#is that given my mood has now taken a dive thanks to this-- and thanks to the fact that i have cooking to do here soon--

[take-ya-to-the-ghey-bar]

Just a quick PSA of sorts...

as the title says, this is just a little psa sort of post, but anyways… i just wanted to take a second and say that it's come to my attention that i'm probably a person who misjudges boundaries more easily than i thought i did… sure, i feel like most of you guys i'm mutuals with, and chat even a bit with ooc are people i'm close to-- but i guess sometimes i let the line for that blur a bit too much, and don't end up picking on the fact that the other person i'm talking with might not feel the same way i do…

so in relation to that-- i'd just like to ask all my mutuals, that if we're chatting about something, and i bring up something that makes you uncomfortable-- or i try to send/do go ahead and send you something that you didn't want me to-- please, please make that clear with me-- be a little blunt or rude if you feel that's what needed for me to get it, but just… be clear with me, and communicate if i've done something to mess up and overstep anywhere, please…

[writingduhh]

i literally got my wisdom teeth removed a few hours ago and i am in PAIN

pls pls can we have some comfort ted to schlatt?

love you sm stay safe 💓💓💓💓

Ahhhh I love this idea! I’m so sorry about your wisdom teeth I’ve heard it’s so painful :( please rest up and take care of yourself! Hope this can offer a little distraction 💜

❥ Jschlatt :

▷ Before your surgery, Schlatt does a deep dive into what you’ll need post-op. How to relieve pain, help you heal faster, and everything in-between. He also makes sure to stock up on tons of soft foods, wanting to make sure you have lots of options

▷ On the way to the office he immediately notices your nervousness. He takes it upon himself to lighten the mood the best he can. If all attempts at humor fail he takes a much sweeter approach.

He lays his hand on your thigh, giving it a tight squeeze. “You’re going to do great, y/n. And I’ll be right here with you.”

▷ After the paperwork has all been signed he tightly hugs you goodbye, gently whispering to you that title be ok. Once you’re taken back he sits down in the waiting room. He insists on staying in the office until you’re done, no matter how long it takes he refuses to leave without you.

▷ As soon as you’re out of surgery schlatt is by your side, making sure you’re comfortable whisky he intensively listens to the nurses aftercare instructions.

▷ Even though you might be a little grumpy or out of it, due to the anesthesia, Schlatt is incredibly patient. If you try to say something but it’s all garbled he listens attentively. He tries his best to decipher your words, occasionally making silly guesses that get you both laughing.

“Can you say that one more time, toots? I couldn’t hear you.”

You rolled your eyes playfully and tried again, but somehow it came out even more garbled this time.

“Uhh… you want me to turn it up? Like the radio?”

“No, no, no,” you mumbled, struggling to get the words out. He looked a little flustered now.

“You want to… fuck? Darlin’, you just got out of—” Before he could finish, you couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

You pointed dramatically at the colorful suckers sat in the cup holder that the receptionist had given you on your way out.

“OH! You want a sucker.”

The two of you broke into laughter, tears forming in your eyes from how hard you were laughing.

Once you both finally caught your breath, Schlatt grabbed one of the suckers from the cup holder and handed it to you, making you smile even wider.

Through the gauze in your mouth you managed to say a “thank you.”

“Of course.” He lovingly says, pressing a kiss on the side of your head.

“Ya know, if you hadn’t just got out of surgery I wouldn’t have said no.” He subtly smirks, earning a playful slap from you.

“Hey! Hey! I’m just being honest.”

▷ When he notices you’re feeling tense from the soreness, schlatt offers to give you a gentle shoulder or neck massage. He’s surprisingly good at it, and you find yourself relaxing under his touch, the pain melting away a bit as he works out the tension.

▷ When you’re too sore or tired to eat by yourself, Schlatt happily feeds you spoonfuls of soup or pudding, joking about how he’s becoming a pro at this. He makes airplane noises just to see you roll your eyes, but you secretly love the attention.

▷ Knowing that you’ve been through a tough time, Schlatt takes it upon himself to spoil you with little gifts. He surprises you with a cozy new blanket, a scented candle, or that book you’ve been eyeing for a while. Each gift comes with a cheeky comment like, “Just a little something to make you smile, even if you’re still puffy.”

▷ He is super protective of you during your recovery. If anyone asks to visit or call, he gently but firmly lets them know that you’re resting and need your space, all while making sure you know that he’s there for anything you need.

▷ He can’t resist teasing you a little about your puffy cheeks, but it’s all in good fun. He pretends to take “before and after” pictures, making goofy faces in each one to match your swollen expression.

▷ If you wake up in the middle of the night feeling uncomfortable or in pain, he is right there to comfort you. He gets you a fresh ice pack, helps you take your meds, and stays up with you until you’re able to fall back asleep, all while holding your hand and whispering reassurances.

❥ Ted :

▷ On the way to the dentist, Ted can sense if you’re feeling a bit anxious. He gives you a lighthearted pep talk, reminding you that it’s just a quick procedure and that he’ll be there every step of the way.

▷ Once you’re taken back into the surgery room he makes his way to a nearby store. He buys all of your favorite treats, drinks, and foods. Well, at least the ones you can eat

▷ Ted is the first face you see the moment you come out of surgery. He gives you a reassuring smile and plants a small kiss on your forehead. Before the nurses can bring out a wheelchair, Ted has already decided to carry you out to the car himself.

“How’re you feeling?” he asks sweetly, cradling you in his arms as he walks through the parking lot.

“Mm, good,” you mumble, your arms snugly wrapped around his neck.

“Alright, let me just figure out how to open the door here…” he grumbles, trying to find a way to reach the door handle without setting you down.

“Ted, it’s okay. You can set me down—I can open my door,” you say softly.

“Nope. It’s my job to take care of you and keep you safe.”

“Well… I think you might need to put me down to be ‘safe,’” you smirk.

He sighs. “Alright, you might’ve got me there.”

Ever so carefully, he lowers you to the ground, his hand resting gently on your back as he ushers you into the passenger seat. He even manages to buckle your seatbelt for you. Not without giving you a quick kiss

▷ On the ride home, Ted reflects on how proud he is of you for getting through the procedure. He playfully teases about how you handled it like a champ and how he’s going to tell everyone how brave you were. His words are full of admiration, making you feel cherished.

▷ When you get home, Ted carefully helps you out of the car, making sure you don’t trip or stumble. He wraps an arm around you to keep you steady, guiding you inside and straight to the couch or bed, where he’s already prepared a cozy spot for you to rest.

▷ Ted is super thoughtful, having already set up a recovery space with everything you might need. He’s laid out blankets, pillows, and has the remote within arm’s reach. He’s also got your medications and a glass of water ready, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

▷ Once you’re back home and resting, Ted sits quietly beside you, holding your hand or gently stroking your hair. Even if you’re too tired to talk, he stays with you, offering silent support and comfort just by being close.

▷ As you start to come around, Ted sits beside you, keeping the conversation light and soft. He talks about plans for when you’re feeling better, maybe a fun date or a small trip, to give you something to look forward to while you recover.

▷ At night, he insists on sleeping next to you, even if it means squishing into the bed with all the pillows and blankets you have piled up. He keeps an eye on you, waking up occasionally to make sure you’re still comfortable and not in any pain.

[sparklyslug]

just here to say i am obsessed with The (Monster-Hunting) Shop Around the Corner and am eagerly awaiting the last chapter!! idk if you ever do lil previews, totally fine if not, but just here to beg for a little snippet in case you do!

WAUGH THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really really appreciate that! I’m sorry it’s taken longer than planned for the final chapter, work revved up in February and this month I’m focusing on my @strangerthingsreversebigbang, but THEN! UPDATE! I PROMISE! But thank you so so so much for enjoying it so far.

So such patience and kindness of course can only be rewarded with a snippet ahahaha!

……….

Steve’s ringing up a sweet mom (looking for something for her 10-year-old daughter: B*Witched was an easy sell, hiding it from Ned was not) when Eddie Munson breezes through the door. Raising what looks like two paper coffee cups in greeting, one in each hand, and grinning at Steve.

After a moment of surprise, Steve gives him a one second nod, and focuses on wrapping up the sale. Out of the corner of his eye, he tracks Eddie carefully setting the cups down and moving around the shop. “Let me know how she likes it,” Steve says to the mother as she hands her the bag and her receipt, tearing his eyes away from Eddie. With a nod and a smile, she’s out the door, and Steve rests his arms on the counter, regarding Eddie.

He’s lucky it’s just Steve in here right now; he’s apparently forgotten that this time of year your average Chicagoan usually is wrapped up in several layers, a winter coat being the most essential one of them. But Eddie seems comfortable as a September day in his charcoal gray sweater and black jeans, even pushes up the sleeves a little to expose tattooed forearms as he dives into a crate of classic metal LPs.

“Hey kid,” he calls across the store, when Eddie appears to have vanished completely into some music nerd heaven, and forgotten whyever it is he showed up here. “You gonna get your greasy mitts all over every cover, or you actually gonna buy something?”

Eddie’s head shoots up, and after a moment’s confusion his face breaks open into another grin.

“Dude, were you also a frequent shopper at The Tune Factory? Because that was a perfect Mr. Wilkins impression.”

“Where do you think I got all my Wham tapes?” Steve laughs.

“Funny we never ran into each other there,” Eddie says easily, making his way back over to the counter.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Steve says slowly, thinking that it isn’t that funny at all. He doesn’t know which would have gone over worse back then: if Steve had tried to strike up a conversation with Eddie, or if Eddie had tried the same thing with him. He figures Eddie has to know this too, but. Yeah, it’s nice to pretend that it would have been otherwise, now that they’re here.

There’s something different about Eddie today. And not just the forgotten jacket, or the break from his undertaker monochrome approach. Maybe it’s just how he leans a hand on his chin easily, smiling up at Steve.

Huh. Guess it takes seeing Eddie without that thread of stress running through him, to realize it had been there this whole time.

“So what’s a guy like you doing in a dump like this?” Eddie asks. And actually bats his lashes at Steve, which is alarmingly effective given the materials the guy is working with.

“Making minimum wage,” Steve says dryly. “You’re in a good mood.”

“Well, I had my hands full with this totally needy freeloader all last week, and I finally got my place back to myself,” Eddie says easily. “So, lots to celebrate.”

“I bet,” Steve says, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Speaking of which,” Eddie says, looking around for where he left the cups. “How are you feeling?”

“All good,” Steve admits, pointing over at the display case currently displaying Eddie’s drinks. “Not even a sniffle. And the, uh, sting already looks smaller.” That could be because the bruising around it shaped like Eddie’s mouth has finally faded, but Steve isn’t going to say that.

Eddie grabs the cups, and comes back to the counter.

“Glad to hear it. And feeling any otherworldly urges? Any cravings for blood, or likelihood of sprouting wings?”

“Oh, y’know. No more than usual.”

Eddie rewards him for that one with a laugh. “My business here is two-fold. Okay, actually–three-fold. I did really want to see how you were doing. But also, happened to be in the area, which happens to also be the area of one of the best cocoa spots in town. And also…”

Steve snorts a laugh as Eddie slides one of the cups across the countertop, pushing it along with one finger and looking at Steve with a wide-eyed smile.

“And also… someone might have been spreading rumors around town that you’re all on your lonesome this week, for a certain celebration of American consumption and excess.”

“Someone, huh?” Steve takes the cup, wrapping both palms around it and enjoying the warmth for a second. “Whoever could it be.”

“We may never know,” Eddie says solemnly. “But I figure Wayne's got a big ol couch with room for one more. And I would personally appreciate someone who can entertain him on whatever is happening with ‘The Big Game’–” Steve snorts as Eddie does the air quotes “–so I can get a turkey nap in, undisturbed.”

“So, are you doing me a favor? Or Wayne a favor?”

“Please, I am doing myself a favor,” Eddie says firmly. “I have been trying for more than twenty years to persuade Wayne that there’s no converting me to football. Being gay? After a weekend fishing trip to collect his thoughts, he took that no problem. Being bored to fucking tears by the struggles of the Colts? He’s never been able to accept it.”

Steve laughs. “Yeah, I can talk sports with your uncle for an afternoon. Give you a break.”

Eddie stands up straight, blinking in surprise before he can cover it with an awkward smile. Which is, uh, fair. Steve kind of surprised himself too. Had no intention of actually talking to Wayne and Eddie about Thanksgiving in the first place, whatever he had promised Dustin (which Dustin had probably figured, since he clearly worked it from the other angle, the little jerk). Even in the moment, once he realized what Eddie was asking, he had been mentally preparing a gentle brush off, maybe an I’ll think about it and then conveniently forgetting to say anything until, whoops, whaddaya know, it’s Black Friday.

Steve takes a sip of the cocoa to cover this inexplicably awkward moment, and sputters at the taste.

“Best cocoa in the city?” He manages.

Eddie reaches into his back pocket, and pulls out two mini bottles of whiskey.

“With a few Eddie Munson adjustments,” he says. “Perfect for a long walk home, on a cold November night.”

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I have to thank your anons. I’m listening to more TXT after their ask, and now I’m becoming obsessed with Enhypen after you talked about them. Enhypen esp feels underrated but they’re also hard to get into cos of their lore. I don’t know what’s really happening, I just know they’re extremely hot vampires who dance better than any group I’ve seen. I heard Niki is the dance prodigy to Taemin and Jimin and didn’t believe it until I watched the vids in your post, but based on what you said it didn’t sound like you like the group that much. Is there a reason you don’t stan them even when you said they make great music and are a good group?

*

Ask 2: Me again! I don’t know how well you know Enhypen, but can you also recommend your fav songs by them? Jay is your bias you said, can you say why? I’m just starting to get into them but they don’t have official positions so I’m not sure what to look for.

***

Lol Anon, we’re supposed to be doing quick asks. But okay. I’m a bit amused that with everything that’s happened in the last week, your question is about Enhypen. But also, frankly, that’s a mood.

I don’t stan Enhypen only because I’m a hiphop head, I think. They’ve got great songs, they’re the most cohesive dance unit in 4th gen, their choreographies are reminiscent of what makes BTS’s standout both in terms of difficulty and storytelling, so it’s no surprise that it requires dancers of a similar calibre as Jimin and Taemin because Ni-ki is really that good. Their group dynamic also reminds me a lot of BTS - Jaywon in particular remind me a lot of jikook in all the best ways. The group has very real synergy which is surprising for a few reasons.

But my bias in BTS is the rapline for a reason, lol. And Enhypen, as incredible as I find them, don’t have a very strong rap basis and don’t really put out songs with rap verses. They excel in the genres they do, but none of them are rappers, and I think that instantly limits my interest in them. A few of my friends are Engenes though and I can admit their performance cred, the energy they put into their concerts, is best in class.

As far as my favourite songs, it’s been a while since I dived into their discography so some these recs could be dated, but here’s 7 songs I like:

*

Go Big or Go Home

*

Sacrifice

*

Criminal Love

*

One in a Billion

*

Chaconne

*

Given-Taken

*

Blossom (bonus lol)

***

My biases in the group are Jungwon, Jay, and Sunghoon, with Heeseung, Sunoo, Ni-ki, Jake as bias wreckers. They’re all very interesting for various reasons, but I really don’t want to write any more than I’ve done so just watch this fancam to see one reason Jay is my bias.

(I’ve been told I have a type so there you go)

[ijustwant2write]

‘I want that with you’-Anthony Bridgerton x Reader

(GIF credit to @misskatesharma​)

Requested by @elennox03: ‘I’d like to request an Anthony Bridgerton x read imagine. I’m a huge sucker for husband!anthony. Can you write an imagine where Anthony and his wife are visiting the Bridgerton house and he sees his wife with his youngest sibilings and he realizes he wants to be a dad. When they leave and go back to their house he admits to her that he wants a kid and it’s really fluffy and maybe a little smutty? 🥺’

Characters: Anthony Bridgerton x Reader, Bridgerton family x Reader

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: LOTS OF FLUFF, SMUT

                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anthony sat at the table, newspaper in hand as he waited for his wife to join him for breakfast. The servants were ready to serve the food as soon as the Viscountess sat down. Anthony was engrossed in the headlines of the day, until he heard someone descending the stairs. He hoped it was his wife, smiling when he saw the doors being opened for her in his peripheral. 

“Good morning darling.” he greeted.

“Good morning. Sorry to keep you waiting, last time we visited your family I promised Hyacinth I would wear this dress, it is her favourite.” she approached him, kissing him on the forehead before taking her seat, where a servant pushed it in for her. 

“No bother, we shall still be there on time.” Anthony put down the newspaper as breakfast was laid out in front of them.

“I am excited to be visiting again. Especially since Daphne’s season is coming up.”

Anthony’s happy expression vanished at the thought.“Don’t remind me.”

(Y/N) giggled at her husband as they started eating.“Here he is, the protective older brother.”

“Well, I have to be. We both know men will come flocking towards her, and she will be so hypnotised by it that she won’t think about getting to know them. And to add to that, I know a majority of the men in this community, they go to my club, and there’s a lot I don’t want near her.”

“Oh darling, don’t get yourself too stressed over these matters. I’m sure you will have no trouble finding someone for her. Now let us eat, I am starving.”

Once they finished, the pair headed to the foyer, their servants already waiting with gloves, coats and capes, as well as a hat for Anthony. They put on everything, (Y/N) taking Anthony’s arm as they walked outside to the carriage. The couple didn’t need to speak to enjoy each others company, still holding hands as they looked out of the windows, the familiar streets passing by, before they both recognised the area in which their family lived in. (Y/N) loved being a Bridgerton, not only because she had fallen completely in love with Anthony, but because he had the most wonderful family. She had many friends who’s families were stuck up, or too strict, with some only just liking their husbands. (Y/N)’s whole body filled up with adoration for Anthony every time she looked at him, and her heart swelled whenever he looked back. (Y/N) knew she was extremely lucky, and she was thankful for that every single day. 

When they arrived at the Bridgerton house, they were welcomed in, taken to the drawing room where the entire family was sat. Gregory and Hyacinth were the first to make a move, jumping off of their chairs and shouting out their brother and sister-in-law’s names. Anthony scooped up his younger brother as (Y/N) knelt down to capture Hyacinth in a hug. When the married couple had first started courting, Hyacinth had been in awe of (Y/N), wondering if Anthony was in love with a princess.

The rest of the Bridgerton’s also stood to welcome Anthony and (Y/N). Hyacinth took (Y/N)’s hand and pulled her towards the sofa, sitting down together. She looked over (Y/N)’s dress, thrilled that she remembered to wear that one. As Violet began a conversation with (Y/N), Anthony approached Daphne, intending to talk about her upcoming season, but she beat him to it.

“Anthony, I should like to ask you a few questions regarding my debut.” Daphne started.

“Wonderful, I was just about to bring up the matter. So, in a few weeks, you shall be presented-”

“No, I know how it all works brother. Mama has told me all about it. I wanted to ask you about, well, the more personal side of it. And I think it would benefit me to see it from a gentleman’s perspective.”

Anthony dreaded to think what she would come up with.“Ah, maybe this is a conversation for mama-”

“I was wondering what it felt like when you realised (Y/N) was the one for you. How did you choose her? Was it something that stood out? Something I should be doing?”

Anthony chuckled at his sister’s questions, and how innocent she was. He wished she would stay like this forever.“I believe it is different for everyone sister. I...I don’t know how to explain it, but,” he looked over to (Y/N), who now had Hyacinth cuddled into her side as she and Violet talked,“it felt right. Like when you know the answer to a question, and that feeling of certainty goes through you. You don’t have any ‘what ifs’ about the future, because you know that no matter what happens, they will be the person by your side.”

Daphne smiled as she glanced in the same direction, before looking back to her brother. She had seen that expression of his many times when he was with (Y/N), and she wished someone would look at her that way during her season.

“(Y/N),” Gregory caught her attention. He was sat on the floor,“will we be having a cousin soon? Some of my friends have loads of cousins to play with.”

(Y/N) wasn’t sure how to answer, and Violet sensed that. The older siblings felt a slight awkwardness in the air, knowing it was a touchy subject.

Violet smiled, trying to lighten the mood.“Why don’t we take lunch outside? It is such a beautiful day.”

The eldest siblings all quickly agreed, moving almost immediately. Gregory felt that he had said something wrong, especially wen he saw (Y/N)’s face. Anthony was about to comfort her when Gregory stood up and held her hand, Hyacinth was already holding the other one. 

“I’m sorry if I upset you.” he said, pouting slightly.

(Y/N) gave him a comforting smile, kneeling down between the two.“Don’t worry, you did no such thing. Tell you what, why don’t we play outside after lunch? But you’ve got to let me win at least one game.”

The children giggled, knowing that (Y/N) had never been very good at winning whatever games they played. But both nodded, going ahead of her when she gently pushed them forwards. Standing back up, she realised Anthony had been watching her the whole time.

“What? What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing.” he replied, quickly pecking her on the lips.“Come, let us join our family.”

The rest of the afternoon went by too fast for (Y/N)’s liking. Over lunch she discussed Daphne’s debut, giving her advice on how to deduct herself and little ways to flirt when Anthony and Violet weren’t listening. Their giggles didn’t go unnoticed, Anthony scolding Collin and Benedict for not paying attention to the girls. 

“(Y/N), can we go play now?” Gregory asked as soon as she was finished eating.

“Gregory, you have only just finished for food too. Wait a while, otherwise you will have a bad stomach.” Violet warned him.

“She is not a toy for you two to play with. Some of us would like to speak with (Y/N) too you know.” Daphne pointed out, only to have Gregory stick his tongue out at her.

“We will play once our food has settled, yes?” (Y/N) nodded to the children, who knew they would be waiting as the grown ups talked. 

Anthony had that thought again. Hyacinth and Gregory adored (Y/N), and she had such a way with children. And it wasn’t all smooth sailing with these two, (Y/N) had told them off a few times. It was natural thing that came to her, a natural thing he had put off for so long. Of course, they wanted to enjoy their time together without children, but seeing her like this, and with children of friends started to make him think that perhaps it was time. (Y/N) had only ever expressed her wanting of children once, which lead to an argument. Anthony had always felt pressured to be the one to marry first and produce heirs, so when he found (Y/N), his mama subtly hinted to him about having a baby as soon as possible; just to spite her, Anthony convinced (Y/N) not to dive headfirst into parenthood, something she went along with because she saw how stressed Anthony became on the subject. However, (Y/N) didn’t want to be past her time before it was too late to have a child.

“Alright then,” (Y/N) said as she, the two youngest and Collin stood on the grass,“what game are we playing?”

“Hide and seek!” Hyacinth quickly shouted before Gregory could even open his mouth.

“That’s so boring!” her brother whined.

“And aren’t (Y/N) and I slightly too big to be hiding?” Collin pointed out.

(Y/N) mocked offence.

“N-no, I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it!”

(Y/N) laughed at him, much to Collin’s relief.

“Gregory, we do always play whatever you want.” (Y/N) said.“We’ll play hide and seek today.”

Hyacinth cheered, saying (Y/N) was the seeker before running off. Gregory was fast behind her, whilst Collin shrugged at (Y/N), going off to hide too. (Y/N) just rolled her eyes as she smiled, turning the other way and beginning to count. The others were still sat at the table, engrossed in a conversation, but Anthony was still watching (Y/N). She shook her head at him, still counting until she reckoned they were given enough time to hide. She announced she was coming, looking under benches and around trees and hedges, behind statues and pillars. Collin was the first to be found, unfortunately he was right about being too big to hide. They both set out to find the other two, keeping as quiet as they could.

