#poor kids supper club

[theonceandfuturequeenoftarts]

ooooooo what’s poor kids supper club????

Thank you for the ask, lovely anon!

I don't really remember plotting out "poor kids supper club," so odds are I did it in October, during the fever dream that was writing the Promptening. I think I meant for it to be one of the Promptening chapters, but it grew legs and horns and I just set it to the side.

Here's what that doc file contains (still mostly point-form notes):

Muggle AU; basing this on the Canadian university system, as that’s the one I have experience with  Harry sees that Ron is struggling to afford tuition, rent and meals, even with a part-time job and needs-based bursaries, wants to help him out but knows Ron will turn down any direct attempt at assistance (he has before).  Potter parents died in a house fire (James from part of the house falling on him, Lily of smoke inhalation from getting Harry and getting outside) and, due to mismanagement, the Dursleys took the insurance payout for the house - Still mistreated Harry (because they're trash like that) But Harry has some money that his parents set aside for his education, a portion of the insurance payout from his parents’ deaths available to him, and the rest – as well as his modest inheritance – will become available to him once he turns twenty-five, as well as a full-ride scholarship (probably for ⚽), so he’s comfortable. Not absurdly wealthy, but he can afford to be generous. He’s frugal due to his years of starving with the Dursleys – he doesn’t ever want to be at someone else’s financial mercy again. He also knows what it’s like to be the poor, hungry one and not have anyone else to rely on, and he doesn’t want anyone else to feel that way. His godfather also left him a big, totally-not-haunted fixer-upper house when he passed away, so Harry has a place to host these get-togethers – a giant kitchen and huge dining room.  So Harry posts a few signs around campus, especially near the financial aid office, offering dinner to anyone, no questions asked. They just have to give him a couple hours notice, and if they let him know at least a day ahead of time, they can make food requests.  So he drags Ron and Hermione over as often as possible to feed them, and sometimes they’re joined by another person or three, and it becomes something of a supper club. Draco shows up at some point because it’s popular/because Potter/to mock the poor people, and Harry says “really?” and Malfoy answers “You said no questions!” To which Harry shrugs and says “as long as you behave yourself, you can stay.” Tom becomes a fixture, because while he has scholarship money coming out his ears and a part-time job (because he’s not super challenged by the material and has enough time for it), he’s also trying to run with the rich kids, so any extra money he has goes towards better clothes and accoutrements.  - Plus, if some idiot’s going to be altruistic enough to feed him for free, he’s going to take advantage of that It becomes popular enough that Harry institutes a pay-what-you-can-if-you-can policy (looking at you, Malfoy) Turns into a whole thing, where people help each other out academically and they all do homework together, a support group during midterms and finals and when someone’s having a rough day, they have games nights and go on outings together, and there are groups within the group. If people need a place to stay, they can apply to have one of the rooms in Harry’s fuck-off house for free (as long as they help keep it clean) Harry basically becomes low-key financial aid for his peers, and they think he’s the coolest, and he has no idea.

Yet another meandering, slice-of-life Flaky fic in the making (•ᴗ•,, )

(I just want them all to be warm and happy and eat together and probably cuddle-puddle together. My needs are simple.)

If anyone wants me to actually flesh this out and write it, feel free to include suggestions of what you'd like to see in it, too!

[caocao-caokie-blog]

@zumizumi1254

Takeo (武雄) Ichibangase (一番ヶ瀬)

Dorm: Ramshakle

Age: 18

Grade: 1st Year

Club: Science Club

Best subject: Astrology, Biology, P.E.

Worst subject: All Magic Classes and Math

Skills: Has a supper healthy green thumb. Like, super healthy. Back in Japan, he used to take care of plants from all over the world in Okinawa, since his family were botanists and farmers. He initially grew curious to the world at large and the plants in this world. Ichibangase knows a lot about different flora and all there is to know about them. He probably would get himself in danger more often than not trying to look for special types of plants in the botanical garden on campus. P.S. He’s trying to get into the Poison Making class for some reason I wonder why…

He also can remember the layout of the place if given the map, or if he has been there before. Like, the paintings tell him where stuff is, and he looks, sees the place (if safe), and keeps that information stored away.

——————————————————————————————

“Who’s he?”. “Don’t cha know that Yuu got themselves new freshies? They just poof! Came here like they did! All of them were also magicless and it caused a huge uproar!” “Wow. I wonder if the selection is faulty or something…” “Haha! Yeah, probably. I mean, how does the magic carriages just kidnap someone from another world!”.

Silently, a boy with grey hair walked far away,

Takeo was a relatively silent kid. Always curious about the world, always interested in the stories the world hold, and what they could have inside of them. This was especially true in plants. They were easy to take care of if you actively cared and payed attention to them. They were much better company than other people anyways.

This sadly led to a lot of bullying from the other kids for being uninterested in stuff like shows, games, or adventure. They threw rocks, made mocking names, and more, but that didn’t stop him. They eventually stopped, and instead, focused more on his passion for plants. This isolation changed the coming year with exchange students from abroad.

——————————————-———————————————

Friends:

Isagani & Kauê: Known as Kentaro by him, they are like inseparable peas in a pod, but not without Kauê, or Yuto! The three regularly take off and ditch class to talk with one another, usually in the botanical garden or in the woods. They talk on and on about the most mundane or useless things, but have such a great time talking with each other that it never gets boring. They talked about an apple for at least an hour straight. Even though they most likely aren’t- But, don’t let their magicless qualities fool you. If you hurt any one of them, the other two will make sure you never see the light of day.

Riddle: Slightly sad, but I feel like Riddle sees him and sees a bit of him in Takeo. A small, sad, hurt part of him that only survived due to two close friends. Both are very awkward in conversations, but the somehow managed to hold a relationship with Takeo being the one to be shy for the most part.

Yuu: The prefect of the Ramshackle dorm…Ah, poor them. Takeo may not look like trouble, but BOY is he trouble! He nearly beat a teasing senior to near blackout because he teased Kentaro about his illness. He was suspended for a week and Yuu, with Yuuken, had to manage this whole issue. Takeo may not look it, but man got some steel under that scrawny physique. Never mess with him or his friends!

Yuuken: A nice senpai that helped Isagani, Kauê, and he when they appeared in Twisted Wonderland. The first one, with Yuu, to help them in their wacky times in NRC! He also teaches bird calls to Takeo, another fascination of his during the impromptu field trip to another world.

——————————————————————————————

In the science club, he mainly focuses on botany, but, is known to be the help in keeping stock on what ingredients are needed, and the wants of the students there. He mainly keeps to himself, only talking to other if they need something from him or help. The exception is when it comes to poisons. As he entered this world, he has been sort of obsessed with the worlds flora, specifically, venomous plants. Just, stay away from the garden with blue flowers, yeah? （＾_＾）

[crybabyddl]

Strike Two

Levi Ackerman x Fem!Reader

Word Count: like, over 20.8k which is insane

Warning: swearing, smut, dubcon/noncon elements(?) corporal punishment, physical violence, mentions of vomiting, alcohol consumption, spanking, spitting, hair pulling, choking, riding crops, public humiliation, degradation, praise, dom/sub elements, sexual acts, depressive thoughts, enemies with benefits, enemies to lovers, literally just dirty, dirty smut ok thanks bye. But also fluff, romance, and friends to lovers if you squint hard enough lmao. :)) YOU MUST BE 18+ TO CONSUME THIS CONTENT!!!

NOTE: This is a very very nsfw piece of fiction. I do not associate any of the AOT characters with these actions. Please treat this for what it is; fictional content that does not accurately reflect my views on a particular person, character, franchise, etc.

This piece DOES NOT contain any AOT spoilers. This is an imagine that takes place in an alternate universe. Anyone 18+ can read this, no matter how far along you are in the series or manga! :)) Enjoy!

P.S. This is mainly a Levi x Reader, but there is a bit of a friends to lovers romantic dynamic between the reader and Jean. Just go with it and see how it unfolds. Either way you’ll like the story hehe.

Author’s Note: we’re horny and we’re simping. no shame here. join the fucking club besties. anyway, consider this my kinktober submission for the entire month bc this took me a long time to write. also, i did not proofread the whole thing so it might totally suck ass, idk. lmk if i need to make any edits or corrections! PLS TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!! <333

—

Levi was training the newest group of cadets. It’s just basic field endurance training and sparring, the usual routine. One of the cadets, Jean Kirstein—a promising recruit with some asshole tendencies, dubbed “Horse Face” by his friends and foes—was sitting out today. He complained of a weak stomach; something Levi had expected.

Last night at supper, he’d asked the staff to prepare extra servings so that he could test the recruits, seeing if their eyes would be bigger than their stomachs. The Captain knew that you had to take every aspect of your life into consideration when you work for an organization like the Survey Corps.

Captain Ackerman had a three strike system. Each trainee had three chances to slip up before they’d be booted from the program. This was far too generous in his eyes—just one mistake was enough to see one of your comrades killed. He’d witnessed it far too many times before, and would rather die than be the bearer of such a cross, let alone one of the cadets under his command.

It was only the kid’s first strike, so he’d go easy on the poor soul in terms of punishment. Levi remembered that the bathrooms needed to be cleaned, so he made a mental note to put Jean in charge of that task. As he watched the cadets sparring with their blades, he noticed a group of three.

“Ah,” he thought to himself. “Since Horse Face is sitting out, there’s one less person to spar with.” He’d have to stand in; help one of his inferiors get some real training under their belt.

Levi approached the group, hands behind his back as if merely spectating their maneuvers. The trio consisted of the following:

Mikasa Ackerman. Levi’s cousin, just 3 years his junior. She was relentless in her attacks, but her emotions posed a threat to not only the chain of command, but the safety of herself and her peers.

Armin Arlert. An underdog on the surface, but the boy had heart like no other, refusing to give up on his comrades. He saw the good in everything and everyone, even if they were hopeless.

Y/N L/N. Despite being 20 years old like the rest of the recruits, the young woman had a childish attitude and a temperament issue. Reckless and insecure, she was passionate but hesitant.

The Captain found it odd that the three would choose to work together on their own accord, considering how vastly different they were from each other, but quickly moved onto the other duos as they fought one another. As he observed the duos—giving a nod to two of the more hopeful prospects, Eren Yeager and Annie Leonhart—he started considering who he’d want on his squad. He’d need at least five cadets to aid him on his missions.

As he returned to his initial observation post, his eyes drifted back over to the group of three. The twenty-three year old watched as Mikasa and Armin clashed blades. His gaze narrowed at the L/N girl, who stood with her weight shifted to one side, a hand placed over her cheek. The other two abruptly paused their duel when they saw Y/N’s actions, approaching her side and offering considerate expressions. No sooner was Armin waving over Captain Ackerman.

“What is it, Arlert?” Levi grumbled with exasperation. He was tired of waiting around for someone to impress him. All he wanted was to dump the slackers of the group before the next sunrise and take care of the enemies on the list Commander Erwin gave him.

“Y/N got hurt by one of the blades. She needs to go to the infirmary, sir.” He explained, his eyes flooded with worry.

The Captain looked over to his cousin, knowing he’d get the real story from her expression. As he suspected, Mikasa avoided his glance, keeping her eyes down, trained on the buttons of Y/N’s jacket, as if they too were sporting a gash.

“Is that true, Cadet?” His voice startled the injured trainee, causing her to straighten her posture, but she kept her gaze on her friends. Her hand stayed cupped over her left cheek, her shoulders stiff.

He’d seen this behavior before, many times. Cadets like Y/N L/N were flighty. Despite being rather loud and outgoing, they still had many a thought kept to themselves. However, if anyone could frack into the mind of a Survey Corps recruit, it was Captain Ackerman. The other thing he knew about people like this, was that they were easily intimidated.

“I– I got cut by a blade, yes.” She replied, moving her head down slightly, trying to hide behind the hair that framed her face.

“Whose blade? Was it Armin’s?” He questioned, beginning a slow, rhythmic pace around the three cadets. At this rate, she’d crack in under a minute.

“No. It wasn’t Armin’s.” She stated lowly. Levi knew her voice would tremble with his next question. It was almost comical how predictable these trainees were—if only it weren’t so pathetic, so pitiful.

“Oh,” He pressed further, striding past Armin and meeting the right side of Y/N’s face. “So it was Mikasa’s.” Levi made sure to emphasize his cousin’s name, causing the raven-haired girl to shoot a warning glare in his direction.

The Captain simply took it in his stride, not even remotely phased by his rather… moody relative. As he circled back to the left of the recruit under investigation, he quickly grabbed Y/N’s forearm, yanking it down.

With a hiss of pain, Y/N once again avoided the Captain’s pointed gaze. She could feel his eyes burning into the cut on her cheek, as if his irises were made of salt. She remained stiff, too afraid to move a muscle in fear of being reprimanded.

“It– no. It wasn’t because of Mikasa.”

“Yes it was.”

Levi looked over at his cousin, raising an eyebrow at her. He knew she was covering for the poor excuse of a cadet, but it wasn’t her fault her friend was such a screw-up.

“Shut it, Ackerman. Miss L/N, do you take me for some kind of incompetent bastard?” He spoke sternly, his voice carrying across the field without much effort. He had a deeper voice, but its frequency was one that instantly grabbed the attention of others.

Even if one had never met Captain Levi, they’d know it was his voice the second they heard it. The stories that were told throughout the towns were true. His words were gentle thunder. They pounded inside your head long after they left his lips. He could make anyone jump three feet in the air when he yelled. Nobody wanted to hear him talk to them, because it would most likely be antagonistic.

“N-no.”

“That’s ‘no sir’ to you. Now tell me, Cadet. Whose blade grazed you wickedly enough to stop training?”

The other cadets had stopped their dueling, becoming invested in the interaction between the Captain and their fellow comrade. Y/N’s face was burning far more than her wound now.

“It… it was mine. S-sir.”

Levi couldn’t believe how little of a backbone the girl had. How could she have made it this far? If he could recall correctly, the girl had only earned herself one strike; something rather surprising to the Captain the more he thought about it.

“Mikasa, you’ll train with me. L/N, report to me before heading inside.”

“Yes, sir.” The two girls gave their superior the proper salute. The Captain just rolled his eyes. He hated reprimanding his subordinates, despite popular belief. It was especially agonizing when it was over something as ridiculous as a minor injury.

The scene had de-escalated for the most part, but a handful of cadets were still chattering amongst themselves, wondering how large of a stick was up Captain Ackerman’s ass.

“Did I say you could stop training to watch me discipline a cadet? No, get back to work!” Levi shouted, scaring the slacking trainees into sparring once more.

—

After a couple more hours of training, the sun was beginning to set. This meant it was almost time for supper, everyone’s favorite part of the day besides bedtime. On this particular day however, Y/N was dreading the moment when the sky turned orange and the sun dipped below the rolling hills along the horizon.

She wanted so badly to sneak in between Mikasa, Armin, and Eren, shuffling among the herd of cadets. Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape her fate. It was as if Captain Levi knew what she was thinking. She wasn’t going to do it, but yet she felt as if she’d gotten caught when she approached her superior officer.

He’d just finished giving Jean his first strike. He looked back at Y/N giving her a small, sympathetic smile, waving to her with a flirtatious wink that sent a blush to her cheeks. Of course she was going to wave back—how often in this world would someone flirt with her? A woman in her twenties ought to be out living her life as careless and free as they come, not stuck at some bootcamp where she would be scrutinized for how well she could stomp her peers to the curb. At least that’s how Y/N felt, but she knew Captain Levi Dickerman wouldn’t share the same opinion. Speak of the devil…

“Do you realize this is your second strike, Miss L/N?” He put his hand out in front of him, like if she had taken a step closer, he would’ve projectile vomited out of pure hatred and disgust.

“What? I thought you said you were joking the first time!” She whined in disbelief. Levi shook his head, giving a menacing, almost warning scoff.

“I told you to not treat these strikes as a joke. Do you need your ears cleaned?” He retorted, putting his hand down, leaning his arm against the wooden fence.

“The only thing I need cleaned is the cut on my face you so graciously ignored just so you could make a fool out of me.”

Levi hummed incredulously, not liking the nerve this girl had. How dare she go against her commanding officer?

“Listen, screw-up. Your days of thinking you own the place are numbered. And by numbered, I mean over. You better get your act together before I have you working in the stables til your legs give out and your hands are bloodied and raw.” Levi stood up straight, getting in the girl’s face.

“Listen here, shorty. I’m sick and tired of you singling me out and acting like I’m the reason you’re stuck babysitting the cadets. It’s not my fault you can’t reach the stirrups on a saddle. Just give me my punishment and I’ll do better next time, alright?” The girl rolled her eyes. That was the final straw.

“Cadet, you’re lucky I can’t kick you out of this program myself. You’d’ve been long gone if that were the case. You are the most insufferable recruit I’ve ever had the displeasure of training and I refuse to be held responsible for your utter lack of skill and respect.”

Levi was fuming on the inside, but he looked as though he was describing the notes of oak and teakwood in the wine he had with his supper every night. This girl was completely out of line and he had no idea what to do with her.

“If that’s all, I’d rather not have my last meal be the spit you launched into my face while you had your little tantrum, thank you.” And with that, Y/N jogged over to catch up with her friends who were just about to enter the mess hall.

—

“Y/N! You’re alive! What crimes did the dick-tator convict you of?” Eren greeted as you sat down across from him. You were sat between Jean and Sasha, two of your good friends.

“To be honest, I think I pissed him off so much that he forgot to give me a punishment. He just said that this was my second strike.” You shrugged, just relieved that you were able to get some food before it was all gone.

“Oh my god, Y/N! He’s definitely going to kill you in your sleep tonight! Here, take my bread so you can defend yourself.” Sasha hands you one of her baguettes, a symbol of her friendship.

You push her hand away, not willing to accept such a generous donation of a roll as hard as a rock.

“Sash, he’s not going to kill me. He’ll probably just cross me off the list of candidates for his squad. He can’t really boot me out of the Survey Corps. They need as many people as they can get. I mean, seriously,”

You gestured to the other tables of recruits, most from the outer districts of Eldia.

“Half the people in this room are dimwits with no depth perception. Most of us will be dead within a few months. They need anyone and everyone who is willing to risk their lives for Eldia. I’m not kissing some hobbit’s ass in order to be in his good graces.” You chuckled, elbowing Jean. He didn’t laugh, which made you frown, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

You looked to the rest of your friends, all of them wearing the same wide-eyed and tight-lipped expressions. Shit…

“He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” You groaned, arching your back and throwing your head back to see none other than Captain Levi glaring down at you. It felt as though a dark storm cloud had settled over you, the way his gaze created a humid and turbulent energy around you.

He grabbed either side of your head, straining your neck as he stretched it further and further, bringing your chin higher. He held it there as he spoke in the low, thunderously threatening voice you’d grown to despise.

“Report to my office immediately after supper. If you are even one second late, that’s strike three. Understood, brat?” You gulped, finally feeling the fear everyone had described when talking about Captain Levi.

“Y-yes sir.” You managed to get the two words out before you felt your head fly forward, almost face-planting into your beef stew. Luckily, Jean had anticipated Levi’s action, moving the bowl out of the way and placing his palm out to buffer your forehead from the wood table.

“Woah. All this over accidentally slicing your cheek?” Jean questioned, looking over at you with a lopsided smile.

“I guess so. I mean, you guys know I can be a bit, much sometimes. Maybe he has a problem with my sense of humor.” You commented, trying to paint a nicer picture of yourself than what was truly reflected in your behavior.

Your peers, however, didn’t buy it for a second. They knew you far too well to believe that you’d done nothing to deserve reprimanding.

“Oh god, what’d you do now?” Connie sighed, not sure if he wanted to know. He’d probably end up having nightmares of Levi if he hears how Y/N disrespected him.

“I just gave him my two cents, that’s all.” You reasoned, folding your arms and bringing your bowl closer to you. You took a spoonful of broth, beef, and vegetables, relishing in the tasty blend of hearty and savory flavors.

“Y/N…” Your friend started.

“Armin…” you imitated his lecturing voice.

“You know your version of two cents is more like two dollars. You should probably apologize to Captain Levi. He might lower the severity of your punishment if you do. It’d make things a lot easier.”

“If he wants my respect, he shouldn’t have specifically targeted me all this time. I mean, Jean just told him he had a stomachache and Levi gave him a pat on the back and has him cleaning the bathrooms. Meanwhile,” you gesture to yourself. “I slice my own face and take two seconds to register that it hurt, and now Levi’s trying to play dunk tank with me and my stew. He’s definitely got it out for me.”

“That’s a bit extre–”

“Oh no it isn’t, Mikasa. I know he’s your cousin and everything, but he’s a total prick and he’s acting like he’s jealous of me or something. Like bitch, if you want to be like me so bad, you gotta let me shine.”

“Whatever you say, Y/N. Just dont be surprised if the next time we see you, it’s because we’re throwing you a going away party for when you get kicked out!” Eren jibes. The whole table laughs, and you spend the rest of supper chatting at your leisure.

It’s only once you start clearing your plate that you remember what awaited you in the minutes to come. What would a strike two punishment be? Nobody in the Survey Corps has gotten a second strike before. Besides, you, Eren, Ymir, and Jean are the only ones to have gotten a strike one. The thought of not knowing what the sadistic little demon had in store for you sent chills down your spine.

—

Levi couldn’t quite grasp what emotions he was feeling. He had never had to administer a strike two punishment before—he never thought he’d have to. What could he possibly task that girl with to get it through her thick skull that he should be treated with respect? Chores were for first strikes. What could be more challenging to a young adult than cleaning the barracks or the bathrooms?

He couldn’t send her out on Survey duty; she was far too inexperienced. If she could hurt herself at the mercy of her own blade, he could only imagine the damage the guards at Wall Sina would cause. Captain Ackerman knew he had to get a second opinion; who better than Erwin?

The second Commander Smith sat down for supper, Levi was already probing him with questions.

“Have you ever had to give a trainee a strike, Commander?”

“Plenty of times.”

“Were they all strike ones?”

“Obviously. People tend to listen after being reprimanded by my authority.”

“What if they don’t listen?”

“What’s the meaning of all this? Did something happen?”

“Possibly. There’s a recruit that has no regard for the program or the chain of command. They already have one strike, and I haven’t the slightest clue what type of consequence to administer.”

“I see. Well, I’d say you can skip over any sort of domestic chores. Is their misbehavior due to a lack of skill, or is it a lack of respect?”

“It’s both.”

“Well, in that case I think it’s safe to say that one of the two is the effect of the other. Say, for example, their lack of respect for you is the reason for their poor performance.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Now that you’ve identified the problem, you must give a punishment that will perturb them from wanting to behave that way again.”

“What do you suggest?”

“This level of insubordination is rather odd for a Survey Corps recruit, so it should be taken seriously. We don’t want to be giving any strike threes. If their ego is getting in the way of showing you respect, you have to knock them down a few pegs. I’d suggest punishing them in front of their peers.”

“But how?”

“Corporal punishment. Show them how it feels to be mocked and treated without a shred of dignity. It will also scare the others, preventing any sort of unrest among the cadets.”

“Corporal punishment? Isn’t that a little, I don’t know… outdated?”

“Do you want to be a true Captain or not, Ackerman?”

“Yes sir.”

“Wonderful. Then you know what you have to do.”

“Thank you, Commander.”

Levi finished up his dinner, cleaning his bowl and utensils, the thoughts of what he’d have to do running rampantly in his mind.

—

Y/N practically ran to Captain Ackerman’s office once she’d finished cleaning up her supper. She may have been dreading whatever punishment awaited her, but she’d rather get it over with than drag this out any longer than necessary.

She knocked on the door, awaiting instructions to enter, or even just a grumble from the Captain to signal that she could come in. She was met with no response. Y/N stood in front of the wooden door, observing the iron hinges and doorknob as she waited. Maybe he’d forgotten? No, that wasn’t it. Cadet L/N knew she couldn’t be forgotten if she tried.

“Jesus Christ, why are you here already? Are you some sort of masochist?” The sound of his voice turned her around instantly, the muscles in her upper body tensing up and momentarily freezing.

Levi brushed past her and inserted the key to his office, the satisfying sound of the door unlocking filling both of their ears. However, it wasn’t as pleasant a sound to the cadet, knowing that whatever exchange was about to occur would ruin any trace of bliss to be found at a military-grade training camp.

“You can come in, Cadet.” Captain Ackerman instructed, taking a seat at his desk, opening a drawer and grabbing a file. Y/N figured it was hers, and that it was about to get another red mark on it.

Y/N suddenly became aware of her presence, reminding herself she was being observed for her behavior, even as she was being scolded for it. She approached the desk timidly, opting to stand, knowing Levi would probably scold her if she even dared to think of sitting in a chair…

“I see you’ve gained a grain of intelligence since the last time we’ve spoken.” He noted, giving the trainee a once over before returning his eyes to the papers in front of him.

“Yes…” Y/N replied, not sure what else she could say to the Captain.

He didn’t say a word, just flicking his eyes up to meet hers, lifting a perfectly arched eyebrow. His ever-present scowl was particularly strong, prompting the girl to correct herself without so much as a word from her superior.

“I mean, yes sir.” She corrected her posture, holding her head high. However, her nerves got the better of her, resulting in her head tilting down to a degree, trying to see what the Captain was scribbling into her file.

“I appreciate your efforts to sweeten the deal, but the damage is done. This is the first time I’ve ever had to give a recruit a second strike. Not even Commander Erwin has done such a thing. I hope you’re competent enough to know that this only spells trouble for you, Miss L/N.” His voice remains low, a few inflections keeping him from being monotone.

