#oh the renos i would do if i owned this apartment

[kentucky-daisey]

The undeniable urge to do renovations.

I am a queer woman and I want to fix something with my hands!!! Take me to Home Depot and set me free!

[rottenpumpkin13]

AGS have to go on a mission in Wall-market, and end up having to cross dress. They need important information from Don Corneo. What kind of shenanigans would go down?

The Don Corneo Mission That Did Not Go As Planned

• After a Turk mission goes wrong and the cleanup falls under SOLDIER's jurisdiction, Lazard summons the first-class trio to the briefing room, as no one else is better suited for the job. <- the lie Lazard repeats to himself after emailing them in hopes he'll speak the truth into existence.

Angeal: You asked to see us, director?

Lazard: I'll be direct. One of the Turks—Cissnei—went missing in Wall Market three days ago while she was investigating suspicious activity related to Don Corneo—

*Everyone groans*

Lazard: —and seeing as search and rescue operations fall under SOLDIER's jurisdiction, you three will go to Wall Market and look for her.

Sephiroth: Understood. We can leave right now.

Lazard: ..... It's not as straightforward as it seems. Accessing Corneo's mansion requires a specific type of person. We can't afford to compromise our cover and jeopardize Cissnei's safety.

Genesis: Ah, I see. Don Corneo tends to talk when he's in the presence of beautiful women, so this mission requires beautiful women.

Lazard: Three beautiful women to be exact.

Angeal:

Sephiroth:

Genesis:

Angeal: NO!

Lazard: Yes.

Genesis: WHY?

Lazard: Because I can't trust the girls from Second and Third Class with this. It will have to be you three.

Sephiroth: I don't understand. Where are we to find beautiful women on such short notice?

Angeal: HE MEANS US.

Sephiroth: I understood the crossdressing part. I mean where will we find two other beautiful women apart from myself on such short notice?

Genesis: SON OF A—

• Getting the trio into their disguises is both challenging and surprisingly simple. Sephiroth's hair is easy to style, and he fits well in a dress. Genesis is a chameleon and insists on doing his own makeup. Unfortunately Angeal feels extremely self-conscious in his outfit.

*Angeal—wearing a corset, long skirt, and wig—stands in front of the mirror*

Angeal: Nope. This is never gonna work. Corneo will clock me from a mile away. Don't you think so, Zack?

Angeal:

Angeal: Zack? Where did you—WHY ARE YOU ONE ONE KNEE?

Zack: I will make you the happiest wife imaginable.

Angeal: IS THAT A RING POP?

Zack: I'm poor but I'm a good man.

Angeal: GET UP.

• Meanwhile, Lazard is lacing Sephiroth into a corset, marveling at how small his waist is and surprised at how well Sephiroth is handling it, with his glittery silver hair, black dress, and makeup.

Lazard: You look great, and I'm proud to see how unbothered you are by this.

Sephiroth: Studies show that symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing female faces distract individuals and trigger the halo effect. Such women can say anything, and people will be in awe of their beauty.

Lazard: I don't think that's true.

Sephiroth: Here comes Reno. Observe.

*Reno walks up to them*

Sephiroth: When I was four, Professor Hojo made me witness the birth of a newborn lamb and then slaughtered it to show that despite the miracle of birth, death is inevitable.

Reno: Nice tits.

Sephiroth: Thank you.

Lazard: What the fuck

• Meanwhile, Genesis should be thrilled at the prospect of dressing up and performing—he does look striking in a red dress and red wig—but he can't fully enjoy it. He seems to be the only one troubled by his uncanny resemblance to Cissnei while in disguise.

Genesis: This is ridiculous. I look exactly like Cissnei.

Cloud: I don't know why you're upset, sir. You look very pretty and this will hardly be a problem.

*A mailman walks up to Genesis and delivers a live chicken, addressed to Cissnei*

Genesis: What in the goddess' name is the meaning of this!?

Cloud: Oh! It seems that people think you're Cissnei and are delivering her stuff to you.

Genesis: And what would she need a chicken for!? Dinner?

*Cloud covers the chicken's ears*

Cloud: Please don't insult your child.

Genesis:

*Angeal rushes by, dragging his leg which has Zack clinging into it like the jaws of life*

Zack: AT LEAST LET ME BE YOUR DINNER.

Angeal: YOU MEAN TAKE ME TO DINNER?

Zack: DID I STUTTER?

• Lazard rounds them up before sending them off for one last briefing.

Lazard: Are you all ready?

Sephiroth: Professor Hojo once gave me a cup of mud, claiming it was chocolate milk to condition me to despise chocolate, and ultimately deprive me of the dopamine-driven joy associated with eating it.

Genesis, holding the chicken: We're ready.

Angeal, with Zack clinging onto his waist and sobbing: I'm ready too.

Tseng: And I'm ready to quit. Lazard, these men are wholly incapable of completing this mission without drawing attention to themselves.

Lazard: Nonsense. I trust these men with my life.

*A mailman walks up to Genesis and delivers a jar of popcorn kernels*

Genesis: What even is this !?

Sephiroth: Choking to death on popcorn is possible as the small kernels can become lodged in the airway, leading to inhalation, suffocation, and a painful death. Professor Hojo told me this to deter me from eating popcorn.

Genesis: Sephiroth, your breasts look fantastic.

Sephiroth: Thank you.

Angeal: ZACK, LET GO.

Zack: I CAN'T! I LOVE A GIRL WHO CAN BEAT MY ASS!

*Tseng turns to Lazard*

Tseng: You must not value your life very much.

Lazard:

• They all get dropped off at Wall Market as Corneo's candidates. But they're stopped on the bridge leading to the mansion by a mailman who delivers a pepper shaker to Genesis, addressed to Cissnei.

Genesis: AGAIN? What am I supposed to do with a chicken, popcorn kernels, and black pepper?

Sephiroth: Maybe they're items to care for the chicken.

Genesis: Nonsense. Why would I need to care for this thing?

*The chicken clucks and cuddles up to Genesis, lovingly*

Genesis: I have never loved anything more than I love this creature. This is what joy feels like.

Sephiroth: You had chicken for lunch yesterday and expressed the same sentiment.

*Genesis starts crying*

Sephiroth: You went back for seconds.

*Genesis cries hader*

Angeal: Hey! Is that the vice president coming over here?

*Rufus walks up to them*

Rufus: Gentlemen, before you enter Don Corneo's mansion, you should know that from what we've gathered, Cissnei is alive and possibly being held somewhere inside. It would be best to let Corneo choose a bride while the rest of you search for her.

Angeal: Copy.

*Rufus looks at Genesis*

Rufus: That's odd. I thought Rhapsodos was also on this mission.

Genesis: How dare you—

Rufus: Miss, you are the most stunning woman I've ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

Genesis, blushing: !?

Sephiroth: My mother was the most stunning woman I've ever seen. Of course, I only ever looked at her through a photograph, which is now lost forever and can never be retrieved—much like my mother, Glenn, Rosen, my childlike wonder, and joy, among other things.

Rufus: Sephiroth, your breasts look eye-catching.

Sephiroth: Thank you.

*Just then, Zack crawls onto the bridge railing from the river, soaking wet and holding a bouquet of roses*

Zack: 🎶 My love—

Angeal: NO!

*He pushes him back into the water*

• Once they're inside, the bride selection begins, and the three are introduced to Don Corneo. Sephiroth struggles to refrain from summoning Masamune and shoving it down Don Corneo's throat. Corneo is creepy and invasive, and Angeal is relieved that Sephiroth and Genesis look more feminine than him. Now he can focus on locating Cissnei without having to deal with Corneo directly.

*Don Corneo grips Angeal's shoulder*

Don Corneo: I love a girl who can beat my ass!

Angeal: Say WHAT?

Don Corneo: Congrats! You're tonight's lucky girl! You beat the nut case who can't shut up about her terrible things and the one with the pet chicken!

Sephiroth: Chicken meat is an excellent source of lean protein, and contains essential vitamins like B6 and B12.

Genesis: Motherless children are statistically more likely to lead unhappy lives due to the absence of maternal care and nurturing in their formative years.

Sephiroth:

*Don Corneo grabs Angeal's hand and hauls him off*

Don Corneo: Come along, I had the bedroom prepared for us!

Angeal: GUYS, DON'T JUST STAND THERE! DO SOMETHING!

*Sephiroth turns to Genesis*

Sephiroth: He wants us to act accordingly to our roles as female friends.

Genesis: Girlhood it is.

*They turn to him*

Genesis: Good luck, sweetie~ I'm so jealous of you!

Sephiroth: I too wish I could be romantically pursued by a greasy creep with no respect for women~

Angeal: SCREW YOU BOTH!

• Once Corneo and Angeal are gone, Corneo's lackeys naturally approach Sephiroth and Genesis, assuming they're the available leftovers.

• Sephiroth is ready to pack a punch, but there is suddenly no need to, as the same moment Genesis raises his foot to kick one of the lackeys between the legs, the lid of the black pepper shaker he had been holding pops off and a bunch of black pepper flies into his face.

• Genesis sneezes.

• The sneezing frightens the chicken, who flies out of Genesis' grasp and tips over the popcorn kernel jar.

• The popcorn kernels fly into the lackeys' eyes.

• The chicken hungrily attacks their eyes.

• One of the lackeys falls down and this presses a button that was in his pocket.

• The button makes a trap door in the floor open up, and Cissnei walks out.

*While the chicken is still angrily attacking the lackeys*

Cissnei: Hey guys!

Sephiroth: Well that was remarkably easy.

Cissnei: Yeah. Genesis, I see you got my orders. It worked, huh?

Genesis: Wait, all of that was on purpose!?

Cissnei: Duh. I never take a mission unprepared.

Sephiroth: But how did you know the pepper would fly into Genesis' nose?

Cissnei: Same way I guaranteed the kernels would fly out; I loosened the cap. And I made sure the chicken was hungry.

Genesis: Well, this is terrible for Angeal. If we were certain your rescue was guaranteed, Angeal wouldn't have had to go with Don Corneo.

*There's a series of screams, crashes and an explosion before Don Corneo comes running out screaming. Zack is chasing after him with a flaming sword*

Zack: HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO WOO MY FIANCÉ, YOU CRETIN.

*Angeal runs after them*

Angeal: WE'RE! NOT! ENGAGED!

Genesis: Wow. Who knew Puppy could be so loyal?

Sephiroth: I had a puppy once.

*They look at him, surprised*

Sephiroth: He was a robotic hound used in my childhood combat training. I grew fond of him, so Professor Hojo dismantled him, teaching me that machines are incapable of human emotion and I should be too.

Cissnei: Sephiroth your boobs look so good!

Sephiroth: I know.

[mama-qwerty]

I just realized something. You know what would have made the Wade Bowling Tournament arc in the Knuckles series have a purpose?

If the grand prize was a chaos emerald.

We saw at the end of the second movie that the emeralds went up into the sky but where did they go? Did they return to Angel Island or are they still on earth? The series never has Knuckles address that and I wish that it did.

Having one of the emeralds be the prize of the tournament could be a fun call back to Sonic X when the gang would hunt emeralds on earth but it could also help tie into the third movie where G.U.N is not only keeping tabs on the Wachowski's but are also trying to find the emeralds and use them to create super powered weapons of their own.

And the tournament would serve a purpose not just for Wade's character but for Knuckles as he needs to get the emerald before the G.U.N agents do.

YOU ARE BRILLIANT

This is such a great idea. They don't even know that's what it is until they get there. The moment they get to Reno Knux gets this look on his face.

"What's with the face?"

Knuckles shook his head. "I . . . I do not know. There is . . . something here that . . . calls to me."

"Yeah, Reno has that effect on people."

OH YOU KNOW WHAT

Maybe this trophy is one that Pete had in his possession. Like, this is kinda like the Stanley Cup or whatever, where whomever wins it keeps it, but then has to give it back for the next championship. The emerald on it is what gave him his 'luck' that we see in the little casino montage (where I believe it was to show how Pete's character differs from Wade's - Pete's the ultimate winner, while Wade's the ultimate loser) but it also turned him into an even bigger jerk.

Maybe when Sonic scattered the chaos emeralds at the end of the second movie, he sent some back in time as well. Keep them apart, keep them hidden, so no one could find them all and use them like Robotnik did.

So now it's a three way battle - Wade vs Pete, Knuckles vs GUN, and GUN vs everyone as they all try to get that trophy for different reasons.

You is so smart, Katlyn!

[violetfoxsketches]

I was sucesfully looked at. 🖊 to me about Javier!

Please, God. Let this be the right one. He was almost out of quarters.

Javier had spent the last twenty minutes hearing the same robotic voice tell him to deposit some odd amount of change over and over as he tried number after number. Riley was not known for sticking in one place for very long but she and Javier had worked out a system for keeping in touch. A creature of habit and particular taste, there were about fifteen or so assorted motels, apartments, and semi-abandoned vacation houses Riley rotated between and kept a line on. Javier just had to figure out which one it was.

He hadn’t heard from her in two weeks and the time apart had grown agonizing. Sure, he could sustain himself on the odd underground partygoer. But nothing ever compared to the nights Riley indulged him from her own vein. He loved her to the moon and stars —and clearly she did as well, if she’d gone to such extremes to keep him by her side and under the night sky for eternity. Something must have happened to keep her away for so long.

The click of the receiver snapped him back to his task.

“Hello?” Riley’s voice crackled over the line. Oh thank fuck.

“Riles!” relief hemorrhaged from Javier’s voice, “It’s Javier. I’ve been waiting around San Diego for weeks now. Thought something happened to you. What are you doing all the way out in Reno?”

