#next week I think the doc is supposed to call me

[fruitless-vain]

[catladyoftheyr]

Too Sweet (Ch 3)

Harvey x Reader

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 4

Summary: picking up off last chapters cliffhanger and diving straight into Harvey’s 4 heart event. You resolve the conflict after the incident with George, Harvey gives you a checkup, and you two share a jar of pickles in his apartment. 💘🥒

Authors note: I know nothing about the Air Force I’m so sorry. It’s just for the plot and vibes. He needed a backstory!!

Word count: 1.7k! A longer chapter as a treat

“Harvey! Oh my god why are you here? Wait, no, I don’t mean it like that” the surprise visit from the doctor had you stumbling over your words. “You scared me. And I don’t actually think your mustache is stupid. I just… I was really embarrassed about what happened earlier.”

“I actually stopped by to thank you for backing me up earlier. George can be stubborn, so I’m glad you got him to listen to you.” The doctor averted eye contact and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Oh uhhh, sure. How much of what I said did you hear by the way?” You hoped silently that he hadn’t heard you call him cute, especially since you’d been talking to a chicken.Harvey slid down and sat next to you on the floor of the coop.

“Just the part where you insulted my mustache,” he replied, stroking his own facial hair. “The farm is coming along nicely. You must be very dedicated to make such a turn around in such a short time.”

Oh thank Yoba you thought to yourself. “Thank you. I guess I’m trying to make up for lost time; I want to honor Grandpa’s memory because he loved this farm and the community. I used to spend a couple weeks here in the summer when I was growing up. I haven’t been back to the valley since I was a teenager. I didn’t think Lewis would recognize me when I came back.” You laughed quietly, an image of you as a gawky adolescent with braces coming back to you

“About earlier, we can put that behind us if you’d like. I didn’t mean to be short with you either. I was startled so I apologize for being curt.” Harvey looked at you with a kind expression before rising from the floor. “I’d like for us to be on good terms going forward.” He extended his hand and helped you up.

———————————————————————————

The bell on the door chimed as you walked in and Harvey’s head poked up from his paperwork. “Hey! Just the person I wanted to see today actually.”

“Oh?”

“I was about to write you a letter recommending that you schedule your annual checkup. If you don’t mind, I’ve got time today actually for a cursory exam.” Truthfully you weren’t very fond of hospitals, or doctor’s appointments. But you were also a terrible liar and had no time to think of an excuse. Better just to get it over with, you supposed.

“I can make it work.” You set the jar of pickles aside temporarily and followed Harvey to an exam room. You sat down on the paper, uncomfortable with the sudden formal shift in your dynamic. You’d gone from friend to patient in a matter of minutes. Harvey placed his stethoscope just under the collar of your shirt and you flinched at the touch of the cold metal.

“Sorry it’s chilly,” Harvey said. “Your heart rate is a little high. Do hospitals make you nervous?” He asked with a slight furrow in his brow.

“A little bit” you admitted. It certainly didn’t help that this was the most physical contact the two of you had shared since you met. He placed his hand on your shoulder and your eyes met. You felt your palms start sweating.

“Take a deep breath for me please” you did as instructed and tried to focus on anything else but the feeling of his hand on you. “Your lungs sound strong.” Harvey was in his element as he checked off the boxes of a routine checkup. He tested your reflexes, examined your ears and eyes, writing down his observations on his clipboard. “So far you seem to be in good health. I just have a few more questions about your lifestyle”

“Ask away, Doc.” Harvey seemed slightly flustered at the nickname but made a quick recovery. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and stood up straighter, clearing his throat

“As I was saying. Working on the farm involves a fair amount of physical labor I assume, so I’m sure you get enough exercise. What do you usually eat in a day?”

“Oh I usually just eat the foragables I find around the valley. There’s a lot of leeks and wild onions out now. I saw a weird looking berry the other day and I ate a couple of those. Sometimes I eat eggs from the chickens, or buy something from Gus for dinner.” Harvey was visibly stressed as he absorbed the information you gave him.

“I would highly advise that you eat a more balanced diet. Foraging is fine as a snack but it won’t provide enough energy for your activity levels. Eggs are good, but I’d implore you to try and eat from all the food groups”

“So this probably isn’t a great time to say I also eat the algae I find in the mines?” You’d never seen the poor doctor so stressed; you imagined most of his patients weren’t quite as odd as you.

“Let’s move on. How much sleep do you get at night?”

“6ish, sometimes less, sometimes more”

“Well, 8 hours a night is recommended but 6 isn’t terrible I suppose. But I’d encourage you to try and find a healthier routine. Farming is labor intensive and if you don’t give your body the care it needs you won’t be able to keep up sooner or later.” He had a look of genuine worry in his eyes and it pulled at your heartstrings. You’d only known each other for several months, but you sensed the beginning of a deep connection.

“I’ll try to be better,” you replied softly. You weren’t used to being chastised, but you understood he meant well.

“Thank you. You’re free to go and have an official clean bill of health from me”

“Well I stopped by to ask a favor actually”

“Oh?”

“I was wondering if you’d do me the honors of being the very first taste tester of my first batch of farm fresh pickles” you grinned and gestured toward the door “I left them on the counter.” Harvey smiled back and held the door open for you.

“I’d be honored. I’m actually about to close up for the day, would you like to come upstairs?”

The two of you headed upstairs to the small apartment above the clinic. Furniture was sparse and well loved, and there was a small kitchenette off the main room. The back wall held a large bookshelf that boasted an assortment of books and some small trinkets. Another shelf was lined carefully with model planes. There was a radio station in the corner by the window. “It’s not much, but it’s home,” Harvey said sheepishly.

“It’s great” you replied, eyes scanning the room with eagerness. You were itching to learn more about him. You took a seat on his small sofa, your heart nearly skipping a beat when he sat next to you, his knee inches away from yours. “You can have the first one” you offered, extending the open pickle jar toward Harvey.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Harvey reached in and plucked out a particularly large pickle before biting into it. His eyes lit up as he tasted it. “This is delicious! You’ve really never made pickles before?” You shook your head. “Well you certainly have a knack for it.” You grabbed a pickle for yourself and were pleasantly surprised at how good they were. You were glad he wasn’t lying to spare your feelings.

“What’s with the planes?” You saw Harvey get a far off look on his face while he thought about his response

“I’ve always been fascinated by aviation. I did a stint in the Air Force years ago. I wanted to become a pilot but it didn’t pan out. It ended up paying for my med school tuition though. The model planes are something I like to do in my free time. I find them relaxing, and they remind me of my time in service.”

“I would have never guessed that. Pilots and doctors are pretty different. What led you down this path?”

“I think I’ve always had an affinity for helping people. I joined the Air Force to serve my country; this feels like a way to serve the community in a different way.”

“That’s actually really selfless.” You toyed with images of Harvey in uniform as you reached for another pickle, not realizing that Harvey had the same idea. Your hands met in the rim of the jar and you flinched back instinctively. The small touch left you wanting more. You adjusted your legs slightly, tentatively letting one fall against his. Harvey made no effort to break contact.

“Tell me more about yourself. You said you explore the mines. Are there really monsters in there?”

“There are! I haven’t made it down very far but there’s all kinds of creatures down there.” You animatedly described the things you’d encountered on your adventures: colorful slimes, stealthy rock crabs, large buzzing insects, agile bats and more. Harvey looked on with a mixture of awe and fear.

His voice grew soft as he spoke “please be careful in the mines. I’d hate to see you get hurt.” Suddenly it was as if a switch had gone off in his mind and he got up from the couch. “Wait here one second!” He bolted across the studio and down the stairs. You heard rummaging from below before Harvey emerged again holding an armful of various medicines and first aid supplies. “Take these.” He thrusted the bundle of supplies into your arms.

“Harvey I can’t just take these from you. These are expensive” you insisted, trying to hand them back to him. A roll of gauze unraveled on the floor. Harvey plucked it from the ground and placed it on a table.

“Nonsense. Consider it part of your checkup.” He looked you in the eyes with a pleading expression. “Please take them. And promise me you’ll keep them with you in the mines”

“I promise.”

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - There's so much airing even I'm struggling to keep up

That's why I'm late.

Aug 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 6 of 8 - Oh no. I am totally in love with the escaped young master & his smitten bodyguard. How did that happen? (Be careful P’Thee the broken ones are the most tempting. Tin understands.) NO SINGING! Trust Thai BL to destroy any moment of sentiment I might have by picking up a damn guitar. And we finally get Charn’s Batman villain origin story. Good use of back hug! This is a GREAT show. Melodramatic as fuck, but GREAT. Gotta say this pair in NOT Thailand’s best kissers but not everyone can be Zee++. Still I think that + singing + a touch of overacting is likely to keep this out of the 10/10 club.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 1 of 12 - Rich /poor dynamic with characters & set up exactly as expected. Chimon is great. Perth is good too. A real rich-kid bully, Heirs level or Japanese F4 evil. All the teachers are also corrupt (that’s kinda a Thai thing, I think because they can't call out the government). I gotta say, Marc is doing a bang-up job as the jock friend, too. And the kiss twist was fun. All in all, this is good. And you know me, I love a high school BL.

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Sat YT) ep 1 of 12 - The time travel historical romance many of us have been waiting for. Adaption of y-novel by Violet Rain, from the producers of Lovely Writer. Heartbroken architect is transported to the 1930s. Nonkul (actor playing Jom) keeps reminding me of Cho Han Gyeol from Love Mate. It’s a bit slow to start but interesting when it hits its stride. The pacing feels like a Chinese historical (makes me wonder if this with be 4 or 6 act structure). Nonkul is a wonderful actor. They weren’t sharing the screen for long, but the leads seem good together. I’m in. 

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 2 of 10 - Well. It’s entertaining, I'll say that for it. Addiction. Manipulation. Queer as folk & all that jazz. (No jazz for you, Thailand. Oh no! I’m giving them ideas.) I would like it to turn out that Mew is actually manipulating everything. This is his revenge con on Top. Mew is, after all, supposed to be "the smart one." Gotta say, this is darn near perfect casting. But honestly? This show could just be about Ray & Sand. Their story (and them in it) is easily the most riveting. Sand better be careful, the wildly broken ones are always the best in bed, because they don’t care ao they have no shame and that's HOT.

Hidden Agenda (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 6 of 10 - I like how soft Joke’s version of seme flirting is. It’s mellow, like his voice gets with Zo. I also liked Zo casually chatting to his friends about how he feels about being flirted with. His friends gave good advice & were supportive. Oh no! A boy in a BL went into the rain ALONE. What ON EARTH will happen next? The argument was interesting, because it gave us insight into Zo’s maturity & ability to handle a relationship. I’ve been wondering why anyone would like him, and now I know. Joke & Nita’s backstory is fun. I like the gay boy protecting the straight girl reverse beard action. On a complete aside, I really like Dunk’s makeup in this series. It’s very Kdrama.

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - The house ghosts trying to help are cute. The plot is at least... a plot? I don’t know. Dias Ex Mafia is a new one on me. (COME ON THAT’S A GREAT PUN, PRAISE ME!) I’m ready for this show to be over. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 7 of 12 - Honestly, the whole time I’m watching this I’m just thinking I wish JaFirst got better scripts. Speaking of, I don’t object, but these characters sure moved into sex fast. I really don’t quite understand how Daddy & Hot Doc got together so fast either. It feels like their story was meant to be spread out into the other episodes but didn’t get cut in properly, so it ended up all in this one? Or is it just the pacing is particularly bad in this show?

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 eps - I have no idea what is going on. What are all of Dino’s friends doing? What do they want? what’s their point in the story? I’m even annoyed by Peak, and love him. Sex scene which they tried to make sexy. Operative word being tried. Although, there was some interesting after sex discussion about mechanics. And there was a cute bathtub chat about pet names. But this show is a lotta work for very little pay out. 

Wedding Plan (Wed YT & iQIYI) ep 5 of 7 - I like the sunshine sides? PUNCH LOM 2023! Trash watch here!

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - Pushy older bro is Earn from Love Sick, yay! And he’s the hyung of a side couple, which is "best friend’s older brother" trope! My favorite!!!! Have we seen this in BL before? I don't think so. Anyway, DOUBLE YAY! The main couple… eh. You know I loathe stalker characters. And I viscerally HATE this one. Almost as bad as SCOY, not sure I can take it, actually. The squealing of "Tammy!" is worse on my ear than any off-key guitar strumming. I may have to DNF or fast forward through all his parts… but he’s the lead. What to do? I do like the “Chinese” businessman actor. He very cute. (On an aside, I was just reading about commercial real estate as the loophole for foreign property investors in Thailand. Cool plot point.) I’m getting a Taming of the Shrew vibes from this. Just me? For now it's living at the bottom of the list for sheer unadulterated loathing of Phumjai. Not the actor, he was my favorite and only good thing about Our Days. But this character? NO.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 5 of 8 - This is basically the gay Boys Over Flowers of my heart. Or as close as I think we’ll get from BL. I like both of the 2nd leads, even though I suspect Simon of actually being into everyone’s fav hyung. Cute to see the Mr Heart boys back on my screen, oh so briefly. Such a Taiwan trick, reusing a beloved couple like that. Nice gimmie to the fans. Meanwhile, Choi Jun - boy sure knows his angles but his motives? Please don’t let this be another arranged marriage beard situation? I can’t take 2 in the same month. 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - The boyfriends ep! JC is biggest simp spoiling his baby EVER. Taiwan = the sappiest of saps. “Owning the same key” is such a cute way of putting it. Also I love the "knew all along" twist, made me happy. The angst is silly but that's normal in Taiwanese BL. 

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 3-4 of 10 - Pair 1: Lee Hyun is such a wide-open, bleeding, no-shame romantic. It’s kinda great. Boy has a poet’s soul & NO artifice. J-Min is startlingly good, very nuanced. I know I keep saying that, but I’m v surprised by his skillz. And… add in creepy stalker, goody. Pair 2: The "other student couple" I’m not into, also NO SINGING. Pair 3: The underwear gift was so fucking funny. “I’m going reap the boxers I sewed” is next level script excellence. These two are brilliant at gayest-of-gay flirt-negging, I'm INTO IT. One of my housemates said, in response to my audible cackling, "You seem to be enjoying your shows extra much tonight."  

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - Oh I love love love them. It’s so old school yaoi and SO JBL. No other country could produce this kind of show. I love this little feminist aspect where the weatherman treats his boy like a 1950s housewife & said boy thinks that makes him an indentured servant. Clocks. But also, the way our weatherman LOOKS at his boy. He is so in love. (It looks like we skip next week for holiday reasons?) 

Sing My Crush (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - It remains enjoyable. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - At least we know Minato actually desires Shin, he just won’t do anything about it. Also, Minato chose the perfect person to come out to. That's nice for him. Finally, Shu & Asuka are glorious. Sides are winning these days.

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) ep 3 of 5 - A proper faen fatal has entered one of our couples. She won too, since she ended up marrying the boy. Still not sure about this show (and it should have convinced me by now). I definitely like the tattoo couple better than the reunion couple. Still, not a lot happened in this episode and this is short series, they don’t have time to waste. It remains intriguing but not... erm... good.

In case you missed it

River Knows Fish Heart is leaving Gaga soon. It's a decent little bully romance Chinese BL (pulp) - yes, you read that right. Actual CBL. Not great, but if you're into the CBL stuff, especially the early stuff, this has some of that tenor only made in 2018 (I have a feeling it was shot in 2017 and skated through). Anygay, just staying. Catch it before it disappears because with CBL once they gone, often, they gone forever.

Friend. Boy Friend a new Thai BL pulp was supposed to start airing on Aug 19th. I can't find it. Neither can MDL.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Everything from Thailand seems to be dropping on Sat & Sun this month. It's a good thing I got quiet weekends for a while. Also the BL firehose is upon us, so much content.

Starting this week:

8/20 (tomorrow) My Universe series (Sun iQIYI) 24 eps - This is sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, not sure on the order they’ll drop. Known couples include EarthBank from Destiny Seeker and KaownahTurbo from Love Stage!!!, fresh faces otherwise. Jane to direct.

8/22 Kisseki: Dear to Me formerly known as Miracle (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) 13 eps - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer.  

8/23 Why R U? (Korean remake iQIYI) 8 eps - I find everything about this hilarious. I mean if Korea remakes it, we lose all the sexy and then... would we have a story at all? No we would not. Not even for 8 short eps. It’d be like one of those mesh shopping bags.

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Another show reviewing itself. (Dino Love)

Don't insult bastards, Lom. (Wedding trash)

I would like this adorable romcom GMMTV, please and thank you.

See what I mean? Trixy.

Thanks boys. (All Only Friends)

(Last week) 

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

Big Boss: What Happened?

Big Boss: Info Dump Request

@qoppybirdie requested:

This is my attempt at fulfilling that, with my own take on it. And probably a whole lot longer than OP wanted. But here we are. 

Google Doc version. NOW ACCEESIBLE (Opened Access)

As a quick aside, I personally consider Portable Ops canon to the timeline and lore. Not everyone does, but in this I will be using examples from Portable Ops, as to me, it’s canon. I’m aware this is debated, so I’m putting it out there first and foremost.

Here we go!

“Politics are a living thing. They change along with the times. Today’s good may be tomorrow's evil.”-The Boss, to Big Boss (then Naked Snake) during the Virtuous Mission, 1964.