(Y/N) heard rustling behind her, before something moved in behind the rose bushes. She held back for a moment, waking alongside it slowly to not alert the player  of her presence. Once they had no where else to go, (Y/N) waited for them to make a run for it, jumping out at them. This caused them to collide as they both yelped out, but ending up laughing as (Y/N) realised it was Hyacinth that she had caught. As they sat up, with (Y/N) checking she hadn’t hurt the girl, Collin came bounding over with Gregory over his shoulder.

Anthony knew what he wanted, and in that moment he had no patience. He wanted to tell (Y/N) about his intentions now, but knew it would be better to have that conversation in private. It was going to happen tonight, he needed to say it.

On the way home, (Y/N) noticed how Anthony’s hand was on her thigh, rather than holding her hand, and he was as close to her as he could possibly be. He kept kissing her too, holding her face in his other hand. Some were gentle and long kisses, other were hungry and passionate. (Y/N) was flustered, wondering why he was acting this way. When they arrived home, Anthony took her hand in his, quickly guiding her upstairs to their room.

“Anthony, what are-”

(Y/N) was silenced as he kissed her again, his hands now holding her waist. She embraced it, gripping onto his biceps as he walked them towards the bed. He pulled away, scooping her into his arms and gently laying her down on the bed. He straddled her, leaning down to kiss her again as she pushed off his jacket, trying to take off his shirt too. He sat up, taking it off, and for a moment, he was content with just looking at his wife. 

“Anthony?” she whispered.

His urges drove him forward, kissing down her neck and on top of her breasts, pulling her to sit up with him so he could undo her dress. She told him to stand, as did she, turning around so it was easier to rid of the garment. Once it was off, he pressed his body against the back of hers, taking a second to slow down. He ran his hands from her lower back, rounding her waist and cupping her breasts. She moaned at his touch, purposefully pushing against his crotch. He moved her to face him, knowing he had to tell her what was on his mind now before he completely forgot about them.

“(Y/N).” was all he managed to get out.

“Yes?” she looked back up at him with her beautiful eyes. 

“I...I want us to have a family.”

“I do too.”

“No, I mean...I’m ready.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I know I am. After seeing you today with my brother and sister, well, whenever you’re around children, I realised how selfish I have been. I married you because I love you. And love comes in many forms. One way to express our love is by creating a family of our own.”

“Anthony, are you sure? Because, because you know how happy that would make me?”

He smiled.“And that’s all I want to do, make you happy.”

“You do so every day. But this means the world to me. I love you.”

“I love you, so much. We’re ready (Y/N), we know what we both want. I want that with you.”

[wiypt-writes]

Leave No One Behind

Chapter 16: Endings Beginnings

Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Summary: Ari and Hannah settle into life back home, but it isn’t all as smooth as they’d have hoped…

Warnings: Bad Language words.

Pairings:  Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz

Word Count- 4.5k

A/N: It was recently brought to our attention that in a few other chapters there have been a couple of things that Ari has said/done that are not technically accurate for someone of Jewish heritage. First up, it was reference to Ari observing a ‘Sunday Roast’ when he visited Mama Navon. We just wanted to remind people that Hannah is of Catholic Christian and Jewish heritage (Spanish Catholic Mother, American Jewish Father) and her and Sammy’s upbringing has always been a combination of the two. So, when Ari visited Mama Navon when he was home from Sudan, clearly this was her tradition he was observing. Secondly, in another chapter Ari was praying to the ‘God and the Saints’. Of course, Judaism does not have saints, so there’s a slip up on our part with that one. As with the third point, when we described Ari rushing Sarah to the alter. He would have rushed her to the hoopa.

Regarding all of the above, we would hasten to add, that Ari grew up in the USA, leaving when he was 18. From what little we learn of him in the film, we know was taken by a British Soldier, who married an American Nurse. From the way he talks about it, we don’t get the impression his ‘adoptive’ parents were Jewish, so that alludes us to suspect he had a largely Christian upbringing, whilst clearly  being aware of his heritage. Therefore, we don’t think it is beyond the realms of possibility that he would pick up the odd little thing such as the above three points.  

That aside, we hope the above didn’t distract anyone else from the narrative as it did the reader who brought it to our attention.

Now, just a personal plea from myself in general. Myself and Storm do this for free, and not being a person who pays much attention to religion at all (that’s another debate in itself) it is for this reason I was VERY nervous about continuing this storyline beyond the plot of the film. We certainly don’t have the time, nor brain capacity to be researching things into any kind of huge depth. It’s why most of my story lines centre along similar types of things that I have a good background in. This fic was never supposed to focus on the ins and outs of a particular race of people, just the lives of two dumbasses in love. As all writers on here, we do this for free, and the moment it becomes hard work or unenjoyable, we won’t be continuing. So any other little slip ups, please, unless they’re offensive, give us a little leeway and put it down to Ari being exceptionally Westernised as pointed out above.

Sorry if this comes across as being a little harsh, but this has been playing on my mind a lot over the past few days, to the point I was seriously considering if we ended the fic where it currently stood. That said, I think we have a lot left to tell of Hannah and Ari’s story so, I’ll shut up now and let you read it…if you want that is.

Leave No One Behind Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Part 15

“You haven’t forgotten tomorrow?” Hannah heard her mother ask, as the woman stood up from the table while holding the teacup and saucer to place them in the sink. “You do remember you have to pick Sammy up from the airport tomorrow afternoon, right?”

 Hannah rolled her eyes at her mother’s back. “No, I haven’t forgotten,” she sighed as she played with the crumbles of the pastry she had been nibbling on, “I mean, it’s not like I’ve got anything else going on, is it? Seeing as Ari is with Maya and according to Sarah’s stupid rules I can’t be there with them…”

 At that, Maria Navon turned, giving her daughter a sympathetic look and Hannah snorted in anger.

 It had been four months since they arrived back in Tel Aviv, and Hannah had to concede that for the first few weeks it was fine. She and Ari settled nicely in the apartment Mossad rented in Ari’s name once all the paperwork following the end of the mission had been sorted. Ari had asked Isaacs for an upgrade of his living quarters, given he was now having Maya over to stay every other weekend, plus numerous nights of the week. Not to mention the fact Hannah was moving with him. When Isaacs had asked Ari to put a justification forward, he had simply shrugged, “I fucking earned it, Isaacs.”

 So he got it. Just like he usually got what he wanted, one way or another.

 Hannah was back working at the clinic. Her hands and the experience she had acquired while in Africa were needed more than ever now that it was only her mother and her to run it, although how long it was before her mom decided to retire fully was anyone’s guess. It had been a couple of busy months, what with interviewing for new nurses and locum staff, but Hannah would be lying if she denied having enjoyed every minute of it. She might have Mossad secret agent skills, obviously passed down by her father, but she was a doctor at heart. And that hadn’t changed in the two years she had been away.

 The team had split up within a month of arrival back in Tel Aviv.  Ari and Max had been working to help the refugees. Many of them had simply melted away post their arrival, still not trusting the mysterious white men who had come to their aid. However, some had stuck round; being housed temporarily in hostels, and was those who Ari and Max were tirelessly working for. They focussed their efforts on obtaining them permanent, legal status along with finding them better places to live and jobs of sorts to help them fit in their new reality. 

 Jake had headed back overseas to continue work as a diving instructor, this time in Jamaica, whilst Sammy had been in the States with Rachel for almost two and a half months now, and was, as Maria just reminded Hannah, due back the following day. Hannah suspected, however, not for long, fully expecting him to move there permanently to be with Rachel.

“Sammy is lucky, you know? He has none of this shit with Rachel’s ex.” Hannah grumbled, “Sarah is just being a pain in the ass. And I know for a fact it’s because we told her we got engaged. She was fine with me being there when Maya was until that point.” Hannah finished her rant as she placed her teacup and saucer on her mother’s extended hand. 

“You can’t be sure about that, sweetheart. Maybe there’s something else."

“No, she’s being a bitch.” Hannah quickly stopped her mother’s attempts at justifying Sarah’s behaviour. “She seems perfectly fine with us having dinner during the week and going out and stuff but won’t let Maya stay when I’m there on a weekend, basically just preventing us from spending those days together, for no reason other than she’s bitter.”

Maria Navon sighed. She knew where her daughter was coming from but, being the gentle and caring woman she was, she couldn’t help but try to put herself in the other woman’s shoes. She saw Hannah bite her lip and twirl her engagement ring round her finger, a rounded blue sapphire as deep as the ocean set against a halo of smaller white diamonds on a white gold band, before she spoke again.

 “I wouldn’t mind mama but they’ve been legally separated for years! The terms of their divorce are basically already been agreed. All they need to do is sign the damned papers but recently, well, Ari seems afraid to even raise the issue in case Sarah starts making it all awkward again and stops him seeing Munch.”

“Hey, sweetheart. Listen to me.” Hannah’s mother caught her attention as she pulled out a chair to sit next to her. “Everything is going to be ok, she’ll sign eventually. She knows there isn’t anything she can do about it, she’s just grieving.”

 Hannah’s brow creased at her mother’s choice of words. “Grieving for what? She left him, years ago!”

“She left him because she couldn’t cope with his lifestyle anymore, and he wasn’t winning any awards for being husband of the year, Han. That doesn’t mean she didn’t love him,” Maria woman spoke softly as if to appease her daughter’s raging tone.

“So, basically, I’m just stuck here waiting until she gets her head out of her ass?” 

“Have a little patience, honey. You two have waited over a decade, one way or another, to be together. You sure can wait a few weeks more.” Maria smiled as she reached out for Hannah’s hands who were fiddling with a teaspoon. 

“That’s the thing, Mama.” Hannah sighed as she looked up to meet her mom’s eyes. “I don’t think it’s just going to be weeks.”

“You don’t?” The woman frowned. “Well maybe she’s more stubborn than I thought.”

Hannah shook her head and then noticed her mother’s features had suddenly softened into a smile and she was looking straight over her shoulder. Hannah turned to see Ethan walking into the kitchen in his signature crisp work suit.

“Hi Ethan,” Hannah smiled at him and then looked up at the clock over the fridge before standing up and shrugging. “I should go. Spend the night with my fiancée before I’m banished back to my childhood home for the weekend like a love sick teenager.”

As she left the kitchen dramatically, she heard Ethan ask Maria. “That bad?”

“She’s pissed off,” Hannah heard her mom whisper back, “can’t say I blame her but she needs to make an attempt to see this from the other side, so to speak.”

With an angry growl, Hannah slammed the door and set off walking back to their apartment, in even more of  bad mood than she’d been in when she arrived at her mother’s. 

 Why was anyone treating her like she was the spoiled brat?

****

Ari was getting ready for Hannah’s arrival. He had been cooking, or sort of, making an attempt at dinner for a while and was now setting the table for two. He wanted to make tonight special as he knew this week was going to be the third weekend out of six that he and Hannah would be apart thanks to Sarah and her fucking rules. 

He was finding it hard himself. He’d gotten used to sleeping besides his Firefly since they had got together in Sudan, especially at night. But he knew Hannah was finding it harder. He was sacrificing their time together so that he could spend his allotted weekends with his daughter, which lessened the blow a little, but Hannah was basically being banned from living her life as it was for two days every two weeks, and that make his heart ache. 

And the worst bit about it all, was that he had seen it coming a mile off, and had been powerless to prevent it.

It was a bright Friday morning when they told Maya about their engagement. The previous evening Ari had proposed to Hannah for a second time after buying her a lavish ring. Thus, they had decided to take Maya for a walk and ice cream to break the news to her.  The little girl had been over the moon with the idea of her dad and Hannah getting married, which hadn’t surprised Ari seeing as his daughter had been all over his fiancé ever since they had met at Mossad headquarters the morning they had arrived home.

Now, as he approached Sarah’s apartment to take Maya back, he was about to tell his ex-wife and he was not particularly looking forward to it. But, he was being cautiously optimistic. Sarah had, after all, been amendable since they’d gotten home and seemed okay with Hannah being a part of Maya’s life.

Still, he felt his stomach churn as Maya walked up the apartment they had all shared once upon a time, and rang the doorbell.  No sooner had Sarah opened the door, Maya bounced in blurting the news out without hesitation.

 “Mom, guess what? Dad and Han are getting married! He asked her yesterday and she said yes!”

Ari groaned internally to himself, “Sarah, I didn’t ask her last night,” he smiled bashfully as he explained himself, “and I certainly didn’t do it in front of Maya.”

Sarah shook her head and brushed it off.  “Don’t worry, Ari and … erm, congratulations, I guess.”

“Erm… thanks.” Ari blinked. “I just thought you should hear it from me first… even if you technically did hear it from Munch.”

Despite the civil exchange, Ari could tell that Sarah was hating she didn’t have time nor the privacy to digest the news, and that wasn’t what he’d planned at all. He’d wanted to tell her, quickly, and leave, but Maya had put paid to his plans. Ari could feel coldness of his estranged wife’s stare, along with the tell-tale faint twitch of her nose and upper lip. He knew Sarah well and he, also knew how she deep down felt about him and Hannah. 

“She seemed cool about it but I know her, Han. Too cool for Sarah.” Ari told Hannah that night over dinner. “I can’t help feeling this is going to be bad…”

For once, Ari wished to God he’d been proven wrong. But, Sarah ended up doing what he feared, reverting back to being petty and petulant. She called him the next day to announce from that moment on, when Maya stayed with him, be it during the week or on her agreed weekends, Hannah wasn’t to be there overnight because, as Sarah had put it, it wasn’t appropriate for Maya to be around when they were… well, “up to stuff.

Hannah went ballistic, telling Ari his estranged wife was being ridiculous and she could go to hell, but Ari knew Sarah well enough to know she needed to get this out of her system. He tried his best to explain to Hannah that until she did, there was nothing he could do but roll with it, certainly for the time being. Making Sarah angry would not only risk her going back on terms of the divorce they’d set out in their separation degree, but also, he feared, make her get pissy about him seeing Maya. And that simply wasn’t something he was prepared to risk. He’d already missed too much of Maya over the years, admittedly through his own fault, but he didn’t want to miss a single second more than he had to.

Just as Ari was turning down the heat under their dinner, Simon’s ears pricked up and a second later Hannah’s key was heard in the door. Air smiled at the dog, who let out an excited whine, and leaned to give him a scratch behind his ears.

“Mama’s home, buddy.”

The pooch looked up at his master almost like he was pondering his words and Ari scoffed. 

Yeah, home. Bar the weekends when she’s banished to her mother's…

 Simon trotted off and soon after Ari heard Hannah greeting him. A moment later she walked into the living area and gave him a tired, but genuine smile. 

“Hey Lobo.”

 Ari beamed at his fiancé as he walked to meet her and without warning, he grabbed her face with both hands and stamped his lips on her plump ones, kissing the hell out of her. Hannah moaned in surprise but melted into his hold, her hands instantly reaching for Ari’s bearded cheeks.

“Hey Firefly.” He whispered when he broke the kiss.

She smiled at him as her hands travelled upwards and tangled in his hair. “Something smells good.”

“Thanks, I just showered.” Ari drawled, a cheeky smile on his face.

“I meant the food, you ass.” Hannah laughed as one of her hands slapped Ari shoulder, but his grin never faded.

“I’m a whole meal, honey.” He continued, playfully. Hannah rolled her eyes and stepped back. “But yeah, I’ve been cooking or rather mixing things in pots and pans.”

“Hmmm should I be worried?” She shrugged off the light jacket she was wearing to shield her from the summer showers.

“Well, Simon tasted everything and he’s still breathing.”

“Simon used to eat jellyfish, Ari. That’s not a bar to measure your cooking with.”

“Hey, I tried, okay? Give me some credit. I’ve never cooked for a woman before.” He grabbed her hips and pressed her to his body, one of his big hands splaying over her back.

At that Hannah smiled at him lovingly. He was right. She suspected he had never cooked for Sarah and he certainly hadn’t cooked for her, not once. Never in the brief amount of time they had been secretly dating, and at the resort it had been Chef Aziz's job to cook for everyone.

“I’m honoured, and I’m sure it’ll be great. Give me five to go wash up okay?”

“Sure, babe. I’ll plate the food and open the wine.” He winked at her and Hannah stood on her toes and gave him another quick peck before she headed into the bedroom, Simon following her.

True to his word Ari had done a pretty good job and thirty minutes later they were both sat at the table after having enjoyed a dammed passable and tasty attempt at a beef stroganoff on Ari’s part that left Hannah pleasantly surprised. 

She sighed with satisfaction as she left her fork on her plate and when she looked up she noticed Ari was looking at her intently, his eyes shining under those long eyelashes.

“You trying to seduce me before my carriage turns into a pumpkin tomorrow, Levinson?” Hannah asked before bringing her glass of wine to her lips.

“Hannah...” he sighed.

“What?”

“Please don’t, sweetheart. I don’t want to argue.” 

It was her turn to sigh, heavily. Ari’s words were more of a plea than a warning to her, but she couldn’t help the way she was feeling. Granted, she wasn’t quite as pissed as when she had left her mother’s house, but she still had a sour feeling which was nagging at her. 

“I don’t want to either, Ari. I just don’t like the prospect of spending my weekend away from you. Again.”

“And you think I do?” He asked, reaching for her hand over the table. “Honey, this won’t be forever. Sarah just needs to get her stupid tantrum out of her system.”

“Yeah, I know and I don’t want you having trouble with Maya because of me, I wouldn’t keep you from Munch, ever. But you’re my fiancé and I just...” she trailed off, shrugging, “I don’t want us to be apart.”

Ari licked his lips and pondered for a moment as he looked at their entwined hands. “Okay, I’ll talk to her when I pick Maya up tomorrow.” He nodded with determination when he looked up at her. “See if I can reason with her and...”

“Don’t Ari. You’ll only set her off.” Hannah rapidly cut him off.

Ari groaned and let go of her hand, his look and voice growing harder. “Well then, what do you want me to do? You literally just said-“

“I know, but I don’t want you to poke the bear! I just want this fucking ridiculous situation to be over.” Hannah shook her head. She knew she was riling Air up, but she was sick of everyone trying to get her to accept the situation they were in without so much as a word of complaint. “I’m not blaming you, it’s just…forget it, can we just pretend we are a normal couple who are having a normal evening dinner?”

“We are a normal couple. Well, as normal as most anyway.” Ari took her hand again, his features softening. “Look, I’m sorry. I really am. I just don’t know what I can do.”

“Love me.” Hannah stated after a while.

Now that puzzled Ari. Was that a request or was she doubting him. She couldn’t be doubting him, right? With concern written all over his face he pushed his chair back to stand up and hurriedly crouched beside Hannah, his hands grabbing her thighs firmly as his eyes searched for something in hers. 

“Firefly, I do love you. You know this… I mean, at least, I hope you do.”

“I do.” She nodded as she looked down to him. “Just don’t stop loving me, no matter what crazy ideas Sarah comes up with.” 

“Hannah, that’s not gonna happen.” He assured her after swallowing hard. “I promise you. Nothing she says or does is gonna change the way I feel about you.” 

****

Ari meant what he said and took it upon himself to make sure his Firefly was left with no doubt as to his feelings for her all through the night. And then again he made sure she hadn’t forgotten the following morning too before she left to pick Sammy up from the airport.

Ari collected Maya, as arranged, from the summer holiday camp run by her school and then, throwing caution to the wind, took her to Maria’s to see not only Hannah, but Sammy and the family. Hannah was surprised, but pleased to see them both and hugged Maya tight as the girl threw herself at her, chatting away about her day. They ate a lovely dinner, courtesy of Maria, and later, retired to the shared garden in the warm, July air. 

As Maya sat with Sammy, who was telling her stories about the states and Rachel’s kids, Ari found himself watching Hannah. She was sat with her mom and Ethan, the three of them sipping wine as the dusk drew in. It wasn’t long before the first little twinkles around the tree flashed through the darkness, signalling the fireflies had come out to play. 

Ari’s mind quickly travelled back to when he first met Hannah, how those little bugs had been present in the garden, earning her the nickname. His nickname for her, which had stuck and become a term of his love for her, symbolised by the pendant round her neck. It was that pendant, or more specifically how he had given her that pendant, which had fixed the idea on how to present her with the sparkling sapphire and diamond ring on her finger…

It was a Thursday morning, and Hannah walked into the bedroom after her morning shower. Ari looked up from where he was fastening up his short sleeved shirt and smiled as she grinned back at him. 

“You really do suit that colour, pretty sure Ethan’s secretary will approve.”

“Ethan’s secretary?” Ari continued, stopping two buttons under the collar.

“Yeah, that’s what I said Lobo.” 

“Ethan’s secretary is nearly a hundred years old, Firefly.” Ari rolled his eyes with a chuckle, his hands on his hips as Hannah frowned.

“Well who was the young, blonde girl at her desk the other day when I called in?” She picked up her hairbrush from the top of the chest of drawers that served as her vanity unit.

“Lorraine? She’s an intern, Mrs Goldman is training her.”

“She likes you. I can tell.” Hannah hummed, combing out her locks which had been piled on top of her head to prevent them getting wet.

Ari rolled his eyes as Hannah pulled her hair back into a neat ponytail. “Whatever.”

“You can whatever me all you want,” Hannah sang as she picked up a bottle of lotion and sat on the bed, “I can sense these things.”

Ari snorted, looking down at his girl as she sat on the bed applying lotion to her legs. “You getting all territorial on me?”

“Do I need to?”

“Don’t be an ass!” Ari snorted, leaning down to kiss her. 

As they moved around the room, Ari took his time, a lot longer than usual, dragging his morning routine out as long as possible. If Hannah noticed he was making a meal out of tidying his beard up, something he had taken to doing since returning to civilisation, she didn’t notice.

He was stalling for one reason, and one reason only. The surprise that was waiting for her in her underwear drawer.

After what seemed like an age, she crossed the room and pulled it open. Ari held his breath as she reached in for a pair of panties, but instead she gasped, he hand flying to her mouth.

Bingo.

When Hannah spun around, the red, velvet box in her hand, Ari was waiting on one knee, beaming up at her. “Still wanna marry me, Firefly?”

Tears brimmed in her eyes and she nodded, her voice thick with emotion, “yes, you know I do!”

“Had to ask with a ring, sweetheart.”

He watched as she opened it, her mouth dropping open once more as she stared at the ring. 

“Lobo, it’s gorgeous… I… I love it!”

As Ari rose to his feet, he sighed with relief, “good, ‘cause I had a hard time finding something worthy of my girl.”

“It reminds me of the ocean,” she smiled up at him, “and your eyes.”

“Kinda why I bought it, the ocean that is.” Ari smiled as he took the ring from the box, slipping it over her knuckle, watching as the sapphire settled at the base of her finger. “Hannah Maria Navon, I love you, baby girl.”

Hannah glanced at the ring before she beamed, her hands cupping his cheeks, “and I love you, Ari David Levinson.”

Ari smirked a little at the memory, they were totally late for work after getting a little ‘distracted’ so to speak celebrating their engagement once more, only this time in a bed and not the back of a shitty jeep in the Sudanese desert. 

