#sec 8 company

[fremulon]

Crowley was rather proud of the Employee Hellpline. There had been a contest, about twenty years back, to create the most confusing phone structure possible, and Crowley had won. (He'd got inspired by calling up a telecom company to cancel service. Despite the fact that he'd made the call without an account, he'd left having agreed to a phone/television/Internet bundle and two magazine subscriptions.)

What he’d forgotten was the fact that he was an Employee, and thus had to navigate the labyrinthine obscurity of the Hellpline every time he needed to put in a request for a little extra power or office supplies. Fortunately, he didn't tend to make many calls; unfortunately, this meant that any insight he gained into the pattern had generally evaporated by the next time he had to face it.

Which was how he came to be sitting in his car, twenty minutes late for lunch, being informed in a monotone that he’d better listen carefully to the following menu, as options might have changed.

“For complaints about colleagues, press 1. For complaints colleagues made about you, press 2. For accounts payable, press 3, then 8, then turn the phone around and repeat. For accounts receivable, enter your ID in reverse. For all other financial requests, spell the first 10 pages of the Bee Movie script using your keypad. For—”

There was a knock at the window. “Are you quite all right?” Aziraphale said.

Crowley rolled the window down, half-listening to the phone menu. “Sorry I’m late—”

“You weren’t late. You drove up twenty-five minutes ago and took the ‘Reserved for Customers of AZ Fell & Co’ spot. So no actual customers have been able to park here this entire time. Which is dreadful,” Aziraphale added happily. 

“This concludes the menu. Make your selection in the next four seconds or this call will be terminated. Four…three…” Crowley racked his brains attempting to remember whether accounts payable was 8, then 3, or— “Good-bye,” the voice said, with gloomy satisfaction, and hung up.

“Ahhh, sanctify it.”

“What?”

“I’m trying to get this reimbursement through. I had to buy eighty live bats for this work thing, and apparently that kind of order can’t go through the normal process. So I’m on the Hellpline. But this consecrated phone—”

“Didn’t you design the system?”

“Might’ve done.”

“May I?” 

Crowley hit Redial and placed the phone in Aziraphale’s outstretched hand.

Aziraphale listened thoughtfully to the first list of menu options, then tapped the phone. He listened a bit longer, tapped twice more, said, “Mammal, not otherwise specified,” and handed it back. 

A voice crackled in Crowley's ear. “Accounts payable, living creatures from twoscore to nine dozen. How can I hinder you today?”

“One sec,” Crowley said, and moved the phone away. “How’d you do that?”

“It was yours, wasn’t it?” 

“Yeah.”

“I suppose I simply know how to thwart you,” said Aziraphale smugly. “Go on,” he said, nodding at the phone as he got in the car. “We’re late.”

[killxio]

bluecollar!reiner headcannons

word count: 725 [ 2 min 40 sec read] | ✪ content warnings: smut, kitchen sex, blue collar men :/ but a good one, p in v sex in general, fingering.. uhhh

bluecollar!reiner x black!reader / constructionworker!reiner x black!reader

✭ you and your blonde-headed personal bob the builder

bluecollar!reiner who does construction and pools.

bluecollar!reiner who sleeps like a LOG. like, has rolled over ontop of you on multiple instances and it’s taken having to literally slap him to wake him up.

bluecollar!reiner who absolutely throws down at cookouts and get togethers, you and your friends and family are just so good in the kitchen and babyboy needs to EAT.

bluecollar!reiner who works so hard because his favorite view of you is on a beach, or poolside at a fancy resort taking his cock in a risky, barely covered blind spot.

bluecollar!reiner who, 8/10 times cannot sleep without your manicured fingers scrubbing at his scalp or smooth palms scanning over his body and rubbing soothing circles.

bluecollar!reiner who sometimes brings you small bouquets if the landscape of the construction site he’s on has some pretty ones for the taking.

bluecollar!reiner who saved the petals from those flowers and proposed to you surrounded by them.

bluecollar!reiner who walks so hard for literally no reason. :/ like, he comes home late after pushing through the end of his customers pool build and i stg you think the rapture is occurring. it took you a few months of dating to get used to the fe-fi-fo-fum ass walking he does but even sometimes he still manages to wake you up.

reiner finally emerges in the bedroom after putting away his lunch box and heavy work boots to see his poor poor fiancé glaring at him from underneath a pillow.

“i woke ya’ didn’t i?”

“yes mister braun. you did.😐”

bluecollar!reiner who does that thing in the gym where he uses you as a weight for his pull ups sometimes. your lock screen is a photo of you smiling as reiner is doing a pull-up and you can see his abs on full display overhead.

bluecollar!reiner who looks forward to the massages you give him every night, working out the knots in his shoulder blades, soothing the aches in his biceps..

bluecollar!reiner who thanks you for the massages by doing you one better:

the plat plat plat of his dick sliding in and out of you resonates through the room, and your back is arching off the wall. reiner was supposed to be carrying you back to bed after a show and a massage on the couch, but here you are only halfway down the hall and coating his dick in cream.

“please please kiss me” you plead, feeling the knot in your stomach tighten and swell.

he huffs a little and between your deep kisses you can feel the stubble of his beard.

“reiiiii ‘m gonna cummmm” you whine, looking at him with that hazy glint in your eyes as you release on him.

“good girl, so so good for me doll.”

bluecollar!reiner who’s socials are empty besides a few photos of you or you and him and MAYBE a selfie.

bluecollar!reiner who you send video rants to throughout the day to keep him company while he works. he responds with videos of his own if he can.

you open the video reiner sent twenty minutes ago.

he’s propped his phone up on the back of his truck, his work shirt is absolutely covered in wet cement so as he’s responding to whatever you said in your previous video, he’s taking off his shirt and putting on a new one.

“.. oh yeah and lunch was amazing. not burnt or overcooked. thank you princess.”

his video ends after a quick wink and pop of his gum. meanwhile, you’re thinking about the way reiner was far from concerned about his lunch while you were trying to make it. he had you bent over the counter, knuckle deep in your cunt and tongue circling your clit. reiner wasn’t focused on anything besides the way your wetness was dripping down his arm, but you’re busy struggling to keep tell him about the food on the stove.

“r-rei baby.. i have- fuck.. i have your lunch for t-tomorrow- ah.. on the stoveee.”

“uh-huh.. god this pussy is so fucking delicious.” he says, only coming up for air for a brief second and continuing to ravage you.

bluecollar!reiner who has a photo of you on the dashboard of his work truck.

bluecollar!reiner who loves letting you ride him slow while he talks over the plans and spreadsheets for the next big project he has.

bluecollar!reiner who loves you to the moon and back and will build anything for you.

[notarealwelder]

I don’t know, if you work at a hedge fund and you use SEC employee phone location data to trade companies’ stocks, or if you don’t yet but you’re going to start now, please do email me about it. Also, if you do, and you are watching the little glowing map and you see a bunch of SEC phones heading to your office, what do you do about it?[8] Please tell me that the answer is “shred everything.”

[daydreamgoddess14]

Support System pt. 8

Roy Kent x Reader, spicy rating - MASTERLIST

CH1 | CH 2 | CH 3 | CH 4 | CH 5 | CH 6 | CH 7

It's gala time! With a sprinkle of Tedbecca cos I've missed them!

ohh and this is the gif on repeat in my head (that SMILE!! JFC):

~~~~~~

He hasn’t seen the dress yet. You’ve hung it up in his spare room while you deal with the other stuff you don’t do all that often like hair and make up - and when you do do it, you have a little shadow following you and asking if she can share your lipstick, what’s mascara, and why do you need to put that weird thing on your eyelashes. You’d both had to rush to get ready for work after he’d fucked you in the kitchen, everything taking that little bit longer when you could hardly keep your hands off each other. He’d gone off to Nelson Road with the promise of meeting you in the city so he could collect his suit. He’d run you a bath when you’d both gotten back to his, kissed each little fingertip bruise on your hips. You’d gone with Sara to get a manicure for the first time in a very, very long time, while Phoebe played Princesses with Roy.

“Jesus, you’re glowing. It’s sickening.” She laughed.

“I know you don’t want to hear this but just pretend it’s not Roy for a sec, cos it’s not really about him anyway, but it’s insanely different. Like night and day different to anything I’ve ever experienced in my life, Sara. My whole fucking life. It’s like I’ve been struck by lightning. With Andy it was just about him, with anyone else before actually. Like they didn’t actually care about me, it was only ever about them. And I mean that in every aspect, not just the sex.” She pulled a face, “I know, I’m not going to talk to you about the sex, I promise. I wish I could, because I need to shout it from the rooftops in all honesty.” 

“I told you, he’s so ready to make someone happy. I’m glad that person is you.”

“I’m still nervous about tonight.”

“Don’t be!” She said, full of confidence.

“These people mean as much to him as you and your mum and Phebs do. It’s like you three top tier, then this entire building full of people he adores.”

“You’ve met Jamie though?”

“Yeah, but he still thinks I’m just your best friend. He’s going to know as soon as he sees me that that’s not the whole truth.”

“So are you labelling this thing when you meet everyone later?”

“He said it’s up to me. But I don’t want it to be up to me. Or not completely anyway.”

“If anyone asks, you’re friends. They don’t have to know that you’re friends who are sleeping together and are almost certainly more than friends.”

“Hmm. You’re right, we can do that. That sounds easy.” 

“Ah. Wait, no. Forget that. I’ve seen his face around you. It’s literally impossible for him to disguise that he likes you. And tonight, with the dress and the boobs and the legs he’s just not going to be able to keep his face like,” she exaggerated Roy’s impassive, grumpy face, “that all night. He’ll never be able to manage it.”

“Oh.”

“So they find out you’re seeing each other - does it really matter?”

“Suppose not.”

“Exactly. So just enjoy it. Enjoy grown up company, drinks and a really fancy night on the town with a whole football team. You’ll have a blast.” You knew she was right, you repeat her comments in your head as you potter around Roy's room - hair done, make up done, you've just finished putting in some earrings and now you're having trouble with your necklace. 

"Not going to fucking lie, if this is the outfit then I'm fine with that. I want my money back and we're not leaving the house, but I'm fine with all of that." He says from the doorway where he's been standing for goodness knows how long. His suit leaves you speechless, perfectly tailored with sharp lines. You know he can tell that it's had an effect on you.

"Make yourself useful." You tell him, handing him your necklace and turning your back on him. 

"There are other ways I can do that," he suggests once he's done the necklace up, hands tracing the line of your strapless bra and your underwear. 

"No time babe, the car is due soon isn't it?"

"I'm sure I've got time for something at least." He hooks his thumbs into your underwear, using them to pull you over to the bed and sitting down, moving you between his knees. You cup his face in your hands and kiss him, knowing you made a wise choice in not putting your lipstick on yet.  

"I don't think we do. God, you look gorgeous." You run your hands down the lapel of his jacket. 

"Bet you a fiver I can make you come and leave you enough time to finish getting ready before the car gets here."

"I'm not taking that bet," you laugh,

"Cos you know you'll fucking lose." He teases. You swat at his shoulder, 

"Aren't you wasting valuable time?" His eyes light up, hands squeezing your bum.

"Well, it's not exactly what I wanted but you'll only tell me off if you have to do your hair again." His hands, as promised, make very quick work of you while he talks about everything else he wants to do. He holds you to him as you come back down from the high. "Dress on then." He tells you, taping your hip. "I'll be downstairs." He leaves you with a lingering kiss filled with promises for later. You step into the dress and lift it into place, reaching around for the zip. You slip on the shoes and apply your lipstick, checking the whole look in the mirror. You feel amazing, you just hope he agrees. He hears you on the stairs, "just in time-" He starts, but stops abruptly. "Holy fucking shit."

"That's what I said." You laugh. "It's OK?" He hasn't said another word or taken his eyes off you while you navigated the stairs. You wring your hands nervously. "Roy? Fucksake, say something please? Is it awful?"

"You look incredible," he finally says hoarsely. "Fucking incredible. Show me?" He takes your hand, urging you to turn around and show him the whole dress. When you stop in front of him again, his hand goes to the thigh high slit up the front of the dress. "I definitely can't wait to take this off." 

"When's the car coming?" You ask, stepping into his arms. 

"It should be outside." He leads you out. In the car, his hand slips under the split of your dress to rest on your bare thigh. "Remind me to take advantage of this later when you’re less fucking nervous."

~~~~~~~

Your grip on his hand gets progressively tighter the closer you get to the venue. 

"Look at me?" He asks quietly, "It's going to be fine. They're going to love you. And god, you look gorgeous." You take the arm he offers at the start of the red carpet, you'd tried to skip it completely but you couldn't bear the thought of Roy having to do it alone. Photographers had also asked for Roy on his own but his response had been a very tame "No." Inside the venue, you spotted the only people you knew, the American coaches and Jamie both at opposite ends of the room. Once people noticed that Roy had not arrived alone, they seemed to all be looking at you at once. 

"Royo my man, why don't I escort your lovely date inside and get a table, seems the fellas need you and it might be a bit like throwing this poor young lady to the lions. Maybe give them a Kent word of warning before you introduce them?" Coach Lasso kindly offered you his arm and before leaving your side, Roy checked in with you. 

"Think I can cope with that." You smiled. 

"I'll bring you a drink back." He kissed you softly and walked over to the first group of young men you'd seen out on the pitch. A couple of them clapped him on the back in greeting, looking over at you and then back to him. You could see from his profile how much he smiled. Ted led you into the ballroom which was decorated to perfection. 

"This looks amazing." You breathe,

"It does, right? The boss likes to make it one of the best nights we have. She does a damn good job too."

"Wonder if I'll meet her," you muse.

"Oh you sure will, Faith Hill, she and our Roy are good friends so if he wants you to be meeting anyone tonight, it'll be her."

"Oh. Great," your smile falters just a little.

"She's an incredible woman. Lotta fences, but once you've hopped over those, it's like winning the Premier League. I'd imagine, anyway."

"Hopefully you'll get to find out. Only a couple of matches to go."

"That's right, Manchester next week and then West Ham." He's easy to talk to, friendly and sincere and he has you laughing so much you forget your unease. When Roy joins you with drinks, he doesn’t hesitate to kiss you in front of everyone, happy that you're happy. 

"Right, the boys are on their best behaviour if they talk to you."

"You didn't need to do that."

"I did, the dickheads would have been bloody asking for your life story. No filter on 'em. You been OK with Ted?"

"Totally fine, we've been talking about work."

"Boring."

"We're both at an impasse. I need something new, he's not sure what to do. It's all very dramatic," you drink your wine and look around the room at the assembled guests, "I didn't get through the two interviews from the other week." You admit.

"Shit babe, I'm sorry. They're missing out, it's their loss."

"Thank you. Feels like a ticking clock looming over me."

"We can figure it out. I can help." You know he doesn't just mean financially, emotionally too, but your mind is focused on the practical issues first. 

"I wouldn't want you to do that."

"I know. You might have to stop being so stubborn at least for a bit and actually accept help though." You run your fingers over his knuckles, his hand firmly in yours. 

"I know. I'll think about it when I have to though, ok?" He nods. "No more boring talk. Who you going to introduce me to?" You look around again, Ted is talking to Rebecca over by the bar. He's making her laugh. "Think anything is happening there yet?" You ask, leaning in to talk quietly. 

"Not yet, but I think she likes him too." You sigh,

"That's so cute. Look at how he looks at her."

"There is someone I want you to meet," he tells you, pulling you to your feet, "but only if you want to?" You laugh a little nervously. 

"It's Keeley, isn't it?" He kisses you and it’s just slightly over the line of publicly appropriate. 

"Only if you want to." He promises again. You might as well agree, it's easier to get it done sooner rather than later and every time you've looked at her she's been looking curiously at you. He leads you by the hand to where Keeley is sitting with Jamie and two other players. 

"This is Keeley, Colin, Isaac and you already know Jamie." You smile warmly at them all and they welcome you to their table. 

"I knew it!" Jamie grins, "you sly git, I knew something was going on the other week. Friends my arse! You look lovely, I like the Chelsea blue." He nudged Roy, clinking their beers together, you watched the smile bloom across Roy's face, it was infectious. 

"It's lovely to see him so happy. You look fantastic!" Keeley teases. 

"Makes our life easier too, y'know." Isaac laughed with Colin who readily agreed. 

"Alright, alright. I'm not that bad." He grumbles. Everyone around you falls silent but you truly can't help the giggle that bubbles up and out until you're laughing so hard you can't catch your breath. They watch you for a second before Jamie breaks first, followed by Keeley. Colin and Isaac soon relax and laugh too.

"Oh babe, I honestly say this out of love, you are though!" You laugh again. Next to you, Jamie stops laughing straight away. Roy looks at you, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Next round on me. Wanna help me Roy?" Jamie asks and gets up from the table, Roy's hand just squeezes yours before he gets up. On the stage, Rebecca is welcoming the gala guests. Keeley turns to you and you grimace at what you think she's about to say. 

