#the secret is not Out In The Open but it's definitely much less hidden than it used to be.

[xenon-demon]

also. tell me more about your Kas!Eddie please 🙏

ohhhhh Lui gravity is the AU that has just. grabbed me in its jaws and will not let go. I think about it CONSTANTLY and I don't think that will stop anytime soon. I've got a few asks about this one though so I'll START with talking about What's Going On In Hawkins circa the start of the fic. If you would like to know more about The Boy, Kas!Steve, then may I direct your attention to this post :D

So Eddie and Steve swap places right before the final fight, because Steve is injured at that point and Eddie isn't (and they figure staying at Eddie's trailer will be less dangerous that going to the Creel House). Everything else from that point proceeds as in canon; the bats get in, Steve dies, Max dies temporarily and the four gates connect and drive a massive rift through Hawkins.

From there, Hawkins basically descends into a semi-apocalyptic nightmare. The rift from the end of season 4 has caused major structural damage all over town, many buildings have been destroyed and lots of people have either evacuated or had to move into a local motel that's been converted into emergency housing for the people of Hawkins (that's where the Munsons are now staying). On top of that, the rift has basically destroyed the structural integrity between the Upside Down and our world; while the rift itself is not really a functional gate, there are a bunch of smaller gates randomly opening up around town now. More and more of them show up as time goes on. Some are small (think like the tree Nancy goes through in S1), some are much bigger (think bigger than Eddie's trailer roof gate), and most of them tend to fluctuate a bit in size/fade in and out of existence. This means that some creatures from the Upside Down are starting to bleed through these gates and end up in Hawkins looking for food.

The government, realizing everything went to shit the moment the rift opened up, rolls into Hawkins about 3-4 days after the "earthquake" saying they're here to "help with the relief efforts". (For those keeping score at home, yes this is after Team Russia & Team Cali have arrived back in Hawkins.) The official government cover story is along the lines of "hey, remember when HNL got shut down a few years back after that tragic chemical leak incident? Well, we've just discovered that a Rogue Individual (Brenner) was secretly dumping toxic chemicals and experimental materials into the local wilderness/burying them underground instead of disposing of them properly. This is the cause of the geological weirdness and mutated wildlife that some people are reporting. Everyone should leave Hawkins immediately if they can, and comply with any and all government orders if they can't". Not everyone believes this, of course, but the truth is so much more insane that most of town is at least willing to go along with it - and that's not counting the people who just up and leave because Hawkins is so super duper cursed at this point.

The main things the government is doing are:

regular patrols around the border of town and known gate hotspots, to catch and kill any UD creatures before they're spotted by civilians

nighttime curfew; you shouldn't be out after sundown unless you are going Directly from wherever you were during the day (i.e. your job) back to your home. you're not gonna get ARRESTED but the military will absolutely Escort You back to your house lmao

urging citizens to stay the fuck away from any weird sightings and report them to the armed forces as soon as possible, so the military can handle it

and yeah, they kind of are helping with the relief efforts in that they're making sure food and other important supplies are still getting into hawkins and making sure the recently-homeless have somewhere to stay, but they're doing the bare minimum really asfjknjvkdan

Essentially, as of the start of the fic (approx. a month after the rift opens up/the end of S4) the situation is this: Eleven and the Party know that in order to fix this, they have to defeat Vecna first and THEN close up any existing gates/the rift. (They also have a strong hunch that the Upside Down is Like That due to Vecna's influence.) The government officials in charge of the Hawkins occupation Do Not Believe That Is The Solution, and instead spend a lot of time wasting Eleven's time and energy by forcing her to close up gates as they appear. Between that and the fact the Party can't just storm into the Upside Down to get Vecna without a solid plan and probably armed back up, they're all feeling kind of hopeless about how to actually fix this. Especially since tensions are rising in Hawkins by the day, and the gate/monster sightings are only getting more and more frequent...

Send me an ask about my WIPs!

[pantheresssy]

I need some professor!Abby x Student!reader pls:)

(If you feel comfortable writing it!)

loved this!!! abby is a college teacher on her 30s and r is on her 26s, this doesn’t have much smut and maybe abby is a soft!dom?? idk. this is so short im sorry, hope you like itt………………. every time that abby watched you from her table, eyes glued on you like a eagle on its prey, your body shaken. you weren’t far from being one for her; the always gentle and intelligent student, with the best behavior, the one that she not-so-discreetly favored and the one she never treated coldly. when you looked back, to the day your started college, you couldn’t see how that secret dynamic had started, you just kew that you were trapped on it, on her. it looked like the books you readed when you were younger, telling history’s about teachers and students, a ludic thing that seemed so far away from your reality. until abby made it real.

you had made the possible and impossible to keep it a secret, hidden and locked at seven keys. abby, however, was there to make everything harder. not only for you, but for both. she wasn’t a discreet person, being who she was and with her face (and muscles) it was quite impossible for her to go unnoticed. this never stopped her from having you when she wanted anyway. and, eventually, didn’t stopped you either.

“y’know, i’ve never planned on being caught with you here. don’t wanna be kicked out on my last year.” you said while she kissed your neck, her nose smelling where she had blown the little kisses. abby hummed and you laughed, squeezing her arms. “i’m serious, anderson. we’ve never done this here in the four years we’ve been together, have you imagined being caught now?”

she denied it, holding your hips and kneading your meat on her palms. “all i can think now is fucking you on this table, but you’re making it too hard for me.”

she pushed you down and pulled you forward, placing your pussy right on top of her thigh. with her grip, she made you move back and forth on her chosen rhythm, the table moving with you e scraping from time to time on the floor. you sighed, biting your lower lip with a smile. “i wouldn’t do it if you listened to me”

“i am! more than i wanted and definitely not in the the way i wanted.” she moved away from your neck only to get closer to your mouth, rubbing your lips together. you gasped and put your hand where her thigh meet the bone of her hip, giving yourself more pressure and speed. but even so, you didn’t stop talking, saying that you would have to go and that anyone could come in. “shut the fuck up and let me-“

the noises of steps getting closer telling that the others students were coming back made her stop and went silent. you, even when you heart seemed that was going to come out of your throat with fear of someone seeing you both like that, gave her a final kiss and pulled away from a very discontented abby. “i’ll see you at my place.” you blinked, adjusting your tits on your bra while walked to the door, opening it.

abby stayed still at the same position you let her, looking composed and without a hair out of place, but she was so lost. her eyes weren’t focus on anyone that came in without suspecting anything that happened in there less than a minute ago. you left her there with a needed pussy and a wanting of making you come. all because you didn’t shut your fucking mouth.

[chosolala]

ok hi!! i have a weird and random request 😃

 i have been OBSESSED with the idea of the jjk men with a reader who “secretly has superpowers” (like telekinesis, plant manipulation, energy manipulation, and etc.) Then while out on a date with them, the reader suddenly shows it unexpectedly because of random and sudden movements that came out of nowhere and it revealed how powerful the reader was. Im so sorry if this is soo confusingg 🥹

(can you please make it into headcanons and the characters are: Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Choso, Toji, Yuji, and Megumi? and any other character you want and what kind of superpower you want the reader to have? :>)

THANK YOUU SO MUCH OMFG 😭

hidden powers!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

thank u for the request this was super fun to write :] i hope u guys enjoy !!

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

satoru gojo

is definitely super happy when he finds out you’re strong like him

keeps calm until you guys finish your date then hes literally acting like a child on christmas morning

constantly bothering you after the fact to show him your powers

as if he couldn’t be any more in love with you he’s literally obsessed with you now

follows you around like a lost puppy, anything you tell him to do he’s on it

suguru geto

he’s shocked but doesn’t really show it or anything

tries not to freak out but he’s very interested in what else you’re able to do

a few days after the date he’d probably bring it up and ask you about it and what else you’re able to do

if you guys weren’t official official before that date, he’s definitely trying to tie you down for good now

i don’t think geto would date a normal, non powerful person (like how he sees non sorcerers as below him)

kento nanami

he’s shocked when he first finds out and definitely asks you about it

like he’d borderline interrogate you on your abilities

he doesn’t treat you any differently though, the fact that you’re super strong doesn’t make him like or dislike you any more or less

not to say he isn’t very impressed and happy with your powers, he just doesn’t want you to think that he’s seeing you differently now so he’s very careful about it

waits until you open up about it and explain your powers to him

choso kamo

he’s shocked like genuinely has sparkles in his eyes when he sees your powers

imagine the sexy jutsu wow sound effect from naruto 😭😭

he definitely grills you about it for the rest of the date, he wants to know all about your abilities

doesn’t realize that he’s asking too many questions until you literally have to tell him to calm down

if he were a dog his tail would be wagging non stop

he’s happy that you’re similar to him and there’s another thing for you guys to bond over since he has a hard time making connections :]

toji fushiguro

he’s upset you didn’t tell him sooner but also intrigued

he wants to fight you to see how strong you are 😭(he goes super easy on you and if he’s stronger than you he lets you win anyway)

curses so loud in the restaurant you guys are at when he sees your powers

“what tha fart!?.”

he assures you later that night that you being strong is just another thing to add to the list of reasons to love you :] (awwweee)

yuji itadori

similar to choso, this boy literally has stars in his eyes when he sees your powers

tries to be secretive about it as if you having powers is a crime and nobody else can know about it

he’s kind of dumb but he’s got the spirit

genuinely asks you to beat him up to see how strong you are

literally cheers like he’s so happy there’s another thing you two can relate to

constantly bragging to all his other classmates about how strong you are

“if you don’t apologize, my partners gonna beat you up” even tho this man is fully capable of fighting his own battles 😭

megumi fushiguro

(shibuya spoilers!!)

he’s shocked at first (makes that face he made when toji khs infront of him lol)

he’s so happy that you have similar abilities to him but he’s trying to stay calm and not make any faces

struggles to hide a smile tho

tries to change the topic since you aren’t really acknowledging it but eventually caves and asks you about your powers

atp he may as well start taking notes with all the questions he’s asking

he’s just genuinely interested and wants to know all about you and your abilities

he’s 100000x more attracted to you now that he knows you’re powerful teeheehee

[wanderingblindly]

Could you maybe possibly write something for 30. As comfort for landoscar?

And mayhaps lando comforting Oscar? I feel like we rarely see that dynamic, typically it’s the other way around, it would be interesting to see it swapped!

ok hear me out, it's less so traditional comforting and more so.... teasingly comforting? Like Lando somehow being able to tell Oscar's distressed when no one else does, but he's high after his vegas crash (anyone remember those pictures? i do. perfection) prompt list

Illusion of Indifference

They can't wait much longer to start the debrief, if not solely because the strip will open back up eventually; Vegas will return to its normal circus, thankful that they don't have to think about Formula 1 for at least a few more months.

Oscar unlocks his phone, hidden under the table, and spares it a quick glance.

No texts.

The clock's just struck 1am. Not that time really matters much during the season – Oscar just goes where he's told, when he's told – but it's been a while since the race ended.

More notably, it's been a while since he's heard news on Lando. But he's fine, certainly. They would have told Oscar if he wasn't fine; they would have given him sad looks securely tucked behind carefully curated masks, they would have avoided his gaze. So he's fine. And therefore Oscar's fine.

Andrea is saying something that he tries his best to hear, pressing his finger into the table emphatically – driving the point home. It hadn't been a remarkable race from Oscar's end, though P10 is better than nothing. A point in his rookie season is a point in his rookie season, after all.

Oscar's lips turn down at the corners as he thinks about it, leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest.

Still no texts. The clock's struck 1:15am.

The door slams open loudly, bouncing back against it's hinges and crashing into the wall. Everyone in the room jumps, Oscar turns to look at the noise.

"Oops," Lando giggles, a vaguely apologetic-looking Jon popping up over his shoulder. "Soz guys, Jon's so slow." The words are a little slurred, but he's in one piece.

He's standing in the doorway on his own, drowning in an oversized jacket he probably nicked from a team member, and he's smiling. No bandages on his face – Oscar's eyes flick down – no casts on his arms. Nothing on his legs, no unevenness in his gate as he walks over –

"Oh Oscar," He sighs, a heavy, intoxicated hand slamming onto his shoulder; he kind of misses, hand awkwardly spanning a bit onto his neck. Lando smiles down at him, and Oscar realizes just how much pain medication they have him on; his pupils are massive, almost alarmingly so. "You were scared, mate?"

Oscar makes a noise, furrowing his brows. He'd been entirely calm, sitting patiently and waiting. Everyone would agree that he'd been handling it so –

Lando looks over at Andrea and holds a finger up to his lips, like he's about to share a secret. "Y'wanna know how y'can tell?"

The team watches on, a few of them giggling at Lando's slight sway, Jon moments away from burying his face in his hands.

"It's his heart," He starts, making some flailing motion with his free hand. "Goes all, bumpbumpbumpbump like frickin' crazy."

Oscar opens his mouth to defend himself, because how would Lando even know, but then he feels it – a slight shift in Lando's hands on his shoulder, definitely more on the side of his neck than not.

Oh.

"Ooooooh," Lando coos, leaning closer to inspect his face. "He's blushing, you guys!"

"That's enough, Lando," Jon finally pipes up, moving to put Oscar out of his racing-heart-burning-face misery.

