#it was really crazy… how limp she was afterwards

[faytelumos]

A Good Girl's Eulogy

cw: real death; animal and human death mentions

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On August 28th last year, some time around 5pm, my family's 18 year old chow/shepherd mix took her last breath.

When we first got her, she fit comfortably in my mom's hands. She was the runt, and mom had picked her out for that fact. The runt of the litter doesn't always get adopted, she said. While us kids and Dad were at home, fawning over our new baby, Mom went to get bowls, food, and toys. Us kids went to bed and Dad watched the puppy, the gears in his mechanic's brain working, and when Mom got back, he looked up to her, our new family member in his lap.

"We have two choices for her name. Diesel, or International."

Diesel was smart, and maybe all dog owners think theirs is unusually intelligent, but our girl was clever.

By the time Diesel was a "teenager" she knew we didn't like her out of the yard alone. She belonged in the back yard when there wasn't anyone around to watch over her, since the front yard was completely unfenced and open to the neighborhood. Every day, when Mom got up, she would let Diesel into the back yard to do her business, and ten or so minutes later, would call Diesel back into the house for breakfast. Every single day, this was the pattern. And one day, Mom strayed from that pattern to look out into the front yard.

And there was Diesel, casually patrolling the front yard, unattended.

Shocked, Mom had headed to the back yard, but by the time she got around the side of the house, Diesel, too, was in the back yard.

We learned that day that she had found a hole in the fence, and more than likely was taking daily constitutionals into the front yard, perhaps to check up on things or watch birds, before returning to the back yard to be collected for breakfast. If she ever had any more sneaky escapades or excursions, we never caught her.

We adopted other dogs, who became Diesel's companions and fellow family members in her adulthood. A stocky little thing that had been surrendered to us from another family (we gave him a Nicholas name after a US president) a tiny pup we had gotten from a local breeder (who we also gave an automotive name) and another tiny breed who we adopted from a home that couldn't care for him anymore (named after a color).

Diesel was always the biggest by far, tall and strong. She was dominant in personality and in charge, and she often led the others around the yard here and there to anything that was interesting or required attention.

She didn't need a leash if a human was with her. She started one-sided fights with President, chased rabbits and birds, always came when she was called, knew how to shake hands, and you could pat your chest to get her to jump up, put her paws on you, and gives kisses.

She deserved more love than we gave her.

Dad played fetch with her, took her for rides in the truck, and called her his good dog. He was outside working often, and they spent time together when she wasn't exploring or checking things out with the others. She'd sit with him inside in the evening, and he'd give her scritches.

Five years ago, he died suddenly. I lived out of state. The police officer on my mom's doorstep told her she didn't want to see the body.

A lot happened in that week. I asked myself more than once if Diesel knew he was gone. I came and visited, and then went back to the life I had left paused.

Three years ago, Diesel got very sick.

Mom wasn't sure she'd make it through the weekend, and I dropped everything again to return. She was sixteen at the time. She had been a part of my family for sixteen years, and I stopped just short of telling my boss and coworkers that my sister was dying.

She was his dog, Mom wept over the phone.

When I got into the house, she was in a sorry state; skin and bone, her strength sapped as she lay on the living room floor. She hadn't eaten in two days, and she'd stopped drinking that morning. I couldn't have imagine it, not from the girl who had been a powerhouse and boss over her huge back yard not so long ago.

I gave her bland food to coax her to eat, and overnight she seemed to gain ten pounds. I took her to the vet, told them where she hurt and to be careful of her temper, and then took her home. The appointment that, three days ago, had been for her final breath, turned into a prescription for antibiotics. But at her age and in her state, chemotherapy and surgery wasn't an option. So we let that battle go.

I came, visited, and then went back to the life I had left paused.

Last year, another call.

She's really bad. I think this is it.

Tell her I'm coming. Tell her I'll be there tomorrow.

I silently hoped I could perform that miracle twice.

She was so thin. She wobbled on her back feet, toes getting caught as she walked. She coughed, raspy and rough. I picked her up, my once 60 pound firecracker, and she let me carry her upstairs so mom could give her a bath in the tub.

I laid with her for hours, two towels wrapped over her and curled up against her back so she didn't shiver as she dried.

The vet came to us. A new, affordable program for geriatric or terminally ill dogs. I made sure Mom would get her ashes back. Because we'd had her for eighteen years, and she was going to stay with us now forever.

The other dogs and all of us kids and mom held her and stroked her. The vet was so kind, and we all watched as our beloved girl let go of her pain.

I carried her, wrapped in my dad's favorite blanket, to the back of the vet's car. There were two other bundles in the back. Small, and tenderly covered.

I watched her go, and I stayed in the street after she'd turned the corner.

[poppy-metal]

i just feel like being involved with tashi, art, and patrick comes with rules!! for example, u can’t be left alone with art bc although patrick is mean and nasty when he fucks u, it’s art that gets pussydrunk to the point where he’s absolutely mindless. and u cant be left alone with him bc for just as pussydrunk as he gets u get cockdrunk so it’s just hours of art either eating u out, fucking u in various positions, humping each other, or u suckling on his cock and if tashi and patrick aren’t there to control it, y’all go until art’s cock is red and sensitive and he’s shooting blanks and until ur pussy is throbbing and pushing out the many loads that have been dumped inside her! really the only way it ends is when one of yall passes out from exhaustion methinks 🩵

the visual of being so full of cum it pours out of you in a stream just made my head blank. art probably has a short refractory period too, and can cum multiple times in one go before he gets soft, his cock red and raw as it fucks a fourth load into you. its actually crazy how much cum he can expend, sometimes when tashi's watching she just reaches out and squeezes his balls in wonder, just cupping them to feel the way they clench and unclench as they empty a little more cum. squeezes them again when hes done like, "they're still full." ignoring his pitiful whine, "can you go again? i wanna see."

and he can, even though his cock is sensitive and weeping it still twitches weakly inside you, and even if it feels so good it almost hurts, he drags his hips back and forth again and again till he feels - till tashi feels - his sack tightening again. moaning into your neck, as he fucks into the sloppy hole he's filled to the brim with cum leaking around his cock and making wet sloshing slaps echo into the room with every thrust inside.

tashi uses it as a punishment more often than not. making art rub his cock raw inside you until you're both so limp you'd agree to anything she asked, completely drained for the evening afterwards.

[cranberryjuice-posts]

please do clarisse la rue x aphrodite reader who’s gorgeous and glowing and short like a ball of sunshine

- opposites attract -

Pairings - Clarisse La Rue x Fem! Aphrodite! Reader

An - ive gotta rewrite by Abby series bc it’s not going the way I want it 😭 I wasn’t really sure exactly what to write so I hope this is good 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️

Everyone at camphalf blood knew who you were. Not for negative reasons however. Being a daughter of Aphrodite not only boosted your social status but it was also your actions.

The first to volunteer to help when the infirmary was low on staff, ready to take on any chore from helping run the camp store to labor jobs that required you to get dirty. Even when the saytrs felt as though they were being ignored by the demigods you helped give them their voice.

So when you of all people started dating clarisse the most intimidating person at camp it was a bit of a culture shock. Though with you sweet and kind nature you seemingly took the most aggressive cabin and somehow made them slightly calmer.

Though when people tried to approach clarisse about you her former aggressiveness would come back. Most things that involved you got her heated. The recent endeavor being you both Separated for the weeks capture the flag game.

“No you’re on my team it’s not for discussion” clarisse spoke as if she knew it was fact, her arms crossed and her armor on you couldn’t help but fall back in love with her.

“But it is for discussion because I’m not” you chuckled softly, a gentle smile crossing your features. “I’ll be fine Claire I’m not a child”

“I’m aware of that but what if someone on my team hurts you? Or what if you get hurt by one of our traps I don’t like not being able to protect you” she placed her hands on her hips trying to open her stance to you.

“Aww” you gave a playful frown tucking a loose curl behind her ear. Placing both hands on her cheeks you gave them a small squeeze. “I’m ok, besides I have charmspeak remember I know how to handle myself”

Her shifting weight and the look of annoyance on her face all showed she did care about you deep down, and as much as people wanted to Deny it clarisse was yours just as much as you were hers. “I’ll see you after the game pretty” stepping on your tippy toes you gave her a kiss.

Turning to start walking away clarisse began yelling instructions to you. “Wait! Make sure your breast plate is tight— oh! And be sure to wear a helmet an—-“

“I got it clarisse!” You laughed back at her, giving her a final wave.

——-

The games had already began with you being in charge of reclaiming the flag with Luke and his team.

Stepping through the forest you carefully looked around worried that maybe someone would jump out. Which like it was a movie happened. Red team kids running out with blades swinging. Blue team defending themselves and you mentally scolding yourself for not wearing enough armor.

Before you even realized it you had a deep cut in your calf. Landing on the ground with a cry of pain you looked back instantly having to dodge the falling camper.

“You good!” Luke shouted helping you up, limping some you found your balance breathlessly nodding. The red team currently had either been knocked to the ground or retreated in fear.

“The flags up ahead.. behind Zeus’s fist if I’m correct” you took a stance against a tree, using it as support. “I’m gonna stay here”

“You’re sure you’re fine” he asked cautiously. Even though luke knew clarisse couldn’t touch him he still didn’t want to hear her mouth afterwards.

You nodded giving him a semi confident look. “Just go” You chuckled sending him off.

Though it was quiet for a while you heard a crying like sound. Confused you pushed off the tree and started limping towards the noise. Through the trees and down to the creek you saw a hurt hell hound.

Most times you would of killed a monster without hesitation but this time… this time she wasn’t a monster. It seemed crazy but this hell hound almost seemed domesticated.

Slowly walking towards her You knelt down beside the dog. At first she bared her teeth at you acting as though you wanted to hurt her, but once she realized you meant no harm she pressed her snout against you.

Once gaining her trust you began to examine her leg. Realizing it was broken you made the conscious decision to quickly leave to grab some sticks for a splint. Petting the hound softly you got up limping away some.

The ground was filled with a multitude of twigs though finding your two heafty pieces of wood was easy. The sound of the conch and a campers scream filled your ears, nearly running back to the creek you saw about all of the kids from the two teams with clarisse and Luke in the creek, their weapons aimed at the hound that looked as tough she was going to attack.

“Stop! Oh my gods stop!” You screamed running in-front of her causing clarisse to dodge to the side and roll fully into the creek.

“Move!” She shouted. The other campers looking equally confused as you shouted a no back at her. “Are You insane?! Don’t go near it” clarisse scrambled out the water to quickly grab your arm.

You turned around trying to pull free only to be unsuccessful. The tension around you made you want to cry but right now isn’t the time. “I need you to trust me… please” you practically begged.

She looked you up and down with a look of worry before gently letting you go. Without another thought you knelt down to the dog, ripping your shirt in half exposing your stomach and began wrapping the hounds broken hind.

The dog was huge, given that she was a monster she was bigger than even a Doberman and beefier than a pit but that didn’t mean she was aggressive.

A few of the other councilors walked down to the water with Chiron standing on a rock near by. “She’s harmless!” You shouted trying to get the defensive campers to become calm. “See! If she wanted to hurt anyone she would of!”

Your urgency only convinced maybe a handful of kids. “It’s a monster.” Clarisse scoffed.

“Yet she didn’t try to bite me when I put her leg into a splint” You corrected. The hound nudged her head into your leg in a comforting way, trying to get your hand to begin to pet her.

Annabeth took a step forward, extending a hand the hound sniffed her before licking up her arm. “Seems harmless to me” the wise girl shrugged.

Chiron made his way down looking across the water and holding a hand up signaling for every camper to relax. “This game is dismissed. Grover summon the Cloven council, get them to set up a meeting so we can figure out what to do for the hound, and for you.. keep her with you until we have a plan”

———

The following week camp halfblood had a new pet. A hellhound you named Rosie.

Sitting with clarisse by the lake letting the water run over your legs from the docs. I’m the distance you saw Rosie swimming around enjoying playing with the water naiads.

“How did you know she wasn’t ruthless” clarisse asked turning her head to look at you.

“I guess the same way I knew you weren’t as mean as everyone assumes. It’s your aura, Rosie’s was soft and hurt begging for any form of kindness” you turned looking at her. The sun light casted across clarisses features illuminating her eyes and skin. “Your so beautiful” you smiled leaning over and softly kissing her

Clarisse smiled wide returning the kiss. She pulled away only keeping her hand on the side of your face. “What did I do to deserve someone like you”

You shrugged your shoulders happily. “Working out helped”

She pulled away with a playful attitude. Causing you to laugh and reach out to her once more.

[slut4hee]

P*$$Y FAIRYꕥ

“Pussy fairy on the way”

{Pairing: Virgin College Student Jay x Blk Succubus Fem! Reader

{Synopsis: Jay didn’t take his best friend’s words seriously when he said “if you write your name on a piece of paper and leave a sample of your blood on it, a sex demon will come and fuck you that same night” So you come and show him that succubus are far from being a myth.

{Genre: smut, supernatural themes, Jay is a bit of an a introvert, Jake as his best friend, reader doesn’t kill her victims she just puts them in a deep sleep afterwards, 18+ so mdni!!!

{Warnings: loss of virginity, rough sex, oral (m receiving), overstimulation, Jay is a big sub in this sorry not sorry, big dick Jay, creampie, cum eating, marking, pet names, demons and angels mentioned, reader is kinda a menace, reader is described to be a thick brown skin fem with a curvy waist and a big butt don’t like it don’t read, reader has sensitivity in her wings basically another g-spot.

It’s Saturday evening and Jay is doing what he usually does on his weekends, which is play video games with his best friend Jake and eat a bunch of junk food. Jay has never been the type to go out and party on the weekends, instead he prefers to be in the comfort of his own home hidden away from the outside world. Unlike Jake who is guaranteed to be seen at every frat party hosted to mankind.

ミ★

Jay rolls his eyes at his best friend’s loud obnoxious laughter that fills his headset, he curses under his breath when his character dies for the 20th time.

“Dude you really fucking suck at this game you know that right?” Jake says in a mocking playful tone.

“Shut the fuck up bro, I got a new keyboard I gotta break it in” Jay defends himself taking a big sip of his cherry cola.

Jay goes to start up another game when suddenly he hears Jake’s phone ping continuously with notifications causing him to groan in annoyance at the sound.

“Dude could you please silence that shit, it’s driving me insane” he rolls his eyes once again as he starts shooting down enemies paying attention to the game on the big monitor screen.

“You’re just not used to hearing any notifications come through your phone because you got no bitches on your dick” Jake says sarcastically and in a fit of laughter.

“Haha very hilarious Jake” Jay bites back with a tinge of annoyance.

“Seriously Park, don’t you think it’s about time you bone something I mean dude you’re 22 years old” Jake says half joking as he shoots down another enemy.

“I mean it’s not like I haven’t thought about it, it’s like every time I get past the first stage and get the girl to my apartment and I tell her I’m a virgin next minute she’s storming out the door with disappointment” Jay said a little bit embarrassed scratching the back of his neck.

“That’s the problem bro, don’t tell them you’re a virgin of course they’re going to kick your ass to the curb“ Jake snorts and curses under his breath when the enemy’s sniper takes him down.

“Fuck no, and make them think I’m a bad fuck I rather keep whacking my shit myself” Jay said with a tinge of sarcasm leaning back in his chair to stretch his limps.

“First of all didn’t need to know that, 2nd of all I mean there’s always sex workers that’s more than willing” Jake said wiggling his eyebrows up and down at the video camera and chuckling.

“Yeah no, I’m not that desperate asshole I won’t stoop that low” Jay rolls his eyes at his friends crazy suggestion.

“How about you summon the Pussy Fairy maybe she could help you out” Jake laughs out loud logging off the game as he starts scrolling on his phone probably checking his notifications that was going off nonstop.

“Bro what are you even saying, there’s absolutely no such thing as a Pussy Fairy where did you even get that shit from?” Jay snickers and questions his best friend I mean who the fuck would believe in such crazy myth.

“Well you know my roommate Heeseung right? Well apparently there’s some type of ritual he did when he was virgin and a sex witch bitch came and fucked the living hell out of him, his words not mines” Jake shrugged his shoulders spinning around in his gaming chair.

“Bro well guess what, Heeseung is full of shit because there’s no such thing as witches and warlocks let alone a sex witch” Jay spits out chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

“Well supposedly all he did was light some candles form them in a circle, and then he got a piece of paper wrote his name on it and put a sample of his blood on it and chanted something five times along the lines of come to me, my body is yours, yours to feed, yours to want, and yours to fuck. Oh wait he also described what type of race, body type and personality he wants his sex fairy to be” Jake nods as he stands up grabbing his phone taking it with him to the kitchen.

“So you mean to tell me if I go full on Bonnie Bennett, a sex demon is gonna come and strip me of my virginity?! You gotta be kidding me Sim” Jay said not really believing anything his friend is saying, he’s never been the type to believe in supernatural stuff, let alone demons and angels.

“Look, I don’t know if what he was saying was true but all I know is the day he told me he was gonna do it, he woke up with scratches and bite marks on his chest and neck, and to top it off he slept for hours dude” Jake said taking a hand full of chips and popping them in his mouth smacking loud and obnoxious.

Jay cringes at the sound of his smacking “You got got proof? If so then I might just believe you” Jay said finding himself a lot more curious about this whole thing then he usually gets when something intrigues him.

“In fact I do” Jake hurries and presses on Heeseung’s contact to pull up their messages, he saves the pictures that Heeseung took of his body and sends it to Jays phone.

“Attachment Sent*

“Did you get it” Jake asks impatiently as he takes another handful of chips in his mouth.

Jay’s breath gets caught in his throat when he sees the bitemarks and scratches on Heeseungs body. He zooms in on the bitemarks on his neck and it looks like whatever or whoever did this to him had to have some pretty sharp teeth. This can’t be real right it has to be photoshopped right? RIGHT?!

“Fuck man, it looks like Dracula got to him look at shape of the teeth marks” Jay said in disbelief still staring at the pictures.

“Well you go ahead and play detective, I’m gonna go and meet my hot date I’ll catch ya later bro” before Jay can protest Jake hangs up the phone leaving Jay in his thoughts.

ミ★

The rest of the evening Jay finds himself replaying Jake’s words and the pictures of Heeseung in his head. He wonders if he truly was able to summon a sex demon and have the best fuck of his life. He sits up in his bed, smacking on his face telling himself to snap out of it but nothing seems to calm his racing thoughts on whether this theory is true.

“Oh what am I even thinking right now, it’s obviously a big joke there’s no such things as witches and sex demons I really gotta be out of my mind I almost fell for that shit” Jay said out loud to himself trying to convince himself to stop thinking about it.

But he can’t stop thinking about it, in fact he’s even stop trying to tell himself not to think about it and that’s how he finds himself digging through his apartment storage closet trying to find any spare candles he might have and to his luck he finds 4 candles. He grabs his notebook ripping a blank white page from it, he grabs his case of supplies and pulls out a paper clip.

As he starts to form the candles, he recalls Jake’s words saying his roommate formed them in a circle so he does just that. He jogs to the kitchen opening his cabinet to find his matches pulling them out. He brings the matches over to the circle and signs to himself when he slides the match against the scratchy back of the box causing the match to ignite. He leans down to light the candles one by one, the glow from the flame illuminating his face and the heat of it causing his forehead to start sweating.