"Don't worry, he just needs a minute to process that and wonder if you meant what he thinks you might mean. Better have an answer ready for later." She offers with a gentle smile. "So what do you do?" She's guiding you to a safe conversation topic but you're not quite sure why. Then it registers - your passing comment, her advice, and your eyes widen as you realise what you said, "I know. Spiral later, deep breath now." You try and relax, finishing your wine. 

"I'm a deputy Comms Director. Well, I was. I quit recently so I'm looking for something new."

"Oh wow, I love working with internal Comms, you guys know exactly what you want. Makes my job so much easier!" She laughs and pulls you into a deep discussion about external PR and internal department politics. You glance at Roy occasionally, meeting his eyes more than once. His face is impassive, unreadable. He still holds your hand, thumb resting on your pulse point while he's in his own conversation with Isaac. Your table is visited frequently by other guests and you get introduced to many other people as the evening draws on. At the auction, Roy looks relieved and nudges against you, 

"Thank fuck I don't get auctioned off anymore."

"Tell me about it, I couldn't afford you." You joke, brushing his lips in a brief kiss. 

~~~~~~~

Once the auction is over, you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. You're maneuvering yourself in the cubicle when you hear the doors open. 

"You look cosy with Roy's new squeeze." You hear an elegant voice say. 

"She's so fucking cute, Rebecca. Honestly. I hope he's ready for her because she could be the best thing that's ever happened to him."

"OK, that's not what I expected to hear from you. Really?"

"Really. We're friends, really good friends and yes, I loved him so much. But I wasn't the right person at the right time. Maybe she is. As long as he doesn't cock it up."

"Maybe your time hasn't happened yet? What if it's still to come?"

"All respect, Rebecca, I think how Roy and I go our separate ways is not too tricky to work out. You and Ted however…" 

"There is no Ted and I."

"Exactly! That's my point, and my problem! You can't let him leave, babe!"

"I can't force him to stay either."

"Do you love him?" It's no good, you have to move. Doing so will make your presence known but you just have to suck it up. You emerge from the cubicle to see the two women sitting on a small sofa with a cocktail in hand. Keeley noticeably gasps so you hold your hands up in surrender. 

"I'm sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping, I promise. I didn't realise what a nightmare it was going to be to go for a piss in this dress, it's so fucking big and there's so much sodding material-"

"I'm sorry," Keeley starts, Rebecca is watching the two of you with interest.

"Oh don't be, god it could have been worse! You could have said I was a right bitch, or not good enough for him. Believe me, I'll take what you said no problem." She sighs with relief. 

"Thank fuck for that! Have you two met yet?"

"Not yet, you must be Roy's new girlfriend. Gorgeous dress." Rebecca reaches out to shake your hand. 

"Thank you. Not sure I deserve that title just yet, it's early days."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Like him? She might have just admitted in a very roundabout way that she loves him, Rebecca!" Keeley squealed.

"Well then the girlfriend title definitely fits"

"Stop deflecting Welton, I asked you a question." Keeley got back to business. "Do you love Ted?" She looks at you and you make to leave, 

"Don't mind me, I'll leave you both to it."

"Stay." She urges. "Yes, I think I am Keeley, and I don't know what to fucking do about it."

"Tell him!" You and Keeley both exclaim.

"You can't let him leave without telling him." You tell her. 

"She can't let him leave at all, he's brilliant." Rebecca seems ready to give up on the discussion.

"I'm not going to let you both gang up on me. You should know better," she points at Keeley, "and you, I hardly know. No offence." She points at you. She leaves the bathroom first while you and Keeley linger.

"So, what I said about my feelings for Roy? Totally true, we're friends. I'm getting closer to Jamie again, but I don't know what that really means. The only thing I don't know for sure, is how Roy feels. We've been split up for nearly a year, there's no reason he should shy away from anything with you. But his mind works in mysterious ways. You're better off talking to him. My advice is to be honest and open with him no matter how scary it is." She's taken your hands while she talks and when she's finished, she wraps her tiny arms around you. You're not tall but she's so petite it's comical. "So, we should go and fucking dance?" She gives you a wicked grin. "Maybe we'll get lucky and Ted and Rebecca will start something on the dancefloor. God, I'd pay good money to see those pair bang!"

Roy is looking out for you from across the room as you leave the bathroom, he gives you a little salute. 

"Keeley wants me to dance," you tell him, going for your drink. 

"Told you you'd get along." He leans down to kiss you. "I get one later though." You join Keeley and half the team on the dancefloor where you spend the majority of the rest of the night. As the evening winds down, Roy takes you into his arms where your stay for song after song. You notice Rebecca and Ted out of the corner of your eye dancing together and turn both you and Roy so he can also see. "Fucking idiot should tell her." He chuckles, holding you tighter. 

~~~~~~~

In the car on the way home, his hand finds its place on your thigh again. The quiet and the alcohol make you pensive, you're mulling over almost admitting that you love Roy, and Keeley's comment about making sure that he's moved on from her the same way she has from him.

"I'm sorry for saying what I did in front of everyone. It just fell out of my mouth, I didn't mean to ambush you with it." You start. He knows you're not done, you're worrying your bottom lip with your teeth, and you won't meet his eye. "Keeley's so beautiful, Roy. I mean, really so gorgeous." You'd never been one for comparing yourself to other women. You especially tried to avoid comparing yourself to the exes of someone new. You believed in the right person at the right time, and that exes helped shape a person. It had taken leaving Andy to help you regain who you were, for example, so like it or not - he had helped you become you. And so, you absolutely couldn't dislike Keeley, you knew that she'd helped Roy become this version of himself. She’d been so gracious, kind, and sweet during the evening, you’d had a lovely time. But that almost made it worse - comparing regular exes to footballers exes was like comparing apples and oranges. And try as you might, you weren't able to escape the fact that you were not a model. "I'm not her." You tell him, the worry evident in your voice. "What if she's the 'big love of your life’? I don't… I don't want to be a placeholder girlfriend. If you're not done with her, then I need to know." He didn't say anything for a long time, he keeps his hand on your leg while the car travels past the stadium and into his street. He thanks the driver, comes round to open your door and still hasn't said a word. He unlocks the front door and slips off his suit jacket before he turns to you. He takes your hand and guides you to sit you on the stairs and paces in front of you, rubbing his hand over his beard.

"If you'd asked me probably before Christmas, I think I would have said that I still had feelings for Keeley. But in the last six months, I've seen her change and I think I've changed too. Fuck it, I've tried to. I think it's crept up on me and I hadn't fucking realised it, but I am done with Keeley." He's still pacing methodically in front of you, making sure he says exactly what he wants to say, the way he wants to say it. "Properly done, I mean. I love having her as a friend, she's really good at that shit and I'd be lost without her. I could say the same about Jamie too but don't tell him, he's already a massive twat." He pauses to collect his thoughts. "She might have been the big love of my life… if my life had gone in a different direction. But it didn't. It's led me to you, and you could never be a placeholder girlfriend." It takes a couple of seconds but he kneels so that he's lower than eye level with you, leaning back on his heels. "I don't want you to be a placeholder girlfriend, I want you to be my fucking girlfriend, and I honestly say this out of love," you giggle through the tears that have started to fall, "you're a really good one." He leans up to kiss you. "Now please tell me that's the answer that covers all the shit that's been worrying you?" You kiss him back deeply, sliding forward on the step to bring your knees either side of him. 