"Just lemme," Lando grins – a little crooked – and leans even closer; Oscar, borderline hypnotized by the thin ring of his irises, the flutter of his tired eyes, can't even move. Without hesitation, Lando presses his lips to Oscar's forehead – soft and warm and, much to Oscar's horror, butterfly-inducing. "All better, yeah?" Lando laughs, finally letting himself be pulled back by Jon.

"Uh," Oscar says ineloquently, looking over at his team for some sort of direction. They all stare back, hiding smiles and chuckles behind their hands.

"Want Kim to check your heart rate, Oscar?" Andrea asks, earning a fresh peal of laughter from Lando – finally sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table.

[harvestleaves]

Seen and Heard

Summary: Tommy likes to think of himself as very observant. So when Buck has an asthma attack while staying over, he takes care of him. Not knowing that was something Buck has desperately needed.

Rating: T, for occasional swearing.

Word Count: 1, 847

A/N: After Thursday's episode, I'm back on my 9-1-1 bs! So here's Buck and Tommy having a soft, tender moment. The fic can also be read here on Ao3.

Tommy was observant, more or less.

Sure, he initially thought that Buck was simply jealous when it came to his friendship with Eddie. But, after he and Buck had started to go on more dates, he was able to pick up on the other man's quirks. Like how he loved to ramble on about some new fact or another, and how he looked almost dejected when others didn't find it as cool. Or how Buck seemed to melt under his touch, and how the softest smile graced the younger man's face every time Tommy pulled back from kissing him.

So after the first few times of being over at Buck's apartment, and seeing more than just the kitchen, of course, he noticed the inhalers. How there was one in the bathroom cabinet when he needed some Tylenol one night. And how Buck also had one hidden in his nightstand. That one he discovered after one of their make-out sessions had started to turn into more and he needed the condoms. Not to mention the one Buck had in his work bag, the bag he usually brought whenever he stayed over.

Despite noticing these important things, Buck still hadn't mentioned his asthma. Not that Tommy would have cared if he did want to keep it a secret. He was allowed to have his privacy. He was just a little surprised though considering how soft Buck always was when it was just the two of them and how much more open and vulnerable he seemed in the weeks that they had been seeing each other.

He shoved that nugget of knowledge to the back of his brain for later though, almost forgetting about it until Buck came to stay the night at his place after a particularly exhausting shift. They both had the following day off, a rare occurrence for the pair, but Tommy wanted to make the most of it, even when Buck fell asleep early in bed, the two just watching a movie to relax. Buck's head was settled on his chest, blinking back tiredness for a solid fifteen minutes before he finally gave in and fell asleep.

Yawning himself, Tommy gently ran his fingers through Buck's hair to relax his boyfriend into a deeper sleep and reached over to turn off the lamp next to his bed along with the TV. Sleep quickly came for him, completely unaware to Buck stirring in his arms.

——————————–

Buck couldn't remember when he fell asleep, but the exhaustion from his shift, coupled with the fact that he was pretty sure he caught a chest cold, had made sure he was asleep well before midnight. That didn't explain however why he woke up at 1:30 in the morning feeling like an elephant was sitting on his chest. Slowly pulling himself back from Tommy, Buck reached over to the side table next to the bed, instinctually grabbing for the drawer where he would normally keep his inhaler. Except when he opened the drawer, all he felt was air and then he remembered. He was at Tommy's, and he definitely didn't put his spare inhaler in his jacket pocket last night after he finished up his shift.

Blinking back a few tears that threatened to fill his eyes, Buck moved to sit up and looked over to where Tommy was sleeping soundly and he bit his bottom lip, shakily taking a breath through his nose to calm himself. Logically, he knew that getting upset would do his breathing no good, but he felt at a loss of what to do, not wanting to risk waking Tommy up to bother him.

Tommy stirred as Buck's warm body pulled away from him and he groaned, rolling over to sleepily feel for Buck's waist to pull him back to his chest. He scrunched his face up in confusion as his hand met the still warm bed sheets. Followed by, the leg of Buck's sweatpants? Something that usually wouldn't be up towards the head of the bed.

Opening his eyes to the darkness of his bedroom, Tommy squinted before his eyes adjusted and he saw Buck's silhouette, the shape accentuated by the moonlight as the other's hand came up to press against his chest. Worry creased Tommy's forehead as he moved to sit up, reaching a hand out to Buck's shoulder as his ears finally registered the wheezes and how Buck's shoulders seemed to rise and fall rapidly.

"Evan? Babe, what's going on?" Tommy asked, keeping his voice gentle as he leaned across Buck to click on the side table lamp.

"Sh-shit. I'm sorry, I didn't want to w-wake you," Buck wheezed, his eyes slowly adjusting to the bright light that was now in the room before his eyes met Tommy's unable to stop a tear that worked it way down his cheek at the soft look of concern on the other's face.

"Based off your appearance, I think you should have woken me up. That's a conversation for later though. Do you have your inhaler on you?" Tommy asked, reaching up to wipe the tear from Buck's cheek with the pad of his thumb, before he glanced around for the bag Buck had brought with him and spotted it over near the bedroom door.

"M-maybe one in my bag? I think I left it at home though," Buck whispered, taking another shaky breath through his nose as Tommy nodded before pushing himself up to grab Buck's bag. He had honestly forgotten about the inhaler he normally kept in his bag until Tommy asked, the other man's presence calming him in a way no previous partner had. He felt seen. Taken care of as Tommy set the bag down at the foot of the bed and started going through it with precision, locating the inhaler easily in the small front pocket, almost as if he'd seen Buck place it there.

Giving the inhaler a shake, Tommy sat back down next to Buck and held it out to him. "Do you need my help? Or have you got it?" Tommy asked, not wanting to overstep boundaries as Buck took the inhaler, shaking it one last time before he took a breath.

Buck let his eyes fall shut as he focused on slowing his breathing down, letting the medication do it's job. The feeling of a hand over his own made the tension melt from his shoulders and he gently squeezed Tommy's hand back.

"I'm going to grab you some water. Just focus on your breathing. I'll be right back Evan."

Buck pouted as he watched Tommy leave the room, not caring that his mouth did feel dry from the albuterol, he just wanted Tommy to hold him, kiss his hair, make everything feel better.

Stepping back into the room with a glass of water, Tommy frowned at how dejected Buck looked and walked back towards the bed. He set the water on the night stand before sitting down on the edge near Buck's knees, tilting his boyfriend's chin up to look at him.

"What's going though that head of yours? You look like a kicked puppy," Tommy said, pressing a soft kiss to Buck's forehead, making a mental note of the warmth he was radiating.

The kiss was apparently Buck's breaking point as he felt the tears overflow and he pressed his face against Tommy's neck, the other man's arms wrapping tightly around Buck to hold him close, dropping his chin onto the top of Buck's head to be the steady presence he needed.

Tommy just held Buck, letting him cry the much needed feelings out of his body before the younger man sniffled and shakily pulled back.

"S-sorry for all of that," Buck whispered, his throat even drier from crying as Tommy reached around him for the glass of water he'd set down.

"You don't need to apologize. Not for the asthma attack, and definitely not for the crying. You were scared, it's understandable," Tommy said as he guided the cup up to Buck's mouth so he could take a sip.

"H-how did you know? About the asthma? And where I keep my inhaler? I never actually told you anything," Buck asked after a few drinks of water. His breathing still had a slight whistle to it, and he contemplated taking a second breath of medicine, but he was more curious at the moment.

"I guessed about the asthma after I saw the inhaler in your bathroom, that night I had a headache. And then when I found the one in your nightstand," Tommy explained, gently running his fingers through Buck's hair soothingly as he studied the other's face. "I am curious though. Why didn't you tell me? You know I wouldn't have judged you, or thought anything less of you, right?"

Buck blushed, about to shrug before he changed his mind and bit his lip, thinking over his next words carefully.

"I've never been this vulnerable with a partner before. Had someone treat me with such softness, such care. I didn't tell you because I've never mentioned it to any of my exes and they never asked either, so it felt almost insignificant," he paused, taking another sip of water before he looked back at Tommy.

"But when I woke up just now, unable to breathe, all I wanted to do was wake you up, have you hold me, tell me everything was going to be okay. You make me feel cared for. Wanted."

"And that scares you? Being cared for?" Tommy asked, tilting his head as studied Buck's face.

"Yeah. Because with so many people, it has felt like their love was conditional. Like I'm only worthy if I'm of use to others and can do something for them, fix something. But you just like me for me, and it's scary. Up until recently I had no clue what all of me entailed, and you just accepted it with open arms. Fuck, I'm gonna cry again," Buck sniffed as he reached up to rub more tears from his face, Tommy reaching out to cup his cheek.

"Evan, feeling this way is a good thing. This is what a healthy relationship should feel like. You should feel loved, you deserve to feel loved. You are worthy of love. And I am so sorry that anyone made you feel less than that. I love you." Tommy pressed a kiss to Buck's temple, right over his birthmark before glancing over at the clock, now reading almost 2:30 in the morning.

"We should probably head back to bed if you're feeling ready. Or I can put a movie on if you just want to lay here and cuddle for a while. It's up to you. I move at your pace."

"Movie and cuddling sound great," Buck nodded as he watched Tommy grab the remote, setting his inhaler down on top of the nightstand before he wriggled his way under the sheets again and pressed himself close to Tommy. As the movie started, Buck watched Tommy's face before turning his head to kiss him.

"I love you too by the way."

[genderfluid-insomniac]

Sun Wukong and Macaque with a reader that looks sweet and harmless but is insanely strong, like, they could break someones bones with ease, but they still have a sweet and friendly personality just with the added insane strength, like one day reader is looking for something like their keys then lifts up the whole couch with one hand like it was just a plate

Sun Wukong and Macaque with a sweet and harmless but insanely strong!S/O

Sun Wukong

Fully questions if he accidentally gave you part of his powers, even if was the tiniest bit, it still concerned him greatly since you never asked for it in the first place, and thinks you were ignorant of your strength until you tell him a minute later. The great sage is fully both confused and impressed when you tell him that you always had this strength, asking you if you’d be up to fight sometime (is shocked when you tell him you only know basic defense).

Nearly jumps five feet in the air when you run into the room yelling about your keys and he suggests that you retrace your steps, asking if you want help but you decline and state that they probably got swept under the couch. You walk over to the said couch that your lover was previously napping on and lift it up with one hand like it was nothing, scouring the ground and ignoring the screaming that the monkey was doing when you spotted your keys.

Once you grabbed them something or rather someone tugged on your wrist which caused you to turn back confused at Wukong and question why he was holding you up when you had a doctor's appointment to get to. Wukong was slack-jawed as you explained you had always been super strong and you rarely showed around others cause they were either freaked out that you were a hidden demon or they tried to take advantage of your strength for their own gain.

Slowly but surely you (and more importantly after the doctor's appointment) get more confident about displaying your abilities and spar with Wukong and the gang. He becomes even more attached than he already was because now he knows he doesn’t have to hold back as much since you’re quite durable and his cuddles/hugs just get tighter since you give it back twice over.

Six-Eared Macaque

Ok….You just scared him. Like dead serious. Secretly very impressed and even more infatuated with you if that’s even possible, tries his best to not stare but it’s kinda hard when you’re both attractive and lifting up boulders like it’s nothing.

Macaque is lazying around his little spot on Flower Fruit Mountain when you come groggily marching in and stood in front of him. “Open the door.” “No. I want you more to myself.” See the problem was that you’d been real busy with assignments that your boyfriend felt neglected (which was fair) but since he was a petty bastard Mac blocked the entrance to the cave aka his home with a giant boulder.

You huffed while flipping him off and went in the direction of the entrance, not missing the dark-haired monkey stretch and trailing behind you after he got off his hammock. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Macaque is wide-eyed when you grab the enormous rock with both hands and drag it to the side, looking back at him with a smirk and then heading out. “Heh, Guess you still have some secrets to dig up, moonlight….”

From now on he decides that he’ll just hold onto you if he wants to keep you with him instead of using giant rocks but in his defense, he didn’t think a fragile mortal like you could move them much less lift them and yes he did double check that you are a mortal. The shadow demon definitely asks to spar with you whenever he’s feeling up to training and tells you to not hold back, giving you tips on how to use your fragile look to your advantage before pummeling them with your super strength and knocking them out of commission (or rather trying to knock your boyfriend out to no avail).

[bereft-of-frogs]

I'm so glad I have actually stuff to analyze now to defend Indara and I don't have to just keep being like 'um that's not really how narrative storytelling works' and 'I suspect you guys just don't know what to do with reserved female characters who aren't evil' and 'not everyone who isn't a ray of sunshine is a secret Sith lord babes' this is even MORE fun than my reddit crusade over the last few weeks now that I have substance.

anyway, hopping back on the Indara defense train as I have been for a full month, but also talking about her 3 big missteps first:

Mistake #1: not putting her foot down and insisting on going in to talk to the coven alone the first time. Yeah, this was the last moment things could have gone well. I think she was right and going in alone would have looked less intimidating. Also given what she does at the end, she's a pretty strong telepath and wouldn't have had the weak point of Torbin to be exploited. I think if her level head had met Aniseya's level head they could have talked some things out, and the crisis wouldn't have escalated that quickly. There are definitely still some issues - what did Aniseya do to create the twins? why was Koril so afraid of the Jedi finding out? - and things might have come to blows anyway, but I don't think they'd have been as explosive if Indara had had the chance to initially diffuse some of the tension.