“Well here goes nothing, I guess I should probably clear my web browser and lock my account since I possibly might die tonight” he said out loud to himself again. “Psst who am I kidding, of course this isn’t going to work I’m just going to do this stupid ritual to prove to Jake that Heeseung story he made up is bunch of bullshit” at this point he’s full on talking to himself, trying to calm his nerves and the anxiety that’s building up in his body. He grabs a pen from his desk and places the piece of paper on the floor leaning his body as he starts to write on the paper.

Jay would never probably come out openly and say this but he has a big attraction to Black women. As a Korean man growing up with Korean parents he was always taught to not date outside of his race but that didn’t stop Jay from secretly crushing on Black girls from afar.

His browser history consists of ebony porn and his hidden gallery is full of nude pictures of his favorite Black pornstars. Jay remembers the first time he felt an attraction to a Black female. It was in the 8th grade, Jay had a huge crush on a girl named Brianna Jones.

Brianna was Jays first love and also first kiss but due to fear of his disappointing his parents he broke up with her, shattering his and hers heart. So that’s how Jay finds himself writing down a description of a Black female with beautiful brown skin, curvy hips with a nice big ass, big tits, and a dominate personality.

As he finishes writing on the paper, he takes the paper clip and pricks his index finger hissing at the light sting. He lets some of the blood drip onto his name and some on the description of his sex demon.

Jay takes a deep breath as he sits inside the circle, he starts to say the same exact chanting words that Heeseung said, still not fully convinced as the words roll off his tongue nonchalantly. He lets the words fall from his mouth for the 5th time and suddenly the candles that were once lit suddenly blew out leaving his living room pitch dark.

Jay looks around frantically starting to freak out and that’s when he starts to feel dizzy like he’s going to pass out. Jay struggles to stand up stumbling backwards as he starts to lose consciousness and then boom everything goes black and he’s out like a light.

ミ★

When Jay regains consciousness, he feels his head pounding and his ears ringing. He groans rubbing his head looking around his room puzzled and then it hits him, how did he end up in his room when the last time he remembered he was in his living room.

Jay looks down to see that he’s half naked, shirtless with only his boxers on. Jay can then feel this eerie feeling floating around his room almost like he’s not alone, like he’s being watched and that’s when he hears a soft giggle echoe around his room sounding far but yet so close and chills run down his spine.

“W-Who’s there?” Jay lets out a shaky breath looking around his room helplessly and that’s when he sees a dark mist surrounding his bed. The only thought left in his head is fight or flight, he decides on flight as he jumps up from his bed trying to get away and suddenly he’s being pushed back down onto his bed.

His eyes widened when a figure appears in front of him, straddling his lap. Jay gulps when he takes in the sight of you, clad in purple lingerie showing off all your curves, your beautiful brown skin has a glow radiating from it, and your cleavage is spilling out of your bra.

“What’s wrong pretty boy, cat got your tongue?” Your lips curl up into a wicked smile as you run your fingertips slowly down his chest stopping at the waistband of his Calvin Klein boxers.

“W-Where did you come from and who are you?” Jay manages to spit out shaky, anxiety and arousal building up all at once from the pressure of your body on top of his.

“The name’s Y/n, and you summoned me here naughty boy” you giggle playfully, tucking your bottom lip between your teeth when your hands meets his growing bulge gently palming him through his boxers.

Jay’s body shudders and his hips bucks up unintentionally as he feels your soft hand palming his half erect cock.“i don’t know what you mean i-i didn’t summon you fuck! I- please” jay says breathlessly trying to keep his composure and that’s when it all comes together.

As he takes time to get a good look at you. He scans your face and body and it all makes sense to him now. You look exactly how he wrote you, your thick juicy thighs covering his, your voluptuous breast sitting pretty on your chest and your dominant nature is causing him to feel weak in the knees and his erection to grow harder.

“Finally figured out huh there baby boy? You didn’t think us succubus were real didn’t you?” You coo at his shocked facial expression causing you to clench around nothing. Virgins were your favorite ones to prey on, always so pathetic and eager.

“So here’s how this is going to work Park Jongseong, you’re going to give me as much semen as I want, while in return I take away your pathetic little virginity got it?” You lean down to look him in the eyes meeting his intense gaze feeling your arousal starting to leak through your purple thong.

“P-Please touch me I’ll do whatever you want me to do just please make me feel good” Jay whimpers when he feels your wet muscle licking the shell of his earlobe. His cock twitches in the confines of his boxers begging to be released.

“Mmm looks like someone is eager aren’t you baby boy, don’t worry mommy’s going to take such good care of you” You smirk as you slide your body down his to reach his clothed bulge. You yank his boxers down causing his thick girthy dick to spring out, hitting his abdomen smearing precum over it.

“Fuck baby, what a huge cock you have mhm mommy going to have so much fun with this, I can tell your balls are full of your delicious creamy milk and I’m willing to take it all” you start to leave kitty licks on his angry red tip that leaks continuously with his clear essence. Jays body jerks violently from the feeling of your warm wet tongue on his sensitive tip.

“Ngh! Fuck mommy feels so good keep going” he grips your hair into a makeshift ponytail guiding your movements, you bob your head up and down hollowing your cheeks taking more of his length down your little throat.

You can feel his thick cock pulsating with pleasure as you continue to deep throat as much of his length as you can, you stroke whatever rest of him you can’t fit in your mouth causing him to let out deep groans and mostly high pitched whiny moans. Drool and his pre cum drips down your chin as you continue to suck him sloppy.

“Fuck fuck fuck that’s it- nghhhh I’m gonna cum I’m gonna-“ you now focus on sucking hard on his red leaky tip, as his cock twitches uncontrollably. you can feel his body heating up and hips bucks up unintentionally causing his length to slide deep down your throat.

Before you know it, he releases his creamy essence down your throat, completely emptying his load into your mouth, as if your mouth was a dumpster but that’s what you are his little cum dump.

“Fuuckkk” Jay curses loudly when you continue sucking him, helping him prolong his climax. His chest heaves up and down as he tries to catch his breath. Already feeling drained from the hardest orgasm he’s ever had in his life, Jay understands now why his friends said a blowjob is the best way to blow your load, and they’re totally right because his hand couldn’t compare to your beast of a mouth.

“Don’t pass out on me just yet pretty boy we haven’t even got to the best part yet” you pout and coo at his fucked out expression, he’s so pathetic for feeling worn out from a little ole blowjob but that only makes you more excited to drain his body of it’s energy and ride him until the next morning.

You stand up from the bed as you start to strip out of your clothing, you decide to give him a little show as you slide the thin straps of your purple nightgown down your shoulders in the most seductive way. Jay stares at you with an intense expression full of lust and affection causing your parties to grow wetter.

You let the gown fall to floor leaving your chest bare to his eyes, you slowly shimmy out of your panties being completely naked now. You crawl back up onto the bed seductively until you’re straddling his lap again. You can feel his hard on poking your wet dripping core, you let out a whimper when you start to ground your warm wet pussy on his thick cock. Jay throws his head back as he lets out deep groans feeling your hot arousal where he needs you the most.

“Fuck Jay your cock is so hard, does mommy pussy feel good teasing your pathetic huge dick” you let out loud moans when his tip rubs against your clit causing your body to shudder violently.

“Oh my god mommy yes feels so good, please let me put it in, fuck wanna be inside your tight pussy” Jay bucks up his hips to meet your grinding ones causing you to let out a whimper. When his tip prods at your dripping hole, growing impatient to feel his thick cock inside your guts you finally rise your hips up as you start to slowly sink down on his throbbing length.

The stretch is overwhelming being that Jay is the biggest cock you ever taken. You can feel his cock filling your gummy walls whole, causing your insides to clench violently. On the other hand Jay feels like he’s going to pass out any minute from the feeling of your warm tight wet pussy wrapping snuggly around his cock.

He grips the sheets so roughly his knuckles turn a shade of white. He holds your hips in place as you finally take all of him inside you, your legs start to shake uncontrollably as you allow yourself to adjust to his size. You can feel his cock twitching and pulsating as you cock warm him. Finally when the pain turns into pleasure you start to slowly rock back and forth on him, you gasp voice trembling with ecstasy from the delicious drag of his cock.

“Oh fuck! Holy shit you’re so tight- Nghh” Jay’s hips bucks up to meet the rhythm you have set causing his body to arch off the bed when he feels your tight pussy clenching around his throbbing sex. His words seem to spur you on as you start to ride him faster, causing the bed to creak and the headboard to slam against the wall furiously.

The scent of sex, your loud moans and his deep grunts, and the sound of your hips slamming down against his, fills his room completely, in the back of his head he’s hoping his neighbors can’t hear what’s going on but that’s almost impossible from the way you’re riding the living hell out of him. You bounce on him like there’s no tomorrow, your sticky essence drips down your thighs onto his stomach. He hisses at the squelching sounds of your creamy pussy abusing his weeping cock.

“Fuck baby boy, dick so good fuuuckk cock so big you gonna make me cum goddamnit” the drag of his 8-inch cock plunges so deep into you, you feel his tip abusing your cervix. You scream to the top of your lungs when he grips your waist pulling you down on him, thrusting his hips upwards. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as he sets a brutal pace, feeling nothing but pleasure and lust.

“Ah f-fuck! I’m not gonna last long shit I’m gonna bust” Jay lets out whiny moans as he feels your cunt clenching for what seems like the 100th time. The tempo of your bodies meeting is insane and almost primal, Jay fucks up and looks down to see where your sweaty bodies are connecting and that’s what sends him into a frenzy as his body shudders nonstop.

His orgasm hitting him like a tidal wave, letting out a guttural moan as his thick spurts of cum fills up your womb. Your eyes roll to the back of your head, your legs shaking dangerously from the feeling of his warm cum filling up your insides.

The overwhelming feeling of being stuffed full, makes you lose control over your body as your wings spring out on their own. Jay’s eyes widened at the sight of them, reality hitting him that he’s fucking a sex demon.

You continue to ride him lost in the feeling of his thick cock hitting all the right spots. Pleasure takes over Jay’s body once again as he lets out a whimper from the feeling of you riding him hard. Overstimulation hitting him wildly, his body feels numb and his ears are ringing as a wave of heat washes over his body.

Jay’s rough hand grips on your plump asscheek while the other one fondles one of your juicy boobs. Out of curiosity Jay goes to touch one your wings, lightly squeezing it. Like time freezes you let out a loud high pitched scream, the feeling is almost unbearable, your body feels fuzzy and the band in your stomach threatening to snap any minute.

“No, No No please not there I-i can’t take it, it feels so good gonna squirt” You scratch at his chest with your long acrylics. Jay hisses at the sting of your nails digging into his skin. He continues to caress both of your wings and just like that the band in your stomach snaps causing you to squirt all over Jay and ruin his perfectly white sheets.

You collapsed on top of him, panting as you try to calm down from your high, Jay’s chest heaves up and down as holds you tight against him caressing your back. You look up to meet his gaze, he looks at you with such a fucked out facial expression and half lidded eyes. You giggle and smirk as you can tell he’s fighting to stay awake.

Jay can feel himself drifting into a slumber and then boom he blacks out as the darkness consumes him again. You coo at his cuteness wishing he had more energy in him so you could play with him some more.

Just like a flash of lightning your energy is back like it never left. You kiss Jay on the cheek one last time before you have to return back to your place in the deep pits of the darkness and just like that you disappear in thin air.

You leave your purple lingerie discarded on Jay’s floor, which is strictly forbidden for a succubus to leave any trance of their existence for their victims to find but you have a feeling you will be retuning back to visit Jay really soon and for him he’s worth the risk.

The next morning~

Jay wakes up with a pounding headache and his body aches like a bitch. He goes to stretch his limps but hisses at the sharp pain of what seems like to be scratches on his chest. He stands up from his bed, wiping the sleep away from his eyes as he makes his way to his bathroom. He flips on the light switch and his breath hitches when he sees multiple scratch wounds surrounding his chest.

The memories of last night’s affairs hits him all at once, he scurries back into his room and that’a when he spots the purple lingerie laying in the middle of his floor. Jay quickly grabs his phone along with the lingerie. He opens his camera and snaps a picture of the lingerie. He then makes his way back to bathroom as he snaps pictures of the scratches on chest and his disheveled appearance. He opens Jake’s contact and sends him the attachments.

*2 Attachments Sent*

Corn lover Jay🌽: Jake…😅

Golden retriever boy🐶: NO FUCKING WAY DUDE?

The End…

A/n: This drabble is inspired by Jhené Aiko’s song p*ssy fairy, just with my own little twist to it. i was foaming at the mouth as I was writing this, god sub hyungline is gonna do it for me every time you hear me?! But I hope you guys like this fic?? drabble?? Idk but please feel free to like, comment, and reblog 💋.

[insertdragonpun]

⚠️⚠️WARNING⚠️⚠️

This post will cover dark topics such as sexual assault and murder. If either of these topics are triggering to you, please do not read them and please mute the tag "apocalyptic comic idea" since all of these posts will have similar topics. Take care of yourselves. If you want to read anyway, every time such topic pops up, it will be led and followed by danger triangles with a summary afterward.

This is for my monster apocalypse story currently in the works and, therefore, will have violent and gory segments. These are treated like the potential triggers and well have danger triangles but will not be summarized. I use this as practice for writing such things.

I swear a lot. I do not use slurs and never will use slurs. If I accidentally say one, please let me know immediately so I can change it. I never say anything harder than the f-bomb.

You have been warned.

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

Say hello to Ah-In Sangha! (The name being a little nod to my favorite monster apocalypse story orv)

Holy fuck I love her so much.

Her family moved to the city when she was very young in search of new opportunities and a kinder place for their little girl. She started dance classes when she was very young, taking to them like a duck to water. It was great exercise for her, and since the studio was on the outskirts of the city, she was able to get clean air to help her growth. (This city is polluted like crazy. If you read Magnus's/Ember's post, you know how bad it is)

Well, she gets a scholarship by winning a dance competition and ends up going to a good university. The very university she attends when the story begins. There was an audition for dancers for the up-and-coming Vee during Ah-In's sophomore year.

She auditions, gets in, and has been dancing with Vee every since. They aren't really close, but she is one of the two dancers that are permanent fixtures in the opera house turned studio. (The other dancer was at a doctors appointment during the tutorial, so he luckily missed the vampires.)

Vee still wears a little mask over her face when practicing with dance and crew (a little cat face that Ah-In thinks is the funniest thing ever) the only way the dancers can tell it's her is by her pink hair (oh? I mentioned color? Preposterous!) And her booty shorts with random words across the butt. (Seriously, where did she even get those?)

Well. One day (that fateful, damned by all day) when practicing Ah-In notices some of her juniors muttering about strange sounds coming from the stage. Upon noticing her dancers weren't fully paying attention to practice, Vee called for a break. Ah-In stretched and rubbed at her neck. She slept on it weird, and it was still kinked.

She looked around the room. There was a new guy on the management team who kept giving her the creeps. And liked to pop in and watch the dancers. She hadn't caught him doing anything weird except his lingering stares at some of the girls, but she was just waiting for him to overstep the line between weird and creep.

The low click of the power shutting off startled her from her thoughts. The junior dancers started chattering amongst themselves as Vee looked around. Ah-In set down her water bottle and walked towards the stage door. She was a few feet away when it was slammed open by one of the crew ⚠️⚠️ (danger triangles!) Their arm was limp at their side. Bent at an unnatural angle. Was there bone sticking out? She couldn't tell and didn't want to know. Two of their fingers were missing as thick red dripped onto the floor.(danger triangles!) ⚠️⚠️

Lucas, the newest dancer in the group, jumped forward in front of Ah-In, which was sweet but not needed, as the crew member spoke.

"Run."

They fell into the puddle from their fingers. Still and cooling as something crept closer from the dark doorway.

"Lucas, step back." Was all Ah-In could say before the creature in the dark pounced at the man and began ripping.

She stepped back in shock.

"Everyone! Run!" She shouted as she ran. More creatures poured through the door, latching onto whoever was closest. She flinched when she heard their screams. She pushed the remaining dancers through the opposite door like a dog herding sheep trying to get them to safety. Once the last one was out, she felt eyes on her.

She was barely able to turn around to be face to face with the creature. The face was human, yet not. It had no flush of life, no creases gained through the years. Just cool and smooth like porcelain.

She fell on her back with the creature above her, holding her down. One hand on each wrist, it was insanely strong as it leaned down. But it wasn't too smart. She still had her legs free. She reached a leg under its stomach only to stop and cry out in pain as she felt something burning on her neck. She pushed her leg against the creature's stomach, sending it flying and yanking her up with it. She felt something scraping against her neck as it went flying into the hoard of vampires (she really couldn't deny it now after it bit her.) Crashing into a few, and getting caught in a swarm as it disappeared in the group.

With one hand on her neck, she fled through the door, slamming it behind her.

The only sound she could hear was the muffled movement behind the door as she crept further into the dark hallway. She kept moving carefully and quietly so as to not alert any other monsters that could be lurking in the dark. She kept going until she heard a scream coming from around the corner.

She ran in to see ⚠️⚠️(danger triangles!) Vee sitting on the ground back against the couch in her rest room. Those goofy shorts were pulled down around her thighs with her underwear crooked. The weak light from the window glinted off of the glass buried deep in the body was in front of her. That same bastard she was thinking about earlier laid cooling on the ground, his belt next to him as his pants were hung low and loose on his behind. (Danger triangles!)⚠️⚠️ (Ah-In found Vee half undressed with a body in front of her.)

A blue box popped up in front of Vee as she started to hiccup and sob.

"Hello? Vee? Vee!" Ah-In called as she moved the body to the side. It's best to get it out of her line of sight.

She sat down in front of her as the blue light reflected across the beady eyes of her mask. The cutesy smile barely muffled the sounds of her tears.

Ah-In reached forward in an attempt to comfort her, but she stopped short of her arms once she saw her flinch. Vee seemed to collapse upon herself, curling into a little ball. Ah-In tried to keep her movements easy to read for the singer. Like choreography.

"Vee, can you hear me? It's Ah-In." She couldn't help the tiny smile as Vee nodded. Her breathing was starting to steady, which was a blessing since Ah-In really didn't know any good breathing patterns that didn't involve physical contact, which was a big no at the moment.

"That's good. Do you-" she tried saying something else when another blue square appeared in from of Vee. She tried to read the backward words (description for the comic) but the screen disappeared before she could finish the first sentence.

"What the fu-" she was cut off once more by the blood-curdling scream, forcing itself through Vee's throat.

Oh shit. What should she do?? Vee was curled over again.⚠️⚠️(danger triangles!!) There were lumps(?) moving under her skin. Pushing against her flesh some poking through leaving little trails of blood running down her face and body. (Danger triangles!!)⚠️⚠️

Suddenly, the singer went limp. Fainting from the pain and falling into Ah-In's arms that were still hovering an inch away.

She moved carefully so as to not disturb Vee, reaching for a pillow to rest the singers head on as she watched in horror.

⚠️⚠️(danger triangles!!) Bones were peircing her skin as muscle and skin rapidly formed across them. Her head was bleeding as horns forced their way through her skull curling around her ears. The cat mask cracked and fell off. Her ears stretched into points as her spine extended into a tail. Ah-In was going to throw up. (Danger triangles!!)⚠️⚠️

Once the transformation was done, Vee started to wake up.

"Wha-what happened?" Her voice no longer muffled by the mask as Ah-In shivered from shock.

"I-i don't know."

Vee started to sit up before slipping, causing Ah-In to rush to her side, hands hovering once more unwilling to touch unless giving permission.