“In my defense, sir–”

“It’d be wise to hold your tongue, Cadet. There are no excuses for your behavior. You may see it as simply scraping your own cheek with a blade, but that’s not what I see…” He abruptly rose to his feet, hands splayed on the desk in the stereotypical intimidating manner. It proved to be effective, sending shivers down the girl’s spine.

“No, what I see, is a conceited and reckless child, too selfish to consider the safety of her peers. I see a cowardly little brat, who would rather sass and insult her superiors than work hard to earn the respect she thinks she deserves.”

“Captain Ackerman…”

“You think you’re going to get somewhere with this hell raiser attitude of yours? The only thing you’ll accomplish with your sense of pride is getting yourself killed. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

“Levi, I’m not a child. I know what I’m doing and I have every right to test if you’re worthy of handling my training and my education.” She tried to reason, pulling out every excuse she’d kept in her pocket in the event something like this were to happen.

“Cadet,” The Captain audibly sighed, putting his forehead into his right hand, propped up by his elbow against the desk. “When will you stop with these BULLSHIT excuses?! I can see through every single one of your gimmicks and frankly, I’m getting sick of it.”

“But I’m not–”

“Miss L/N!” Levi’s hands slam down on the desk, the sound making Y/N jump. It was quiet for a moment as Levi cooled down, leaving the female cadet stunned into silence.

As the Captain returns to his seat, he takes a deep breath in an attempt to keep his composure. Y/N just stared blankly ahead, too nervous to say anything or even move in a way that could be interpreted as uncooperative.

“I understand this program is not for the faint of heart. However, it is not for overblown egos either. As much as I’d revel in the idea of kicking you out as soon as tomorrow, this is only your second strike. You will be receiving your punishment tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?”

Their eyes met, creating a dual sensation that the two experienced differently. Y/N felt chilling goosebumps rise to every inch of her skin as she made eye contact with the Captain’s faded blue irises; a result of his unfriendly and strict demeanor. Meanwhile, Levi could feel liquid fire coursing through his veins, the girl’s behavior invigorating his senses.

“Actually, I’m not sure that works for me. You see–”

“Do you find entertainment in screwing yourself over? Because you’re not achieving the goal you think you are.”

“And what goal would that be?”

“You tell me. Do you crave attention? Or is it that you derive joy from being an intolerable piece of shit to others?” The two crossed their arms in unplanned synchronization.

“Both fabulous guesses, shorty, but both are incorrect. I’ll give you another shot though. Lucky for you, I’m feeling extra nice today.” She retorts, smirking like she had something up her sleeve.

“Sadly for you, I’m not. Get the hell out of my office. You’ve doubled your punishment for tomorrow. Enjoy your last night of peaceful sleep; I guarantee you’ll miss it once you’ve been dealt with.” Levi shouted with a straight face, like he was giving directions on the highway.

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite, Dickerman!” She called out, gliding across the room to reach to door, throwing a fake smile over her shoulder before slamming it shut behind her.

It was safe to assume neither Levi nor Y/N got the peaceful sleep they’d hoped for that night, the fear of what tomorrow brought looming over them into the early hours of the next morning.

—

“Hey, Jean!” Y/N caught up to her friend, slapping a hand on his back. The two smiled at each other, striking up a conversation as they made their way over to the training field.

Y/N and Jean had a bit of an interesting dynamic between them. They’d grown up in the same village district, and have been friends since they could remember. However, there was always some lingering romantic tension. They’ve never acted upon it, too afraid to ruin their friendship, but as they’ve gotten older it’s been harder to ignore.

“Hey. I meant to ask, how’s your cheek doing? I can’t believe Captain Ackerman never let you get it cleaned up.” Jean stopped his movements, turning to his left to face you.

He cupped her face with his hand, tucking a piece of hair behind the girl’s ear. He continued to cradle Y/N’s jaw as he inspected the wound that had since scabbed over. He pressed a chaste kiss below the mark, his lips meeting the angle of her jaw. It left them both breathless, the two recruits opting to move swiftly along, walking in step with each other once more.

It was clear to anyone who looked at them that they’d jump at the chance to be with each other, but now that they were both in the Survey Corps, a future where they could live happily together wasn’t necessarily a sure thing. The thought of finally embracing the idea on their minds after all this time, only to have one of them die on the front lines was an unspoken fear they kept deep in the pits of their stomachs.

“Are you ready to face the wrath of the dick-tator, Buttercup?” He teased, using his childhood nickname for you. As kids, you two would pretend to fight villains as Westley and Buttercup from the book ‘The Princess Bride’.

You prepared your greatest royal accent, curtsying gracefully in Jean’s direction.

“As long as I can count on you for backup, Westley.” You two laughed at your youthful antics, continuing your witty dialogue before reaching the area of the training field for today’s session.

“I’m afraid this is where I bid you farewell, my Princess.” Jean spoke regally, taking your hand in his and placing a kiss atop it. You felt the blood rushing to your face as he looked up into your eyes, his brown ones detailed with a passionate glimmer. You were surprised you didn’t melt on the spot.

“Til we meet again, my Prince.” You called after him wistfully, all but sighing and fainting with lust onto a chaise lounge.

You sat down besides Sasha, who unsurprisingly made crinkling sounds as she sat cross-legged on the grass, a cracker falling out of her jacket. The crisp, fall air was normally refreshing, but today, the chill of it made you antsy. You knew there would be hell to pay the second the Captain set foot on the fi–

“Good to see all of you showed up in proper condition today. I’m sure Jean learned his lesson after cleaning the bathrooms yesterday. Isn’t that right, Kirstein?” Levi’s eyes shot over to the brunette, whose posture immediately straightened as he nodded with a ‘yes sir’.

“Now, I’m sure we’re all aware of the rude disruption during yesterday’s training. Well, this is actually Miss L/N’s second strike.” Levi announces, gasps floating in the wind as the cadets turned and whispered to one another, staring at the already red-faced trainee.

Y/N wished she could be anywhere but in that field. If she was already mortified just by the mention of her actions yesterday, she couldn’t bear to imagine what the punishment was going to be.

“It’s important to mention that this is the first time in the history of the Survey Corps that a recruit has received a second strike,” Levi rubbed his day-old shaved jaw with his thumb and forefinger. “As a result, her punishment is going to be a bit more severe. Y/N please come up here and stand before your peers.” He gestures to the girl, who sheepishly rises to her feet, looking to Sasha before slowly making her way to Levi.

Y/N turns to the Captain, her eyes wide and full of questions about what was about to happen. Levi narrowed his gaze, his eyebrows furrowing, urging the girl to get that stupid look off her face.

“Miss L/N, I would like you to pick a number between one and one hundred.” Y/N looks at him with confusion, but shrugs and turns back to face her friends when his expression revealed nothing.

“Do you uh, want me to say it out loud?”

“No. Go tell one of your fellow recruits the number you picked.” Levi ordered.

Y/N strutted over to Jean, squatting down to meet his level. She couldn’t hold back the smile on her face as he whispered the number into his ear, leaving a gentle kiss on the shell of his ear. She grazed her teeth across the cartilage before returning to Captain Levi. She made sure to wink at her friend, wanting to make her superior officer blow his top before he could even begin embarrassing her.

“Alright. With that out of the way, let’s begin, shall we?” The Ackerman man spoke calmly, as if he’d done this many times before. “Drop and give me one hundred sit-ups.” He ordered, folding his arms.

“Ha! You call that a punishment? You truly underestimate me, Captain.” Y/N jeered, already sitting on the ground and beginning her task.

After completing the “punishment”, Y/N stood up confidently, posing triumphantly. Her peers applauded her, some whooping and hollering while others shouted out compliments about her technique.

Following the situps, Captain Ackerman had the cadet run five laps, carry everyone’s gear to the equipment shed, fill the water jugs, and run a lap while holding the two large carriers. Y/N had no doubt worked up a sweat, but this felt like a difficult day of training rather than a punishment.

Levi clutched the back of Y/N’s jacket, leading her over to the vaulting horse that was used for parkour training.

“Do you know what this is, Cadet?” Levi asked.

Did he think she was stupid?! Of course she knew what the vaulting horse was! Was he trying to embarrass her, make her look dumb?

“Of course I do, but it sounds like you don’t.”

The trainee bit back, hoping to shut down any ideas of humiliation the Captain was planning for her. Maybe she’d be able to weasel her way out of the punishment if she just kept outsmarting him with bitchy comments. What Y/N didn’t realize was that she was only digging herself into a deeper hole.

“Keep talking back, see how far it gets you.”

“Don’t worry about how far I’m going. Let’s talk about the fact that you probably haven’t felt the love of a woman besides your mother.” The cadets “ooh”ed at the snarky remark.

“If you think you’re going to make me go easy on you by throwing out cheap-shot insults, you’re painfully mistaken.” His voice rang in her ears, despite being quieter and lower than normal.

“Oh, I’m just getting started. This is just as much your punishment as it is mine.” She smiled.

It was some sort of sickeningly sweet expression, one that made Levi want to throw the girl off a moving train. He took a deep breath and counted to three in his head. He couldn’t lose his temper just yet. She had to learn her lesson no matter how long it would take.

“I’m going to give you your next punishment based on the number you chose. I want you to see how long you can bear. If you make it to one hundred, your punishment will end. If you make it to your number, you’ll receive a punishment half of your original number. You can tell me to stop whenever you’d like, but if it’s before I reach your number, I will double your original number. Do you understand?”

“I may be a bitch, but I’m not stupid. Get with the program, shorty.” Y/N rolled her eyes. She was just ready to get this over with.

“Good. So you won’t mind that from this point on, any insults, disrespect, snide comments, or unnecessary commentary will result in five additional punishments.”

What?! How was that even remotely fair? It was torture enough having to converse with this guy in front of people, but now he was making up rules as he pleased!

“For this, you will need a partner. They will not be punished, but they will assist you in completing it. Since you handled the first part of your punishment well enough, I’m letting you pick. Who do you want to help you?”

You look out at your friends and acquaintances, trying to make the smartest decision. Levi must’ve noticed your indecision, because he added onto his instruction.

“You’ll want someone who excelled at the ropes training.” You nodded, the Captain’s hint allowing you to narrow your choices down.

“I guess I’ll go with… Eren.” You decided. Levi gestured for Eren to come up and stand by you.

“I have to hand it to you, brat. Eren was definitely the best choice for this. Too bad I’m not going to reward you for that.” He commented, going over and grabbing one of the ropes you’d just finished putting away in the equipment shed.

You were far too tired to say something snarky in return, so you just sighed and waited for Levi to finish explaining everything. You managed to drown out the sound of his voice after half a minute, focusing on the clouds floating leisurely across the blue sky. The fall breeze may have made your throat burn as you ran, but it allowed you to cool down much faster than you’d anticipated.

“…fair, Cadet?” Your brief exhausted daze was cut short by the sound of Captain Ackerman snapping his fingers right in your ear.

“Ow! What was that for?!” You shouted, startled by the rude manner in which he grabbed your attention.

“Did you think I was going to let you relax or something? Get it together, L/N.”

“I was enjoying the burn from my workout earlier. Could you please repeat what you were saying?”

“I said, you’re going to demonstrate how to escape from enemy capture. Eren is going to be in charge of the knot tying, while you are going to show everyone how to break free. Does that sound fair, Cadet?” Levi approached you, grabbing your head and turning it so you were facing him.

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine.”

“I beg your pardon? Do we address our superiors with a ‘yeah’? Do we purposefully omit their title from our response?” Levi’s grip on your hair tightened, hurting your scalp.

“No– ow!” You exclaimed as he yanked your head towards your friends-turned-spectators.

—

His tight grip on my hair returned, moving my head so I was facing him again. He jerked his arm, closing some of the gap between us. I could feel the air from his flaring nostrils on my face. He looked up at me like I was a disease of some sort; like I absolutely disgusted him.

“What… did you say?” He spoke torturously slow, emphasizing his first word with another yank to my scalp.

“No, we do not.” I replied timidly, feeling my eyes water from how tight a hold the Captain had on my hair. He let go of my head with a frustrated grunt, taking a step back from me.

“No we do not?” He repeated my words back to me.

“No, we do not.” I knew I was forgetting to call him by one of his titles, but I wanted him to earn that right. This was a two player game as far as I could tell, and I was going to volley his ass between respect and disregard as long as I wanted.

“I know what you’re doing, brat. You’re only making this worse for yourself. I’ll let you try that again. ‘No we do not,’ what?”

“No we do not, Captain Dickerman.” I smirked as I used my preferred title of his. Levi froze, but his expression remained emotionless.

“Eren, knot number seventeen.” Levi ordered, and without warning, Eren was wrapping the tactical rope around my hands.

The method of tying was one I didn’t recognize, but it was clear to see that it was being used to keep my hands together. Once he’d finished his work, Eren stepped back. He returned to his seat beside Mikasa and Armin after Levi dismissed him. He admired the knotting, giving a hum of approval.

“Nice work, Yeager. Now, Miss L/N will demonstrate how to break free from one of these knots. Oh, and if you need help, try harder.” Levi smirks wickedly, slapping the back of my head as he walks past me.

I immediately rested my arms against the vaulting horse, knowing it’d be easier to undo the knots on a surface than attempting to do so in the air. I wiggle my forearms, checking to see if Eren had made any part of the knot looser. Eren was my friend after all, I doubted he’d actually tie the knot to make it hard for me to escape.

“How’s it going, Cadet?”

“It’s going, Captain.” I replied, not giving up yet. I used the bolts on the legs of the vaulting horse to possibly loosen one of the inner loops that my fingers couldn’t reach. Nothing seemed to be working. What was I supposed to do?

“What the hell, Eren?!” I whisper shouted at him, starting to get annoyed.

Why would Eren take Levi’s side? It made no sense. The more I thought about it, I realized that Eren was actually a bit of a try-hard. He may do things based on his temper, but he was respectful when it came to the superior officers. No wonder Levi said I made the right choice. It was the person he would’ve picked for me anyway. Fuck. Now I wondered if picking Jean to entrust with my number was a mistake…

“My god, you’re pathetic. Stop, stop it.” Levi broke the sounds of my struggling with his orders. He didn’t have to tell me twice. My wrists were getting sore. I went to stand up from my leaning position, only to feel a forceful hand shove me back down, the side of my face with the cut slamming against the hard leather surface of the vaulting horse.

I hissed as restrictively as I could, but I couldn’t cover up the fact that the way in which my face landed caused the wound to reopen, creating the familiar stinging sensation.

“You’re gonna stay right there Cadet. You didn’t think all of those little tasks were your punishment, did you?” Levi leaned over, whispering evilly into my ear.

“This is the real punishment, and I don’t want to hear a single complaint out of you, got it brat?” He lifts my head up by my hair, and I can see the devilish gleam in his eyes.

“Yes, Captain.” I responded, too in shock to bother coming up with a good quip.

“Someone’s learning. Now,” Levi’s voice returned to its usual volume, once again catching the attention of the recruits. “Do you remember the number you chose, Cadet?”

“Yes Captain, I do.”

“Good. Now, can anybody tell me what this is used for?” Levi addresses my peers. My curiosity gets the better of me and I attempt to look behind in order to see, but the feeling of that harsh grip on my head returns and I accept defeat.

“Not you, you bratty piece of shit. Know your place,” He barks out. “Yes, Connie. What is this item called and what is it used for?” His tone changes into something sinister… what does he have planned?

“It’s a riding crop, sir. It can be used to discipline your horse so it can speed up or go where you want it to.” Connie responded. I looked over at him, my eyes wide. A riding crop? What was I going to be doing to with a riding crop?

“That’s correct. Not only does it work on horses and livestock, but it also works on cocky sons of bitches that need to be reprimanded.” He growled.

Without a second thought or any sort of warning, I feel a fiery, sharp sting on my right ass cheek. Did Levi just… spank me?

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” I shouted at him, craning my neck so I could adress him.

“This is your punishment, Cadet. Now stop making a scene and tell the group what number you chose.” Well, at least I could trick Levi into giving me a lesser punishment.

“I chose twenty five.” I told him, smiling when his eyebrows furrowed at the small number.

“OW!” I cried out in pain, already feeling tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did that hurt?” The fake pity lacing his voice had my blood boiling. This was some sort of medieval torture, how was he getting away with this?!

“Yeah, it fucking hurts! This has to be against protocol! I have half a mind to beat your ass right here and right n- JESUS!” I screamed out as Levi slammed my head into the hard leather mound, delivering two more cracking slaps to my ass.

“What are you, some sort of sadistic bastard?! This is psychotic! And why are you subjecting your students to this?! There’s no reason for them to be here except to make this a million times more humiliating!” I shouted, trying to push myself off the vaulting horse and get in an upright position. Every single one of my limbs was sore.

“That’s why this is a punishment. Did you really think I’d allow you the privilige of getting reprimanded in private? You need to learn that your behavior is beyond unacceptable. Brats like you don’t deserve second chances… and next time you open your mouth to adress me, you will respond with any of the following: Captain Levi, Captain Ackerman, Captain, or sir. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir. Crystal clear.” I responded, hoping to lure him into a false sense of my cooperation.

“Very good. Now let’s continue your punishment so you remember what you just learned.”

“Can I tell you something, Captain?” I asked, trying my best not to grind my teeth together.

“What is it, brat?”

“I just wanted to offer my sincerest apologies to you. Captain Levi, I am truly sorry… that you’re such a fucking cunt.” I kept a straight face, looking him dead in the eyes as I spoke. I felt jolts of adrenaline rush through me when I saw the look of shock, disbelief, and anger on his face. It was priceless. I’d finally gotten a reaction out of the bastard.

“I think I should add onto your punishment. All your disobedience has earned you another five lashings.”

“But that’s not fair, sir! That wasn’t in the rules! You can’t just keep making shit up just because you hate me.” I called out, trying to reason with him.

“Oh, you think this is supposed to be fair? Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but life isn’t fair, and neither is punishment for being a brainless little twat.”

Before he returned to torturing me, he stood right in front of me, lifting my face up to look at him. His fingernails were digging into my jaw, the force of his grip causing his forearm to shake.

“This,” he began. “Is for your insubordination.” He proceeded to spit directly into my face. This power trip was going way too far. But before I could protest, he went behind me, most likely preparing to spank me again.

He slaps the crop on my ass again, and again, and again, and again. Eight down. But now I had an additional five. I was so relieved I’d lied about my number; otherwise this would’ve been much worse.

I looked over at Jean, sending him a smile and a wink. I mouthed a quick “thank you” for not being a narc, but only after I’d been focusing on his face for a moment did I realize that everyone sitting before me was bright red, including Jean. It once again reminded me that I wasn’t just having a screaming match with my asshole superior officer—I was being tortured and humiliated in front of my friends.

“Oh, thank you for reminding me Miss L/N. Remember when I had you tell someone the number you chose? Well, I had my reasons.” I let out a low groan, showing Levi my ever-growing dissatisfaction with him.

He asked Jean to come up and stand beside him. He turned to look at me, a sympathetic expression painting his features. I felt my face heat up even more.

“Tell me something, Horse Face,” Levi slung his arm around my friend, glaring up at Jean like he was holding a gun to his head. “Would you ever lie to me?” I knew if I reacted, I’d be dead for sure, so I stayed where I was and kept a straight face.

“No sir.” Jean replied, standing up straight before yelping in pain as Levi grabbed his earlobe and pulled him down to meet his height.

“Even if your girlfriend trusted you to keep something from me?” Levi’s voice was louder now, but it sounded deeper. He was onto me…

“I don’t have a girlfriend, sir.” If it were under other circumstances, I would’ve retaliated against that statement. Just because we didn’t explicitly label it or make it official, doesn’t mean we’re just friends that make out with each other and call each other nicknames and sneak out at night to watch the stars…

“Is this news to anyone else? Cause it sure is news to me,” Levi jests, looking to the rest of my peers, who just shrugged, too scared and unsure to answer. “Hate to be the bearer of bad– oh who am I kidding? I’m honored to be the one to tell you, you’re not getting out of the friendzone anytime soon. As long as your special friend here keeps disobeying, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to become reacquainted with old righty.” He chuckled, grabbing Jean’s forearm and waving it around, causing his right hand to flop around.

“That’s enough, Strawberry Shortstack,” I interrupted. “Leave him out of this! He did nothing wrong.” Levi slowly turned to me, the daggers he was shooting from his cobalt eyes were all but piercing through my own eyeballs.

“How adorable, you think you can save him? You are absolutely correct—it’s not old Horse Face’s fault that he’s in this situation. It’s your fault for picking someone you care about to assist in your punishment.”

“Do you know how twisted you are, Captain, or am I blowing your mind here?” I wondered, narrowing my eyes at all five feet and two inches of the bastard.

“Ignore her, she’s deluded. Now, Horse Face. What number did your friend here say she chose?”

“Twenty-five, sir.”

“And what number did she whisper while defiling your ear with her bratty mouth?”

Jean looked over at me, debating what he should do. I widened my eyes at him, hoping it would convince him to cover for me. Besides, if Levi couldn’t find out the real number, there’s no way to prove that I lied.

“Before you say anything, I’d like to fill you in on some important information. I actually know what number you chose. See, you may think you have allies amongst your fellow recruits, Cadet, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to convince your dear friends to work against you…” Levi began to pace around me, stopping when he was stood in front of my face, bending his knees to meet my gaze. I studied his features as he watched mine.

“Oh, and if Cadet L/N somehow managed to convince you to lie to me, you will receive the same punishment. With that being said, what was the number she practically drooled into your ear?” He never took his eyes off me as he addressed Jean, who remained silent.

“If I find out you lied, Miss L/N, your punishment will be increased. However, you can spare Horse Face here if I hear it come from you. So, are you going to let the fear of a few more lashings ruin your relationship with Cadet Kirstein?”

“Jean, go sit down. I’m sorry for getting you in this mess.” I sighed, nodding my head over to where he sat. He looked to Levi for permission, receiving a swift nod. With that, I watched him retreat to his spot between Connie and Sasha. Levi stands up straight, my eyes following his as he once again looms over me.

“What was your number?” Levi looks down at me darkly, wordlessly urging me to speak truthfully. At least I could embarrass him before my ass felt like it was on fire.

“I chose sixty-nine.” I giggled, the rest of the recruits following suit. Levi glared at them, the laughter stopping after a couple seconds.

“Of course you did. What more could I expect from an idiotic, spineless little bitch like you?” Levi snarled, pulling me up by my hair and delivering five whacks, alternating between each side of my ass.

“How many was that? I lost count. Let’s start over. Twenty-five, plus sixty-nine, an additional five for calling me a cunt, that’s ninety nine. You also lied to me, so that’s another one. Congratulations you reached one hundred. I’ll leave it at that for now; we’ll have to see if you even make it that far without passing out.” I could hear Levi’s smirk in his voice as he paced around me again. I was going to murder him.

—

Levi wasn’t even enjoying this anymore. He would much rather have trained the other cadets and let Erwin deal with the brat. But he did find joy in how persistent Y/N was, despite knowing it would get her in trouble. It reminded him of himself, and if he could potentially have Y/N obey his orders, she could become a great soldier. For now, though, he’d have to settle for hitting her with a riding crop until her ass was red and sore.

“Are you gonna keep count or am I going to have to pick up your slack as usual? Just a tip; if you don’t want more than you are due to receive, counting yourself is the safest bet.” He slapped her, making sure his hand was coming in contact with the gash on her face. Y/N could see a bit of dried blood on the leather of the vaulting horse

“I’ll count… sir.” She gave in, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the hours of torture that lay ahead of her.

“Cadets! Go get supper. We will be eating out here. Tell Erwin I’m dealing with Miss L/N and return with the rest of the Corps.”

“Yes sir!” The recruits saluted, walking past her as they retired to the mess hall. Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, unable to face her friends in such a state.

The minute everyone was inside, Levi positioned himself behind the bratty cadet, commencing her punishment. It hurt like a bitch. “Maybe he was right,” she thought. “I’ll probably pass out before making it to one hundred.”

“One,” She counted, receiving three more sharp whippings to her lower half. “Two, three, four.”

“You’re lucky I’m not cutting you with my blade. I’d much rather see the real physical toll your disobedience can cause you.” Levi gleaned, his lips curving into a sinister grin that Y/N couldn’t even see. She could feel it though; that wicked, poison-laden smile that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“I’d actually prefer that, Captain Ackerman. That way you’re not mentally scarring my friends. And now you’re going to subject the rest of the Survey Corps to this? If your goal is dinner and a show, you’re totally missing the mark.” Y/N complained, waiting anxiously for the sharp sting of the riding crop to strike again.

“You might as well get all your insults out now, because in a little bit, you’re going to be a crying mess. Come on, Cadet. Tell me every insult you can think of. Count five more lashes and I’ll let you say whatever you want without consequence.” He teased. You felt like this was some sort of trick, that there had to be a catch. You couldn’t, for the life of you, figure it out though.

“Deal. Hit it… literally.” She chortled before her laughter was cut off by a throat-scratching scream.

“Ah, spoiled brat screams. Music to my ears. What number are we on?”

“That was number five.”

“Good girl. Now I know with one hundred percent certainty that you can follow orders. I expect you to be on your best behavior when everyone gets here.” He demands, delivering two more whacks. It hurt like hell.

“Yes sir. Six, seven.” Y/N replied, remaining bent over the vaulting horse and taking her punishment.

After three more strikes, Y/N was granted the opportunity to say anything and everything she wanted to Captain Ackerman. It was an opportunity she couldn’t resist.