Counterpoint: they might have killed her or at least not let her leave actually. If it had JUST been Indara and Aniseya we're talking about, yeah, the fastest solution is a friendly chat between the two of them, I actually think the Jedi would appreciate some of Aniseya's philosophy, they have a nice little cultural exchange and part ways maybe agreeing to disagree on some of the specifics of the Dark vs Light side of the Force, but at least everyone lives. But there's the rest of the coven to consider. Koril particularly. She is DOWN to murder pretty much immediately, as we know from the advisor scene from episode 3, when she's like 'who would miss them?'

Aside: **Book spoilers, I wish tumblr had spoiler tags like Reddit or Discord, don't read this point if you don't want Path of Deceit spoilers** And eep, yeah who WOULD miss them? I sort of jokingly said this after episode 3 like 'lol well it did work for the Path of the Open Hand, that's not that crazy an idea', but now we have the context and oof, they're even MORE off grid than Zallah and Kevmo were. At this point they haven't even contacted Coruscant about finding the coven, right? So while the Council knows the planet they're on, they still think it's uninhabited and evidently the witches are pretty well hidden, they'd just vanish. Jeez, the Council knew the town and precise location of the Path compound and it still took an absurdly long time to figure out what happened after Zallah and Kevmo started missing check-ins, long enough for the Path to escape. I bet they don't check in as much on a peaceful survey mission vs an active investigation too, the four Jedi really could be missing for a long time before anyone realized something was wrong.

But yeah, Koril seems pretty down for murder, so while one Jedi going in alone doesn't look like that much of a threat and might set Aniseya at ease, Koril might have seen it as a weak point available to exploit. Fearing what Indara would report back to the Council about their presence and the twins, Koril might goad the coven into making an attempt on her life, and while Indara is clearly a formidable fighter, she is drastically outnumbered, fighting all the witches alone might have been too much for her. And of course, that makes things so much worse immediately. The leader and the most level head is gone, the Jedi are now grieving and rightfully fear for their lives, tensions explode even earlier. But that's really not much more than an interesting AU idea lol a slight counterpoint though.

Mistake #2: not being the one to go after Torbin when he ran off. This one is just going to come down to clunky writing, I'm sorry. Because there is zero logical reason for her to trust Sol to bring him back. She should have gone herself. Torbin was her responsibility, she's been reticent about how Sol's imbalance was feeding his the whole time, she should have known Sol was never going to deescalate and was only going to drag him further into trouble. But we can sit here arguing over her thought process and blame her but at the end of the day, it was just that the writers needed it to be Sol for the plot and...I don't know, didn't workshop other reasons to divide them like this. But yeah, in universe, there is no reason for it to have been Sol. Things still might have been escalated due to the events inside the fortress and Sol likely sensing Osha's fear when Mae starts the fire, but Indara could (and should) have stopped Torbin's part in it, that was her direct responsibility.

Mistake #3: suggesting the cover up. Yeah this one's not great. I think most of the 'wow Indara did nothing wrong' people are like '.....ok until the cover up'. And like this maybe also is going to get filed under 'clunky writing' but I'm willing to be argued around on that, I just can't quite figure out why they had to lie about the fire to protect Osha's dream of becoming a Jedi? That's the sticking point for me. They're going to have the same arguments with the Council to let her join, I'm not sure what the difference is whether they tell the truth or not.

On the characterization side though, I can also see where it's like....maybe Indara shouldn't have been making decisions at that point because she did just kill at least a couple dozen people with her mind and is probably kind of freaked out. It was an accident, yeah, but I could see being pretty unnerved by what she'd just done and not wanting to reveal that to the Order. I think a big point has been the way each of these characters (on both the Jedi and the coven's side) act out of fear and that being what dooms them, and this is the moment Indara acts out of fear. She's afraid of revealing this frankly kind of frightening telepathic power, she's afraid the Order will blame her as the leader and call into question her ability to lead, or maybe even to have a padawan. I could see in this moment her being like 'well this is technically true and upsets the status quo the least, let's just go with it.' And then gets locked in once Sol tells Osha, so she can't change her mind after she calms down a bit.

ok back to defending her against two things: 1) breaking the spell and killing the coven, 2) her teaching style.

The issue with the conversation around her breaking the spell and killing the coven that I'm having is I think one of 'authorial intent vs what comes through on screen'. Because in the Nerdist interview that confirmed Indara did not intentionally kill the witches, Headland also said that her mistake her was acting out of 'selfish attachment to save her friend' and not worrying about the consequences. And I just...my brain does not make that logical leap. You could maybe argue that if like...a bunch of other things weren't going on. Like the alternative to Indara not breaking the spell is: Kelnacca continues on his puppet rampage and she has to fight him essentially alone (Torbin is knocked out and Sol's tiring) and probably kill him, which could have also killed the witches, she doesn't know that.

I guess if she 100% knew that breaking the spell telepathically would kill the witches and killing Kelnacca physically would not, you could argue she was stuck in a trolley problem and maybe should have just killed Kelnacca, but even then it's like. Eh. So she kills Kelnacca. She's still vastly outnumbered by hostile witches who could just turn their attention to someone else. Maybe they go for Sol next and she has to do the same thing, then Torbin, until she's alone and Koril can re-form from the mist and kill her. (Nerdist interview all but confirmed Koril is not dead.) I think this is where writers get mired in the weeds of attachment, pacifism, and the greater good. Yes, the philosophy of the Jedi asks them to sacrifice possessive attachment to others so they are not fueled by those emotions and they try to find a nonviolent way to resolve conflict first, but this doesn't equal 'you should just lay down and die immediately rather than fight back against someone who's hurting you'.

TWO the teaching style thing. I've seen so many people over the last couple days be like 'wow she's such a shitty teacher' and call her style 'sink or swim' and imply she's letting Torbin drown. And I agree it's not perfect. Seven weeks is a long time to be stuck in a stalemate with your homesick student over whether he understands the grander purpose of your mission. But also I think it makes perfect sense if you consider that she's trying to teach him patience and also not influence his own line of inquiry (...unlike someone else which I'll get to). But first off, this seems like the perfect mission to teach this sort of patience. I'm even hesitant to call it 'sink or swim' which I'd apply more to like, if she brought him into a high-stakes, dangerous environment and was just like 'good luck.' Up until the last 36 hours or so (or less lol we don't know how long the day-night cycle is on this planet, but from when Sol sees the twins to the fire starting is about a day and a half), this was a safe, low-stakes mission. They're essentially doing a mystical ecological survey, on a planet that seems mostly uninhabited and without significant predators or other dangers. Finding the vergence doesn't seem to have any sense of urgency to it. Part of being a Jedi is listening to the Council, even when you have to do something boring or that you don't want to do. You don't really get to choose your assignments, especially when you're an apprentice and are expected to go wherever your master's work takes you. I think it was a fine situation for her to wait out. Yeah, she maybe underestimated how badly Torbin wanted to go home and should have interrogated those emotions earlier but still this is a pretty low stakes mission, I think without the sudden acute pressure of the situation with the coven and Aniseya exploiting that homesickness, they may have found a healthier resolution to those issues.

And, given what she tells Sol about not wanting to give Torbin answers but teach him to seek them for himself, that she might not want to influence his ideas. The masters clearly know what they're looking for is probably a vergence, but Indara might not have wanted to tell Torbin because he's young and inexperienced and then he might start seeing a vergence everywhere, rather than listening to what the Force is really telling them. (This is another thing where like, yeah if they were on Earth in our time with no psychic powers I think it's fair to criticize her for withholding answers that long...but they're psychic space wizards who are supposed to be able to sense things normal people can't, I think some of the pedagogy for that is a little different than what we're used to.) I think Sol was wrong to step in like that, especially considering the outcome, that Torbin does get so fixated on finding the vergence and going home he loses perspective. And I think Indara was right: this wasn't about what Torbin was feeling or needed, this was about what Sol was feeling. It seems like he was done with their stalemate (that exchange around the fire sounded like a conversation that's been had before, and like, not really faulting Sol for that, I would also probably get fed up with a moody teenager) and he thought he knew what Torbin needed better than Indara, so decided to override her and just spill the answer.

I think it's interesting that before Osha even comes into the picture, Indara has already accused Sol of projecting his feelings onto someone else. It does seem like he's feeding into Torbin's anxiety just as much as Torbin's feeding his, I kind of wish they had used that more in the scene where they head off for the fortress, honestly just a couple sequence changes would probably have fixed a bunch of that. (Indara comes and tells them the Council said no, they go over the results of the blood test, Sol says he thinks something is wrong and the girls are in danger, they decide to head off together, would eliminate the nonsensical 'Indara suddenly trusts Sol and Torbin to be alone together and not cause shenanigans' issue.) But yeah, that feels like foreshadowing of how he's projecting his own feelings onto Osha, like his was projecting his own feelings of being imbalanced and restless onto Torbin.

Anyway. Indara was a fine teacher probably, not perfect, but I wouldn't go as far as to say 'she sucks' or even that they were poorly matched. This was just...a long and tiring mission that ended with a literal explosion. Can't wait for the finale! Especially because ack, the 'Indara is the secret Sith' people have not quit on Reddit and there's still like the absolute remotest chance they pull something stupid like a double reverse twist - because for SURE in those early episodes she was being set up to be the 'mean one' vs Sol, and the twist is that she was actually levelheaded and willing to listen and sweet with the twins - and the final shot of the season is a cloaked Sith figured revealed to be Indara. Like there's NO way but...there is the tiniest way so I will not be fully comforted until the finale's out and that theory can be laid to rest. Though I don't think it will be, they could literally show her decaying corpse to definitively prove she's dead and show her spending the 16 years between the flashback and the present cuddling puppies and saving babies and being the lighty-est-side light-sider in the galaxy and I guarantee Reddit would still be like '...ok but here's how that really just proves she's the Sith...'

[moirasdolly]

Junker Queen NSFW Alphabet ᥫ᭡ ˖ ࣪

Contains: NSFW, trans jq, oral sex, lots of cum, cockwarming, exhibitionism

Listening to ♪ ིྀ: Body - Summer Walker

Notes: Hi requesterrrr <3 I was 100% planning on doing the alphabet for her anyway, so this gave me an excuse to just do it. I hope you like the headcanons I chose for her :3

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

I don’t know why, but I feel like she’s the type to knock tf out after sex. Of course before she’s out like a light she does some quick cleaning up for both of you, but the rest comes after a nap.

B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners)

Her favorite body part on herself are her abs… duh! And her favorite on you is your ass for sure, she love smacking it literally any chance she gets.

Cum = (Anything to do with cum)

She gets messy, by messy I mean she cums a lot. She’ll cum inside you, on your stomach, your face, literally pick a place.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory)

Hmm I kind of had to think hard about this one since I think she’d be really open about everything, but maybe she secretely gets off to the though of you being handcuffed or tied up at her mercy while she runs her hands over your body.

E = Experience (How experienced are they?)

I don’t think she’s been with a lot of people, but I think she’s just naturally good at fucking.

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying)

For less intimate nights she loves taking you from the back. She love to pull your hair and splay her free hand on your lower back, pushing you into the mattress. She loves the few of your cunt squeezing her. For when she’s feeling more romantic she loves you below her with your legs propped up on her shoulders so she can see your pretty face.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? etc)

She’s not necessarily silly during sex, but she’s not extremely serious either.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc)

Up to your imagination.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment? The romantic aspect)

I think she tends to enjoy the more dirty, desperate, sensual aspects of sex rather than slow and romantic love making.

J = Jack off (Masterbation headcanon)

Oh she definitely does it when she thinks about you. She has dirty pics you send her stored in a hidden folder on her phone and most definitely pulls them out to get the job done.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

I think she’d be a bit of an exhibitionist. You know her thrown? Yeah she loves to make you ride her there knowing anyone could walk in and catch you guys. Your loud moans would bounce off the walls as she grips your hips and fucks up into you.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Dare I say her favorite place is the thrown. Sue meee but I think she loves how much control she has over you there.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Your body is attractive to her no matter what size you are or your body type she just thinks you’re the sexiest woman she’s ever met.

N = No (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

She most definitely is not into being anything other than a dominant top. She prefers having control.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

She is a MUNCH! She adores how your thighs wrap around her head locking her in and how your thighs start to tremble as her tongue laps up your arousal.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc)

She is almost always fast and rough with you and you love it. She man-handles you like nobodies business and she’s literally soooo strong, she definitely uses that to her advantage.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies, how often, etc)

I think she’d be down for a quickie but they always leave you so fucked out that Odessa ends up having to tend to you after.

R = Risks (Are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc)

She’d love to try almost anything at least once

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? How long do they last?)

Her stamina is actually ridiculous, it’s almost too much for you. She pulls orgasm after orgasm out of you until you’re begging her to stop <3

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

I don’t think she really needs toys, her natural assets are more than enough for you. She’d own accessories for you though like collars, leashes, etc.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

She see’s no point in teasing, she give you exactly what you want because your pleasure turns her on.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make, etc)

Odessa is extremely loud. She loves moaning right in your ear too no matter what position she’ll make sure those groans reverberate through your whole body.