"Holy fuck my everything hurts." Vee whined out like she just finished an intense workout instead of undergoing a rapid and gruesome transformation.

Ah-In couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"What's so fu-" Vee turned to face Ah-In, her eyes shining with something playful before fading as her eyes were drawn down.

Ah-In looked behind her to see the still cooling body.

"Oh shit," she twisted back to see Vee then back to the body before rushing to pull it through the door and into the hallway. The hall echoed with skittering steps and scratching that rushed towards her, slamming into the door as she closed it.

"That was-"

"A monster."

"No, the body it was-"

"A monster. Nothing more, nothing less. It lost the right to be human when it attacked you." Ah-In looked into Vee's eyes, something she was very much not used to, as she said that last bit.

With a shuddering breath, the singer nodded as she carefully stood up. Getting used to the new appendages.

"We're trapped in here aren't we?"

"Yeah. I think so. Unless you want to risk it outside, though I have a feeling it isn't any better out there." Ah-In stated as she looked out the window. People were running around as... giant butterflies chased them?

Vee appeared over her shoulder, "Huh. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad out the-NEVERMIND." they both starred in horror as one of the giant bugs ⚠️⚠️(danger triangles!!) ripped through the throat of a young man like one would tear paper. (Danger triangles!!)⚠️⚠️

"Okay, so outside is no. The rest of the studio is no. I guess we just have to wait it out for a bit?" Ah-In slumped onto the couch rubbing at the burning feeling in her neck.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Vee sat next to her. Her tail curling into her lap.

"Sooo. What did the screen say?"

"The first one congratulated me on passing the tutorial, and the second one called me a succubus."

"What the fuck."

Vee started giggling as tears began to run down her face, "I'm... well, I don't know what I'm going to do when I find whoever did this, but it isn't going to be pleasant."

Ah-In joined in her giggling. The two of them just sat on the couch, blood stains seeped through the floor, as they giggled. It wasn't even funny yet here they were. Laughing up a storm.

She didn't know how long they stayed there, but once she stood up, she felt dizzy as black splotches filled her vision.

"Woah! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I just stood up too fast." She rubbed at her aching neck, surprised to see her hand come back red.

"You're bleeding! That is not okay! Sit down. I have a first aid kit around here somewhere." Vee pulled Ah-In back down to the couch as she stood up instead rushing around the room to find her kit.

Her tail(s?) flicked as she moved, twisting around each other as it flexed. It took only another minute before she came back with a large metal case in her hands.

"Okay. Where?"

Ah-In took her hand back off her neck and leaned closer to let Vee see the wound.

"Gross. Did one of them bite you?" She asked as she started wiping the blood away with an alcohol soaked pad.

"Yeah, but I kicked it off." Oh that stung like a motherfucker but no way in hell was she going to show it.

"I didn't really get a good look at them. What did they look like?" Once the wound was sufficiently cleaned, she started wrapping it with gauze.

"Uh. Kinda like dolls? They looked human but too perfect. No wrinkles or anything." Vee started rummaging through the first aid kit again.

"Creepy. Here are some iron pills. They help with blood flow. I think I have some water and something salty in the cupboards as well." Ah-In took the pills and swallowed them.

Ah-In squinted as her head began to ache, "Is it alright if I close the blinds?"

"Sure, do you feel like you need to lay down?" Vee returned with a water bottle and bag of chips in hand, handing them off to Ah-In.

"Yeah, but you can't be feeling much better." The moment her head hit the end of the couch, she conked out.

When she woke up she felt like death itself.

"That was the worst nap of my life." She sat up to see a shocked Vee holding what looked like a spear standing near the door.

"Ah-In?! Holy shit! It's been a week!"

"What?" She tried to stand, but her legs gave under her weight. Her vision started to fill with the black blotches again, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Shit, hold on!" Ah-In couldn't see where Vee went, too focused on the tip-taping coming from her chest as her own heartbeat began to match it.

"Vee-"

"Here, water, iron, salt." She saw wrists show up under her head. Each vein throbbed along with her heart. She brought her eyes to look at what was in the hands. Yeah. That must be what her body wanted.

Downing the water, pills, and chips, she felt her vision clearing. A few moments later a blue screen popped up in front of her.

[Congratulations, player! You survived! Your body is a little different now. Make sure to keep up with your needs! You don't want to attack your allies, do you? :)

Welcome to the game: Ah-In the Vampire!]

Below it was a smaller blue box

[Achievement unlocked: Vegan vampire! Meet your needs without attacking another player.]

"Oh fuck."

Well. How do y'all like that? Ah-In didn't kill anything or anyone during the tutorial period (yes, it's a set amount of time. Those who survive but don't become players become npcs and are just normal people) but she did transform, so I had to give her a different system message. Now it's sleepy time goodnight!

[writingtoforgetreality]

I Remember (Malcolm Bright x Reader)

Request: uM hi saw ur request post while i was scrolling through malcolm bright x reader tag lol so may i request an x reader w malcolm where reader's gil's niece or smth so she and mal know each other before he joined the team- and one day where mal was being a dumbass and reader was told to drive mal home and when she was securing his restraints he jokingly asked her to sing to him aNd she did sing and fell asleep on the bed by opposite mal aND he got a good amount of sleep like no night terrors and next day he accidentally slipped that reader ''slept'' w him and gils just like excuse me wtf?? Djkdkdlsjsjs idk i got this idea when i was staring at the ceiling at 4 am instead of doing my essays that were due in the morningxD sorry its p long. Thanks and have a good day/night (by @iwillboilyourteeth), [Prodigal Son-Masterlist]

Summary: Malcolm got hurt again. What a surprise. And, as always, you were right there to take care of him. Tonight, though, things took a turn. For the better or for the worse? Only the future would tell.

Words: 2,142

Warnings: language, love me some sarcasm, fluff, so much fluff, I love writing for Prodigal Son (keep the requests coming)

Song used: “I Remember” by Jason Manns

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

You were sitting in your apartment when your phone started ringing loudly, interrupting your movie marathon. Sighing exaggeratedly, you checked who decided to annoy you at this time. It was not too late but you liked your alone time a lot. Gil. Oh no. That could never be good.

“Uncle Gil. I hope whatever you’re about to tell me is more important than Harry Potter.” pausing the movie you were currently watching, you did not even give him enough time to greet you. A loud sigh could be heard over the phone. One, that made you laugh.

“(Y/N).” his voice was stern & you knew better than to mess with him. Yet, you could not help yourself.

“Yeah, that’s me. You called me, after all.” joking to ease the tension, your giggling was cut short by his next words.

“Malcolm is a dumbass.”

“What a revelation.”

“He’s hurt.” Gil stated. Throwing your head back in frustration, you knew he only called you if he knew it was not too bad. But bad enough to need your help. “I need you to come get him.” it was not even a question, more like an order. Immediately, you grabbed the stuff you needed & headed out of your apartment towards your car.

“Can I yell at him for being reckless?” opening the door, you got inside but before you started the engine, you waited for the call to end. Could not risk getting youself hurt. Malcolm was the stupid one, not you.

“I already did that but I’m sure he’ll appreciate to hear it again.”

“Good.”

“Drive safe.” Gil noted.

“See you in ten.” & with that you drove to the precinct where he would most likely wait for you.

Growing up, you spent a lot of time at Gil’s. Malcolm was there almost always, so you got to meet each other pretty early on. Deep down, you cared for him. More than you should care for a friend. And because of him being a profiler, you were sure he picked up on that as well. Malcolm was just nice enough to not comment on it. Besides, he would tell you that he was too broken anyway. The thing was that it never scared you away. It did the exact opposite, actually. It only made you want him more.

Did you ignore almost every speed limit? Possibly. Your knuckles were white because you had gripped the steering wheel so tightly. One of these days, you would kill Malcolm. He kept getting himself hurt & you were tired of being the one to drive him home afterwards. Of course, you knew Gil only called you because Malcolm trusted you enough but that did not change the fact that you were exhausted.

“What happened?” approaching Gil, your eyes looked around for a sign of Malcolm. “And where the hell is he?”

“Bathroom.” his finger pointed over. “He didn’t call backup & thought dealing with it alone would turn out fine.” Gil was, you could tell, almost as tired as you. Not only of Malcolm acting recklessly but also because of a long day at work.

“What a surprise.” your sarcasm got the best of you. But it helped you coping with your feelings sometimes. “Uncle Gil?” his head snapped up when you said his name.

“Yes?”

“Go home & get some sleep. I got it from here, promise.” your sweet smile was convincing enough & with a nod, he turned around & walked away.

“(Y/N)?” Malcolm noticed you when he walked out of the bathroom. His face was covered in bruised & by the way he was limping, you were sure that his entire body had to be sore. “Where’s Gil?”

“I sent him home.” shrugging as if it were nothing, you gave Malcolm a look. He knew what it meant but apparently, he wanted to play dumb.

“What?” his head tilted slightly & if it were not for his damn puppy eyes & for the fact that he was hurt, you would be the cause of his bruises. Not quite literally but still. Rolling your eyes at him, you crossed your arms over your chest.

“You’re stupid, I hope you know that.”

“I do, but we caught the killer, so it was worth it.” he casually stated.

“Is it really worth risking your life, Mal?” shaking your head shortly, you were not in the mood to discuss this any further. A simple gesture of your hand was enough to show him that you wanted to get going. “Come on, I’m gonna bring you home.”

“You’re mad.” Malcolm noted when the both of you walked outside back to your car. Sighing loudly, you stopped for a brief moment.

“Yes. I’m mad because I can’t even count how many times we’ve been in this exact situation anymore. And it sucks. Because every single time Gil calls me, I think he’ll tell me that you didn’t make it out like you always do.” Malcolm’s eyes widened when you explained how you were feeling. Your body brushing past his made him turn around & follow you without another word. It was silent between you two until you arrived inside Malcolm’s apartment.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” he spoke up, his voice much softer now. When you saw him struggling to pull off his coat, you walked over to him to help him out.

“You don’t owe me an apology, Mal.” your back faced him when you went to put his jacket away.

“I do. You always take care of me when shit like that happens. And I wanted you to know that I don’t take that for granted. If I were you, I would’ve stopped caring a long time ago.”

“You know as much as I do that this won’t ever happen.” & it was true. Malcolm could mess up over & over again. Could get himself hurt & all that. But you would always be here to catch him, no matter what.

“I don’t deserve you.” his eyes bore into yours & by the look he gave you, you knew he was not talking about you taking care of him when he was hurt. He was referring to you as a person. Basically, he wanted to make you understand that he was not worthy of your love. Which was bullshit to you.

“You deserve so much & it hurts that you don’t see it.” the conversation dropped for the time being. Navigating your way through his apartment, you looked for something he could wear to bed. Soon enough, you found something suitable & when you walked back into the room ,you found Malcolm already sitting on his bed, head hanging low. He stopped you when he noticed your hands grabbing the shirt he was wearing. Sending him a confused look, your eyebrows raised in question.

“I think I can handle it from here on.” taking the clothes from you, he went to strip himself out of his workwear. Surprisingly, he could not move his body enough to achieve anything.

“Yeah, I can see that. Come on, don’t act like that, Malcolm.” it was not the first time you had helped him undressing. As mentioned earlier, the two of you had been in this situation too many times to count.

It did not take long & he was wearing comfortable clothes. After asking if he needed anything else, you went straight to his restraints & helped strapping him in. It amazed Malcolm how you were not weirded out by the fact that he had to be held down in order to have at least a few hours of sleep.

“(Y/N)?” his voice was barely above a whisper but your humming let him know that you heard him. “Can you sing something for me?” it was meant to be a joke, he simply wanted to ease the tension between you guys. Thinking about it for a second, you came to the conclusion that it would not hurt to do that. Maybe it would help him fall asleep? Malcolm eyes widened when you actually started singing quietly. It was soothing & he closed his eyes to focus solely on your voice.

Hey you, when I saw you walk in there

And I couldn’t help but stare

At the way you move your hands

‘Cause it’s the little things you do that drive me crazy

And now, let’s forget about the crowd

And just concentrate on us

So that you can know what I want you to know

 I remember how it started

You had everything I wanted

I was helpless to resist

But I didn’t want to

 Only if you would hold me tight

As we talked all through the night

About those things you won’t tell no one else

I know that we’ve got long ways to go

But I want you to know

That I’ll be there till the end, so don’t you worry

 I remember how it started

You had everything I wanted

I was helpless to resist

But I didn’t want to

‘Cause I fell in love with you-ou-ou

 After you finished, Malcolm still had his eyes closed, he just laid there for a while, recalling the words of the song. He knew what you were trying to tell him but if he had to be honest, he was scared. If the two of you were to try something, he thought you would leave him the moment you realized his demons were too much for someone to handle. Malcolm did not hear you leave his apartment, neither did he feel a movement. Opening his eyes slowly, he found you sound asleep right next to him. Your peaceful form made him smile brightly. Contemplating if he should wake you up, he decided against it in the end. Deep down, he knew you would not judge him he if he had a night terror next to you. And if he were honest, having you with him made him incredibly calm. That night, he fell asleep almost immediately, without any nightmares invading his dreams. The reason for it was you. Only you.

Malcolm woke up early the next morning. Work called. Okay, maybe Gild had told him to take a few days off but everyone who knew Malcolm, knew that he did not listen to such orders. Or any orders, in general. You were still asleep when he loosened his restraints. He left you a note behind before leaving his apartment for work.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay at home?” Gil questioned the second Malcolm entered the office where the rest of the team was already up & working.

“You did but I’m fine.” Gil rolled his eyes at his words. Usually, whenever Malcolm insisted on being fine, he was everything but. Examining his face closer, Gil was shocked to see him so…well rested?

“Wait. How much did you sleep last night? You look unusually awake.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s because I slept with (Y/N) last night.” Malcolm spoke casually & went to examine the pictures that were displayed on the table in the middle of the room. Gil’s eyebrows raised at that. Dani only sent him a weird look & JT almost choked on his coffee at Malcolm’s confession. There were some things he did not want to know & his love life was one of it.

“Excuse me, what now?” Gil was the first one to press the topic further. Everyone knew how protective he could get when it came to you, his niece. When Malcolm turned around, he found three pairs of eyes looking sternly at him. Wait, what did he say? Realization washed over his face & he only now noticed how wrong his words sounded without any given context.

“No, wait…That came out wrong.” closing his eyes briefly, he prepared an explanation for his confused co-workers. “(Y/N) drove me home yesterday & she helped me with my restraints & all. She fell asleep & I didn’t wanna wake her up.” Malcolm’s hands gestured wildly, not wanting to give them the wrong impression of last night’s events. JT pretended to understand what he explained even though he had no idea & frankly, he did not care too much. Malcolm had lost Dani’s interest a while ago, she continued working on the next case. Only Gil was left. He gave Malcolm a knowing look, went over to him & patted him on the shoulder.

“You better take care of her, Bright. Or you have to deal with me.” his threatening smile creeped Malcolm out but he knew Gil was only trying to keep you safe. Maybe you were the right one for him. Last night was proof enough. It was scary to take that next step but on the other hand, he wanted to take that risk. He wanted to give it a try. For the both of you.

Published (04/20/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @octopus5555 (thanks for your support <3)

[definegodliness]

Tales of Sumeria

Old man Lot and I go way back. We used to play marbles during recess. He used to cheat, though, the sorry sod. I can't tell you how many times I needed to 'remind' him that dragging your finger forth an extra arm's length is considered poor form in mibster culture. Afterwards, he'd play fair for a little while, but all too soon he'd fall back to his cheating ways. It was just in his system. He'd wait for my short attention span to kick in, and as soon as I was distracted he'd drag the marble all the way to the pit. As if I couldn't hear the distinct sound a dragged marble made. He swindled me out of my favourite bonkers that way. Long story short: I fell out to him. Cocked my arm to give him a sharp blow to the nose, but as I swung some bullshit blinding light repelled me.

When I finally regained my vision, Sumeria was nothing more than a distant memory. I roamed a new Earth, where people didn't play marbles anymore. They even removed the concrete slabs with marble pits, and changed them for the bland uniform version matching the rest of the pavement. What a bore. I dwelled upon my bonkers. Shining and turqoise, with a circling flame of cyan, they were beautiful. Then it dawned on me: I had lost my marbles altogether. Woe was me. I had worked so hard to accumulate them, winning matches, well, against fair playing opponents that is. All that effort, all gone in a blinding flash. Surely, no fate in recorded history had ever been so unfortunate as mine.

Today I sit on a terrace within the perpetually burning city (it's a dry heat, you get used to it), drinking a Long Island Ice Tea, and lo, and behold: old man Lot shambles past. He's carrying two heavy buckets filled with sand, it seems. Now, I'm not one to hold grudges, so I call out to him.

"Yo, L-dog, what's the haps?"

“.את השם הזה לא שמעתי הרבה זמן”

To avoid any further linguistics confusion, I will spare you the conversation of us getting reacquainted. He sat down to tell me a very long story, but a cloud shaped like an elephant drifted by -- trunk and everything! -- so I didn’t catch the most of it. Something with burning and salt pillars. I told him there’s probably some ointment for that, and that he really should consider washing his pillar more often. He looked at me bewildered. I quickly changed the subject to the two sand-filled buckets. 

Lot grins and tells me they’re actually salt-filled. How peculiar. I ask why in the frickety-frack he’s carrying salt-filled buckets around in the searing heat of midday, and he answers that if I really want to know, I should help him carry them and he’ll show me. My curiosity gets the best of me. First I carry one bucket, but after a couple of steps old man Lot ‘throws out his back’ and is in great pain, he says. I carry both buckets and he limps for a while, then skips ahead when we’re near the goal of our little journey.

It is a sculpture made of salt. His wife, he says. And I blink once, and blink twice, trying to think of something natural to say, but the blank expression never leaves my face. Old man Lot has clearly gone insane. I mean, I lost my marbles, but this was some next level bat shit craziness. I mumble something like ‘pleased to meet you’, as Lot yoinks the two salt-filled buckets out of my hands. He’s in his own world now, humming Ode an die Freude as he rolls out a leather kit, exposing a myriad of sculpting tools. 

I watch him breathlessly as he dances around the sculpture, nipping and tucking away. Removing salt from his ‘wife’’s body; a little less here, and a little less there. Then, he starts applying salt, using spit and sweat as he is sweating profusely, face all flustered in excitement. By now, his ‘wife’ has a caricature styled wasp waist, legs for days, and knockers that wouldn’t fit amid the length of the alphabet and can only be described as Z++.

Meanwhile, I have taken a couple of steps back, actually trying to covertly leave the scene, but it’s like watching a car crash, and despite it feeling wrong I fail to look away. He disappears behind his ‘wife’’s back, and I hear him feverishly muttering: ‘more salt, more salt’, as he is clearly shaping her honkytonk bedonkadonk junk in the trunk bootay. I watch it slowly popping out from the sides. Then, his muttering changes to grunts and groans as he, evidently, starts losing control. And as the air fills with old man Lot’s Ur-rowdy, elongated moans, I slap my hand against my face in dumbfoundedness and vicarious shame. Still looking through my fingers, though. 

I’m thinking, ‘there is no ointment in the universe that could ever treat these levels of pillar mistreatment’, as I watch the salt sculpture shimmy and tremble. Then, right at the moment of Lot’s Gorilla roaring climax, tragedy strikes. It seems that in Icarian befatedness, old man Lot went too far shaping his ‘wife’ to the ideal of his bestial fantasies. The grossly top-heavy sculpture, sitting on that two-hand-wrappable waist, collapses. All I hear now are wails of agony. He does not acknowledge me, nor the head of the sculpture that rolls to my feet, instead he is caught up in his own world of misery, frantically sweeping and clutching the crumbled remnants of booty. 