“If you needed to know that, I would have told you.” came the irked response. Just the sound of her ire made Javi want to duck his head in shame.

“I-I’m sorry.” Javier stammered, “ I just… I miss you. Riles… it's getting really bad.”

“Oh, pobrecito.” cooed Riley in condescension, “Tell you what~ Come find me in Reno tonight, I’ll get you all sorted.”

“Tonight? But Reno’s a nine and a half hour drive away!”

“Then I guess you better put the pedal to the metal if you wanna beat the sun, Baby.”

The line went dead. Javier didn't even bother putting the phone back on the receiver, opting to let it clatter and swing by the cord as he sprinted out of the phone booth. He garnered looks from a few folks at the gas station but he paid them no mind as he slid into his car and peeled out of the parking lot.

. . .

He’d managed the drive in seven hours. Almost got pulled over twice for it, too. When Riley answered the door to the old ramshackle house with genuine surprise, Javier dove desperately for her, wrapping arms around her tiny frame and hunching to bury his face in the crook of her neck. Too hungry to wait for permission, he quickly sank his fangs into her. Indulging in the utter bliss it brought them both and making sure to show Riley just how much she’d been missed…

“You’re worse than nicotine, you know that?” Javier joked drunkenly after they parted. Riley smiled in kind, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“You actually drove all the way out here in a single night, you total moron.” she snarked right back with not-so-playful antagonism. She puts Javier at arm’s length as she smooths out her disheveled attire, “Well, go on. Best find somewhere to stay before dawn.”

“...I’m sorry, what?” Javier blinked in confusion, “I… can’t stay here with you today?”

Riley rolls her eyes.

“Really, I was hoping the sun would take care of you. It still just might if you don’t hurry.” Riley sneered before opening the door and giving Javier’s back an encouraging pat. As if she was sending him off to run an errand.

Javier just stood there, stricken. Caught between the obsessive need to obey her and the growing uneasiness he couldn't verbalize. Was she getting rid of him? Why? What had he done wrong? 

“Oh don’t give me that stupid look, you have no one to blame but yourself. You really should have blossomed into more by now, but, sadly, it seems you’re nothing more than a hanger-on.” Riley continued with an emphatic shove this time, “A shame, really, for someone so drop-dead gorgeous to be so pathetic. Get out of my sight.”

Javier staggered forward and the door slammed behind him. He heard the slide of a deadbolt as he obediently retreated to his car. What did she expect him to do? Just drive off, pretend everything was hunky-dory? March back up to that door and tell her she’s wrong and that he can change?

After a couple minutes of waffling, Javier had decided he couldn't bear to drive away. Riley was his entire world; he had to get her to see that. So instead, Javier got back out of the car and knocked desperately at the door. 

“Please, Riles!” Javier called through the door, “Whatever it is I did, I’m sorry! I… I’ll do anything, just please don’t do this! I can’t do this without you!”

No answer. Javier knocked harder.

“Riles! Riles! What am I supposed to do?! Please, just tell me what you want! I can change! I love you; that has to mean something!” that uneasiness grew inside him. The Beast that dwelled deep within him was active… and afraid. With one last beat against the door, Javier sank to his knees. “...I love you, Riles…” Nothing. He was trembling now. Was this really it…?

Wake up and smell the bacon. You're old news, you’ve been dumped! If you don't move your ass, you’ll be dust in the morning breeze. And don’t you fucking dare waste your blood crying over it either.

One shaky breath in. A slow exhale through the nose. Javier managed to get back to his feet and retreat for a second time to the car. Maybe there would be a motel nearby he could crash in. Or maybe the sun would fry him after all. While the second option sounded almost morbidly inviting, his Beast was having none of it, and before he realized it, he’d turned over the engine and was hauling it down the highway once more in a race against the morning light.

She’d killed him for their love. Made him immortal. He’d lost his soul to be with her. He’d lost everyone he’d ever known. Ma, Lucas, Em… Don’t cry, don’t you dare fucking cry. Crying now will only prove just how pathetic you really are.

But Javier was pathetic. Pathetic and alone. What the fuck was he supposed to do now…?

[kimmimaru]

Another random scene for this fic with no real plot. Honestly not sure what’s going on, I can’t seem to find the thread yet, hopefully it’ll come together. It’s a little bit of Tseng/Reno, Tseng’s gone to see Reno and is acting a little weird.

XXX Reno was dressed in a pair of loose jeans, and a low cut, v-neck ribbed top. The top was loose on him, slipping aside to reveal a little too much shoulder. The sleeves hung over his hands as he stood in his apartment doorway and rubbed at his eyes. His hair was down, falling down his back and over his face, “Chief?” He mumbled sleepily, yawning and covering his mouth with one hand, “What's up?” “Sorry to wake you.” Reno shrugged, gesturing into the apartment. Tseng stepped through the door. “I was napping, yo.” “So I see.” Tseng eyed the sofa where a crumpled blanket lay. “Would you like a drink or somethin'?” “Tea. Thank you.” Reno nodded and went to the kitchen, he filled the kettle with his back to the room. “So, what's the deal? You never come round.” Tseng hesitated, unsure what to say, “I was...in the area. There wasn't much point in calling you first.” “Right.” Reno turned, putting the kettle on to boil before facing Tseng. He leaned back against the counter top and folded his arms across his chest.

“Is Rude here?” “Nope.” Reno shrugged one shoulder, “He's out. Meeting some girl, I think. I can call him-” “No.” Tseng shook his head, voice sharper than he intended. He winced, “Apologies.” “What's going on?” Reno eyes Tseng's face, picking out the stress lines around his eyes as he dropped back onto the sofa and rubbed at his temples. “It's my day off, but if you need help-” “It's not...work.” “Ok.” The kettle began to whistle. Reno turned back to it and pulled it off the stove top, he filled two mugs. It was weird, seeing Tseng inside his and Rude's shared Shinra apartment. Weird to see him on the old sofa, sitting beside the crumpled blanket Reno had been sleeping under. Reno tried very hard to keep work and sex separated, but Tseng being here seemed to mark some sort of change. He wasn't entirely sure he liked it. He finished the tea and removed the bags before walking over to set the two mugs down on the coffee table. He hovered uncertainly for a moment as Tseng picked up his mug and curled his hands around it. “You gonna talk or do I need to make you?” Tseng laughed, his eyes met Reno's, “I'm not here to talk.” He said and reached up with one hand, he curled his fingers around a section of Reno's hair, tugging him down. Their faces were close now, Reno could feel the warmth of Tseng's breath on his face. Tseng's gaze slid down to Reno's lips, his tongue crept out and he licked his own. “Chief...” Reno's voice came out hoarse, he cleared his throat, “Maybe we should-” There was a hint of alcohol on Tseng's breath, clinging to his skin. “You've been drinking.” Tseng released Reno and went back to his tea, he took a sip, “Having to manage an entire department is...” He trailed off, gaze moving around the room. He fixed his eyes on the window, rather than Reno's face. “Well, there's less of us...now.” Reno sat down on the sofa next to Tseng, “Yeah.” He said, lowering his head. “I don't know how he did it.” “Veld?” Tseng nodded, turning his cup slowly around in his fingers, “He taught me everything he knew and yet...I feel...inadequate.” “Oh.” Reno looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. Tseng never talked like this, at least, not to Reno's knowledge. He cleared his throat. “A new era...” Tseng snorted, “That's what I said.” “Yeah...” “But we can't run the department with only the three of us. It's impossible.” “Then hire some new blood.” Reno shrugged one shoulder, “I don't like it anymore than you do, chief, but you're only one man and Rude and I...well, we work outside the city most days.” “I know.” Tseng sighed and seemed to suddenly pull himself back together, he drank more tea. “This is good.” Reno felt heat in his cheeks, he pushed hair from his face, “Just somethin' I picked up at the market, yo. Nothin' special.” “It's my favourite.” Tseng sounded a little surprised. “I know.” Reno drank some of the tea, it just tasted like hot water to him but he wasn't much of a tea drinker.

[leeus-writing]

Coconut Cake

Anon asked: So how do you think Reno & Rufus would meet their non-Turk, non-Shinra employee significant other?

This is

Rufus Cocanut Cake

“Can you stop here, I just want to grab some food,” Rufus sat forward in his driven black car.

He’d much prefer to be driving himself however, given who his father was he couldn’t complain, it was for his safety. There were people who wanted the end of ShinRa, and unfortunately, he had a big target on his back. If they could get to him of course. Rufus was a fantastic shot after all.

“Sir… We have instruction to take you directly t-”

“I don’t care… I am hungry and I’d like to stop at that bakery and get something to eat,” Rufus pointed back a little as the car had moved on from the stop he wanted.

The driver slowed to a stop having listened to the anger in his voice. When Rufus wanted something, he got it.

Tseng grabbed his shoulder and Rufus nodded. Ok, the Turk would be coming to then, that’ll be fine. They were close to some degree and Tseng could be trusted. Rufus stepped out the car and straightened himself up before heading back the way they’d just come. Towards the Bakery.

| |

When you started to sweep the floor ready for closing you did not expect Rufus ShinRa, son of President ShinRa himself to step through the door. You mouth dropped open in surprise.

“v-vice President!?”

You stuttered standing upright. He gave you a smile and walked over to the desk. You blushed and hurried behind the counter.

“How… How can I help you?” you asked.

“Umm… one slice of cake please,” He pointed at the cocoanut and chocolate cake.

You nodded and scooped it into a bag before passing it over with a napkin and fork. Smiling as he took it.

“How much?”

“No no… its free,” you said.

He looked irritated by that comment and fished out five Gill before taking a bite. His eyes widened and he made a happy noise.

“This is amazing!”

“Thank you. I made this myself,” You replied proudly.

“Wow… You own this place?” He asked.

You nodded with a smile on your face. Rufus slowly put the cake down. He loved how happy you looked, just doing what you loved. He was a little jealous. Over how free you were.

“I’ll be coming back…” He said before leaving.

| |

Rufus did return many times and, in the end, you started putting coconut and chocolate cake to one side for when he turned up. That was his favourite, he’d tried others, but the coconut and chocolate was his go to.

Rufus loved talking to you, he got to know how you ended up with the bakery and how it had been a long-time dream.

“I think… I’ll ask her out,” He said to Tseng one day.

“Sir? Do you want me to get the guys to run a background check on her?”

Rufus frowned, why was THIS his response? “No? No, I don’t want you to run a background check on her,” he chuckled a little.

Tseng just nodded and followed you towards the Bakery entry. He was surprised to find you weren’t there. The person almost dropped the cake they were holding.

“Vice President SHINRA!”

“Yes… Hello, where is Y/N?”

“Sir she was taken ill today. Her apartment is upstairs. Sir do you need me to get you anything?”

Rufus just shook his head and left the building heading around the side were the flat entrance was located. He rung the doorbell and listened as you thundered down the stairs. He smiled a little hearing the door unlock and your eye pear through a crack.

“Hello…” A stuffy voice came from behind the door, “Oh Rufus, I’m sorry I couldn’t get your cake today.”

“No y/n I’m just here to see if you’re alright,” he said.

“Oh… I’m full of cold. Disgusting really don’t come any closer.”

Rufus rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. He helped you up the stairs and instructed that you needed to lay down whilst for once, he cooked something for you.

“Rufus?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” you said softly before falling asleep.

It would be a scene that replayed itself a few times as you and Rufus began to see each other on a more… intimate basis.

| |

@renohasbigtits

@electric-turks

@kittyplier95

[whumpbby]

Seems I cannot escape the Polish curse of being a handy person.

The new house needs work. A lot of work. And since both me and brother are not rich, we decided to do whatever we can on our own. 

Hence, my silence over the last couple months - we were spending every free moment we had between our respective jobs and sleeping on renovating the kitchen. We tore the bitch down, plaster-boarded and filled and painted, and rewired, and lived out of cans and pot noodle for 2 months. It’s almost done - dressed up in Ikea cabinets (oh god, we have cabinets nowTT) and second hand appliances (apart form the kettle, that I got for Christmas), and we could finally move out of the living room with all the kitchen stuff and clean.

Had we not vaguely known how to do stuff and had enough money to hire people to reno the kitchen? It would probably take them less than a week to sort it out=_= I feel satisfaction in the money saved, but I am also exhausted like I’ve never been beforexD

And now, the bathroom.... floor to roof, it needs to be disembowelled and put back together. And after that, repointing external walls. Removing chimney breasts. Insulating bedrooms before next winter. Insulating under the floors. Replacing glass in the windows with something that has actual thermal rating...

I swear, guys, sometimes I am looking at UK’s building solutions/industry/rules and I feel like I’m stuck in middle ages. 

[mascwhump]

Trenches, Part 2

Chapter 2: Good Luck, Corporal Mosaix

My GOD I AM SO EXCITED TO POST THIS. Sorry it took so long!

CW: drunk whumper, brief verbal abuse

Tag list: @whatwasmyprevioususername @milk-carton-whump @whumpasaurus101 @whatwhumpcomments @ashintheairlikesnow @tears-and-lilies @utopian819

-

Charlie awoke to find himself handcuffed to the foot of the bed. It took over an hour for Basil to come upstairs and free him.

“He’s piss drunk and it’s noon,” Basil whispered as they headed down the stairs. Sure enough, Mallory was slumped over the kitchen counter, clutching a glass of whiskey. He slowly uprighted himself when he heard their footsteps enter the room.

“You’re a fucking sorry excuse for a person, you know that? Get the fuck out of my sight,” he slurred as he took another swig of whiskey.

“Where do you want me to go?” Charlie asked.

“Away! Go away!” Mallory yelled.

Charlie retreated to the safety of Basil’s room. They sat on his bed in an awkward silence until Basil pulled out his phone.