W = Wildcard (A random headcanons for the character)

She loves cockwarming… what can I sayyy. She loves how hard you try to stay still, but fail anyway. You were just made for taking her cock <3 there was no way you’d succeed in staying still on her lap.

X = X-ray (Let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

We all know she’s buff as hell. Her thighs are so perfect, her abs are sculpted as hell, and she’s got a big dick 🫣

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

You guys fuck like rabbits omg , she has a never ending sex drive.

Z = Zzz (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

As I said earlier she knocks the fuck out as soon as she can afterwards. Although she has high stamina during, afterwards the exhaustion hits her like a truck. Her cuddles are the best though <3

[noxer]

«Unmasked»

Okay, i'm gonna try. I hope this is not that bad. Uhh, Soundwave/Blaster, some sort of fluff, something about a border where masks don't matter anymore, so it doesn't matter whether the mask is off or not, so why bother taking it off at all?

/awkward curtsy/

______________________________

"Question: Blaster wants to see Soundwave's face?"

It wasn't a question Soundwave would have asked under normal circumstances, but he had to admit that their situation was never normal. It also definitely didn't get easier with the onset of... the truce (he can't bring himself to say the word "peace", and it's not even a matter of Decepticon pride, it's just... it was difficult to realize until now). An intimacy that oscillates on the border with invasive, an understanding that could usually be shared only with own reflection, this whole set of things that does not allow one to relate each other to the usual one-sided categories of “enemies”, “friends” or “lovers”. This is difficult, there is not enough intelligence and experience here, you need faith in your own actions, hope for a favorable outcome, everything that the third-in-command did not have the right to rely on.

However, this is not the only reason. The thing is, Soundwave basically never asks questions. He doesn't need it. He always knows the answer in advance, relying on his own espionage skills or slightly more straightforward telepathy. But he doesn't want to read Blaster's mind right now. Perhaps later, when he gives an answer, and Soundwave can understand how ready he is to lie to him.

In addition, direct questions are much simpler and more effective than trying to unravel other bot's hints, semi-gestures and EMF’s vibrations, small signals emanating from the body, like a special type of code. Soundwave is a master codebreaker, but even he makes mistakes, and this is not a situation where he wants to make a one.

That's why he asks.

Blaster turns his head towards him, looking interested with bright blue optics. An almost tangible curiosity emanates from his body, mixed with playfulness and something less understandable. The Autobot is intelligent, although not the type of intelligence that any Decepticon is accustomed to. There is no cunning in him, no ability to anticipate someone else's shot before it leaves a hole in your back, no tenacious paranoid attentiveness. However, Blaster was not so easily fooled. He has cracked his codes, exposed false broadcasts and lured data out of databases for centuries. The fool couldn't handle this. The fool would have died on the day of his appointment as an officer. Blaster was no fool. Emotions might cloud his vision at times, but at the same time they gave him insight that was only occasionally surpassed by his own uncanny empathy.

Soundwave doesn't know what Blaster will answer, but he already knows that the answer will not disappoint him.

“I don’t know,” the Autobot’s deep voice purrs with attractive vibrations, “Do you want me to see?”

Soundwave's spark ignites. As he had expected, the other person's answer was extremely... interesting.

Blaster knows him. He knows from so many facets, in some places, perhaps understanding more about him than Soundwave himself understood. This happens when your lives repeatedly find themselves in each other's hands in so many different ways. One secret more, one secret less, it wouldn't matter anymore, not for them. But still...

He moves closer, enough to touch another bot, feeling the static spark between the bright scarlet plates and his own fingers. Blaster's hand almost simultaneously touches his mask. And nothing more. Soundwave feels the warm weight, the texture of worn metal and the faint electricity, but that's about it. There is not a single attempt to open hidden locks or remove the mask. Just a gentle, comforting touch.

He would allow his face to be revealed. He would.

But he's glad he doesn't have to.

He's glad that his secrets can remain secrets without tarnishing what was between him and Blaster (whatever that was after all).

Soundwave leans closer to the palm, absorbing its soft warmth under the autobot's quiet laughter.

[enlitment]

Too 5 Lucile Moments?

Thanks for the ask! It won't be easy to narrow it down to five, seeing how Lucile is my favourite frev lady.

First things first - my eternal thanks to @anotherhumaninthisworld for compiling so many amazing resources on Lucile! Also, be warned, this will get sad.

1. Lucile trying to appeal to Robespierre after her husband's arrest

I'm specifically talking about the letter in which she tries to appeal to Robespierre after her husband's arrest. You can tell she does not hold back, desperately trying to appeal to her husband's former friend's emotions ("Do you believe that the people will bless one who cares neither for the tears of the widow nor for the death of the orphan?") and even tries to use Saint-Just as a sort of rhetorical device to further her argument. But alas, it does not work.

Then there's of course the whole supposed Luxembourg Plot, which I still need to read more on so I can get a sense of what might or might not have happened. But one thing is clear to me: she did not sit idly after The Indulgents arrest.

2. Lucile becoming friends with Françoise Hébert before their execution

Apparently, the two struck an unlikely friendship while awaiting the guillotine. They are even reported to have hugged before the execution. (Sorry, I told you, this will get sad!)

(Read more about it here!)

3. Lucile standing up for Camille and his work

There's an anecdote that Brune, one of Camille's old college friends, warned him (quite reasonably honestly) about the risks he's likely to run into if he continues to write so openly in his newspaper.

To this, Lucile is said to have replied: “Let him do it, Brune, let him do it, he must save his country; let him fulfill his mission.” (& then poured them some chocolate).

(Read more about it here, including the assessment of the sources!)

4. Lucile's super secret teenage diary

The whole thing honestly! Lucile's angst, her questioning her role in the world, thinking about what it means to be a woman, a human being -- definitely worth a read. Again, thanks so much to @anotherhumaninthisworld for taking her time to translate it.

Some of my favourite parts include:

Her suffering from writer's block: I want to finish my story, I cannot finish it! I take up the pen, I want to write, but nothing comes…

Her writing down her strange dreams (this will most likely be relatable for anyone who's ever kept a diary)

Her philosophical musings: See, my mind is wandering. Do I know what I am?… My God, I don’t know myself. What spring makes me act? 

Her being worried that her mum will find (and read) her diary, which most likely already included some mentions of her fascination with Camille: Maman made me tremble last night: she came to fetch the inkwell, I was in bed, she opened my drawer to take a pen, I was afraid she would take my notebook…

Her secretly carving out Camille's name into a tree

5. Lucile and Camille briefly leaving Paris and enjoying some rest in the countryside

In 1793, the couple briefly visited Essonne and spent some time there. Some of the activities apparently included driving a boat (with Lucile noting her husband's less-than-perfect boating skills) and riding donkeys.

Taken from & more details included here!

(-> according to Google, you can picture the landscape looking a little something like this)

Bonus: Camille falling asleep on Lucile's shoulder during the night some time during the August 1792 Insurrection

Again, from Lucile's diary, as she was waiting for her husband to return from the fighting in the streets of Paris:

Alone, bathed in tears, on my knees by the window, hidden in my handkerchief, I listened to the sound of that fatal bell. In vain they came to console me, this fatal night seemed to me to be the last! 

and then:

C(amille) came back at 1 o’clock, he fell asleep on my shoulder. 

[littleststarfighter]

Frerard fic recs part two

I have some more Frerard fic recs to share. Part one can be found here. If anyone has any recs I’d love to hear back. Please, as always these are just things I like, so they might not be to everyone's taste. I’m a bit of a fan of slow burn, pining and angst so that tends to pop up a lot. More to come as I’m reading so much lately.

This Tornado Loves You by theopteryx

1933. Frank's been on the run a long time and he's forced to stop in his old hometown. At first things are about what he expects - old friends, unpleasant memories, and a less-than-desirable home life. Everything changes one night when he stumbles on an old hedge maze hidden in the woods. It's not the hedge maze that intrigues him the most, though, but the secrets of the house hidden inside.

his ruins were beautiful by Softlyforgotten

A post-apocalyptic AU. "There's a boy in the next town," Toro says, "but people say he's crazy."

Heaven's Grief= Hell's Rain by Honestmouse

Gerard's your typical college drop out. He lives in his parent's basement. His best friend is his little brother. He has a whole truck load of shit wrong with his head and a past he doesn't want to talk about.

While Frank, on the other hand, isn't quite as average. He's a demon, hundreds of years old. He loves his job, really he does. He's on Hell's Guard, after all.

So, how hard would the world shake if the two meet?

Septicemia by Orphan_account

Gerard keeps ruining things, but he never means it. Frank keeps getting hurt, but he never feels it.

living for the knife By drunkonyou

Ten years ago Frank fell victim to a knife-wielding serial killer and not only walked away with his life, but with a set of comic-book-like abilities that he’s tried to make the best of.

Four years ago Gerard fell victim to that same killer, and not only walked away with his life, but with the inspiration to start a radio show dedicated to the man in the mask who saved him.

Growing tired of his role as New York’s resident vigilante, Frank is more than ready to retire the act — until he discovers that the man who tried to kill him has somehow escaped a life sentence and is now terrorizing Gerard live on air.

Who’s to say history doesn’t repeat itself?

Desecrated Kids by wellthisisprettyrisque (brainwitchletty)

Everyone moves into a new town and thinks it's strange. Stepping out of the car with a weird feeling tingling down the back of your neck isn't actually that unheard of, but finding that unmarked grave in the woods behind your house is.

Frank Iero wonders if his mother moved him here so he'd disappear off the face of the planet, or if she actually wants the body to be found. All he knows is that this town has some horrible things happening to it, and no one seems to care enough to lift their heads and actually see. He has no idea what's going on, and is one of the few people that wants to find out.

Luckily, Gerard is a few steps ahead of him.

24 Frames Per Second - The Belleville Fright Night Experiment of 1984 by Leandra

The 1984-Movie!AU: 1984: With new multiplexes opening up all over America, the run-down Belleville Film Palace is probably the least exciting place to work at for a teenager. Except if you’re a movie nut like projectionist Gerard and his closely knit circle of loser friends. When cocky and confident Frank joins their team as an usher, Gerard really doesn't think he'll stick around. Besides, there's something about Frank that just rubs Gerard the wrong way. Then an unforeseen event threatens the future of the movie theater and Gerard starts to questions things he's always taken for granted…

Remember Me as a Time of Day by cedarbranch

When it came to Frank's senior year of high school, he was prepared for the worst.

But he definitely wasn't prepared for a crash course on the supernatural world, a new school ruled by gossip, or a guy called Gerard with more sadness in his eyes than any living soul could take.

White Scars on the Necks of Teen Angels by wellthisisprettyrisque (brainwitchletty)

In the blazing month of April of 1958, Frank Iero considered himself a greaser punk old enough and wise enough to truly understand just how under appreciated and underestimated he was, as an eighteen year old teen writhing in the black leather world of greasers and subterraneans, freaks and reds. He could think ten more original thoughts by his first lazy jack off in the morning than half these assholes had in the whole damn school year, and Frank knew it.

On the outside, Frank was cool and aloof, and that was how he was meant to be. But inside, he was a god damn fream of a kid who had too many genius thoughts tumbling around than could be healthy. Ignorance was bliss, but Frank Iero? He was wide awake.

Gerard Way was that artsy kid that would have never caught his eye if he hadn't seen the kid walk out of the hospital covered in bruises. But now that Frank knew he existed, he couldn't look away.

I'm Just The Boy Who's Had Too Many Chances by MCRmyGeneral

Gerard knows his town. He knows his school, his classmates. He knows his family, and his dark, isolated room. He knows he's an artist, he knows he loves metal and punk music, he knows he likes horror maybe a little too much. And he knows he's gay, though he's never even whispered it out loud, not with his parents. He knows where he stands, he's got life figured out. High school, then art school, then hopefully comic book writer.

Until the cute new neighbor boy, Frank is thrown into the mix. Frnak also knows just where he stands in life; he's an impulsive little bastard that doesn't care about consequences; he just wants to have fun. Frank is the exact opposite of Gerard; he's not afraid to stand up for himself, he's loud, he's unafraid, and he's openly gay.

Gerard thought he had life all figured out. Then he met Frank. It's safe to say that Belleville, Belleville High, and most importantly, Gerard, will never be the same.

The Mess We've Made by ViciousVenin

Gerard isn't sure where his life is going. It feels like the world is shifting and changing around him and he's stuck in place, unable to move forward. But when he meets a guy at a club who tells him he's meant for something better, Gerard wants to believe him, and suddenly he's taking steps he never thought he would.

Somewhere In Neverland by chimneythunder

Gerard Way is living back at his parent’s house as a 28 year-old in recovery from alcoholism and severe depression. He’s supposed to be looking after Pete Wentz, the brattiest eight-year old he’s ever had the misfortune to meet, when Pete gets kidnapped by none other than Captain Hook and taken to Neverland. Before you can say “clap your hands if you believe in fairies”, Gerard’s been whisked off to Neverland by his old not-so-imaginary friend Peter Pan to save the kid and have some wonderful adventures of his own.

However, things are never as simple as they should be, and if Gerard ever wants to save Pete and get back home, he’s going to have to confront some very adult truths about himself, and in the meantime, he's also going to have to delve into the Peter Pan mythology and discover the truth about the boy who never grew up.