“You… motherfucker. Just wait until we’re done, I’m going to kill you one day. You better watch your ass because I am going to serve your baby dick on a silver platter and feed the rest of your mangled body to the titans once I’m done mutilating it. You are such a cock-sucking cunt and I can’t wait to see watch you die a slow and painful death; because it will be at the hands of yours truly. I will make you beg for mercy and mercilessly slaughter you for hours and hours until you finally start to enjoy it, until finally, your heart stops and I squeeze it in my hand, feeling your soul leave the universe forever. The world we hail me as a hero for being the one to end Knee-High Dickerman’s, no, Age-Five Ballsackerman’s pathetic… excuse for a life.”

“It’s cute how thoroughly you’ve thought this through. Are you sure you don’t have some sort of stalker-level crush on me?” That’s all Levi had to say, after this twenty year old girl—that he was in charge of scaring straight—just detailed her elaborate plot for his murder.

“You… you fucking bastard. When I get feeling in my hands back, I will maul you.” She breathed, counting the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth hits to her bottom.

“That’s enough out of you, brat. I enjoyed the sneak peek into your dark fantasies, but I’ve got a few ideas of my own I’d like to share with you. Not yet, though. I’ll wait until you’re begging for mercy, pleading me to spare your sorry ass.”

—

By the time the recruits and the rest of the Survey Corps were seated in the field, you had received a total of thirty-six spanks. Your ass was burning like nothing you’d ever felt before. You had started crying on spank thirty, and haven’t been able to stop since. But no matter how many times that man struck you with the riding crop, you refused to be at his mercy. You would endure every lash and spill every drop of blood in your veins before giving in and asking him to spare you.

“Th-thirty-seven, thirty-eight,” You continued, the searing pain traveling down your legs. “Thirty-nine. Fuh– fuck, forty.”

“How are you feeling, Y/N?” Some of the guys at the table of Survey Corps recruits for the Klaus Squad call out to you.

“Go… to Hell.” You shout out, your sentence punctuated by a pained cry as Levi lands his forty-first attack on your ass. You whined as the aftermath tore its way through your body. You felt your legs tremble.

“Forty-one…” You whined, voice breaking as you were overwhelmed by the sobs wracking from within you.

“Is the brat getting tired?” Levi taunted, leaning over and whispering in your ear. You couldn’t even argue with the Captain, simply nodding in agreement.

“Don’t collapse on me just yet, bitch,” Levi spit in your face for the second time. It didn’t even faze you—if anything it felt like relief from the scorching fire that covered every inch of you. “You’ve been taking these beatings like a weak little pussy. Most people are ass naked when they get punished. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t make you drop your pants right this second. Give me one reason!” He pulls you up by your hair for what felt like the millionth time. You gasp at the harsh tug; the pull that makes your hair follicles feel like they’re being set on fire.

“I… I’ve been good Captain A-ckerman.” You breathed out, hoping he understood what you meant.

Of course you hadn’t been good; you’ve been hurling insults at him for hours, even detailing how you’d murder him if you were given the chance. There was no way he’d give you the benefit of the doubt and keep you safe from further humiliation. It was bound to happen whether you liked it or not.

“Well, you already know what my answer is. But your comment about dinner and a show got me thinking. Why don’t we allow the audience to participate, hmm?” He spoke calmly, as if he was tossing out ideas at a board meeting.

You bit the inside of your cheek to keep your sobs at bay. You already felt like the weakest person alive, you couldn’t bear the thought of falling deeper into that state of mind. You let out a breath you didn’t even realize you were holding once Levi stepped away from you.

The aching in your muscles flared up as you relaxed your body, now that the threat had momentarily disappeared. You heard his boots hit the wooden deck that lie beneath your feet, seeing his small yet intimidating frame in your peripheral vision as he grabbed the crowd’s attention.

“As you know, one of my cadets, Miss Y/N L/N is serving her punishment for earning herself a second strike. I’m sure the reasoning has made its way around to all the squadrons of the Survey Corps,” Levi held onto the riding crop firmly, his fingers dancing along the edges of the leather keeper. “You may think my methods are a bit extreme, but you’d be wrong. To act so juvenile as to get yourself a second strike takes calculated idiocy. Miss L/N was purposely disrespectful to not only the Survey Corps program, but to her fellow cadets and superior officers. Isn’t that right, Cadet?”

“Y-yes sir.” Your voice trembled as you replied, not daring to open your eyes or lift your head. Not only were you much too embarrassed to do so, but you were also exhausted beyond belief.

“It’s taken me an entire training session of physical labor and forty-one lashings to get her to respond to me that way. However, I’m growing quite bored. We’re not even halfway through and I’m no longer getting anything out of this. I’m taking suggestions on how to make this brat’s punishment more interesting. I will also answer any questions about strikes and punishments.”

Once he finished his spiel, Captain Levi was bombarded with hands raised high in the air and voices shouting out indiscernible ideas. He pointed to someone at a table on the right.

“You should leave her tied to the fence overnight!” A voice shouted.

“Feed her to the titans!” Yelled another.

You almost threw up when you heard someone tell Levi to drop you off at their room later tonight, saying they’d sort you out.

“Why haven’t you given her a beating yet?” You heard a female voice, causing you to lift your head. To your surprise, it was Annie.

“Be my guest, Leonhart. She’s yours for the next three minutes.” Levi took a seat next to Commander Erwin, watching as one of your own team members took his place on the platform.

—

“I’ve been wanting to do this for weeks. Let me know how my shoes taste.” She deadpanned, raising her leg and kicking you square in the face.

“Why?” You asked, the taste of iron slowly filling your mouth.

“Because you’re a worthless fucking slut,” She said, staring blankly into your eyes. Her fist collided with the underside of your chin, causing the blood in your mouth to fly out in a mist, only to have it land back down onto your face. “Because you think you know everything when in reality, you’re just a dumb whore with no redeeming qualities. Your mother was a whore too, wasn’t she? I have no doubt you’ll follow in her footsteps.” This only made you cry harder, tasting the mix of salt and iron as your tears and blood traveled down to your lips; your only source of hydration for the past 2 and a half hours.

You tried telling Annie to stop, but you couldn’t even hear yourself. Your fellow cadet was sure to speak quietly, so as to not get caught for calling you a dumb whore. Your voice was nearly shot from all the screaming and crying, so you decided you would try to keep quiet for the rest of your punishment. Those three minutes felt like hours and hurt you far more than anything Levi had done before.

Levi returned once again, and you braced yourself for more humiliation. You couldn’t drown out the noises of your peers, most of whom were drunk. They either drank to abandon their feelings of guilt and pity, or to enhance the chaos and let loose while enjoying the show. Needless to say, this led to things getting out of control.

An older officer, probably in his late thirties or early forties, was drunk off his ass when he came up to you and used your hair as dental floss. He also forced you to drink vodka straight from the bottle until you were unmistakably drunk. The next person was a girl; you recognized her as Floch’s sister. She spat in your face and bent your fingers back until you were sobbing in agony.

One of the last people you expected to see approached you, whispering drunken apologies, their words blubbering as they spoke. The disappeared from your sight, only to place their hands on either side of your waist, slowly trailing down to your hips. In one swift motion, they’d pulled down your pants, exposing your underwear and the bottom of your ass in front of everyone.

“Mikasa–” You began, only to be silenced by the sting of the riding crop once again.

“Captain Levi said he’d kick me off the squad if I refused. I’m sorry Y/N, but I have to protect Eren at any cost. I hope you can forgive me, or at the very least, try to understand my reasoning.”

“I-” You gave up on the response you’d tried to conjure up. “Do I have to count?” You inquire, receiving a simple ‘yes’ in return.

“Forty-two… forty-three… forty-four…”

You counted until you’d reached fifty—you were halfway through your punishment.

—

After being slapped in the face, forced to drink straight liquor, choked to the brink of losing consciousness, and staring blankly at the ground as people your age in the other squadrons taunted, asking you to perform sexual acts, the only thing keeping you on your feet was your fear of Captain Levi.

You’d lost track of how many hours it’d been since the torture began, but you knew it was past curfew. At one point, Floch and his friends surrounded you, telling you how much of a slut you were. They treated you like you were enjoying it; the idea of being punished, the humiliation, the pain. You felt beyond violated, and you started to wonder if Annie was right. Maybe you were just a worthless slut. Maybe you were a dumb whore. If you were being forced to endure this humiliation, this dehumanization, all for a bad attitude, maybe you were better off following in your mother’s footsteps. Maybe you were better off not existing at all.

Levi returned to his post to deliver another handful of lashes. The last number you remember falling from your lips was sixty-nine… your original limit.

You slowly felt your legs give out, your body falling to the ground. You didn’t care if you died right then and there. At least the torture would be over. You didn’t try to fight the weight of your eyelids as you allowed the world to slip away. Just before losing consciousness, you felt a strong, yet gentle touch reach around you and take you into its hold.

—

Levi woke up with a pounding headache. How much did he drink last night? He never had more than a glass of wine, so why was his head spinning? That’s when he remembered…

“Don’t collapse on me just yet, bitch,” The Captain watched as his spit landed on your nose. He ignored the angel on his shoulder that was telling him how much he’d hate getting spit on because of how unsanitary it was.

“You’ve been taking these beatings like a weak little pussy. Most people are ass naked when they get punished. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t make you drop your pants right this second. Give me one reason!” He yelled, his fingers finding comfort in yanking you up by your hair once again. Even the devil on his shoulder was surprised by Levi’s actions.

He could feel and smell the autumn breeze wafting in from the window, rays of sunlight streaming and shining on the floor of wooden planks. He was grateful for how diligent his sober self was; he’d left himself a pain medication and a glass of water.

As he swallowed the medicine, he could hear your gasps, your screams, your broken cries echoing in the back of his mind. He wished more than anything he could move on from this. It was a useless wish; he set the precedent for future second strikes, and he’d have to carry that weight at its lightest and at its heaviest.

With time, Levi became more aware of his surroundings, slowly starting his daily routine. He tried his best to ignore the worries running through his brain, making his bed and laying out clothes for the day. It was in his best interest to wash away all the heavy thoughts and guilty feelings with a nice shower. He made sure to scrub his body extra dutifully. All the while, he wondered where the troubled cadet was; how much pain she was in.

—

Jean woke up, wiping the sleep from his eyes and letting out a yawn. He somehow managed to fall asleep after yesterday’s events, but that didn’t make him immune to the eye strains and fatigue from his slight hangover. The instant he sat up in his bed, he was already springing to his feet, running out of the boys barracks and into the girls’.

Cadet Kirstein lightened his footsteps, tossing out whisper-shout apologies to any of the female recruits that happened to be awake or were awoken during his intrusion. Once he saw Mikasa and Sasha’s faces, he slowed his pace, his eyes frantically searching for any sign of his friend.

“Where is she?” He demanded, though his voice came out as a quiet plea. Sasha dragged Jean aside by his forearm, ushering him into the hallway.

“I don’t want to worry anyone who might not have noticed yet, but Y/N never came back to the barracks last night. Mikasa and I were just about to go looking for her.” She explained

“Let’s go then,” Jean nodded affirmatively. Sasha poked her head in the doorway, beckoning Mikasa over with a wave of her hand. “Where do you think she is?” The three set off running, but slowed their pace as they reached the boys’ barracks.

“I doubt Levi would leave her outside overnight, but I also don’t remember seeing her after supper… what do you think?” The brown haired girl looked over to her quieter comrade, who was adjusting her signature red scarf.

“I’d say she’s either there or in the isolation quarters. Jean, did you run into Armin and Eren on your way out?”

“I think they were still asleep, but I can get them.” The girls stopped in their tracks as the male cadet’s shoes collided with the pebbles on the ground below them, running towards the barracks.

After a few moments, Jean returned with both trainees behind him. The girls greeted Eren and Armin, filling them in on the plan. They didn’t have to sneak around; they’d just woken up earlier than everyone, but they didn’t want to be caught by Captain Levi, in case Y/N was still in trouble.

“Wait, so what’s this about isolation barracks?” Jean turned to Mikasa, who was softly conversing with Eren.

“It was intended for holding traitors or foreigners, but now they’re mostly used for interrogations or private discussions between the officials.” She explained plainly, as if it was common knowledge.

“How do you know all of this? How come we didn’t know about it?” Sasha questioned, jogging to catch up to the raven-haired girl.

“The three of us went on a little tour of the place the first night we arrived at bootcamp. We don’t know if that’s their official name for it, but after piecing together information we’ve collected, we’ve discovered that this is where Commander Erwin, Captain Levi, and Officer Hange interrogate anyone suspected of treason, espionage, and any other serious offenses.” The girl refers to Eren and Armin with her index finger. Jean and Sasha looked at each other and shrugged, not bothering to question their friends any further.

The five Scouts reached the building, which was fortunately and conveniently unlocked. They looked between one another and followed Eren’s lead, descending the small number of steps to reach the slightly ajar wooden door.

—

Before I could even open my eyes, waves of aches and pains washed over me, blasting like a migraine—that almost rhythmic pounding similar to a bassline that vibrates the floor and all those who stand on it.

I waited and waited for the feeling to subside, only to realize that it wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. Memories of yesterday came flooding in. Each relentless smack, every drop of blood, sweat, spit, and tears; they all remained on my body and they’d stay there long after I scrub away the consequences of my disobedience.

It took an embarrassing amount of strength to open my eyes, allowing myself the time it took for them to adjust. As I got used to the light, I tried to register what was in front of me. A stone floor, iron bars, wall torches, a cup of tea on a wooden bench, accompanied by a ring of keys. Where was I?

I rolled my neck, looking in all directions except behind me, since I felt my back against a wall. Peering up, I found my wrists locked in shackles above my head. It was connected to a steel ring on the wall. The chains rattled as I tried to break free, the movement setting my insides ablaze. I inhaled deeply through my nose upon experiencing the feeling, not expecting it to hurt that much. I knew I’d need that key ring but that was out of the question, at least for now.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. As I inhaled, I felt just how much my lungs had endured over the past twenty four hours. My entire body ached as I coughed, gasping for air, sending soreness all throughout me. I tried to speak, but only strangled whimpers came out. Regardless, I continued my attempts to scream out for help. My knees were too weak to stand up, which meant I was stuck sitting down.

I took a break from trying to escape, as my breathing had turned into dry heaving. Soon, I began gagging, ultimately throwing up. It had to be just plain bile, considering the only thing I’d had to eat or drink since yesterday was vodka and Levi’s saliva. That bastard has me locked up in here. Wasn’t the torture enough? This was far beyond strike two. My esophagus burned from vomiting, the acid in my stomach only worsening the condition of my throat.

Trying to escape was useless, especially when I had no idea where I was or how I got here, other than the fact that it was Levi’s doing. I looked over at the cup of tea, realizing there were small billows of steam still rising from it. That meant he’d been here recently. Had he heard me wake up and decided to leave? Or was he somewhere else entirely, just missing my coming to by a hair?

I swallowed, hoping there was enough power in my voice to call out Levi’s name, even if it was quiet. Screaming would only prevent me from saying more.

“L-” I choked on air, but was able to recovery quickly. “Le-vi…” My voice wasn’t even loud enough to carry an echo. It was hopeless. I wanted to cry, but I was too dehyrdrated to shed any tears.

I decided to wait until someone came to save me, or give up and fall asleep again—whichever came first. As I thought about what everyone else must be doing, I felt the familiar weight on my eyelids, the clanging of my restraints fading into the background as I welcomed the only relief I could possibly find here.

—

It felt like I was experiencing the aftermath of my lowest point all over again. The aches, pains, fatigue, loneliness, sadness, and anger… it sucked. I looked up to see my wrists in the same place as before. I hated being locked up like this, but I also knew that the second my arms became free, they’d feel like they’d been sawed off.

I stared down at the floor, studying the pattern of assorted stone slabs. I looked to my left, seeing that the contents of my stomach were still there. Lastly, I thought to look at the bench, my body going to scream, but not having made a sound.

“Well good morning to you too, Cadet.” Levi said in his usual, dull tone. He stood up, unlocking the cell door, approaching me. I was so tired, that even as I sat fully awake, my eyelids were half-closed.

I saw him wave to something—someone outside my line of vision. A beat later, I saw a woman with rectangular glasses entering as well. Without so much as a word or direct eye contact, I could tell they were quite the opposite of Levi.

“Hange, take care of that mess, would you?” Levi said, prompting the woman to grab some sawdust, a metal bucket, and a mop from somewhere out of my sight. She returned and stood beside me, completely ignoring my presence as she cleaned up, the glare of her lenses against the torchlight making my eyes squint.

“As for you, Cadet,” Levi’s boots clicked against the cobblestone. “You’re coming with me…” His movements ceased, standing off to my right. “If I release you, could you stand on your own?”

I shook my head, drawing a sigh from the Captain.

“And to think… I went easy on you,” Levi throws and catches the key ring, going up to me. I feel him removing my shackles from the wall, but not unlocking the handcuffs themselves. “Tch. What am I going to do with you, brat?” I feel his grip around my wrists, holding them in place.

My thoughtless awareness of the contact was soon transformed into a painful interaction when he pulled me up by my forearms and my scalp. I yelped and felt my throat burn yet again, no sound coming out.

“You can walk, right?” He asks as he sets me onto my feet. I shake my head no. “Too bad, you’re walking.”

Levi ushered me out of the cell, a guttural scoff emitting from his throat. I slowly hobbled behind him. Before making any moves towards an exit, he turns and addresses Hange.

“If the other brats come looking for her, tell them…”

—

“She’s dead.” Her voice is quiet; a change from her usual, boisterous exclamations.

Paired with the fact her eyes were hidden behind her glasses, Hange’s words were a brutal awakening to the cadets who were simply looking for their friend. The atmosphere was almost completely silent, the only sounds were those of flies buzzing and the key ring Hange was swinging around her finger.

“W-what?!” Armin was the first to speak, leaving the group shocked as they turned their attention to the softspoken blonde.

Hange didn’t say anything, just walked past the five trainees, continuing to fiddle with the array of keys. Jean found himself speechless, dropping to his knees suddenly, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. This was certainly a cruel, twisted joke, right? It had to be—she wouldn’t just die on him and leave him on this planet all alone… she just wouldn’t.

“What happened?” Mikasa questioned, her voice pointed as her eyes narrowed at the Captain.

“I cannot disclose that information to you. I’m simply following Captain Ackerman’s orders.” Hange replied, her lips falling into a tight, straight line as her words ceased. The room grew quiet again.

Sasha bent down in an attempt to console Jean, only to have her hands pushed away. She left him alone, putting her head down in defeat as she walked back to her original post at Mikasa’s side.

“Jean, get up.” Eren spat, grabbing the back of the fellow brunette’s jacket collar. Jean turned out of Eren’s grip, a horrified look on his face. How dare this son of a bitch tell him what to do, especially at a time like this?!

“Get the fuck off me, Yeager!” He shouted, his tears finally surfacing. His fist collides with the dusty crimson wall, the hardness of the brick striking a nerve in his hand, traveling to his arm.

Sasha looked over at Hange, hoping for a drop of consolation, anything to raise their spirits. All the woman had to offer was a shrug and a whispered, “what’s his deal?” referring to the tallest of the bunch, who was currently sobbing into Armin’s jacket.

“I was trying to tell you she’s not dead, dumbass.” Eren shoots a glare over to Jean, whose head immediately jerks up at this.

“My cousin’s just being an asshole.” Mikasa affirmed, playing with the fringe on her scarf. Jean wiped away his tears using the heel of his hand, swiftly trying to regain his composure.

That composure soon turns to anger as Jean approaches Hange, grabbing her by the collar and shoving her up against the supply cabinet. He stares directly into her eyes, only letting go once he’s steadied his breathing. He opened his mouth to speak, taking a moment to sort it out in his head.

“Where is she… ANSWER ME!” His voice rises to a shout. Losing his temper left Jean panting and mentally exhausted. He anxiously awaited what the Captain would tell him.

“With Captain Levi. That’s all I know.” She replied truthfully.

Jean could tell by the look in Captain Hange’s eyes that she was being honest. That was enough for him to back off, briskly turning on his heels and heading in the direction from whence he and his comrades came.

“When I find that bastard, I’m going to kill him.” He grumbled, not bothering to wait for the rest of his friends to catch up to his long, striding steps.

—

“There, you can quit acting helpless now.” Levi spits, releasing his grasp on the girl’s shoulder, pushing her onto the firm sofa. She falls back, her hands still above her head.

Levi immediately sits at the desk in the corner, picking up a pen and scribbling notes every so often as he flips through the stack of papers in front of him. Y/N wonders what they could possibly detail, considering how deeply invested he seems to be.

She stares at him, silently praying he’ll consider undoing the chains linking her wrists together. Her body was slowly becoming familiar with its soreness, accepting it as a new normality. He makes no move to do so, prompting her to shift uncomfortably in her seat; an attempt to grab his attention.

“Captain Ackerman, please take these stupid things off my wrists. I’m not sure what else you want from me!” Y/N pleaded, no longer caring if she sounded desperate.

She knew he heard her, but he didn’t even flinch at the sudden break in silence. It was as though he’d completely tuned her out.

“Excuse me sir, but could you do me a favor and let me go?” The girl called out, struggling against the chains that bound her.

“Excuse me brat, but could you do me a favor and suck my dick?” Levi responded harshly, hoping the insult would shut her up.

However, Y/N refused to let this perturb her fighting spirit. She’d go down tooth and nail if it meant getting out of this situation sooner.

“I appreciate the offer, but you’re not really my type, Captain.”

“Are you trying to earn the remainder of your punishment? With that attitude of yours, you’ll get there in no time.”

—

Levi couldn’t understand this girl. What was her deal? He was starting to believe his theory about Cadet L/N being a masochist of some sort; nobody in their right mind would go to such lengths to misbehave, all the while knowing the severity of the consequences.

He had no other choice. The Captain slammed his hands on the desk, pushing his chair out and marching over to Y/N. Retrieving the key from his pocket, he began undoing the locks on her restraints.

“I don’t think I can withstand another minute of your insufferable behavior,” Levi grumbled, ceasing to fiddle with the key once he heard the clicking sound of the cuffs unlocking. “Never in my life have I encountered someone so defiant, so careless. It’s almost sickening.” He spat.

Y/N remained silent and seated, not sure if she should make a break for it. She rubbed her sore wrists in hopes of soothing the pain. The trainee just stares at Levi dumbly.

“I–”

“Shut the fuck up before I rip your tongue out.”

The cadet’s mouth snapped shut. Something about Captain Ackerman’s voice startled her.

Everyone always said that Levi was the scariest person they’d ever met. However, Y/N didn’t believe that for a second, especially when she’d gotten away with so much under the command of the short and rather quiet man.

It wasn’t until he ordered her to report to his office after supper the other night that she truly felt fearful of the Captain. Y/N knew her attitude was a bit much sometimes, but nobody had ever been tough enough to discipline her for it. She knew that getting away with misbehavior would be a thing of the past now that she was under Levi’s jurisdiction.

  “You know, I see the way you look at me,” The man paced slowly, the sound of his shoes hitting the cement floor creating a satisfying echo throughout the room. “And I’m flattered, really. However, it is completely inappropriate for you to project your immature fantasies onto your superiors.”

“With all due respect Sir, what are you talking about?” Y/N’s face was red; she could feel the warmth on her cheeks.

  “Did I say you could speak?”

 She shook her head.

  “Good girl. Now, as I was saying, your behavior as a human being is absolute shit. The same goes for your behavior as one of my cadets. I’m running out of ways to deal with you.”

—

Y/N’s POV

   Levi was staring down at me like I was a worthless pile of garbage. To be fair, I probably looked like one with how tired I was. But there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that not even I could interpret...

  “You’re going to clean yourself up and report back to me immediately. I’ll give you twenty-five minutes,” He commands, freeing me from the shackles I was in.

 I stood up and nodded to him in appreciation. I was still extremely intimidated, but I was more than happy to be free and to get a shower in. I scurried to the door, not wanting to waste any time. I turned to find the Captain right at my heels, causing me to jump a bit. I wasn’t expecting him to be there.

  “Don’t make me have to come search for you. Oh, and if you see your friends, tell them you can’t talk or else you’ll get kicked out,” he paused again as he studied my expression. “And yes, that will be the case. Off you go, brat.”

   I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stretch. All my muscles felt stiff after having them locked in the same position for hours on end. Everything was sore, but I was overwhelmed by the adrenaline of liberation that I was able to power through it. I thought about how much time I’d have if I ran as opposed to walking, but I turned around, needing to ask Captain Ackerman a question.

   “Sir?”

  “Hmm? Oh, it’s you. What are you doing? You’re only wasting your own time, you know.”

   “Just had a question, sir.”

  “Go on.” He said sternly, growing impatient with my overcompensated politeness.

   “May I use the communal showers here? They’re much closer than the ones by the barracks.”

  “Looks like that didn’t slip past you. I’m honestly surprised you thought about that, considering you don’t use that brain of yours for much else. But yes, you can. There’s also a bin of extra uniforms in case of emergency. You can change into those.”

   “Thank you, sir.” I ran out the door, hearing Levi tsk as I left. I jogged all the way to the other side of the building, luckily not running into anyone on the way.

—

Levi’s POV

   No more than five minutes after the brat had gone to clean the filth off herself, her fellow cadets barged into my office. This ought to be entertaining...

  “Captain! Where is she?” Cadet Kirstein was the first one to speak. He looked like he was about to wet himself with how petrified he was.