“Dad?” Maya bounced into his lap, drawing a huff from him as she accidentally elbowed him in the ribs, “Are those fireflies?”

“They are Munch.” He nodded, kissing her head as she watched them zipping around. “Can you see now why I call Hannah my Firefly?”

She grinned, “yip!”

Hannah, who had been watching them, cleared her throat. “Ari, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t you two be heading back to your apartment?”

Ari looked at her pointedly. “Our apartment, sweetheart.”

Hannah was about to shoot a response back but then remembered Maya was there so she merely sighed. “Ari, look, you shouldn’t even be here now anyway. It’s not worth the argument if she finds out.”

“Why can’t we stay here, dad? I wanna stay with Han!” Maya piped up and Hannah groaned a little, shooting Ari a look.

“Because Han needs to stay with Sammy tonight, she’s not seen him for a while. You can stay some other time, okay?”

“I’m not gonna say anything to Mom if that’s what you scared of.”

At that, Ari and Hannah exchanged a look. “Why do you say that? Why would we be scared?” He asked and Maya shrugged.

“I heard Mom say some things.”

“What things, Munchkin?” Ari smoothed her long hair back and waited for her to reply.

“Well, I was upset, because at first I thought Hannah didn’t like me anymore as she always left when I stayed over. But one day last week, I heard Mom tell Grandma on the phone she had made you and Hannah spend the weekends apart because I was with you.” Maya paused and looked at Hannah, “Is that why you don’t stay with us at the apartment?”

Hannah blinked, she was stuck. She didn’t want to lie but also didn’t want to start bad mouthing Sarah in front of Maya, no matter how tempting. “Erm, it’s, well it’s complicated, sweetie. You and your dad need to spend time together. But I promise you it’s absolutely not because I don’t like you. I do, I love you very much.”

At that Maya stood up and launched herself at Hannah.  “I love you too, Han.”

Ari and Hannah could do nothing but exchange a look, which Hannah broke as she leaned down to hug Maya, tears visible in her eyes.

And it left Ari feeling even more like shit than he already did.

No, he had to fix this, even if it meant pulling Sarah up on her attitude despite Hannah asking him not to. Whilst he understood Sarah’s anger, and that she had every right to direct it at him, the fact that it was clearly having an impact on Maya was something he couldn’t let slide.

With a sigh, he stood up, instructing Maya to bid everyone good night. Before he left, he pulled Hannah into a kiss, his hands cupping her face.

“I’m gonna fix this,” he whispered against her lips, “trust me, baby.”

“I do.” She sniffed a little, her nose bumping his. “Go, go on. I’ll see you Sunday.”

As they walked the few blocks home, Maya’s hand locked in Ari’s, he was only partially listening to his daughter as she spoke. 

“Dad!” Her voice drew him from his thoughts about how exactly he was going to approach the subject with his soon to be ex-wife. He glanced down at her.

“What?”

“We’re you listening to a word I just said?”

“Honestly, no!”

“Daaaaaad!” She whined and Ari chuckled.

 “I’m sorry baby, what were you saying?”

“I was saying that I should get Hannah something for luck.”

“What do you mean?”

 “Well, Mom was talking to Auntie Louisa, and she said that Hannah was going to need plenty of luck being married to you so…”

Ari took a deep breath, anger flashing through his system, rolling his eyes. “Oh, did she?”

“Yup.” Maya nodded.

“And, do you think Hannah’s gonna need luck?”

Maya looked at him, and grinned cheekily. “Well, you are an idiot!”

“Rude!” Ari narrowed his eyes playfully, “mind you, technically, you might look more like your mom but you’re half me. Guess that makes you half an idiot, huh?”

Maya went to dig him in the ribs and with a chuckle, Ari swung her up and onto his shoulders. Her hands tangled in his hair as she giggled, before she leaned down, fingers threading into his beard.

“Han’s right, you do look like a wolf.”

Ari laughed, his hands tightening around his daughter’s ankles as her heels lightly bounced against his chest with each step he took.

[dabilove27]

Bright

Pairing: Kirishima x Fem!Reader 

Rating: T

Warnings: Idiots who don’t realize they are in love, some language, a tiny bit of angst but it has a happy ending! I think that’s all  

Word Count: 5.2k

A/N: So this is the first thing I've ever written and posted on here.  It might be 5.2 words of crap but I put a lot of work into it.  I just want to thank my amazing friends for hyping me up to finally post this and the never ending support.  I love y’all so much! Y’all’s encouragement has meant so much to me!

At the start of this journey, you never would have guessed this is where the two of you would end up. Swaying slowly, in a large ballroom with the lights turned low, in the most expensive white dress you would ever own. Your arms wrap around the muscular neck of the love of your life, and everything feels complete. Marrying Eijirou Kirishima was a dream. Grinning, you look up at his glowing face as you finish your first dance as husband and wife. Being in his arms, you felt safe and secure as he wrapped them around your waist. In moments like this, it was hard to think of a time when you weren't the center of each other's lives.

You met Kirishima the same day you began your hero journey at UA.  

Scurrying down the massive hallways, you make it to your homeroom of 1-A. Many students already occupy the classroom and are engaged in conversations. Maneuvering around the groups of students, you find your assigned seat and begin to settle in. As you scan the room, your eyes land on a boy with spiky hair and vivid red eyes. His smile beams, and as you continue to glance at him, a small grin grows on your face. As if feeling the weight of your gaze on him, he turns towards you, and his eyes meet yours. Oh crap, he noticed me staring, you hastily turn your face down to your desk as you feel the warmth of embarrassment in your face.

You hear shuffling from a chair scraping across the floor, and then a cheerful voice exclaims, "Hi, I'm Eijirou Kirishima! Nice to meet you..." he pauses, waiting for you to introduce yourself. You move your gaze from your desk to his face, and that's when you see his smile. From far away, his smile was bright, but up close, it appeared to be blinding. Positivity radiates from him.

Swallowing down your previous embarrassment, you introduce yourself and tell him it's nice to meet him too.  Without you realizing a small grin comes to your face.

Kirishima stands there, grinning at you as he dives into a conversation with you as if the two of you had known each other for years. Kirishima's heart seems to stop dead in its tracks as he watches the small grin you have blossom into a full smile.  He wasn't sure if he believed in love at first sight, but something was happening as he continues to stare into your eyes.  Fumbling, he continues to try and carry on a conversation, and he swears he feels his heart stop again when you laugh.  

You and Kirishima become fast friends after that initial meeting. His passion and upbeat personality are hard to overlook.  He becomes a bright part of your daily life. You spend your day's training, studying, and eating lunch with him frequently.  Something you didn't notice was Kirishima's lingering glances or how his smile would beam when he would make you laugh.  Eventually, both of you became part of the Bakusquad, and even with a new friend group, you always seem to gravitate to each other.

Your first year at UA could be summed up like a whirlwind. From the USJ incident, the sports festival, and later the training camp. It was no surprise that tensions were high when you and your classmates moved into the dorms.  Through all the ups and downs, you and Kirishima would find each other for support.  

Sometime later, a few of your classmates were given the task of infiltrating a Yakuza hideout with the Pro Heros. Heart pounding, you wished Kirishima good luck on his mission without realizing how dangerous it would be.  He cherished the tight hug you gave him before he had to leave.  He pulled that memory to cope with the physical pain while being taken to the hospital.  With that in his mind, he felt more at ease, knowing he would see you soon.

News had spread that the fight with the Yakuza group wasn't a pretty one, but you had no idea how Kirishima had faired.  Anxiety pulsed through your body as you walked to the hospital where Kirishima was.  

Making your way through the sterile hospital hallways, your heartbeat was racing as you approach his door.   Knocking gently, a muffled "come in" came through the other side.   Slowly, you open the door, and your eyes find Kirishima's red ones. Kirishima was sitting up in his hospital bed, with white bandages almost wholly covering him. The only things you could see were his eyes with dark bags below them, a few tufts of hair, and his mouth that was curving into a small grin when your eyes met.

Kirishima's heart begins to beat a little bit faster the moment his eyes meet yours.  It felt like a lifetime since that hug before the mission.  There was a moment during his fight with Rappa he wasn't sure if he ever would see you again.  The feeling of joy at seeing your face overcame him.  At that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was you and seeing your precious face light up.  It was like he couldn't feel the physical pain from the fight anymore.

Your giggle brought him back to the moment.  A longing goes through his chest as he watches you cover your mouth with your hand. You are trying to smother your giggles at his mummy-like state. "Hey! Come on, don't laugh!" Kirishima exclaims, his smirk spreads wider as more giggles continued to leak out of you.

"Sorry, you're right; it's not funny that you got hurt, but at least you have a Halloween costume idea," you respond playfully and send him a quick wink as your giggles finally died down. Moving towards the chair near his hospital bed, you pull out the small lunch you packed for him. "I'm glad you're okay, Eijirou," you mutter in a more somber voice, thinking about the horrible what-if scenarios that could have happened. You lift your hand to your eyes to rub any away any tears that threaten to fall.  The last thing you want is to make this about you after what Kirishima had to experience.  

Kirishima swallows, his eyes focusing on your face as you sink into the chair with a sad smile. His chest clenches as the smile continues to shrink. He clears his throat and tries to pick up the mood; it kills him to see you sad. "Yeah! I'm just fine! Now let me eat whatever smells so delicious in there," he declares in an upbeat tone as he maneuvers in his bed to scootch closer to you.    

Your sad smile morphs into a happier one after hearing his encouragement, and you move your eyes to meet his. Kirishima never ceases to amaze you with his positive outlook. He's sitting there beaming and lively as ever, not letting his injuries get him down. Little did you know, despite the physical pain Kirishima felt, he was putting on a happy face for you. He would do anything to keep a smile on your face.   

It dawns on you that both of his arms are in slings, and there is no way he can feed himself. Letting out a soft sigh and shaking your head, you pull out the chopsticks you brought. "Well, it looks like you can't move your arms like that," you gesture with your hands, "so I guess I will have to feed you” you say with a wink. You move to pick up a piece of chicken and begin to bring it towards his mouth.   

Kirishima was thankful you couldn't see his entire face right then. He didn't want you to see the blush growing across his cheeks. "No, I-um. It's okay, I've-" he stammers to find something to say as thoughts fly through his mind.  Should I stop her? I can feed myself, right? Fuck, she's so cute. 

Kirishima's heart is pounding as his eyes dart between your face and the hand that continues to move to his mouth. This moment allows you to pop the chicken piece in his slightly gaping mouth.  Kirishima sits there in bewilderment, still with his mouth agape.  Gently placing your hand below his bandaged chin, you push upward to close it. "Now chew, Eijirou," you say with a soft grin as you pull your hand away. It takes him a moment before his brain begins to work again, and he chews and swallows the piece of food.

After that, Kirishima lets you serve him the rest of the meal. He wasn't sure if the blush left his face or his heart ever stopped racing. One thing he was sure of is that he wants this moment to never end.  With the warmth of having you so close and smelling your familiar smell, he could swear this was paradise.  That was the moment Kirishima knew he wanted something more profound than friendship with you.  He knew he wanted to live a life where being this close to each other was normal and not just because he went on a terrible mission.

Years go by, and your friendship with Kirishima is steady as you enter your third year at UA. Almost all your classmates watch as his feelings grow into something more profound while you remain oblivious.  Almost everyone could see that Kirishima would take any chance to be closer to you.  

They could see it in the way he would try to switch partners during training exercises. "Hey, Oijiro! Did you get paired with Y/N for training? My quirk would work better with hers for this exercise. Let's go ahead and switch."

In the way he would pull Bakugou over to the side and talk with him when Bakugou yells at you. "Bakubro, hey man, can you tone it down a bit? She didn't mean to insult your cooking."  

On movie nights with the class, he would try to save the love seat that perfectly fit the two of you. "Denki! I know you and Y/N both hate horror movies, but she'll end up digging her nails into your skin during the worst parts. Let me save your arm, and I'll sit with her."  

You didn't notice all the little things like your classmates did.  Kirishima was your best friend. It didn't matter that he would want to train with you; he knew your quirk the best and vice versa. It wasn't a big deal when he would get on Bakugou for yelling at you; friends stick up for each other. You thought he was sweet when he would want to sit next to you during movie night.

The only thing Kirishima hadn't done yet was confess his feelings to you. The fear of destroying your friendship kept him from putting his feelings into words. So he would sit by and enjoy the feeling of you being close to him during training. Or bury his face into your hair whenever the two of you cuddle up together on the movie nights. He would put his feelings aside to relish in the smiles you would send his way when he would crack jokes. Because he would never want to lose these things if you didn't like him back.

And deep down, there was something there for you too. But you wouldn't say anything either. Because both of you would rather keep it safe than risk rejection from your best friend. It was easier this way.  

"You're an idiot, Shittyhair. Fucking say something already," Bakugou complains to the red-haired male as they walk to class one cold morning.

"Hush, man, someone could hear!" Kirishima glances around to make sure none of your classmates are close enough to overhear the conversation. The last thing he needs is someone like Denki or Sero finding out and spilling it to you. "Besides, your talking nonsense. We are just friends." Kirishima laughs nervously and moves his hand to rub the back of his neck under his scarf. A small pang of sadness goes through his heart at saying it out loud.  

"Yeah, whatever idiot," Bakugou responds with a shake of his head and chooses not to push it.  While you and Kirishima are idiots ignoring mutual feelings, Bakugou is much more observant. He hopes Kirishima makes his move soon because he can see someone else trying to come into the picture.

Your final few months of high school is when things change for the two of you.

"I like you. Would you please go on a date with me?" Words flow smoothly from the man in front of you.

Sure, you had gotten closer to Todoroki after being in the same class with him for over three years. You worked with him on a couple of projects, trained together, and even studied together sometimes. But having him confess feelings was not something you were expecting.

Standing there, feelings of excitement and confusion radiate through you and leave you speechless. You want this moment, but with someone else. Kirishima's soft crimson eyes and spiky hair come to your mind, and a familiar ache begins in your heart. An ache that you have tried to battle away these last few years. But we're only friends. If he had wanted more, he would have said something by now. You are so caught up in your thoughts you almost forget that Todoroki is still waiting for your answer.

Letting out a breath you didn't realize you were holding, you push down those feelings. Lifting your eyes, you meet the blue and grey ones staring back at you, awaiting your answer.  Even if you hold feelings for Kirishima, there was a possibility he didn't feel the same, and so you chose to give this a chance.  

A small smile comes to your face as you respond. "Sure, Todoroki, I would love to go on a date with you."  

Gossip spreads like wildfire among your class.  It's not really a surprise considering some of the classmates you have. As the day progresses, almost everyone is aware that Shouto Todoroki asked you on a date.  And eventually, Kirishima would find out too.  

Walking through the kitchen in your dorms, he happens to overhear the end of a conversation between Mina and Ochacho.  Mina was musing aloud about your upcoming date with Shouto without realizing he had walked in. "Oh, I wonder where Todoroki is going to take her! I bet it will be fancy, and the food will be amazing!" Mina gushes.

"Whoa! Todoroki confessed to someone? Who's the lucky person? I bet it's Yaoyorozu. They'd be pe- why are you looking at me like that?" Kirishima stops his animated monologue and gives Mina a confused expression. Mina's animated face falls to a more melancholy expression as she turns towards him.

"Oh Eijirou, um well, you see, Todoroki asked Y/N on a date." Mina's words stumble out carefully, knowing this news would hurt him.  "She said yes." Mina finishes as she breaks eye contact with Kirishima.  Kirishima's face falls as he continues to stare at Mina as his world crumbles around him. His chest was aching at the surreal probability that he had lost his chance with you.  

How could he ever compete with Todoroki? He was one of the strongest in the class and could own up to his feelings.   He feels tears begin to sting behind his eyes as his thoughts weigh heavily on him. Kirishima has never had to deal with this before. No one else had ever approached you with confessions. They all saw you with Kirishima and knew how he felt. But what could he do now? He couldn't confess now. That could ruin any happiness you might have with Todoroki, as well as your friendship with him. It would be selfish of him to try and ruin that for you, no matter how bad it hurt him. Turning away from Mina and Ochako, Kirishima swallows his feelings. He treks toward his room, ignoring Mina's desperate calling to him. Closing his door, he sinks down immediately and covers his face with his hands. The tears he held back in the hallway begin streaming down his face as he thinks about the woman he loved being with someone else.

Like most new relationships, things were awkward with Todoroki at first. His stoic personality is a stark contrast to Kirishima's bright and upbeat one.  It's not like you were trying to compare the two, but Kirishima had been your focus for three years now.  Accepting the date with Todoroki was something you did to try and have your own happiness. Expecting him to share your feeling was unrealistic.  You had to move on from him.  

Months pass, and your relationship with Todoroki grows. At the same time, your friendship with Kirishima seems to stretch further apart. The time you spend with Kirishima is replaced by the time you spend with Todoroki. He no longer always tried to be the one with you in training.   He stopped making excuses to sit next to you on movie nights. It was Todoroki's job to take care of you now. While Kirishima's heart ached, he wanted you to be happy. It hurt to see you intertwine your fingers with Todoroki. His heart felt like it was shattering him to see you lean into Todoroki on hard days instead of him. It killed him when your beautiful laughter filled the halls at something Shouto had said and not him. Despite all this pain, Kirishima did not want to ruin your happiness, so he stays quiet.  

Your final year at UA is coming to an end, and graduation is right around the corner. The absence of Kirishima leaves a hole in your heart. Things don't feel as bright as they once had. You miss spending time with him and being close. He was, or had been, your best friend before all of this.

Todoroki is a wonderful boyfriend. He's kind and goes out of his way to make sure you are happy, but he's also able to see that you aren't as comfortable as you had been. Trying hard, you still spend time investing in your relationship with Shouto. But deep down, your heart is longing for someone else.

"We should talk," Todoroki murmurs, sitting down with you on the floor against your bed in your dorm room. You know what that phrase means. "I know I'm not always the best with picking up certain things, but I can tell when something isn't right with you," he says as he turns towards you and slides his hand to intertwine his fingers with yours. The warmth that radiates from his left side seeps into your palm gently.

You try to blink back some tears threatening to fall as you rub your thumb gently back and forth over Todoroki's knuckles. The thought of making eye contact with him feels overwhelming. Facing the pain of a possible breakup and the pain of the person you really love not being in your life was too much to handle. "I'm sorry, Shouto, I want this to work, but…" your voice trails off as more tears begin to slide down your face.

"But I'm not him." Todoroki lifts his free hand to wipe away a few of the tears with his thumb.  You relish a little in the cool sensation against your warm cheeks. "I didn't realize until after I confessed how much he cared for you. I finally noticed how he looks at you after we started dating." He pauses for a moment and looks down at your linked hands. "And how you look at him." He squeezes your hand softly a moment before silence overtakes the room.  

"I'm sorry, Shouto." You let out a whisper and give his hand a gentle squeeze back

Todoroki lifts your chin gently with the hand that isn't holding yours and moves your gaze to his. Smiling, he says, "I think you should tell him. I like you a lot, but Kirishima has your heart.  I think we both want you to be happy, and I know he will make you happier than I can." With that, he pulls you into an embrace and places a small kiss on the top of your head.  

You feel your chest tighten as his lops gently leave your head, and he begins to pull away. You aren't sure if you should reach out to him or try to save this. Even though you know he's right, your heart still aches. No one said breakups were comfortable, even if it was best for both of you. Tears continue to drip down your cheeks as Todoroki quietly makes his way out your door and closes it with a little click. Pulling your knees up to your chest, you bury your face into your arms and let the silent tears fall.

As fate would have it, Kirishima is making his way down the hallway as Todoroki is leaving. "She needs you right now," Todoroki says as he continues to walk by Kirishima. Without any explanation, Kirishima knew it was you. He felt his palms begin to become clammy with sweat as a thousand scenarios flashed through his mind.

Kirishima stops walking and gives Todoroki's retreating figure a skeptical look. "What do you mean?" The words rushed out of his mouth as his pulse begins to pick up. You had Todoroki now; why would you need him? The thought flashes through his mind. Todoroki doesn't respond, just continuing to walk towards the elevators to go to his own floor. Kirishima begins to move again faster than he was before to your room. Standing outside the door, he doesn't bother knocking and barges into your room.  

Seeing you curled up on the ground and the shine of shed tears on your cheeks causes Kirsihima's heart to lurch.  Time feels like it is moving slowly as he stumbles over to you.  He needs to hold you, had to let you know that everything would be okay.  

As he sinks down to sit next to you, Kirishima envelops your shoulders in his muscular arms.  Instantly, you lean into him like nothing had ever changed.  Taking in a breath with a little shudder, you inhale his familiar cologne.  It's a smell you never realized how much you'd miss.  And his embrace is precisely what you needed right now.   Kirishima buries his face to the top of your head and intensifies his hold on you.   He gently rubs his fingertips up and down your arm in a way that he knows brings you comfort.  

Hey, what happened?" Kirishima softly whispers into your hair. He isn't a confrontational man, but it took every bit of restraint in him not to go confront Todoroki and demand why he left you here in this state.  

A little sniffle from you as you wipe away more tears brings him back to this moment. Todoroki didn't matter anymore, only you, only making sure that you were okay. "We broke up, Eijirou," you softly say with a little tremble of your bottom lip as more tears threaten to fall.  

At those words, it was like he had been dunked in cold water. How could Todoroki be so stupid to let you go? And before he can even stop himself, he is saying things that he has held on to for so long, "He's an idiot. If I had you, I would never let you go." Panic courses through his veins as his thoughts begin to race. Crap! That's not what she needed to hear, and she doesn't like you like that idiot! Kirishima stiffens as he feels you reposition yourself so that you are looking at him directly. "Ah, sorry, that was uncalled for," Kirishima laughs nervously while redirecting his gaze to the ceiling, hoping that you don't catch the blush rising on his face.  

"Eijirou, I actually want to talk to you about that," you sniffle again and take one of his large hands in your own. "Please look at me," you plead softly as Kirishima returns his gaze to meet yours. "I like you a lot Eijirou, and that's why Shouto and I didn't work out. You don't have to return my feelings, but-" you try to finish, but Kirishima cuts you off.

"I like you too! I've liked you for a long time!" The words rush from Kirishima's mouth; he moves quickly and clasps your smaller hands in his grip. This feels right. He feels right. "I know this might not be the best time, but I'm not letting my chance escape again. When you are ready, please go out with me."  

Looking at Kirishima with his bright crimson eyes and a smile that shines like the sun, you can't stop the grin forming on your face. He's still able to bring a smile to your face even when feeling so down. This is everything you've ever wanted. "Yes, I'll go out with you, Eijirou," letting out a little giggle as his smile grows to the largest you think you've ever seen. The joy is beaming from his smile.  

Graduation passes, and your relationship with Kirishima seems to integrate seamlessly into both of your lives. Your friendship morphs into becoming partners. There was a neverending slew of dates with Kirishima wanting to try everything with you.  From dinner dates to going to the beach, each new adventure added another incredible memory of your relationship together.  It was like the two of you were meant to be, and every memory solidified that.  

A few years later, on a day in early December, Kirishima tells you he is taking you on a surprise date. He refuses to let you know where you are going or what the date would involve.  The only thing he will tell you is to dress warm because the date involved you going outside.