Harder Harmonies by melanch0licpumpkin WIP

Gerard finds himself trying to juggle touring nationally with his band and navigating his confusing and complicated relationship with one of his bandmates. With the band starting to make waves and gaining more attention, the idea of actual success and fame terrifies Gerard in a way he never expected, leaving him with the distinct sensation of drowning with no safe harbor in sight. He has also fallen hopelessly in love with Frank, an energetic and chaotic guitarist with a big heart and glaring commitment issues.

Nobody cares if you're losing yourself. Am I losing myself?

[redfurrycat]

🧛🤠🦊🐓🧚‍♂️Mythological Creatures & Shapeshifters Fic Recs🧚‍♂️🐓🐺🤠🧛

Check the Top Gun Masterlist post for the latest updated version. 💕

Ao3 Authors: AnadoraBlack, Arcticmonks, Bahjrc, Barnes_Brain, Caitlin44, Dalearden, Drhorrible, Earthangel_44, Elizabethgee, Fuddlewuddle, Halestrom, Hangmanbradshaw, LadyLanera, MadeItUp, McDanno50, Nixie_DeAngel, ReformedTsundere, Shadowdancing, SunMonTue, ToukoJalorda003, WaffleToaster, Winterbucky, Youlookgood.

> Ghoost & Ethereal Beings

A Shift in Feelings by Fuddlewuddle {T}

/Bobcat-shifter/

Bradley Bradshaw has a secret that only one person alive--Mav--knows about. He's a shifter and can transform into a Bobcat. When they all return alive from the mission, and Bradley shifts for the first time in years, he's realises that there's one other person he wants to know his secret. Here's hoping Jake Seresin won't live up to his call sign and leave Bradley hanging out to dry when he finds out Bradley is the big cat that's spread out on top of him whilst he's slept, or when Bradley tells him his cat views Jake as his Mate.

meet me in the woods tonight by Caitlin44 {E}

/Werewolf/

What followed was probably the most emotionally draining hour of Bradley's life since his mother's death. But in the end, the air was cleared between them, and he'd ended up curled into Mav's side, all parts of him once again connected to his surrogate father and his Pack, the connection between them all restored and open wide. He had laid there in almost wonder, exploring the connections he hadn't felt in over ten years, feeling the different links that led to the people he loved, that now formed a pack more extensive than the one he'd left.

Welcome to the Family by LadyLanera {T}

/Vampire/

Bradley has the rest of his life to figure out when he's ready to die as a human and be reborn as a vampire. When tragedy strikes, though, he realizes that maybe he doesn't have that long after all.

(these moments given) a gift from time by dalearden {_}

/Winged/

He never could have imagined Hangman being willing to groom anyone, much less him, but it turns out Hangman has hidden depths.

With Teeth and Claws (Love Drags me Deep) by ToukoJalorda003 {M}

/Modified Form/

Rooster hadn’t exactly asked for Hangman to keep bugging him about his Modified form. He really hadn’t. …He actively avoided it, if he was honest. But now that wasn’t an option, and he was facing the consequences. On the bright side, Hangman seemed just as surprised as he had been - since he had never seen Hangman’s form, either.

a spoonful of sugar (helps the medicine go down) by bahjrc {G}

/Cat-shifter/

Bradley Bradshaw is a tired college student coming home for summer break. All he wants to do is come home, catch up on sleep, help his family's business and maybe figure out what the hell he's going to do with his life. He's not expecting a mysterious man and his weird cat that just moved into the apartment down the street to become a thing in his life. And he's definitely not expecting that golden cat to be such a pain on his ass.

baby, I'm howlin' for you by hangmanbradshaw {E}

/Wolf & Fox/

His smirk widened. He may not have been happy about this, but he could appreciate that Bradley gave as good as he got. “I am good, Rooster. I’m very good.” Bradley stared at him, expression battling between annoyance and what appeared to be a slight amount of amusement and intrigue. Jake continued, “Say, how does a werewolf get the nickname Rooster anyhow?” Bradley raised an eyebrow. “That’s none of your business.”

The Prince and His Knight by McDanno50

/Lycan/

On A Dreary Night {E}

Jake felt his heart thump quicker, galloping in his chest, as the clicking of claws grew closer. Heavy breaths not his own let Jake know he was no longer alone. He remained still even as natural fear urged him to look over his shoulder to gauge the threat. But there was no real danger because Jake knew in his soul that he was safe with the monstrous wolf-like creature that lurked in the flickering shadows. The beast who terrified the men, women, and children not born of Miramar was hardly a monster to Jake. The bright light of day sees the Crown Prince of Miramar, Jacob Seresin, protected by his personal knight: a Lycan named Rooster. But at night, Jake loses himself to pleasure by Rooster's wolf form.

A Speckled Rooster Crowed {G}

Lycans had few offspring, litters born every ten years. The last Lycan pups included Julian’s own knight, Cyclone. And now it was Jake’s turn to choose a knight – his very own Lycan pup to raise and train as his personal bodyguard. He’d never known something so exciting yet terrifying. The time has come for Prince Jake to select his knight. Five pups vie for his attention, but one young Lycan seems a bit preoccupied with a fowl enemy.

Of Sex and Flowers {E}

If Heaven truly existed, Jake was sure his would be exactly like this. With Jake and his knight Rooster, alive and together in this peaceful place. Nothing outside of the meadow mattered when they were here: Jake was not royalty and Rooster was not a Lycan. They could play pretend and just be two men hopelessly in love with no duties and no secrets. Jake sneaks out of the castle to spend some private time with Rooster in a meadow. Their relationship will change once Jake becomes the Crown Prince so they say goodbye in the only way they know how.

the shapes of love by winterbucky {T}

/Shapeshifter/

sink your teeth into me (keep me)

Rooster doesn't need to know what animal Hangman shifts into, but he sure wants to find out. It's just another piece of the man he's hopelessly in love with, and he wants to know everything, no matter how much his friends tease him. Through a series of events, he finally finds out, and maybe gets more than expected Or shifter au where rooster is a wolf, hangman is [redacted], there's a LOT of pining, and icemav are cute together (ice is a tiger, mav is a fennec). they get their happy end

I see forever in your eyes

Having gotten together (and engaged in the same day), Rooster and Hangman don't get any less annoying with their behaviour. Rooster would even argue that their friends are more annoyed with them now, but he's too deliriously happy to care. He has the love of his life by his side, his friends surrounding him, and he's getting married. Life is great (and it's about to get even better) Or shifter au with smitten puppy rooster, disgustingly in love hangster, some background icemav and ANOTHER proposal

Lagoon by elizabethgee {E}

/Merman/

So it turns out that even though Bradley spends most of his time on land as a human, he is a shifter, and he he can shift into a merman. Jake has a lot of thoughts about it. And he's come up with a plan.

Lost Boy by Earthangel_44 {E}

/Pixie/

Jake has to face the consequences after he stole from the pirate.

When the Waters Run Deep (Trust Them not to Pull You Under) by ToukoJalorda003 {M}

/Siren/

In all of Jake’s life, all he had ever wanted was to be a marine biologist. He adored the ocean and it’s inhabitants more than anything else. He thought he had everything he’d ever wanted. Until his boss sent him on a mission that he’d almost died on - forcing him to realign his perspective, and realize perhaps there was something else he wanted, after all.

Darkest Little Paradise by hangmanbradshaw {E}

/Demon/

Bradley never thought he'd be dealing with another round of hospital visits, especially not for the only family he had left. When he stumbles upon a book at his rare books store, he finds himself at a crossroads there may be no turning back from, but hey...don't blame him, love made him crazy. Or, Bradley *take my hand, wreck my plans, that's my man* Bradshaw needs to save Mav so he decides to make a deal. Enter Jake. Everything changes in ways he never could have imagined.

Up in the skies by AnadoraBlack {M}

/Dragon/

Bradley hasn't been on Tarakona in more than ten years. It's time he goes home. Besides, at 30 years old, there's next to no chance a dragon egg would hatch for him, right?

My Better Half by WaffleToaster {E}

/Cambion/

“You don’t know what you want, Bradshaw. You don’t want me, you may think you do, but you don’t.” When Bradley finds out about Jake's deepest and darkest secret, he begins to understand the meaning behind those words. He just never imagined it was going to take magic, pheromones, a life or death situation and sex for him to win Jake back.

What is Past is Prologue. by Barnes_Brain {T}

/Vampire/

Everyone in life has secrets. The man at the bar, the woman serving drinks, the vampire who’s currently the COMPACFLT and the legendary pilot who is the same are not exempt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin, however, might have the biggest of them all. So when his secret is revealed, so many others follow. This of course, leads to complete chaos for the poor steward trying to do his best.

young savage things by drh0rrible {E}

/Vampire/

After a year working as Jake Seresin's PA, there were three things Bradley was absolutely positive about. First, Bradley was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and he didn't know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for Jake's blood. And third, Bradley was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

pumpkins and whiskers by youlookgood {T}

/Cat-shifter/

Needing a fresh start, Bradley moves from his old childhood home in San Diego to a far away small town. It's nice enough, he supposes. The residents certainly have that small-town autumn charm going for them. His new next-door neighbor's pretty nice too. What's less than nice is said neighbor's roommate, and his equally annoying orange cat.

Stuffin' That Muffin by WaffleToaster {E}

/Tentacle Monster/

Jake thinks it could have been a dream, but his distended stomach makes it obvious that everything had in fact really happened. But now weeks had passed and the eggs had dissolved, making him feel depressed in a sense and empty. And so that makes him ask, “What does it take to convince you for round two?”

Evil Be Gone by MadeItUp {E}

/Demon/

Training on the F/A-18 is everything he’s ever wanted, but Bradley’s dream becomes a nightmare when a new recruit joins the Golden Eagles. Blond hair, green eyes and a smirk so wicked he could rival the devil, Jake Seresin is everything Bradley hates – arrogant, brilliant and an unrelenting asshole. It’s almost as if he’s been sent there as Bradley’s own personal demon… All Bradley’s seen of the man so far is the back of his head – dirty blond hair cut short and sharp to the nape of his neck. At Nija’s invitation, Seresin turns to smile at the room, hand coming up in a lazy salute, his grin as sharp, as calculated, as the cut of his hair. His eyes are green, his dimples deep, and he’s far too pretty to be trusted.

The Halloween Special by ReformedTsundere {E}

/Tentacle Monster/

"Bradley?" Jake calls out, getting a hand on the knob even as his heart rate spikes. The sound of sliding limbs and another hard thump make Jake's choice for him. Without further announcement, he throws open the bathroom door, only faintly sure he's prepared for what's behind. He is, of course, incorrect. Jake has a series of thoughts that tangle together, crashing like a group of cars in multiple head-on collisions as his brain and body try to make sense of what he's seeing. It's as though he blinks through the five stages of grief, standing deer-eyed and petrified in the open door of Bradley's bathroom.

tell me your secret (I promise I’ll keep it) by shadowdancing {E}

/Merman/

Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw has a secret. And Jake “Hangman” Seresin intends to figure out what it is. Well, actually Bradshaw has many secrets. But there is one secret above the rest. One that Rooster refuses to crack on. - Jake Seresin has known Bradley Bradshaw for over a decade. It's been a decade of rivalry, of push and pull, between the two. Everyone has secrets, including Jake himself. But he knows that there is something Bradshaw has been hiding from everyone. A big secret. This story follows two pilots, both coming from troubled pasts and heading towards a troubled future. With each revealed secret, their friendship, and their love only grows more.

Knot Your Typical Meet-Cute by ReformedTsundere {E}

/Werewolf/

There are no written laws saying that human Jake Seresin can't be a naval pilot, but that doesn't mean the social status of 'less durable meat bag' doesn't have its boot on his throat all the same. He's been a damn good serviceman so far, exceeded all his superior's expectations of him. But the simple fact of the matter is he doesn't have the connections to get him into the program or the genetics. Wolf-heavy and wolf-maintained, it's been nearly impossible to get his file on the desk of the fleet commanders who could streamline him to flight school. But if he does The Run, if he bags himself a wolf high enough on one food chain or another… it's his best shot.

Like Cats and Dogs by ReformedTsundere {T}

/Shapeshifter/

Where shifting is a sign of trust and love, indifferent Bradley realizes only when it's too late to stop his quick temper he might care more than he thought that Jake hasn't shifted in front of him even after dating for almost a year.

I wanna know, baby, what is it like? I know you want it, baby, you can have it by arcticmonks {E}

/Vampire/

"It’s alright. Tomorrow, no onions. Drink lots of water to get it out of your bloodstream," Bradley says, casually, like he’s Jake’s doctor who’s worried about actual toxins instead of a vampire who wants his fuck buddy to smell just a little better. Jake’s head bobs. "Sure. Any other requests?" With a final hard suck, Bradley finishes off the bottle and sets it aside. "I’d like you to bite me."

Grant me freedom and I’ll set us both free by SunMonTue {E}

/Incubus & Demon/

One of Jake's past transgressions have damned him to 500 years of walking the Earth in human form, told he cannot feed off any of them directly. He has someone shadowing him to make sure he keeps to the rules.