 “Well good-fucking-morning to you too, Horse Face. I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re asking of me.” I almost felt a smile creeping up on my face, but as usual, I held it together.

  “Captain Levi, would you happen to know where Y/N is?” Armin stepped out from behind the group of cadets, the only polite one of the bunch.

 “All of you could stand to learn a thing or two from Arlert here about etiquette. To answer your question, did you ask Hange? She would know.” I dragged it out a bit longer, testing to see if any of them would lose their temper. If any of them do, my money’s on Jean.

   “Sir, when we asked Hange, she told us Y/N was dead. Now we’re here to ask you.” Sasha explained, peering over Jean’s shoulder. I suspected she was most likely looking for food, since the canteen wasn’t up and running yet.

  “So you do know where that building is. I figured as much since you had Yeager and my dear cousin with you.” 

   “Just tell us where she is, Levi.” Mikasa demanded. She didn’t look too pleased.

 “She’s busy. That’s all you need to know. Now, if anyone needs me, I’m taking the day off, so please don’t bother me again.”

   “But sir, what about tra–”

 “Hange and her squad will be filling in to work with you brats. Now scram!” I shouted, causing all of them to gasp as their shoulders rose. They were quick to turn and exit my office.

—

   Y/N returned with five minutes to spare, looking much better than she had previously. She still looked fatigued though. That pit in my stomach returned as I thought back to last night, and how torturous that must’ve been for her. I wasn’t a monster--of course I felt guilty. But I wasn’t going to let my kindness be mistaken for weakness, so I pretended to be unfazed by the entire thing.

  “What are you wearing, Cadet?” My gaze shifted from her dark under eye circles to her attire.

    “This was all that was in there, Captain Ackerman.” She spoke through gritted teeth.

  I’d forgotten all about what I had set up for Y/N’s punishment. I’d anticipated that she’d piss me off, and I was going to have her clean the bathrooms. However, Jean managed to get a strike before her, and I’d assigned him the task of scrubbing down the bathrooms.

  “What even is this? Some sort of costume?” She picks up the fabric of the short pants she has on, trying to make even the slightest sense of the ensemble.

 “I have just as good of a guess as you. I found it while cleaning and washed it. By the tags, I was able to figure out it was from a time before this generation, one where titans posed less of a threat to humanity and people actually had time to experiment with garment design.”

  “Oh. I just don’t see how this could possibly be practical for anything.” She toys with the frayed pieces on the hem of the blue shorts. The material was denim, something I was familiar with, but rarely ever wore. It was for the upper class folk, like the ones that lived closer within the walls.

   “I suppose they weren’t meant for practicality. Nevertheless, those clothes will have to do,” 

  I notice the blouse she has on fits her nicely, but it’s rather revealing compared to the Survey Corps uniforms; her arms are exposed, as well as most of the skin above her breasts. I quickly look away before my brain can think of anything more it feels the need to observe.

  “What are your next orders for me, Captain?” Y/N inquires, coming closer to my desk. She was still a decent distance from me, but I felt as though I was able to breathe easier when she was over by the door.

Get it together...

   “I don’t have any.” I admitted.

 “What?” She looks bewildered. If my eyes didn’t deceive me, I’d say she appeared to be more fearful than relieved. “I don’t understand, is this part of a test? Am I supposed to leave and you’re going to call me back to your office when I finally get back to the barracks, so I’ll have to walk all the way back here?” She spoke animatedly, her eyes wide with curiosity.

   “No,” I told her honestly. “But I should’ve done that.” I picked up my pen and wrote the idea down on a scrap piece of paper.

  “Then what exactly is going on? Am I allowed to leave?”

 “Yes.”

 Y/N eyes me suspisciously.

   “Wait a minute, I’m not falling for any more of your tricks. You’re trying to set me up! Well, I’m not falling for it. Until you tell me what’s really going on, or I can prove you’re being truthful, I’m not going anywhere!” She folded her arms, sitting on the chair across from my desk.

  “Slow down there, Cadet. Don’t you think you’re getting a bit in over your head?” I lower my hands in front of me, trying to calm her down.

 “That’s exactly what you want me to think! I’m not going to be made to look like a fool by you anymore. You had your fun, now stop toying with me and my education!” She demanded, folding her arms, whispering an “ow” as she held onto her sore muscles.

  “You’ve clearly suffered enough already dear. It’s my day off, I don’t need you to be here.” I reply. She’s quiet for a moment, eyes wide once again, but I can’t think of anything in particular that would be on her mind.

 “Could you repeat that?” 

   “Uh, you’ve suffered enough and it’s my day off?” 

   Y/N shakes her head, telling me that’s not what she meant.

  “It sounded like you called me something. I just don’t think I heard it correctly.”

 “I said ‘you’ve suffered enough already brat’ now would you be a dear and please shut the door on your way out?”

   “That’s what it was!” She points at me with her finger, which I was tempted to point out is rude, but decided to just go along with whatever she was doing, hoping to get her to leave faster.

  “Pardon?”

   “You called me ‘dear’. I’ve only ever heard ‘brat’, ‘cadet’, or some variation of my name.”

 “I don’t care. Leave.”

   “Oh, but I care. Now stop pushing me!” She fights against me as I attempted to nudge her out of the door. Great, now I was stuck with this delinquent for the rest of my day off.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Her question throws me off guard, just as most of them did. She looks confused and surprised, but also somewhat intrigued

   “Like what?”

 “You know...” She trails off, leaving me with no dots to connect—not that I needed them.

  “No, I don’t. Please do explain it for me.” I would’ve smiled, but I decided that would be too uncharacteristic of me.

 “Well, you see, um, you’re looking at me like—oh, I’ve got it—like the way Sasha looks at food. Or the way Mikasa looks at Eren– oh my god don’t repeat that to anyone!” 

   “I don’t quite understand what you’re implying.”

 “You’re looking at me the way I look at you when I have to train with you!” She blurted out her explanation, slapping a hand over her mouth and keeping her head down.

  “Oh? And what does that mean, Cadet?”

 “N-nothing! You know I hate training... no offense.”

   “None taken,” I lean forward in my chair, resting my forearms on my thighs and leaning forward to address Y/N. “Because I know you’re lying.”

 “Whaaat? No I’m not! What could possibly have given you that idea, you uh, jokester, you?” I can see the panic in her eyes, watching her expression become even more plagued with stress.

  I looked at her, tilting my head.

   “Really? You must mistake me for some kind of imbecile if you think I’d believe that.”

  “Anyway, you said I could leave, right? I’m just gonna g–” My body reacted before my brain had even rationalized the action. I was holding onto the back of her shirt, keeping her from leaving.

  “I’ve changed my mind. Close the door.”

 Y/N did as she was told, returning to the seat she was sitting in before, but she instead stood behind it, awaiting further instruction.

  “Please sit back down, Cadet.” 

Once again, she followed my orders.

  “I want you to tell me the truth. How did I look at you? How do you look at me during training?”

   “Just like, intimidating.”

 “Lie.”

   “Fine! Like you want to kill me or something!”

 “You’re still lying. Now, unless you want that ass of yours to be beaten to a bloody pulp again, I’d suggest you swallow what little pride you have left before I give you a third strike and kick you out of the Survey Corps.”

“Okay.” She replied dismally, but not without a displeased sigh.

“Now, for the last time, how did I look at you? How do you look at me during training?”

“Like, um, you wanted to,” she swallowed hard. “Like you wanted to undress me. Sir.” She adds the title after a beat, her face turning bright red.

“So you are intelligent.”

—

Not long after Y/N told Levi what she really thought, he had her up against the wall, leaving countless hickeys on her collarbones. Y/N couldn’t help the sounds that left her lips as he continued to suck at the skin on her neck.

“You like this, brat? You like when I bruise you? You’re so desperate to be touched, it’s pathetic.” He scoffed, trailing kisses along her jaw.

“Yes, sir. It feels so good. Please don’t stop!” Y/N breathed heavily, pulling Levi closer to her body.

All she wanted was to have him flush against her, so they could revel in each other’s warmth.

“Want me to fuck that bratty cunt of yours?” The Captain’s voice is low and gravelly, the words sounding even more lustful because of it.

“Please, please Levi.”

“Oh, you poor thing. Have you always been this needy?” He drags a finger up her thigh, letting it slip under the hem of her shorts.

Y/N only hums in response as she adjusts her arms around her superior officer. Levi fumbles with the button of her pants, undoing the zipper and pulling them down. She starts to do the same to him, but he stops her before she can grab a hold of his zipper.

“You really think you’ve earned the privilege to undress me?” Levi chuckles.

Y/N didn’t understand why he was still being his usual, cruel self. They were both obviously lusting after one another; why was he trying to deny her attempts to pleasure him?

“I wanna make you feel good, Captain Ackerman.” She reaches for his pants once more, only to have her hand slapped away.

“You think this is some sort of love-making thing?” Levi practically snarls in disgust. “Such a naive little slut.” He spits, emphasizing the ‘t’ at the end of the degrading name.

“But– I thought you…”

“Don’t be mistaken, Cadet,” He looks up at her through his eyelashes, volleying his focus on the girl in front of him and his fingers as they hook on the waistband of her underwear. “This is punishment.”

He slowly pulls the intimate layer of fabric down, following the with his eyes. Once all her clothing on her bottom half is on the floor, only then does Levi dare to steal a glance at her pussy.

“God, look at how absolutely soaked you are,” he runs a finger along her slit, wiping the wetness along one side of her labia. “You’re a beautiful woman, really. But here’s what you need to understand; this little escapade isn’t me making you feel good or vice versa. This is me, showing you that I’m the one in charge.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You seem fastened on the idea that you can easily take my power from me if you manage to land one of your childish remarks or find loopholes in my orders. I’m simply reminding you that you need me. You need me to get into the Survey Corps, and from now on, you’re going to need me if you want to get fucked like the whore you are.”

Levi takes his time undoing his belt completely, making sure to fold his clothes neatly. He places them on his desk before untying the strings that kept Y/N’s shirt around her neck and her torso. In one swift movement, he also unclasps her bra, yanking it away along with the shirt’s thin material. The breeze it created made Y/N shiver, suddenly more aware of her nipples and how the temperature was affecting her naked body.

“Levi, I’ve learned my lesson. Can’t we just enjoy this without it being about the power dynamic between us?” The cadet tried to persuade her captain, sheepishly covering her chest after Levi’s gaze lingered slightly too long.

“Not a chance, dear. Even after getting tortured like a woman accused of witchcraft, you still had the mind to defy my commands. If I have to fuck some sense into you, I’ll make sure you’re begging for me to fill your greedy pussy until you’re crying on your hands and knees.” Levi’s sentence crashes into Y/N like a wave. She finally realizes just how serious he is.

“If you know anything about me, you know I won’t go down without a fight.” Y/N put on a brave face. She could feel her body trembling at the images Levi had put into her filthy mind, but she needed to prove that even in the face of fear and intimidation, she could still persevere.

“Oh, I know,” Y/N thinks Levi sounds cocky to the point of being suspicious. “And that’s why I’m gonna make you scream so loud that your fellow cadets will know that you need to have my cock shoved in your pretty little hole in order to be a competent soldier.”

His icy demeanor makes his threats even scarier, and Y/N can’t tell if she’s more frightened or aroused. Before she can register which of the feelings is more prominent, Levi’s got her hands away from her breasts and pins them against the stone wall.

“L-Levi!” She gasps, feeling his erection pressing against her inner thigh.

The man couldn’t contain the small, snarky grin that spread onto his face, making his lips curl upwards. He loves how responsive Y/N is to his touch; and he’s barely even started. He keeps a hold on her wrists, but steps back from her, replacing his cock from in between her legs with his thigh.

“You’re so dramatic. I guess I should’ve expected that from a brat like you.” Levi doesn’t care if he’s being too hard on his trainee. Until she understands that insubordination will not be tolerated, he’s going to put her through the wringer.

Y/N doesn’t hesitate to grind herself against Levi’s upper thigh, peering down to see the prominent flexed muscles. She couldn’t care less if she’s being greedy; she’s dreamed of this for too long and she wasn’t about to hold back as it became reality.

Levi is reluctant to stop her actions. It feels so good—her slickness along the skin of his thigh. But he couldn’t give in to his selfish desires. This is simply a disciplinary fuck… what? He knew that concept itself was a load of bullshit. He couldn’t just use this girl. He wanted to make love to her, like how she deserved, but she needed to learn. The Captain didn’t like acting so heartless, but until Y/N truly respected him, he had to play the part.

“Stop.” He ordered abruptly, removing his hands from Y/N’s wrist and placing them firmly on her hips. Her actions ceased with the help of his harsh grip, but he didn’t miss the pout that disgraced the cadet’s face.

“Captain, please let me take care of you.” Y/N’s words were sweet, but to Levi, they seemed to be laced with something more.

“I appreciate the offer, but you’re not really my type, Cadet.” He looked directly into her eyes, making sure she understood how he was using her words from earlier against her.

“Your boner says otherwise, but I respect the reclaiming of my comeback.” Y/N says as she exhales in shaky breaths.

“I’m beginning to think you wanted this all along. You wanted to see what would happen if you got to strike two.” He teases her with his dick again, taking her by surprise.

“That’s quite a sinister view on the matter, Captain Ackerman.” Y/N smirks, her eyes refusing to reveal whether or not he was correct in his assumption.

“If you really didn’t want me to slam my cock into you, you would’ve stopped talking back a long time ago.” Levi pointed out, removing all traces of his touch from the cadet, going over to his desk. He retrieves a condom from the bottom drawer.

“I was about to ask how a neat freak like you would even consider having sexual relations without creating a fortress around your dick.” She laughs, and Levi swears he could’ve too, but all he does is raise his eyebrows. He wasn’t expecting her to make such a moderately respectful joke about him. Besides, she wasn’t wrong.

“Have you ever–”

“Levi Darius Ackerman, were you about to ask me if I’m a virgin?” Y/N gasps, her expression is incredulous.

Levi frowns.

“That’s not my middle name.” He’s serious in his delivery, clearly not amused by the girl’s playful teasing.

“Well I didn’t think you would tell me if I asked, so I had to improvise.” Y/N shrugs, using the moment as an opportunity to take control. She turns the both of them around, Levi’s back replacing hers against the wall.

“Don’t even think about it, brat.” Levi grabs her by the shoulders, spinning her so she’s back to her original position.

“If it weren’t so annoying, I’d say your endless attempts to try and control me are rather adorable.”

“I’m honestly baffled by how you never tire of failing to defy me.” Levi bites back, bringing his thumb up to her clit, taking his time to build up her anticipation.

He rubs slow circles and other random patterns under the sensitive hood of skin, reveling in the prideful satisfaction he felt from her panting in the crook of his shoulder. If it weren’t for his strong hold on her, Levi was certain Y/N would melt into a pool of hot, liquid sex on the floor.

Levi holds the foil packet up to the cadet’s lips, and she takes one of the edges between her teeth. He rips it open as she holds it in place, having her spit out the foil left in her mouth after he’s taken the condom out. He gives his erection a few extra pumps for good measure before rolling the protective sheath on. He makes sure it’s secure, pinching the nib that rests above his tip with the pads of his fingers.

“Are you ready?” He asks. He may be a harsh leader possessing a stern demeanor, but he wasn’t a monster. He wouldn’t do anything to make someone uncomfortable, at least not like this.

“You’re asking me?”

“Just answer the question—honestly.” He breathes, teasing the tip of his cock along Y/N’s wet sex.

“Yes. I’m ready.” She’s telling the truth, but it’s nearly impossible to stop herself from wincing as she takes a second to look at the Captain’s dick as he prepares to ravage her in the most intimate way possible.

In an unexpected shift of tide, Levi grabs his pupil’s hair, spinning her around so she’s facing the wall. He presses his body against hers, loving the gasp that he’s able to elicit from her when her nipples made contact with the cold cobblestone on the wall. Her head’s turned to the side and her hands are against the wall, too anxious and excited to risk being reprimanded.

Levi’s movements are slow. He knows Y/N is extremely aroused and getting wetter with every kiss he leaves along her upper body, but he can’t be one hundred percent certain if she’s truly feeling okay. That’s why he watches intently, taking note of her expression as he slowly inches into her. She appears nervous, but not afraid.

“How are you feeling?” He asks quietly. He was only partially inside her and the head of his cock was already tingling with arousal.

“I’m fine. You can put it all the way in. Just do it slowly, Levi.” Her voice wavers slightly, mostly out of insecurity. Y/N wasn’t sure how to phrase things in a way that was seductive but still descriptive enough to understand.

“Hmm.” he responds with an expressionless hum, allowing his hands to roam along the skin on her arms. His fingertips round the caps of her shoulders, sliding down her upper arms and leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. As he does this, he musters up the courage to guide his cock all the way inside the bratty woman in front of him.

“Oh, that’s good. Can you just, stay right there for a moment Levi? Need a minute to get settled.” Y/N was breathing heavier than usual, her exhales coming out in little pants.

After a moment, Y/N felt comfortable enough to tell Captain Ackerman to move. His first thrust is cautious, but powerful. A wave of pent up sexual frustration shot through Levi’s chest. He curses under his breath, hissing as he draws back and bottoms out for the second time. He can hear Cadet L/N hiss after he re-enters, but the moan that followed told him it was okay to continue.

“You can fuck me harder, you know.” Y/N teased. Levi’s eyes flicker up to her lips, noting how swollen and pink they look. It’s enough to make him slow his movements, his cock twitching before it slips out of her completely.

He quickly regains his composure, slamming his dick back inside her, moans filling the room. She was warm, dripping with arousal, and tighter than what he could handle when using his fist. He’s thankful he’s older and more sexually mature, otherwise he would’ve climaxed right then.

“I’ll fuck you how I see fit. Now be a good brat and take my cock like I know you can.” His commands are harsh, but it only sparks the arousal inside Y/N. She’s already shaking with anticipation.

Not knowing what Levi was going to do to her body excited Y/N. She was more than willing to assist her captain in playing out his fantasy, even if it meant following his orders. Feeling his cock pounding into her pussy was electrifying and made her think that maybe, all her acts of defiance were worth the reward.

Y/N whines as he reaches a new spot inside her, mercilessly drawing out a cry. Her knees are already feeling weak, and she sighs to alert him of her current state.

“What is it, brat? Need my cock inside you in order to keep you upright? I swear you’re the most pathetic excuse of a cadet. Maybe I should just keep you as my personal whore—you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He has a hand splayed out across her lower neck, his middle finger at the conjunction of her collarbones. His other hand is playing with her clit, making it even more swollen and sensitive.

Y/N felt like she was experiencing touch for the first time. How was Captain Levi able to pull such intense reactions from her? This wasn’t uncharted territory for her, so why were there tears welling up in her eyes?

“Levi, please! Use me already, god please,” she whined, praying for the desire in her core to be released. “Need you so bad.” A tear rolled down her cheek as she made a small squeaking noise as her hips thrust up impatiently. All she wanted was an ounce of friction.

—

“Jesus Christ, what is wrong with you? Are you really that shameless, begging for your needs to be met when you deliberately choose to ignore my orders?” In an unexpected instant, Levi’s spit lands on your face.

“You, you just… spat on me! Why would you–”

He does it again.

“Shut the fuck up before I shove my dick down your pitiful throat. Though, you’d probably enjoy having it stuffed in between those pretty, pouting lips of yours.”

You gasp at the lewd nature of Levi’s words; you’d never thought you’d hear something so filthy come from the cleanest man within the walls. Aside from your initial expression of shock, you made sure to keep your mouth shut. You were getting impatient. It didn’t matter who was more powerful anymore—you both knew it was Levi anyway—you just wanted him to make you cum.

Instead of using your words, you whimper from somewhere in the back of your throat. Your captain shoots you a threatening glare, making you realize just how exposed you really were. His hand hovers near your throat and his eyes flicker up towards you again. You nodded.

“Of course you want my hand around your neck. You want your captain to give you a new necklace? Course you do, filthy brat.”

He applies light pressure at the sides of your throat, slowly adding more force. You feel lightheaded; you feel like you’re walking on air. You flinch when he spits into your open mouth, opening your eyes to see a small, devilishly wicked smirk playing on his lips.

He lets go after a minute, allowing you to catch your breath, massaging your tits as you do so. You close your eyes as he pinches one of your nipples between his thumb and forefinger, taking the other one in his mouth. It makes you suck in, the oxygen enters your lungs sharply.

You open your mouth, a second away from begging to be shown some mercy, when he relentlessly thrusts himself into you.

“Levi!” It’s too late to stifle the moan that comes out of you; one that has your eyes shooting open.

The feeling is overwhelming. It’s the perfect mixture of pain and pleasure—the kind you thought only existed in those erotic novellas in the back section of the library in your hometown. You hadn’t read them, but you’d overheard some of the older kids in the town square giggling with crimson cheeks as they recited excerpts to one another. It was a weird, yet fond memory, but it was soon discarded as the man before you created a steady rhythm with his hips.

“Is this what I have to do to get you to listen, Cadet?” Levi grunts, emphasizing a particularly hard thrust, sucking a hickey along the left side of your neck. He left a trail of kisses down the top of your shoulder and traced his finger along your spine.

All you can do in the moment is hum in acknowledgement, not trusting coherent words to tumble from your lips. That wasn’t enough for Captain Ackerman though—cadets respond when spoken to.

“Don’t,” he grabs your hands off the wall, holding them behind your back as he rocks into you harder. “Make me ask you again, L/N.” He punctuates his sentence by pulling out almost entirely, landing a slap on your ass, and pushing you into the wall as he fills your pussy up to the hilt.

“Y-yes sir! I’ll listen to you from now on, I promise! Just touch me, touch me please.” You whined desperately. Subtlety was beyond dead at this point. You were a weakling when it came to this man and there was no skirting around it.

—

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, whore.” Levi’s voice was stern, and it kept the fire that was burning for him deep within me alive.

He brings his hand down to my clit, and I feel like I’m somewhere else. With each second his skilled fingers swirl around my sensitive skin, I become more immersed in the fantasy my mind has created. A world where titans don’t exist, a world where everyone is safe and able to follow their hearts’ desires.

I knew it was too good to be true, but in that moment I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to waste this rare moment of peace, of fearlessness.

“Sorry! Please don’t stop, Captain Levi. I’m so close!” The lack of sound in the room made me aware of the echo and how loud I was.

His hand brushes against my clit for a brief moment of bliss, only to leave just as quickly. I whine at the loss of contact.

“Bratty slut,” he mumbles as a harsh slap causes me to suck in a sharp breath. He uses this as the perfect opportunity to slam into me, picking up the pace of his thrusts. “Tell me who’s making your tight little pussy squeeze around my cock like this, I want to hear you say it.”

His hand circles around my throat, fingertips tracing the delicate skin of my neck. A few of his fingernails scratch the surface, leaving behind goosebumps.

“You, it’s you.” I breathe out, moaning at the unrelenting, erotic movements of our bodies.

It felt like my ass was burning as I received another spank.

“Is that any way to address your captain? Let’s try this again. Who is fucking you so good and hard that you’ll never want to be touched by anyone else?” Levi presses his fingertips into the sides of my neck harder, bringing back that beautiful, lightheaded feeling. I felt like a sinner with how much I craved the constrictive hold his hand gave me.

“It’s you, Captain Ackerman! Only you could fuck me this good, sir!” I cry out, feeling my high slowly building up in my core.

“That’s right. And it would be a shame to have to punish you even more, leaving you aching and begging for my cock. You’re going to be an obedient little bitch for me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir! Please don’t stop, I promise. I promise I’ll do anything, please just let me cum, please!” I felt a tear roll down my cheek, following the same path as the one from before as he continued his ministrations, speeding up and slowing his digits as they assaulted my clit.

“I’ll let you cum, but only if you scream for me. Show me just how greedy of a slut you are. Maybe then you’ll get a reward from your captain.”

My senses soon became overwhelmed. The feeling of Levi’s body pressed up against mine, his lips ghosting over the shell of my ear, and the fluidity of his movements as he fucked himself into me all melted like hot wax onto my skin. It felt hot, warm, and almost electric as his authority was being ingrained into my body.

“Levi, I’m gonna cum! Please sir, please,” I cried, my legs shaking. “It’s so good! God, so good. Fuck! Captain Ackerman, I–” with a few more deep, penetrating dips into my pussy, Levi’s cock pulled out the most intense orgasm I’d ever felt in my life.

It struck like white lightning, an indescribable feeling. I couldn’t contain the whimpering moans that escaped me in expletives as I reached my high. I felt Levi twitch inside me, signaling his own release. My body was tired, becoming limp as he pulled out of me. I was in a deep, afterglow haze, unable to create a coherent thought or even make a sound.

After taking a few seconds to gather my scattered thoughts, Levi’s firm grip made itself known on my shoulder.

“Go clean yourself up, cadet. I expect you to be ready on time for training tomorrow.” He seemed entirely too composed for someone who just had rough, passionate sex. I eyed him curiously, but followed his instructions.

“Th-thank you, sir.” I said as I put my clothes back on. Thinking about my next plan of action, I’d have to stop by the barracks, take another shower, and change into my other uniform set.

I moved to close the door behind me, stealing one last look at Levi, who was entirely too interested in fastening his belt to acknowledge my fleeting presence. It stung, knowing he didn’t feel the weird electricity in his bones as I had, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

I was almost certain he shared that connection with me, but his stone cold demeanor towards me once he’d gotten himself off was completely bitter. There was no way to sweeten the harsh truth; Levi didn’t feel the same way.

