#oh do you want to try to use sheets to try to. ice sail. oh lets try curling with ROCKS. lets fuck around with my friends hockey sticks

[bsaka7]

bummed bc i wanted to pester my friends into going ice skating like i do every year but my hometown isn't doing the free outdoor rink yet because it's been too warm :(

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

(got bored and decided to write this so enjoy and please tell me if you would like more HTTYD in the future in the comments!)

The Gates Of Valhalla

Hiccup couldn't do anything but stare, wide eyed at you in front of him.

He could feel the world blur around him, his breathing picking up as he looked down at you, laying on the sand surrounded by the blue ice, eyes closed.

Chest never moving.

Hiccup could hear people talking, people like his mother and father, his father's hand on his shoulder as Hiccup tried his best to wake up from the nightmare.

He didn't.

"No…no, no, no! Oh, gods, no!" Hiccup cried out, quickly falling to his knees as he grabbed you, bringing you closer to him.

Almost on his lap, Hiccup checked for any sign, anything, that you were still in there.

He could feel the dread, the tears pricking his eyes and the hand of his father, his mother's stare at him as he checked for anything.

He looked for the small twitch in your face he saw every morning he woke up to you. He looked for the pattern your chest rose and fell, a rhythm he loved to feel while his head laid on your chest.

Hiccup cried, a tear falling down his face as he never found one movement.

He still prayed, putting his head to your heart to listen to the familiar best he used to calm down, only to find absolute silence.

You were gone.

Drago and his own dragon, a self proclaimed Alpha, owned by him, had sentenced you to your death.

Or rather, they had sentenced Hiccup to his death, but you being you, jumped in the way to sacrifice yourself, saving Hiccup's life, and forfeiting your own.

But all they did was sentence Hiccup to something far worse than death.

A life without you.

And they used Toothless to do their dirty work.

Hiccup heard the small growl of your own dragon, the way they nozelled their snout against your arm, trying to nudge you awake like they did every morning

You never moved.

Your eyes remained closed, Hiccup's eyes remained on your face, his hand cupping your cheek as he cried, crying for you to come back.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Everything blurred into thin lines, all Hiccup could do was watch as just mere minutes, or an hour he didn't know, Toothless was taken by Drago, along with your life.

Hiccup and the rest of the dragon riders, your friends, Gobber and his mother and father, Valka and Stoick the Vast, all stood alongside the shore.

Hiccup had to be pried away from you, crying and clinging on to the love of his life, in order to place you on the shop, a sheet over you to send you off to the Gates of Valhalla.

Hiccup watched as his friends mourned. Never did he think he would see the day his own father cried, mourning the loss of a child who wasn't even his, but one he watched grow up alongside him.

Hiccup starred as the ship slowly sailed off, a bow and flaming arrow in his hand, limping held with a heavy heart as he watched you leave.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

You were supposed to come home with Hiccup. You were supposed to get older, beside Hiccup and your dragon.

Hiccup was supposed to be the cause of the laugh and smile wrinkles on your face as you got older.

Hiccup was meant to stand before you and reiterate an oath he did when you guys stood in the woods as mere seven year olds, promising to marry and to stay by each other's side.

Hiccup couldn't help but be angry at himself and you. It was meant to be him. Not you. He was meant to be lying under that sheet. Not you.

The anger didn't last long, the sadness and heavy feeling in his chest overpowering it.

With a small nudge from his mother, Hiccup let one more tear fall, before his trembling hand lifted his arrow, notching it back.

Hiccup closed his eyes, turning his head away as he let it go.

Hiccup only opened his eyes once more when he heard every arrow stop, looking up to see your ship engulfed in flames.

It was the burial of a viking. One you would have wanted.

But Hiccup would've rather had you standing beside him, rather than leaving him behind with your memory.

"...Hiccup."

Hiccup barely looked at his father, his hand now coming back to rest on his shoulder. Hiccup didn't answer, looking back as your ship was almost engulfed in the fog, the flames growing bigger.

Hiccup had to say goodbye, with a heavy and hesitant heart, anger, fear and sadness creeping down into his gut.

It should've been him. Not you.

He shouldn't mourn the love of his life at a mere twenty years old, and even if he spent those twenty years with you, he would have to go on, grow older, as you were forever twenty.

"...I pray to the gods I will find you waiting at the gates of Valhalla, (Name)."

[kkusuka]

HQ poly Headcannons  pt. 2

Poly Headcannons <3  part 1 

pairs: Oikawa & Ushijima, Hanamaki & Matsukawa, Suna & Osamu, Kita & Aran, iwaizumi & Kyotani, and Oikawa & Kageyama

nsfw and sfw

Oikawa Tooru & Ushijima Wakatoshi

Sfw

This was an interesting match up

Considering the fact that Tooru can barely stand sharing you sometimes, they seem to make it work!

You were most likely Ushiwaka’s girlfriend, and Tooru just couldn't stand for that

Well at first he didn't really know that fact

He met you in the stans after an Alders game that he 100% wasn't there to spy on Toshi or to see how much better he got, no way

But luckily, you the beautiful angel of light, sat next to him to cheer for Waka’s team!

So after the game when Tooru was flirting with you and you completely ignored him to go to your boyfriend, Oikawa was more than let down

And you ignored him for the brick wall???? He just didn't understand.

Now he wanted you more than he did when he saw you, even more so that you belonged to the bastard Ushiwaka.

After almost 8 months of befriending you, he finally weaseled into your relationship! And Ushiwaka was so whipped for you he let it happen!

But at that point, he was so whipped for you that he didn't even care that they shared you!

Your guy’s dynamic is a bit twisted and hard to get a good understanding of.

Where Tooru makes it painfully aware to everyone that the two of you are dating, Wakatoshi is like a silent predator

He’s silent but deadly, and you’ve known him for far longer. That means he knows what you really like.

It's simple, he let’s tooru take you on extravagant dates and all that meaningless stuff.

But Ushiwaka is always there waiting at home to cuddle and watch a ton of movies with, he even lets you climb on him and cuddle him like a big teddy bear

Nsfw

This is one of the pairs that I think you're fucked in

It’s a silent competition of who can wreck you worse

Unlike some other Oikawa pairs, I truly believe that Oikawa would top

But Wakatoshi is also a top, a big man who has big needs

This ends up with you most likely with a two cocks one hole situation

If not that, it's the classic split roasts or Eiffel tower!

Oh to have Ushiwaka reaming you with Tooru in your mouth, yeah it's not as peaceful and soft as it sounds

But it’s still worth it

It starts softly! Then they go harder to try and beat the other! Then they really just treat you like a fleshlight.

Thankfully Tooru knows good aftercare techniques

But you still can’t walk for a while

“You can cum for me, show Toshi why you like better, go ahead”  

“You stretch so good for me, even after Tooru’s turn, you're always so tight”

“Look at her little clit, did Ushiwaka not pay enough attention to it? That’s ok! Tooru’s gonna make it all better for you!”

Hanamaki Takahiro & Matsukawa Issei

sfw 

Let's be real here, you met them at a spencers or a sex shop in a mall.

But it was a cute meetup!

After that, you guys just seemed to keep bumping into each other and became close friends

The initial relationship was started by Makki, he was the more open of the two so it made sense

And it’s been smooth sailing from then on

The amount of inside jokes you guys have is almost ridiculous, everywhere you go in the city you have a joke

You guys spend almost every waking moment with one another

One of their favorite things is to take you shopping, so you can do a little fashion show for them with anything you want to try on!

As in them make you try on revealing outfits for them

Dates normally would include random dinners at restaurants them a movie night/ sleepover

Like you guys would just stay up an fool around for hours on hours

They literally have no problems sharing and are always making sure you're perfectly ok with everything they do.

Nsfw

As expected you guys are very adventurous

Daddy Matsun got you and Makki covered

Well that's when Makki isn't trying to ream you into the couch

They both like toys, like a lot, a lot

Punishment is where the toys really shine, but you can't really call the toy punishment, punishment because you feel really good during it.

And it the most repeated thing you guys do

Mattsun’s the punishment dealer, so he’ll give you the biggest dildo that you guys have, no lube, he’ll tie your arms up and make you try to get down on it

BUT if he’s feeling a bit more punishing, he’ll set up a vibrator and set it to your little clit and turn it ALLLL the way up

But if that isn't enough, he will either let Makki in your ass, or the fuck machine will come out

They really love watching you try to get off, it does two things

1-  it gives them new ideas

2- it shows how much you need them, and their cocks in your little aching holes

This lead to them having you wear plugs in public, which moved to wearing a vibrator

Sometimes, they make you wear a mask, but under the mask

(come here)

(closer)

(closer)

They make you wear a ball gag under your mask

Good babies do what their daddies tell them too <3

“Look ‘Kawa, her hole is so tight she can barely fit both of us, just relax baby. They’ll get in, we’ll make sure of it”

“Makki, spread her legs wider, don't let her his from this”

“Don't make me gag you brat, you’re lucky Makki is in good mood, huh?”

Suna Rintaro & Osamu Miya

The way you got together was like love at first sight  

For both of them too

You met Osamu first, you were seated next to him at an Italian cooking class

You guys had joked around and he was so impressed by your cooking that he got your number!

(he won't tell you but he had already sent pictures of you to Suna, and he was doing it allllllllll night)

He immediately invited you to Onigiri Miya, where you met Mr. Rintarou

Who was already practically in-love with you just from pictures.

You were clearly drawn to them, they were so cool!

They made a big scene of asking you out too

They both took you to one of the best restaurants in the city and had a private balcony dinner

After dessert they took both of your hands and asked you, in sync nonetheless, you do wonder how long it took for them to figure out how to do that

Clearly, you said yes, and that was the first of the many great memories you have with the two!

Since they both have pretty busy schedules they can't always come to you, so you go to them!

Even if they assured you that you didn't have to work, that never stops you from taking up shifts and Onigiri Miya on Monday and Fridays, (sometimes on Wednesdays if Osmau relents)

Even when you do work, you make time to make and bring Suna lunch every time he has all day practice

(you make them both lunch every day, but they can get it themselves, they are grown men, and you serve no one)

Traditional dates are less common, you guys mostly just like to hang out with each other

Like 3 am cooking challenges and asking to get ice cream from the shop down the road

You guys also, when you can, just spend hours cuddling in your bed or on the couch just in each other's arms

(can you tell i’m uwu-ing)

Nsfw

For having a busy schedule you guys sure do have time to fuck

A common theme is having Samu fuck you when Suna watches

God, watching you fall apart around his best friends dick will never get old, so so pretty when you're all fucked out and begging for him too

Sometimes hell have you suck him off, but he isn't unstable he can wait his turn~

Osamu works just as hard as he does, he has to let oust some stress and, you're just so good at making them feel better

Remember the cuddling?

Yes, that's a guise to cockwarm you, let them relax you always feel so good and today was s stressful

I can tell you saw this coming but, Suna likes to put whipped cream all over you, it gives him an excuse to eat you out for hours and Osamu and excuse to have you naked and able to eat as much whipped cream as he wants

Do they like double penn.?

Yes, very much so ma’am.

Just know that you are stuffed at any available moment they can manage

*cough*  whipped  *cough*

“look she’s grinding into like a circus whore huh ‘Samu? go harder” 

“look into the camera baby, tell them all the things you’d love for them to do to you” 

Iwaizumi & Kyoutani

This was an interesting one for sure

A senpais pretty girlfriend thing too

Iwaizumi knew Mad Dog had a crush on you before he did, and he did everything in his power to deny the accusation

The entire team could see how the second year was calm and behaved when you were around, so taking the high road

Iwaizumi came a with a plan: bring you and Kyotani as close as possible

All with consent firm you and knowing he was ok with anything that would happen

Suddenly inviting him to hang out with the two of you

Then it was letting him have you in his lap while you watch movies

And that progressed into letting him cuddle you after bad days, never  without Iwa of course

Everyone on the team could tell the effects that it was having on him, he was calmer and easier to get along with.

He even started listening to Oikawa when he spoke, it was like a miracle.

And k\Kyotani finally got enough courage to tell you!

(you had pretty much known, but wanted him to say it himself)

Thus began what I would call that “Kyotani learns how to love” saga

Dates were first, they both took you to a small field of flowers to have a picnic and when it got dark out you guys set up a sheet and watched a movie!

For the both of them being temperamental, they got along really well

(mostly because Kyotani hangs off nay words you or Iwaizumi say)

You also make the both of them lunch and some afternoon snacks for practice!

(and if anyone who sees you guys, they’ll never mention how odd the two angry boys look next to their sweet little princess)

Nsfw

Sir Iwaizumi holds the torch

He’s the main dominant force, though Kyotani tries oh he does

Yeah, hate to say it but you bottom for them, every time.

A big thing is when he lets Kyo get you alone (while he watches)

Yeah maybe he lets kyo take over every once in a while, he’ll let him have you

Iwaizumi love having you under him, putting you in the mating press while Kyo watches from a chair a vibrator tied to him, just watching until Iwa finishes and leys Kyo try and breed you

You guys have also dedicated hours to getting you stretch enough to take both of them in one hole, but if not that then one hole for each of them will do

As you could imagine, they both love marking you up

You always come out of sex looking beat up

Most of the bruises are on your neck and inner thighs, but the bites on your nipples and the curve of your ass beg to differ

Now the real question is when Kyo is being bad!

Feathery kisses all over him, that's not where he wants your mouth, lower go lower

Don’t leave him!

He always learns his lessons after hours of waiting Iwa breed you

You being bad?

No cumming for a week, they can play with you but unless you want the time to get longer you don’t even think about orgasming.

“Calm down Kentaro, it’s too early to break her, we just got started.”

“Yeah i let Hajime have you but you still belong to me too, don’t forget that”

Kita Shinsuke  & Aran Ojiro

This was the perfect girl next door story!

Middle school aran was so thankful to have you calm him down after yet another Miya twins episode

So as the two of you grew up it was natural that you became friends with his friends!

Namely his bestfriends- Kita!

Who was practically at your feet the second you met

From first to third year, they both grew to REALLY like you

They were both ready to spend the rest of their lives with you and were prepared to share if you wanted that.

The day you guys all got together was when they lost to Karasuno at nationals

You guys went back you the hotel room and just sat, cooing how well they did and how great they were no matter the outcome

It wasn't out of the normal for them to be all over you, both of them got a hand, but Aran was nestled into your lap and Kita was snuggled into your chest

Nothing was planned either, at that moment they knew that it was their chance!

The look on their faces when you said that you felt the same!

From then on you were treated even more like a queen

Every Monday before school one of them gets you a bouquet of flowers for the week and the other comes up with a date idea!

You're involved in the dates cycle and that now have a pile of stuffed animals that you got them from things like festivals or the mall

Since your relationship started with a cuddle, it's a favorite between you guys

A movie and some take out. Making fun of the Miya twins, and when Kita won’t admit it, you guys watch a rom-com, where you and Aran laugh at Kita's confused face when he doesn't understand the joke

Even with all of that, the real favorite between you guys is staying after practice and just having fun while cleaning up.

They just wuvvv uuuuuuuuu <3

Nsfw

Even if Kita is the commanding voice, Aran id the driving force

Kita likes when you two put on a show for him

Not that it's hard, even if Aran wasn't half as good as he was, your faces could satisfy him until his dying days.

Speaking of shows, Kita is a dictator, which means punishments

One of his favorites is having you finger fuck yourself in front of him and Aran until you can't move

Another is tying you up at having you watch the both of them jerk off to seeing you try and get off by grinding on the sheets (which does not work)

Aran, whether he admits it or not, he took a page out of Suna’s book

His entire hidden photo album is of you either being fucked by him or sucking Kita off

He also has an entire recorded version do you guys fucking that he and Kita watch when you aren't home

When Kita does have you to himself he takes on the Dom/Sub kinda thing

Aka borderline pet play

You sit and listen to him and what he says like a good pet, and you get a reward!

He dresses you up in little white dresses and he has you kneel in front of him and cockwarm him while he works

When Aran has you alone he takes the chance toooooo

….

…

…

..

Breed you!

Like a good little girl!

You take his cum so so well, don't you!

Yes yes, you do!

“Don’t let her walk all over you Aran, breed her like a good cow” (i had to, I really did)

“You look so pretty stretched around my cock, you're a good breeding whore, right? Yes, you are!” 

Oikawa Tooru & Tobio Kageyama

This was a classic “in love with my senpais pretty girlfriend” kinda thing

Kags didn't mean to

He had known you from middle school and had a huge crush on you, but he knew that was as far as it would go

But when you came up to him after the game with seijoh and told him that he would have better luck next time

It was the hug that got him and in true Kageyama fashion he just couldn't help the words that fell from his mouth

“Thank you, you're still really pretty, and I've always loved you!”

Silence………………………………….

He couldn't even apologize because Oikawa was already on you yelling at him about never letting you near Kageyama again.

Yeah you had calmed both of them down, telling Tooru that he was overreacting and Kageyama was harmless to your relationship

After a few days of silence, you had invited Kageyama to have a “talk” with you and Oikawa

It was really just talking about feelings and ultimately Oikawa admitting that he was willing to give it a try, but you were his first and foremost and that won’t change

But you were quick to realize that they were actually really good together

The rivalry between the two always kept you on your toes and fueled both of their superiority complexes

Dates were always happening all the time, anther constant competition for you to like one of them better than the other

It's mostly movies and take out but its a date nonetheless

One thing they love to do is try to teach you how to play, all the time they try to get you to hit their sets

Even if you're awful at it, they appreciate you trying to learn more about their greatest passion.

You also try to go to as many of their practices as you can manage, they really love having you there to cheer them on!

Nsfw

Ok so at first Kageyama had absolutely no idea what to do, so some exploring was mandatory

Finding out he was a switch was a happy surprise!

That leads to things going two ways!

You could have Tooru taking his throne in the bedroom and he commands his two peasants to do exactly what he wants them too

This can include just regular soft sex with your little tobio gazing and longing for him, while tooru watches

Or

Tooru will have the two of you grinding, Tobio with a cock ring and you a strict order to no cum until told.

Or maybe he’ll have the two of you ride dildos, tied up and making a pretty show for him

Or you could have Tobio dictating both of you

This is mostly having you ride him while Toru watches, but he can't touch

It also might be Tooru eating you out and kags in your mouth, fucking your face. <3

Whenever either of the boys wins something you take all the time in the world and worship him as he deserves!

“Aw! Tobio I know you can go faster than that! Oh ho ho, ~ y/n I know you aren't about to cum! I didn't give you the go-ahead! Hold on, baby!”

“Tooru you look so weak. You haven't even touched her and you're ready to cum.”

“You look so pretty under me, Tobio~ let me and Tooru take care of you!”  

[prettynxsty]

Just a Pinch

Sub!Jungkook x Domme!Reader

Warnings:  Sweat, nipple clamps, gratuitous nipple play, jungkook has a pussy, biting, sweat, small top/big bottom, futa/girlcock, sadists will get a good kick out of this, squirting, crying from pleasure

Summary: Instead of the overplayed “sub wears vibrator out in public”, it’s the sub wears nipple clamps while working out.

AN: This is a nasty one as usual my friends, enjoy. It’s damn near pwp, honestly.

Your teeth ground into your bottom lip, flicking your thumb back and forth as quickly as possible even though your knuckle was beginning to cramp. You take in a deep breath and your chest puffs up before slowly deflating with a sharp sigh.

“Fuck, yes.” You growled slamming your fist against the bed at your side.

Jungkook’s eyes rolled back with a groan from deep in his gut. “Oh my god, please.”

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuckmefuckmefuckme!” His voice rose into a squeal as his head dips forward.

A deeper growl rumbles in your chest before cutting short with a whoop of excitement. You threw the controller down beside where you were sitting, jumping off of the bed and onto your feet. “Yes! Now you need to make good on your end of the bargain baby!”

He covers his face with his hands, sighing before falling into a small fit of nervous giggled. “You can’t be serious babe.”

“Of course I am, it won’t be for that long anyway, you’ll be okay.” You tittered lightly, practically skipping toward your closet. “Go ahead and get ready, the faster you do it, the faster it’ll be over.

”He scratches the back of his neck, planting his feet on the floor and slinking toward the dresser across the room.

He peels his shirt up and over his head before balling it up and tossing it toward the hamper in the corner. He glances at his reflection in the mirror, running a hand over his pecs and down the planes of his rippling stomach. His fingers slip over his adonis belt, wiggling just slightly under the waistband of his black sweatpants.

He takes in a quick sigh, clenching around nothing. A spike of heat bursts and spreads in his stomach, he wondered if he should have been turned on before anything happened. He steps back from the dresser, hooking his fingers under the garment and works it down the swell of his thighs until it falls and piles up around his ankles.