“Do you like TikToks?” Basil asked.

“What the fuck’s a TikTok?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Basil sighed, realizing just how long Charlie had been away from the real world.

“Here.”

He showed him a bunch of his favorite videos and managed to get a few laughs out of him. They then shifted to YouTube. Charlie felt happy for the first time in awhile. It was nice to be able to see some of the content he had been missing.

“Hey,” Charlie said after the video had ended, “What do you think would happen if I ran out the front door right now?”

It took Basil a moment to wipe the shock off of his face and think of a response.

“Well, Nikolas is asleep, and… I don’t know, Char,” he replied, “I don’t think you should risk it.”

“I can’t do this much longer,” Charlie said, “I’m willing to try.”

“I’m not going to try and stop you, but… I’m supposed to be watching you, and-“

“Pretend I knocked you out.”

Basil thought for awhile before nodding.

“If you make it, I just want to say that I hope to meet you again under better circumstances,” he whispered.

“I do, too,” Charlie replied. He took a deep breath before heading to the door. Basil lied on the floor and pretended to be unconscious.

The house was silent. Charlie moved as quietly as possible. There was no sign of Mallory or Nikolas. He swiped Mallory’s wallet from the counter and took every bit of cash out of it. His heart pounded against his chest as he unlocked the front door. He stepped outside and shut it silently before beelining down the steps and down the road. Tears began to stream down his face as he ran, not even paying attention to the rocks that cut into his socks.

He made it to the end of the street and decided to go right. The number of houses increased as he eventually made it into town. His lungs were on fire and he couldn’t feel his legs, but he didn’t stop running until he made it into a strip mall. He went into the Walmart.

“Hey, can’t be in here without shoes, bud,” an employee said.

“Sorry, my shoes were ruined. I’m going to buy some,” Charlie said.

“Okay. Go straight there, then,” the employee replied.

Charlie tried to his best to wipe the distress off his face and calm himself. He pulled out the cash he stole to count it as he walked toward the shoes. There were a couple hundreds, to his relief. He picked out a pair of shoes and a brand new set of clothes, along with a hat and sunglasses. He picked out a handful of snacks. He then checked out and changed in the bathroom. He was in disguise now, and felt alright going outside.

Luckily, a motel was on the corner. He went straight there and got a room for the night, just until he could figure out what to do. The entire situation was extremely overwhelming, and he lied down on the bed. He was alone. He was safe. He was free.

Charlie woke up hours later to a loud knock on his door. He felt nauseous. His plan had failed. How could he have been so stupid to believe that he was free? He tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole to find a well-dressed man and woman he hadn’t seen before. He worked up the courage to open the door.

“Charlie Mosaix?” The woman asked. Charlie nodded. She and the man held out badges.

“Agents Madison Homer and Douglas Brown, CIA. May we come in?”

“Okay,” Charlie said.

They followed him back into the room and shut the door. They all took a seat, and Charlie wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

“You were supposed to be released a few days ago,” Agent Homer said, “We found you through facial recognition devices. Corporal, I’m not going to take up much of your time. We’re here on behalf of The United States. Because of the things you have endured for the development of security in this nation, we are offering you an assortment of things in exchange for your silence.”

Charlie’s head was spinning. She continued on.

“Along with an honorable discharge, The United States is providing you with $10,000 a month for the rest of your life, as well as a $1.5 million apartment in Seattle. More can be negotiated. I just need you to sign this paper stating that the events that have occurred over the past seven or so months will never leave you under any circumstance.”

“What if I refuse?” Charlie asked.

“Then, Corporal Mosaix,” she sighed, “I would have to take you into custody and you would never see the light of day again.”

Charlie took the pen from her outstretched hand.

“Did my team sign this paper?” He questioned.

“Every single one of them,” she replied.

“Can I see them again?”

“Yes, as long as you don’t conspire to do anything against our agreement.”

“What’s going to happen to… him?”

“I can’t answer that.”

Charlie took a deep breath before bringing the pen to the paper. He scribbled his name across the line, and it was taken from him almost as soon as he finished. Agent Brown set his briefcase on the table and opened it. Inside was a set of keys, an iPhone, cash, and multiple documents.

“These are yours. The papers contain your agreements and your new address, as well as any phone numbers you may need, along with my own. Good luck, Corporal Mosaix,” Agent Homer said.

The agents left the room almost as quickly as they came. Charlie sat in silence for awhile. Everything was happening far too quickly. Eventually, he picked up the phone. It had already been set up with his old account, and had all the photos and contacts he had before. His thumb hovered over Crow’s name. He hesitated before finally making the call.

He answered almost immediately.

“Charlie?”

“It’s me.”

“Where are you?”

“Reno, I think. I think I’m going to Seattle, though. I don’t know. I don’t really know what’s going on. Where are you?”

“London. Are you… did you get out?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I’ll, uh… I’ll meet you in Seattle, then?”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

[ourhearts-beatasone]

@ivory-paragon asked:  ∗ 21﹕ sender  overtakes  receiver  in  combat . [ Fight me RENO ]

Growing up in the streets of Midgar had provided Reno with a lot of life lessons on how to keep himself alive with a minimum of resources and under the roughest conditions, which turned out especially helpful during his work as a Turk. He knew how to save his strength if he had to go without food or water for a few days, how to kill people stealthily from behind (if he managed to shut up for once), how to stitch up even the deepest cuts without any healing materia or potions on hand and most importantly he had an incredibly high pain tolerance. He was especially proud of the latter; more than once or twice his opponents had called him a tough son of a bitch and hard to kill, because no matter how bloodied they had beaten him he simply refused to stay down. Reno liked to act tough and cold, but the simple truth was that he cared, he cared so much. Not really about his own well-being, but the well-being of everyone that was dear to him.

The last mission had been a mess. Eventually they had killed the bastards that were preparing to bomb the Shinra tower and accomplished their mission, Reno would hot have accepted anything else, but they had paid a price for it. Reno was still sporting a couple of cracked ribs and a broken nose, his whole body was covered in bruises, but Rude had it worse. At the climax of their battle he had been shot and barely made it out alive, now he still was in the infirmary and as far as Reno knew still in critical condition.

Reno hated this! He was the second in command of the Turks, he was supposed to take care of Rude, what good did all his knowledge and skills do if they didn’t help him protect his partner?

Now Reno was back in the Turks’ quarters, their very own training room to be precise, and he kept slamming his bare fists into the punch bag, his knuckles  were already bruised and bleeding, but Reno didn’t want to stop, he just wanted to feel something, anything else than this unbearable guilt that was tearing him apart.

When someone else entered the room Reno didn’t bother to stop and turn around to see who it was, he didn’t care, but then someone grabbed his wrist to force him to stop and as he looked up he was actually surprised. “Rufus?”, the redhead asked as if he really couldn’t believe who was standing in front of him; Reno had expected Tseng to come down here and scold him, but the president himself? “I don’t have time for you right now, can’t you see I’m busy?”, Reno asked with an impatient tone in his voice as he pulled his wrist free and he cursed under his breath as he barely managed to dodge the punch Rufus was throwing at him. “Hey, man, what the fuck?!” But the only answer to this rather unspecific question was another punch, then another and finally a kick that hit Reno right in his injured ribs and left him breathless. What the hell was going on, did he fuck up that badly that the president decided to punish him and beat the shit out of Reno all by himself?

Reno growled in frustration, but if Rufus wanted to pick a fight with him then he would welcome the distraction and when he finally threw a punch himself he could hear Rufus’ oh so familiar laughter, a clear sign of him simply being amused by the situation and that didn’t help the hotheaded Reno to calm down one bit. He knew Rufus could easily hold himself in a fight, trained to use all kinds of guns with almost perfect aim and skilled in various self-defense combat arts, he was not someone to be underestimated. But he also knew that meant Rufus was not an opponent he had to go easy on. So he didn’t.

The both of them ended up sparring rather intensively, the room was filled with their heavy breathing and even though Reno was slowing down and obviously in pain from this demanding match he didn’t stop or ask for a break. Rufus seemed to notice that and he probably had enough of seeing Reno act recklessly like that, because there was one quick punch to his broken nose he didn’t see coming at all and then Rufus grabbed his wrist again, twisting his arm behind his back before shoving him face first into the nearest wall, his ribs connecting with the hard surface made Reno see stars for a second as the pain shot through his body and only with effort he managed to keep himself on his own two feet. “Okay, fuck! If this is your way of showing me I should slow the fuck down it was a real dick move! Fine, I yield! And now let me go, for fucks sake!”

[queen-yalo]

FF VII | Headcanons | Pregnancy

Request I: Um can I get Vincent, Rufus,and tseng finding out their s/o is pregnant [by Anon]

Request II: Can I get rude and reno finding out their s/o is pregnant [by Anon]

A/N: Uhm, yes you can. I love fluff! ;-; Hope you enjoy! Also, it’s my first time writing for Vincent, I hope it’s not OOC?! :D 

Pairing(s): Reno x reader; Rude x reader; Rufus Shinra x reader; Tseng x reader; Vincent Valentine x reader

+++

• Reno is over the effin’ m o o n. You and him made a little tiny blop of cells that would become a baby in a few months! He is so excited really. 

• It doesn’t even matter if you were planning to become parents or not. The idea just makes him so happy. Can’t stop himself from peppering your face with kisses and nuzzles. He’ll be so careful with you during your pregnancy, spoiling you even more than usual and even takes his chores seriously. He also makes sure to be very careful during missions. He definitely wanted to return home to you and your little spawn. 

• Reno makes sure he is with you at all your appointments, holding your hand during ultrasound examinations, his eyes glued to the screen... even if he can’t makeout a single thing. That’s supposed to be a hand? Okay, if the doctor says so... He also talks to your belly constantly and reads stories to it. He’s so impatient and can’t wait for the baby to arrive, although he becomes more nervous with every passing day. Still, he was so looking forward to having his own little family. 

• Bonus: You two had a lovely little daughter who has your facial features, but his eyes, hair and attitude. :3 

• That... wasn’t part of his agenda. Still, he feels a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. You? Pregnant? With his baby? Precious. 

• You might take his lack of excitement as disappointment or discomfort. But it’s nothing like that. It just totally caught him offguard. He needs a little time to warm up to the idea of becoming a father. He just never pictured himself having children, so it’s a totally new thought for him. 

• But when he does let the thought sink in and warms up to the idea of you two having a baby... oh boy. He’s constantly touching your belly, rubbing soothing circles into your skin. He’ll watch you like a hawk, not wanting you to exhaust or hurt yourself. Like Reno, he’ll subconsciously be a lot more careful during missions. He doesn’t want to leave you behind, now that you need him even more than before. 

• Bonus: You two had a daughter who is just the perfect mixture of both of you. She may look mostly like you, apart from the eyes, but her personality is more like Rude’s. Only that she laughs a lot more than him. :) 

• Rufus was confused. He didn’t know whether he wanted children or not. Part of him absolutely despised the idea. But the other part longed for a family. His own family. With you. 

• Eventually, the part wanting a family won. He couldn’t wait for your child to be born. He couldn’t wait to be a better father than his ever was. During the nine months of your pregnancy he makes sure that your well taken care of. He has your personal chef cook the best and healthiest meals, so that you would get all the necessary nutrients. He also makes sure that you don’t have to lift a finger around the house. He doesn’t want to risk anything. 

• He wants to know the gender of the child as soon as possible, simply because he wants to be 100% prepared before they arrive. He’ll have the room decorated accordingly and he wants the name to be chosen so that there are no quarrels between the two of you after birth. He wants this to be perfect. 

• Bonus: You two had a daughter that looks exactly like him, but has your haircolor. Rufus spoils her rotten and calls her his little Princess. Still, she takes after you in terms of personality and is far from arrogant and snobby. 

• Tseng is sceptical. He doesn’t know how he should fit a child into his busy schedule, let alone if he’s fit to be a father. He doesn’t really warm up to that thought.

• Until one night when you were fast asleep and he was glaring at your baby bump of five months. His eyes widened slightly when he saw a small movement underneath your skin. He gently laid his hand on your belly, only to feel the child kick again, making Tseng flinch slightly. That’s when it dawned him. What was growing in you, wasn’t just a clump of cells and DNA. It was a small human being, a living mini-person. His child, that needed his attention and love. As did you. 

• From that moment on, his demeanor changed completely. He isn’t as withdrawn anymore and spends every bit of free time with you, trying to make the rest of your pregnancy as bearable and comfortable as possible. He also makes sure that everything is prepared before the baby is born. As we all know, he always needs to have full control over a situation and he won’t make an exception just because this is a special situation. :>

• Bonus: You two had a boy that looks very much like Tseng (without the mark on his forehead), but he isn’t as stoic as him. He definitely has your personality.

• Vincent was taken aback. He didn’t mean to become cold and distant, but he couldn’t help but get instant flashbacks to Lucrecia. For a moment he even doubted it was his child. 

• You had a hard time convincing him that it was his child and not someone else’s. But when you finally succeeded, he had another internal nervous breakdown. What if someone took you away from him to do some cruel experiments? He couldn’t bear that thought. He didn’t want you or... his child - that thought was still so weird and foreign - to suffer through what he himself had to suffer. And what if the child was already suffering if because their father was a botched experiment? He left for a few days. He needed some time to clear his head and think straight. 

• [Yandere-vibes incoming] When he returned, he wouldn’t stop watching you. He wouldn’t let you go out anymore, and if, he would always be by your side to make sure nothing happened to you. He couldn’t let this happen. ShinRa may have been destructed, but mad people were still everywhere. He needed to make sure you were alright and healthy at all times. He became even more protective than usual because he was so scared of losing you to some mad scientist. It was only after you actually gave birth that he slowly returned to his usual self. The second he laid eyes on the baby, he was smitten. Such a beautiful human being. He made a promise right then, that he would never let anything happen to the both of you. 