Big Boss, known as John/Jack, was born in the USA in 1935. Almost nothing of his life is known until the age of 15/16, when he met The Boss in 1950, becoming her apprentice. The Boss served as his mentor, and remains one of the most defining figures in his life, up until his death in 2014. Soon after meeting The Boss, John fought in the Korean War, and was part of nuclear testing in Bikini Atoll, in 1954.

This puts the FOX unit in jeopardy, and at risk of execution unless they can prove America wasn���t involved, with Big Boss given the task of rescuing Dr. Sokolov for a second time, assassinating the Boss, and as they put it “if possible, Colonel Volgin”. Volgin happens to have a metal gear, but that’s secondary to this story believe it or not.

This is the Operation where he also meets Ocelot, and Eva. Both of whom we’ll get back to later.

Cue Operation Snake Eater, and what is arguably the start of a nearly 60 year downfall for Big Boss. Big Boss defeats the Shagohod Metal Gear and Volgin, (does not manage to save Sokolov) and kills The Boss. When he returns to the United States, he’s given a medal for his service, and is left with a feeling of emptiness, grief and a whole lot of unanswered questions.

Whenever I think about the spiral of Big Boss, I tend to come back to the moment here, (and the one later, when he’s at the Boss’ grave). It can be argued that he never, ever recovers from this. While it takes him a lifetime to understand it, by the time of his death in 2014,he has fallen so far from the man he once was that it’s only at death he can acknowledge what he’s become, to his clone son  Solid Snake,(Dave).

“Boss, you only need one Snake now..no, the world would be better without Snake’s.” Big Boss (at the Boss’ grave to Solid Snake, in 2014)

I could almost end this here, on the notion that he was used by the military to kill someone he loved and cared about, and lost all sense of what he believed in, and himself, in doing so. That the next 60ish years are just him going through the motions, attempting to come to a conclusion that doesn’t exist.

Why was he used? Why was he the one that needed to pull the trigger? Big Boss wasn’t exactly what I’d call an ‘idealist’ before that, but he did hold certain preconceived beliefs about his place in the world, and what he was meant to do with it. And that he had all of them wiped aside in an instant, all to save face for a country that would discard him at a moment's notice.

Before she was assassinated, the Boss was legendary as a soldier, and an American. She was idolised by her country and the people she served and worked with. When we find out later that her defection was part of a mission, and that it was jeopardised by Volgin behaving in a way nobody saw coming, it took nothing for them to discard her. When Big Boss is being awarded a service medal and the president attempts to shake his hand, I can imagine those are the thoughts playing on loop in his head.

They honour him now, in the moment. Yet a week before he was almost going to be executed by that same government and country, and his mentor, someone so beloved by the USA, was given that exact fate

He realizes here that his role, his personhood means nothing in the greater scope of war, and he’s supposed to just stand there, accept a handshake and pretend this total farce is a good thing?

Just like she told him, “Today's enemy, tomorrow’s friend.” That was a lesson the Boss understood before he did, and it’s one that he grasps all too well afterwards..to a degree. Big Boss we come to see is betrayed again and again by the people around him, because up to a certain point, he allows people into his life. In the same need for human connection and meaning all people have. Something that is abused countless times by the people close to him.

It takes years, but at some point, he does eventually give up. As we’ll see. 

Following Operation Snake Eater, Big Boss leaves the military for a bit. He works at various jobs like hunting guides, only to go back to fighting and meet and rescue Frank Jaeger  during the Mozambican War of Independence in 1966, but ultimately ends up doing mercenary work. In 1970, he’s captured via drugging by another rogue FOX unit, headed by a rogue agent known as GENE in what became the San Hieronymo Incident. 

Gene had an idea, a nation of soldier’s. Made by soldier’s for soldiers.

This will sound extremely familiar, as it is almost verbatim to what Big Boss ends up creating himself later on. Outer Heaven. Even though the San Hieronymo Incident ends in Gene’s defeat, and with Big Boss returning to the USA and forming The Patriots with his former commander, Major Zero and members of the unit in Operation Snake Eater. Such as SIGINT (Donald Anderson), Para-Medic, Ocelot and Eva. Using some of the Philosopher’s Legacy, (money), The Patriots started out as an attempt to unify the world, but expanded and corrupted far beyond that original goal.

Big Boss himself leaves the Patriots in 1972, after facing the second major betrayal via the creation of Les Enfants Terribles (aka, ‘The Terrible Children), under Para-Medic’s care. Without telling Big Boss, or asking his consent, LET was undergone using Big Boss’ DNA, with an unnamed egg donor and Eva as the surrogate to make his clone sons, Solid Snake and Liquid Snake (Eli). As well as the ‘perfect clone’ Solidus Snake, (George). (He was not surrogated by Eva, however).

“They’re no sons of mine.” “Just a bunch of cells grown in a lab?”

“What they are is much sicker than that.”- John and Ocelot discussing the clone sons, in 1984.

LET existed because Zero and Para-Medic wanted to ensure the continuation of Big Boss’ genes and soldier capabilities. He saw them as an abomination and betrayal. After learning of LET, Big Boss leaves the Patriots, and the United States. Working again as a mercenary for higher. 

No matter what he does, he cannot get himself out of warzones. 

“The Boss and I may have gone down different paths, but we were trapped in the same cage.”- Big Boss to Solid Snake, in 2014

Really quick, the definition of a mercenary according to Merriam Webster is; ‘one that serves merely for wages’. They mostly find themselves in warzones, but they are not fighting on behalf of a country. They are not conscripted or drafted. The gain is purely financial. But most specifically, a mercenary is hired ‘for foreign conflicts’ in particular. This is largely because a country may want to get involved in a certain conflict, or mission, but are unable to legally, or without raising suspicions. Thus, they hire a non-related mercenary, for pay, to do what they cannot.

This is the sort of environment Big Boss finds himself operating in more often than not. He’s fresh off a second betrayal, mistrustful and hurt, and finds himself on the lam and a gun for hire in Columbia, eventually ending up hired by the Colombian government to work with their army.  I can imagine his attitude in Columbia being one that is grieving, disillusioned and bitter. It’s here that he comes upon a guerilla squad commanded by Kazuhira Miller, and wipes them out. Except for Miller. Who he ‘recruits’ under the idea of it being non-negotiable. Kaz is the only survivor, and if he doesn’t stay with Big Boss, he’ll be executed. (Instead, Big Boss blackmails a commander who could be responsible for it, in order to keep Kaz off the chopping block). Which is a nice little fact to hang over Kaz’s head, should he choose to escape.

Heiwa to Kazuhira no Blues (the Peace Walker audio drama) expands on this a great deal. His ‘recruitment’ is no simple thing, and Big Boss also puts Kaz through a number of rigged trials he knows Kaz can’t win, in order to further cement his place under him. Combining that in conjunction with the fact that Kaz will be executed should he not ally with Big Boss (and I’ll point out here that yes, Kaz does try to blow himself and Big Boss up with a grenade but does he really want to die?) it’s something of a hopeless situation and somewhat one-sided.

The entire relationship and scenario with Kaz is complicated enough on its own. Kaz isn’t a fully innocent victim either, but it is at this point and time that one can see a significant shift happening in Big Boss’ mindset. There’s a sinister element to the trials he puts Kaz through, and yet, there’s still a part of him that clings to the idea of companionship. He’s edging closer to the dark end of grey in his climbing scale, but he has not yet crossed that point.

Kaz spearfishing during one of the trials (art by Yoji Shinkawa)

Defeated, Kaz joins Big Boss, and as his subcommander they form one of the first ever PMC’s (or, Private Military Company)-Militaires Sans Frontières (Army without Borders, or MSF). The concept of the PMC later takes over in the world (and the disastrous environment Solid Snake finds himself dealing with come 2014). While in MSF, Big Boss finds himself in Costa Rica to deal with the Peace Walker incident, and becomes allied there with some revolutionaries from the Sandinista National Liberation Front, who are under the command of Amanda Valenciano Libre, after the death of her father (the original commander). And via Amanda, Big Boss meets her brother, Ricardo Valenciano Libre, or. Chico.

Chico is where this gets complicated. Chico is around 12 years old at the time, and one of the key elements to where we see Big Boss’ mindset shifting fully. While he’s still somewhat optimistic, even a little goofy at times (the way we see him in Snake Eater), Chico’s situation is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s easy to argue that Chico being part of the MSF is one of the only alternatives he could have at the time. He’s in the middle of a warzone with his sister. If he’s not under Big Boss, where else can he go? What else can he reasonably do?

-What makes discussing Big Boss so tricky, I think-and why I believe it’s almost impossible to say he had some sort of ‘turning point’, is that it is completely possible to look at everything he does, everything that happens, and find a way to excuse or come up with a justification, or even logic for it. This is not me saying that he is right, or a good person. Metal Gear cannot just be boxed into ‘good’ or ‘evil’ it is grey. It is supposed to be grey. It centres around people and themes that do not have such simplistic barriers to work with. That is the point.-

-The downfall of Big Boss does not happen overnight. It is a slow burning wreck that expands and grows. It is the make-up and conclusion of many factors, incidents and events. It happens slowly, and sometimes it happens below the surface.-

For all intents and purposes, Chico is a child soldier. But is that Big Boss’ fault? Children are as wrapped up in war as any other. War does not care if you’re a child, or an adult. Did Chico truly have anywhere else to go?

I don’t really have an answer to that. And I’m going to admit it out right. What I will say is that early on in Chico’s recruitment, Big Boss rescues Chico, but he doesn’t want to go back with him because he’s ashamed of giving up information (link should be time stamped for access) about the others to the enemy.

There are MANY ways to interpret this moment. I’ve seen various interpretations of it myself, but here’s how I’m going to explain it. As per how I see it. Again, this is a complicated story and scenario-and people’s view on it is going to differ a lot. One of the points I really want to stress in this far-too-long essay here is that none of what we see comes with the easiest answers. It’s all layered. How you view a moment may differ from how someone else views it. 

Anyway, to me, I’m going to put it like this. Big Boss knows that Chico doesn’t mean that. What I can’t say for sure is if he’d have really shot him or not (I don’t think he would’ve, not only because he promised Amanda he’d bring Chico back, and if nothing else Big Boss will usually complete his missions. But that as far as we know, he never outright executes a child in the series). But Chico does not know this. Big Boss is, essentially, showing Chico that no, he doesn't want to die, come on now. And that breaking under the situation isn’t something he needs to feel guilty about. Nor, is it worth dying for.

WE can assume that Big Boss isn’t going to hurt him. WE can realise that but there is no way for Chico to hold the same understanding here. 

But Chico isn’t a man. Chico is a child. When Chico dies in 1975, Skullface says something very similar. Negating the fact that at the end of the day, this is no adult. 

“No more wargames, you’re a real man now, soldier”.-Skullface (to Chico when he’s a tortured prisoner in Camp Omega, 1975)

Here, Big Boss is visibly (I can assume anyway) attempting to encourage Chico. Prove to him that he doesn’t want to die, and that he doesn’t need to die for the infraction he believes himself to have made. (None of Chico’s compatriots blame him for giving up information, and why would they? He is a kid).

But did he? Big Boss can think that the ‘child’ died,  and he became a man. But is any of that really true? Is Chico not as much a child now as he is when he dies a year later?

I find it very significant that the artist, Ashley Wood, has Big Boss completely in shadow here. It says a lot about what Chico must be feeling, and how we (the audience) might be meant to interpret him. There is none of the silly dork we know Big Boss to have been a decade prior. There is none of the innocence and even almost child-like awkwardness he was so beholden to. So much of his optimism, his original outlook and hope, is eradicated by this point.

Chico, I’ll note really quick is never seen off-radio. He is kept ‘safe’ (if you can call it that) on the MSF base itself. And working as radio support. I’ll note too that Chico always wants to be seen as an ‘adult’ by the people around him. But, come on. I’m sure we all remember being 13. I’m sure everyone had that ‘I am desperate to be mature and taken seriously’ awkward teen phase. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a child, who is stealing Amanda’s cigarettes one moment, and laughing about his favourite monsters and cryptids the next.

It’s no more justified (in my opinion) than Huey Emmerich is when he uses the absolutely pathetic reasoning behind letting a 4-year-old Hal pilot Sahelanthropus.

“He (Hal) wanted to get in!”-Huey Emmerich to Revolver Ocelot under torture. 1984. 

What Hal may have wanted is irrelevant to the fact that you don’t let a kid touch a hot stove because they want to. It is on the adults around them to make sure they don’t do things they can’t control. Granted, Chico is old enough in Peace Walker to have very valid feelings about what he might want, and more than old enough for personal agency, but still young enough to where adults around him should be protecting him.

And I know that in war, the rules are not the same. I understand that. Later on we see a 12 year old Liquid Snake and child soldiers in situations no child should be in, but does that mean they still didn’t need protection? In any case, I’m too close to getting off topic here, so let’s keep going.

We will see him goofing off a bit more in Peace Walker. But it is important to note that by its end, Big Boss’ ideology, and his view on the world has shifted a lot. 

He also comes to find out that Kaz was employed by Zero (now going by ‘Cipher’) and working as a spy. Marking the third time Big Boss is betrayed by someone close to him. In this, I’m sort of torn. My personal interpretation of the ‘spy Kaz’ bit is extensive and doesn’t quite belong here, but I’ll note that it’s another way in which Big Boss comes to find that he can’t trust anyone that it doesn’t matter how close someone is to him, they are going to find a way to stab him in the back.

He’s already become more and more cynical around this point, and it is not aided by finding out the truth about Kaz either. The cloud around Big Boss darkens all the more. 

By the end of Peace Walker, Big Boss has come to learn what he thinks is the truth about the Boss. When she put down her gun (stopped fighting) she (in his mind) betrayed the ideology and beliefs that he feels she taught him, and when Big Boss ‘let’s go’ of her (in disgust, as he takes this to be an example of her betraying the will of the soldier, and him). I don’t fully grasp how he comes to this conclusion, but in letting the Boss ‘go’ (by removing her bandana) he shifts again, willingly keeping a nuke on Mother Base in the MSF (at Kaz’s suggestion, I’ll note) To Big Boss, I guess he might see this as the fourth betrayal.

With another metal gear defeated, Big Boss declares the following to the MSF:

"We have no nation, no philosophy, no ideology. We go where we're needed, fighting not for country, not for government, but for ourselves. We need no reason to fight. We fight because we are needed. We will be the deterrent for those with no other recourse. We are soldiers without borders, our purpose defined by the era we live in."-Big Boss to the MSF, after the Metal Gear ZEKE battle.

But this is not where that speech ends. Big Boss is under few illusions about the sort of man he’s become, and he tells his men much the same.

Fairly self explanatory, in my opinion.

Thus, the MSF becomes a nuclear power. And this is the mindset that Big Boss has when he goes into the Ground Zeroes mission at Camp Omega. Chico has escaped to go rescue Paz and Skullface has planned an attack on Mother Base while they’re gone. The inspection approved by Huey Emmerich (who didn’t ask Big Boss or Kaz first, and was apparently under the belief it was legitimate..and I don’t know if it’s true or not, I can never fully come to a conclusion there). 

The base explodes, and while Kaz is seething and raging, Big Boss is left so shell shocked all he can do is sit motionless while Kaz shakes him repeatedly. Attempting to get any sort of answer from him. Answers Big Boss doesn’t give, nor does he have. After all, it’s not his fault the base went up in flames. The end result is the death of Paz and Chico, and the start of a 9-year- coma for Big Boss.

And, for the medic on that chopper, whom Ocelot and Zero turn into Venom Snake. Big Boss’ phantom and living body-double. Fully hypnotized, brainwashed and made into another man, all without his consent.

The creation of Venom alone is gregarious enough, but Big Boss didn’t sign off on Venom. He was already made by the time he wakes up in 1984. But aside from a moment of protesting it, Big Boss embraces it. Allowing Venom to wake up in a hospital that’s largely blown to shreds and turned into a massacre under XOF (Skullface’s unit), all so he and Venom can escape under cover. Countless people die in that hospital, and Big Boss has become arrogant and callous enough to where it doesn’t matter to him.

Ocelot is also the only one aware of the truth. (Someone Big Boss doesn’t seem to mind having that right, since up to this point, and the rest of his life, Ocelot is one of the few people who doesn’t betray him). Kaz, by contrast, has been completely abandoned and cast aside by him. And not told about Venom being a different man (until later). Which has a real element of cruelty in it, in my opinion. Especially since it’s Venom who saves Kaz after he’s been a POW for a while. But that’s another post in it��s own way.

Big Boss wakes up a new man, with a new (stolen) identity, and with his body double firmly in place and Ocelot pleasantly self-hypnotized to carry it out, he leaves to go begin the formation of Outer Heaven. Free to let others do his dirty work, while he continues to operate by himself. 

Putting aside the fact that he looks damn good here-that isn’t the face of a guy with a whole lot of humanity left in him.

Remember Zero? Let’s go back to him for a quick moment. Because it’s at this point in the timeline that Big Boss begins to embrace a concept that was originally propagated by Zero when they were still all working together as the Patriots. By the early 1970’s, Big Boss had a pretty good reputation behind him as legendary soldier. And Zero believed it would be a good call to emphasise that narrative. It was beneficial to have Big Boss’ legend spread throughout, and continued. It’s also important to note that Big Boss himself rejected being called ‘Big Boss’ as he believed the title should only belong to the Boss.

