give you a hand and that's it, right?

words count: 2.0k

notes: this is my contribution to @roosterforme's Rocktober playlist, just as asked, the fic is inspired by the song but you don't need to know it to read this, obviously... Also, English isn't my first language so please take that into your consideration. (I've spent the whole day writing this because I knew I'd never get it done before the end of October)

ITALICS ARE FLASHBACKS

masterlist

"Oh, by the way, didn't you tell us one of your friends just moved here?" Rooster said as his eyes were fixed on the pool table where they were playing. Jake scoffed and sighed, trying to suppress the smile creeping up on his lips. "Oh yeah, you said that! What was her name again?" Fanboy pointed out with a light smirk. Jake was about to answer him when Payback clapped his hand on his shoulder, stopping him on his track. "Bagman's got a female friend? I don't believe it!" He laughed loudly. "I do have a female friend, I'm not that big of an jerk." Jake got up and slapped his hand flat on the table.

"We're still friends, huh?" You asked as his lips made their way down the column of your neck. Another moan escaped your lips as you felt his teeth nibble at the sensitive skin. "Yeah, yeah... Still friends." He muttered before slipping his hands under your thighs and wrapping your legs around his waist. His lips found yours once again and he didn't wait another second before slipping his tongue between your lips and tasting you. "I called you so you could help me unpack." You scolded him as your hands grabbed the hem of his shirt and in one movement, the garment was on the floor of your new kitchen. "Oh, sure, sure... Let me just...unwrap this first." He said as he unzipped your jeans and slid them down your thighs, revealing your lace panties. You chuckled and he put you up the counter before kneeling down in front of you, between your parted legs. He started kissing your left ankle, then your calf and he pecked kisses up your thigh until he reached your soaking underwear. "You're so pretty, why did I wait this long?" He murmured, mouthing at your clothed core. "Fuck..." You moaned as you hooked your legs around his head. Your fingers gripped his hair tight as he slipped your panties to the side and he licked your wet folds before wrapping his lips around your clit and sucking, hard.

Everyone looked at Jake with raised eyebrows, not believing a single one of his words. Rooster was the first one to crack up and laugh. "Yeah, right. And I'm the frickin' Queen of England." Jake groaned and looked away, trying to hold himself back from punching his wingman in the face. "Excuse us for not believing you, but we only know you as a ladies' man. In front of 'womanizer' in a dictionary, there's your picture, man." Javy chuckled before taking a sip of his drink and adding something. "Also, shouldn't I know about her if she's as dear as you say?" Jake sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, glancing at the front doors another time, checking if you've arrived. "She's from my home town, we met in college and she just accepted a very nice job here. She's not here for me, she's here for work, we're just lucky we're in the same area for once since college." He cleared his throat and checked his phone for any signs of you. "Sounds like a romantic tragedy." Phoenix commented, noticing the longing look on his face as he checked his texts. "No, we're not like that. We're friends, remember? Just friends."

"To friends. And to a new life in California." You said as you held your glass of champagne high. "To all of that." Jake chuckled before taking a sip of the alcohol, not breaking the eye contact with you. You just finished unpacking everything for your living room. You still needed to finish your room and the bathroom but the biggest part was done. "Oh, wait!" You put down your glass and went to the kitchen, getting a little basket of fresh cherries. You took two peers and gently put them in both your glasses, turning the simple champagne into fancy home-made cocktails. "Champagne with cherries? That's weird." Jake laughed and grabbed his cherries before putting one in his mouth, pulling on the stem to detach it. "Maybe, but it's really good." You chuckled and did the same, staring into his eyes. "It shouldn't surprise me that the first things you have in your fridge are cherries. You've always loved them." He spat back the cherry stone and took a sip of his drink.

"You wanna see something cool?" You asked and he simply nodded, eating his second cherry. You grabbed his stem and pulled on it before putting it on your tongue and closing your mouth. Jake watched you carefully, mesmerized by you. You then grinned and pushed the, now knotted, stem between your teeth. "Holy shit..." Jake scoffed, grabbing the stem but you bit down on it to keep it in your mouth. His gaze went up to your eyes and he saw that special spark in them. He delicately removed the stem from your mouth and traced your lips with his thumb before slowly pushing it between them. Your tongue gently licked his finger and you took a bit more of it in your mouth, sucking softly. "Shit, honey..." Jake rasped. He then felt your tongue circle his thumb before you sucked a bit more and he could feel his cock harden in his pants. He adjusted himself in his seat and you chuckled, releasing his thumb and gently kissing the pulp of it. Jake moistened his lips and wrapped his hand around your neck to draw you closer to him. He crashed his lips on yours and immediately parted your lips to slide his tongue in your mouth. He could taste the cherry on your tongue and swore he could never get tired of your taste.

"Hey Penny Dear, could you get a Cherry Bomb ready for my friend. She's gonna be there soon. Put it on my tab." He softly tapped the counter before turning to the front doors. He couldn't wait to see you walk past those doors, as if he didn't see you the night before. As if he didn't feel your walls flutter around him as he brought you to your fourth climax of the night. He snapped back to reality when a hand landed on his shoulder. Javy sighed next to him and followed his gaze to the doors. "So... You're gonna tell me when you're gonna ask that girl out?" He then took a sip of his beer. "Never, it's not like that." Jake grumbled as his phone vibrated in his pocket. "Oh, I can see that it is". He chuckled without noticing Jake wasn't listening anymore. The blond pilot was frenetically typing on his phone, answering your text and telling you where to find him in the bar. The next thing he heard was the front door opening and your heels clicking on the floor. He raised his head and grinned when he caught your gaze through the crowd. He stuffed his phone in his pocket and made his way to you. "Not like that, my ass." Javy scoffed and gave back his empty beer to Penny who thanked him and went to another patron.

"You made it!" Jake exclaimed as he approached you. "I made it!" You laughed and hugged him tight. "Come on, I ordered your favorite already." He kissed the top of your head and led you to the counter where Penny introduced herself and gave you your drink with a wink. Not so far, Phoenix and Rooster were watching you both with frowns. "Are they dating? They look like they're dating." The woman asked her friend. "I don't know if they're official but they definitely like each other." They both straightened up when they saw you walking to them, Jake's arm around you and leading you. The pilot introduced you and you shook hands with all of them. "We've heard a lot about you." The man called Payback smiled at you and you grinned widely. "Jake talks about me?" You chuckled and turned to your friend who winced. "But we didn't believe him when he said he had a female friend." Fanboy chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. "A bit of a ladies' man, isn't he?" You laughed, giving a light slap to Jake's ass who then glared down at you. You chuckled a bit more and took a sip of your drink, the cherry flavor invading your taste buds. You grabbed the cherry on top and bit it, detaching the stem and keeping it in your hand.

The conversation went on and when you stood up, calling for a bathroom break, Jake only noticed now the knotted stem in your empty glass. He picked it up and made it twirl between his fingers. "She did that?" Javy scoffed, looking at the stem in his friend's hand. "Yup. With her tongue." Jake chuckled slightly before dropping the stem back in your glass. "Come on, man. I know you said you're not dating but the tension between you is too strong for friends. Are you hooking up with her?" Rooster leaned over the table as he lowered his voice a bit. "I am not. We're friends and that's it. She's just like that, all clingy and shit. Always have been." Jake gave his friends a little smile before he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'm a bit tired from work, I'm going home sooner than expected." Your voice surprised him and he hoped you hadn't heard what he said just before. Because if one of you was clingy, it was certainly him. "Do you want me to walk you back to your car?" He asked, standing up. "I'd love to." You smiled at him and said bye to everyone before you waited for Jake to pay his tab and join you outside.

When he passed the doors, you wrapped your arm around his and you two walked silently. "Can I ask you a question?" You asked hesitantly. "Always. Tell me." Jake's other hand stroked your arm soothingly. "Are you ashamed of our...relationship? I heard what you said and I didn't really like it." Jake slightly winced at your words and as he thought you would let his arm go, you didn't do such. You kept him as close as before. "I'm not...ashamed. They just... They spent the whole afternoon teasing me about you, asking if we were dating and talking badly of me. I just wanted to shut them up." He tried to explain and you stayed silent, that wasn't really you. "Are you mad?" He then asked when he saw your car in the parking lot, scared you might leave without giving him a second glance. "I'm not. They're your friends, you know how to handle them. I believe you when you say you're not ashamed of me." You squeezed yourself against his arm. "How could I ever be ashamed of you, Sweets? You're amazing, honestly you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." You laughed at his words and dug into your purse to grab your car key. "The best thing, huh?" You smirked and looked up at him. "The best of the best." He nodded, sliding his hands on your waist. "Then you wouldn't mind picking me up tomorrow at seven? I saw a nice restaurant I wanted to try with you." He was surprised of your boldness but didn't complain. "Like...like a date?" He asked for confirmation and you smiled a bit more. "Like a date." He quickly looked away to hide his excitement but you noticed his blushing cheeks. "I wouldn't mind at all picking you up and taking you on a date. Would you allow me to kiss you before I let you go home?" He lowered his voice, as if he was scared someone else might hear how sweet and loving he was for you. You nodded eagerly and grabbed him by the neck before colliding your lips with his and swiping your tongue over his lips. And just as always, he could taste the cherry on your tongue and he loved every bit of it.

[madnessr]

Last Night

Poly Lost Boys + Michael x Reader

Synopsis: You remembered the day you died vividly, and what had started as one of the best nights of your life quickly turned sour.

Summary: Micheals Ex-Girlfriend received a concerning phone call from Lucy begging her to come and check up on a now distant and unrecognizable Micheal. But what was meant to be a simple reunion and check-in, instead leads to four very rambunctious bikers and an old lover, to be extremely opposed to letting you leave again.

Warning: Suggestive moments, cursing, nonconsensual turning.

Word Count: 6.9k

Part two

The bustling chatter filled the packed room like music, unrelenting as some patrons laughed louder while others cheered softer. Every customer that walked in was rambunctious and different in their own unique way. Although becoming a bartender differed from how you had always pictured your future, ditching your home life was worth every tip and penny you earned throughout the night.

You were a good actor; that's one noteworthy little fact you learned about yourself after a few weeks. Wiping dry a martini glass, your chuckles, greetings, and mischievous remarks almost felt unfamiliar to you as you entertained the customers.

But when the lights dimmed, casting a gentle orange hue against every surface of the bar. The acting, the gestures, and the remarks all began feeling natural.

It left you with a sweet sense of satisfaction, like pushing in the last puzzle piece. But, although the usuals felt more comfortable, you still weren’t to open to the idea of becoming closer to anyone. For all you knew, these people were just here for a drink.

One visit turned into two, then three, until you could recite everyone's orders and names. Your life gradually followed the same schedule as clockwork, checking in either during the morning shifts like Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday instead of staying for the wild nightlife like Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. A small bell was hanging above the door, giving you and your occasional coworker a heads-up whenever a new patron entered the bar. It was easy to get overwhelmed, the loud bumbling chatter nearly drowning out the music playing. Drunks laughed and cheered with rosy-cheeked grins; others decided to rough-house until Pablo kicked them out.

Filling a pint of beer for your usual customer, you nearly missed the soft chin of bells as someone new entered. The door swung open, and in came a blonde biker who took your breath away. Pulling at your strings as if he was some violinist, plucking at the cords until your chatter turned utterly harmonious. It was like a strange pull, a tugging, nudging aching within your racing heart that simply needed him there. It both excited you and disturbed you. Your banter with the biker didn't last long; he ordered four bottled beers, his gaze never wavering as you shuffled past your coworker making some margaritas for a group of girls as you grabbed the beers out of the freezer and handing them over before grabbing his cash. "You new here?" You finally asked, and you weren't exactly sure what to expect, but his voice matched his looks perfectly.

You snickered, leaning over the bar. Phoenix had some exciting faces to offer, all styles and types. But it was rare you found one that was this attractive.

The biker shrugged; a type of smugness hung across his features. A simple look in his eyes gave you another clue, the man was higher than a kite. "Just haven't seen such a pretty face around in a while." He tapped his hand on the counter with a slight chuckle, stepping back as he waved before walking out the door. You chuckled, shaking your head in amusement as you focused on the other customers. Though, you couldn't quite keep the blonde out of your head.

Not even when your shift ended, wiping a gray-soaked washcloth across the counters and tables. Your coworker cleaned and mopped the floors before you both clocked out. You entered the employee's room, grabbing your belongings before exiting through the back door. You hopped in your car, the streets still thriving, but you only lived several blocks away from the teenage hotspot when things began to gradually cool down. Luckily that's where your shabby little hut came into view.

It wasn't perfect, but decent, and the rent was cheap, so you weren't gonna complain. Parking your bike, you walked up your porch. The old wood creaking underneath your steps, shuffling to grab your keys, you couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching you. Turning to glance around, you rushed to open the door before entering your safe and humble abode. You locked the door, kicking off your shoes with a sigh as you walked towards your bedroom. You felt a little sluggish now that you were free to be, removing your clothes and hopping in the shower. The piping hot water felt heavenly across your skin, and if you weren't so damn hungry, you would've stayed longer. Loose pajamas, some fluffy socks, and you walked back into the kitchen, heating up some leftovers from the previous night and popping open a can of beer.

You were a rather heavy drinker, one bottle often turned to three, and three would often multiply sooner rather than later. Some people might have called you an alcoholic, but you didn't really mind. Alcohol was your ambrosia, and god fucking dammit, were you willing to die for that nectar. You were on your way to grab the third beer of the night when you heard a small thump against the window.

You found it odd that a bird would hit your window, especially since they weren't nocturnal. But as you wandered over and slid open the window, you watched as a bat squeaked at you. Blonde fluffy fur as it flew away in a rush. You didn't necessarily like bats, but you didn't hate the critters, either. This was your first time seeing one in real life, your eyes flicking to the tree a few feet away from your window. There on the bottom branch, hung the monster, making you laugh. "Sorry, Dracula, the bar closed two hours ago." You were about to close the window wanting to grab your last beer and finish up your movie before heading to bed.

But you halted as you watched the bat struggle on its branch, sloppily falling off and hitting the floor with a small thud. You frowned; you might not know much about bats, but they sure as hell avoided being on the ground. You hesitated before grabbing a towel and an empty shoe box; perhaps, if you were lucky enough, the bat would have flown away by the time you got to it. But unfortunately, the small little bundle of blonde fur still lay frozen on the ground. Sighing, you carefully scoop it up with the towel and lay it in the box before heading back inside.

You sat the box on the kitchen table, sitting down and taking a proper look at the thing. "You must've hit your little head when banging into the window.." You muttered, watching it stare back at you lazily. Whenever it tried to waddle its way out of the box, its little body swayed before eventually tumbling back into the fluffy fabric.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for the night, little guy." You cooed, a small smile tugging at your lips. It let out a small squeak. If you didn't know any better, you would say the bat understood you, turning around and grabbing an apple and a simple cutting knife. You sliced off a small piece, laying it in the box. You didn't know what the hell bats ate, and you weren't going to go out of your way to try and find some insect in your yard, so an apple slice will have to do for now.

Grabbing the box once more, you moved to your bedroom, entering the bathroom through a joined door. You set the box down, waving at the small bat before turning off the lights and closing the door. You got yourself settled and lay down, turning off your bedside lamp and letting out a content sigh. But then you heard it, the muffle whining and whimpers of the small creature in your bathroom. Letting out a groan, you tried covering your face with a pillow to try and drown out the noise, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Getting up with a huff, you turned on the light once more before moving over. You opened the door, flicking on the light as you watched it try and waddle towards you. "Can't you be quiet?" You groan, rubbing your temples.

However, you couldn't help but notice the silence once you had actually acknowledged the bat again, rolling your eyes at its strange antics. "Look, I can't give you attention all night. I need to sleep." You argue, watching the little creature climb up your foot and use its little claws and wings to crawl up your body.

Perhaps it was the previous drink, or your clear disregard for your own sense of self preservation, but you walked back to your bedroom with a shrug. If the little guy just had to sleep with you, then so be it. Sure, the thing could have rabies for all you new but the moment your aching feet lifted themselves onto your soft mattress; you no longer cared.

"Night night, Dracula." You snickered, closing your eyes and falling into a hollow state of peace.

Walking up, once again alone, fills you with a familiar sense of loneliness. You look around for your little companion, but you simply couldn't find him. You opened all of your windows in case you missed the little guy hiding somewhere before walking down into your kitchen for breakfast. You'd never admit it out loud, but having broken up with your long-term boyfriend, Michael, was rough on you. Half the time, you wallow in alcohol and self-loathing, spending any free time working and trying your damn hardest to move on. The relationship's end wasn't anyone's fault, really; when his father's divorce was finally settled, Michael needed to be with his mom, she needed him during this time, and you couldn't blame him for leaving with you. Looking back on it, you both could've made it work somehow, the long distance, but neither of you two found yourself to really fight for that option.

Sipping on your morning coffee was your ritual, reminiscing about your short past, a daily activity. But today, you were interrupted by the obnoxious sound of your phone ringing. Getting up and plucking the phone from the wall, your body tensed at the sweet sound of Lucy, Michaels's mother. She was the kindest person you knew, a relaxed parent that focused on a kid's trust rather than forcing the truth out from your experience.

"Hey honey, how have you been?" Her familiar, parental tone hummed over the phone. The sound tugged a smile across your lips. "Dandy, what about you, Lucy?" You knew better than to know Lucy wasn't just calling to check in with you, and although every fiber of your being wanted to cut to the chase, you managed to stay polite. Lucy let out a hum, happy with your answer. "I'm good—we're all good. But, listen, I'm sorry to call you for this, but it's about Michael." You nodded, although you knew she couldn't see you; you stayed silent, asking her to continue. "He's changed, distant. He hasn't been the same, and Sam says he's been involved with some worrisome people. I know it's a lot, but I can't help but worry. He won't talk to me, but he'll talk to you. I'll provide you with a room and everything; just please check in for me."

You could tell she was pleading; her tone was very clear with that. But could you really do this? You and Michael broke up, but you've been together since freshman year. You knew his family, and he knew yours; even if you weren't together anymore, you were still friends. With a long sigh, you rubbed your temples.