• Bonus: You two had a daughter, that has his pale skin, dark hair and crimson eyes, but your facial structures. Vincent is absolutely smitten with her and constantly showers her with affection. Makes you a little jealous sometimes.

[sahbibabe]

May I request prompt number 94 from the smut list with Sephiroth?

Here you go! 4,800, almost 5,000 words of pure smut! I hope you enjoy! Tell me if you liked it or not and what I can improve on! ♡

Bright Eyes, Bright Hearts

Sephiroth x Fem! Reader

Smut Prompt #94: "Maybe I should get you a collar so you don't forget who you belong to."

You stared at your cellphone with narrowed eyes, furiously tugging at the loose band of your robe to tie it together in some semblance of a knot to keep it from flying open on the balcony. There had not been an hour that passed by when Biggs or Jessie had not called you to jump in on their Seventh Heaven parties, interrupting your 'me time'. First, it had been right in the middle of one of your amazing bubble baths, the ones that you paid good money for; second, Jessie had called you while you were doing your yoga for the day, messing up your pose sending you sprawling on the floor; third was when Biggs called, again, just as you were getting ready for a long night without your official-yet-unnofficial lover to satisfy your cravings yet again.

You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to be with Sephiroth, but you hadn't anticipated the toll it would take on your sex life. Sure, masturbation and self pleasure was good and all, but sometimes you just wanted him and nothing else, not to lay in your bed and notice the cold sheets every time you woke up.

He went on missions more and more every week, nearly every day, and rarely came home. If he did, he was too tired to do much more than give you a kiss and an apology. Whatever they put him through had drained that impressive SOLDIER stamina that you loved so much down to the barest dregs, even when you sometimes took things way too far for too long. The smugness you would see on his face when you struggled to walk the next day was all completely worth it.

    "What do you want?" You answered the phone with a harsh, biting tone, tugging the sheer silk robe over your breasts when a harsh breeze blew by. The potted plants you had on your balcony waved as you took a seat at your coffee table, sitting in one of the cold metal seats that did nothing to douse your frustration. "You've called me three times now. I said no. That's the end of it, Biggs."

       "Oh come on, [Name]!" He laughed on the other line, the sound of music and partying echoing over his voice. "You never come down here anymore. Are the slums too good for you now since you became a high and mighty Shinra executive?"

        "That's not true and you fucking know it, Biggs." You never went back because you never had the time. And if you did, you didn't want to confront Tifa, who you had a petty disagreement with over your aspirations to live in Sector One, since your money made Avalanche soar. "Don't ever try to pull something like that on me. Ever. I grew up in the slums, same as everyone else."

        "Sorry." It was Jessie's voice this time, apologetic and slurred. "Bigg's been drinking too much. I told him to stop, but he wouldn't listen. He's still hung up on that night you two had."

        Your mouth thinned to a hard line. "Yeah, well, he needs to get over it. It was a mistake. Adrenaline, or whatever. Near death does that to you."

        "Yeah. I know." She cleared her throat. "I'll let you go then! Do you want to say anything to anyone else before you go?"

        You assumed you were on speaker, so you said,"Yeah, sure. Biggs? Go find a lay and quit bothering me. It's never going to happen again."

       With that you hung up, tossing your phone on the table with a groan. You rubbed your face tiredly, watching as the mako reactor began firing up and readying itself for shut down for the night as the sun lamps dimmed. It was nearly eight and if you wanted to get to work early, you would have to hit the hay pretty soon. Rufus had left you with enough paperwork to drown in, literally and figuratively. If you didn't know the man like you did, you would have thought he hated you, but it was the opposite; he quite trusted you with many things over his father's people, because you were, in a sense, one of Rufus's people, just like Tseng and Reno and Rude.

        There had been a few times where Rufus had propositioned you─once at the Golden Saucer when you had dressed nicely for the charity event someone had been holding, and another time when you had been forced to use the communal bath house during a vacation to cool down. You had politely turned him down, usually because Sephiroth's eyes flashed through your mind, the way they narrowed and watched you as you came undone by your own hand. It didn't stop him from giving you appreciative glances, though, but you knew when to take a compliment.

        You had intended to sit outside for a bit before going back in and facing an empty apartment, but found yourself picking up your phone and staring at Sephiroth's contact name pensively. If he was busy, he wouldn't answer you, and you would be disappointed; if he wasn't, he would answer and be home right as he finished up his mission to give you a "gift", which was usually mind blowing sex and really nice aftercare.

        Did you love him? Yes. Of course you did. But you wouldn't risk saying that to him and risking your entire relationship, of which had been founded on a very shaky foundation of trust and tentative friendship. It had been years since you had first agreed to your arrangement, and now you were wanting something more from him. He had never mentioned how far this would go between the two of you, had probably expected you to be a one time fling and vanish into the night. But you hadn't, and you had been with him for over five years now. Five. Sometimes you had to wonder if he was just amusing your carnal appetites or if he did it because he appreciated you as a whole.

       Before you could hit call, the very voice you had been desiring to hear spoke.

       "Maybe I should get you a collar to remind you who you belong to." Sephiroth leaned against the far end of the balcony, dressed in his full leather armor and his mako green eyes gleaming mischievously. "Since you seem to have all the men from Sectors One to Seven wanting you in their bed."

       "Please," you laughed, a pleasurable jolt running up your belly at the suggestion. You got to your feet and sauntered over to him, noting the way his eyes followed the curves of your body underneath the sheer silk robe, just barely visible to the naked eye. "They may want me, but the only person I want right now is you."

        "Is that so?" He hummed, allowing you to trace your fingers up the exposed part of his chest to unhook the leather straps from his pauldrons. "That sounds like it's subject to change."

        You leaned up, smothering your chuckle into a kiss upon the hollow of his throat. "Only if you want it to be. Pauldrons off, SOLDIER boy."

        "As you command," he purred, that sensuous voice hitting places in your core that you had to stifle a small moan. The pauldrons dropped to the balcony floor. "Does the lady have any more demands?"

       "Mm… Lean down," you commanded in your sternest voice. It was one you had perfected over the years, one that made even Rufus Shinra tremble in his boots, though that had probably been arousal and little to do with fear. "Please," you added as an afterthought.

      He leaned down to your height, which was somewhat of a discrepancy that you didn't mind. You cupped his chin in your hand and rose to your toes, pressing your lips to his in a deep kiss. Before he could move to kiss you back, you retreated with a sly smile, hands pressed firmly to his chest.

       "Welcome home," you whispered, watching his face soften and those cat-like pupils widen just a bit. You decided to push it, to be a little more honest. "I missed you."

       He sighed and jerked you close, burying his face in the curve of your neck. You put your arousal on the back burner for this tender moment, if only for a few seconds, relishing in the feel of your breasts against the hard leather of his armor and your hips brushing the leather belt slung around his waist. "It has been a long few days, hasn't it?"

       Your eyes fluttered shut when he punctuated his words with little kisses to your neck, his teeth scraping against your pulse, followed by a quick slash of his tongue to soothe the sting.

        "That it has," you breathed into his ear, kissing the skin just below it. A little more honesty, then. "It's torturous waking up without you."

        "I know." Hands went to your waist, sliding up from the sides of your thighs to press you more firmly against him, his arousal prominent against the skin of your pelvis. "When we are apart, all I dream of is you. Your scent. Your touch."

       You sucked your lip into your mouth, biting down when rolled his hips into yours with a smooth motion. You had never had him initiate things like this; usually he would just tell you, order you around. It aroused you when he did, but this felt intimate on a completely new level, one you weren't sure how to navigate with him yet. You could feel yourself growing wetter, the apex of your thighs growing slick.

       "I didn't know that," you said, your breath stuttering out from your lungs when one particularly deep roll nudged his bulge right where you wanted it most, the leather an exciting texture against the silk rubbing against your hood.

       He deftly untied the knot you had put awkwardly in place, letting the silk part and expose a slit of your body, all the way from your collarbone to your slickened core, his eyes following the skin like a curtain opening to reveal the main act. "Now you do. Lean back."

       You removed your face from his neck where you had been placing artful hickeys, eyes heavy as he dragged the silk robe from your shoulders to leave you completely bare to him. Not an inch of you was covered. If anyone looked off of their balconies, or even through the window, they would see you as naked as the day you were born. It excited you.

      Sephiroth was not a fan of exhibitionism, however, and preferred to fuck you in the privacy of your own home or his, where he didn't have to worry about someone snapping a picture of him and posting it to the local tabloids.

      He picked you up by the waist, those mako enhanced muscles rippling between your thighs as you locked your legs around his hips. He squeezed a giggle out of you when his fingers ghosted across your ribs where you were particularly ticklish, your mouth pressed firmly to the flesh of his collarbone to bury it in your throat.

        Sephiroth seemed to be in no rush, shutting the balcony door behind him and walking to your room at a leisurely pace. You had divested him of his leather coat and straps and belt by the time you reached the hallway, your nimble fingers working quickly to get him as naked as you were, and to hopefully not make as much of fuss when you were on the bed.

       As you struggled with the button on his pants, pressing kisses to his neck and all the way to his lips, where he trapped you, capturing your lip between his teeth and nibbling it hard enough that it stung, he opened the door to your room and slammed it shut.

       "There," you chortled when the button flew apart under the pressure of his erection, your glee smothered by his tongue seeking entrance into your mouth. A moan escaped when he dropped you on the bed, pressing himself flush against you, stepping out of his pants.

        He parted from your kiss and leaned towards your ear, his hand sneaking down the length of your stomach, darting past your navel and sliding between the wet lips of your cunt. Your gasp was strangled as he held his free finger over your mouth. "Let's play a game, shall we?"

       "What kind of game?" You whispered, heart caught in your lungs as he gently stroked the hot heat between your legs like a patient predator. He rarely, if ever, played games with you because he was so tired by the end of it, or just wanted to be inside you as deeply as you would let him without the foreplay.

       "The quiet game." He bit the shell of your ear, rolling it gently between his teeth. "There's a nosy pest standing right outside your apartment door. You don't want him to hear and sell your audio to the black market dealer who pays him the highest gil, do you?"

       Sephiroth smirked into your neck when your pussy squeezed close around his fingers in panic. He could feel the flutter of your heartbeat beneath his chest, right above the hard pebbles of your nipples that just begged for his attention, the hot laving of his mouth.

       "No," you whispered, your mind going blank when he managed to squeeze a finger past the impossibly tight ring of flesh, stroking your walls with the pad of his thumb. There was the possibility that your room was bugged, as well; who knew if he was listening right now? "Definitely not."

       "Good." He pressed a kiss to your cheek and simultaneously shoved another finger in you. You had to smother your face into a pillow by your head, groaning into the cotton with an open mouth. "Feel free to bite me if you can't take it. I'll be torturing you for a while."

       While the promise of his brand of torture and 'a while' sounded absolutely amazing, you didn't know how long you could go without letting out an audible noise into the open air. Sephiroth knew how you ticked, knew how to wrangle the most wretched sounds from you with his fingers and mouth, knew how to find your g-spot with just the right stroke that had you screaming his name.

       "Rules?" You gasped, wiggling your hips when he removed his fingers from you, desperate to have that friction again. He moved his soiled fingers to your mouth, parted your lips with his thumb. You took it between your teeth, grazing it with your tongue, your heartbeat pounding in time with the pulse in your inner walls. You tasted yourself on him, faintly mild and salty.

      He watched as you ran your tongue over his thumb in much the same way that you would his cock, giving little tugs with your tongue or cheeks. "Don't make a sound. Don't try to scream. You can breathe, but that will be hard for you, anyways."

      When he removed his thumb from your mouth, you nodded slightly, licking your lips free of your fluids. He smirked and leaned down again, swiping his tongue over your mouth as he kissed you, taking in the dregs that you hadn't gotten completely. "Good girl. Now be a good pet and take me in your mouth."

       You sat up when he removed himself from you, tugging off the huggers that kept the leather pants from chafing him too much as he fought. He sprung free, swollen and engorged, precum leaking from the tip tauntingly.

       You lowered yourself to your knees, snatching a pillow that had fallen from the bed and settling it under your knees. Sephiroth was bad on your knees, especially when his stamina was up, and you had been to therapy once or twice to help with the sprains he gave you.

        When you glanced up, he was looking down at you, those gorgeous eyes narrowed to slits. Whenever you did this for him, he always made you feel like you were the prey and he the predator, his fingers closing around the back of your head to play with the hair there.

       "Go on," he said, using his free hand to rub his thumb against your swollen lips. He tilted his head towards the door, hearing something you couldn't. "Take it."

       You reached up and took him into a firm grip with your palm. You could have wrapped it around your fist, if you wanted, but it was so engorged and hard that you couldn't resist leaning forward and taking the tip into your mouth for a taste.

      Sephiroth blew out a hard breath through his nose, his hips moving forward shallowly to thrust his cock further into your mouth. You didn't let him, though, moving your head back and stroking your thumb over the veins underneath. You reached up and balanced your hand on his hip, feeling the muscles beneath work and flex.

       "[Name]..." he whispered, his hand fisting in your hair tight enough to sting. You released him from your mouth with a quiet pop, running your thumb over his head to evenly spread out the beads of precum leaking from him. "Damn."

       You hollowed out your cheeks in preparation, swallowing all of your spit so you wouldn't choke when he deep throated you like he was wont to do. You pressed your lips to his cockhead, firmly, parting them and engulfing the swollen tip in your mouth. You stroked the rest of the length you hadn't taken, moving your other hand to cup his balls and squeeze firmly. Precum dripped onto your tongue, salty and sweet.