In San Hieronymo, he’s called ‘Snake’ (much like his original codename, Naked Snake) and in Peace Walker the sandinistas often call him ‘Vic Boss’ as they compare him to Che Guevara (as does Kaz). The comparisons to Guevara do not end there, as historically, Guevara was most known for having several jobs under his belt, and being a key figure in the Cuban Revolution. Until his execution by the CIA in 1965. Personal opinions of Guevara are extensive and far beyond the scope of what I’m going to cover here, and will undoubtedly vary by person. Thus, I’ve left it as a link. He was a radical revolutionary in his lifetime, and is mentioned periodically in conjunction with Naked Snake, which paints a suggested idea of how some characters in-series viewed Big Boss as a person.

This being a good or bad thing, is again up to personal interpretation. 

Either way, it’s notable (for me and I guess for the purpose of this essay) that up until the end of Peace Walker, Big Boss largely rejects the idea of being a figurehead, a martyr or particularly legendary. That is no longer the case in the 80’s. Where he is fully ‘Big Boss’ as we know him, and absolutely fine with leaving people in the line of fire (consent or otherwise) after a long coma, one too many betrayals, and the full disillusionment of his original beliefs at the hands of a lot of hurt, and years of pain and complicated warfare.

I don’t know that I’d consider Big Boss was ever a ‘humble’ sort of man. In the very beginning of his first mission we see him doing (the Halo Jump into the Virtuous Mission) he’s arrogantly smoking and ignoring the man telling him to put on his mask. But by the end of the 80’s he’s gone completely into the beast he and others created, arrogant and without care.

While Venom is working on the Diamond Dogs (who are also later transferred to Outer Heaven, while Big Boss himself operates Foxhound), he’s (at some point) reuniting with Frank Jaeger (now Gray Fox, at some point rescues and recruits Sniper Wolf, and building up Zanzibarland). By the 1990’s, Big Boss is kidnapping scientists, building metal gears, has children he saved on his base, and is nothing like the man we saw in the mid 60’s.

Hey, speaking of kidnapping, let’s go over how soldiers get ‘recruited’ to the MSF, Diamond Dogs (again yes I know that’s Venom), Outer Heaven, etc. Starting with the MSF, (but there was a taste of it in the San Hieronymo Incident), soldiers are knocked out and dragged back to the base. They’re left in the brig for a little bit, and come out completely and utterly loyal to Big Boss.

How loyal?

“We live and die by your order, Boss!”-Diamond Dogs infected with the Vocal Cord Parasite mutation, just before being mercy executed by Venom Snake.

That loyal.(Again, it’s best to operate when talking about Venom Snake in this specific case as if he and Big Boss are one in the same, because it’s not exactly about the man, but the situation, the cult for lack of a better word, of Big Boss). To these soldiers, who they are as people doesn’t matter as much as what the Boss demands. It’s that same energy, that mindset, that had Venom Snake (then the Medic) throw himself in front of a flaming chopper to save Big Boss’ life.

And where Big Boss might’ve questioned that sort of thing beforehand, by the time of Diamond Dogs, Outer Heaven etc, it is fully embraced. It’s fine that he’s got another man doing plenty of his dirty work (without his consent). It’s fine that he left Kaz because Kaz hurt him and betrayed him and he doesn’t deserve to hear otherwise. It’s fine that thousands die in a burning hospital to save his own life.

And then it’s later ‘fine’ when a young Solid Snake (who doesn’t know he’s Big Boss’ son) is sent into Outer Heaven during Operation Intrude N313, to kill who he thinks is Big Boss, but is actually Venom Snake.

Venom Snake, who has now spent 11 years as Big Boss himself, who has one last mission to die. As Big Boss for Big Boss. Again. The tape to Venom is Big Boss at what I believe is one of his most arrogant moments yet. In it, he thanks Venom *sort of* for his work, and how he’s helped him build up their shared legend. A legend that later Big Boss takes all the credit for. Because Outer Heaven explodes, and the man is all but erased from memory. Absorbed back into Big Boss yet again. 

For a man that wanted to create a nation where soldiers mean something, and are revered, Venom’s discarded pretty quick (and he never agreed to be there to begin with). I cannot say if the Medic would’ve agreed to become Big Boss if he’d even been able to, but I can say that it is hard to deny that he’s used as much as any other soldier. Because at this moment, Big Boss now believes that dying on a battlefield is the only way to go, and Venom should be honoured to be him. Or ‘them’ as Big Boss puts it.

“I am you, and you are me.This story, this legend, it’s ours. I cheated death thanks to you.”-Big Boss to Venom Snake. 

And then Venom dies, all but forgotten. His purpose has been served. His job is done. He’s no longer needed. Him, nor any of the soldiers who die in Outer Heaven. With Solid mostly oblivious to the secondary layers happening below. (Big Boss has absolutely no issue using Solid, either. He’s past the point of caring). I can imagine someone telling Solid, “This guy used to laugh about eating glowing mushrooms that recharge his batteries” and being unable to believe it.

When Solid Snake faces down Big Boss for the second time in 1999, he is past the point of caring about anything that isn’t war. His speech to Solid in Zanzibarland before Solid defeats him is infamous, and sums up his general view of the world in a nice, succinct fashion for Solid (and the audience). 

This is the culmination of decades of hurt, betrayals and the knowledge that he is a man built and bred for the war machine. Big Boss has come to a point where he’s suffered enough, experienced enough, that war is all he can understand. War is all that he can possibly care about. He has stopped being able to feel, to connect with people. He is hollowed out, hardened and fully embracing the man he’s turned himself into.

These are not excuses. Big Boss can be a victim of his fate and the war machine, and still not be in the right here. The two can and in this case I’d argue, do very much co-exist. As I said above, his ‘downfall’ was not a matter of tripping down some steps. It was a slow, consistent decline that eventually accumulated. Despite this, Solid does defeat him, and Big Boss is put in stasis for the next few years. Left quite literally on ice. Conscious, but trapped in his body. 

Don’t YOU make your clone son kill your body double and use him almost as badly as others used you? No? (Solid Snake and Big Boss, Metal Gear Solid 2, Yoji Shinkawa)

“I never saw you as a son. But as a man, a soldier.”-Big Boss to Solid Snake, 2014

We know how this story ends. Big Boss spends a bunch of time on ice, gets re-fitted with body parts taken from Solidus’ and dies of the new Foxdie virus (which also kills Eva and Ocelot, just like it did Liquid before) in the same cemetery where most of it started. Leaning up against the Boss’ grave. Aware that he spent decades misunderstanding her will, and that he never quite got it right in life.

How then, would I wrap this up? Well, I guess you could say that I’ve cheated a little. Because I never truly answer the question, “how does Big Boss become evil”, did I? I suppose some of it’s because, as I summed up earlier, I just don’t see it as such a simple case. I do believe that we’re all meant to have our own interpretation, at the end of the day, and the easiest way to summarise it might be that a man becomes so enmeshed in the war machine, that he turns into the very machine himself.

Big Boss had child soldiers (but did the kids fight?). Big Boss used, and abused many people (and was used and abused himself). Big Boss created PMC’s (with help). Big Boss had nukes (at the suggestion of others).

Etc, etc.

At the end of the day, I’ll conclude this long, rambling spiral of thoughts to say that the moment Big Boss ‘turns’ is up to interpretation. Which may seem like a cowards way out, but is it not true? Whenever I pose the question, I see many different answers and responses out in the wild.

This, therefore, is my own take on it. My attempt. And I know I’ve probably forgotten something (or many something’s) but I personally, will end here.

If you made it this far, congratulations! I cannot believe how long this got, and thanks for coming along with me.

By,

Nate

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 10

Maximum Loser

Welcome back to Fantasy High where the Abernant sisters are having sandwiches in front of the burnt ruins of their old mansion. You know, normal sibling activities! As we learned last week, Aelwyn is working for Kipperlilly (Adaine calls her Cottoncandy Bitchfuck which is one of my faves just for the levels of obvious disdain and degrees of separation from the original name) and Adaine wants all the info ASAP. Here is a rundown of what Aelwyn tells her (along with speculation on my part):

KP seems to be loaded in a way that isn’t connected to her parents' jobs (Dad is a realtor and mom is a clerk for the treasurer’s office). [Could she possibly be getting the money from her party member with a rich dragon ancestor? And could she be using her mom’s government job to get inside info somehow?]

KP has been employing Aelwyn as her “arcane errand girl”. She’s basically been getting her magical contraband which Aelwyn figures are spell components. Adaine asks why their party wizard Oisin can’t just do it and Aelwyn says that KP was very adamant about him being “protected”. [Does that mean protected as in not in trouble so he doesn’t get expelled and mess up their party comp or protected as in “I don’t want him to know what I’m doing because he wouldn’t approve”?]

KP never had Aelwyn steal a cloud rider engine for her but she did have Aelwyn download schematics for one which she thinks was so that it would be on her browser history not KP’s. [Aelwyn, do NOT get framed for this girl’s crimes I’m BEGGING you.]

Similarly, KP never texts Aelwyn any info. They always talk in person so she keeps clean at least on paper. 

There are two specific things that Aelwyn had to procure that were kind of hard to find because they’re more divine than arcane: Devil’s Nectar and Ambrosia. [We don’t learn what the properties of those are exactly but they seem pretty clearly to be the divine and infernal versions of the same thing. Maybe they can make a god or a devil? Sounds like it’s part of the resurrection plan–or maybe they want to raise a new god?]

Anyway, Aelwyn promises to shoot Adaine a text the next time KP reaches out to her so she can spy via scrying (I'm reminded of Spy, Tongue, Curse again). She also shows Adaine her tiny apartment full of senior cats and microwave dinner trays that’s sorely in need of a deep clean. Adaine invites her to swing by Mordred to get her laundry done and maybe hang out and Aelwyn seems tentatively receptive, even though the aggressive positivity of the house and its residents (who she does ultimately care about) majorly grates on her. 

[Also! Not plot relevant but their relationship progress is in full swing with open “I love yous”, only slightly undercut “I believe in yous”, and kisses blown as they say goodbye. I’m trying to be super streamlined with this recap so I can get it finished on time but I had to at least quickly mention how delighted I was by this scene which I have watched so many times. They’re doing it! Sisters!]

We next cut over to Riz who is in the car with his mom and he’s so so so over this whole semester. He keeps talking about everything that’s going on with the bored, anxious, almost whiny, but mostly resigned tone that makes her pull over and force him into a nap. Here are the mystery relevant bits of their conversation pre and post nap:

Sklonda’s case was defending a married firbolg couple–Alonso and Hespia Loam. Frosty Faire was supposed to be held at their farm but then they were accused of embezzling and the event pulled. [Firblog are giant-kin if that matters.]

They maintained their innocence and Sklonda believed them. The case was actually going to be a slam dunk because they found forgeries and docs submitted on their behalf. But then they got murdered so the case was over. [Forgeries and docs submitted on their behalf reminds me of Lucy’s god change form.]

Sklonda thought this case was strange because there’s no financial incentive to frame the loams. [Sounds like the motive could have been just moving the festival to a different location to me.]

The reason they were under suspicion was that amounts of money matching what was embezzled from Frosty Faire were deposited into the Loams' account but Sklonda was able to show that that was all bogus and that the Loams didn’t even use online banking and that a Bastion City VPN was involved. But again, before they could track that down beyond “somewhere in Solace” it got shut down due to the murders (which the cops are now investigating btw but this is a Brennan story so how useful will they really be? [This is also giving me KP vibes but in fairness, that girl is just suspicious.]

Lola Embers is the one who recommended the move from Loam Farms to the Thistlespring Tree. [A possible Ruben request since he’s her client?]

Riz also tells Sklonda all about what’s going on with the demon stuff and the Lucy stuff and the campaign stuff. Sklonda is concerned about the demon stuff but she’s honestly more concerned about Riz breaking his back and losing sleep over Kristen’s campaign. She’s very fired up and a bit incredulous that he’d work so hard for his friends who, from her POV, are always slightly bullying him (“Your name isn’t The Ball. It’s Riz!”). And, while she’s on it, he would be a great candidate himself! Riz assures her that their dynamic is fine and then worries her again right away by saying he’s absolutely gonna check out the crime scene. She sighs deeply and says they can check it out together because she knows she’s not talking her son out of it. (She also says she’ll try and get some info from her old co-workers but again, cops in a Brennan world so we’ll see how useful they are.)

Post Grix exploding, Jace hosts an impromptu assembly: Things are bad y’all! With Aguefort gone and Grix blown up (not to mention Yolanda dead), they’re getting to the point where it’s not clear that the school will be able to continue functioning. 

The whole cleric track is going pass/fail which none of the Rat Grinders seem to have strong reactions to (Ruben smirks and Buddy looks confused, but the rest look bored or unfazed). This news especially sucks for Freshmen and Sophomores who won’t be able to take the Last Stand exam Porter mentioned in an earlier episode. Some upperclassmen who maybe weren’t doing so hot (like Max and his party) look kinda stoked. Fig does insight on Jace and her roll is low (5) but he seems like he’s sincerely stressed about this unforeseen situation. 

Post assembly, Hilariel calls Fig (after 18 missed calls to Fabin’s phone which is on Do Not Disturb) to invite everyone over to spend The Lunar Yulenear (fantasy Christmas) with them (and also inform her that Gilear’s string of good luck is still going strong. He cracked his back while limboing and grained 2 inches in height!). Fig turns that into invites for everyone at Mordred (including Aelwyn who is a wanted criminal in Falinel and Sandra-Lynn who is Gilear’s unfaithful ex–wild crew). Fabian wants the chance to talk to his mom but by the time Fig hands over the phone, she’s already hung up. 

Riz fills everyone in on the Loam Farms situation and Gorgug worries that the soil at his house is corrupted now. Adaine reminds everyone that Fig is still super cursed and they should probably start looking into that soon. Kristen and Fig get naked for no reason so we’re gonna move on from that to Fabian getting a text from Mazey. Apparently she's just gotten some big news and she doesn’t know exactly who to talk to. He rushes away from his naked friends as quickly as he can (so valid) and goes to meet up with her. (While he’s en route, Riz wonders if the RG’s killed rats were being killed sacrificially and Fig wonders if Lucky FROSTblade had anything to do with the FROSTyfolk festival). 

Fabian meets up with Mazey who congratulates him for killing Grix since he mega-sucked and was shooting nets at kids. Then, she says that she knows that Fabian and his party have kinda always had the school’s back over the past few years and she trusts him which is why she’s telling him what she’s about to say. Remember how anything Aguefort says, even as a bit, is canon? Well, apparently he said once in an email that if there’s no principal then the school becomes a democracy and the student body president becomes principal. Fabian is baffled: surely the vice principal would become principal, right? But no. The system is set up so that there’s always one all powerful principal and one VP who is supposed to be Kalvaxus (remember, he was supposed to be imprisoned there forever). So she’d have to take classes (has to be a student enrolled in good faith) AND be principal and she doesn’t feel like she can do it. Fabian is awkward but encouraging and says he’ll do his best to help her and ask his friends for advice. When he does, Riz right away is like, "They’re gonna kill her, dude,” so Fabian rushes back and invites (practically begs) Mazey over after school so he can keep an eye on her. 

Once school is out, Fig does her bodyguard thing and secretly trails Mazey so she gets to Seacaster Manor safely. Once she’s there, she and Fabian have a bit of an awkward beat and then Mazey, who has clearly misread the situation, tries to make out with him. Fabian pulls back which makes Mazey confused and embarrassed. Fabian really quickly tries to reassure her that it’s not that he didn’t wanna kiss her. He’s just not in that mode right now and she’s in danger and they’re trying to kill her. She has NO idea what he’s talking about so he Facetimes Riz and the Mordred crew to explain. Mazey says that killing her wouldn’t make the killer the new Principal–it’s not Pokemon Champion rules. But Riz says that every person who’s had the top spot has been sidelined or killed so it’s safer to be careful. Maybe killing her would prompt an early election and whoever wins will be promoted early. She asks if this suspicion is just because they hate the Rat Grinders and Riz says that they have good reasons to be suspicious. They are all outraged though when Mazey says that the Ratgrinders famously hate them and have since Freshman year. [Hilarious that they were apparently publicly seething and haven’t been on the BK’s radar at all.]

Anyway, Mazey says she appreciates the concern but rushes to leave, embarrassed. Fabian tries to salvage the awkward encounter and tell Mazey that his reaction was about how stressed and worried he is, not about how he feels about her and Mazey seems genuinely concerned about him. Like, as a person. Is he eating? Is he sleeping? Is he being cared for in this big empty house? Fabian musters some bravado about how he’s a legend and the legend continues but it’s mixed in with some super obvious red flags about making his house a place people want to come to so he won’t be alone. Mazey says she’d still want to hang with him even if he wasn’t a Maximum Legend and then leaves to his cavernous, home, solo. 

Back to Adaine! Her next big roll is Mystery and she wants to learn about the giants and their gods. She uses a portent to get a 27 (which she needs because clues cost more right now) and here’s what she learns:

So first off, Ruvina is a Seasonal god (Winter) vs Sol, Helio, Cass, and Galicaea who are Celestial gods (Sun, Moon).