"Alright, I'll be there."

You don't plan on staying long, glancing at the backseat of your car where a small suitcase sits. You brought the essentials, but since it was summer regardless, you wanted to consider this a short beach-side vacation for yourself as well. It made coming to Santa Carla more reasonable.

Following the address Lucy promptly gave you afterward, you drove up the narrow driveway to an old-looking house. It must've been a generational home bought in the 40s if you had to guess. The sun was already setting by the time you arrived; stepping out of the car, you were greeted by an excited Lucy. However, you knew her better than that. The small stress wrinkles give away how worried she must've actually been.

She embraced you in a big bear-like hug, making you chuckle as she brought you in for some coffee. You sat inside, shielded by the hot California sun, as you stirred some creamer into your coffee. You two sat in the kitchen, a small desk separate from the main dining table.

"So, care to tell me a little more about what's been happening?" You ask, knowing that if you avoided the subject, so would Lucy. She let out a sigh, rubbing her temples as she nearly deflated before you.

"You know it's been hard for them—the divorce. Sam wasn't that close with his father; I'm afraid he experienced a more absent father figure than Micheal did. No, Micheal grew up with everything being perfect; I had a good marriage, and he had a good father and a stable home life." Lucy hummed, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"I know it wasn't easy for them. For any of us, really, but as a parent, I can't help but wonder. Did I do the right thing? Was Santa Carla really what the boys needed?"

You weren't exactly sure what to say; both you and Michael were adults at this point and were mature enough to have a conversation like this. But before Lucy was your friend, she had been more of a mother figure for you. Seeing her struggle so much makes you frown, a heaviness tugging at your lips. People really could be awful sometimes. You grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as you smiled at her.

"Listen, I know being a parent is hard. But you're a good mom, okay? You have been since the start. But you need to listen; this move wasn't just for them. It was for you as well. You suffered a shitty divorce and dealt with an even worse ex-husband. You deserve this new start; let me handle Michael; I'm sure he'll come around." You watched as small tears seemed to prickle at her eyes, "Oh you!" She sang before pulling you into a hug. "I've missed you." She added, rubbing small circles on your back. You couldn't help but smile, not saying it but letting the small squeeze you returned to the hug speak for you.

The sun had already set as you managed to unpack your things in the guest room, tackling Sam in a big-old sibling-like hug before heading to the boardwalk with him. Lucy had left a few hours earlier for work, which is where you were headed now. Sam led the way as he filled you in on Micheals's behavior. To say you were concerned now was an understatement; nothing Micheal did now made sense. This wasn't like him.

You walked over to the Videotape store and found Lucy glancing at the videotapes decorating the walls. You walked around, glancing at the movies that might interest you. You eventually ended up in the same aisle as a brown biker, someone who vaguely reminded you of the blonde one you met days ago. You were about to pick up The Shining when the man interrupted.

"You new here?" He eventually asked, his gaze lingering for an unusually long time. You struggled, letting out a dry chuckle. "That obvious, huh?" You hummed, feeling more at ease. The man was more stoic than you were used to, but the moment you heard his own amused chuckling, your tense shoulders gradually dropped. The man was mesmerizing, a special charm in every little trinket and clothes covering him. You felt an annoying sense of deja vu, feeling your heart push and pull your subconscious self towards this man. To gush about his leather jacket or talk about anything else for hours. He seemed to smile, catching your lingering gaze before clearing his throat and pointing towards one of the videotapes. "The Shining's good, but if you're into that, I'd recommend The Thing and Nightmare on Elms Street too." All you could do was nod, spinning around when you saw Lucy. She smiled at the brunette, handing you something as you rushed out of the shop. Any tapes and movies are utterly forgotten, and you search for space. You made brief eye contact with the man Lucy had been talking, feeling unsettled by him.

You walked along the patios of the shops lining the boardwalk; they were lightly covered in sand. A grainy texture underneath your shoes. You sat there for a moment before your eyes caught the sight of a familiar head of messy brown hair.

Jumping to your feet, you were off. Not sparing anyone a second glance, not until you were about to reach Micheal. You could feel it, that nostalgic giddiness you usually felt whenever you and Micheal met, but during that time, you were still together. You could jump into his arms and kiss his dimpled cheek; the sudden realization that you hadn't actually seen the brunette since you broke up made your heart squeeze. Seeing him felt more real, and the growing realization that nothing would ever be the same again made the air feel heavy.

You paused as you saw a girl with bouncy curls rush over to him, a small boy close behind as she linked their arms. You hadn't realized until then that a part of you was still clinging onto a foolish, utterly bitter sense of hope that things could return to the way they were. You couldn't have been more foolish, the excitement within you replaced with a heavy knot in the pit of your stomach. You wanted to turn around, run away, and drink until you cough your lungs out on some empty street bench. But you couldn't; you weren't here for Michael or yourself; you were here for Lucy's sake.

Taking in a deep breath, you walked over and cleared your throat. Michael had walked up to a group of guys, two of whom you recognized. They turned to you, four eyes curiously staring at one, another pair looking upset, and lastly, Michaels were surprised.

“Y/N?”

"The one and only." You rolled your eyes, trying to retain a sense of normality despite your emotional turmoil. The hippy-look-alike glanced between you two, taking an almost protective step in front of Micheal. "Who are you?"

Before Micheal could answer, you beat him to it. "A friend." You mused, shaking her hand. "I'm Y/N, an old childhood friend from Phoenix." She seemed to relax at the information, nodding with a gentle smile. "I'm Star, Micheal's girlfriend."

Hiding your soft grimace, you nodded with a strained smile.

"What are you doing here, Y/N?"

"Not going to introduce us first, Mikey?" The smooth voice hummed out, but the tone was laced with something else. You couldn't place it, but it almost sounded dissatisfied. You couldn't really answer before Micheal grabbed your arm, a bit too tight for your liking. "Stay out of it, David."

Micheal dragged you away, taking advantage of your stunned state. You suddenly understood what Sam and Lucy had been worrying about. Micheal didn't act like that, at least not for the past few years you've known him. He shoved and pushed his way through the crowd, though that wasn't very hard considering how the people practically split just to avoid you two. He didn't look back at you, nor did his grip loosen until you two were somewhere at the end of the boardwalk; the crowd lessened with every meter.

When you finally came to a stop, you were suddenly pulled into a tight hug. One of his arms snaked around your waist, a grip firm but gentle. His other hand had tangled itself in your hair, practically cradling your head as he nuzzled his face in the crook of your neck.

If you didn't have whiplash from the sudden rushing, you definitely had some now from the abrupt affection. He seemed to be, inhaling you? "Micheal." You nudged his chest, finally able to separate yourself from a very unwilling brunette.

"What are you doing here, Y/N?" His voice was gentle, careful even. As if you'd run away again, which was odd since you weren't the one who left.

"I came to visit you; I see you've made some new friends.." You wandered over to the railing, hopping on carefully.

"Yeah, a lot's happened." He murmured, rubbing his neck to relieve his phantom discomfort. You nodded, silently asking him to go on. "Your family's worried about you; what's been going on, Mikey?" You nudged further, wanting to get to the core of the problem. You couldn't try and help if you didn't know what the hell was going on, but your prodding seemingly did the opposite as Michael became visibly more uncomfortable. Shifting his weight from one leg to the other, rubbed his neck and brushed his fingers through his hair.

"I know, I know—a lot has been going on. I just can't tell you about it." He settled on that answer, getting closer before resting beside you. He leaned his forearms against the railing, glancing at the ocean.

"Will you be staying here for long?" You could tell he was trying to change the subject but ultimately decided that patience was the key in this situation. But apart, small and subtle, I enjoyed the way his question almost sounded pleading.

"Mhm, took a few weeks off for vacation. Lucy's giving me her spare room; I hope you don't mind." He shook his head, his signature crooked smile tugging at his lips. "Nah, I'm glad. Haven't spent any time with my girl in a while."

"Your girl?"

He stuttered at that, "I mean—you know, guess that kinda just slipped." He seemed embarrassed, but you weren't gonna have it. What about Star?

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Star? No, she isn't my girlfriend. It's complicated, but we haven't ever really gotten official." He explained, rubbing his temples at the thought.

You nodded, "Then don't call me your girl Micheal. We broke up; I'm your friend. Please remember that." You reminded him as gently as you could, noticing the subtle flash of pain across his features before he nodded.

Feeling the sudden heaviness in the air, you frowned, looking around as you thought of a way to change the subject. "So, who exactly are your friends?"

"Allow me to take charge of this one, Micheal." A deep, familiar voice mused. The blonde mullet-wearing dude always seemed like a cat, sneaky and quiet but always in the mood to toy with something, in this case, someone.

"Since our Mikey seemed to hide you from us, which is awfully rude of you. I'll take charge from here." He stepped closer, glancing you over. He had an odd look in his eyes and almost seemed angry with Michael for taking you away. However, before the blonde could talk, a rocker look-like, the man you had sworn you saw in your bar prior bounced up beside you and slung his arm around your shoulder.

You ignored the tingles you felt when your bare skin met his but instead chucked it up to your lack of action recently. "I'm Paul, sweetheart!" He stared at you for a bit too long for comfort before moving on. "That's Marko, David, and the brooding guy over there is little ol' Dwayne."

"Why did Dwayne get an extra introduction, and I'm just Marko?" You couldn't help but chuckle at the banter, feeling like the group was awfully playful. So what was the problem? You could see Micheal having a good time with them, so why the sudden change.

"Well, I'm Y/N. Michael's, old friend." You formally introduced, not expecting much, but Dwayne nodded. All of them seemed to be in their own world, Dwayne appearing the most interested. Had you known how focused they actually were on you, analyzing your heart beat, body language, anything they could grasp onto you would've run.

"What brings you to Santa Carla Y/N." David leaned against the railing, his cold gaze curious. "Seems like a pretty far distance to go for just a friend." He added, and at that moment, you got the sense that you just couldn't lie to David. That cold, icy gaze practically looked through you. As if he's had years of experience understanding human behavior, it unnerved you.

"Well, I'm also here for a vacation." You laughed nervously, rubbing the back of your neck.

He gave you a look that simply screamed that he didn't believe you before moving on. "Are you gonna be staying here for long, sugar?" Marko took you out of that uncomfortable situation, making you nod with a hum. "Depends on what you consider long, but I'll be here for a few weeks."

"Well, we ought' to show you around here then. Show you all Santa Carla's got to offer!" Marko hollered, which received agreeing gazes from everyone except Micheal, who appeared rather upset. But you were here, and what better way to understand Micheal than by meeting his friends. "The hell with it." You mused, a grin tugging at your lips at the cheers and eager looks around you.

So, you explored Santa Carla just like Marko had said. Practically losing your soul during the fast carnival rides, winning petty prizes, eating greasy food, fucking with surfer nazis, and stealing some things here and there. So now you were here, surrounded by the starry sky and the roaring ocean. A campfire crackling on the sand as you were sitting in between Michael and Dwayne. With a beer bottle in hand, everyone seemed relaxed despite the playful fighting happening between Paul and Marko.

"So, tell me a little about yourself. How'd you come to know our boy Mikey here?" David had been on your ass since you met; he didn't let your lie slide earlier, even if he hadn't acknowledged it. He was so eager to know about the true nature between you and Micheal, and at the question, you couldn't help but notice Star perk up beside Micheal.

"Nothin' much to tell, I'm afraid. I met Michael when he was interning at his father's mechanics shop when I finally got a car from my old man, only to have it break down on me several weeks later. That is where we met." You glanced at Michael, seeing a faint smile tug on his lips as he seemingly played with the sand.

"I was new, and he offered me a tour around town. One thing led to another, and we became friends. Didn't get together until what, junior year? Yeah, around that time." You add, watching as Paul and Marko suddenly stop rough-housing. "Wait, you two were together?" Paul asked, staring between your two. "You said you were just friends," Marko added, an odd glint in his eyes. You shrugged, taking a quick swig of your beer.

"We are just friends, Mikey and I broke up when he left for Santa Carla." You glanced at the brunette, seeing the way his smile had dissolved. There was a glaze to his eyes as if he was somewhere else completely. You understood; perhaps that's why you guys got together in the first place. You simply understood Michael, the way he was currently dancing with you again in his memories. It was apparent to you.

"Ah." The sound of David's stern hum of acknowledgment made you turn your attention back to the group of boys. They all seemed to be in thought, but none looked too pleased with your previous relationship. "Been happily single ever since—well, I haven't really been looking, to be honest." You added, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, you hear that, boys?" Paul grinned, getting up and moving behind you. He rested his hands on your shoulder, leaning down to rest his chin on the top of your head. "She's open for the taking!"

"That is not what I meant—"Before you could finish your sentence, Paul and Marko picked you up. They cheered as they ran towards the inky black ocean water, grinning to themselves as Paul held your hands and Marko your feet. They swung you threateningly over the water's edge. Your screams were filled with laughter as they grinned.

"What do you say, Paul? Should our little sunflower get a drop in the ocean for lying to us?" Paul grinned a mischievous cat-like grin. Glancing at Marko, the expression was practically mirrored. "I don't know, Paulie; maybe she should. Wash off all of that Michael stench off of her."

"Don't drop me! Fuck you, seriously. Don't you dare!" You warned, trying to wiggle yourself out of their death grip.

"Nah, threats won't work on us, honey. Maybe a reward will work, hmm. What do you think, Paul?"

"I think a kiss ought' to do it," Paul answered, glancing between you and his devil-like companion. "Couldn't agree more."

"Fine, fine, have your stupid kiss but let me down!"

As if on cue, they synced up. "If you say so!" Marko cheered as, with a powerful swing, they threw you over and into the water. You let out a shrill screech, landing in the water ungraciously. Once you popped back up, you glared at the two.

Wincing as you tried to get up, you promptly plopped back into the water with a splash. They heard you loud and clear, and Michael was already by Marko and Paul's side. David and Dwayne followed, but not as quickly.

"You okay, sugar?" Paul asked, frowning as you shook your head. You held out a hand to him, silently asking for help to get up. When he walked over to you, not minding his now wet boots. He grabbed your hand, not expecting you to harshly tug him down and into the water with you.

You cackled, wanting to commit the blonde's dumbfounded expression to memory. "Damn girl, you made me worried!" He explained, and Marko nearly doubled over laughing. He splashed you, wrapping his arm around your waist under the water. You froze, not expecting the contact. "That was rather evil of you, sunflower," he mused, in a tone far too low and husky than you had expected coming from the rocker-wannabe.

"And throwing me into the water, wasn't?" You mimicked, turning to glance at him. He laughed, pulling you closer. You could feel his breath taunting your skin; his gaze was all too narrow and lustful for your liking. He looked hungry, practically starved, as he grinned at you. "But I am evil, sunflower, and the one thing you can trust in a bad guy is that he'll always do something awful. It's the good ones you gotta be careful about," He hummed, his gaze shifting to your lips. He lifted his hand, cupping your jaw as he traced his thumb against your lip. "The good ones are a wild card, baby; you never know when they're finally gonna give in." He whispered, and at that moment, you knew he wasn't just talking about petty, mean deeds.

He was referring to you if the position you weren't in wasn't clear enough. However, before you could respond, Michael broke you two up. Unable to form a proper response, you followed your old friend, watching as he returned you to the rest of the group.

"What were they thinking? You'll catch your death being wet this late at night!" Micheal murmured as he complained, making you roll your eyes. "I'm fine; we were just having some fun." You defended, watching as Marko slung his arm around your shoulder. "Yeah, chill out, Mikey."

Dwanye seemed to agree with Micheal instead as he grabbed your hand and gently led you back to the campfire to warm up again. He didn't mind the sudden chill now; your body was still fired up from your earlier encounter with Paul. You felt a heavy cloth drape over your shoulders, glancing to see David's coat loosely set over you. He sat down beside you, handing you your previously abandoned beer bottle.

"Thanks," you smiled.

"It's already so late, yet you don't seem even the slightest bit tired. Do you usually stay up this late?" He asked though he didn't look at you at first. One of his hands loosely held a cigarette, letting a puff of smoke escape through his lips. His eyes focused on the blazing fire in front of you before gradually looking into your eyes. Once again, you could feel your ability to lie fade, not with such a dominating gaze practically reading you.

"I work at a bar most days of the week; you get used to late nights." You explained, being honest for once. He nodded, seemingly appreciating your bluntness.

"Doesn't sound like that's the safest job." Dwayne chimed in, an odd look of concern across his features. You weren't sure what to make of that look; you weren't close enough to garner that concern. But couldn't deny the fluttering in your stomach, fuck, how starved were you for affection?

"Neither is staying in Santa Carla, but here we are." You murmured, a little embarrassed at yourself for being so desperate. You couldn't really describe it, but being around them felt right. Having their attention felt right, and a part of you wanted to keep it. David chuckled at your answer, subtly resting his hand on your thigh.

"Yet here we are." He repeated, his deep voice sending shivers down your back.

"Fuck." You heard someone hiss loudly, everyone's gaze turning to Micheal, who was staring at his watch. "David, it's nearly sunrise." He cursed sternly, sending panicked looks across everyone except the leader. You were surprised yourself, having completely lost track of time. But you were a little confused as all the guys got up and guided you back to the pier.

"You guys got a curfew or something?" You asked, biting the inside of your cheek. Dwanye chuckled as he and the others walked over to their bikes. "Miss us already, sugar?" Paul hummed, getting on his bike. Micheal shook his head, taking your hand gently in his. He caressed the chilled hand with his thumb, and you couldn't help but notice that Micheals's hand was just as cold as yours. "We just have something we need to do; see you tomorrow?"

"You're not going home?" You asked, slightly surprised at the sudden change in atmosphere. "No, like I said, we have something planned." He seemed more nervous, rubbing his neck. A nervous tick he developed when Michael was lying. But you didn't feel like pushing, so you let go of his hand with a sigh.