As the two of you drive out of the city to a rural area, you can see Kisishima practically bursting at the seams.  There are small signs you have picked up all these years together that you know means he's nervous.  The leg he isn't using to drive is bouncing up and down, and he reaches out to grasp your hand and squeezes gently from time to time.  You make a choice not to question him because you can see how hard he is trying to keep this a surprise, and it's cute; you don't want to ruin that for him.  

He pulls the car up to a gated expanse of land and quickly inputs a code into a keypad. The gate slowly creaks open, and Kirishima continues to drive onto the property. Excitement and questions bubble up inside of you as you gaze out the window. You can't see much, though, because everything is pitch black, except for the vast amount of starts that are typically dulled by the city lights. He drives the car a little bit more down the path before he stops and puts it into park.

"Okay, we're here!" He exclaims while clamoring out of the vehicle to come to open your door for you.    

Stepping out of the car, you grasp for Kirishima's forearm. Your hand meets his toned bicep, and you cuddle into his warm side. Both for the heat and balance because you can hardly see in the dark.

Fuck, she's so cute.  Kirishima gets lost in his thoughts as he feels your body cuddle into his.  Sometimes it feels surreal to him that he's able to call you his, that you are here with him, that you picked him. He watches you as you tilt your head up to look at all the stars. At that moment, it was like all his nervousness melted away; seeing your beautiful face gazing up at the sky made his heart stop.      

"Babe, it's so gorgeous," you say in awe. Moving your gaze from the sky, you look over to Kirishima's face. The only thing you can make out in the dark is the small smile on his face.  

"Come on sweet girl, walk with me." Kirishima extends his hand, and you reach out to place your hand in his. Both of you stumble along through darkness together for a few steps in silence.  He gradually comes to a stop between two trees that are intertwined above you.  "Stand right here,"  he speaks quietly while letting go of your hand as you quirk a confused brow at him.  You couldn't see what he was doing, but you were able to hear him exhale a big breath and shuffle around.  

As you wait for Kirishima to finish whatever he is doing, you glance to the sky again to see the stars scattered across the night sky.  All of a sudden, the trees explode with tiny twinkle lights of various vibrant colors. Strands of lights wrap through the branches and down the tree's base.  Your breath hitches as you stand in awe for the second time that evening.

Your mind drifts back to Kirishima as your heart fills with warmth.  This is one of the reasons you love him so much.  He knows how much you love the holiday lights this time of year, always dragging him through the city to see them all.  Little gestures like this were what made him perfect.

Adjusting your gaze to the spot where Kirishima was, you see him down on one knee. It's a scene that's played over in your mind many times. But that doesn't stop the immediate shock that goes through you as tears begin to form.

Moving your gaze, you see him holding a small black bock that he begins to open.  Your name escapes his lips before he begins, "I love you so much. You are my best friend and my everything. I've loved you since our first year at UA.  From that moment you came to see me at the hospital. I want us to be together forever. I want to be able to call you my wife. Will you marry me?" Kirishima finishes with a shaky breath and smiles up at you.  He hopes you can't hear the pounding of his heart as he waits for your answer.

Your heart flutters as you look at his smiling face. That smile is more brilliant than the stars and lights together, and just like the first time you met, you can't help but smile back. "Yes, Eijirou, yes, I will marry you!" A few tears escape from your eyes as he slips the engagement ring on your finger.

Kirishima stands and pulls you into a crushing embrace that lifts you off the ground.  You could stay in his gentle but firm hold forever.  As he sets you down, he brings his lips to yours.  The familiarity of his slightly chapped lips lets you get lost in him.  He's your everything, and this is all you could have ever asked for.  You couldn't wait to spend the rest of your life with your best friend, the love of your life, Eijirou Kirishima.

And all those moments bring you to the best night of your life so far—the day where you marry your best friend.  Held safely in his strong arms, you wouldn't trade this for anything—your bright and shining Eijirou Kirishima.

Alright! If you have taken the time to read this, thank you!! This will probably be one of the softer things on my blog. So I'm not sure if I'll write something like this again. But again, thank you for taking the time to read!  

Taglist: @haikyuuwaifu​ @isseisbbg​

[emerald-amidst-gold]

WIP Wednesday

It’s Wednesday?! *scoffs* Preposterous! 

Thank you @noire-pandora and @rosella-writes for the tags! I send you hugs and flowers and LOVE! >:3

Seriously though, this week has felt long to me, as have the last several weeks to be exact, and despite those long, long days, I haven’t really been able to write beyond this ongoing monster of a ‘short’ story. I wouldn’t really say I have writer’s block. I have ideas, I can write little bits and pieces, but I lose momentum from a lack of energy. *shrugs* If anything, I’m treating this story as an exercise to help me cement some of Fane’s inner workings and practice more intimate events. *waggles eyebrows*

So! Have a bit of a long snippet of Solas and Fane being sappy. They’re so fucking sappy, I swear. No shame.

“...What I’m trying to say is, titles have no bearing if you don’t let them. It’s easier said than done, I know, and that’s why I constantly need the reaffirmation of my name. The spiral is deep, and one syllable is all it takes to slow the fall.” Another sigh, this one far heavier, far more aged. “I know what it means, what it feels to have your identity shredded to ribbons, Solas. I know that so much it hurts. And that’s why I’ll say two syllables for you, so you don’t forget the first title; yourself.”, he stated, tone serious, but warm. “And no matter the other artificial titles, the good and the bad, you are you. Furthermore, you are my sky. Endless. Enduring. Unbending. Eternal. You were all of that to me before you were Fen’harel, or even Solas, or anything else. It may be just another title, but I hope, I hope, it’s one that matters to you because a sky matters more than anything to a dragon. Anything, and I won’t let the expanse that is you be taken from me as surely as the actual sky has been.”

Solas blinked at that waterfall of tender words, entranced by the look of earnestness on Fane’s ivory, but inked visage, the faded green lines almost seeming transparent due to how the setting sun filtering into their quarters bathed them in gold. He was lost, he was reeling, he was grappling between wanting to argue and wanting to relinquish his own stubbornness before letting out an airy laugh, shaking his head as the latter won out. How much more could his heart take before it burst? Such devotion, such pure, unwavering devotion was meant for better people than he, and yet, he couldn’t balk at it, usher it away. It would seem he was not the only one to have come so far. 

“...I do not deserve that. I do not deserve such a...christening as that.”, he said, despite his thoughts. He may have come far, but some habits were hard to break. “It baffles me how you can be so certain that your feelings will not change when you know what is to come, when you know what I will be called upon to do.”

“We, Solas. You’re not alone anymore because I won’t let you be alone. No amount of words or deeds will change that either. You know that.”, Fane said, voice harsh, deep, but caring in its timbre.

Solas chuckled quietly. “I know that you are stubborn. Almost infuriatingly so.”, he tried to joke and it had a bit of the desired effect as Fane rolled his eyes, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“You walked into my domain centuries ago, elf.”, Fane growled, but it held no disgust or anger. “You poked a dragon and earned its heart, so suffer.”

Solas couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at that. “I suppose I have no choice in the matter?”, he asked, but he felt lighter, calmer. How easily the dread and the ice melted away. How such a thing could happen was beyond him, but he would be lying if he said that he despised this heat, this warmth of souls.

Fane smirked. “None at all.”, he retorted casually before leaning in to nudge at one of Solas’ cheeks, growl slipping into a quiet, but deep purr as their eyes connected, gazed into each other’s sunlit souls. “So, let me show you how I can be so certain, how you can be so deserving of what I feel.”, he said next within a heartbeat, eager, but even harsher with conviction before it dropped to a baritone whisper. “Let me show you how much I love you, Solas.”

Solas barely had time to fully process those tender words before Fane took all thought away, lips connecting with his own, warm and velvet, but somehow cool to the touch. The gentle suddenness of that connection had him startling a bit, so unused to the reserved man before him to be the one to initiate, but he relaxed soon enough, eyes falling shut and allowing tenderness and certainty to soak into him. 

Their lips moved slowly, languidly, but there was an ember to be awoken in their movements, to be sparked and set ablaze. However, there was no rush, no hurry to meet that bonfire. There was only gentle tending as one of Fane’s hands came up to loosely grip his jaw, tilting it just so to dive in deeper, etching his message of affirmation with tender kissing and soft, cool huffs through his nose. The other was busy kneading into one of his hips, a sturdy arm wrapped around to keep them close together. Solas weaved both of his hands into Fane’s head of slightly messy hair, drawing him closer, deeper into a spiral bliss, and humming deep in his chest as a velvet sweep of his dragon’s tongue against his bottom lip had his mind growing foggy.  

However, despite the fog of his mind, Solas kept his mouth shut, halting his movements of the kiss, and smirked against Fane’s lips when a resounding growl sounded. His dragon should know good things came to those who waited.

...Or rather, continued to push. He wanted to see how heavy a dragon’s passion could be, but first things first.

Solas pulled away a bit and smirked more when Fane attempted to chase, curling his fingers in snowy strands to keep him still. Another, deeper growl left those enticing lips at that, nearly making him let go and give in from his made his whole tremble with desire, but he remained steadfast, gazing calmly into smoldering, gold-emerald orbs with a hum.

“You may growl all you wish, ma’isenatha, but I will not relent that easily.” He chuckled softly when Fane almost appeared to be pouting. His heart truly could not take much more of this endearing, stubborn man. “Even so, you are becoming a force to be reckoned with. It won’t be long until I do relent to your will.”, he purred, chuckling a bit when Fane’s visage turned pink yet again from his praise, pout turning into a slight grimace of sheepishness. “Before that, however, I wish to continue where we left off, but you stated the endeavor of mindful connection tires you out. Extremely. Will it do so in this case?”, he asked, common concern threatening to ruin the moment and making his smile falter. He wanted to let the mood take the reins, but his dragon’s comfort came first and foremost.

Always.

Fane shrugged, clearing his throat of embarrassment and his own momentary excitement. “In the past, yeah, but that’s because I would try and force the link. Since I can’t even do that anymore, it’s not so terrible.”, he stated simply, leaning in to nuzzle just below Solas’ ear slowly. “It’s no different than sex, to be fair. Intense, and then an afterglow. I’ll feel tired afterwards, but not bone achingly so.” A growling purr, a mixture of thunder and a babbling creek followed after those words, housing more. “Other...actions will make that happen. We’ll make sure of that.” 

Solas hummed contentedly at the nuzzle, feeling how his chest began to quicken in its breaths at the heated words. “Mm, indeed we will.”, he murmured, a warmth able to be detected along his neck, cheeks, and ears. He was blushing. Lovely. It always threw him off when Fane would utter seduction. “But, I am curious as to how this ability of yours replicates sex.”

It was Solas’ turn to be pleasantly pleased with himself as Fane’s face flushed, pink shifting deeper to where his freckles were washed out and eyes were a titillating shade of ochre. Two could utter seduction, and after Halamshiral, he had pinpointed that Fane nearly dissolved if the word ‘sex’ was uttered from his lips. A dragon’s beauty had many layers, and while they were rare to be witnessed, his dragon was an open book during such carnal pursuits. The memory of the few times they had engaged physically and deeply nearly had Solas crumbling from shudders and soft pants, but the way Fane was now kissing just under his ear, face still flushed, but more from excitement now than a flustered disposition, was doing that also. How easily the mask fell and shattered from just a brush of lips, a glint of gold as two-toned orbs glanced up at him, a roll of thunder housed in a body so different, but so very much the same.

How easily the game could be tilted towards the other at any given moment.

“It’s a dance of thoughts, a waltz of wills.” The Elvhen dragon halted his kisses to whisper against the sensitive skin below his ear, breathless and husky, before giving it a firmer kiss. “You felt it after our sparring match, and that was just a dying connection - whisper of an afterglow. Rage had drowned out most of the euphoric intensity. But here, with us so close to each other, calm and willing...”, he trailed off, pulling back to level Solas with a solid amber gaze, abilities flaring to life with the emotions swarming around them. “...you’ll feel how deep the line runs, and so will I. After all, what’s more revealing and intimate than piercing each other’s thoughts? The connection of bodies is simple, but the mind... That’s more complicated and all creatures yearn for the depth of understanding.”

Solas let out an airy sigh, reaching up with a hand to stroke a deeply flushed cheek of freckles, ink and ivory. “So, it is a combination of thoughts, a glimpse into the inner when the outer offers no clear answer.”, he said, Fane responding with a tiny nod and pleased smirk due to being understood. “Is it like that if you were to connect with others, or..?”, he asked, a question born of more curiosity, not jealousy. He knew better than to harbor that type of nasty feeling with Fane. Devotion ran deep, as deep as the scar upon his heart’s face as well the scars upon his body. He was just once again fascinated to hear these thoughts and complexities of a being he had only been able to speculate on.

Fane shook his head, laying another kiss against his neck. “No. Most people’s minds don’t bend, their emotions locked up in fear and their minds cordoned off in their own ways. Mages, especially those like you, are easier to link up with, though.”, he murmured against the skin before running the flat of his tongue along his pulse. 

Solas let out a quiet gasp, clawing at a broad shoulder as the wet and warm sensation of Fane’s tongue nearly had him melting. That action always made him react violently, and his dragon knew it, chuckling against the column before continuing. 

“...Your emotions are potent, despite what you want people to believe. They’re attuned to being flexible and it was why during the duel I could begin the link. You were already reaching out, so I...exploited it.”, Fane admitted with a flash of shame in his eyes before sighing. “But, the sensation we’re about to experience is..” He pulled away from his neck slowly to practically gaze at him with a blazing smolder. “...only available when love is at the forefront. Your mind is willing before it even knows. You want me to enter. You want to share in the pain, the sorrow, the madness, and the passion, and I want you to, too. So, you allow me in. It’s an act of trust, and there is no one, other than maybe my sister, who I trust more than I trust you. And hopefully, you feel the same in regards to me.” A bit of uncertainty shuffled into dual colored eyes and a wry smirk, but they both dispersed as Fane shook his head a bit. “So again, no. It’s not the same for anyone else and it never will be.” 

Solas stared at the man before him with slightly wide eyes before a tender smile graced his lips. Leave it to his dragon to word such a serious matter so affectionately, so beautifully. Sometimes, it was hard to see anything but the beautiful creature he had met so long ago when such things were uttered.

It was easy to forget how much suffering and sorrow had laced a mind with crimson poison.

Despite those weighty thoughts, Solas brought his hands up to cup Fane’s face once again, stroking his cheekbones reverently as they gazed into each other. Amber orbs shone slightly from both the slowly descending sun just outside and abilities that were slowly regaining their full power with time, observing him with so much silent love that it made his heart squeeze and a small, warm smile form on his face.  

“Ar lath ma.”, Solas said, smiling more when the words of affection had Fane’s eyes darting away sheepishly, but there was a tiny smile upon his own lips. “And I do trust you as you trust me. Implicitly. Trust is a dangerous gambit, but in this instance, I will roll the dice. For you have already bet enough, my dragon.”, he whispered out tenderly before leaning to seal their lips together again gently, wishing to connect physically as well as mentally and emotionally. 

Yes, a connection. That is what he deeply yearned for. To understand and to be understood. To bond and be bound to in turn. To know every inch of the one who had seen him at his lowest and greatest, who worshiped him as the sky and nothing of the past that had thus far defined him.

A bit lengthy, but that’s what I’m good at! >:D I just like words. Woooords~ :D

Tagging (*sends cookies* :3): @oxygenforthewicked @little-lightning-lavellan @dungeons-and-dragon-age @the-dreadful-canine @varric-tethras-editor @drag-on-age @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold @dreadfutures @whataboutbugs and anyone else that’d like to share their endeavors! :D 

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Dark”

Welcome back, everyone! Can you believe it's been six weeks already? I can't. Something something the uncomfortable passage of time during a pandemic as emphasized by a web-series.

But we're here to talk about RWBY the fictional story, not RWBY the cultural icon. At least, we will in a moment. First, I'd like to acknowledge that shaky line between the two, growing blurrier with every volume. A sort of good news, bad news situation.

The bad news — to get that out of the way — is that we cannot easily separate RWBY from its authors and those authors have, sadly, been drawing a lot of negative attention as of late. This isn't anything new, not at all, but I think the unexpectedly long hiatus gave a lot of fans (myself included) the chance to think about Rooster Teeth's failings without getting distracted by their biggest and brightest production. There's a laundry list of problems here — everything from the behavior of voice actors to the quality of their merch — but as a sort of summary issue, I'd like to highlight the reviews that continue to pop up on websites like Glassdoor, detailing the toxic, sexist, crunch-obsessed environment that RT employees are forced to work in. A lot of these websites requires a login to read more than a page of reviews, but you can check out a Twitter thread about it here. 

Now, I want to be clear: I'm not bringing this up as a way to shame anyone enjoying RWBY. This isn't a simplistic claim of, "The authors are Problematic™ and therefore you can't like the stuff they produce." Nor is this meant to be a catch-all excuse for RWBY's problems. If it were, I'd have dropped these recaps years ago. I'm of the belief that audiences maintain the right to both praise and criticize the work they're given, regardless of the context in which that work was produced. At the end of the day, RT has presented RWBY as a finished product and, more than that, presents it as an excellent product, one worth both our emotional investment and our money (whether in the form of paying for a First account, or encouraging us to buy merch, attend cons, etc.) I'll continue to critique RWBY as needed, but I a) wanted fans to be at least peripherally aware of these issues and b) clarify that my use of "RT" in statements like, "I can't believe RT is screwing up this badly" is meant to be a broad, nebulas acknowledgement that someone in the company is screwing up, either creatively (doesn't have the skill to write a good scene) or morally (hasn't created an environment in which other creators are capable of crafting a good scene). The real, inner workings of such companies are mostly a secret to their audiences and thus it's near impossible for someone like me — random fan writing these for fun as a casual side hobby — to accurately point fingers. Hence, broad "RT." I just wanted to clarify that when I use this it's as a necessary placeholder for whoever is actually responsible, not a damnation of the overworked animator breaking down in a bathroom. Heavy stuff, but I thought it was necessary (or at least worthwhile) to acknowledge this issue as we head into the second half of the volume.

Now for the good news: RWBY has reached 100 episodes! For any who may not know, 100 is a pretty significant number in the TV world because, when talking about prime time programming, it guarantees syndicated reruns. Basically, networks don't want audiences to get burned out with a show — changing the channel when it comes on because ugh, I've seen this already, recently too — and 100 episodes allows for a roughly five month run without any repeats, making it very profitable. RWBY is obviously not a television show and doesn't benefit from any of this (hell, modern television doesn't benefit from this as much as it used to, not in the age of streaming), but the 100 episode threshold is still ingrained in American culture. Beyond just being a nice, rounded number, it is historically a measure of huge success and I can't imagine that RT isn't aware of that. Regardless of what we think of RWBY's current quality, this is one hell of a milestone and should be applauded.

All that being said... RWBY's quality is definitely still lacking lol.

Our 100th episode is titled "Dark" — keeping with the one word titles, then — and I'd like to emphasize that, as a 100th episode, it definitely delivers in terms of plot. There's plenty of action, important character beats, and at least one major reveal, everything we'd expect from a milestone and a Part II premiere. The animation also continues to be noteworthy for its beauty, as I found myself admiring many of the screenshots I took for this recap. There are certainly things to praise. The only problem (one we're all familiar with by now) is that these small successes are situated within a narrative that's otherwise falling apart. It's all good stuff... provided you ignore literally everything else surrounding it.

But let's dive into some examples. We open on Qrow starting, awoken by the thunder outside. Robyn has been watching him and makes a peppy comment about how none of them will be sleeping tonight, followed by a more serious, "Sounds bad out there." Yeah, it does sound bad, especially when they all know — thanks to Ruby's message back in Volume 7 — that this is due to Salem's arrival. I think a lot of the fandom has forgotten that little detail because people often discuss Qrow as if he is entirely ignorant of what is going on outside his cell. Even if we were to assume that he's forgotten all about the pesky Salem issue (the horror of Clover's death overriding everything else, perhaps) he still knows that Tyrian is running loose in a heat-less city with a creepy storm going on and, from his perspective, the Very Evil Ironwood is still running the show. So it's bad, which begs the question of why Qrow (and Robyn, for that matter) hasn't displayed an ounce of legitimate worry for everyone he knows out there. Thus far, their interactions have centered entirely around Qrow's misplaced blame and Robyn's terrible attempts to lighten the mood, despite the fact that a war is raging right beyond that wall. It's another example of RWBY's inability to manage tone properly, to say nothing of balancing the multiple concerns any one character should be trying to juggle. Just as it rankles that Ruby and Yang don't seem to care about what has happened to their uncle, Qrow likewise doesn't seem to care about what might be happening to his nieces. When did we reach a point where these relationships are so broken that someone can be arrested/chucked into a deadly battle and the others just... ignore that?

So Robyn's otherwise innocuous comment immediately reminds me of how badly the narrative has treated these conflicts and, sadly, things don't improve much from here. We are thankfully spared more of Robyn's jokes when Qrow realizes that what he's hearing can't be thunder. A second later, Cinder blasts through the wall — called it! — and Qrow instinctively transforms. 

The only downside to this moment is that the whole ceiling falls down on Qrow and the others because APPARENTLY these cells don't have tops on them. Seriously. As far as I can recall we don't see the stone breaking through the forcefield somehow and this looks pretty open to me.

If it is... you're telling me these crazy powerful fighters who practice landing strategies and leap tall buildings in a single bound —

— can't just hop over this mildly high electric fence to get out? Qrow can't just fly away?

We're, like, two minutes in, folks.

We transfer to Nora's perspective as she wakes up, seeing Klein giving her the IV. He tells her not to worry, that "you and your friend are going to be just fine." What friend? Penny? Klein went upstairs prior to Weiss hugging Whitley or Penny crash landing outside. I had thought them bursting through the door with another unconscious friend was the first time he learned what the big bang outside was, but apparently not.

Penny is, obviously, a mess. While I now understand the choice to make her blood such an eye-catching color when that's crucial to the Hound's hunt, I still think it looks strange visually. Like someone has taken a copy of RWBY and painted over it. It doesn't look like it fits the art style. More than that, it implies some rather complicated things about Penny's humanity, especially in a volume focused around her being a "real girl." Real enough for Maiden powers, but with obviously inhuman blood that isn't even referred to as "bleeding." Penny "leaks" instead.

Toss in the fact that she's literally an android who is made up of tech — recall the running gags about her being heavy, or it hurts to fist-bump her, to say nothing of keeping things like multiple blades inside her body — yet Klein says that her "basic anatomy" is the same and he can "stitch up that wound."

I'm sorry, what? Whatever Penny looks like on the inside, it's not going to resemble a human woman's anatomy, and Klein might be able to stitch the outer layer of skin she's got, but that won't do anything to fix whatever metal bits have been broken underneath. Penny isn't a human-robot hybrid, she's a robot with an aura. Penny has knives in her back, rockets in her feet, and a super computer behind her eyes. When our clip introduced that Klein would be the one to help Penny, my initial reaction was, "Seriously? He's a butler and a doctor and an engineer?" But RWBY didn't even try to get away with a Super Klein explanation, they just waved away Penny's very obvious, inhuman anatomy. Yeah, I'm sure "stitching up" an android wound is just like giving Nora her IV. I hope the surgical sutures he used are extra strong!