A bridal gift would only be given to the spouse of a sibling so that means that the missing dead god is Ruvina’s sibling. Brennan specifically mentions how hard/weird/complicated it would be to be prevented by Oblivati Mori from speaking of a spouse or sibling. 

There’s no mention of the missing god but there are mentions of the OTHER seasonal gods so Adaine can determine by process of elimination that the missing god is the summer one. 

She wonders if Sol or Helio stole the summer domain since they’re sun gods but Brennan said if they did, it wasn’t in one violent act. There’s no obvious crusade or anything like that. 

There is a certain point where “Sun” starts being capitalized like a name (like how in the Bible God is He not he). 

The bridal gift is only mentioned in early texts, not recent ones. Recent texts have a lot of mentions of fire. 

She doesn’t find any text concerning the gods followers. She does however find text that says “Beware the blades of the red fire”. These seem to be connected to the shatter star rage crystals but there's no clear timeline of them showing up once the god died. It seems like they existed at the same time. 

So, a lot of info but no big Aha! moment yet. 

She rolls Work for her third track and fails so she takes a stress token (up to three now). She only rolls well enough to not get fired (which, girl, just get fired! Make money another way! Ask your newly caring sister for some funds and don’t ask where she got them!). 

Lastly she rolls to relax but fails (been there girl) and has a deeply unsatisfying massage given to her by Lydia. 

Kristen is up next and her first roll is Popularity (makes sense) on the middle schoolers (you lost me). In fairness to Ally, there is method to their madness. They said in the Adventuring Party that the idea was that the school is across the street from where the bodies were found so maybe they could do some recon. Still, on the face of it, bonkers plan and Riz is low key wondering if his mom was right about them picking the wrong candidate. Anyway, she passes and now has advantage on charming any new middle schooler she meets lol. Brennan also makes her roll Perception and on a 14 gives her nothing. Ominous! 

The second thing she’s interested in is Relationships and she wants to talk to Lydia and also Buddy. With Lydia, she wants to know if there’s a way for them to talk to Bakur. Lydia says that Bakur is conscious and aware but she can’t talk to him because it would compromise the security of his gem prison. However, if they come up with a safe way to talk to him she’s game to participate, especially since she’ll def be a target if stuff with Bakur’s god is going down. Lydia also mentions that it seems like Cass might have been especially vulnerable in the Astral Food Court which makes Kristen even more suspicious of Kalina than she already was since she was the one who suggested that plan in the first place. 

Riz does Detect Evil on Lydia with his necktie so he can recognize Bakur’s magical aura on anyone else in the future and Brennan says that will also give him the ability to recognize anyone connected to Bakur’s god in the future. (Riz also says he wants to do the same on a Helioic cleric and the moon, presumably for the same reason but he doesn’t explicitly get to it this session). 

They then check on Fig to try to figure out what the heck her deal is and they find a lot lol. There are four main things happening with her aura. The strongest is the anarchy sigil on her forehead that marks her as the Archdevil of Rebellion. The second is her burgeoning paladin rage aura which matches Lydia's but seems more fiery and is also unaligned. The third is her warlock mojo which is unaligned as well. And the fourth is the lemony yellow aura of her curse. Her being a tiefling doesn’t even crack the top five of what’s going on with her apparently! 

Anyway, on to her second relationship thing–Buddy. Kristen finds him putting a Rat Grinders sticker on her locker which she peels off, clearly annoyed. There are three main important parts of that conversation which are as follows:

Kristen asks if there’s any rage talk happening at the Helioic church right now and Buddy says that Sol is angry–lots of people left the church during the months of night situation which makes sense. Worshiping the sun god during eternal night feels like a losing proposition. 

Buddy thinks it would be a great idea for his grandpa–Helioic evangelist Bobby Dawn–to become the new Cleric teacher to save everyone from going Pass/Fail. Kristen thinks that sounds like a nightmare and I have to agree. Buddy says that it’s fine because the cleric teacher has to worship *some* god, right? Might as well be Helio. But we know that’s untrue because Yolanda gave up her active connection with a specific divinity in order to minister effectively to her whole class. And I can’t imagine whoever raised Buddy would make a fair teacher who’s welcoming to all faiths. 

Buddy wants to “take Kristen into counsel” about her brother who he thinks is going down a dangerous path as he’s being exposed to various worldly elements at Aguefort. I have no idea what Buddy considers a dangerous path–for all we know Bucky is actually fully fine and coming into his own. Buddy offers to take Bucky under his wing and Kristen casually but very firmly says, “I’ll never let you do that.” [She really should check on him though, just in general.]

They close the conversation off with some faux cheerful/polite sniping about how Kristen’s god died again (point Buddy) that ends with Kristen saying that Cass will come back again as opposed to Helio who only came back once (point Kristen!). [She also tells Buddy, as she’s wont to do, that she met Helio and thought he was a total frat boy loser–just mentioning it in case it comes up again. He seems pretty sure that Kristen will come around though. Tres prodigal son.] 

Fig’s turn! She aces her Paladin, Bard, and Warlock classes–A+ across the board. [She gets to roll her Bard class at a DC 5 even though it’s her second track for reasons Brennan doesn’t tell us. We also learn that Lucilla Lullaby is now on sabbatical after her conversation with Fig. Girl, go to therapy.]

Anyway, Fig is working with Porter and Zara and they want to talk to her. She’ll have to pick her pact soon and though she’s doing really well, they’re not quite buying that her powers are coming from her deviation to Cass or doubt. Porter recognizes that protective, German Shepherd energy in her and when Fig floats rage (protective rage) as what’s motivating her, he has a positive reaction. Him jumping on the rage thing would already be a little suspicious but the next thing he says is, "If there was some other power like that that you knew could support Cassandra, [and] was connected to your friend Kristen, maybe that's a worthwhile thing to explore.” And I very much want to know if that’s a Porter nudge or a Brennan nudge because that really sounds like he’s hinting towards Cass’s sibling. Incidentally, Porter is an Oath of Ancestors paladin and an earth gensai since we’re keeping track of affiliations. 

For her next track, Fig wants to roll Mustery and ooh boy, Nat 20!

Here’s her bonkers/genius plan: She disguises herself as Wanda and boards a bus she knows Ruben will be on from all her recon. Adaine casts Nystul's Magic Aura on her to make sure that any detection spells will ping as whatever they want them to and not Fig. When Ruben boards the bus, she says that when she made a hasty exit after the festival she was breaking up with her boyfriend and when he asks what music she’s listening to, she shows him a fake episode of the Complicated Women Podcast about Lucy Frostblade. Ruben is instantly rattled and starts looking for the podcast but “Wanda” says it was an early release episode she got because she knows the producers. She lies and says they’re talking bout how they found Lucy’s body and Ruben says he used to be in a party with her. When Fig asks what she was like, Ruben speaks positively of her. She says she was noble and stuck to her guns. He’s really itching to get more info about the podcast and Fig says that she’ll send him the MP3 if he gives her an email. Ruben gives her Lola’s email (They have SOL instead of AOL in Solace) and his cell and then Fig Dimension Doors away, mysterious as ever. 

For her final action, she tries to roll Relationships for Riz but she doesn’t roll high enough to catch him with how busy he is. She still leaves him a nice note and signs it from Gorgug. In response to that, Riz sends back a very long, gushy text that’s so grateful for the check in. Gorgug has no idea what he’s talking about but returns the gesture by making him an Artificer Infusion: A Medal of Wit which gives advantage on Int checks and throws for an hour (one time use). Cute all around!

Let’s close out the episode with Fabian. Popularity: 29. He’s maxed out the track. Any stranger he meets at Aguefort is charmed by him for a minute. He gets a neck tattoo that says Maximum Legend. For Mystery, he wants to check in with his dad to ask about Hell/Curse stuff (but he clearly mostly just wants to hear from his dad). He fails and takes a stress to succeed with the help of the AV Club. Skrank and Shellford help him set up a little broadcasting booth that can reach the Nine Hells assuming Bill has the correct equipment. He tries to broadcast and the equipment is working correctly but Brennan rolls a 3 in front of the board so he gets no response. He speaks into the void about how he’s a Maximum Legend while in his house, utterly alone. 

He rolls for Fighter: B. He rolls for Owlbears. Fail. He rolls for Bard–the DC is 25 and he gets a 24. He’s at four stress so the next token will be a rage token. The table persuades him to take Fig’s cursed Bardic instead. He gets a single point which gets him to the 25 which is a D. Then Brennan gives him a Con save. He fails. Brennan says that, with that fail, he loses control of an important bodily function. He gets to choose which one it is and in front of who like a nasty game of Clue and…look. I’m gonna try and say this as delicately as possible but Lou is not making this easy for me. Lou’s decision is that he will lose control of his bowels in the middle of bard class. That’s as far into it as I’m gonna go–if you want the gritty details you’ll have to get them from the man himself. 

Terpsicore, his teacher, is very supportive and kind about it, but one of his classmates, Quincy, takes his lute and breaks it, calls Fabian a Maximum Loser, and quits Aguefort on the spot. He headbutts the door, making his head bleed, and says, “I fucking hate this school!” 

Which, on the one hand, valid sentiment to the latest bout of (almost literal in this instance) Aguefort bullshit. But headbutting the door to the point that he’s bleeding? Sounds a little bit like rage star effects to me. Is it connected? Or was this just the last shitty straw for Quincy? We’ll have to tune in next time to find out!

Honor Roll

Fig for Her Clutch Investigation Skills

Fig has honestly been killing it just in general lately. A pluses across the board? What a GPA jump! But I have to particularly commend her for skillfully keeping Ruben on the hook the way she has. This is maybe her most perfect ratio of bit to plan so far. It’s so funny but also going so well. And that Nat 20? Chef’s Kiss. 

Detention 

Lou (the player) for Describing [REDACTED]in Graphic Detail

I don’t care if Quincy was affected by the rage star or not. He was right. That *was* nasty. 

[cevansbrat0007]

Photo Shoot Faux Pas

Summary: Andy’s reaction to a risque anniversary gift gets you more than you bargained for. Prequel to The Lonely Hearts Club mini-series. Check out The Lonely Hearts Club: Part One!

Warnings: Smut, Jealous/Possessive Andy, Confident Reader, Insecure Reader, Daddy Kink, Pussy Slapping, Oral (fem receiving), Vibrator Use (mentioned), Gags (mentioned), Sex Tape (mentioned), Boudoir Photography, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: Prompt courtesy of my dear friend, @writer84. I might write a follow-up drabble as well. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated, so please let me know what you think. This is part of my ongoing Growing Pains Series. Semi-proofread but not beta’d. All mistakes are my own. Thanks for reading!

___

There are three things everyone should know about Andrew Barber. One, that the man loves you to distraction. Two, that he believes in spoiling you whenever possible. And three, that he has a possessive streak that runs a mile wide.

You’d recently come to learn the last part the hard way, and you didn’t plan on forgetting that lesson any time soon.

___

One week ago…

You’re on your way home from work when your phone rings. Seeing that it’s Andy, you quickly hit accept before returning your attention to the road.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby girl.” His deep voice rumbles over the speakers. “How are you?”

“I’m good, Andy Bear. Just headed back to my place.”

“Oh, what a coincidence. Me too.”

Huh? You weren’t supposed to be getting together until tomorrow. 

“Um…why?” You were still a good twenty minutes away from your apartment. And you’d accidentally left a very important item sitting out in the open on your kitchen table.

One that your boyfriend wasn’t meant to see. At least not yet. 

“Since when is it a crime to visit my lady? Plus, I left a couple work docs behind when I was there the other day.” 

Oh shit. You knew exactly where they were too. Sitting on the freaking kitchen table right next to his anniversary gift.

“But I…I’m not home yet.”

“Pretty sure I’m capable of letting myself in, Y/N. In fact, I just pulled up.”

Oh, fuck me sideways.

“How about you take a walk around the block or something until I get there? Maybe stretch those legs. Or, you could go check out that new shop, Little Mahatma, over on 100th and Dennison. You know, the one with all those really nifty knick-knacks?”

Your ramblings are met with silence as you pull off the freeway.   

“Or, just wait outside for me and we’ll go together. It’s a nice day, so –”

“Or, I could go inside and wait for you there like a normal person. Unless...there’s some reason you don’t want me in your apartment?” He asks, sounding mildly confused. 

“No, not all! I just…can’t wait to see your handsome face.”

“Uh huh.” He grunts, sounding suspicious. “See you soon, baby.” 

“Yeah. See you soon.” The call ends, leaving you alone with your thoughts. “Well, fuck!” You thump your fist on your steering wheel. “There goes that surprise.” 

This weekend, the two of you were planning to celebrate a pretty major milestone. Namely, your six month anniversary. And as such, you’d splurged on a very special gift. Something you would have never even considered in previous relationships.

But what you had with Andy was different. It was…solid. You felt like you could trust your boyfriend with every part of you. So what better gift to give the man who had everything, including your heart, than a leather-bound photo album?

But you weren’t just talking about any old album. Oh no. This one was filled with intimate photos of you taken by a professional as part of a recent boudoir shoot, which was something you’d never done before. It had pushed you way out of your comfort zone, but for your Andy Bear, you were willing to try just about anything.

Plus, posing for those photos, while slightly uncomfortable at first, had made you feel sexy.

You just prayed that he liked them. 

Of course he would. You were about to gift him with his own personal porn. If awards for being “The Best Girlfriend Ever” existed you’d be a shoe-in.

Right?

___

After what feels like forever, you finally pull up in front of your apartment. Parking in your designated spot, you get out of the car and make your way to the front of your building. Your heartbeat thunders in your ears as you anxiously dash up the stairs.

You were sure Andy had to have seen the pictures by now. And part of you hated the fact that you’d missed his initial reaction. Oh well. It couldn’t be helped. 

Opening the door, you quickly toe off your nude pumps before going off in search of your boyfriend. You find him just where you'd thought he'd be, sitting on the edge of a kitchen chair with the album in his lap. And then you notice that his tie is undone and his hair is all mussed. Strange. He doesn’t acknowledge your arrival, instead he just sits there staring into the distance.

“Hey, baby.” You whisper, confused by the tenseness in his big shoulders.

“What the hell is this?” Andy finally asks, his tone gruff. You watch as his long fingers trace over the words you’d had etched on the cover.

“Umm…” Your teeth go to worry your bottom lip as the scowl gracing his features only serves to deepen. 

“When did you take these?” He growls, his jaw ticking as he holds up a random page featuring two different photos. The first is of you posing in a skimpy scrap of sheer lingerie with your areolas proudly on display, while the second has you wearing a pair of thigh-high socks and no panties.  

“Uh, well…” Ah, shit. This was so not the reaction you’d been hoping for.

“And better yet, who the fuck did you take them for?” Your man slowly rises from the chair before taking one step towards you, followed by another. And then another. Until he’s standing directly in front of you, all deliciously dark six-feet of him. 

“I asked you a fucking question, Y/N. And I’m going to need an answer. Now.”

“They - they’re for you.” You rasp, your throat suddenly dry. “It was supposed to be a surprise for our anniversary.”

“For our anniversary…right.” Andy scoffs, scraping one large hand over his tawny beard. “And I suppose you captured these yourself?” He crosses his arms over his broad chest.

“No.” You can practically feel your cheeks burning. “I, uh, had them taken at a studio run by Ricardo Ventura. The whole thing was part of a professional boudoir shoot and –” Your boyfriend’s right eye twitches at the mention of the photographer’s name.

“So you let another man see you like this?!” He erupts, waving the book in your face. “You seriously let some fucking creep take photos of you parading around in next to nothing? I mean, I can see your goddamned nipples!”

“Hey! I wore clothes.” Which was true. Kind of. “And they’re all tastefully done.”

Andy flips to another page that showcases an impressive look at your ass rocking a g-string, along with another of you thrusting your lace-covered chest invitingly at the camera.

“That little scrap of fabric doesn't fucking count, Y/N!" He rakes a hand through his hair. "I mean, what the hell were you thinking?”

That’s it. I’ve had enough.

“Damn it, Andrew! I thought they’d be a nice surprise.” You snatch the album from his hands. “Each and every photo in this thing was taken with you in mind. That’s what this is, you oaf! This is me giving you a tiny, private piece of myself in a way that I’ve never ever done with any other man.”

Your boyfriend continues to glare at you, that tick in his jaw becoming even more pronounced with each passing second. 

“I put a lot of thought and effort into this whole project, you ass. So, if you don’t appreciate them then I suppose I’ll just have to go give them to someone who does.” The words tumble out of your mouth before you can stop them. Big mistake.

Oops. Had you really just offered to give away your nearly-nude photos?  

You watch nervously as his blue eyes darken with a mix of anger and arousal. And then he’s in your space, using his big body to crowd your own as he slowly backs you into the wall, effectively caging you in. 

“You wanna try that again?” Andy snarls, his tone dripping with menace. “Because I know, I know, that you did not just offer to give away what’s mine.”   

“But you don’t even like the photos!” You snap, trying to keep the hurt from creeping into your tone.

“I never said that, baby girl.”

“Yes, you did!” Exasperated, your hands fist themselves in your hair, tugging at your curls.

“No, I did not.” He fires back. “Those words never came out of my mouth. I love you. Which means, by default, that I love everything you give me.” 

“Oh, bullshit.”