I found it difficult to swallow such a pill. Did he really just do this to punish me? Was I simply a means to an end? An easy way to relieve his sexual desires? I couldn’t accept that—I didn’t want to accept it. Yet, my feet carried me all the way back to the barracks, into the showers, and into the uniform boots I’d grown to love.

—

It was almost painful; the amount of restraint it took to keep my head down. It felt as though every fibre of my being was screaming at me to grab her by the wrist, grab her by her hair and tell her to stay—to never leave my side and sleep in my bed for the rest of our nights alive.

It wasn’t plausible, it was merely a foolish fantasy my brain was too busy to squander. I knew that wasn’t true. My feelings were real and they were quickly bubbling to the surface, threatening to spill over and out into the open. All I wanted was to let go of this sharp, invasive pain within me, but I knew I could do no such thing.

She could only ever be a cadet, someone I commanded and put on the frontlines. Y/N was not fated to be mine. She had her childhood love, and they’d survive the war against the titans and be together. Her heart differed too much from her captain’s, and it would be the driving force keeping them apart. What would people think if they knew Levi Ackerman, squad leader of the Survey Corps, was infatuated with one of his cadets?

—

No matter how much he wanted to, Levi couldn’t chase after Y/N. It was what he wanted, more than anything, but with the war, he knew the universe would not grant him the grace to keep them both alive if they were to become involved.

He knew he was doing the right thing, despite how viciously wrong it felt deep down. The organ keeping him alive continued to pound harshly, almost as though his own heart was attacking him for being a coward. He was a coward, wasn’t he? For following what he knew to be logic rather than indulging in what he yearned for in his soul?

—

Hey, I hope you enjoyed this! This is my first like, actual smut, so I’d really appreciate any feedback. Hopefully it was cohesive and coherent enough.

AOT NSFW Taglist: @reddesert-cal

[ginnyweatherby]

Okay uhhh apologies for the long ask but I just wanted to write these down after that reblog and I just thought you'd like them

---

The PnF kids getting readings from Bruno and Isabella just getting all flustered when she sees her and Phin end up together, she makes Bruno promise to keep it secret.

Phineas and Ferb making Dolores special headphones that muffle sound enough for her to hear and not suffer.

Vanessa and Isabela painting each other's nails black and also Isa covering Norm with flowers.

Luisa helping the kids move stuff around and also arm wrestling with them cause they want to (she let's Baljeet win everytime and Buford just tries his very hardest).

And uhmmm... Perry showing Antonio his lair and letting him meet the other OWCA agents cause who wouldn't trust Antonio?

Felix, Agustin and Lawrence just having an absolute blast together and bonding like dads do. They talk about how amazing their kids are.

Pepe and Linda gardening together, Linda and Juiletta making supper and snacks together.

Candace and Isa talking about how annoying Mirabel, Phineas and Ferb are but how they love them to death.

Luisa, Candace and Vanessa all watching Ducky Momo

Camilo messing with Isabella like with his prima and just turning into Phineas all the time, especially when they're all together and Phin just gets really confused as to why he's pestering Isabella as him.

Ohhhh these are all so excellent!!!!! I love each and every one of them, thank you.

The boys making Dolores special headphones is so incredibly wholesome I'm going to cry. They're just the sweetest kids.

ISA COVERING NORM WITH FLOWERS. HE'D LOVE IT. SOMEONE DRAW NORM WITH A FLOWER CROWN PLS!!!!!

Antonio just becoming an Honorary OWCA member. He translates for the Agents while they (rightfully so) complain about their poor pay and working conditions.

... Can Doof join in on the little Dads-Who-Love-Their-Kids club?

[100yearoldcomics]

February 19, 1922 The Katzenjammer Kids by Harold Knerr

TOP PANEL [ID: The Kids ride on a homemade tandem bicycle with no pedals. Instead, powering the bike, a cat is tied to the frame underneath Hans while, behind it, Rosie the bulldog is tied under Fritz. As the chase ensues, the bike rides. /end] Fritz: Sic 'um, Rosie! Attaboy!

MAIN COMIC [ID: Hans ties chair caster wheels to the legs of Rosie the bulldog puppy. Fritz watches, removing the wheels from a chair. /end] Fritz: Do dey make castor oil out uf der casters from chairs? Hans: Sure! In der desert uf Sahara vare dey make der hair oil!

[ID: In their nightshirts, the Kids lead Rosie on her wheels into a fancy ball being thrown in the living room. /end] Hans: Now ve go bye-bye to der ball, Rosie! Fritz: Ask her for der foist dance!

[ID: The Kids walk up to Mama and Der Captain, dancing on the polished dance floor while a big band plays. /end] Captain: Vot der...? Mama: Didn't I said you should go to bed? Vot?

[ID: The Kids run back to their room, clutching their backsides in pain. Der Captain kicks Rosie out the door with them, but Rosie hits the doorframe with his face instead. The rest of the party attendants look on, bewildered. /end] Captain: ...und stay ouid, or it gifs more! Mama: Say foist der prayers und den sleep or I gif anodder spanker!

[ID: Fritz uses a key to wind up a toy train while Hans ties the train to Rosie's collar. /end] Fritz: Chust vun minute conwersation mit der old geezer! Eh? Ain't dot vot you vant, Rosie? Hans: Ve fix it for you, baby! Ve iss der boss fixers!

[ID: The train, carting Rosie, speeds over to Der Captain. The Kids watch mischievously from behind a curtained doorway. /end] Mama: I chust told der cook to hurry mit der eats! Guest: I'm famished! Captain: VOT? Again vunce?

[ID: Der Captain carries Rosie by the string tied to her collar, lifting her off the ground. He walks to a nearby open window. /end] Captain: Now, foist I gif you in der slats a kick und den plop! Ouid uf der vindow you go! Maybe you like to call again! Vot?

[ID: Rosie falls out of the window, landing headfirst. The Kids run out to catch her. /end] Captain: Next time, it gifs a brick on der coco! Hans: Poor 'iddle doggie! Didn't you haf a chance? Fritz: Ve chust got to arrange a interview!

[ID: In the kitchen, the chef calls out that the turkey is ready. The Kids lift the lid on the serving dish to deposit Rosie in with the turkey. /end] Fritz: Sh-h-h! Chef: Adolph! Take vunce up der toikey for supper right avay, qvick now!

[ID: Adolph serves the dish to a table full of dinner guests. /end] Captain: M-m-m-m! Mit my eyes shut, I could see roast toikey mit crumberry sauce, dod-bust it! Adolph: Supper iss ge-soived! Guest #2: I'm just starved! Mama: I hope der stuffing got galic mit!

[ID: Der Captain lifts the lid of the serving dish and comes face-to-face with an angry Rosie. The rest of the guests react in shock and horror. /end] Guest #3: Vot a life! Vot a fambly!

[ID: Mama talks on the telephone while a tattered & torn Captain marches out the door with angry purpose, a club in his hand. /end] Mama: Gran'ma says dey iss ofer by her house in dere nighties! Und I said dey should nefer go ouid mitout pants! Captain: I go right ofer! Vot I got to do iss better mitout pants!

[theawkwardterrier]

to seek a newer world

Steggy Week 2k20, day 6 Prompt: Headcanons and fave moments

Summary: Lateness becomes a bit of a theme through the years.

AO3 link here. Thanks to @steggyfanevents​ for organizing!

Steve was still on the couch reading by dim lamplight when Peggy came down at 12:29 a.m. She walked over, yawning, and curled into his side.

“Cutting it quite close again, isn’t she?” she asked into his T-shirt. He chuckled, put in his bookmark, and turned to kiss her head.

“I’m just waiting up. She still has another minute,” he pointed out. They silently counted it down together.

“And now she doesn’t,” Steve sighed. “She’s late. Officially. Again.”

“They both are. I peeked in on Will before I came down and he had pillows all lumped up beneath the duvet.”

Steve groaned softly. “And he’s already supposed to be grounded, too. Plus I’ll probably find that window screen torn up on the lawn in the morning.”

“What on earth made us think we were qualified to handle twins, I certainly don’t know.”

“Knowing how much personality got split between our two, I think even one might have been too much.”

She yawned again, shuts her eyes as she leaned into him. She actually had the weekend off, not even an emergency summit on the horizon, and had counted on it meaning at least one good night’s sleep. “Well, I do hope they’re enjoying themselves considering the chores they’ll be taking on in exchange for this. Washing the supper dishes for the next month, at least.”

“They already wash the dishes,” Steve reminded her, pulling her closer. He leaned his face into her hair. “And help with the yard, and make honor roll. They really are good kids, when it comes down to it.”

“I know that, and I certainly wouldn’t exchange them, especially considering some of the alternatives. I only wish that they would try to overcome the predisposition to lateness which you passed down.”

“Me? Sounds more like your genetics at work.”

“I think you’ll find that I have a reputation for punctuality,” she replied, “while you come up rather short in that department.”

A pair of headlights moved across the living room curtains, not stopping. Busy took the car tonight, but if her brother sneaked out, she would drop him off around the corner, let him jump the neighbors’ fences and slink through the back door, or try climbing up the house back into his window. (Sometimes Steve cursed what he passed on to them. Not often, though. Neither of them had ever had so much as a cold.)

"Maybe the lateness comes from both of us," Steve suggested, gesturing at their wedding picture on the side table. "We’ve certainly had our moments."

"Hmm," she said, though he suspected that was more tiredness than agreement.

In the silence, the brief creak of the upstairs window was especially pronounced, as was the curse Will gave when he fell through it. Apparently he’d made it back in decent condition.

"Pillows under the blanket, huh?" Steve laughed softly. "They really do think we’re idiots.” And he got up to have a talk about punctuality and punishment with his son.

Steve adjusted his shoulders against the headboard, licking a finger absently as he turned a page. The story was easy to get pulled back into quickly, which was good because—

“And the looks I get during meetings are absolutely unbelievable.” Peggy slammed her own book back into her lap, or what was left of it. “An emergency summit about China, and every eye pointed at my middle as if they’d never seen one before.”

To be fair, her middle was fairly spectacular these days, but if they couldn’t stay focused, out of politeness if not duty… “Assholes,” he agreed. “Turn over.”

She did unquestioningly, putting her book on the nightstand and allowing him to start in pressing the tension from her back. He knew well how to do it, as he should after months, after years.

“He’s late,” she growled into the pillow after a moment. “I can’t believe he’s so late.”

“The doctor said that first kids can be like that. A little reluctant to come out. Taking a little extra time to…” Steve paused. “Cook,” he finished after an awkward moment.

She sighed. “I know, and I certainly wouldn’t want an uncooked child. It’s still bloody inconsiderate of him to be so delayed. Making my back ache like this all day, and in the absolute depth of summer, too.”

“You think it’s a boy?” He smiled, despite the aggravation in her voice. They had the bassinet all ready, and dozens of outfits so miniature that sometimes he would simply unfold them, hold them in his palm, and stare in wonder.

“No daughter of mine would be so rude, I should hope.” She moaned as he hit a particularly good spot, lifting her face to the bit of breeze coming through the open window. Perhaps the rain which had been threatening might really come at last.

“Maybe she’s just being strategic, like her mother.”

“I’ll have to teach whoever they are better than that.” She sighed. “Strategy indeed. Not even out in the world and already biting the hand that—Oh!”

He sat up abruptly, book sliding to the floor beside him.

“Was that—?”

“Yes.” She touched carefully at the mattress beneath them. “Yes, I suppose it’s time.”

The bag for the hospital was right beside the bed. It swung from Steve’s hand as he patted his pockets a bit frantically to make sure he had his keys.

“Steve.”

He looked over. Peggy had put her feet carefully over the side of the bed, waiting for him to help her with her shoes. The look on her face was unfamiliar.

“Steve,” she said again. “What if I’m not ready?”

He wasn’t certain that he was ready either - they were so small, babies, and he didn’t exactly have experience - but he smiled for her.

“Then it’s a good thing this one seems to like to take it slow and give us plenty of time. We’ll be able to catch up.”

“Of course,” she said, then, determined, “Of course. We’ll catch up.”

“I’m fairly certain,” Peggy said, breathing hard, “that it will be quite humiliating when we get out of here,” but she pressed herself closer to him.

Steve suggested idly, “So maybe we just shouldn’t leave,” but even saying it, he knew it was impossible - and maybe not desirable either. “Not that I want to miss our own wedding,” he added hastily. He felt the silk of her dress under his fingers, thought about watching it spin as they had their first dance, about having a picture from today at home, hearing people comment on it - maybe even their kids one day... “I actually really want to be married to you.”

“More than you want this?” she asked cheekily, hands still beneath his suit jacket.

“I’ve heard a rumor,” he said, bending squarely toward her, “that we still get to do this after we’re married.”

“In closets?” she breathed, reaching close right back. “Closets are essential.”

“Wherever you want...”

And then his mouth was on hers, and he forgot where they were, what he’d been saying, had been thinking, until he felt her engagement ring pressed to his cheek. He pulled away, took her hand, kissed the knuckles. “Come on,” he said. “I have another ring to go with this one.”

She opened the door with practiced stealth, peering into the corridor of the community hall. They had only planned to spend last night apart, but between an operation gone wrong, Dernier getting lost in the city, and Howard’s persistent offers of “one last hurrah!” for each of them, it had been nearly a week since they’d last seen each other. It was no wonder that, when they’d each happened to come collect their thoughts in the back hallway, one thing had led to another.

Luckily, no one seemed to be around. Or perhaps less than luckily: some members of their wedding party were meant to be observant, with world saving responsibilities, and they hadn’t exactly been well-hidden.

“We’re late,” Peggy whispered as they left the broom closet behind. (Steve caught a mop by the handle and propped it back against the wall before shutting the door.) “We’re very late.”

“I know. We’ll probably hear about it in every toast.”

“And for the next ten years besides.” She stopped just before the set of doors which would bring them back into the foyer. She looked into his face, so easily familiar even in the dim light. “But I wouldn’t exchange it. We are who we are, and I quite like who we are.”

He looked back, so entirely thankful that he would have the chance to do that for the rest of their lives. “I do too,” he said. “Even if it means giving Jarvis a heart attack by ruining all of his planning.”

Peggy scoffed. “Ruining it? Simply a delay, darling. Which poor Jarvis might have counted into his plans anyway.” And she pushed open the doors, ready to get on with the next part, and all they’d get after.

“They’re late,” Steve said exasperatedly, though it was fairly obvious by now: their information had the handoff taking place at midnight, and it was already half past. He shifted in his seat - Peggy’s sedan wasn’t exactly tops for leg room, and they’d already been in place an hour.

“Well.” Peggy was clearly biting back a yawn. It’d been a full week of late nights, with this meant to be the last for a while; one more takedown, the final piece, and she’d have the next few days to rest. “Possibilities?”

“Our intel was wrong,” he started off.

She nodded. “Or they changed the particulars.”

“Could be tomorrow, or in an hour, or going on somewhere else while we sit here. It could have already happened.” The thought was too depressing to consider for long, the mood in the car already deflating and the two of them having eaten their emergency car snacks while following a tip-off earlier that week without a chance to replace them. Steve added, slightly hopelessly, “Maybe they got held up somewhere. Traffic?”

“Bridge club ran long, perhaps?”

“Let’s hope not. If these guys are able to sit around the same table playing bridge, they won’t need to handle incriminating material out in the open.”

She laughed, trying to give a gentle stretch as she did.

“Come here,” he offered hesitantly. “I can—” After a moment, she leaned back so he could knead careful fingers into her neck and shoulders.

"If they did play bridge together," Peggy said after a brief quiet, "I'd wager the best bottle in Howard's cellar that Dumont cheats." She gave a deep sound from the back of her throat; he pressed carefully on the same spot again.

"Wouldn't take that bet, but I'd guess Crenshaw probably cheats worse. He's the type - would steal from his own grandmother."

"He gets on quite well with his grandmother, actually. Flowers every birthday. His mother, on the other hand…"

Steve grinned. "Have I ever told you that you're very good at what you do?"

"You have, but it's certainly something I can hear more than once."

He brushed his fingers against the back of her neck. “You’re very good at what you do.”

“Not as good as I could be, apparently. Not tonight.”

“Hey, it’s not—” Steve started, hands bracketing her shoulders, but before he could continue, headlights flashed across the windscreen in front of them. The attached car turned into the alley they’d been watching. A second set of lights appeared at the opposite end. This late at night, the slam of the car doors was audible even where Steve and Peggy sat.

“Sorry we’re late,” one of the men muttered. “Traffic was worse than expected.”

“Got caught in the same,” someone said back.

“How inconsiderate not to have considered that in advance,” Peggy said, checking her pistol before she moved to open the door.

“You can tell them off once they’re in lockup,” Steve told her. “Pretty sure they’ll be timely after this.”

Expecting the plumber, Peggy opened the door still facing toward her overflowing sink.

“Excellent.” She glanced at the visitor for just an instant. “It’s right this—”

She turned back, sink forgotten. Steve Rogers stood on her doorstep.

“I’m late,” he said. “I know. I’m sorry.”

He had flowers in his hands. He looked...older, both more and less comfortable in his skin.

“You could never be too late,” she said. The words brought something pained to his eyes. She reached for his hand. “Do you know anything about unclogging drains?”

“Not a thing.”

“I suppose we’ll learn, then. There’s time.”

[bobdylanrevisited]

Empire Burlesque

Released: 10 June 1985

Rating: 6/10

Poor Bob, he’s now 44 years old with a voice getting more nasal by the second. Once the trailblazer of a generation, he now finds himself falling behind the times. Music was changing in the 1980s, album production and the popular sound had become more electronic and Bob was finding it hard to stick to his roots. This is very much an MTV Dylan album, he tries to fit in with the times and unfortunately it’s an out of character mess. This is not a good record and it doesn’t suit Bob at all, save for one incredible track that elevates the score from a 4 to a 6.

1. Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love?) - Originally a much better outtake from ‘Infidels’ entitled ‘Someone’s Got A Hold Of My Heart’, the opening track is a good summary of what kind of album this will be. Cheesy synth music, lots of backing singers, and a Bob Dylan impersonator mumbling simple and boring lyrics. Though Bob did manage to reinvent this track as a sweet love song during his 1993 NYC Supper Club residency, here the song just sounds dated. It almost sounds like someone making an 80s parody song, and to make matters worse, this is one of the better songs on the album. Make sure you also watch the accompanying music video, that features Bob doing a terrible synchronised dance, that is both hilarious and utterly shit.

2. Seeing The Real You At Last - This track sounds more like an intro song to a budget 80s detective show, but at least it’s kind of fun to listen to.

3. I’ll Remember You - A slower ballad which I surprisingly don’t mind. The lyrics are simple, as is the music, but Bob sounds pretty good on this one.

4. Clean Cut Kid - This is a very weird song, it’s very upbeat and has some nice harmonica, but again it feels like a montage you’d hear in a cheesy film. As usual, the backing singers are irritating and unnecessary.

5. Never Gonna Be The Same Again - A very boring and uninspired track, with an annoying drum beat.

6. Trust Yourself - Again, forgettable and bland. This just sounds like an average 80s pop tune, not a track by the worlds best songwriter.

7. Emotionally Yours - The second ballad, and certainly not as good as track 3, but Bob’s voice still suits this style more than the synthy pop numbers. However, this love song still seems hollow and horrendously overproduced.

8. When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky - Another song that sounds like it should be on a soundtrack, this time it’s a futuristic sound that is punctuated by heavy drums and guitar solos. Whilst this is one of the better songs on the record and is enjoyably a bit darker than some of the sappy, meaningless love songs, the original recording is far superior. It can be heard on The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3, and is more stripped back and actually sounds like a Bob Dylan track. Once you hear that version, you’ll have a hard time returning to the album recording, as the production is so in your face, it does become a little unbearable.

9. Something’s Burning, Baby - I’ve heard this album many times, I’ve just listened to it again for this review, and I honestly cannot remember this song… I think that tells you everything you need to know.

10. Dark Eyes - Dylan ends the album with an absolute gem. No fancy production, just a harmonica and his guitar. It’s a beautifully sung song, which was inspired by Bob seeing a prostitute walking through a hotel, according to his autobiography. It proves that the old Bob is very much still alive and he hasn’t lost a shred of his songwriting genius, just that all the songs proceeding this are a victim of the zeitgeist. This is really the only song you need to hear on this record, it’s fantastic and certainly one of his best tracks to come out of this tumultuous decade.

Verdict: So it’s certainly not great, and the final track does a lot of heavy lifting for the album score, but there are some decent Dylan moments to be had, they’re just few and far between. Ultimately, this is a forgettable album that might be best staying mostly forgotten. Unfortunately, the curse of the 1980s is about to get far worse, as our hero really starts to lose his way and would make even the most hardcore fan question if his talent had permanently dried up.

[theonceandfuturequeenoftarts]

WIP Game

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Thanks @valkyrie-chemist for leaving the open invitation!

So, uh, I have *counts* seventy-six WIPs at some level of worked-on in my fanfic folder (whyyyyy). Here are twenty-five of the tomarry/harrymort ones.

Ten of the partly posted ones (Ao3 title in parentheses):

Ace ABO fic 2 (thrown into the nest)

hmm (There's Love (if you want it))

pen pal besties (thus, friends absent speak)

Labyrinth (like those palaces in fairy tales)

Amnesia (engrave the silhouette of you)

X.3 (part three of (won't you) lay hands on me, AKA Harry the Masochist 'verse)

QV (Arm yourself (no one else here will save you))

C.2 (unfailingly ingenious at having a good time)

B.2 (Brumation Buddies)

third? date? and WEDDING EVENT OF THE CENTURY (parts three and four of the naive melody 'verse)

Ten Fifteen of the still-unposted ones:

JRPG-style

Chikan

cauldron

Soulmark drabble

Captive-Harry gets unknowingly adopted by the Dark

fake dating yaaaasss

magical

Little Master

University AU

Festivus

Circus AU

Feral

SOMNOPHILIAAAAAAAAA

Lord Voldemort, accidental relationship counsellor

Poor kids supper club

Since I jumped in from a non-tag, please feel free to share your WIPs if you haven't done so yet! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

[elizabeth-234]

A Night She Won’t Soon Forget

Previous Chapter Five: A Day She Receives Some News

Hi all. Hope you are doing well. Here is the next chapter, Enjoy!

Chapter Six: A Day He Begins to Move

“You can stop here, Harold.”

His driver looked toward the walkway. His eyes scanned over the decrepit buildings, taking in the address which was at least five blocks away from where he was scheduled to drop off his employer. Harold raised his eyes to the mirror so he could gaze at the man sitting hunched over in the back.

“Are you sure, sir? I can drop you off at the regular location.”


“I want to walk the rest of the way. Drop me off here.” Tony motioned to the open spot between parked vehicles and nodded at his driver’s kind sentiment. “And get back to your family. It’s Christmas time or so I hear.”


Harold sighed but did as requested after relaying a genuine thanks. Tony supposed by now that the man was used to his eccentricities. He knew Harold wouldn’t put up too much of argument no matter how long lasting his sighs were. Sure enough, Harold pulled the car over and Tony stepped out onto the sidewalk before leaning through the front window Harold had undoubtedly rolled down to give some last remark on getting home at a decent hour.

Before the man could speak Tony nodded to the seat he had occupied moments ago. “There’s an envelope with your bonus in the back. Treat your family to something nice this holiday.”

Harold tipped his hat and with a wavering voice Tony pretended not to hear thanked him for the gift.  

“Happy holidays, Sir.”

Tony patted the edge of the window twice and stepped back from the car. Harold waved before driving off. The last of the car’s lights disappeared around the corner in a puff of smog. Tony grabbed the flask out of the pocket sown into the inside of his coat. The liquid burned his throat on its descent and quickly spread its warming effects in his belly and limbs. He pulled his coat tight around his body in order to stop the rest of the heat from escaping on his walk back home.

The brisk winter air around sought its way into his bones despite his precautions but Tony continued at a leisurely pace. Wind whipped around his frame carrying more than ice into his bones. Tony could feel his memories sweeping out of the dark recesses of his mind. He couldn’t tell if it was the wind, so similar to that night about a year ago or just the festivities decorated around him. There were sparks of light in the windows peeking out from a curtain. The scent of gingerbread and pine infused into the breeze. It was enough to make him shudder against the onslaught of childhood memories and one particular vision of the frozen lake in his upstate home.

Tony shook his head and tried to focus on other thoughts. The previous year he spent working. The business was waiting like a reliable friend back in the city for him and his paperwork spent the rest of the holidays as companions. That and the drink remained another old friend. His desk was bowing under the weight of all those friendships by the end of the previous year and when Mrs. Vern arrived back at the house, bringing with her a blessing of fresh meals, Tony could have kissed her bright cheeks.

He remembered stumbling down to the kitchen to find, for the first time in took long, his cook finishing up supper. Not one to take much stock in station and maybe noticing the dark circles under his eyes, the woman ordered Tony to chop vegetables. He couldn’t help the pleased smile that came across his face at Mrs. Vern’s stubborn reluctance to accept his compliments. After another, more exaggerated sated groan she finally subsided and pinched his cheek before taking his empty plate. His bed dipped under his weight and he slept at peace for the first time that holiday.

The coming days saw the house opening again as the season ended. Staff arrived back leaving little room for errant thoughts and wayward breezes. Pepper gifted him a sensible present of carved, wooden pens. They sat, gleaming in the firelight on the corner of his desk close enough to reach out and touch. He caught up with Rhodey over dinner, reminisced and laughed until his sides were sore. And when business caught his friends’ attention again, Obadiah was there at the club with an open bottle and listening ear. Confined in the walls of the club and bottle he created his own oblivion. He found the events of the cottage faded into nothing more than an unpleasant dream by the time the new year arrived.