       He dropped his head back, fist tightening in your hair as you took in inch by inch, pushing you further and further to the hilt. He hit your gag reflex earlier than you intended so you squeezed your thumb into a fist, eyes watering when he pushed past your uvula to sit firmly at your throat. You repeated this several times, thoroughly coating his length with saliva and his precum, until your lips and nose touched the skin and hair just above.

      You were thankful that you had finished preparing yourself because the moment you returned back to his head, lips wrapped around him like a vice, he thrust into your mouth, going farther down your throat with the aid of his hand at the back of your head. Tears spilled down your face, more water than salt every time he hit the back of your throat. You always managed to avoid using teeth somehow, keeping his length between your cheeks and tongue even when he continued thrusting into you at a pace that could have broken your neck if you weren't careful.

       He finished in your mouth, right in the midst of another hard thrust, the quickest release you had gotten from him yet. You swallowed around him, trying your damndest not to choke, and he whispered sweet praises to you, clearly playing the game by his own rules.

       "Such a good girl for me," he said, wiping the tears from your cheeks when you allowed his cock to fall from your mouth. He was already at half mast, growing steadily harder, which meant he hadn't been put through the wringer on his mission. He pulled you up delicately and gave you a long, sweet kiss that was unusual for him--usually he just skipped right ahead to ploughing you like an animal. "Thank you."

      Your heart was beating miles a minute as he lowered you to your bed once again, parting your legs and kneeling between them, slinging your calves along his shoulders. He had never thanked you before, not like that; you felt like a flustered school girl all over again and you weren't sure how to take it.

       When he pressed his mouth to your pussy, tongue twisting past your entrance, all embarassment left you. Your hands flew to his hair, tangling in the long, luxuriously soft lengths, forcing him down on you.

      He kept his lips solitary, smoothing his hands over the insides of your thighs and inserting his thumbs into you, pulling you farther open for him. His index finger moved up, pushing your clitoral hood up to expose the bundle of raw nerves there, and when he pressed down firmly, you saw little lights. You bit the pillow beside you and bucked into his face, hiding your keening whine into the cotton.

      Sephiroth heard it, felt it vibrate through you, and got to work, sucking and nipping and licking you until all you knew was him. He rolled that little nub just right and you came undone, releasing onto his mouth. He drank it up with relish, tongue coated in your juices, and made a slow climb up your body, kissing the lips of your cunt and moving higher all the while, before paying attention to your sore, hard breasts.

      Anyone else would have taken at least fifteen minutes to get you off so spectacularly as that. Anyone but Sephiroth, Biggs being proof of that. It was just that difficult for you.

      Your nipples wet now and cold to the exposed air, Sephiroth moved up to claim your lips in a kiss, slanting his mouth over yours. You removed your hands from his hair and cupped his neck with one hand, his face with the other, drowning in the unusual affection he was giving you, offering you.

       His cock, heavy and hard against your thigh, was hard to ignore as he continued to kiss you, swiping his tongue across yours with the gentlest of touches. He bucked his hips shallowly against you, rocking to a smooth and deep rhythm that you knew he would be replicating inside you soon enough.

      When he finally parted from you, you were gasping for breath, breasts heaving with every inhale you took. He watched you for a moment, taking in the flush of your cheeks and shine in your eyes, full of love even if you didn't notice it yourself.

      "On your stomach," he whispered softly, rolling you onto your belly. You obeyed, hiking your hips up and spreading your knees apart just so, so that he could see your wetness, see the pink of your pussy blooming for him. "That's a good pet, [Name]."

      You trembled at the sound of your name, lowering your chest to the bed to give you leverage and squeezing the pillow between your hands in case you needed to scream, which you would. This position nearly always made you scream in some form.

       He trailed his fingers teasingly down your spine, tracing each invisible vertebrae, before taking a firm hold of your hip with one hand. Between your legs, you watched him take himself in his hand and guide his cockhead to your entrance. He coated it in your weeping slick, dragging it up and down the seam of your pussy, before pushing inside by just the barest of inches.

      You gasped into the pillow, taking it between your teeth. You reached a trembling hand down to your nether lips, to feel the smooth velvet of him sliding into you, a perfectly snug fit. You let out a pleased sigh when his hips slotted firmly into you, filling you up with his length. He leaned over you, careful not to pull out, and gathered you into his arms.

       With an ease you were shocked by, he rolled you back into his lap in an odd rendition of a reverse cowgirl, just sitting, and kept his arms firm around your hips to keep him pinned within you. You leaned back carefully, shoulders touching his chest, and reached up to wrap your arm around his neck, fingers sliding into the hair at the nape of his neck. 

        He nudged your hair away from your face and kissed you, this time more sweetly than you had thought possible, thrusting up into you at the same time. Without your pillow you gasped into his mouth, spine tingling pleasantly, and he devoured it, continuing his shallow thrusts until he got too impatient, his eyebrows furrowed as his erection became painful to maintain inside of you.

       Sephiroth lifted you and slammed you back down, hard enough that a scream nearly got out. You bit down into your own fist, breathing hard, breath halting every time he thrust back into you. Even though the position was killing your back, you powered through it, nearly to tears as he kissed your neck and shoulder. Good tears, you realized as he began reaching his peak, abandoning the smooth and hard thrusts for something much more frantic that was hitting much more than your g-spot by then.

       You were unable to smother your cries and his hand went up around your throat, squeezing just slightly at your windpipe to put pressure on it. He had never choked you or made you black out, but made it just a little hard to breathe that you trusted him enough to do it to you. You would never let anyone else do it. Ever.

       He released inside you, hot cum filling your insides and warming you all over. You felt him go flaccid, the beast sated, but he did not pull out of you. Instead, he carefully rotated your body to make you straddle him, allowing you to rest your hot cheek on his sweaty shoulder.

       "Are you okay?" He asked, which was the same as asking,'Did I go too far?'

       "I'm perfect," you sighed lovingly, squeezing your arms around his neck slightly. "I love you."

       You didn't even have a chance to stiffen up and apologize when he buried his face in your hair and mumbled,"I love you, too."

       You felt little tears of joy slip from your eyes.

      He carefully allowed the both of you to lay down on the bed, keeping you on top of him as he fumbled for one of the sheets to stave off the cold that was kicking up from your AC.

        You laid there for quite some time, the both of you, exchanging quick pecks or long, slow kisses that never led anywhere. He traced the hickeys he had left on your neck, the bruises from his grip on your hip, and nuzzled your throat, silently apologizing to the ring of fingerprints that gave a new meaning to the phrase 'put a collar on you'.

   BONUS: Aftercare!

     When the sun had risen and you had sluggishly called in sick, Sephiroth finally parted from you to allow you privacy on your call and retrieved lotion from your bathroom to help the bruises, as well as a cold cloth to help with the rawness you would be feeling as soon as you got up to walk.

      When he returned, you were sat up in bed, awkwardly holding a pillow between your legs and saying goodbye to no other than Rufus Shinra as he shut the door with a quiet snick.

       You gave him that dazzling smile when he approached, mouthing 'thank you' as he eased the pillow from between your legs. Rufus finally hung up after wishing you well and you checked twice before tossing your phone on the nightstand. You parted your thighs for him willingly, sighing at the feel of the cool rag against your raw, feverish skin.

      "He bought it," you said, grinning as he gave you a quick kiss. "It probably helped that I'm hoarse."

      Sephiroth gave you a sly wink. "It's a good look on you."

      "Oh, stop it," you teased, slapping his shoulder playfully. He left the cold rag between your legs, letting it sit, and rubbed lotion into the fingerprints on your throat. "That feels nice. This is nice."

        "Mm." When he was satisfied the lotion had absorbed into your skin, he moved to the hickeys on your neck. "We should do it more often."

      You sent a silent shout to the gods, thankful you hadn't scared him away with your confession.

       "Definitely." You sagged against the headboard and watched the sun peek over the buildings of Midgar. "Say, whatever happeend to that tabloid guy? The one outside the door?"

        "Him?" Sephiroth shrugged and rubbed some into your breast next. "He was gone before I even got you out of your robe."

        Your mouth dropped open. "Sephiroth!"

       "What? I felt that if you had stakes, you would really try."

        "Ugh, I hate you! I could have been as loud as I wanted."

        He smiled--the most genuine one you had ever seen besides grins and smirks--and nosed your forehead. "No, you don't. You love me."

        You deflated and smiled too, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. "That I do. That I very well do."

[mariapanpan1833]

How Cyro joined Talon pt. 2

Cyro, Sombra, and Widow walked around the city of Rome, of course, with Cyro and Reno leading the way to the pound, proudly whistling a tune with her arms slung over her shoulders holding her head with Sombra and Widow trailing along.

“Sombra...” Widow growled.

Sombra looked up from her computer, “Yeah?”

Widow sighed as if it wasn’t obvious what she was going to ask, “You haven’t clarified why we’ve been following a child through the city yet...” She grimaced, Widow was known to take little to no care for these things, but something irked a nerve when she was with Sombra.

“Look I get it, but Cyro is no child, she’s a genius! She’s got connections all over the city, and her bounty hunter job is actually pretty solid,” Sombra pulled up a screen, out of earshot of Cyro, and started showing some of the details she found.

“Kid's smart, she makes it look like a wild attack other than murder. She collects detail and items, all across town, she’s got too many people scared of her.”

Widow raised an eyebrow, clearly not amused by Sombra’s amusement about the news.

“Alright, alright, check this.” She swiped through a few screens, “She was hard to find, and coming from me that’s saying something. Doesn’t stay in the same place for too long, and doesn’t keep the same phone number, let alone have much of an internet presence.”

“So how’d you find her?”

“Pfft, Nobodies that good at hiding from me plus, she isn’t that hard to recognize.” Sombra pointed to Cyro about her small stature.

“Sombra, do you know what Akande would do if we-”

“We’re here,” Cyro called out, the three of them standing in front of the pound’s fence.

The pound was small but the fact it needed any form of protection scared away most people around, alongside the loud barking from the dogs inside.

“You two wait here, this will be quick” Cyro climbed the fence, followed by Reno as he sprinted up and over the fence.

“I’m coming with you.” Widow said.

“There’s not that much security, there’s no need.”

“I’m coming to keep an eye on you.” Widow clarified, clearing the fence after.

“The more hands to help I guess, Sombra, keep a lookout here.” Cyro nodded at Sombra who nodded back in response.

Cyro led the way, her and Widow crouching over onto cover for the nearest wall for cover, they were in the back entrance, guarded with a dog and officer.

Cyro’s eyes blinked grey, “I’ve got the dog, you handle the guard.”

Widow looked confused, “How do you-”

Cyro pointed to her eyes, “Animal tamer, remember?”

Widowmaker rolled her eyes and moved over to the next cover, once she was good, she inched closer to the guard, out of sight, and once she was close enough, she used her grabbling hook and tightened it around the guard's neck, knocking him out.

Widow signaled Cyro over who jogged forward. “Nice work.” She complimented as she took the guard's keys and worked on finding which one to opened the door.

“So ‘Widowmaker’ I thought you were blue?” Cyro asked, trying to make conversation.

Widow took a mirror out of her pocket and checked over her white skin, “Makeup.” She answered plainly.

“Oh... I-I mean, yeah, that makes sense.”

Cyro continued fiddling with the keys, "So you and Sombra-"

"No." Widow shut it down before she got to finish.

"Ah, so you're free then?" Cyro flirtatiously growled Widow scoffed, not paying mind to the teen's advances.

Cyro unlocked the door and stuffed the keys into her pocket.

They walked inside with Cyro now having the guard's dog with her, checking the cameras which Sombra had already taken care of.

“You check upfront for any more guards, I'll grab the rest of the dogs,” Cyro told Widow, who walked away without a word.

-

After dealing with the last guard, Widow turned her head, Cyro had the entire pound under her control, which is shown by her grey eyes, each dog standing freakishly still.

“How do you expect us to walk into town like that?” Widow asked.

Cyro split the dogs into groups of three, lining them up like a military. “There, got a guy who can hold them for a bit, I’ll control them over to him in groups. Strays here aren’t new.”

Widow sighed, “Fine.”

Cyro sent the dogs off, it was odd to Widow how Cyro had so much power doing so little, but Sombra did say she was good.

-

Cyro and Widow walked out meeting Sombra who was waiting outside.

“Where are the dogs?” Sombra asked, sitting up from the wall.

Cyro pointed at her glowing grey eyes, “Taking them to a guy right now in sets, he’ll hold them for me.” She answered.

“Wait, you’re controlling all of those dogs at once,” Sombra asked with complete interest.

“It’s a harder job, but yeah.” Cyro stop to scan the area and Widow turned to see Sombra nearly squealing.

“What?”

“She’s controlling a shit ton of animals at once!”

“That’s only impressive to you because you can’t multitask.” Widow explained.

“You try having every person on file 24/7. If that’s all we can head back to the apartment.”

Cyro snapped her fingers in realization, “Ah yes! We have one more place to stop if I’m training these dogs, I need my equipment!”

Widow sighed, “And where is that?”

“My truck, of course, the guy who drives me, Pako, is holding it for me, you all don’t mind do you?”

Sombra perked up, “No... but how many guys do have to do you favors?” She asked.

Cyro laughed, “Let’s just say nobody here is actually scary compared to me. Let's hurry while it’s still daylight outside.”

-

Cyro walked up to Pako, a big muscular guy almost ten times her size. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, “Kept up our end of the deal, I need you to take me somewhere.”

