#they really fed us with crumbs tonight :\

[turanga4]

Enough

@hinnymicrofic , December 30th prompt (same as title). 350ish words. Thanks thanks to the hosts for so much love and effort for such a long time! 💕

“You barely touched your cake tonight,” Ginny said softly.

A pall dropped over Harry’s face. “Did your mother notice? I’m sorry. I tried.”

They both looked down then, from the roof down to the garden. She wondered if he was remembering the same things that she was, beneath their halting conversation about the day’s events. His birthday was the first party they’d all had since the War ended; of course they’d both be thinking of the one a year ago.

Purple lanterns, purple streamers. His godson still a secret: Tonks’ belly, Tonks’ hand. Fred had caught a gnome again, and tried to make it sing.

She remembered how urgently he had kissed her back.

His quiet confession brought her back to the present. “I didn’t think I’d have this. Any of it, really. It’s…it’s a lot.”

“Too much?” she asked, voice gentle.

He sighed. “Just….just, more.”

“Let it be just enough for tonight, Harry. Please.” As she reached into her pocket, her throat tightened around all the things she couldn’t say. The things she knew her mother had put in the birthday cake, the sweetness that Ginny had kept wrapped up in gold cloth for him. He still didn’t eat quite as much as he used to.

“One bite. Close your eyes. I did that, sometimes, last year.” The need she’d felt came back to her—to make that little world, to take strength from being fed. How carefully she’d imagined the things that had grown and come together to lead to that small moment, her alive in a castle with salt on her tongue.

Butter. Sugar. Flour. Grief. He did just as she’d said, and it almost hurt to look at him, like it hurt to look at Teddy. To see grass over Fred’s grave. She pulled her eyes away from him before he opened his.

“There’s still a bit left,” murmured Harry, pressing the fork down the center of the crumb. “And you didn’t have much, either.”

She matched his fragile smile and they finished off the cake.

[missywritesfor7]

Coffee | KSJ

Synopsis: You find yourself working another late night in the office alone. You’re used to it, but things aren’t as typical this night. You start to think maybe your office building is haunted. What’s really hiding in your workplace?

Pairing: Jin x Reader

Word count: 3.4k

Warnings: my bad attempt at humor

It’s not unusual for you to have to stay in the office late into the night sometimes. It’s been a normal part of your job since you started there a year ago. What’s not so normal is the amount of technical issues you’ve had to face tonight between your computer forcing you to restart it immediately and the suddenly unstable internet connection.

You don’t mind staying late, that’s one of the few times you can get some peace. You can turn your music on and dance your way through your work. You don’t have to listen to the one coworker who has a strong opinion about everything, or smell the one who keeps burning their popcorn in the microwave making it essentially unusable for 24-48 hours. There’s no one constantly standing over your shoulder or the one really sweet coworker who unfortunately doesn’t know when to stop talking. Honestly, if it were up to you, you’d prefer to work these hours when you can be left alone.

The internet disconnects once again and you’re nearly fed up. You decide to go to the break room for a drink of water in hopes that the internet is back when you return to your desk. All of the lights in the building are motion sensor so the lights all turn on the moment you stand up.

The light feels blinding at this hour so you manually turn them back off and go into the break room where the lights turn on in there once you enter. You cringe then grab a cup and pour yourself some water from the dispenser. It seems someone had been in there earlier and left a half drank cup of coffee and a plate with nothing but crumbs sitting on the counter. You shake your head and sigh at how people can be so messy. You take it upon yourself to throw everything out once you finish your water.

The office is dark on all sides. The break room is in the middle of the floor with desks and office space on each side. The other side is for a different department which you hardly see except during company events or when you happen to go in the break room the same time as one of them. There’s only a few faces from that side that you recognize. Actually there’s only one face you recognize because it’s probably your favorite face in the entire office. Too bad you don’t even know his name, but damn he looks good.

You shake your head at the thought and bring yourself back to the present. You look over towards the other side of the office which is also dark and think of how lucky they must be that they never work late like you always do, but it’s also good because that gives you the solitude you enjoy.

You go back to your desk to see the internet is still down. You decide to do a little troubleshooting to the best of your ability to try fixing it. You follow the steps the computer’s troubleshooter guides you through until it tells you to provide the serial number for the router.

“How the fuck am I supposed to know that?” You mumble to yourself.

You’re ready to give up and go home and just deal with the additional work tomorrow, but you decide to at least try to find the router as your last attempt to fix it. You grab a pad of sticky notes and a pen and go in search of the router.

You aren’t too sure where it is but you know there’s a small room where all of the network connection devices are. To your surprise the door to the room is wide open when it normally would be closed. You don’t think much of it and go inside to look for the router. Thankfully everything is labeled so it’s not hard for you to find it, but you notice it’s unplugged. You can’t imagine why it’s unplugged or why someone had the door wide open in the first place, but something about it all is starting to seem suspicious.

You write the serial number down just in case then reach your hand behind the shelf the router is on and plug it back in. You shut the door as you leave and go back out to your desk to see that’s all it took and the internet is back connected. You still don’t know why it was unplugged in the first place or how since you’ve been here all day and there wasn’t a problem until recently. Either way, you get back to working so you can hurry and go home.

It seems you didn’t hurry enough and a few minutes later the internet goes out again.

“What the fuck?” You grumble. This is starting to get old and highly annoying.

You go back to the router and see that not only is the door open again but it’s unplugged again as well.

“What the hell is going on?” You don’t want to overreact but you’re definitely starting to get nervous.

You look around the room and see nothing. You plug the router back in and leave shutting the door behind you. On your way back to your desk you make another stop in the break room for another cup of water. Things are weird and you just need a drink to keep your composure.

While you’re sipping your water you notice the cup of coffee is somehow on the counter again. You know you poured it out and threw the cup away so you have no clue how a new cup of coffee appeared. There’s not even any coffee being made in the coffee maker, and the coffee seems to be room temperature as if it had been there a while.

None of this is normal so you poke your head around while staying safely close to the well lit break room. There’s no one on your side of the office and you can’t see a single person on the other side of the office. When you step into the area the motion lights don’t even come on, which they should since you only turned the lights off on your side of the office.

You take a few more steps around looking for signs of life, but you find nothing. There’s no one there. No one asleep at their desks. No computers left on. Not a soul in sight. You don’t know where the phantom coffee is coming from, but you figure it’s best to get back to work and hopefully get out of there quickly.

You return to your desk to begin working again when the power on the entire floor goes out. You’re about to bang your head on the desk when you’re startled by a shrill scream that came from somewhere on the floor. You won’t say you’re scared, but your heart rate has spiked and your arms are littered with goosebumps. Part of you wants to investigate, but another part of you would rather pack your things and try again during daylight hours.

You decide to do just that and try again tomorrow. You start to gather your things then the power returns. Maybe it’s not worth the fight. Plus you’re tired and hungry. You shut your computer down and head for the elevator.

“AISHHH!!!”

A loud yell rips through the office again and you duck for cover out of instinct. You’re quietly listening for anyone but you hear nothing else. The power flickers again delaying your elevator escape. Clearly there’s someone here so you decide maybe they need help.

Against your better judgment, you turn on your phone’s flashlight and slowly make your way in the direction of the scream. You aren’t actually sure where the sound came from so you’re mostly going into this blind. The way your heart is pounding out of your chest doesn’t make things any easier.

Each step you take feels like impending doom. You’re almost certain this is how it feels to walk the plank. When you reach the break room you stop a moment to look around. The cup of coffee is still there seemingly untouched, but a new plate has now replaced the one you threw away earlier.

This time you decide to inspect the other side of the office closer. You didn’t give it a very good look so maybe you missed someone. It’s the only thing you can convince yourself of to keep from panicking. You’re panicking anyway. Every step you take feels like it’s taking years off your life.

You snake through all of the cubicles and even poke your head in the offices to see if there’s anyone around but you find nothing. Not a single sign of life. It’s dark and empty just like the rest of the office.

The power turns back on, but not in the main parts of the office. You turned the lights off on your side and apparently someone did the same to this side. But who? And why? And most importantly, where are they?

With the power running again and your nerves shit, you decided you don’t care enough to stick around any longer. You make your way back towards the elevators when the sound of something crashing behind you scares you out of your skin.

You quickly turn around and see nothing. You run to the light switch and turn all of the lights back on only to see nothing. No one there and nothing that could have fallen and made that sound.