Hesitantly, I look down to my feet, and to the face of Lot’s ‘wife’. For some reason she looks exactly like Billy Crystal, beard and all. It’s an acquired taste, I suppose. Who am I to judge? Her eyes are spectacular, though. Shining and turqoise, with a circling flame of cyan. My bonkers. They are as beautiful as the day I lost them. I reach out for them to retrieve them, but once more a bright flash of light repels me. As I regain my vision I am a child again, frolicking a school playground in the 1990′s. 

Sandstone has been changed for concrete. But there they are, the slabs with pits to accommodate little mibsters. There’s a boy on the playground, he cheats but he doesn’t have a lot of friends, and it seems like he could use one. We play marbles together. I shrug when he swindles me out of my bonkers. Subconsciously, the lessons of past lifetimes linger. Somehow, somewhere, I remember there was a lifetime wherein I thought mine was the most unfortunate fate in recorded history for losing my marbles, but I’ve come to realize some people need them more than I do in the end. And somehow, somewhere, I have a feeling my new friend will find better use of them.

--- 11-9-2021, M.A. Tempels ©

[wowtobio]

Cheater! Yandere! Iwaizumi x reader (pt.2)

──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ────

a/n: everyone wanted a part 2 so here we are :) and i wanted to put a slight twist to it bcs i always wanted to write yandere but my inbox never pops up with it haha 

warning: slight yandere tendencies: stalking, unhealthy obsessions, violence, mentions of kidnapping, cursing

Part 1 | Part 2

How long has it been since the last time you were clad in his arms? Too long he thinks to himself as Iwaizumi scrolls through your timeline, taking in every detail of each photo.

He knew exactly what he was doing. Every scroll, every tap from his fingertips left behind a tingling sensation that felt wrong.

Yet, he still continued.

There is a huge gap in where you didn’t post, of course your now ex-husband noticed. He also noticed when you blocked him on every social media. No problem, he just made a new, fake account.

He ignores the text messages from his new “love interest” and just takes in your features.

You seemed happier, your skin healthier, the way you dressed it was cuter than ever, and the way you smiled. Iwaizumi has never seen you smile that big before. Maybe during your wedding days that seem so distant from today.

He misses it.

Iwaizumi knew when he lost you, that look on your face always broke him. He knew what he did, yet here he was.

It’s pathetic really, how coldly he treated you before indulging in another behind your back. He told himself he was a piece of shit who didn’t deserve the angel you were.

So why did he find himself following you around? He seemed to never ignore your name when it pops up on his phone screen.

That nagging feeling he felt that clawed at his gut, he could never ignore it and he gave in. He told himself it was fine. He was merely checking up on you. Making sure you were happy. Happy without him.

The same voice that told him it was fine, was absent when he started to follow you to your new job, to the grocery store, to your new boyfriends house.

It was simple really, Iwaizumi knew you like the back of his hand. It didn’t take him that long to find your new apartment complex.

He feels sickly overjoyed upon seeing your figure unlock the doors. He couldn’t help but snap a pic. Just one is fine.

It escalated to two, then three, now he stopped counting.

He would follow you everywhere. If he found you at the shopping mall hand in hand with your new found lover, his blood would boil. Why? Maybe it was the fact that you belonged to him yet you had the audacity to go out with someone who wasn’t even worthy of being within your presence.

Iwaizumi couldn’t help himself. It didn’t make sense, he didn’t love you anymore. He fell out of it awhile ago he was sure of it.

Yet, the moment you slipped from his grasp he felt lost for a bit. His senses came crashing back after you left him alone in your once shared apartment.

He realized he still loved you.

What a miracle! But perhaps it may be too late.

His best friend knew this, but the deed has been done. It’s better to move on to someone new, Oikawa’s advice fall upon deaf ears.

Being Trashykawa, his attempt to hook him up seemed to succeed. Only because Iwaizumi felt it was best to suck it up and go with it. But it really made his state worst.

His temper would worsen everyday. He just couldn’t help this anger that kept bubbling up deep inside him. He would of course take it out on inanimate objects with no one nearby. He couldn’t let anyone see this side of him. See him breaking. Only staring at your photos afterwards could calm him down and convince him that he did this all for good reason. That it’s okay. Not until his new lover would interrupt everything yet again. His thoughts would go rampant.

Besides she was pretty, not as pretty as (Y/n) though. Wait no no no, I can’t think that. But this bitch is useless to me. Well, she can actually be quite useful if considering... no it won’t work. (Y/n)‘a over me. So I must discard this worthless piece of-

“Iwa-kun? Are you okay? You’ve been ignoring me for the past hour”

Clenched fists, he continues to sit in the dark staring at his barely lit screen. His presumed new lover staggers forward in a weird, new sense of dread.

“You haven’t eaten in a few days either, what’s going on? Please Iwa”

Her pleas go unnoticed. Iwaizumi’s clenching onto his phone in a fashion where it may break. His breathing goes ragged and he trembles ever so slightly. A gentle hand placed on his shoulder.

“C-come on Hajime, talk to m-“

A sudden strike to her doll face resonated a loud echo followed by the thud of her now limp body. Iwaizumi’s cold eyes don’t even spare a glance at the damage and he continues to stare at the images he has of you in such an inappropriate state.

He only then takes his eyes off his device to spare a few words to the poor women sobbing on the wooden floors.

“You are not allowed to call me that.”

He carelessly steps over her figure, grabbing his hoodie with a new goal set in mind. Leaving her behind in his apartment, in the same way you left him. But it’s fine! He knows how to forgive and forget. Soon it’ll all be okay again.

He repeats this mantra over and over again until he magically appears in front of your house. His aimless wandering really did wonders, he tells himself has he perfectly punches in the code to your locked door. As if he’s done it a million times before.

It was perfect, the way his senses just filled up with you the moment he step foot into your apartment. It was plain, with a few cute collectibles here and there. Iwaizumi smiled it was quite adorable. It reminded him of you.

And there you were, typing up some documents for that job you have gotten recently. He smiles lightly knowing how hard and how much you wanted this job. To you it was a new start. Where you could re-do everything over and live a healthier, happier life.

Iwaizumi almost chucked aloud at that thought.

Upon standing up to walk to the kitchen for a small break and snack, you couldn’t help but feel a dangerous aura resonating in your confined space.

You tried to ignore the feeling, maybe you were just tired? Yeah it’s been a long day. You felt like you have been followed for the past few weeks. It was silly really, feeling eyes boring into your back only to turn around and found it was nothing.

Maybe you were going crazy, haha you laughed a bit. Everything’s fine.

Not until you felt strong arms wrap around your torso, pulling you close to a chest. The intruders arms held you in a way you couldn’t escape his strong grasp, a hand covering your mouth so that no noise would peep through.

Panic surged through your veins and as you started to kick and squirm, a handkerchief with an intoxicating scent almost immediately knocked you out cold.

Before darkness enveloped you, you rolled your head and eyes back and made eye contact with your intruder. Confusion washes over. Those eyes.

It was those same eyes. The same eyes that used to look at you lovingly every shared morning. The same eyes that held worry behind them whenever you would act recklessly. The same eyes that held that empty hollow towards the end of everything.

Now those eyes, they had a new crazed look in them. One you’ve never seen before from him.

All Hajime did was frown upon seeing your collapsed form in his arms. This is wrong he knows it.

But, it felt right. Especially when he started to hug you tighter to him, this was where you belonged, in his arms. Burying the crook of his nose into the crook of your neck and taking in your scent.

You used to love it when he did that, so it’s fine right?

──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ────

masterlist

[chispas-and-broken-bindings]

I really wanted to get the next chapter of Nothing Sacred, All Things Wild up this week, but work was crazy and I also got caught up in another story (I can’t control my muse)...so instead I’m offering up a long snippet of the dystopian/space colonist fic I started off a prompt I got a while ago for an “Arranged Marriage + a/b/o” request I got from an anon.

A/B/O is not my cup of tea, so I twisted it into an arranged marriage by an artificial intelligence instead: 

He wakes up angry, sweat soaking through his pillow, heart racing, stomach cramped. The alarm is buzzing from somewhere beneath the bed, where he must have knocked it. 

“Turn it off,” Ygritte mutters into his shoulder, before rolling away with the rest of their thin blanket.

He complies, letting the shock of the cold floor against his feet spur him into full wakefulness. “I take the test today.” It’s raining. He watches the drops splatter against the small window near the ceiling, and he wonders if Ygritte remembered to check the bucket beneath the leak before she crawled into bed the night before. 

Their garden apartment doesn’t do well in the rain. Jon still doesn’t understand why it’s even called a garden...there’s nothing green about their cramped basement residence, besides the mold growing beneath the sink.  

“Oh yeah. Happy birthday...we’ll get drinks when you come home.” 

“If I come home.”  He could be part of the one percent, after all. That is the Institution's promise. Everyone is SOMEONE. Anyone can be part of the 1%. Are YOU?

Jon knows it’s unlikely. How could he, an orphan from Mole’s Town, have the magic combination of pheno-, geno-, and personality type to be chosen for the Colony? No...he’s just another loser of the 99% who will waste his twenty-first birthday behind the Brutalist concrete walls of the Institution’s testing center, playing lab rat for the day, until the examiners come to the inevitable conclusion that he’s just another nobody. 

They’ll spit him back out on the street, leaving him free to carve out a pathetic existence on a slowly dying planet. 

He doesn’t bother washing. It’d be a waste of precious water when he knows full well they’ll scrub him down at the testing center. Instead he spends his last moments at home drinking a pot of weak coffee, trying to remember anything he was taught in the schools he barely attended. His energy would be better spent bracing for the coming indignity of having every part of his body and mind exposed and dissected. 

“Is the area of a circle, two pi times the radius? Or is that the circumference?” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Ygritte lights a cigarette at the stove before joining him at the table. “It’s not that kind of test.”

He knows that. It’s another Institution promise. The Test doesn’t ask WHAT you know. It asks who YOU are. Are YOU the 1%

How the fuck would Jon know? It’s easier for him to remember that the area of a circle is actually pi times the radius squared, than it is for him to explain who he is. He has no idea. That’s kind of what being an orphan is all about. 

Ygritte could at least throw him a bone and tell him what the test is like. She took it two years ago, though she won’t talk. Most people won’t. There are no rules against it, but The Test is treated like dysentery. Unless you live behind the gates, you’re going to get it at least once in your life, but that doesn’t mean you’re gonna go around describing your diarrhea to the world.  

Grenn went to White Harbor for the test a month ago, and though Jon had to buy him six beers and two shots of whiskey before Grenn would shut up about his first-ever train ride, he did give Jon a few insights into the rest of the experience. 

Not that the train isn’t worth the excitement, especially when the ride is paid for (another Institution promise. No matter your means. No matter the distance. EVERYONE makes it to the Test. Are YOU the 1%?) Technically, Jon has taken it once before, from Winterfell to Mole’s Town as a baby, but he doesn’t remember.  

Now he can’t believe anything that moves so fast could feel so smooth. He’s topped out at ninety miles per hour on the best snowmobile Donal Noye patched together, but that left his teeth rattling and his ears buzzing for hours afterward. The train is moving at double the speed, but he could be in the godswood, for how quiet the near-empty economy cabin is. He shares it with a twitchy young man who never looks up from a cheap tablet, and a black raven perched in a large cage who spends the entire ride staring at Jon with one eerie black eye. 

The testing center is located just across from the train station, in an intimidating building that used to have a name. Jon has a vague memory that it was a prison before the Institution took it over. Before that it was something else. 

He doesn’t balk when a masked orderly leads him to a small room, tells him to strip, and then takes off with his clothes. He knows they’ll be returned at the end of the day. Of more pressing concern is the man and woman who enter talking too quietly to make out at the other end of the room, while a nurse rolls in with a small cart covered in collection tubes, gauze strips, and butterfly needles. 

Everyone wears surgical masks, latex gloves, long white coats, and black clogs. 

Jon remains naked beneath a small paper covering. 

He has given blood before, and the messy, life-saving transfusion Mance performed to save Tormund three years ago was far scarier than the rapid, methodical draw that's taken from him now. Still, it’s disconcerting to think of the secrets the Institution will glean from his blood. He’s uncomfortably aware that they’ll know who his parents are before the day is over, even as he’ll continue living in total ignorance. 

Another Institution promise. The Institution values EVERYONE’S right to privacy. YOU control the right to tell the world who you are. Are YOU the 1%?

Before he’s finished the recitation in his head, five tubes are full, and the nurse pats a cotton ball and a band-aid over his arm. She tosses a granola bar on his lap before rolling out of the room with her cart of samples. 

Next comes a physical exam, where the other two examiners speak only to each other as they record his height, weight, blood pressure, and note his every blemish and scar in flat affect. 

“Post-burn contractures across the palmar and dorsal aspect of the left hand, adduction and extension in the metacarpophalangeal joint of thumb fall outside normal range of movement.”

“Keloid scarring along the right gastrocnemius muscle, five point three centimeters in diameter.”

“Slightly hypertrophic scarring beginning at left brow and running medially down across the left orbital cavity to the cheek. No ptosis noted. No apparent damage to the eye.”

He should feel worse beneath the weight of each fault. Instead he relaxes. He was nervous for nothing. Failure was always inevitable. The Institution would never invest in a malnourished kid with a burned hand and a badly healed leg wound. They are famously secretive about their selection process, but some reasons for failure are common knowledge. As the crows like to say, no cripples, bastards, or broken things. 

So, he chews his granola bar slowly and even closes his eyes for a bit, letting the examiners move his limp limbs as necessary for their measurements. He imagines himself a cadaver during the early stages of an autopsy. 

As long as they don’t cut me open….

When an white-haired man enters and lays out what look to be a series of tiny torture devices, Jon wonders if he stopped caring too soon. He white-knuckles it through an excruciating dental exam that ends with his first real exchange of the day. 

“Have you ever been to a dentist, kid?” 

There is still a tube in his mouth, sucking up his spit and a hook pressing at his gums, so Jon just shakes his head. There are no dentists in Mole’s Town. Just Chett, who used to work at a slaughterhouse down south and will pull a rotten tooth for the price of a bottle of whiskey. Jon wouldn’t give the creep the lint in his pocket, and he sure as hell wouldn’t let him near his mouth. Instead he brushes his teeth so hard his toothbrush regularly snaps in half, and prays something else kills him before gum disease has a chance.

“You’ve got better teeth than I see behind the gates, boy,” he pulls the hook from Jon’s mouth to dictate into a small microphone hanging from his mobile workstation. “Review DEFB1 on ID 17630343BA. At some point the focus will need to expand beyond the holy 22 and get back to the basics. Who is going to care about neuron growth if every fourth planter is born with anodontia?” 

Jon understands little of what the man is saying, but he’s heard enough to know he’s at least got as good of teeth or better than some of the rich tossers who live within the heavily guarded gated communities where the Colonists are actually culled from. Behind their high walls, wealthy sons and daughters of the only one percent that really matters, spend their youths preparing for the Test in homes and classrooms pumped with filtered air, where the water runs clear, and no one ever goes to sleep with their bellies cramped from hunger or disease. 

The Institution promises that ANYONE can be the 1%, but EVERYONE knows that's a lie. 

---

The physical exam ends at last, after several more rounds of sterile humiliation. Jon isn’t sure which was worse; having to lie within a noisy cylinder while a disembodied voice reminded him not to move, or being asked to run naked on a treadmill, wired with electrodes. 

When it’s over, the last examiner provides him with a sweatsuit that is softer and better-made than anything he owns, and he wonders if there is any way he can smuggle it out with him at the end of the day. Another orderly comes in with a waxy crisp apple that hardly seems real even as a spray of tartly sweet juice hits the back of his tongue. He’s given a pill as well that he swallows down with a cup of water so clear and so cold, it’s an act of incredible will-power not to ask for more. 

It’s only after, when he’s led to a small room with two chairs, a table, and a pulsing white orb in it’s center that he thinks to ask what it’s for. 

“This will make the answers come more naturally during your interviews,” the man explains before leaving him alone. “We want you to answer as truthfully as possibly, but we understand that can be difficult under the stress of the Test.”

He supposes people lie all the time on the Test, trying to game the system, though Jon doesn’t have the first idea how he’d go about doing that, nor does he have any reason to try. He’s not going to the Colony. This is all just a spectacular waste of time, and it’s a race day, which means he’ll have to pull extra shifts at the Rookery to make up for what he would have made beyond the Wall. 

By the time a petite woman with a neat low bun, and cracking, grey scar across half her face and neck enters, Jon is reckless with anger. 

“I’d like to go home.”

“Hello, Jon,” she smiles as she sits across from him, and she’s the first person he’s seen since he entered the building who isn’t wearing a mask. She’s also the first person to call him by his name. “My name is Shireen.”

“Where’s your mask?”

Her smile dims slightly, but she maintains her gentle tone. “I’m here to facilitate the interview portion of your Test today. Before we begin, is there anything you need to feel more comfortable? Something to eat, drink, a bathroom break? Should the temperature be adjusted?”

He’s sour with anger so he takes everything she offers, suddenly eager to make everything as inconvenient as possible for the Institution. Shireen takes his requests with an easy smile, however, escorting him to the restroom herself. When they return to the room, there is a bowl of hearty soup with a chunk of bread that is soft and airy beneath it’s golden-brown crust. Beside it is a tall glass of water and a smaller cup of green liquid that Jon eyes suspiciously. 

“What’s this then?”

“I thought you might like some juice. It’s mostly apple, with some kale, cucumber and celery in it as well, I suspect.”

It’s the best thing Jon has ever tasted, and while part of him wants to fling the rest of it at her frustratingly serene face, it’d be a horrible waste, and he’d be the biggest loser. So, he takes his time, savoring each bite and sip, rolling the bright flavors across his delighted tongue. 

“Feeling better?” she asks after the tray is cleared. 

“Is that an official Test question?”

“No.”

“Let’s get on with it then. I can’t afford to miss the train home.”

“As you may know, it is not individuals who decide the 1%. Our artificial intelligence algorithm, The Seven, determines who is the best fit for the Colony. That is how the institution guarantees objectivity in its selection process,” she taps the pulsing orb on the table. “Though we find people are more comfortable responding to another person, so I will be facilitating our discussion as The Seven records and analyzes your responses. Are you ready to begin?”

He shrugs. 

“I’ll start with a series of statements. After each, please say a number to indicate the degree to which you agree with that statement, wherein one equals strongly disagree and five equals strongly agree. Three indicates you neither agree nor disagree. Do you understand?”

“Five.”

“Okay. Statement Number one: At social events, you rarely try to introduce yourself to new people and mostly talk to the ones you already know.”

Jon knows everyone in Mole’s Town, and he doesn’t want to socialize with most of them. 

“Two.”

This goes on for a while, each statement absurdly divorced from anything relating to Jon’s life, but the numbers spring easily from his lips as he relaxes under Shireen’s soothing voice, and kind face, and the lovely feeling of a full belly and soft, warm clothes. 

It’s when the format shifts, that he begins to feel strange. Shireen starts with questions that are easy to answer. Where were you born? How many years of education have you completed? What was your favorite class and why?  What do you do for work? Describe your strengths. When are you most satisfied in your job?  Do you live alone or with others? How many others do you live with? What is your relationship to the person you live with? 