In an effort to not entirely drag this episode, I do appreciate that Whitley is allowed an "ugh" moment about the non-blood covering his shirt without anyone calling him out on it. That felt like the sort of thing the show would usually try to make a character feel guilty about and I'm glad that, for once, he was just allowed to be frustrated without comment.

Then the power goes out and May calls, which raises questions about what state the CCTS is in and when scrolls are available to our protagonists vs. when they're not. But whatever. She's checking in because she just "saw another bombing run light up the Kingdom" and —

Wait. Bombing? Salem is bombing the city? I know we've seen explosions in the sky, but I'd always just attributed that to evil aesthetic. Why does this dialogue sound like it's from a World War II film and not a fantasy sci-fi show about literal monsters launching a ground attack?

May looks pretty against the sky though. I like her hair color against that purple.

I'm admittedly grasping at positives here because we finally return to her "You have to choose" ultimatum and — surprise! — May has pulled back completely. Ruby says that once they've helped Penny, "We'll...we'll do something!" which is once again her avoiding making a decision. Ruby still refuses to choose, instead falling back on generic, optimistic pep talks. They'll figure out how to stop Salem later. They'll think about the impact of telling the world later. They'll choose who to help later. Ruby keeps pushing these problems into the future where, she hopes, a perfect, magical solution will have appeared for her to latch onto. When that continues to not happen, others pressuring her to actually do something and stop waiting for perfection — Ironwood, Yang, May — she panics and continues stalling for time. Wait an episode and the narrative supports her in this.

Because initially May was forcing Ruby to decide. Now, May enables her desire to keep putting things off. "Don't beat yourself up, kid. At this point, I don't know how much is left to be done." That's the exact opposite of what May believed last episode, that there was still so much work and good to do for the people of Mantle. This is precisely what the show did with Yang and Ren's scenes too, having people call Ruby out... but then return to a message of, 'Don't worry, you're actually doing just fine' before Ruby is forced to actually change.

None of which even touches on May calling her "kid" in this moment. That continues to be a convenient way of absolving Ruby of any responsibility. When she wants to steal airships or Amity Tower, she's an adult everyone should listen to, the leader of this war. When the story wants to absolve her of previously mentioned flaws, she becomes a kid who shouldn't "beat herself up." I said years ago that RWBY couldn't continue to let the group be both children and adults simultaneously, yet here we are.

So that was a thoroughly disappointing scene. Ruby gets her moment to look sad and defeated, listing "the grimm, the crater, Nora, Penny" as problems she doesn't know how to solve. Note that 'Immortal witch attacking the city I've helped trap here' isn't included in that list. Ruby is still ignoring Salem herself and no one in the group is picking up where May left off, challenging her to do more than wring her hands over things others are already trying to take care of: Ironwood is fighting the grimm, May has gone off to help the crater, Klein is patching up Nora and Penny. Ruby, as one flawed individual, should not be expected to come up with a solution to everything, but she does need to stop acting like she can come up with a solution to everything when it matters most (office scene) and rejecting others' solutions when they ask for her help (Ironwood, May).

If it feels like I'm dragging the flawed, traumatized teenager too much, it's not in an effort to ignore those aspects of her identity. Rather, it's because she's also the licensed huntress who wrested control from a world leader and violently demanded she be put in charge of this battle. Ruby, by her own actions, is now responsible for dealing with these problems, or admitting she was wrong and letting others take the lead, without purposefully derailing their plans. She doesn't get to suddenly go, "I don't know," cry a little, and get sympathetic pats.

But of course that's precisely what happens, courtesy of Weiss.

During this whole scene I kept wondering why no one was celebrating Nora waking up, especially when Ruby outright mentions her. Have they just not noticed given all the Penny drama? Because Nora absolutely woke up.

Aaaand went back to sleep, I guess. What was the point of that POV shot? No worries though, she'll wake up again in a minute.

Willow arrives and announces that they can fix the power (and Penny) using the generator at the edge of the property. I'm convinced RT doesn't actually know what a generator is because the characters are acting like it's some super special device that only richy-rich could possibly have. Whitley says that it's the SDC executives who have their "own power supply" and that it's "extremely unfair." Now, don't get me wrong, a good generator powering large portions of your house can run you 30k+, but you can also get one that plugs into your extension cord and powers your fridge for a couple hundred. There's absolutely a class issue here, just not the one Whitley and Weiss seem to be commenting on. They make a generator sound like the sort of device that only a politician-CEO could possible have and it's weird.

Likely, it sounds weird because it's a choppy way of getting Whitley to bring up the wealth disparity so he can then go, 'That's right! We're crazy rich with a company housing tons of ships! We can use those to evacuate Mantle.' Awkwardness aside, I do like that the Schnee wealth is being used for good purposes, but... evacuate where? To the city currently under attack by a giant whale? In a RWBY that wasn't determined to demonize Ironwood, this would have been a great plot point during the office scene instead, with Weiss offering her services to Ironwood, even if the group decides that a continued evacuation still isn't possible.

Instead, we get it here from Whitley. Do I need to point out the obvious? That Whitley is the MVP of this episode? He's done more good in an HOUR than the group has managed in a year. Give this kid some training and make him a huntsmen instead.

We're given a (very pretty!) shot of the shattered moon because it wouldn't be RWBY if we weren't continually reminded that gods once wiped out humanity before destroying part of a celestial body... and absolutely no one talks about that lol.

Blake's coat might not make any sense for her color scheme, but it does make her easy to spot as she and Ruby run across the grounds. Oh my god, they're actually doing something together! It only took eight years. They even get a lovely talk where Blake admits how much she looks up to Ruby, despite her being younger, and once again I'm struck at how much more I would have loved this scene if it had appeared elsewhere in the series. It is, indeed, as sweet and emotional as all the RWBY GIF-ers are claiming... provided you overlook that this is the exact opposite of what Ruby needs to hear right now. She doesn't need to hear that she's more mature and reliable than her elders when she's functioning under a "We don't need adults" mentality. She doesn't need to hear that not knowing what to do is totally fine, not when that led to her turning on Ironwood, despite not knowing how to stop Salem. She doesn't need to hear that "doing something" — doing anything — is a strength, because Ruby keeps avoiding the big problems for smaller ones she's comfortable with, like standing by Penny's bedside instead of deciding between Mantle and Atlas. Blake's speech is heartfelt, but it's a speech that suits a Beacon days Ruby who is having some doubts about her leadership skills, not the girl whose impulsive — and now lack of — actions is having world-wide repercussions. Everyone is babying Ruby to a staggering degree. It's like if we had a med show where the doctor is standing by the bedside of a coding patient, fretting between two treatments. 'Don't worry,' their colleague says, patting their shoulder. 'I've always looked up to you. You'll do something when you're ready' and then they continue to watch the patient, you know, die.

Also: who does Ruby look up to? Everyone talks about how much they depend on and trust Ruby, but who does Ruby look to for guidance? A number of her problems stem from the fact that she has rejected the advice of everyone who has tried to help her improve: Qrow, Ozpin, Ironwood, even Yang. Ruby is presented as the pinnacle of what to strive for in a leader, rather than a leader who has only been doing this for two years and still has a great deal to learn.

Anyway, they get the generator on and the Hound shows up.

I am begging RT to just make RWBY a horror story. All their best scenes the last three years have been horror I am bEGGING —

Anyway, while Ruby waits to be eaten we cut to Willow and Klein, the former of which is reaching for her bottle, pulling back, reaching again, all while her hand shakes. This is good. This is what we should have gotten with Qrow. Which isn't to say that their (or anyone's) addiction should be identical, but rather that this is a far more engaging and complex look at addiction than what our birb got. Willow tells us that she doesn't drink in the dark despite bringing the bottle with her; tries to resist drinking when she's scared and ultimately fails. Qrow just decided to stop drinking after decades of addiction, seemingly for no reason, and that was that. Why is a side character we only met this volume written better than one of the main cast?

Blake manages to call Weiss about the Hound and she asks if Whitley can handle the airships without her. I mean, I assume so given that Weiss is looking at the bookshelves while Whitley does all the work lol. He makes a teasing comment about how he can if she can handle that grimm and she comments that they still need to work on his "attitude."

No they don't. Weiss stuck a weapon in her kid brother's face. Whitley made a joke. Even if Weiss' comment is likewise meant to be read as teasing, it's clear that we've bypassed any meaningful conversation between them. That hug was supposed to be a Fix Everything moment even though, as I've laid out elsewhere, it didn't even come close.

We cut back to Ruby getting thrown through a wall into the backyard and the Hound creepily coming after her. She's freaked out by this clearly abnormal grimm and Blake is weirdly... not? "It's just a grimm. Just focus!" Uh, it's obviously not. Have we reached the traumatized, sleep-deprived point where the group is sinking into full-blown denial? I wouldn't be surprised. They've been awake for like... 40+ hours.

Because the Hound knocks Ruby out with a single hit. Just, bam, she's down. "Focusing" is not the solution here.

Weiss calls to warn the others about the grimm, telling them to stick together. Willow (understandably) starts freaking out and flees the room (classic horror trope!). Klein is left alone when Penny wakes up with red eyes. Oh no!

Don't worry. You know nothing meaningful happens.

She shoves Klein before (somehow?) resisting the hack, her Maiden powers going wild in the process. Just when it looks as if Penny might cause some serious damage, Nora wakes up, takes her hand, and says, I kid you not:

"Hey... no one is going to make you do anything you don't want to do... It's just a part of you. Don't forget about the rest."

Okay. I want to re-emphasize that I love hopeful, uplifting, victory-won-through-the-power-of-love stories. Istg I'm not dead inside, it's just that RWBY does this so badly. I mean, what is this? It has similarities to the character shouting, 'No! Resist!' to their mind-controlled ally, but this is not presented as a desperate, last-ditch effort by Nora. She just speaks like this is the most obvious truth in the world. If you don't want to have your mind taken over... just don't! It's that simple. The problem definitely isn't that Watts has changed her coding and has implemented a command she can't override, it's that Penny has forgotten about the "rest" of her personhood.

And this works. Granted, not for long, but we leave Nora having successfully calmed Penny down and until her eyes unexpectedly go red again scenes later, we're left assuming that this is a permanent solution. That, imo anyway, is taking the Power of Love too far, overriding the basic reality of Penny being hacked. It’s not a personal failing she must overcome, it’s an external attack. I would have rather had Nora react to the scars she saw on her arm, or have a moment with Klein, or get some love from the group. Not a wakes up, falls asleep, wakes up again to save Penny with a Ruby level 'Just ignore reality' pep-talk, then back to sleep again.

So Penny isn't attacking her allies, or mistakenly hurting her allies with wild Maiden powers. Not that the group doesn't have enough to deal with, but still. Weiss arrives to help with the Hound and attempts a new summon, only to fail when two minor grimm burrow up into her glyphs. I really enjoyed that moment, both for the wing visual and the knowledge that Weiss' glyphs can fail if you break them somehow (which makes sense). Also, I just like that she failed in general? Weiss is, as per usual now, about to demonstrate just how OP she is compared to the rest of the team, so it was nice to see her faltering here.

The Hound tries to make off with Ruby and Blake does an excellent job of keeping it tethered. Ruby finally wakes, only to realize that the grimm is actually after Penny since it's staring at her power up through the window, no longer trying to escape. Moments like this remind me that there's someone on RT's writing team that knows what they're doing, at least some of the time. The assumption that the Hound is after Ruby as a SEW, the surprise that it's actually Penny, realizing it holds up because Ruby is covered in Penny's blood and Blake is not... that's all nice, tight plotting. More of that please!

The Hound drops her and Ruby's aura shatters when she hits the ground. I want everyone to remember this moment as an example of how strong the Hound is. The group may be tired, but unlike YJR they've been sitting around in the Schnee manor for a number of hours, regaining strength. We saw the Hound hit Ruby twice — once through the wall and once to knock her out — and then she falls from a not very high distance for a huntress, yet her aura is toast. That's the level of power and skill the Hound possesses. Decimating YJR, knocking Oscar out, same for Ruby, avoiding Blake and Weiss' hits, soon to treat Penny like a ragdoll. Just remember all this for the episode's end.

Blake tells Weiss she'll take care of Ruby, you go help the others. Yay breaking up the duos more! Bad timing though as the new acid-spitting grimm pops out of the ground and Blake is now left alone to face it.

Weiss re-enters the mansion, knowing the Hound is somewhere nearby, but not where. Suddenly, Willow's voice sounds through her scroll with an, "Above you!" which... doesn't keep Weiss from getting hit lol. But it's the thought that counts! Willow has accessed the cameras she's set up throughout the manor, watching the Hound's movements, and I have to say, that is a WAY better use of her separation from Klein than I thought we were getting. I legit thought they'd have Willow run away in a panic, meet the Hound, die, and then Weiss could be sad about losing her mom.

It does say something about RWBY's writing that this was my knee-jerk theory, as well as my surprise when we got something way better.

The Hound runs off, uninterested in Weiss, and she asks Willow to keep tabs on it. It heads for Whitley next (also covered in Penny's blood) and very creepily stalks him in the office with a, "I know you're here." Whitley is seconds away from being Hound chow before one of Weiss' boars pin it against the wall. He runs, then runs BACK to finish deploying the airships, before finally escaping assumed death. Goddamn this boy is pulling his weight.

I assume all these ships are automated then? I hope someone takes a moment to call May. Otherwise it's going to be super weird for the Mantle citizens if a fleet of SDC ships just show up and hover there...

I don't entirely understand how Weiss saved him though. She's nowhere to be seen when Whitley leaves and he runs a fair distance before he and Willow encounter Weiss again. We know her summons don't have to keep right next to her, but are they capable of rudimentary thought, attacking an enemy — and an enemy only — despite Weiss being a couple corridors down and unable to see the current battlefield? I don't know. In another series I'd theorize that this was a deliberate hint, a way to clue us into the fact that Willow, someone who we currently know almost nothing about, had training in the past and summoned the boar herself. Weiss and Winter certainly didn't get that hereditary skill from Jacques. Hell, we might still get that, Weiss reacting with confusion next episode when Whitley thanks her for the boar, but I doubt it. That scene with Ruby and the Hound aside, the show isn't this good at laying groundwork and then following up on it.

Case in point: Weiss says, "I didn't forget you" to Whitley after he gets away from the Hound, the moment trying to harken back to her promise to Willow. Key word is "trying." Because she absolutely forgot him! Weiss threatened and ignored Whitley until he proved his usefulness. I also shouldn't need to point out that, "Don't forget your brother" does not mean, "Don't let your brother die a horrible death by abnormal grimm." Weiss acts like her saving him is a fulfillment of her promise, rather than just the most basic of human decency. And also, you know, her job.

So that part is frustrating. The entire Schnee dynamic is a mess, from Weiss making a joke of her father's arrest, to Willow (presumably) fixing their relationship by putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Okay.

Then Weiss cuts off the Hound by summoning a giant wall of ice. My brain, every time this happens:

YOU COULD HAVE FIXED THE HOLE IN MANTLE'S WALL.

Moving on, Blake's fight against the acid... thing has some great choreography, including Blake using her semblance which we haven't seen in AGES. 

I really like the fight itself, just not what Blake is shouting the whole time. "I need you, Ruby! We all need you!" This has really gotten ridiculous. Ruby is presented as everyone's sole savior despite failing time and time again. It's not that I don't think Blake as a character should have faith in her leader, it's that I don't think the writers should be crafting a story where everyone puts their unshakable hopes in an untrained, disloyal, impulsive 17 year old. I mean, Ruby is currently unconscious, yet Blake is acting like if she doesn't wake up — she, as an individual, if Ruby Rose does not re-join this fight — then all is lost. If Ruby doesn't save them, no one can. Which is, of course, absurd on numerous levels. Blake doesn't need the passed out, aura-less Ruby right now, she needs the still very healthy Weiss pulling out multiple summons and an ice wall! Use your scroll and call for backup again.

But of course, Ruby wakes up and kills the new, terrifying grimm with a single hit. It's a preview of what's to come with the Hound and it's just as ridiculous here as it will be there.

Speaking of the Hound, am I the only one who thought this was... cute?

I can't possibly be the only one. That head-tilt is exactly what my dogs do and my brain instinctively went, "Aww, puppy!"

Murderous puppy.

The Hound realizes none of the Schnees are who it's looking for and runs off. Penny, meanwhile, has been fully taken over because, well, that's just what's convenient now. She resists long enough keep Amity up, then succumbs, then resists to apologize to Ruby, then succumbs, then resists because Nora asked her to, then succumbs once it's time to knock her out. If RWBY was willing to commit to consequences, Penny would have been taken over and that was that. The characters would need to deal with whatever outcome happens as a result. Instead, the show very carefully avoids any of those pesky consequences by having Penny successfully resisting at key moments, despite no explanation of how she's managing that.

She shoves Klein again (Klein is having a Bad Time) and starts walking down the main steps. When Whitley wants to know where the hell she's going, Penny mechanically responds that she must "Open the vault, then self-destruct." I suppose the change Watts made was the self-destruct order? Ironwood obviously wants the vault open, though not necessarily Penny's death. Think what you will of his moral compass, she's a damn powerful ally — a research project, perhaps — and a Maiden to boot. At the very least, her death may give the powers to someone even worse.

God, please don't let them have brought Penny back and made her a Maiden just to kill her again.

The Hound arrives though and, as said, knocks Penny out. We're back to square one with her, then. Note though that this attack is near instantaneous. She grabs its hands one second, is hanging limply the next. Wow, the Hound sure is a terrifying antagonist!

Not for long.

"That's enough," Ruby says and one-shots it with her eyes.

Now, I want to talk for a moment about the implications of that line. "That's enough." Obviously Ruby is #done with this situation and emotionally unwilling to let the Hound kidnap Penny (congratulations, Nuts and Dolts shippers), but there's a meta reading here as well. Not intentional, but glaring to me nonetheless. Basically, the idea that the Hound has, from a plot perspective, done enough. It has served its singular purpose. It kidnapped Oscar and now it dies. Never-mind how insanely powerful we've established the Hound to be, never-mind how Ruby's eyes also work or don't work according to whether anything of actual import is on the line. From a plot perspective "that's enough" and the Hound can be disposed of instantly. It got Oscar and gave us an episode of filler creepiness. Move along now.

The idea behind Ruby's eyes isn't bad, but the execution absolutely is. RT has undermined a huge portion of the stakes by giving their protagonist an instant kill-shot that always works precisely when she needs it to. Starting with the Apathy, we have yet to get a moment where Ruby's eyes fail to save the day when she really needs them to, no matter how incredible the challenge. The Hound was very intentionally written to be a grimm outside of the group's current power level. It thinks, it talks, they literally can't touch it. This creates the expectation that the group will need to grow stronger — or at least become smarter — in order to surmount this new obstacle, yet Ruby's eyes undermine all of that. The group hasn't grown in years, the show just makes enemies weaker as needed (Ace Ops), or has Ruby pull out her eyes as a trump card. It wouldn't be that bad if we'd at least gotten a good battle out of it, one where the group gets close to defeating the Hound on their own, but needs Ruby's eyes to finish it off. Instead, she literally walks up without any aura, announces to the audience that this antagonist's time is up, and blasts it out a window.

Granted, Ruby's eyes don't completely finish it. The Hound pulls itself to its feet and we see this.

Yup, that's a guy and yup, those are silver eyes.

I would like to issue a formal apology to the "It's secretly Summer!" theorists in the fandom. I mean, I still think it would be ridiculous (and at this point highly improbable) that Ruby's dead mother has actually been a grimm mutant this whole time, just hanging out in Salem's realm while she waits for the plot to start before attacking the world, and then sends some no-name faunus dude after the group instead of their leader's mother for extra, emotional torture... but you all were definitely right about the “It's a person” part! I... don't know how I feel about this. Admittedly, it seems to be a logical continuation of the other grimm-human hybrids we've seen — namely Cinder and Salem herself — and it finally explains why Salem wants Ruby alive (even though it actually doesn't because WHY did she want more SEWs for Hound grimm when she wasn't even attacking back then? And already has all these other insanely powerful tools??), but at the same time, it feels like it's complicating a story that doesn't need further complications. The group fights monsters and has an immortal enemy. You don't need to add 'Some of those monsters are secretly human' to the mix.

It doesn't hurt that this twist is giving me Attack on Titan vibes, which, ew. A dark time in my fandom life, folks.

The Hound staggers a few steps before Whitley and Willow dump a suit of armor on it. That's all it takes to kill the most dangerous grimm we've ever seen: a single flash of silver eyes and some heavy metal. This also wreaks havoc with the implication that Salem wants SEWs alive because they create such powerful grimm. Obviously not. I mean yeah, normal huntsmen are going to have serious  problems, we’ve seen that this volume, but any other SEWs nearby will take a Hound out instantaneously. For a villain with so many other powerful abilities — immortality, magic, endless normal grimm, her nifty soup — Salem would be much better served just killing SEWs straight out. Clearly, creating Hounds isn't worth the effort.

The Hound leaves some bones behind and Ruby collapses to her knees, overcome with the knowledge that this was once a person. Again, uncomfortable Attack on Titan parallels.

We finish our premiere with Cinder clearing away rubble to reveal Watts. Honestly, I like that we ended on this because her rescue is hilarious. She just slings him over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes and blasts off with her magic fire feet. Fantastic.

Note though that with this scene we've seen almost everything from the clip and the trailer. What's to come in the rest of Volume 8? No idea. Outside of Winter leading the charge with the bomb, we got it all here.

Time to update the bingo board!

I'm crossing off "Introducing new grimm that are quickly abandoned." Between the Hound and acid-dude both falling to a single blast/cut from Ruby, we've more than earned this square.

It doesn't look as if we'll get another Watts-Jacques team-up now that he's left, but you never know.

Maria's got me worried. I feel like her Yoda fight against Neo is the one thing she'll be allowed to do this volume, but given that we didn't see anyone except Ruby's group this episode, we don't yet know whether the story is now ignoring her and Pietro, or if they'll re-appear in another episode like YJR.  

Qrow is free. Will he get a drink before trying to murder Ironwood? Perhaps.

Still no bingo :(

All in all, the episode was by no means horrible. I think there were lots of horrible parts, but also some legitimately well executed moments, fun action, and scenes that I can easily imagine as squee worthy if you lean back and squint. Everything is comparative and in the growing collection of bad RWBY episodes, this one isn't securing a top slot. Which doesn't mean I think it's good, just... not as bad as it could have been and primarily only bad due to long-running problems, not things this specific episode has done. That's my bar then, so low it has officially entered the underworld.

Still, RWBY is back and a part of me is eager to see where this volume takes us, for better or for worse.

Until next week! 💜

[Ko-Fi]

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

That ask with the ice cubes was not only adorable/sexy as HECK, but also made me "aww" at Sooga wishing he could surprise Kohga with kinky fun too. So I guess this is an ask: what if there WAS something Sooga could think of to surprise his hubby in the same way, doing something kinky to Kohga? Honestly I think anything where Sooga takes charge would make Kohga swoon, especially if it's something public

I thought of just the fucking thing for you, anon!

"Vai! Settle down now, settle down!"

Sooga watched as the women hurried inside the building, damn near giddy. He couldn't believe he was doing this. But something...happened today, and it made him desperate. He snuck inside the bushes right by the doorway, peering into the class. The woman at the front cleared her throat, demanding attention.