He wiggles a socked foot out of the first leg hole and steps on it to free the other. This too sails through the air and lands in the hamper with a soft thump. He takes another glance at himself in the mirror.

He was a lovely shade of coffee with a few splashes of milk. He kissed his tan lines goodbye since your regularly scheduled maintenance days with him. In your days of boredom, you took it upon yourself to buy a nice waxing pot and clean his cunt of hair in places he had to (literally) bend over backwards to reach.

He thought you were going to do it somewhere like the bedroom or bathroom, but you figured that you may as well get good use of the rooftop. His pussy is easily nestled in between his tanned thighs, brown outer lips just barely hiding his sweet inner pink.

He hated that you refused to touch him until the next day, he could feel everything when you were done. Now that same time of the month was his favorite time for grooming.

Jungkook blinks, shaking himself from the vivid thought and pulls open the drawer. His underwear was neatly rolled up beside yours. He decides on a simple gray high cut thong, stretching it, stepping into it and slipping it up to his hips.

Normally he preferred to wear nothing, but he needed an extra barrier of protection for today. He pushes the drawer closed and pulls open the ones on the right and left of it. Simply, he grabs a sleeveless tee and pair of shorts. He dresses himself quickly and parks himself on the edge of the bed.

You return from the closet with a giddy smile, swinging something shiny around your fingers. Nipple clamps.

“Don’t look so happy to torture me,” he pouts.

“That’s your favorite part of it though, Junggoo~.” You made your way around the end of the bed and sat on his knees.

You reach up and cradle his cheeks, kissing him. The tension melts from his shoulders with the first and hang comfortably over his frame with the second.

“Now let’s see what’s under the hood,” your joke sails straight over his head and out of the window. He shakes his head, placing his hands on your thighs. You lift the bottom of his shirt and twist it under the collar, placing your hands over his chest.

Your fingertips trace over the swell of his taut mounds, goosebumps raise over his skin as you near his nipples. You hovered the tips of your thumbs over his nipples, admiring the rich rosy brown of his little areolas.

A moan rises in his throat, swallowed away noisily. Heat rises and exchanges between your bodies, you shift in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure on your dick. His fingers curl around your thighs pulling you even closer to him. Your dick fit snugly against his lower belly and it was starting to drive you crazy.

He leans forward, slipping his head over the juncture of your shoulder and neck. His slow breaths crawl up your skin in a way that tempts you to shiver. Jungkook was familiar with the shadow inside of you, he knew how to make it burn. His lips press over the swell of your shoulder, sending shocks zipping through your body. You should’ve known better than to wear that tank top today.

You graze your thumbs over the hardened tips of his nipples. He moans against your skin, you played with them so much that he felt like he could feel each ridge in your prints. He seals his lips around the base of your neck, gently suckling and grinding his tongue against your skin. You pinch his nipples in between the length of your index fingers and thumbs harshly, tugging.

He jerks slightly, his teeth sinking into your flesh. You hiss, arching your back before releasing his nipples and pushing against his chest. Jungkook pulls back with a whine, eyes wide.

“What’s wrong?”

You could hardly hide the fact that you were already breathless. “No, you aren’t going to weasel your way out of this one baby boy.”

The darker side of your mind was pleading for you to give in and make a mess of the bed sheets. But you knew that it’d make things filthier if you put him up to this.

You press a kiss to his pouting mouth, pulling back before he could deepen it. His brow knits together, he was already horny. He may as well make sure he didn’t get too far ahead of himself, it’d be harder to work out if he got wetter than he was now.

You slip the short chain from your knuckles, pinching open the first clamp. He seemed to be holding his breath as you pressed the chilly metal to his flesh before slowly releasing it. Jungkook throws his head back, gasping and biting down on his bottom lip. It was like a thick cloud rose and surrounded his brain, it was getting harder and harder to figure out what he was thinking.

You drag your tongue over your bottom lip with a dry swallow, you could already imagine the feeling of his pussy flexing around you. You lift the other end, the fire in your belly consumes you further when he twitches at the slightest shift of the first clip. You gently pinch the other clamp open and close it around his other nipple. He responds immediately with a drawn out breathy moan that makes your head spin.

You reach up slowly, unravelling his shirt from his collar and allow it to fall over his midsection. He looks down at you with these dark, cloudy eyes. “Can’t.. Can’t we..” He babbles as if the wind was knocked out of him.

“Come on, I’ll- I’ll go fill up your water bottle.” You tried to shake the slurring from your voice, planting your hand on the mattress and wiggling out of his grip.

The cold air of the hallway hits you like a freight train, bringing more cognizance to your mind. The heaviness between your legs was making you crazy, you hadn’t a clue how either of you would workout in this state.

You cross the way into your kitchen, it looked like the floor was blending into the walls. Grabbing your water bottles off of the drying rack, you fill them to the brim with ice and water.

Eventually Jungkook shuffles out of your bedroom with a dizzy, distant air in his eyes. He was red from his cheeks to his ears, and the sides of his neck. It was like he was wasted already, he seemed to be moving slowly to reduce the friction of the shirt over his nipples. The chain sat just right, as it didn’t really jingle as he walked.

He must’ve struggled to slip on the backpack, stopping beside you. You’d make it a little easier on him, choosing to carry your drinks instead of adding more weight to the bag on his back.

“Let’s go, we’ll be home the faster we go.”

He nods slowly, heading toward the door.

_

During your short walk around the corner to the gym, he spoke up suddenly. “I won’t have to do everything, will I?”

“Everything but squats, the bench, and deadlifts, I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

He huffs, looking down at you like a kicked puppy. You didn’t miss how his eyes gained a glassy tinge.

“I’ll do everything you want me to when we get home, my pretty boy.” You muttered low enough for him to hear, pushing open the door with your shoulder.

_

“How are you doing, baby?” You coo into his ear, wrapping your arms around his waist. Not a soul wandered the locker room aside the dust and water droplets where they weren’t supposed to be.

“I’ll give you a treat,” you whispered. Your work your hand under his shorts, pushing your fingers past his thong easily. He makes a soft, pretty noise when you cup his pussy.

He leans his weight back against you, jerking with a grunt when your thumb grazes over the sticky hood of his clit and passes over his blood swollen love button.

“Just want you to fuck me,” he whines, trying to squirm away from your rough thumb. It was too much for him, he could cum right now.

“Too much?” You ask gently, receiving a nod in response. You knew better than to let up now, pinching his hood and jerking the little pink sleeve. He made a noise like he was punched in the gut, hands clutching your forearms. His hands were shaking, but he was too desperate to push them away.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cu- unh!” He pants, thrashing his head against your shoulder as you pinch it. You take a deep breath in, retracting your hand and licking your fingertips.

He slumps back against you with a disappointed groan, struggling to catch his breath.

“Let’s go, I need to reward you.” Your voice was dark, moving to take the backpack out of the locker. You helped him ease it onto his shoulders and dragged him out of the locker room. You were given a few funny looks, but you hardly noticed them through the haze settling around your mind.

_

He all but wobbled his way to the bedroom by himself, leaving a trail of things behind him. Jungkook absolutely needed out of everything on his body at that moment. You followed him into the bedroom, watching from the doorway as he clumsily peeled off his sopping wet panties and nearly fell during the process.

“Take them off,” his voice breaks with a shiver crawling up his waist and shaking his shoulders. He makes a pitiful noise, squeezing his thighs together as he clumsily sits on the end of the bed. The thin chain lightly sways with the motion of his poor attempts to control his breath.

You wondered if you should try this more often, he never broke this quickly. You move across the room to sit on his knees as you had before. It felt like Jungkook’s skin was on fire, the slightest sensation made his hair stand up even straighter. His nails clumsily scratch at your skin, shoving his hands over the waistband of your shorts.

He couldn’t be bothered to fumble with anything, whining with a sob as the mesh of your clothing brushes over his thighs. “Off, off please!” He fusses in a strained voice.

You rose as quickly as you began to lower yourself, he was enveloping you in the same haze as before. Your lower belly spasms with a particularly aggressive twitch of your cock.

”Shit,” you growl under your breath. You yank away your shorts and nearly deflate with relief when your dick springs to full attention. Your sanity dissolved into ash bit by bit from feeling your glans scrubbing against the waistband when you moved around.

Jungkook clutches handfuls of the sheets under him, he couldn’t touch himself if he wanted. He’d scream because it was too much. His bottom lip trembled. It looked like he was practically flushed from head to toe, a heavy tear escaping the barrier of his thick lower lashes. It splatters over his collarbone, it’d evaporate if his body was any warmer.

You yank your shirt over your head and kick it aside with your other clothes, rushing toward him. You began to lower yourself to your knees, stabilizing yourself with hands on his trembling thighs.

He made another high pitched noise to fuss at you, he was so far gone that he just couldn’t control himself. Jungkook leans forward, wrapping his hands around your hips before lifting you onto his lap. You make a noise of exclamation, placing your hands on his shoulders in a weak attempt to register what just happened.

He pushes his chest toward you, sniffling. Another tear slips from the corner of his eye,  dancing over his cheekbone before slipping under his jaw.

“Baby,” you croon and stroke his hair. You gently curl a fingertip under the chain, lifting it slowly. This squeezes a few squeaks out of him, swelling into a squeal when you tug slightly.

You gently place your fingertips on the first clamp, squeezing it open and pulling it away from his stress. Jungkook’s forehead drops against your shoulder in relief, pressing weak kisses of gratitude over your breasts.

He grips your cock with both hands, slowly jerking your flesh up and down. You groan, resting one of your hands in the center of his pecs as you blindly feel around for the second clamp. Your fingertips cascade over his flushed bud, causing him to seize up. His grip tightens in a way that raises the gentle drip of your precum into a syrupy faucet.

You were likely already starting to drip over his fingers. His grip slowly relaxes, regaining his steady pattern. You press the tip of your thumb and index finger over the ends of the clamp, pinching it open and allowing the chain to drop between you.

You stroke your fingers over the back of his neck. “Let me see them,” you whisper with warmth and conviction. That tone of voice always sends his head into a spiral, he seemed to struggle to lift his head.

He shakily circles his thumb around your tip, spreading your precum all over his finger. You seize up, growling through clenched teeth. Jungkook quickly returns to stroking you firmly, he couldn’t stand the thought of you being unable to touch him.

You lean forward gingerly, dragging the tip of your nose through the cleft of his pecs. You tongue lolls out of your mouth, carefully resting on the edge of his areola before flicking upward.

He almost jerks away, sighing sharply. It was like you held the metal of a used lighter to his skin. It was enough to wipe what little thought remained in his head in a flash.

You tilt your head toward the other, slowly swirling the tip of your tongue toward the center of his nipple. He trembles below you, utilizing what strength remained to stay still.

“Want you to fuck me,” he croaks.

You glance up at him with a smile, nodding to oblige.

You plant a hand, carefully shifting yourself off of him and further onto the mattress. “Get on the middle of the bed, knees.

”He took his time to move, slowly twisting and crawling on. You reach to the left, yanking open the nightstand drawer with a flick of your wrist. You rip open the tube of lube, nearly breaking the loose plastic hinge of the cap. You squeeze a fat globule at the base of your cock, smearing the excess over the side of your lower belly before snapping it shut and shoving it back away.

You nearly forget to shut the drawer, pushing it closed with your ankle before crawling toward him. “Turn around.”

He plants his hands and crawls until he’s facing away from you, leaning back on his haunches.

Your dick prods the cleft of his ass as you seat yourself behind him, swiping your fingers through the thick, clear jelly. You do a messy job of lathering yourself up, leaning forward and slipping your dick under him.

You spread your index and middle fingers, smearing some of the lube over his pussy lips. He opened up like a pretty little flower, his cunt was already lush and puffy.

You drag the crook of your finger over his clit hood, coaxing a soft keen out of him. You press your fingers together, slipping them over his inner pink and press them into his hole. This time it was your turn to moan, his pussy swallowed your fingertips with ease.

He arches his back, molding against you with a whine. God, it felt so good but he wanted more. More than that. His inner velvet flutters around your fingers in a way that makes your toes curl already.

You work them in and out for a few strokes before you couldn’t stand it any longer. You wrap your hand around your cock, momentarily lowering yourself to press against his pussy. He slumps heavily against you with a coo when your cock begins to spread him open.

“Ooh,” you hiss, steadying yourself by moving your other hand to his stomach. Reaching the hilt, you shift your grip to clasp both of his forearms as leverage. The first thrust makes a filthy noise, excess lube squishing around your length.

To this, you lose yourself in him. You piston your hips forward, using him like the warm, wet hole he is. You fuck into him with reckless abandon. His voice is high, shaking with breathy and noisy squeals.

He does his best to refrain from squirming in your hold, thighs twitching with the urge to close. The room before him was a blur of shapeless splashes of color, it amazed him how you could get even deeper when he was on his back. Jungkook felt ridiculously full, his head dropping forward, babbling slurred expletives.

Your thighs burn, you knew he came by the way he started to flutter and squeeze around you. You could feel it barreling toward you, wrapping one of your arms over his hips to keep him steady.

You shift a hand, flicking your finger over his swollen nipple. His voice reaches a new pitch, thrashing his head around in a futile attempt to remain on this plane of existence.

“No! Gonna-” he tried to squeal, digging deep half moons into his thighs. You set your teeth tightly, your balls slap against his skin as you ground deeper. It felt like he was going to wring you dry.

You lean back for him to slump his weight against you fully and attack his other nipple with a harsh pinch. His shout catches in his throat, his head thumping against the thick of your shoulder.

Your control is carried away by the wind, the noise you make is ungodly when you cum. You couldn’t lose steam, his cum cakes up with yours as you plunge in. It felt like your sanity was melting out of your ears.

You roll the tips between your fingers, scrubbing them back and forth with your middle fingers. Something inside him broke, his jaw snapping shut as he began to shake uncontrollably.“Gnh, ah!” He grits out, his squirt splashing around your cock and splattering over the sheets.

Oh. Oh. You slow your thrusts with a breathless chuckle before allowing your softening cock to slip out of him with a wet plop. You’re met with a noisy sniffling, stroking your hands over his trembling stomach.

You shift your weight onto one knee and lay down behind him. “Shhh, shhh..” You continue to stroke your hand over his belly as the shocks become weaker and weaker.

The tension in his body takes a few minutes to melt away before he can fully sink into the mattress, timidly scooting back for you to fully spoon him.

“You okay?”

“Mhm.”

You hadn’t made a mess like that in a while, but you supposed he might have needed it as much as you. You’d soak in the bath later with him.

[insomniamamma]

Rain: Ezra X F!Reader w/Cee

A/N: Prickle ‘verse. Takes place after Prickle but before Clean Dirt. Can be read as a one shot. Reader is established crew with Ezra and Cee. This was written for @autumnleaves1991-blog​ ‘s Writer Wednesday. I am woefully behind. I legit don’t understand how some of you write fics so fast!

Warnings: Mentions of war, a little bit of angst, but mostly gentle fluff. Feelings.

            "Hey, Ez," Ezra is engrossed in grading the latest haul, testing for clarity and hardness.  The surface of CJ's World is cut through with oxbow rivers, fantastic hoodoos of striated sandstone slashed with valleys deeper than any found in Sol system. You're digging for fossils. These rusty carved out plateaus were once the bed of an ancient ocean. Through some trickery of mineralization and chemistry the fossils of CJ's world shine like the fire opals of Old Terra. Big or small, they all have value.           "Ezra," says Cee, "She's doing it again."           "Doing what, birdie?" Ezra takes off the loupe and rubs at his eyes. Rain pelts on the tent, even sheltered the humidity soaks through.           "Look." Ezra draws open the tent flap and sees you, standing in the rain, your head tilted up, no gentle shower this, rain that pelts down hard, turns the view across the sharp-cut canyons to silver curtains. Your clothes are plastered to you like a second skin. The rain actually aids your cause, washing away loose sediment, making the fossils easier to get to. You bow your head and let the stinging rain hit the back of your neck, let it fall on your closed eyes, your outspread arms. You laugh at the sky.

           "What do you know about Falnost?" Cee's eyes go distant for a beat. She has a memory to rival Central computers.

           "Hmmm..about two thirds standard grav, class C5, would've rated lower if not for it's primary. Dustball."             "Mmm-hmm."             "She's not used to real weather," says Cee.             "Observant as ever," says Ezra. The rain is not gentle. It is chilly and hits your skin like handfuls of flung sand, but is so different from anything you've known, so new that you can't help but stand there with a huge, dumb grin plastered on your face, even as your teeth chatter with the cold. Ezra comes and gets you.             "C'mon, Artichoke, while the rain does feel slinky and delicious it is not worth hypothermia."             "Sorry, Ez," you say and allow him to take your hand and lead you back to shelter. This has become something of a habit. Many worlds in the fringe are dustballs like the one you fled, algae and fungus growing on every bit of pipe that condensation beads on. On Falnost they had a deal with the ice-miners, discounted accommodations on world or on station in exchange for chunks of ice from your primary's lush rings de-orbited, burning and evaporating as they fell. The idea was that, eventually, there would be moisture enough in the atmosphere to trigger rains. Someday Falnost will have an ocean, but you won't be there for it, half your life spent harvesting rills of water from sail-traps, careful irrigation channels covered over with plastic sheeting, calorie vs water consumption ratios discussed every planting season. How many credits do we net vs wha† we have to spend? You got fucking sick of dreaming of an ocean your great grandchildren might paddle in. You skimmed enough to buy your way off world and since then you have seen things that you never would have believed as a child.            The first time you heard thunder was on a world called Ingwy. Your first  thought was artillery. Ingwy was a contested world, Karoclan and Lussia Collective skirmishing over land rights, while small stakes droppers like you and Ez and Cee swooped in to reap the spoils while the big corps and clans fought each other.  It was the middle of the night and you were on your feet instantly, railgun in hand, screaming that there was incoming, to take cover. Someone had flicked on a utility light hanging from a cord that swung, illuminating the inside of the tent in sickening arcs, and there's another explosion, this one so loud you feel the pressure change in your ears, hear your own voice crying out in tandem, white hot light even through the thick weave of the tent.           "It's just thunder," Ezra yells over the sound of rain slamming against the tent.           "That was an explosion!" He presses gently on your arm until you lower the rails.           "It's just loud," says Ezra, "It can't hurt us. We're safe here. Put the gun down." You set on the edge of your cot and put your face in your hands.           "Kevva. You must think I'm the dumbest dirt-farmer this side of the Great Arm." The cot dips as Ezra sits beside you.           "Not at all," he says, squeezes your shoulder, "I come from a backwater as well. First time I ever saw a proper ocean I nearly lost my breakfast right there on the beach."  Thunder peals again and you flinch, shrink against him slightly.            "Static electricity," says Ezra, "That's all it is. Builds up in the clouds and discharges into the ground." He keeps his hand on you as he speaks, fingers gently squeezing the juncture of your neck and shoulder, "The sound you hear is the air in the path of the lightning instantly heating and expanding. It makes a sonic shock wave, like any explosion."            "Like the boom when ships lift," you say.            "Just like that, Artichoke," he says, "Storm's already moving off, see?" The rain pelting the tent has settled into a steady drone. Thunder grumbles, a low, almost soft sound, not the air-rending explosion that shocked you out of sleep.            "We should try to rest," says Ezra, gives your shoulder one more firm squeeze and a little shake, and when you look up, he's smiling, dimple just beginning to sink into his cheek.             "Yeah," you say, "Okay." He kills the utility light and settles into his cot. You can hear the music from Cee's headphones, the tinny, fast pop she favors, threaded through the white noise of the falling rain. She slept through the whole thing.