"I think that covers it. God, I really fucking love you." His laugh is magical,

"Fucking love you too. I love Lexie. I love that you can't park for shit and you're late for everything, and that you made my mum like you within about 5 minutes. She didn't even like me within 5 minutes." You kiss him again as his hands open up the split of your dress and slide up your thighs. He brings you further forward on the step and brings your underwear down your legs. "I'd spend the rest of my life on my knees worshipping you, even if it kills my bad knee." You lean back on your elbows as he brings his mouth to you and you believe every word he says.

~~~~~~~

[notyouraryang0dd3ss]

hii, ⏳️ here!! I saw your other asks about how swifties say that taylor could be killed for speaking up, as if other ppl who are not as rich as her aren't facing a lot worse, as if her life matters more, and stuff... and that is just the mindset most, if not all, swifties have. They literally think her life matters more than others.

They use this safety argument for her carbon emissions, too, saying that she could never fly economy she'd get killed 0.001 secs into the airport. She has 2 jets (last I checked, she "quietly" sold one of em and quietly bought another just after). Like. I'm so sure that the safety concern being that big is not true, first off. Secondly, can't she fly in first class?? I might be wrong, obv, but most of the ppl flying in first class are extremely rich ppl and isn't the first class mostly empty cuz no one takes it? Also, she has her entourage of bodyguards, be so fr. Also, it's up to her and her team to find a sustainable solution, not us common folks like tf.

But more importantly, even if it were completely impossible for her to travel in the same plane as us poors, without endangering her safety, swifties basically sound like "taylor swift>lives of other ppl".

Like, the top 1% and companies (which she is also a part of, btw) are mostly responsible for climate issues and global warming. They are also the ONLY ppl who have enough resources to protect themselves from any climate issue they create. They INTENTIONALLY make mistakes, and 90% of the world have to face the consequences. According to swifties, not only is that okay, but the lives of literally 8 billion ppl don't matter. Her's matters more than everyone else's, and thus, to protect taylor swift from possibly getting an inconvenience during her flight, we (and all other creatures on earth) have to pay for it with our lives.

(and before anyone says it's not that deep, it is. global warming, climate change, the state of the literal planet we live on, which is also the ONLY livable planet in the entire universe, IS that deep. It's airport security for her, disease, and death for us)

(also, I'm gonna send the link of the Palestinian woman getting doxxed by swifties once I find it)

-⏳️

I love how Swifties are going full mask off and openly admitting her life matters more than the millions of Palestinians. I understand there are #SwiftiesforPalestine actively posting online and even holding IRL protests, but when we live in this late stage capitalist world, the best protest is to divest, divest, divest, and if swifties continue to purchase her content regardless, then their protests are useless. It’s performative and they want her to perform too.

Well, the private jet controversy is more complicated than what she flies on. A lot of celebrities use private planes, either their own or rented from others, to travel so they can avoid the excess security measures and be spared harassment from public transportation sites.

What is controversial about Taylor Swift’s private jet usage is how excessive and unnecessary she is. She took a 13 minute flight from Cahokia, IL to St. Louis, MO, which would’ve been a 30 minute drive. During her US/North American leg of the tour, she would take red eye flights from tour location to known locations of her purchased homes, such as Beverly Hills, Nashville, Rhode Island (? idk where), instead of staying in a local hotel. Her flight usage is excessive and wasteful and actively endangers us through the CO2 emissions she produces by herself. Like you said: she is actively making us pay for her climate change crimes with our lives.

When New Delhi is experiencing heat waves that are pushing the brink of human survivability, its imperative that now more than ever we resist and push back against uber wealthy individuals Taylor Swift and major CO2 producers ie companies who actively accelerate contribute to irreversible climate change damage.

So yeah, if you’d rather defend the life of one woman who produces 1000x CO2 emissions of the average European, you’re telling everyone that you find the lives of billions of people in the global south, who have no infrastructure in place to protect them from climate change, that you would actively sacrifice their lives for the comfort of someone you don’t even know, and will never care about you.

[heledd-art]

Last post, with some findings that might help y'all move on too:

Disclaimer: I am not an accountant nor a tax professional. I am simply someone with an unused journalism degree who didn't need the 'goodbye youtube' video. Information is sourced from California Business Search, US Securities and Exchange Commission, and OpenCorporates

• Watcher Entertainment, Inc. was formed in 2019 in Delaware, and has a branch operating in CA. This seems to be the parent company that the trademarks (Puppet History, Watcher) belong to.

According to Forbes, "Delaware has become internationally recognized as a corporate paradise and is “home” to such famous firms as Amazon, Google, Tesla, Walmart, American Express and Disney, to name just a few. [...]

Corporations registered in Delaware that do not do business in the state do not pay corporate income tax. Delaware also does not have a sales tax, investment income taxes, inheritance taxes or personal property taxes. While companies do have to pay a franchise tax to register in Delaware, this can be pennies compared to the income tax other states would charge". They also point out that this is standard process for venture capital/angel investors. I would guess that 99% of traditional media in CA do this.

• There was a Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities filed to the SEC in 2019. The long and short of that is there were 8 investors at that point. That number is given on the filing.

• Although it appears the trio (Madej, Bergara, Lim) formed the company as directors and executive officers equally, by 2023 that wasn't the case.

As far the documents show - Shane is the Secretary, Ryan is the Chief Financial Officer and Steven is the Chief Executive Officer.

Lastly: I'm not advocating going to say anything to these people. Frankly, why bother. They've been shitheads, lots of people are in this world. But this helped me contextualise the last week and it might help you too. Stay silly :)

[walkingintheheartbreaksatellite]

(They Long To Be) Close To You {1}

Harry Styles x fem!reader

Part 1- Sunflower Vol. 6

(No mention of pandemic.This starts as Harry writes Harry's house)Y/N lived a simple life. She worked and she loved what she did. She loved her family and she was happy. She didn't think she needed anything else. But one day, on a flight to a new adventure, she meets the one person she never expected to meet.

Fic warnings: mentions of past trauma, smut later, age gap (8 years), will leave warnings every chapter.

June 2020

It started in the early morning. 6:45 am to be precise. It was a chilly Gallup morning, and the balloons were going up, as they always did that early.

Leaving the house as soon as she could, starting the 20 minute drive to work like she did every day. Arriving at work with no problem, she was immediately called into her boss, Sofia's office.

"Y/N/N, could you come in here for a sec? And close the door?"

Y/N's pov

I slowly walked into Sofia's office, closing the door behind me and sitting down.

"Did I do something again?"

The older woman chuckles and shakes her head.

"No. But I wanted to talk to you. Do you remember when Alexander said we were expanding into Europe?"

I nod my head, briefly remembering the conversation.

"Well, they want you to go with a few drivers and go to London for a couple months to start up the first branch.Your position would be my current one. The company is paying for your living space and travel, you are responsible for anything else. Interested?"

Wow. That's... not what I thought she was gonna talk to me about.

"U-um yeah I'd love to! When do I leave?"

She smiles.

"At the end of the month. You'll be in charge of everything and everyone there. I know you'll do great."

I smile and thank her.

After that, the month flies fast. I pack what I need and it's shipped to my new flat and anything else goes into my mom's garage. On the day I leave, I meet the 2 drivers coming with me, Jackson and Adam, at the airport. At 4:30am.

It's already too early and I need coffee.

"You guys ready for this?"

The two men tiredly nod and we trek to our gate after checking our bags. After about 30 minutes we begin boarding our flight. The attendant scans my boarding pass and gives me a bright smile, definitely too bright for how early it is.m

"Miss, it seems you've been upgraded to first class due to availability. Enjoy your flight!"

Adam, Jackson and myself just share a look and proceed ahead. I find my seat and holy crap it's nice. They find theirs in economy and we part ways. I take my seat and pull out my iPad, briefly starting to get some work done. The plane takes off and soon we land in LAX.

The flight is a straight trip but I guess they had to pick up more people. I decide to put my work away and watch Demon Slayer instead. I pay no mind when I see from the corner of my eye, someone take the seat next to me. Jackson comes over to me to chat for a minute at that moment as well.

"Hey Y/N/N, do you have all the addresses for where we are staying? Ryan forgot to send it to us."

"Yeah. We're all in the same place, just separate units. We'll be fine."

He nods and then briefly looks at my screen.

"Really? Demon Slayer again?"

I flip him off and he laughs before he returns to his seat. After a couple minutes, the person next to me finally speaks up.

"Is it good? What you're watching?"

I take out my headphones and turn to the stranger, about to reply, when I see his face and my mouth drops.

"I-I um yeah, it is. I like it."

He smiles and holds out his hand to me.

" I'm Harry."

I smile and shake his hand.

I'm pretty sure he could tell I was shaking.

"I-I'm Y/N. I-It's nice to meet you!"

He laughs and I swear I could just die after hearing that sound.

"Y' must know who I am."

I nod and blush.

"I love your music. Always makes me feel better and brings a smile to my face."

He smiles.

" 'M glad to hear that. I love makin' music and gettin to share it. 'T means a lot t' me that it helps so many."

I nod and we talk for a bit.

I don't think I've ever actually had this meaningful of a conversation with anyone before.

"S'what are you watchin? Looks interesting."

"Oh, that? Oh it's just an anime that I like. I've seen it multiple times. I guess I just like watching it."

I giggle and he smiles, filling my stomach with butterflies.

"Would y'mind if I watched with you?"

I nod my head and hand off an AirPod to him, moving my iPad in the middle so we could both see and I hit play.

Somehow, through the flight, we finished season one and part of Mugen Train before we finally land. And I don't think I have ever been more disappointed. We both got up but before he walked away, Harry turned to me.

"I don't usually do this, but I want to see you again. Would y'want to maybe... exchange numbers? J-just as long as you promise not t'give it out...?"

Holy shit holy shit ho-ly shit.

"Y-yeah I'd love to! And I'd never do that! That's a betray of trust and that's one thing I refuse to do to anyone!"

He smiles and takes my phone, putting his number in it.

"Text me love. I would love t' get coffee with you sometime."

I smile and nod, waving him goodbye as I wait for Jackson and Adam to meet me up front. I see them come up and Jackson is grinning and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Shut it Miles. I don't want to hear it."

The two men laugh as we make our way out of the plane to baggage claim. I look around briefly for Harry and obviously I don't see him, causing disappointment to show on my face. I decide to pull out my phone and text him.

Y/N- Hi Harry! It's Y/N!😊

H-Couldn't wait, could you love?

Y/N-I could've! I'm just waiting at baggage claim and the two idiots I'm traveling with are teasing me!😒

H-Yeah? That's not nice. Should I come steal you away?

Y/N-Ha! As much as I would love that, I have to get the three of us settled in and dispatch them. Maybe coffee tomorrow?

H-Sounds great! I know a great place! I'll text you the address! See you tomorrow,love!

Y/N-See you tomorrow❤️

>>>————————————->

Waking up early the next morning sucked.

My alarm wakes me up at 6:30 as-per usual, but my jet lagged body did not agree with the new time zone. I had worked late, only getting to bed at about 2am, which would've been 9am my time.

I get up and take a shower, the hot water only soothing my aching bones for a short time. I dry myself off and make my way into the bedroom where my unpacked suitcases remain. I start to open them, only grabbing what I need.

I pull out a bright floral sundress, a pair of strapped sandals and the only other purse I packed.

I quickly get dressed before doing my hair and putting on just a little bit of makeup when I hear my phone ping. I look down at it to see a text from Harry and I smile.

H- Good morning, Y/N! I can't wait to see you!Meet me at the Abbey Road Cafe. I'll be there waiting! x

I blush and finish up before grabbing my bag and leaving. It's only about a 10 minute walk to the cafe and I manage to get there without getting lost. I head inside and find Harry in the back at a table. He smiles at me and stands up and he gives me a hug.

"You look beautiful! I'm feelin' a bit underdressed!"

Panic flashes in my eyes and he shakes his head with a small laugh.

"I'm only teasing! Really, you look amazing. Shall we get some coffee? Thought we might get some brekkie too before heading off."

I smile and follow him to the register.

"Order what you'd like. My treat!"

I frown and start to argue.

"Oh Harry, I couldn't ask you-."

He laughs and shakes his head once more.

"You didn't ask, I offered. Please?"

I sigh and nod and turn to the barista.

"May I please get a hazelnut espresso with oat milk? And.. a breakfast croissant?"

She nods and typed it in to her POS before turning to Harry, who smiles.

"A black coffee please. And a breakfast croissant as well."

She nods and he quickly pays and we stand off to the side to wait for our order.

"So, how was your first day in your office yesterday? Get settled in already?"

I sigh and only shrug.

"I suppose so. It's so nerve wracking. I was kind of thrown into this and while I'm grateful for the opportunity, it's a lot more responsibility than I had before."

He nods and gives me a small pat on the back.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quick, yeah? Y' seem pretty resourceful, like you catch on quick."

I plush and grip my bag in embarrassment. We get our order and sit down at the back table, talking as we eat. We finish quickly and dispose of our trash before heading out.

"So you haven't gotten a chance to see any of the sights yet, right?"

I shake my head with a frown.

"I'll be here for a couple months so I'll have time but I would definitely like to see them."

He smiles and nods.

"I had a thought- I know the big sites and exciting.. But would you like to see some of the hidden gems of London?"

My face lights up and I nod enthusiastically.

"Please! I'd love to!"

He smiles and holds a hand out to me. I blush and hesitantly take it, butterflies filling my stomach as he laces out fingers together. We take the tube down to Little Venice and my mouth drops at the view.

"I-I've never seen anything so beautiful before..."

Harry smiles and leads me down a pathway.

"I thought we could take a kayak ride. Is that something you'd want to do?"

I nod and smile. We head over to the dock and board one of the kayaks, sitting close together.

He holds tight onto my hand as we travel down the river, making small talk.

>>>———————————>

1 Month

The next time I'm able to see Harry in person, he's walking through the doors of my office building with a plastic bag in hand and a smile on his face. My eyes widen as he walks through the dark doors and into my small office, shooting up from my chair in surprise.

"Harry! What are you doing here? Did you not see my text about lunch?"

He smiles and nods as he sits down in the chair in front of my desk, dropping my bag on the mahogany surface.

"I did. You said you had too much to do. So, I brought it to you."

He opens the bag and begins to place containers on my desk before pulling out a few bottles of water, and to my surprise, a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

"Harry... Where did you go? This looks incredible!"

He laughs and shakes his head. He walks away for a moment, to the break room I imagine, before coming back with some napkins.

"I didn't actually. Went to Whole Foods and Sainsbury's and bought the ingredients. Took maybe 2 hours? Hope it tastes good, haven't made sushi in quite a while."

He hands me a pair of chopsticks and opens the containers, my mouth watering at the sight.

"California Rolls? How did you know?"

He chuckles and he takes a roll and dips it into the cup of soy sauce he brought.

"You mentioned it the other day that you were craving some. Thought I might make some. There's also some fresh fruit and veg. Some veggie pot stickers too. Oh, and how could I forget-."

He reaches into the bag and pulls out a small blue package. Oreos.

"Thought you could use these too."

He smiles and hands them to me with a smile and I blush.

"Are you a mind reader? I was just thinking last night how much I wanted some to go with my glass of milk! You are seriously amazing."

I'm not sure if I see correctly or not, but his cheeks tint as if he was blushing, and he lets out a small laugh. We continue to eat and chat until we finish. With a light kiss to my cheek, he leaves with plans to go to dinner later in the week.

4 Months

"Harry, really. Where are we going? It's 11:30! It's almost midnight!"

He laughs as he pulls me along the dark streets of London until he stops in front of a building.

"What is-."

I raise an eyebrow at him and he just shakes his head before opening the door and pulling me inside. He heads down a hallway and reaches a door, pushing it open before pulling me inside.

"A studio? Why are we here?"

He pulls me over to the grand piano in the corner and sits me down on the bench, before sitting down next to me.

"I just finished a song for the new album. I haven't played it for anyone outside of the band.. I wanted to play you some of it."

He turns to look at me and tears swell in my eyes.

"Really? You want to play it for me. I'd love to hear it."

He smiles and scooches up close to me before turning back to the piano. He positions his hands and begins to softly play and sing.

Holdin' me back

Gravity's holdin' me back

I want you to hold out the palm of your hand

Why don't we leave it at that?

Nothin' to say

When everything gets in the way

Seems you cannot be replaced

And I'm the one who will stay, oh

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

As it was, as it was

You know it's not the same

He removes his fingers from the keyboard and turns his head back to me, only for a look of fear to appear on his face.

"Why are you crying? Are you okay? Do you-."

I sniffle and shake my head before wiping away my tears with the sleeves of my cardigan.

"I-I'm fine. That was just-. That was amazing Harry. You really are so talented. That wasn't even the whole song and you already have me pulled in. It's gonna be an amazing album. Album of the year, I bet!"

He blushes and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

"That's definitely too soon to think about. But thank you love, I appreciate you saying so. Now, how about a late night snack? Then I'll take you home?"

I giggle and nod before standing up. I hold my hand out to Harry and he takes it with a smile. We walk out of the studio hand in hand in the dead of night, only our laughs echoing the streets.

7 Months

"A movie? You want to go to the cinema?"

I nod with a big smile.

"I haven't been since I left home! I thought it would be fun! Please!"

I pout and he sighs before giving me a small smile and nods. I squeal and jump into his arms, laughing as he catches me.

"What movie did you have in mind?"

I loop my arm through his as we begin to walk towards the nearest theater and I think for a minute.

"I was thinking like an action movie. Marvel if possible. Ooo! Black Widow! Black Widow is in theaters!"

Harry laughs and wraps and arm around my waist as we continue to walk.

"I guess that's the one. You really that into Marvel?"

I give him a look of shock and almost disgust.

"Sir! How many tattoos do I have?"

"16..."

"And how many of them are Marvel tattoos?"

"4..."

I give him a nod and he bursts out laughing, squeezing my waist as he pulls me along.

"You're too much Y/N M/N, you know that?"

I laugh and nod as we walk into the theater.

"Ohhh I'm so excited! I'm still sad over Natasha so if this doesn't save my fragile heart, I don't know what will."

He laughs and we walk in, taking our seats.

>>>——————————>

"Okay, I'll be honest, that was an amazing movie."

I leap in excitement, struggling to contain all my energy as Harry laughs at my child-like nature.

"Amazing?! More like the best movie of the year! Kick ass cast! Florence was 100% the comedic relief I needed! But ooo that scene at the end! She's going after Clint! That's crazy!"