At this point, the questions grow more invasive; more personal. A voice tells Jon that the Institution doesn’t need to know how many times he and Ygritte fuck a week...but the answer escapes all the same. 

“Four or five times a week.”

“Do you use contraception methods?”

“No.”

“Do you intend to have children with your partner?”

“No.”

“Given your age and your partner’s, without contraception, given your regular intercourse the odds of conception are--”

“She’s sterile.” 

“How do you know that?”

“Most everyone in Mole’s Town is. It’s something in the water, or the air, or our weak genes. It doesn’t really matter the cause. If it’s not the one; it’s the other. She’s been fucking since she was fifteen, and nothing’s ever caught.”

“How do you know that you aren’t the sterile one?”

He shrugs. “I probably am too, but I’m not her first partner as you say. I’m not her second or third either.”

“How does that make you feel?” 

He glares, and Shireen clarifies. 

“Your partner’s sterility?”

“How do you think it makes me feel?” he pushes back from the table, letting his chair lean back on two legs. 

Shireen only gives him a minute shake of her head, and waits for him to answer the question. 

“Angry. I feel fucking furious about it.”

“So, you would like to be a father?”

“I’d like the freedom to choose. I’d like Ygritte to have that freedom.”

“What is your least favorite thing about humanity?”

She can’t be serious with that question. It’s like asking him to name all the stars. He takes a deep breath. Shireen waits. He stands up and paces. Shireen waits. He finishes his water and asks for another. Shireen calls for a refill. He drinks that too. Shireen waits. 

“My least favorite thing? That we’ve given up. We let this machine,” he points at the orb, “decide who doesn’t have to. It’s like….it’s like the men in Mole’s Town who wander into the snows when winter grows too cold, and there’s not enough food or warmth to go around. Grown-ass men who could be fixing furnaces and braving the cold to find the resources their families so desperately need. Most of the time they don’t even have the fucking guts to tell anyone  what they’re off to do. They just wander away one day, and winter takes them. 

That’s what the fucking Institution is. We’re all those men in Mole’s Town who’ve just given up, despite the blood still pumping through our veins. We’re sitting around, waiting for winter to kill us, so that a few can live. And there’s no one left to be mad about it either, because it’s a fucking machine that decides our fate. It’s like being mad at the wind. What’s the fucking point? But just because there is no one to be angry with, that doesn’t mean the rage goes away...and winter isn’t killing us fast enough."

“So you want to live?”

“I want humanity to want to live. I want humanity to want most of humanity to live. I want us to care about more than the one percent.”

It feels radical, saying it here; behind the walls of the Institution. It feels like he’s put the last nail in his own coffin. Shireen watches him as he cracks his knuckles, one at a time, waiting for her to say the interview is over; it’s time to go home. 

Instead she asks an even crazier question. 

“Do you think there is an essential connection between the morality of an action and the morality of the intentions behind it?”

[emospritelet]

Heatstroke - chapter 17

I tweaked the prompt a little :)

[AO3]

x

Before leaving the city for small-town Maine, Lacey had told herself she wasn’t going to spend every night drinking until the early hours, as she had in New York. Since moving to Storybrooke she had mostly kept that promise to herself. During the week, anyway. Weekends were a different matter. Ruby usually had Friday nights off from the diner, but that inevitably meant that she worked on Saturdays, and while Lacey wasn’t bothered by going to the Rabbit Hole by herself, it was much more fun to have Ruby’s company while she slowly went out of her mind. Saturday evening found her at the bar in Granny’s Diner, drinking her way through a few tall glasses of ice-cold oblivion and telling Ruby about her latest unsuccessful encounter with Gold.

“So he wasn’t even dressed?” Ruby set a vodka and orange in front of her, leaning on the bar and resting her chin on her hands. “At that time in the morning? Not like Gold.”

“That’s what I thought,” said Lacey, stirring her drink with a straw. “It was weird, Rubes. I was all bracing for insults and sarcasm, and it was like he couldn’t even look at me.”

“You can’t tell me you wanted insults and sarcasm.”

“No,” she admitted. “But I think I’d choose that over being ignored.”

“Oh God…” Ruby shook her head. “Would you just ask him out already? Ask him to Zelena’s stupid dance.”

“I told you, he’s not going,” said Lacey impatiently. “And even if he was, it’s obvious he’s not interested. I mean it was obvious before, but now…”

“Maybe you just disturbed him doing something?”

“Like what?” Lacey stirred her drink moodily, and looked up. “Oh God, you don’t think he had someone there, do you?”

“Like a - a woman?”

“Maybe, I don’t know.” She took a drink, enjoying the tart taste of the orange juice and the smooth heat of the vodka in her throat. “I bet he did. I bet he had someone stay the night and I woke him up from a round of hot morning sex, good God!”

“Lacey.” Ruby leaned on the bar with a patient expression on her face. “Apart from you, the only person lusting after Gold in this town is Zelena. And he would never.”

“Okay,” Lacey nodded, feeling a little better. “That’s a fair point. But it could have been someone from out of town.”

“Maybe he’s sick,” suggested Ruby. “You could have pulled him out of his death bed.”

“Hey, that’s a point.” She perked up a little. “Yeah, maybe that’s why he was off with me. Great!”

“There you go.”

Lacey groaned, slumping on the bar with her chin pushed into her folded arms.

“God, I shouldn’t wish ill health on the man, should I?” she said dolefully. “What’s wrong with me, Rubes? I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“Yeah, it feels that way to me, too,” remarked Ruby.

“Why am I like this?” demanded Lacey, pushing upright again. “Past Lacey was never like this. Past Lacey would find a hot guy, have a good time, and move the hell on! Past Lacey would have been like ‘pfft, so he’s not interested, his loss’. That’s always how it was before.”

“So maybe it’s something more meaningful this time,” suggested Ruby. “Maybe present Lacey wants an actual relationship, not just hot crazy sex.”

“Oh no, present Lacey totally wants the hot crazy sex,” said Lacey, snickering as she reached for her drink. “I just need him to want me back, that’s all.”

“I told you, the ‘you seeing him naked’ thing put him off,” said Ruby. “Guys like Gold need to feel like they’re in charge.”

“Hmmm.” Lacey grinned widely. “He can do that if he wants.”

Her grin widened at the thought of Gold taking charge in a number of very delicious ways, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

“You got it bad, girl,” she observed.

“I can’t help it!” said Lacey, slapping the bar with her palms. “First time we met I saw his junk, and believe me, it was absolutely no hardship as far as I’m concerned. And since then I’ve been checking him out every chance I get.” She took a slurp of her drink to wet her throat. “I thought he looked pretty good full frontal, but did you see his ass in those pants? Biteable.”

Ruby’s eyes had gone very wide.

“Lacey, shh!” she hissed.

“What? It’s true!” Lacey waved a hand. “I always thought you’d need a big hammer to bang in a nail that size, but nope! Almost as cute and pert as mine.”

“Yeah, that’s a great point you just made about - uh - carpentry,” said Ruby loudly, and Lacey felt her brow crinkle.

“Carpentry? What the hell are you - it was a metaphor, Rubes!” she insisted. “I’m talking about how Gold should man up and nail me!”

“Hey Mr Gold!” said Ruby brightly, a somewhat desperate smile on her face. “What can I get you?”

Lacey felt as though a bucket of iced water had been thrown in her face, the shock of it making her catch her breath with a gasp. A ball of lead the size of a small watermelon appeared to have dropped into her stomach and was trying to drag her down through the floorboards and into the diner cellar. She was tempted to let it. He’s right fucking behind me, isn’t he?

“Miss Lucas,” Gold’s lazy drawl made her close her eyes in horror. “Just the rent, if you please. I leave minor - uh - carpentry jobs to those with more inclination for the task.”

Lacey wanted to die. She slipped from the stool, snatching up her bag and coat. Perhaps if she didn’t open her eyes, he wouldn’t be able to see her.

“Later, Rubes,” she muttered, and almost ran from the diner.

Gold watched her go, slim legs moving remarkably quickly considering the height of her heels. Turning back to the bar, he favoured Miss Lucas with a tiny smile, but she was glaring at him, dark eyes flashing.

“Are you stupid?” she demanded, and he frowned.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, in a freezing voice, and she threw up her hands.

“That poor girl just said out loud how much she wants to bang you, and your response is to be all snide and cutting? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What are you talking about?” he snapped. “I know full well Miss French has no interest in me other than as an object of ridicule!”

Miss Lucas put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

“Don’t you have eyes?” she demanded. “You telling me you haven’t seen her staring at you?”

“Oh, I vividly remember our first encounter,” he said dryly. “I also remember hearing her discuss it with you afterwards. You’ll forgive me if I’m not turned on by mockery.”

Miss Lucas sniffed.

“Look, if you’re getting your cock out in public you have to expect a little teasing.”

“I did not get my cock out in public!” he snapped. “It was on my own property, and frankly it’s no more your business than it was hers!”

“Yeah, well she wasn’t mocking you, she was just - surprised.”

“Oh please!” he said, in a disparaging tone. “I’ve no interest in whatever game you two are playing.”

“She just said you should man up and nail her! You heard her!”

“Really?” he said dismissively, tugging at cuffs that didn’t need it. “Hilarious, if one understands the context, I’m sure.”

“Oh my God…” She shook her head. “Blind, deaf and stupid. I should have just talked to Neal.”

“What does my son have to do with this?” he demanded, and she shrugged.

“Just saying. Something tells me he’s not as dense as you.”

Gold glared at her.

“Are you gonna give me the rent, or do I have to consider raising it?”

“Fine, resort to empty threats all you like,” she sniffed, turning away.

She unlocked the drawer beneath the counter, taking out the envelope of rent money, and slapping it on the counter. She was still glaring at him, and Gold took the money with an unpleasant smile, opening it up and beginning to count out the notes.

“She likes you,” said Miss Lucas, making him pause. “Lacey likes you. Weird as it seems to me, and as much as I don’t want to hear about her many fantasies involving you, she likes you. She likes you a lot. As in she wants to have sex with you. Also a lot.”

Gold had lost count the moment she mentioned Lacey’s name, but there was no way he was about to admit it. He gathered up the pile of bills, stuffing it back into the envelope and retrieving his notebook from his pocket.

“It’s all there,” he said stiffly, flipping through the pages. 

“Just ask her out,” went on Miss Lucas. “Or go to that dance of Zelena’s if you’re gonna be a wuss about it. Then you don’t even need to ask her out. You could just - you would be there, and she would be there, and the two of you could - you know.”

Gold could barely see what he was writing, but he pretended that he knew what he was doing. He wrote the date out with such a flourish that it tore the paper, and slipped the notebook back into his pocket. The envelope of money followed it, his hands shaking a little.

“Thank you, Miss Lucas,” he said, his tone hollow. “Do give my regards to your grandmother.”

Turning on his heel, he fixed his gaze on the door and limped towards it as though it was the path to his salvation.

“Why are you both such idiots!” called Miss Lucas, and he flinched as he grasped the door handle.

Getting out into the cool summer evening, he let the door close behind him, and exhaled slowly, head rolling back as he let the soft breeze caress his skin. Surely Miss Lucas wasn’t being serious? Admittedly Lacey had said something extremely suggestive about him, but what if it was part of their banter, the joke that never got old. Gold and his naked body, forever an object of ridicule.

What if it wasn’t? A voice in his head whispered to him, a faint spark of hope igniting deep within him. What if she actually likes you? You could go to that tedious charity ball. By the sound of it, she’ll be there, no doubt reporting for the Mirror. You could ask her to dance. That wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicions. Maybe not even hers. And if she does like you...

The idea of Lacey actually returning his feelings was too heady to contemplate, and Gold shook his head, striding off down the street. No. He would think about this intriguing possibility when he was in the safety of his own home and with a large glass of something strong. He definitely needed a little Dutch courage to plan his next move.

[solalunar-eclipse]

Scars You Can’t See - Chapter 10

Chapter title: Short Fuses

Word count: about 3400 words

Author’s Note: Hopefully this chapter is up to the usual standards, especially considering I completed it in about a week. I really want to try and stay on schedule as much as I can especially considering that I have about six other ideas all begging to be written the second this fic is finished.

Warning for descriptions of violence, just in case.

First  | Previous  | Next

...

The loud slam of a car door made the two Mobians still inside it jump.

Shadow and Rouge stared out the window, horrified, as Omega drew himself up to his full height of four feet and eleven inches and stared down the troops. When he’d seen his friends so scared, so certain that this was the end, something inside him had snapped.

He wasn’t ordinarily the type to process much in the way of emotion. His circuits hadn’t been built for it in the first place, but so much rewiring and extra work had been done by now that he’d almost become more than his processors and coding. And...meeting two people who understood him in a way he’d never thought possible had done a lot for his personality as well. By now, Omega had grown to care for these two organics more than he had ever thought possible since the day they had first met.

And now he was furious.

“I HAVE HAD ENOUGH.” he thundered, his voice blasting out of his speakers at top volume. “YOU HAVE CHASED US ALL OVER THIS CHAOSDAMNED COUNTRY. YOU HAVE TRAUMATIZED BOTH OF MY FRIENDS. AND YOU HAVE RUINED OUR LIVES.

“I WILL GIVE YOU ONE CHANCE TO GET OUT OF HERE. ONE. CHANCE. THEN I START FIRING. AND I WILL NOT STOP.”

He immediately began to power on all of the weapons that he could possibly use at once. Everything from machine guns to missiles to lasers started to warm up and make clicking noises as his ammunition slid into place. Omega made sure to load a few extra explosive charges into his weaponry- his targeting systems had been significantly improved after some time in Tails’s workshop, but they still weren’t perfect. Especially not with this level of opponents. 

He found that he didn’t really care.

(His only real worry was that the firing noises would stress out Shadow.)

The G.U.N. soldiers refused to back down, and oh how Omega wished that he could properly express the blend of frustration, rage, and just the tiniest bit of satisfaction that burned and sparked through his wires. As it was, he simply had to settle for speaking.

“YOU’RE NOT GOING?” he asked.

One of the apparent leaders pulled out a megaphone, and the robot’s head spun ninety degrees directly to the right to face him. “I DIDN’T SAY YOU COULD TALK.”

A single shot ripped the megaphone from the man’s hand.

“NOW LEAVE US ALONE.”

The actual fighting forces were almost entirely made up of G.U.N. drones, so Omega began tearing into those with ease. Explosions of flame appeared across the field as his shots scattered all around the first wave.

The E-series robot was at least a little pleased that it seemed like he wouldn’t have to physically fight any humans today, though. He’d spent enough time around Rouge and Shadow to know that they’d both be horrified if he did- and he wasn’t going to upset them. Not now.

As it was, he was holding his ground impressively, considering that G.U.N.’s mechanical soldiers were top-of-the-line creations, built specifically with fighting software according to the organization’s highest standards. They were loaded with the latest weapons, and made with light material so that they could move quickly across the battlefield.

But they had never before faced down a nearly three thousand pound robot built by a mad genius with a destructive streak a mile wide….so they were basically being mowed into the ground.

Before long, though, their orders suddenly appeared to change, and a squad started heading directly for the car which still held his two closest friends.

A laser blast incinerated the first few with the full power of Omega’s protective fury behind it, but having two targets to manage- himself and the car- was a lot for anyone to handle. If he turned his attention to the drones swarming the vehicle, then they would get too close to him and start trying to tear him apart. But if he focused for too long on those tearing at his chassis, they could easily break into the car.

Once, when he was busy dealing with an irritating detachment of flying robots, one of the ground fighters broke through a window and started reaching for Shadow and Rouge. The hybrid managed to stab it through the face with a Chaos Spear, but almost immediately went limp against the seat afterwards, clearly struggling to maintain consciousness.

With a scream of static, Omega sent the next few assailants who dared attack his friends flying, but there were just too many for him to handle alone.

As the robots began to climb atop the car, Omega stopped paying attention to the ones trying to tear him apart and focused his aim on the others, but one managed to grab his arm and sent the shots flying wildly around their brethren, skittering across the top of the vehicle.

Omega felt his ammunition starting to run low and wished he had a chance to grab some extras, but even the slightest pause could mean failure now. The drones were clawing at his body, at the car, and they just kept on coming.

He couldn’t last much longer...

And that was when a truck to his right exploded in a giant ball of fire.

The robot was startled for a moment- he hadn’t been aiming for the trucks at all! A moment later, though, a roaring noise sounded directly overhead, and Omega looked up to see what was perhaps the best sight to grace his optics in months.

A red biplane wheeled around overhead before taking another shot directly at the drones surrounding him, leaving him perfectly free to blast the rest off of the car. The E-series robot was also certain he heard a faint “Heck yeah!” from above, and indeed, when his vision focused properly, he spotted a small blue shape standing atop the wings of the plane.

Omega could see Rouge smiling- actually smiling- from inside the car, as she shook Shadow back into awareness. The moment Omega saw her say the name ‘Sonic’, Shadow jolted upright and scrambled to the window despite his shaking limbs, staring up at the Tornado in shock.

He said something to Rouge then, who responded with a light smack on his shoulder, looking more relieved than anything else.

After a few more moments, the tide had begun to turn, and Omega soon heard someone patching directly into his auditory processors. A familiar high-pitched voice asked, “Omega! Do you read me?”

“Affirmative.” he replied, blasting another few drones into oblivion. “It is good to see you, Tails.”

“You too.” the fox replied happily, clearly pleased to have arrived in time.

“Okay,” Tails continued, his voice becoming more serious, “can you get Shadow and Rouge to fly up to the plane? I can’t land, but I need to get them out of here if they can’t fight.”

“I will inform them at once.” 

Omega stalked over to the car, physically shoving several more drones off it and allowing them to land with a loud clatter on more of their kind. Rouge wound down the window, still looking optimistic.

“Alright, what’s the plan now?” she asked him, a sparkle in her eyes.

He blew up a couple of flying bots to his left in big blasts of fire before responding. “Unfortunately, you will have to fly Shadow directly upwards to the plane. This is the best way to get out.”

Rouge groaned. “Chaos...I don’t have to lift you too, right?”

“No.” Omega said. “I will stay here and keep them busy until your return.”

“Won’t you be alright?” she asked him worriedly, placing a hand on his arm.

“We’re not leaving you.”, Shadow insisted. His eyes were narrowed, but the determined effect was undermined by the way his body slumped against the seat, as though it were the only thing keeping him upright.

Suddenly, another voice spoke up. “Come on, you think I can’t watch this big guy’s back?”

Sonic walked up next to Omega and leaned forward on the car’s window. At first, he wore his trademark smile (tinged with a little extra relief), but it quickly turned to shock after he did a double take. “Uh...that is you guys, right? Cause last I checked, Rouge isn’t edgy and you don’t dress like a nerd.” he said, pointing at Shadow.

“I don’t look like a nerd.” Shadow mumbled irritably, glowering at him.

“You actually kinda do, hon.” Rouge said, her smile growing wider. 

The hybrid’s eyes widened. “But you picked this outfit out...Rouge!”

Omega played an audio file of a person clearing their throat while causing another explosion. “While I am certain this conversation is pleasant for all involved, please consider continuing it when we are not surrounded by mechanical troops trying to tear our limbs off.”

All three Mobians looked sheepish. “Alright then, let’s go.” Rouge said, refocusing and flexing her wings in preparation for takeoff.

“We will cover you. Do not worry.” Omega assured them both.