He walked to his bike, the five starting their engines with a powerful roar. Paul and Marko wave as they drive off, Dwayne following. Michael stared longingly at you, starting his back before driving off too. David moved but promptly stopped before you. One of his feet resting on the floor. He caressed your cheek with his gloved hand, watching you carefully. You felt pulled as if the boy's leaving was pulling your heart along with them. "You think to much." David hummed teasingly, staring into your eyes. "Come back to the boardwalk tomorrow; I'll come and find you," he instructed, not leaving any room for debate.

"How'll you manage that?" You taunted, your breath hitching as he promptly leaned closer.

But instead of a snarky remark, his hand that rested on your cheek slid back. Tangling his fingers in your hair, keeping a firm grip on the back of your neck as he pulled you in for a searing kiss. Sparks flew, and you were sure you could have burnt yourself at the searing heat of the kiss. David wasn't gentle, and there was a dominating eagerness to his lips that commanded your utter acceptance. His teeth playfully nipped your bottom lip, pulling it slowly as he parted. You pulled away with lidded eyes, observing the same intoxicated look flash across David's features.

"See you tomorrow, baby." He chuckled, roaring his engine before leaving you. It took you several minutes to recuperate, walking back into the main center of the boardwalk.

Walking past a closing video store, you weren't really paying attention to your surroundings. The sound of a man's voice pulling you out of your daze, looking around your eyes connected with those of a middle-aged man. You recognized him as the video store owner, who must've said something to you.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" You asked, now focused on the man.

"I said you should stay away from those bikers; they're nothing but trouble." His words seemed stern, yet they had the unnerving power to upset you.

"Yeah, you know them or something?" You asked in an accusatory tone, hearing the man shake his head with a small sigh.

"You've got the same attitude as them; if it were up to me, I wouldn't let you in. But Lucy always wanted a daughter." The man's tone turned sadistic as he got closer, pushing you into a nearby alleyway. Panic shot through you, every fiber of your being screaming at you to run. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. But before your fight or flight response could kick in, you were knocked against the wall with such force the wind was knocked out of you. Leaving you disoriented and wheezing for air.

You felt his fangs graze your skin, a small sob escaping you. A fear of dying, hate for pain, and lingering betrayal being too much for your eyes to hold. What did Lucy have to do with this? You didn't deserve to die, not like this!

You were scared. One of your hands placed itself on his chest, clenching the fabric of his jacket between your fingers as you desperately tried pushing him away. Thrashing as much as you could. When the pain finally arrived, you winced harshly and gasped. The hold on the man's jacket grew tighter as his jaw clenched. It fucking hurt. Hurt like hell. But he refused to move, not wanting to make the feeling worse. The longer you stood there, the more accustomed you felt to the dull aching. It was an awful feeling, leaving you feeling dirty all over, but whatever was happening, it sparked hopes that you might get out of this alive.

You could feel particular sharp sparks of pain whenever you moved, shifting the puncture wounds. Your mind grew cloudy the longer he drank.

"Stop.." You whispered, the words sounding frail and weak. The man needed to stop. Your body was slowly growing light, the feeling of dizziness and sleepiness festering inside you. The hand holding onto him loosened its grip before slowly falling against your side. Your tears had stopped a few minutes ago, your cheeks glistening from the wetness. Your eyes grew dull in color, silently fighting yourself to stay awake. You could practically hear your heart hammering against your chest, each beat loud and overwhelming as it rang through your ears.

It felt like you were dying, and a part of you was convinced you actually were.

Your body was in a state of searing, burning pain. Your heartbeat rang like cathedral drums, harsh and loud before the sound turned quiet. One beat, a pause, then silence. Your body limp and cold, your lifeless body let the blood of its murderer wash down your tongue. Suddenly everything began to burn inside you; your mouth ached horribly, and your fingertips too. Your body felt freezing cold until some drop of relief washed over you, and through your mouth came a small stream of euphoria. Practically lighting your every fiber on fire. Your eyes opened, no longer their usual color but a vivid yellow. Your hand instinctively grabbed the man's wrist, your mind going blank as you sink your teeth into the crimson liquid.

A sigh of relief escaped you as you closed your eyes, swallowing greedily as you calmed the burning inside yourself. You didn't let the man budge, your new, sharpened nails practically digging into his forearm. You felt insatiable; no matter how hurriedly you lapped and sucked on the wound, you wanted more, more blood.

You didn't relent; you practically couldn't. But the urge to look up at your murderer was undeniable. You pulled away, a small trail of the man's blood trailing down the corner of your lips as you looked up at him. Large, doe-eyed hungry eyes stared up at him, the look of a pure predator.

You had died in that alleyway, after all; a part of you just knew that. With speed unrecognizable, you ran away, not sure where, but far, far, away from the boardwalk.

The next night, David and the others did not find you at the boardwalk. But none of them were just going to let you go like that, no, not when mates were so hard to find. It was hard enough for them to have let you go last night, and if it wasn't for the threat of the approaching sun, they wouldn't have. Their boardwalk princess was missing, and there would be hell to pay if they didn't find you soon.

[inbarfink]

Okay, I’ve been considering it for quite a bit and I think that if Tumblr existed in Japanifornia… most of us would probably not be aware of the series’ main characters.

Like, lawyers just don’t tend to be high-profile publicly-known figures. Even within True Crime communities or the coverage of high-public-interest cases, people don’t tend to focus on the lawyers as much more than a representative of the defendant and the legal system as a whole. And yeah, you can say this is just because real-life lawyers are Boring and if they did the kind of Bonkers Shit AA Lawyers do we would pay attention to them… but we do actually have textual evidence that Japanifornia treats lawyers not-too-differently than real life.

Mia’s murder, and probably the uncovering of all of Bluecorp’s dirty dealing, was highly talked about, but Phoenix’s actions in court went kinda ignored. And note that this is the case where Phoenix literally defended himself and broke the Demon Prosecutor’s five years winning streak, and that wasn’t enough to draw eyes to his part in this whole case. 

And that’s also generally consistent with how characters treat Phoenix throughout the rest of the games. By the AJ Trilogy era, it’s clear that Phoenix has made quite a name for himself… in the legal world. If you are yourself a lawyer or another sort of legal professional or just unusually interested in court proceeding, you know the name ‘Phoenix Wright’ 

But if you’re just a regular person who cares about the law the Regular Amount, you probably have no idea who this is.

So I’d guess most of Japanifornian Tumblr would probably be aware of a lot of the cases in the games, especially considering how many of them concern, like, corporate corruption and organized crime and legal corruption and international politics and the entertainment industry and other such stuff that makes it likely to get national/international news coverage. And also so many of them are so bizarre and wacky and are thus prime meme fodder…

But most people wouldn’t necessarily know the name of the lawyer the Nickel Samurai blackmailed to defend him after he ordered an assassin to kill the Jammin’ Ninja, or even how involved that lawyer actually was in Matt Engarde’s downfall.

But there would probably be a small mini-fandom of Tumblrina Lawyers and other legal nerds who are ABSOLUTELY obsessed with the WAA, and trying to collect any piece of info they can find about their adventures. 

(That’s also another aspect to consider, the general public in Japanifornia does not have full knowledge of everything we get to see in the game. News coverage of the smaller cases would be extremely minimal and very regional - and even the bigger cases probably won’t give you a full line-by-line record of everything that happened in Court. Apollo Justice was, like, the Biggest Phoenix Wright Stan in the Universe and he had very choppy and partial knowledge of the Gramarye Trial. We have to consider that even folks who are trying to keep track of the AA Lawyers in-universe would not get the full picture from the media. And that’s before we get into fake news and rumors.)

And meanwhile, the rest of Tumblr would probably treat that Fandom the same sort of bemused delight we give to, like, the extremely dedicated gimmick blogs. Like, you’d probably see less posts about Phoenix and Co. as you’d see posts memeing about the fact there’s a Tumblr Fandom for ‘some random law agency in Japanifornia’, they’d be like five thousands people in the notes going “There’s a Tumblr Fandom for WHAT? WHY IS THIS THE FIRST TIME I’M HEARING ABOUT THIS??” and then one person from the WAA fandom going “NO YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS IS THE GUY WHO UNCOVERED THE PHANTOM HE’S JUMPED OFF A BURNING BRIDGE ONCE YOU LITERALLY TALKED ABOUT A TRIAL HE DID YESTERDAY YOU JUST DON’T KNOW HE WAS INVOLVED”. 

Now, that’s all for the Defense Attorneys. The Prosecutors have a bit more publicity. I mean, Phoenix literally heard about Prosecutor Edgeworth on the news.

But also… I do think this publicity is highly regional. Like, Phoenix ended up stumbling on newspaper coverage of Miles because he lives in the same city as him. I’m guessing that most of the series’ Prosecutors are at least casually known not just to Legal Folks, but also generally to people within Los Angetokyo and people involved in Japanifornian Politics… but also not much outside of that sphere either. Again, the series does establish that they are not that well-known amongst laypeople even when they are famous amongst other lawyers

And are generally recognized by fellow legal professionals and journalists and people involved in criminal activity. So the situation with them won’t be that different than with the WAA, they might be a tad more high-profile, depending on how many Tumblr users are specifically from Japaniforina and wanna make memes about the local politics… but those who will get really invested in their misadventures won’t be that different from the kind of people who’d get really into Phoenix Wright. 

Klavier is the obvious exception. Like most Famous Lawyers, he’s actually primarily famous for something other than law. It’s just that in his case, instead of politics, it’s being a world-famous rock star. There’s plenty of textual evidence that the Gavinners are an actual household name and they’d probably have a pretty sizable Tumblr Fandom, but… well… while I assume any casual Gavinner fan knows that Klavier is also a Prosecutor, I’d guess only the insanely dedicated fans and the Haters looking for something problematic would actually start digging into the records of the cases he worked on. But then again, Tumblr does have a lot of insanely dedicated fans and Haters, so maybe Legal Misadventures Involving Klavier would be kinda mainstream on Japanifornia Tumblr.

[crowfanity]

Original

More Ace Attorney text posts:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

(ID under cut)

[ID: A series of seven pictures from a Reddit thread with Ace Attorney characters.

The first picture is of the discussion topic, which reads “Let’s test something: describe your gender in a way that will baffle cis people but other trans and enby peeps will get.” Next to it is a sprite of Mia Fey smiling with her arms crossed.

On the next picture, the first comment is next to a sprite of Miles Edgeworth looking away. It says “I prefer to not be perceived by others.”

The comment after that says “A void with thigh high socks and beanie.” Next to it is Phoenix Wright’s disbarred sprite wearing a beanie and looking aloof.

The next comment says “Idk pick a slur”. Next to it is a picture of Dahlia Hawthorne looking uninterested and playing with her hair.

Below that is a comment saying “I drank too much gender juice”. To the right is an image of Rayfa Padma Khura’in smirking.

The next comment says “i wish i was an abstract concept”. Beside it is a sprite of Aura Blackquill with with her chin in her hand as she leans on a distressed Clonco.

Another comment reads “Ooblek. My gender is ooblek.” Next to it is a picture of post time-skip Ema Skye looking bored and fidgeting with her hair.

The third picture starts with a reply that says “I am a grand, old piano. I am painted black, shining and somewhat glossy. Covered in vines holding beautiful, golden flowers, I sit in the middle of a forest; forgotten, yet not lost. A cat sits atop me, staring into the distance with a glare in its tiny, marble eyes. The sun lays itself on top of my base in streaks, like looking through swaying; almost open blinds. I am a grand, old piano.” To the right is a sprite of Klavier Gavin smiling with his eyes closed and playing with his bangs.

The comment after that reads “Seven goblins in a trench coat, each with a different hyperfixation”. Next to it is a picture of young Maya Fey, leaning forward and smirking.

The next comment says “David Bowie, as played by Tilda Swinton”. It’s next to a sprite of Shih-na with sunglasses, looking at a stack of papers.

After that is a comment that says “none gender with left boygirl”. To the right is Sebastian Debeste looking smug.

Blow that is another comment reading “A shapeshifting shadow monster that takes the form of your gay aunt’s wife”. Next to it is an image of Franzaiska von Karma smirking with a hand on her hip.

The next picture starts with a reply saying “If gender is a performance then mine is the curtains which are drawn in to block stagehands switching props and the backdrop”. To the right is a sprite of Trucy Wright leaning forward and smiling with her eyes closed.

The next comment says “I’m a girl in a man way”. Beside it is Athena Cykes grinning and making a victory hand sign.

Blow that, a comment reads “i don’t know what i’m doing leave me alone”. Next to it is Juniper Woods with her hands clasped together, looking nervous.

The next comment just says “Rooster”. It has a picture of Apollo Justice with his arms crossed, looking smug.

Under that another comment says “Booby mcbeardy face”. Beside it is a sprite of Dick Gumshoe grinning.

The next reply reads “I’m all the genders but also none of the genders and everything I wear is drag and every crush I have is gay.” To the right is an image of Shi-Long Lang smirking.

The fifth picture starts by saying “If Gerard way was a sport bike”. Beside it is a sprite of Simon Blackquill smirking with his hand on his chin.

The next response reads “When you order man from wish”. Next to it is an image of Mike Meekins looking down and starting to cry.

The comment below that says “I’m gender fluid but not in a “sometimes a girl sometimes a boy” way. Sometimes my gender is Wesley from Princess bride, a sexy cowboy, pirate temptress and greasy gamer entity.” It has a picture of Jake Marshall holding the brim of his cowboy hat.

Underneath that another comment reads “an old vending machine that only gives you coffee and lime soda”. To the right is a sprite of Godot grinning and holding a cup of coffee.

The next reply says “I want to be able to see my gender in the woods after weeks of camping and get scared away, then the next night wander into the forest searching for it again but disappear without a trace, like those horror stories you read about, you know?” Next to it is Kay Faraday grinning with her eyes closed and a hand on her scarf.

The next picture starts off by saying “I’m a person”. To the right is a sprite of Kristoph Gavin smiling with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

The comment below that reads “I think of gender as icky stuff that I don’t want on me, attached to me. That’s another way of saying I don’t want gendered terms to define me. I’m agender.” Next to it is a young Pearl Fey biting her thumb and looking anxious.

The next response says “No matter who you are, if you have sex with me, it’s gay”. To the right is a sprite of Nahyuta Sahdmadhi smiling with his left arm behind his back.

Under that another reply reads “I do not exist”. Beside it is a picture of Lana Skye looking away.

Beneath that is a comment that says “bowling alley carpet”. To the right is an image of Patches smiling with his eyes closed and holding a fan while confetti flutters about.

The last image just has one reply that reads ““Hi, I’m non-binary. Please refer to me with gender neutral terms.”“ Next to it is a picture of Bobby Fulbright grinning and doing a salute. /End of ID]

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Me & The Devil P.1 🌘| Harry Potter Imagine

Set during Order of the Phoenix to DHP2

Harry Potter Masterlist | Part 2 Here

Characters & Pairings: Black!Sister reader x HP characters (platonic)

Content Warnings: death, violence, profanity, angst, slight cannon divergence, mentions of torture and blood, set during the book timeline of the 1990s | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 6k

Requested 📨 yes/no

Premise: Everyone has light and dark inside them. That’s what Sirius told Harry that night in Grimmauld Place. It was how one chooses to act that sets the stone of who they are as a person. It’s something Harry has to remind himself when he encounters Sirius’s cousin, the youngest of the Black sisters, Y/n. After 14 years in a cold, dark cell, Y/n’s accepted she no longer believes in angels. And the Devil himself wouldn’t want to cross her

Note: this is part 1 to a 2 part imagine where I had the idea that Sirius had another cousin, Bellatrix & Narcissa's youngest sister who has quite the age gap between them and was forced to become a death eater but has no loyalty to either side since both failed her. Part 2 should be out later this week so i hope you enjoy this!

—————————

The floors of 12, Grimmauld Place creaked beneath Harry’s shoes as he entered the room at the end of the staircase he had been following Hermoine and Ron down. What drew his attention in the first place was the wallpaper. A green based mural branching out in the form of a tree. As Harry got closer he made out the portraits embedded into the wall, as were their names, birthdates and date of death if they’d passed. Some areas were black, covering up the picture seated above the name. 

Harry flinched back upon notice of the house elf, Krecher, nestled inside the room. He mumbled something he couldn’t quite make out, then said, “Harry Potter. The boy who stopped the Dark Lord. Friend of mudbloods and blood traitors alike.” Unsure of what to say, Harry just stood looking down at the elf in silence. “My poor mistress--.” A loud voice cut him off.

“Kreacher!” It belonged to Sirius. “That’s enough of your bile.” Waving a finger, he dismissed the elf. “Away with ya!”

Clasping his hands, Krecher lowered his head, “Of course, Master. Kreacher is pleased to serve the Noble House of Black.” He stalked off and away from the two. Passing Sirius on his way out. 

Entering the room, Sirius gave an apologetic look, “Sorry about that. He never was very pleasant--even when I was a boy.” There was a slight pause, “not to me.”

Surprise took over Harry’s face, “Wh-wha-you grew up here?”

“This is my parents' house,” his Godfather explained, “I offered it up to Dumbledore as headquarters for the Order.” A hand trailed the edge of the doorway, “About the only useful thing I’ve been able to do.” Dark eyes landed on the mural, seeing it was the object of Harry’s attention, “This is the Black family tree.”

Sirius couldn’t help but land his gaze on the branches depicting his cousins. Andromeda’s was burnt out, much like his. The only cousin he was still fond of. 

Well…..she wouldn’t have been the only one. 

For Narcissa, under her name was Lucius Malfoy, with a branch leading to their only son, Draco. Sirius’s eyes narrowed on the one beside Andromeda’s.

“My deranged cousin,” Harry picked up on the distaste in his tone. Following Sirius’ gaze where it landed on the portrait of a young woman with wild curly hair and high cheekbones. Bellatrix. Beneath her name was Rodolphus Lestrange. “I hated the lot of them.” 

Looking past the next portrait, though Harry caught his posture stiffen when his eyes glazed over it, Sirius maintained his composure. Focusing back on his hateful family, “My parents with their blood mania.” Raising his hand, his fingers brushed over the blackened spot where his face once laid. Sadness laced his voice, “My mother did that after I ran away. Charming woman,” his arm dropped back to his side. “I was sixteen.”