He laughs and pulls me to his side as we walk through the night, laughing and enjoying our time together.

9 Months

It's been a couple months since I met Harry. And everyday with him is amazing. We both work quite a bit but still manage to see each other a couple times a week. Earlier in the week, I received a phone call from one of the corporate bosses.

I've been instructed to go home soon. With the hiring of more staff, I'm not needed and they want me back in my old position... And now I have to tell Harry.

I'm waiting for him at our usual spot and I see him come up to me. I stand up and meet him halfway, walking into his warm embrace.

"Missed you love."

"Missed you too."

He caresses my cheek and kisses my forehead. I can only force a small smile.

"You okay, love? You look a bit down."

"Y-yeah I'm fine. But we do need to talk."

He looks at me with concern as I lead him to our table to sit down.

"So you know how I've been telling you how well things have been going with setting up the new branch?"

He nods his head in acknowledgment.

"Well... it's done. There's new staffing and multiple drivers... so they want me back home."

We sit in silence for just a minute.

"When... When do you have to leave?"

"In 3 days...Look Harry... I don't want this to be the end of whatever this is between us. I like you. And these past couple months? You've made me feel so alive. I've never felt this way before...I know this sounds corny but I don't want this to be the end if you don't..."

He pauses for a minute before he bursts out laughing, leaving me in shock and confusion.

"How do you always seem to take the words out of my mouth?"

He pauses for another minute before continuing.

" Of course I still want to see you. I love spending time with you, Y/N. We'll work it out somehow."

He takes me out of my chair and hugs me tight. He pets my head and I start crying.

"Shhh. It's okay love. M'not letting you go that easily. You're stuck with me."

I begin to argue with him, tears falling down my cheeks as my vision blurs.

"But I'm gonna be in New Mexico! And you're still trying to write your album!"

He gives me a soft smile and shakes his head.

"You're forgetting about something though."

I just look at him in complete and utter confusion.

Those are the facts though... how could I be forgetting something?

"How often have you FaceTimed your mum just this week?"

"I don't know- probably like a good couple dozen- ohhhh! Duh!"

He laughs and hugs me tighter, resting his head against mine.

"I know it's not ideal, but we'll make it work. And I'll come visit you of course. Can't go long without my muse, now can I? I'll never get the album finished without you."

I blush and bury my head in his chest, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm know you would do an amazing job finishing it. You don't need me for inspiration Mr. 'I like to write songs about sex'."

He chuckles and lifts my head up, forcing me to look him in the eyes.

"Of course I do. I've written 2 songs already. Because of you. So I definitely need you. Stop thinking so little of yourself."

I nod, tearing up a little.

"Will you come see me off?"

He smiles and lifts me up.

"You really think I wouldn't? I'd never give up the chance to see you, even if it is goodbye."

He kisses my nose, making me smile.

"Let's go get you packed up, yeah?"

He grabs my bag and leaves a tip for the waiter.

"Wait, you're gonna help me pack?"

"Course I am. Gotta get my time with you while I have you. And besides, we need to finish Edens Zero, don't we?"

I chuckle and nod my head.

As excited as I am to go home to my family and my regular day to day life, I hate that I have to do it without Harry there with me. These past couple months have been amazing and he makes everything more fulfilling.

Heathrow Airport

I woke up early this morning and I'm not ready to leave. Harry came to see me off though. I take his hand and pull him off to the side.

"Something wrong love?"

I take a long deep breath.

"No... I just. I want to tell you something. I want to get it off my plate before I leave... Harry... I love you. And I know this is probably way too soon to say but- I just wanted to tell you. And I totally understand if you-."

Before I can finish, he grabs my face and kisses me. I close my eyes and focus on the feeling of his lips against mine. After a minute or so, he slowly lets go and he lets out a light chuckle.

"Sometimes... I swear... you talk so much that no one can get a word in."

I blush and bury my face in his chest until he pulls me out and places his finger under my chin, lifting my head up.

"I love you, Y/N. I mean it."

I start to tear up a little.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Dunno, because I am an angel."

He batts his eyes at me and flashes that smile that I love so much.

"Oh hush. I try to be cheesy and you decide to be cheeky."

He chuckles and hugs me, not letting don't let go until they call for boarding for my flight home. He kisses me once more and I let the tears fall down my face.

As soon as we let go, he wipes my tears with his thumb and smiles at me.

"Promise to text me when you're home?"

I nod my head and give him one last hug before I let go, letting the tears fall.

2 Weeks Later

Things have gone back to normal for the most part. I'm back to doing my old job. It hasn't been too bad. But I miss Harry like crazy. We FaceTime at least 3 times a day and talk on the phone almost every second.

He's been singing me to sleep recently and honestly I always wake up refreshed in the morning because of it.

Right now, I'm sitting at my desk, entering orders, when I see a name flash across my phone screen. I smile and answer.

Y/N- Well hello there, handsome!

H-Hi love! What are you doing later this week?

Y/N -Oh, you know, the usual. Working and going to my sisters this weekend, at least I think so. What are you up to?

H-Oh, you know, just planning a trip to go see my favorite girl this weekend.

My eyes go wide.

Y/N-REALLY?!

He laughs.

H-Really... Mum and Gemma wanna meet you. So... they were going to come with... if that's okay...

Y/N-I'd love to meet them! But isn't it too soon? I mean we haven't even made anything official...

H- That's what I said! But according to Gem, I refuse to shut up about you so they are insisting on meeting you.

I let out a little chuckle.

Y/N- I guess if I'm meeting them, you should meet my mom and my sisters..

H-We'll be in Thursday. I'm booking hotels for mum, Gem and Jeff.

Y/N-I'm sorry... are you expecting to stay with me?

H- I mean-

I let out a loud snort.

Y/N- I'm kidding. Of course you can stay with me. But it's only one bed so you can sleep with me or on the couch. I'll ask for Friday off and see if Sofia will approve it.

H-Don't worry bout that. We'll probably sleep Friday and explore later.

Y/N-Text me your flight details and I'll come get you Thursday after I get off. I can't wait to see you!

H- Me too love. I love you

Y/N-Love you too Harry.

We hang up and I get back to work, never letting the smile leave my face for the rest of the day.

>>>——————————->

What did you guys think? Let me know!

WC 4290

Tag List

@be-with-me-so-happily @swiftmendeshoran

@babyiamperfectforyou @freedomfireflies

@kaminokatiee @harrysmimi

@violetsandfluff @fruitmans @fruitmansrecs @strwbrrydaydreams

@rafaaoli @novalunosising

[smittywing]

FicBit 10: Jason Todd/Tim Drake

Previous parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

OH MY GOD THIS TOOK FOREVER. However, there is only one more part and it's already mostly done. Whew.

Red Robin was in Red Hood’s territory, and he was brandishing a greasy paper bag of Big Belly Burger.

“What are you doing on my turf?” Jason demanded, trying to ignore that he could *smell* the onions from two feet away.

“It’s been pointed out to me,” Tim said wryly, “that I may have been a shit to you.”

Jason shrugged because he fucking hated that Tim’s questions had gotten to him and he wasn’t ready to admit it.

“I hear burgers are the going rate for an apology,” Tim added, shaking the bag a little.

“And fries?” Jason asked, relenting. 

“And fries,” Tim confirmed. 

Jason swept the bag out of his hand and dug out the top burger. Loaded with onions. Perfection.  “So let’s hear it,” he mumbled around the first bite.

Tim lifted the lenses on his domino and rolled his eyes. Jason coughed out a laugh around his double beef patties.

“I’m sorry I got all up in your business,” Tim said. “I wanted - I wanted too many things and I tried to make them all work.”

Jason lifted his own lenses to share his side eye. “What the fuck does that mean?” he asked.

Tim scratched the back of his head. “You had me pretty fucked up, with that kiss,” he admitted.”I know I shouldn’t have done it. But I guess I wanted to be part of what you were going through, like…Bernard was for me.”

“No names in the field,” Jason scolded, shoving some fries into his mouth. “And Cannon Fodder is your actual boyfriend. Were you going to be my actual boyfriend?”

“No,” Tim said immediately and blushed. “I just.”

“Help!”

Jason snapped his attention away from Tim. “Hello?” he called. “Do you need help?”

A child, a little boy, maybe seven or eight, ran out of the alley, his hands fisted in his sweatshirt. “It’s my mom,” he said. “She needs help.”

Jason flipped the lenses on his domino back down and tossed the bag to Tim. “Show me where she is,” he directed.

“This way,”the kid said and ran back down the alley. Jason followed, his long strides eating up the distance between himself and the kid, and then he saw a woman huddled over some cardboard boxes. She was protecting her stomach and Jason’s heart pounded as he assumed the worst. 

“Let me see,” he said, kneeling next to her. “Help is here.”

He heard, rather than saw the taser as she fired, and he barely had time to say, “Fuck,” before everything went black.

*

Jason gained consciousness slowly and regretfully.  For starters, he was upside down and his nose was running.  (It seemed like a problem that would solve itself, but no.)  Moving on, he was lashed to Tim, who was also unconscious.  His head was tucked under Jason’s chin, his mouth breathing short puffs of air against Jason’s neck.  At least he was breathing.  Their hands were tied, Jason’s behind his back and Tim’s in front of him, which basically put them right in Jason’s groin.  For fuck’s sake.  As if Jason didn’t have enough problems with wanting Tim, some absolute psycho went and  put Tim’s hands in Jason’s lap and was probably laughing while Jason tried to be cool about it.  Finally, Jason craned his head down to see what they were dangling over.  Acid?  Alligators?  Something that started with the letter B?

Nope.  Concrete.  Great.  He groaned and Tim stirred against him.

“Wake up, Baby Bird,” he said because the jig was up and he might as well have company in immortal humiliation.  “They got us.”

“Temporary situation,” Tim said crisply, even though his voice was muffled by Jason’s skin and his own shirt.  

“Let’s not fall on our heads,” Jason suggested when he realized Tim was picking the ties on his own hands.  Actually, falling on his head sounded pretty good right now, with Tim’s hands shifting and twitching *so fucking close* and his cock aching for those hands to hold it.  Only Jason could get a stiffy while dangling over certain death.

“Just stay really still for a sec,” Tim said, and then he twisted around and wrapped his arms around Jason’s back. Jason tried not to die inside. Tim tucked his head into the small of Jason’s back - it was really weird to get turned on by this, right? - and rotated his body so he was facing upright, his knees hooked around Jason’s shoulders. “You need my pick before I jump?” he asked.

“I have a knife,” Jason replied, choked.

Tim pushed off and somersaulted to the floor. His landing was light, not as soundless as Dick’s, but far less noisy than Jason’s was about to be. Tim had freed Jason’s feet, which had been  tied with his own, so Jason wrapped one leg in the hanging chain before he sliced apart the ropes holding his hand. He grasped the chain and swung himself down, landing beside Tim with a quiet thunk.

“I don’t know what kind of candyass bullshit that was,” he said, rubbing at his chest which still tingled from the taser. “But we need to kick some asses.”

“I got tased by a third grader.” Tim sounded salty. “I’m guessing it’s not my drug ring.”

“We weren’t even in costume when we pissed them off,” Jason pointed out. “It’s gotta be somebody else.”

“Smart enough to use decoys, dumb enough to leave us alone,” Tim added.

Jason tried to remember the woman’s face as he bent over her. “Mind control?” he asked. “Hatter’s still in Arkham, isn’t he?”

Tim tapped his earbud. “Oracle,” he asked. “Is Mad Hatter still in Arkham?” He looked at Jason and shook his head. A metal door screamed open a thousand feet away and about a dozen people marched through the opening. “Oh. That fits. Yeah, Red Hood and I will take care of it.”

“Who is it?” Jason demanded, unholstering his guns. 

“Professor Pyg,” Tim said. “He escaped sometime this afternoon. He probably hasn’t had time to turn anyone into a Dollotron yet but he has some method of mind control.”

“Dammit.” Mind control meant no bullets. Not even rubber ones. “All right, let’s find this guy and put him back where he belongs. You still owe me a burger.”

“I gave you a burger,” Tim protested. “It’s not my fault you got duped into abandoning it.”

“I handed it back to you,” Jason pointed out. “It’s not my fault you got tased by an eight-year-old.”

“Ugh,” Tim said. “There are offices up there, on the catwalk. Pyg’s probably up there. Let’s skip the henchmen and go straight to the source.”

Jason didn’t often use a grapple but Tim was already on his way and there was no way Jason was letting him face Pyg without backup. He grappled up to the catwalk, ducking under the metal guardrail, and took off after Tim. They started clearing offices and had covered the east side of the warehouse when Jason heard a footstep behind him and spun around.

Pyg, brandishing a cleaver, and a syringe, had emerged from the next office down and was trying to rush Jason. Fortunately he was neither fast nor accurate and Jason managed to side-step him and take him down with a judo throw. He kicked the cleaver down the catwalk but Pyg lunged at his with the syringe. It wouldn’t have pierced his armor, but it didn’t matter. Tim was there and he cracked his bo staff across the back of Pyg’s head. Pyg went down and Jason picked up the syringe. “We’re gonna want to analyze this,” he commented.

“Later,” Tim snapped. “We’re getting him back to Arkham before he can do anymore damage.”

Sirens were already wailing. Jason zip-tied Pyg’s wrists and checked the back of his head. “You got him good, baby bird,” he said, finding a sizable goose egg. “Cops are on their way. They can give him a lift back to Arkham.”

“We need to figure out what this is and how to counteract it,” Tim said, nodding at the syringe still in Jason’s hand. “We’ll have to take it back to the Bat-Cave.”

“I’m not going there,” Jason said automatically. “Which office was he using? Are there notes?”

The notes were in the third office they checked. Tim took the notes and the syringe and slipped out of the warehouse to tell some cop he was friendly with how to synthesize an antidote.

Jason grappled to the roof of the next building and watched Tim from a distance as he spoke stridently with a detective. Then, he slipped into the shadows and went home.

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E3: Blood

Case: In, ah—one sec... Franklin, Pennsylvania! It's in Pennsylvania, definitely remembered that on my own accord. Anyway, in Franklin, Pennsylvania, a bunch of people are losing their marbles and murdering people in seemingly random attacks. What ties these crimes together is that right before they went murder hobo, they were in a situation that exacerbated their biggest fears, and also they hallucinated technology telling them to kill, which is very entertaining bc it's the fucking 90s, so the technology is very silly on its own, but is even sillier when it says "KILL 'EM ALL" in big red letters, but I digress. Mulder—with continued secret help from Scully on the side, as well as the Lone Gunmen (!!)—begins to suspect that these killings might actually be related to a pesticide the government is testing on people, but you know how the government gets when you try to claim they're involved in some big conspiracy, la dee da, so it goes.

A man gets laid off work, but that's the least of his problems as technology keeps telling him to kill people; a microwave tells a lady to stab Mulder to death; Mulder gives Frohike Scully's phone number; my notes say there is a handsome cop with nice hair, but I don't know who I was referring to or why I wrote that down; and Mulder's work on the case is ALL DONE. BYE-BYE!

Does someone die in the cold open: He got laid off so he's probably dead inside, but physically everyone is alive. (This does not last long.)

Does Mulder present a slideshow: Still no one to watch. Maybe he makes them for himself and plays them alone in his office and cries.

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Mmmmmmm, not sure. My guess is that the government is planning to get rid of any evidence that they were allowing chemicals to be tested on its citizens, but I'm not sure if Mulder held onto anything or not. I mean, he usually doesn't, so probably not, but -shrug emoji-.

Whodunit: Subliminal messaging caused by a pesticide that the Pennsylvanian government okayed to be tested on the town's residents. I think.

Convictions: None, but the government has to stop spraying people with LSD.

Did they solve it: I'll give it to 'em, why not? Mulder knows what caused it; more or less got a confession, or at least got them to stop doing the thing; and I feel like his report would be one of the less annoying ones he's submitted in his time in the FBI. Good job, Mulder! (And Scully, but unofficially.)

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Not being a test subject for government issued pesticides. I mean, like... you can try, but in the end, is it really up to you? What is the government testing on you right now? What have you been exposed to against your will? Is it LSD? It might be LSD, but who's to say for certain?  Not being a test subject for government issued pesticides — honestly, you're fucked, so maybe you should just... kill 'em all*... *This company does not endorse homicide, even if those homicidal impulses are the government's fault. Please don't sue us.

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 14 (two in a row!)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 6 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8 ½ (i mean, technically that lady came at him with that knife so i'll give him a half point, but i doubt she would have ever been able to actually mortally wound him) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 13

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 5 (and there were no worms in the body!)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 16 (x come back, bb, i miss u)

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of (Plot Relevant) Nosebleeds: 5 (changed stat to specify plot relevancy, so i can get away with not counting it if someone gets beat up and their nose happens to bleed or something. the nosebleed in this one did make that man homicidal, tho, so i will up the stat lol)

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 8

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 2!

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 (BUT GUESS WHAT NEXT EPISODE IS???!!! 😀😀😀)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 10½ (shut up) 

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5

[sapphicscholar]

Hey so remember how I posted yesterday about how it’s not a great idea to be condescending to people assuming the worst about the surveillance state and the role of the internet and tech companies in upholding and enforcing it? Well anyway, here’s an important thread on the House’s Section 702 “reform” bill, scheduled for a floor vote ASAP (as early as Dec. 12), which would be one of the largest expansions of surveillance within the US (accessible text below the images along with links to the linked articles)

Tweet thread from Elizabeth Goitein:

RED ALERT: Buried in the House intelligence committee’s Section 702 “reform” bill, which is schedule for a floor vote as soon as tomorrow, is the biggest expansion of surveillance inside the United States since the Patriot Act. 1/11

Through a seemingly innocuous change to the definition of “electronic service communications provider,” the bill vastly expands the universe of U.S. businesses that can be conscripted to aid the government in conducting surveillance. 2/11

Under current law, the government can compel companies that have direct access to communications, such as phone, email, and text messaging service providers, to assist in Section 702 surveillance by turning over the communications of Section 702 targets. 3/11

Under Section 504 of the House intelligence committee’s bill, any entity that has access to *equipment* on which communications may be transmitted or stored, such as an ordinary router, is fair game. What does that mean in practice? It’s simple… 4/11

Hotels, libraries, coffee shops, and other places that offer wifi to their customers could be forced to serve as surrogate spies. They could be required to configure their systems to ensure that they can provide the government access to entire streams of communications. 5/11

Even a repair person who comes to fix the wifi in your home would meet the revised definition: that person is an “employee” of a “service provider” who has “access” to “equipment” (your router) on which communications are transmitted. 6/11