            The ancient life of CJ's world favored heptagonal symmetry, long-dead mollusks like seven-sided shields shine out of the rusty ground, the smallest the size of a fingernail, the largest the size of dinner plates. This is a good deposit. The small ones are fashioned into jewelry and buttons.            "They take these great big ones and slice them micron thin," says Ezra, "Use them for window-glass in the temples of the Ephrate. They say it is like standing inside Kevva's very beating heart."           "I can see why," says Cee, and so do you. The minerals that limn the shells shine translucent red with brilliant streaks of orange, yellow and even thin threads of green and blue.           "They say that Kevva's first heart-beat ignited the explosion that became the universe," says Ezra.           "You really believe that?" Asks Cee.           "I don't know if believe is the right word," says Ezra, "We all grew up with these stories, why my grandmother..." You smile and tune him out. The back and forth banter between Cee and Ezra is a pulse that underlies every harvest. Cee has grown more talkative with each drop. Their relationship has a growing ease to it. You don't know exactly what happened between them before you joined up, but Cee's initial skittishness and Ezra's new healed scars tell a story you can guess the shape of. You let their conversation fade into the background, focus on the work of your hands, the meticulous scrape of soft sediment away from the hard glitter of the fossil, working around the seven sided edge, loosen enough up to get your fingers under the shell and you can pry it out, focus on the sounds of the world around you, no birds on CJ's world, but there is a range of bug-music, hidden in crevasses in the midday heat, all metallic clicks and creaks. Your rail-gun rests within easy reach, as always. You worm your fingers under the edge of the shell, wiggling it like a loose tooth, pops out of the sediment suddenly and you plop on your ass in the sandy dirt.           "You all right there, Artichoke?" Ezra grins at you.           "I'll recover." You dust yourself off and take your prize over to the tub that sits in the shadow of the pod. Further cleaning and grading can be done after dark. Nights  are long at this latitude. You stretch in the sunlight. This job is a milk-run compared to other drops, but hunkering in the dirt still hurts your knees and you feel every bit of it when you stand. There's a familiar sound, like a rumbling stomach, thunder, you think and glance up.          "Ezra!" Your voice is urgent and sharp and he's scrabbling up in a heartbeat, hand on the thrower at his hip, but when he stands there is only you pointing out across the vast expanse of sharp-carved valleys and hoodoos, lined in sharply delineated shadows and rusted cliffs where the light catches. The rainbow swoops skyward into grey cloud-bellies, a luminous curtain against the grey clouds, distant rain falling across the canyons.

        "Ezra, look!" Ezra exhales, tension leaching out of his shoulders. His hand drops away from the thrower.          "Oh, hey, a rainbow," says Cee. You lower your arm and just stare, transfixed at the glowing phantasm, brightening and dimming with the movement of clouds between it and the sun.           "It's beautiful," says Ezra. But he's not looking at the rainbow. He's looking at you. Your eyes are wide, lit up with wonder, an unconscious smile creeping across your face, crinkling the corners of your eyes. The stiff professionalism that you wear as close as your body armor momentarily set down, forgotten. Ezra's heart squeezes. There you are, he thinks. He can count on his one hand the number of times he's seen you smile like this, open and carefree, rare and precious as the gems the three of you pull from the ground. Part of him wants to kiss you, but he suspects he would end up on his back in the dust with the barrel of your railgun jammed beneath his sternum, so instead he brushes his hand against yours and your fingers find his and squeeze hard.            "I've never seen one before," you say, barely aware of Ezra's hand linked with yours, "I mean, I know what a rainbow is, but I've never seen one. Not in the real, just in vids."            "They don't have rainbows on Falnost?" Says Cee.            "They don't have rain on Falnost," you say, "Get's a little hazy sometimes after the ice-haulers make a drop, but that's about it." You shake your head as if just waking, the rainbow still shimmers, a bit duller now, and you are suddenly aware of Ezra's hand clasped with yours, the gentle pressure of his grasp.             "Sorry," you drop your eyes, "I got distracted. We got work to do." Ezra gives your hand a squeeze and then lets you go.             "Not to worry, Artichoke, rainbows are fleeting things. You look your fill while you can." And so you do. So does he.

[exosmutfactory]

Royal Pains

stunning gif by tipannies

❥ This might be the most daring one shot of mine to date, so! Here we go

— Pairing: You & Baekhyun

— Genre/AU: smut, 

— Word Count: 2.8k

— Rating: 18(more like 21 >.<)+ (M)

— [ Contains: Plot ofc (can’t be helped). Some restraints ;) deepthroating, airplay/choking, slight degradation, voyeurism (eep), etc! ]

❥ This was a lot for me to even proof read okay, let me post this here and run

ღ♥ღ♥ღ♥ ღ♥ღ♥ღ♥ ღ♥ღ♥ღ♥

Byun Baekhyun was never an easy man to please.

He’s belligerent, impatient and way too stiff for a man in his late-twenties. Though you suppose that is what comes with the responsibility of leading a kingdom. Nothing short of aggression and authority is expected of him with his title of power. And women across the land enjoy eating bare minimum affection out the palm of his stern hand - except for you.

If he’s a cold-blooded king, you are his ice queen to match.

You were that inwardly hotheaded, steel fratetrain of a princess that didn’t take shit from anyone, let alone the soon-to-be king whose name you never could remember yet face you never forget. He was always trying to boss you around your own house and intimidating all other men that tried to pursue you. And yet the annoying crown prince left quite the impression on you during those awkward royal-arranged dates and accidental yet totally coincidental meetings at night under the shining stars. 

You still ask yourself how you went from a love-hate courting arrangement to being the one to receive his late-night undivided attention and witnessing his eyes taking on the softest of expressions. Maybe you were a saint in your previous life.

But of course, there’s only a certain amount of time before you push each other’s buttons again. Keeping the peace balanced on a very sensitive scale will tilt out of order and end up sailing across the room eventually. Only so many small bickerings before your stubbornness straight-up rivals his assertiveness. Some occurrences of these types of arguments are better than others…

Much better than the one right now.

Someone calls your name. A deep voice that can be soft and melodic or choppy like an all-consuming storm deep at sea depending on the situation. In this instance, you can clearly hear the thunder in their tone that matches the hard look in their brown eyes when you raise your head from the blanket in your hands. “Baekhyun?” You murmur, head tilting in mild curiosity. Trying your best to ignore how good he looks in a white dress shirt, black slacks and a matching blazer that is complemented by his slightly pushed back hair.

He says your name again through gritted teeth, gesturing to the patio doors that lead out to the garden with a ring covered hand, “Did you dismiss the gardener?”

“His wife went into labor,” You justify, continuing to work on the red wool with soft clinks of the knitting needles.  

“The head chef?”

“A family emergency.”

You hear his teeth click together before he utters, “And the maid?”

Your needles are set down on your lap at that, “Nope. I fired her.” You chirp, irritation swelling in your chest at the mention of the wrench as you pick them back up. Counting back from 20 to will away your bubbling anger. 19, 18, 17-

Baekhyun inches closer in all his angry glory, black dress-shoes tapping on the marble floor. “And what reason do you have for that?”

“She was going around spewing bullshit about her being your fucking mistress.” You spat, clutching the needles so hard they bite into your skin.

He takes a deep deep breath, chuckling humorlessly. “So,” His hands are clasped behind his back, leaning forward to meet you eye-to-eye from your spot on a custom made leather couch with the tiniest of revengeful smiles. “Because of jealousy you decided to fire our 5th maid of the month.”

You know you should back off; try to contain your anger and let him have his little moment with soft words of compromise - but oh, the memory of catching that woman spraying the collar of his shirts with her nauseating perfume this morning… You’re murmuring under your breath before you can fully comprehend the reaction you’ll get. “Not my fault she was a pest and definitely not my fault for all the others you fired.” The others being gentlemen that respected your space and accompanied you on the loneliest of days by complementing your improving knitting skills and bonding over tear-jerking novels.

It’s silent for a few moments, and then Baekhyun chuckles, running a hand through his hair, “Always going out your way to give me a fucking headache.”

“If I’m a headache, you’re an eyesore,” You mutter under your breath, looking away. You can’t even bear to face him after that.

“An eyesore?” Baekhyun muses. You choose not to respond, dead-set on glaring a hole into the farthest wall as you will away the urge to cry.

Baekhyun grabs your chin and before you can snap at him, he’s kissing you with fever. The rough way his teeth tug at your bottom lip making you gasp into his mouth, the perfect opportunity for him to explore your wet caven. Blanket forgotten at your feet as he pulls you up and backs you up to the nearest wall; pelvis flush to yours. “Let’s see how much of an eyesore I am after this.”

He hoists you up into the air before you can say anything; carrying you bridal-style to your bedroom as butterflies nervously flutter around in your stomach. You know where this is heading. Not even blinding rage can keep the fire from growing between your legs.

Baekhyun lowers you to the bed gently as if you are having your first night together all over again. Slender hands pulling at your blue ballroom dress and the blossoms of daisies out of the carefully woven braid in your hair. Scattering them on the sheets of your California King sized bed as he presses his lips back to yours.

You gladly recuperate his endless kisses, relaxing further under the familiar weight of his body and the soft caress of his wandering hands…

Until the tell-tale sound of a lock clicking into place reaches your ears.

Your eyes snap open but you’re a second too late; both of your hands, cuffed, to a bar in the headboard. And it’s not with the usually fluffy baby pink ones. No. You’re chained to the bed like that of a prisoner under the unforgiving guard of your husband; gazing down at you with the darkest of eyes. “B-Baek-” A firm hand wraps around your throat, silencing you.

“I think..” He hums, eyes lazily running over your helpless form; a smirk playing on his lips, “That you’ve done enough talking for today.”

Another look from him keeps you from protesting through your parted lips; his thumb rubbing unhurriedly along your neck leaving you to gulp as he steps off the bed. You lift your head to see what he’s doing, only catching a glimpse of him pulling off his tie before the handcuffs rattle against the headboard.

Baekhyun looks at you from over his shoulder with a tsk, completely loosening the silk material from around his neck before approaching the bed again.

You bear your neck, expecting him to tie it there only for the soft material to be pressed against your eyes.

“Since I’m such an eyesore,” He mocks, tying the blue material firmly around your head, “Guess you won’t be needing to see, will you?”

Your noise of protest only earns you a sharp smack to your sensitive core, making your thighs snap shut with a yelp.

“Keep those legs open,” He warns in a low tone, rummaging around the room while you quickly obey; spreading wide and straining your ears to hear him. Your cheeks darkening at the tell-tale signs of arousal covering the inside of your thighs.

“Look at you,” Baekhyun muses by your side; the lightest brush of his fingers across your folds making you gasp, bucking your hips. The slender digits tease over your thigh before rubbing the wetness into your skin. “Already dripping onto the sheets.”

“Baek.” You bite back a whine, holding your breath at the light rustle of clothes and obscene slick sounds that meet your ears. Baekhyun’s weight is fully dipping next to you in the bed; lewd wet sounds coming from lazy strokes of his cock. You whimper, wishing you could see how he looks right now, all flushed cheeks with those brown eyes so blown with lust that they appear black. His soft pants and quiet groans put you in a state of arousal that you’re rudely awoken from by a sharp pain on your thigh. Your whole body jolting up with a shout. “Baekhyun, what the fuck-” You pause, breath catching at the leathery texture gliding across your sensitive skin. 

“It’s been a while, hmm?” Baekhyun muses with a chuckle. A faint whoosh the only warning you get before it’s coming down on you again. You gasp, biting your lip as the brief pain ebbs away; the implications of him using the riding crop sinking in. This definitely isn’t going to be one of those nights he goes easy on you. No, you’re fucked and can only get more fucked from here.

The sinful sounds of skin against skin and your quiet whimpers fill the air as he continues to spank your thighs with the pleasantly painful material. One hit being so close to your wet cunt you arch your back with a broken whimper of his name, nearly cumming at the lingering burn it leaves alone.

“Tsk always so greedy,” Baekhyun murmurs; pace increasing on his cock while dropping the leather crop next to you. The volume of his groans indicating his orgasm making you tug at your restraints; helplessly squirming in the sheets. “B-Baek, please.”

“What do you want, sweetheart.” He sighs, hand resting so high on your thigh you tremble in anticipation.

“Y-Your-” You bite hard on your lip, throwing your head back when he brushes his thumb over your throbbing clit. “Your cock!” You gasp, trying your best not to melt under his touch; thighs trembling in want. “I-I want to suck your cock, p-please..”

“Hmm.” Baekhyun bites your earlobe, drawing a gasp from your throat before you sense his clothed thighs straddling your chest. The wet tip of his pressing against your bottom lip.

You lick your suddenly dry lips, tasting his precum as he slowly slides into your awaiting mouth. The weight of him on your tongue making you keen under him, choking a little when he hits the back of your throat. His quiet moan shooting heat right down to your core.

“Such a good girl.” He sighs, firmly gripping your hair; your eyes welling up with tears every time he sinks into your throat. “So tight and warm for me.”

You moan, curling your tongue around his tip when he pulls out to let you catch your breath. The way his hold tightens in your hair has you gulping down his precum, preparing for what comes next.

Baekhyun quickly slides his cock down your throat with ease, groaning as your nose hits his pelvis. The way he takes your breath away with every quickened thrust has you moaning along with him, swallowing around his thick girth as his grunts meet your ears, loving the sound of his cock stuffing you full.

You could keep going like this for hours. Letting him fuck your throat raw and leave your jaw aching for days. His high pitched moans and merciless thrusts leaving the biggest inferno between your trembling legs.

“Ah.” He suddenly grunts, slipping out of your mouth and pulling away before you feel the hot spurts of cum dripping on your chest and down to the messy sheets below.

“Fuck.” Baekhyun sighs, not paying your whine of disappointment any mind as he shuffles farther down your body. The soft material of his pants brushing over the back of your thighs barely a warning before he’s slipping into your weeping core. You gasp, tugging hard at your restraints. The delicious burn of his thick length making you clench hard on his cock.

“Mmm.” He moans, pushing in to the hilt. “Always so wet for me.”

You bite your lip in vain to keep quiet as he wraps his hand around your throat; his loud groans and your quiet whimpers fill the room along with the slamming of the headboard and the wet smacks of his cock ramming into your walls.

“So so greedy.” Baekhyun chuckles darkly, picking up the pace with a tight grip on your hips. You moan, but a certain, small noise reaches your ears. A distant whimper. Misplaced for the privacy of your bedroom.

“I can feel you clenching down on me.” Baekhyun pants, pulling you out of your thoughts as he angles his hips; the brute force of his thrusts slamming into your cervix in that painfully pleasant way he knows makes your back arch and toes curl. Your cunt gripping him like a vice. “Greedy girl. Fuck, your pussy was made for my cock.”

You can do nothing but arch your back, breathlessly moaning his name until you feel the tie being pulled from your face. Your blurry eyes opening as it slips down to rest around your sweaty neck, the shocking view in front of you enough to make your building orgasm stop dead in its tracks. Because there. Just beyond Baekhyun’s gloriously clothed form, is three familiar figures kneeling near the foot of the bed.

“Finally caught on, sweetheart?” Baekhyun chuckles, slowing down to grind against your clit as you choke on your words; jaw dropping at his audacity. At the display of the maids you’ve fired watching on with wide, envious eyes, or the way he is milking your g-spot, you do not know. But damn if it doesn’t make you tighten more around him..

Your eyes can’t seem to look away from the people kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Three sets of hungry eyes focused on the pair of you as the palace guards keep their gazes away out of respect. Your attention isn’t brought back to Baekhyun until he hisses, releasing your neck to push your thighs to your chest and tangle his hand in your hair. “Keep your eyes.” He growls, yanking your head back to stare directly into your eyes. “On me.”

You gasp loudly, clamping down on him with a nod. Doing your very best to keep up the new position despite the burn in your hamstring, the throbbing at the roots of your hair under his unforgiving grip and his punishing thrusts. The tip of his cock nailing your g-spot without fail as your thighs shake; pressing your feet to his chest for stability. The slight shift in position making you cry out in bliss.

“Hmmm is my greedy whore going to cum?” Baekhyun asks in that slight condescending tone that drives you wild. You can’t look away from his fiery filled eyes, so many emotions of love and lust swirling in the orbs that you find yourself drowning deeper in the tighter the coil builds up in your core. Gushing around him as the others in the room are brought back to your attention by the restless shuffling coming from the floor.

Baekhyun chuckles at the red coloring your cheeks. “Dirty girl.” He murmurs, brushing his lips over your ankle before holding your hips down to the bed. “You enjoy being watched. Your pussy is weeping for it.” He gives your clit a swift smack that has you arching your back with a cry of his name; shaking at the seams. A burning stare catches your eye just as he’s sliding his hand down your stomach and between your quivering thighs.

Baekhyun’s fingers rub mercilessly on your throbbing clit while you’re locked eyes with one of the men who was your previous maid; feeling a sense of courageous sexual power surge through your veins as you are finally brought over the edge. Until Baekhyun slips out the moment you clench down on him.

You're left gasping under him as your walls spasm in defeat; a broken sob ripped from your throat as he strokes himself to completion. His cum landing on top of your mound and dripping down your quivering entrance at the tail end of your ruined orgasm.

Baekhyun hums, lazily rubbing his tip over your sensitive core as he takes in the tears streaming down your cheeks; softly cupping your cheek as he waves the others away without a glance. He waits until they are gone before moving to release you, planting a kiss to both your red wrists before meeting your eyes with his now soft brown ones that you’ve come to love so much. “Next time talk to me first before dismissing anyone from work, okay?”

You look at him for a moment with a sniffle before nodding, letting him pull you into his warm arms. Your eyes narrow behind his back as he whispers sweet words in your ear..

Yeah, Baekhyun doesn’t expect to be put on probation from sex for the next two weeks..

Or the confirmed pregnancy test two weeks after that.

[baku-no-alt]

sriracha sauce | 8

bakugou x reader; in which Bakugou and some other students from UA are doing a work -study abroad in NYC. also Bakugou is nice to you for once

cw: like, so many swears; a little sexual tension; some angst

Bakugou says he doesn’t like sweet things, but you force him to pick out an ice cream flavor anyways, so he chooses honey-rhubarb. 

“Okay, fancy pants,” you grumble as the employee behind the counter hands you your plain chocolate ice cream cone. 

After you pay and leave the shop, you walk side by side, heading back home. You’re telling Bakugou a story about your hero school when your fingers brush the back of his hand. You keeping talking but you cautiously hook your pinky finger around his, and, to your relief, he doesn’t pull away. 

When you reach the steps in front of your apartment building, you stop. It was strange; usually this meant a date was over, but you two live together. 

“You wanna come up?” you joke, waggling your eyebrows. 

He chuckles, eyes you up and down. “Don’t tempt me.” 

A shiver makes its way down your spine and you can feel your cheeks heating up. You open the door and make your way up the stairs, Bakugou following behind you. 

The apartment is dark when you both walk in, but you’re more aware of his presence now than you ever have been. He shuts the door and you can feel the heat radiating from his body on your back. 

You turn on your heels, come face to face with him. He’s inches away from you, but you can still barely see him in the dark. 

“Thank you for the date... Katsuki.” You try out his given name; the sounds feel foreign on your lips. “I had a wonderful time.” 

You realize how tall he is now that you’re so close to him; he’s got at least six inches on you. He lowers his face towards yours, and a sliver of moonlight shining from the window illuminates his eyes. The red in his irises takes your breath away. 

“Say my name again,” he mumbles.

You reach your arms up, wrap them around his neck. “Katsu...” you whisper, before closing the distance between the two of you and brushing your lips against his. 

Time freezes for a second, and then he pushes forward, pressing harder against your lips. Your heart hammers in your chest. 

His hands come up to grip your sides and he deepens the kiss. You weave your fingers into his hair - it’s soft. 

He opens his mouth and you taste him, still sweet from the ice cream but you swear there’s something burnt there too. Images of him in his hero costume, using his quirk, flash through your mind in a supercut. 

He’s so powerful, and it makes you lightheaded. 

There is something so undeniably masculine that draws you closer to him. It’s not just his hero work - his unwavering honesty makes you feel safe, taken care of, as much the part of you with a penchant for independence hates to admit it. 

Overwhelmed, you press your hands against his chest (oh god, his pecs) and push your upper body away, your lips the last to part from him. His hands remain at your waist. You look up, touching your forehead to his. 

“Was that alright?” He swallows. The lack of sureness in his voice is almost cute, but you’d never tell him that to his face. 

You have to stifle a giggle. “I, uh - yeah. Yeah, do you want me to leave a review on Yelp or something?” 

“Tch.” He ruffles your hair with one hand, leans down, and you give him another light peck on the lips. 

You take a deep breath, swallow it down. “We don’t have to talk about it, I just wanna take things slow until we have a plan.”

“Alright,” he says, in a voice more gentle than you’ve ever heard from him.

It’s awkward, because there’s no leaving - you’re both just here now, in the apartment. Things feel normal and not normal at the same time. 

Then his phone rings. 

“Shit,” he says, looking down at the caller ID. “Emergency in Brooklyn. I gotta go.” He brushes past you to his room, shrugging off his clothes in the process. 

You stand in the kitchen, motionless, still feeling the buzz your lips from his searing kisses. You don’t want him to leave, but at the same time, having some time alone to process would be nice. 

A few minutes later, he walks past you again, hero costume on. You want to reach out, run your fingers down the outlines of his muscles, but he looks stressed. 

“Good luck.” You reach out, squeeze his arm. 

“I don’t need luck.” He gives you the cockiest grin you’ve ever seen, and then he leaves. Once he’s out of the building, you hear him use his quirk to take off, and then he’s sailing through the air away from you. 