Part of him wanted to question his Godfather’s reaction to the portrait, but knew it wasn’t the right moment. He was curious. Especially since the name was unlike the other members of the House of Black. Like Narcissa, she wasn’t named after a celestial body or constellation. 

Frowning, feeling the hurt radiate off Sirius, Harry instead asked, “Where did you go?”

“To your dad’s. I was always welcomed at the Potters,” A small smile curled on Sirius’ lips as he glanced over Harry. Kind eyes the boy had grown accustomed to. “I see him so much in you, Harry. You are so very much alike.”

The next few minutes involved Harry confessing to Sirius his connection to Voldemort. Voicing concern of the possibility he was turning into him. Sirius assured Harry he was a good person, who’s had bad things happen to him. Followed by educating the boy on how everyone had their own angels and demons. Light and dark. Good and bad. How the only thing that matters is what part people chose to act on.

The entire time Sirius explained this to Harry, he thought of the portrait behind him. Almost like her painted eyes were boring into the back of his head. Reminding him of how he failed her. Much like everyone else in their family. 

Once good. Turning bad due to the odds against her. 

Maybe there was still some good deep down. Sirius prayed so. But the chances of him ever discovering were about as slim as convincing the Minister Voldermort was back. 

“Sounds like you know from experience,” Harry said aloud, eyes trailing to the portrait behind Sirius. The one he noticed him trying to avoid. Yet managing to show how deeply this relative affected him.

Sighing, the man turned on his heel, staring at the portrait. No longer able to visibly hide his emotion as he read the name Y/n -- 1967.

“My cousin, Y/n,” his tone lacked malice compared to when he spoke of Bellatrix. “The youngest of the Black sisters. My aunt and uncle were shocked to learn they were expecting a fourth child--nearly twelve years after they had Narcissa.” Fingers brushed over her name, smiling softly as memories surfaced in his mind like a film. “Drove her parents wild with her energy. I was eight when she was born, and as I got older she’d follow me around the house. A little shadow if I must say.” Harry heard him chuckle to himself, “one summer I brought her to meet your father and Remus--didn’t tell her mother mind you. I nearly met my end at the hands of Druella’s wand when we returned that night.” It was as clear as if it were yesterday. 

Young 14 year old Sirius with Y/n, aged six at the time, on his hip as they made their way to Diagon Alley to buy sweets she was not allowed to have. She instantly fell in love with James and Remus, as did the boys adore her. She was so different from her older sisters--who had graduated Hogwarts ages ago and were off with their own lives. Meaning the child was alone majority of the time with only the house elves tending to her. Her father worked and her mother did the bare minimum. That’s why Sirius would visit her often. To make sure she was okay. Y/n clinged to Sirius like a puppy. Much like that day where she begged to go with him to meet his friends. She wanted to explore the outside world her parents isolated her from. 

Y/n didn’t display the blood mania her family was known for. And when her parents would preach it, the girl kept her attention on her dolls and drawing pictures with her crayons Sirius had smuggled her. The older cousin prayed she’d never turn out like them. Only he knew with the tensions of a certain Dark Wizard making rounds in London, Sirius feared for Y/n’s safety. And sanity. Especially after overhearing Bellatrix’s plans to begin teaching Y/n the dark arts before she entered Hogwarts.

If only Sirius took her away. Brought her to the safety of the Potters like she wanted. “You can’t leave, Sirius,” she cried, the now eight-year old grasping his pant leg to prevent him from leaving the house. Tears painted her chubby face. It broke his heart to see. “Please don’t leave me here--I-I’m scared of them. P-please, cousin. Take me with you!”

Oh how he wanted to. If he did then he’d save Y/n from her fate. From Bellatrix. From Voldemort. But a kidnapping charge he’d surely receive by taking Y/n Black away from her parents would have Sirius spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.

A reality he’d face years later for a different reason. 

“What happened to her?” Harry’s voice brought him out his thoughts. The man shrugged his shoulders to shake off the tension in his muscles. A frown painted his features.

“She’s serving a life sentence in Azkaban.” It hurt him more to say it out loud. The reality had sunk in. As though it had been a dream the past 14 years. Sirius remembered how his heart dropped when the news spread of Y/n’s imprisonment. Bellatrix’s was no shock. He’d been hoping his deranged cousin would be locked away. 

But his sweet baby cousin who cried when she saw her father yelling at the house elves. That he could’ve never imagined. Even when the headline on the Daily Prophet told him the truth in big, bold letters, ‘Life sentence for 15-year-old Death Eater, Y/n Black. Cousin of notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black and younger sister of Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.’  Sirius didn’t believe for a second Y/n acted on her own accord.

“She was never like the rest of them,” He told Harry after a moment of silence. Noticing the boy’s worried look, Sirius softly shook his head. “My cousin is a rare case, Harry. A prime example of becoming everything she hated as a result of the circumstances around her. Not a day goes by where I don’t feel regret by not being there for her. Had I been so…,” he pictured what could’ve been, “She’d likely be here with us. The Order.”

Harry pictured it too. Sirius’s tone gives him indication that Sirius still cared for Y/n. Wishing fate had turned out different for her. For both of them. 

Hermoine appeared moments later to announce they had to leave. Sirius ended the conversation with a promise to Harry that when all was over, they’d be a family again. Living in Grimmauld Place in peace. With a hug goodbye, Harry exited the room, but not before catching his Godfather gave one last glance to Y/n’s portrait. 

Crouched in her cell, hands over her ears like they were most days, Y/n shook from the cold wind. Willing the voices in her head to disappear. A constant battle she faced everyday since the chains were first put on her. Some of them were the distant echo of Azkaban's prisoners below. Others she was sure she kept imagining. 

The first two years Y/n cried every day. By the fifth year she stopped reacting to everything around her. Once the tenth year of her sentence passed, only a shell of her remained. Staring at the wall with her hands covering her ears. The same routine. Everyday.

But today was going to be different. The voices were louder than usual. Causing difficulty to keep them at bay.

Suddenly Y/n winced with a light shriek, a burning sensation erupting along her forearm. Gaze dropping down, the ink of where her dark mark laid bolded. The feeling intensified. Y/n didn’t know how to react. Only experiencing numbness at what it meant.

A loud explosion caught her attention on the left side of her cell. Followed by the maniacal laughter of her sister. Rising from her position, Y/n’s bare feet brushed against rocks and freezing water. Rats scurried past as she walked toward where the window of her cell had been. The wind grew stronger with each step, nearly sweeping her off balance. 

When she breached the area responsible for the explosion, Y/n had a clear image of the sky above her. The ocean’s treacherous waves beneath her. And dementors flying rapidly in the distance. There was no stopping the smirk from painting her chapped lips. Her eyes that were normally empty pits of nothing, suddenly emerged with an emotion unable to contain. 

She was free. 

It was the only thing on his mind when he read the paper that morning. Plaguing his thoughts with a newfound fear. Everywhere he went that day Neville saw the headline, “Mass Breakout From Azkaban.” Following the names of the high security prisoners freed from its confines. On the front page below the headline, moving images of two women were enough to have some of the students shivering. Bellatrix, with her wild curly hair, appeared crazed. While the woman in the image beside her was in a state of despair. Neville shuddered when his eyes locked on hers. Y/n Black. 

She couldn’t have appeared older than he was now. Fifteen. 

Curiosity getting the best of him, Neville turned the page to read up more on the sisters. When he got to Y/n, Neville was shocked to learn the girl had been the youngest prisoner in Azkaban in its entire history. Aged fifteen, in her fifth year of Hogwarts. Juveniles were never sent to the hellish institution. Yet, due to the nature of her crimes and association to Voldermort, the Ministry bent laws to lock her up. 

Reading the summary dedicated to her upbringing, Y/n had been sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts, skilled in Charms, and is alleged to be an Occulmens. It’s said she failed to return to Hogwarts during what would have been her fifth year. Not long after it was reported Y/n Black had been part of the group to torture esteemed Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom to gain information on Voldermort. Alongside her sister, Bellatrix, her brother-in-law, his brother and Barty Crouch Jr. During her arrest and trial, Y/n insisted she’d been forced to use the curse for fear the others would kill her. 

Which was true. Bellatrix made it clear to the young Black what the consequences for stepping out of line would be.

But it wasn’t enough in the Ministry’s eyes. Not when the other Death Eaters, Bellatrix included, testified Y/n had complied with no resistance. And so the first juvenile, the youngest Death Eater, was locked away in Azkaban. The sentence: eternity. 

Now she was free.

Later that day, during DA practice, Neville found himself in front of the mirror showing pictures and news articles relating to their cause. The others saying goodbye and making their way out of the Room of Requirement. Neville, however, remained. His stare on the image of the original Order of the Phoenix. His parents.

Harry came up beside him, neither addressing the other at first. Then, after a moment of silence and confidence, Neville confided in his friend.

“Fourteen years ago, a Death Eater named Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister, Y/n Black, used the Cruciatus Curse on my parents. They tortured them for information, but they never gave in.” Looking down at Harry, Neville added after a pause, “I’m quite proud to be their son, but…I’m not sure I’m ready for everyone to know just yet.”

Harry nodded, understanding what his friend was asking of him. Swearing to secrecy. “We’re gonna make them proud, Neville. That’s a promise.” 

The Hall of Prophecies was dark. Eerie. The only light emitting from the group's wands and orbs lightly glowing in their stands. The group had rushed to the Ministry upon Harry’s vision Sirius had been taken hostage by Voldemort, tortured into telling him where the prophecy was. They were in for a shock when they arrived.

Sirius wasn’t there. Neither was Voldemort. 

It was Neville who alerted the boy of the glass orb dedicated to him. Grasping it in his hand, the voice of Sybil Trelawney echoed through the silence, “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not…..and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other  survives….”

“Harry!” he turned to his friends, finding them frozen as they stared at the figure approaching. Harry pushed past, standing in front of the group. The figure was masked by a silver face, cloaked from head to toe. 

A Death Eater.

“Where’s Sirius?” Harry questioned him,his wand raised. 

“You know you really should know how to tell the difference between dreams…..” the man removed his wand from a familiar cane, waving it in front of his face to remove the mask. Revealing none other than Lucius Malfoy. “And reality.” Everyone tensed, anxiety starting to consume them. “You saw only what the Dark Lord wanted you to see. Now hand me the prophecy.” Harry stood his ground.

“You do anything to us I’ll break it.”

Suddenly a maniacal laugh entered the scene. Intensifying their unease. The shadow of someone behind Lucius coming toward the dim lights. “He knows how to play. Itty. Bitty. Baby. Potter.” The group’s eyes landed on the face of one of the women plastered on every front page of the Daily Prophet. Neville was the first to address her.

“Bellatrix Lestrange.”

“Neville Longbottom, is it?” she mocked with a wicked smile, “How’s mom and dad?” Lucius rolled his eyes at her antics. Neville, however, was enraged. 

“Better now that they’re about to be avenged.” In a split second he lifted his want, hoping to cast a spell on the one responsible for his parents torture. Harry was quick to stop him, just as Bellatrix raised her own wand to defend herself. 

“Now let’s…” Lucius slowly held his hands up. “Everybody just calm down. Shall we?” The group lowered their wands slightly, but not completely. “All we want is that prophecy.” 

“Why did Voldermort need me to come get this?”

“You dare speak his name?” Bellatrix’s eyes widened, appalled by the boy’s courage. “You filthy Half-blood!!”

Again, Lucius attempted to de-escalate the scene, “It’s all right, he’s just a curious lad. Aren’t you?”

Before anyone spoke another word, footsteps from the side filled their ears. “You know what they say about curiosity?” her voice was raspy and void of any emotion. Almost robotic. Harry slowly turned his head, mentally preparing himself to face his Godfather’s youngest cousin. Beside him, Neville paled. Unable to comprehend being in the same room as the Black sisters. It was suffocating.

Y/n Black’s expression matched her tone. Numb. An empty shell was the best description. Not even reacting when Harry pointed his wand in her direction. She simply stalked toward them, finishing her riddle, “It killed the cat. But….something tells me you might be the lucky bastard to live to see it, Harry Potter.” 

“Nice of you to finally join us, Y/n,” Lucius narrowed his eyes, watching her move so she was now in between the duo and group. Harry’s wand merely a few centimeters from her chest. The glowing light illuminating her face. 

Comparing her to the portrait on the Black Family Tree, Harry noticed all the striking differences. Of course, nearly 15 years had passed since Y/n was locked away in Azkaban. Her baby fat completely gone, likely due from the malnourishment prison had to offer. However, unlike her sister Bellatrix and Sirius before them, Y/n did not come across as a walking corpse. Much time hadn’t passed since her escape, yet she looked healthy. Teeth white and hair silky. Nails long and painted black. Skin blemish free save for a tiny scar on her lip. She was strikingly beautiful. 

Harry then remembered reading in the paper that Y/n was skilled in charms. Rumored to have created her own during her time at Hogwarts. She probably had one to alter her appearance. And considering Bellatrix looked rather unsettling, either Y/n did not offer her talent or Bellatrix refused. Judging by Y/n’s reaction to her associates, it was the former. 

She ignored Lucius, answering Harry’s question instead, “Prophecies can only be retrieved by those about whom they are made. Which is lucky for you, really.” Her brow raised slightly, “Surely Sirius told you. He’d be foolish not when he knows the Dark Lord desires it.”

Backing away from Harry, Y/n turned on her heel, nudging Lucius with her shoulder causing him to groan. Focusing back on the task at hand, the blonde narrowed his eyes on Harry. “Haven’t you always wondered what was the reason for the connection between you and the Dark Lord?” He moved closer, hands still raised. It was then the group noticed more Death Eaters surrounding them. “Why he was unable to kill you when you were just an infant?”

Bellatrix trailed behind Lucius. Their associates closing in on the students. Meanwhile Y/n stayed behind, not bothering to engage. Harry caught her gaze a few times, noting how disinterested she was by the entire ordeal.

“Don’t you want to know the secret of your scar?” Lucius captured his attention once more. “All the answers are there. In your hand.” Lucius encouraged Harry with a look, “All you have to do is give it to me, and I can show you everything.” 

“I’ve waited fourteen years,” Harry said, aware of the approaching footsteps of the Death Eaters getting louder. Waiting for the perfect moment.

“I know.” 

“I guess I can wait a little longer--Now!!” Simultaneously, the group all shouted, “Stupefy!!” 

After a brief fight against the Death Eaters to escape the Hall of Prophecies, the group found themselves falling to what they thought was their death. At the last second, Hermoine casted Arresto Momentum to slow time for them to safely land, grunting as their bodies met the rock. Scanning their surroundings, Harry spotted an archway with an iridescent glow to it. As he moved closer, voices were heard.  “Voices, can you tell what they're saying?”

Confused, Hermoine replied with what they were all thinking, “There aren’t any voices, Harry. Let’s get out of here.”

“I hear them too,” Luna spoke, staring at the arch in wonder. It was difficult to hear clearly what the voices were saying. But they grew louder with each step.

“Harry,” Hermoine pleaded, “it’s just an empty archway.” In the distance, the group heard the Death Eaters approaching. “Please, Harry.” Harry spun around with his wand raised.

“Get behind me!” They followed his order, ready to confront the oncoming threat. They unfortunately, however, were blindsided when the Death Eaters in their black smokey form attacked from behind. Grunts and gasps left the teens, Harry dropping to the ground, clutching the prophecy in his hand. About 15 seconds passed before he opened his eyes to discover he was alone. 

Dread consumed him, the boy standing to find his friends. He found them several feet away and spaced out. In the hands of Death Eaters. Ginny and Luna to his right, the Weasley girl gripped at the collar by Y/n Black. Neville struggles against Bellatrix Lestrange, Ron and Hermoine manhandled by the Lestrange brothers. A dry chuckle captured Harry’s attention, watching Lucius Malfoy stroll up to where he stood.

“Did you actually believe, or were you truly naive enough to think….children stood a chance against us?” Lucius made eye contact with the wicked smile of Bellatrix, whereas he met Y/n’s vicious glare. Her hold on Ginny wasn’t as tight as the others, almost like she didn’t view the girl as a threat. 

“I’ll make this simple for you, Potter,” Lucius held out his hand. “Give me the prophecy now….or watch your friends die.” Harry looked at his friends, their frightened gazes making his heart fall to his stomach.

“Don’t give it to him, Harry!” Neville shouts, only to be hushed by Bellatrix, who snaps her wand from his head to his neck forcefully. 

The Boy who Lived draws his eyes to the glowing prophecy. As if to be contemplating his choices, but deep down knew what he had to do. His friends were more important. He couldn’t risk their lives over a tiny orb. Slowly, he lifted his hand and placed the object in Lucius’s awaiting one. A satisfied smirk appears on the blonde’s lips. He had succeeded in his mission. 

Or so he thought.

Bright light filled the area, Harry’s eyes widening as he took in the sight of Sirius behind Lucius. Malfoy’s expression turned to one of pure shock, meeting Sirius’s angry one. 

“Get away from my Godson.” And before Lucius could react, he was falling to the ground from the force of Sirius’s right hook. More bright lights entered, members of the Order arriving. Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye. 

In the chaos, the prophecy was thrown from Lucius’ hand, shattering as it hit the ground in a cloud of blue-green smoke. The man was in disbelief, and fear at what consequences awaited him. 

Beyond him, Y/n released her hold on Ginny Weasley, slightly pushing her away causing the girl to stumble off the rocks. At that moment she met Sirius’ eyes for the first time in nearly 20 years. Their last encounter when he ran from home at 16, and Y/n only 8.

She watched the horror appear on his face. Lingering with regret. She could see him fighting with himself on how to react, she too was fighting that battle. Tears threatened to spill from both their eyes, Y/n’s bottom lip quivering. Overwhelmed by the reunion. 

Where they were on opposite sides. 

His expression read, ‘I won’t fight you, cousin,” which was enough for the woman to turn on her heel and drop to the ground. Ignoring Sirius shouting her name, Y/n leaned against the rock, waiting for an opportunity to run. Above her Sirius and Harry were dueling Malfoy and Rabastan Lestrange. Bellatrix was being trailed in the air by their niece, Nymphadora Tonks, her diabolical laugh echoing against the walls. 