I'll Be Your Guard Heart by Nixie_DeAngel {T}

/Shapeshifter/

Jake only loses control when it comes to Bradley Bradshaw and he was okay with that.

into the sky, with you by winterbucky {T}

/Dragon/

In a world where some people can slip into dragon forms, Rooster haven't shown his dragon form to anyone since he was 15. He keeps to himself, but it proves harder than he imagined when the Daggers become an established squad and start spending all their time together. They don't even know that Rooster is a dragon. Or do they? And can the connection he had with Hangman 10 years ago come back to life? Maybe everything has a happy ending, and it's not as bad as Bradley is imagining or dragons au where rooster has Issues™️, but through the power of friendship and a hot aviator it's all okay

it's golden like daylight by halestrom {G}

/Vampire/

Waking up in a warehouse after being hit across the head and hearing your dates dead parents talking is NOT Jake's idea of a good first date.

[museofspaces]

Shaun Andersen Headcanons

tw: mentions of abuse, alcoholism, domestic v*olence, and heavy dissociation

- First and foremost, Shaun’s mental health has always been a point of contention, as I believe it definitely isn’t talked about enough; Shaun bore the burden of witnessing his parent’s relationship collapse and burn to the ground after Michael was admitted to the ward. He forced himself to dissociate during these times as a way of dealing with everything surrounding him, and as a result, he developed something known as “dissociative amnesia,” which is a dissociative disorder characterized by “difficulty remembering personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature.” Even though Michael definitely had skeletons in his closet, Shaun had to witness the brunt of his parent’s hidden cruelty to one another.

- Going back to that last headcanon; as Shaun grew up and became more and more reclusive due to the nature of his home life, he started unhealthily attaching himself to the people he had in his circle, fearing something going wrong. He lacked proper social skills and was definitely outcasted at school due to Michael being his brother. “Haven’t you heard? That’s the kid with the psycho brother.” After Michael’s commitment to the ward, things only grew worse for him social wise. Even if Eric whispered bad things about Michael and other mumbo jumbo, who else did he have?

- It’s no secret Shaun heavily resents Michael, but in a way, Shaun also resents himself — for letting Michael be committed and not speaking up about what truly happened. He hates himself for indirectly traumatizing his brother and causing him so much pain. He failed Michael.

- Personally, I believe Slenderman in MLAndersen0 is just a metaphor for dealing with the brunt of childhood trauma, hence why the series is less “supernatural” than the other Big 5. I also believe Shaun’s refusal to believe Michael about Slenderman is just a reference to someone’s inability to acknowledge or accept their own traumatic experiences and be able to move past them. Believing in Slenderman and looking past his closed eyes means Shaun has to relive and reflect on what happened. He can’t imagine ever doing that to himself.

- Definitely transfem and uses two sets of pronouns - she/her and he/him - and chooses to present as androgynous.

- Stormy was one of the first times Shaun felt cared about beyond what people wanted out of him. He loved her more than he ever loved himself. Losing her was like chopping out a piece of his heart and eating it directly in front of him, open wound still gushing. He didn’t ever really accept that she was gone.

- If we’re being completely honest, Shaun barely knows a thing about his brother beyond the basic bare minimum. Even though Michael was 8 and remembered a good bit about Shaun, it wasn’t the same with Shaun - he only knew information about Michael from the information his parents indulged him in. He didn’t understand that most of it had malicious intent behind it and grew up firmly believing Michael was a danger to their family. But even so, he still chose to pick him up from the hospital.

- All sad headcanons aside, Shaun would definitely love Sonic the Hedgehog, and if anyone got any information about it incorrect, he’d probably start mansplaining the topic to them in a very condescending voice. “No, no, Shadow matches Sonic’s speed, but Sonic is significantly better at making that speed, allowing him to close the gap in between them. But Shadow is definitely not weak.”

- He’d really enjoy RPG games and lore-filled world building. Environments like that intrigue him, and in a way allow him to indulge in escapism.

[kithtaehyung]

racchanel (m) (teaser) | kth

but the thing about vengeance is...

title: racchanel (m) | ⟶ small teaser for tae day 2022! pairing: fashion ceo!taehyung x ex-photographer!reader rating/genre: m (18+) ; angst , smut ; fashion au , ? to lovers summary: you were shut out from the industry before. so when an ex-classmate surprises you with another way in, you have no choice but to accept. determined to destroy the one that took everything, you’ll do whatever it takes - even if that means starting over and knowing nothing. warnings: none for teaser except taehyung being.. well, tae. full list will include explicit scenes, angst but are we shocked?, language, revenge, sexual themes, angst, this tae in general tbh, did i mention angst?, warnings will be posted with each chapter. note: so this is the secret wip that i had been holding onto for the entire year!! hope you all enjoy the snippet i have prepared for tae day 2022 because it’s but a taste of what’s to come. definitely one of the pieces i’m super excited to release in 2023! note 2: this teaser drops you in the middle of the first part! teaser word count: 2.3k | est. word count: 100k  est. drop date: ongoing series in 2023! 18+ taglist link: HERE

-

-

The trek to the front entrance remains uneventful. 

Respecting Taehyung’s space, you release your arm from his suit just as the elevator kisses the ground floor. You don’t want anyone starting rumors about you messing around with the CEO before you even launch your career here. 

Career. 

Quite a bold word for you to throw around already. After all, the contract Taehyung offered is only temporary, not to mention strapped with an early termination clause. 

Essentially, you could be dropped at any point without so much as a warning. 

And you don’t expect anything less brutal than that.

When you pass reception, you spare the boys from earlier a glance—much against your better judgment. 

They promptly avert their gazes. Typical. 

A huff leaves you before your eyes focus back on the glass doors. 

“What did you do to them,” your ex-classmate questions before the panels slide open. 

“They were incredibly rude, Taehyung,” you inform, trailing behind and struggling to keep up with his strides. “I just told them to think about how they represented this company. You never know who’ll be walking through those doors.”

The man abruptly stops in front of you, causing you to physically halt on a tiptoe to save yourself from smacking into his back. Swiftly, you find your balance right as he pins you with… a leer?

“I don’t remember you being this nice,” is all he has to say. 

“Ah, well, nice is relative.” You look off into the property gardens, not wanting to face those feline eyes a second longer. “I don’t think your employees would exactly call me a saint.” 

A rueful laugh pops out of your chest, and you turn to look Taehyung dead in the eye. 

“And besides, we went to art school. When was anyone ever nice without some hidden motive?” 

Your former classmate can only blink. 

And blink again. 

“...We’re all screwed up in the head, aren’t we?” 

You offer him a tight smile in agreement before peering off again, taking in the immaculate way everything is laid out in front of Racchanel’s headquarters. 

The gardens could be an exhibition of their own. 

“Undoubtedly,” you finally respond. “But at least you made something of yourself. Most of us are starving artists, or bartenders at jazz joints.” 

The breeze cuts right through your sweats. Quickly slipping on your hood, you wonder if Taehyung really doesn’t care about being seen with you looking like this. His single spritz of cologne probably costs more than everything you’re wearing combined. 

You should head out now.

In the distance, you spot a long black limo rolling up to the sidewalk. 

“I think that’s you, Mr. CEO.” 

Taehyung looks at you a beat longer before turning to see his ride. 

When you expect him to leave without a goodbye, you stand there in confusion when he doesn’t budge. 

What’s he doing? There’s no way he’s not already late for that appearance. 

“Tae—”

Huh? Why’s he looking at you like that? 

…What storm do you see brewing on his horizon?

“Come with me.” 

“What?”

Immediately, your brows furrow impossibly close as he repeats himself,

“To the press conference. Come with me.” 

“I look like a hot pile of garbage—”

“It’s fine—”

“No. No way. Find someone else—”

“I don’t have anyone else.”

You still.

“At least,” he weakly clarifies. “Not right now.”

Before you can wholeheartedly shut him down a final time, you take in his appearance—actually take it all in. 

You aren’t in a dimly lit bar, or frantically thinking your contract offer was a mistake, so you’re finally seeing him with a clear head. 

And what you see is frankly alarming. 

Used to seeing this man radiating confidence on anything from cereal boxes to billboards across the globe, you’re suddenly dialed into the changes in his demeanor. Taehyung’s shoulders droop just enough, the spaces under his lashes hollow just enough. 

Why didn’t you see any of this before?

Reddened eyes from the bar on Christmas Eve come back to you, causing your mountain of excuses to crumble. 

He’s obviously under a lot of pressure from the recent changes in his life. And while change for you means a temporary six-month modeling contract, change to Taehyung means inheriting a multi-million dollar company—seemingly by himself. 

There’s nothing else but a desk. In his entire office.

He may feel… So alone. 

You remember that feeling. Loneliness. It’s dark, and cold, and in the end, you have to pull yourself out of its clutches all on your own. 

Maybe Taehyung can benefit from an extra set of hands. 

“Okay,” you agree, startling him out of a stupor. “I’ll go with you. I can hang in the back, or a hallway, or something.” 

A little flame flickers to life in his eyes as he offers a close-lipped smile. 

“Thank you,” is all he says in return. 

And you don’t make him say anything more than that. 

“Shit.” 

You stop playing with the leather surface of the space next to you. “What.”

It’s been like this the whole ride. Even though Taehyung begged you to accompany him, as soon as you were both settled in the back of the limousine, he seemed to be regretting the impulsive choice. 

As if the multiple times he rakes a hand through his hair aren’t enough of an indication, his chin rubs add on to your own anxiousness. 

He’s clearly uncomfortable with something. But what the hell is up?

Now his nerves seem to jump out in the form of another curse instead of clarification. Which annoys the heck out of you. 

“Taehyung, what’s wrong?” 

The man still doesn’t reply, let alone look your way. 

Maybe he’s not answering because the answer is way too obvious. 

Arriving at a press conference with some random woman in a bunny hoodie and sweats? Yeah. That would make any self-respecting person in fashion shake in their Chelsea boots.

This was a mistake.

What was he thinking? What were you thinking!

The trip to Racchanel was supposed to be a one and done! Tell Taehyung he made an error in the applications, have him verify it, and make your escape. 

But ending up in a limo on the way to a media event? You wouldn’t have been able to write this outcome if you tried. 

Sparing another glance at Taehyung, you realize he’s starting to get downright antsy. 

So you offer to help. “Hey. If you don’t want to be seen with me, I get it. Tell your driver to pull over before we get there and I can get out—” 

“Stop,” Taehyung bites, his expression hard. “Just…” He lowers his head in between his legs, large, ring-studded hands shielding the top of it from the world. His houndstooth coat cascades down his sides, and you want to save him from drowning in those black and white waterfalls. 

You didn’t really hang with him in university, but you always remembered him as the guy that didn’t have to try hard to succeed. He was never under any pressure, academically. 

Really, the only time you remember seeing him upset was when he went through a breakup one year. Kim Taehyung apparently held a grudge as well as he held a pose. 

Reaching out, you lay a hand on his shoulder. After his initial tense, he doesn’t shake you off, so you comfort the model superstar the only way you can think of. 

Tiny circles. Comforting, warm, tiny circles. 

You don’t know if they will work. But it’s something.

Slowly, Taehyung comes back to life like a plant sprouting from a seed. You retract your arm as he straightens against his seat, watching as he rolls his shoulders and tilts his head to stretch. 

From this close, you get to see the skin of his neck. 

And wonder how even that part of him is beautiful.

Turning to you, he scoots closer to tug your hood off in a rush. 

What—

“Shh,” he hushes, proceeding to fix your head to the best of his ability. 

Your eyes roam his face as you stare in shock, wondering why the hell he’s committing to having you here and why he’s styling you himself. 

When was the last time someone else even touched your head? This determined yet this tender, at that? You can’t believe this is happening.

Never mind that. You can’t believe you’re here with him at all. His famous fingers sliding through your strands; his perfect eyelashes brushing his cheeks with every solid blink of his eyes. 

While he’s trying to salvage the mess that’s your head, his hair’s appropriately slicked with just the right amount of product and flawless styling—

That’s when you realize. 

Oh, fuck. 

Taehyung’s getting you ready for the onslaught of cameras. 

Shit, shit shit. 

Being judged by two cowardly receptionists is one thing. But being judged, photographed, and written about by a swath of Kim Taehyung paparazzi?

That’s a thousand times worse. 

Barefaced and carrying evidence of the sleepless night you had yesterday, you’re suddenly grossly self-conscious about your entire appearance. 

The gap between your statuses, experience, and overall lifestyle suddenly resembles a canyon. One so wide you can’t even see him on the other side. 

Taehyung’s right there. 

And yet you feel the furthest you’ve ever felt. 

There’s no way you belong in his world. 

What the fuck are you even doing here? 

“Taehyung,” you hiccup, quickly interrupted by the shouts of people outside as the limo approaches the conference building. Rattling erupts and rings from inside your skin, and you stare back at him with equally trembling eyes. “I can’t do this—”

“You can.” 

“Please—”

Unfazed, he simply asks, 

“Do you trust me?” 

“Yes.” 

Why did you say that so confidently? Why was that so easy to decide?

Do you really?

“Of course you do,” he sighs before pulling you in for a forehead kiss that catapults your heart into your throat. 

But you don’t get to question it before your hood is tugged over your head, dark sunglasses shoved onto your face right as camera flashes and jumbled yells spill into the opened car door.

People. Hands. Phones. Multiple camera snaps and lights and voices bombard your senses, and you’re grateful for the shades over your eyes as you hoist yourself out of the vehicle. 