The bill’s sponsors deny that Section 504 is intended to sweep so broadly. What *is* the provision intended to do, and how is the government planning to use it? Sorry, that’s classified. 7/11

At the end of the day, though, the government’s claimed intent matters little. What matters is what the provision, on its face, actually allows—because as we all know by now, the government will interpret and apply the law as broadly as it can get away with. 8/11

This isn’t a minor or theoretical concern. One of the FISA Court amici posted a blog to warn Americans about this provision. I can’t overstate how unusual it is for FISA Court amici to take to the airwaves in this manner. We’d be foolish to ignore it. https://www.zwillgen.com/law-enforcement/fisa-reform-bill-702-surveillance/ 9/11

If you don't want to have to worry that the NSA is tapping into communications at the hotel where you're staying, tell your House representative to vote NO on the House intelligence bill this week. More on the many flaws with that bill here: https://t.co/i9PEXmg5r6 10/11

Instead, they should vote for the Protect Liberty & End Warrantless Surveillance Act, a bill passed by the House Judiciary Committee on a 35-2 vote that would reauthorize Sec. 702 with strong reforms to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties. https://t.co/CN7ZepGSUu 11/11

[cerastes]

Maul-A-Bear Factory: Dismantling the Big Sad Lock

Big Sad Lock -- colloquially known as That Damn Bear -- is the second final boss in Integrated Strategies 2, the Roguelite mode offered by notorious music company Hypergryph in the game they included with their music albums, Arknights. It is a stationary, large boss with special mechanics that, if the anguished voices of the ghosts of all defunct Arknights players that have fought it and failed are anything to go by, can be pretty tricky.

But fear not, innocent bystander and cultured Arknights enjoyer, for I open the doors to my dojo of grease this fine day in order to instruct you in the finest ways of how to beat the Big Sad Lock. Today, it’s not a dojo, it’s a factory, the Maul-A-Bear Factory, in which you and I will embark on a heart-throbbing journey of understanding, wisdom, and incredibly visceral violence.

Without further foreplay, let’s hit that g-spot (the flow state for gamers in the spot, as you all know) and let’s get making our little handy dandy essential bullet point list on what it IS that you need to rip the stuffing out of this bear with your teeth:

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This here is a video of me beating the Big Sad Lock in Calamity. Now, you may be wondering: Is this a Calamity guide? Nope, this works on any difficulty, which is something important to note because it let’s us immediately jump into the first very important point about the Big Sad Lock:

The Big Sad Lock is an extremely static, formulaic boss.

What does this mean? Unlike Lucian and the Playwright, and especially unlike The Mouthpiece, Big Sad Lock (BSL), as a boss fight, more or less resolves in the first minute and a half of the fight, that is, you can quickly be sure if it’ll go your way or if it won’t very quickly. This is because BSL either breaks you quickly, or not at all, and you break it or you don’t. Unlike the other IS2 bosses, BSL doesn’t test you much in terms of placement, it’s almost purely a test of team composition. IS2 is, already, a big test of team building, but BSL embodies that aspect to the extreme -- much like Mouthpiece is an extreme test of your ability to adapt to quickly changing circumstances, the opposite of BSL! -- so knowing if you’ll be able to win against BSL or if you’ll lose is actually something that becomes immediately apparent, and you have to ask yourself one question: Is my line holding while I deal damage?

Let’s get into the details that’ll make this question actually valuable, shall we?

Big Sad Lock has 300,000 HP, 800 ATK, 700 DEF, and 60 RES, and regenerates 0.25% HP per second (750 HP per sec baseline) if you do not have the Blank Suicide Note. It additionally occupies 3x3 tiles. To put it in simple terms, it has immense HP but several tiles to be attack from, above average Attack, above average Defense, and high Resistance, so your best bet is to hit it with Physical attacks or True Damage. It autoattacks two targets with Physical damage with global range, and every 20 instances of damage it takes (not attacks, instances of damage, so poison ticks and the like count), it releases a map-wide explosion attack that hits all of your Operators for 150% of its Attack (1200 Arts damage baseline). It’s most infamous ability, however, is that a minute into the fight and then every 45 seconds afterwards, BSL creates a barrier worth 15% of its Max HP (45,000 HP baseline). While the barrier exists, enemies move faster and additional enemies are spawned. If not defeated within 8 minutes, BSL explodes and deals 30 Life Points of damage to the Doctor, most likely ending the run unless you loaded up on Lives. This explosion also deals 200% Physical damage to every Operator (1600 damage baseline) but that’s the least of your problems at that point. While fighting the BSL, you also have to deal with constant enemies spawns, and must hold 2 lanes. These enemies are mostly regular enemies, but some of them are best handled with Arts damage, such as Enraged Grotesque Gravekeepers (aka red gargoyles), Mudrock Zealot Leaders (aka red Mudrock hammer guys) and Greytail Leaders (aka red shield bat guys).

Now, with all this information, let’s start formulating our bullet points on what it is we actually need:

This is how I usually set up for Big Sad Lock:

Pure red arrows are my Bear DPS. These units’ main job is to maim the bear almost exclusively, keeping a constant stream of hits going to it. You want strong single hits more than multiple hits for BSL, so as to not trigger its counter-explosion too often. Units that go on the right red arrow are those such as Ch’en the Holungday, Pinecone, Kal’tsit (Mon3tr on the tile directly to the left) to continuously pour damage into BSL, while the left red arrow is perfect for melee 1-range damage dealers like Skadi and Nearl the Radiant Knight. You want these to ideally be Physical units. Likewise, don’t use units like Exusiai or Ceobe S2, known for their extreme Attack Speed (though, of course, if your Attack Speed is some godly meme value like +400 or something, yeah, you’ll evaporate BSL, but a set up you’re not likely to get).

The Black-Red square is a special tile: Here, if you have them, is where you put Schwarz S3, Rosa, or any such unit. I personally put Schwarz S3 there and blast BSL from there. Otherwise, you can also put an AA Sniper or any such unit aimed down if you think your lane holding is not looking too hot.

The green squares are your Medics or otherwise healers like Skadi the Corrupting Heart.

The red square to the left is where you usually place a ranged unit to assist lane holding.

The blue-red arrows are lane holders, ideally damage dealer holders like Guards, Dollkeepers, or offense-oriented Defenders instead of turtles, as mob HP is overall low in this fight. The blue-red arrows to the left are double pronged because that’s a special tile that can also be used to DPS the Bear with certain units, if placed facing to the right: Pallas, Blaze S2, Thorns, and other such units can both hold that lane and assist with DPS. The right blue arrow is long to encompass the two tiles there: You can have a Lord or an Instructor behind a frontliner to hold that lane just fine. You can also use the ranged tile 2 tiles under the green square, if your deployment or strategy calls for it. Anywhere next to these arrows, you can place down a Healing Defender like Saria or Nearl for further blocking+healing if necessary.

Now that we have our placements, let’s examine the needs of the fight, based on the information we have thus far. In this section of my guides, we ask ourselves questions to organize our information into actually usable morsels of violence and wisdom:

What does the boss ask from me? -> The boss has regen if I don’t have a specific item, and even with it, it has high HP and a timer, as well as intensifying enemy spawns -> I want high damage -> But the boss counters every 20 attacks -> Prioritize fewer and heavier hits over multiple hits -> It has high RES -> Non-Multi-Hit Physical DPS for the BSL.

What does the rest of the fight ask from me? -> Several foes through 2 lanes, mostly resistant to Physical damage in one way or another -> Enough bulk and block to hold two lanes -> Enemies have low HP for the most part -> Prioritize damage over bulk, ideally Arts -> there’s constant damage from the boss’ explosions -> Bring enough healing to survive that -> High Physical damage can also deal with the enemies -> Bring Arts damage and/or high Physical damage and sufficient healing to keep your entire line alive to keep the lanes safe.

The fight is static -> The outcome of this battle is decided by how well I can set up so my units don’t die -> The battle is decided early, and it’s more about set-up than execution, of which there is very little -> Bring Vanguards if possible to hasten your set-up, as the faster you set up, the better your chances.

The boss explodes for damage constantly -> A small party with strong damage and healing fares better than a large party that I have to heal constantly, possibly running myself thin on limited Medic slots -> You don’t need a lot of units -> Thankfully, if you have what you need, the boss is easy and solves itself -> Quality over quantity, if you’re going for Bear, try your hardest to have the best of the best in your roster instead of a big overarching synergy, you don’t need much for this boss fight, just fulfill the damage and sustain requirements and you’re golden.

Once again, consult the video to see how I personally go about setting up for this fight, but, as you can see, the BSL is deceptively simple and frontloaded: If you have the tools and you lay them out properly, you win, simple as that. Once you get the hang of BSL, it’s trivial to beat it, simply because the building requirements for it are simple and straightforward, and most importantly, it requires very little execution, just on the set-up, which is just knowing targeting priority, the basis of Arknights.

BSL is mostly a very fundamental boss with lots of intimidating bells and whistles! It makes loud noises and sends enemies and grows shields but... Once you break it down, isn’t it just a very simple two-plus-two endeavor? There’s very little execution, you simply build your team on a diet of big single hit damage dealers and simple, bulky lane-holders with some damage and... You’re done. You don’t need more than that. It’s not me oversimplifying BSL, it really is that simple. It’s a boss that is difficult and scary until it just isn’t. I struggled a lot with it the first few times, until I realized, “wait, you just need like 3 things”, and now Bear runs are leisure runs.

Schwarz, Saria and Blaze S2 on the left with Corrupting Heart S2, Kal’tsit (+ Mon3tr) and Specter the Unchained on the right is the run I’ve done it with the least characters to memory. So long as your lanes don’t fall and your damage is constant... That’s it. That Bear is going nowhere, so a powerful static setup is very important.

And that’s that! We’ve finished this tour of the Maul-A-Bear Factory, now go out there and commit incredibly inspiring acts of violence!

[sgiandubh]

Lionsgate/*** quarter call - not so good as it seems

While I am still fumbling around with the strike's aftermath, let me just quickly say a word or two about ***'s last quarter call, yesterday. Nobody does it as @cb4tb, but FWIW, here goes:

I should immediately say I could not watch the replay on the link provided by the initial press release (here: https://investors.lionsgate.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2023/10-19-2023-140125017), despite my total good will to take one for the team, go to bed early and wake-up at ungodly hours. I have no idea why - maybe access is somehow limited? I would never know, I had no 403 error in my browser, so... 🤷‍♀️. Instead, I could peruse the paper version of the standard Company Quarterly Report (US SEC Form 10-Q), along with some scarce press comments, for a bit of context.

The document is damn long (94 pages) and it reads exactly like I presumed: a kidney stone would be easier to pass (https://investors.lionsgate.com/financial-reports/sec-filings). It's perhaps worth for this phrase alone (on page 43), which really made me stop in my tracks:

At the time of the document's public release, it is technically true and accurate that the tentative deal between AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA still has to be approved by the union's members. However, given the horrendous impact of the strike on almost all things Hollywood and California, for that matter (more on this in a separate post), it's more than likely the deal will hold. The rest is dire: more slashing of content to come, 'if the Company is unable to efficiently complete the production of the film, TV show or program or decides to abandon the production'.

While this does not seem to affect Season 8, this could (I repeat: could) mean that: a) BOMB is gone and b) MIK3 is no longer a priority (the fact that MIK 2, as OL, was listed among the last quarter premieres is not a guarantee it will be continued - not the same amplitude as OL). If so, Season 8 might start shooting as soon as January 2024, since it already has all the needed infrastructure and staff readily available at Cumbernauld (yes, Mordor, the peasant you all love to hate managed perhaps to save the day again!). So OL is doing ok on that side, unlike other productions of other studios, who reportedly started a mad scramble for location scouting and staff recruiting, just before the festive season - that is a big competitive advantage and one of the main reasons I believe it's still entirely possible to pull it off.

The 'thriving' future (according to Feltheimer, that genius 🙄) of *** as a standalone company is still something we severely lack data on, as Lionsgate kept its commitment to go on with the acquisition of Entertainment One (you know, the Peppa Pig people), for a mere 375 million USD, to be completed by January 31, 2024. At the same time, *** is not the only actor on the US media & tech market to proceed to lay-offs and it seems to fare better than many, as I already supposed and told you:

(Sourced at: https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/starz-layoffs-exit-uk-australia-lionsgate-1235779627/).

Something to be closely monitored in the upcoming weeks. I think it's going to be worth it. Sorry for not bringing any sensational content today and I know it's dull and probably uninteresting AF, but it's there and it has to be taken into account, for sure. So yes, 'not as good as it seems' (profit is now mainly driven by motion picture, not television production), but not as bad as expected by the prophets of doom across the street, who - as usually - have no damn idea of what they are talking about.

[girlactionfigure]

Realtime Updates

🚨LARGE BOMBING IN KERMAN, IRAN AT ENEMY GENERAL’S U.S. ASSASSINATION COMMEMORATION… 2-4 bombs set off, reports of 100+ killed, 170+ wounded.  Iran blames Israel, no claims of responsibility from Israel (and Iran has plenty of enemies, and mass bombing a public event is not Israel’s style).

⬆️ Northern Front 🗞 Airstrikes in Markaba, a-Labuna, Ayta Ash Shab.  Rockets at Dovev.  Over 25 IDF air force strikes today.

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah to speak at 6:00 PM Israel/Lebanon time.  Anti-tank missile hits electric infrastructure near Malkia, knocking out power.

⚠️BE PREPARED… with the risks from Gaza having lowered, most (not in or affected by army service) have returned to normal life routines.  This is a tense moment and the possibility of a major attack from the north is real.  Listen and follow ALL Homefront Command instructions.  Taking precautions this evening and tomorrow in Israel is wise.  Homefront command in Israel (only works in Israel) https://www.oref.org.il/en

⬇️ Southern Front 🗞 Rockets from Gaza to near-Gaza towns, 1 round.

Holes drilled through walls, looks like a dryer air vent, it’s an RPG shooting position, or anti-tank missile shooting position, or sniper position.  Other times it might simply be an observation position - to direct fire of one of the above.  Combat teams are frequently finding shooting positions and observation positions…

In Kherbat Ahzaza, IDF combat teams located and destroyed observation posts and anti-tank launching positions, and a tunnel shaft in a school.  Interestingly the school included laminated pictures of different types of weaponry… ‘children, can you say soccer ball?  grenade?  RPG?’  

In Khan Yunis, IDF forces pushing deeper into the city.  Terrorist attempted to attach a bomb to a tank, he and his squad taken out by drone strike.  Weapons captured, safe with hundreds of thousands of shekels captured (thanks for the war effort donation Hamas!), munitions production facility bombed.

In Tupach Michlal, an enemy drone squad was eliminated by drone strike.

IDF warns civilians to evacuate Nizirat.

In destroying a tunnel network in southern Gaza yesterday, the IDF used TONS of explosives and blew up the network and the whole neighborhood above.

Enemy claims to have shot down an IDF Hermes 900 observation drone via a shoulder launched anti-aircraft missile.  Analysis: possible.

➡️ Eastern Front 🗞 Counter-terror, (enemy report) IDF blows up an explosives lab and whole building in Noor Shams, Tulkarm.  In East Jerusalem, suspects arrested, building in Jebel Makbar, East Jerusalem prepared for demolition.

🚢 Red Sea Front 🗞 The Houthis attacked a ship in the Red Sea after it did not respond to calls.  Houthis say the CMA CGM Tage was attacked.  French shipping company CMA CGM said “the vessel did not suffer any incident” and was sailing through the Red Sea toward Alexandria, Egypt.

▪️ECONOMY - In the 12th week of the war, public spending reached 11 billion shekels - a jump of 19.2% compared to an average week, headed towards recovery.

▪️US SEC STATE - to visit Turkey on Shabbat, Israel on Monday.

▪️HEZBOLLAH LEADER HAS BEGUN SPEAKING… after a delay.  So far: pays tribute to the assassinated commander and companions. Salutes martyrs.  Speaks of good results for Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

▪️IRAN ON THE MOVE IN SYRIA - (enemy’s enemy report) IRGC are evacuating their bases in northern Syria.

▪️HOSTAGE KILLED - The IDF has notified the family of hostage Sahar Baruch that he was killed during an attempt to rescue him on December 8, and says is unable to determine the cause of death at this stage, it is unknown if he was murdered by Hamas or killed by Israeli fire.  Two IDF soldiers were seriously wounded in the failed hostage rescue attempt.

▪️IDF PUBLISHES PROOF OF USE OF CHILDREN as spotters, ammunition carriers, and messengers, as well as sending them to indoctrination camps with weapons training.

▪️TUNNEL LOCATED - JUDEA… IDF forces locate tunnel in the area of Kfar Tarkomia near Hebron, headed towards the town of Salem.

▪️MK’s WHO LIVE IN JUDEA-SAMARIA GIVEN VESTS AND HELMETS… due to increased security concerns, by the Knesset Guard and recommended by the police.

▪️3 TERRORISTS ARRESTED IN ARGENTINA… possibly planning terror attack against Jewish community. (N12)

▪️HIGH COURT RULES… it is ordered to postpone the applicability of Amendment No. 12 to the Basic Law: The Government regarding the arrangement of the Prime Minister (and under what basis he can be suspended as PM), so that it will enter into force at the beginning of the 26th Knesset term. This is because it is a distinctly personal amendment that constitutes an abuse of the Knesset's constituent authority.

⬆️ Northern Front 🗞 Airstrikes continue at a heavier pace than previously.  Hezbollah has fired 6 very-large rockets at Israel.

⬇️ Southern Front 🗞 Heavy fire in the Sheikh Radwan area, north Gaza and IDF Navy firing at west Gaza targets.

➡️ Eastern Front 🗞 IDF operating in Jenin, Jericho and Qalqilya to make arrests. Firefight during the operation in Jenin.  Tulkarm, IDF dozer hit by huge IED (via enemy video). 

🚢 Red Sea Front 🗞 (no updates)

[lokitu]

Fast Food Rep, part 8

- commissioned and written by DeltaC -

Viii.

Steve: John, is this really your largest tank you own?

John: One sec, finishing up a video call.

Well, Matty, I am glad that the client was more than satisfied by the final product. Oh and once again let the client know how grateful my hubby is for the generous  lifetime food allowance. I have a feeling we are going to need it to satisfy my husband’s appetite.

Perlman: My GOD O’Grady you got massive! What the hell have you been eating? I mean look at you! I know the camera adds 10 lbs but for Christ sakes what have you done to yourself?

John: Well, you said it yourself Matt, more cushion for the pushin is a hell of a lot more fun. Plus, if there is one thing I learned from this experience is that fat is sexy! What can I say? I carry it well and damn do I feel more attractive now than I have ever had.

Perlman: I mean it's like your face is trying to pour out of my monitor.

John: Enough. Snap out of it hair plugs!

Perlman: I thought you people were supposed to be jolly. Anyways, as much as I hate to admit it, you did a good job. When can we expect you to waddle into the office? Don’t worry I’ll personally make sure that you get the widest, heh, most spacious furniture there is in the market. Hell I’ll even widen the door frames for you so you don’t have to turn sideways.

John: Funny. Yeah, about that. I won’t be coming into the office anymore. Things have changed for me