A curse flew past her, hitting the rock causing Y/n to spin around where she met Lupin’s startled eyes. “Y/n….” the tone of his voice indicated he was surprised to see her. Likely assuming she’d been someone else. The werewolf always had a soft spot for the young Black. Thinking about the times she tagged along with them in Diagon Alley. Or when Sirius brought her to the Potter house and the two played with her in their animagi form to keep her entertained. 

Now here she was with the enemy. A completely different person plagued with darkness. Lupin sighed, laced with despair, “Oh, love…what’ve they done to you?” Somehow that question was enough to send Y/n into a whirlpool of rage. How dare he say those words to her. When the Order had every opportunity to remove her from the Black household. When they could’ve placed her in hiding like James and Lily. Anything, to prevent the Death Eaters from claiming her.

“What you all failed to save me from.” 

Before they knew it the two were dueling. Flashes of light leaving their wands, dodging those sent by the other. Despite Y/n spending half her life in prison with little combat experience under her belt, she was keeping up with Remus quite well. He noted the woman had yet to send a killing curse his way. Come to think of it, it appeared she was avoiding it all together. Unlike her associates who were not shy to use it. 

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Y/n,” Remus attempted to convince her to yield. Ducking when she shot a curse at his head. 

Scoffing, the woman spat, “Foolish for you to think such, Remus.” Her next attempt to get him away with a curse was more forceful, “I know how this dance between us ends, and I’d rather be sent to hell itself than be chained in Azkaban once more. So either man up and kill me, or turn away so I can get the hell out of here.” 

Remus became conflicted, “You know I can’t do that.” He referred to both options. Not having the strength or heart to kill his best friend's niece whom he once adored. But also not allowing her to escape. 

“Shame then,” she hissed, “I’ll try not to make this hurt.” After much struggle, where Remus had the upper hand in the dool, Y/n managed to send him flying back several feet, taking her chance to run to the nearest doorway. 

“Avada Kedavra!!” Bellatrix’s voice made her feeze, turning around in time to see the green light hit their cousin straight in the chest. 

It was as if time had stopped. All fighting ceased. Y/n heard a loud gasp--a scream, realizing moments later she was the one responsible for it. Hand raising to cover her mouth. Frozen as she watched Sirius fall back into the archway. Disappearing forever.

The silence was then interrupted by Harry’s wails. Held by Remus, he fought against him as though he wanted to join his Godfather. Y/n remained still. Processing what just happened. 

Sirius was dead. Her sister killed him. 

Y/n had to get out of there. No doubt the Aurors were alerted. They’d be arriving any second. 

Witnessing Harry take off after Bellatrix, Y/n met Remus’ eyes. The man silently pleading to her, completely distraught over the death of his best friend. With James and Sirius dead and Peter’s betrayal to Voldemort, he was alone. 

Y/n shook her head, unable to face him any longer. Instead of running into the main lobby of the Department of Ministries, the Death Eater looked up and allowed the black smoke to consume her, flying away from the Order. Her associates followed suit. 

When the Minister and Aurors entered the lobby to the horrifying scene, they understood the future became plagued with an unavoidable truth. 

The night officially marked the beginning of the Second Wizarding War. 

Rain pelted against the ground, falling from the gray clouds painting the sky. Strolling down alleyways of London, three sisters in black were on a mission to locate a certain home. Hiding behind corners whenever cars and people passed by. The one leading the trio was the reason for this side quest. Meanwhile the one falling back voiced opposition. For the youngest in the middle, she was rather bored. Not caring what would come out of this meeting. 

If Y/n were honest, she just hated getting her outfit soaked. 

“Cissy, you can’t do this,” Bellatrix hissed, trailing after her sisters. “He can’t be trusted.”

“The Dark Lord trusts him,” Naricssa rebutted, not sparing her a glance. Y/n simply rolled her eyes.

“The Dark Lord’s mistaken.”

“Shhh,” Y/n interrupted. While she may agree with Bellatrix to some degree, she knew better than to question his judgment aloud. Anyone could be lurking. 

Children’s laughter filled their ears, the sisters leaning against the brick walls until they passed. Once clear, they turned the corner and knocked on the door. Waiting for him to answer. 

Instead of Snape, the trio were greeted by Wormtail--who was visibly surprised to see them on the steps of Snape’s home. Y/n gave one death glare to the man and he immediately opened the door fully to let them inside. Water droplets fell from their coats, Y/n waved her wand to dry herself, feeling satisfied with a low ‘hmm’.

Wormtail escorted them to the library, where Snape sat in a chair reading the Daily Prophet. Folding the paper, the sisters were greeted by his blank stare. “Run along, Wormtail.” With a flick of his wrist Wormtail was pushed out, door slamming in his face. Y/n smirked, overlooking Snape with a raised brow. 

He matched her gaze, the two in silent conversation. Like they each had their secrets the other knew of…

In that moment Y/n thought back to the moment she and Snape reunited after her escape from Azkaban. Neither were fools to the other's facade. Both able to mask it with their talents in both Legilimency and Occlumency. 

“I know your true intentions, Severus. You are not part of his cause anymore and haven’t been for fifteen years. Do not stand there and lie to me, I don’t take kindly to liars.”

“Make no mistake then, Y/n, you also have motives not aligned with the Dark Lord. You do not care who wins this battle, only that your freedom is the outcome. He’d not take kindly to your…..deception.”

“Then I guess this means you and I….have a lot to lose if we are not careful. I’ll say no word. I expect you to do the same.”

“You have yourself a deal.”

Wine was poured, Y/n and Narcissa seated in chairs while Snape and Bellatrix remained standing. The eldest sister pacing along the fireplace. Narcissa was the first to speak, “I-I-I know I am not to be here,” Pausing she shot Y/n a hesitant look, which was ignored. “The Dark Lord, himself, forbade me to speak of this--.”

“If the Dark Lord has forbidden it, you are not to speak--but it down, Bella, we mustn’t touch what isn’t ours,” Annoyed, the woman placed the object back on the mantel. Giving Snape a look of, ‘there, happy?’ He turned back to Narcissa, “As it so happens, I’m aware of your situation, Narcissa.”

“You?” Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, “The Dark Lord told you.”

Snape briefly glanced at Y/n, “Your sister doubts me.” The woman smirked.

“She doubts everyone,” she felt Bellatrix’s glare, paying no mind. “It’s not personal.” 

“Understandable. Over the years I’ve played my part well--so well I’ve deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time.” Y/n sipped her wine to hide the smirk on her face. 

For she knew exactly who he was referring to. 

Unlike Bellatrix who simply snorted. Snape dismissed her remark, “Dumbledore is a great wizard. Only a fool would question it.”

Y/n examined her wine, acting like it was the most curious thing in the room. Rather bored by the conversation and Snape’s persistence of convincing her sisters of his motives. Bellatrix obviously had her suspicions. Narcissa, however, took the bait.

“I don’t doubt you, Severus.”

“You should be honored, Cissy,” Bellatrix told her. “As should Draco.” Of course her deranged self would see it that way. 16 year-old Draco tasked with the difficult mission to assassinate Dumbledore at Hogwarts. Punishment for Lucius for failing Voldemort too many times. The most recent being the damn prophecy he was to fetch. 

Y/n couldn’t help but feel smug at the Malfoys predicament. Lucius deserved all he got. And while Narcissa may have been her sister, Y/n harbored enough anger and resentment to not feel sympathy for her. Draco was the only one innocent in the matter. 

Narcissa’s face fell at Bellatrix’s words, pleading to Snape with her eyes, “He’s just a boy.”

“I cannot change the Dark Lord’s mind,” that was true. Nothing could alter Voldermort’s decision once it was made. Snape did have an idea, “But it might be possible for me to help Draco.” 

That was enough for Narcissa. The woman rising from her seat, “Severus--.” She was cut off by Bellatrix.

“Swear to it. Make the unbreakable vow.” She moved toward them, circling Severus as her tone turned to mockery, “It’s just empty words.” Now Narcissa’s face read she wanted the same. Bellatrix continued, “He’ll give it his best, but when it matters most,” her chin rested on his shoulder, whispering in his ear. “He’ll just slither back into his hole. Coward,” she ended as she passed him. 

Y/n stared at her associate, watching his reaction carefully. It was obvious the insult poked deep in his core. Though Snape did not let it show. 

“Take out your wand.”

The sisters were pleased. Visibly showing this as they looked at each other. Y/n stood from her chair, moving closer as Narcissa and Snape held each other's wrists. Bellatrix withdrew her wand, allowing the glowing strands to encompass their hands.

“Will you, Severus Snape, watch over Draco Malfoy as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord’s wishes?”

“I will.”

Water glossed over Narcissa’s eyes, Bellatrix continued, “And will you, to the best of your abilities,” her chin rested this time on Narcissa’s shoulder, the two staring him down like a hawk. Y/n sipped her glass, leaning her head against Narcissa’s other shoulder, smirking slightly at the scene. “Protect him from harm?”

“I will.”

Bellatrix walked so she was directly in front of Snape, “And, if Draco should fail…will you yourself, carry out the deed the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?” The pause was longer, Narcissa practically shaking making Y/n move away. 

Finally, Snape made the last vow, “I will.” 

The glowing strands disappeared, leaving scars on the two. A permanent reminder of the promise made. To protect Draco from harm and finish the job if it came to it. 

Otherwise, the Devil would visit Snape earlier than planned.

[radiance1]

Danny and Vlad are now mythical creatures.

They don't know exactly how- their bets are on Desiree. Which mean someone in Amity Park had to wish for this to happen.

Except it extended to the whole of Amity park, and not just them. Danny became a dragon, while Vlad became a phoenix and not those small ones, but he's a very big one.

Like, bigger than a person big.

Everyone can switch between from a creature back to their human selves, with the catch being that some of their beastly instincts and traits carry over into their human side.

Anywho.

Danny is just minding his own business, resting in dragon form in the deepest part of the Far Frozen, until a phoenix busts through and interrupts his haze, fire blazing behind him and hits him with.

"Pariah Dark is missing."

And if that didn't wake Danny up faster than one of his parents inventions exploding then he doesn't know what would.

So they go to his abandoned castle, see the coffin missing, proceed to freak out for a few minutes, then remember that Clockwork exists and races over to his lair, leaving a trail of ice and fire in their wake.

Clockwork tells them that Pariah Dark was summoned to another dimension.

"Ghost King he is no more, but powerful ghost he still is."

So now they have to jump to different dimensions to try and find Pariah Dark before something goes down.

Meanwhile with Pariah Dark:

The 10 year old sitting at the edge of the summoning circle staring at the Sarcophagus that just appeared in stunned silence.

Also said child walking forward and poking at it curiously.

Also said child when he summoned something in his parents basement from a really old book he found not expecting it to work but it did: Neat.

The kid then opens the Sarcophagus, found it stupid easy, and then what is obviously a groggy giant man pulls himself out of it.

So he obviously dragged him upstairs and sat him down on the couch.

Meanwhile with Danny and Vlad:

Both of them are going through portals looking for the ex-ghost king, landed in some medieval dimensions, accidently became legends based on sightings alone, landed in some present day dimensions, alarmed their governments.

Yet none of them contained were wrecked and enslaved by Pariah Dark, nor was there even any signs of him.

they spent a few years looking in different dimensions, then they felt a tug about someone summoning them, not just one of them, but both.

Probably didn't get the memo about a new king.

Meanwhile with Pariah Dark:

Showing pictures of the kid who summoned him to other aunties and gossiping about the new gangs and drama in Gotham.

Meanwhile with Vlad and Danny:

Looking at the stunned faces of cultists as they stand menacingly in their mythical creature forms, just staring done at them as if they were mere ants.

In reality they just want this over and done with so they can go back to finding Pariah Dark and finally call it a day.

They're waiting for the cultists to finally speak and tell them what they want, only for them to be interrupted by people in colorful spandex who beat up the cultists.

Did they stay after that?

Nope.

They left the summoning circle to look for Pariah if he has any chance of being in this one.

They also went intangible to avoid them if they decided to chase after them, Vlad went one way and Danny the other.

[furiousladyking]

It's a Date

It's a Date - Part One??

Jake Seresin x Reader

A/N: this is kind of a feeler to see if anyone is interested in yet another fic in this trope

Summary: Jake Seresin is feeling defeated. His youngest sister, Brooke is getting married in 3 weeks, and he has yet to find a date. While he loves his family, he can't say he enjoys getting those comments from his mother about when he is going to find a "nice girl" and settle down. In comes Y/N "Casper" L/N, a prime target to help get rid of the one on Jake's back.

Warnings: probably very incorrect military information - but hey we're trying our best, probably profanity

________________________________________

The Hard Deck was seemingly filled to the brim with aviators and civilians alike, something quite common for a Friday night in July. The crowd was loud, and there was an old rock song playing, however drowned out. The familiar clink of pool balls and thump of darts lulled incredibly tired individuals into a sense of calm.

In an entirely uncommon event, Hangman was... quiet. Too quiet if you ask any of his fellow aviators. Looks were passed, and whispers between Phoenix and Bob were somewhat hidden for thirty minutes.

"As much as we all appreciate a little bit of a break from hearing you go on about how great you are, you're kind of freaking me out," Phoenix tried as she walked up to the pool table. Coyote snickered beside her.

"Hmm?" Rooster quirked an eyebrow at the distracted man beside him. No come back? No stab at flirting? He took the pool cue and placed one end of the floor. He waited a moment. Despite the far away look in Jake's eye, he sunk the shot he had lined up. Rolling his eyes, Rooster decided to test the boundaries.

"Hey Hangman, did you hear that Cyclone let me know I was getting a promotion? Lieutenant Commander."

"Wow, that's cool," Hangman replied. He lined up his next shot. Those surrounding the pool table were a bit taken aback. Bringing his cue back, he stuttered on the follow through. "Wait, what?" The ball missed the pocket by about half a foot.

"There he is," Bob said from his seat, rolling his eyes.

"Lieutenant Commander? Rooster we both know you'd be the last-" Hangman began, hitting what the squad called his sassy stance. One hand on his hip, jutted out, the other holding his cue stick.

"Hey, no need to hurl insults, I was just seeing how out of it you were. Wasn't sure if we needed to send you to the infirmary. Your ego wasn't practically suffocating us" Rooster put his hands up in a mock-surrender.

Hangman placed his hand on his face, letting it slide down in hopes it wipe the worry away. He debated on brushing it off and telling them he was just picturing the best way to rub in his latest win during their dogfighting. The Dagger Squad had been stationed together in Miramar for a little over a year and no one was being reassigned anytime soon. Jake had been making a conscious effort to be more vulnerable with the squad, to let them in as his chosen family.

"My sister is getting married in 3 weeks."

The others were silent for a moment.

"Congratulations?" Phoenix offered. Hangman sighed and shook his head, mostly to himself.

"When they started planning the wedding six months ago I told my mom I had someone to bring with me," He started. Rooster cocked his head to the side. "She reminded me on a phone call about how excited she is to meet my girlfriend"

"Hangman has a girlfriend?" Fanboy pipped in, after hearing bits of the conversation.

"He doesn't," Rooster answered for him. "That's the problem."

"Hey, why don't you get someone to go with you and just act like you are dating?" Bob spoke from his spot on the chair. Suddenly feeling numerous eyes, he started to defend, "I've heard people do it a lot."

"I'm not bringing some hooker to meet my family," Hangman huffed, glaring in Bob's direction, then softening his gaze. "I'm just going to have to tell my mom that she and I broke up. Maybe she'll even pity me enough to not try and set me up with her friend's children." Jake leaned his pool stick up against the table and went to sit down next to Bob. He sipped his drink as he pondered how that would play out in reality.

"Get Casper to go with you." Hangman almost choked on his drink. He looked incredulously in Coyote's direction. "Think about it, she's the only one you know well enough to pretend you've been dating. Besides Phoenix, but we all know her acting skills wouldn't be good enough to go along with being your girlfriend for four days." Phoenix elbowed him in the rib. Coyote tries to stand tall, but still clutches his side in his hands.

As if on cue, he hears her voice. Still in her service khakis and hair in a bun, she carries her drink with her toward the group.

"Hey, what are we talking about?"

"I swear this type of shit only happens in movies."

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading!

Anyway, let me know if this is something I should even consider continuing!

[teecupangel]

Do we have a Phonenix yet in the menagire? We need one.

Phoenix!Desmond, probably looking like a normal bird for the most part, and stays with Sef when they go after the mongols (Altair probably thinks he's getting too old he looked a bit ratty lately) and takes the hit when Swami tries to kill him.

Idk whether to have this crack or angest with them thinking Desmond died, had a chick, and was apparently a female bird the entire time.

Okay, so I was checking the Phoenix wiki page for any information if it would be possible that Altaïr would know what a phoenix is and there’s this part written by Herodotus (yes, Kassandra’s Herodotos)

[The Egyptians] have also another sacred bird called the phoenix which I myself have never seen, except in pictures. Indeed it is a great rarity, even in Egypt, only coming there (according to the accounts of the people of Heliopolis) once in five hundred years, when the old phoenix dies. Its size and appearance, if it is like the pictures, are as follow: The plumage is partly red, partly golden, while the general make and size are almost exactly that of the eagle. They tell a story of what this bird does, which does not seem to me to be credible: that he comes all the way from Arabia, and brings the parent bird, all plastered over with myrrh, to the temple of the Sun, and there buries the body.

… which may be a reference to Bennu, the Egyptian deity connected to the sun, creation, and rebirth.

So Altaïr would meet him during his travels with Maria and he just stays. They assume he’s an exotic bird (or eagle), maybe a native to one of the places Altaïr and Maria visited.

Altaïr never told them that the bird flew into his room one night and began to chirp at him as if trying to tell him something. He also tried to tap the Apple but all it did was glow a bit.

The bird had been quite annoyed by it and began to hit it with his talons so quickly the Apple had a taptaptaptaptap sound rapidly before Altaïr could take the Apple.