Taehyung exits right after and blazes a trail for you to walk. 

“Excuse me, miss—”

“Who is she?”

“Taehyung, who is the mystery girl!” 

Through the whirlwind of paparazzi, your thoughts only convene on the cold spot where he kissed you. The freezing wind only makes it more prominent, and you barely even register that you’re walking by yourself as you follow right after him.

It’s only after you get through the heavy doors that your surroundings snap back into focus. 

Wait. What?

How long were you out in the crowd? How did you even get here in one piece? 

The sounds outside muffle as the entrance bangs shut, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were hiding.

“This way,” Taehyung directs to both you and the security detail that materializes behind you, striding heavily to the right. 

When did these guys…?

Whoa.

You have no clue where you are, but you are miles away from your apartment block. 

Taking in the expansive building, you see that it’s a true conference center, with a grand, open lobby and square footage for days. The right wing looks to house large event rooms, judging by its wide hall and the multiple sets of towering double-doors. 

Scampering after Taehyung, you make sure to stay behind but as close as possible. 

Which makes you almost collide when he stops on a dime. Again. 

You have got to stop walking behind him. 

Face scrunched in annoyance, you’re about to tell the man off—security be damned—before he blurts,

“When we get in there, just relax and follow my lead, okay?”

“Oh, I can wait out here,” you reply, more than happy to leave him to the masses now that you’ve got a taste of them outside. “I don’t mind.” 

Hands set in his trousers, Taehyung peers down at the floor before regarding you with what looks like… 

An apology. 

There’s dread in your veins.

“I wasn’t planning on putting you through a press conference this soon, but you can do this.” 

And it seeps right into your bones. 

“What?” 

His palms land on your shoulders before you can flee. 

“Look. The Board isn’t giving me a lot of time to introduce Astral, even though I told them that’s the only thing I need right now. I just…” Running a hand through his hair, Taehyung looks years older and yet years younger all the same. “I need a familiar face.” 

Hell no. 

There’s no way you can do this. 

Going with him and braving the paparazzi was horrid enough. But a press conference? 

What the fuck are you supposed to say? You aren’t even dressed.

“Taehyung. Look at me.” You gesture to your entire wreck of an ensemble, fingers trembling. “I’m gonna make Racchanel look like a fucking joke.” 

“I don’t care. This new project is going to work.” 

What? How is this possibly going to work? What single thing about this is gonna go well?

Has he lost his mind? 

“What do you mean?”

Instead of responding to your question, Taehyung only gives directions, 

“When we go in there, just keep your face neutral and your back and neck straight. If anyone asks you a question, just say you’re grateful for this opportunity. Understand?”

“Tae—”

“I’ll owe you.” 

You clamp your jaw shut, eyes unblinking as you drink in your former classmate’s entire expression. 

“I’ll owe you. Big.” He breathes in deep before looking at the doors, then back to you. “Just do this one thing. For me.”

What is he thinking?

You pause for eternity before closing your eyes, wondering if he can even see how uncertain they are behind your dark shades. 

“Fine. I will.”

What are you thinking?

“That’s a good girl,” he sighs in relief, embracing you fully before planting another quick peck on your temple. As he pulls away, your hand is clutched before you’re led right up to a set of imposing doors.

To give a press conference.

What are either of you even remotely thinking?

-

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tbc. :) 

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how do we feel! | taglist + extra optional teaser

a/n: ahhhh it may not make much sense now since this is dropping everyone in the middle of the first part, but i wanted there to be some mystery to everything that’s about to happen! hope you’re all ready to see what’s on the horizon for this tae and reader<33

other links: masterlist | permanent taglist (i check each entry so have your age displayed somewhere in your profile!)

[jellymellydraws]

Masterlist ~ <<Previous Chapter ~ Next Chapter >>

Astarion x Dark Urge Chapter 14 Rating: E Tags: Angst, Fluff, hurt/comfort, slow burn, two guarded people fall in love so hard it makes them stupid

Chapter Summary:

Shadowheart takes her job as medic very seriously, despite their leader's stubborn protests. Rose makes a concerning announcement during their strategy meeting. She reflects on the growing trust between her companions and wonders how many more secrets are lingering between them. Gale is acting strange, and the devious smile on Astarion's face might hint as to why.

Jewelry softly jingled as rings rolled at the bottom of their crates. Bottles of aged wine clinked together, cushioned by little more than loose fabrics. Each set of arms cradled an open crate of goods from the village, ranging from magical to mundane. The camp would be alerted well in advance of their arrival, if not because of their heavy footfalls then it would be because of Alfira’s humming on the way back. Gleefully, Wyll would change his gait from even steps to long graceful strides along the melody that surrounded them. He circled them with a bow, extending a hand towards Alfira to join him. His antics were enough to disrupt the bard’s humming with a fit of giggles. The neck of a bottle leaned dangerously over the edge of his crate. 

“Careful!” Alfira gasped.

Rose skid to her knees, catching their precious cargo in her free arm before it could hit the ground.

Her shoulder did not appreciate this stunt. But the wine was saved!

They collectively breathed a sigh of relief, immediately followed by laughter.

“Sorry,” the Blade chuckled, taking back the bottle and gently laying it in his crate, “I got carried away by the spirit of the ballroom!”

“You were going to be carried away by the spirit of the river if this broke,” Rose teased. Pain shot through her arm as she pushed herself to her feet. Even with helpful hands extended to help her, she waved them off quietly.

“I’ll take another look at that shoulder,” Shadowheart commented as they continued their trek to camp, “and whatever it is that you’ve been nervous about, stop it. You aren’t doing yourself any favors leaving your wounds untreated.”

The assassin averted her gaze. The hidden presence of her scars stretched over her body, just by the mere thought. But the throbbing in her shoulder couldn’t care less about how much attention the hidden wounds were about to receive.

“Fine, but only the shoulder. Nothing more.”

“You shouldn’t have said that. Now I have to make sure nothing else is wrong.”

“Everything else is fine.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Shadowheart rolled her eyes, dropping the matter for the rest of their travel.

If it wasn’t the disappearance of Rose’s tent that made camp feel off, it was definitely the way Astarion and Gale relaxed at their tents. They both held books in their hands but with varying facial expressions that hinted how intensely they were concentrated on their reading material. For starters, Astarion didn’t seem to be reading his book, but used it as an excuse to lounge outside and pretend he wasn’t trying to hear what else was going on in camp. There was a smirk across his face, and a devious glint in his eye when he glanced over at the returning party. The wizard had set up a stool as a makeshift table where he scribbled a quill into parchment, refusing to look up from his work. His cheeks looked redder than usual but Rose couldn’t make out if it was due to anger or some other expression. When Gale chanced a look up from his work, his face flushed at the sight of the group, and quickly returned to his writing.

Huh, that was…odd.

Lae’zel approached and stood at the ready like the trained warrior she was.

“I rested, as instructed,” she announced to Rose, “and completed the task you assigned to me.”

“Did you slaughter an ant hill while we were away?” Shadowheart teased, “I know they can be vicious in large numbers.”

“I do not know what this ‘ant hill’ is but your tone is clear that this is not a worthy enemy. I wouldn’t waste my time on such things.”

Lae’zel’s snarl gave the cleric her achievement, and a satisfied smirk stretched over her lips. Rose jabbed an elbow into Shadowheart’s side, shooting her a warning look.

”Where’d you move my tent to?” She asked, realizing her tent could be literally anywhere at that point. She didn’t think to give Lae’zel specific instructions on the where, just the what. The gith extended an arm towards the bushes, where the top of a tent could be seen just over them. From the looks of it, her new sleeping arrangement was just off the path to the river, but still in sight of the others. She sighed with relief. “Perfect.”

The gith nodded, pleased to have finished her assignment to satisfaction. Unprompted, she began taking the crates out of everyone’s hands, stacking them carefully on the ground before hoisting them into her arms. It was always astounding that Lae’zel, despite her slim and sleek stature, was one of the strongest among them. 

“The scouts returned some time ago.” Lae’zel explained as she adjusted her hold for more stability, “I would suggest speaking to them urgently. The wizard in particular seemed flustered upon return. I asked what happened but he wouldn’t say…which is odd for him.”

Great .

“I wonder what they got up to,” Shadowheart smirked towards Astarion. 

The Elf’s head rested casually in his hand, looking past Shadowheart to their increasingly cautious leader. His smirk grew ever slightly, and he wiggled his fingers in her direction, as if innocently greeting her back from a long morning. 

Gods, what did you do?

Her good arm was firmly tugged towards him. Shadowheart’s hold did not ease, but somehow she managed to swipe one of the wine bottles from the crates before the gith made off with them. The cleric was going to make good on her promise to examine that arm, whether Rose protested or not.

“Ah, my favorite traveling companions!” Astarion greeted them, though made no move to make room for them. “How was the village? Kill anything interesting?”

“Giant spiders,” Shadowheart answered, giving Rose’s arm another tug closer, “ this one had the bright idea to act as bait for the Queen and almost lost her arm.”

“Seems to be firmly attached. Though give it another tug, maybe it’ll come loose.”

“Other arm.”

Astarion tutted teasingly. Seeming to have his entry fee paid for by way of quips and gossip, he closed the red-covered book and adjusted the few pillows he stole from the grove. The cleric wasted no time pushing Rose down to them. At least she had the courtesy to let the assassin doff her own armor while the elves gossiped.

“Didn’t the goblins get a good stab into her arm at the grove?”

“At this rate, maybe she doesn’t want her arms?” Shadowheart uncorked the bottle of wine and poured it into a set of brass cups. “It’d be easier for her to ask Lae’zel to chop them off.”

“HA! What a shame, they’re lovely arms, too.” He held out his cup to tap her’s. “I’m still thinking about how they wrapped around—“

She pulled her drink back right before their cups touched.

“Ugh, stop. I didn’t bring her here for you to ogle at.”

Their words didn’t match the sounds they spoke. After more back and forth between her pointy-eared friends, she realized the tongue they conversed in was not the common one. 

“I’m surprised the Blade of Frontiers was nowhere to be found while a Damsel was in Distress.”

“The damned Matriarch hatched half of its nest and surrounded us.”

When did they shift to speaking in Elven?

“You know, maybe scouting with Gale wasn’t such a bad thing, after all.”

Wait, how did she know they were speaking Elven?

“I wonder if Gale would say the same about you.”

She understands Elven?!

“Did you miss me that much, darling?” Astarion smirked, addressing Rose in the Common tongue.

She was staring. Hand frozen over the armor that now rested in her lap.

Could she speak Elven?

Did she want to try?-- No, no. Not yet. Keeping this info to herself could be…useful.

“Did you break our wizard?” she blurted out, taking the conversation by the horns and steering it as far from her sudden discovery as plausible.

“In what way?” He leaned towards her, pulling the armor from her lap and pushing it aside, “don’t tell me you’re the jealous type?”

He began to crawl closer, but a hand jutted out, holding him at its length. The cleric eyed him sternly, “I don’t want to be confined to camp the rest of the day, so how about you take a few steps back and let me work?”

He pouted, but settled for sitting cross-legged in front of them.

“I need you to take this off, I can’t really see what I need to.” The cleric gave her shirt a few light tugs, but made no attempt to remove the garment herself.

She looked over the campsite. Wyll and Alfira were chatting next to Gale, and Lae’zel was walking a crate of items over to his tent. 

“Fine.” Rose tugged on her sleeve, hoping to limit how much of her shirt she’d be stripping. The pain in her shoulder disagreed. Greatly.

Shadowheart put a hand on Rose’s, stopping her from agitating the joint any further. “I’ll handle it.”

Astarion shifted how he was seated, managing his way closer to the two of them. The cleric didn’t stop him. She wondered if he did it on purpose, because she could tell that the rest of camp would have trouble seeing her bare front as Shadowheart pulled the shirt over her head.

”Oh hells,” she gasped, “well, that explains some things.”

Reflexively, Rose brought an arm over her stomach, hiding the scars. They looked worse in broad daylight. They weren’t faded, and stood out nastily against her flesh. Similar to the scars on her face and neck, these seemed to be new. Well, new er .

“Don’t make a fuss about it.” What she wanted to sound like a warning came out more as a plea. Her eyes narrowed, disappointed with herself. She grabbed the shirt from the cleric’s hands and covered her torso with it as Shadowheart abided by her wishes and focused on examining her injured shoulder.

“I presume you’ve already seen the scars?” the half-elf reverted back to Elven, briefly turning her look towards the other elf.

He didn’t answer. The cleric didn’t seem to mind as she scooted towards her back, following the marks in her shoulder left by the matriarch. The elvish muttering began, mentioning infection and a forming bruise.

“I still didn’t get an answer about how I supposedly broke the wizard,” Astarion spoke in Common, ignoring Shadowheart’s question entirely. But Rose wasn’t supposed to show she knew that, and forced back her smile.

“He’s all red in the face and isn’t making eye contact with anyone.”

“Mmmh, he seems to be just fine looking at Wyll. Although maybe he doesn’t think a stone eye counts as eye contact.”

“Astarion.”

“We were just having a casual conversation— you know, like anyone would when stuck alone for hours!”

“What did you say? ” She asked, slowly.

No answer, but his smirk screamed mischief.