You get changed, peeling yourself out of the tight dress, and put on your comfiest sweatpants and a tanktop. You pile your hair in a bun, take off your makeup, brush your teeth, and then settle down in your bed, snuggled up in the covers. 

You have your laptop set up with you. You browse the internet with your TV on in the background so that you could keep tabs on the news. You glance up every now and then, seeing images of Brooklyn flashing across the screen. It was a villain with some sort of telekinesis power; it should be an easy job for Katsuki and his friends. They’d battled much worse before. 

You scroll through Facebook, and then Instagram, and then Reddit, and then put on a few YouTube videos before you start to get sleepy.  You yawn and close your laptop and feel around your sheets for the remote to turn of your TV. 

When you feel your hand brush against it, you lift it up and glance at the TV, just in time to watch the villain strike Katsuki with a steel beam from a nearby construction site. He flies through the air, slams into the side of a building, and falls to the ground. 

---

masterlist

@shareyourfandomfaves, @awkward-tamaki, @ha-tep, @reyna-avila-ramirez-alreanaldo, @ayeputita, @lookslikeleese, @alinakaisato, @loxbbg, @micheladakenzo, @bnhaismylife, @aurorahoneybuns, @anything-and-everything-here69, @overkill-is-underrated, @sizzlingbarbarianglitter, @squeaky-ducky, @hallothankmas, @rubilacxe-rose

if I forgot to tag you please let me know! I was unable to tag those in italics

[jq37]

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 11 In the Mountains of Sweetness

Requiem 

The Rocks family is on the run but they’re also in mourning. As they sail up the Cola River, they stop to do repairs to the ship and pay their respects to Jet at a bright pink hill under a tree--her final resting place.

The remaining kids are in opposite worlds emotionally speaking--Liam is fully sobbing (which we find out later is largely him still being messed up over Preston) while Ruby is hollow and bitter. Amethar (after almost murdering a Jellybean farmer with poor timing who wanders onto the scene) eulogizes about how much Jet taught all of them (including that “to defeat monsters you must become one” which mmm don’t love where his head is at; also, Brennan says he seems to almost have this new sobriety which I think, mechanically, is him having taken a level of Battlemaster Fighter). 

Cara, also a wreck as you’d expect, wonders if Jet died thinking she didn’t love her and wishes Jet would have just listened to her--something that Ruby takes as blaming Jet for her own death, causing her to stalk off. Cara is too in her grief to really react but Theo goes after her. As he does, Cumulous notices that, for a split second, Ruby’s shadow seemed to be out of sync with her actions. But only for a second. 

When Theo catches up to her, Ruby gets really upset and says that she blames her parents, Lazuli, and herself for Jet’s death. Theo says that Jet wouldn’t have blamed her and that she died in battle, like she wanted. Even still, Ruby doesn’t know how she’s going to go on without her. Theo says that he takes comfort in Lazuli’s research and the thought that Jet might not be truly gone. She could be around and protecting them right now. “She was always protecting us,” Ruby says before mind-hopping into Yak and flying above the ship so she doesn’t have to deal with her emotions for the moment.

Once she’s gone, Theo breaks down for a second and then summons Sprinkle...to dismiss him. He tells Sprinkle he’s done a great job but he needs to go back where he came from and have Jet send a new familiar as a sign. Sprinkle tearfully leaves and, almost immediately (which is not how the spell traditionally works btw) a Black Licorice viper shows up which Theo names Princess and which bites him for no reason. Feels right.

Back at the grave-site, Cara starts to walk away but Amethar catches her and leads her back to the ship. They run into Theo and when she sees him with his new familiar, she goes off on him: Oh Jet is watching over us? Who was watching over her? And don’t think I don’t know about your crush on Lazuli. I have one daughter left. You think you can do a better job at protecting her? That kind of thing. She goes to board the ship but Amethar stays behind saying he’ll be with her in a minute, something that made *me* feel like I was about to get chewed out by Amethar’s wife.

Liam remembers that Cal--the traitor--saved Jack and Brie and decides to (as he is wont to do) ask about it in the clumsiest way possible. Jack says that they didn’t meet up with Cal on purpose or anything--they just happened to stumble across him and, now that he thinks about it, it was weirdly easy the way Cal got them through enemy lines and stuff. He seems pretty on the level so Liam does his Ranger thing to check for danger while they’re docked.

Back with Theo and Amethar, Theo says he’s fine so Amethar catches up with Cara and says that she can’t turn on Theo like that. They don’t have a lot of allies left. On a dirty 20 Persuasion check, we are spared the marital spat of a lifetime and instead she just presses herself against him and he brings her into a hug.

Sweet Life on Deck*

*I knew I’d get to use it eventually!

The next day, as they set sail, Cara apologizes to Theo for taking her grief out on him and he’s very gracious about it--also assuring her that he doesn’t hate her for winning Lazuli’s affections as she suggested nor does he have a crush on her--he just strongly believes in her ideals.

Cumulous finds Ruby to have a chat with her about his favorite topic (well second fave after magical items)--death. Ruby says that, with Jet dead, all she cares about is revenge and that she’s dead inside. Cumulous, who clearly doesn’t have Inspiring Speech on his character sheet (or, if he does, learned from Kristen), rambles about death for a bit before saying that though they’ll all die eventually, she doesn’t have to die yet and gives Ruby his necklace from Lazuli. She pockets it and walks away.   

Liam, with his Ranger senses, knows they’re being followed but also knows that they have the jump on them so they shouldn’t have a problem staying ahead. Jack and Amethar have a heart to heart wherein Jack blames himself for spilling the beans about Ghee and Amethar says it’s not his fault. They reaffirm that they’re in it together for the long haul. 

In the night, Liam has an intense dream involving familiar snarling, heat, smoke, chocolate, and cinnamon. Ruby wakes up in the middle of the night with Lazuli’s necklace glowing a little bit. The glow fades and then she notices, like Cumulous did, that her shadow is a little off--but it quickly corrects itself. All messed up, she goes onto the deck and finds that she can suddenly see perfectly in the dark. And, on a Nat 20 Perception check, she sees that the eye of the Lazuli necklace is a little creased, like it has smile lines. It glows brightly and casts her shadow on the wall--except it’s not the shadow she should have. It looks like her except the hair--the hair is in a long braid. Ruby presses her forehead against the forehead of the shadow and finds that it’s warm. And, as she does so, she fully breaks down for the first time since Jet’s death and the shadow does so alongside her. (Mechanically speaking, Ruby took a level of Shadow Sorcerer).

In the morning they dock, having gotten as far up the river as the ship can take them. It’s a long trip to the mountains and Muffinfield--Cal’s territory--is in their path. They have the option to go through the town fully, take the more off the beaten path route, or a little of both but either way it’s gonna take at least a full week (and up to three if they fully avoid the town). They decide to take the hybrid route which takes them into Muffinfield to begin with. It’s a rich province and very Bulbian. Tons of Imperial guards, tons of churches, and, in fact, they see a church putting on one of those puppet show/morality plays. Amethar makes the, mmm, unwise decision to check it out and sees that it’s a play about the Rocks family, depicting him as a horny lout, Cara as an airheaded bimbo, and the twins as feral bastards. Ruby sets the puppets on fire and Amethar hustles her away before she can do something more rash.

After that, they get to the woods--staying for a night with a lady so old and out of touch that she doesn’t even know that Amethar’s dad isn’t king anymore. Theo thanks Liam for saving Jet’s body and they bond over how much rage they have over, like, everything that's happened.

The Gang Gets Scooped

When they get back on the road (with some not so hot stealth checks), they see a little gingerbread guy in a Peter Pan cap who’s trying to pull his friend out from under a rock. Theo, knight to his core, rushes to help but Liam, who’s on the warpath, decides to shoot him. An insane course of action but he’s not wrong because a net captures both Theo and the gingerbread man and this turns out to be an ambush. The “friend” was a doll and the Gingerbread man (Swifty is his name) pulls a lollipop shiv on Theo because of course. When Theo says he’s not pro-Bulb, Swifty calls for Gooey--the chief marauder who is this buff warrior woman with half her face melted (like melted chocolate) like she was badly burned. She and this chocolate viking dude (Jon Bon) discuss whether they should take the group to the queen, which they decide to do, shackling everyone (though Liam and Ruby successfully conceal their thieves' tools in their hands for a later escape). At the mention of the queen, the assembled marauders start chanting “Long live the queen”--harkening back to the mountain gratifi from two episodes ago. They take them to their secret hideout in the mountains while Swifty runs ahead to let them know they’re coming. 

All their captors are Candian but they’re all deformed in some way and/or have old Sucrosi tattoos and Sweetening Path stuff, ears of Ceresians/Vegetanians on necklaces (EARS BRENNAN?), and defiled Bulbian relics. They’re from all over but they seem like they’ve been living this life for years.

The hideout is kinda built into the cliff side and it has this big rock outside like the standing stones the SPF has (menhir is the technical term).  It’s also covered in a layer of snow and very cold. Magical light is glowing as they pass through the entrance. Cumulous can feel very powerful magic at work. There’s a ton of ceremony and fanfare and chanting in advance of the queen’s arrival--these people seem to really love their queen, and so do we because out comes Queen Saccharina Frostwhip aka, Emily’s new character (aka Rina because I’m not typing that every time)! 

She is this extremely cool (in both senses of the word) ice-cream sorcerer with a magic staff (Winterscoop) and two swords and is majorly serving sweet but frosty-cool energy. Liam and Ruby spring everyone from their chains and Rina aggressively sweetly says that she would have freed them soon enough. She calls herself the legal ruler of Candia and when Cara questions that she says that she has another last name: Ghee. Amethar, is like, “Oh shit,” but she says that she’s not here to force a relationship on him, she just thinks they can all be useful to each other, especially since she’s the legal heir as the child of his legal marriage and someone not in open rebellion with the Concord. Theo is like, “That all checks out.” He asks Amethar if this is actually his kid and he sees in Rina Ghee’s eyes and his own swagger. Yeah, that’s his kid. In turn, she recognizes Cumulous as a monk of the Order of the Spinning Star. She, like half the party it feels--is a huge Lazuli stan, can feel her magic on him, and believes in her mission. She says she’s seen Lazuli in her dreams when she was little and Cumulous in her sees someone who can, in a lot of ways, take up Lazuli’s mantle and start rebuilding Candian magic rather than just doing triage like the monks have been. He bows to her. Ruby is not having any of this though and says that Rina isn’t her sister or her queen.

Theo asks Princess if they should trust her--she’s saying all the right things but he’s wary--and gets a bite which tells him nothing.

Ice Feast

Rina, upon being told special guests were coming, had a feast prepared which is described as Robin Hood-y. Amethar is like, “This is cool but the Bulbian church is literally trying to kill us so maybe we focus on that?” Rina says that that works for her. All Amethar has to do is recognize her as his daughter and heir and everything will be square--if the church wants to go after them at that point, they’ll have to break their own rules. Ruby, who’s still being obstinate says that it won’t work because she’s clearly a heretic with an allegiance to the Sweetening Path but Rina says and Jack confirms that as long as you kiss the ring in public, no one really cares what you do on your home turf. 

Ruby accuses her of not knowing what she’s talking about because she’s been hidden away her whole life and Rina shoots back (still smiling) that she’s actually been traveling the world, building her followers from scratch which she had to do because she came from nothing. Amethar (who’s in the, I would have to imagine, pretty novel position of watching his daughters fight) breaks it up. Cara--who fully hates that not only is this happening, it’s also their best shot--takes Ruby with her to have their meal somewhere else and Ruby, who has found someone to hate more than her mom, willingly goes. 

Rina has a sidebar with Amethar where she apologizes for popping up randomly and upsetting his entire family. She always wanted to meet them and she’s sorry that these are the circumstances. Amethar says that it’s not her fault--they’ve just been through a hell of a lot lately and they’re kind of emotionally spent but she’s actually a huge asset to them politically right now and he’s sure that once things are calm, things will be different on the relationship front. 

Ruby can’t believe Cara is taking all of this lying down and Cara (who is full John Mulaney, “This might as well happen,”) says she can’t remember the last time she had a handle on her life which is news to Ruby who thought she *was* the handle. Cara hits her with the unfortunate truth that no one--least of all kings and queens--knows what they’re doing or can really control it. All she can control is what she’s doing next which is having a bath. Ruby decides to, instead, cast Invisibility and look around for anything suspicious. 

After seeing a bunch of stolen loot, weapons, and Candian artifacts it seems like Rina’s trying to preserve, she eventually finds Rina in her quarters. On a 25 Perception to Ruby’s 24 Stealth, Rina clocks her and whispers, “I’m not here to take your family, little sister. I look forward to the day that we are friends.” Ruby, channeling Adaine in a big way, flips invisible double middle fingers. 

Cumulous is in another room, just fanboy happy-crying over all of Rina’s magic stuff in some of the funniest scenes Zac has ever done which is saying a lot. I cannot overstate how funny Zac crying over an imaginary ring pop is.  

Theo also finds Rina and asks about her visions of Lazuli. She says it happened when she was very young and her powers were just manifesting. She was in a place where magic wasn’t supported and the connection was all but beaten out of her. But she can also sense Lazuli’s presence in Theo. Ruby, still invisible, pipes up that she sees Lazuli too so she’s not special and Rina shoots back that she can also see Ruby while invisible, which is pretty special. This dissolves into a little sibling spat which Rina says she enjoys because she’s never had a sister to fight with before. The comment sets off Ruby again who says she already had a sister and she’s dead and she can’t replace her. She runs off.

Theo and Rina speak a little more and she reveals that she doesn’t really care about the throne. She just cares about bringing back magic and destroying the church (which means she’ll fit right in with the rest of the fam--not really wanting the throne and plotting against the church. The family business). 

After the feast, Gooey brings out the war maps (moving the Jawbreaker flag away from Castle Manylicks and deeper into the mountain and putting an ice cream cone flag deep into the mountains) and a bunch of magic tomes which Rina starts reading. Ruby notices that a lot of the tomes are written in Lazuli’s hand, she had a way to tap into the SPF’s runes, and that she wrote some kind of warning about the SPF--Lazuli did not trust or revere the SPF. Liam sees a book with the same ice cream symbol as the flag on the map and it’s a book of lost beast lore--including an ancient spirit described on pages scented like cinnamon and seemingly bound in some way (and also amongst a lot of SPF talk): Dracoria Azucar (or, Sugar Dragon). 

Anyway, Rina says that the SPF has done a lot to suppress Lazuli’s research (she’s not sure if she thinks it’s too dangerous or if she’s hoarding it or what) including taking all of her coolest relics and findings and hiding them in a frozen temple--the Ice Cream Temple. She wants to loot that temple. (Note: She also mentions that Kerradin visited her orphanage when she was little which...Bad). She’s sent raid parties who haven’t come back but they weren’t super powerful--she has a lot of angry, rescued orphans in her service. The gang more or less agrees to her plan--even Ruby reluctantly, but Ruby hears the SPF on the wind, “Things that are wrong may yet be made right. There is more than one true magician in Candia, Princess and I await your coming and will be delighted for your wish to come true.” 

A Change of Plans  

In the morning, they decide Cara will stay with Jack and the marauders while they (and some of Jack’s men) go on their mission. When Jack offhandedly says that Ghee was lovely, Rina says they had very different experiences with her. Ominous!  

Theo asks what’s going on with the Jawbreaker situation and she says that they’re in kind of a pissing contest--he won’t recognize her claim to the throne. Gooey pulls Rina aside and informs her (for the first time it seems) that Jawbreaker has left the Castle because people in the area were being tortured by Ceresian soldiers (wasn’t specified but I’m guessing Imperials) to draw him out and now he’s pinned down in the mountains. Rina (along w/ Gooey and Swifty) consider that if they help Jawbreaker, he’ll be more likely to acknowledge her claim to the throne. But, if they don’t and they let him die, Liam will be heir and he’s already on Team Rina. In the end, she decides to tell the group and they are keen on rescuing Jawbreaker--even though Liam is concerned because he knows his dad will never give up the throne. 

Everyone seems pretty gung ho about this except for Ruby who is like, “Hello we’re super outnumbered.” Cara has a solution to that however. She’s been up all night reading Lazuli’s books and she thinks she can bamf them past enemy lines if they can get to the nearby Spinning Star monastery. She can get them back too but because there’s not a teleportation circle where they’re going, she has to basically do the magical equivalent of holding her breath or remembering a really long series of numbers while they get in and get out. They won’t have much time.

They go to the monastery (where Rina’s anti-monarchical sentiments wins her another new fan in another monk named Snicker-Snack because sure) and Cumulous kills a chicken for that sweet temp HP. Cara says, “Lazuli, please help me get this right,” before performing her magic and sending them all to a dark, locked, musty building. They can hear Ceresian soldiers shouting outside--and that’s where we end our episode! 

Note: You can find the art for the new characters this episode on the D20 tumblr here! Once again, Samir is coming for some of y’all specifically with some of these designs.

Things I’m Concerned About

I’m gonna separate my thoughts on Rina across these two sections because my thoughts are hard in separate directions. I *love* Rina but I have to be honest with myself and say that if she was an NPC, I fully wouldn’t trust her. She comes in at the exact right time saying all the right things and coming with a major plot solution. She says she doesn’t care about the throne and she only wants to destroy the church (something that would make sense considering the backstory hints the dropped) and we haven’t had PvP before but like...if there was a season to do it...listen, I want her to just be this cool orphan who sincerely wants justice and a relationship with her dad and sister if that’s on the table but I’m just keeping my eye on her. (Also, when Gooey pulled her aside to have that troop movement convo I feared it was going to go in a much more suspicious direction.)

There’s a part that I kinda glossed over where Brennan says Manta Ray Jack looked at Rina “bashfully” and Rina took it as, “He’s gonna ask me out,” and rebuffed his advances. I feel like that’s not what that was about. That doesn’t mean it’s anything actively bad--maybe him remembering her mom?--but idk, I don’t like feeling like I’m missing something.

Oh, and speaking of her mom? Rina saying he had a different experience of her mom than she did combined with Rina saying her connection to Lazuli was “all but beaten out of her” plus the out of game knowledge that something related to child neglect happens in a few eps that’s so bad that Brennan hurt himself...It paints a Bad picture.

Once again, I am Concerned about everything going on with the SPF. What did she mean there’s more than one magician? Was she referring to Ruby? Does she want Ruby to PvP Rina? She better not. 

Little concerned about Annabelle’s side mission to find Ghee. I was before but now I am even more. 

Five A Few More Things

I want to believe that Jet is both partially inhabiting Princess and doing the Shadow Sorc thing with Ruby. The Pontifex works hard but Jet Rocks works harder. 

OK, let’s talk about what I call The Inherent Tragedy of Saccharina Frostwhip (*such* a good name, btw). If Ruby and Jet had met Rina *together* (either during peace times or having rolled a high enough Insight check to clock her as an ally during the present events) they would have loved her completely immediately. She’s got Cool Big Sister written all over her: cool design, martial prowess and magic, anti-monarchy and anti-Bulbian Church BUT willing to take the throne in their stead. They would have LOVED her. BUT, Rina wasn’t an NPC. She was Emily’s backup character. Which means that, because of the way our world bisects the world of Candia, there is never a world where Jet is alive while Rina comes into play. That’s tragic, man. That’s the worst. And when I say that’s the worst, I mean the best. This makes for such delicious story. You guys know I’m a full sucker for sister stuff. Which we were already getting but this is *complicated* sister stuff which we all know is better. Like, if this is where we’re starting emotionally, do you know good it’s gonna hit if Ruby eventually comes around on her? Siobhan and Emily are catering to me specifically this season.

Also, that reveal? Within like five minutes, my theory that “the Queen” in question was Amethar’s first kid was confirmed, my circa episode 3 prediction that a twin would die and come back as Amethar’s first kid was confirmed, AND my prediction from last episode that the SPF was telling a technical truth about Ruby finding her sister was confirmed. (Literal) sweet vindication! Can I do lotto numbers? No. But plot points for a Candy/GoT mashup? I’m your gal. 

Lol at someone mentioning Ghee as Amethar’s wife with Cara standing right there and Amethar fully WWE bodyslaming that dude with tag-teams for the entire family.

People are saying it seems like Rina is a Storm Sorcerer which would be cool seeing as Amethar is a Storm Herald Barbarian. Family parallels even without really knowing each other.  

Cara--who better survive this or I will Riot--needs like a 6 month spa trip after this is over. What she is dealing with right now is untenable and she is handling it much better than I would be honestly. (But also her, “lol, my life is in shambles,” to Liam’s inappropriate question that didn’t even really register to her at that point was another comedy highlight of the ep. Icon, even in mourning.) 