Now, a year later the holidays were back much to his chagrin. He decided to stay in the city this year though it had nothing to do with last year, Tony assured himself. They were having a guest at Stark House. An interloper.

Like most things in his life, it began as one of Pepper’s ideas. But this time it went too far. Her response was to throw the words back in his face. “This is a direct retaliation to what the press is printing about you, Tony.” She said, also adding she held no interest in whether what the press was saying was true or not. It wasn’t her business, she claimed. Though Tony noted her hands fisted at her sides.

Pepper relayed the plan with a casual indifference that left Tony itching to yell he would give her the business and everything along with it if she wanted. He was tempted to tell her everything and promise to never take a drink again, but instead he stayed silent. He’d listened as she explained they were inviting, fostering was her exact word, a child for the holidays and ‘maybe longer’ she added with a mysterious smile. The child was to come as soon as possible after the paperwork was filed.  

Tony’s job started the moment the orphan showed up. He was to be waiting with open arms and a smile, and from there on out the kid was to be showered with gifts. They were to go on outings always making sure the press, and therefore the public, would see how generous he was. The throne they so foolishly tried to cast off of his head would be cemented and at the end, mission succeeded or not, the kid would be sent back. Tony’s life could go back to the way it had been, Pepper promised. He sighed running a hand through his hair.

How was that fair to either of them?

The first surprise will be Pepper’s, he thought. There was not a single bone in his body that wanted to be home tomorrow. He certainly wasn’t going to be there when the child was brought back to Stark House. His stomach had been in a constant state of turmoil since Pepper informed him of the plan, one he didn’t think would be cured by the presence of said child.

No, it was for the best. Obadiah heard the tail end of their conversation and with a parting look of thinly concealed disgust from Pepper they were left to their own devices. He poured them drinks under his friend’s concentrated eyes. Tony felt them as he often did with his friend. Their warm constancy was a balm compared to the acquaintances he was surrounded with for business. Obadiah’s been a family friend since he can remember. His presence has always lingered on the pages of his life.

His friend leaned back in his seat, hands resting in a casual manner on the armrests of their seats before he spoke.

“I suppose I should offer you congratulations.” Obadiah tipped his glass up before draining it with a flick of his wrist. Tony hoisted himself out of the seat and went to refill the glass leaving a quirk of his eye as indication for the other man to continue. “I hear you’re going to be a father. How sweet and so in line with the holiday season, too.”

The man smiled into his glass when Tony scowled at him from his seat. Tony shifted, crossing his legs before moving to sit against the back of the seat. His eyes focused on his fingers playing with the leather divots on the armrests. Of course, he heard. Obadiah had a knack for being in the right place at the right time; always knew the relevant information. It never failed to lodge itself under his skin when they were younger and his father would tell Obadiah something before him. Not a twitch or grimace betrayed him today. Tony had long learned to accept his friend’s charming persuasion and on occasion be thankful for it. The bastard’s smile had gotten him out of enough trouble over the years.

He frowned at the pointed comment. The addition of a child, one he neither wanted nor accepted, would pair disastrously with his life. It would be best, he thought staring at the bald head of his friend, if they spent as much time at the club as possible. This way the child could have run of the estate and he would be preoccupied elsewhere. He laughed off Obadiah’s teasing and the afternoon faded into a blur of alcohol and gossip.

A burst of wind brought his wandering thoughts to a head. Tony turned the corner and sped up his walk at the sight of the townhouse. The change in wind left the clouds scattering across the dark mass of sky away from the now naked moon. He stopped to catch his breath. His hands clutched and twisted the lapels of his coat without thinking, pulling them away from his throat in a poor attempt to relieve the strange pressure building in his chest. An image of a smooth, icy pond entered his mind sending a spiral of tingling in his fingers and toes he’s certain had nothing to do with the cold. Wobbly legs carry him forward as fast as possible in a sad attempt to get to the door quickly. Weight compressed, weighed against his chest. Tony couldn’t breathe. His vision swarmed. Sidewalks became a sheet of ice and he was almost lost in the despair until his hand grasped onto the door knob.

Tony closed it behind him with haste locking out the cold and everything along with it. Friday hadn’t made it to the door yet and he was grateful to have a moment to compose himself. He tried to even his breathing and unclenched his hands but the pressure in his chest, the almost manic expression remained in his eyes for hours to come.

Tony managed to straighten his coat and scarf when Friday arrived up the stairs.

“Good Evening, Sir. May I take your coat?”


Friday ignored the silence and stepped forward, taking his coat and outer things in hand. Tony stuffed his hands into his pockets to warm them, not because they were trembling. He clapped Friday on the shoulder before heading to the stairs. It wasn’t until he arrived at the first step, Tony turned around. Friday was hanging up and brushing down his outerwear with the precision and snap of his wrist well practiced.

“Friday,” He cleared his throat. “Thank you again, for staying the holidays. I know you normally go stay with your sister.”

“Anything to help, Sir.” He said with a nod. It was said in such a way Tony wasn’t sure if he was just talking about the extra hours. Friday smiled at his obvious discomfort and wished him goodnight. With a pivot around Tony made his way to his office.

Once situated in the leather chair by the fireplace, drink in hand, Tony withered. His back drooped and his eyes freed from observation, expressed their full state of anxiety. Who cared if he poured himself another drink? Who cared if his eyes, unfocused and hazy one moment focused too sharply and tunneled the next? He was safe in his office, this chair. Safe from the vicious rumors and lingering gazes. Safe from his always far too kind staff and their pitying expressions. Ensconced under the light of the fire, all he had to worry about was himself.  

Friday knew him. Brought on before Tony was a child, since his mother married into the Stark name, Friday knew him possibly better than anyone. He’d watched and raised Tony, instilled in him kindness and goodness. So, it he knew what Tony had become, how far he had fallen. Tony scraped his hand along his face.

As the night wore on he sank deeper into the chair. His thoughts spiraled around themselves, circuses and snarls take over before he knows it. His cheek stung with a phantom memory. Tony stumbled to the fireplace, wrenching himself out of the chair and hurling his glass into the flames. The amber liquid sputters in the fire and drips off the glass pieces before smoking. Starved for a full, satisfying breath, he leaned against the mantel. An errant, curious thought about the child who would be staying with him for the foreseeable future.

-

A headache bloomed and ripened startling fast at the onset of fierce knocking. Unlike her usual knocks, Pepper was pounding at his door with no appearance of mercy being granted. Tony groaned at the newly christened sun of the day and pushed himself from his desk.

“I’m coming.” He said loud enough for her to hear and smoothed his hair back where it had fallen in sleep. With a grin, no it was not forced, he opened the door. “I’ve had many pleasant awakenings, Ms. Potts. This would not be counted among them.” Her scowl was diluted by a pretty blush at his words which made her scowl that much more at him.

“I don’t have time for your maturity, or lack thereof today. You did get the letter I sent right? I left it on your,” She rummaged around a pile of papers until, with a click of her tongue, she held up the unopened letter, “Desk.”

Pepper shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t have time to be annoyed.” She looked him up and down, focusing on the wrinkles on his shirt. “You don’t look the best but it will have to do. Let’s go.”

Tony stayed frozen where he opened the door. Unbeknownst to him the schedule for the day lay forgotten at the corner of his desk under the newspaper.

“Go where?”

“We’re going to Midtown Orphanage today, remember? Pick up your charge for the holidays.”

At a young age, one of the first things he noticed about Pepper was she lacked the ability to be still. He watched as she grabbed an emergency tie out of one of his drawers and threw it at him remembering the way she would run about the garden even under their parents disapproving gaze. How hours later they would enter the dining room for dinner with creased clothing and muddy shoes, smiling for days no matter the pointed comments they were thrown at the end of.

Tony hung the tie to the back of the chair and stands there regarding her – he thought the word friend but it feels lacking somehow - while she cleans up after him. He can’t remember a time where she wasn’t moving, wasn’t pushing herself to do better; be better. When they were kids she would goad him out of his moods and into the garden, older and wilder they would explore their estates free from duty for a few more years, and when Tony was sent off to college, Pepper worked that much harder at Russel Sage.

There was never a time where she hasn’t had some touch in his life. Disapproving though Pepper is much of the time she has never stopped believing in him and that was why Tony had begun planning.

“Look, I’ve decided I’m not going with you.”

She stopped moving and looked at him, eyes drawn together with a frown lacing her face. There was disappointment in those eyes, an expression he’d seen all too much recently and Tony swallowed back an apology. This was for the best.

“Tony…”


“I’m not going today. I’ll go along for the rest of it but today this person, kid, deserves to have a nice holiday. They won’t be able to do that with me hanging about like a grumpy old… well, like my father.”

Pepper tensed her shoulders.

“Tony, you’re never in the way. You need to come.”

He waited until her shoulders fell then he walked to his desk, taking his pocketbook out.

“I appreciate what you’re doing for the company and in extension, for me. I Just want you both to have a nice day. Here’s some money, go buy the kid something nice. Whatever you want.”

“This is ridiculous, Tony. You said you would be there.”

“It doesn’t count if you used that look you have. The one where you scrunch up your nose.”

Despite the pit growing in his stomach he laughed unbothered at the way she crossed her arms in front of her.

“That pout right there. It normally works wonders and I would be persuaded to sell my right arm but I am, unfortunately, firm in my position.”

Pepper ignored him and stuffed the money into her purse after grabbing her coat. She walked to the door, only looking back when she’d crossed the threshold.

“And don’t forget you have meetings early tomorrow, I wouldn’t want you drinking so much you were unavailable. Again.”


Pepper’s heels click against the floor as she stormed out punctuated by the slam of his door. Tony winced. There are papers she had thrown down in random order on his desk. Thankful for once she didn’t read through them, Tony sat down again and got to work. The time had come to reward her ambition, her dreams. He was vastly aware of his own limitations and shortcomings, in most respects, but this was something he could do for her. With the business on shaky ground because of his latest stunt at the club, it was the perfect time to begin.

They would both be busy today.

Russell Sage is a real women's college in New York that started in 1916, which is crazy to think about it being so recent.

Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think! Our two characters will meet soon, never fear.

Thank you!

[heatherjeff]

2020 Book List

It has been ages since I have written and, like everyone else, there seems to be a bit more unstructured time in my everyday life. It makes perfect sense the impetus for a return to blogging is books, reading is fundamental! 

My friend, KDaddy, annually shares the list of books he’s read. The first time I noticed his list I was thrilled, took notes, commented on how happy I was, and proceeded to read many of his recommendations. When it became clear 2020 was going to be a little different books became an even bigger part of my days as well as an escape from the grind of the news and the pandemic.

When KDaddy tagged me with his book list this year, it occurred to me I have a little platform where I can post my own year in review. Books are the best and reading has served me well my whole life, 2020 was no exception.

First, a few facts. This year I read 35 books, for comparison I read 24 in 2019. That makes me happy especially since there are not a million things about 2020 to invoke a sense of accomplishment. I have long kept a book journal since my title and author memory is similar to a sieve. At the start of the pandemic everyone in my house was gifted a kindle, I was not a fan of the plan, paper books are my love language. As this time has worn on, the kindle has proven to be a brilliant and magical purchase. Libby is a completely modern wonder and the next time I am in NYC I will, for sure, treat myself to a library card from that library system.

With no further ado let’s talk books.

Definitely Read:

The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

Two sisters reacted to the unfolding atrocities of WWII in very different ways. Both were fierce, suffered in ways unimaginable to most of us, and illustrated the many ways women are impacted by a war. Such a powerful read.

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

Great read based on a true story about a teenager who became pregnant. Her family forced her to give up her baby and it was placed in a mental institution for the sole reason the child was an “orphan”. Many more plot twists follow, this was a gem of a book.  

Women in Sunlight: A Novel by Frances Mayes

This book kicked off as total cliche and morphed into complete life goals. Three older women, all single for a variety of reasons, strike up a friendship and move to a Tuscan Villa. I want to be them someday in Italy living with the locals.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

YA This came highly recommended from my youngest. It opened his eyes to the world in a huge way and he was very committed to sharing this story with all of us. William is a complete force of nature and against (truly) all odds changes the trajectory or his family, his village, and his life with ingenuity and desire. Love this book so much.

Little Fire’s Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng

Heard so much about this book and completely loved it all. So. Many. Plot. Twists.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

YA read from my kid, a MUST read. This book was chilling on a 1,000 different levels. Race, police profiling, education, culture- Nic Stone packed it all in and it opened my heart and sparked some good conversations in our home.

Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel by Bernardine Evaristo

This thoughtfully constructed book was a gift from another reader friend and is one of my favorite reads of the year. It shares multiple first person layered viewpoints from British women who span every part of society. Great read.

Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Let’s be clear, I love Ann Patchett. Love. Whenever she authors a new novel I am jazzed and the Dutch House is no exception. The house becomes an actual character in the story and has everything to do with the brokenness of family who moves into it.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Unpopular opinion, I am not a fan of Nike. I am a tremendous fan of Phil Knight’s innovation and hustle. Phil is a visionary and expert storyteller.

The Tatowist of Auschwitz: A Novel by Heather Morris

The novel is based on interviews with Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who used his position of relative privilege to positively impact the lives of as many fellow prisoners as possible. I had to read this book fast since it impacted my sleep, which it should. Incredible read.

American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins

Ooofff, this book is hard to read. I started and stopped because I could not sleep and opted to read it during daylight hours only. It is seriously terrifying in a million ways. It is about a family who has to flee from Alcopulcio to the United States due to extreme violence from the local and very well connected drug cartel. This book is a testament to the grit of illegal immigrants and an eye opening read about the terror they face.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

True story of Bryan Stevenson’s quest to navigate the criminal justice system in the rural south where he aims to help the most disadvantaged in the system. Timely, eye opening, and full of action items we all need to help with for the betterment of our society.

City of Girls: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert

Books by Elizabeth Gilbert are some of my favorites and I was concerned when I started this book, it was a struggle. It came together and I ended up loving it. A story about NYC in the 1940’s centered around a girl/woman who is sent to live with her aunt at her playhouse full of showgirls. It was such an unrelatable read, it transported me to a time I have never really considered and it was a trip worth taking.

Totally Enjoyable:

True Colors by Kristen Hannah

Reads like YA fiction and I loved it. It’s about a ranch family, their horses, land, siblings, their live father and deceased mother. It is not deep and is a fun read.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

This book was intense, fun, & slightly scary. A “hen party” in a, literal glass house, becomes the scene of a murder.

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

This is a fun read about two best friends who become doctors together and then the plot thickens. Can’t say more, it is complicated.

Freud’s Mistress by Karen Mack

This was my last library loan before the pandemic. It is a fascinating read based loosely on the dynamics of Freud’s family, drugs, affairs that feel a bit like incest, a huge male ego, this should not sound familiar in any way!

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

YA, loaner from my kid (which came to my nightstand highly recommended). This is a sweet, sweet love story of two teenagers who have very different backgrounds and lots of big feelings. The whole book takes place over the course of one day.

It All Comes Back to You by Beth Duke

This was a surprise hit and it sucked me in. The story is about a nurse in a retirement community who befriends a resident who lived a big life.

The Queen’s Fortune: A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire by Allison Pataki

I admit, I am a fan of royalty, it is so intriguing and this book was completely spellbinding. The story is based on Napoleon's France and it was messy.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

NF This book is amazing. A poor black woman has cancer cells removed from her body, these rapidly reproducing cells become known as HeLa cells and change the trajectory of modern medicine. There are so many consequences from this seemiling small discovery and the impact to the medical world and to Henrietta’s family are far reaching.

The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A.J. Finn

Read this in one day at the beach, I was sucked into this story of Anna Fox and her salacious neighborhood drama.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

I know I liked this book and made a note about the “pause” taken over the summer when the kids in the family basically ran wild. That’s all I’ve got.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

There was a ton of hype around this book and it is well deserved. Glennon tells it like it is and, like it or not, she has a lot of points that hit. I read this on my kindle and think I would have liked reading the physical book more.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

Short stories from Ann Patchett? Yes, 100% yes. The story of her relationship with Lucy, of Truth and Beauty: A Friendship, was wonderful as was the explanation of her book store in Nashville.

After You: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy) by Jojo Moyes

I have zero idea that Me Before You was a trilogy! It is a total candy read, you are not going to learn much about your soul or the universe, but it is fun and better than TV. And yes, I will read the third book in the trilogy because candy is good! 

The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano

Also a trilogy, another happy surprise. This book is fun, another candy read, and so appealing. When I was a kid I wanted to have a restaurant so this story made my heart happy. It is a bit too clean, a bit cliche, and an enjoyable read.

Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This novel will transport you to a land of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I read this was loosely based on the story of Fleetwood Mac, true or false, this book captures a moment in history and reads a lot like a play and is completely enjoyable.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

This is the book written before Little Fires Everywhere, similar deal-  family strife/mystery, kind of riveting with lots of twists. Solid read.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

NF, look at a therapist who finds herself in need of therapy. It is kind of a russian doll type of read with layers, upon layers, hidden within each other.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

YA, another loaner from my kid. Such a great book about a kid who wants to be a chef and express herself through her cooking. She is a teen mother living with her abuela, it is a heartwarming book and I love the main character’s spirit.

Sidenote: schools around here are closed for the duration yet students can reserve library books and go to the local library of your choice where their school librarians greet them, warmly, in the parking lot for a drive by pick-up. It is a wonderful and much appreciated service being offered to our kids.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

This book is ridiculous, it had a strong start, went sideways but was fun and overall enjoyable. The premise is nine people descend upon an exclusive health retreat. The woman who is in change morphs from motivating to overlord, obviously.

No Thank You:

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

YA read, loaner from my daughter. I did not like this one bit, it made sucide seem so glam. Glad I read it and am always happy when my kids share books with me and I will always hate stories of kids’ suffering.

There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange

This book was hard to follow, had too many characters, and there was a very dark thread that I did not enjoy.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

This book hit me at the wrong time this year. The dystopian nature felt a little too close to home. I know it is a work for the ages but it was all ouch.

Wow, that felt good to reflect on and process. I have never really looked for threads in my own reading and knew a few things already but like seeing the balance of candy books and hard, timely topics. All in all I feel great about my 2020 reading list and hope there are titles that interest or resonate with you too. Here is to libraries reopening someday in the near future so we can browse the shelves with abandon.

[jewishicequeen]

The space jail one for anyone

“I can’t believe I’m sitting in space jail with you of all people.”

I tried to think of a fandom I know for sure you're part of, and figured out Avatar's the safest bet. Weither it's Shippy or not you can decide yourself, I didn't write it with one of them in mind. It's during book 2, but without/before the last episode.

°°°

"You've been blasting the walls an HOUR by now. I don't think they're budging."

"Oh, exuse *me* that I'm trying to get us out of here, Mr. Ruspy-Voice-I'm-Not-Gonna-Take-My-Mask-Down!" The waterbender complained. "Like, seriously, you've done *nothing* but sitting there crossed legged and staring at me creepily since you came in. Maybe consider HELPING me?"

"You're doing a pretty good job by yourself." What is he supposed to say? I'm not gonna help you because you'd find out I'm a firebender and move to try and drawn me instead?

Not to mention, *the* firebender.

Yes, he'd really rather stay annoying and unhelping, thank you.

"Damn it!" She blasted the wall once again with a water corrent, so forcefully some ricocheting drops has reached him, all the way to the other side of the room. "Damn it!" She yelled again, slumping on the bench beside him, not bothering to gather up the wet subtence on the floor.

"And to think just this morning I was arguing with Toph that aliens aren't a thing. She's probably having the laugh of her life right now." She mumbled.

"I don't think those are aliens, really." He said, before he could shut his mouth. Ugh, really? The more he talks, the more likely she is to recognize his voice! "More like... angry spirits." He finished awkwardly, trying to avoid her horrifing gaze. He didn't KNOW what she learned in the north pole, but he LEARNED to respect her since then. Somewhere there, she became SCARY.

"Nope. There's NO WAY those are spirits." She said finally, shaking her head. "Spirits do stuff because we BOTHER them. I didn't do anything."

Oh man, she never heard Fire Nation spirit storied, did she? Poor naive water peasent. He sighed. "Whatever." He pulled the mask lower, leaning on the wall next to her. "What's sure, we're not getting out of here by force." He gestured to the puddle on the floor.

"Nope." She stretched, yawning. "Gosh, I wish Sokka was here. He'd get us out."

"Hmm? I thought he was a non-bender." He appriciated regular weapons like every avarge person- heck, his sword skills proved it was often more useful then bending- but he couldn't see how a club will be more useful in this situation then the numbros ice blocked Katara tried to throw at the door earlier.

"Not for force, for his mind. He'd have a good id-" she swirled toward him violantly. "How do you know he's a non-bender?" She asked, dangerously.

Oh shoot.

"You mentioned him earlier." He said hurriedly, his hand reaching to a sword that wasn't there.

"I definitally did not." She raised her hands aggresively, and he was painfully aware to the water surrounding them allowing her some wonderful weapon.

"Sure you did." He said faintly, no where NEAR believable.

She narrowed her eyes, taking him in. His height. His voice. His sheer annoyingness.

She groaned with disgust, taking a step back and looking at him like he's a dead bug on the soles of her shoe. "Zuko?!" She claimed half offended, half furious.

He scrumbled to a stand, raising his hands in surrounder. "Look," he said, defensibly, "We'll gain nothing from fighting eachother now so let's-"

"I can't believe I'm sitting in a space jail with YOU of all people! And talking to you, UGH!" She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Of course it's you, only a FIREBENDER could be such an insufferable, lazy piece of-"

"Well, you aren't much of a company either!" He snapped, raising his mask up. "With your 'oh dear, we're so stuck, I miss my brother he'd know what to do and also oooooooh if you just help me we'd get out of here in no time-" he knocked on the wall, irritated. "It's METAL, kid. What were you expecting to achive, attacking it with WATER?" He realized too late that he should shut up, knocking her fist aside. Another one was soon to follow, and a wave after wave of cold water, too close and too fast for him to actually manage to bend an effective flame without hurming himself as well.

"You arrugant- selfish- EVIL prince with your iron soldiers and your silk wardrob, thinking you have the privilege to TAKE the world's hope-" she huffed, standing just before him, not letting him enter a word, say that he's given that up, he's not after them anymore and he just want to go back to Uncle's teashop and can she PLEASE not stand so close to him cause that's kinda distracting- "You snaky, filthy, son of a-"

"Well, I don't want to bother you, Kat, but are you gonna get out of there, or not?"

What...?

Both of them turned their heads, to see her brother standing beside the now wide open door, shaking his head. "-because it was kind of a fuss to find you, just so you know, and while getting here with Aang wasn't so hard, we left Toph to guard us in the human world and I really don't want to get back and find out that our supper is gone because she was bored."

Another head popped in, bald with an arrow. One too familiar. "Is she coming? The spirits are getting kinda irritated here- oh, hey Zuko." He waved. "Your uncle said you won't attack us if we help you out which I REALLY hope is true because, you know, you wanna get out of here too. Probably."

Katara let go of him, slowly. "...you *knew* he'd be here?"

"Well, since the spirit who took you two looked pretty much the same, yeah." Sokka said, brightly, waving a piece of paper. "Apparently his uncle DOES recognize my drawings, by the way." He told her, cockinly.

"It looks like a tree that's been run over by a platyphus bear, Sokka."

"I told you they were spirits." Zuko said quietly, stepping stifly out of the room.

"Shut up."