Shadow still frowned at him, before clasping his small gloved hand around the robot’s large metal finger. “Don’t go doing anything too crazy, alright?”

Rouge grinned again, though a little less brightly, before stepping out of the vehicle for the first time that day. “He’ll be okay. Us, on the other hand...you know what, let’s just do it.”

Then she grabbed onto Shadow’s hand and immediately blasted fifteen feet directly upwards in the air. Tails soared as low as he could possibly dare to go in the meantime, even tilting the plane to the side slightly so that Shadow could climb into the seat. 

Some flying G.U.N. robots began to close in on Rouge as her wings beat frantically, struggling to gain more height. Omega couldn’t fire now- there was too much risk of him hitting her- but then he realized that Sonic was already handling it. The hero bounced off of the car, then a robot, before launching himself up high into the air and spindashing all of the drones, bouncing from one to the next like a wild blue pinball.

Meanwhile, the E-series robot busied himself with spraying explosives and laser fire across the entire field, finally feeling free to properly tear into the opposing forces. At one point, he actually lifted the car above his head, set it on fire, and threw it with all of his strength directly at an advancing wave of drones, taking out an entire platoon.

(The car rental company would just have to deal with it.)

Omega heard a small chuckle to his right, and looked over to see the blue hero himself standing there and smirking up at him. “You’re pretty ticked off, huh?” he asked.

“YES.” Omega replied, putting as much loathing and distaste behind that one word as he possibly could whilst throwing a drone several yards into the nearest tree. 

Sonic’s grin tightened in response, and something shifted deep within his eyes, transforming them into a blazing green flame. His entire expression practically screamed ‘you messed with the wrong people this time, idiots’.

“Hey, pal?” he asked, his words deceptively light and loose. “I heard you can blast curled-up ‘hogs like me outta those arm cannons of yours. Mind if I give it a whirl?” The blue-and-gold robot could practically feel the growl that lay hidden beneath his voice...and decided that he definitely approved. 

In response, Omega’s hand simply retracted into his arm, leaving a perfectly Mobian-sized barrel behind. Sonic immediately curled up on the ground, and the robot scooped him into the cannon with ease, before aiming it at the mechanical soldiers marching towards them yet again. “Ready?” he asked.

“Always.” the hero hissed from within his quills, curling up tighter.

One second later, he was fired out of Omega’s arm at high speed, before ricocheting off about a dozen robots hard enough to shear most of them in half. Sonic uncurled after that, bouncing to his feet with an expression barely qualifying as a smile as drones fell beneath his feet and fists.

Not long after that, Omega heard the whir of a G.U.N. troop carrier above them and saw an entire new wave of reinforcements dropping in- the organization clearly wasn’t willing to risk their human soldiers on two such dangerous foes. While the blue blur was certainly helpful, he knew that they couldn’t hold off endless amounts of these machines, and would unfortunately tire or run out of ammo eventually.

Which was why he was incredibly grateful to see Tails’s biplane soaring into the fray just moments later, prepared to sweep them both to safety. (While he enjoyed giving G.U.N. its long-withheld punishment, he also wanted to survive long enough to see his friends healthy and happy again, of course.)

“Omega! I need you to get on top of that truck!” Tails ordered through his audial processors. “I can try and pick you and Sonic up from there!”

The robot acted immediately, barreling through the lines of drones with incredible strength. To his left, he saw Sonic doing the same- jumping over the bots’ heads and up onto the trailer. The hero fought to hold off some physical soldiers with punches and kicks carefully calculated to bruise, but not kill.

Omega clawed his way up to the top of the truck, leaving deep gouges in the side as he heaved himself over the edge. They both scanned the sky, watching as Tails waited for the right opening…

Suddenly, the Tornado dove sharply downwards, carving through lines of machinery as it soared towards them. Its wings nearly skimmed the trees as it closed in on them. Sonic tensed, preparing to leap, as Tails yelled, “Jump on...now!”

Omega’s reflexes were not exactly what one might call good, unfortunately, having been built with strength in mind over speed. Thankfully, Sonic grabbed hold of his arm, and that combined with his rocket boosters was enough to sling him face-first over the seat as Tails pulled upwards.

Turning his head to the side as he struggled into the plane, the E-series robot caught a glimpse of Sonic braced on the main wing of the Tornado as they put more and more distance between themselves and the ambush site with every second. However, he also quickly spied several flying drones headed their way.

Clearly, Tails had too. “Omega! Can you take care of those for me? And strap in, ‘cause I’m about to try and shake these people for good!”

He began to empty his cartridges as quickly as possible at those infernal machines, nothing more than hollow shells of metal twisted to serve an evil master. Omega had never been more grateful that he was made with free will. Most of the drones fell quickly, but were easily replaced by more of their brethren. 

The blue and gold robot was disgusted at the very thought of being expendable. 

“Hang on tight!” the fox yelled. 

A jolt shook the entire Tornado as its turbo engines fired, causing the plane to blast forward at such speeds that the ground blurred beneath them. G.U.N. just didn’t have the technology available to catch up with them, especially not while they were this high up.

Soon enough, Angel Island came into view, but it almost looked like it was...moving away from them?

Sonic saw Omega’s ‘frown’ and explained quickly. “Angel Island doesn’t move too fast, and the Tornado gets some crazy mileage with these new engines! We figured Knux oughta get a head start on those creeps.”

At least Knuckles wasn’t avoiding the action out of cowardice, then. If he had been, Omega would have punched his Master Emerald straight off the island, ‘duties’ be damned.

As they came in for a landing, the robot practically felt his chassis grow heavier the more he looked around. Shadow was slumped against a tree near the edge of the clearing, while Rouge was leaning on the steps of the altar, exhausted. Knuckles was sitting cross-legged atop the Master Emerald, his eyes closed as he focused on directing the island where he needed it to go.

“Shadow!” Sonic shouted, jumping off the plane. His face was twisted with concern as he rushed over to his friend. “Dude, why aren’t ya up with the Emerald? Chaos knows you need that energy!”

The hybrid groaned faintly, turning his head to face them. “Knuckles...is busy with it. Don’t want to...interrupt now- we need to get away.”

Omega glowered at him. “Enough of this nonsense. If you insist upon behaving in such a manner, then I will have to make you take care of yourself. Again.” The robot scooped Shadow up in his arms and began to physically carry him to the altar, despite the latter’s protests and squirming. 

Sonic and Rouge giggled practically in tandem, and Shadow glared at them both. “Shut it.”

“What, hon?” Rouge smirked. “This is the second time Omega’s picked you up in like a week, can’t I enjoy it?”

The robot ignored them both and placed Shadow on the altar carefully, the hybrid’s body too weak to do anything more than just lie there. Quickly, though, the Chaos energy began to seep into him, restoring some true life to his eyes.

He didn’t have much more than twenty minutes to rest, unfortunately, before G.U.N.’s best planes began to catch up with the island’s sluggish movement. The four battle-ready inhabitants of Angel Island readied themselves the moment they heard the first aircraft roar in the distance.

Rouge spoke up first, though. “Shadow, honey, I absolutely hate asking this of you, and if there was any other way to get out of here that I could think of then I would take it. But I can tell that there’s at least three Chaos Emeralds on this island, and with how good you’ve gotten at teleporting...if Sonic and Knuckles helped, could you zap us out of here?”

Shadow dragged himself to his feet with the help of the Master Emerald, sighing. “Yes. I’ll need Knuckles to channel as much energy into us as he possibly can, and at least one of the Emeralds. Sonic can use another.”

Sonic and Knuckles both looked startled. “No way, man!” the hero exclaimed. “You could really hurt yourself that way!”

“So help me then.” Shadow replied flatly, looking at him over his glasses. 

The blue hedgehog sighed reluctantly and stood on the other side of the Master Emerald from him, holding out his hand. “You got your Emerald, lil’ bro?”

Tails placed it in his hand as Knuckles handed Shadow one of the two he’d been holding onto. Then, the echidna placed both of his hands on the great gemstone, breathed in, and sent as much power as he could flowing into both of the hedgehogs.

Their eyes locked, and Shadow inclined his head almost imperceptibly. 

“Chaos….Control!!”

The entire island vanished.

It reappeared moments later, above the ocean. Sonic would have plenty of time to be concerned about all the water, but for now, he was more preoccupied with Shadow. He hovered nearby as the hybrid’s eyes unfocused slowly and he swayed from side to side.

The hero caught him a moment later as he crumpled, unconscious. Feeling for a heartbeat, he sighed with relief the moment he found a steady pulse in Shadow’s wrist. 

“He simply needs rest.” Omega said, watching as Sonic laid him back down at the altar (before lying down right next to him, having exhausted his own Chaos stores as well). “As do you,” he added, spinning his head to the right to stare at Rouge.

The robot continued to stare at her, unflinching despite her glower, until she lay down on the grass with an irritated sigh. “I’m supposed to be the one taking care of this team, you know.”

Omega folded his arms. “And you may do so soon. After you get some rest.”

Rouge closed her eyes and seemed to relax soon enough. Omega stood exactly in between his two friends, watching over them with a careful eye.

After a minute or two, he heard Knuckles whisper to his friends, “How do you guys think she figured out that we had those emeralds?”

Without opening her eyes or moving at all, Rouge replied, “I’m just that talented, babe.”

The resulting startled shriek from her boyfriend made birds a hundred feet away flee their trees in fear.

[atlantablack]

Favorite Merlin Fics ft. Imprisonment

a thimble of light for an acre of sky by celaenos 

36,268 | Teen + | no warnings apply 

Golden, beautiful, charming, pompous Arthur, drawing everyone to him like moths to a flame. She thinks of how he is the only other person in the world who understands what it's like to be Uther Pendragon's child, to crave the approval of that looming shadow and want to break free of it in the same breath. She hates him. She hates him. She hates him. 

It’s only part of the truth, even now.

Why I love this fic

This is hands down absolutely one of my favorite season 5 AU’s. The amount of attention that’s paid not only to Morgana and Gwen’s relationship, but also to Morgana and Arthur’s is just fucking amazing. For all that Morgana is technically a prisoner for a large part of the fic it never breaks her, only gives everyone else a chance to get through to her which I truly believe is all they need, a chance. 

I’ve read this fic several times and it never loses its effect, I always feel like i’ve been punched in the gut and I’m always just left in a puddle of my own emotions afterwards. If i had to pick a favorite quote (that hopefully doesn’t give too much away) it would be: 

“I’m going to kill you,” she warns Arthur. “Keeping me here is foolish.”

“Perhaps,” he says, and somehow the teasing smirk of their youth spills out onto his face. “But then again, you’ve always thought that I was.”

“Don’t smile at me,” Morgana snaps. “The only reason I haven’t killed you yet are these shackles, and mark my words, I’ll get them off.”

“Is that?” he asks. “The only reason?”

“Yes,” Morgana snaps, but there’s a horrible inflection to her voice. It comes out far more like a question than a promise.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11931528/chapters/26968359

a king of infinite space by schweet_heart 

1,069 | explicit | no warnings apply

When they bring Arthur home, he is silent.

Why I love this fic: 

The pure amount of detail and emotion that is in this fic is just incredible. it’s only a little over 1k but i’ve read it so many times because I can never get past just how much is in it. Case in point, i just read it again to try and figure out what to say and i’m now in a puddle of my own emotions trying to figure out how something can be both hot and sad and sexy and romantic and ??? just so goddamn good. 

The last line of this fic never fails to blow me the fuck away and sometimes I genuinely just sit and stare at it looking for inspiration. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992938

Dying to Return by StormDancer 

19,869 | Teen+ | no warnings apply 

When they try to hang him, he floats. 

 * 

They put him on the pyre at dawn. 

He doesn’t burn.

Why I love this fic:

I feel like it’s very likely everyone already knows this fic but if you’re new to the fandom (because i stg we gain new people every day against all odds), then this truly an amazing fic. I really really love the way this author chose to write the way Merlin goes about getting Arthur to accept magic. I’m 100% all for unapologetic Merlin just blazing in and telling arthur about his magic and arguing arthur into accepting it, but I also really love this, not soft really, but patient, solemn, quiet Merlin who’s prepared to wait as long as he needs to and just show Arthur how good magic can be just by existing. 

Also I think it’s so lovely how as the reader, some parts of the plot are so obvious to us but to Arthur they’re impossible to figure out and it’s just done so artfully! 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/689934

Emblazoning by astolat 

18,797 | mature | creator chose not to use warnings 

Morgana turned away from the high, barred window and rubbed her arms, chilled and bare. Arthur was sitting in the dirty straw at the very limit of his chains, which kept him a few inches too far away to touch Merlin's limp body. Outside they were putting up the stake.

Why I love this fic:

I know this pairing isn’t very popular since season 3 aired, but honestly it’s so good. These four really are just so tangled up together that I love reading fics where they’re all in a relationship. Also, this is by astolat and everything astolat has written is a fucking gem. 

I really love that this is a season 1 divergence, because it really highlights how far Arthur would have been willing to go even then. He’s never been able to just stand back and watch Merlin die. No matter the season and I just love the way its done in this one. The magic reveal, the way Arthur can never truly stop being a leader, a ruler, the way Morgana’s visions and swordfighting come together to create a whole picture, the way Gwen is always there and steady and being their rock. I just love this piece so damn much. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7155737

Safekeeping by schweet_heart 

5,531 | explicit | no warnings apply 

“There were bandits,” Arthur confirms. There is something grim in his tone which tells Merlin this is not the whole of it. “There was also a sorcerer.” 

 Merlin sighs. “Of course there was.” 

 As it turns out, there was also a magical beast, and there was also a sacrifice.

Why I love this fic:

Merlin’s magic reveal in this one is just truly fantastic. I can’t think of many fics where his magic reveal is so goddamn badass and super powered up and yet, he’s also so helpless and doesn’t even realize that he’s revealed himself. Arthur has to make the choice of what to do with Merlin telling him anything at all, without any outside input. Just Merlin helpless and there at his mercy. 

Also.... the sex is hot as fuck lol but really, I love this fic. I love seeing fics that just explore how excruciating magic suppressing cuffs would be on Merlin. Basically, this fic just hit all my favorite points and i love it!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14008191

The Game of Lying 

7,262 | Gen | no warnings apply

It's just Merlin's luck to get trapped in a castle with the knights and a crazy fae who wants to see how well he can lie. Fortunately, he's very good at lying. 

Unfortunately, the fae isn't too pleased about that. 

The knights are going to have a lot of questions if they live through this.

Why I love this fic:

Badass, snarky, smartass, “i have a thousand talents other than magic” Merlin is 100% my favorite take. Fics where the knights and Arthur have to realize how little they know about Merlin, without a magic reveal. They underestimate him a lot despite dragging him everywhere with them and I feel like this really highlights this. 

Also, again, I loveeeeeee badass Merlin. badass, overpowered, I could probably destroy the world if I wanted to, Merlin. Love him. Beautiful, perfect. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13590702

[bittywitches]

3. “It’s three in the morning.”

38: “You’ve thought about this, haven’t you?”

42: “I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

44: “I still remember the way you taste.”

Thank you to @reidscriminal​ and the lovely anon for requesting this :)  (It got a bit long (~3.5k) so I thought I’d make a separate post lol)

WARNINGS: Alcohol addiction, Murder mention (sorry this got intense)

“Please, I really dont wanna be alone right now.”

“Y/N, it’s three in the morning. Go the fuck to bed.”

Grayson’s groggy, scratchy voice was the only sound that could be heard in his pitch black bedroom, the only source of light being the luminescent beams coming from the cellphone that he held pressed to his ear. Half of his face was still smushed into the cold surface of his pillow, no doubt a pool of drool probably printed onto it. His phone dangled loosely in his hand’s grip, it basically balancing on his left ear. Grayson had yet to gain full consciousness, only aware that he was currently speaking to his best friend, and for some reason she wasn’t asleep.

“Cmon, I can’t trust myself to be alone right now. Plus, when’s the last time we hung out together, hm? Don’t you miss me?” Her purr over the line was enough to finally wake him up, getting him to sit up and lean back against his headboard before stretching an arm over his head.

“‘Course I miss you. Doesn’t mean I wanna hear your dumb voice in the middle of the night.”

“Hurt. I’m hurt.” She moaned, and Grayson rolled his eyes. “Come oooon, Gray. We’ll have fun, I promise.” 

It was the suggestiveness in her voice that finally tipped him off to what was going on. “are you drunk?”

“Hah!” She snorted, then guffawed, which then diminished to a few chortles and chuckles. “Okay maybe a little. But I have a valid reason!”

“And is it better than ‘we happened to have some left over bottles’?” 

“Yes!! It is. And I’ll only tell you what it is once you come overrrr.” She almost whined like a little girl.

Grayson groaned. “Y/N, you know that I-“

“Hate it when I drink, I know.” Her voice actually sounded a bit pained, and Grayson almost felt bad for bringing it up. “I’m sorry, Okay? I wasn’t thinking straight, like usual. Now please come over?”

Grayson hesitated, letting the silence of his room fill his head while he sat in thought.

“Pretty please?”

Her small voice echoed through his phone, and never in a million years would he ever admit how much it made his heart ache.

He groaned. “God, fine. I’ll be over in a half hour.”

“Fifteen minutes.”

“I thought I was doing you the favour.”

“You are, but you love me. Shit, bring your wacko vegan pasta. We’ll have a slumber party.”

“Fucking Christ you are the worst-“ but then she hung up on him.

Despite his frustration, Grayson still made it to her door 15 minutes later, tired, confused, and a little out of breath. As soon as it opened to reveal Y/N’s face, however, all remaining signs of those feelings disappeared; because the only thing he could think of now was how terrible his best friend looked.

Typically speaking, she didn’t look that bad, considering how late it was and how drunk she probably was. But it wasn’t her messed up hair or her glazed over eyes, the stains on her old pyjama shirt or the mess of blankets and turned over bottles laid sporadically over the coffee table. No, it was just her. The feeling he got from her. The look in her eye that wasn’t filled with their usual temperamental spark; it seemed hollow, missing, a dark crevice missing it’s light. It worried him.

“You know, this is technically a booty call.” She grinned, her usual tenacity seeming to resurface as she grabbed the bag that was in Grayson’s arms. “Yknow, without the boning down.” She raised her eyebrow. “Although that could be arranged-”

“God just stop talking would you.” Grayson’s face burned as he walked past her, her laughs filling the room as he threw his shoes in the general area of the shoe rack.

“What’s going on?” Grayson finally asked as she closed the door behind him.

“Nothin’. Slumber party, remember?” Her hunched over shoulders turned back toward him, and the way her face seemed so sunken and desperate while her eyes tried to tell a different story- It scared the shit out of him.

“‘Mgonna make pasta.” Y/N announced to what seemed to be herself, dumping the bag’s contents out onto the kitchen counter before grabbing the pasta box. 

“Alright…” Grayson was used to these types of nights. They tended to happen once or twice every few months, usually after a night of partying where Y/N got just a little too intense, or during a rather stressful week where she just wasn’t able to pace herself. Yes, it was obvious that Y/N wasn’t the greatest when it came to coping. She didn’t like to feel, or think either to be quiet honest. She liked that dull haze, that numbness she felt where she could just go about everything without feeling everything.