Lazuli might as well be a PC for how important she is to this campaign. 

Ooooh, Sugar Dragon for Liam? Brennan has outdone himself. (Unless Liam is gonna have to fight the Sugar Dragon which I am also super down for. As I was just discussing, there are never enough dragons in D&D for a game that’s half named after them).

Shout out to this post for making me short circuit for a full second. Ow. 

It’s a little funny that Brennan laid the groundwork for Emily’s background character in the middle of the episode he knew was gonna end with him trying to kill them. Like, OK, your future is secure, now time to destroy your present!

[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Yamal Mission

In the first book IV quest of Dragon Raja appears to take place immediately after Luminous is installed as the Student Union President. However, this is not the case in the novels.

In the game, right after you celebrate Luminous’s new job, you are called in for a mission from EVA that will send you on a mission with Johann on the “Luxury Cruise ship.”

However, in the novel, Johann’s mission takes place a full year after these two scenes!!! I’m not sure why they did this, your character in the game should have reflected a whole year’s worth of new dragonslaying experience. At this point, your character is not a freshman, but a student well into their second year.

It also doesn’t make sense that Johann is in charge of the mission when the School Board tends to prioritize Hybrid bloodline over experience. For example, in Book 2, Johann is reporting to Luminous in the Quest to find the King of Earth and Mountains even though Luminous is otherwise inferior in everyway. It makes no sense that on a lesser quest of investigation, he’s your supervisor.

I just wanted to clarify these things to anyone who is going to do these quests in case they become confusing later.

Anyway, below is the translation of the second half of the Story Quest for 118

72 degrees north latitude, Greenland Sea

Under the dark night, the big scarlet boat rushed through the broken ice, leaving a 20 meter wide blue-black waterway behind.

This place is well within the Arctic Circle, and it is in the dead of winter. Although the sea surface is not completely frozen, the floating ice is all over the sea surface. Only this monster-class ice breaker dared to continue to rush towards the North Pole at this time.

The YAMAL, the world’s largest icebreaker, belonged to Russia. Two heavy water nuclear reactors provided it with almost endless power. The thick armored bow can easily smash a 6 meter iceberg. Among the icebreakers in the world, except for a few military monsters who identities cannot be disclosed, only this ship has sailed to the North Pole.

The tragedy of the Titanic will never happen to the YAMAL. What is an iceberg when you can just ram into it? The crew of the YAMAL has always  thought about the problem this way, which is why they can’t be hired by other polar cruise companies after they are retired... This group of people might end up driving an ordinary ship into an iceberg just out of habit.

“Hello! Hello! This is the YAMAL. We are sailing on he 72 degree North latitude line. Is there a dear friend nearby who can chat? I hope you’re an American with a sense of humor, ha! I met one German guy before who lived in Munich and he told a really cold joke. I didn’t get it until a week after I went ashore. Everyone thought I was crazy when I suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of a bar.”

A middle-aged Russian captain drank vodka straight from the bottle and yelled into the radio system, as if he were the host of an evening radio show.

The radio remained absolutely silent, without so much as static.

This was par for the course. In this season, there may be ten ships in the world that dared to sailed openly in the Arctic Ocean. At this moment, other ships  are either docked at military ports or scattered in other corners of the Arctic Ocean and the most advanced long-wave radio can only call a few hundreds of kilometers out.

In other words, they sail in a dead end space where almost no one can reach. A crew who frequently runs this route can suffer depression if they’re not careful and the best medicine on board for this malady is alcohol.

The captain was just trying his luck after having a drink. If he happened to be able to call other polar ships, usually everyone would change voyage a little and go for a short period of time, staying close enough to each other to talk over the radio for an hour or two.

“Oh! I can’t find anyone to chat with tonight!” The captain sighed, “Then I’ll go to the casino to try my luck, Mr. Chief Officer, this ship will e handed over to you temporarily!”

He staggered out, completely unaware that the first mate entrusted with the task was drunk and had been lying on the steering wheel for half an hour.

The casino on board was magnificent. The warm air was wrapped in the rich smell of whiskey and high-end perfume. The Belarusian girl, standing 5′9″ and wearing high heels acted as the dealer. A waiter who can speak various languages enthusiastically advised the guests to experience the richness of Tibetan wine and hand-rolled cigars from Cuba. A source of enormous wealth has created a small Las Vegas in this lifeless dead-end space.

The YAMAL was originally planned to be used as a scientific research ship, and it assumed the strategic goal of the former Soviet Union to head towards the North Pole. However, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, this strategic goal also fell into disuse. The hugely-built ship could not be left idle and was put to civilian use, transformed into a luxury gambling ship, cruising on the Arctic Ocean all year round.

The Arctic Ocean is the high seas, you can’t help but gamble. Plus, you can enjoy the polar scenery on the way. So even if the tickets are expensive, the ones for this “Christmas Journey” are sold out.

There are eleven floors on this ship. Six floors have been transformed into luxurious cabins. At the moment, these cabins are full of 1,200 tourists, plus a crew of almost 1,000 people and service personnel. This ship can be said to be a small city floating on the Arctic Ocean.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please look out from the porthole on the left. You will see a medium sized iceberg with a height of more than 25 meters. Anyone who knows ice bergs must know that only 1/10 of the volume of an iceberg will surface. The underwater part occupies 9/10. This means that the height of the entire iceberg is almost 250 meters, of which more than 200 re below the sea surface.”

The navigator’s voice echoed in the hall. “That ice berg is the giant remains of the ice sheet, and feel off the arctic Ice cap 32 years ago and is always floating in the nearby sea. In summer, it will move further north, and it winter, it will be close to the edge of the Arctic Circle. The crew affectionately calls it the “Mary Girl” but as you can see, after 32 years of melting, the once hugeg “mary Girl” has only 250 feet of ice left. This year maybe the last time that Mary Girl will accompany us on our ice sea journey. Goodbye, Mary Girl, we will miss you.”

The wall-like ice cliffs slid past the hull of the cliffs, showing a dazzling blue color The white water fowl stood on top of the Mary Girl, staring blankly at the red behemoth driving by. After that, it floats far away.

Few tourists actually went to see the last side of the Mary Girl. Sexy Belarusian girls, hot gambling games, and mellow wine, kept their eyes on the gaming table.

The captain woke up a bit from the wine, pace to the porthole, looked out and let out a faint puff of smoke.

“Is it like seeing off an old friend?” A very young voice spoke next to him, but it was low with an iceberg-like feel.

The captain raised his head and was surprised to find that there was a young man in a black suit standing beside him, with black hair and an extremely clear face, carrying an elegant suitcase in his hand and a long black bag on his shoulders. He should be Chinese, but his accent is standard American English. The captain had been standing by the porthole for five minutes but didn’t notice when the young man approached him.

“It is, isn’t it? Always sailing in such lonely waters, we give each iconic iceberg a girl’s name in our hearts. Mary is like a bright girl in white, waiting for us in this sea forever. Seeing her, we don’t need to look at the theodolite to know which area of the sea we’re sailing in.” The captain emotionally explained. “So what’s your name?”

“Chu. Chu Zihang.”

“is there anything I can do for you? Mr. Chu.”

“I want to see the captain.”

“Then you are looking for the right person!” The captain smiled and straightened his captain’s hat. “The name’s Sasha Rebarko, Captain of the Yamal. Ready to serve you!”

“No. I don’t want to se you. I want to see the real captain.” Chu Zihang said lightly.

The captain was stunned, a sharp light flashing in his pupils. But it was fleeting.

“How can there be two captains on a ship?” He shrugged. “Only when I am sick and unable to perform the duties of captain will the chief officer take over. As as you can see, I’m as strong as an ox!”

“Your real name is not Sasha Rebarko, but Alexander Rebarko. You were a major of the Alpha Special Forces of the Russian Federal  Security Service. After retiring in 2001, you were hired by the real captain. The ship’s technology is actually very rudimentary. This ship is usually managed by the chief mate, but you are a proficient marksman, skilled in unarmed combat, and practiced in using almost all military equipment. So You’re responsible for the security of the ship.”

“You have been married once, now divorced. Your parents live in St. Petersburg. You have a 16-year old sister.” Chu Zihang’s one was steady like this big ship, but the captain’s heartbeat was as steep and tortuous as the icebergs outside.

He subconsciously bent his knees slightly and leaned forward and his hands drew into his sleeves. This was an attempt to grasp the dagger hidden inside, but he felt empty.

This kind of “muscle memory” came from being trained to be very skillful with a knife. Major Alexaner Rebarko, when he was wearing the Alpha Force uniform, he would have had a dagger in his sleeve at all times.

But he hasn’t used the name Alexander in more than ten years. In order to sever his relationship with the past, he took great pains to change. He changed his address, phone number, broke off contacts with old friends and hired hackers to break into Alpha Forces serves to delete all his files. He performed a bit of facial surgery... Since then it was like Alpha Elite Major Alexander Rebarko had never existed in this world and was replaced by senior captain Sasha Rebarko.

Now the past buried by his own hands has been completely restored in the cold and plain narration of this young man, as if he were some sort of guardian angel that had seen his whole like with his own eyes.

Anyone, as long as he has existed in this world, will always leave countless marks, which can not be easily modified.” Chu Zihang finally said. “As long as the Cassell Academy is interested in anyone, they can always be investigated and found out.”

The people around them flowed like water around rocks.

After a long silence, Sasha’s body relaxed from being tight as a bow. He looked at Chu Zihang again. “Cassell Academy?”

Of course, they can’t really use force in such a public space. The offensive posture was just Sasha’s stress response.

Chu Zihang flipped the collar of his suit and showed Sasha the silver coat of arms pinned inside it. On the coat of arms was a huge tree with lush branches on one half and completely withered on the other half.

“I’ve never heard of it, and never seen that emblem.” Sasha shook his head.

“I think the captain may recognize this emblem. I’m referring to the real captain.”

“What do you want?”

“I just want to meet the captain. I know there is a hidden rule on this boat. The person who gambles the most is eligible to go up to see the captain.” Chu Zihang raised the suitcase in his hands. “I prepared funds before I arrived here.”

Sahsa glanced at the sturdy suitcase. The suitcase seemed to be right. High gamblers liked to carry such suitcases, full of two million dollars in cash. Two million dollars is not a lot. Some gamblers have subordinates to help carry a dozen or so cash boxes in and out. But if he just wants to meet the captain, two million should be fine.

“Okay,” Sasha shrugged. “It’s okay to take you to the captain, but I must first wish you good luck.”

“Wish me luck?”

The captain doesn’t like to see outsiders very much. If he sees an outsider and doesn’t like him, that guy will be brainwashed. Brainwashed people end up a little messed up if it doesn’t go right.” Sasha said. “I don’t want you to be so unlucky.”

[jaxsteamblog]

Storm

Click here to read the full fic on AO3

Katara wondered when her naivety would end. Of course things couldn’t be that simple, nothing ever was. Of course she couldn’t just sail up to the North Pole to see where her father had gotten to, she had to make a soul pact with a spirit to defend it from invaders. And of course she couldn’t just live her life as normal until her coronation, she had things to do that would impact her ability to rule. And of course she couldn’t just fly straight to the Fire Nation for a quick trip, because it happened during hurricane season.

“At least we’re still in the city with taxis and hotels and not in the middle of a forest when we’re caught in the rain.” Zuko said as he shook out his umbrella. The automatic door to the hotel lobby wooshed open, breathing cold air over them and making Katara shiver.

If the rain had come down in sheets in Hira’a, it was a wall here on the coastal side of Republic City. The wind howled like a wounded animal and the rain slammed down on the overhang. None of it was relaxing or pleasant and water was Katara’s element.

“Sure, but if this delays things, I’m going to miss a test.” Katara said, tension in her neck making her voice grumpy.

“Well.” Zuko began as they walked inside. Their shoes squeaked against the linoleum floor and everything smelled damp.

“Well what?” Katara snapped.

“Do you think you’re going to even go back to school after the break?” Zuko asked. Katara sighed, not replying, and they walked up to the check-in counter.

“Hello and welcome to-” The man behind the counter started in a sing-song voice but ended up gasping. “Prince Zuko?”

“Ah, I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” Zuko said, holding up a hand and wincing. “My name is Lee and this is my friend Sapphire.”

Katara clenched her jaw hard to keep from laughing.

“Oh, yes, of course. Well.” The man nodded and straightened out his tie. “How may I help you sir?”

“I have our reservation number.” Zuko started and Katara turned away, walking across the lobby toward a small dining area. There was a bar, but it was too early for it to be open, and an area that probably held the buffet breakfast was empty. Highly specialized rooms or counters always felt eerie to Katara when they were empty.

A family was seated at one of the tables; behind them was a small vending area that seemed to have supplied them. A toddler was grinding crackers to dust in her chubby fists while the parents were coaxing their older child to pick a fruit and eat it.

A TV was on behind the bar but it was muted and the closed captions were horrifically slow and nearly incomprehensible. Still, it was talking about the weather, and she could understand things from context.

The tropical storm was not a big one, though the wet slapping against the windows made Katara wary. It was supposed to end overnight. If all went well, they could fly out tomorrow afternoon for the Fire Nation.

“I got our room key.” Zuko said as he came up behind her. Katara turned and nodded.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Storms weird me out. I feel like I should be able to handle them better, all things considering.” She said. Zuko glanced up at the TV.

“Some things are too powerful for us to contain and we just have to let them pass through us.” He said.

“Are you talking about my coronation?”

Zuko grinned and looked at her. “I was talking about lightning, but sure.”

They rolled their suitcases to the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor. The hotel was nice, but filled with enough minor reminders that this was not a place to feel at home in. The stretch of empty hallways, the doors like judgmental sentries. Or the fact that every room was just a little too chilly.

Zuko opened their door and Katara was hit by the scent of recycled air. In such a closed off room, all it could do was run itself through the air conditioning unit over and over. Still, she picked the bed closest to said unit, not wanting to hear everything that went on in the bathroom. Leaving the suitcase standing at the foot of her bed, Katara fell backward onto the mattress.

“Why do I even have to go to this thing?” Katara asked. “Thuy’s not even going to be studying firebending for like, another year.”

“Because until she’s a fully realized Avatar, every single one of these types of events is going to be watched. Who has more influence over her, who is treating her better, that sort of thing.” Zuko said. Katara turned her head and watched as he unfolded the luggage holder, lifted up his suitcase onto it, and unzipped it.

“This festival isn’t a big one, but we’ll take any opportunity to get Thuy in the palace.” He said, pulling out his shirts and shaking them out before moving to the closet.

“So this is partially your fault?” Katara asked and sat up. “And are you putting away your clothes?”

Zuko turned, holding a shirt to his chest.

“I don’t want them to get wrinkled.” He said. Katara rolled her eyes and fell onto her back again.

“Anyway, yes, I am partially to blame. The Fields of Fire Festival was my mother’s favorite, and so my father never wanted to celebrate it. It’s a peasant’s holiday, but a perfect opportunity to show off to Thuy while also bringing a piece of my mother to the capital.” Zuko explained.

“Hey, you can’t play up the sympathy angle with me.” Katara replied. “It’s not fair.”

A snap like a massive gunshot went off and Katara yelped as she sat up. The rumble of thunder after was almost superfluous. The window shook and Katara pushed herself back on the bed to the headboard.

“Are you-?” Zuko cut himself off, letting the silence be a euphemism.

“Scared of storms? Yes, I thought I was clear.” Katara said and rolled her back to the window with her legs curled up and her arms crossed over her chest.

“Did you want to switch beds?”

“No.” She said firmly.

“Okay.” Zuko went back to packing and Katara watched him.

Zuko ended up in bed, watching TV with the volume lowered, while Katara took out her tablet and started reading. As the storm continued to batter the building, she finally got fed up and left the room to get ice.

“Can’t you make-”

“Shut it.”

She could still hear the storm in the hallway, but it was muffled. The only windows were by the elevators and, as the signs on the wall said, the ice machine was in the opposite direction, next to the laundry.

Clasping the ice bucket to her chest, Katara walked down the hall. Some of the doors she passed had the little Do Not Disturb hang tags, while a few were propped open with the metal door lock. Occasionally she could hear the sounds of a television.

She came to the laundry first. The rows of dryers tumbling white towels or colorful clothes behind the glass insert of the door. A placard listed the hours guests could use it and how much the machines cost.

Next to it the door was a small alcove with the ice machine. Katara filled up the bucket, listening to the whir before ice clinked on the plastic bottom. Whatever mechanism spat out the ice cubes, it chunked laboriously as it did so. When the bucket was filled, Katara lifted the bucket from the lever and caught the renegade pieces of ice with her bending. Tossing them into the bucket, she walked back into the hall.

She made it past the laundry when a massive boom ripped through the air and the lights went out.

Swallowing her scream, Katara still fell to the floor as she heard glass shatter. Her legs and feet were cold with salt spray from the ocean. The sky above raged and called the ocean up to rip apart their boat. How dare they try to cross, when their place had been so clearly delineated?

Sokka was gone, sucked under the waves or still clinging to his piece of the deck. Katara had felt the wood under her, but now there was only the cold and wet. Lightning cracked, splitting the clouds and the main mast. There was a fire.

“Katara.”

She sucked in air with a gasp. Zuko knelt in front of her, a flame in his hand. Falling on him, Katara wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed.

He stood, putting an arm around her waist to hold her steady. When she was on her feet, they walked back to the room.

“It’s okay. I’m here.” Zuko whispered into her hair as they walked. Emergency lights glowed along the floor and at the exit signs, but Zuko still held his flame in front of them.

When they got to the room, Zuko wrapped her up in a blanket and laid her on his bed. Getting in next to her, he had his phone start playing white noise as he held a pillow to the side of her head. Katara wrapped her fingers in his shirt, the phone wedged between them, so all she heard was the ambient static. The blanket was tight around her and Zuko cradled her while smothering the outside noise.

With the heat of her breath building around her, Katara fell asleep.

She woke up in darkness. The storm had dissolved into a gentle rain that patted against the window when the wind blew.

Katara knew the power was back because the air conditioning was back on. And the fact that the TV was casting a pale light over her. She was laying on her side and Zuko was sitting up, braced against the headboard with an arm behind his head. He was watching something with no sound and Katara wriggled to see what it was.

An old movie played and had useful captions. It was a western and two cowboys were chasing a bandit. Katara watched in silence for a moment.

“You can turn the sound on.” She said. “I’m awake.”

“I’m used to watching movies like this.” Zuko said and stretched out his legs.

“Why?”

“Well, because I’m deaf in one ear.”

Katara scrambled to her knees and looked at him. “What?”

“That was how the lady snuck up on me before our date. She came up to my left side and I couldn’t hear her.” He explained.

“Is that from the burn?” Katara asked and then shook her head, holding up her hands. “Of course it is.

“Yeah. I should wear my hearing aid, but I’m self-conscious about it. Like, I have the burn, I don’t need the hardware on top of it.” He said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I never even noticed.” Katara said softly.

“You and your brother aren’t exactly soft spoken you know? It normally isn’t an issue.” Zuko added.

“You should wear your hearing aid.”

“Oh I absolutely should.”

“Zuko, I’m serious.”

“Could you imagine how that looks? The crown prince is not only disfigured but handicapped?” Zuko asked, sounding bitter.

“I’ll be queen and have a disability. And look, Thuy’s first bending teacher is blind. Can you imagine how that looks?” Katara retorted. “It’s better than pretending to be something we’re not.”

“So are you going to be more honest about what comes next?” Zuko asked.

“I just had an episode where I was back in the worst storm of my life and almost died. I don’t want to think about how I have to go from that to being queen.”

“Okay then, dinner first? Followed by queenship?” Zuko said and put his arm around her. “Is that the logical process? PTSD episode, dinner, make a plan to be royalty.”

“You were born to this life. It’s easier for you.” Katara muttered.

“And when are you going to realize that I’m just trying to make things easier for you?” He shot back.

Blinking, Katara leaned back to look at him.

“Zuko…”

“I really, really like you Katara. And I want to help so please,” Zuko turned to face her. “Let me help.”

“Fine.” Katara nodded. “Let’s get dinner.”

Zuko smiled and put his forehead to hers. “You’re impossible.”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

[miscellaneous-miraculous]

Day 8: Hair Down

A little late, but hope you enjoy anyways :)

AO3

“Let operation Best Sleepover Ever commence!” Nino grinned.

“What do we do first?” Adrien asked. He had already changed into his pajamas, fuzzy Ladybug patterned pants with a plain white t-shirt. He’d decided against the matching top since his blanket and pillow were already Ladybug themed too.