Perlman: Huff. Can’t get that bloated ass of yours off and out of bed huh?

John: HA! Good one. No Matty, I am branching out and starting my own marketing firm. Oh and I am taking all the fast food accounts with me. Afterall, why would fast food giants deal with scrawny executive heads? No, I see a big bright future ahead.

Perlman: You fat piece of…

John: Let me stop you right there. If you want to succeed, indulge a little. Eat a burger every now and then Matty. God knows you are wasting away. From what I hear, more cushion for the pushin is always much more fun. Bye!

Okay that’s out of the way. What were you asking me about S…..bahahaha! What are you wearing baby?!

Steve: Oh just one of your largest tank tops.

John: Oh baby, why do you have that silly old thing on? Though now that I see it on you it does frame your giant titties perfectly!

Steve: I’d thought I would go out for a bit of jog.

John: Oooh baby! You don’t have to do that. I love the size of you, from your thick double chin to your thick cankles every soft inch of you. Plus you know how I go crazy for that big rump of yours.

Steve: No, I know you do John, but don’t you think I have gotten too fat?

John: Of course not baby! Are you fat? Well, duh I am not blind, but are you too fat? Nonsense. If anything you can stand to gain an extra 50lbs. Trust me there can never be too much of my little Stevie. Now, how about you turn around and let me check out that soft fluffy bum of yours in those oh so tight gym shorts you somehow poured yourself into baby.

Steve: Oh John you sure are a cake glutton.

John: Oh my favorite white angel food cake! Hey, do we still have that coconut cake? How about you waddle off into the kitchen and feed it to me Steve. I would get it myself but I’m afraid I am too comfy to get up. Plus, this way I can see your plush rump bounce and jiggle for me.

Steve: Heh, too comfy or too fat to get up? John, I am so lucky to have you as my big fat business daddy to squeeze and to love.

John: I’m not stuck. Like I said I am just too comfy. Oh before you waddle off cutie can you put my laptop back on the desk? And I am pretty sure you mean to hold and too…

**squeezes big plush tits**

hey hey hey what was that for? You know how sensitive my moobs and stretched nipples are since I started bulking.

Steve: I couldn’t help it John. You just look so cute beached on the bed. Besides, I like pinching your stretched out nipples. Got milk? Wink wink. Say you should contact the milk companies and pitch them the idea of you starring as their milk guzzler spokesman.

John: Haha funny boy aren’t you! Boy, cake now! I’m hungry for something sweet and the cake sounds good too.

Steve: Oh Don Juan you really know how to romance a boy. Here, finish up this plate of cookies while I go get the coconut cake. How’s about you slip on my favorite red posers of yours while I am on the long long trip to the kitchen? You reckon it can still contain that blubber butt you grew John?

John: Guess there is only one way to find out, isn't there boy?

**SLAP**

Get that tushie moving for me Steve.

Steve:  Sir, yes sir!

**John: Yup this is the life! Nice home with a great view overseeing the blue Pacific Ocean. A hefty loving husband that loves me, ALL of me, and wants even more of me like I want more of him. Damn I am going to make my boy even fatter still! This is a brand new chapter for us both. Funny I always wanted to make it big and boy did I ever!

Steve: John I found fudge!

John: Oh god yes!!! Get your fat ass to bed NOW!

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[wheneclipsefalls]

Ma Neteyam pt.8

 Part 7, Part 9

Summary: Lo'ak has a knack for kicking up trouble.

Warnings: swearing, stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, sexual tension, power imbalance, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, violence, alchohol consumption

“To virginity,” Vamai raised the wooden cup high in the air. “Who needs it anyways?” She laughed before clicking her cup against Neteyam’s. He rolled his eyes at her obvious smugness concerning the topic. Ever since he was let out of the tent this morning she had been acting as if she were an infamous matchmaker that had made the whole thing happen. 

The Sully boy figured there were times when it was simply best to just let the girl have her fun. Fighting against her ideas would only result in a headache. 

He tried to imitate the other omega who was drowning half the liquid in one go, but the taste was more bitter than he expected. His eyes squinted shut as he forced himself to swallow the alcohol. Neteyam had only tried inhibiting substance once earlier that year at a festival. He was only allowed one glass and although it was strange, he didn’t remember it burning his throat as much as this concoction. 

“It’s awful!” He sputtered out. Vamai’s laughter picked up, studying the pained expression across her friend’s face. 

“It’s just rich from being marinated for so long. Have you even had alcohol before, Nete?” Her mocking words made Neteyam glare back at the girl. He didn’t like that way her assumptions made him feel exposed as they were usually pretty close to the truth. 

“For your information, I have.” No need to tell her it was only one drink. 

Shifting to her knees, Vamai raised her eyebrows in a way that told Neteyam she considered him ‘a delicate little flower’. Her words, not his own. While the teasing did get to the omega at times, he couldn’t deny how much her company meant to him. He needed a break from overprotective alphas that bossed him around day in and day out, even if one alpha in particular made him cum till he could barely remember his own name. 

“What was Kxolo talking about last night, anyways?” Her confident composure slipped for a moment as Neteyam intently stared her down. 

“I didn’t think you would remember that with the way you were unable to string together a sentence.” Vamai tried to smirk back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“Come on! Who am I going to tell anyways?” He held his hand up in surrender. Neteyam felt silly for wanting gossip so badly but he was quickly tiring of only talking about his complicated relationship with the Olo’eyktan. 

“Well I guess that is true since your boyfriend seems to already know.” Vamai pinched her chin, feigning a thoughtful look. 

“Yeah and how is that fair? Why did he get to know before me?”

“Trust me, Neteyam. I had no intention of letting my Olo’eyktan find out about my sexual relationships. I still haven’t figured out how he knew. That man can be scary sometimes. I swear he has eyes in the back of his head!” Vamai dramatically whipped a hand through the water in frustration. 

“You’re telling me.” Neteyam muttered under his breath. “Hold on a sec, can we touch back on the sexual relationship part of that? You and Epok have been…you know..” The omega trailed off, not sure how to phrase it. 

“Great Mother, Neteyam! You lost your virginity last night and you still have a hard time saying the word sex.” Her messy hair blew in the wind as the girl continued to giggle uncontrollably. Neteyam’s jaw clenched at the scene. 

“Stop deflecting!” He accused, taking another swig of the nasty liquid. Vamai scoffed as she watched Neteyam struggle to get down another gulp. 

“Yes, Neteyam. Epok has been fucking me.” Neteyam choked on his wine at the blunt language. “How else do you think we got this alcohol?” Vamai sat back comfortably, arms resting on her propped knee. Her gleaming eyes sparkled with amusement. 

“So then you guys are like…together?” The boy questioned, setting his cup down for good with a grimace. 

“It’s called friends with benefits, Nete.” She threw her head back to finish off the last of the dark drink, silently wishing she had asked for more to split between the two. One cup was never enough to get her tipsy. “He has needs and so do I. Conveniently they compliment each other quite well, so at the end of the day everyone wins.”

Neteyam was familiar with the term, having heard a conversation between Lo’ak and one his other alpha friends about it. He didn’t get much out of it before Lo’ak was shooing him away, but he knew the basics. 

“Oh well, I guess that’s nice then.” His fingers drummed against his crossed legs. 

“Well it’s more than nice, silly boy.” She kicked her foot against his knee teasingly. “But yes, it works well. He is a beta so I don’t have to worry as much about jealousy and being bossed around. And meanwhile, he gets the best ride of his life.” She confidently tossed her hair over one shoulder. 

“And you are sure you’re ju-”

“Mystery solved!” The booming voice from behind,startled both omegas into whipping around drastically. Kxolo strode confidently in their direction from the other side of the lake. 

“Shit! It’s Olo’eyktan.” Vamai panicked, looking for a place to hide the cup. “Destroy the evidence!” She whispered harshly at Neteyam. He chucked the cup and liquid into the nearest bush without another thought. The two stood nervously as they watched Kxolo confidently approach. 

“Now is the time to turn on your charm, Neteyam.” Vamai whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach at the words.

“I don’t have a charm.” He urgently whispered. His eyes raked back and forth across the Olo’eyktan’s face to see if he was already angry.

“Well you better find it.” She gritted out before the male was in earshot. 

“Olo’eyktan.” Vamai greeted respectfully, touching her forehead to sign ‘I see you’. “What a surprise. Neteyam was just talking about how much he misses you.”

“I know you two took the wine.” Kxolo cut in, crossing his arms over his chest. Towering over the two in a wide stance, Neteyam couldn’t help but shrivel a little. His mind scrambled uselessly to find a way out of trouble. 

“What? Wine? Didn’t know you were missing any, but we will keep an eye out for it. Won’t we, Neteyam?” A firm look to the other omega, had Neteyam nodding his head. 

“Don’t bother, I could see you drinking from the other side and Neteyam is already about to topple over.” The boy furrowed his eyebrows, about to defend his sober state but one look down made him realize he was in fact swaying from side to side wobbly. When did he get tipsy? 

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad.” Kxolo chuckled, giving an amused shake to his head. “This time.” he added and Vamai’s smile dropped. 

“Sorry Olo’eyktan.” She mumbled, toes kicking against stray rocks. Neteyam watched her kick at a purple little rock, admiring the beautiful shade. It took him a minute to realize that all eyes were on him. His head whipped back and forth between the two. 

“Oh! Sorry.” He squeaked nervously. A fond grin spread across the alpha’s face, seemingly less upset. 

“Come on, naughty boy.” Kxolo’s voice was laced with amusement as he slipped three fingers around Neteyam’s loincloth strap and used it to tug the boy towards him. Neteyam stumbled and shuffled until he fell against the male’s warm chest. “Time to get ready for bed.”

Kxolo repositioned the omega until he was standing properly and tucked into his side safely. The boy couldn’t help but lean eagerly into the larger form, taking in the alluring scent of his mate. The three walked back together as Vamai rambled on about her favorite drinking stories she had heard. Kxolo could barely register a word she said as he continued  to peek down at the sweet omega clinging to him. A warm feeling settled in his chest, content that his whole world was finally by his side. 

The rumbled breathing beneath Neteyam’s ear had him slumbering effortlessly. As always, Neteyam was curled sweetly around the larger male, cocooned safely by muscular arms holding him against the Olo’eyktan’s heaving chest. The familiar musky scent had made it easier for the omega to drift off night after night as he grew to associate the smell with being coddled in Kxolo’s arms. 

“Olo’eyktan!” The earnest voice cut through the tent to awaken both males. Kxolo immediately pulled Neteyam flush against his body, ready to shield him from harm. His growls died down as he recognized the form at the entrance of their tent as one of the alpha warriors currently on watch. “Sign of Sky People just outside the village. Perhaps a whole squad of them!” 

Neteyam could feel his heart lurch into his throat, his father’s war stories instantly coming to surface in his head. Kxolo was quick to react, jumping from the ground to secure a long knife in its sheath across his chest along with his bow and arrows swung over the expanse. 

Even with only the dim light coming through between the tent flaps, he could see the stone cold concentration masking his mate’s face. No signs of sleep were present in those eyes as Kxolo went from zero to one hundred in under a minute. 

“Neteyam.” The unyielding voice bit out harshly. “Stay. Here.” There was no room for arguing. Kxolo disappeared before the omega could utter a word. 

His heart hammered against his ribs, mind swirling in a whirlpool of thought. He wanted to go and fight, but there were no weapons for him here. He was sure even if he tried, Kxolo would have him off onto the sidelines in a matter of seconds. 

Who would he be though if he didn’t at least try?

“Bro.” Neteyam practically jumped out of his skin at the voice. He swiped his body around to face the enemy head on, hands already clenched into fists. 

Golden eyes stopped him in his tracks. It was like seeing a ghost. 

“Lo’ak?” Crouching at the entrance of the tent, covered in battle stripes of red and orange was Lo’ak. Neteyam wasted no time in pulling the younger alpha into the tent. 

Their bodies clashed together into a messy hug as Neteyam’s mind ran at a million miles per hour trying to figure out if he was hallucinating. 

“Who else would it be, bro?” Lo’ak chuckled, but tears were already gathering in his eyes. He breathed in his older brother’s familiar scent. He wanted to bask in the moment, ask Neteyam one hundred questions but they were already on borrowed time. 

The two pulled away, Neteyam’s pupils blown wide. A rush of emotion coalesced together into a muddled mess. Fear of the Sky People, relief at seeing his brother, anxiety towards what would happen if Lo’ak was caught; they all formed into a wave on the brink of consuming Neteyam. 

“What are you doing here? It’s not safe. Sky People are just outside the village.” His eyes flashed uneasily around their surroundings to make sure no one had spotted them yet. He tilted his head in confusion as Lo’ak let out a deep chuckle with his head thrown back. 

“I really have missed you, Neteyam.” The words dripped with fond amusement. “There aren’t any Sky People out there, bro.”

“How do you know?”

“Who do you know that has access to military and lab human equipment? Setting it up to look like a camp was almost too easy” Lo’ak’s arrogant smirk, made Neteyam's stomach twist as he realized what was really happening. 

“Come on, we have to go before they realize it’s a set up.” Lo’ak eagerly tugged at his older brother’s arm to get him moving, but the omega pulled away. 

“Wait bro, this is dangerous. If they find you here-”

“The family is a mess, Neteyam. Tuk misses you. She’s pissed at me for not filling in for you. Kiri spends most of her time at the healer’s tent. Mom and Dad are going crazy trying to find a way to bring you back home. You should’ve seen what Dad was like after your last visit.” Dread curled in Neteyam’s stomach. “This is our chance, but we have to go now!” 

Guilt weighed down heavily on the omega at his younger brother’s words. His family was suffering without him and here he was purring under the neighboring Olo’eyktan. His heart yearned for the older male, but Neteyam couldn’t be selfish. Lo’ak was there risking his neck in order to help him escape, something Neteyam failed to do on his own. 

It was time to evaluate his priorities.

He was the oldest so it was his job to look after his family. 

He had to run, and it had to be now. 

Contempt and self loathing began to mix together inside of him as Neteyam thought about how ridiculous he was being. He was falling for the enemy, the same man that tore him from his home. No amount of mental safeguarding had protected Neteyam from the inevitable, so there was only one shield left; to put as much distance as possible between himself and the alpha. 

The village was eerily silent with only the occasional far-off commands being whispered. The fear of war hung heavy in the air. Families kept to themselves in their homes and hammocks. Only seasoned warriors jogged lightly towards the sight, ready for battle. Neteyam felt his lungs seize, knowing that the clan was in such a state just so that he could escape. 

The two crawled along the forest floor, bodies shielded by the thick greenery surrounding them. Lo’ak promised his ikran was only a little ways outside the village at a lake. Neteyam tried not to think about all the memories he had at that lake. 

Both of their ears perked on high alert at every shuffle and echoing voice that rang through the trees. The omega was unsure whether the energy running through his veins was adrenaline or anxiety. Either way, he was terrified of how this night could end. 

When they finally made it to the edge of the lake, the two broke out into a sprint towards the ikran crouching in the bushes. They didn’t make it far before, Neteyam was yanking them to a halt. His heart skipped a beat. 

Vamai’s pupils were blown wide, body stiff in the cool air. It felt unnatural to see her so still, so serious. 

“Nete, w-what are you….and who-”

Neteyam was quick to close the distance between them and grasp the girl by the upper arms.

“Please don’t say anything Vamai! Just pretend you didn’t see us, I’m begging you.” He put all of his frantic energy into the plea, willing to cry if that’s what it took to get her to agree. Her eyes however were focused on the alpha standing behind him.

Lo’ak too watched her suspiciously, not sure what to make of the encounter but ready to step in at a moment's notice. Their eyes narrowed at one another, silent threats filling the air. 

“Neteyam, go home before Kxolo realizes you are gone! Do you have any idea what he will do when he finds out that you are running away, again?!” Neteyam bristled at the warning but it was Lo’ak that jumped in.

“That asshole isn’t going to do anything if he knows what is good for him.” Lo’ak hissed between clenched teeth, already shifting Neteyam behind his taller form. Something ignited in Vamai that the omega had never witnessed in her before. The look of icy hot rage was foreign in the girl’s countenance. 

“What did you just say about my Olo’eyktan?!” Warning bells rang in Neteyam’s mind as he watched Vamai’s tail go taunt and ears flick upwards at attention. Her voice was almost an octave lower with narrowed eyes that focused on Lo’ak with a lethal intensity. 

Lo’ak being Lo’ak refused to step down, taking that question as a challenge instead of a warning. The competitive glint in his eyes was never far away even in dire situations like these. 

“You mean the psycho that abducted my older brother?” Lo’ak gave his famous one-sided grin as arrogant confidence rolled off of him in waves. The comment had her crouching into a combative position, on the verge of brawling. 

“You keep my Olo’eyktan’s name out of your mouth before I beat your ass right here, you mouth breathing branch eating warrior wannabe!” The words were venom on the girl’s tongue, only pushed further at the smug look Lo’ak maintained. 

“I’m terrified.” Lo’ak mocked with a smirk as he stood tall with his arms crossed over his broad painted chest. 

Neteyam quickly sandwiched himself between the two in order to stop Vamai from lunging at his brother. Every minute on the ground was one that could be spent increasing their odds of making it out undetected. He was too worried about his own ass beating to deal with their haughty attitudes. 

“Vamai please just don’t say anything! I promise I will be careful.” Her gaze softened slightly at the anxious omega even though disapproval was still evident in her expression. She crossed her arms stubbornly and let out a sigh. 

“I’m no snitch but-”

“Glad to hear it, let’s go.” Lo’ak cut in, quickly pushing Neteyam towards the awaiting ikran. Daggers shot out of Vamai’s eyes as she watched the two sprint towards the creature. 

Neteyam struggled to keep up with his brother’s longer legs. He realized that the last time he truly ran was during his previous escape attempt. The muscles were taunt and sore, most likely a result of the pounding he had received the day before. Regardless, he pushed through and tried not to let the pain reflect in his expression. 

“What about Azer?” Lo’ak questioned. His large hands fumbled to check the saddle was still properly in place. 

“No time, besides they know what the call sounds like and where he is supposed to be so it would be a dead give away.”

“We’ll come back for him, bro.” Lo’ak promised with a comforting squeeze to the omega’s shoulder. The cloud of fear and anxiety overshadowed Neteyam’s focus on the creature so he simply nodded along and focused on what had to be done in the present. 

Lo’ak took control of the situation, guiding Neteyam to sit behind him and grab on before they took off through the air. It felt weird to be on an ikran and yet have no control over how the creature moved. His fingers dug into his brother’s battle band as they made a quick ascent above the trees that made the omega slightly queasy. 

His eyes frantically darted below them into the thick forest, searching for any signs that they had been spotted. The glowing bioluminescent wildlife did nothing to help the omega make out figures or ikran blanketed within the connected trees. Doubts plagued his mind. There was no saying when or how the group would figure out Neteyam was gone. No hints could point at whether or not they were already being pursued. 

“Oh shit!” Lo’ak cursed. 