You take quick panicked steps towards the back of the office. You poke your head in the break room to see nothing has changed. You then go towards the room where the router is. The door is only slightly cracked so you throw it open and your soul is sucked clean out of your body when you hear a deafeningly loud scream from a man standing right in the doorway.

“What the fuck?!?!!!!” You scream back in a panic.

“What are you doing here?!?” He yells.

“What are you doing here?!” You shout back.

“Working! What the fuck?!” He clutches his chest and takes a deep breath. “Who are you?!”

He turns on the light and you finally get a look at him. To your surprise, he’s the one guy you recognize who works in the other part of the office. The guy who, although scared to death in this moment, still looks just as handsome as ever.

“Why are you here??” He asks again.

“I was trying to work, what the fuck?”

“Are you the one who threw my coffee away?!” He huffs.

“Are you the one who keeps fucking with the internet?!” You question.

“I’m doing maintenance!”

“By unplugging the router?”

“Duh!” He sasses. “That’s the first step when troubleshooting anything!”

“Why didn’t you just get someone from IT to fix it instead of unplugging it?”

“I am IT!”

“And your solution was to unplug it?”

“It usually works,” he shrugs.

“Wow,” you chuckle. “I guess now that I’ve solved that mystery I’m going to just go home now.”

“Why are you working so late anyway?” He asks.

“I always do,” you shrug. “I’m usually alone though, not being haunted by a coffee drinking IT ghost.”

“You owe me a coffee by the way.”

“Fine,” you sigh. “Do you want me to brew you a pot right now?”

“No, I don’t like that coffee.” He turns and pulls a large bottle out of his backpack that’s sitting on the chair. “I like this coffee.”

He holds up the bottle that is just a juice bottle that’s been emptied and filled with coffee. The label is ripped off and written in marker is ‘Jin’s Brew’ across the bottle.

“Jin’s brew?” You ask. “Who is Jin?”

“I’m Jin!” He stomps his foot. “This is my special brew that I made myself.”

“Ok…how am I supposed to pay you back for your coffee if you only want your special brew? And why do you drink it at room temperature?”

“Can I not have a preference?” He snaps.

“Ok ok, take it easy,” you laugh. “I’m not knocking your preference, just…curious.”

Now that you know he’s not a ghost or an intruder you feel more amused by him. He’s tall with broad shoulders and the face that you wish you could see more than just once or twice a year. At least now you finally know his name is Jin and he works in IT. You start to consider if you should switch to the IT department so you could have some eye candy for once, but mid-thought the power goes out again causing Jin to shriek.

“Stop doing that!” You shout.

“I didn’t do anything!” Jin shouts trying to calm his volume and heart.

“Why does the power keep going out? It’s not even raining!”

“I don’t know.”

“Can’t you figure it out, IT man?”

“IT has nothing to do with power failure!”

Just then you both hear a sound from the other side of the office.

“Who else is here with you?” Jin asks.

“No one,” you say. “Who else is here with you?”

“No one.”

“Ok,” you resolve. “I think I’ll just get out of here because this is crazy.”

“Where are you going to go?” He asks. “The elevators aren’t going to work with no power.”

“I’ll take the stairs.”

“From the 12th floor?”

“You don’t think I can?”

“I didn’t say that, but…maybe we should stick together right?”

“Then come with me,” you offer.

“From the 12th floor??”

Just then a crashing sound rings from another part of the office startling you both again.

“Are you sure you’re alone?” Jin asks quickly grabbing his things.

The lights come back on and it’s a bit blinding after being in the dark. You both pause to listen for anything or anyone around but hear nothing.

“Let’s just get on the elevator before the power goes out again,” he says. “Come on, you have to stay by me because you still owe me a coffee.”

“Really?” You huff following behind him. “How am I supposed to pay you back if you’re a coffee snob?”

“Well excuse me for not wanting to drink the stale coffee in the break room,” he says rolling his eyes.

“Ok then, what other coffee would you drink?”

“Whatever you get me,” he smiles pressing the button for the elevator.

You can’t help but smile back at his big cute smile. He really is the best looking guy in this office. Although he’s being fussy, you can sense the humor in his tone which makes you even more smitten for some reason.

The two of you enter the elevator when it arrives and Jin immediately hits the button for the ground floor. He looks over at you and smiles again.

“I’ve seen you around the office a few times,” he says finally seeming to recognize you. “Didn’t you wear the hot pink unicorn sweater for last year’s ugly sweater contest?”

“Yeah,” you chuckle a little embarrassed. “I didn’t really have any other sweater.”

“I liked it,” he laughs.

“Thanks,” you laugh along. “You can have it because I may never wear it again.”

“Why? It’s perfect.”

Just as the elevator nears the 4th floor, the power goes out again bringing you both to a harsh and immediate stop.

“Nooo!!” Jin wails. “This place is fucking haunted!!”

“Easy there,” you say trying to hold back your laughter. You thought you were scared before, but he’s much worse than you and that makes you feel a bit better. “We just have to wait it out until the power comes back.”

“The walls are closing in,” he says hitting the emergency call button.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” you laugh.

“I’m glad you find this funny,” he pouts.

“Just chill. Sit down and just be patient.” You grab his arm and get him to sit on the floor with you.

There’s silence at first. The two of you sit there with your faces dimly lit by the back up lights in the elevator. You aren’t sure what to say now. Who knows how long you two will be stuck here.

“Well…” Jin says digging into his backpack. “We may be here a while so do you want to play Halli Galli?”

“What?” You ask watching him pull out a bell and a deck of cards. “You just…carry that around with you?”

“You never know when a situation will call for a game of Halli Galli.”

“What?” You laugh. “What type of situation would you possibly be in that would call for a game of Halli Galli?”

“The one where I’m stuck in an elevator for an indefinite amount of time with someone.”

“Are you always this funny?”

“Funny? I’m serious. I like to be prepared for anything.”

You stare at him a moment trying to read his expression but he’s hard to read. His tone is playful but somehow he’s keeping a straight face, which for some reason just makes him even funnier to you.

“Do you want to play or not?” He asks dealing the cards.

“You don’t seem to be giving me a choice,” you chuckle.

“Thanks for being a great team player,” he jokes, blessing you with the shadow of his gorgeous smile.

Despite the low visibility, you two begin playing a game of Halli Galli. Mostly it’s him dominating the entire game, but you find yourself actually having fun. You both chat as you continue playing and learn more about each other.

You learn that he’s single, lives alone, he has a brother, and he’s very enthusiastic about the library of games he has on his computer. He tells you more about his special coffee that he made himself. He took a workshop on a whim one day and learned how to create his own blend. He’s quite an interesting person who also makes you wish that the power would stay out for just a bit longer so you could continue talking.

“It’s too bad we don’t see each other in the office more,” Jin says. “Maybe instead of coffee, you can pay me back with something else?”

“Like what?” You ask.

“Any drink of my choice.”

“Ok,” you agree. “What drink do you want?”

“I’ll think about it and get back to you. You have to agree to it any time I say though.”

“Really?” You pout. He nods and you give in to his bread cheeks. “Fine.”

“First we have to get out of this capsule of death.”

“It sounds 100 times more awful when you call it that.”

“I’m sorry,” he teases. “I’ll call it ‘the elevator in which we will die if we aren’t rescued’.”

“That’s better,” you joke.

There’s a loud grumble that echoes through the elevator. Jin looks at you with wide eyes then sighs.

“I’m starving but I already ate most of my snacks,” he pouts. “I only have a few gummies left.” He reaches into his backpack and pulls out an open bag of gummy worms. “Want one? There’s 3 left.”

“That’s very gentlemanly of you,” you smile taking the offered worm and popping it in your mouth. Handsome, funny, and sweet. What a package.

Just as you two finish snacking on Jin’s emergency gummies, the power comes back on. The lights in the elevator power on rendering you both blind for a second.

“Finally!” Jin shouts jumping to his feet and punching the button for the ground floor. “I’m so hungry!!” He punches the button again.

“Make it work faster, Mr. IT!” You tease standing up.

“Hush, coffee thief!” He hits the button again and the elevator finally begins to move.

You both breathe a sigh of relief once the elevator finally reaches the bottom and the doors open to the lobby.

“Sweet freedom!” Jin dramatically shouts as he emerges from the elevator.

All you can do is laugh. The building is clearly haunted or something, but you were much less anxious with Jin keeping the mood light, though you’re not even sure if he does it intentionally.