“Tom and Sabine always make tons of food,” Nino said. “And Marinette mentioned something about decorating cookies, so that’ll probably be first. Then we can watch a movie – hey, maybe you, me, and Alya can finally convince Mari to watch a horror movie!”

“Not happening!” Marinette called from upstairs.

Nino shrugged but sent him a wink, “We’ll see about that. Oh, and Alya will probably want to play truth or dare at least once.”

“But first –” a large pile of blankets tumbled down the stairs and Marinette emerged at the bottom with a grin, “Time to build a fort!”

Adrien suddenly forgot how to breath and Nino's laughter was little more than ringing in his ears. All he could see was her.

Marinette's hair was free from it's usual pigtails, falling in a sheet around her face. She was just as breathtaking as the first time he'd seen her with her hair down, even as the static electricity of the blankets made it frizz out in all sorts of directions. A soft “Wow” escaped his lips.

Pink dusted Marinette’s cheeks as she mumbled a thanks.

They built a fort from the blankets and couch cushions, Alya joining at some point, but Adrien hardly noticed. Maybe it was good Marinette didn't wear her hair down often, he couldn't imagine focusing on anything else. She was cute all the time, but there was something special about her hair being down. Especially when she blushed or laughed. Her laugh was magical, lighting up the whole room. She had so many different laughs too. Her laugh was different with Chat Noir, completely unrestrained. With Alya there were often shrieks mixed in with laughs. Nino was somewhere in the middle of those two, and with Adrien she giggled.

Adrien had been lost in trying to think of a good pun to get her to laugh when he realized they'd moved to the kitchen. His gaze kept being drawn back to Marinette. Marinette with the same cat pun t-shirt he’d once gotten for Ladybug. Marinette with her hair down and icing on her nose. Marinette laughing as Alya smeared some on her cheek. Marinette who made works of art on her cookies. Marinette who, for everyone of Alya’s Ladybug cookies, had made a Chat Noir cookie insisting one couldn’t exist without the other. Marinette who was definitely going to be the death of him by the end of the night.

“Um, dude, you alright there?” Nino asked, pointing down to his try of cookies. A giant glob of pink icing was covering his hands and several cookies. Marinette had been laughing at joke Alya told.

“Oh, I’ll get a towel!” Marinette said, glancing over at them.

“Sorry,” Adrien cringed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Marinette said. “I’ve spilled entire sacks of flour before, this is nothing.”

Only when she came back with a wet rag did Adrien notice the design of icing on her face. The bit on her nose had been smudged into a triangle, three streaks for whiskers on either side of her face. That must’ve been what Alya had been doing when she smudged some on Marinette’s cheek.

As Adrien wiped off his hands Marinette began redistributing the icing more evenly over all the cookies. “Time for a game then?” Alya asked.

“As long as it’s not truth or dare,” Marinette warned.

“Aw, but Marinette, don’t you want Adrien to get the complete sleepover experience?”

“We could play Mahjong, we’ve got four people, it’s perfect!”

“But – okay, actually, that sounds fun, I’ve never played before,” Alya said, frowning. “But don’t think you’re getting off easy, Marinette, we can play truth or dare after!”

“We'll see about that. Mama taught me when I was little, it’s a lot like cards actually,” Marinette put the tray off to the side, wiping her fingers on a nearby towel. “I’ll go get the tiles.”

A few minutes later Marinette had begun explaining the rules and setting up the tiles, “We’ll leave the flower tiles out since it’s your first time. Nino’s played at least a few times before, but I’ll start as the East Wind. Nino you might want to sit in the South seat so you can be East after me.”

“This is so much fun, I’ve only ever played the solitaire version,” Adrien said, the game distracting him from being too absorbed by Marinette’s beauty, even if he ended up losing spectacularly.

“How?” Alya groaned as Marinette declaring mahjong with her two North wind tiles. She’d managed to win using entirely dragon and wind tiles, tripling her final score. She’d won each hand but the second, each with a different score modifier.

Marinette shrugged, “This was one of the only games I would play for a while, so I've gotten a lot of practice. At first I just thought the tiles were pretty and I liked the noise they made but I picked up some strategy along the way.”

“Wait, Mari, didn’t you make your own set of tiles for an art project one year?” Nino asked.

“Oh yeah, they’re still around here somewhere. I think Mama put them away for safe keeping though.”

“I vote we switch to truth or dare before Marinette finds someway to win that too,” Alya said, still shaking her head as they put the tiles away.

“Don’t give her any ideas!” Nino protested.

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

Later:

“I dare you to compliment Marinette,” Alya smirked.

“Aren’t dares supposed to be hard?” Adrien asked.

“Well, I’d say until she blushes, but that ship has sailed,” Alya nodded in her friend’s direction.

“Marinette, you’re the kindest, bravest, most creative person I know,” Adrien said. Except for maybe Ladybug. Maybe. “Also, you look beautiful with your hair down.”

“Eep!” Marinette squeaked, burying her face in a nearby pillow.

[lokimostly]

Polaris (Ch.4/?)

Loki x Reader, Pirate!AU Word count: 3,043 Warnings: mild violence Summary: Your life has always been set in stone. Born to a wealthy merchant family in the Caribbean, you’ve spent your years as an heiress in the daytime, escaping at night to wander the streets of St. Thomas. Now, on the eve before your life settles into mundanity for good, you discover someone who could change everything– if you choose to trust him, that is.

A/N: I know I’m using mostly Thomas Sharpe and character-absent gifs. I’m picky. We’ll get some Loki gifs in here eventually. 

Chapter One ~ Chapter Two ~ Chapter Three ~ Chapter Five ~  Chapter Six ~ Chapter Seven ~ Chapter Eight ~ Chapter Nine ~ Chapter Ten ~ Chapter Eleven ~ Chapter Twelve ~ Chapter Thirteen ~ Chapter Fourteen

You were elated.

And your father, of course, was furious. You barely paid any attention to his rampage, trying your best to keep a straight face while he demanded to know what had happened and who was responsible. The poor dock workers scrambled to placate him. They knew who he was, of course -- the man who practically owned St. Thomas. And so they fell over themselves to explain what went wrong and offer some recompense.

“They left not ten minutes ago, sir–”

“there’s a storm coming up from Barbados–”

“–yes, and they weren’t keen on gettin’ caught.”

“They left?” Your father spluttered, face flushed with anger. “Well, send a boat and catch them!”

This gave them pause. One of the dock workers made eye contact with you and you shared a mutual glance of sympathy.

“With– with all due respect, m’lord, they’ve left the harbor already.”

“Then FIND ANOTHER SHIP!” Your father roared, looking like he might go into orbit at any second. The veins in his neck popped and his face was entirely flushed. The dock workers and valets scattered– while you, deflated and more than a little ashamed of his outburst, merely stared at him.

He cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his suit, like smoothing out the wrinkles would soothe the atmosphere somehow. “It’ll be alright,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

This drew you out from your silence. “Oh, it’ll be alright, will it?” you asked. The familiar bubbling of anger started to fizz in your stomach again. “Are you that desperate to be rid of me?”

“I am not desperate,” your father corrected, straightening the scarf around his neck. “I am merely determined to secure your future.”

You clenched your jaw. “I think you mean your business venture.”

Your father turned on you and took a step forward, but you didn’t retract. You stood your ground and stared him in the eye, allowing your pent-up frustration to come through your face for the first time in too long. If your encounters with Loki had taught you anything over the past week, it was what intimidated you – and what did not.

He opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by one of the dock workers. “Sir, there’s one other ship bound for the same destination – but the accommodations are hardly –”

“That will be fine, thank you,” your father snapped, keeping his eyes locked on you. At his imperious beckoning, the valets took your trunks and headed down to the docks.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but you weren’t having it.

“My mother wouldn’t have done this.”

You could almost hear your father’s thoughts as he travelled through several degrees of anger at once. He reached out and grabbed your chin, turning you sharply to face him. His lip curled venomously, baring his teeth.

You winced and tried to pull away, but he held you in an iron grip. “Remember your place, daughter,” he snarled, in a voice so cold you felt like someone had dumped ice water over you. “I have been patient with you, but you will not test me any longer. Do you understand?”

You could only nod.

Your father released you and you stepped away, both hands going up delicately to touch your face as if to make sure that he hadn’t left marks there. Your chest shook with emotion. Tears pricked on your waterline. You blinked them away hastily, pressing your lips together and keeping your eyes low, when you heard one of the dock workers approach.

“The ship is ready for you, sir.”

Your father shook his hand. “Good lad.” He paused, waiting for you. “Daughter?”

You swallowed your tears and calmed your shaky breath. “I’m coming.”

You picked up your heavy skirts to descend down the steps and followed them across the wooden dock. The sound of waves gently breaking against the aged pillars that held up the boardwalk kept you in your thoughts – until you nearly ran into your father and stopped short, looking upwards.

Your new ship was hardly a luxury vessel. It wasn’t even a halfway-decent merchant ship. The name – The Bella Notte – had been painted so long ago that it was beginning to crack. The hull itself was covered in barnacles and half-rotting. The sails were yellowed, patches sewn over patches, and the crew themselves hardly looked trustworthy. If your father cared in the slightest about your well-being, he wouldn’t let you within a mile of this ship or its crew. He, of all people, was accustomed to a certain uncompromised standard of living.

But it was obvious to you now that he didn’t care – not really. He had only tolerated you up until this point, because up until this point it hadn’t mattered. Now, with a tie to the wealthiest shipping merchant in the Caribbean at stake, he wasn’t going to give you an inch.

If you did escape this marriage somehow – and you were determined to do so –  you knew one thing: you wouldn’t be coming back to your father. Wherever your new life took you, it wouldn’t be here. You doubted that your footsteps would ever walk St. Thomas’s streets again. The night you’d snuck out your window, infiltrated the tavern, met Loki... that really had been your last night of freedom. Your life would never be the same.

At the thought of it, your heart broke inside your chest and you did your best to stave off the tears that kept welling up in your eyes. The valets took your luggage aboard, and you turned around to say goodbye.

You gave your father a watery smile, which he responded to by extending his arms for a hug. His embrace, as warm and comforting as it would have seemed moments ago, now felt like wrapping your fingers around the bars of a former prison cell.

A tear fell from your eyes, but you didn’t wipe it away. Instead, you let your father pull back and notice it, watched him click his tongue and brush his finger over your cheek to wipe it  away. Let him think the tears are for him, you thought vacantly. This is the last time I’ll ever see him. Let it be a good memory.

“I’ll see you soon,” He said, squeezing your arms before letting go. You merely smiled – that same performative muscle memory – and turned around, heading up the gangplank.

You didn’t look back.

~

The Bella Notte set off and kept a steady course northeast. The captain – a respectable fellow, you decided – had assured you that you would reach the coast of Europe in around three weeks. Longer than a normal voyage, but time had to be allocated for avoidance of the hurricane.

Either way, it was plenty of time to think of a way to get out of your current situation.

You mingled on the deck for the first hour or so, but the crew made you uneasy. It wasn’t like you hadn’t been around sailors before. Quite the opposite. Your nighttime excursions had led you to some of the most unsavory persons, and merchant sailors weren’t usually included in that description. These men, however, wouldn’t take their eyes off you.

You heard more than a few mutterings about who you were, and why you might be here. The general consensus was that it was bad luck to have a woman on the ship. Others, more curious about your personal history, suggested that you were a bastard child. Some speculated about your marital state: that you were carrying some reprobate's spawn and being sent away to save your family’s honor.

Funnily enough, none of them seemed to consider that you were actually decently wealthy, or engaged to a merchant heir. This ship attracted people of low-quality, and if you were here, you must be one too.

So you retired to your cabin.

The Captain had been paid to give up his quarters for you. It was a nice room despite the exterior: a narrow bed, heavy oaken desk and hanging lanterns to light the darker corners. A small, paneled window above the bed showcased the cerulean sky outside.

You picked up your skirts and sat down in the desk chair, setting your elbows on the armrests and letting your chin fall into one hand. Hardly afternoon and this day was already exhausting.

Your eyes drifted lazily over to the desk and you spotted a quill and inkwell. There was paper in the drawers, no doubt. Perhaps you should write a letter to Loki.

You scoffed aloud and stood up, discarding the idea. How ridiculous, you scolded yourself as your face heated up. What could you possibly have to say that he’d want to hear?

But he had told you to write to him.

Had he been serious? Or merely joking? For the life of you, you could never tell. Still…

By the third hour of your self-inflicted confinement to your cabin, you had picked up the pen half a dozen times, found paper and set it out, and ruined one sheet by blotting the ink on the page.

You couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

And yet, here you were again: you crossed the floor with a newfound determination, sat down at the chair, picked up the pen, and––!

“Oh, hell,” You swore quietly, glaring at the blank parchment. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Dear soon-to-be brother-in-law, could you please help, I am perishing of boredom and I’ve half-decided to drown myself because your brother and I don’t suit each other,’” You recited mockingly, setting the pen down once more. You leaned back in the chair and put your hands over your eyes, groaning at the headache which had been steadily growing for the past half hour.

Your hands fell and you let your head loll to the side. You blinked tiredly. Maybe sleep would do you good. According to your window, it was around nightfall, anyway.

With a sigh, you heaved yourself out of the chair for the umpteenth time and practically fell onto the bed. There was no point in discarding your outer dress– no one here would care if you wore the same dress twice in a row. No one cared about you at all. Not your father, not Thor – though perhaps he did try – and certainly not the sailors.

You shifted onto your side and pulled a pillow towards you. The garnet on your finger glinted red. You stared at the gem for a moment before reaching out and spinning it slowly around your digit. The metalwork was finely crafted, securely wrapped around the heart-shaped gem. That didn’t make it less unappealing to you, but at least you could admire its quality.

When you did fall asleep, staring at the ring from your fiancé, it wasn’t him you were thinking of.

~

You woke with a start.

The lanterns in your room glowed brightly against the blackness – it was barely dawn, and the pale light of the sun had scarcely started to lighten the starlit sky outside your window. Your heart pounded with adrenaline at your sudden awakening. Why were you awake? The vague memory of more obscene dreams was falling from you like sand through your fingers. No, it wasn’t your dreams. something had happened outside your mind and pulled you from your slumber.

You could feel it. Something was wrong.

You sat up and swung your legs off the bed, setting your bare feet on the wooden floorboards. Your blood roared in your ears, making it difficult to hear anything that might be happening outside.

Then, footsteps above.

You barely had time to think of it before the doorknob rattled and shook, and the old oak door gave way with a splintering crack.

A shriek escaped your lips and you grabbed the closest thing you could find – a candelabra – and swung it blindly. It connected with shocking force, and the intruder dropped unconscious to the floor. 

You stared down at him in horror and dropped your weapon. You didn’t recognize this man. His striped shirt, bald head, tattooed forearms – sure, all sailors looked somewhat similar, but you would’ve wagered ten guineas that this man wasn’t a part of the crew.

Before you had time to do anything about it, however, another man appeared in the doorway, heavyset and bearded. With a sword.

It clicked. “Pirates,” you said weakly.

The man saw his unconscious mate and roared, reaching out for you with large, calloused hands. You shouted, trying to escape, but the confines of your quarters were suddenly much smaller when he was in them. He grabbed your hair and yanked you back painfully.

You cried out and gasped, trying to think quickly. Your bare heel slammed back against the bridge of his foot. He shouted and his grip on your hair loosened, just enough for you to slam your head back against him – and he lost his grip entirely. His calloused hand ripped the fabric of your dress in a last-ditch attempt to hold on, but you pulled away and left him with only a piece of pale satin in his fist.

You wasted no time. While he staggered back with one hand wiping at the blood that dripped from his nose, you snatched up your candelabra, and swung it as hard as you could.

Two pirates on the floor.

You stared at them with wild eyes, your chest heaving, and let out a little squeak. “Alright,” you breathed, trying to calm yourself. “Pirates.” You swallowed. There would definitely be more on deck, and you couldn’t fend them off with a candelabra.

You set down your blunt weapon and knelt down, shoving the man over enough to reach for his sword. The thin rapier rang when you pulled it from its sheath, long and sharp and glinting in the lantern light. It was cold and heavy in your hands.

Footsteps on the stairs alerted you and you whirled around, holding the sword out with both hands. “I’m armed!” You shouted – it was the first thing that came to mind – and did your best to grip the hilt with your sweaty hands.

The intruder stopped short in the doorway, and your jaw dropped.

It was Loki. 

You gaped at him in pure shock, staring into his sea-green eyes. This is a dream, you thought. It has to be. 

But you could feel the blood pumping in your veins, the sweat prickling on the back of your neck. No, this was all too real. And for the third time, you were brought face-to-face with the man in your dreams, who was staring at you now in pure and genuine confusion. 

“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said. 

Like the night in the tavern, he was dressed in black pants and a puff-sleeved shirt that showed far too much of his toned chest. But for once, that wasn’t what you were looking at. His face was currently the most shocking thing about him. His genuine emotion was unmasked before your eyes, like seeing a glimpse of an actor instead of the character they played.

Loki shook his head and his brow quirked. He licked his lips, struggling to form a sentence, when footsteps above alerted you both.

Fear rose in your throat like bile and a distressed noise escaped your throat. “Loki–” you began.

“Do you trust me?” He asked abruptly.

You stared at him for a second longer. Your hands were shaking visibly. “No,” you said, a little hysteric.

“Smart girl.”

Before you could protest, Loki crossed the floor and grabbed you by the waist, snatching you up and dragging you up the stairs. The sword dropped from your hands with a yelp. “Hey!” You wriggled and fought against him, but his grip was even stronger than you’d anticipated, and he pulled you up with him onto the deck.

The pale light of dawn illuminated the merchant crew and captain being tied to the masts, bound and gagged at the hands and feet. The captain stared at you, wide-eyed, and made a sound that sounded vaguely like ‘help!.’ As if there was a think you could do. 

“Check those knots!” a red-haired man shouted – the first mate, you assumed numbly – and the pirates obeyed.

You tried to move again, and Loki’s grip tightened painfully as he pulled you flush against him. “Play along,” He ordered through his teeth, in a gravelly voice that sent shivers down your spine. Loki’s fingers dug into your waist, tangled in the thin fabric where your dress had torn, one less layer between your skin and his.

Not the time, you thought desperately. If only your mind could obey.

The first mate reached up to stroke his beard and turned around, seeing you. And when he did, he found. “Cap’n. Who’s this?”

Captain? You wondered, before the cold metal of Loki’s sword was at your throat and you froze. You could hear Loki’s silky voice like it was submerged in water.

“The precious cargo. This little debutante is worth keeping alive. All you need to know,” He added, and you could hear the smirk in his voice, “is that she’s off limits.”

The first mate seemed to find this answer satisfactory, nodding and turning back to his task at hand. Your eyes flickered to the east, where the ocean was beginning to turn pink and yellow in anticipation of the sun. Were it not for the fact that you were currently being held against Loki– no, a pirate –with a sword to your neck, you might have found it beautiful.

You should have run away, on your last night in St. Thomas. You should have packed a trunk and ran. 

“And what about the rest? The ship?” You heard the first mate ask.

You felt Loki’s chest swell against your back when he inhaled. The cold metal of his sword pressed lightly against the skin of your neck – nowhere near enough to hurt, but it frightened you nonetheless – and his deep, melodic voice sent a cold ripple through you when he spoke. 

“Burn the ship.”

--

A/N: Did you see it coming? I mean, this is a pirate AU, but still. I’d like to think SOME of you were surprised. ;) 

Tag List (OPEN): @neontiiger, @un-consider-it, @jessiejunebug, @nerdypisces160, @lokiisntdeadbitch, @e-wolf-90, @cursedmoonstone-blog, @kikaninchen-2, @bluebellhairpin, @evy-lyn, @midnight-queen-1, @travelingmypassion, @harrybpoetry, @adefectivedetective, @absolutecraziness13, @kumikokagato, @randomfangirl7, @timetraveler1978, @tarynkauai, @arcanethamin, @ornate-ribcage, @julianettedoe, @kinghiddlestonanddixon, @yespolkadotkitty, @befearlesslyauthenticc, @ladybugsfanfics, @thisisaclusterofablog, @groupies-do-it-better, @just-the-hiddles, @quenilla, @amyy-moonlightt, @pandacookieowo, @thatweirdwalangpake, @alexakeyloveloki, @littlemissporter, @yes-captainstark, @justawriterwithdreams

[fc5holidayexchange]

FAR CRY 5 HOLIDAY EXCHANGE 2019 FIC

Tonight

Deputy Anna Bishop/John Seed. After liberating Seed Ranch, Anna can’t sleep. She goes to her favourite spot in Hope County and John joins her

@teamhawkeye

My gift to the wonderful, amazing and ridiculously talented Katie! I hope you love it (and that I did Anna justice!) Happy Holidays!