And yes, Grayson hated it when she did this. He despised it, really. But he’d known her for so long, and she’d been like this for longer. He didn’t know what to do other than just be there when she asked for him. And usually it was fine, although she could be handful. Y/N seemed to double on her energy whenever she drank, so it would take him some time to wear her out. But once he did, it was smooth-sailing. This time however, it was so different. She wasn’t being her usual hectic self. She looked tired, but that itself wasn’t enough to describe it. For some reason the word that kept coming back to him was expired. She looked like she was about to expire. She’d found her limit, her pushing point, her finish line. She was done, she was finished. 

Grayson was scared to see what would happen when she was finished.

The pot fell out Y/N’s hands and fell into the sink, getting a “shit” out of her and a jolt from Grayson.

“Jesus, give it here.” He finally trudged towards her, pushing her away from the sink, then reached into it to grab the pot and fill it with water.

“Are you gonna tell me what happened?”

She sighed, leaning her back against the counter and watching as the water rose in the cool metal. “Joanna broke up with me.”

Grayson’s head whipped over his shoulder to look at her, his eyes widening at the words. “Oh.” 

She smiled, though her eyes didn’t leave the tap. “Yeah. she actually broke up with me yesterday, at lunch.”

“Wha- Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because I knew you’d wanna jump on this as soon as you found out.”

“Christ Y/N, I-”

She waved away at him, shaking her head. “No I understand, I am a hot piece of ass. But you need to control yourself, I need a cool down period-”

“Y/N!” 

She sighed, then shrugged. “Because I knew you’d say I told you so.”

Grayson scoffed. “Y/N-”

“Come on, I know how much you hate her! You kept saying that she was going to.”

“Well I mean come on with how on-and-off you guys were- and besides this is probably just another one of your ‘breaks’. She’ll be calling you again any day now-”

“No.” Her voice was dark now, dropping all the flirty undertones in her voice, and Grayson had to look away from the now boiling pot of pasta at her face when she said it. “No. it was real this time.”

“How do you know?”

She reached into her pyjama pant pocket and brought her phone out, turning it on and unlocking it to show the screen that she’d obviously been looking at before since it was still open. She turned her phone to show him.

It was Joanna’s instagram story, and it was a picture of her at a party, making out with some red-headed girl.

Grayson only knew one read-head.

“Wait, is that-”

“That bitch I accused her of cheating on me with?” The sudden power in her voice startled him. “Yep. Turns out I was right all along, and wasn’t just being paranoid.”

He was at a loss for words. “Y/N… I’m so sorry.”

“Like hell you are.”

“I am.” 

“Shut up.” She sighed, jumping up to sit on the counter. “I know for a fact you feel like gloating right now. And I don’t blame you.”

In reality, Grayson really didn’t. Sure, he was glad that Joanna was gone. He knew she was never good for Y/N. But he hated how she’d left her. This broken shell that was supposed to hold the girl he loved with all his heart but for some reason appeared to just be some sort of apparition instead. 

She put her head in her hands. “Yea, I really don’t blame you. God, that BITCH!” She yelled that last part, and threw a spoon she had at some point grabbed into the sink, it hitting the faucet and causing a huge clang sound that continued to ring seconds afterwards.

“Jesus Christ Y/N calm down.” Grayson went to her, grabbing her arms firmly into his fists to steady her, because he could see her nostrils flaring.

“What is there to be calm about? God I fucking hate her! I just wanna- I don’t know, smash her head against-” She stopped, her eyes widening before she let out an almost maniacal laugh. “Oh my god. I want to smash her head against that stupid lamp that asshole red-head Quinn got her for her birthday. That fucking lamp she keeps on her bedside table right next to the photo of the two of us- oh my GOD that fucking BITCH-”

“Y/N?” Grayson’s voice was small. “Maybe you should-”

“I’m going to kill her. I’m literally going to kill her. I’m going go down to her apartment, that dumbass forget to ask for her key, and I’m gonna take that damn lamp’s chord and strangle her in her SLEEP-”

“Y/N!” Grayson’s hands came up to grip her face; his eyes frantic as they flickered between her seething ones. “You’ve got to breathe. You’re raving like a maniac! You're talking like you’ve actually thought about how you’re gonna-” He looked at her eyes once more, and his arms fell limp next to her on the counter.

“Oh dear god, you’ve thought about this, haven't you?” When she didn’t reply, his hand came up to rub his face. “Y/N tell me you haven’t thought about how you’re going to kill Joanna.”

“Hey, come on!” She threw her hands in the air. “It’s my right as the crazy bitch ex-girlfriend.” She began to laugh.

“Oh my god-” He spun around, rubbing his hair up his scalp and resting his hands on the back of his neck.

“Oh come on I’m not gonna do anything. You just have to let me be crazy for a little bit.”

“Who the fuck is being this loud this early?” The both of them looked over to see Y/N’s roommate walking into the living room.

“Sorry Tam.” Y/N mumbled, and her eyes widened when she saw her roommate’s eyes go to the coffee table.

“Oh Y/N not again-” 

“I’ll clean it up I promise please don’t get mad.” She rushed, jumping off the counter and rushing to the sofa, starting to messily pick up glasses and snack bags. 

Tam sighed. “Babe you know I don’t care about the mess, I care about you-” She paused when she saw Grayson awkwardly standing in the kitchen, and she groaned. “And what is Spartacus doing here?”

“Don’t mind me, I’m only here to establish an alibi. You know, in case Joanna’s found dead in her bathtub tomorrow morning.”

“Ah. so she told you.”

“Yep.”

“Yeah, and she is doing just fine so you can go back to sleep, so sorry for waking you-” Y/N shuffled passed her, chucking a whole armful of trash into the garbage bin and some dirty dishes into the sink, a loud clang following.

Tam winced. “Hon your breath stinks-”

“Tam I know, okay?” Her voice cracked a bit there, that similar pain Grayson had heard on the phone returning to her voice. “I fucking know. It won’t happen again. You can go sleep.”

Tam raised her eyebrows, then looked at Grayson, and he just nodded at her, letting her know that he’d take care of her.

“Alright. Goodnight.”

“Gnight.”

“Gnight Gray.”

He smiled at her, and she disappeared into her room, her door shutting closed behind her.

As soon as Y/N heard that click, her hot tears began to stream down her cheeks, a stifled sob coming out. 

Grayson’s head shot towards her. “Y/N-”

He immediately went and wrapped his arms around her, her sobs getting muffled in his shirt. He stroked her back and she gripped his shoulders, trying to calm herself.

“God I hate her. I hate her so fucking much.”

“Hey, hey, It’s okay.” He pushed her back a bit to look at her, and it pained him so much to see her look the way she did. “Okay, how about you go sit on the couch and watch something on the TV while I finish this pasta, hm?”

She sniffled. “‘Kay.”

“Okay.” She shuffled back towards the couch, plopping herself down and draping the covers over her before turning the TV on and putting on an episode of Friends.

Grayson sighed, turning back to the stove. He worked mindlessly, listening to the fake laugh track coming from the TV as he did, but really thinking about Y/N. He kept glancing over at her, and it really astonished him just how shit she looked. She looked awful. Her eyes were puffy and her hair was in knots and tangles and she now had Tostito crumbs peppered all across her blanket and chest. God she was doing so bad Grayson felt bad that Tam had to deal with her. And how angry he was at her for dealing with everything like this; he knew she was going through a rough time, but it killed him, maddened him every time he had to see her with those hazy eyes. 

In a messed up way, right now, looking at her, Grayson was fairly sure that he hated her. He hated her so much that it pained him because she wouldn’t listen. For some reason Y/N wanted this terrible girl that was nothing but bad news for her. For some reason she kept going back to her despite all the shit she put her through. Y/N was stubborn and she was stupid and she was selfish and yet here he was, standing in her kitchen, making her his stupid vegan pasta.

Why?

He sighed. Because for some reason only god knows, I still love her.

And that was when it clicked.

He turned around to look at her again, and his eyes finally softened for the first time that night.

They were one and the same, weren’t they?

***

Grayson sat next to Y/N, her feet thrown over his lap, her empty bowl of pasta sat atop the coffee table dangerously close to the edge. She had been lying there silently for a bit, her eyes closed and her arms folded on top of her chest.

Grayson had been sitting their, stewing in his thoughts for a bit while he absentmindedly rubbed Y/N’s leg. He’d been thinking about her, about him, about him and her together and all of the fucked up feelings that were stuck in between.

But he was mainly thinking about a certain night from a few months ago. A night similar to this one, yet had ended much differently, and had possible changed the way he would think about Y/N for the rest of forever. And there was just one question that kept arising in his head, in his chest, but mainly in his heart, that he just needed to know the answer to.

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Mm?” He was surprised. She wasn’t asleep.

“You know that I have feelings for you, right?” 

The abruptness of the question startled Y/N, making her look up at him with her eyes wide. “What?”

But he continued on as if what he’d said wasn’t any weirder than asking what she’d eaten that afternoon. “I’m only asking because it’s not like I ever try and hide it. And yknow, you’re always teasing me with your flirting.”

To him it looked like there was a buffer in Y/N’s brain, because it took her a second before she could say anything. “Yea. Yea, I do know.”

“Right.” He inhaled. “Do you remember what happened June 27th?”

Her eyebrow quirked up now. “Uh…”

“That time you and Joanna went on a break because she got sick of the smell of your shampoo. And you got drunk. And I came over.”

Her eyes widened. She did remember. She remembered so well. “Why?”

“Do you remember how you were flirting with me that day?”

A lump was forming in Y/N’s throat. Yes she remembered. She just decided she wasn’t going to care about it. “Yes. I do. But-”

“Yeah I know you do that all the time but-”

“Grayson I remember. I kissed you that night.”

His eyes widened now, his head turning to hers. “You- you remember that?”

“Grayson, I still remember the way you taste.”

His face flushed. “Why the fuck are you like this.”

“Wha-” She furrowed her eyebrows. “No, I’m not- I’m not trying to joke around this time. I’m trying to say yes I remember that night. Incredibly vividly.”

He blinked at her. “Then why did you do it?”

“I-” She caught herself, and she laid back, hands on her forehead. “I don’t know, Gray.”

“What do you mean? I mean, do you like me? Is it like-”

“Of course I like you Grayson-”

“No like do- do you have feelings for me?”

“I-” She sat up, bringing her knees up to her chest, and looking at him intently. “Gray, I love you. You know that. And you just-” She exhaled. “You feel good. You feel safe. You feel like- You feel like home.”

He tilted his head at her. He didn’t understand.

She sighed. “Look, I know I’m not the most, I guess you could say ‘stable’ person. I’m reckless and I’m stupid and- if you hadn’t stopped me that day I probably would’ve ended up fucking you.” Gray’s face flushed again. “But that doesn’t mean that I- God, I was just emotional, and drunk, and, quite frankly I was feeling like I am right now. I feel lost and scared and stupid and you’re like, my anchor. You hold me in place. Things turn to shit and I fuck myself over but you’re still always here, and I don’t fucking know why.” There was a sob beginning to prickle within her throat. “I don’t know why you put up with me and my shit because all I do is hurt you and honestly if I was actually a good friend I’d tell you to drop me. Leave me and let me be self-destructive on my own. I don’t need to drag you down with me. But- but-” Her voice hitched. “But you stay, and you help me, and you rebuild me, and it makes me love you more and more but then I just go and fuck it all up again and I-”

“You stupid emotional drunk.” Grayson mumbled, wrapping his arms her. She trembled, but she wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t let herself. She felt like she owed him that much.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s…” He paused. “It’s okay.”

He sighed, and she breathed out into his shoulder. “I’m not gonna drop you.” He finally said. “You just scare me sometimes.”

She nodded. “I know.”

She leaned back so she could look at him again. “I do love you. I love you so much.”

Grayson smiled. “I know.”

“I think I just love you in a way I’ve never loved anybody else before. And my brain just doesn’t know what to do with that.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me.” 

“But you’re not getting it I-”

“Y/N.”

“Wouldn’t your life just be better without me fucking it up?”

“You don’t fuck it up.”

“That’s the biggest lie of the century.”

“You fuck yourself up, and I hate that you do that.”

The pained expression. “I know.”

“But I stick around because I believe that you’ll stop.” He looked at her, and he realized that, maybe his love for her was something his brain couldn’t understand too. “I believe you’ll get better.”

She nodded. “I will.” She took his hand. “I mean it this time.”

He squeezed hers. “I know.”

“How?”

He looked at how her eyes glistened now, how they seemed to shine differently, more meaningfully. Like they were determined. Hopeful. Cleansed and new. 

He smiled. “I just do.”

[hatsukeii]

Sorry if this is becoming a Tsukki stan blog with all the requests you get for him lmao. All of your precious depressed!Tsukki asks got me thinking. How would he comfort his girlfriend who is having nightmares about him committing suicide after she found him cutting or maybe attempting? I had to break into a friend’s house a couple years ago to stop him from committing suicide and as much as I love him, the thought of that night still haunts me. Thank you for even reading this honestly. 🥺

Okay this was on my list for one of the requests I had to do asap bc it seems like a serious issue that needs attention so I’m putting off the matchups and hcs and doing this one first.

But like it’s still super late I’m sorry-

Plus there’s nothing to be sorry about lol this blog becoming a tsukki stan blog is 100% okay-

I sure as hell hope you’re doing alright, and that your friend is safe, you two seem like amazing people:)

Darling, I’m right here//Depressed!Tsukishima x Reader

Word count: 1600+ (A bit shorter than usual I’m sorry-)

Warnings: Depression, attempted suicide, mild swearing

Summary: You wake up to a reoccurring nightmare.

“Tsukishima?”

“Kei? What are you doing?”

Thank god you had to get to school extra early that day. There Tsukishima was, sitting on the train platform, his feet dangling off the edge. “Kei?” He stayed silent, ignoring you as a bright light headed towards his direction. You knew he was depressed, but you sure as hell didn’t think he would actually try to commit suicide. Your eyes widened as you watched his hands push himself off the platform, landing onto the train tracks. You lifted your leg, desperate to rush over and pull him back up, but it was as if your feet were bolted to the ground, refusing to move. “COME ON! MOVE!” The train was now nearing him, it was guaranteed that it would hit him if he didn’t get out in the next three seconds. You tried to scream, tears flowing freely down your face, but nothing came out. You felt your throat burning, however all that was produced from your mouth were inaudible wheezes and whimpers. Your legs wouldn’t cooperate with you however hard you tried, refusing to leave the cold ground. Your fists were clenched so tight crescent shaped marks etched themselves into your palm. Everything went into slow motion as the train came into sight. Tsukishima sent you one last glance, smiling softly, before everything was painted red and his body was gone. Time seemed to go straight back to normal right afterwards. At the same moment, your legs decided to detach themselves from the ground, and your voice came back almost instantly. “KEI? KEI NO!” You bolted to the platform, hoping to find something, anything, that could convince you this was fake. The air around you was thick, the smell of blood wafting into your nose as you stare at the train tracks in horror. “Why? Why couldn’t I save you just now?” Your heart was thumping furiously, blocking all foreign noise out as you squeezed your eyes shut. You don’t even know what happened, but the second you opened up your eyes, you were in the hall at school, students crowding around your locker. “Wait, you were there when he did it?” “Why didn’t you save him?” “How could you just let him jump off?” The questions never stopped coming. You slammed your hands over your ears, frantically trying to shut out the haunting voices. “No, nononononono stop, please! Please, I couldn’t do anything I couldn’t save him!”

“I COULDN’T SAVE YOU!”

You gasped, hitting your head on the coffee table as you bolted upwards, cold sweat dripping off your forehead as you panted. Tear stains were evident on your face, although you swear you didn’t know you were crying. Your hair was a disheveled mess, strands of baby hair sticking out of your head. Grabbing your sheets in one hand and your chest in the other, you continued to pant heavily, your mind racing in between your reoccurring nightmare and reality. Why was it that again? That was at least a year ago, and yet it still haunted you to this day. You were quick enough to grab Tsukishima from the platform during his attempt, but was that nightmare going to happen if you couldn’t pull him back to safety in time? Would he have died just like that, with no one knowing until a day later? Just the thought of the possibility made you shudder. Your hands made their way next to you, where your boyfriend was comfortably sleeping. Scrambling for his chest, you heaved a heavy sigh when you felt his steady heartbeat on your palm, breathing along to the beats on his chest. You gulped down your saliva, gripping his shirt tightly, as if you were too afraid to even let go for a second. You weren’t going to let him go ever again. Not when he obviously needed support and affection. You looked around Hinata’s living room. The movie from an hour ago was still on, however all the boys were already fast asleep. Kageyama was peacefully snoring away on the couch, Hinata was drooling all over his pillow, Nishinoya was grumbling in his sleep, Tanaka was making weird punching motions, and Yamaguchi stirred a little bit, his eyes squeezing shut. You pretended to lay down again, not wanting to concern the freckled boy with your sudden outburst. His body eventually went limp again as he continued to snore softly. Seeing that the coast was clear, you sat back up, trying to calm yourself down for the third time this week. Your hand was still grabbing onto the blond’s shirt, feeling the soft fabric in between your fingers.

“(Y...Y/N)?”

You froze.

Shit. You forgot that Tsukishima was a light sleeper.

Feeling him shift underneath your hand, you instantly let go of his shirt, gripping onto the mattress Hinata gave you two instead. The mattress dipped a bit, Tsukishima starting to carefully sit up. His hair was messier than usual, despite it being relatively short. Rubbing his eyes, he gave your hunched over figure a glance, completely confused. “(Y/N), what are you doing up so late?” Rapidly turning around, your hand landed on his chest, feeling for his heartbeat. Next, it went up to cup his cheeks, then his arms as your eyes took in his entire body frantically. Finally, your arms wrapped around his neck, burying yourself in his presence. Awkwardly, he returned the embrace by patting your back with one hand, the other arm wrapping around your waist. Your mind was on the verge of insanity. His attempt at suicide was still overwhelming to you, even if it’s already been an entire year. Most people would ask why you haven’t moved on, but truth be told, you couldn’t. Tsukishima was still depressed, he could very well try doing it again, maybe this time in an even more subtle way. In a way where not even you can stop him. You were scared. Anxious. Terrified. Just the thought of him leaving you forever was too much to bear, and brought you to tears. You would have frequent nightmares about him killing himself in various ways. Pills, hanging, jumping off a roof, and the worst of them all, jumping into the train tracks. His initial attempt. And every single time, you wouldn’t be able to save him. You would be stuck to the floor, hopelessly draining yourself of your energy as you try to scream. “I couldn’t save you, what? Why? How are you here? I thought you jumped in? This isn’t a dream right?” 

That was when it struck Tsukishima. Everything was clear as day now. The reason why you came to school sleep deprived every day. Why you constantly fell asleep in class. Why you were always last online at three in the morning. “Why did you never tell me about this?” He could feel the wetness of your tears as you forced your face into his neck more. “Didn’t want you t-to worry more than you already do. I’m gonna go crazy if I see another c-cut on that beautiful skin of yours.” His hand stopped, resting in the small of your back. “(Y/N)...” He didn’t think his self harming tendencies and his suicide attempt would affect you this much. He never thought anyone really cared. However when you hauled him home and screamed at him after catching him trying to jump into the train tracks, that ignited something in him. He now had someone he had to- no. Wanted to protect. One person cared enough to save him, and that was all it took for him to realise a bit of his self worth. He would do anything to keep you happy and safe. One of your first requests was for him to stop cutting. He had stopped scattering his skin with cuts, despite his crippling depression. He had done it just for you, and it felt amazing. You usually just waved him off with a casual “Insomnia’s a bitch” whenever he asked about the dark eye bags, or the questionable time you were last online. Never did the thought that you were still traumatised from events that happened over a year ago pass his mind. He should’ve known that this would affect you badly. How could he have been so selfish? Disregarding your emotions as he tried to end his life. He felt terrible. He was pissed at himself. For being so selfish and foolish.