He keeps going as if didn’t hear you. “But what I don’t love is the idea of some skeezy-ass fucker walking around with a camera snapping naughty pics of my woman. In fact, I really fucking hate it.”  

His big hand goes to lightly grip your chin.

"This gorgeous little body belongs to me, baby. I'm the only man allowed to see what lies beneath these clothes. The only man who gets to love you, touch you, tease you --"

"But -"

"No buts. The idea behind this gift was sweet, but I'm afraid all it's done is piss me off. In case you haven't noticed, Y/N, I'm a bit of a possessive bastard. Especially when it comes to you."

"Andy, I -" You can feel the tears threatening to fall.

"You, sweetheart, are my everything. Do you understand me?"

Unsure of what else to say, all you can do is nod your head "yes" before one brawny arm wraps itself around your waist to haul you flush against his big body.

"I love you, Y/N. More than you know. And now you're gonna be a good girl and let me show you just how much.” A shiver courses through you as he trails one nimble finger down the sensitive column of your throat. He grips the collar of your white shirt, threatening to rip it.

“Please don’t.” You whimper softly. “I just bought this blouse.”

“Fine.” Andy takes a step back from you in what you can only assume is a brief act of reprieve. “Tell you what. I’ll give you ten seconds to make it to the bedroom and get naked.”

“But that’s not enough time!” You protest, even as you start undoing your buttons.

“Not my problem, sweetness.” He shrugs. “If you want your clothes to stay in one piece, you’ll make it work. Ten.” You let out a small shriek as your boyfriend begins counting down before spinning on your heel and darting out of the kitchen. “Nine.” He keeps going. “Eight. Eh, fuck it.”

Sporting a feral grin, Andy takes off after you, your trail of discarded clothing acting as a carnal beacon.

___

“Time’s up, baby girl.” He purrs, as he leans against the doorframe to watch you fumble with the clasp of your blush-colored bra. “Oops. Looks like you’re still wearing too many clothes. Guess, I’ll just have to help you out.” 

You protectively cross your arms over your chest.

"That's so not necessary -- eep!"

He’s on you then, faster than you can blink. In a flash your bra is torn from your body. It lands in a delicate heap on the floor next to your panties, leaving you naked and vulnerable to your man's primal gaze.

Bastard.

Looking every inch the predator, Andy circles your nude form, almost as if he's trying to commit your curves to memory.

"I still can't believe you let another man see what's mine, sweet girl. Makes my blood boil just thinking about it." His knuckles caress their way down your spine. "I refuse to share you with anyone. I'm just not built that way."

"Andy, I swear Ricardo was a perfect gentleman the entire shoot." His hand wanders its way from the base of your spine to your abdomen. It lingers there for a moment, lightly stroking over your heated skin.

"Hush." He purrs, leaning in to whisper hot, open-mouthed kisses along your neck. "I'm a man, baby. I know how we think. And even more importantly, I know what we want. What we look for." He possessively cups your cunt, groaning as your sticky honey coats his palm.

"Ahh..." You moan, your head falling back to rest against his shoulder.

"He wanted you, baby. I know you don't believe this, but you turn heads everywhere you go."

"You - you're being ridiculous." You whine, rising on your tiptoes when his fingers begin playfully massaging your clit.

"You may not notice it, but I do. And since I can't be with you all the time, I'm really gonna to need you to start remembering who you fucking belong to." His skilled fingers find a steady rhythm, making you arch into his touch.

"I didn't forget, honey. I'd never forget, I swear. All those photos were for you and - oooh!" Andy pinches your swollen nub before delivering a rough slap to your little pussy. "Ungh, yes! Right there, Andy. Don't stop!

Another slap.

"Quiet. It's too late now. Take your punishment like the good girl I know you can be and all will be forgiven." He delivers one more blow. "Understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Now, climb up on the bed for me." Wanting to please him, you scramble to do as he asks.

"Lay back for me...there we go. Now spread your legs. Daddy wants to get a nice, long look at his sweet pussy."

Blushing, you dutifully part your thighs and expose your drenched core.

"Mm, would you look at that? All that cream just for me..." Smiling, he fishes his phone out of his pocket and snaps a photo. "I think we need to capture this moment, don't you?"

"What?" You breathe as your thighs quiver.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that now that I know how much you love the camera, I figure it's time for you to make your on-screen debut." You watch as your Big Man hits record before lowering himself to his knees in front of you. "Say hi."

"No!" You turn away in an attempt to hide your face from the camera.

"Aww." He pouts, flipping the screen and poking out his bottom lip. "Looks like my baby girl is suddenly feeling shy. Guess, we'll have to try something a little different."

Andy winks into the camera before briefly standing up to hand it over to you.

"Daddy's gonna be nice and let you hold this while he eats you. You're gonna need to give me at least three good orgasms before you're allowed to hae my cock." He presses a tender kiss to your vulnerable mound.

"Y-yes, sir." You cry as he settles himself between your splayed thighs once again. Your shaking hands struggle to hold on to the phone.

"And be sure to hold the camera steady. Don't want you to miss a moment of me enjoying the fuck out of this tasty pussy." He reaches over to your nightstand and pulls out his favorite vibrator.

Yes, his favorite vibrator.

He smiles as he turns it on, his intoxicating blue eyes glazed over with pure lust.

"On second thought, I wanna use this too. So how about we up it to four and then call it even, yeah?" Locking his thickly muscled arms around your thighs, he roughly hauls you to the edge of the bed.

Preparing you for his dining pleasure.

"A meal fit for a king." He murmurs as he nuzzles his bearded face against your dripping folds. You cry out as his wicked tongue swirls over your clit, eagerly lapping up your sweet and salty juices.

Fuck, you were in for a long night.

"And don't worry about making too much noise, baby girl. If the neighbors come knockin' Daddy will make sure to gag you."

END

[gogogodzilla]

November 26, 2031, AM 1:36:28

Summary: What appears to be a series of robberies escalates and brings you closer than you'd like to both Cyberlife and Gavin masterlist ✩ ao3 ✩ wattpad ✩ previous chapter ✩ next chapter ✩

Your days start and end with Gavin Reed. Well, your work days at least. You’re free of him most weeknights unless he gets called in, which is exactly what’s happening tonight.

“Damn, sweetheart. How much does Cyberlife pay you?” Gavin asks as he looks up at your apartment building through his front windshield. 

“Enough,” you grunt as you hop into his car.

He rolls his eyes, “So, you’re filthy rich. Good to know.” 

The radio plays in a low hum as Gavin navigates through the Detroit city streets. He taps impatiently on the wheel. 

“So, what do we know?” Gavin grumbles, his eyes darting between the road and you. 

You pull out a datapad that you received a few days into your partnership with Gavin, thanks to the DPD. You scan over the case file one, forcing your tired eyes to focus. 

“It’s strange. For the past few weeks, the perp has just been targeting convenience stores. It’s quite a jump to target a Cyberlife warehouse,” you sigh as your brows furrow. 

Gavin rubs the side of his face, “They’re escalating, that’s for damn sure.” 

“Do you think it’s more than one person?” 

He thinks for a moment, “Has to be. There’s no way just one person can pull this off.” 

“Maybe it’s an initiation of some sort? The convenience stores were just a test and this is the real thing.” 

“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” Gavin raises a brow as he looks at you out of the corner of his eye. 

You hum, “Maybe, but we have to consider all of our options. We’re no closer to catching whoever did this than we were two weeks ago.” 

“Wow, Doc, I had no idea that we were making absolutely no progress in this case, thank you for this enlightening information,” he quipped, rolling his eyes. 

You resist the urge to smack him upside the head and choose to look out the window instead. Minutes pass by in tense silence and before you know it, Gavin is pulling up to the warehouse. The scene is lit up by the flashing lights of various other police cars, and Gavin parks in an unoccupied spot. You wordlessly exit the car, and the scene buzzes with activity. Various officers are scouring the scene for evidence or talking to the guards on duty tonight. 

“Let’s start inside, we can work our way out from there,” Gavin suggests as he leads you inside the warehouse. 

You scan the inside of the warehouse— various crates are opened with their lids thrown to the side with a trail leading to the exit on the far side of the warehouse. 

Gavin leads you to another officer, a young woman with short brown hair. “Chen, what the fuck happened here?” 

Officer Chen sighs, “The bastards were in and out like damn ghosts. The security footage is all scrambled. we’re trying to work through it, but it’s gonna take time.” She holds out her hand to you, “Tina Chen, I don’t believe we’ve met.” 

You take her hand and introduce yourself, giving her a grim smile. “What did they take?” you ask as you survey the scene once again. 

She looks at the datapad she had in her spare hand, “Mostly just parts. They were in and out in less than 10 minutes, so they must’ve known what they wanted and where to look.” 

“Thanks, Tina. We’re gonna take a look around,” Gavin sighs and Tina nods her goodbye. 

As you walk away you pull Gavin to the side.  “This doesn’t look good for me, Reed. We’re in charge of finding these people, and now they’ve directly targeted Cyberlife,” you hiss as your heart begins to pound in your chest. 

Gavin’s eyebrows furrow and he raises his hands, “Whoa, calm down, sweetheart.” 

“Calm down? The perp went from robbing convenience stores to a high-stakes operation against Cyberlife, and you want me to calm down?” you question, the pitch of your voice rising with each passing second.

“If anyone’s going to be targeted by Cyberlife, it’ll be me. All you’re supposed to do is watch, remember?” he assures as he places a hand on your shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze, ensuring you’re looking at him. “Take a deep breath, and calm the fuck down, sweetheart.” 

You take a few deep breaths and run a shaky hand through your hair, forcing yourself to save your freak-out for later. “I’ll check with the representative from Cyberlife, and see exactly what was taken. If we know what they were looking for, maybe we can figure out the motive,” you utter, collecting your thoughts. 

Gavin nods, giving you a once-over. “Alright, I’ll talk with some other officers, and see if I can figure out the point of entry and exit.” 

“Come find me when you’re done,” you instruct and Gavin nods once again. He turns on his heel and joins a group of officers on the other side of the warehouse. 

You seek out the most professional-looking person at the crime scene, who happens to be a woman wearing a pantsuit and a Cyberlife badge talking to a police officer. Her back is facing you, but she turns her head as you approach. Your steps falter as you’re face-to-face with the coworker who sent you to Charlie’s on your first day at Cyberlife. She dismisses the officer she’s talking to with a wave of her hand, and a smug look graces her features. 

“Well, well, look at who decided to finally show up. I was worried when I didn’t see you at the office for a few days, but then Graff told me about this little project of yours,” she sneers and places a hand on her hip.

You press your lips into a thin line, “Hello, Emily, great to see you as always.” 

“What do you want, anyways? Shouldn’t you be gallivanting around the crime scene with your boy toy instead of bothering me?” 

“Officer Reed is one of the leading officers on this case, and I happen to be his partner,” you grit out. You pause for a moment, taking a few breaths before continuing, “Regardless, I need to know specifically what parts the perps took.” You ignore the way your cheeks heat at her insinuation. She rolls her eyes but takes a look at her datapad. You’re slightly surprised she’s willing to indulge you, and you attempt to mask the way your eyebrows raise in response. 

“Looks like they were targeting specific components— high-end biocomponents and advanced processors. Not your run-of-the-mill parts, and definitely not cheap.” 

You can’t help the automatic tilt of your head as your thoughts begin to race. Android parts usually sell for a decent amount of money, so anyone lucky enough to sneak into the warehouse normally wouldn’t be picky. They could make a decent payday no matter what they chose. This perp was different, though. Maybe it isn’t about the money? 

“Hello?” Emily calls as she waves a hand in front of your face, bringing you abruptly back to reality.

You blink rapidly for a moment before looking over at her. “Thanks for your help,” you murmur before walking away. 

You can’t help the flare of annoyance at Emily’s attitude that comes over you as you walk away, but you shove it aside for another time. You have a case to solve, and you’ll have plenty of time to ruminate about it later.

Gavin’s waiting for you by the time you finish your chat with Emily, and he looks up at you as you return,  a questioning look at your obvious change in demeanor. 

“What’d you learn?” he questions warily. 

“They targeted specific and expensive parts. I’m starting to think that this was an inside job.” 

“What?”

“Think about it,” you huff, “the perps knew what parts were the most expensive, and they knew exactly which crates to find them in.” 

Gavin scans the surrounding area, and you’re right. Only a few select crates show evidence of tampering. 

He rubs his chin, “That’s what Brooks mentioned. Some of the stuff in here costs an arm and a leg, but they didn’t even touch it. Not to mention the security system.” He pauses for a moment, lost in thought. “It isn’t about the money, then. The perp is doing something else with the stolen parts.”

“Exactly.” 

You can’t help but feel a small surge of pride as Gavin easily follows your train of thought. Maybe he isn’t as lousy as a cop as you suspected. 

“Maybe this isn’t related to the convenience store robberies? I mean, this is Detroit. We’re not exactly short on crime here.” 

You frown, not fully convinced. “Maybe… I still think we need more evidence.” 

Gavin sighs, “We can regroup in the morning, but, for now, I think we got all we can.” 

You nod and he leads you back to his patrol car. Officers have slowly started to filter out of the warehouse, leaving the two of you and a few stragglers. 

You crank the heat as soon as you get comfortable in Gavin’s car. You hold your hands up to the vent for a few moments before relaxing back in your seat, exhaustion finally catching up to you. 

Gavin begins driving you back to your apartment and a comfortable silence falls over the two of you. You watch as the cityscape passes by, neon lights of various buildings brighten the night sky. 

Gavin clears his throat, “What happened between you and that Cyberlife chick? You didn’t seem completely thrilled to be talking to her.” 

You raise a brow, “Were you watching me, Officer Reed?” 

You grin as he sputters for a moment. 

“It’s my job to be observant; besides, the look you had on your face when you met back up with me wasn’t exactly friendly,” he defends himself, his gaze glued on the road. You sneak a glance at him in the light of the passing streetlights. You could’ve sworn you saw a tinge of red dusting his cheeks. 

You shrug, “She’s the one who tricked me into going to Charlie’s. We haven’t really gotten along since.” 

You decide to keep Emily’s comment about Gavin being your “boy toy” to yourself. At least for now, you can save yourself a little bit of embarrassment. 

Gavin hums in acknowledgment but says nothing. 

“What? No quip about me having to interact with the equivalent of a high school bully,” you joke, attempting to ease the tension that had settled over the car. 

He chuckles, “No, just can’t say what I want to say.” 

You raise a brow, your grin widening as you tease him. “Don’t worry, this is a safe space.” 

Gavin huffs out a laugh in response, and before you can urge him anymore he pulls up to your apartment building. 

“Do you want me to walk you up? It’s late and dark out,” Gavin questions, looking around the desolate parking lot. He avoids your gaze as you hop out of his car. 

Your apartment building has one of the most well-lit parking lots in Detroit, and you furrow your brows for a moment. 

“No, I think I can make it. Thanks, though,” you can’t help the smile that graces your features. 

You’re about to shut the door when Gavin calls your name. You hold onto the door frame and bend down to look at him. 

“Just, uh… fuck,” he grunts and runs a hand down his face. He looks down at the center console before meeting your eyes for the first time since you left the warehouse, “That chick sending you to that bar is the reason we met, so, I dunno… Maybe don’t be so pissed at her for that.” 

You tilt your head to the side, giving him a small smile. 

“Goodnight, Gavin,” you say softly before shutting the door behind you. 

Warmth floods your chest, and you’re nearly giddy as you ride the elevator up to your apartment. As you lay in bed, you replay that moment in your head. 

Maybe being partners won’t be so bad. 

[butmakeitgayblog]

How did corn midwestern au Clexa make up? Get our babes back on track 🥹

For everyone else who reminded me, thank you loves 💕 cuz ya know ya girl forgets every damn thing

//////////////////////

Storming out of her own front door felt like the stupidest thing she'd ever done once she gotten about a third of the way down the block and realized... wait. That's my fuckin house. Not hers.

But... that wasn't really true. Not entirely. Not when she really made herself stop and think about it. Because so much about everything there in that house had Lexa intrinsically tied up in it. The front walkway lined with azaleas and the lilac bush trimmed neatly up near the porch. The fresh coat of paint that made her door and windows pop, and the funky collection of wind chimes that decorate the awning. Lexa had planted every scrap of green, hung every piece of artwork just-so, had done more little projects around the house with her own two hands than Clarke could even begin to count.

She had, without Clarke really bothering to notice before that moment, turned Clarke's house into a home.

Their home.

A place that felt entirely like sanctuary.

And that's the thought that cuts through the fog of her anger when she turns to corner at the end of the block.

Lexa had been clear in her intentions if Clarke really stopped and thought about it. Which she hadn't before, which just makes her feel like even more of an idiot. Because this was Lexa. Who doesn't do things by halves. She goes all in on everything and pours her heart into her work, and doesn't ever really ask for anything in return. This is Lexa, who loves in action instead of the empty shells of words. And it's not hard to see what she'd been saying all along, while Clarke hadn't even been listening.

Her loop around the block is broken up by waves from front lawns and the occasional car horn honk. Not the blaring aggressive kind she associates with her childhood city, but in tiny beep-beeps here and there just to get her attention long enough to look up, capped with a friendly wag of fingers as one town folk or another that she now knows on a first name basis trundled their way by.