After that, the bird just decided to sit on Altaïr’s shoulder when he left his room the following morning and Maria assumed he had bought the bird yesterday when they went their separate ways.

Her guess sounded so much better than the truth which was Altaïr spent the entire day yesterday holed up in his room, writing letters to be sent back to Masyaf as part of his deal with Malik in exchange for letting him go on this trip (which was to send letters detailing the geopolitical situations of the places he travels to with suggestion on what the Brotherhood should do in those parts… if they could do anything).

So nobody ever questioned the mentor’s newly acquired bird (except Malik but Malik had been more focused on the ex-Templar that Altaïr brought to Masyaf and married).

Then Darim and Sef were born and the bird (named Desmond because Altaïr thought of the name first when Maria asked what the bird’s name was) usually stayed with the children, letting out loud screeching cries whenever one of the two children were doing something they shouldn’t do.

When they got older, Darim and Sef learned the word ‘bribe’ and how Desmond can be easily bribed to look the other way in favor of delicious food.

Desmond stayed in Masyaf though, regardless if Altaïr or any of his sons left for a mission or to travel to a bureau. At some point, the bird had become a symbol of Brotherhood with its gold and red plumage.

So when Altaïr left with Maria and Darim to take down Genghis Khan, it was only natural for Desmond to stay with Sef in Masyaf.

Altaïr had been a bit conflicted though as Desmond’s feathers had grown quite… dull and he was moving slower than usual.

Maria and Malik both told them that Desmond was growing old and maybe it was time but the Ibn-La'Ahad boys refused to believe that.

Darim also believed that they might find medicine in one of the camps of the Mongols as they have been to many lands.

So when Desmond flew to protect Sef and got stabbed on the chest by Swami, Swami screamed as Desmond became shrouded in flames.

Swami burned as well and Sef could only watch in horror as white hot flames consumed the both of them.

Swami was left as a corpse charred beyond recognition.

While Desmond…

Only ashes remained…

And from those ashes…

Sef heard a small chirp.

As a little chick with red and gold plumage poked his head out of the ashes, shaking the ash from his small body.

Sef could only stare as he asked, “Desmond?”

And the bird gave him an enthusiastic chirp while jumping.

[spacer-case]

...and when the last blood-beast comes to rest unto the Earth, what next will arrive to inherit it?

i drew this sci fi piece for my portfolio, but it also turned loosely into a marcoace au because my brain got zoomies

short version: guy on a joyride (coughs ace) accidentally travels to another world filled with mythological-ish creatures, but they're actually all robots mimicking life with no real sentience of their own - except one lone, lonely consciousness (coughs marco) whose mind was digitally preserved before the rest of organic life got wiped out, and has been waiting a long time for a friend

long nerdy version under the cut:

ace's world is a fun and scrappy sci fi future world, with stuff like his hovercraft that syncs to his body's movements too

he was out riding with deuce and got too caught up in the thrill of flying that he went way out of safe bounds (not pictured: deuce panicking) and got swallowed by a giant sky beast

somehow (i haven't thought that hard about it) he appears in marco's world after this - when i first had this idea i was just thinking of a literal reference to the philosophical concept of animals as other worlds/animal alterity, a la Barbara Noske), plus i like the idea of gateways being where you least expect them

anyway yeah he gets isekai'd

enter: marco's world!! this is a land where organic life once thrived, including sentient beings (i haven't decided if they were also humans), but all organic life has long since died out and given way to a new, constructed "ecology"

it's full of seemingly mythological-ish creatures (phoenix, dragon, etc. but all are also warped from what we would imagine)!! but SIKE they are actually robots; cybernetic constructs!!! each one goes through the motions of life for many years until they steadily break down. their parts get recycled and they are remade to spawn from egg-like structures (like the one in the bottom left corner of the drawing)

and who is remaking them? MARCO! aka the last, lone remaining consciousness from the sentient race that died out. his mind was preserved digitally, but by the time he awoke he only remembers snapshots of his original life. he continuously cares for and builds all the robots, and uploads himself into different bodies whenever he wants, but no matter what he tries he can't recreate anything truly alive with its own free will

so he's lonely and sad

basically the whole thing was an exploration of the concept of a man-made mythos! and the boundaries of what defines life, will, sentience, etc. etc.

but when he meets ace - a real, living breathing organic human - it will change his life! because............because...i haven't thought that far

many questions remain...is ace's world a past version of marco's? will he find a way to restore organic life to marco's world? should he even do that? will he find a way back home? will they kiss? ? will marco get a human body?? will i ever make something bigger from this or even turn it back into ocs instead of op characters??? will they wear wigs???? when will they wear wigs????????? who knows!

but for now it is what it is hehe

i doubt anyone read all that, but if you did, thank you for your time....here i reward you with a secret:

below is an early sketch of this illustration, and underneath that, the composition originally came from A FAILED DRAWING OF MARCO!!!

the brainrot goes deep :')

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

The Danger Zone (Part 16) - Hangman

Pairing: Hangman / Fem!Bradshaw!Reader | OC

Word Count: 5.2k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ ONLY.

Warnings: Unplanned Pregnancy; Military Inaccuracies; Lots of Fluff; Some Crying; Use of "You," No Use of Y/N, No Set Physical Description

Summary: After Jake's promotion, you take some new steps in your relationship.

Series Master List

Master List

“Ready to go?” Jake asked you, walking into the bathroom as you wiped off your makeup. 

The two of you returned to your apartment after his promotion ceremony to clean up and change out of your formal wear. Coyote and Phoenix were hosting a party at their house to celebrate, but you had a few more things to do before you and Jake left.

“Wait, I have to give you your present,” you stated with a proud smile, stepping away from the mirror. 

Jake raised an eyebrow as you walked past him and over to your dresser. Leaning on the doorframe to the bathroom, Jake only grew more confused when you pulled out a small white box with a ribbon for him. You returned to him and held it out with a giddy smile. 

"What is this?" he asked, tugging on the ribbon to undo it.

"Just open it."

"You're not even going to give me a hint?"

When you shot him an exasperated look, Jake smiled to himself and pulled open the box. There was a piece of white tissue paper over it, but when Jake pushed that to the side, he paused for a moment. He turned to you questioningly before picking up the photo. The first of many, it seemed.

You were posing in a dress and holding a picture from your ultrasound over your bump. A photo that Jake had stared at nearly every day on his own. Your face was somewhat covered by a curtain of your hair, but there was that clear maternal pride and joy radiating off your figure as you stared down at your bump.

Jake gently set that photo aside before moving onto the next one.

It was black and white, and you were kneeling on the ground this time. Your bump was framed by the flaps of a white button up that was clearly several sizes too large for you. Your knees were slightly spread, and the photo was taken from the front. Your hands were resting between your bump and your thighs and even though your face wasn't in it, there was no mistaking that it was you to Jake.

“I know that you have the ultrasound photo up in your locker and in your plane," you explained softly, fiddling with your fingers. "So, I thought that for your promotion, I would give you some more options, since you'll have a new office and everything."

"How did you . . . who took these?" Jake asked you quietly, still looking through the stack with a measure of awe.

"I hired a photographer. She was recommended by some friends. I went to see her after work one day."

Jake picked up another photo when he noticed that there was a stack of Polaroids underneath the others. Setting aside the photo, Jake pulled out the Polaroids and put the box down on the nearby table. And then he really took a long look at the one at the top of the pile. It was a photo of you kneeling from the side, your bump covering your lower modesty, and your left arm cover the rest. You arched your back and gave the viewer a look that probably would have resulted in you getting pregnant, had you not been already.

That one was not going up in his office. He wasn't sharing that photo with the rest of the world.

“Do you like them?” you asked softly as Jake slowly looked up.

He set the photos aside before taking two steps forward and gently cupping your cheeks with his hands. You could barely let out a soft, giddy laugh before his lips were pressed against your own. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders, you returned the kiss happily until Jake slowly pulled away.

"Darling, I love them," he praised you, pressing another kiss to your lips. "But there's one problem with them."

"What?" you breathed out, suddenly concerned.

"I'm not in them," Jake stated, causing you to push on his chest.

"It was a surprise, Jake. How would I have been able to have you in them and surprise you?"

"Guess we'll just have to do another one, then."

You smiled and nodded before Jake pulled you in for another kiss. Knowing that you still had the party to go to, you started to lean back, but Jake just chased your lips.

"Jake," you reminded him, though it came out muffled due to his lips against yours. Leaning back, you placed your hand on his lips, shooting him a look. "We still have your party. And if we're late, they're just going to think we're fucking."

"But we will be fucking."

You shot him an incredulous expression, which only made him grin and press kisses to your chin and neck. Breathing out, you closed your eyes as Jake's hands trailed over your body. Your nails dug into his shoulders as he found that spot, knowing that it made you a little weak at the knees and your mind a bit muddled.

"Jake," you sighed, turning your head to give him more access despite your initial insistence that you didn't have time. "Just . . . we have to be quick."

~~~~~

Jake offered to drive—no surprise to you—and the two of you chatted about the next few days. You were telling him about the baby shower that Emma and Phoenix were putting together for you when Jake suddenly turned onto a side street. You trailed off, looking at him with mild confusion. 

“Jake, where are you going?”

“Just a little detour.”

“A detour?”

“Just wait and see.”

"We're already going to be late."

"Then a few more minutes won't hurt."

You continued to shoot him looks until Jake parked the car right in front of a house with a ‘for sale’ sign out in front of it. You turned to him with wide eyes as he offered you a soft smile, seemingly proud of your reaction. 

“Jake, we’re going to be late.”

“I can be late to my own party. Now, come on, it’ll just take a few minutes,” Jake stated, opening the door and climbing out. 

“You’re just going to show up?”

“It says open house,” Jake reminded you, smiling at your expression. “Come on.”

You sighed, undoing your seatbelt, but you couldn’t help the curiosity in your gaze as you stepped out of the car. Closing the door behind you, you waited for Jake to walk around the car to meet you.

“We can’t stay too long.”

“I know,” he told you, grabbing your hand and pulling you with him. 

The two of you walked up to the front stairs of the house. Jake knocked on the door because you pulled him back when he moved to just stride right on in. A few moments later, a woman answered the door with that distinct realtor smile and welcomed you inside.

“Hi, I’m Donna. I’m the agent for this property. And I’d love to give you a tour.”

“We’d love that,” Jake spoke up before you could. 

Donna held the door open and the two of you walked inside. You stared around the place, quietly taking it in as Jake watched your reaction closely. Donna walked around you and lead you towards the main living area of the house. 

“So, what kind of house are you two looking for?” she asked kindly. She glanced down at your bump before looking between the two of you. “A family home, I'm assuming. A home to grow into?”

“Yes, definitely,” you stated, sharing a look with Jake before turning back to Donna. 

“Is this your first child?”

“Yeah, is it that obvious?” you joked, resting a hand on your back. 

“Not at all. How far along are you now?”

“Nearly six and a half months.”

“Well, this house is a perfect family home. Plenty of space and a nice backyard. There’s a swing set and a slide, but you could certainly change it as your kids grew,” Donna explained as you looked around the main living area. “The sellers lived comfortably here with five kids, so your family of three would be perfectly fine here.”

“Five kids?” you repeated quietly, spinning around.

“There’s that much space here?” Jake asked, looking up and around. 

“Well, there was some bedroom sharing, but they made it work,” Donna replied before moving to show you the kitchen. 

“Five kids,” Jake whistled lowly, causing you to glare at him.

“If you even think about knocking me up with five kids, Jacob, I’ll cut your balls off and hang them above the mantle,” you warned him quietly, poking him in the chest and causing him to grin. 

“We don’t have a mantle," Jake replied after a moment.

“There’s one right there,” you stated, pointing at the one behind him.

“So, you do like this place then?” he asked, causing you to sigh. Jake pressed a kiss to the side of your head before taking your hand. “Come on, we’re missing the tour.”

Donna stood in between the kitchen and living room as you and Jake made your way over to her. 

“It's an open concept, so you can see everything going on in the living area from the kitchen. And there’s big windows so that you can watch your child in the backyard, which is fenced in. The deck isn’t wood. It’s actually plastic, so no need to worry about splinters. They had their kitchen table over there, but there’s also a formal dining area to your left there. But they used that space as an office instead.”

“They could focus in there?” Jake asked, looking into the space. “Wouldn’t it be too loud with five kids?”

“There’s pocket doors,” Donna stated, showing Jake as you walked into the kitchen. 

“The kitchen is nice,” you commented, running your hand over the countertop. Looking around at the appliances, you stopped in front of the sink. “I might want to replace the lighting and a few other small things, but nothing major. Was it updated recently?”

“Four years ago. By the couple before the current sellers, actually.”

“They’re already moving?” you asked softly, turning back to Donna. 

“The husband is in the Navy. He got transferred to Florida.”

“Oh,” you replied quietly. 

Jake stared at you with concern as you turned to look out the window, having heard your tone. Moving around was just a fact of life in the armed services and there was nothing that he could do to change that. And when you displayed your nervous tick—rubbing your bump with your hands—he walked over to you and stared out the window into the backyard beside you.

“How did they manage a house of five kids with just one swing?” Jake wondered aloud, causing you to turn to him.

“Lots of opening the window and yelling at them to share, probably.”

"Would you rather a new window latch then or more swings then?" Jake asked you, causing you to smile with amusement.

Donna showed you the rest of the first floor before ushering you up the stairs. Jake stayed a step behind you just in case you slipped, watching your careful steps until you were safely at the top. 

“Now the master bedroom is over here.”

You stepped into the room first. It felt gigantic compared to your current cramped set up, but it was probably a normal size. Donna listed off some numbers that you didn’t really register as you opened the door to the closet and then the bathroom. Looking around it, you opened the drawers of the vanity as Jake stepped in behind you. 

“Lots of room in the shower,” he commented, causing you to pinch his side. “What?”

“You can't even be satisfied for an hour,” you muttered, shaking your head. "I'm supposed to be the one with the crazy hormones."

You and Jake walked out of the master bedroom and Donna led you a short way down the hallway before opening another bedroom door.  

“And here’s the first and smallest kid bedroom.”

Donna hung back in the hallway to give you some privacy. The room had a blue fluffy carpet and gentle white curtains over the window. Standing in front of the window, you looked at the wall against the hallway and pictured a crib resting there. And to your right would be a closet full of clothes that you already started to collect for your little one. And then to your left would be a chair where you could see Jake sitting with your baby, giving them a night feeding. 

“Holy shit,” you whispered to yourself, wiping a few tears that leaked from your eyes. “I don’t even know why I’m crying right now.”

Turning around, you opened the curtains and stared out into the backyard for a moment, trying to gather your emotions. Jake stepped up beside you and pressed a kiss to your head, resting his hand on your waist and tucking it under your bump. 

“You like it?” he asked you quietly. 

“I love it,” you whispered back, leaning against him. After a moment, you asked, “Is it in our price range?”

“Yes, it is. And we’re only four minutes from your brother’s house, seven from Javy and Nat’s, and twelve from Maverick’s,” Jake listed, causing you to pause. “And you know, if your brother has kids, we’ll be in the same school district as them.”

“Jake,” you breathed out, turning to face him fully. Cupping his cheeks with your hand, you pulled him in for a soft kiss. “I fucking love you.” You pressed another kiss to his lips before resting your head on his chest as he pulled you closer. “How the hell did you find the perfect house?”

“I told you, I’m very good,” Jake replied, causing you to laugh. Resting his head on top of your own, Jake asked softly, “You want to put an offer on it then?”

“Soon,” you agreed, threading your fingers through his own. 

~~~~~

Javy and Phoenix’s backyard was full of the Dagger Squad along with their families and close friends. And after the two of you arrived later than you intended, the party truly got into swing. Drinking your ginger ale, you sat with Emma and Phoenix on the outdoor couch in the shade. 

“He brought you to a house?” Emma asked, causing you to nod.

“We all just assumed that you were fucking,” Phoenix stated bluntly, earning a laugh from you.

“There might have been some of that too.”

“Well, did you like it? The house?” Emma continued on, sitting up. “Can you see yourselves living there?”

“Yeah. We’re going to put an offer on it,” you replied, smiling softly to yourself, still giddy with emotion. “It was just . . . I could picture us living there with the baby and the more I think about it, the more I know that I don’t want the baby to grow up in an apartment.”

“Hopefully, they’ll be willing to close quickly,” Phoenix pointed out, sharing a concerned look with Emma. “You’re cutting it close there.” 

“The realtor told us that the sellers are already in Florida. The husband is in the Navy, and he got new orders, so I think that they’ll be eager to close,” you explained softly. After taking another sip of your ginger ale, you turned to Phoenix with a more serious look. “How long does it take after a promotion for you to get your orders?” 

“Don’t think about that right now,” Emma interjected, resting a hand on your arm. “Just enjoy the moment a little more.” 

“I know, but I can’t pretend that it’s not looming,” you replied before turning back to Phoenix. 

“Depends,” Phoenix returned until your worried expression wore her down. Sighing, she glanced over at where Jake was standing with Coyote before turning back to you. “I’d say that he’d have them within the next two weeks.” 

“I figured,” you agreed, setting your drink down. 

“Well, we’re finishing up with planning your baby shower,” Emma stated, changing the subject to a lighter tone. “Invitations are sent out. We ordered the food and everything too.”  

“Thank you for throwing that for me.” 

“You helped us with our weddings. I think that we can handle one baby shower,” Phoenix pointed out, reaching for her beer. She looked up before turning back to you with a smirk. “Watch out. Hangaround is inbound.” 

“I heard that Phoenix,” Jake sighed, shooting her a look as he passed by. He sat down beside you and asked, “You’re drinking enough water, right?” 

“Jake, I’m fine. Enjoy your party. Have a drink. Go have a good time and don’t worry about me,” you told him, giving his hand a squeeze.  

“They’re behaving for you?” Jake asked, glancing at your bump. 

“For now,” you mused before nudging him. “But go have fun.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Emma assured Jake, glancing between the two of you with a bright smile. 

“I think that she can handle sitting down and talking, Hangaround. And you’re being summoned.”