"Alright, pay attention now! We have a new topic to dive into today; surprising your voe! Surprising your voe will keep a relationship fun, exciting even. Dina, let's assume you are already in a relationship with a voe. How do you surprise him?"

"Oh, what about new clothes? Something that compliments the frame?"

"Very simple, very nice! Good job, Dina."

Sooga scribbled what he could into his journal. Anything was helpful, and everything was worth noting.

"Let's see-Risa! Say you want to surprise your voe, give us something out of the blue."

"Choke him?"

"I...well I mean, TECHNICALLY you aren't wrong, but. You know what, I'm just gonna let you have that one."

That was more Sooga’s league, but it was still worth noting. He scribbled more, and listened on.

"Okay, Pasha. Pasha? PASHA!!"

Her yell scared not only the woman inside, but Sooga as well. He dropped his pencil, and watched helplessly as the pencil rolled away from him. He watched it until it came to a complete stop. He COULD reach it, if he was careful. He looked into the room, and seeing that they hadn't noticed anything, reacher for the pencil. Further, further...when his fingertips touched the pencil, there was a blade's end right at his face. He looked up, and mentally swore. Her blade was in his face, and two spears were pointed at him as well. As Kohga would say, 'I'm fucked'.

"A voe. A YIGA voe. Get up. Slowly."

Sooga obeyed, keeping his hands up in the air as he rose. The pink haired one stepped closer to him, nearly pressing her body against his.

"Why are you here? Attempting to kill us?"

"I say we cut off his dick and shove it down his throat, make him choke on it."

They all turned to look at Risa, even Sooga had to mentally go 'what the fuck'. She met their eyes, shrugging.

"Too much?"

"Yes, Risa, too much. But the thought was there."

"He has yet to answer us. Why WERE you in the bushes? You a pervert?"

"Without trying to be rude- ew. No, I wasn't doing any perverse thing with any of you. I...I wanted to attend your class."

They all looked taken aback. They turned to their teacher, who huffed, bringing her face closer to his. It was intimidating of a stance, and he would've been less terrified, had it been a man.

"You. Want to attend a class...where vai's try to date and marry voe's? But. YOU are a voe, are you not?"

"I am. But...my relationship with MY voe is...struggling. I want to please him, terribly. I heard of your class, and I was hoping, honestly, genuinely hoping I could learn something. Anything."

Risa cocked her head to the side.

"Wait. If you wanted to join, why didn't you just take the form of a fellow Gerudo?"

Sooga opened his mouth, only to shut it. Shit. That would've been a good idea.

"I...I wished I thought of that. This is...embarrassing."

Their teacher looked him up and down, before stepping back, and tucking her weapon away.

"We will help you."

"You will?!"

"We will?!"

"Yes. A voe who does something so stupid for the sake of another, is a voe truly in love. Grab your pen and come inside. You will get ONE class, so take in what you can."

"Yes-er, sorry, didn't catch your name."

"Ashai. Yours?"

"Sooga. It's a pleasure, and an honor."

They allowed him an empty seat as they walked in. They seemed uncomfortable with him, but that didn't matter. He needed to learn something, ANYTHING. Ashai wrote on the board, pointing to it.

"We will skip lessons one through three, given that you are already in a relationship. So, lesson four, 'how to attend to your voe's needs'."

-----------------------------

"Anyone seen Sooga? I haven't heard from him, and he hasn't arrived when I called."

The other blade masters shrugged, not having seen the man since last night. He was about to ask Von, when his slate went off. A text from Sooga.

'I left you something in your room. On the nightstand.'

Weird. Kohga went anyway, and saw it when he walked into the room. A huge vase full of mighty thistles. How cute.

"Oh...you idiot."

He walked up to it, and looked at the tag that hung from the silken ribbon.

"'Boo'? The hell does-"

Suddenly Kohga was yanked backwards. His face was grabbed rather roughly, and lips were smashed onto his. Kohga was about to stomp on the assailants foot, when that all too familiar voice cooed against his lips.

"Did I scare you?"

"Fucking hell, Sooga- thought I was gonna have to beat your ass for a second. Yeah, you got me, you really did, big boy. This why I couldn't find you this morning?"

"I've been getting a surprise for you, yes. It's not just those flowers."

Kohga chuckled, lifting a hand up to pinch his cheek.

"Oh look at you. You look damn near smug. Is it poetry?"

"No. But there WILL be something that sounds just as sweet, my Master."

He kissed his hand, before grabbing it, and forcing them both behind his back. Kohga tried to move them, when he suddenly found them bound by rope. Tightly. Kohga looked confused for a second, before he chuckled.

"Sooga! You naughty dog you! What are you planning?"

"You'll see. Now walk."

Sooga was being plenty rude today, giving him a little shove to get him walking, and holy SHIT did Kohga find it hot. Big, stud man, shoving him around, tying him up, bossing him around. He led him to their bed, before gesturing to the other gift he got him; giant mirror. Kohga chuckled.

"Aw, you got me another present. It's nice. What next, chocolates?"

"On the bed."

Sooga was NOT in the mood for playing, he seemed. He obeyed, sitting down on the bed. Sooga crawled in behind him, and helped Kohga put his arms up.

"You know how beautiful I think you are? You don't truly understand. The way I look at you. The way I crave you. Now, thanks to your gift, you're going to SEE what I mean."

Kohga was about to ask what he meant, before his arms were lifted above his head, and his bound hands were tied to the wooden support beam above them. Kohga snickered, giving them a good tug, just to test the knot.

"Good tying on this, it's sturdy. But I thought you LIKED it when I used my hands."

"I do. I really, really do. But you’re mischievous with them,"

Sooga sat down behind him, letting his own hands caress his frame. Sooga's hands were slow, loving, and in a 'hurry the fuck up' kinda way, it was hot.

"Your hands make me forget what I'm doing. So, in order to show you what I can do, you're going to playing games under MY rules."

"Am I really THAT much for you, Sooga?"

"Yes and no. Yes, because your hands are unrivaled, but no, because we both know if you wanted to, you could escape from your confines at any time. You're just being nice. And that's another thing I like about you."

Kohga felt his breath hitch as Sooga grabbed his throat, forcing him to look at the mirror. Oh the LOOK Sooga was giving him. Was this what he looked like when he couldn’t see his face directly? He tried to keep his signature smirk, really he did, but holy shit was it...hard.

"I like many things about you. I like how you look in my arms. I like how your eyes soften when you see me. I like how you know you're the most attractive man I've ever known."

There was a small kiss to his jaw, before Sooga had to hold him still, given the sudden tight grip onto his ass.

"I like your body. I like your ass. It's full, it's perfect, and it is MINE."

His hand pulled at the yiga attire, not caring what ripped and tore. Kohga gasped at the absolute GALL in this man.

"Sooga my CLOTHES! You know those are-"

"I like the way you fucking whine,"

His grip was tighter on his throat, Sooga’s voice grew huskier.

"When you want to act like a brat. It's adorable. I like your stomach, it gives me so much for me to hold."

Kohga couldn’t believe he wasn’t saying shit as Sooga grabbed handfuls of his poochy tummy, playing with his fat in the same way one would a breast.

"We all think about it. But only I get to touch it. Only I get to fill it, full of food, of my love. Fucking hell, you drive me crazy."

Sooga forced his legs to part, before grabbing at his hard cock, slowly stroking it in his hand.

"Like your cock. God I love your cock. It's thick, it's gorgeous. It feels so good in my hand. I like how you squirm because you want me to go faster. You're SO impatient. You want what you want, and you want it when you want it. It's sexy, in a way, knowing you won't wait for what you deserve. I admire that about you."

Sooga held him still as he pumped his cock, slowly and firmly, enough to make Kohga squirm. Sooga was a bastard, KNOWING how he hated this stupid slow and sweet approach. He wanted it fast, hard, and raw. But Sooga was in charge right now, and that was hotter than anything. Sooga kept going; chin resting on his shoulder as he listened to his breaths, and until his hand was covered in a thick layer of precum. He pushed Kohga’s mask up, just enough to reveal his lips.

"I love your lips. The way you kiss, the way you eat, the way you talk. Anytime I see your mouth do anything...it makes me want jump over the table, and fuck you. How I keep my composure around you, I have no idea. Your lips are...so greedy. They take anything they are given."

Sooga proved it, shoving two fingers into his mouth, letting them slide back and forth across his tongue, back and forth, making drool dribble down his lips. He could taste his own precum on his fingers, and it was absolutely gross. Suffice to say, Kohga was fucking throbbing.

"That's it. Drool for me. Get that pretty mouth ready for me. I like feeling your precious mouth take what I want to give it, and do so oh so hungrily. You're so greedy. Never satisfied. Ever hungry. I adore that about you."

Sooga pulled his hand away, and even got out of bed, standing right next to Kohga. Kohga licked his lips, trying to look SOMEWHAT composed. Even behind locked doors, he had SOME reputation to uphold.

"Open."

Sooga grabbed onto his head, pushing it back as he shoved his cock right into his mouth. Kohga hated how good it felt, essentially being forced to suck on the slowly moving gerth in his mouth. Sooga hated it too, given the way he swore under his breath, the way his face softened once he looked up at him.

"You're going to like this, I know I will. Look at the mirror again."

Kohga looked at the mirror, and holy shit was he a sight. Torn clothes, cock leaking precum, and drool running down his chest as he savored the cock in his mouth. But that wasn't the good part. The good part was when Sooga suddenly shoved himself in fully, balls deep into him. Watching himself not only squirm, but watched as his throat bulged, full of Sooga’s cock.

"Aren't you magnificent? Aren't you wonderful? Aren't you just so cock hungry? Gag for me. I know you can."

Kohga was tempted not to, absolutely stubborn, but they both knew he couldn’t resist it. He liked gagging, he liked being at the mercy of a big, strong man, with his mouth stuffed to the brim with man meat. Sooga smacked his cheek a bit, correcting him as if he were an animal. Then he gagged (with a little bit of help from Sooga really pushing himself in), damn near making Sooga melt upon the feeling. He pulled himself out quickly, actually shaking a little bit.

Poor Sooga. Despite being a big bad dom, he was still the buff cutie who could cum oh too quickly. Kohga grinned, looking up at him.

"Oh come on, you were close! I don't deserve a little treat?"

"You will get the treat I intended for you. As tempting as it would be, you aren't the one in power here."

Kohga was about to say something smart, just to be an ass, when Sooga got behind him again, grabbed a hold of his meaty thighs, and slammed himself right into his ass. Oh the way it sent a shiver up his spine. Sooga grabbed a piece of his torn clothes, before balling it up, and shoving it right into Kohga's mouth.

"I don't want you to talk. I want you to sit here, and watch me fuck you. I want you to be helpless against me. I. Want. YOU."

And boy, Sooga wasn't kidding. He kept his grip on his thighs, slamming himself in and out of his ass. All while Kohga was forced to just sit there, and watched himself get railed. His cock was throbbing and leaking, drool was soaked up by the cloth and was spilling down his chin, and Sooga.

Oh Sooga.

He didn't move his face from his shoulder, letting him hear that quick breathing, his swears, even his animalistic snorts. He, even now, didn't stop meeting his gaze in the mirror. He wanted him to look him in his eyes. He wanted total and complete possession of him. And he could have him. Seeing how his cock pounded into him, seeing how precum slathered over him and only made this sound even wetter. It was gross, it was shameful, and it was driving Kohga CRAZY.

"Look at you. You LIKE it when I fuck you like this. You like taking control sometimes, we know this. But when you submit yourself to me, when you're letting me destroy this ass I love so much- I can tell you like letting me have you. Im going to stuff you full of you cum. Nod if you want that. Nod if you want me to hold you down while I FUCKING breed you."

If Kohga nodded any faster, he'd get a headache. That seemed to be enough for Sooga, who, with a loud swore, came. He didn't stop moving either, making his own orgasm more intense by still stimulating himself. Oh the way the cum was pushed into his ass, the way it soaked onto the sheets below. Sooga sounded exhausted behind him, even the grip on his thighs were shakey. But his voice didn't falter.

"Cum on my fucking cock. NOW."

Then Sooga, supporting him with only one hand, used his other to bring his hand swiftly across his ass. It hurt like a BITCH, and he already knew a bruise was gonna come from that big, open palm. And of course, it made Kohga cum. His cum spilled onto his stomach, his sheets- all while Sooga still slammed his hips against his.

It took a good damn minute for Sooga to finally stop plowing his ass, but when he did, Kohga saw them both panting like hell in the mirror, shining in sweat. Once Sooga seemed to hit that post nut clarity, he removed the gag from his mouth, watching in almost fascination as the drool came pouring from his mouth. Kohga didn't even bother trying to swallow any of his spit- letting it fall wherever it pleased. Kohga gave a light shake of his head.

"Holy....SHIT Sooga. The fuck was all of THAT about?"

"Did you...not like-"

"Ooh don't you start. That was hot as HELL! color me surprised, I didn't expect that from you~"

That was the word he seemed cling to. 'Surprise'. That was what he wanted, apparently, given the sigh of relief he had.

"I wanted nothing more than to surprise you, my Master."

He kissed his forehead, before starting to try to untie his hands.

"So where DID you pick up such a neat little trick?"

"I uhm...took a class."

"You took a CLASS?!"

Kohga had no idea why, but that was SO funny to him. He wanted to laugh, but he immediately say Sooga shrink a little. Guy was so self conscious in this relationship, even from the start. He leaned in to kiss his masked cheek.

"I'm flattered. Really. You did something new, for me. By Ganon you're a sweetie."

Oh the stupid blush on his stupid face. He cleared his throat, continuing to un do his hands.

"I...thank you, Master."

"Uh huh. Can you hurry it up big guy, I need to pee SO fucking bad."

"...I'm hearing 'keep you here'"

"Oh my god you fucking-you are not doing this right now."

"I mean. You're already here, I'm already going to have go clean these sheets ANYWAY-"

"SOOGA."

"Okay okay, I heard you. Had to TRY."

Kohga was stuck with an absolute fucking idiot. And he loved him so much.

[starfirette]

Hi! Could I request a Helena x fem!reader where y/n almost dies in a mission which leads to a fight with possessive Hel and in the middle of the screaming match they were having Helena confessed that she doesn’t know what she’d do without y/n so it dies down and they make sweet sweet love💕💕💕 ik it’s all over the place so do what u think is best! Thanks!

OOF We got an angsty one, fellas (18+)

p.s: sorry this took so long to do!!! :)

masterlist | more helena bertinelli x reader | why does this request remind me of when Jamie and Claire argued in season one?!?!?!?!?!

18+ | domme Helena, sub Y/n | orgasm denial, vaginal fingering, some slight Mommy kink but only if you squint, spitting, pussy slapping, edging, overstimulation, oral

You flinched as the door slammed shut behind you. The safehouse was deep underground, but even so, you swore Helena’s wrath would shake the grounds. 

“Will Harley be okay?” you asked in a low voice as Helena tossed her jacket towards the small sofa in the center of the Bertinelli safehouse. It was located by the old property in Gotham, about a mile underground. 

“’Will Harley be okay.’“ Helene repeated the words with an unfathomable venom in her voice, and the sound made you want to cry. “That’s not what I care about right now.” 

“Calm down,” you tried to ease your wife. 

This didn’t do much but make it all the worse. Helena turned to face you with an unreadable expression that seemed like a cross of humor and anger. “Calm down?” she repeated. “How the fuck am I meant to calm down, Y/n?”

You flinched at the cold way she uttered your name. “You risked your life for someone who doesn’t need help.” 

“Harley did need help,” you said in a squeaky voice. You felt very small right now. You felt like a mouse being cornered by the housecat. 

“Harley DIDN’T need help,” Helena shouted. “When does she ever need help? She was fine, she had a plan,” she added, using her hand for emphasis. “And you almost fucked everything up.” 

“Don’t say that to me,” you said sternly, though not nearly as loud as your wife was being. 

“But it’s true,” Helena yelled again. “Do you know how I would feel if you died? Do you have any idea what my life would be? I’d be alone. I’d have no one. When will you fucking understand that you are my entire life. I don’t have anyone else I can devote my time and effort too. I only have you. I wish that would just get through your stubborn mind. Harley, and everyone else can take care of themselves. Even Cass would have been fine. You need to stop being so fucking selfless because it’s going to get you killed. And if you die? I might as well be dying along with you.” 

You didn’t know what to say. You stood stunned, motionless, and at a loss for words. Helena’s voice was steady as a rock, but her face was streaming with tears. She used the back of your hand to messily wipe them away as she scoffed. “Harley’s fine. When isn’t she fine?” she said again, taking a seat on the sofa. She outstretched her limbs, still looking angry as ever. 

“You don’t know what it’s like.” Helena scorned. “To come in, thinking everything’s fine, only to see you laying there like that...with a fucking bounty pointing a gun at your head. I went in there with three arrows and my bare hands. I was so terrified that I would lose you.” 

You felt the tears brush down your own cheeks as you watched Helena put a hand over her eyes. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. “I’m sorry,” you continued to repeat as you rushed to your wife’s side, kneeling before her. You clutched her hand in your own, your matching rings shining together in the fluorescent light of the safehouse. “I won’t do it again,” you assured her. 

You didn’t mean it. How could you mean it? How could you sit by and watch Harley get the shit beat out of her, and simply do nothing? 

Helena knew this too. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, la mia perla,” Helena said in a hoarse voice. She gripped you by the wrist, tugging you to your feet then forcing you to sit on the sofa. She knelt down, her eyes never leaving yours as she demanded in a stern voice, “Take your pants off.” 

“W-What?” you asked, breathless before anything had even began. 

“You heard what I said,” she said. 

Though taken aback, you felt your self already beginning to pulse with excitement. You slowly undid the buttons of your jeans, blushing as Helena’s eyes stayed locked on yours. You shimmied out of pants. 

“And the rest?” 

Helena didn’t sound like she was in the mood for games and teasing. You couldn’t tell if this was her way of apologizing for being angry, or her way of punishing you.

A wet spot began to form at the bottom of your panties as you hooked your thumbs over the band, carefully pulling them down. You looked at the door of the safehouse; you still worried about the others. 

Helena’s hands roughly pulled your thighs apart, pinning them into the sofa’s cushions. Her fingers pressed marks into the sensitive flesh, but despite the pain, you felt your skin burning for more of your wife’s touch.

“Helena,” you mumbled, reaching out to touch her hands. 

She sent you a harsh look while glancing up through her bangs of wavy black hair. “You’re not going to make a sound if you want to cum. You’re not going to beg, you’re not going to do anything. That is your punishment.” 

“Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment,” you mumbled again, trying not to crack a smile. Helena did not find this funny. She tugged you by the legs, pulling you down as settling your thighs over her shoulder. “You think I don’t know you?” she snapped. “You’re such a pillow princess. I give you everything you ask for. I’m willing to bet you’ll consider this a punishment when I’m finished with you.” 

Helena dipped her head down, extending her tongue to slide through the folds of your cunt that was already sopping wet. You hissed at the feeling; your cheeks were cast on fire at the sight of Helena’s dark head perfectly buried against your pussy that was already contracting around nothing from the excitement. 

“Don’t make a goddamn sound,” Helena growled one more time as a reminder. She spit at your cunt, making you whimper, before burying her face between the folds. Her nose nudged your engorged clit as her tongue made a swift dive through your opening. 

You squeezed the sofa’s cushions. Your hips were singing with the urge to rock back and forth and help Helena’s sweet tongue move your pleasure along. You know that Helena would remain true to her word by making this a punishment for you. 

The tip of her tongue finally poked at the little pink pearl that pulsed with neediness. She swirled it in slow circles, touching the most sensitive parts of your clit and making your thighs tremble. 

Just as your high was beginning to crescendo to its highest peak, she removed her tongue, sitting back to admire her work. You could only imagine what she saw. 

You were red in the face, partially from holding your breath to resist the urge to make noise. 

Helena took her long middle finger and positioned it at your opening. “Be a good girl for me. Don’t move. Just watch.” 

Her voice was low as you let your eyes fixate on the sight of her slowly pushing her finger up inside of you. She curled her finger up, touching the highest point of what had to be your soul. A loud, desperate whimper escaped your mouth. 

Helena did not like you breaking her rules. She used her free hand to smack your cunt, making you whine again at the feeling. “Watch,” she growled again. You had no choice but to watch as she slowly thrust her finger in and out of you. She didn’t give a warning as she added her second finger, now scissoring you apart to stretch your walls. “Can feel you clenching my goddamn fingers,” Helena said with a bitter laugh. “You deserve my fingers? Do you?” 

She had given a permission to answer her, and you eagerly replied; “Yes,” you huffed. “I do. I’m so sorry, Helena, I won’t upset you again.”

“Come here,” Helena said in a low voice. She used her two fingers to swipe up the precum that was oozing out of you. She spread it over your needy clit and she began to rub fast circles. 

She was an expert at touching your clit; though her swirls were fast, they were just at the right pressure, just hard enough to make your hips buck up into the air. You released a loud sob, your wife’s name barely audible from your lips. 

You could feel your walls clenching in as your orgasm was impending. But Helena pulled away at just the last minute, leaving you to push your head into the cushions of the sofa and wind down. 

“Who’s Mommy’s good girl?” Helena demanded. 

“I-I am,” you squeaked out. 

“Are you good enough to cum? Huh? Answer me.” 

“I am,” you repeated in a squealing voice. “I wanna cum, please.” 

“That’s it,” Helena cooed as she recognized your obedience. She pressed her mouth back into your crotch. Her lips puckered around your clit, and she started to suck the little bead of nerves at the slow, though steady, pace. Her fingers found their way back inside of you for good measure; tears dribbled down your face as you sobbed your wife’s name. 

Your orgasm crashed down over you like a ton of bricks. You released a sigh of pleasure as Helena’s tongue swept down to quickly lap all of your release. 

You made a move to sit upright, but Helena’s arms pinned you back down. Her lips reattached to your clit. 

You whimpered as she continued to suck at your clit. It was like teetering on the brink of pain. “I can’t do it again,” you cried. 

“Don’t act like you’re not my little slut,” Helena said. “I know you can cum over and over.”

Your hands knotted in Helena’s hair as she suckled and licked at your engorged clit. You couldn’t do much but whine and buck your hips against your wife’s face. 

“I can’t,” you moaned out. 

“But you can. And you will,” Helena growled, momentarily pausing to look up at you. “I told you this would be a punishment. Your behavior tonight has to be corrected.”

And so, she burrowed her sweet face back between your thighs. Perhaps this was a punishment. You were teetering back and forth from pleasure to discomfort. Helena’s hands gripped you like iron, keeping you firmly into the sofa’s firm cushions. 

She pressed a kiss into your thigh, giving you one more moment to catch your breath. “You’re never leaving me,” Helena said into your skin. “Don’t even think about it.” 

You realized what she was saying just as she pushed her tongue inside of you. You understood, then, that she was still reeling with fear at the idea of your death. Helena was, understandably, not good with words. This was her way of punishing you, literally; her way of begging you not to put your life in danger again. 

Although...if this is what would happen every time you tried to take a bullet for one of your friends, the idea becomes more and more tempting. 

[posusm]

writes final chapter 

dosent post it for a week

as always this au belongs to @delimeful​ 

When Logan first joined the crew aboard the Mindscape, he may have been startled when their smallest member hurtled toward him in a glowing blue blur and slammed into his legs with enough force to topple a more fragile person, but he had been a crewmember for far too long for this kind of thing to surprise him anymore. "Greetings Patton," Logan says easily, adjusting his glasses. "I take it you've accrued information on what has upset Virgil so greatly?" Patton nods furiously.