She sidesteps stretches of chalk covered pavement and stops whenever a little barefoot kid or two grab at her hands and drag her closer to explain the brilliance of their colorful sidewalk creation. She politely turns down offers of lemonade from porch swings and smiles at kids riding bikes that yelling out calls of, "Heya, Dr. Clarke!"

She rounds the last corner of her block. Passes the clinic next to her house where she treats all these people, fixes their boo boos, stuffy noses, and chronic headaches. Remembers the months it'd taken to get so many of them to trust her with their care, and remembers the stories of what they'd gone through before she'd gotten there. She runs her fingers along the sign that bears her name in bright blue lettering, the one Lexa had painted herself Clarke's second week in town in the blazing sun in a baseball cap and an old ratty shirt. "Ya gotta have a new sign, Doc," she'd smirked when Clarke had come out on her lunch break and asked what exactly it was she was doing. "Otherwise people might just walk on by, and that'd be a travesty. Besides... This color matches your eyes."

Slinking back through the house feels entirely too much like a walk of shame, but she supposes she's done just about enough to deserve it. And finding Lexa splayed out face-down in their bed is a welcome sight, despite everything.

Her murmured 'I'm sorry' from the doorway is enough to have Lexa flipping over because, even mad, Lexa would never ignore her. Except Lexa doesn't look mad. She looks guarded and brokenhearted, and fuck, that's so much worse.

"I can be stupid sometimes," is Clarke's attempt at opening the discussion, gently hushing Lexa's knee-jerk need to tell her she's not. Instead, Clarke makes her way over to the bed and guides Lexa to lay in her back, straddling her hips and pulling Lexa's hands into her own. Because she's kind of run the gambit on emotions in the last 45 minutes, and if they're gonna have this kind of conversation, she wants it to feel intimate.

So she explains that she can be stupid. And very narrow-sighted. She can put blinders on to the world around her when she gets goals stuck in her head, and she'll work to move heaven and earth just to achieve them. She can be someone who is obtuse about certain things, who doesn't always take the time to see the bigger picture right in front of her, especially if it doesn't immediately fit into what she had planned.

But the thing is... everything she had dreamed about before, she already right here in this town. It just happened to come in a very unexpected package. The truth is, she does understand what Lexa feels toward these people. She understands that sense of community Lexa has here, that drive to watch out for these people and take care of them. Because when she finally stops and takes a look around herself, she feels it too. She cares about them, all of them, just the same as Lexa does. She was just too focused on plans that don't even really seem to matter anymore to let herself see it. Yes there's things here she hates about this place, but that's true about anywhere she's go.

These people rely on her too. They count on her and care about her. They've taken her in as one of thejr own. In all these months she'd failed so badly to pay attention to fact that they considered her one of them.

They were her people now.

That very much included Lexa, too.

And more than that, she understands where Lexa's coming from when she sets aside all of her own bullshit and sees where this beautiful doofus is coming from. Lexa is nothing if not an honorable woman who stands up for her responsibilities. For the people she loves.

And her loyalty? "Baby, that's such a big part part of why I love you. Even when it's difficult sometimes... I don't ever want to change that about you."

That's only the second time in their relationship that Clarke sees her girlfriend cry (even if it's little more than a sheen of tears over her lashes.) But she knows Lexa understands what she's saying when she sits up and kisses her like she's got something to prove, feeling the arms on her waist wrap so tightly it nearly hurts because Lexa just wants her that much closer. Her mumbled whispers of, "I love you. Thank you. I'm going to make you so happy here, I promise. You'll see," between kisses make Lexa taste just that much sweeter, despite it all making Clarke laugh because it really is entirely unnecessary.

There's a lot more conversations to be had, apologies to be made and finer details to work out. But in that moment, all that matters is letting themselves feel one another. Getting lost in mending trust and understanding between them that never even needed to broken. Making love like they have all the time in the world until their both sweaty and spent. That night they stay up till sunrise, talking and laying down plans with stretched out gloriously naked in bed, because the first order of business is deciding exactly when Lexa should officially move in.

Because this is their house. Their home. And if they're gonna make a real go of making a life together in it, they might as well go on and get started now since that they both know neither one of them is going anywhere...

[dessertpanda]

PART 2 to my Goku x Reader Series ❤️

“An Invitation to Bulma's Birthday?” Y/N asked, as Goku read the letter out loud. “Yeah, Gohan brought it when we were training” Y/N was currently helping the boys with their math homework, explaining how angles work. “Interesting… Should we go?” She was unsure, which made sense since they’ve been basically blacklisted from that group for a good while now. “Can we Y/N? Pretty Please??” Goten was looking at her with hopeful eyes, puppy dog eyes if you will. “Me and Goku will talk about it, see what the best plan of action is” She looked to Goku for a little back up but it seemed he was lost in his own world. “Should we really go though? I mean, what if another fight breaks out?” Trunks asked while heading towards the kitchen. “True, but Goten it’s been awhile since you’ve seen your mom right?” Y/N returned her attention to him. “Y-yeah it has been, I’m still scared to be around her alone” He confessed, slightly embarrassed at his cowardliness. “Then it’s settled” Y/N looked towards Goku whose eyes were blown wide surprise that she changed her mind so fast.. “W-wait, we haven’t even talked about it” He argued unsure if this was smart or not. “Goku look, it’s been forever since Goten has seen his Mom, and he needs her” She gently grabbed Goku's arm so they could talk in another room. “But he has you, he calls you mama sometimes” Goku emphasized on Goten calling her Mom. “Sometimes like when he’s exhausted or just had a bad dream, he’s only looking for comfort” Y/N sighed shaking her head “Look, I know how hard it is to have a bad relationship with you parents, Obviously” Goku brought her into a hug of comfort, ever since the incident she been a little more sensitive about her parental situation. “I don’t want that for him, and if the best way for him to talk to her is with us around, then we have to bite the bullet” She pulled away from Goku taking his face into her hands. She could tell how uneasy he was about even the thought of seeing Chi-Chi again and Bulma to add to it. “Okay, as long as you’re there to keep me grounded I think, I think I can manage” He took a deep breath and grabbed her hand in his. Y/N has been noticing that little soft moments like these have been happening more and more recently. It scared her but at the same time gave her a little bit of hope that he might feel the same for her. “Okay,” She pulled away, heading back to the boys. She grabbed the invitation off the coffee table and read it out loud. “It says" You are invited to Bulma's Birthday Cruise, Location City Doc, be there by 12:00 pm, August 14, Dress is casual formal, RSVP by August 5. Hope to party with you” Y/N finished looking up at the faces of them all. “So, how do we RSVP?” Trunks asked, ignoring the fact that they have to RSVP today. “Umm Goku when did you get this?” Y/N asked, “Gohan gave it to me yesterday” “Ugh, They obviously don’t want us there” Trunks groaned “They gave it late in hopes that we wouldn’t be able to attend” He said pointing out that very obvious fact. “How are we going to RSVP? None of us has even talked to them in months' ' Goten was confused on how exactly they were supposed to do this. “And I don’t train again with Gohan till next week” Goku said with his hand on his chin “What about farther? Train with him today?” Trunks asked, “No, I trained with him yesterday as well” “Ugh, I have an idea but I really don’t want to” Y/N groaned and started to walk towards her bedroom. The boys sat patiently waiting for her return, intrigued as to what the plan was. “Call Old Man” The sound of ringing took over the living room as she returned. She took a seat next to Goku, laid her head on his shoulder and set the phones on speaker. “What the hell do you want?” A gruff voice whispered from the other side. “H-hey dad, It’s Y/N” She said calmly “Yes, I’m aware, Like I said what the hell do you want?” You could hear his thin patients through the phone. “Well. we’re calling to RSVP for the party” Y/N said gaining a little confidence as Trunks took her hand.

“WHAT” two other voices were now introduced to the call. “Chi-chi and Bulma?” Goku mouthed to her. She responded with a head shake “Yeah, there will be 4 of us, Me, Goku, Trunks, and Goten” She said smiling at the boys. “Um Yeah of course I’ll make sure to write your names down on the guest list” Vegeta said, “Perfect, I’ll see you then” She was about to hang up “Y/N wait” Vegeta called before she could hit the red button. “I’m assuming I’m on speaker, take it off but pull Kakarot so he can also hear this” They could hear shuffling on his side, as if he was moving rooms. Y/N followed in instructions, and pulled Goku right next to her face so he could hear through the phone. “Listen carefully, I want to talk to you about something when you get here, just us 3 I owe you an explanation and an apology” This surprised the Duo, “Also Chi-Chi, she’s umm what the Earth word.. She’s become a ?” He questioned his wording. Y/N tried her best to surpass the giggle. “At the party, I warn you two she is going to do all her power to make Kakarot jealous… She really hates you and Goku so just know.” There was silence for a moment. “ I just wanted to warn you so she doesn't ruin whatever that two of you have together, Okay” Now that surprised both of them. “VEGETA GET IN HERE” Bulma's voice boomed “I'M COMING WOMEN” He yelled back just as loud. “Okay, I’ll see you later” He said before hanging up. Both were too stunned to speak, finding out that Vegeta thought they were dating? “So I guess to them we are a thing?” Goku asked “Y-yeah, I’m sorry about his warning” She felt bad, as if Chi-Chi could betray him anymore. He sat still for a moment until he jumped up “Let’s do it!” Goku suddenly had this determined look on his face. “What exactly are we doing?” Y/n was definitely lost “She’s trying to make me jealous, lets fake date, so then she’ll think to back off” Y/N couldn't help but roll her eyes. “Where did you get an idea like that?” “A movie,” Goku admitted. “Please, It could be really fun, Plus we can get the boys to play along, Think of how badly they hurt us” He was now giving puppy dog eyes, practically on his hands and knees. “Never took you for the revenge type, but I don’t know” She was conflicted, sure it would be fun and hilarious to mess with them but would it hurt her even more after it was all done. “Fine, let's ask the boys” She caved.His stupid puppy eyes were just as good as Gotens “If they agree then we will be the “Perfect” family” She gave a small smile, giggling at the mischief they would be doing. “YES” Goku was exhilarated that she agreed. “Boys, we’ve been thinking” Y/N looked to Goku to finish “Would you guys like to go to the party?” Goku was secretly  praying they would say yes “HELL YEAH” They yelled simultaneously. “Okay so it’s a yes but we need to get some more formal clothes, other than training” Y/N said grabbing her coat so they could leave now. “But Y/NNN  I don’t want toooooo” They wined and moaned. “Last I checked None of you even have polos, plus it will be fun and we can go eat after” she tried bribing them. “FOOD?/FUN?” Goku was excited for the food while the boys were happy to hear fun. “Yep, get dressed, let's go now” She sent the boys to get dressed and waited outside for them.

+Mini time skip+

The boys shopping was relatively easy considering Trunks wanted a Pink Polo, Goten got a green polo as to be opposite of Trunks and Goku decided to wait till Y/N got her dress so they could go matching. "Okay Boys seems like you two are set now we just gotta get my dress" Y/N smiled while paying for the boys shirts. They wondered the mall for a little seeing if a store was to catch their eyes. "Oh Y/N what about this one?" Goku pointed to a store with lots of fancy and formal dresses at the window. "OHHH this looks perfect" Y/N quickly rushed into the store. "Hello there and welcome to Arias formal dress shop, Would you like me to set up a room and help with your outfits?" The store lady asked. Goku and the boys followed in soon after. "Oh a family trip, how lovely" The little shop lady clapped her hands "I'll get a room ready Right away" she then rushed to show Y/N her room and pick out of dresses she thought would looking good on her. "You boys sit here and your mamma will come out to show them" The man they assumed to be the shop keepers husband, handed waters and pointed to a couch in front of a makeshift runway. "Oh, so cool" They thanked the man for the drinks and took their respective seats on the couch. A few minutes had passed when the shop lady came out from the dressing room door. "We present the first dress" She did little jazz hands as Y/N stepped out in a deep blue dress, that had little stars on it. "Oh wow Y/N that looks amazing" Trunks smirked at the beauty of his sister. "I like it" Goten added smiling brightly at her. Goku got up and did a small walk around with his hand on his chin. "I uh sorry Y/N but that color just" Y/N frowned at his comment. "It looks great on you but doesn't it kinda remind you of Vegeta?" he asked shaking his head. A look of realization spread across her face. "Oh i guess so yeah, Okay lets try to stay away from the Blues?" Y/N took his comment to heart and asked the Shop keeper to continue their search. To which she happily agreed to. The next dress was a dark Green, with a little lace on it. "No, not my favorite" Trunks was quick to turn that one down much to Goten displease. "I personally liked that one" He muttered. But non the less Y/N went to try on the next one. This dress was pink and had little white hearts on it. "You look like that mouse character" Goten stated. "NO WAY THAT ONE LOOKS AMAZING" Trunks argued. "HEY YOU WOULDN'T LET HER MATCH WITH ME SO SHE CAN'T MATCH WITH YOU" Goten yelled back.  "Hey" Goku hollered sternly, "What have I said about fighting?" He looked down at the two. "Only do it with our fist not our words" They said looking down but then glaring at each other. "Right, but settle that later" Y/N said with her hands on her hips. "Yes ma'am"

After another hour of trying on dresses non of the boys could agree on one. "Okay this is the last dress" The shop keeper said, her hair out of place and breath slightly heavy. Y/n walked out in a deep red dress that complement all her curves and had slight glitter scattered on it. "You look" The young boys stared "Perfect" Goku was quick to finish, getting up to stand next to her. "This one, this is the dress" He said making her do a spin. "YEAH IT'S PERFECT" Trunks got up and flew around his sister admiring the dress. "Yeah Y/N this is the best one" Goten followed after Trunks. "So this is it?" Y/N Asked looking at herself in the mirror running her hands over her curves. "Yes, this is it" Goku said smiling at her through the reflection.  "Alright let's get checked out and head home" Goku said before the Shop lady stopped him. "WAIT, I have a matching dress shirt for your husband here" she said handing Y/N a shirt that matched the dress exactly. "Oh, perfect now we have everything we need for the party" Goku said quickly trying on the shirt to make sure it fits. "Yep and we match, how cool" Y/N giggle hooking her arm around Gokus. "And for such a lovely family, I'll give you a discount" The man checking them out smiled brightly. "Oh thank you so much" Y/N bowed.

"BYE THANK YOU" The small fake perfect family walked out the store and out the mall to head home. One they arrived at home they put their party outfits away and Y/N began to cook dinner. As their night came to a close, Goku was starting to like acting like a family again. Specifically with Y/N who fit into the roll perfectly. He looked up into the bathroom mirror and smiled seeing Her things spread about her side of the counter. He gently picked up her perfume and took a deep whiff of it. He found it intoxicating but he didn't know what these feeling where exactly. "a-am I falling in love with my best friends daughter?" He asked quickly looking up at the mirror again to stare at his reflection as if the answer was awaiting him there.  He chuckled before setting the bottle down, "I guess I am, but this is nothing like Chi Chi" He smiled and began walking out to the front room where she where waiting for him. As he walked in he smiled at Y/N and the boys "Because this is real" he muttered under his breath. "What was that Goku?" Y/N asked glancing up at him. "mm Oh he-he nothing, just remembered I forgot to grab jeans" He giggled, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, thats okay I can just order you some" Y/N smiled, opening her arms so Goku could lay with her. He set his head on her lap and smiled looking up at her. "I love you Y/N" He said. Y/N heart flutter, this time was different that all others, the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice. 'He really does' Y/N thought a blush and butterfly forming. For once since they began living together Y/N knew she could return those words and they would have the same meaning as his. "I love you too Goku". To this Goku smiled brightly up at her.

HOPE YOU LIKE IT, :) HAVE A GREAT DAY AND REMEMBER TO EAT,DRINK, AND LOVE YOURSELF BYEEEEEE

[punsmaster69]

12/JAN/20XX

"......."

".........."

"Okay, but it's not past my bedtime technically."

"it is definitely-"

"wait, friday."

"Midnight bedtime, babeyy!!!"

i glanced at the time.

"alright, you've got about thirty minutes before i hang up."

"Thirty five."

"ok. thirty five. but do you wanna spend that five minutes arguing about what time it is?"

"No."

"anything specific you called for this time?"

"Uhh..."

"Wellness check."

".....𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬."

"Wellness check."

"like they do for the elderly?"

"You ARE the elderly."

"nuh uh."

"As far as I'm concerned, you are."

"is there a level past elderly? 'cuz both your parents surely hit that one."

"..Both my-?"

"......"

"hm?"

"I guess he kind of is.."

"old?"

"My parent."

"Visiting him feels almost the same as seeing, like, Undyne and Alphys though."

"And I usually call him Asgore."

"you referred to him as 'dad guy' for a little bit."

"Then stopped."

"Every time I would, Mom would..."

"make 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 face."

"Yeah."

"Someone else comes to mind when I think of who my 'dad' is, anyway."

"he sounds cool."

"Yeah."

"great, even?"

"............."

"he'd be a better influence, y'know."

"He's more like my awesome uncle."

"true."

"Plus, it doesn't make sense to call him 'dad'. He doesn't have the hots for my mom."

"wow."

"those thirty five minutes went by so fast."

" 'night."

"NO-"

it didn't last long.

my phone started buzzing once again.

"Sans."

"frisk."