“Come on,” he says grabbing your arm. “There’s a restaurant nearby and you owe me a drink of my choice.”

“Restaurant? Now?” You ask.

“You’re hungry too, aren’t you?” He smiles. “You buy my drink, I’ll buy your food.”

“Wait, how-”

“You can’t say no, remember? That was part of the deal.”

“I wasn’t going to say no,” you chuckle. “I just wanted to know what kind of drink you wanted.”

“After all of this? A strong one,” he laughs.

“Agreed,” you nod. “Let’s go!”

[kittydcoxx]

RAAAHHHHHHH BEIDOU FIC I WROTE ON THE BUS beidou simps come get ur meal pspspsp

GUYS IVE LOST MY MOJO??!?!?!! IDK HOW TO WRITE SMUT ANYMORE??!?!?! TERRIBLE!??!?!?!!!!!!! AUGHHHHHHH but here is the food for my poor little fellow beidou simps who are fed nothing but mere crumbs. I offer you a really shitty beginning of a fic that i literally wrote on the bus home bc i didnt have data. 😮‍💨

Not proof read WHATSOEVER and whatever beginnings of smut there is is at the very end of the post bc 😭😭😭 i was procrastinating it bc im soooo rusty but wanna get back into the groove of it again.😒😪

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

The floor beneath you booms with the rhythm of the music blasting from the speakers. The lines to the bathrooms are backed up, and your friend had informed you that it is in fact not because that many people need to use the washroom, but because people are using substances or hooking up. This was the last thing ever on your bucket list, partying just wasn't your thing, but as per your friend's birthday wishes, you were met with pleas from her for "just one club night pleaseee!" And you had denied her far too long that you decided "what the hell, why not."

A few drinks in your system (though not intended, the peer pressure of your friends begging you to join just one round eventually led to... a few) left you more lax than usual, and to everyone's surprise, you had the incredible capacity to actually dance. This is the first time you've really lost yourself in the music, every other opportunity ruined by the idea of people watching and judging you, but with a little liquid courage and a confidence boost as a result, it actually seemed as if you wanted to attract attention, though you had no idea who's attention you had just wrapped around your finger.

-----

She had just come back from another expidition. It wasn't intended to be a long one, just a short trip from liyue to inazuma to transport a couple items, yet rumors from the crew about treasure and the ever repeating teasing that the captain had "replaced her sense of adventure for domestic living" had gotten under her skin enough that she made room for quite a few detours. She doesn't frequent clubs very often, usually opting for a drinking party aboard the Crux with the rest of the crew, yet tonight she wished for a different experience, and truthfully, she also wished for an excuse to be away from the crew for a while. This club seemed to have opened during her few-months venture on the grand seas of teyvat, and of course as an avid enjoyer of all things alcohol and parties, it was a necessary measure to make sure this club was up to par.

Striding over from the club doors to the bar counter, the atmosphere hits her face. This place was god damn huge. It seemed to be a spot for the younger generations, and the rest of those who are trying to fit in, albeit desperately. There were many foreigners, but still a decent amount of locals inhabiting the club as well. The music from the stereos blasting with a genre that would definitely take her to get used to, the rapid pace of the rhythm and lyrics and new assortment of melodies definitely would take one aback had they never heard it before. The sheer amount of people dancing and drinking and lining to the washrooms was almost overwhelming, even to our party-headed captain. The bar had never been so inviting. Resting her body weight on a bright red faux leather stool, she orders just a simple mixer, skeptical of the specialty drinks being served, the otherworldly-ness of it all taking her by shock. After knocking back a few of the same drink, she sits and observes the crowd, waiting for some sort of buzz to kick in, her energy zapped from the long months at sea but aware that after a few drinks she will be as rejuvenated as she was before she left. As she scans the dance floor, her eyes lock on a particular figure dancing the night away. Jumping, swaying, waving and just having what seemed like the time of her life, her animated moves enticing and entertaining to watch. Every change of the music makes her movements change, and at this movement the dancing changes from upbeat to passionate, sensual.

------

The music had transitioned into a one that you were definitely sure was in some form naughty. The way the vocals whined and whispered, as if entrancing you into slowly swaying your hips and dragging your hands up and down and across your body to the rhythm, completely unaware of the attention you had just gotten from a not so secret admirer staring from accross the club. Sitting at the bar was a muscular woman, her furthest eye covered by a burgindy eyepatch, her uncovered eye locked upon the sight of your body moving to the music. Almost immediately you tense, and she notices, your eyes meeting, your's communicating a sense of alarm, her communicating intrigue. Once finally able to shake off the trance in which you fell upon meeting her gaze, you realize she had disappeared. Perhaps she went to freshen up? Or perhaps she just straight up left. Either way, no one else was obviously watching you now, and the music began calling to your body once more, continuing your slow movements to the rhythm.

-----idk what to put here so were skipping to the smut---------------------------

Her toned body looms over you, your arms rested on the pillow under your head. She pauses for a moment, taking in the image of you underneath her, so perfect and so pretty, just for her to see. Your clothes lay on the floor and it sets in that you are now completely on display for her to see, set out in front of her like a warm, steaming meal ready to be devoured. It had not completely registered that you had become in this position, but did it really matter? In this moment, nothing matters except for her.

Her hands trace paths along the sides of your body, trailing from your hips, to your waist, resting slightly underneath the lower part of your ribs as her head lowers into the crook of your neck, leaving kisses and marks into the plush of your skin, trailing down to your collarbone before making a beeline of kisses from the front of your neck, pausing again right before your lips touch, feeling the heat of your staggered breaths against her face, a smirk growing as she prides herself in how quickly she stripped and made a mess of you without actually even touching you.

"Mmm... you're really enjoying this aren't you doll?"

[custardcove]

First Memories

Chapter Five - Easy as Pie

The competition was to be held three days after their discussion. Alice spent that time getting ready, despite her ever-growing sense of dread. Knowing Queenie, they’d be working in front of an audience, she’d make it the biggest deal possible, and Alice would crack under the pressure. But there was no use being paralysed by fear, she’d just have to do her best…

She had looked online and in Pansy’s cookbooks for the easiest to follow recipe of the highest quality. Ultimately, she’d cobbled together a fusion of several methods that she thought would be best. Some said to precook the apples, others said not to, but she’d made her mind up to follow the latter. This meant marinating the peeled and cut apples in sugar and spices for an hour. It seemed like there would be a lot of waiting time between cooking it all … she wished Taylor had shouted out something less time-consuming.

“The kind of apples you use are important too,” Pansy said from behind her, making her jump. “Got word there’ll be a few to choose from tomorrow.”

Alice wiped her hands on her loaned apron, which had otherwise stayed relatively clean. “What would you recommend?”

“Hmm.” Pansy leant on the doorframe to the kitchen, rubbing her chin. “Pink Ladies? No—maybe Braeburn. Somethin’ I can tell what it is might be better; that’s what I usually use—it’s what you got there. I’d want it to be fair, but … Queenie’s not playing fair.”

“Yeah. I’d expect she might try something.” Alice sighed. A half-finished pie crust lay on the counter before her. “Even if I don’t win though, um. Thank you for taking care of me. I don’t know how to repay you, but I’ll try when I—”

“Aw, you don’t need to do that.” Pansy moved closer to clap her on the shoulder.

“I do! I can’t just take living here for granted. Not like with my parents,” Alice joked. It didn’t get much of a reaction, so she continued, “Thank you, though. Really. I’d be dead two or more times without your help.”

Arms crushed her middle as Pansy swept forward, full of sentimentality. “Aww, you big softie!”

“I’m just being honest—I haven’t done anything to deserve—”

“Simply be! You don’t need to ‘deserve’ being rescued, or fed.”

“I suppose, but that doesn’t make you any less kind.”

Once Alice had escaped the pseuman’s iron grasp, she proceeded to cook her trial pie. When it had cooled she cut a slice for Pansy and mashed up some of the cooked apple for Primrose to try.

“Well…” she hovered as Pansy ate. “Is it any good?”

“It’s not bad.” Pansy chewed on her words as she savoured the pie. “I wasn’t expectin’ my socks to get blown off, but it’s cooked fine, and you’ve spiced it enough. I’d only recommend cutting the apples a bit more even-like tomorrow.”

“Right…” Alice gripped onto the apron fabric. At least it wasn’t awful, then.