[a-darla-ble]

Can’t Get That Music Outta My Head
You know all those songs you hear in the film Shazam! (2019) in which at least one song in a certain scene that you love so much that you want to download it for your playlist, but then it’s like “Oh, my gosh! What’s the actual name of that song and by who?!” Well, you’re being covered. Here is the “complete” list of non-orchestral songs played in the DCEU film.
Song 1 - Song played in this flashback scene in 1974 Upstate New York as we see young Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto, centre), his bullying brother Sid (Wayne Ward, left) and Mr. Sivana, his estranged father (played by longtime DC veteran, John Glover).
Song 2 - Philadelphia - Today. View shot of the skyscrappers with the statue of William Penn, on top of the Philadelphia City Hall, founder of the future state of Pennsylvania in 1681 when he received a royal deed from King Charles II of England, although human activity in the region precedes that date.
Song 3 - Song played in this scene in which the Vásquez group home received their newest addition to their foster family, Billy Batson (Asher Angel). In the foreground, we see Eugene Choi (Ian Chen) yelling it out in an online video game.
Song 4 - Song played in this scene where Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand) was listening to it in his headphones, while Rosa Vásquez (Marta Milans) greeted Billy to Pedro, resulting the latter to simply nod back shyly. 
Song 5 - Song played during this scene in which we see the family joining their hands for saying grace. But Billy, who’s having his first supper with them, wanted to miss the boat on that one. 
Song 6 - Song heard in this scene when Victor (Cooper Andrews) and Rosa, in the background, were talking to a police officer on the phone about his escape, while Eugene did a background check on him and sharing information with her sister Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton). Also, we see our little Darla doing some art project by putting purple glitter on purple construction paper. 
Song 7 - We hear the song faintly, but it is played during that moment when we see Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and papa Victor having a heartfelt talk about Billy’s recent escape after school. 
Song 8 - Billy, who recently and suddenly became Shazam!, and Freddy witnessing a convenience store robbery following an attempt to buy beer, with Billy’s advantage as a bulking adult. We hear, in the background, the instrumental version of the classic 1980′s song by Boy George (a.k.a. Culture Club).
Song 9 - In this scene where we hear that specific Christmas classic, Victor and Rosa were discussing, after Billy had run off, about how Mary used to do the same thing but became a wonderful big sister to the rest, and hoping it would become the same for Billy. 
Song 10 - After discovering his newlyfound superpowers, Billy (as Shazam!), along with Freddy as his “manager,” went on a montage of testing for possible more newlyfound powers accompanied by this Freddie Mercury classic tune. 
Song 11 - This song is heard while we see Freddy talking to Billy about his latest success on social media as Philly’s newest superhero. And, to his advantage for being picked on his disability, tells all the kids that Shazam! will show up at the cafeteria at lunchtime while being targeted by bullies Brett and Burke Breyer, much to Billy shocking surprise. 
Song 12 - After what Freddy said to the other kids that he knows Shazam! and that he would show up at lunchtime the next day, he and Billy had an arguement “like an old married couple” as Mary would put out later. Frustrated, Billy left the table without excusing himself while a certain little girl with the cute glasses knows Billy secret identity. This song was played in this scene. 
Song 13 - This song was heard while we see Billy, who was fed up with going to school decided to skip it in favour of doing selfies to the public in the city. While chatting with Mary after he saved her from being hit by a snow plow, Freddy was waiting in the cafeteria for Billy to show up as Shazam! 
Song 14 - Billy was still showing off his powers, especially while blasting “lightning with his hands” to this song playing on the speaker. Until a bitter Freddy arrived and kicked aside the speaker and argued to him that he had a suitcase wedgie from the Breyer twins, leading to yet another argument. 
Song 15 - This little girl (Aria Anthony) was so happy to see her idol, Santa Claus (Brian Kaulback) at the mall. This traditional Christmas music was played when Shazam! and Dr. Sivana’s fight came crashing down, resulting in Santa running away in a panic, leaving the poor little girl alone. I bet her two front teeth will not be the only thing she will be asking for Christmas. Maybe an unselfish Santa. 
Song 16 - The fight between Shazam! and Dr. Sivana at the mall continues. After Sivana crashes him through a fitting room wall and into a toy store, this children’s folk song was heard throughout. 
Song 17 - After escaping Dr. Sivana from the Rock of Eternity and into a strip club, Shazam! and the other foster siblings headed outside of that joint, with Mary carrying Darla in her arms and covering her eyes, so as not to see the contents inside. Sorry, Darla, but not for your lovely eyes to see. This “great music” was played inside.
Song 18 - After saving the world as superheroes themselves and defeating Dr. Sivana, the Shazamily were chatting and laughing through this sweet song at Christmas morning, as Billy realized that home is where the love is. 
Song 19 - Billy owed his new brother and best friend Freddy seriously for not showing up as planned. He finally showed up, much to the astonishment of the kids in the cafeteria. Superman showed up as well, bringing dessert, and not without the iconic theme composed by the legendary John Williams. 
Song 20 - This 1995 version of the song, originally sung by the Descendents in 1985, covered this whole animated end credits sequence of this fun superhero film as we see our super family’s display of heroing and fun through Freddy’s notebooks’ doodles.

[dimancheetoile]

of stardust and galaxies

Written for @shikasaku-week Hanami 2020 Day 2 Prompt 1: of stardust and galaxies

Read on AO3

I had an absolute blast writing this, you have no idea. This story is set before another that will also be posted for ShikaSaku Week.

Yes I did re-use the parents I invented for Sakura in Withered Flowers but they're really not important enough in this story to warrant me spending time researching names for them.

Please tell me what you thought about this one, I'm truly interested given how much I like it!

•

The war went on for much longer than anyone could have ever anticipated. The losses were massive, in scale of destruction and in numbers. After a particularly violent attack from Madara, Konoha was simply razed off the map. Entirely and thoroughly destroyed, until not even the foundations of the buildings remained.

The scope of the fire jutsu Madara used went far deeper than simply destroying the entire history of their village and every single memory kept in those narrow streets and green parks. His black fire, raging and wild, scorched the earth deep into its own core. They tried to rebuild, for a while. Tenzō's mokuton had been vital to the reconstruction effort, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn't worth the chakra exhaustion. Nothing would grow on the cracked earth left behind by Madara's madness.

Driven out of their own homeland by starvation, Konoha's remaining population began its exodus.

Having lost most of the people who used to lead Konoha no Sato, and a good chunk of the people who would have been considered successors to those leaders, the citizens were aimless for days as they regrouped and gathered the very few items they had remade for their new homes that they were going to abandon one more time.

In the end, things settled in the way things always settle after a disaster. Desperation and urgency bred to create exceptional circumstances and someone who wanted nothing to do with power ended up with way too much of it on their hands for their taste.

Haruno Sakura was born to civilian parents in the Farmers' Guild, who only had one expectation for their daughter, which was to marry a nice civilian who owned a reasonable business or worked a reasonable job and live a reasonable life together until they died at a reasonable age only a reasonable amount of years apart.

Unfortunately for Haruno Hashiru and Uzumaki Noroshi, they would both lose their life in a raid of their small property in the farm lands around the village. Having no living relatives and her inheritance barely paying for the funeral arrangements and handling of their property, Sakura was put in the orphanage, and that was that.

Sakura grew up in one of the worst orphanages of the Five Nations, surrounded by children who suffer just as must as you and whose bitterness and malice is proportionate to how poorly they're, in turn, treated by the people supposed to care for them. You don't grow up in that kind of environment and have huge expectations for your life.

Had Sakura not met a clan heiress and her clan heirs friends when she was at a turning point in her life, she would have remained a low-life, desperate kid who would have grown up on the streets of a village that never had the emotional capacity to care for its civilian population, given that it was born out of the desperate attempt at peace of two historically warring clans that treated its own, very rare civilians like cannon fodder.

She would have grown up starved and angry, desperate to put food in her plate day by day. She would have begun selling her body at the age of twelve, to the highest bidder willing to pay for her virginity, and the money from that sale only would have put food on the table for three months, in the underground squat where she would have lived with a few other street urchins, leftovers from a government feasting on its weakest population.

(in another life, she would have kept her eyes shut, round, childish face crushed against the pillow and thankful that she didn't have to look into the beady eyes of the man paying for the last shreds of her hopeful innocence, his white mane moving in rhythm to the thrusting of his hips. She would have thrown a shaking hand forward when he was done, feeling cold and clammy inside, numbly wondering that he kinda looked like a frog, from this angle, then closed her fist around the money before leaving in a rush. In another life, the man would have pulled his loose pants back up under his yukata, feeling good about himself because he just gave a girl enough money to feed herself for a few months. In another life, it never would have crossed his mind that he could have simply given her the money and offered her a shoulder to cry on)

(in another life... right?)

She would have eventually joined a gang, on her knees as often as she would slit throats in back alleys, and a few days before her seventeenth birthday, she would have bled out in the backroom of an unregistered club, throat torn open by a masked figure in a grey uniform the gang members knew too well. As her life would have slowly poured out of her, she would have looked at the back of the ANBU that just killed her and was giving a highfive to the one standing closest, and she would have died with a smile on her lips because the figure smelled like the ramen from Ichiraku that she had never gotten to taste, too expensive for her and her crew.

But Sakura met three clan heirs and after living for ten years in the orphanage, she had been taken in by the Akimichi Clan, when the three friends had taken one look at her shared bunk, on the third day of knowing each others, and had unanimously decided that this would not do and their new friend needed a better place to live.

(Ino had stomped her feet and Shikamaru had pleaded and Chōji had cried a little and eventually, Chōza had caved in and took in the girl. None of the three sets of parents had told their children that their actions didn't solve the problem. None of the three sets of parents asked their heirs why they didn't insist on bringing back every single child from the orphanage, or asked them what they thought would happen to the other children who hadn't made friends with clan heirs. None of them asked anything, because as kind as they are with their own children, willing to give in to their whim of playing heroes for an orphan, they ultimately don't care enough to change a system that benefits them first)

Sakura grows up learning two very important lessons: no one cares about the civilians, and she'll never be in control of her own destiny.

So she's not surprised a single bit when, as the last surviving member of the inner circle around the executive powers of Konoha, she's eventually pushed to the top under the guise of “honoring the deceased” and “giving her the position she deserves for her heroic actions in the war” and named Nanadaime Hokage.

That night, as the slow caravan of Konoha survivors comes to a stop for supper and rest, Sakura crawls into her tent and cries herself to sleep.

A few days later, they finally reach Kiri and Sakura negotiates asylum with the Mizukage. In those few days, she's named herself a cabinet made of the last remaining experts amongst Konoha's sparse population. There aren't enough people in that cabinet for her liking but she can't afford to be picky, so she brings all three of them into the negotiations and they come out with the least worst deal they can hope for, one that is still considerably better than anything they would have managed before the days of the Alliance and better than anything Sakura could have come up with on her own.

The Konoha survivors are put in the deserted district where people who died in the Mist coup used to live in. It's a bit cramped, but they can't afford to complain, so they adapt. At least they have a roof over their head and enough food to feed everyone. Kiri was just as affected by the war as the other nations, though the village itself didn't suffer much in its infrastructure. But they're lacking the numbers lost on the battlefield, and that's where the Fire citizens come in.

People just fill in the gaps left by the war, integrating seamlessly into Wave's economy. They're not naturalized, keeping their Fire citizenship and Sakura remaining their leader. The way it works is that the workers build a wall to close the district off, with a big gate that remains, more often than not, open. Sakura lives in an old administration building, having transformed the top floor offices into a few bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, two empty rooms waiting to be converted to a kotatsu room and a shrine.

On the ground floor, she has meeting with her advisors, she does hearing for her people and she forges the basis of what promises to be the Fire-Mist treaty, a cooperation and integration policy that would make Konoha's survivors into what amounts to a foster village of Kiri. If this thing comes to pass, they would essentially be a separate state-entity, with its own laws and government, but with privileged relations with Kiri in terms of right of passage, trade, taxes, imports and exports, as well as an equal share of the land.

An equally beneficial treaty, then, but a text of law that still takes a long time to redact and hammer into shape to be certain that no one is getting screwed over by poor wording. The main thing that her village-within-a-village brings to the table is the proposition of an Academy of Medicine and a House of Health.

In short, Sakura would open what amounts to a carbon-copy of Konoha's Academy, training kids to become genin. From that point on, the children would get two options: either continue on the path of becoming a shinobi of Kirigakure, or join the Academy of Medicine and train as a medic-nin. All children of the village would go through the first part of the training, not only Konoha kids, and would receive complimentary medic training so that every genin, even if they don't go on to become medic-nin, have a solid understanding of chakra control and healing, in hopes of reducing field-losses.

The House of Health would be civilian medics, in every specialty, all in one place for convenience. Classes would be provided for Kiri citizens to learn first-aid or more in-depth knowledge. It would double as relief for the overcrowded Kiri hospital, taking in all non-threatening cases so that the hospital could focus entirely on its surgery division and two research labs, as well as the paediatric wing.

The House of Health would have a sub-division for monitoring pregnancies and offering a more casual environment for labour, with a few empty houses around the House, fully furnished and waiting for the soon-to-be parents. They would spend the entirety of the labour in the comfort of the provided home, going at their own pace and being on their own or with their family. And if anything goes wrong, there would be an entire House of professionals right next to the houses to give a hand when needed.

Those propositions are basically what sold the treaty to the Mizukage, despite a few clauses that she was a bit iffy on, but agreed to in the end because the prospect of a fully-functional, advanced medical system and healthcare administration, alongside trained professionals under the tutelage of the greatest medic in the world is one of those things you don't say no to, under any circumstances.

So the treaty is signed, the old Kiri Academy building is remodelled to host the new courses and the House of Health is built right next to the Konoha district. Happy endings, right?

It's another morning, another day of working a job she frankly wants no part in and that she only performs to the best of her abilities because she's aware of the weight of the enormous responsibility placed on her shoulders. You know. A typical morning.

There is a rasp on the door, barely a knock before the bamboo panel slides open. It's not meant for privacy anyway, simply there to protect the inside of the house against Kiri's weather. Sakura looks up from her paperwork, vaguely surprised to see Shikamaru standing there. Vaguely, because he's still her Councillor and they have a lot of private meetings without the rest of her advisors, and because she's way too exhausted to question anything more deeply than with mild curiosity and vague surprise.

“Hey, Shikamaru. What's the new disaster?”

Half-fallen over her desk, legs starting to sore from the extended kneeling, it takes her a moment to realize he's not moving, and he's not answering. She looks up, frowning, but what she sees on his face is enough to have her up and right in his space, taking one of his hands.

With Ino and Chōji, Shikamaru is amongst the three people she's known the longest in her life. Only her parents beat that record, and they're dead, so the three clan heirs are probably the people she knows the best as well. Living with Chōji might have made her slightly more attuned to his emotions, but the difference is inconsequential. So she knows for certain that something is wrong.

“Shikamaru?”

His lips are pressed into a thin line, his eyebrows furrowed. He's not looking her in the eye, instead looking down at their feet, still quiet. She dares a hand forward, brushing against the side of his arm before retracting, a small comfort for both of them, she hopes.

“I need your help,” he finally says through gritted teeth. With that, it seems like all the tension is drained from his body, and he looks more defeated than anything.

“You have it, always,” she answers, trying for a soothing voice but knowing her own anxiety at this weird situation is slipping through the cracks. Shikamaru has always been the stable one, the rock, and she knows, as sure as the sun rise and sets, that if he crumbles, he'll be taking her, and the entirety of Konoha with him.

He scoffs at her answer. “I never wanted you to know this. This is mine and I don't want you to know.”

She flinches a little, surprising herself by how much that hurts. For one second, Shikamaru catches it, and guilt joins the frustration and anxious expression on his face.

“I'm guessing you don't have a choice,” she says softly.

“I really, really don't.” He sighs, a sad, depressing little noise that Sakura feels all the way inside her bones. “I need you to- I need a surgery.”

Sakura's eyebrows rise in disbelief. “You... need me to operate on you? Why? What's going on? You know I can't just perform surgery on you based on your words, I need to do, at the very least, a physical exams, and maybe a few scans depending on where the problem lies.”

Shikamaru's smile is feral, self-deprecating, and she hates it so much. “Oh, trust me, you won't need to do scans.”

Sakura sighs, leaning against the way with a leg propped up.

“Would you consent to a physical exam right now? We can go to the House.”

Shikamaru shakes his head. “I don't want anyone to know there's something wrong with me. You don't need an exam room to see the problem anyway.”

She bites her lip in consideration, then nods seemingly to herself. “Alright, follow me then. We'll go to my place.”

The tension seems to bleed out of Shikamaru's shoulder and he accepts easily. Sakura leads them out of her office and into the corridor that leads to a staircase. After climbing it, Sakura slides the door panel open and walks into the part of the building that serves as her home.

Shikamaru follows her without a word until they reach one of her unoccupied bedrooms. Or that's what it used to be anyway. Shikamaru raises an eyebrow, looking at her questioningly. She gives him an awkward smile, gesturing at the miniaturized operation room and the drawers upon drawers of medical equipment.

“Look, you have no idea how many people just barge in through my window after a mission, Mist and Fire alike, just because they don't feel safe going to the hospital. Post-mission paranoia is real enough that I'm willing to indulge them, and I refuse to let a disaster happen at the hospital just because I want my beauty sleep.”

He nods, the reasoning sensible enough. It's not like she needs the four bedrooms anyway, given that she lives alone.

(silently, he wonders about that, why she's never dating, why she's never showing signs of being interested by anyone. He wonders how anyone can work as much as she does and not want to come home to someone who wants to take care of you. Dating, post-war, is awkward. No one wants to actively seek out partners, because everyone is just a little too depressed to be able to make the efforts required to have a healthy, communicative relationship. But on the other hand, a good bunch of them are getting desperate. He can't really talk, he's single too, but at least he's dated before, civilians and shinobi alike, and he knows how important it can be not to be alone)

(she's always been alone)

“Well, we're alone and I've got everything I need. Do you want to tell me what's going on, now?”

The knot is back in his stomach, and Sakura looks like she knows exactly how little he wants to talk about this. Not that any of her patients is ever easy, unless they're civilians, but she doesn't tell him that, because she wants him to trust her sometimes this year and not worsen the situation.

Eventually, Shikamaru sighs, and begins to unhook the clasps of his flack jacket. Sakura nods, satisfied, and brings the tray with her basic equipment closer. She already has her stethoscope around her neck and the monitor for his blood pressure, when he takes his shirt off, and really, she has to put down everything now, doesn't she, because it's obvious what's going on.

Shikamaru self-consciously crosses his arms in front of his chest, but it's not enough to cover the two scars running across his upper torso.

She sighs, dropping the monitor back on the tray, and looks at him, head slightly tilted.

“Does anyone else know?” she asks, more to get him to talk than because she needs to know. She has to get him to relax, to trust her with this.

“My parents, obviously. Ino's and Chōji's parents too. And the surgeon who did this, he was one of the first to openly do those surgeries, so my parents brought me all the way to Kumo to see him. He's- like me.”

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Shikamaru. It does me great honor to know you find me worthy of who you are.”

“I- Sakura, I need to know if... will you see me differently now?”

She's never seen him like this, so uncertain, so out of place. He's so confident and calm, such a driving force for their people. She hates to see him like this. Sakura offers her hand, in the space between them, and Shikamaru uncrosses his arms to take it without even pausing. She smiles softly, touched.

“Do you see me differently for my own scars, Shika?” With her free hand, she bunches her shirt up to show her midsection and the seven, thumb-long scars scattered on her skin. “Sasori skewered me like dango on a stick. His spikes were thorough and touched all of my lower organs. I have a fake portion of small intestine and I'll never be able to have a child. Do you see me differently, knowing my scars?” she asks again.

He's looking at her with wide eyes and a deep, bleak sorrow that they all learned from the war, when grief and tears could put you in danger and you needed to get over things quickly on the outside, only to break down on the inside later.

“I'm sorry,” he says quietly.

She shrugs. “I'm not. I killed an akatsuki member, someone who would have kept hurting people again and again, and both Gaara and Kankuro survived because I was a part of this mission. I won't ever regret losing a few pieces of meat if someone's life is on the line.”

She squeezes his hand, a small smile on her face.

“So, about that surgery. Were you asking about a cosmetic procedure, to make all the scarring disappear? Or were you thinking about bottom surgery?”

Shikamaru frowns, and she can see the cool, confident guy coming back little by little, putting a happy smile on her face. “I didn't know you could do something for the scarring. In that case, both I suppose.”

“Why come now? Why not before the war, or right after? Did something change?” She hates to ask personal questions when he already seems so uneasy, but she can't agree to anything without all the facts.

“Before the war, the surgeon we went to used to send me parcels with shots and creams. He stopped, I don't know if it's because of shortage, or not knowing where to send it, or-” Or maybe he's dead, she thinks but doesn't say. “I ran out of shots two months ago and I was fine for a while, but I- it came back,” he says awkwardly, a plea in his eyes for her to understand without him having to say it. She nods quickly, refusing to let him worry. “I can't live like this. I'm miserable, Sakura.”

To hear those words, from the kind of man Shikamaru is, is heartbreaking. He deserves nothing less than happiness and fulfillment, after everything he went through being the youngest chūnin, then the youngest jōnin, then a War Councillor. Someone as calm and reliable and smart as Shikamaru shouldn't be miserable. Not on my watch. Maybe being Hokage will finally do her some good, if it means she gets to help him feel good again.

Sakura nods, weighting her words carefully before speaking. “Well, the scarring I can take care of right now, it's quick and painless. However, for your surgery, I need to know what result you want. Size, shape, do you want to be able to have biological children, all of that.”

He doesn't try to hide his relief when she doesn't push or try to have him talk more about his mental health. Not that I won't later, she thinks, but she can cut him so slack right now, given hos vulnerable he must feel.

Shikamaru is silent for a long time, eyes downward on his hand in hers, looking deep in thought. She wraps her other hand around his, pressing gently to show her support.

“I have a feeling you're exponentially more competent than the man I saw when I was younger. He only had one option for me, and a pretty scary one. But I'd like to reduce the scarring now, yes. I haven't taken my shirt off in public my entire life.”

Sakura smirks, dirty and unashamed. “Oh trust me, it was for the best. You have no idea the talk I've heard in the onsen about the comparison some of the kunoichi and jōnin make. I think a good portion of them is keeping a tally and you staying as cool as a cucumber whenever they try to get in your pants is making you the grand prize of their little competition.”

He grins, a small blush on his face that Sakura doesn't comment on. “I'm not Sasuke or Naruto, I don't have an urge to flash everyone when I'm fighting bad guys.”

Sakura bursts out laughing, the joke so unexpected it releases all the tension she hadn't noticed was left in the room. It's the first time she laughed thinking about them ever since the war, and being suddenly the last living member of a cursed team. Feeling almost giddy with being able to laugh again, she raises their joined hands and kisses his knuckles. He looks at her with wide eyes, his blush even more noticeable now.

“Right, options,” she says, wiping a tear. “Lay down for me, will you? I'll start working while I explain.”

He obeys, laying down on the examination table while her hands light up in green. She gets closer, bending slightly over him to have better access, then her palms slowly swipe over his chest, her chakra coaxing his cells into duplicating faster and cloning the genetic makeup of the older, original cells around the scars. Slowly, the two raises lines begin to smooth and loose their color.

“So there's an invasive procedure, and even more invasive procedure.” Shikamaru snorts in nervous laughter and she gives him a wry smile. “The first one involves using the unneeded tissue from what's already there and constructing a penis using what your body knows to be his. With implants, you'll get testicles, and connecting nerves will give you sensation. You will be able to get a full erection, but because I'm only using pre-existing tissues, your result will remain small compared to the average.”

She can see that he's listening intensely, but his blush has crept onto his neck despite her using very clinical language. She finds it absolutely adorable but she doesn't fancy being choked to death by her own shadow so she doesn't mention it. She doesn't say it either, but she's so proud of him it warms her up from the inside.

“The more invasive surgery starts with me collecting sample from you to be grown in lab so I can get enough skin and nerves and muscle made of your genetic makeup to basically construct a penis of the size and shape of your choice. Once attached, just like the other option, it'll be fully functional, sensitive and responsive. Now in both cases, you'll have a choice between implants to give your testicles the appropriate shape, or they can also be grown in lab and I can use your eggs to synthesize sperm glands and make you fertile.”

Sakura leans back, her hands loosing their green tint. Shikamaru sits up, staring down at his chest with wide eyes, tracing with his fingers the smooth skin where his scars used to be and where nothing is left now but an absolutely normal chest.

“Now bear in mind that I've only theoretically managed a successful transplant to make someone fertile, but I was doing the opposite procedure on a woman. When you break it down, it's exactly the same process and I've synthesized it all before, but I've never done it on a man, simply because I was never asked to. I'm certain I can pull it off, but you know, warnings and all thaaa-wow!”

Sakura can't stop the shriek of surprise when Shikamaru draws her in for the strongest hug of her life. She flails for a moment before she manages to wrap her pinned arms around his waist, his own circling her shoulder and crushing her against his bare chest. Shikamaru hides his face in her neck, and she stops the words that were about to leave her mouth when she feels the first tear drop into her neck and roll down her chest.

He's crying silently, face scrunched up enough that she can feel it against her skin. She caresses his back, drawing patterns over his warm skin, and she hums gently, rocking them together to the rhythm of a song she can barely remember.

“Thank you,” he manages, his lips moving against the fragile skin of her neck.

“Always, Shikamaru. I promise.”

She doesn't move any more than her rocking his large, warm body, waiting for the storm to pass, for the clouds to part enough that they can see the stars. Finally, he releases her, rubbing harshly on his skin until she gives him a tissue. His eyes are red and puffy and his cheeks rubbed raw, but he's he most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

“I'll take the second option,” he finally says, clearing his throat when his voice cracks. “Including the fertility package. Do you do a price for family?” The joke is weak but he's trying and she's so proud she might just choke on it so she laughs and she draws him into a side hug, his head resting on her shoulder.

“Put some clothes on, exhibitionist. Let's get out of here and we'll talk more about this later, yeah?”

He nods silently and complies, following her out of the house and into the streets of Kiri. Time passed quickly and it's already well into the night. Without saying a word, Shikamaru takes her hand and laces their fingers together. She gives him a smile, shaking with excitement and giddy with the novelty of simply walking hand in hand with someone. The people of the Konoha District give them long looks, but their eyes are kind and their smiles wide, happy to see their leader finally take something for herself.

Kiri's night sky is beautiful, so different from the one in Konoha, often hidden in clouds. Here, they can see every single star winking at them from their shimmering clusters, count the constellations drawing patterns into the darkness of the void, watch galaxies form and die as they live day by day in their new normal.

“Hey, Sakura?”

She hums in response, looking away from the beautiful canvas of the sky. He's looking at her like she's personally responsible for every star shining above them, and her heart picks up.

“Can I take you out to dinner?”

She breathes in the joy, grins wide. “Of course you can.”

He blushes again, and it's her new favorite thing, she could watch him for hours. She's so happy and humbled that he trusted her with himself like that.

“On one condition, though.”

He does his best to hide his nervousness when he answers, “What is it?”

“Money upfront for the surgery, Nara. I want a kiss before the fourth date.”

He giggles, high and pretty, and even he seems surprised by it. “You've got yourself a deal, Hokage-sama.”