"You can't hang up on me for that."

"i did."

"Was I wrong?"

"i will again."

"Fine, okay, we don't have to talk about it."

"Eventhoughit'sdefinitelytrue-"

"Just don't hang up on me again."

"we'll see."

"You never did answer the wellness check."

"Are you well... Ness?"

i gave them a long stare.

"Come on."

"It was right there."

"a n y w a y."

"sure. i'm of the wellness. having much well."

"The best answer you can give is 'sure'?"

"you want me to list every symptom, dr. frisk?"

they pretended to hold an imaginary clipboard.

"Yeees."

"Tell me everything, patient."

"is that your impression of a doctor?"

"Yes it is. Now, are you good or not?"

"i'm good."

imaginary pen scribbling.

"Noticed one of your eyes has been back on."

"indeed."

"That's good, but why just the one?"

"𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 supposed to tell 𝘮𝘦 that, doc."

"Oh."

"Uh."

"..Well."

"It was the left one that does the magic glowy stuff, right?"

"yep."

"And that's the one that blew up."

"mhm."

"Whatever Papyrus said happened when you did your special attack... probably worsened that."

"So that's why. I think."

"thanks for the diagnosis."

"what do you suggest?"

"Hmmmmm."

putting their fingers together in thought.

"Nighttime phone calls where you spill all your weird skeleton secrets..."

"at really abhorrent times, got it."

"And a big fat kiss from Mama Goat."

"goodnight."

"AAA-"

they called again.

i rolled over the other way.

——

at least twice a week, usually about three in the morning or so...

i'll wake up.

for seemingly no reason.

sometimes i can get back to sleep if i lay there for long enough, but tonight was not one of those times.

while in there for some cold water and likely a light refrigerator raid, something surprising met me in the kitchen.

actually, met 𝘮𝘦 isn't quite the right wording, considering 𝗶 scared 𝗵𝗶𝗺.

sitting on our kitchen floor, cradling the basically empty milk jug, was my brother; long limbs folded criss-cross on the tile.

his troubled gaze focused on nothing in particular, almost trance-like.

"hey."

he snapped out of it.

if not for being a skeleton, i'd say papyrus jumped out of his skin.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP AT THIS TIME??"

"wonderin' the same of you."

"I ASKED FIRST."

"i'm gonna raid the fridge. get some water."

proceeding to do just that, light from the refrigerator spilled into the darkened room. papyrus narrowed his sockets slightly and turned away from it.

"you?"

"....."

tapping his fingers on the side of the milk jug for a moment.

"I DON'T KNOW."

his glance to the side, followed by slight tensing.. it was all too familiar.

i parked myself next to him on the cold floor.

unable to be bothered with washing up an actual fork, i grabbed a plastic one and opened a container of leftover pasta.

"what was it about this time?"

"......"

"puzzle mishap?"

"underground again?"

"mtt's show cancelled?"

"NO..."

"I BARELY REMEMBER ANY OF IT."

"but you remember a little?"

"THERE WERE-"

"AROUND ME, I WAS..."

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING EXACTLY, BUT I KNOW I DIDN'T ENJOY WHATEVER I WAS BEING MADE TO DO. I'M NOT SURE WHY IT WOULD BE..."

"VINES, OF ALL THINGS."

".........."

a part of me flickered with anger, but it fizzled out just as soon.

i sighed.

"just a weird metaphor, probably."

"you know how dreams are."

"I GUESS."

"..gotta ask."

"what's with the milk?"

"OH- UH."

"WELL IT.. THERE WASN'T THAT MUCH LEFT, AND I FIGURED I WOULD FINISH IT OFF, SINCE I WANTED SOME ANYWAY-"

"too much effort for a glass, huh?"

"IT'S NOT A LACK OF EFFORT!!"

"IT'S MORE EFFICIENT LIKE THIS. I DON'T NEED TO WASTE TIME WASHING A PERFECTLY GOOD CUP WHEN IT IS ALREADY CONTAINED WITHIN THE JUG."

"i dunno. sounds like you were being lazy to me. not wantin' to wash a cup, drinking straight from the jug..."

"IT'S 𝘕𝘖𝘛 LAZY."

"if you say so."

"think i could get a swig of that before you finish it off?"

"HERE."

"thanks."

"alright, you can have your comfort milk back."

"SO LONG AS MY BONES ARE ASSURED TO BE STRONG, I WILL BE AS WELL!"

"you're always strong."

"AND HOW DO YOU THINK IT GOT TO BE THAT WAY?"

"daily training."

"....YES, THAT. BUT HAVING PLENTY OF MILK FALLS INTO THE REGIMEN AS WELL!"

"including the rest of the jug."

"THIS IS A ONE-TIME THING!!"

"so this where its been disappearing to at random all this time.."

"NO."

raising the jug to his mouth.

"LIKE I SAID, ONE-TIME THING."

"uhuh."

"I HEARD YOU SPEAKING A WHILE AGO."

"i was on the phone."

"WITH WHOM?"

"frisk."

"AGAIN?"

"yep."

"ISN'T IT PAST THEIR BEDTIME?"

"nah, it's friday."

"AH, RIGHT."

"suppose it's technically saturday now."

"REALLY? WHAT TIME IS IT?"

"uhh, let's see..."

after being in the dark for so long, we 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 turned away from my phone screen light.

dimming the brightness, i showed him the time.

"IT'S FOUR ALREADY??"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE DOWN HERE SO LONG."

"me either."

"let's get back to bed, huh?"

papyrus silently leaned against me.

"...ok. sleeping bags?"

"JUST THE COUCH."

"i'll grab our pillows."

[littleladymab]

OC Kiss Week - Rain

So like I knew I was doing the official prompts out of order, but I hadn't realized that I wrote them down out of order on my doc. So anyway, Rain is day one for me!

Requested by @jadeoxfordrose and @citadelofswords! Love and miss these kids :') I don't think this is "what the ghost" verse, but it is the same setting that I alluded to in my SlumberZine piece!

Theo belongs to Jade 💞

+++ 

The rain is completely unexpected and Davey doesn’t know how to take this change in plans into consideration.

“C’mon,” Theo urges, nudging him with their elbow and then smacking him in the chest with something. “Date’s not over yet.”

Startled, Davey catches whatever it is against his chest and looks down to find an umbrella. “There is no way you planned this,” he says, and Theo’s grin is more than enough to make up for the interruption.

“Nothing catches you off-guard when you’re always prepared,” they tease. “Now are you going to open it up or are we going to keep huddling here?”

They’re under the awning of a hardware store, caught halfway between the cafe they had lunch at and the park with the pop-up exhibit that was supposed to be part two. People hurry past, many caught as unaware as Davey was by the sudden downpour.

Davey obliges, since he’s the taller of the two, and holds it expertly over both of their heads as Theo presses in against his side. “The exhibit isn’t going to be open in this weather.”

“That’s true…” Theo’s voice trails off, and Davey hopes that he isn’t imagining the disappointment in it. “We’ll have to cut the date short then.”

“I suppose it just means that I have to see if you’re free next Thursday and if we’ll be able to catch it before it closes,” Davey chimes with as much enthusiasm he can muster.

“Ah,” Theo says and laughs. “A literal rain check, hmm?”

“They call it that for a reason.”

They laugh again. “Yeah, next Thursday is fine.”

“Good. Good! Alright then. Wow, a second date before the first is even finished—” Davey cuts himself off with his own laugh as Theo playfully shoves his shoulder. “Shall I walk you to the bus stop?”

Theo loops their arm through Davey’s to ensure the umbrella is covering as much of them as possible. “I’d like that.”

His brain short-circuits at the gesture before his expression melts into a probably quite stupid grin. “After you, then.”

It’s not until they’re halfway down the block that Davey’s brain finally does catch up with the situation and he wonders that since he lives nearby, should he have asked Theo to come over? Or would that have been too forward? They’ve known each other for a year now and while this is their first date-date they’ve hung out before but just never at either of their places. It’s always been with the girls or Parker.

Putting the sudden pressure of the invitation back to his place feels like a bit much, even if it does feel a little rude since it is close by.

Once they’re beneath the shelter of the bus stop, Davey shakes out the umbrella and folds it up to hand back to Theo. They take it without comment, still going on about the rude customer that Merril had to deal with earlier in the week.

“I wanted to punch him,” Theo finishes vehemently.

“I’m surprised Merril didn’t,” Davey confesses and they snort.

“It was a near thing.”

Davey opens his mouth, about to ask when is the next time that Theo and Merril are working and maybe he’ll stop by to see them both but secretly it will be a chance to take Theo out after they get off and well maybe he should ask Merril and make it a surprise— But then the bus rolls up to the stop and they have to dance out of the way to avoid the water splashing up onto the curb.

Theo already has their bus pass in hand and has a moment when the other people at the stop file on and off. They look like they’re also about to say something, but in the end, they square their jaw like they’ve made up their mind.

“Text me when you get home,” Davey says for a lack of anything better to say. He shuffles the few paces closer to the bus in time with Theo and the line. “And we’ll plan for next week. Well, after I check the forecast.”

“Make a back-up plan if it does,” Theo says, then just before they can step out from under the awning to board the bus, they whirl around and press a kiss to Davey’s lips and the umbrella into his hands.

Davey’s so startled he’s barely able to catch the umbrella but utterly fails to return the kiss as Theo does the mad dash through the rain into the bus. “Wait,” Davey says, holding out the umbrella.

“Keep it,” Theo laughs as they swipe their pass, hair clinging to their cheeks and their shoulders drenched. “Give it back to me later.”

The last thing Davey sees as the bus driver decides he’s not one of the oncoming passengers and closes the doors in his face, is Theo’s silhouette waving to him.

Davey is still standing there, clutching the umbrella in both hands, chilled to the bone and more wet than not as the wind shifts the rain into every crevice of the stop. But there’s little pinpoints of warmth against his jaw from their fingers, and his lips from theirs.

Finally, a buzz in his pocket jolts him back to his senses, and he checks his watch to see a message from Kari about pizza soon, and Davey pops open the umbrella.

Right, he thinks, giddy in a way he hasn’t been in years. Maybe an invitation back to his place next time wouldn’t be so bad. He can make dinner for them after the exhibit.

Davey spins the handle of the umbrella and heads to the crosswalk, grinning.

[melodygatesauthor]

Sick of people asking me "when", and I'm gonna talk about it...

If you aren't in the headspace for a post more on the "negative" side then don't read this, but I need to say something about this before I lose my fucking MIND.

The entitlement coming from some of my readers has GOT to fucking stop, and I'm so goddamn serious right now. You have me at my fucking limit on what's supposed to be a fun hobby. So here's what's happening, and I'm not going to be nice about it because I'm so fed up I want to cry:

Over the last few days, I've woken up to messages in my inbox that are all being demanding, entitled, and downright fucking RUDE. Some of you saying you're "disappointed" that I haven't updated certain stories or just saying "where is the next update for x story". Fuck the FUCK off okay? (This is in NO WAY directed at the majority of my readers. The majority of you, fortunately, are very kind and leave me such nice comments and I love you *forehead kiss*)

---

First of all, don't you think that if I had the update ready I would post it?

I don't get paid for this (a point that I will be touching on more later, don't you worry.) so my "payment" is the gratification I get from reblogs and comments. If I don't post, I don't get "paid." So just know that I want to post my stories as much as you want to read them. I think I speak for most writers when I say that. I'm not a fucking dragon hording my fucking stories and chapters in google docs and laughing while you all suffer. I have the stories in my head and I'm crying while I suffer because I don't have enough time to get them all out onto paper before you all start turning into nasty little gremlins over them.

Secondly, you demanding asking for more is not encouraging, nor is it motivational.

Again, I think I'm speaking for most writers with this. When you demand or ask for more, THE ONLY THING *taps megaphone* THE ONLY THING you're doing is reminding the writer that they haven't updated and it gives us a little pit in our tummies at our "failures". (a little note to my fellow writers reading this, you're not a failure, but I know it can feel like that when people come into your inbox like this, despite it not being true). "HoW dO i MoTiVaTe A wRiTeR tO uPdAtE mY fAvOrItE sToRy ThEn?" Well you entitled asshole, I'm SO FUCKING GLAD YOU ASKED. (Because that brings me to my next point).

Third, I'd be willing to put the $200 in my savings account and the change at the bottom of my purse on the fact that YOU HAVEN'T EVEN REBLOGGED MY STORIES.

Sorry, feeling called out? Fucking GOOD. I hope your pillows are warm and moist af on both sides when you're trying to sleep because literally if you're coming into my inbox, acting like THIS and then you have the AUDACITY to not even reblog my work? You're one of the worst kinds of people and I wish you nothing but the worst. It's the ONLY thing I ask for in response to my hard work and I'm sure you can't even manage that. You should be embarrassed.

Fourth, let's talk about how much money I make doing this shall we?

$0...I make ZERO DOLLARS and you are talking to me with more of an attitude and entitlement than a Karen in a fucking grocery store during Covid. Get a grip bro. Wanna start paying my bills so I can write fanfiction full time? DO IT, and THEN we can chat about WHEN something isn't getting updated or WHY it didn't get updated. Until then, shut your fucking mouth and enjoy what I put out, or get off my page. I don't care anymore, I'm so done being nice about this.

Fifth, I LITERALLY UPDATE YOU ALL WEEKLY TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE FUCK I'LL BE UPDATING WHAT THE HELL!!!!

With the exception of this past week because I've been so goddamn busy, I post a WEEKLY update letting my readers know when I'll be updating something. I have a busy work schedule, and it's summer, so there are lots of things going on in my life right now. I try to help mitigate the questions you have about "when" and "why" by doing this. What makes me annoyed is that you all seem to be on my page, noticing that I'm not updating and getting upset about that, but you don't take the time to look at the fucking information I put out in your face to avoid having to answer the same questions ten fucking times. Omg and for the love of god FOLLOW @melodygatesupdates FOLLOW THAT BLOG RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME. If I have ONE MORE person ask me about my tag list after reading a fic that says "I don't have a taglist anymore so follow @melodygatesupdates" I'm going to lose it.

So here's a blanket statement as to "why" I haven't posted whatever chapter or story you've been waiting for. Pick one of the options below because either one or more are accurate.

I'm working too many hours to have time for updating regularly so am only working on fics that are currently inspiring to me.

Another Adderall shortage so I'm having a hard time focusing.

I don't feel like it today, and despite what you may think, that's a perfectly valid reason not to write something.

I'm working on something else.

Something bad happened in my personal life.

My personal life got busy.

Going forward, for my own sanity, I'm no longer entertaining questions about "why" I haven't updated or "when" I plan to update something. 9 times out of 10 I'll let you know if something is going to be delayed or if it's not in my current scope of interest, but otherwise, just don't ask.

If you're nice when you ask, I'll probably just ignore you and delete your inbox ask. I feel bad doing that to those of you who are kind when you ask, but I just can't take it anymore, especially when I'm telling you right now that you don't need to ask me.

For those who come in hot like "why haven't you..." or "When are you going to..." I'm blocking you. Consider this a warning. Even if you come in on anon, you can still be blocked and I won't fucking hesitate. Learn some manners and then come talk to me, but until then I'm not going to entertain this behavior any longer.

I'm a grown woman in her thirties just trying to pass the time with something I enjoy, and waking up to this every morning over the last few days while working 60+ hours a week fucking sucks. So for my own mental health, I have to start putting my foot down. You're ruining my online experience and making this less fun for me.

Thanks for reading, I love those of you who read this whole thing and who AREN'T the people this post is meant for. You're the real MVPs.

[stupidlovergirl]

Video Games are my Love Language

Levi x Reader

Dev Notes: Ya girl has 20 million Wisps but I decided to write a Levi fic because he is my special guy and I am sinking my teeth into him like a stress ball. My laptop has been kicking my ass and not allowing me to open both Tumblr or even Word or Docs. So fuck it we ball. Also had no clue what to name this fic, wrote it in like, an hour or two. It's kinda bad. Once again, fuck it we ball Not edited

Recently, you have been playing so much Chess.com. It's kinda become a problem. When you have to open up your RAD-issued laptop, you briefly write down the lesson and just open it up and start playing. Sometimes when you're further back in the class you text Levi and you two will engage in a battle of wits and absolute trash talk. Malding has happened, and the absolute will power it takes to not shoot up and go a fist fight with him for his comments is great, but you want to continue being able to just play chess in class is greater. Sometimes it becomes such a hindrance you have to beg one of the others in the class for the work, and beg even harder where they won't tell Lucifer. Maybe it's an addiction, but if playing chess and beating Levi's ass in it sometimes is wrong, you don't want to be right.

So, that's what you were doing. You're supposed to be writing a paper on the history of something or other, but you're just playing Levi in another game. The last two went by pretty fast, as Levi is a good strategist, given he is literally an admiral, but you've been getting better. You usually sass and tease him to get him off his game to take the W, and it works. Call it cheap, but it's still a win.

L3vi: lololol bad move normie L3vi: L move, ur abt to get wrekt

You push a frustrated breath through your nose. You were so going to make him regret that latter. Typing quickly, you make your next comment before you even think about it

'Shut up. You're just complaining about the W I'm gonna take because you want to kiss me!!!!!!!!'