"We need to read your books on humans!" Patton blurts out, near tears. Logan blinks in surprise, as Patton is not normally one to be so insistent on research. "... Alright? I believe there is nothing found in that book that Virgil could not tell us himself." Logan reminds him. Patton shakes his head. "He doesn't want to talk about it, but we need to learn about birthdays." "Birthdays..." Logan repeats, eyes growing distant as he tries to recall the word. "Ah, yes. I have a section in my studies about that. Follow me."

Patton does not hesitate to trail behind Logan to his lab where most of his research is located. On the way, they pass Roman, who is scribbling in a deep red notebook that none of the others are allowed to read. Logan clears his throat as they pass, making the cravon jump in surprise. He closes the book and smiles up at the two of them before catching the look on Patton's face and jumping into action. "What has upset you, my dear feathered friend?" Roman cries, irrationally loud for how close he is to the two of them. "We need to find out how to celebrate Virgil's birthday!" Patton cries. Roman's furious expression sinks some when he realizes there is no immediate danger to be vanquished. "...Why do we need to do that?" Roman asks, setting his book down on his desk. "Virgil said you're supposed to celebrate with your family," Patton says, sounding miserable. "He's stuck with no way to see them, I can't imagine how scary that would be."

There is a long pause in the hallway before Roman lets out a truly dramatic sigh. "Fine. What do we need to do?" He asks, rolling his eyes. Patton perks up immediately, but before he can begin babbling about how far Roman has come Logan starts to speak. "That is what we are trying to figure out," Logan explains evenly. "We are heading to my lab now to find any notes I've taken on this holiday."

With everything explained and all crewmembers but one in on the plan, they pour over the document, though it is unfortunately sparse in the useful information department.

"Well, it's good we didn't tell Virgil about this!" Patton says cheerfully. "It says here these celebrations are surprises!" Roman frowns. "I don't know if it's a good idea to surprise a human. Fight or flight is not something I want to activate in him." Roman argues, already envisioning the worst possible outcome. Patton rolls his eyes good-naturedly, mood restored at the prospect of cheering Virgil up. "Oh hush silly, he's seen worse!" Patton rolls over into a more comfortable position. "Once when we were living on that planet together, a big kitty-looking thing jumped out of the bushes! Virgil was so surprised he grabbed me and jumped into a tree!"

Patton laughs at the memory, though Roman looks a bit disturbed by the tale of Virgil's athletic prowess. Logan makes a mental note to ask Virgil about the specifics of adrenaline boosting his physical skills. "Here we are," Logan says calmly, flipping to the page he had been looking for. "Celebration of the anniversary of birth in humans."

The three of them crowd around the page, Roman a bit reluctantly, while Logan begins to read aloud. "Family of the subject of the celebration gather in a dark room and wait for the subject to arrive. Once the subject arrives, the family lights the room and shouts 'shock!', though that is a rough translation. Then the celebration begins." Logan takes a breath before continuing.

"The room is often decorated with long strips of colored paper and rubber bags filled with air. The centerpiece of the celebration is a sweet bread with sugary paste. A number of burning sticks are placed on the dessert correlating with the subject's age. The family sings a ritual song and then the subject blows out the fire. Then the dessert is eaten. Offerings are then given to the subject, wrapped in paper. After all of this has taken place, the celebration is complete." Logan finishes.

"Ugh, that's complicated. Do we have to do this?" Roman whines, though he is cut off with a squeak of pain as Patton elbows him in the side. "It's not that bad, guys!" Patton insists, clapping his hands together cheerfully. "We have a whole day to put this together!"

The day moves faster than any of them expected. It was several hours of preparation, with each of them handling different parts. Patton was tasked with finding gifts, as he knew Virgil the best and would, therefore, know what he liked. Roman was in charge of decorating, as he had the best eye for aesthetics, and Logan was going to be baking the sweet bread.

By noon of the next day, everything was ready. The sweetbread sat in the middle of a perfectly decorated table alongside three gifts wrapped in shimmering paper.

Patton was practically buzzing with excitement. "Okay! I'm going to get him! Everyone hide!" Patton trills. The others follow his instructions, ducking under the table. Patton turns out the lights before he leaves, humming cheerfully.

Patton practically runs to Virgil's room, though he slows as he nears the door, not wanting to seem suspicious. Patton leans on the door frame and pokes his head past Virgil's slightly ajar door. Virgil is still lying on the bed, so Patton clears his throat. Virgil doesn't move, so Patton assumes he must be sleeping, and while he's glad that Virgil is getting rest, Patton is not willing to let him mope any longer.

So he tiptoes to Virgil's bedside and shakes his friend's shoulder gently. Virgil, always a light sleeper, snaps awake instantly, reaching his hand out to see what had woken him. "It's just me!" Patton chirps in his own language. Virgil relaxes immediately, flopping back into the covers. "No, don't fall back asleep!" Patton implores, shaking his shoulder once again. Virgil groans, but rolls over to face him. "I need your help!" Patton says, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach that comes with the lie. Virgil immediately snaps to attention, worry clouding his eyes. "What? What's wrong?" Virgil asks quickly, eyes darting around the room to find some invisible danger. "Nothing bad!" Patton insists, waving his hands to dispel Virgil's worry. He grabs Virgil's hand. Well, really he grabs Virgil's finger, but that can't be helped with their size difference.

Patton drags Virgil through the ship, excitement mounting as he walked. He is practically vibrating by the time they reach the door that the party is behind. He turns to Virgil, hoping his friend can't see his suppressed joy. "Okay, here we are!" Patton announces. Virgil raises an eyebrow. "You woke me up for a door?" He asks, sounding a bit annoyed. Patton can't find it in him to wait any longer, and so he flings open the door and shoves Virgil inside.

The lights go on, and Logan and Roman both dive out from under the table, chorusing with Patton's shout. "Shock!" They all chorus. Virgil takes a step back, eyes wide. "What?" He asks softly. Patton rushes into the room, eager to show off all the work they had done. "You seemed so sad about not being able to celebrate your birthday, so we did some research and threw you a party!" Patton cries happily. Virgil still has not moved from the doorway, and when Patton turns, he is horrified to see tears welling up in his eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry!" Patton trills, feathers puffing up in agitation. "I know were not your real family, but we thought-" "You guys did this for me?" Virgil asks softly, cutting of Patton's worried rambling. He has a hand pressed to his chest, which is not a gesture that Patton recognizes.

"Thank you," Virgil says, and even though there are tears slowly making their way down his face, he is smiling softly.

All in all, it's not the worst birthday party Virgil has ever had. That award went to his party in third grade when he invited the entire class and no one showed up. Sure his crewmates almost started a fire with their complete misunderstanding of what a candle is, and the birthday cake is more of a bread than anything, but they did this for him.

Virgil smiles at his friends as they sing a horribly off-key rendition of Happy Birthday, trying to copy his example from earlier. He laughs when they're finished, and they laugh too.

He may not have his family here, but he thinks he can learn to be happy with the people he's found.

[one-boring-person]

Hiya! I had a Top Gun request! Could you maybe right something where the reader barely makes it back from a dangerous mission, and immediately she’s comforted by Ice, Mac, Goose, kind of all the guys when she gets back? Thank you so much!

Thank you for requesting, and I hope you like it!💛💛💛❤

(I've given the reader the call sign Strike, but if you want me to change it, I'm more than happy to do so😊💛)

That Was One Close Call.

Top Gun characters x reader

(Maverick, Goose, Iceman, Slider)

Warnings: violence, in-flight combat

Masterlist

"Can anyone actually see these bogeys yet?" Slider questions through the mics, voice sounding bored, though there is a distinct undertone of confusion running through it.

One by one, the rest of us, Maverick, Goose, Iceman, Arrow (my RIO) and I, deny having seen any other jets in the area, all of us flying in formation as we head to the designated area, eyeing the clear expanse of sky suspiciously as we go, making sure to pick up on any movement at all. Currently, after a good twenty minutes of flying, we've had no sightings, picking nothing up on the radars, our RIOs not spitting anything amiss in the skies around us, our actions now cautious rather than confident. Nerves race through my veins, a feeling I haven't had in months, my fingers tightening minutely around the joystick in my grasp, the jet adjusting in the air accordingly as I accidentally steer it into a different path, sweat coating my brow thanks to the sweltering confines of the cockpit, my breaths short and fast in my mouthpiece.

Just as I go to talk again, a sharp beep interrupts me, my radar having finally picked up on something, a small green dot appearing on the screen, moving rapidly towards us.

"You guys seeing this?" Maverick inquires, having clearly seen the same thing I have.

"Yeah, we got a mig on our six, moving very quickly. They're nearly o-" I go to reply only to cut off abruptly when the controls in front of me start going off, signifying that I'm under missile lock, and in great danger, the jet having closed in on us much faster than we thought it would.

"Get us out of here, Strike! They're right behind us!" Arrow speaks up, voice shrill with fear as the hulking shapes of the enemy jets drop from the sky behind us: eight much faster, more manouverable aircrafts with a higher firepower than ours, putting us at a severe disadvantage.

"I'm trying!" I bite back, annoyed that he didn't spot the bogeys on our tail sooner, having now put us in jeopardy. Gritting my teeth against the pressure forcing us into our seats, I sharply pull our jet around into a tight banking motion, inadvertently putting it into a dizzying barrel roll as I go, aiming to get out of range of their missiles, only to start in surprise and shock when gunfire suddenly pelts the side of plane. Instantly, the left engine starts smoking, the controls going crazy before me, Arrow panickedly contacting with the others, radioing for help from the carrier. Adrenaline starts to kick in, suppressing the terror and panic flooding my mind, prompting me to switch off the affected engine, knowing it will slow us down, but will also prevent us from blowing up too soon, swiftly dragging the hindered aircraft into a tight ascent, praying that I'll make it past them before they can react to me, though I know it's futile.

Yet more gunfire tears into the metal of the exterior of the jet, Arrow's only reaction now being to yell for help, helmet banging against the glass as he looks up to check the damage.

"They hit the canopy! We won't last much longer at this rate!" From my place ahead of him, I can tell he's shifting around very quickly, trying his best to gauge where the bogeys are, though he is struggling considerably, what with the migs flying at a mug faster speed, diving in and out of view, "Maverick, Iceman, where are you?!"

"They're keeping us away from you! We can't get any closer without being shot!" Goose calls back, clearly frustrated.

"Same here. Until we can get past, you're on your own." Iceman agrees grimly, the pilot sounding angry at this turn of events.

"I don't know how long we'll last like this!" I manage out as I drop the nose of the jet into a sudden dive, falling past a few of the attacking bogeys as I go, only to suddenly realise that the right engine has also been hit, the flames petering out. At this revelation, panic explodes within me, my hands instantly pulling at the joystick, trying to flick on the emergency engines to stop us from plummeting to our deaths.

Our speed continues to increase, the jet dropping faster and faster as the sea grows ever closer, Arrow screaming at me to pull up, the aircraft unwilling to shift into a more level track as the momentum carries us down. Unable to think of anything better, I slam on the air brakes, jerking the joystick around to the left, yelping as I'm thrown against the side of my seat. Responding to my actions, the aircraft rolls ungracefully into an untidy barrel roll, the world spinning before our eyes as we finally level out again, the right engine finally giving out completely as we continue to glide along the now ridiculously close ocean. Nausea rises up my throat, but it is overwhelmed by the brief sense of relief, my mood instantly dampened again as the emergency lights continue to blare loudly, notifying me of the imminent danger I'm in. The sound of Slider's voice over the mics cuts through suddenly, though I barely register what is being said due to my concentration being entirely in trying not to lose more altitude.

"We got one down, wait, no, two down!" The RIO informs us, grateful to be the bearer of good news.

Shaken, I don't manage a reply, my focus now completely on the fact that there is a bogey swiftly catching up to us, missiles ready to be released.

"We got our two down, too." Maverick reports, Goose assenting this seconds later.

"We need help!" Arrow finally speaks up, having noticed that I am apparently incapable of saying anything.

"We're on our way!" The others respond, only too happy to help.

Another, more shrill alarm starts ringing in my ears, the tone dreadfully familiar: we're running out of fuel.

"Guys, we're in serious trouble here, we've got to get back soon!" Arrow informs the others, having noticed the same thing as me, checking the gauge with apprehension.

My pulse pounds in my ears, creating a white noise I can barely hear over, dark spots starting to dance at the edge of my vision as I realise the gravity of the situation, tremors going up and down my body as it struggles to remain upright, fingers locked tightly around the joystick.

"...we got another two down, the rest are going home. We need to get back now!" A voice somewhere says, but I don't quite register it, only just managing to keep the jet above the sea line now.

It's only when Arrow places a hand on my shoulder that I snap out of my reverie, instinctually pulling the jet up again, using an uplifting air current to lift us a little higher, back into the safe zone. Wordlessly, I guide the aircraft back to the carrier, only just grazing the runway as I land it, the wires thankfully catching us as we threaten to hurtle over the edge again. I taxi the jet into a stationary position, hands still shaking as I try to unclasp the canopy, fingers fumbling with the security measures, the broken window sliding back as I finally manage it, my body heaving itself out of the cockpit and onto the runway. Once on solid ground (ish) I make it all of three steps, before I collapse to my knees, Arrow instantly at my side.

"Strike? Are you ok? (Y/n)?" The RIO interrogates me, crouching beside me, arm around my shoulders.

"What happened?! " Maverick's concerned voice is loud in my ears as he, Goose, Ice and Slider all rush over, the rest of them having noticed my residence on the floor. Immediately, the four of them are on the floor around me, helmets discarded on the concrete behind them as they start fussing over me. I feel my helmet being taken off, my body being pulled into a larger, more muscular one, the smell of peppermint and sweat clearly belonging to Iceman, a scent which had always made me feel safe, his arms cradling me against his chest as he strokes my back, trying to get a response out of me. When he pulls away, he looks me in the eye, at which point I finally lose it, tears flooding from the corners of my eyes, sobs wracking my body as I bury my face into my hands, barely noticing as Maverick moves closer, whispering sweet nothings as he rubs my back soothingly. Both Goose and Slider sit there a little awkwardly at first, before they swiftly move forwards to help, the former pushing my hair from my face as the latter takes my hand in his, neither of them saying anything, though they have ready smiles for me when I look up at them. When I catch sight of them, a small smile of my own pushes at my lips, the corners quirking up a little, the expression slowly growing as Goose grins at me in relief.

"There she is!" He comments, patting my knee appreciatively, eyes glittering happily.

"I'm gonna have to start calling you The Invincible One at this rate. That was one close call!" Slider jokes, trying to cheer me up with his usual brash humour.

"Suits you." Goose adds, nodding at me.

"No it doesn't." I manage to say, my voice hoarse and rough from my crying, still smiling at them.

"Are you joking? Of course it does!" Slider protests, grin broadening as I laugh. Maverick and Iceman exchange a glance over the top of my head, the former moving to stand up. Looking down at us, he offers me his hand with a smile of his own, easily pulling me up (even if it is with a bit of Iceman's help), steadying me against his chest.

"Come on, you'll feel better after a shower." He says to me, vending over to pick up our helmets from the floor, the others quickly moving to join us as we walk towards the changing rooms. As we walk, Slider wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his taller body a little, the sense of safety that accompanies this making me feel better about myself. By now, Arrow has already moved to the changing rooms, preferring to face difficulties alone, rather than with us, the RIO clearly trusting the others to do a good job of comforting me, which, of course, they have.

[themadauthorshatter]

Time to give this series more angst, and to make Henry even more of a dick; this is Charles's story now.

If you haven't read the previous parts, they are right here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 and revision

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Really quick recap: With Charles captured, Henry tries to persuade Charles into gibing up the sapphire. Upon resistance, however, Charles is left alone, and in a race against time.

LET'S JUST DIVE BACK IN!!!

We start on Earth as a child, man, and woman are outside and setting up a picnic near some woods.

TV perspective, we see the child hold the basket as his parents set up the blanket, one of them holding a cooler for drinks and condiments, the two talking, but we can't exactly hear what they're saying.

The man talks about drills and finally having a day off, to which the woman agrees, and then she sighs that it's good they have a day to themselves and their son.

Speaking of, the woman tells him to join them, now that the blanket's set up and cooler's open.

He does and they begin.

TV perspective again, we see from the child's perspective that these two adults are smiling and hear their words more clearly, especially when the woman places a hand on her son's head.

"What do you think, baby? Wanna help me throw Daddy in the water?"

"Try it. I'll pull you both in with me." The man turns to the boy, a smile on his face. "Don't give her ideas, Hawk, she's pure evil."

"How dare you," the woman laughs back. "He's my son, too, you a-"

"Hey. Language, he's just a kid."

"Right, and a future pilot like his parents."

We cut to see the child grown up, said child being Charles as he looks between his parents, confused and concerned.

"Mom? Dad?"

As they smile at him, an explosion goes off behind them and fire raises, coming closer by the second.

They don't notice, but it's a good thing Charles does.

"Mom! Dad! BEHIND YOU!" Charles shouts as he reaches out to them.

Too late, because the fire engulfs them both, but simply blows past Charles like wind or fog.

With the fire gone, smoke rises, but shows Calvin and Konrad, the two smiling with Charles in between them.

"Thanks for taking the fall for us," Calvin says. "Really we don't know what we'd do without you."

Charles looks between them and gives a confused look to them both. "What!?"

"Yeah," Konrad replies. "Better you take the fall than us. Who knows who would've lost it, if it were us instead of you."

"Captain Canterbury, for one," Calvin states.

"And the General."

"And Grit. She would've been sooo mad."

"And Rupert. Don't forget him."

Charles covers his ears and crouches down, saying to himself, "You're dreaming. This is just a dream. You've just gotta wake up."

"They're not wrong," Charles hears Rupert say, his friend appearing through the smoke-fog and standing over him. "If it had been them instead of you, I'd make you wish the General just put you in an orphanage instead of letting you join the government."

"Come on," Charles murmurs as he lightly slaps himself. "Come on, wake up already!"

Rupert reaches down and grabs Charles, pulling him up until they're practically breathing the same air.

The thing is, though, Charles isn't looking at Rupert, per se. He sees Galeforce instead, and what the General says to him:

"If it had been you instead of them, none of this would've happened."

"STOP!" Charles shouts as he pushes Galeforce away from him and runs. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

Charles suddenly stops in his tracks when he sees Henry, who's standing in front of the military base as it burns.

"Don't have anywhere else to go." Henry holds out his hand, smirking. "Might as well come with. I really have missed you."

Charles tries to run again, but Henry grabs him and holds onto him as the fire grows and bursts behind them.

"WAKE UP!"

We cut to Charles as he's dropped to the floor, the cuffs still on and Charles waking up, sweaty, shaking, and hyperventilating. Don't worry, he didn't land on his wounds.

He looks around, feeling worse when he remembers where he is, who he spoke to, and what they were talking about.

Charles groans and sits back against the wall, a little tired of just about all of this.

He does notice he's free and runs toward the panel to open the door, but that hope dies when he sees the cuffs are still on his hands. He tries getting the panel to activate using both his nose and togue before giving up and kicking and beating at the door.

"No. No. No. No! No! NO!"

Charles sits against the wall and closes his eyes tightly, trying not to fully break down.

It doesn't help that the withdrawal of medicine has started and the hum of the orbital station is getting a little too loud, and Henry comes in with some breakfast in a tray; he's not sending in anyone else because he doesn't want Charles attacking them.

Charles does notice Henry, but ignores him, because he's not in the mood for dealing with him.

Henry sits across from him and sets the tray down. "I would've waited until you woke up on your own, but you looked like you REALLY needed some help."

Charles only glares at him.

Henry sighs at this and moves closer to Charles, bringing the tray with him before taking a piece of food on a fork and holding it in front of Charles, who cringes away from it; he has nothing against scrambled eggs, but he does when Henry serves them.

Henry's amused look drops instantly. "None of it is poisoned in any way, if that's what you're thinking. Now open up. You need to eat."

Henry goes to feed Charles again, but the pilot presses himself against the wall as much as he can.

Henry, done with this, grabs Charles by the jaw and makes him eat some breakfast; it's pancakes, for anyone curious.

Charles tries kicking him away, which works, but Henry claps a hand onver his mouth before Charles can spit out his food.

The two glare at each other, but Charles also holds up his hand, which still have the cuffs on them.

"Look. You're going to be here for a while. I don't know when you ate last, so eat. And I don't trust you yet, so I'll feed you."

Charles, more pissed than ever, remains resolute, wanting very much to spit out that piece of pancake in his mouth.

Henry has none of that and uses his other hand to plug Charles's nose.

It's incentive for Charles to eat his food and let Henry feed him.

After a while, when the plate's empty, Henry speaks back up.

"You know, this is the quietest I've ever seen you, since we met."

Charles inhales sharply and trembles a little bit, trying to talk.

Henry leans forward and turns his ear toward him.

Charles struggles, but eventually forces out, "Medicine."

Henry has a confused look on his face before realizing what Charles means, standing up, and taking the pill bottle out of his inside coat pocket. "This medicine?" He asks, being a smug prick.

Charles races toward Henry, who steps back and watches Charles fall back down.

TV/Camera perspective, we see that Charles's eyes keep darting to the seams/bonds in the metal floor, to some scuff marks from shoes, to the details on the cuffs, like the seams, bolts, and even the metal around his wrists. We also hear the hum of the orbital station get lower, especially when Henry walks toward him and kneels down in front of him, reaching his hand to him.

Out of the perspective Henry lifts Charles's chin up, so they can see each other better.

"Sorry, Charles. As much as I like our conversations, I think I like you better like this." Henry holds up the pills again and leans closer to Charles. "Unless you know where the sapphire is."

Charles only stares at the medicine and reaches for it, forgetting the cuffs, and Henry holds them further away.

"Please," Charles says, just above a whisper.

Henry only holds the bottle close again and shakes it. "Where can we find it, Charles? Just tell me, and I'll let you take as many as you want."

Charles can only stare between the bottle and Henry, who's patiently waiting for an answer.

"Please."

Henry sighs, shakes his head, and stands back up, Charles watching in absolute despair.

"I'll leave you alone for a little while to rethink your answer."

Charles watches Henry, trying to protest as he leaves.

Tv/Camera perspective, we follow Henry leave Charles, who yells for him even as the door shuts.

Henry walks until he's in the Communications area, where he meets Burt.

"Oh, hey, Chief."

'Hello, Burt,' Henry signs. 'Is the message ready?'

Burt nods. "Yeah. Got the message and video ready. Just, uh, waiting on your call."

Henry examines the file, and the video feed that's attached, and nods as he smiles. 'Send it.'

CUT TO EARTH IN THE MILITARY BASE!

Galeforce is training via target practice and trying not to think about Charles being in danger, even though his parent instincts are going absolutely crazy.

That's when new character to this whole thing Victoria Grit comes in and reports to Galeforce that they just recieved a message from the Toppat Clan.

Galeforce follows her and meets up with Rupert, the twins, and Canterbury as they open the file.

It's a video that shows Charles in his cell as he sleeps, hanging by his wrists.

Galeforce is triggered instantly, while everyone else is highly disturbed.