[krat395]

W.D. Gaster, the Ultimate Tickle Master (Chapter 5)

After a rather interesting time at Muffet’s bakery/house, Gaster, MK, and the Dreemurr kids are all in the mood to sit by a campfire in the woods with Toriel, Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys. But before they do so however, Asriel and MK feel the need to tell everyone a story; a story about everything that happened at Muffet’s bakery/house during the previous 3 chapters. ;) 

Undertale© Toby Fox.

******************************************

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

******************************************

W.D. GASTER, THE ULTIMATE TICKLE MASTER

Chapter 5: Story Time With a Goat and Lizard

 After a short car ride, Gaster, MK, and the Dreemurr kids arrived at Asgore’s house in the woods. And upon entering the house, the first place they headed to was the kitchen where Asgore, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys were all eating dinner together.

 Sans: Hehe. Well, well, well, look who it is everyone. Did the five of you get caught in Muffet’s web or something? *asked Sans jokingly*

 Frisk: Um, yeah. Yeah, we did, actually; in a manner of speaking. *replied Frisk while kicking off her flip flops to feel more at home*

 After seeing Frisk take off her flip flops, Chara then decided to take hers off too. ;)

 Alphys: Really? How so? What happened? *asked Alphys, who, for some reason, was wearing the same clothes as Undyne minus the red boots and eyepatch*

 (During this particular evening, Toriel is wearing her purple and white robe; Asgore is wearing his pink t-shirt and blue pants; Sans is wearing his blue jacket, white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and white slippers; Papyrus is wearing a red hoodie, black pants, and red boots; Undyne is wearing her black tank top, jeans, eye patch and red boots; and Alphys is wearing a black tank top and jeans.)

 Chara: Uh… well, we’ll gladly tell you, Alphys. And by “we,” I mean Azzy and Lizzy Boy. Heeheehee, you know; the “expert story tellers.” Heeheehee! But first, um, would you… would you mind explaining to me why you’re wearing the same tank top and jeans as Undyne? *asked Chara, confused as to why Alphys is currently wearing the same clothes as Undyne*

 Alphys: Um, well… because…

 Undyne: Huh? What are you saying, Chara? *asked Undyne, interrupting Alphys* Are you saying that she’s not allowed to dress like her Number 1 fan? *she asked while giving Alphys a hug, squeezing her tightly by accident due to apparently not knowing her own strength* Fuhuhuhuhu!

 Alphys: *WHEEZE* Un… Undy… Undyne… you’re… YOU’RE… *WHEEZE*

 Undyne: Fuhuhuhuhu! So precious! Fuhuhuhuhu! *Undyne laughed, squeezing Alphys even more*

 Alphys: EEEEEEEEEEEEK! *WHEEZE* UNDY… *WHEEZE*

 Gaster: Undyne, that’ll be enough. You’re hurting her. *said Gaster to Undyne in a calm manner*

 Undyne: Oh, s-sorry, babe!! *Undyne apologized, letting go of her girlfriend, who was gasping for air mere moments ago* Guess I still don’t know my own strength! Fuhuhuhu! (Dammit! I need to be more careful! My poor lizard weeaboo!)

 Alphys: *WHEEZE* It’s okay! *WHEEZE* I’m okay! *WHEEZE*

 Gaster: Hehehehe. Good, Alphys. *said Gaster in response, placing his right hand on Alphy’s right shoulder to express his concern for her* Very good.

 Undyne: Fuhuhu! So, anyway, what happened at Muffet’s house, punks?

 Asriel and MK: Heeheeheehee! Well…

 Toriel: Um, excuse me, Asriel, sweetie. *Toriel interrupted* I know you and your little friend here are excited to tell everyone what happened and all. But, can’t it wait until after dinner? You don’t want your food to get cold, do you?

 Asriel: Heeheehee! No, I suppose not. …But then again,

 Toriel: No. *Toriel interrupted again* You are not going to use your fire magic to heat up your meals again! When I say eat while it’s still warm, I mean, eat while it’s still warm.

 Asriel: Awwww, ok, I will. *said Asriel a bit disappointedly while proceeding to sit at the dinner table along with MK, Frisk, Chara, and Gaster* Hmmm, that is unless Dad tells me I can...

 Asgore: Asriel, listen to your mother, please. *Asgore interrupted*

 Asriel: Hehe. Ok, Dad, I will. Hehehe.

 Asgore: Hohoho! That’s my boy.

 Toriel: Hee hee hee. Yes. Eat first, story later. *she said while poking Asriel’s tummy underneath the kitchen table with her 3 right foot toes for about 20 seconds, tickling him in the process*

 Asriel: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! *Asriel laughed adorably in response* MOHOHOHOHOHOM!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! GEHEHEHEHEHET YOUR BIG TOHOHHOHHOES AWAY FROHOHOHOHOM ME!! *he pleaded, trying hard not to fall out of his chair with every passing second of his brief but super effective tickle torture* HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!

 Undyne: (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Oh my god, Azzy’s laugh!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! It’s too cute!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Toriel, stop tickling him!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Stop tickling him, please!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Before I get a “cute attack!!” EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!) *Undyne squeed to herself with absolute delight after hearing Asriel’s adorable laughter*

 Asriel: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!! MOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOOM, STOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOP!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!

 Toriel: Hee hee hee. *Toriel just giggled in response, right before proceeding to pull her right foot away from Asriel before he could make any attempts to retaliate against her (right before he could grab her big insanely ticklish foot and start tickling it like crazy)*

 Undyne: (Whew! That was a close one!)  

 Gaster: Hehehehehehe. *Gaster chuckled in response* Oh, Toriel. Hehehe.

 MK: Mmmmmmm. *said MK after taking a bite of Toriel’s and Asgore’s food* Amazing food as always Ms. Toriel and Mr. Dreemurr. *he said right before starting to happily wag his long scaly tail*

 Toriel and Asgore: Hee hee hee/Hohoho! Why, thank you, MK!

 Papyrus: Nyeh heh heh! Yes! But, is it as good as your father’s food? *asked Papryus cheekily*

 MK: Hehe. P-Papy, c-come on! You know I like my dad’s food, Ms. Toriel’s food, and Mr. Dreemurr’s food equally!  

 Papyrus: Nyeh heh heh! I know. Just thought it was necessary for I; the Great Papyrus, to conduct a politeness test, MK.

 Toriel: Hee hee hee. Well, I’d say he passed with flying colors. Hee hee hee.

 Papyrus: Nyeh heh heh! He sure did! Nyeh heh heh! (One of these days, MK; one of these days I’ll find out whose food you enjoy the most! Even if I have to tickle torture you to do it! Nyehehehehehehe~!)

 The kids then proceeded to eat their supper. And while they were eating, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys all felt the need to jokingly remind them to behave for Gaster tomorrow while the four of them accompany Toriel and Asgore on their “date;” jokingly because the “big brothers” and “big sisters” themselves know that their “little sisters” and “little brothers” will listen to everything “Uncle” Gaster, has to say. X3 Then, as soon as the kids finished eating, they, along with all of the adults, went to Asgore’s basement living room to let their stomachs settle before going to the campsite in the middle of the woods between Asgore and Gaster’s houses. Oh, and also to hear Asriel and MK tell them about what happened at Muffet’s house. But wait, why didn’t Asriel and MK tell them about that while they were eating supper? Well, the answer to that question is simple. Whenever Asriel and MK tell exciting stories together, they REALLY get into what they’re talking about! So much so that they often stand up, run around, bounce around, and jump around all over the place as they reenact every single scene with sound effects from their mouths; just like that of typical young boys. X3 And while the two boys are standing up and telling their story, everyone else is going to be sitting down listening carefully to everything they have to say; Asgore sitting in his massive club chair with Chara sitting on his lap X3; Toriel sitting on the left side of Asgore’s basement couch with Frisk sitting on her lap X3; Undyne sitting in the middle of Asgore’s basement couch with Alphys sitting on her lap X3; Papyrus sitting on the right side of Asgore’s basement couch with Sans sitting on his lap XD; and Gaster sitting in Asgore’s wing chair with no one sitting on his lap.

 Asriel: Hehehe. Ok, you guys, is it ok if MK and I tell you our story now?

 Asgore: Hohoho, of course, my son. By all means, go right ahead.

 Papyrus: Nyeh heh heh! Yes, please do tell, boys! I’m very eager to hear what happened at Muffet’s house! Nyeh heh heh!

 Gaster: Hehehehe. I love your enthusiasm, Papyrus. *said Gaster with a friendly smile to his son, Papyrus* Hehehehe. You hear that, boys? Papyrus is eager to hear what you have to say. *he then said to Asriel and MK* So, you better start talking. Hehehehe.

 Asriel: Hehehe. No problem, “Uncle” Gaster! *replied Asriel enthusiastically* MK, you heard the man. *he then said to MK, putting his arm around one of the young lizard boy’s shoulders and walking him to the center of the basement living room* It’s time to tell everyone a story, “Azzy and MK style!” Hehehe. Ready?

 MK: Hehe. You know it, Az! *replied MK enthusiastically, wagging his tail to express his excitement for what he and Asriel are about to tell everyone* Hehehehe.

 With that said; Asriel and MK then started telling everyone about what went down at Muffet’s house. And just as everyone predicted, they acted out all of the scenes just like that of typical young boys; making sound effects with their mouths such as “Kablooey,” “Kaboom,” “Vroom,” “Pew Pew,” “Whoosh,” “Fwip,” and “Psssh”; falling down, running, jumping, bouncing, strafing, etc. when necessary to mimic the movements of everyone that was involved; and imitating certain actions with their arms such as Muffet firing webbing out of her web shooters, Mettaton firing his arm cannon, and Gaster summoning ghostly hands. And while Asriel and MK were both adorable and fun to watch, everyone liked MK’s way of acting out things slightly more than Asriel’s; and that was mostly due to how MK made use of his tail to imitate certain actions. Everyone really likes seeing MK make use of his tail and it’s not hard to see why. It’s like an extra arm to him and with it; the young reptilian boy himself did things like wrap it around Asriel’s legs to simulate Muffet’s webbing; wrap it around his torso and Asriel’s torso to simulate Gaster’s shields and Muffet’s web cocoons; swing it and point it in Asriel’s direction, pretending that it was one of Mettaton’s backup arms, one of Muffet’s extra arms, or Gaster’s scythe at any given time; and spin it to somewhat simulate how Gaster spun his scythe to deflect Mettaton’s electricity directly into Mettaton’s heart-shaped core. That’s pretty impressive for a lizard monster such as himself! And while MK’s usage of his tail may have been fun to watch, the real cherry on top of his and Asriel’s sundae of a story were the parts where he and Asriel tickled each other when necessary. :D

 ………

 Like, for example, when the boys reenacted the part where Muffet webbed up the their ankles, along with Frisk and Chara’s ankles, Asriel sat down on the floor and then MK tickled his feet after wrapping his tail around his ankles.  

 Asriel: PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHA!!!!! *Asriel laughed preciously as MK tickled his feet, wiggling and squiggling just like he did when Blooky tickled them earlier today* MK, *SNORT* HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA~!!!!!

 MK: Oooooooooooh! I’m Blooky, the g-g-g-g-g-ghooossssst! And I’m here to make the widdle pwince, waugh! *teased MK, pretending to be Blooky… sort of XD*

 Asriel: HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!!! MK, HAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA, WHAHAHAHAHAT ARE YOU DOOHOOHOOHOOHOOING, MAN?!!!!! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! YOU KNOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOW BLOOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOKY DOHOHOHOHOHOHOESN’T TALK LIKE THAT!!!!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHA~!!!!!

 MK: Heeheehee!! I know, dude! I know! Heeheeheeheehee!! Kitchie, kitchie koo!! I gonna keep tickling you!! *teased MK, tickling Asriel’s feet faster and faster* Heeheeheeheehee!!

 Asriel: HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! NOHOHOHOHO!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!! NO, NO, NOHOHHOHO, NOHOHOHOHOHOHHO!!!!!! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHHAHA~!!!!!!

 Undyne: (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! NUUUUUUUUUUUU!! NOT THE BLEATING!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! OH MY GOD, IT’S, IT’S TOO CUUUUUUUUUTE!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! AND AZZY’S SO FLUFFY!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! X33) *Undyne squealed and shrieked to herself with absolute delight, hugging Alphys, who’s currently sitting on her lap, as a means of preventing herself from accidentally squeeing out loud*

 Once again, Asriel and MK’s combined cuteness is too much for Undyne to handle. Undyne LOVES cute things; cute things such as the friendship of two lovable monster boys; so much! X3 Asriel and MK play off of each other so well. Not just when telling stories together but in general. And Undyne just loves that about them so much; so much that it makes her want to squee like a schoolgirl (and pick both of them up off of the floor and give them lots and lots hugs). But she doesn’t want to do that though. At least not out loud, anyway; and not on this particular night. So, in an attempt to prevent that from happening, she’s lovingly hugging Alphys, who’s currently sitting on her lap, to distract herself from the adorable scenes in front of her and everyone else that’s watching the boys in action.

 Asriel: BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HOHHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA~!!!!!!

 ………

 And when reenacting the part where Muffet tickled MK’s feet, Asriel simply just wrapped his left arm around MK’s ankles and then tickled both of his scaly three-toed feet with his right hand fingers.

 MK: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *MK laughed preciously as Asriel scribbled his right hand fingers all over every inch of his little scaly feet* AZ, COHOHOHOHOHOME ON!!!!! *he pleaded through his laughter, wiggling and splaying his 6 scaly toes like crazy with every passing second* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA!!!!! YOUR FUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUR MAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAKES IT WOHOHOHHOHOHORSE!!!!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! SO MUCH WOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHORSE!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE~!!!!!

 Asriel: Now, imagine this; but, with 6 hands instead of one!! *Asriel exclaimed to his audience as he continued tickling MK’s feet with his furry right hand fingers* Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Tickle, tickle, little lizard!! *he teased* Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!!

 MK: HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEE!!!!! OH, MY FEEHEEHEEHEEHEET!!!!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! WHY DEHEHEHEHEHEMONSTRATE ON MY FEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEET?!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHA~!!!!!

 Asriel: Because that’s where Muffet tickled you, stupid! *teased Asriel with no intention of offending MK as he began tickling the young lizard boy’s feet faster with his furry fingers* Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Coochie coochie coo coo coo coo coo!! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!!

 Chara: (And because they’re sooooo stinkin’ cuuuuuute, Lizzy Boy!! X33) *thought Chara to herself while blushing after looking at MK’s soles and toes; soles and toes she finds extremely cute*

 MK: HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!!!!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH, MY POOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOR FEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEET!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE~!!!!!!

 ………

 And when reenacting the part where Gaster tickled Muffet with spines, Asriel lied on the ground and then MK tickled his torso with his long scaly tail, slithering it around his every inch of his torso like that of a snake, pretending it was one of the spines Gaster magically summoned.

 Asriel: HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHA!!!!!! *Asriel laughed preciously all the while MK tickle his torso with his tail (and on the outside of Asriel’s shirt in order to prevent Asriel’s fluffy torso fur from tickling his sensitive tail)* OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH, THE TAIL!!!!!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!! OHOHOHOOHOHOHOH MY GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAD, NOHOOHOHOHOHOHOHOT THE TAIL!!!!!! *he pleaded through his laughter, ticklish sensations overflowing his entire upper body* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA~!!!!!!

 Alphys: Haha! Yeah! Way to work that tail, “little bro!” *cheered Alphys* (You have to teach me how you do that, MK! Seriously, you do!)

 MK: Hehe. Thanks, “big sis!” So yeah, as I was saying, “Uncle” Gaster’s spines were awesome! Slithering around Muffet’s body, tickling her with each one of their individual vertebrae, and even wiggling their tail bones like this! *exclaimed MK, right before using the tip of his tail to tickle Asriel’s armpits and bellybutton to simulate how Gaster tickled Muffet’s armpits and bellybutton with his spines’ coccyges.

 Asriel: FWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!!!! *Asriel laughed even harder upon feeling the tip of his reptilian friend’s scaly tail alternate between wiggling in the hollows of his armpits and twirling inside his bellybutton* BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO HAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!!!!

 Undyne: (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! AZZY, STOP BEING SOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!) *squeed Undyne to herself, hugging Alphys once again*

 .........

 And when reenacting the part where Gaster summoned hands to tickle Mettaton, MK lied on the floor on his back and then Asriel used his fingers and toes to tickle his torso.

 Asriel: Well, since I can’t summon hands like “Uncle” Gaster, I’m just gonna have to pretend that my feet are hands for this scenario! *said Asriel, right before beginning a ticklish assault on MK’s armpits and belly with his furry toes and fingers respectively* Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Coochie coo! Coochie coochie coo! *he teased*

 MK: AHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAAHAHHHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! AZ, NOHOHOHHHOHOHHOHOHO, HAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA, NOHOHOHOT YOUR FUR AGAIN, HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA, NOHOHOHOHOHOT YOUR FUR AGAIN!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHHA!!!!!! OHOHOH, IT’S SOHOHOHOHO TICKLY!!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

 Asriel: Heeheeheehee!! Oh yeah; yeah, I know, dude! Heeheeheehee!! Such a ticklish little lizard! *he teased again, this time tickling other parts of MK’s body such as his neck and sides with his toes and fingers respectively* Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!!

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHHAHAHA!!!!! OHOHOHHOHOHOHOH MAN!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!! OHHOHOHOH MAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAN!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!! HAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I GIVE, I GIHIHIHIHIHIHIVE!!!!! *said MK through his laughter in an attempt to get Asriel to stop tickling him* HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHA HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE~!!!!!

 .........

 And when reenacting the part where Gaster tickled Muffet’s feet after Muffet got trapped in her own webbing, MK lied down on the floor and wrapped his tail around his torso to simulate Muffet’s webbing. But MK’s tail alone wasn’t enough to simulate Muffet’s webbing though. So, to add to it, Asriel trapped MK’s legs in a set of “leg stocks” (Asriel wrapping his legs around MK’s legs to hold them still and expose his scaly feet). Then, once Asriel ensured that MK couldn’t pull his legs out of his grasp, he tickled MK’s feet with every single one of his furry fingers, eliciting frantic laughter and precious squeaks from his young reptilian friend in response.

 MK: PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF… HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! AZ, *SQUEAK* HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AZ, DOHOHOHOHOHOHON’T!!!!!!!!!! *SQUEAK* HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! OH, MY POOHOOHOOHOOR FEEHEEHEEHEEHEET!!!!!!!!!! *SQUEAK* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! OH, MY POOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOR FEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEET!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!!!!!!

 Asriel: Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!! *Asriel just giggled in response* Oh, MK. Heeheeheeheeheehee!! Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle!! *he teased, tickling MK’s feet a little faster than before* Coochie coochie coochie coochie cooooooooo!! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!!

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! STOHOHOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP TEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASING ME, DUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUDE!!!!!!!!!! *MK pleaded through his laughter, wiggling and splaying his 6 scaly toes like it’s nobody’s business* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! YOU KNOHOHOHOHOHOOW HOW EFFECTIVE TEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASING IS WHEHEHEHEHEHEN TICKLING ME!!!!!!!!!! *SQUEAK* HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEHEEHEE!!!!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU, HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, TICKLE MY FEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEET!!!!!!!!!! *SQUEAK* *SQUEAK* HEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

 Yes, teasing is very effective when tickling MK! Everyone who’s currently in Asgore’s basement knows that! Especially Chara and Alphys! ;)

 Undyne: (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! OH MY GOD, IF AZZY AND MK DO ANOTHER CUTE THING AFTER THIS, I THINK I’M GONNA EXPLODE!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!) *squeed Undyne to herself, hugging Alphys yet again*

TO BE CONTINUED...

[ruffiorocks]

Glee season 4 Episode 10

Artie's Story

.Oh so Finn has actually noticed something going on with one of the kids that doesn't involve beating each other up or their ability to win him a competition. Is this growth?

. Wait.. so I get that Artie doesn't have his wheel chair in his dream, but apparently having glasses is a handicap now to?

. Ugh... The whole 'we don't understand Rory because he's Irish' wasn't funny the first time and it isn't funny now.

. Ok.. hold up! So because Artie wasn't in a wheel chair he no longer sees Becky as someone worth speaking to, which means no pity date and because Becky never got the validation from a boy who didn't want to really date her she suddenly becomes the schools pregnant slut?!! What the actual F**k?! Rory says she never learned to have self respect because Artie wasn't there? I think I'm going to throw up! What happened to Sue? Puck or even Brittney who all supported Becky?

. Tina apparently still stutters becau Artie isn't there to validate her.

. Artie is somehow responsible for Finn, Ryder and Puck being decent human beings and not kicking the crap out of Kurt? Since when?

. Wait.. so because Artie never ended up in a wheel chair and joined Glee Kurt somehow for held back a year and never met Blaine?

. Kurt is so responsible for Rachel pursuing her dreams, and without him she is a quiet librarian who doesn't sing?

. Without Artie Mr Shue is an alcoholic and is still with Terri and doesn't notice his baby is a doll?

. Emma ended up with Coach Tenaka?

. Rory says that Artie was to busy playing football to join Glee and apparently HE was the glue that held the club together? Hahaha 🤣🤣

. so because Artie wasn't there to encourage Quinn she stayed in her wheel chair and died? So we're just forgetting about Joe and his support? Wait.. if there's no Glee then why would she have crashed? She wouldn't have been on her way to a Glee wedding! Oh... She texts and drives in every timeline, that's how they get round it 😑. Oh and apparently being on a wheel chair without the supper of Artie Abrams leads Quinn to die of a broken heart? Wtf?

So conclusions from this little dream senario, is Artie believes he is the centre of everyone's universe and the world can't function correctly without him. He is the reason a young girl doesn't become a pregnant slut (the shows words), he is the reason Rachel is a star and in New York, he is the reason Kurt met Blaine, he is also the reason that Finn, Ryder and Puck aren't school bullies oh and he is the reason that Quinn didn't die of a broken heart and was able to able to walk again. Even though I recall Artie telling her not to listen to the docs who said she would walk again and then the only support we saw her get was from Joe. Oh and Will and Emmas love lives and happiness are all dependent on him to. Artie is a self involved Jack ass it's seems!

Kurts story

.awww Burt is the best dad ever!

. Noooo Burt has cancer!

.erm.. not sure Burt bringing his sons ex who cheated on him to New York after Kurt wanted space was the best idea, but I guess we bad to see them get together somehow.

Pucks Story

. Why is Puck hanging around the school Halls? Why is there no faculty members questioning this?

. On it's because he's 'scoping out highschool chicks' that's not at all illegal or creepy.

. Did Pick just kidnapped his underage brother from school and take him to LA?

. Oh so he DID kidnap him since Jake lied to his mother and said he was away with Ryder

. Wait.. so Puck has a sister that we and Jake never get to meet?

Brittneys story

. Hahahaha Brit and Sam get the Glee kids together to tell them how they really feel and Marley gets up staying she isn't listening to this, only for Brit to state she was going to tell her delightful.

.wait.... Did Sam just propose?

. Oh my God ! Coach Beaste is playing along rather than oh I don't know... CALLING THEIR PARENTS?

. Oh Gross! So Sam proposed so he and Brit could 'make the most of the time they had left' he used the apocalypse to trick Brittney into having sex with him?!! Coach Beaste this is partly YOUR fault!

Sue's story

. Sue gets Millie Rose as her secret santa

. Sue immediately starts to fat shame the poor, lovely lunch lady to is bullied and fat shamed every day by students and has no support from the faculty to a student? I can't even bring myself to type what she calls Mrs Rose!

. Why are the showing Becky as being a selfish little shit that is throwing every gift Sue gives her?

. Oh finally! Someone (Mrs Rose) has acknowledged that Marley has an eating disorder!

. Her mother tells her she is a beautiful miracle, no one in Glee club, her supposed friends could have told Marley this?!!

. Oh Sue is watching and seems to be moved? Pick a lane Sue!!

. Oh she's going to raise funds for Marley and her mum!

. Aww she got them presents and a tree! Oh and left money for Marley's therapy!

. Hahaha Marley says they would call the police still 🤣

. Oh so Brit and Sam aren't married and Coach Beaste played then because she didn't think they needed about teen marriage amd pregnancy? Erm..... Coach.. you DO know what people tend to do the night they get married right?

. So rather than helping the kids find something to be happy about, she tells them the world will end on a different day?!!!

Back to Kurt and Burt

. Kurt does NOT look happy about Blaine invading his space (again) and applying to Nyada!

Back to Sue and Mrs Rose

.mille knows, awww...... She won't accept the money

. Sue is being kind, wanting Marley to get better, but can't help but sneak in a fat shaming joke

. Sue can literally predict every move the Glee club makes

. I love hearing Marley sing, the rest can f**k off after how they treated her!

. Kurt still not happy Blaine is in his home! And I don't blame him!

Conclusions

Artie is a selfish ass who thinks everything good in the world is due to him and only him.

. Sam is disgusting and convinced a high school girl into marrying him so he could spend the end of the world having sex with her!!

. Coach Beaste is complicate to 'pretend' teen marriage and doesn't at all understand what people do when they get married!

. Blaine is a creeper who is stalking Kurt and disguising it as cute when Kurt wanted space. But Kurt's father brought him there and no way is Kurt going to upset his dad who just said he has cancer.

.Marley is wonderful! End of!

. Sue needs to pick a lane!

.can we stop fat shaming Mille Rose? She and Burt are the best parents ever!

. If I was Mille Rose I wouldn't want my kid back with those Glee kids after their treatment of her!

. it's apparently OK for Puck to kidnap a student and roam school halls looking to scope out young girls??

.