The ikran spun on its axis as Lo’ak flipped them away from the other ikran biting back at them. Neteyam’s stomach lurched as they flipped backwards, his legs straining to clamp around the ikran in order to stay in place. Once upright, there was no time to take a look at who was now pursuing them as Lo’ak went straight into speeding in the other direction. 

They whipped sharp zig zagged lines across the night sky in an effort to lose their stalker. The impending feel of being chased crawled across Neteyam’s skin, every turn questioning how close they still were. He finally dared to look back and the reality made his worries look like child’s play. 

The person on their tail was only one of twenty ikrans speeding after them. Although none nearly as close as the first, many were picking up quickly. He recognized the structured formations, the same ones his father had taught him about when pursuing RDA or thieves in their territory. The comparison solidified the gravity of their situation in his mind. 

“How’s it looking?” Lo’ak calls, eyes still faced forward in concentration. 

“20 ikrans, maybe more. You’ve got some distance from the first one but we need some sort of magic trick to get them off our tail.” His neck strained from craning to see the advancing fleet from whatever direction they soared in relation. 

“Just my specialty.” Lo’ak shot a grin back at the boy that made the familiar nervous twist in Neteyam’s stomach return. It was always a gamble whether his brother’s stunts would bring them a great adventure or rather a cautionary tale. 

His veins chilled to ice at the sudden drag of gravity. They shot straight towards the ground in a death defying beeline. The whip of wind was merciless against Neteyam’s unprotected eyes, forcing them to eventually close. Plunging now in darkness the omega was partially grateful he couldn’t see how close they were getting to sudden death. His nails dug into Lo’ak waistband till there were indents. 

The impact was different than Neteyam expected. The sharpness of the movement did make his muscles ache but they were moving upwards again. He peek his eyes open to find them swerving through the trees at an incredible speed. Their movements were drastic and unyielding to any error. Looking behind, Neteyam found no one in his line of sight. 

“I think you lost them.” He yelled over the whipping wind. 

“Not yet.” Lo’ak disagreed as their speed picked up and the two raced towards a soaring mountain side. 

“What are you doing?” Neteyam blanched at the sight of their distance to the hard rock rapidly closing in. Lo’ak shook his head as if his brother was being unreasonably worried. 

“Just trust me, bro!” He laughed fondly. 

They continued at an unseemly speed towards the vertical incline of the towering mountain. Neteyam instinctively gripped the ikran, willing it to slow down with his mind, but of course there was no tsaheylu connection. He was not in charge. 

“Hold tight!” Lo’ak warned before they were turning on their side. 

Their speed decelerated at the turn, but not enough. They were going to hit the mountain from the side. Lo’ak yanked and twisted, willing them into a strange position and that is when Neteyam noticed the large crack in the rock. Easily concealed in the dark shadows of night, but large enough to fit them. 

They jolted and rocked harshly as Lo’ak willed them into that opening. The ikran used its sharp claws to dig into the rock and vines in order to hold them against the inside wall. The position made both males clench their legs tightly around the creature in order to keep from falling, but they were out of sight, and just in time. 

The shrieking sound of air being split echoed through the opening as ikran after ikran whirred past them. Each passerby had Neteyam flinching. They clung to the ikran silently, only heavy breathing filling the air between them. They remained in that position till there was no sign of warriors for a couple minutes. 

“Is that all of them?” Neteyam whispered. 

“We will have to hope it is, can only stay here so long before they start looking for our hiding spot.” Lo’ak urged the ikran to crawl out of the space carefully before they were jumping off and soaring into the air again. 

Hope began to sprout again as they continued to fly lowly without spotting a single ikran. Their diversion had successfully shot the group in the opposite direction of their destination. Lo’ak began to laugh triumphantly. The sound had a nervous laugh bubbling out of Neteyam, almost ready to believe they were in the clear. 

“Who’s the mighty warrior now?” Lo’ak cheekily shot back at his older brother. 

“Yeah yeah just shut up and try not to make us crash.” He reprimanded his brother’s cocky attitude but Neteyam couldn’t keep the smile from his own face. They were going to make it home! 

He expected to feel allated, completely free and ecstatic at the news. However, there was a sharp tug on his heart, one that pulled him in the opposite direction back towards the other clan. Towards the arms that held him safely at night, shushing all of his worries away. Towards the deep laugh that had Neteyam smiling brightly no matter the context. Towards the arrogant relentless alpha that looked at Neteyam as if he were the whole world. His whole world. 

He tried not to think about what it would be like to not feel that calming presence, or see that charming smile winking back at him, or be called baby boy for the hundredth time that day. Regardless, a small black hole was forming in his chest at the idea of losing all of that, of losing him. 

It made Neteyam mad, no, it made him furious.

His mind and body was betraying him and if he wasn’t careful it would betray his family too. Stubborn rage boiled within him, as he looked ahead at the darkened horizon. There were two choices now. Neteyam figured he could either cry or channel those emotions into productive determined anger. He chose the latter. 

Kxolo would have to carry him kicking, screaming, and fighting over his shoulder the whole way to get him back. He was ready to fight. 

The attacking ikran came out of nowhere.

“NETEY-” The words were cut off by the sharp impacts against Neteyam’s ribs. The air was stolen from his lungs as his body continued to rolled from the thick branch back into the open air. Ikran cries could be heard from above, mingled with Lo’ak’s voice but the omega had no time to tune into what was occurring. 

He focused his attention to the greenery below him, executing a sloppy but safe fall between the ginormous leaves. He hit the ground in a heap. Neteyam’s body shook from the aftermath. His eyes strained to focus and stop seeing in doubles. The omega concentrated on taking controlled breaths in through his nose and out his mouth. 

The forest finally came into focus and Neteyam could feel where the pain was coming from. There was a gash along his rib cage, not too deep but still eliciting a stinging pain. His core ached as he sat himself up to inspect the damage. The red blood was visibly smeared along his torso, but the bleeding was only coming in small spurts. He dismissed the injury quickly at this realization. 

The sound of flapping wings coming to a halt sent a rush through Neteyam. Without preamble, the omega quietly positioned his body underneath the giant upturned roots of the tree closest. There was just enough space between the tree and ground to hide himself from view. 

“Neteyam!” Pulo’s gravelly voice had the omega’s breath hitching.

It was closer. So much closer than he had anticipated. 

“I know you’re out there. Make both of our lives easier and show yourself so I don’t have to drag you out.” Neteyam didn’t heed the warning. 

Lo’ak was out there somewhere. Getting caught now would foil all their plans. 

Neteyam spent whatever energy he could spare on slowing his heart rate down, letting only small controlled exhales leave his nose. Pulo’s continued calls were only met with silence. It took several minutes before the alpha ventured in a different direction in pursuit of Neteyam. Still, the omega waited. His ears strained to follow those crunching footsteps until they were only a distant thrum encapsulated in the hum of the forest. 

With shaky hands, Neteyam grasped the roots to pull himself out of the hole. He held in a hiss at the feel of the long cut scraping against the dirt. He would need to disinfect it soon, but that would have to wait till Lo’ak and him were back home. 

His eyes sweeped the area around him in search of any hints towards Lo’ak’s location. Calling out for him would be too risky but they were already running out of time. All of a sudden, an abrupt yipping sound stopped him in his tracks. He imitated the sound back and sure enough a reply came exactly identical. 

It was a call his mother had invented during emergencies so that they could know where the other family members were without outside personnel detecting them. The short sound blended in with the other birds calls of the night. He strained to hear the calls each time, concentrating on the direction from which they came. The process continued as Neteyam could hear it coming closer and closer. Lo’ak was sure to be just around the corner. 

His string of thoughts cut short at the sight of the figure in the distance. Neteyam’s body stilled into a statue as his eyes accidentally met with Pulo’s. For a moment, neither moved. The world paused.

Then both moved into action. Neteyam’s legs pumped against the hard ground till his hips were screaming from the harsh recovery. He ignored every sharp pain and ache in his body, vigorously pushing himself across the forest floor as fast as possible. His gut twisted as he pondered the inevitability of the situation. Pulo was at least a foot taller with a stride that had Neteyam jogging beside his walk any day. No head start would shield him from the imminent capture that would take place once the distance was closed. 

However, there was one strength Neteyam hadn’t exploited yet. 

Never slowing down for a second, the omega flung his body towards the vines encircling the large tree. His body was easily flung upwards without a foot or hand staying in one spot for more than a second. The power from his legs shot him upwards, past the boy's normal reach, to grapple onto a higher set of veins and branches. 

The climb was messy and uncalculated. Neteyam worked purely off of instinct, trusting his body to catch him, then find another place to grip or push from. Harsh textures from branches and twigs cut scratches into the omega’s smooth azure skin, but it never slowed him down. 

Dejavu washed over him as Pulo climbed up after him at a quick pace. This time however, they were on equal playing fields. The thought brought another spark of hope, forcing more electric energy through his veins. He fed off of the adrenaline, using it to his advantage in every way possible. 

Upon reaching another broad branch, Neteyam ran across it without hesitation till he could leap from that limb to one of another neighboring tree. This pattern continued hastily. Grip, push, shift, jump, switch. He moved through the forest lightly, as if gravity were simply a suggestion. 

Neteyam’s lungs stretched and ached at the inconsistent intake of air. He tried to push the pain out of his head, instead using the grunts and calls from Pulo to motivate him forward. Overstimulated by the pulling forces of sounds, touch, and pain, his omega begged him to stop. His steam was unnaturally running out, yet another thing to thank his upcoming omega presentation for. 

The insistent yips from Lo’ak became the only thing urging him forward, secluding his omega hindbrain to a locked box in his head. With great difficulty he began to sporadically return those calls, praying for some sort of intervention. Their ringing became clearer as the other brother followed them to the commotion. 

Through mossy branches and leaves, Neteyam could finally spot his younger brother crouched in a tree, looking from side to side. A louder yip from him had the younger boy whipping his head to locate his brother. A look of relief crossed his features before they were replaced with anger. His nostrils flared at the sight of the older alpha climbing after Neteyam. It wasn’t until Pulo’s hand had finally grasped around the boy’s ankle and pulled him down that Lo’ak jumped into action. 

As Neteyam struggled underneath the larger male, Lo’ak propelled himself to the scene using a hanging vine. His body swiftly jammed into Pulo’s side before using the momentum to roll the alpha off of Neteyam and the thick branch. Neteyam shuddered at the thumping sound of Pulo’s body hitting the branch below them, but nothing compared to the chills that shot through his body at the alpha’s aggravated growl. 

Lo’ak was pulling him off the branch and onto his feet in seconds.

“Get your ass going, bro!” Lo’ak urged, whipping around to glower at the fallen alpha. 

The two bolted across the length of the branch. Lo’ak’s ikran squealed in the distance ahead, beseeching them to the destination quickly. The pounding footsteps from Pulo behind now on route once more, echoed the rhythm of Neteyam’s own anxious heart. Today was not the day he wanted to see what the alpha was willing to do when angered. 

They finally made it back to the forest floor in a tumble, no time for a smooth landing. Lo’ak had a firm grip on Neteyam’s arm, practically dragging him along. The omega struggled to keep up with his younger brother’s long strides, heels and toes skidding against rocks and roots that littered the ground. 

His confidence began to burst as they closed in on the ikran. Pulo’s heated breaths were still in the distance. There would be just enough time to mount and take off. He pushed the shrubbery aside as the two began to mount. 

Halfway mounted and ready to swing his left leg over, strong hands reached between the leaves and snatched at Neteyam’s hips. Pulled off the ikran before he had a chance to fight, the omega’s heart stopped as he tumbled back into a hard chest. The radiating scent of fury infiltrated his senses, but it was the familiar oak smell that had his hope dying in an instant. 

Kxolo

Neteyam was caught between a whirlwind of blind primal relief and dark dread as those arms wrapped tightly around his torso. He didn’t need to know to see his face to know how the alpha was feeling. The tense arms with popping veins said enough. Even the alpha’s heart beating loudly against his back was ominous and forewarning with every mighty pound. 

Lo’ak’s hiss was laced with venom as he jumped down from the ikran’s back. Kxolo manhandled Neteyam behind his large frame easily. The answering hiss that erupted from his chest washed over Neteyam in a dreadful wave of ice. The primal sound was cold death itself, a warning that rang through without mercy. An alpha that had been challenged. An alpha who was protecting his mate. 

A cold sweat broke out along Neteyam’s neck as he realized where that anger was directed. To his horror, Loak matched the intensity. An impenetrable heat radiated between the two, an inevitable violence looming between them. 

Neteyam desperately tried to swing or push past the alpha, but Kxolo’s movements were harsh and unforgiving as he was shoved back into place over and over. It was when Lo’ak withdrew his knife with a snarl, eyes shining with a look Neteyam recognized all too well, that Pulo interfered by snatching the omega away from the oncoming scene. He continued to fight against the new pair of arms with tooth and nail. 

“Let him go.” The eerie simplicity to the statement was unlike Lo’ak. The heat curled and prickled at Neteyam’s skin. Lo’ak glowering eyes glowed in the night like a cusping fire, ready to burst into uncontrolled flames. 

“You come into my land and steal my mate. Now is not the time to try my patience.” A lethal growl encased every word, the vibrations scratching at Neteyam’s hindbrain till it was begging him to submit. 

“Seems only fair since you stole my brother, asshole!” Lo’ak lunged forward, knife sparkling in the colorful lights. 

Neteyam felt as if his worst nightmares were being dangled in front of him as he watched Kxolo whip out of the way and prepare for another advance. He could feel the blood trickling out between his fingertips as his nails pierced into Pulo’s forearm. Pulo continued to shift and fight against Neteyam’s small frame as the boy anxiously thrashed in the hold. 

Lo’ak’s anger was unleashed in every swiping and brass movement, but Kxolo was calculated. His reactions were abrupt and controlled as he fought off every advance Lo’ak made. Acute honed maneuvers had the knife out of Lo’ak’s left hand swiftly only to then receive the Sully boy’s signature right hand hook to the cheek. 

A confusing progression of turns and pulls had Lo’ak flipping over his front to hit the ground harshly within seconds of making recovery from the hit. The omega tried to swing his own fist towards Pulo’s cheek, frantic to be released and view the damages. Luck was not on his side as his small balled fist was clamped in one hand and used to twist his straight arm behind his back and upwards till his body was forced into a vulnerable bend. 

Now in worse state to oversee the brawl, Neteyam just barely caught a glimpse of Kxolo harshly pinning Lo’ak against a tree by a bruising grip on his shoulders. A gasp left his throat. A sob was already on the tip of his tongue at the terrifying sight, but nothing came after. He watched in awe as the two shot looks from the depths of fiery hell towards one another but neither moved. It wasn’t until Neteyam scanned the area around them that he understood why. 

Somewhere in the haze of fighting, the rest of the party had arrived. Bows and arrows were strung and pointed at the pinned alpha from every direction, coupled with warning yips and calls. Tears welled in his eyes at the sight. Whispered pleas left his lips without permission, but they were swallowed by the tense mist around the scene. 

Pulo urged him to stop moving as every twist and shuffle brought a sharp pain to the boy’s shoulder from the current position. He could barely make out Kxolo’s profile whispering something to his younger brother to which Lo’ak hissed back immediately. However, the alpha reluctantly surrendered the bow and arrows to the closest warrior before his wrists were tightly tied. 

 A new wave of anxiety rushed through Neteyam at the sight. 

“Take him back to home tree.” Kxolo demanded before turning on his heel. 

“No wait! Let him go!” Neteyam demanded through tears but the bustle of warriors moving into place drowned out the sound. His pleas fell onto deaf ears. 

Pulo finally shifted the boy into an upright position against him as Kxolo menacingly stalked straight towards them. In any other scenario, Neteyam knew that the icy rage in those eyes and anger in the footsteps would have him shaking and promising to behave but Lo’ak’s well being distracted him from every personal fear he had. 

“He’s bleeding.” Pulo informed. 

“Let me see.” Pulo held the boy in place as Kxolo’s large hands grasped the boy's hips and focused eyes searched for the source of blood. A growled out curse left his lips at the sight of the dirt covered gash along Neteyam’s ribs. 

The omega continued to kick and swerve away from the touches. 

“I said let him go! Why are you taking him back to home tree?!” Neteyam screeched as his left leg kicked back at the towering Olo’eyktan. Kxolo ignored the kicks and questions, too engrossed in evaluating every cut and scratch that littered the omega’s body. 

“He is just being held there till your parents come to bring him home, Neteyam. Calm down.” Pulo attempted to reassure him. 

The web of worries quickly led to the reaction of their parents upon arrival. Neteyam could already imagine the infuriated expression his father would wear, riding in to pick up Lo’ak from perhaps the most devious stunt he had ever pulled. In Lo’ak’s current state, it was inevitable that the two would only feed one another’s anger. Neteyam was the voice of reason and submission in these scenarios. 

“Stop moving.” Kxolo gritted out into a deep growl, as he struggled to wrap a long piece of fabric around the boy’s rib cage. 

“Let me wait with him! I need to talk to my dad.” Kxolo’s shoulders tensed at the words, finally finishing the knot keeping the bandage in place. 

His heart rate sped up again as Pulo swiftly released him and allowed Kxolo to gently pin him up against a tree, both wrists caught in one hand and pinned above him. He wiggled in the hold, but dead cold amber eyes stopped him. Staring upwards at the alpha’s furrowed eyebrows and clenched jaw, Neteyam’s hindbrain screamed at him to submit and present. The possessive pheromones wafting over him were intoxicating and all consuming to the omega. He let out a nervous gulp as Kxolo looked down at him with those hard eyes before leaning down towards his right ear. 

“You are in no position to be making demands right now, omega.” The dark tone vibrated through Neteyam’s body from head to toe. He couldn’t hold in the small whimper that escaped his lips at the title. Not baby boy, not little one, not my love. Omega. 

He was in for it. 

An invisible wire yanked Neteyam towards submissive tendencies, his primal hindbrain fighting to take control of the situation. He didn’t yield however, mentally digging his heels into the ground. 

“I need to see my dad!” A firm grip to his jaw had Neteyam stilling in place. 

 Kxolo took a few weighted steps forward till their bodies were molded together, forcing the omega to crane his neck upwards in order to see him. The alpha crowded into Neteyam’s space, body tense and rigid while his frame successfully encompassed the boy in his hold. 

The wire yanked again but this time with the added lure of lustful thoughts, overcome by the renewed contact with his alpha. Neteyam gritted his teeth as he forced his mind to focus. 