Pansy helped spoon some of the apple mush into her daughter’s mouth. “See, Prim likes it.”

“Prim can judge tomorrow instead of you, then.”

Laughing, Pansy put the spoon down. “You’ll do fine! Better yet if you taste it yourself, might give you an idea.”

Alice cut herself a slice, sitting at the table with a cloud of gloom. She put a crumb of the pie in her mouth. It needed custard. “So, if I lose…”

“We’ll just have to think of somethin’ else. Find a trinket she’s willing to trade for, maybe? I don’t expect Miss Dragonpants will be a spectacular cook or anything like that. Someone with that much money has staff to cook for ‘em.”

“I guess you’re right.” Alice felt like there was some crucial detail about Queenie that meant this wouldn’t be the case, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Oh well. “What should I be expecting tomorrow? Just so it doesn’t keep me up tonight…”

Pansy hesitated. “They’ve set up a sort of makeshift stage with kitchen appliances on it—it was still being done up when I went, but I was impressed. The only advertisement for it’s been word of mouth, but that travels fast here.” She paused again to take in Alice’s expression, in case her horror was too great. It was a manageable amount. “Taylor’s gonna MC—I’m starting to wonder if he ever goes to work! Apart from me n’ Tech, Queenie chose one of her maids as a judge. But tomorrow I’ll take you there, and all you have to do is cook.”

“Ugh … this better be worth it, then.”

***

In no time at all, the day of the competition was at hand. It was another bright and cheerful spring morning, but Alice trembled as she followed Pansy to Erryton square. They’d been to Pablo’s to drop off Primrose, but the wait only served to make Alice more nervous. She gained a bit of relief on arriving, noticing that the crowd there wasn’t very large, and was mostly scattered around food stalls and makeshift shops. The cooking competition was just an impromptu side-event. The stage, too, wasn’t huge like she’d expected – it was more of a flat platform, barely raised enough to stop people milling over it. Taylor was there, and he beamed at the pair, to which Alice offered a weak smile.

“You ready?” He asked.

“No.”

His eyebrows folded in sympathy. “You’ll do fine. Everyone’s here now, so we’ll start soon. Just stand near your kitchen area—the one on the left—and Pansy,” Taylor shifted his gaze, “You’ll be sitting on that table at the front with the other judges.”

Pansy smiled at Alice, patting her on the shoulder. A lot of people were trying to give her hope today… “Good luck.”

Mid-walk to her seat, Pansy whipped her head toward the kitchen area, pointing an accusatory finger. “Don’t think I don’t see you there, Queenie! You can’t just take Alice’s ingredients and throw the contest.”

Indeed, it seemed the noble had not-so-slyly swiped something from Alice’s setup, caught carrying it away to her station. “Oh, is this Alice’s sugar? My mistake…” She placed it back down on the counter, simpering sweetly.

 Alice frowned. That seemed typical, yes, but was Queenie so careless? Pansy seemed satisfied with this result, however, and doesn’t delay any further. Alice hurried to her cooking station. Everything she needed was here—a selection of labelled apples, flour, an oven and fridge—but there was one thing she was more concerned about. She could hear Taylor speaking to the audience, now, but where was the sugar Queenie had placed? There…

“All right, get ready—”

Alice licked her finger, dipping it in the sugar and tasting it. That wasn’t right, it was—

“—your time starts now!”

Salt.

Time had already started, and Alice looked around frantically to see if she had any actual sugar. To her relief, she still had a whole pot of brown sugar, and her own pot of salt. But Queenie’s sleight of hand had still delayed her start. She got to work, glancing at her hastily scrawled recipe from yesterday evening. Apples first, they had to sit for ages, then dough, which also needed to sit—but before that, preheating the oven. It wasn’t something she ever remembered when cooking for herself, but right now she needed every advantage she could get.

Alice then made the mistake of looking over at Queenie’s workstation. She was midway through peeling her apples and waved cheekily with her knife. Alice fumbled for the Braeburn. She needed a peeler, and the sugar and spices, and . . .

---

||Previous|| - ||Next||

[toads-are-very-polite]

kind of sad ramblings? I needed to get some feelings out.

I am alone again.

I normally like being alone. Alone is a brief period of time that I can remove the tightly stitched and fraying mask I keep on in public.

To say I only wear that mask of normality to be respectful is a lie. I know it is only there so that people sort of accept me.

I soothe myself as water pours over my body, and under the scrubbing of soap, I am forced to exist with just my own thoughts. It's not a purposeful manipulation, barely even conscious. Just human desire to belong. This is what spins in my head.

The Mask has been there so long that They are not I. They smile too much. They laugh at jokes I don't consider funny. They let themselves be spoken over because what I have to say isn't really important, is it? The world can do better without my strange stuttering and neigh incomprehensible words. Yes, surely, time is better spent when someone else who is not Me is talking.

I was not taught how to take up space in this world, and so I will try not to. I soothe myself again. You have no choice, do you? You can't change anything. It's hardly worth the matter.

But perhaps it's the opposite. I do talk about myself quite a lot. People must be fed up with whatever new idea that rattles my voice box. I know I am. The Mask can't even stop them. The Mask tries to apologise. The Mask assures everyone they shouldn't worry.

Some part of me still wishes they would.

I planned to eat a leftover meal when i came home tonight, a terrible mess with a migraine and overwhelmed. I checked the fridge and it was not there. Someone else had eaten it. The Mask could not stop the despair that came with that. Really, it's selfish is what it is. My stomach is still growling. There's no use eating anything when what I asked others to save for me is gone, and they have already deemed me unworthy of one piece of pizza. Let alone a meal.

My mom brings me a scone, and tells me to take care of myself. The crumbs that remain sit on a magazine I used so they wouldn't land in my bed as I ate in the dark. This is kind of her. I half believe it is only to try and stop the sobbing that will probably come about soon.

There is nothing worthy of a sob. But I have given everything, yet not enough, and I am alone. I want to scream it. I'm alone alone alone. I am so Lonley, and there is No Reason for it.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here a bit early bestie, ostensibly to wish us luck for tonight's LS episode which will finally give us a Grace storyline but is tragically coupled with yet another Owen's sex life storyline which I could not give a fuck about and OMG last night's episode was SO FUCKING GOOD!! Finally we were fed well with the Chim content, and he really did get to shine. Pairing him with Ravi, getting him to be the one to push Ravi back out there the way Bobby kind of did for him, I loved every second. We even got spoiled with some Buckley-Han family crumbs that were absolutely adorable!! Loved seeing Bobby desperately looking for criticism from his team and every one of them just noping out (again LOVED Chim finally giving in at the end with the "why don't you just tell us?!!"). I did appreciate that if they are determined to do this whole Nathaniel thing they're following through, though I'm a little 😒 at the way it was shoved in at the end). And God the Eddie "dating" stuff was so much better than I was expecting (ignoring the utter and complete lack of setup). Ryan's face the entire time was just priceless, if these aren't choices on his part like what are his scene notes?? Eddie looks at Buck *look like you're Cinderella and the prince just asked you to dance*. Eddie looks at or talks about a date *look somewhere between panicked and like you have an ulcer*. We'll see how this goes since there's not much season left but at least for this episode I had fun. We got, at least for one glorious episode all the firefam feels and I'm taking the win!! Maybe even with a song...

Oh yeah, uh, good luck watching LS (guess I should have saved the scene muting comment for this episode and Owen) 🍷🍷🍷!!!

Yes yes, very excited about Grace as always, and Owen is...whatever. Though the compressions on the frozen guy could at least be interesting for emergency related fun stuff.

ANYWAY, HOW ABOUT THAT EPISODE LAST NIGHT?!?!?! The TVFanatic review was absolutely spot on with my issues in regards to Eddie's storyline, as well as wondering if it will ultimately turn out well, but it was SO much better than I was prepared for. And while the message of "Eddie has no gf and therefore MUST be lonely" that was being pushed on him was very 😒 it was shown to absolutely be coming from a place of love. (Eddie is the favorite grandson and nephew, you cannot change my mind.) Ryan's choices have been very...loud, not just in his scenes with Buck but how he's approaching this whole dating thing so we'll see how it turns out! (Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll cut the Folger's girl stuff? It's never too late to manifest!)