“Nothing broken, but it’s going to be sore,” Shadowheart interrupted, “we’ll need to clean it in the river before doing anything else.” The cleric rose to her feet, handing the untouched wine cup to Astarion. 

Rose narrowed her eyes one last time to the elf, who continued to revel in getting away with… something. Before Shadowheart could complain, she was on her feet and following after.

Everyone took a few moments to rest, eat some fish, and relax after the long morning. Except Rose, who couldn’t be afforded such luxuries. She sat in the command tent, updating her journal in the light that streamed in from the open flaps. Various thoughts tangled together in the mess of her mind, slowly making sense as they were transferred to the page. 

A village that was long abandoned, now home to a horde of goblins. How long had they been there? It had to be recent, considering the grove’s concern. If the goblins had always been this close, they would’ve been more prepared to protect themselves and the refugees. 

Shadowheart’s worship of Shar, a confession holding immense weight on their cleric’s shoulders. The goddess’s name was vaguely familiar as she wrote it, but nothing else bubbled to the surface. Perhaps she was familiar with the goddess in a similar sense as any other commoner would be. She wouldn’t linger on it, not now. With a shake of her head, she continued her musings.

Earlier, entering the village and testing their True Soul theory— what was that she felt earlier in her head? The tadpole bit her, didn’t it? Was she the only one who felt it? Did anyone else feel it but were too fearful to share such a detail? Her eyes wandered to the rest of the camp outside.

Secrets were the core of each person in that camp— perfectly understandable, considering they were total strangers. Well, not total strangers at this point. 

Astarion and Shadowheart leaned against each other, snickering and gossiping behind their cups. Likely speaking in Elven as Rose had witnessed earlier. Gale sat with Alfira and Wyll as he examined the magical items from the village. Every so often, he looked to the bard and blade to add to whatever conversation they were having. Laughter filled the air of the camp. He didn’t seem to have issues with eye contact anymore, which was a relief.

How much were they still hiding from each other? 

”Something troubles you,” Lae’zel’s voice snapped her back to reality. Her form partially blocked the light in the command tent as she stood at its entrance. Despite the sternness in her eyes, there was a hint of concern in her tone. Rose couldn’t help but smile. Not a tenday ago it seemed the gith couldn’t care less about the human’s troubles.

“Something always troubles me, isn’t that the nature of leadership? To be troubled?”

“Is that why you asked for your tent to be isolated from the rest?”

The smile disappeared. “Somewhat. Do you think it was an overreaction?”

“No. It was smart. If your nightly terrors continue, our position would be given away or you’d impede the camp’s rest. It was necessary. You’re thinking of the group, as a commander should.”

“I knew you’d understand,” Rose sighed, “gather the others, we need to plan our next move.”

With a nod, Lae’zel disappeared from the tent and made her rounds. She walked from tent to tent, announcing that the party had been summoned. Astarion and Shadowheart didn’t drop their playful demeanors, which irritated the gith enough to quicken her steps to Gale’s tent. The way that she became frustrated with the camp elves was as fascinating as it was amusing. Gale, Alfira, and Wyll gave her the opposite reaction. She was more relaxed upon returning.

”They’ve been summoned.”

Within moments, the party gathered in the cramped space around the map. Shadowheart per usual, pulled out her own map and handed an extra piece of charcoal to Rose. Gale gingerly placed the crate of magical items on the ground, lingering for a moment as his eyes fell to the boots she wore. Ah, she forgot to remove them when they got back. He didn’t say a word about it as he rounded the stone and stood across from her. A rolled piece of parchment stuck out from the crate. His notes, probably. She plucked it from the crate to examine briefly.

As Rose scanned the writing, everyone else in the tent shushed their conversations. With a nod, the parchment was folded and tucked between the pages of her journal. She looked to the faces of her team, straightening her own posture as she addressed them.

“The village had been destroyed long before the goblins had arrived,” she began, looking at Lae’zel, Gale, and Astarion as she filled them in, “acting as True Souls, the guards let us in and walk around as we pleased. However this Absolute worship works, the tadpoles are definitely connected. Which brings me to my first question to all of you. Did anyone else feel a bite from their tadpoles earlier today?”

“A what!?” Lae’zel hissed.

‘I’ll take that as a no.’

“When I used the tadpole to assert our place as True Souls, I felt a twinge in my head. Nothing has happened since, but those of us considering the tadpole’s potential need to be aware of the risk involved.” She looked to the gith, who was controlling her breathing, “Lae’zel, I want you to stick with me the rest of the day. Keep an eye for any symptoms that we should be concerned about.”

Lae’zel nodded. Still not relaxing, but her arms changed from seeking weapons to crossing in front of her breastplate. Rose continued.

”The goblins sent their forces up north to raid Waukeen’s Rest. I would hope this means the temple has weakened defenses. Gale, Astarion: what did you see?”

”Not much,” Astarion waved a flippant hand, “you couldn’t find a better vantage point, Lae’zel?”

The gith ignored him.

Rose looked directly at Gale. His face flushed, instantly. Gods damn it. Her eyes narrowed, side eyeing the elf who suddenly became interested in the meeting.

The Wizard cleared his throat, shaking through his flustered expression and doing his best to recite their findings as expected of him.

”We saw outside the walls of the temple grounds, but hardly any view into the courtyard. Although, I didn’t see a lot of goblins roaming about either. No signs of Sazza, but I did see Brynna and her brother help move some crates about the place. Along with an ogre. Which, might I remind, is the first we’re becoming aware of them— up to this point it was just goblins and Drow. If there is one ogre, there are likely to be more. I advise that we choose our moment of attack wisely.”

“Are we going to strike while their forces are thinned?” Lae’zel asked, eyeing the map, “did you two find another way into the temple besides the bridge?”

“Well,” Astarion chimed in, “there was a way over the river, littered with traps. Good thing someone was there to disarm them.” He smiled cheekily, waiting for praise. The silence was met with a pout. The elf leaned over the map, pointing to where he made this discovery. He was quick to move his hand away when Rose pressed charcoal to parchment. “There are some trenches to jump over but it goes around their guardpost. We could sneak right in, leave them none the wiser.”

“That’s one idea…what else?” Rose looked to the others surrounding the map.

Shadowheart’s eyes were trained on where the temple had been marked. “I would wager the temple has been abandoned just as long as the village. There could be structural wear and tear over the years. If we go inside we should be careful to not cause any collapse. Unless it suits our needs, of course.”

“It could be perfect to find another way into the temple that isn’t the front gates,” Wyll pointed out, “a weakened wall, maybe? And a temple— well those are built tall and with rafters. If those haven’t fallen, we’d be able to position ourselves advantageously to strike from above.”

Notes were added to the journal as the ideas began to flow— much smoother than their last strategy meeting. Shadowheart and Wyll went back and forth on temple architecture and the best spots for stealthy movements. Gale reminded them of the storm they weathered, which would affect the surrounding terrain and make sneaking into the territory tricky for a group of their size. Lae’zel  suggested that this same storm could slow their army’s travel, buying them slightly more time before their forces returned.

“I want to know the layout of the temple before we do anything else,” Rose concluded. “I’m worried about what Sazza told them when she got back, what forces they have left to deploy, and we still haven’t come across a drow among the goblins. Not to mention: Master Halsin could be in there and have more answers about the tadpoles. Let’s gear up and head out. From what we know, they’ll let a True Soul waltz right in— and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

While the party was donning armor and packing supplies, Rose distributed the magical wares. Gale’s notes on the items were messily scribbled, but came with suggestions of who would gain the most use of certain items. Some of their magical properties were straightforward, like the weapons which were enchanted with more strength. She kept the boots on herself, and claimed the enchanted dagger. Lae’zel accepted the enchanted sword and a magical helm that Gale noted would boost speed. Specifically, he wrote ‘suitable for a front-line warrior, such as Lae’zel.’ Others were a little more involved, like a pair of bracers that could offer protection similar to a shield or armor, but only if the wearer didn’t have armor themselves. 

Apparently, magical items had standards.

“Gale, I’ve got something for you,” Rose announced as she approached the closed tent with the bracers tucked under her arm. A mage hand peeled one of the flaps open.

Gale was adjusting the strap to his book holster, with a practiced gesture testing how practical the new length was in terms of reach. He had the fastest preparation of the whole camp, needing only his robes before they departed. Some days he spent the rest of the time studying their scrolls or writing in his tome. Seems like she arrived just at the tail end of his prep.

“Ah, I’ll be right with you,” he answered with a wave. He avoided eye contact, decidedly fiddling with the book holster more than necessary, “erm, you said you had something for me?”

Her eyes narrowed.

”What happened this morning? You haven’t been able to look at me plainly since we got back.”

His cheeks flushed, “Ah sorry it—” he cut himself off, pausing. “It’s nothing. Astarion managed to get under my skin, is all.”

“Does he know about your condition?”

“No! No, he— I don’t think he does.” The redness spread over the rest of his face, “not based on what he was saying, at least. He has quite the imagination, that Astarion. But imagination is all it is, nothing further.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. Whatever he ‘ imagined’ left Gale… in whatever the hells state this was.

“Fine. I’m giving you the bracers,” she held the bracers up by her face, forcing him to tilt his head to look at her properly.

“Really?” Awe washed over his face as his eyes shifted between the bracers and her face.

“Your notes were clear: anyone with armor wouldn't benefit from these. Seeing as you’re the only one without armor, they’re perfectly suited for you.”

He swallowed, reaching for the bracers with a hungry look in his eyes. Once in his hand, he examined the leather detailing. “You mean it, I can have this…? For—”

She placed her hand over his, further securing his hold on them, “for whatever you need. They’re yours now.”

“Thank you.”

He pulled the bracers to his chest, holding them closely with a heavy sigh. Rose nodded towards him, before turning on her heel to leave. Bright purple lights illuminated the inside of the tent, as the air vibrated around her. She whipped around suddenly, finding that it was Gale who was the source. The bracers briefly glowed, as did the marks on his skin that spiraled away from his chest.

“That hit the spot.”

Rose blinked at him, unsure if she should look at the wizard or the bracers that he was now sliding onto his arms.

“Well,” she did little to hide her surprise and confusion, “I’m glad I found something so soon.”

“Me too, I hope we continue to be fortunate this way.” he smiled, with more life reflecting in his eyes than earlier that day. “Sincerely though: I understand I’m asking a lot without many answers in return. I promise, in due time, all will be told.”

In due time. Maybe she should consider the same.

Next Chapter >>

[compacflt]

Did your Ice and Mav like *genuinely* not care whether the other was flirting-with/sleeping-with other people on the side, during their golden-period in the nineties, when they were both working at Miramar: living in the same house, sharing their lives, raising their kid? ‘Cause Ice explicitly states that ‘he only wants it when the opportunity presents itself, but every other time he couldn’t care less: Mav could be fucking the little green men on Mars’, and Mav is all but catapulting Ice into the direction of any woman he thinks Ice might like, just hoping Ice sticks the landing. On the face of it, both of them seem to be operating under the implicit assumption that their life together is temporary, right up-til and even beyond Ice’s promotion to RADM, and his departure. But then, after Carole’s death, when their relationship has crumbled ‘round their ears, Ice does seem to be bothered by Mav’s in-your-face flirting with the waiter, and the radar-techs, and the WSOs, and the anonymous-individual he brought back home that one time, and Ice even thinks to himself, that it doesn’t matter whether that person’s a woman/a man, ‘cause I guess: either way, it doesn’t change the fact that Mav’s with someone who isn’t *him*. So, what I really wanted to know is: was Ice sub-consciously fooling himself, when he thought that he’d be *totally* okay with Mav finding someone else to be with—a woman/another man—or would he really have given Mav his blessings to move-on with someone else, made it easy for him, and quietly walked out of his life?

ice would’ve been fine if mav found someone else. like, good for mav. Ice HIMSELF would not have been fine. single for the rest of his life. he was too late to take the shot in settling down & getting married to a woman. Now, how do you explain to a serious womanly wife candidate the 10-year gap (during which you were fucking/falling in love with another man) between your last serious relationship & this one? And how do you explain the off-the-charts levels of fucked-up you are from this hidden decade-long sexual/romantic relationship that you literally can’t talk about without scaring off any potential date/fucking your career? this is a little cliche but mav has truly ruined ice for anyone else. not because he loves mav so much but because they are both sooooo fucked up, and for the exact same reasons and the exact same secrets, that theyre literally the only people on Earth who understand each other.

no neither of them care about the cheating/“open relationship,” because 1. Ice wishes it wasn’t happening/feels like he’s wasting mav’s time 2. Mav is down for anything (definitely suggested threesomes on multiple occasions) 3. they both KNOW 100% that they’re both so fucked up that at the end of the day, for better or worse, they’re coming back to each other. (the reason ice was such a mess during their breakup was because it was not eminently obvious they would come back to each other. and then where would he go?) And they’re completely exclusive post-getting-back-together (too old to have that much casual sex, and also finally figured out that they super-unfortunately only want each other) so whatever. also, i think in the 90s, mavs “let’s get ice a girlfriend” campaign was kind of like a tongue-in-cheek way for him to rib ice— “we still have to keep up appearances, but you KNOW you wanna fuck me more than any of the girls here. You KNOW it’s me you’re really going to be fucking tonight.”