Pako sat up from the black van he was leaning on, “You know what kid, I’ll think I’d outta hold on to this money for now...” He towered over her, his large shadow covering her entire body.

She shrugged, “Fine.” She walked away towards the back of the alley, once she was near the end, she quickly drew her knife and threw it at him, fitting itself into his leg.

He quivered in pain, wincing over himself holding his leg, just stopping himself from screaming in pain. He leaned over the closest wall and almost back up from Cyro as she approached, “Kid! Argh.... don’t go doing anything rash now, I was just about to give you the car!”

Cyro opened the back of the van, waking up the sleeping tiger in the back, “Sasha, I got you some food.” She said it so quietly, the guy felt a shiver down his spine. Cyro walked over and took her knife back out from the guy’s legs

“We can talk this out, I-I got money, you like money don’t you?! I got a place you all can stay! Some food, I got food! Cyro!”

She took the van and drove a bit down the road, the guy's screams becoming nothing but soft sounds of music as she drove down a few blocks to where Widowmaker and Sombra were waiting.

“You weren’t kidding! You actually have a truck!” Sombra nearly bounced in excitement.

“My very own brand.” Cyro added, rubbing the red decal on the side of the truck, “Reminds me, I need to get out these rugs, give me a second.” Cyro climbed into the back of the truck and shut the doors.

Widow turned to Sombra with a skeptical look on her face, all Sombra could do was shrug.

Cyro came out of the truck, wearing a velvet leather suit, the end of it hanging lower behind her, sporting a commander hat with a gold heart emblem on it, the outfit wasn’t too fancy, but was rather flashy for combat wear. She pulled out her knife from earlier, the name “Cyro” lazily carved into the side of being shown, and glided her finger across it, cleaning it from the blood it gained earlier and sliding it into its respected place at her side.

“Where’d you get the blood?” Widow asks.

“Pako came up short, so I cut my loose ends.”

“And the truck?”

Cyro rolled her eyes, “Ay, bella, do you always ask so many questions?”

Widow crossed her arms, “Only to people I don’t trust.”

“Okay then, I’ll make it up to you, trust me to go get us some good food?”

Widowmaker shrugged while making her way to the car, “As long as we’re heading back to the apartment, I don’t care what you do.”

-

They entered the empty apartment, turning on the lights while heading inside.

“Told you guys, I’d get us something good!” Cyro chirped.

“You didn’t even pay.” Widow replied.

“I forgot my wallet, but our darling Sombra did for us, and I have to say you did a marvelous job with the apartment too, very well done.”

Widowmaker scoffed, “Forgot your- You tipped the waitress!”

“I had enough to thank her for her hard work... and giving me some eye candy to have during the stay.”

Widow rolled her eyes as Cyro winked back at her.

“If that’s all, then I’ll be heading off to bed, I’ll see you two in the morning.”

With that Cyro walked off into a random room she decided would be hers for their stay.

The two adults got settled for bed, setting up their stuff in separate rooms, just as Sombra got done with her equipment Widow walked in.

“Her file.” She stated plainly.

“Why won’t you just leave the kid alone?” Sombra asked.

“She’s hardly a kid, what’s she doing out in the streets anyway? I need her file, Sombra.”

Sombra opened up a computer and began typing, “I wish you were more fun...” She mumbled.

When Widow heard her phone ring, she began to walk out, “Amélie?”

Widowmaker’s attention fastened to the use of her name, “What?”

Sombra caught herself, looking down and thinking, “It’s nothing, sorry, goodnight.”

Widow eyed Sombra, eventually stop caring about what it was she was going to say, “Goodnight.”

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #875: Seasalt Turks (Kingdom Hearts)

6:57 p.m. at the Seasalt Family's Apartment.......

Roxas: (Looks Himself in the Mirror Along with Xion While Wearing Black Business Like Suits) Huh. Gonna be honest, these suits actually looks good on us.

Xion: (Smiles Softly) I know~ (Takes a Look Around the Suit She's Wearing) We look so professional and sophisticated. I can see why those Turk guys wear them all the time.

Roxas: (Turns to Xion) Hey, now that you mentioned it, What kind of group are the Turks suppose to be anyways? An evil business company or something?

Xion: Well, from what Namine told me, they're a group of professional spies that worked inside the Public Security Division under Shinra's executive, Heidegger. They're usually tasked with kidnappings, assassination, or any other objectives they had at the time.

Roxas: So they're basically like the Organization XIII but without all the power of Darkness or whatever?

Xion: (Shrugs) I guess so? I'm not too sure about the comparison myself, but it could pretty interesting to think about.

Roxas: Maybe.....

'Door Opens'

Lea: (Walks Out of the Bathroom While Wearing Black Suit of his Own With a Loosen up Shirt, A Ponytail, a Small Looking Rod in his Hands, and Goggles on his Forehead) Alright! Who's ready for the party?

Roxas: Bout time you got done getting dressed in there.....

Xion: (Pouts at Lea) And what is with that loosen up shirt? You don't look remotely professional at all!

Lea: (Starts Smirking Confidently) That's cause I'm dressed as the coolest member of the Turks.....(Whirl his Rod Around Before Pointing at Roxas and Xion) Reno!

Roxas: (Takes a Look at the Toy Weapon) What kind of weapon is this?

Lea: A rod. It's also be a taser. (Makes the Rod Do a Buzzing Sound Once He Press a Button) Pretty cool, huh?

Roxas: Eh. It's average.

Xion: Yeah. Your Keyblade is way more cooler than his rod.

Lea: I mean, yeah..... But this is the weapon he use. So......(Shrugs) What are gonna do? (Turns to Lea and Isa's Bedroom Door) Isa! You're finishing up in there or what!?

Isa: (In the Bedroom) I'll be out in a minute! I just need to finish up the adjustment first.

Lea: Adjustment of what? You never told us what kind of costume you gonna wear this year!

Xion: Yeah! Are you gonna be like one of us? The Turks!?

Isa: Not quite.

Once the door begins to open, Isa starts walking out of the room while the wearing a black, leather like attire and a single black angel onto his back, easily resembling that as to the one winged menace himself, Sephiroth.

Isa: This is my costume.

Lea: (Eyes and Mouth Begins to Widened in Complete Shock and Disbelief as He Let his Rod Drop Down on the Floor)

Roxas: (Eyes Begins Widened as Well Along With Xion) Oh my god.......

Isa: So? What are your thoughts?

Xion: I-It looks good on you, Isa....

Roxas: Too good.......

Lea: W-What makes you...wanna wear that kind of costume in the first place?

Isa: I figured I would try and spice it up a bit. Make myself look more spooky and menacing or whatnot. (Suddenly Begins to Smirk a Bit Seductively at his Boyfriend) Is it to your liking?~

Lea: (Already Started to Blush) Y-Yeah! I mean.....It took me off guard when we saw, but.....Yeah.....It...kind of look good on you...

Isa: (Simply Nodded) Thank you. I believe I can say the same for your costume too. Especially since you're just as much of an hot-headed idiot as Reno ever was.

Lea: (Immediately Glares at Isa) Hey! Don't try and compare the two of us from one another like that! I'm way more cooler than he is!

Isa: Your coolness factor is debatable really. (Shrugs) But I suppose I still love you all the same. (Gives Lea a Kiss on the Cheek) Dumbass. (Starts Walking Towards the Door)

Lea: (Groans While Placing his Hand on his Cheek) I don't know if I should be flattered, annoyed, or terrified right now......

Roxas: (Starts Making his Way to the Door Along with Xion) Keep it in your pants, hotshot. We gotta get going.

Xion: Yeah, Axel! Quit being Lovey-Dovey and let's go!

Lea: (Immediately Glares at Roxas) EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME!?

@keyenuta

@caleb13frede

@26shann

@khtext

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@italian-love-cake

@cyber-wildcat

@seasaltcomics

[editorialsonlife]

Well

Welp, feeling like doing an update because there's been a lot going on to be honest. its one of those weird dichotomies where every day feels like an eternity and there's so much going on and then you look back and you're like oh, ok its just my brain making it difficult and making things take forever but anyway.

LOCKDOOOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNNNN

Lockdown life was good, apart from being thrust into it so suddenly dave left a banana on his desk. Wasn't great to come back to after 5 weeks out of the office - mummified mouldy banana!! Classic. We luckily got our first jab before lockdown started so that was good, and we were reasonably well stocked up on food and were generally a lot healthier this lockdown that last. honestly, there's a level of chill and serenity in lockdown that i just love. the ability to set my own schedule and only work the hours I actually work to get the job done? Amazing. getting 8.5 hours of sleep each night without having to wake to an alarm blaring? AMAZING. getting to go for walks every afternoon? SO FLIPPING GOOD. I love it so much, I really really do. I need this to be my life permanently.

WORK

Work is just ongoing and draining and honestly, coming back to the office was so fucking stressful and it was only one day. Being at home is just the fucking bomb. Pending home decisions, I wanna go contracting I think, but also ideally two part time contracts to have more flexibility? I dunno. You'd think a big 4 would provide variety but it really doesn't and honestly, with Richie leaving, wellington is just a sinking ship. Sean's off on parental leave, Kirstyn is down to four days a week, ben will be gone if he doesn't get promoted (and I don't think he will be tbh). Jack is just muddling along, Nigel wants to swap to consulting as well, Matt's going to be a shit leader in terms of bringing in work so it's just not going to work. and in our wider group it's going to get even more messy with heaps of the analysts leaving and a couple of senior hires too. so I think it's probably time to jump ship in general, pending the home stuff below. Also, coming back after a break again, I'm like, I don't actually like a lot of you? All the people I enjoy here are in other teams and groups, and I'll be sad to leave you all, but like, not enough to stay anyway lol.

Pending the home below, two options are to just going and get a job with a $30k payrise to make up for the maternity leave benefits I'm gunna leave behind when I leave this role - 18 weeks full pay, $100 a week for the first year back and a full year of maternity leave. It's basically 30k post tax which is a bit nuts to walk away from to be honest.

Otherwise the other option is to go contracting. Less security overall but holy shit so much money. If I went in as a project coordinator at the lowest rate to build up a bit of a portfolio I'd need to work 40 weeks of 40 hr weeks and Id basically match my current salary plus the lost family leave benefits and still qualify for govt maternity leave payments. Realistically I could go in as a project manager for $140 an hour ($60 more an hour than the above math) and absolutely smash it at that level as well so ya know, there's a bunch of other info. I like the idea of the flexibility of it and only having 6 months even if its a shitshow and beign able to walk away at the end of it. I really don't want to get a govt job and this is a v govt town which is fine but also, if I can avoid it that would be great. I just know I'm not gunna thrive in that environment.

Need to talk to Dave to get him across the line on the security issue part of that though. I've mostly come a long way in terms of my financial management (thanks YNAB) so I think he'd be ok with it mostly.

So there's a lot to toss up there because......

HOME

We got the reno plans done during lockdown, finally. which was super good. but holy fkn jesus $$$$$$ ++++++++++. The guy is coming around for the final quote on Thursday. We indicatively said $100k total because we're doing kitchen laundry bathroom and toilet. so only the most expensive rooms and when I was talking to him last week he said 'that might cover it' and they're seeing cost escalations of 7-10% a week which is just insane. we're not doing anything structural apart from putting in a cavity slider in the bathroom, and the quote they'll give us won't include flooring since they won't do it.

Meanwhile, the prefab homes I were looking at for our site were $425k fully done. Like, I'm not going to spend $130K on doing up my 1940s ex state house ya know? That's not good cost benefit ratio.

So depending on what that comes out at on thursday we'll be able to make some plans.

We also want to start trying for kids next year and need these renos done first - I am not having kids and no dishwasher lol.

Also we need bank financing so good to be in a permanent stable job for that application. the good thing is we have so much equity we know we can borrow whatever we need, I just don't want to spend that much money on it because it's fkn ridiculous. and if I'm going on maternity leave we need to be able to cover it all on dave's salary and whatever benefits I have as well so there;s a lot of financial planning and spreadsheeting going on at the moment lol. it's fab.

either way. we've got plenty of options up our sleeve. we've got friends who's brother owns a building company so we can talk to them, we've got the garage so we can get things prefabricated even if they're not installed til next year, Dave can get shit at cost through his work for whiteware, there;s plenty of things to like cost control we can do, we just need to know where we're starting from basically. thats the challenging part. but we'll figure it out, its just taking longer than I want it to basically.

We also planted up the vege garden for the spring/summer which was lovely, super jazzed about that. we've finally got the garden to a reasonably low maintenance level where everything is mostly under control and it's such a relief, honestly.

PERSONAL

Man what a shift to lockdown last year honestly. I think the last 8 weeks in particular has just been like, a massive reality check of how absolutely shit the last year was and how fucking glad I am to be rid of it. I spent a week absolutely spiralling 2 weeks ago now and honestly, I don't know how I lived in the state for more than a year. I actually don't know how I did it. and I could not be more glad that I'm finally on the other side of it, for the most part. There's still a bunch of other stuff to work through (hahahahahaha when is there not like damn) but fucking hell its nice to just not be anxious and nauseous and wound up constantly. life is actually accessible. miracle.

My workmate had his bebe - I went round and got newborn cuddles and was like, oh, is this what it is to be clucky? this is odd. so there's that as well. I think we'll probably start trying next year pending renos and jobs etc. If the renos can be done in jan I'll prob just stick it at the job to get the benefits but I dunno. it's a tough call to make really. we shall see. This all assumes we get knocked up without any issues which is questionable these days. I really want to feel healthier before getting pregnant as well, and part of that is losing weight. however, given discussing that is what triggered the spiral we're working on that one slowly.