“The only place you can expect to go tonight after the healer’s tent is over my knee.” The rumble of words lit sparks of fear and anticipation in the omega. His body trembled as he continued to choose anger over submission. 

Neteyam dug his heels as he was dragged towards Eyvu. The yanking was no use however as Kxolo had him on the ikran pinned against his chest with little effort. He tried not to glance at the alpha’s domineering expression but the Kxolo’s angry scent was a constant reminder of the punishment that awaited him. 

Lo’ak wrenched at the binds, digging the material deep enough into his upturned biceps to leave red marks. A low hiss rattled in his chest at another futile attempt. He could already feel a burning ache in his shoulders building at the stretch of his biceps being bound to one another behind his head. Shifting from foot to foot, his eyes swept over the area around home tree in search of a gap between the guards circled around it. 

Anger still sat deeply within him, but the adrenaline was quickly dying down. A foolish hope that he could break the bonds and find Neteyam lingered in his mind. He had anticipated the wrath his father would rain down when returning home, but that scene had always been imagined with Neteyam by his side, his brother safe at home due to his successful plans. 

His ears twitched at the sound of soft footsteps rounding the corner. Deep curiosity filled him as he recognized the oncoming figure as the feisty omega from the lake. She smiled confidently at the guards before walking straight past them and towards the bound alpha. A cocky smirk stretched her lips as she stopped in front of him with crossed arms. 

“Quite the plan you have there, mighty warrior.” Lo’ak held in a growl at her sarcastic tone. 

“So much for not being a snitch, huh?” He gritted out. The petite girl let out an obnoxious laugh at the accusation. 

“Oh I didn’t tell. If I had, you two wouldn’t have made it past the tree line.” Her eyes crinkled in amusement at Lo’ak’s rising anger. Every twinkle of beads clicking together in her long flowing hair seemed to mock him. For an omega small enough to yank over his shoulder with one arm, she had a lot of nerve teasing him. His fingernails dug into his palms at the image of her upturned ass resting on his shoulder as she swung her legs in ferocious kicks against him. 

“I guess we have your own arrogant stupidity to thank for tonight’s fiasco.” She huffed, idly twirling herself in feigned boredom. He watched as the small omega casually danced across the dirt. He wondered if the wiry girl ever stood still for more than a minute. 

He shifted his body weight forward subconsciously and that is when he caught her eyes flickering towards his flexed biceps before quickly darting away. Despite its briefness, Lo’ak was able to catch the lustful curiosity in those playful eyes. Smug satisfaction settled into his features at the girl’s incidental confession. His gaze racked over her curvy form shyly turned away from him. 

“Well if I’m so stupid and arrogant, then why are you here talking to me in the middle of the night?” He raised an eyebrow back at the omega now quickly turning on her heel to face him. The alpha reviled in the cute nose scrunch that accompanied her angry gaze. 

“Don’t get things twisted, skxawng. I’m only here to give Neteyam some peace of mind, to reassure him that nothing happened to his idiotic brother.” Her posture readjusted itself to stand tall and straight in efforts to exuberate more confidence and control, but Lo’ak could see through the facade. 

He hummed as if in deep thought. 

“I don’t think I believe that, little snitch.” The nickname slipped easily from his lips without thought, but Lo’ak found himself taking a liking to it as he caught the nervous twitch of her tail. His own slinked back and forth slowly as he leaned closer down towards her. “I think your curiosity got the best of you till that little voice in the back of your head was begging you to come out and take a peak. Just for a minute, maybe two. But then I’m strung up here like a prized meal and that little voice is now too loud to ignore. Play this indifferent tough omega part as much as you want, but I see through it, little snitch.” 

A fire burned in the pit of his stomach at the enraged expression staining her delicate features. 

“Not that I’m complaining, I appreciate that you wanted to visit me sweetheart.” Rage coiled in those golden eyes as her lips parted, slightly dumbfounded, like a little fish. ‘A cute fish’ Lo’ak decided. 

“Your ego really has no bounds, does it?” She rhetorically seethed, ears folded back with furrowed eyebrows. She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. “Besides, a jarhead like you couldn’t handle me if your life depended on it.” 

The muscles in his body tightened against the bonds, yearning to pin her against the nearest tree and teach her a lesson that ended with his name being sung like a heavenly praise against her plush lips. Lewd images came to the forefront of his mind as he shamelessly dragged his gaze along her body. He swore he could see goosebumps rising on the striped skin against her feathered top. His pupils dilated at the sight. 

“How about,” Lo’ak eyes connected with hers in a penetrating stare, “You untie me and we find out?” 

Lo’ak smirked at the sight of her thighs fidgeting to press tightly together. Her eyes burned with a loathsome hatred but her body told a different story. The girl’s lips parted to speak and Lo’ak subconsciously leaned forward in anticipation of her response. 

“Vamai!” The moment shattered like glass into a thousand pieces at the authoritative voice. 

Lo’ak searched for the source of the sound and found a tall beta with dreadlocks, shooting daggers at the two. He met that stare openly, unafraid of the stranger. 

“What are you doing out here? It’s the middle of the night!” He reprimanded. Vamai sent the man a look of disbelief as her hands clenched into fists. The male ignored her reaction and continued to stare down the strung up alpha. 

“Cool the tone, Epok. I’m just here to check up on Lo’ak for Neteyam.” Lo’ak eyes flickered between the two at the standoff. An unspoken message was being sent between those eyes and the younger Sully brother yearned to know what it was. 

“I’ll watch him. Go home.” The stunted response etched an angry frown into her beautiful features. Lo’ak couldn’t help but feel disappointed at her early dismissal. He didn’t let it spoil his fun, though. 

“Better get going, little snitch. It’s rude to stay out past your bedtime.” A feline smirk broke across his face at the aggressive hiss she shot his way. 

However, she could sense the beta’s growing impatience so without another word Vamai stormed off in the other direction. Lo’ak watched the sway of her hips with each step, mesmerized by her artistic curves. It was only when Epok took a place in the formation and Vamai gave one last look backwards that Lo’ak sent her a cheeky wink. 

Taglist: @theunfortunateplace​ @perfectprofessorloverapricot​

[excelsi-or]

summoned (pt. 9)

pairing: woozi x fem!reader/fem!OC

w.c. 2.6k

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8

After some maneuvering, they make it back to the car. The hand that had been enveloped in his goes straight for one of the cool cans in the bag. She sighs in relief.

"Have you told Seokmin?"

"Not yet. Surprisingly, I need free hands to text or call." She goes to Jihoon's car screen and taps around. "Doesn't this thing do calling?"

"What?"

"You have a GPS and a touch screen in your car. There must be a way to call people."

Jihoon scoffs. "I don't know. The fancy gadgets don't interest me."

"Demons are surprisingly useless." She says it with a laugh, so it soothes some of Jihoon's annoyance. Giving up on figuring out his car, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and calls Seokmin, putting him on speaker.

"Isn't he at work?"

"You expected me to tell him when my hands were full, and now, you're concerned that he's busy?" It's the first time Jihoon's heard actual irritation in the human's voice. "Seokmin owns the company anyway."

"We dropped him off at a law firm."

She shrugs. "Perks of being the oldest, I guess." She holds the phone up between them as it rings.

"Not in human years, he's not."

"He bought the company a few years after we graduated high school." She waves him to be quiet when the phone connects. "Seokminnie."

"You need something. What is it?"

She chuckles. "The demon needs you to come on an escapade with us later this evening."

Jihoon shakes his head. "Tomorrow. We're not going to be back in time for it to all seem normal."

An idea pops into her head. "You know who we can send? Hansol. One sec, Seokminnie." She adds Hansol to the call. The boy's voice sounds distracted when he answers. "Hey, Sollie. Just five minutes."

Hansol takes a deep breath, as if he's just come up for air. "You're on a timer. What do you need?"

"I need you to go to Mrs. Han's convenience store with Seokmin today."

Hansol hesitates. "Why...?"

"I'm not trying to set you up with Ara, relax. Jihoon and I need you to get into Mrs. Han's back room."

"What?"

She catches him up. And luckily, her best friend takes all the confusing news in stride. He'll pepper her with questions later, but for now, Hansol manages to contain all of his curiosity.

"So, we need you to get into her back office and see what exactly is going on in there. I know you can't see what I can see or what Jihoon and Seokmin can see, but we know that Mrs. Han will only step away to talk with an angel. That angel is going to have to be Seokmin."

"It's most likely bodies back there, Hansol," Jihoon says. "But if you can also figure out why this angel would have those bodies, hey, that'd be great."

Hansol clears his throat, and they all hear the alarm go off on his end. Seokmin jumps in here. "We'll deal with it. Sol, I'll pick you up after I'm done at work and we'll head over there. We can even stop into the flower shop for a bit."

She smiles at Hansol's awkward sputtering. "Stay safe, you two."

That sobers Hansol up. "You too, noona."

Jihoon waits for the phone to be put away before he starts to speak. "That's only the first location."

"I know. But why did the demons choose these specific spots?" She leans back in her seat, watching the city go by. "Why the convenience store? The abandoned building makes sense, because it's unlikely that humans will stumble upon it. But people walk into Mrs. Han's convenience store all day. Why there?"

"Say your mother's hospital isn't the only place they're collecting bodies."

"Don't you need to have a susceptible host to possess?"

"We're not parasites," Jihoon argues. "I could possess you right now if I wanted."

She shakes her head. "No, because I have a strong will. You guys choose humans who are weak-willed or vulnerable."

Jihoon's eyes narrow, taking his gaze off the road for a moment.

She uses the bottom of the cola can to turn his face back to the road. "Mom made sure that I knew that none of the demons who entered our home would hurt me. And that if any of them tried anything on me, that a strong will to live was a sufficient deterrent for a demon." She motions towards Jihoon. "Clearly didn't work on you, but it's worked on every other demon I've met."

Jihoon scowls. Even if he wanted this human's soul, there is no reasonable way to get it. However, it's really difficult to tell if she even has a soul. Which has been the most unsettling part about this human among all the things that unsettle him. He's wondered a few times since meeting her parents whether the ambiguity comes from the angel and demon blood in her veins. 

"What I don't understand," Jihoon says, bringing them back to the task at hand, "is why an angel would be involved. In the off-chance event that that woman befriended a demon, why would she get involved? Your parents keep their angel and demon jobs separate."

"You and Seokmin don't." She gauges his expression and changes the subject. "We're just coming up with more questions and no solutions."

They settle into their thoughts. He can tell she's falling asleep next to him again. He digs around the center console for any CDs to pass the time (while also manipulating time and space a bit to ease the car a bit faster). 

"Here," she mumbles. Drowsily, she sits up again and plays around with the touch screen.

Jihoon watches out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?"

"Connecting my phone to your car." A ding sounds through the car. Now, that they don't need to call anyone, the car is completely compliant. "It's paired. So," she settles back and closes her eyes again, "just ask Siri to play music."

"Who's Siri?"

"The woman in my phone."

"The who?"

"Mom trapped a woman in my phone to do things for me."

Jihoon gapes at her, but the human has her face turned away from him and is curled up ready to sleep. "And she does them willingly?"

She hums. "She's never disobeyed me before. Only issue is if she's been sleeping a while, so the connection is bad or she just doesn't understand what I'm saying."

Jihoon's brow furrows.

"Try it. Ask her to play something." When he doesn't, she looks over at him. The expression on Jihoon's face elicits a chuckle. "When was the last time you were on Earth?"

"Just before the millennium."

She smirks before curling back onto her side. "Hey, Siri, play 90s music."

They arrive at the hospital in record time. When she wakes and sees the time, she pats her body to make sure she's still in one piece. Jihoon's grumbling under his breath to her overreaction is just a cherry on top.

"What floor does your mom work on?" Jihoon asks as they head towards the main entrance.

"Don't know the floor, but I know she works in the ICU."

Putting the ex-right hand in the ICU to source bodies for whatever the cause is, is almost too genius. Jihoon trails after the human, taking in all the people hanging around the lobby. It's teeming with people, wheelchairs, students, volunteers, nurses, and doctors. Many of them are headed to the coffee shop; others are sat in the lobby chairs.

She bypasses the volunteers at the reception desk and heads straight for the elevators.

"Do you know where you're going?" Jihoon asks.

She points to the sign that tells them the floor of the ICU before pressing the call button for the elevator. "We're going to have to look through the hospital records."

"Okay. You have a plan?"

"You're the plan."

"I'm the what?"

Luckily, the elevator is empty. "Mom sent me a list of the names of the patients that she can remember. For us to find them, alive or not, I need to find these records. And if you don't mind, I'd like if you distracted every person of authority that might ask me what the hell I'm doing." She leads him off the elevator. "And we might have to meet some of your demon friends today."

"We what?" Jihoon groans.

"She warned me that the demons are asking for more bodies. She says they didn't have anyone until today. So, your friends may be here."

"Not my friends." His hand goes red before slipping into hers. He lets out one long yawn.

"Oh, we're just done asking for permission." She adjusts her grip in his. "You've now also 1) put a timer on us, and 2) made it so we have to be seen together."

"Then you're going to have to work fast."

Jihoon swears he hears her grumbling about the uselessness of demons. She smiles at the nurses at the front desk and slips around the side. Jihoon catches the women watching them, but he easily diverts their attention back to their work.

Suddenly, she bends over as if to tie her shoe.

"You can't let go of my hand. I've already counted two demons and we've been here all of four seconds," Jihoon hisses.

She straightens up with a key card in her hand. Jihoon frowns before he realizes that it's her mother's. They continue down the hallway, her eyes darting to the doors to find the right one while trying to look casual.

Jihoon suddenly stops. "It has to be this one."

She glances around. It doesn't look that different from the others they passed. "Why?"

"Reinforced steel, key card access required, and it isn't labeled like the other doors." Jihoon tugs her closer. "Humans are so worried about personal information theft."

This time, he thinks he hears her praising him, but he isn't quite sure because the beep of the key card granting them access overpowers her voice. They duck inside and are met with not only filing cabinets, but also a computer at the desk. She leads him to the desk and shakes the mouse.

"What?" Jihoon asks. Her expression looks annoyed. Unusual for this human, which in and of itself seemed unusual for humans. The general look of annoyance seemed universal.

"We need a password, which I don't have." She turns to the filing cabinets. "Which means we need to go through these by hand." Her fingers release his hand. "Which means I need this back."

Jihoon stands by the door, his eyes closed. "I'm giving you five minutes."

Human, human, human.

He hears the frantic flipping through the files.

Human, human, de—

Jihoon jerks back towards her and grabs her hand.

She hisses in pain, the burn causing her to drop to her knees. Jihoon gies her a gentle tug to her feet. He doesn't apologize, but he does burn his other hand and takes hers until the demon passes. Grumbling and taking steadying breaths, she flips through more files with her uninjured hand. There are no letters on the front of the drawers to denote what could be contained within the files. So, she has to check. Once she learns the filing system, she's able to systematically go through her mother's short list of names.

The burning in her hand is only mildly distracting, even when he lets go to stand by the door again. She swears Jihoon's manipulating her mind.

But even though she's distracted from the pain, her body is still reacting. Her eyes well up with tears, and she catches sight of the skin blistering as she flips through file after file. Then she has to rifle through papers, taking pictures of each one.

She manages to find all nine people, though she doesn't have the wherewithal to read anything fully.

"Get me out of here," she says. She debates holding out her good hand to redistribute the pain but decides against it. Even with whatever Jihoon's doing to her head, she feels discomfort when his skin makes contact with hers.

"Okay?"

The human's eyes keep going in and out of focus.

"Well, no." She blinks a few times. "But until I look properly, I won't know how bad it is."

Just as he's about to turn the door knob, he notices her hands are empty. "Where are the files?"

"Photos are on my phone. Get me out of here, please."

Jihoon guides her out of the room, past the nurses' station, and into the elevator. Where they wind up right next to a...

Demon.

Jihoon shifts closer to her, using her to block the demon's view of him. But he can see the demon eyeing them.

"Per chance... do I...?" The demon moves closer, but she doesn't turn her head.

"Dude, give me space." She takes a step towards Jihoon, brushing against him. "You're giving me the creeps."

The change in her tone is surprising. Jihoon tries not to react.

"I did not mean to—"

"Seriously." She looks him dead in the eye. "Back. Off."

"Ah." The demon huffs, and his voice deadpans. "I do know you." He returns to his side of the elevator. "You're Xero's 'daughter'."

"Which is why I told you to back off, demon."

"That is Linnaeus to you." Linnaeus glances over at Jihoon. "Who's this? You've got a boyfriend now, hmm?"

"Yes. And you're also giving him the creeps." Luckily, the elevator doors open before Linnaeus can scrutinize them further. She squeezes Jihoon's hand to encourage him to get off first.

"A nice human boyfriend I see? Your mother surely would have preferred a demon."

"She also probably would have preferred to keep her soul and status. But needs must when the devil farts in your direction." She ignores Jihoon's snort of laughter as he drags her into the sunlight. "Have a good day, demon."

"Who says that?" Jihoon hisses, struggling to hide his smile. While he hates when humans take that sarcastic, cutting tone with him; with other demons, it's much more fun.

And from her, particularly charming.

Once out of Linnaeus's watchful eye, she slips her hand out of his. "I heard it in a Youtube video." As she walks around to her side of his car, she takes a breath before checking her hand. Her palm is warm, but surprisingly void of blisters. It also doesn't hurt as much as it had earlier. "Did you heal me?"

"I don't do that." He adjusts his hat, running his fingers through his hair before putting it back on. "Why?"

She shrugs. "Never mind. Thanks for fucking with my head in there."

Jihoon blinks in surprise. "Didn't know you noticed."

"The pain was initially excruciating." Her eyes move to her palm again. Baffled at how normal it feels. "I shouldn't have been able to focus in there."

As she begins scrolling through the pictures of the files she'd taken, Jihoon studies her profile.

"What?" She punches in the first address, triple checking that it's correct before hitting 'Go'. "You're staring."

"Does Linnaeus always talk to you like that?"

"Yeah." She opens and closes her hand. "I always tell him he doesn't blend in well because he talks quite archaic. Do you not think?" She makes a silly point of bowing, which makes Jihoon smile. Rolling her eyes, she continues, "So yeah, he's never really liked me much because of it."

"It'd help him blend in." Jihoon glances at the GPS before turning onto the route.

"And when have demons ever liked help from humans?" She snuggles back into the seat, already preparing to doze. "The other demons were more appreciative because it made it easier for them to do their demon deeds. Linnaeus just hates the constructive feedback."

"He's always been a pretentious jerk. Thought it was just to me, though." He glances at her out of the corner of his eye. "Never heard you speak like that before."

"Linnaeus is always an exception."

part 10