Deputy Anna Bishop x John Seed, Fluff, Smut, Outdoor Sex, Mutual Pining, Soft John There was a lot to be said about expensive mattresses and silk sheets. If nothing else, Anna could appreciate John’s taste for the finer things in life. After weeks of running and fighting, sleeping where (and when) she could, John’s bed should have been heaven, and it was, but on nights like this one, even the promise of a soft, warm bed wasn’t enough to keep her mind quiet.

Of course she knew that if she laid there long enough exhaustion would win out and she’d fall asleep eventually, but that wasn’t what she wanted. Not tonight. With a soft sigh, Anna slipped from the between the sheets, donning her red plaid shirt and jeans, her hands nimbly weaving her hair into a braid.

At the foot of her bed Boomer lifted his head, chocolate brown eyes sleepily regarding her as she moved across the room. Anna smiled, reaching down and giving him a good scratch between the ears, “Not tonight, boy. You stay here and get some rest, okay?”

He licked her fingers and made a low sound, somewhere between a whine and a bark, but settled himself down, apparently appeased with the affection she’d bestowed. Grabbing her rifle (just in case), Anna swept from the room.

She nodded and smiled in greeting at the odd Resistance members she passed. Most wouldn’t come within the house itself, content to stick to the perimeter - hell, only Anna herself had dared to make herself at home and she could still remember the stunned looks on their faces when she told them that she not only intended on making the Ranch a temporary home, but that she’d be sleeping in John’s bed too.

She might have failed to mention that it wasn’t the first time she’d spent the night there, but no one begrudged her the room. After all, she’d taken the Ranch, if she wanted to sleep in the Baptist’s fancy ass bed, who were they to stand in her way?

She smiled at the sight of her motorbike, which thanks to the efforts of some nameless good Samaritan, was gleaming for the first time in months. It wouldn’t last long, especially where she planned on taking it, but Anna appreciated it all the same. She’d never been the type to name her rides, but god damn she loved that bike, couldn’t resist trailing her fingers over the shining, smooth body as she gracefully swung her leg over the leather seat and settled herself down.

Without a backwards glance she kick started the bike, relaxing slightly as the engine purred beneath her. She sighed, the tension leaving her body as the machine idled beneath her, the engine slowly warming up. John talked for hours about flying in Affirmation, the feeling of freedom and peace he found in the skies above Hope County. That, she understood. Roads disappearing beneath the bike, the wind whipping past, all of Montana stretched out before her, she could never put that feeling into words but she loved it.

Easing off the clutch, her fingers inching forward on the throttle she took off, kicking up a cloud of dust in her wake. Don’t wait up, she thought with a smirk as she sped away from the ranch. The roads were quiet at that time of the night, especially after she’d gone to the trouble of liberating John’s ranch. Even so, she stuck to the back roads, taking the scenic journey to try and avoid, well, people in general.

She knew the way by heart, barely had to pay attention as she drove the familiar route. She found it on her first week in the County, and she’d honestly lost count of how many nights had been spent there, lying on her back and staring up at the sky. She’d taken Sharky with her a few times, which usually ended with him snoring loudly in her ear, but she didn’t mind even that - Sharky got to sleep without worrying about Peggies, and she had a few hours alone to think. Even with his bear like snores, it was peaceful, and that kind of peace was difficult to find these days.

She jumped off her bike when she reached the secluded clearing, nudging the kickstand into place with her foot. Satisfied, she made her way across the field, plopping herself down and easing herself onto her back, her arms stretched out, fingers interlocked behind her head. Distantly she heard the sounds of music - some Peggie tune she found herself humming to quietly. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted in the distance and Anna felt the tension leave her shoulders as she relaxed into the soft grass.

Though the sun had long since disappeared beneath the horizon, the late August warmth still hung in the air. Anna didn’t mind the breeze as it kissed the bare skin of her face and neck, bringing with it the scent of mountain flowers and summer, content just to lie there and watch the night pass her by. The moon was full, bathing her in a soft glow, and the skies were clear and beautiful.

She’d come for peace, to be alone with her thoughts, but as the minutes passed, something restless grew inside of her, a sense of something missing. Without even really thinking about it, Anna reached for her radio, fingers twirling the dial to the right channel. Staring up at the sky, she brought it to her lips, flicked it on, and spoke. “John… are you awake?”

She ignored the fluttering in her stomach as she waited, each second lasting a lifetime as one minute passed, then two, then finally a crackle sounded on the other end of the line and her heart leapt into her throat.

“Deputy?” that familiar voice purred, and Anna could practically hear that smug little smirk she just knew he was wearing. “It’s a little late for a bedtime call don’t you think, my dear?”

She was glad he wasn’t there to see the small smile that crept across her lips.

“I can’t sleep,” she replied with a shrug, even though she knew he couldn’t see it.

He snorted in a most undignified manner, “Guilt perhaps? I imagine that it’s difficult to sleep in a bed that you stole.”

Anna laughed. “I prefer to think of it as liberated, but no, it’s not that. And I’m not home,” her heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening a fraction and she quickly jumped to backpedal, “at the ranch, I mean.”

“What was the point of…” he broke off with a frustrated sigh, and if Anna closed her eyes she could almost picture the way that he’d shake his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “If you’re not at the ranch, then where are you? Holed up with one of those irredeemable degenerates you seem so fond of? Bunking with the Ryes?”

It would be so easy to argue, to slip back into old habits and bicker, but she hadn’t called him for that. So she took a deep breath, letting her eyes wander across the night sky. “No, at the clearing, just off Robinsons Road. You know, where-”

“I remember,” he said, cutting her off. His voice was softer, like she’d taken the wind right out of his sails and for a moment there was nothing but silence between them. She could hear his breathing on the other end of the line, the only sign that he was still there.

The words burned at the tip of her tongue, all she had to do was ask the question they both knew he was waiting for, the reason she’d picked up that damned radio in the first place. But even as she opened her mouth to speak, the words slipped into the breeze unspoken. It wasn’t the fear that he’d say no that paralysed her, it was something else, something she wasn’t yet ready to admit, a vulnerability she refused to accept.

He’d come if she asked, but he might not be so willing to leave and Anna… It felt like standing on the edge of a plank, one foot dangling off the side.

And she wished that she could say that it was because they were on opposite sides, that Joseph and his Project, the Project John was utterly committed to, were tearing apart their home and she couldn’t, wouldn’t turn her back on the Resistance just because she felt… something for him.

But it wasn’t the Project or his family.

And it wasn’t her loyalties.

It was her.

“Anna, darling.” Her face scrunched up at the pet name. “Would you like some company?”

The corners of her lips twitched upwards, the tightness in her gut easing at the sound of his voice. If John was right there beside her, she just might have kissed him. “I did call you, didn’t I?” she teased.

She heard John chuckle softly, “That you did, my dear. I’ll be there soon.”

Flicking the radio off, she brought it to her chest and held it there as she exhaled, waiting.

She lost track of time as she stared at the stars, mapping familiar constellations, meditating on nothing in particular. It could have been minutes or an hour that passed before, finally, she heard a truck pull up. She didn’t glance toward the approaching footsteps, only smiled when John appeared in her field of vision, gazing down at her with amused affection.

“Comfortable?” he asked.

She smirked, pushing herself up onto her elbows as he settled beside her. “Can’t complain.”

He ran his eyes over her just once, scoffing. “So I suppose you planned on sleeping on the grass like this, then?” And just as Anna opened her mouth to retort (it was hardly the first time she’d slept out in the open, no thanks to him and his brothers) he winked, reached behind him and revealed the basket he’d brought with him. “You’re lucky that one of us came prepared.”

“S’that so?” she asked, cocking a single eyebrow as John began unpacking, unfurling a picnic blanket (god only knew where he’d found that - he didn’t exactly seem the picnicking type), tossing some pillows on top, followed by another blanket - this one thick and soft, enough to keep them both warm through the night - before reaching in one last time. A wicked grin lit up his face as he revealed two bottles of beer, ice cold and oh so welcome.

“Oh, John,” Anna tutted in faux disapproval, taking the bottle that John offered her, “what would Joseph say?”

He shot her a look, mischief sparkling in those baby blues, “What my older brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

She laughed at that, cracking open her bottle and clinking it against his as they shifted to sit on the blanket John had laid out.

“You know, Bishop, if you wanted me to spend the night so badly, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” he said, sliding closer so he could slip his arm around her waist.

Anna just scoffed, letting her head fall onto his shoulder and leaning into his warmth as she took a sip of her beer. “Yeah?”

John nodded, “All you have to do is say the word and my men will gladly clear your goons from my home. Once I have my ranch and my bedroom back, you’re more than welcome to spend as many nights there as you want.”

Oh she didn’t doubt for a second that he was deadly serious, but there was an uncharacteristic softness in his tone, mixed in with the not-quite-amused exasperation. It made her heart clench uncomfortably, and she wasn’t quite sure whether the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach were a good omen or not.

“But your bed is so comfy,” she murmured.

She felt his lips press against the crown of her head before he spoke again. “I know, that’s why I’m eager to return to it, darling.”

Anna just hummed noncommittally, and eventually their conversation moved on to other topics - nothing important, but she was glad for it all the same. Tucked into his side, nursing a beer and laughing at his stupid jokes, it was easy to forget about the world around them, the Peggies, the Project, his family and hers; it was just the two of them alone in the beautiful Montana night.

John smiled more, laughed easily, and so did she. He told her stories of his courtroom escapades, listened intently when she talked about her trip she’d one day take; just her and her bike and all of America laid out bare before her. She’d ride coast to coast, go anywhere she wanted… Maybe it was a stupid dream, but it was nice to pretend for a little while at least that there might be a future for her where that was possible.

And when the conversation petered out, they sat in comfortable silence, gazing up at the stars. It was nice, having the company, having him there with her. At some point, long after their drinks were empty and tossed aside, Anna and John found themselves lying down on the blankets, propped up on the very unnecessary (but appreciated) pillows John had brought.

“Do you remember the first time you brought me here?” John asked. Under the moonlight, he looked beautiful, angelic almost, but it was the way he looked at her - an emotion somewhere between need and want, that made her pulse quicken and blood rush to her face.

Truthfully, she only remembered parts. It was the first time she’d crossed that line. She’d kissed him, mostly to shut him up, but those kisses had turned into something else entirely. Dazed memories of John’s mouth moving across her skin, biting, kissing, devouring, his fingers clutching at her as he rocked into her, breathless moans and whispered praise leaving his lips as he brought her careening over the edge with him.

She’d left him there, slipping away in the pale light of dawn just before he woke up. That was supposed to be the end of it, not quite a mistake, but definitely not something to be spoken about, much less repeated again.

She almost snorted, things hadn’t exactly gone to plan, considering their current predicament.

John was still watching her, blue eyes flickering intensely across her face. “I remember,” she breathed, her voice barely carrying.

“Don’t run away this time,” he replied, and then he was kissing her.

Anna had kissed John so many times, and it still sent sparks shooting down her spine. He kissed like wildfire, burning and brazen, consuming and untameable, but Anna loved that. She loved when his lips broke free so she could breathe, only for them to latch onto her neck, kissing and marking a trail along the delicate skin, grinning in delight when she gasped and shuddered under his touch.

His tattooed fingers deftly unbuttoned her shirt, yanking it open and making short work of her bra, tearing the fabric clean in two and tossing it across the field when it wouldn’t yield to him.

“John, you asshole! What the fuck? Those don’t come cheap,” she snapped, but John just smirked as he straddled her.

“Don’t worry, dearest. I’ll make it up to you,” he said, lowering his mouth to her breast.

She bit back a moan, her protests dying in her throat as his teeth nipped at the rosy bud, soothing the sting with his tongue a split second later. His fingers trailed across her stomach, coming up to tease her other nipple as he bit down into the soft flesh again.

“John,” the soft cry slipped from her lips before she could stop it, and when he looked up at her, his mouth still busy sucking a hickey into her breast, the fucker had the nerve to smirk.

She shivered when he finally released her, the wetness from his saliva reacting with the cool night air. He sat back on his thighs, his fingers trailing along her sides, pausing for a moment at the jagged scar that ran across her left ribs, his thumb caressing the mark before moving on. “Beautiful,” he murmured, gazing at her in soft reverence that seemed to steal the breath right out of her. “You’re so beautiful, Anna.”

Whatever words she’d planned to say next disappeared into nothing as John shuffled down her, his fingers finding the button of her jeans, popping it open and easing down the zipper. She watched with bated breath as he peeled the denim from her legs, shifting himself off of her so he could pull them off entirely, pressing stray kisses to her calves as he slipped the material off her ankles.

“Tell me that you want this,” he said.

Lying there, bare beneath him save for her panties, Anna had never felt more exposed. John had seen her naked before, more than once, but it felt different this time. Maybe because things were different, maybe because they both knew that soon she’d have to make a choice.

Maybe because for the first time, neither of them were hiding.

Her heart thudded unsteadily in her chest, but she nodded, “I want this.”

His thumbs hooked over the top edge of her panties, and Anna obligingly lifted her hips. John smiled at her encouragingly, heat simmering in the blue depths of his eyes, “Tell me that you want me,” he continued, easing the fabric down her long legs with torturous slowness.

She swallowed. “I want you.”

He nodded, rewarding her with another smile and a chaste kiss above her navel as her underwear joined her jeans on the grass beside them. She held her breath as he moved again, she expected him to sit up, to start shedding his own clothes, let her touch him, but instead his hands wrapped around her thighs, easing them apart as he settled himself between them.

He kissed a slow trail up her to her legs, his warm breath sending goosebumps along her thighs as he moved teasingly closer to her heat. Anna had to fight the urge to tangle her hands in his hair and guide him, her hands instead clutching at the blankets beneath them. But just as John reached the juncture where her thighs met, he stopped. “Tell me you love me,” he said.

Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth dried out, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He wasn’t asking to boost his ego, no, there was nothing remotely flippant in his expression as he regarded her. He wouldn’t let her lie, not about this. She fought down the urge to push him away, to snatch up her clothes and run for the hills, swear off John and the Project and this whole stupid, fucked up situation for good. Words, biting and cruel, teased at her tongue - another reliable fallback. But as John watched her calmly, his thumb brushing soothingly back and forth against her thigh, she choked.

He sighed, and she half expected him to shove her off, to go off on a rant, throw a tantrum, but he just shook his head. The lust was still there, written across his face clear as day, but it was tempered with a patience she’d thought him incapable of. “You can’t keep hiding from yourself, Anna. Why did you call me tonight? Why do you think that I came? It’s not for the sex; I love you, Anna Bishop. I shouldn’t, I know that, but I do. You’re wrathful and destructive and so full of sin and you frustrate me to no end, and I still love you!”

She couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything but gape wordlessly as his eyes fluttered shut and he took a deep, steadying breath. “I’m not asking for you to turn your back on the Resistance and join the Project. I’m not asking for you to atone, just to confess; tell me you love me, or tell me that you don’t.”

His words hung heavy in the air, and distantly she remembered the words he’d uttered before he’d kissed her, don’t run away this time.

God, she was so tired of running.

“I- I love you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible but it was enough. A wide, heartbreakingly beautiful smile lit his face, but Anna didn’t have any time to focus on that, or her confession, for John took that opportunity to resume his attention on her aching pussy, his fingers teasing at her entrance as his tongue found her clit, swirling around the nub.

She cried out in pleasure as John got to work, skilfully drawing out the first of many, many orgasms. She lost count somewhere around number four - it seemed her confession awoke something in him that refused to be sated, no matter how many times she came. He moved on top of her, his muscles rippling in the moonlight as he pushed himself deeper inside of her, hitting that perfect spot that made her see stars. And every breathless cry and moan was swallowed into a kiss as he took her, his hands caressing her with a gentle reverence and affection that seemed at odds with the fervour with which he fucked her.

Eventually, even John’s stamina waned and they collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent and exhausted. Neither said a word as he shifted her against his side, letting her curl up into him as he pulled the blanket over both of them.

She knew that when the sun rose and morning came, things would return to the way that they were. Nothing had changed, no matter the words they’d spoken. Anna didn’t have the answers, she didn’t know what the future would bring for her, for John, for any of them.

But as she laid in his arms, her head against his bare chest, his fingers running through her hair and the steady sound of his heartbeat lulling her to sleep, she didn’t care.

They had tonight.

[vmheadquarters]

We’re still playing our game of written hot potato! Dozens of your favorite authors are taking turns to tell a Veronica Mars mystery story. Each writer crafts their chapter and then “tosses” the story to the next person to continue the tale. No one knows what will happen, so expect the unexpected!

Follow the “vmhq presents” and “murder we wrote” tags for all the installments, or read the story as it develops on AO3. — Chapter Thirteen of MURDER, WE WROTE is written by @scandalpantsstuff​. And stayed tuned next week for Ch.14 from @Lorie03 -tag, you’re it!

—————————————————————————————————— CHAPTER THIRTEEN by @scandalpantsstuff​

With her feet spread apart and arms crossed, Gia was the picture of a petulant five-year-old. “Why don’t you ask if the rest of us have ideas? It’s not the Logan and Veronica show, you know.”

From the floor, Casey groaned as he indulged in a lengthy stretch. True to form, he either didn’t notice or didn’t care when the move pulled the blankets off Alexis. “Sure it is. We’re the faceless background characters, forced to watch these two make out and discuss their issues until we’re all killed off, one by one. What are we, three down with that cop, Walter, and the computer chick?”

Anger heated up Veronica’s neck and made her hands tremble, though it could also have been low blood sugar. The squeeze Logan gave her shoulder served as a bolstering reminder he was on her side. “Wallace and Mac aren’t dead, just not here. Besides, didn’t you vote me in charge? You’re all alive, aren’t you?”

“For now,” Luke said as he walked over from adding wood to the fire. “But I’m open to hearing from the rest of the chorus. What’s your idea Gia?”

“I...” Gia pushed a lock of wet hair out her eyes, and threw up her hands. “That’s so not the point!”

“Anyone else?” Veronica glared at every conscious member of their slumber party massacre, gratified when each of their eyes shifted from hers. “Darling,” she snarled, tempering her tone when she turned to Logan, adorably sleep-tousled and slouching next to her. “I believe you had the floor.”

“Thanks, dearest. I was just wondering if anyone noticed,” his hand waved a swirl in the air before pointing to the early sunlight coming through the windows. “That it stopped snowing during the night.”

While those standing turned to see, Carrie pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked it for a signal, before putting it away, disgusted. Casey, Jen, and Duncan crawled out of their beds while Cole, Norris, Susan, Kimmy and Alexis slept on, oblivious.

Logan pointed around the room. “Duncan’s been sailing since he was five. Half of us have spent entire summers cruising, and I don’t need to remind any of you of what happens when Carrie gets behind the wheel of a speedboat.”

Appreciative chuckles rounded the room while Carrie smirked, pleased with herself. “The Coast Guard totally overreacted. But what’s that ferry go? Twenty, thirty knots? I can handle that.”

“Sweet!” Dick grabbed the edge of a mattress, dumping Cole on the floor, then moved to do the same to the others. “Get up. Trolley off Murder Island leaves in five!”

Under his breath, Veronica heard Logan mutter, “It’s a boat, Dick.” He cut through the cacophony of excited chatter around them with a two fingered whistle. “Not so fast.”

“Right.” Veronica grabbed his hand and squeezed. “We’ve still got people missing. Carrie, Casey, and Duncan, use the ship’s radio. Call for help, and then search for the captain. Gia, Luke, Cole, go look for Wallace and Mac. Dick,” Veronica handed him a key. “There’s a pantry somewhere. Get everyone else up and find food while Logan and I discuss a small matter with Jen.” Seeing him point to himself, she added, “And Norris.”

“I thought we were leaving?”

Logan used the hand gripping hers to pull her closer, and answered while Veronica reached for her patience. “Once we have everyone and are done dealing with the cops, Dick. But do you think Veronica gets nicer when she’s hungry?”

One glance at Veronica had Dick swallowing deeply before he moved to help Alexis up and called for everyone to follow him to the kitchen. “Stick together,” Veronica yelled after them.

They waited until everyone had gone outside to put on coats and boots. Once it was just the four of them, Veronica turned to Norris. “What’s up?”

“It’s just,” he glanced at Jen. “It doesn’t seem that important right now, but that picture you found in my hand yesterday? I didn’t put it there.”

“Who did?”

He shrugged. “I just got set up when I heard footsteps. Someone put the picture in my fingers, I heard a scream, and then you guys were there.”

“It wasn’t you?” she asked Jen.

“I’d already left for the house, to look for you guys.”