Also, lets have a moment for counselling, because fkn bless anne and all her hard work honestly. I actually ended up emailing her being like, I;m losing my shit on the monday and then talked to her on thursday. And its so funny because it's such a counselling thing but I didn't realise until afterwards what she'd done but she was like you're clearly not doing well and then the night before dave got a fkn miserable migraine and he was up for like, 2 hrs powerchucking except he didn't make it to the bathroom in time so guess who was cleaning up vomit at 130am trying not to chuck herself but I digress. anyway, not doing well, couldn't even explain why, didn't even have words and super tired and she's like, what lynaire up to this week how's she going with izzy and chat about that and then be like how are you feeling about your body and then 5 more mins of chat about the cat and the chickens and then like bam hard question and then hows it going with x and y and z and its like, it wasn't til I was on my walk afterwards when I FINALLY started feeling marginally better I was like damn woman work your magic for figuring it out for me and helping me reregulate. all over the phone as well since we were still in lockdown. GREAT WORK FRIEND.

and then last week was like totally fucked theoretical discussion about religion and the role it's played in my life and fate vs free will and all this nutty shit but genuinely just a great discussion. She's the best and I love her. thank good for good counsellors. thank god I can afford to pay for it honestly.

Dave and I are just chugging along, god bless that man. I love him. its amazing. I miss having friends close by but understand why they had to move (boooooo f u house prices). Family is pretty chill, still not really talking to dave's parents which is nightmarish but we'll deal with that when we need to. gunna have to go and visit them at some point coz dave misses them and I feel for him, I really do. It's the whole boundaries renegotiation I went through with my family last year post wedding blow up and its just not a fun place to be. oh well. can't fix it for him but also I'm not putting up with that level of BS from either of our families once we have children. not gunna happen.

Either way, life is busy and full and fun and I'm enjoying it. Daylight savings starts this weekend too, its october next week WTF and I'm just waiting for 4pm to find out what's gunna happen to our girls trip. Clearly we cancelled our sept trip to christchurch and akaroa and hanmer springs so my covid travel curse continues. fkn ridic. Still dunno what we're gunna do with $2500 of flight credits coz if we get knocked up theres def no international trips happening any time soon.

thus concludes the almost 2000 word write up of life. hope you've enjoyed it. I'll throw up some pics in a separate post if people care about reno plans. such a good time!

[feverinfeveroutfic]

chapter three: the first skeleton

“So let me get this straight,” Joey started. “If you and I are gonna be dates to Aurora's wedding, I have to meet your parents?”

“That's correct,” Sam replied with a nod of her head. “It just makes sense to me. My mom and dad need to know who my friends—and more than friends—are.”

“But we're not actually dating, though,” he pointed out.

“I know we aren't. But we are wedding dates.”

Joey shook his head and his black curls spread about over his slender shoulders. “Wait, huh?”

“Yes?”

“Huh. Wait.” He brought a finger to his dark lips.

“Wait?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

They froze right there in the front foyer.

“Wait a second, wait a second,” Joey said with a wave of his hand, “—back up, back up. Go over that again.”

“I did twice already, Joey,” she insisted. “You're my date to Aurora and Emile's wedding whenever it'll be, but you and I aren't actually in a full relationship, though. Make sense?”

“Yes, actually—sorry, I had a little sip of booze earlier.”

“Had a feeling you did,” she replied, nonchalant, “I'll make you sleep in the same room as me and Bel if that's what it comes down to.”

“Heh, sleepin' in the same room as two girls,” he laughed as he ran his fingers through his black curls.

“Yeah, you would like that wouldn't you?” Belinda called from the top of the stairs.

“Like it?” Joey retorted. “It'd be fun as hell.”

“Maybe some other time,” Sam vowed to him with a wink and he giggled at the notion. Aurora strode into the narrow space right behind them with a pair of champagne glasses in either hand, and something bubbling inside of them.

“Champagne, already?” Sam asked her with a gaping of her mouth.

“Sparkling cider,” Aurora corrected her and she handed the one in her right hand to her.

“Is there more?” Joey asked her.

“Oh, yeah, full bottle right in the next room.” And he ducked behind her to fetch the bottle; but then she turned to Sam.

“He's gonna be my date to your wedding,” she told her.

“Aw!” A soft blush crossed Aurora's face to where she resembled a geisha. “I'm getting married and my best friend has a date!”

Sam stopped in her tracks. She thought about what she had told to Joey and what he said to her, and yet that sentiment made her think otherwise about it.

“—yes?” she sputtered out as she could feel her face growing warm. “Yes! Yes, yes! He's officially my date!”

“Perhaps Emile and I can come to your wedding soon?”

“Maybe, if Joey finds his way around the rings section and finds one as beautiful as that purple one you have on.”

“We're the twin vixens, both of us,” said Aurora as she raised her glass to her.

“Heh, the twin vixens.” They clinked the rims of the glasses together and drank down the cider in unison. Joey said something in the next room, but Sam was fixed on her best friend before her.

“So what can I—I mean, Joey and I get you for the big day?”

“Not sure yet,” Aurora confessed. “I'll be making up a list soon enough and then I shall share it.”

“Another toast to us,” Sam told her, and they clinked their glasses together again. Aurora downed her cider altogether right there and then she raised a finger to her, such that her engagement ring flashed with that bright purple under the lights.

“Hang on—I have to ask Emile something.” And she bowed back into the same room as Joey and the cider bottle. Sam stood there in the middle of the floor with her free hand tucked into her pajama pocket. Her best friend was getting married: it seemed so surreal to her, especially after just a couple of years of knowing one another. The front door swung open and Marla stepped inside of the foyer: her pink and orange hair glimmered under the ceiling light so it almost resembled to metal.

“Hey, you,” Sam greeted her.

“Hey—did you hear about Aurora?” Marla's face lit up as she shut the door behind her.

“Did I hear? It's everywhere.” Sam took a sip of cider before she spoke again. “By the way, I feel like I haven't seen you in a million years. How are things with you?”

“You know, I just think of what Zelda and Belinda said to the boys after Cliff died,” she began in a low voice.

“The fact we should go places ourselves?” Sam recalled.

“Yeah.” Marla gazed on at her with a thoughtful look plastered across her face. “I just feel like there's more to life than commuting to and from school, you know?”

“Yeah,” Sam replied with a nod of her head. “I do know.”

“And I feel like that since Kirk and Rebecca having gotten married, and now Aurora and Emile are engaged, it kind of makes me wonder what the two of us are doing to be honest.”

“You know, Joey and I are gonna be dates to Aurora and Emile's wedding.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. But it's platonic, though—we're not actually dating.”

“I can see it becoming that, though,” Marla pointed out, to which Sam shook her head at that.

“That was said about me and Frankie and he and I are still good friends with each other,” she flatly said.

“But you should see how he's been looking at you, though, Sam. Pfff, never mind Frankie, you should see how Charlie's been looking at you since you started getting heavy.”

“Haven't noticed,” she confessed.

“I actually had to slap Charlie to snap him out of it. I mean, it's nothing against you—I just wonder if there's far more beyond what we already know here.”

Sam nibbled on her bottom lip and she gazed on at the remainder of the cider in the glass. The bubbles floated from the bottom all the way to the surface, and she thought about Joey and that bubbling grin on his face. Maybe there was something far more to him than she had thought before. He wanted to stay away from the alcohol and yet things kept on happening that forced him back into it yet again: she thought back to the hockey rink and just how full of life he was around her, there on the ice.

Maybe that was it. Maybe she needed to break some more ice just to get into him and get him away from all that ailed him. It was so obvious to her!

Aurora already assumed it, but maybe she could play with it a bit more towards Marla.

“What would you say if he and I actually started dating?” she asked her.

“What would I say? I'd say job well done, little sister.”

“And what if we don't?”

“I'd still say job well done, little sister, but under one condition, though.”

“And what would that be?”

“You go out with Charlie for a week.”

“You're actually gonna let that happen?”

“Not necessarily let it.” Marla raised her eyebrows at her, and that was when Sam gasped.

“Oh, no!”

And Marla nodded her head.

“Yeah, as soon as we get home, I'm taking my things and Dream Genie with me back down to Hell's Kitchen. That is if the apartment is still vacant. It happened just five minutes ago—I came in to tell you about it plus Aurora getting engaged.”

“Wow,” Sam breathed out. “So Zelda broke up with Louie and now Marla's broken up from Charlie.” Marla shook her head and her iridescent hair shimmered with the pink and orange tones. “Drummers,” Sam added.

“Drummers, for sure. I guess Joey is one, too?”

“He sure is!”

“Well, if you guys do end up together in the end, make sure you hold onto him. Don't make the same mistake Zelda and I made and get caught up in your own bullshit.” She sighed through her nose.

“Well—we've got a whole weekend here on the West Coast,” Sam suggested. “I was planning on taking Joey over to Reno to meet my parents just 'cause, and also to tell my parents that my best friend is getting married.”

“Oh, I see, you want your mom and dad to know what they're getting themselves into with him,” Marla said.

“Exactly! They need to know who my friends and more than friends—” She flashed a wink when she said that. “—are.”

“I just have one question, though,” Marla started again.

“What's that?”

“How're you getting over there? Charlie has the keys.”

“So do you, though,” Sam pointed out.

“True. I don't really want to leave him here in the Bay Area, though.”

“Why not? They're all friends here.”

“How 'bout we do it on Sunday and then fly from Reno? Danny and Frankie drove here from Reno.”

“Nah. We would have to hustle back here—I kinda wanna get to know these guys better, too. The guys from Exodus and Death Angel... they all seem so nice.”

“It's all tightly woven here. They're all friends and neighbors just like back in New York—”

Big laughter across the way cut Marla off, and they both turned towards the door.

“What's going on?” she wondered aloud. Sam downed the rest of her cider and she lunged past Marla for the door. The sun had set over Marin Heights but Greg and Alex had lit up a couple of hurricane lanterns on the front porch of Testament's cabin. They were seated on a pair of stools, and both of them cradled old guitars in their laps: Sam looked closer to find Greg had found an old off white banjo.

“What're they doin',” she chuckled and she walked out of there first, and Marla followed. Alex had his head bowed over the dusty old guitar, which looked as though it was about to crumble apart if he plucked too hard with his fingertips. He raised his head right as Sam and Marla stood before them, and he nodded at them.

“Forgot my picks,” he told them with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Next Testament album is gonna have a banjo on it,” Sam told him and Greg.

“Oh, yeah, definitely!” Greg laughed at that as he plucked at the strings: it wasn't that familiar rustic sound but something along those lines.

“Li'l dueling strings before we turn in for the night,” Alex declared with another nod of his head, and his jet black hair dangled over his shoulders like a pair of dog ears.

“A banjo and a xylophone,” Greg continued.

“A banjo, xylophone, and a kazoo,” Alex added.

“A banjo, xylophone, kazoo, and Jew's harp!” Marla chimed in.

“I like how you looked right at me when you said that,” Alex said with a straight face.

“Well, yeah,” Sam teased him, and she could feel her face growing warm again.

“Bet these girls wanna play your Jew's harp, Alex,” Greg quipped as he crossed his legs and moved the banjo onto his knee; and Alex rolled his eyes at that.

“Oy vey, dare I say,” he groaned.

“Hey, that rhymed,” Marla pointed out with a smirk on her face.

“Yeah, it did,” he said with a pensive look on his face, “and I'll tell you this, Greg—if they do that, they both gotta stand on my chest.” Sam and Marla laughed out loud at that, and the former wondered where this Alex had come from. It could have been from the guitar on his lap, but she had no idea. But then again, he bowed his head and let the hair fall over his shoulders once more. Greg plucked at the fine banjo strings as if they belonged on his bass guitar. Alex kept his gaze fixed on the dusty old strings, and Sam thought back to that first time she got to see him in action with them back at L'Amour. He was always in the zone to say in the least, and nothing else seemed to bother him when he played on those strings: just completely in a world of his own while he paid attention to the band around him.

He then lifted his head a bit: the pink and orange twilight left a glow on the villa around them, and that glow shone onto his round face so it seemed rounder and softer than before, like that of the moon. Still very much just a boy. Sam peered over her shoulder at the incoming clouds for the night, and she noticed the ones that appeared to be higher up, the ones shaped like big pillows. She wondered if they would have a bit of rain for the evening.

He looked over at Greg for a few seconds and he kept his hand over the guitar body all the while. Greg began something that resembled to a bass line on the banjo and he nodded back at Alex.

“Call that a duel?” Alex challenged him.

“We'll see about that,” Greg retorted as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. Alex never moved as he plucked at the guitar strings harder and faster in comparison.

“What the hell, you playin' 'Over the Wall'?”

“Nah, 'Alone in the Dark'. Doesn't sound the same like in the studio and on my electric but it's—” He plucked hard, fast, and steady across the strings: to Sam, it was just a wall of continual acoustic guitar noise.

“'Alone in the Dark' on a banjo,” Greg chuckled as he strove to keep up. “Too deep and technical for this.”

“I can see it working, though,” Alex pointed out.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah—you'd have to step it down a bit, but it can work. I can see it.” Greg reached up to adjust the tightness of one of the strings, and then he brought his fingers back to the neck. He strove to keep up with Alex, but he wasn't as quick and it just sounded the same as before.

“Lower, dude, lower!” Alex exclaimed.

“It's gonna be out of tune, though, Alex,” Greg insisted.

“What's going on out here?” Zetro called from Sam and Marla's right. He had a white towel over the back of his neck and an unlit cigarette in one hand.

“Stuff,” Sam replied to him.

“All kinds of stuff,” Marla added.

“Dueling banjos, I see,” Zetro remarked.