Phoenix pointed in the direction of where Javy, Payback, and Bob were setting up a volleyball net. And with one final nudge from you, Jake walked off to join the game. Shaking your head at him, you turned back to Emma and Phoenix.

“Does it get annoying how much he hovers around you?” Emma asked you, taking a sip of her wine. 

“Only when I’m trying to fall asleep,” you admitted with a sheepish smile. “I think it’s sweet.”

Phoenix let out a laugh that made you and Emma turn to her with a confused look. She shook her head and waved off your stares. 

“I wasn’t laughing at you. I was just thinking about, if you and Hangaround had a little girl, how much of a pain in the ass he would be when she was a teenager.”

“I’m going to need a glass of wine to think about that,” you mused, shaking your head. Turning to Emma, you warned her, “Bradley’s not going to be any better.”

“Oh, I’m already preparing myself,” your sister-in-law assured you, causing the three of you to laugh. 

~~~~~

“I'm just going to run to the bathroom," Jake told you as the two of you walked into your apartment.

“I think I'm just going to watch a little TV and try not to fall asleep,” you replied, offering him a smile before moving to the couch.

Jake walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Digging into his pocket, he opened the drawer that contained all of his shaving supplies. Listening for you, he pulled out the ring box that Javy picked up for him and placed it at the back of the drawer, where you’d never go looking. Closing the drawer carefully, Jake headed out to the living room to find you with the TV on.

He called your name but when he walked around, he paused when he saw that you were already asleep.

Turning off the TV, Jake pulled off your shoes and carefully picked you up to take you to bed. You woke up for a moment as Jake pulled off your sundress and bra, but when he pressed a kiss to the side of your head and told you to go back to bed, you closed your eyes and fell asleep shortly afterwards.

Jake laid beside you, watching as your breathing evened out and you fell deeper into your sleep. Leaning over, Jake rested his weight on his elbows as he hovered over your bump. 

“Don’t bother your mom too much tonight, alright? She had a long day, and she needs her rest. And she’s been telling me that you’ve been laying on her bladder a lot lately. What’s that all about, huh?” 

Jake looked up at you as you let out a soft snore before turning back to your bump.

“I got promoted today. Your dad’s a lieutenant commander now, little one, which means that I outrank your Uncle Chicken. But, uh, your Grandpa Mav still has me beat, even though he’s retired. For now, though. I’ll catch up to him. I just need a little more time, that’s all.” 

Jake laid quietly for a few moments until he leaned closer to your bump just a little more. 

“Can you keep a secret, little one?” he whispered softly. “Of course, you can.” Sitting up a bit more, Jake couldn’t help but smile. “I hid something from your mom earlier, but don’t worry, she’ll find out about it soon. It doesn’t mean a lot to you, I’m sure. It definitely puts a dent in your toy budget. But I’m hoping that it’ll make your mom really happy.” Jake pressed a kiss to your bump before sitting up. “Now, go to bed. And don’t wake your mom up.” 

~~~~~

The next day, you and Jake officially put an offer on the house. 

Donna told you when you left the house yesterday that there was interest from other buyers. And even if that was a load of bullshit meant to get a higher initial offer, the two of you didn’t care. You weren’t going to lose that house. 

“Come on, let’s go for a drive,” Jake stated, walking over to where you were standing in the kitchen. “We’re thinking about it too much. And I don’t want you to stress about it.” 

“I’m not stressed,” you insisted, shooting your boyfriend a look.

“You are stress-baking,” he replied, pointing at the cake that was sitting on the countertop to cool. 

“I am not stress-baking. It’s one of my coworker’s birthdays tomorrow.” 

“Which one?” Jake asked, causing you to sigh and look away from him. “Come on, just a little drive. Up the coast. Some sea air will do you some good.” 

“Alright,” you agreed after a moment. “Where did you want to go?” 

As you got further and further away from Miramar, you shot Jake a look, knowing that he was up to something. But throughout the drive, he never gave away his secret until he finally took an exit. 

“You’re bringing me here?” you questioned him, finally getting Jake to look over at you. “Why?” 

“They have great French fries at that restaurant.” 

“Of course,” you drawled sarcastically, nodding along.

Jake parked the car down by the beach and the two of you got out of the car. He patted his pocket, triple checking that the little box was there before he walked around to your side. You walked down to the soft sand together and Jake started a very casual conversation about the upcoming week. 

The sun was starting to set, bathing the beach in a warm orange glow. The beach was emptying out quicker that day and by the time that you and Jake walked for a few minutes, the two of you were pretty much alone.  

You stopped for a moment, stretching out your spine a little bit. Jake turned to you with concern, but you assured him that you were fine, just a little uncomfortable. 

“Are they moving around right now?” Jake asked you, resting a hand on your bump.

“Yes, they are. They’re wiggling a lot,” you told him, trying to stretch your back again. 

“Are they finally supposed to be kicking soon?” 

“It’s close, yeah,” you agreed, rubbing his cheek softly. “But they’re just wiggling for now.” 

Jake placed his hands on your bump, trying desperately to feel your child move. To feel their little hand or their little foot press against his own hand. But not yet apparently. 

“Maybe another day, then,” Jake replied softly, trying to hide his disappointment.

“You’re never going to let go of me once they do, are you?” you mused, starting to walk again.

“Not if I can help it.”

“And you wonder why Phoenix calls you Hangaround now.” Seeing Jake’s expression change, you grabbed his hand. “Sorry, I know you don’t like it.” 

“No, I don’t like how much you like it,” Jake returned with a joking edge of annoyance, forcing you to fight a smile. 

“Sorry.” 

You pressed a kiss to his lips in apology before the two of you kept walking with soft smiles. Jake swung your hands together, glancing out at the waves as he summoned his courage. Glancing over at you and then your bump, he turned to face forward again.

“Do you remember the weekend that we spent up here?” Jake asked you, causing you to shoot him a teasing look. 

“The weekend where we’re ninety-nine percent sure that you knocked me up during? Yeah, it’s sort of been a recurring memory over these last few months.”

“Not too far from here, would you think?” Jake asked you, causing you to nudge him. “What? You said that you’d never gone skinny dipping and I wasn’t about to let you live your whole life without experiencing it.” 

“Such a gentleman,” you teased him, patting his chest before walking down to the water. Jake let you take a few steps in front of him until your toes brushed against the waves. “What? You brought me back here for a second round? Because I hate to break it to you, Seresin, but I’m not that flexible any—” 

You cut yourself off when you turned around to see Jake down on one knee, pulling a small square box from his pocket. Your teasing smile dropped, and your eyes widened, your heart beating erratically in your chest.

“Promise me that you’re not going to go into early labor or anything please,” Jake joked, trying to lighten the mood, but you could tell that he was nervous.

“I won’t,” you mumbled quietly, still in shock.

“I never really pictured myself as this kind of guy,” Jake started off with, somehow managing the strength to hold your gaze. “The kind to get excited by the fact that he was going to be a father, or share his apartment with his girlfriend, or look for a family home with a good school system and a backyard suitable for little kids to run around in.” 

He sent you the most nervous expression that you had ever seen on him. And you knew that he was serious. You slowly held a hand to your chest, trying to calm your heart. 

“But then I met you and everything was just . . . easy. Natural. You weren’t afraid to challenge me, and you weren’t afraid to do it often. You were just so full of life and joy, and I had to be around you. I couldn’t be without you. And, well, the sex was amazing too.” 

“Jake,” you gently nudged him. 

“Right, sorry,” he replied, nervously clearing his throat. “And when you didn’t talk to me because you were freaking out about the fact that I got you pregnant, I felt like I had the rug pulled out from under me. It was then that I realized that I’d pictured you in my future. That I pictured you as my future. And I didn’t take the news well, I’ll admit.”

Shifting on his knee, Jake looked up at you, the backlighting from the sunset making you look all the more beautiful as you stood there, waiting for him to get to his point. 

“And when you left after our fight, I was brought back to those days all over again. And hell, I can’t live without you. I can’t live without the both of you. I don’t want to do it. I can’t do it. I can’t picture my life now without the two of you in it. So, that's why I'm down on my knee, rambling, and probably making you want to say 'no' with how long I'm taking to get to my point.” 

Jake slowly popped the ring box open, and you covered your mouth with your hand. Emotional tears started to fall as Jake locked eyes with you once more. 

“I love you. I love our baby. I love the life that we’re building together. And I’ll do anything and everything to keep and protect it. So . . . will you marry me?”

You let out some kind of strangled noise that wasn’t quite intelligible, but the erratic nod of your head communicated your feelings well enough. Jake stood up and you immediately pulled him in for a kiss that he was all too happy to return. The two of you stood there, rocking each other together as waves of emotion rolled off of you.

“I love you,” Jake repeated as the two of you pulled away. 

“I love you too.”

Jake pressed a quick kiss to your lips before pulling the ring out of the box. Grabbing your hand, he slipped the ring onto your finger, causing you to let out another set of tears. 

“Jake, it’s beautiful. I love it,” you praised him, turning back to Jake. 

“I wanted to get one that looked like your mom’s, but was also your own,” he explained, causing you to let out another strangled noise. 

“I love you so much,” you repeated with a loving, incredulous laugh, pulling him in for another kiss. 

“I love you too.” 

You let out a small gasp that immediately caused Jake to latch onto you, fear crawling up and down his spine. Resting his hands on your hips, he searched your face for pain. 

 “What is it? I didn’t send you into labor, did I?” 

“No, no,” you assured him, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “They’re just really moving around now. I think they’re excited.” 

Jake pressed his hand to your bump, desperately feeling for a little kick or push. It would have been the perfect moment if the first time that he felt your child move was right after he proposed to you, but apparently that was just a fantasy.

“Sorry,” you apologized, running your thumb over his cheek softly. “I know how much you want to feel them.” 

“They’re stubborn, that’s all,” Jake replied quietly.