The Bobby stuff this episode was EXACTLY the kind of fun firefam stuff we needed while still serving a purpose, and it really felt like old times, and it was so good seeing Maddie back at work even briefly. And I know some people found it cringy but I too could not help but sing along if I heard music so 🤷🏻‍♀️ I get it, kid! I think the Nathaniel stuff will probably end fine, but again we have another bungled set up that really just needed a touch of tweaking but at least we got a Hen/Athena talk out of it!

Every. Single. Second. of the Ravi and Chim stuff was RIVETING and felt so much like home. It was so so so good and I petition for Kenny to have more storylines and do more interviews! I am sooooo happy to have Ravi back home again (even if they could have given a crumb or two instead of erasing him from the show for almost a whole season and bringing him back with no warning), and I'm excited to see how the big emergency in the finale plays out.

Cheers friend, and I can't wait to hear what song you've got for us!

[howlingsaturn]

i know that ronen meant for the "welcome home, tk" scene to be a new fan favourite, maybe even more so than the police station scene. and he didn't lie, it's a great scene. it's a perfect scene even.

but i cannot – for the life of me – stop watching or stop thinking about the tarlos reunion in the hospital.

the built up on both sides is incredible. tk and gwyn in his dream, talking about the break up and tk being worried carlos doesn't want to take him back. all the while andrea encourages carlos to talk to tk and get whatever is on his heart across in case he may never get to again. and carlos is so hurt and angry but he loves this dude so much and some of it must've come across to tk cause he wakes up from his coma and reaches for him like he knows it's what he's meant to. he wants to be with carlos so bad.

it's the "hi, baby" and the "breathe, breathe, breathe" for me. this stupid white boy stepped away from the edge like it was nothing and said 'alright, i gotta take care of my man now cause he needs me'.

it's tk holding out a hand for carlos cause he knew carlos wouldn't initiate no matter how much he'd want to. it's carlos taking a second to react because it's all so surreal like – tk's alive and he wants him there – but then once he's touched him, he can't bring himself to stop. it's how he kisses him and holds him and does all the things he was scared he'll never get to do again. it's the way tk holds him right back as if he's scared he's going to disappear right in front of him, like it's all going to shatter apart again.

it's the music – this stupid fucking song from a video game – that just hits you right between the ribs.

it's the way this story was told, with baby ryder being born at the exact same time. because there's more than one heart that starts beating right this second.

it's futile to say but if there ever was a scene that could beat the excellence of the police station scene from season one – and i'm not saying there is – i think it'd be this one.

[ponytailcoby]

[lord-explosion-baku]

Trident Tale

Merman!Shinsou x reader, Kirishima x Reader

Warnings: adult themes (Minors DNI)

A/N: read the prologue on AO3

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

(Original image by @maewoahoah)

Synopsis: Moving to an island where everyone is big on the surf scene and other oceanic happenings might not have been the brightest idea for someone so afraid of anything that has to do with water, but you make do by spending your days looking after the Bed & Breakfast, trying not to burn the house down when you fry a few eggs, and obsessively scrolling through Eijirou Kirishima’s social media page. He’ll never notice you, and you think you’re fine with that, until a mysterious force washes into Ms. Shuzenji’s pool after a particularly nasty storm.

Hitoshi Shinsou is a pain in the ass from the get-go, but you put up with him, fins and all, when he promises he can help unite you with your soulmate. The catch? The fish is hellbent on taking back what was stolen from him, and he won’t lift a gracious finger until he gets what he came for.

You’re helpless to lend him a hand, so long as you stay dry. Unless, of course, he has other plans.

You know how the saying goes: you rub his fins, he’ll rub yours.

Storms have never really been your cup of tea. Though you keep yourself locked inside a good percent of the time, there’s nothing quite as suffocating as the compress of clouds overhead. It’s not like you always have to see them to be uncomfortable, but you definitely feel them pressing down, closing in, and caging you, even when you’ve got yourself tucked under a blanket on Ms. Shuzenji’s couch.

It’s been a little over a year since you first moved to the island. All you needed was a new beginning, and you got that, but you got that, and the tropical weather that you’re still getting used to. It’s currently typhoon season, and holy seaweed-on-your-doorstep, is it storming.

There’s little you can do to distract yourself while staying and working at Shuzenji’s bed and breakfast. There are currently no guests, aside from you, so all the rooms are made, and the old lady is on another one of her long vacations, so you’re basically being paid to lounge. You’re grateful for that, at least. But the only thing that’s keeping you physically separated from the terrifying weather is a thick glass pane that water sloshes on every time a wave laps over the backyard walls.

The things that separate you mentally are the old-timey recordings of Shuzenji singing alongside an ensemble cast, and the little device in your hand. If you didn’t have your boss’s haunting melodies echoing throughout the house, and some big, beefy, tatted eye-candy to gawk at during the storm, you’d surely go insane.

Eijirou Kirishima, one of the island’s best surfers, is out on his board, live-streaming his current fight against the waves. His whoops and hollers can be heard over the crashing tides, getting even you excited for what’s about to come. That’s the thing about Kirishima; he’s wild, you’re not, and it’s hot as hell. Oftentimes, you catch yourself daydreaming about joining him out in the surf—he guides you through the waves, maybe yoou impress him a bit with your sudden affinity for wave-riding, and the two of you wash up on shore where you’ll both share your first kiss. It would be feasible if you could swim. It would be feasible if you bothered to learn how to swim, but for now, you’re content with your imagination. At least he can make you hate the terrible weather a little less.

The conspiratorial smirk he shows the camera is borderline swoon-worthy when the swell begins to pull him further out. It’s impossible not to bite your lip every time you catch a glimpse of his arms forcing themselves through the sea. He makes this look easy—like the storm is child’s play, and as the winds blow Shuzenji’s trash bin into the sliding glass door, you welcome the delicious distraction.

As Kirishima stands up on his signature trident board and rides one of the biggest waves he’s seen all day, you’re once again struck with how much of a coward you are. He can fight the elements, while you can hardly bring yourself the courage to talk to him. Mind you, he’s constantly surrounded by a close group of friends—a close group of friends you find intimidating—and when he’s not with them, he’s out in the water. Where there’s water involved, you’re spoken for. Unless, of course, you’d like for the first time you guys actually speak, to be when he’s giving you CPR.

Not the most ideal “meet cute”, but if it works, it works.

A loud crash snaps you out of your admittedly salty daydream. Mango, Shuzenji’s orange tabby, yowls at the blanket of water cascading down the windows, and your stomach sinks. There’s only so many minutes you can pretend that the storm Kirishima is facing isn’t the one that’s destroying Shuzenji’s yard.

With a sigh, you roll off the velvet couch, and grimace when crumbs that were nesting in your shirt fall to the carpet: a mess to clean up later. Without any guests to mind, you don’t have to worry too much over keeping the place spick-and-span, so long as things are nice and tighty by the time the old lady gets back, which will be awhile.

You have an easy enough job—at least, when there aren’t bunches of thick seaweeds crashing over the yard’s wall, flooding the pool.

“Shit.”

Water sprays in every direction. The already trash-infested pool overflows as more kelp rolls in with the maniacal waves, and angry, white foam bangs on the back door. It's a disaster outside, and you’re not sure what to do about it.

Fingers wrapped around the back door handle, you struggle to think of a way to prevent a bigger mess, but even if you could manage to clean anything, nothing is stopping the tempest from wreaking anymore havoc. Best case scenario, you stop a plastic soda-chain from washing out to see and becoming a deadly necklace for an unlucky seagull. Worst case scenario, you slip, crack your head open on the pavement, and drown before you can ever utter the words “mahalo” to Kirishima.

Needless to say, you’ll take your life over a gull’s any day.

Another sigh.

A greater wave collides against the wall, bringing more of the Great Unknown into the pool. This is going to be a fun job to clean. Good thing you’ve got Shuzenji’s service boy, Denki Kaminari, on speed dial. You think if you sound particularly distressed in the morning, he’ll show up to help you out with just about anything in the matter of minutes. God bless desperate fuckboys.

So, for now, you cuddle back up on the couch, watch Kirishima shake saltwater out of his thick, red hair, and pretend that his storm is not the same thing as your storm.

It’s early morning when you finally rise out of bed. You hadn’t gotten a whole lot of rest—something to do with the wailing winds shaking your bedroom window nonstop, but after you finally drifted into dreams about snakes and dragons, you woke to clear skies, and light seagull calls.