And you don't think you'd ever see it. Levi has withdrawn from the game, leaving you the victor. It's strange, because he doesn't accept any other game for the rest of the day, and it turns into not playing for the rest of the week. Slowly, he starts playing with you again, but you don't question his reasons for stopping, as you don't want him to quit again.

Levi has gotten some new first person shooter. He's been talking about it all week, and wanting to show you in person. To hype it up for you, he's been sending pics and videos of his kills and his streaks during class. You ask him nicely and sometimes he puts his screen up on Discord for you to watch on your phone while you're in class or on break and hiding from the demands of the brothers you love so much. So when the weekend rolled around, you said no to all the invitations extended to go somewhere else from the other brothers and end up in Levi's room, which you refer to as 'The Fishbowl', despite Levi's (obviously fake) annoyance.

You knock on the door, and Levi doesn't even bother with a password as he opens the door and yanks you inside. You feel off balance as you walk (or more appropriately: dragged) to Levi's desk, where the title screen is displayed, and around it two chairs, one Levi's and the other the one Levi bought for you. You sit down, resting in it as Levi sits down in front of you. He starts rambling again, about the game and how it's 'so cool' and totally 'the best one ever'. You just smile, sleepy from the hard and infuriating school work (and the even harder and more infuriating chess games). So you snatch a blanket, snuggle in, and watch Levi do his thing. Sometimes you get hyped, when Levi pulls off a sick clutch or penta kill, but for the most part are pretty relaxed. The conversation has died down for the most part, as Levi's hyper focus has set in, and you are way too sleepy to care. So much so, you've stopped watching the game, and turned to Levi himself.

Then your thoughts consume you. Levi is so pretty, and it makes you sad sometimes he's so hard of himself. You pick on him for little things since you have gotten closer, but only in fun witty banter, which Levi recognizes as he typically replies with some of his own. Yet you wish that he would realize just how attractive he is on his own. His pretty hair, which despite the lack of routine is so freaking soft and pretty and it makes you want to run you hands through it. His eyes, which remind you of the sunset when it's so close to saying goodnight that the purple starts bleeding in. His cute nose, his nice jawline……his lips, which are so soft and kissable and moving anD OH GOD HE'S TALKING AND LOOKING AT YOU.

"What?" you ask simply, voice quiet and giving away your obvious sleepiness

Levi rolls his eyes, but the smile on his lips easily shows he's not annoyed. "I was asking if you had seen that kill, but obviously not as you were spaced out. What's more interesting than my game? The whole reason I invited you over?" He grabs the water bottle off to the side and takes a drink, and you feel a little embarrassed

"It's nothing, just sleepy from school. Not all of us can take online classes nerd" You say, reaching a foot out and kicking his chair away from you, sending him rolling a little ways away.

"Skill Issue" is all you get in response as he places the bottle back down and moves back to play. Your eyes drooping low, and you feel sleep about to lure you away.

"Do you really want to know?" You whisper quietly.

"Mhm. Shoot." Levi says, barely focusing on what you said and at the new round that has started

"I was thinking about how pretty you are" You mumble out, sleep finally clamping your eyes shut and leading your mind off. Not realizing the short circuiting boy you left behind as you slipped into dreamland.

It's been a few weeks after you confessed you found Levi pretty. Where both of you have been absolutely avoiding any type of real life interaction. Staying just between the game offered texting and Discord. Sometimes even calling if both of you were feeling brave. The brothers have noticed that Levi hasn't left his room, and since none of them have gotten a text about how he's staying because of a new game or the like, they ask you. You who sorta places and feels a little sickly and scurries off and hides after the question. So obviously something happened between you two, and they have no clue how to help, so they just leave it up to you to figure it out. (Not that they wanted too, but Lucifer has been VERY adamant that this is a problem that resides just between you and Levi)

Yet the dance of avoidance has ended due to one thing. An otome game that both you and Levi have been wanting to play drops today from the pre-orders. Which, since you both were so excited, decided to pitch money towards so you could play it together. Yet, would he still want to play it with you after what happened? I mean, you really haven't seen each other. You sound him a text to ask. So, after much nervousness, you sent the text asking if Levi wanted to meet up to start playing together. You watch as the typing bubble flicks up and then stops, and comes up again for a hour it feels like, before the text comes through

'Sure, we planned to so I don't know why we wouldn't lololol'

So that sets the train in motion. The name of the game is pretend. You never told Levi you found him pretty, you guys haven't been avoiding each other, and everyone else hasn't noticed your strange behavior when asked anything about how you have been avoiding him. Perfect. Thank whatever granted you this mercy. So you make yourself a little more presentable, showing that you are not a swamp creature but instead a version of yourself that screams 'I didn't try but still look cute' when YOU DEFINITELY TRIED VERY HARD. So, looking your casual best for him, you set off to the Fishbowl, which feels a lot more like a fighting arena now. In your head you start reviewing things

1 - That you totally didn't call him pretty, in fact you don't find him attractive in the romantic sense at all! Only platonic. Platonically he is good looking. It's an objective fact. Yup. 2 - You DO NOT want to kiss him. You do not want to kiss him at all because he probably has chapped lips and they aren't kissable at all. 3 - Just keep repeating the lies you tell yourself so you can make it out of this colossal interaction unscathed and maybe even start repairing your relationship

So you walk up to his door with a boldness that you know will easily break. You knock on the door, and wait for the password to start. You were surprised when the door just opened and you were yanked in. "Are you excited? I can't wait to romance all the datables! I think it's gonna be great!" Levi excitedly And with that sentence, all the anxiety and tension melts away, and you two ease back into the regular dynamic. "I know, all the characters are so dynamic while being such "typical" stereotypes" you reply back, just as excited You feel him grab your wrist and drag you to the bean bags

And that is where you spend the rest of the day and night, the two of you playing the game, discussing the characters, and feeling secure in your friendship with him

Yet, the comfort dissipates when you get into it about the characters "I'm sorry, but he is best boy! He is a cute little nerdy gamer otaku with anxiety! What isn't to love about him!" "I'm just saying, that my darling is superior! They are so kind to others and they love helping! I'm sorry you cannot appreciate their beauty" Levi scoffs rolling his eyes "Honestly, why do you even like him?" "Because he reminds me of you! Both adorable and anxious!" And you both stop

"Uhm, haha, juust kidding!" you say with a giggle, anxiously looking around "You've done that twice now…are…are you not lying?" Levi says, and he drops his head and fiddles with his fingers "I'm not…I really do like you Levi. You're really important to me." Levi squeaks, and backs away "I hope that doesn't upset you.."

Levi shakes his head furiously "NO!" and he recoils at his outburst. "I like you too… and I thought you were messing me with that night when you said I was…uhm…" he trails off, rubbing his neck "That you were pretty?" "Yes" he squeaks out "Well, I think that you are very pretty. That is just one of the things I like about you though. I like how excited you get, how you are so open to me. You mean so much to me" "DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT UNPROMPTED!" Levi screeches, covering his face You can't help but laugh, "But it's true!" Levi peeks through a gap in his fingers

"I wanted to tell you that…that I like you too" You gape at him "Seriously?" "Mhm" he murmurs You smile at him, feeling giddy, like you're floating, or if electricity was shooting through your veins. "Well, if you like me and I like you…" you smile "Maybe we should go out?"

You have never seen Levi so red before, but his smile is so wide "Okay!" he manages to squeak out

[nethercomfies]

🌼Cloud 9🌼

Pairing: Albedo x f!reader

Content: nsft; fingering, slight dom!albedo, praise, getting softer towards to end; use of nicknames (love, good girl, baby)

Word Count: 616

Note: I hope you all missed me /hj I come back bearing some Albedo smut hehe (There's also more to follow, hopefully sometime within the next weeks…)

I wrote this on paper and then used google lens to scan it in which was… An experience. Lmao. BUT it worked, which means I might even be able to scan in some of my older stuff that never made it to Docs 👀

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Albedo's legs are spread just wide enough for you to sit in between them comfortably. He's leaving gentle kisses all along your neck as one of his hands keeps your thighs apart while the other is busy circling your clit. Soft moans escape your lips as you try to buck your hips upwards. You'd do anything for some more pressure right now, aching to relieve the pressure gradually building inside of you. Your boyfriend clicks his tongue, gently placing a hand on your lower stomach to press you back down again.

"Come now, love, you know you're not supposed to be moving so much," he gently scolds you in a low voice that only increases the fire within you.

You open your mouth to protest, but are caught off guard when a few light slaps are delivered directly to your clit, making you forget what you were about to say.

"You better not argue with me," Albedo warns, whispering directly into your ear, leaving a few kisses around your earlobe. "Be good for me, yeah? You're supposed to watch, not focus on other things." You respond with nothing more than a small whine as you feel Albedo return to gently rubbing your clit. The urge to throw your head back against your boyfriend's shoulder is strong, but you fight it, instead turning your head to watch Albedo's skilled fingers circle your swollen nub. "That's it. Now you're being a good girl for me," he mumbles gently, kissing your cheek.

Abedo places his head on your shoulder, watching as well as he now lets his fingers travel between your folds, scooping up some of the wetness gathered there.

"Look at that. So wet, just for me. From nothing more than my fingers," your boyfriend says, nuzzling his face into your neck.

You just nod weakly, one of your hands wandering upwards to stroke his hair. Albedo turns to look at you, a loving smile on his face. His demanding and strict side from earlier is gone, replaced by the same soft and loving Albedo as always, who's looking at you with admiration.

"I love you," he whispers, leaving a trail of kisses along your jaw. "Love you so much." His fingers plunge back into you, angling almost immediately to hit the spot that has you let out loud, desperate moans. "You're everything to me." Albedo picks up the pace as you watch his fingers repeatedly sink into you before emerging again, glistening and slick from your juices, a clear testament to how badly you want him. "My whole world."

Your pleasure keeps building, only ignited ever more by Albedo's gentle praises, by the feeling of his hard cock pressing into your lower back, by getting to watch exactly what he does to you.

Your release crashes over you like a wave, as you now finally throw your head back and call out for Albedo. He keeps fingering you through your orgasm, whispering how good you did for him and how proud he is. You barely register it, still blissed out from your orgasm.

As you come down from your high, your boyfriend is leaving gentle kisses on your shoulder. "You were so good for me, baby. I think you deserve a reward after this."

You glance at turning just enough to rest your head against Albedo's chest. "I want cuddles then," you decide, your voice barely above a mumble. Your boyfriend chuckles, immediately wrapping his arms around you to pull you closer. "I had a feeling you'd say that, love," He says, gently kissing your sweaty forehead and running a hand through your messy hair as you allow yourself to sink into the safety of his arms.

[mango-fizz]

anyway so this is a wip i have that i dont think i'll ever really finish? but i wanted to share it anyway. this is based on some tags that user @luci-is-currently-loving-bees left on one of my posts because i shit you not i thought about that for like two weeks straight. this was supposed to be part of a 5+1 things but i couldnt come up with uh the other 5 things skhdkfhlkhskd so yeah anyway i didnt want it to just sit in my docs gathering dust so here it is

Marie startles awake.

She breathes heavily, trying to steady her heartbeats. She's still in her room. 

She rubs her eyes. It was just a dream. The same dream, again. But it's fine, because Four got her back, safe and sound. They both got her back. She’s been back for weeks now. 

Then why is it still hard to breathe? 

Sunlight is streaming through the cracks in her curtains, and yet the apartment is deafeningly quiet. She checks the time on her phone. Callie should be making breakfast by now. 

No, it's fine. Everything is fine. She just… overslept. Yeah. That happens sometimes. Silly Callie. 

That doesn't stop the suffocating sense of dread from making itself at home in her throat. She swallows it down. 

It's fine. It's fine. She's just going to check. She flings her covers off and leaves her room.

Callie's door is closed. She takes a few breaths before clearing her throat and knocking with trembling hands. No response. Callie must not have heard such a weak knock. She turns the handle.

"Callie, you dummy, did you oversleep again?"  

The room is empty. Callie's bed is neatly made.

Her hand squeezes the door handle as the panic starts to set in. No, no, no, no, no, no. She rushes down the hallway.

"Cal!" 

She starts panting as tears well up in her eyes. This can't be happening. The apartment is completely empty. 

"Callie!" she calls one more time for good measure, as if Callie was hiding somewhere, waiting to come out and surprise her. Marie falls to her knees. 

Callie was supposed to be back. Four had gotten her back! Unless she was taken again, from right under her nose this time. She was taken again while she was sleeping, and she failed to protect her again. She failed again, and now she was taken. 

It's all her fault. It always will be. Marie curls into herself as she sobs.

What a wretched sister she is.

Maybe Callie had never come back to begin with. Maybe she had imagined everything. It was too good to be true, after all. 

She needs to call Four, they need to continue the search. She doesn't know what to do. She can't keep going like this. She's nothing without Callie. She's never felt more lonely in her life.

She takes out her phone and looks for Four in her contacts, but it's hard when her sight is blurred with tears. 

Four picks up. "Yo, Marie! What's up?"

Marie takes a shaky breath, staring at the tiled floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" Four's tone turns soft. 

She can't stop crying. She manages, "We need to find... C-Callie..." 

"Callie? She's right next to me."

Marie gasps between sobs. "...Where?"

"We went grocery shopping. I'm here with Callie and Agent 3. We left you a note on the kitchen counter."

Marie didn't notice. She didn't even think of checking for such a thing. 

She feels stupid. 

"Is Callie okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Then, after a moment, "...Want me to put her on?"

She hums a quiet "Mhm," while she wipes at her eyes. She really does feel dumb about this. Her, a grown squid, crying over something like this. Stupid, stupid Marie.

She hears Four's muffled voice saying "Callie! Marie wants to talk to you," before sounds of the phone being passed around. 

"Hiiii~! What's up?" 

She sighs heavily in relief. Callie's fine. 

"Are you coming home soon?"

"Yup! We're almost done, we just need a few more things. Three wandered off again so we gotta go find them, too."

"...Okay."

“You okay?”

“...Yeah. Sorry.”

There’s a long silence on the other end of the line before Callie presses, “You sure?”

Marie caves. “No,” then, “Are you coming home soon?”

“Yeah. …Sorry for making you worry.”

“I’m sorry.”

Callie sighs with an almost imperceptible sadness. Almost. “I told you to stop apologizing, Marie.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too. We’ll come back soon, I promise. Three says hi, by the way.”

The phone gets passed around again.

“Bye Marie! Hope you feel better!” comes Four’s cheery voice before she hangs up. 

Marie stares blankly at her reflection on the screen. 

[dollsonmain]

Ok, so, yesterday...

A full hour after my scheduled appointment time, the doc finally came in.

The whole appointment was just some talking and planning. I wonder how much that's going to cost... (my hospital bills are now up to about $12.5k... If I can get That Guy to agree to $500/month that's already two years).

First stone removal is next Tuesday. I almost feel bad for That Guy having to take so much time off of work to drive me around. But only almost.

That's the smaller stone in the left kidney (I think I said lefty had the bigger stone before? it's the smaller one). He said that when he installed the stent he pushed the stone back out of the ureter and that, in addition to the IV antibiotics, improved function.

Left kidney WAS in minor distress when I got to Hospital A, but by the time I left Hospital B, my bloodwork showed both kidneys working exactly as they should.

The larger stone in my right kidney isn't attached to anything and is just spinning around in there. He expects that to take at least two surgeries to remove.

So that's three more surgeries.

He also said the stents will stay in for about another week after, so 4 surgeries because he didn't install stents with external strings that could be pulled out in the exam room. He has to go in AGAIN with little clamps to remove them.

Apparently doctors do that when the stents need to stay in for a while.

I am struggling with the stents. I have to have the hot bear on constantly.

He did say I can do whatever I want and the only problem I should have with the stents is more blood. Granted, as bad as I feel, I'm not going to be getting up to much. Going to focus on chores for now until all the surgeries are over, and then get started selling stuff again. Luckily I have a nice, big backlog of stuff so won't need to buy much to sell for a while.

I am dreading the expense of these surgeries.

Going to be on the phone today because I need to call and pre-something for the surgery (talk to anesthesiology about stuff??) and call financial assistance.

I need to complete my application for medicaid and then ask a bunch of questions about how to apply the fees I've already been billed and the pending other surgeries to whatever financial aid they can give me.

-

The doc also said I have a lot of calcium in my blood which might have caused the stones, and he thinks that could be a hormonal problem. I was looking it up and it's a thyroids thing, the solution to which is "surgery to remove the glands that are cancerous" like..... ok......

I mentioned it to That Guy and also said "That's something a GP would have caught." because he's not given me the opportunity for regular medical care all this time.

I'm sure that every time I'm like "You've neglected this facet of my care." in his mind he's thinking "You should have had a job and taken care of yourself all along." and that's not incorrect.

I DID have a job and amazing 100% coverage healthcare until he moved us away from my job.

-

While I was waiting for the doctor to finally come in my mom was trauma dumping on me via text.

Her mom died long before I was born. She said it was because her step-dad at the time denied her health care (she needed blood pressure meds) and beat her regularly. The day she died she was beaten.

She also said my brother had been giving her trouble all this past week threatening suicide, saying he's not eaten in 4 days and living in a tent.

I can imagine going through that and then getting a text from me like "Hey, mom, I almost died!"

I had to explain to her that That Guy wasn't denying me medical care, he's just stupid and really did think that the answer to supposed sepsis was urgent care and not the ER.