Veronica nodded. “Thanks, Norris. If you think of anything else, let me know. In the meantime,” she felt the smarm of a smile settle onto her face. “Jen, let’s start with who else you’ve got stashed on this island.”

“There’s no one.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that.”

Jen rolled her mascara-blurred eyes and reached back to twist her curly hair into a knot as she took a step closer to Norris. “A bunch of spoiled rich kids and a stocked bar? If they solved two murders it would be a miracle.”

“Norris,” Veronica nodded his way. “Want to chime in here?”

“Hey, it’s Jen’s gig.”

Logan scoffed. “Nice try, but at the cottage you said you and Duncan were the only ones planned for yesterday. So who’s today?”

Norris glanced down at Jen. His coloring paled and his voice sounded apologetic as he spoke to the floor instead of them. “I’m just a paid player.”

To their right, Dick came in from the kitchen, the rest of the group behind him. He gripped a Costco-sized box of Pop Tarts in his hands.

“You found the food?” Veronica asked, her stomach letting out a loud growl. For the first time in her life, she felt gratitude to Dick. Logan plucked the foil package easily out of the air when Dick threw it lopsided, and handed it to Veronica.

Kimmy gave her a bitchy sneer. “Yeah, bossy, downstairs. Your secret pantry is past the pool—there’s also a whole caterer’s kitchen, with a full walk-in freezer. I prefer to not eat food that’s stored with a body, though. Or,” she wrinkled her nose at the Pop Tarts, “carbs.”

Halfway through tearing the foil with her teeth, Veronica stopped. “A body? Who was it?”

Susan answered, her voice quiet and hands shaking. “A sheet covered everything but her feet. We didn’t look.”

“How do you know it’s a she?”

“Her toenails are painted, some kind of lime green.”

“Oh my god,” Kimmy rolled her eyes. “So hideous.”

Veronica glanced at Jen, whose mouth was open in shock. When she saw Veronica looking at her, she snapped her lips shut and shook her head as worry filled her mind. Logan’s eyes met hers, and Veronica saw her own fear reflected there. Mac?

From the left, the front door flew open so hard it smacked against the wall. Wallace, Carrie, Casey, and Duncan, ran in, and Wallace grabbed Veronica’s arm with a hand that was ice cold. Before he could speak Carrie said it for him. “Someone sunk the boats. We were barely down the path when we saw the ferry’s antennae and the sailboat’s masts sticking out of the water.”

Casey looked at Wallace. “And this guy running back from there. Weren’t you, Wilson?”

Sparing a second to glance witheringly at Casey, Wallace shook his head. “I’m not a damn volleyball.” His grip tightened on Veronica’s arm. “That’s not the worst of it, V.”

[daysswithyou]

Fallen Chapter 19: Better left unsaid

previous / next

Characters: DAY6 Young K x OC (Rachel)

Genre: angst, fake dating, high school romance, fluff, romance

------

Taking Biology was a mistake. You sucked at it. And it was now causing you immense stress. Seized with the fear that you'll fail the module unless you do something about it this instant, you enlisted the help of Dowoon to tutor you on it. Despite being a freshman, it was clear that he knew his content better than you could ever hope to achieve. Thankfully, Dowoon was a sweetheart, and agreed to tutor you without hesitation.

So here you were, at 9am on a Saturday morning at the family cafe, making two cups of beverages behind the counter as you waited for Dowoon to arrive. The soft ring of the wind chimes travelled in a beautiful melody to reach your ears and you lifted your head from the puppy latte art that you managed to complete on time, a smile gracing your lips with a greeting pressed at the tip of your tongue.

Only for the smile to falter, and your greeting to come out as a meek stutter instead of a confident exclamation.

"Hi Dowoon...and...”

The older male, whose hair was now long enough to cover his eyes in the time that you had not seen him, was staring back at you as you did with him. Dowoon catches on to the fishy behaviour, eyes darting back and forth between the both of you. Yet, the younger male isn't deciphering, but merely observing.

Younghyun decides to save the awkward atmosphere himself by greeting you first.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Your words come out too curt – you were reacting instinctively like a gun's recoil. Desperate to be away from his penetrating gaze, you try to busy yourself with making beverages again, asking Dowoon to lead the way upstairs.

"Both of you can just head up first... Right... Thanks Dowoon."

He takes the 2 cups from the counter as you busy yourself with making a next cup of beverage, diverting your attention quickly from Kang Younghyun. Now clearly affected by his presence, your minds and hands work on auto-pilot, grabbing ingredients and mixing them without being 100% sure on what you're making.

When you see the end product, you groan in annoyance. An iced Americano now sat right in front of you, the light clinking of the ice against the glass cup seeming to mock you rather than sound like a cheerful ring. How did you even manage to make his favourite drink without even being fully conscious of this choice?

Once again, it was very clear to you now, that your body was absolutely used to his presence, and that no matter. how hard you try to shake it off, you won't ever be able to do it. Swallowing your sigh of frustration, you grab the drink and headed up the spiral staircase.

When you reached the top of the landing, both boys turned to look at you simultaneously, and you decided to focus on Dowoon. Dowoon's eyes were safe, there was no risk of losing your cool even if you were to look into them. You took the seat right beside Dowoon, even though there was an empty seat right in front of the two boys – a seat that was clearly meant for you. You could feel Younghyun's eyes on you the entire time, and you had to resist the urge to squirm under his gaze. Taking a deep breath, you turned to Dowoon and said, "Let's start, shall we?"

The younger male nodded his head and when your eyes shifted to the textbook in front of you, Younghyun knew that his time with you was over, and that his attempts to catch your attention had failed. He was about to let out a barely concealed sigh until his eyes landed on the iced Americano in front of him.

You still remember.

---

You wish you could say that the rest of the day would be smooth sailing, but obviously, life never worked out the way you wanted to. You could constantly feel like your every move and gesture was being watched, and you were dead sure that you weren't mistaken – you had an acute sense, you always knew when you were being watched. The feeling intensified whenever you got too close to Dowoon, even when it was just a friendly shove on his shoulder. Tension slowly built up in your body the entire time – your shoulders were tense, your grip on your pen much too tight. By the time the study session ended because the boys had to leave for basketball training, your hands were red from the pressure and sticky with perspiration, and you've torn through at least three sheets of paper with your rough writing.

The mild anger that was radiating of Kang Younghyun and projecting onto you was too much for you to bear, and you couldn't be happier to usher them both out of the cafe door; perhaps you might have shut the door too eagerly in their faces. You felt a twinge of guilt for doing so – mostly at Dowoon – but you were glad for the reprieve. Finally, you could be away from Kang Younghyun, and left alone in peace without eyes drilling holes into your back.

Still, you couldn't deny the dull ache in your chest that thrummed again when Kang Younghyun was out of your sight. Once again, your heart was missing him even before your mind was aware of it.

Stupid heart... Why do you still want him so much...

---

Within 10 minutes of training, Kang Younghyun was benched – a first for the star player ever since he earned the status. It was obvious to Coach Nickhun that he wasn't even paying attention to the game and with a shrill shriek of his whistle and loud yell, Younghyun was sent off court. He felt slightly embarrassed and guilty for not taking the game seriously when the others were, but he knew his top priority was sorting out his feelings for you - before he could focus on anything else.

Kang Younghyun what's wrong with you? They're just friends. They have the same class together and they spend time with one another – of course they're close. There is nothing wrong... And nothing more to that.

Somehow, the last part didn't sound very convincing in his head and with fear gnawing away at his chest, Kang Younghyun tousled his hair roughly, a few strands of black hair falling to the ground from the exertion. As much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous. There was no other plausible explanation for his feelings, except for jealousy. The stupid, illogical, green eyed monster had finally caught up with him, and Kang Younghyun felt like an absolute fool for giving in to its stupid ideas. Kang Younghyun was terribly, absolutely and hopelessly in love with you now. Not being close to you just made things harder, making him irrational when he couldn't be assured of your affection for him.

"What's up with you today?"

Younghyun looks up to find his captain shoving a bottle into his face and the star player gratefully accepts, draining the drink within seconds.

"Woah slow down Kang, you're going to choke and die."

"Maybe if I choked and die it would be better so I don't have to think."

"What's got you so frustrated? Maybe talking to Rachel will help."

Sungjin watches as Younghyun's hands crush the empty plastic bottle slightly, and he knows he's accidentally hit a nerve.

"Want to talk about it?"

He claps the younger on his shoulder, and sits down beside him.

"It's just getting worse."

"Getting worse. Very helpful. Very specific."

Younghyun glares at the older from the side of his eye but he gets the hint: I can't help you if you're not going to tell me what the problem is.

"Rachel. Things are getting worse with her."

"How so?"

"I can't... I..."

Younghyun licks his chapped lips and sigh, it was so hard admitting his relationship struggles to Sungjin, even though he's someone that he'll trust with his life.

"Carry on Kang."

Sungjin might seem like he's rushing Younghyun, but the latter knows he means well.

"I can't help all the feelings I have for her. Everything she does affects me so much, and I'm scared of what that all means."

Sungjin rises an eyebrow – and Younghyun knows he must explain.

"I'm just terribly in love with her, and it's making me irrational."

He proceeds to bury his head in his hands, the image of you being chummy with Dowoon surfacing in his mind, and the discomfort associated with it feels like nailing digging into his chest.

"Of course, you're in love with her. You have to be in love with her to feel this way."

"Huh?"

Younghyun stares at his captain with a quizzical look, a sound of confusion leaving his throat.

"You're in love with her, that's why you're scared of losing her, that's where all the discomfort and confusion comes from. The fear pricks you: what if you really lose her one day? You're confused because you've never felt so strongly for someone before and feeling jealously for the first time is strange. But trust me Kang. It's normal. That's just how it is. But you’re lucky – the solution is also simple. All the two of you need is a good talk. Both of you just need to communicate."

Sungjin shoots Younghyun a glare to emphasise his last point and Younghyun gulps because he's been caught.

"So, you've noticed."

Sungjin scoffs, scrunching up his handsome features as he snorts in disbelief. The contrast between the handsome face and the funny sound that leaves his mouth is hard to reconcile and for the first time that day, Younghyun smiles.

"So, you've noticed." Sungjin mimics his team mate and gestures wildly with his hands, and earns himself a punch from the younger.

"Of course, I did! All of us did! We just didn't want to say anything to save both of you face."

Sungjin calms down, and turns back to the main topic at hand.

"Seriously though. Talk to Rachel. Just talk to her. I'm not sure what went down between the both of you but she came to ask me – "

Younghyun’s eyebrows shoot into his forehead as he interrogates his captain.

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing, relax. Just told her that you disappeared after I told you to get drinks and ice cream. That was before you told me that you had to leave because of an emergency so I couldn't tell her why."

"Oh... What did she say?"

"Nothing much. What else can she say? Then she left once you got there."

"Ok. Thanks Capt."

"Ok Kang. Relax kid, you gotta relax. Also, you'd better be grateful for the help." Which is Sungjin's code for: Glad I could help.

Sungjin turns to leave, but not before turning back to say one last thing.

"Oh, and remember to be honest. About everything. The truth won't stay hidden forever – and when it surfaces on its own, it’s going to be an ugly monster. So… be honest.”

Upon hearing Sungjin’s words, Younghyun’s heart stops beating for a moment, thinking that he knows. But when his captain shoots him a genuine smile and a thumbs up before jogging off to join the team on court, he has to force himself to take a deep breath and breathe – before he passes out from the lack of oxygen. It’s painful to even swallow, sandpaper scratching against his throat.

Younghyun knows that Sungjin is right, but in between his erratically beating heart and light headedness from the tense moment, one thing is clear:

I’ll talk to Rachel one day. But some things are better left unsaid.

[eldritchsurveys]

768.

Why did you last feel like crying? >> When I checked my bank account because I was trying to decide whether to get HBO Max or not, and I discovered that my stimulus check is coming on Wednesday. I’m just really relieved, lmao. Had just about resorted to convincing myself that I wasn’t going to get one at all. But now I can get some stuff I need but can’t normally afford!

How long ago and why did you last feel infuriated? >> I don’t remember. It probably had to do with people making noise.

Do emotions control you or do you control your emotions? >> Er. Well, here’s the thing -- on a good day, when I’m not having Symptoms Of Disorders, my emotions can be pretty manageable, or at least my management of them can feel pretty competent and compassionate. On the other days, my emotions can be a fucking game of Minesweeper where all the squares have mines in them. Except one. One square has 100 mines in it. The probability of stepping on that square is like 80%. So.

Do you keep your friends secrets/private information to yourself? >> Well, yes, if that sort of thing was shared with me.

What negative quality do your friends bring up the most? >> I... don’t think I’d like to be friends with people who have a habit of bringing up “negative” things about me.

What quality do you think you have that others don't think you do? >> I don’t know, I haven’t taken a poll or anything.

Do you often "jump" to conclusions? >> I mean, maybe. I don’t know how often I do it but it’s probably the average amount.

Do you find being alone with strangers scary, interesting or indifferent? >> That definitely depends on the context of the situation.

Do you think you know a lot about the world? >> No, because I don’t.

What about the world do you wish you never found out? >> ---

Do you know first aid? >> Not really, mostly because I’ve rarely had an opportunity to practice it.

Does the sight of blood make you feel sick? >> Not as a rule.

Does your first name have an L in it? >> No.

Middle name have a C in it? >> No.

Last name have a R in it? >> No.

Do your initials spell a legitimate word? If so, what? >> No, they don’t. But Sparrow’s spells “SAD” and that’s pretty funny.

The word above, does it have any connection to you at all? >> I mean, she is on antidepressants.

Do you prefer classic rock or nope alternative? >> Nope alternative???? I don’t know if that’s a typo or what but that’s hilarious to me for some reason. Anyway, I listen to both classic rock and alternative.

Do you like Kings of Leon? >> Sure. They’re, like... motel-grunge/motel-rock adjacent. (I can’t be the only person who’s made up that term, for certain kinds of bands. Like Queens of the Stone Age and shit. Sometimes Kings of Leon gives the same vibe, but... cleaner, I guess.)

How about The Script? >> Never heard of them.

Does crying make you feel better? >> Sometimes, but first I have to go through the hell of letting myself cry in the first place.

Do you know a girl called Becca? >> No.

How about a guy called Gregory? >> No. I almost said yes and then I realised I was thinking of Greg Hirsch from Succession. smh

Does someones background effect whether you'll be friends with them or not? >> Their... background? What kind of background are we talking about here?

How about their religious background? >> I mean, I don’t think I could be friends with a fundamentalist evangelical Christian. But most non-fundie versions of religions are okay with me.

If someone admitted cheating in a past relationship of theirs, would you trust them? >> ---

Do you drink tea and/or coffee every day? >> Nope. It’s almost warm weather time, so I won’t be drinking much tea at all until fall, unless it’s iced.

Did you ever want to be a cook as a kid? >> No.

How about a fashion designer? >> Yeah, I used to draw outfits and shit. I still think fashion is a fascinating industry but I want no part of it myself.

Do you wish that magic was real? >> I mean, no, not really. Also, like. I have Inworld. So.

What food would you love to wipe off the face of the earth? >> ---

Can you use a bottle opener? >> Sure.

Do you own a cheese grater? >> Yeah.

What time will it be in 38 minutes time? >> 11.06p EST.

What day/date will it be in 11 days time? >> The 20th of May.

Have you ever owned a pet fish? >> Nope.

Do you prefer fire or ice? >> I have no general preference. They’re both valuable.

Do you rap along with rap songs? >> If I know the lyrics, yeah...

When happy, do you become more talkative? >> Not necessarily. Sometimes I’m happiest in silence.

Bowling or sailing? Why? >> ---

What colour is your kettle? >> Black.

How about your microwave? >> White.

Do you prefer sitting in the front or back of a car? >> It doesn’t matter.

How about in a train? On the bus? >> I have a specific seat I like on the bus. Train, doesn’t matter. (On the subway, I liked sitting in the smallest seats so there’d be less chance of someone sitting next to me. Some of the newer trains have that one-seater that flips up, by the door? Love that seat.

Do you care about politics? >> Fuck no.

Obama or Bush? >> Well, that’s this survey dated.

Blair or Brown? >> ---

When did you last cook something from scratch? >> I don’t remember.

What things make you jealous? >> ---

Are you offended easily by non politically correct language? >> I’m not easily offended, period. Most things I recognise aren’t meant to be taken personally by me, specifically. But obviously I’m leery of the usage of incendiary language -- I’m not going to hang out with someone who throws around racial slurs or mocks people for having feelings about words meant to hurt them, like, duh.

Do you think the censors/fcc go a bit too far or are just right? >> I have no opinion about this, especially not a generalised one.

Do you feel hungry, thirsty, sleepy or none of the above? >> I’m getting tired because it’s around my bedtime.

What's your I.Q? >> ---

What's your Mum's Mum called? How about your Dad's Dad? >> ---

Do you prefer crepes, pancakes or waffles? >> Waffles.

Do you have ice-cream in your fridge right now? >> I think Sparrow still has some in there. Oh, and I still have a few mochi ice cream balls.

How about chicken nuggets? >> No, just fried chicken.

Do you eat fish often? >> Not as often as I’d like.

Have you ever taken a martial art? Which one{s}? >> No.

Do you know anyone who is scared of you? >> I don’t know if anyone’s afraid of me. If someone is, I bet they’re not going to go around telling me about it.

What person who has died would you bring back and why? >> ---

Do you like watermelon? >> Eh. I don’t get the hype.

Can you remember the month of your first kiss? >> ---

Do you make friends easily? >> No.

What makes you different from everyone else? >> Nothing, dude. I mean, I obviously have differences from people I know, or people I might encounter, but not from literally every human on earth.

I give you a piece of paper. What do you draw/write on it? >> ...

What pictures or photos are up in your lounge? >> My what.

Do you like purple and white patterned things? >> Not especially.

Do you know anyone called Pipa? >> No.

I say purple, you think... >> Sparrow, because I think she’d paint the whole world purple if given half a chance.

What do you think is the most interesting thing about you? >> Just, you know. My existence.

Do you like being complimented or does it make you uncomfortable? >> It can make me uncomfortable because of brain shit, but I also appreciate it and will try to express appreciation instead of discomfort.

Does the description of your starsign correspond with your personality? >> No, because the language of astrology as used to describe a person is more complex than just wherever the Sun was when you were born.

Do you have a photo album? >> No.

What artists paintings do you find the most beautiful? >> *shrug*

What about the most disturbing? >> *shrug*

Have you ever gone to a camp or summer school? >> No. I did summer theater once and I’ve gone to day camps.

What was your favourite cartoon as a child? >> Johnny Bravo is the only cartoon I remember watching, tbh. I didn’t get to see a lot of television unless it was the boring ass shit (to a child, anyway) my dad watched.

What was your biggest fear as a child? >> Thunderstorms. Until I hit thirteen and then suddenly I just... wasn’t afraid of them anymore. Don’t ask me how it happened, I really don’t know. (It might have been more gradual than that, of course. Memory is unreliable, especially from that far back.)

Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater? >> Breathe underwater. So, you know, I could actually not almost drown for once.

What about invisibility or mindreading? >> Invisibility. I want nothing to do with other people’s minds.

Do you like what you see in the mirror? >> No, which is why I don’t look in the mirror unless it’s necessary.

Which stereotype do you dislike the most? >> All of them??? Stereotypes in general?

Can you remember all your past teachers names? >> I can remember more than I’d expect to remember, but definitely not all of them.

Do you like talent shows? Which ones? >> No.

Have you ever failed an important exam? In what? >> Yeah, I failed the English midterm and final in 11th grade -- well, I say “failed” but it’s more like “I got a zero because I literally turned in a blank sheet of paper”. I... was definitely struggling.

Do you find people taller than you intimidating? >> No.

Do you think you are better than people of a different country/background? >> Fuck no???

What's your favourite thing about your country? >> Dude.

What's your least favourite thing about your country? >> Sigh.

Who is your favourite bzoinker? >> I don’t have a favourite, I just use bzoink to find surveys.

What websites do you have bookmarked? >> I have a lot of websites bookmarked.

Do you use bows and ribbons to decorate your gifts? >> No. Well, I’ll stick a bow on a Christmas gift because why not, but outside of Christmas I don’t even wrap gifts. I might put it in a bag but that’s it.

Do you listen to the same type of music as your parents? What type is that? >> I grew up listening to soul and R&B and gospel, so yes, that’s all still part of me.

What TV show scared you as a kid? >> None.

Family Guy, The Simpsons or South Park? Why? >> Hmm. Well, I don’t really know anything about The Simpsons, but I’d probably like it better than Family Guy, and South Park is so hit-or-miss (with a lot of misses) for me that I can’t really deal with it anymore.