From the second story, you can see early birds have already gotten the jump on cleaning up the beach. The sun is shining, the ocean blue and vast. The only trace there was ever a storm is already being taken care of. There are lifeguards riding around on ATVs and younger civilians with trash bags and grapplers picking up seaweed and absconded debris. The respect everyone has for the island is something to be admired, and you half-consider going out there yourself, after you’ve dealt with your yard, which is sure to be a wreck.

There’s no interest in picking out a cute outfit for the morning you’re going to have, even if Denki might see you, so you throw on a already-worn-this-week crop top, some pink shirts, and you’re good to go.

The first thing you do after Mango’s fed is check your socials. Kirishima posted a picture of his breakfast: a hefty plate with three eggs, sausage links, bacon, cut avocado, and what seems to be low-carb toast. The post reads, gotta eat ur gainz 2 gain ur gainz, and it’s so ridiculous that you’re infatuated with this reckless himbo. You wonder if you’d ever be able to hold an intellectual conversation with him, if you could ever manage to speak to him in the first place, but conversation wouldn’t matter if his mouth was between your thighs.

Following his example, you crack two eggs over a frying pan, sigh at the mostly empty fridge, then agonize over the state of Shuzenji’s yard. It’s worse than you thought it’d be. The pool is a sickly green color, and from where you’re standing inside, its murky depths seem to be almost opaque from the seaweed and garbage stewing together. Kelp litters the beige pavement, and there’s trash hiding in the shrubs. There’s a chocolate donut floaty bobbing around in there, too, and Shuzenji doesn’t own any floaties.

What a drag.

Before you get too far in your head about everything you’ll need to do to clean up, you quickly dial Denki’s number. He picks up after a ring and a half.

“I know what you’re about to ask,” says the boy on the line, and from his cocky tone, you can assume it’s not going to be about the cleanup. “I am absolutely free tonight. If you wanted to grab drinks at the Salty Barrel, maybe go on a romantic rendezvous out on the beach, watch the sunset on or in a couple blankets, I wouldn’t complain.”

“I’m not calling to ask you on a date, Kaminari,” you say as you step outside. The pavement is cold underneath your bare feet, and you have to tip-toe around to be sure not to let any kelp touch your skin. Yuck.

“But you’re not, not calling about a date, either,” he counters. By the volume of his voice, you can tell that he’s in his van, talking to you over the speaker. Good. So he’s already out and about.

“I need you to tell me how to drain Shuzenji’s pool.” Call you cold, but you’re used to Denki’s flirty nature by now, and you’ve learned that the best way to deal with it, is to not acknowledge it. Of course, you can’t be too callous when it comes to him, especially when you actually need his help. You eye the dangerously complex-looking valves off to the side of the house, and grimace. “There’s too many twisty thingies! I’m not sure what to do!”

“Now, hold your horses, little lady! Don’t go twisting any thingies just yet. Draining a pool is a process.” There’s a long pause, the loud growl of an engine, then silence. He’d pulled over to talk to you. “How’s your TDL? And what kinda PVC pipes you got?”

“The huh and what?” You don’t need to pretend to be in distress—you have no idea what he’s talking about.

“Listen, don’t touch anything. You’re calling because the pool’s a mess right now, right? You don’t need to drain it; at least, not yet. I can swing by in an hour or so to clean it, but I’ve gotta make some stops first. You’re not the only single woman who wants to watch me do my thang, especially not after yesterday.”

“It’s so bad, Kaminari.” The water in the pool sloshes around, like there’s actually something in it causing the water to ungulate and burble. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Don’t worry your pretty, little head over it. You've got me, okay? It’s my job to protect and serve.”

“You’re not a cop.”

“Nope, I’m better than a cop. I’m a pool guy.”

He goes on to ask you to check out what kind of drain the pool has, if you can find the drain, then loses you when he starts talking numbers and gallons. While still on the phone, you send a few texts to Shuzenji, explaining the predicament, then Denki mentions rates. You’re getting the cutie pie discount, doubled because he counts Shuzenji as a “cutie pie” too—something you mention to her because she’ll get a kick out of it—then he drops all business to ask about food.

“I’m cooking my breakfast,” you say with a wary glance back at the house.

“But is your breakfast fries and a shake from Tiki Burger?”

You bite your lip as your stomach growls its empty sorrow. “No.”

“Would you like it to be?” His knowing grin is heard through the line.

“…I’m not gonna go out with you.”

He chuckles and you’re grateful that he can’t see your answering smile. “We’ll see how you feel after you see me work my magic. And hey, if you’d like me to wear a Speedo while I work—“

“You’ll be here in an hour?” You cut him off, because Denki in a Speedo is the last thing you need on your mind. The thought of Kirishima in a Speedo, however, gets you a little hot, which is saying a lot, since you’re a part of the Speedos and Dolphin-shorts Are Abominations To Swimwear belief system.

“Maybe sooner. I think my next client just needs me to check out their chemical levels. Inside pool and all. Everyone else knew to put a tarp out.”

The tarp you had blew away, but you don’t bother explaining that to Denki. Let him believe you’re the dim-witted “little lady” he wants you to be. If it means Shuzenji gets a discount, not that she can’t afford any bill Denki’s company throws at her, then let him believe you can’t open a pickle jar without a man’s help for all you care.  

“See you then,” you say, and end the call. There will be time to work on your charm once Denki gets here. Until then, you figure you could do some investigating so you’re not completely helpless.

Leaving your phone on the pavement so you don’t accidentally drop it in the water, you make your way around the pool to where you think you remember the drain being. You can’t say you’ll know what kind of drain it is, but if you remember correctly, it’s circular, and like, kinda meshy? That description simply won’t do.

Dropping down to your knees, you peer down into the pool, squinting, as if that can help you see through all the muck. There’s definitely a lot of kelp and algae, sand drifting through the water, someone’s wayward brazier, and oh. A school of fish—little babies circling about. It’s wild, but you suppose it could be possible if all the chlorine washed out and there was enough salt water to sustain marine life.

The fish move together, bopping into each other, mouths gaping open to eat whatever they find in their temporary home. You don’t know enough about marine life to know what kind of fish they are. Silvery little things. Maybe Denki has something that can help transport them from the pool to the ocean. It’s not far—Shuzenji’s house is on the beach. It would be a shame if all the little fish had to die. You don’t particularly care about touching or feeding fish, but a life is a life, and if they can be saved, you’d at least like to try.

But all your thoughts of saving fish life stop when you catch something moving in the water. It’s not the fish—they’re not that big, but it’s definitely fishlike. Fish plus. It moves like a shadow, serpentine and fluid. You catch a glimpse of scales, so it’s definitely not a dolphin—even then, it’s bigger than a dolphin, and more graceful than a shark. You begin thinking of leviathan, and other mythical creatures, as ridiculous as that is, when you see a long flowing fluke.

Okay. This thing is not just big. It’s gargantuan, and to see this much of the creature without seeing its head makes your skin crawl. You imagine falling in and being swallowed whole, suffocating in the dark, drowning in a monster’s belly.

The thought spooks you static, just in time to meet a pair of eyes in the water. This is your overactive imagination—you’re scaring yourself insane, but you don’t look away, and those eyes, almost human and curious, don’t disappear.

You’ve consumed enough media to know how these impossible interactions go. The creature is inquisitive, but keeps its distance. It often has to be coaxed out of hiding, and even then, the thing is skittish and untrusting. You’re certainly not one to go “pspsps, hey little guy, I’m not gonna hurt you,” but even if you were, you don’t get the chance, because this thing you’re looking at isn’t the least bit skittish, and in one second, you’re making eyes at at it, and in the next, the thing is exploding out of the water.

A large, broad chest towers over you. The thing pushes itself up with arms, human arms, but it’s anything but human. Sure, it has hair, although an odd purple color, framing its angular face and jaw, which are both human enough. Also framing its face are a pair of long, pointed fins sticking out from where human ears should be. Water dribbles down its chest, down to its navel—its navel. Your brain screams mammal, but underneath its navel are scales, rippling down to where its legs should be. Not human. Not fish.

Fish plus.

Man.

Fish plus man.

Fish-man.

Its eyes are almost the same color as its hair, only a shade lighter, and much sharper, narrowed in on you. It’s glaring. You realize this at the same time you realize that you're staring at it with your mouth agape. This would be so rude in any other setting. It’s also rude to pop out of a pool that isn’t yours without any other warning, but you’re not about to chastise the thing. You’re far too scared.