He heaved a heavy sigh, mentally punching his nuts. Moving his hand from your back, he caressed your head tenderly, as if you were a glass statue that would break with the tiniest push. You sobbed even harder, squeezing him tight. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” His eyes fluttered shut as he held onto your trembling figure, peppering your head with tiny kisses in an attempt to comfort you. You smelled like shampoo and roses. He couldn’t help but take a sniff. You were the sole reason he was still here, living and breathing as he plummeted through his hole called life. Without you, he would’ve been dead ages ago. You were the guiding light in his life, reminding him about everything he should live for. Everything he should be happy for. Taking your head off his neck, you look straight at him with teary eyes. “You’re here right? This is real?” His heart shattered at the sight. His beautiful, amazing, precious, perfect girlfriend, was crying because of him. He pushed your head back into his shoulder, giving you the biggest hug as he held his grip on you tightly.

“Darling, I’m right here. I’m always gonna be here.”

Ahhhh I hope you liked it even though it’s a lot shorter than what I usually write🥺👉👈💖💕

Tags: @ewfilthymundane @izzyphantomgamer @sunshines-and-tatertots @tiger1719 @trashcanweeb @inlwlevi @itmekisuu @just-another-bored-writer @justachillgirl @burnt-tomato @for-ests @bokutokoutarou @kaylacinderella @random-fandomlover @xonfusedsoul @estherwritess @macaronnv @talks-a-lot-of-stuff @agentvicinity @sakusasgarbage @tiredgr3mlin @emsvegetables @fullmetalfangirl21 @poppirocks @mariechan123 @tokyoghoose

Dm or comment if you wanna be included in the taglist or if I forgot to tag you!

[raleigh-ocean]

ashes to ashes | part 2

words: 2,063

summary: Natasha got assigned the task of making an ex-Hydra spy operative for S.H.I.E.L.D, but since the beginning she wasn’t sure if she was going to be of any help. Maybe with time she would change her mind, but from now on the only thing she wanted was to get over with this is as soon as possible.

taglist: @messuhp​

If Natasha knew that was all she needed to make you stop having murderous tentatives, she would had resorted to it way sooner.

Two weeks and a half had passed since both her and Sharon were assigned with you, but trying to train with you was still...like a death trap. They didn't do much but get more and more bruised after you started to get stronger again, but the rage you seemed to hold inside never faded, making up for the energy lost. Whatever they made you go through, it seemed like it wasn't enough at all, because your only response to it was to fight instead of learn what they had in store for you.

The talking part wasn't at its best, but watching you open up little by little was a relief. Wanda was the one that made you talk the most words out of everyone, and most of them were when none could see you two exchange it. That didn't help at all to the 'not be confined to your quarters' part, because what Maria wanted of you was to...be part of team, not isolate yourself more. 

Sharon was always the brain of the duo, Natasha going more for the tedious part that it was the physical one. But after Wanda had pointed out how much you seemed to stare out of the window and that you were always kept inside, something in their minds clicked.

How could you progress when you were kept more like an animal of some sort, instead of giving you a bit more liberties around? Maria had also pointed out that you still were in a grey area of possibly ran away, which was one of the motives behind not letting you go further than the common areas nor being alone there. Were they willing to take the risk of leaving you in the open? If something went wrong they would have to literally run for their lives.

So they, in their most idiotic momentum, decided that they were willing to take that if it meant having a chance on completing their task…

...a chance with a safety belt, which was Wanda.

And now, after three hours, Natasha couldn't help but smile in relief. Maybe the deep sigh of relief was also because she was trying to recover from running like mad for thirty minutes, Sharon relieving her in the probably fortieth lap you did around the main yard.

"Doesn't she tire herself out?" Wanda was still in her pajamas, because she had refused to change clothes in retaliation when Natasha had woke her up that early in her day off, a blanket around her while sitting on one of the benches. "I don't know how you two do it, honestly, I would have thrown up after five laps."

Watching how you left Sharon behind easily helped Natasha to try and gather some strength. Oh, of course they weren't doing so well, but they were better at hiding their true tiredness than anyone else. She had actually thrown up behind some bushes at the twenty-fifth lap and Sharon was limping while running at this point. But you kept running around as if you barely had started to do so, as if somehow just being out gave you more and more energy...or, as Natasha hoped, got you to burn all the rage that seemed to get in the way of your thinking.

"She's been trained to follow anyone through any possible terrain for who knows how long and who knows in which condition," she finally let out after downing half bottle of water. "I think this feels like a normal day for her."

Natasha knew Wanda wanted to say something back at that, whether a question or an addition, but held back in order to just watch how you passed Sharon by her right for the second time. 

That was enough for Sharon to just give up and go lie down in front of the other two women, too exhausted to say or do anything else but exist there. But you kept running, as if you didn't care about your two guards giving up. And as much as Natasha could see...you were happy? So she didn’t stop you, just decided to sit by Sharon’s side to watch you burn away all those feelings that were making you not go forward.

Until you finally stopped dead in your tracks, as if you had a switch in your back. 

Wanda was the first one to react at that, not by moving, but by smiling you as if nothing dangerous could happen.

"Are you tired?" she was polite and you could hear in her voice that she was asking genuinely, seeing how she patted the spot in her left. "Come sit here, I'm sure your legs are burning at this point."

"I... I'm fine I think," you were slightly tired, you couldn't deny that, but nothing five minutes resting didn't fix. Taking a sit by Wanda's side, you looked at Natasha and Sharon, who were trying to sit up to look at you with curious yet cautious eyes. "Are we going to spar today or do I have to go back to…?"

Maybe it was because those were the first phrases you spoke directly to them, taking out the groans and growls, but Natasha managed to discern finally the distress in your voice when you didn't finish the final question.

"No," she was quick to answer, making you look directly at her and making her notice how your features didn't hardened for once, only looking at her like a curious child. "Nothing of going back to your room."

"Then?" your voice felt strange, almost eager for having something more to do. 

"Let's just enjoy one day of you not wanting to kill us," this time was Sharon who talked, giving up on trying to sit and just resting in her back again in the ground. "Tomorrow we can start with the actual retraining."

“How do you know this isn’t part of my plan…?” your voice went softer and you were sure you had their eyes on you without having to check, only looking at how peaceful the place was. “That I didn’t make you two spend all your energies, enough for me to take you out in a blink, after hurting miss Maximoff easily as using the blanket she has on right now,” you looked at your hands, the lie rolling in your tongue easily while you sensed how Wanda moved a bit away from you. “And then walk off the grounds as if I was a mere visitor?”

For what it seemed a forever and some more, the three other women were trying to discern if you were being totally serious, taking in count you got really specific while explaining. But then Natasha chuckled loudly, snapping Wanda and Sharon out of the serious air you put them in, and you couldn’t help but follow.

Soon you were holding your stomach because of it, taking it out of proportion but Natasha kept laughing with you and...it felt right for some reason. Right to be there, so far away from where you were raised, trained and sent to missions; right to have switched sides, to see a better future than end up dying somewhere no one would care about; right to finally see some light at the end of the tunnel you lived for all your life.

“If I wanted to do something to any of you, I wouldn’t have wait this long,” you were trying to stop laughing and you managed after closing your eyes really hard, holding your breath and all. “I was joking.”

You never said sorry, that much Natasha could say, but your words were full of the joke you just pulled. And that was enough for her to stand up, gathering some of the energies she had back to try and help Sharon to do the same.

“I do get those jokes, but these two don’t,” you looked at how Natasha pulled up her hair again, redoing her ponytail and giving you a stare that you couldn’t decipher. “Maybe try to smile a bit before throwing them so casually, agent L/N.”

The word ‘agent’ felt strange not only in her tongue, but in your ears, and it made you blink twice trying to get it to sound fine enough in your mind. Will you really learn to be an agent? For you, that meant to be part of a team rather than being alone like you always were, and that would probably be the hardest thing you ever try to do. But for some reason you were starting to believe that it wasn’t so crazy to think that you’ll become one. 

At least, as long as you had those three women around you...and, smiling to yourself, the rest of their strange team once you got along with all of them.

“That I can do, agent Romanoff...but I can’t promise them to be good,” you said, standing up as well and getting in between the three of them. You still were under supervision, which meant that you had to move in between your ‘guards’ when you weren’t in a controlled space. “I think I would scare people more than reassure them.”

“I saw your smile, you aren’t that bad,” Wanda tried to say, wrapping herself better in the blanket. 

Hearing you talk more was like music to Natasha’s ears. This was a bigger step than having you stop acting as if you were about to murder them all in cold blood. And Sharon seemed to agree with her, seeing how she gave her a surprised look, so they kept hearing you talk with Wanda here and there until you all were inside the compound again. Natasha didn’t like that you stopped the second you four put a foot in the living room, but she stopped herself from pushing you since the last thing she wanted was to make you go back to your prior mood and-

“Doctor Banner, are you sure about eating those cereals? I think there are better options.”

Yeah, now she got why you said your smile would scare people off. 

Overall watching how Bruce pushed away his bowl of cereal and started running towards his lab gave it away, but also Wanda’s laugh when you turned around all confused because of both their reactions. Natasha was sure that you didn’t mean to sound or look that terrifying but you were and, well, now she had more work to do, because if you pulled one of those in the middle of an undercover mission...you all would be screwed for sure.

“Come on, let’s have that training round you wanted, L/N,” she still wasn’t sure of using your first name, so Natasha resorted to call you by your last name. “Maybe afterwards we can work on some basic files while having dinner.”

And Nat would have laugh for sure just by how panicked Sharon looked at that, but the only thing she managed to get out of her system was a soft smirk when she laid her eyes on you.

You weren’t smiling, but Natasha could see what Wanda was referring to not long ago. It was like your whole body language changed, something close to a spark shining in your eyes along the softest tug in the left corner of your mouth before it went away. 

When you walked by her, instead of keep walking towards the training room you stopped again dead in your tracks. That was something more she had noticed about you, your ability to stop and restart without missing a beat. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at your sudden stop, waiting for you to say whatever was making you chew your lower lip for a mere second, and then you asked the next thing nonchalantly, as if you were asking about the weather.

“Can I have a knife this time? I miss training with my knives.”

Oh, yeah, Natasha was tired, beat up even, but she was still smart enough to shake her head in negation and not give you your weapon of choice and mastery…

...but maybe if you asked her again in a couple more weeks, she would at least considere lend you a stick.

[whump-town]

Wreck

I wrote out that little thing I that wrote about yesterday. I also worked on my Stats homework and I might be crazy but I think I understand it now so...

“Just wait here, sweet thing.”

Morgan grunts his understanding. He’s bent over himself in the wheelchair, his right hand pressed into his sore side. The nurse brings the wheelchair to a stop, leaving him right in front of the waiting room’s chairs. He’d managed to come out of the ordeal lucky-- if that’s what you want to call two broken ribs and a fractured collarbone.

“Hey, asshat,” Emily kicks the wheelchair, jostling Morgan. “I thought you were dead.”

Morgan looks up at her, his dark eyes bloodshot. Her head is wrapped up, the gauze thick but blood has still seeped through over her right temple. “You’re head okay, princess?” Other than that, she seems to have faired well. That doesn’t account for what he can’t see though.

Emily nods.

She’d been in the first car while he’d been in the second.

The wreck had happened quickly. Morgan can’t remember much but he remembers the way his stomach dropped when he watched the first SUV-- the one with Emily, Hotch, and Dave in it-- get hit by the semi. He hadn’t been fast enough to stop his SUV from hitting the back of theirs.

There’d been so much blood.

“Have you seen the others?” Emily asks. There’s a hint of worry bleeding into her tone.

He’d crawled out of his SUV, bleeding and hurting, to Emily’s shouts. She was standing on the driver’s side, trying to play angry but shaking with fear. Hotch was slumped in his seat, leaning to the side and limp. Unresponsive to Emily’s insistent calls. Morgan couldn’t stand to hear them any longer. Each one sending a cold chill up his spine.

He can’t remember where Hotch had ended up…

“Thank God--”

Morgan looks up and sees what Emily does: JJ and Dave.

The older man is holding an icepack to his head, a sizeable piece of gauze on his temple, and his right arm strapped to his body in a sling. When he sees Morgan he smirks and moves the fingers on his right arm to draw attention to it, “we match!”

So, Morgan deduces, Dave got the good stuff. Lucky son of a bitch. He looks down at his own arm and nods his agreeance, they do match.

Across JJ’s shoulder is a suit jacket. Hotch’s suit jacket. She’s shivering despite how closely she’s pulled it around her thin shoulders. Just behind them are Reid and Hotch. They look just as worse. Reid’s leaning heavily into the bars on the back of the wheelchair, pushing Hotch slow and steady. Each step sending a jolt of pain down his knee. His bad knee.

Hotch looks nearly unresponsive from where he’s looking out from under hooded eyes. He’s got his own sling and two black eyes and a butterfly bandage over his bloody nose.

But they’re alive.

Sometimes, you just have to take the wins where you get them… how you get them.

Settling into chairs-- Morgan and Hotch both fightings to get out of the wheelchairs and into normal chairs-- they struggle to get comfortable. It takes some twisting about but, eventually, pained grunts are replaced by content sighs and the slow evening out breathing.

“How the hell are we getting home,” Emily whispers, leaning back in her chair to look at Dave. She knows the others have not thought about it. Hell, the other’s are sleeping. They’re not worried about that at all.

Morgan, JJ, and Reid are all asleep.

Morgan hadn’t lasted too long after getting settling into the chair. Fighting with Emily to get out of the wheelchair had taken it out of him. What little he had to give, that is. So he’d melted and created the perfect pillow for a very sleepy Reid. Who hadn’t needed permission before drawing his lanky body into the chair and leaning his head onto Morgan’s shoulder like a pillow.

It looks like an uncomfortable position but he’s snoring softly, unbothered. He’s got one leg stretched out, hooked over the chair, and supported by the chair directly beside his. Emily has a sneaking suspicion it’s his bad knee.

JJ has stretched across Morgan and Emily. Her head is pillowed in Emily’s lap and her feet in Morgan’s lap. The lights had hurt her eyes, she’s nursing a nasty concussion, but Hotch’s jacket had proved to be a perfect blind. Between Emily’s fingers slowly working through her hair and the muffled scent of Hotch’s cologne drowning out the hospital antiseptics, she’d succumbed quickly to the heavy draw of sleep.

Hotch’s concussion is painfully obvious. Despite his fight to get into the chair, wedged between Dave and Emily, he’d been fairly dazed, if not confused. In the end, he’d been the most complacent. Going where he was directed.

He’s fighting sleep now.

Dave returns Emily’s gaze, taking a moment to process what she’s said. “Garcia,” he finally answers. He’d gotten his phone and made the call. Judging from the tone of her voice when he’d told her about what happened, she’s not going to be pleased. It’s not their fault, for once, so he suspects they’ll earn a modicum of pity.

He’s hoping for pity.

Garcia makes fantastic pity cookies.

Emily grumbles, “she’s going to kill us.”

She is.

But, as Dave had considered, the cookies they’ll get afterward are going to be worth it.

With a sigh, Emily reaches up and pulls Hotch’s head towards her shoulder. She’s tired and she’s starting to get annoyed with him. He doesn’t deserve her snapping at him right now, so she’s saving them both the hassle. Graciously, he doesn’t so much as hum or grunt when she does it. He just goes where she guides.

She’d watched him jerk his head up about twelve times. He’d been nodding off and leaning towards either her shoulder or Dave’s and seeing no end in sight, she’d ended it herself.

He’s grateful.

His head is pounding and, now resting against her shoulder, that’s one last thing for him to think about.

It doesn’t take him long to succumb to the drugs in his system.

Which makes them a sold 5 out of 7 on sleeping members of the BAU.

The number quickly becomes 6 out of 7.

Emily hates to admit it but… between JJ draped over her lap and Hotch leaning into her side, she’s really comfortable. They’re warm and Hotch is surprisingly soft and JJ is practically a weighted blanket. It’s hard to resist sleep when it comes. She leans her head against Hotch’s and shifts her hands under JJ to keep them warm and finds her eyes sliding shut against her will.

Dave watches over them.

He’s nearly removed from their little pile. He would be entirely if not for the vice-like grip Hotch has on his hand. Even in his sleep, Dave suspects Aaron won’t be releasing him anytime soon. But they’d nearly lost everything tonight. Dave can understand some fear and if holding his hand soothes Aaron enough to sleep then so be it.

“Oh goodness!” The sound of heels on cheap linoleum tiles sneaks up on Dave rather quickly and he looks up to find Penelope Garcia standing in the mouth of the room. She’s deflating, her frustration with them melting away to just… soft dismay. Her eyes land on Dave and she sends him a soft, sad smile.

He smiles back, “they’re okay.”

She nods her head. “I know they need to get home and to bed but… I feel so bad about waking them up.” And she’d only brought one SUV to pack them into. Packed atop one another right now, she suspects that won’t actually be a big deal. Besides, she brought them blankets, popsicles, and cookies (all to soothe over whatever she says as she resists the urge to smack their heads together for getting into trouble once again).

Dave nods his understanding, “they’re… harmless like this. Aren’t they?”

Garcia nods. The mission remains the same, regardless of how cute her friends are.

“Come on, my darlings.” She makes her way around, starting with Morgan and Reid. It’s easy, those two. Morgan’s awake the second Reid shifts and groans because he’s being woken up. “Come on,” Garia whispers, pushing Reid’s hair out of his face. “Let’s get you guys home.”

JJ doesn’t take kindly to being moved about.

Hotch takes it worse when Emily and Dave pull him to his feet and ease him into the wheelchair.

“Do you want your jacket back?” JJ asks him when he sits in the wheelchair, pouting and leaning heavily to his left.

His unfocused eyes slowly work their way up to her and it takes him a moment to process what she’s said. By then he can’t even think of a reply. Can’t even remember giving her the jacket.

“Keep it,” Dave replies for him. “He doesn’t need it right now.”

JJ tucks it back around her shoulders and sinks into the excess material.

“Ready,” Garcia asks them. They look like children all huddled up and grumpy because they’ve been woken up. “Let’s get to the car then, okay? I’ve got blankets and snacks.”

Reid perks up. “Snacks?”

Garcia nods, “you bet.”

Hotch perks up, just a little, “popsicles?”

The sound of his deep voice, raising just a little with his hope is enough to make Garcia smile. “Just for you, sir.”

Hotch hums and settles back against the wheelchair.

Emily nudges him, “wanna split a red one?”

Hotch nods.

Together, they head out to the SUV. They’re going to argue about who sits where and then argue about being sat on top of each other.

Morgan and JJ sit in the very back. JJ shifting about until her head is in Morgan’s lap. Feeling her settle grounds him and Morgan finds sleep easily after that.

Hotch takes the seat behind the driver’s and is content with his popsicle and the blanket that is thrown across his lap. Reid takes the middle seat and ends up falling asleep with his head on Hotch’s shoulder. Emily takes the other half of Hotch’s popsicle and falls asleep with her head leaned against the window.

Dave and Garcia just enjoy the silent car ride home knowing that the assholes behind them will be awake again sooner rather than later in need of painkillers and real food and when that time comes… there goes all this blissful silence. But for now… they just enjoy what they do have.