They watch as Charles has his nightmare, as he's given breakfast by Henry, and has his medicine taken away from him, even when Henry leaves.

Galeforce is silent and trembling with pure rage as Rupert growls, "That bastard," and Canterbury mutters, "Junky," under his breath.

"Charles is attention deficited," Victoria explains. "Without those pills, he's about as functional as a plastic compass."

"Why do it, though?" Konrad asks. "Why take the pills, if Charles needs them that much?"

"Read what His Majesty added," Calvin replies as he points to the message attached.

'GIVE IT BACK'

Galeforce barely registers what the soldiers elaborate on a plan, instead watching Charles on the floor of his cell, trying to cover his ears and remain calm.

"Hang in there, Charlie. We'll get you out of there."

[fleshbarbie]

Same, but different. (Part 3).

Summary: Billy and reader don’t particularly like each other, Billy thinks you’re a snob, you think Billy is an asshole with anger issues. That’s until the party starts to hang out more at your house, meaning Billy is there more often than not (because of Max) and that’s when you both find out you’re more alike than you think.

- not the biggest fan of where this ends, but this has taken way too long to write i really just wanted to get it posted! again, thanks for all the lovely comments so far i really appreciate it!! i think there’s gonna be two-three more parts of this but i’m not completely sure yet <33

-

A content sigh left your lips as your eyes wandered around the newly cleaned kitchen, it had only been an hour since you and Alice had finished eating the dinner you prepared and now she was upstairs getting herself ready for bed. That meant you had the next few hours to yourself until you decided you needed to get some sleep too. Throwing the towel down onto the counter, you left the room and began making your way to your bedroom where your study materials awaited your arrival. There were a thousand things you’d much rather do than force yourself to learn all the bullshit information you needed for the upcoming exams, but unfortunately you had too much to get through and not a lot of time.

You sat at your desk, and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from your messy bun behind your ear before you grasped at the pen that had been laid on your textbook whilst you were downstairs. It had only been a few minutes when you decided you were already fed up with the words sprawled out on the sheet in front of you, none of it made sense and all it did was stress you out. You were definitely failing.

A loud knock echoed throughout the almost empty house which made you jump in your spot, but once you had recovered from the initial shock you were almost pleased to have a distraction from the seemingly endless amount of work you had to finish. You wasted no time jumping out of your chair and rushing down the stairs that creaked under your weight, however any relief that flew through your body left the second you saw who was stood at your front door. The cold air from outside invaded your house the second the door opened, and almost like deja vu there again stood Billy Hargrove.

This time though, his demeanor was different to the last time, or any other time you had seen the boy throughout your day-to-day life. He was usually stood tall and confident, a cocky look always displayed on his handsome features and a pep in his step. This time, he was hunched over almost, avoiding eye contact with you as if he didn’t want to be seen. It was weird.

“I told you to call me if Max showed up here, (Y/N). Is that too confusing for you?”

He was in a bad mood, clearly. His voice was rough as if he had been shouting prior to showing up here, and you wondered what had led to that.

“She’s not here. Nobody’s been here, Alice didn’t feel like being around people tonight.” You shrugged.

He finally looked at you after that, his brows furrowed in both confusion and frustration. That’s when your vision caught sight of something that made your stomach churn. There was a purple bruise that spread from his upper cheek to above his right eyebrow, along with a small gash that was under his right eye. It looked fresh, blood still leaked from the wound and the bruise clearly hadn’t finished forming.

“Billy, oh my god. Are you okay? What happened?” You approached him slowly, afraid that any sudden movements would send him running.

When you were close enough, you reached your hand up to grip his jaw gently, moving his head to get better lighting on the marks. He remained silent as you did, watching your eyes swarm with concern - something he wasn’t used to. Not just from you, but from anybody. Because at the end of the day.. did anybody really care about him? Max didn’t, Susan didn’t, his Dad definitely didn’t. He had nobody.

“It’s nothing. Just got into a fight with this asshole awhile ago, nothing special.” He broke from his daydream and took a step back, allowing your hand to fall from its place.

You nodded, though you knew he was just giving you any old excuse to shut you up. His knuckles were clean, no signs of any altercation and when did Billy ever have a fight and not get any hits in? But you didn’t say anything. Only glanced back into your house for a second, before returning your gaze to him.

“You wanna come in? I’m not a trained nurse or anything but, I know the basics.” You offered him a smile, “Gotta make sure that doesn’t get infected.”

He pondered your offer for a few seconds, his gaze lingering on you as he did. You felt nervous all of a sudden, his eyes burning into your figure had you twiddling your fingers and you wanted to hit yourself for acting like a lovestruck teen. But you couldn’t help it, it felt like he was looking into your soul.

“I can’t.” He finally spoke, and your shoulders fell in disappointment. “I have to find Max, get her home before my Dad.. starts worrying.”

You nodded in understanding, “That’s fair. Try Mike’s, if she’s not here she’s usually there.”

His lips curved into a grateful smile, “Thanks. See you around I guess?”

“Yeah. See you around.”

His eyes maintained contact with yours for a second longer, before he turned his back to you and stalked back to his car. He drove off and you watched him as he did, with an unusual feeling in your stomach.

—

It was almost two o’clock in the morning and you were just getting into bed, having completed your work. It took a lot of effort but you were glad it was finally over and done with. You had slipped on an old shirt and some fluffy shorts before diving into bed excited to sleep until the alarm you had set was sure to wake up up at 7am tomorrow.

You had literally only just gotten comfortable, the duvet thrown over your figure and your pillow perfectly positioned when a tapping sound came from your window. You sat up, confused and annoyed. All you wanted to do was sleep, not deal with whatever was behind the curtain. The sound happened again, making you groan when you realised whoever it was wasn’t going to go away until you dealt with them. If you weren’t so annoyed by the disturbance, you’d probably be running to Alice’s room by now begging her to let you sleep in there for the night.

You took the end of the curtain in your hand and pulled it across your window, opening it with force.

“Billy?” You questioned, brows furrowed at the sight of him crouched outside your bedroom window.

He looked the same as he did when you last saw him outside your house a few hours ago, the only difference being that now he looked tired which wasn’t surprising given the current time. You slid your window open, allowing the blonde to climb into your room with ease. You shut it once again when his feet hit the floor, not wanting the cold air to flood your bedroom.

“You know, you could’ve just used the front door.” You commented, watching him as he observed your room.

“Well obviously.” He spoke, finally turning to face you. “But I didn’t wanna wake anyone else up, thought your window would be my safest bet.”

You nodded before gesturing for him to take a seat on the edge of your bed, “Sit. Let me get some stuff to clean your face.”

You didn’t bother waiting for him to listen to your demands, instead you walked straight to your bathroom and grabbed the bits and pieces that you used whenever Alice ended up hurting herself. She was an adventurous child who loved the outdoors, she was always coming home with scraped knees and scratches on her arms so you kept a small box in the cupboard under the sink that contained the essentials.

You found it underneath a towel, and quickly returned to your room where Billy was sat on your bed, fiddling with the thin blanket that had been pushed to the end of the mattress when you got up almost five minutes ago now. You sat beside him, thighs touching which made your insides go fuzzy for a second, this was the closest you’d ever been to the boy since you’d met.

He stopped messing with the blanket and looked over to you.

Being this close meant you could see all the stuff you hadn’t been able to see before. The way his eyes were a few shades lighter than you had originally thought, the freckles that were scattered in a few different places, the slit in his brow that made him look that little bit more attractive. Maybe the two of you never got along that well, but even if you weren’t fond of him you’d be stupid to deny how breathtaking he looked even on his bad days.

You shook your head to rid you of the thoughts currently devouring your mind, and instead you showed him the things you had in your hand. “You ready?”

He didn’t even look at what you had, his eyes remained on you whilst he nodded slowly. Just like you, being this close meant he was able to notice all the things about you that he hadn’t noticed before and it was making him feel a way he hadn’t felt with anyone else. It scared him, he didn’t want to feel this way it was bound to end badly for him. But he couldn’t help it.

You grabbed an antiseptic wipe, using your spare hand to angle his face properly so you could lightly dab the wipe on the wound that was now surrounded by dried blood. He winced at the contact at first, but soon relaxed the more it went on. It only took one wipe to get rid of any blood, and so you moved on to cover the injury with a plain white bandaid.

“I don’t need a bandaid.” He grumbled, reaching up to get rid of it but you quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Just for tonight, you don’t have to leave it on for school.” You informed him and so with a reluctant sigh, he dropped his arm.

You then let your eyes wander the bruise that had swollen more over the hours, and you stood from your spot.

“I’m gonna get you some ice, or else that’s gonna be twice the size when you wake up.”

“Okay.”

With that, you left your room and carefully made your way downstairs in hopes that you didn’t wake Alice. She’d want to know what you were up to, not being able to go back to sleep until she was told and if she found out Billy Hargrove was in your bedroom waiting for some ice she’d probably interrogate you until the sun made an appearance.

A door slammed shut just as you made it into the kitchen, and you whipped your head around, your heart freezing at the sight of your Mother stumbling through the front door. She was definitely drunk, probably high too. She could barely walk two steps without tripping, you couldn’t help but sigh at the state she was in. Approaching the woman you were supposed to look up to, she noticed you walking towards her and a goofy smile covered her face.

“Hey baby! What’re you doing up? Don’t you have school in the morning?” Her words were slurred, her arms clung onto you as her failed attempt to give you a hug.

“I’m just getting a drink, woke up thirsty.” You lied, leading her over to the couch. She probably wouldn’t have even cared if you told her the real reason why you were out of bed.

“Oh. Okay.” She hiccuped, happily spreading her limbs out as she got comfortable.

You quickly grabbed a blanket, draping it over her body before taking off her heels and placing them at the end of the couch. Taking a step back you realised your Mom was already half asleep, her eyes closed and her mouth hung open. A sight you had grown familiar with over the years.

Content with how you’d left her, you went back to the kitchen and grabbed the ice you had originally came for before making your way to the stairs as quietly as you could but then she spoke, which made you come to a halt.

“You’re a good kid, you know that? I love you and I love A-Alice too. I’m gonna change baby, I promise. Mommy’s gonna change.”

You rolled your eyes at the empty promise you had received for the past two years. She said it everyday almost but never had she made the effort to keep the promise, by now you were well aware it was never gonna happen. You didn’t bother to say anything back, only continued your journey to your room where Billy was still waiting for your return.

You quickly slipped into the dimly lit room and laid back against the door the second it was shut. You let out a breath you hadn’t realised you had been holding and looked over to the boy still sat on your bed, who was staring right back at you.

“Was that your Mom?” He asked, scooting over so you could sit next to him once again.

You nodded, getting comfortable in the space he had made for you. “Yeah. She worked late, only just made it home.”

He probably would’ve believed you, not giving any second thought to what you had said if it wasn’t for the fact that Max had already revealed everything he needed to know.

“Here.” You held out the ice pack for him to grab, which he gladly took from you without a second thought.

“Thanks.” He muttered, hissing quietly once the ice pressed to his bruised face.

“So..” You trailed off, feeling a little awkward due to the sudden silence. “Do you plan on sleeping here? Because I mean it is almost three in the morning and we do have school. No offence, but I’d much rather be sleeping right now than speaking to you.”

He shot you a look, nudging you gently with his elbow. “Shut up, any girl would kill to be in your position right now. Billy Hargrove, in their bedroom, vulnerable.”

You rolled your eyes at the comment, “Yeah well, unfortunately for you I don’t have a weird obsession with you. So if you’re looking to fool around, I suggest you find someone else to do it with.”

“No, no I’m not.” He shook his head, the ice pack still pressed to his face. “But I do need somewhere to stay for tonight. I’ll owe you one.”

You stared at him for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons of letting the boy stay in your bed for the night. Eventually you shrugged, standing from your spot.

“Fine. But no funny business Hargrove or else you can sleep outside.”

He laughed at that which made you smile, before you gestured to the bed. “Left side’s mine, don’t get drool on my pillow.”

-

Tag List.

@imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl​

@baker151910​

@flower-child2021​

@bi-andready-tocry​

@sheisweeping​

@seesawmoon​

@theregoestheretardis​

[bondsmagii]

Regarding this cat that is perhaps not a cat at all. Definitely not MY cat.

ARCHIVIST

Statement of Orla McDonald, regarding a cat that is perhaps not a cat at all. Original statement given July 3, 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT)

It started after Bella died. Or I suppose, after I thought Bella died. Bella was – is? – my cat, or at least I think she is, or was. I got her as a kitten and she’s now seven years old, if she’s actually still alive at all, which I’m pretty sure she must be as I saw her just this morning, when I was on my way here. Bella is a beautiful cat, long-haired, that grey colour they call blue and that I never understood until I looked at Bella when the light was just right and I could see she did look kind of blue after all. She has eyes to match, too – big and sea-blue, like you could dive right in – and she’s more photogenic than I am. Temperament wise, she’s a very chill cat. She likes to relax in the sun, stretch out over the sofa, basically just laze around as the lady of the manor. Altogether a very typical cat, right? Nothing remarkable at all.

Well, all apart from one thing. Every so often, perhaps once every few months, Bella just goes wild. It’s not like, you know, her time or anything, because she was fixed as a young cat because God knows I can’t be doing with kittens. Apparently it’s normal for cats to have times of the day where they just go crazy for some reason, running around and making a mess and yowling, but she doesn’t do that. It isn’t every day, or even a once a week thing. And it doesn’t last for a brief period of time, like what all the things I’ve read have said. She’s fine for months, chilling out and sleeping on the sofa, and then one day she’ll just wake up and it’s like a wild animal has moved into my house. She doesn’t go outside as a rule, because I worry too much about her, and usually she’s fine with that. But when she enters this state she will absolutely get out of the house no matter what. As soon as I open the door to go to work or to put the rubbish out, Bella will shoot out through even the tiniest gap and off she goes. There’s nothing I can do about it at all. Once – and only once – I tried to stop her, and she clawed up my arm so badly I still have scars. It was the first and only time she’d ever scratched me, and I was stunned. It got the message across, though. I’m not happy about it, but I have no choice but to let her out. I worry about her, but it’s not like I can stop her, and also I don’t particularly want her in the house when she’s in that mood? It sounds neglectful, I know, but she really does just rip the place apart.

There’s a lot of danger when it comes to cats outside, and I live right by a main road, and yeah. I won’t go into detail, but the inevitable happened. I wasn’t too shocked? I mean, I think deep down, I always knew. That’s what happens, right? Obviously I was devastated, and finding her was… well, I didn’t find her, I should say I found out, because she had a collar and the driver… God, I feel so sorry for her too, you know? She was so good about it, she could have just driven off because that’s what most people do when someone hits a pet on that road – my neighbours just let their cats run wild and I’ve called the RSPCA so many times but anyway, that’s not the point. The driver was only a young girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen, couldn’t have been driving long. She brought Bella up to my door, wrapped tight in a blanket like she was sleeping. Thank God there wasn’t any visible injuries. We even talked for a little bit; I tried to reassure her that I didn’t blame her, that it wasn’t her fault, but I don’t think she believed me. How could she? I still think about her even now, wishing that I could somehow explain that Bella was still alive, but… I’m not even sure that’s what’s going on, but if it makes her feel better, right? I don’t know. I brought Bella into the house and I just sat with her for a while, talking to her. Calling her a little idiot, asking what got into her. Telling her I loved her. You know. That kind of thing. I held her in my arms and rocked her like she was a little baby, and after some time – I’m not sure how long, maybe half an hour? – I became aware that she was moving. She was moving around in the blanket like she was trying to get out, and in my shock I let go and the blanket fell into my lap and out she jumped. She even gave me an indignant little meow as she did so, like I’d been deliberately keeping her in there. She sat, washed a paw, and then trotted into the kitchen where I kept some food laid out for her. I just sat there in shock.

I mean, cats have nine lives, right? That’s what they always say. I’m not sure what Bella got up to on her other trips outside, but as far as I knew, she’d never lost a life before. She’s always been a healthy cat, no scares, no accidents until that one. I get that it’s just a saying, but something in me wondered if there was more to it then. I was sure she was dead. She might not have been, because admittedly I didn’t check for a pulse or breathing or anything, and the accident had just happened so she wasn’t cool or stiff. The only proof I have is the weight there was to her when I took her from the young driver’s arms. It’s called a dead weight for a reason; it wasn’t the sleepy heaviness she had when I would try and get her to budge over at night, or how she would go deliberately limp when I lifted her away from something she wasn’t allowed to eat. This was a different kind of weight, and while I’ve been fortunate enough to have never handled any kind of dead body before then, I just instinctively knew what that weight was; what it meant. It was so heavy – literally the absence of all life. She was dead, and then she wasn’t, and of course I was glad for it but I was naturally very uneasy.

After a couple of days I brought her to the vet. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t stop analysing her for signs she might be acting differently, or I suppose for proof that I hadn’t somehow imagined it. I explained what had happened to the vet, but I suppose I chickened out of saying that she was absolutely dead – I don’t think the vet would have believed me. Or at least she would have explained away how I must have been mistaken, and I know I wasn’t mistaken but I also know I would have probably been so eager to believe her that I would have convinced myself I was, and I don’t know. I just said she seemed dead, and then she was fine. They put Bella through a bunch of tests and scans and sure enough everything showed up just fine; their best guess was that she hadn’t been struck at all, but had maybe just had the life frightened out of her and passed out or something, like how a person can get a shock and faint. I suppose that’s not impossible? Something about the vet’s choice of words struck me, though. Frightened the life out of her. It really did seem like that was what had happened – like whatever made Bella Bella had been… taken. Or vanished. Like the fear had replaced it entirely.

That’s not to say Bella was a frightened cat after that. She acts much the same, if I’m honest. She’s still pretty chill, she’s still always lazing around not doing much of anything, but there’s something just off about her. There’s a look in her eyes that I can’t quite explain. Have you ever seen an animal and you’re kind of like oh my God, it looks like a little old man or old woman or something? There’s just something about the face that looks so human, or they pull an expression and you just know what they mean? It was kind of like that with Bella’s eyes – they looked human. Sometimes she looked at me with an understanding that was beyond… beyond what a cat should be able to conceptualise. I know, I know, we don’t actually understand as much about animal intelligence as we’d like, and we don’t know just how much about their environment they do or do not understand, but I’m telling you it was different with her. She had never acted like that before and I’d never seen her look like that before. It’s so strange. I considered maybe some kind of brain damage affecting her personality, but the vets found absolutely no injuries at all. I even took her back to ask about it, just saying that she was acting out of character, but they could find nothing wrong with her that time either. Scans came back fine. She was her usual self with the vet. I felt – I feel – like I’m going insane.

As if all this wasn’t bad enough, I’ve started noticing some… really odd things. A couple of weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night, just wide awake like something had deliberately woken me. I couldn’t remember hearing anything, but I just knew that something, some noise, had woken me. I sleep deeply, too, so it would have to be some noise – I mean, I’ve actually slept through a fire alarm once, it’s that bad. Whatever happened had to be some kind of I don’t even know, explosion or something, or it had to have happened very close to where I was sleeping. I sat up and turned on my light, and my bedroom door was fully closed. I never fully close it because Bella likes to come in and out, but it was completely closed and when I went over to look, there was a crack in the wood running from the top and bottom of the panel where the handle was attached. It looked like it had been slammed shut with extreme force, and I suppose that’s what woke me. I was confused, obviously, and I didn’t even consider the implications until I heard footsteps on the stairs. Thankfully they were running away from me, but I heard them as clear as anything – thud thud thud on the stairs, like a fully grown man in heavy boots. I was absolutely petrified. I had these horrible thoughts of some creep sneaking around in my room while I was asleep, but nothing was moved and there were no prints on the carpet and the room didn’t feel like anyone had been in there. It didn’t seem as… well, as simple as that, so I found the courage to ease the door open and peer out. The house was still and silent, and as I crept towards the top of the stairs I knew that I was definitely alone in the house – there was no other presence. I finally looked around the corner and down the stairs and the only thing I could see was Bella’s vague outline, sitting at the bottom of the stairs and looking right at me, her eyes glinting in the dim light.

I don’t know why she frightened me so much then. I think it was because of the glow of the streetlight outside, coming in through the frosted glass of the front door. I suppose the effect of the glass could have caused it, but for a moment her shadow… didn’t match. It was elongated, jagged, like her joints were all harsh angles. Like a bare tree in winter, all knots and wild angles, sharp and rough. Whatever fur she had didn’t show up in the shadow – she looked short-haired or even hairless, and her jaw was longer and more canine. I took a half-step back and from that angle her shadow looked normal again, and she meowed at me and trotted quite normally into the living room and out of sight, but I didn’t miss the way she looked at me. I got the distinct impression that she knew I had seen.

It sounds ridiculous, I know. Even writing this, I feel stupid. I do think maybe I should go and speak to someone, because now I’m laying it out I do wonder if I might have just suffered a horrible shock thinking Bella was dead, and then I’ve just created this strange story around the whole thing. Maybe she was fine. Maybe she did just faint. Maybe it’s all in my head. I have no idea, but something about it just doesn’t seem that simple at all. I keep going back to that old saying, that cats have nine lives. Perhaps I’m thinking too deeply into it, but I have to wonder if those lives are all the same one. I mean, does it just refer to close calls? That they get lucky and get more tries? Or do they get nine separate lives? If they do, where do they get the extras from? Is it still theirs, or does it come from… somewhere else?

I don’t know if Bella is still a cat, but even if she is, I don’t think she’s still… my cat. Or maybe she is? I don’t know. I’m still glad she’s here, but… well. I sleep with my door closed now. With the chair against it. And that’s not really normal, is it?

ARCHIVIST

Statement ends.

This is certainly one of those statements that makes me wonder why I’m here. An unnerving story, yes, but I do wonder if this isn’t an exercise in creative writing or perhaps as Ms McDonald said: some kind of post-traumatic episode following the shock of believing her pet to have met an unpleasant end. If it is, I imagine that the shock will eventually wear off and Ms McDonald will stop believing that her pet cat has been possessed by some kind of entity, or whatever she believes is going on. There isn’t much to investigate in regards to this, either – the nature of the incident makes it very difficult to ascertain facts, and checking with the veterinary clinics in the area of the address Ms McDonald provided was a waste of time. They either don’t remember any such cases, or they are not inclined to discuss patient information.

As for Ms McDonald herself, she has since moved away from the property and left no forwarding address. The house is, as reported, situated on a main road and the residents there suffer all the frequent calamities from having one’s front garden directly attach to a road with a 60 mile an hour speed limit – collisions with pets and cars emerging from driveways, and occasional car-house collisions. A few neighbours remembered Ms McDonald and reported that she was a pleasant and completely unremarkable young woman, causing no trouble and certainly never acting like she might be suffering from any kind of mental distress. A few neighbours also recalled Bella, having seen her stalking through their back gardens or, more frequently, sitting in Ms McDonald’s living room window. Nobody reported anything strange about the cat at all; certainly not elongated shadows. It was impossible to track down the driver of the vehicle said to have struck Bella with the information provided with this statement, and with that any potential leads were exhausted – though I confess to not being entirely sure where they might have led to even if we had found them.

Not exactly debunked, but certainly not worth filing away as open. I’m considering creating a new designation for statements containing material perhaps better discussed with a therapist.

End recording.