Then the thing reaches out to you, sprinkling water on your thighs and your shirt. Its hands look like a man’s hand, but its long fingers are connected by thin, indigo webbing that matches its tail. Its tail. You lose focus trying to find the word for this creature that’s barely on the tip of your tongue, when you realize the palm of its hand, its fishy, webby hand, is hovering over your cheek, the other carefully placed next to your knee to keep it upright.

You open your mouth to speak, but only a hiss comes out. The creature, wary, brings its hand back, but only slightly. Not enough to put you at ease, but enough to allow you to gain your composure, and scream.

“H-help!!!” You screech. “Help! Somebody! Help me!”

It claps its hand over your mouth, knocking you back. Water drips down on your shirt as it leans in, mouth curling up with distaste. Then, it does something impossible.

It speaks.

“So loud,” it growls in a low, masculine timbre.

It speaks, you think, it speaks and it has no manners!

You try to yell back, probably something with little thought, but you have a mouth full of fish-man hand, and the more you warble in its palm, the more apathetic it appears.

“Be quiet and still,” it commands, as if obeying it is supposed to be the most natural thing—something it expects from you. It catches you so off-guard that you actually listen, only trembling a little bit as those indigo eyes scan over your form. It’s uncomfortable having an unknown but cognizant creature observe you so closely. You shiver when its gaze roams over your belly, down your legs. You want to curl your legs up, move away, but you’re afraid if you even twitch more than it’s comfortable with, it’ll grab you and drag you into the pool. Your nightmare.

Instead, it does something slightly less worse. It moves its hand from your mouth to your cheek. The palm of its hand warms your skin in an unnatural way, like you’ve been laying in the sun for half an hour and it’s only your cheek that heats up. The creature's eyes widen as light begins to emanate, either from you, or from it, you’re not sure, but definitely from where it touches you. Tingles run from your neck down to your spine, and you wish you’d put a bra on before going outside, because this thing’s touch is making your body react in a way that it shouldn’t.

“So easy,” it purrs appraisingly, somewhat less insolent, but you’re still taken aback, ears hot with embarrassment.

Un-fucking-likely.

“Easy?!” You squawk out. “What do you mean by easy?”

It doesn’t answer you, and instead, moves its fingers from your cheek, down your jaw, to your chin. It begins leaning closer, heavy lids closing. You notice its lips for the first time: a defined line and a pretty bow. If you were in a less dire situation, you’d be able to admit that they’re very nice lips, but they’re getting closer to you, closer still, and you realize with a jolt what it’s trying to do.

Your foot meets its chest in a heartbeat.

“Nope!” You belt out, extending your leg so there’s more distance between you and the impolite beast. “Not today, fish-breath!”

Unperturbed, it lifts a lazy brow. Then, to your absolute horror, it presses both of its hands into your bare leg, and again you’re lit up, warm, and tingly, only far worse than before. Stomach tightening, you make a choked noise, trying to hold in the sigh that claws at your throat.

“Fish-breath.” It repeats your insult like it’s a balled-up piece of paper to be thrown in the trash. “I’ve been told that my aroma is quite appealing.”

“By whom? Other fish-breaths?!” You wriggle your leg out of his embrace, or whatever you could call that invasion, only to have it slip down so your foot rests in the fish-man’s hands, bright as the stars in the sky. “Eww ew! Don’t touch me! Get away!”

The creature scoffs, but let’s you go, and you both watch as the light disappears from the arch of your foot where he’d been touching. Fish-man slinks back into the murky water, hiding under a blanket of algae.

You have enough time to gather your composure, wipe the water droplets off your face, and rub your eyes. For a moment, you try to convince yourself that this has all been a sleep-deprived hallucination, but you’ve never really been one to delude yourself, unless your Kirishima fantasies were involved, and you know that you’ll have to try another tactic to accept the reality of your situation. Perhaps you can try to be civil with this creature, ask it if it’s…hurt, or if it needs a late night escort to get it back to the sea. But then, the thing resurfaces on the opposite end of the pool. It faces you, and leans back against the wall, arms spread out against the pavement, basking.

“You know,” he says, “your decorum is severely lacking. Don’t humans have classes that teach them proper etiquette—how to be more polite towards their guests and such?”

What’s lacking is your patience for marine life.

Standing up, you take in the thing, which you’re now pretty sure is in fact a man of sorts, in its entirety. His tail is long, longer than human legs, extending past the halfway mark of the pool, if your measurement counts his fluke. There’s a golden cuff on his right arm that spirals around, accentuating his large biceps. You stubbornly admit that it’s attractive—he’s attractive, at least, he would be for people who were into fish and not surfers. You brush whatever you’re feeling in the pit of your stomach off by telling yourself that you’re simply awestruck, and move on.

“Where I’m from-“ you begin, straightening your sodden crop top- “we offer our guests various beverages and snacks, depending on the time of day.”

Annoyingly, he looks interested.

“Since it’s the morning, I’d offer a guest tea, or coffee, and if I’m looking to impress, I’d maybe cook them a hot meal.”

The creature offers you a sardonic smile. “I happen to be famished.”

“However, with home-invaders, we’re more likely to pull a gun on them before heating up the earl grey.”

He loses the smile, and you’re glad that he might have an inkling of what a gun is. You’ve never owned one, and they don’t allow firearms on the island, but the threat stands. But if he was intimidated, even for a moment, he doesn’t show it anymore, and proves just that by turning his back on you, and resting his head in his arms. He has a dorsal fin with what looks to be a deep, x-shaped scar near his tailbone. You try not to wonder what that could’ve been from.

“Then how do you propose I go from a home-invader, to a house guest?” Asks the creature with little interest.

Cautiously walking around the pool with your arms crossed, you begin to list things off for the far-too-comfortable fish-man.

“You can start by telling me who you are, what you are, why you’re here, what you want, and why you think you can lay your webbed hands on me.”

“Oh, is that all?” He hums noncommittally. Content. Aggravating. “Why don’t you start then? Who are you, and why are you here?”

The back of your neck grows hot and uncomfortable. “How entitled do you have to be to—!” You start, but you’re swiftly cut off by the shrieking of the fire alarm. Smoke plumes from outside the house’s windows, and you curse under your breath before darting towards the door. You’d completely forgotten about your eggs.

In your haste to move the pan off the stove, you burn your fingers and drop the pan to the kitchen floor, two blackened egg crisps flaking off and diving in different directions. Mango yowls at the commotion and investigates one of the fallen egg crisps. Before you can tell him to buzz off, he loses interest in your mess, not bothering to give it a taste. You don’t blame him, but the eggs didn’t appear to be cat-bad. Ah, you can’t kid yourself. They are cat-bad. They’re completely inedible. Now you’re going to have to head to the market, while worrying about a man trapped in Shuzenji’s pool.

Your stomach roars at you.

After cleaning the mess as best as you could while desperately and ruefully wanting to return to your guest—no, not guest—invader, you get the alarm, half-heartedly fan the smoke out of the house, and return. Angry. This guy better start talking soon, or things are going to get ugly.

To your utter displeasure, he looks all the more amused at your newer, messier state.

“Was that supposed to be the hot meal,” he asks, cocky. “Because if so, I’ll pass.”

Instead of biting his head off like you’d like to, you present him with the still-dirty frying pan, pointing it at his head like you intend to use it.

“Start talking, fish-for-brains.”

The beast snickers, raising his hands in the air in mock-surrender. “Easy there, tiger shark. You know how to use that thing?”

You refuse to humor him. Instead, you keep your scowl tight, your arms steady. If he’s not threatened, he’ll lose interest in this game, then he’ll have to talk.

Lo and behold, you’re right. The fish-man rolls his eyes, and looks at you, again, with apathy.

“My name is Hitoshi Shinsou,” he says, lackadaisical, like he’s already bored of himself. “I’m one of Ryūjin. What humans have learned to call merpeople are actually descendants of the sea gods who lived centuries ago. I’m here, simply because the storm washed me here. What I want is to retrieve what’s mine. I thought I could lay my webbed hands on you—well-“ the corner of his mouth tilts up-“darlin’, it was because your body reacted to me.”

Mouth forming the beginning of a question that never comes, you stare in disbelief at this myth. Then the last thing he said dawns at you.

“I did not react to you!” You rebuke, steady hands now shaking.

“Oh no?” He says, but it’s not a question. It’s a challenge.