“Banjo and a guitar,” Greg corrected him as he adjusted the tuning on the banjo again to bring it back.

“Zelda and I are going down to the beach,” Zetro said. “And then we're going back to my place.”

“You're not gonna stay here?” Sam asked him.

“Nah, it's gonna be the two of us plus Tom and Gary in that cabin—I want her to be comfy.”

“And I can see you not being comfy, too,” Marla said.

“Nah, I'm more concerned with her because we're all brothers up here,” Zetro explained. “Every last one of us. And even more so since Cliff passed. We gotta stay together, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah...” Sam turned her attention back to Alex, who was still very much in the zone of things with that dusty old guitar. Even in the dim light, she was mesmerized by his strong plucking on the strings. It made her think of Cliff and she wondered more about him.

“Friendship knows no distance,” Zetro continued. “Anything like that knows no distance whatsoever. It's tough, but if you feel it within you, and you feel it strong enough, it goes away and you're closer than ever.” He held the cigarette up to his mouth and reached into his pocket for a lighter, and that was when Alex stopped right in his tracks. The silence that ensued settled over them like a ton of bricks.

“Oh, yeah, the little man's not crazy about cigarette smoke,” Zetro recalled.

“That's an understatement,” Alex groaned as he leaned back a bit.

“C'mon—live a little! We're supposed to get thunderstorms tonight and you fellas are goin' nuts on those things!”

Marla turned to Sam right then.

“So when do you and Joey plan on going to your parents' house?” she asked her in a low voice.

“Whenever,” Sam replied with a shake of her head. “We can leave first thing if you'd like.”

“Deal.” Marla nodded her head.

“—like a couple'a smart cowboys,” Zetro was saying.

“That's bluesmen to you,” Alex scoffed.

“What're you gonna do, though?” Sam asked Marla.

“I'll think of something,” she assured her, “—I can probably just come along to meet your parents, too, if you'd like. You know, the same logic and whatnot.”

“True, true.” Sam nodded.

“—out on the bayou with a spit bucket, too,” Zetro chided.

“God, no!” Alex groaned.

“Maybe the three of us can have dinner with my parents tomorrow night,” Sam suggested, still with her voice down low, “my mom makes the best homemade pizza and my dad'll know how to treat you, too. Like their mindset is always one of 'friends of Sam are friends of ours.'”

“Aw, I like that—I wish my parents were like that.”

“—eggs,” Greg blurted out.

“Eggs?” Marla asked him.

“Eggs.”

“Huevos rancheros, li'l Marla,” Zetro was saying as he brought the flame up to his cigarette, much to Alex's chagrin.

“So I'll bring the car around at seven?” Marla asked Sam.

“Seven? No.”

“Mmm, how 'bout eight?”

“It's almost four hours, though... seven thirty?”

“Yeah, meet ya in the middle. Let's do it.”

“Okay, I'll call my parents and then I'll tell Joey.” Sam flashed Marla another wink; Alex and Greg doubled back into their cabin and the two girls headed back to their own so they could let Zetro smoke out there. Joey was still nowhere to be seen and thus, Sam headed back up to her room for the phone, where Belinda awaited her with the copy of Siddhartha plunked out before her on the bottom bunk.

“Ah, I see you found the book Cliff introduced me to,” she noted.

“Yeah, I just saw it and I got curious,” Belinda confessed as she gave her blonde hair a slight toss back. “I've decided I'm gonna read more this year.”

“Read and make art? Sounds like a good life. By the way, Marla, Joey, and I are going up to Reno bright and early tomorrow.”

“Ooh, what's in Reno?”

“My parents.”

“Aw! Give 'em my love. You know, 'cause of Cliff and everything.”

“Of course, of course.”

Within time, she had called her parents and told them what was happening. At first, she believed it to be too quickly and too out of the blue, but Ruben was overjoyed to hear her voice. Soon, the two of them turned in for the night and Sam thought about her parents as she fell asleep. Indeed, the mysterious man showed up in her dream once more. He had Greg's banjo leaned up against his hip and he had one hand upon the post next to him.

“You have to be Alex,” she declared in a voice that felt so light she may as well have breathed it. “You have to be!”

“What have I said?” he asked her, and she fell silent, and she glanced around.

“What should I do?” she begged him. “What do you think I should do?”

“Bring it all home—you need to bring it all home.” And he reached over for a knock on the post next to him.

“What do you mean?”

“Bring it all home,” he repeated with another knock. “Bring it all home.”

She awoke right then, and that time to the sound of a knock on the door panel.

“Sam? You awake?” Marla!

She rubbed her eyes and inched towards the ladder down by her feet. Another few knocks.

“Sam? I told Joey right before we went to bed last night.”

“I'm coming, I'm coming,” she called out, “thank you, too.” Meanwhile, Belinda was still sound asleep in the bottom bunk. Sam hastily got dressed and then she and a still partially asleep Joey followed Marla back outside to the crisp, gray morning. Rain was upon them.

The three of them climbed into Charlie's rental car and drove out of the Bay Area and towards Sacramento. All the low grasslands made Sam think of upstate New York. It all felt like home to her, especially once they wound their way through the heart of the capitol city and came out the other side towards those mountains. It all felt like home and yet it all felt so quick. At least New York had vast stretches of forest before they even so much as saw the mountains.

“Wow,” Joey breathed out as they reached Donner Pass, which had a fresh blanket of snow once they reached the top.

“Yeah, I'll say,” Marla added, “thank you for being from this side of the country, Sam.”

“I still remember it well,” Sam declared. Within time, they wound through the mountains and they reached the northern side of Reno. She guided Marla to that neighborhood and it was right there, the butterflies emerged in her stomach. Besides Cliff and Frank, she never talked about her friends with her parents before, and she had good luck with the two of them. It was a total shot in the dark there with Joey because he was so different in comparison to the two of them. And there was Marla as well, with her dyed hair and having come fresh out of what appeared to be a picture perfect relationship with Charlie.

They turned the corner and Marla parked at the curb. Sam ran her fingers through her dark hair and she climbed out to the snow first. She led Joey and Marla up to the front step, and she knocked on the door panel first.

Silence, and then it swung open.

“There's my little girl!” Esmé greeted her with a big smile and open arms.

“Hi, Mom—”

“Oh, my god—I was just thinking about you and wondering when you'd show up.” Sam then turned to the side.

“This is my friend Marla,” she introduced her, “Marla from the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York.”

“Fellow artist,” Marla filled in with an outstretched hand.

“Love a good artist,” Esmé said as she took her hand. “I love your hair, too.”

“Thank you! It's a regular thing with me to change up my hair.”

“What's going on?” Ruben called from behind her.

“Sam and her friend are here, hon.”

“Oh!” Ruben was eager to embrace Sam and shake Marla's hand, but Joey lingered back from them with his hands in his jacket pockets as if he didn't belong there.

“And this is Joey,” Sam introduced him, to which Ruben hesitated and Esmé's grin froze right in place. Joey bowed his head and hunched his shoulders a bit; Esmé had a bit of a twinkle in her eye at the sight of him.

“Oh, my,” she remarked, and a slight blush crossed her face.

“Joey from near the Syracuse area,” he filled in with that distinct accent.

“Love Syracuse,” Ruben said with a nod of the head.

“Well, come on in, kids,” Esmé encouraged them and a warm sheen covered her cheekbones and her forehead upon saying that. “Come on in and make yourselves at home.”

Once Joey had shut the door behind him and the three of them took off their boots, Esmé tapped on Sam's shoulder.

“Can I—have a word with you for a second?” she whispered to her, and Sam followed her into the kitchen so they were out of earshot.

“What's going on?”

“That—boy,” she said, and Sam could see the twinkle in her eye. “What do you know about him?”

“He's a—singer and a drummer, and a hockey player.”

“Oh, my.”

“Mom—what's going on?” Sam asked her, hesitant.

“He—He reminds me of a boy I used to know when I was your age,” Esmé began in a low voice, to which Sam shrugged.

“And?”

“He was a boy I was friends with when your father and I were dating, and—we actually hung out one night.”

“Honey?” Ruben called from the front of the house.

“Yes?” Esmé replied back with a tilt of her head. He said something, and then she raised a finger to Sam, who stood there baffled.

“Mom, what're you trying to tell me?” she demanded in a soft voice.

“I love your father very much, but there was another man, though,” she quipped in a low whisper. “Another man just like him and—I guess the feelings never went away, either. I'll tell you later.”

Esmé ducked around her and Sam bowed her head, and buried her face in her hands.

“Ugh, again?” she groaned in a muffled voice.

[leeus-writing]

oh hi! I hope you and tiny leeu are doing well! may I please request reno + fireplace and nsfw if you would like! :)

Hi

I hope you like this.

Smut under cut

Fire Passion

You sat beside the large fireplace in the Junior Suite of the Icicle Inn. Your first trip away with the man you were dating. Just a weekend one. Still, you felt a little reserved. You didn’t know much about Reno, he was a mystery. Gang tattoo’s, yet dressed smartly and a cocky attitude. He was an enigma. He never spoke about his job, only that he worked for Shinra. You’d been to his apartment once, which was in the worst area on sector 3 top plate. Though the worst area of a top plate was still a million times better than the Slums. You’d seen one family photo of his in his apartment, which he’d quickly hidden.

You tried asking him questions, but he’d respond with, “You know I can’t answer that right now.” You started to suspect he might be a Turk and you were a little scared to ask. Your friends had already told you to ditch the guy, but inside you wanted some excitement in your life, and he hadn’t hit you. Yes, the sex was rough, but you liked that.

“Hey, want some wine?”

His voice made you jump, dragging you from your thoughts. You turned smiling at Reno, “Oh, sorry I was just thinking. Wine would be lovely,” you replied struggling to your feet.

You joined him at a table where he poured out some of the sweet white wine. He passed you the glass and smiled.

“Well, what do ya think. Don’t say I don’t treat ya,” he said.

“How, can you afford this?” you asked looking around.

“You know I cant talk about my work,” his smile had fallen from his face.

You shifted uncomfortably from his response. It was a little snappy but perhaps you’d asked questions far to often. “I’m sorry Reno but, your just so secretive.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes a little before leaning against the table. “Right… Listen. I can’t tell ya about my job, not without risking your life. Do ya understand? What I do is dangerous,” His turquoise eyes capture yours in a tight grip. You nodded slowly, feeling a little awkward.

“Hey, one day it might be safe enough to discuss. Right now, we’re on holiday, right?” he said picking up his own drink and downing it in one.

You put your glass down and walked over to him, placing your hands on his chest, “It’s just you’re a mystery Reno. My friends tell me to ditch you, maybe I should. But something keeps telling me to hang on.”

Reno raised an eyebrow and gripped your elbows. “Oh? Do they tell ya I’m the bad guy?” He asked leaning down and kissing you, nipping your lip a little.

“Yeah,” you replied deepening the kiss.

The sound of the crackling fire was all that could be heard between your kisses for a short time. He took your breath away. He always did, you sighed and leaned in closer wanting to feel all of his body. His hands gripped you harder as the kissing became fiercer.

Reno staggered back a little sitting down onto the bed and pulling you onto his lap. His kisses trailed from your mouth to your neck. He bit down and sucked, sending shock waves down your body as he marked you as his. He let go and kissed the mark, “Mine,” Snarled.

Your breath was becoming hot and heavy as his hands wondered up under your jumper, helping you free the clothing from your body. You were left in jeans and a Bra. Reno grinned, ripping the Bra from your body.

“I hope you have another because that one is gone,” he said chucking the remains to the floor.

You didn’t but right then, you didn’t care. Reno gripped your breasts, placing his thumps over your hardening nipples, “Nice,” He hissed “You want more?”

You nodded a reply and moaned a little.

“No?”

“Yes, please more!” You snarled.

Reno laughed and slid you off of him. He lay you on your back and removed your jeans, leaving you in little more than your panties. The fabric already dampening. He started by running a thumb along the crotch line, only gently putting pressure over your most sensitive spot.

Each tantalising touch made you arch your back and gasp. “So Easy,” Reno growled a little, the grin firmly back on his face. He loved to talk even during sex. He rarely had little to say.

“Lets see,” he hissed kissing your belly, he slipped his fingers under the fabric and plunged them deep within you. You came in seconds, eyes wide with shock as you gripped the bed sheets. Sweat beaded at your brow. As you finished coming down from your shocking high, you heard Reno slip his belt and trousers off.

“Not finished just yet,” he said pulling your hips close to the edge of the bed.

He wrapped your legs around his hips and slid into you easily. He tested how much of him you could take before holding your hips down, “If ya good, I might let you cum again.”

You whimpered and closed your eyes as more pleasure pulsed over you, “Reno… I”

“You what?”

“I … Please, I need.” Your grip became tighter. The bedsheets twisted in your fists.

“Just say it,” Reno hissed shifting position so he could slam harder into you, he let go of your hip with one of your hands and held your arm down. Your eyes locked on with his. He looked a little wild. It was … Amazing.

“I need you,” You hissed.

This took him back a little, his rough hold loosened as he looked down. His hand slowly cupped your face. He kissed you softly, hands going back to your hips as he thrust, once, twice three times before cumming. He buried himself into your neck as he emptied within you, tipping you over the edge once again. You clung to him, crumpling his shirt in your hands taking in his spicy scent.

Reno relaxed a little on you before sliding off and laying by your side. You turned your head to look at him, the mystery man who drove you crazy. The fire was the only sound in the hotel room for a little while.

“You need me?” Reno asked a little confused.

“Yeah, my life would be so boring without you now.”

“Hmm… Guess I need you to. Ya stability. My life is a little crazy at time.”

You smiled and kissed his hand, “I can try and be that for you.”