“I wonder where they got that from.” 

~~~~~

Jake walked through the halls of NAS North Island, keeping his gaze focused forward. It was later in the day and there were fewer people walking through the halls. He left his phone back in his office, knowing that if he saw your name pop up that he would feel the need to answer it and it would just take away from your peace.

Knocking on Cyclone’s door, Jake waited for the affirmative before opening the door. Cyclone sat behind his desk and Jake stepped forward. Standing at attention, Jake relaxed a bit with Cyclone’s reply. But the tension in his shoulders was still apparent.

“You received my orders, sir?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, I have, Hangman.” 

Cyclone held out a folder that Jake took into his own hands. Jake tried to read Cyclone’s expression, but it was impassive, as any admirals would be in this situation. Flipping the folder open, Jake quickly searched for the answer to the question that haunted him for weeks, if not months.

Would he be there with you when your child was born? 

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[felinefractious]

so, the most ironic thing happened yesterday.

to preface, i only just discovered the "phoenix" coloring thanks to your blog. thought it was really cool! never seen a cat with that color before! welll, then i go to petsmart yesterday and no shit, not even exaggerating, there was 100% a phoenix cat there for adoption. i compared him to photos you shared and from other resources and he matched it completely!!

they had him labeled as buff, but there was another buff cat right above him and the differences couldn't have been more obvious. i think they were just like "well he's kind of light orangish sure lets call it buff why not" lol they often get their colors wrong on the descriptions. it's such a remarkable color in person! i wish i could have gotten a picture but the kennel staff had taken him out to clean his cubby and play with him and i had to get going 😭

i mean obviously without genetic testing i can't confirm it but he had all the phoenix traits and i've never ever seen another cat even close to that before.

what's the rarest color/mutation you've ever seen on a cat in person??

The phoenix mutation has only been documented in the Maine Coon breed, in particular a specific cattery in Russia. So I can say pretty confidently the cat you met was not phoenix

The original phoenix cat from Doma Yahontoff.

It is possible that he was some flavor of pseudo-cinnamon, though, a sort of… “class” of mutations of which phoenix is part of. I don’t know if they’re actually related but they have a visually similar effect and tend to get grouped together under the pseudo cinnamon label.

I don’t know if what you’re describing fits, though. Buff is the same as cream, I don’t know why it’s such a popular descriptor compared to the proper term - I guess it’s sort of the same thing as gray being more commonly used than blue?

Anyways!

As the name suggests pseudo-cinnamon cats have a more… cinnamon appearance, despite being genetically red? Usually, presumably. So a pseudo-cinnamon for adoption is more likely to be labeled as “brown” or “chocolate” or something, I think.

Pseudo-cinnamon moggy littermates, here’s a post with more pictures and the image sources.

And here’s a “red on blue” pseudo-cinnamon tom sedated to be neutered beside his normally colored littermate.

“Buff” cat for adoption (his name is Donut!) next to a cream British Shorthair.

So the cat you saw wasn’t phoenix… but could have still been pseudo cinnamon, or something else entirely! Unfortunately no way to know without pictures.

As for the rarest I’ve seen…

We had a cat come in who I’ll never truly know the color of but the best I can figure is maybe caramel? She was definitely dilute but her coat didn’t look like any of the standard dilute colors.

We also have a patient who’s cream with a somatic mutation!

[stranger-nightmare]

𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

Part One

Pairing: Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x (female) Reader

Summary: (this is set during a time when our young Top Gun pilots were still training at the academy) at another function hosted by the academy you find Bob being his usual wallflower self, sneaking off somewhere to be alone and away from the crowd, but this time you decide to keep him company...

Warnings: one use of ‘y/n’, inexperienced / virgin Bob, fluff, smut, oral (m receiving), minors DNI

A/N: okay so this was (loosely) inspired by a porn audio, like it just gives immaculate Bob vibes to me so I just had to actually write it out! it ended up going in a slightly softer, more emotional direction than I had ininitaly intended but ngl I kinda love it, I hope you guys do too!!

Part Two | Part Three

You sigh quietly to yourself as you poke your head into yet another room. Just one of many at this incredible mansion that the academy was currently hosting their end of year gala. You’d been idly chatting with everyone, flitting between groups of people, keeping mostly at Phoenix’s side. Occasionally you’d make eye contact with Bob where he perched against the wall, more content with just watching from a distance than being in the centre of attention, like Hangman. You’d tried to convince Bob several times to come join you with everyone else, but he’d blushed and politely declined. Eventually you’d dropped it, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. 

But then, just as Hangman started one of his stories that you’d already heard several times before, you noticed Bob was no longer at his spot on the wall. You looked around the large ballroom but couldn’t spot him. You just instinctively knew he’d snuck off somewhere to be alone. It wasn’t like it was an uncommon occurrence for him. But tonight, for some reason, you feel your heart drop when you no longer see him against the wall, missing the way his eyes seemed to always follow you specifically as you went around the room. Something like longing, yearning, had flooded your chest and you just couldn’t fight the urge to go and find him.

And so here you were, up one flight of stairs, poking into your third room of the night. 

“Hey there, Wallflower,” you smirk as your eyes land on Bob, leaning on the back wall furthest from the door.

Bob coughs awkwardly, clearly caught off guard that you’d managed to find him in his hiding spot. The room appeared to be some kind of office or library. There was a large desk in the centre of the room, mostly empty save for a lamp and some scattered papers. The room was dim, the scattered lamps on the wall providing just barely enough light to see the room.The walls were lined with book-filled shelves, all except the back wall, which was dedicated to grand art pieces and portraits hung high in the grand room. 

“Hey,” Bob flashes a bashful smile in greeting. “How did you know I was in here?” 

“I didn’t,” you tell him honestly as you step into the grand room, closing the heavy door behind you. “I figured you’d snuck off somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where exactly,” you shrug. “This was the third room I checked,” you laugh lightly.

“Oh, right,” he nods at you with that signature soft smile of his; the perfect picture of sweetness and innocence.

You glide your way over to where he was leaning against the back wall, a beer still in his hand. 

“The party get too much for you?” You ask genuinely.

Bob shrugs sheepishly.

“There wasn’t really anything for me to do or say so I, er, didn’t see any point hanging around,” he admits quietly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I was just being a wallflower again anyway,” he smiles at you gently.

Bob being a wallflower had become a small inside joke between the two of you. It had even developed into a nickname for which only you referred to him by. You return his small smile as you come to a stop just in front of him. You can feel the buzz of the alcohol in your system; it made your body feel tingly, your heart feel open.

“You telling me there’s no pretty ladies out there you want to ask to dance? Hmm?” You tease coyly, pressing for a response.

Bob blushes, his eyes averting from yours.

“N-no,” he gives his head a small shake, “well maybe one, but I- I- never mind,” he mumbles to himself, shaking his head as if he could dispel whatever, or whoever, he was thinking about from his head.

You looked at him with gentle curiosity. A part of you wondered, hoped even, that it was you he was talking about. You kind of thought it was. But you couldn’t be sure. You sigh and clear your throat lightly before you speak again.

“So, you just gonna hang out in here for the rest of the night then?” You ask plainly.

“Oh, no, no. I just, er, needed a moment away,” he blushes. 

You nod in understanding, shifting yourself a touch closer towards him. 

“You want some company?” 

“Uh, I don’t mind really. I’m okay here alone,” he smiles awkwardly. 

You feel a weird sensation of disappointment settle in your chest, your smile faltering.

“You sure?” You venture. 

“Oh yeah, I don’t mind being alone.” 

“But do you actually want to be alone?” You push.

He shrugs and stammers quietly.

“I don’t mind.”

“That’s not really an answer,” you push.

He just shrugs and gives you and awkward smile that almost looks like a grimace.

“Bob,” you almost chastise him as fails to answer you.

You stare at him hard, and he practically folds in on himself under your gaze.

“I, uh, I’m not sure what it is you want.... what you want me to say,” he flushes with embarrassment again.

You look at him earnestly, feeling warmth flood your own cheeks. You take a deep breath before you let your words fly free, the alcohol in your system giving you just enough confidence to get the words off your chest.

“I want you to tell me that you want me to stay here with you,” you tell him with a sad smile.

When he sees hurt flash in your eyes he panics.

“I do, I do! I do want you to stay,” he stammers quickly, moving to step closer to you, like he was going catch you if you tried to dart free. “I just didn’t want to make you feel like you had to if you didn’t want to. I- I do want you here,” he looks almost as hurt as you now.

You feel your heart warm as you look at him. You reach out a hand to cup his cheek gently as he stares earnestly at you. You let your thumb stroke over his cheek, watching his eyes flutter slightly behind his glasses. 

“Good, because I do want to stay,” you confirm with him.

“You do?” He looks almost taken aback.

“Mm-hm,” you confirm with a warm smile.

The buzz of the alcohol fizzes in your veins again as you find yourself leaning forwards, edging your mouth towards Bob’s. He freezes but doesn’t move away. You lean close enough to feel his lips tickle yours, to breathe in his scent, and it’s enough to make you dizzy. Enough to have the last of your inhibitions lost. You push yourself forwards again and finally crash your lips against Bob’s.

He moans in surprise, his eyes widening for a moment, his body frozen. 

“Wha- what are you doing?” He exhales, his words muffled as you keep kissing him.

You just hum lightly into his mouth and keep moving your lips on his, tasting the peppermint of his toothpaste laced with the beer he still held in hand. You desperately try to kiss him harder, moving your body closer to his, pushing flush against him. He whimpers, trying to argue again but you push your mouth against his harder, frantically pleading with him to give in, to kiss you back. His whimpers begin to turn into soft moans as he slowly but surely starts to reciprocate the kiss. 

His lips move softly over yours for a moment, tentatively searching yours; as if he was learning how they moved, how they fit against his. His body starts to relax, the tense nerves easing as he melts into the kiss. You feel his empty hand ghost over your waist, hovering just an inch over your body, hesitant to actually touch you. 

“Wait, wait,” he pants suddenly, taking a deep breath as he tries to control his breathing. “Are you drunk? Is that why this is happening?” He looks down sadly, avoiding your gaze.

Your heart aches at the question, at the pathetic look of disappointment in his eyes. You reach up and cup his face, coaxing him to look back up at you. 

“I’m not drunk,” you reassure him gently.

He looks at you warily, his cheeks still flushed red. You lean forwards again to press your lips to his. And, this time, he reciprocates the motion almost immediately, letting his lips move in time with yours. You kiss him gently for a while, the taste of him making you dizzy as it mixes with the fuzz of the alcohol in your brain. 

You whine softly into the kiss as you swipe your tongue over Bob’s lower lip. He groans lightly in response, his mouth parting instinctively. You seize the opportunity, letting your tongue gently push into his mouth, sliding against his own. His tongue, slowly and warily at first, soon starts to meets yours stroke for stroke. You knew Bob had been kissed before, had even had a few decent make-out sessions from what you’d heard. But you also knew that was the furthest he’d gone so far. You couldn’t help but wonder why; if he kissed this good you could only imagine what he’d be like doing more...

But your reverie is disrupted when Bob breaks the kiss suddenly. You look at him worriedly. 

“Um, just one second,” he blushes, before quickly ducking away.

You’re confused, almost hurt, until you see him jogging lightly to place his beer bottle onto a small side table nearby before jogging lightly back to you. The ridiculous cuteness of his little action makes your heart flutter. He jogs back to you, his now free hands reaching out to gently grab your face. His smile could light up the night sky as he leans down to kiss you again. You both smile into the kiss, lips dancing delicately together as Bob leans back against the wall again, his gentle hold on your face pulling you with him.

You kiss him deeply and gently for a short while before the buzz in your brain starts to bubble again. You moan louder into the kiss, pushing your body flush against him, effectively pinning him against the wall. Your hands move to run through his short hair, tugging lightly on his blonde locks, mussing it out of it’s neat style. It causes a groan to leave his lips. You start to rock your body against him, rubbing your crotch against his. You swear you can already feel him semi-hard within the restraints of his suit pants. 

“Oh, wait...” he pants, tipping his head back, pulling his lips free from yours.

But you don’t want to wait. You want him.

You carried on kissing him, moving down to his neck. You kiss and nip at his gorgeous throat, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. His hands are now on your waist, squeezing you anxiously as you assault his neck with a litany of kisses and soft bites. He groans and gasps in surprise again as your lips trail back up to his mouth, moving with a fervour against his again. You kiss him hard and deep, dominating his mouth as one of your hands moves from his hair to trail down his body. 

“I- I don’t- oh fuck,” he whines under his breath when you bring your hand between your two bodies, palming him through his trousers.

You hum in satisfaction when you feel his hips buck pathetically against your touch. You rub him gently over the fabric of his trousers, giving his steadily hardening cock a light squeeze. His breathing is heavy and uneven, his lips losing all concentration in returning your kiss as his mind becomes fogged with only the feeling of your hand palming his cock.

“Wait... stop... we...we should... should stop,” Bob pants hard, his face a mixture of pleasure and barely contained restraint, confusion and longing.

“Do you actually want me to stop?” You ask breathlessly, giving him a second.

“I- I don’t know,” he flushes awkwardly again. “Do you actually want to be doing this? Or is... is it just the alcohol?”

“I already told you,” you nip at his neck again, “I’m not drunk. I want this. I want you,” you tell him honestly.

He freezes at that.

“You do?” His eyes are wide, alight with hope.

“Yes,” you tell him simply, earnestly, placing another kiss to his lips.

He smiles against your mouth, kissing you back enthusiastically, his hands finding their way to your waist again and pulling you against him. You smile to yourself as he finally starts to reciprocate your actions further. He whines softly as you palm him a bit harder, feeling him grow fully hard beneath your touch. It’s then that he starts to stammer nervously again, pulling his lips off you.

“But I don’t- I don’t really know what I’m doing,” he grimaces sheepishly, “I’ve never done this… anything really… before.” 

“It’s okay,” you shake your head and smile gently, “just relax.” 

You go back to kissing at his neck. You remove your hand from his crotch momentarily to slide up his torso. You undo his tie quickly, throwing it aside before your fingers reach for the fastenings of his crisp white button-up. You undo the top few buttons, opening up his shirt to uncover just the top of his smooth chest. You kiss greedily at the new areas of exposed skin, your lips smoothing over the curves of his delicate collar bones, the line between his pecks. At the same time, you bring your hand back down to his crotch, squeezing him lightly through his dress pants.

“Oh f-fuck,” he mewls, his hands trembling where they held onto your hips. “Okay, but I shouldn’t... we shouldn’t... I mean, what if... what if someone finds us?” 

“No one’s gonna find us, don’t worry,” you whisper huskily as you start unfastening his trousers now. “Hangman’s busy telling one of his stories again. Should keep everyone occupied for a while,” you chuckle.

He’s about to mumble another hesitation but it gets lodged in his throat as you push down his pants slightly, just enough to free his hard length. His flushes bright red as he looks down at where you held him in your hand. His entire body shakes with nerves. But you smile at him sweetly and duck your head to kiss his cheek lightly. You begin to pump him slowly, stroking your hand up and down his admittedly impressive length as you begin kissing down his throat again. He groans so gently, so sweetly, as you stroke him. He slowly but surely starts to relax again, his body untensing slightly. 

You smile at your small victory before placing a final kiss to the base of throat. Then, you sink to your knees in front of him.

“Oh fuck, wha-what are you doing now?” His voice is trembling just as much as his fingers as they gently caress your face.

“I want to taste you,” you pout at him.

Bob balks for a second, his eyes widening almost comically; “you want what?” 

You let your mouth twist into a smile, just a hint of wicked smirk tugging at the edge of your lips, before you wrap them around the head of his dick. 

Bob groans so deeply, so loudly, that for a moment you’re almost concerned everyone would be able to hear him, even here, rooms away, even above the music that played in the main hall. His body tenses again, so you keep your touch light, just gently suckling on his tip as you gaze up at him. 

“Oh, oh my god,” he whines, one of his hands reaching out beside him to help hold himself upright against the wall.

He throws his head back, his face scrunching with pleasure, eyes screwed shut. His other hand hovers just above your head, clearly desperate to hold onto to something but not wanting to do anything untoward to you, despite his cock being in your mouth. You fight the urge to affectionally roll your eyes as you grab his hovering hand, guiding his fingers to slide into your hair, cupping the back of your head. He looks at you, as if asking for permission, and you nod your head lightly once.

You then push your lips further down his cock, taking him deeper inside your mouth. He shudders as you do so, his hips bucking the tiniest bit. His fingers twitch, pulling on your hair. You moan loudly at the sharp tug, letting your tongue swirl around his head enthusiastically again as you pull back almost all the way off him.

“Wait, y-you liked that?” He mumbles as he looks back down at you.

You hum a sound of agreement as you bob back down onto his dick. His returning smile is delightful, unlike anything you’ve seen adorn his beautiful face before. You could almost squeal in delight as you feel him start to take some initiative. He curls his fingers against your skull, losing them in your hair. His thumb brushes against your jaw, running back forth from your chin to below your ear. 

Your lips smile around him as you start to speed up your movements, bobbing your head up and down his length, letting your tongue flatten against the base of his surprisingly thick cock. His soft gasps and pants are music to your ears. His whimpers travel straight through your body, sending pulses your cunt as it started to grow wetter and wetter. 

“O-oh, oh my god. Fuck, that feels so good. Y- you feel so good. Oh my god,” Bob rambles incoherently. 

His words have you clenching your thighs, desperately rubbing them together to gain some kind of friction.

“Don’t stop, ple- please don’t stop,” he rasps pitifully, his fingers instinctively twisting harder in your hair as he loses himself to the pleasure.

His fingers are trembling as they twist into your hair. You hum in response, letting him know you had no intention of stopping. You relish in the deep groan it pulls from him. His whines start to get higher and higher in pitch, escaping his mouth more and more frequently. His hips jerk, his fingers twisting painfully in your hair. His legs feel wobbly and a part of you knew he was leaning against the wall to help keep himself upright. You also knew, from all these signs, that he was likely close. It was only a moment before he confirmed your suspicions.

“Oh shit, y/n… I... I think I’m gonna... I’m gonna...” he stammers, trying to pull himself away from you, clearly thinking himself too much of a gentleman to cum down your throat. 

But you push his hips back against the wall, trapping him, keeping your mouth firmly in place. You moan enthusiastically, encouraging him, telling him it was okay. He looks down to see your wide eyes staring up at him, batting your eyelashes back up at him. Apparently, that look from you, paired with a final swirl of your tongue around his head, finally has him tipping over into pure bliss.

Bob gasps and curses, a string of profanities you’d never thought would leave this blushing aviator’s mouth. Your name is a cry on his lips as he releases himself into your mouth. His entire body trembles, shaking with pleasure as he spills down your throat. His cock twitches with each wave of pleasure as he shoots it into your mouth. You keep bobbing your head, easing up on your sucking action so as to not overwhelm or overstimulate him. 

He leans slack against the wall, his legs trembling, barley holding himself upright. His chest is heaving with his rapid breathing, the tiniest sheen of sweat coating the exposed skin of his neck and chest. His hand loosens in your hair, but he keeps it resting there, his thumb still stroking your jaw. You pull yourself off him just as looks back down at you. Your eyes stay locked with his as you swallow loudly, letting the salty taste of him slide down your throat. 

“You- oh my god. You’re fucking amazing,” he pants under his breath, the look in his eye suggesting he hadn't entirely meant to say that out loud.

Bob’s other hand moves to cup the other side of your face, gently pulling you upwards him. You let him guide you, standing up, until he pulls your face against his. His lips latch on yours and move confidently with your own. His kiss is soft and yet dominate, his lips searching yours feverishly.

After a moment Bob pulls away, gazing at you with a pensive look on his face. His brow is slightly creased as his eyes search your face. He bites on his lip nervously, like he was unsure about what he was about to say next.

“You okay?” You ask him gently. 

He nods, his tiny smile gracing his gorgeous face, even as his cheeks flush bright red again. 

“I just-“ he swallows nervously, “I want to taste you too...” 

Part Two | Part Three

Masterlist

A/N: if anyone is curious this is the link to the audio! it is a porn audio so it is for people 18+ only! anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this and yeah part two is coming on Saturday night and I’m really really looking forward to it!!

Taglist // Join My Nightmare Realm // Ko-fi

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

03/26-27/24 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Great Big Cow Band; Leslie Jones; Vico Ortiz; Guz Khan; Kristian Nairn/Con O'Neill; Rachel House; David Jenkins; Watch Parties; Kudoboards; Trans Day of Visibility; Fan Spotlight; Cast Cards; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Never Left - Podcast; We Need to Be a Lighthouse Pixel Art; Articles; Supportive busineses; love notes; Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika;

First of all, tonight I wanted to say thank you, I received so much love yesterday when I cancelled the recap. I still haven't gotten to respond to all the messages, although I promise they are coming! Thank you for giving me so much love, it really meant so much. The last few days have been rough on me personally for various reasons (not because of the recap) so I appreciate all the love, it got me through the day! 😭🫂

PS: This is going to be a Long Post is Long so I'm gonna throw a break in here so I don't kill all your feeds!

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Rhys Darby =

So many Rhys Sightings!!!!

Source: Rhys' Instagram

== Great Big Cow Band ==

For those of you not already aware, Rhys' son Finn's band Great Big Cow debuted in New Zealand yesterday! Rosie posed a picture with commentary on being a proud band mom!

Source: Rosie's Instagram

== Leslie Fucking Jones ==

Are you in New York, NY? Wanna see Leslie Jones in person? She'll be at The Comic Strip at 1568 Second Ave. (between 81st and 82nd st) on March 30, 2024 at 8 pm! For tickets call 212-861-9368!

== Vico Ortiz ==

I can't remember if this has been announced before, but just in case, Vico will be at the Phoenix Fan Fusion May 24-26 2024! Get tickets at Phoenixfanfusion.com! Source: Vico's Instagram

= Guz Khan =

Samba's keeping our friend Guz Khan hyped! If you're in Los Angeles (Apr 24) or New York (Apr 26) you can see Guz Khan in person! For more info visit @guzkhanofficial

== Con O'Neill / Kristian Nairn ==

Con and Kristian together again 😭 Con O'Neill's Instagram

== Rachel House ==

Photo shoot with Rachel House for DenizenMagazine/SundayMag! Just some fun pictures of one of our pirates! Source: Rachel House's Instagram

== David Jenkins ==

I ran out of image slots so took a screenshot, please visit @ofmd-ann's post here.

== Watch Parties! ==

Join SaveOFMD crew for another watch through of These Thems! It's free to watch on youtube!

When: March 28 7:30pm GMT/ 3:30 pm EDT / 12:30 pm PDF Who: Via SaveOFMD Crew On Socials Hashtags:

#CoolPirates

#SaveOFMD

#TheseThems

== Kudoboards Reminder! =

Thank you to @sharpenyersword on Twitter for setting up ALL THE KUDOBOARDS! The rest of the Kudoboard's will close on the 31st. 

Go send the cast and crew some love folks!

David Jenkins

Nathan Foad

Con O'Neill

Ruibo Qian

Leslie F*cking Jones!

Matthew Maher

Vico Ortiz

Samson Kayo

Alex "Ass Tonight" Sherman!

David Fane

Gypsy Taylor

Kristian "Wee John Wondays" Nairn!

Samba "BTS and Baking King" Schutte!

Fellow OFMD Fan Crew!

== Trans Day of Visibility! ==

Save OFMD Crew is celebrating Trans Day of Visibility on the 31st by highlighting trans and nonbinary creators, activists, cast and crew, and allies as well! Wanna celebrate someone? You can use this graphic by @snejpowa and give a well deserved shoutout! Please use #CoolPirates! Trans/Nonbinary creators-- please us the hashtag to promote your platform! Save OFMD Crew will give a you a boost!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= We Need To Be A Lighthouse! Pixel Art! =

Our dear @blueberreads is back to having heart palpitations with Alex Sherman and Samba sharing their latest pixel art vid on Instagram! Congrats <3 Want check out the whole amazing video? Visit any of these places! Tumblr / Twitter / Instagram

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction! =

Are you ready for another episode of Our Flag Means Fanfiction? The podcast is available on Spotify below! This week is The Steddy Hands Episode!

= Never Left! =

Another episode of the Never Left Podcast is up! The third part of Beautiful Princess Disorder is up! Please visit their Linktr.ee to check out their new episode!

Art Source: @AmysBirdHouse Never Left Instagram

= Cast Cards =

More of our extended cast from @melvisik! I'm behind a few days so lots at once, with our beloved, gone too soon, STEAKY! John Bartholomew / Widow Ellen Conroy / Steak Knife

== Articles ==

Not specific to OFMD-- but it's about Rhys' son's band!

== Supportive Businesses! ==

So I ran out of room for images! So I'll to make a separate post for this, but Bank Square Books in CT put together a really cool list of books they'd recommend to various OFMD Characters. Obviously we've got some crew members on their staff! Even cooler, they do book bundles so if people are interested you can get lots of books for reasonable prices! OFMD Character Recommended Book list (note this link doesn't include which characters they're recommended to, you can check out their twitter link for the images / recommendations per character)

Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey Lovelies! @blakbonnet was kind enough to explain to me the little lovely letter game going on here on tumblr, and I think it is the coolest and sweetest thing! 😭😭😭 I'm trying to participate too but i'm gonna be a little slow! Sorry for the delays! Today got away with me!

But seriously, how damn awesome are all of you sending love like that!?!?! You're just opening up and sending and receiving love, and I feel like it's 100% what we all need right now (and helping some folks normally nervous to get some love!). It's just incredibly heartwarming, and I wanted to say how happy it made me to see it.

This post is getting insanely long so I'm gonna cut off here tonight, but I wanted to share something lovely our lovely Pirate Queen Ruibo Qian shared on IG. -- I adore all our mutual weirdness and imperfections and there's no other people I'd rather be weird and imperfect with than you all :) Good night and good day lovelies!

Original Post / Ruibo Qian's Instagram

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's gifs suggestion submitted by @brainfugk ! As you can see, the theme is "Shake Weight"... and "ARMS". Src of twitter post that was sent my way was: @snejpowa (I pulled tumblr gifs cause I wasnt sure how to transfer them from twitter, sorry for any confusion!

Darby Gif courtesy of @fandomsmeantheworldtome

Taika Gif Courtesy of @nero-in-a-petticoat