Hitoshi grabs the flat end of the frying pan and yanks it, and you, closer to him, closer to the water. You cringe and whine when a wet, webby hand closes around your wrist. Inadvertently, you drop the pan, but he pays it no mind as it sinks past his tail. Your skin begins to glow underneath his palms, and the tingles come back, shooting up your arm, causing tiny goosebumps to appear.

“Would you look at that,” Hitoshi croons, slow and almost sensuously. His indigo eyes narrow on your index finger where you’d burned yourself. To add to this nightmare, he closes his lips around it, and begins to suck. Your stomach flips, and you’re not sure if it’s because you’re disgusted, or scared, or…enjoying the feeling of his warm mouth, his tongue, touching your skin.

“Stop.” It’s a whisper. It means nothing. You think you want it to mean something, but your thoughts are buzzing into a blur. Knees growing weak, you descend, leaning closer to him, not caring about the water or the seaweed or the fish, and instead, entirely focused on his mouth. It’s glowing, his mouth. Faintly. Like a single candle lit in an otherwise empty room.

When he eases off of you, he runs his thumb over your now-healed finger, and let’s your arm fall limply at your side.

“All better,” he whispers back at you.

There are prickles all over your skin once you regain an ounce of dignity.

“What the hell was that?” You ask, breathless for no other reason than shock.

“The glowing?” He asks. “The healing?”

“Both.”

“Your reaction to me.” He’s cocky again. This is something sick. Mythical creature or not, this has got to be a game he plays, washing into people’s pools, causing problems, sucking on lonely girls’ fingers. He probably gets his kicks this way, and uses whatever other kind of magic he has to erase whoever he’s tormenting’s memories, if he doesn’t end up eating them when he’s done. Bogus.

You won’t let him get to you.

“Alright, Hitoshi Shinsou, how would you like me to get you back into the ocean? You healed my finger-“ although it’s essentially his fault you were burned to begin with, if you take into account the sequence of events-“so helping you out is the least that I can do.”

“I could use your help,” he muses lightly, turning his body back around to his chest and abdomen are turned towards  the sun. You tell yourself not to stare like you know he probably wants you to. Though his eyes are closed, he peeps at you, sneaking a glance. “I don’t want to go back into the ocean, though. Not until I get what’s mine.”

With the might of a girl who just wants to go back inside and scroll through her phone, you swallow your bite, and ask, “what would that be?”

“Oh, this and that-“ he waves his hand around dismissively-“other things.”

With the might of a girl who just wants to go back inside and find another frying pan, you say, “alright, listen. Someone is on their way to the house to clean the pool. I don’t know what one of Ryūjin means, but I’m guessing people like you don’t always want to be discovered by people like us. So you either tell me what it is you need, or see how my pool guy reacts to a mermaid lounging around in my backyard! I wouldn’t put it against him to call the local news station. Get this place flooding with cameras. Does that sound like a pretty picture to you?”

Absolutely none of your threats penetrate Hitoshi’s cool nature. In fact, he laughs.

“When he gets here,” the merman drawls, knowing he’s got you hanging on every word, “invite him to swim.”

[silversatoru]

hey shawty could you do number 15 with dabi? ANGST please <33 with a female reader

thank you i love you

silvers 1.2k event info

(1.5k? i’m doing these way too slow :’) but there’s more spots open if you still wanna join!!)

touya + “it’s 2:00am, where the hell are you?”

dabi/todoroki touya x f!reader

synopsis: touya loves to take advantage of your soft spot for him

t/w: nsfw 18+, manipulation, toxic relationship dynamic, degradation, mild humiliation, spit, creampie, mention of alcohol consumption

a/n: hello my fav shawty bae, my one and only, my soulmate, hope u like this <3 it got a little more self-indulgent than i would like to admit

a soft intermittent buzzing sounded from under your pillow, your body jerking awake and rolling over to grab your phone. the screen shined bright against your tired eyes, a string of unknown numbers glaring across the screen. you weren’t sure why an unknown number was calling in the middle of the night, but ready to give the asshole telemarketer a piece of your mind you slammed your finger on the green answer button.

“hello?” your words roped venom through the phone, still angry about your disturbed sleep.

“hey sweetheart~ i need a favor”.

you felt your heart practically leap into your throat, your mouth going dry and your stomach twisting into vicious knots. the voice was very distinctly touya’s, and an incredibly drunk touya at that. the same touya that used you like a disposal product more times than you could count — the touya that continued to endlessly shatter your heart.

“touya? are you drunk?” your voice had become several octaves softer, an all too eager pitch ringing in your words.

“whaaat? no,” he played the lie off terribly, audibly stumbling over his own legs and cursing almost immediately afterword, “okay, maybe”.

he was definitely drunk, you were 100% certain of it — the ocean-eyed scumbag wouldn’t have even thought about you unless he was absolutely plastered.

“it’s 2:00am, where the hell are you?” you made feeble attempts to sound angry, but your voice was laced with more concern than you cared to admit.

“uhh... fuck, hold on,” a series of thumps and crackles sounded after that, and you could hear touya’s slurred speech as he asked someone where he was.

“second street,” he repeated the information he’d been given, “you know, the one with all the frats”.

“sounds like your standards are lower than ever,” you let the insult side between your lips, and it felt good to put him down for once.

“they were never very high to begin with,” he let an unamused chuckle fall with his words, “it’s not that far from campus, can you come? pretty please?”

you wanted to tell him no more than anything in the world — to spit in his face and give him a taste of his own medicine, just to see how he liked it, but you couldn’t. why you continued to care for such a damaged, garbage man was beyond your knowledge, but you were helpless against the ache in your chest.

“yeah i’ll be there in fifteen minutes, and go inside, it’s cold out,” the words spilled from your mouth before you could even question your own horrible judgement.

“that’s my girl,” touya’s cocky, slurred tone rolled the words out so perfectly, your heart catching in your chest at the endearing way he referred to you.

dial tone rung out through your ears after that, and you drug yourself out of bed to throw on a jacket and shoes. with extreme disappointment in yourself you grabbed an extra coat from the closet — just incase touya was cold.

and he definitely was, because for some reason he was sitting outside in the frigid air when you finally pulled up next to the decaying frat house. you exited your car with the spare jacket in your hand and concern painted on your face — coming to his rescue just like he knew you would.

“touya! it’s freezing and that’s what you’re wearing!?” you shoved the jacket into his arms, a dumb smile sliding across his face as you scolded him like some kind of mother — it really was pitiful how much you still cared.

“must have misplaced my sweatshirt,” he chuckled, nonchalantly throwing his arms through the holes of the coat.

you rolled your eyes at his irresponsibility, slipping one arm underneath both of his and helping his wobbly form stand from the bench he’d been slumped on. the two of you hobbled to the car in silence, helping him into the passengers seat and then walking yourself back around to the drivers. you turned on the car and switched on your seat warmers, not wanting him to get any colder than he already was.

“so what shitty apartments are you crashing in now?” you let your words carry more edge than they usually did, but you were actually curious where he was living now — he always seemed to hop from one shit hole to another.

“they’re kinda far from here, and i can’t remember how to get there right now,” he shook his head, and you were almost certain he was lying right through his teeth, “can’t i just come back to yours?”

you fought with yourself for a few seconds, but ultimately gave in to him with way too much ease. maybe this time he’ll stay, maybe this time he actually wanted to spend some time with you, maybe just this once he’s not using you.

“okay, but you’re sleeping on the couch,” you shot him a firm glance, attempting to set some boundaries to protect your delicate heart.

sleeping on the couch my ass — your body was pinned beneath his the second you two walked through the door.

alcohol-stained lips worked roughly against yours, and you were helpless to push him away. as much as you hated him, you would settle for any crumb of affection that he was willing to give you.

“god, you’re so easy,” he hummed into your ear as he nibbled on your neck, undoubtedly leaving you with dark markings down the soft skin, “so stern about me sleeping on the couch, and now you’re practically melting. what happened?”

you didn’t even bother to indulge him with a reply, your stomach already boiling with shame and regret as you weaved your fingers into his dark hair. but it’s not like he expected an answer from you either, this is how things always played out between the two of you. you’d try to be stern, hold your ground, grasp onto a shred of self-respect; but the second he laid a finger on you you turned to putty.

“that’s what i thought,” he chuckled to himself, pulling his nose out of the crook of your neck and tugging on the waistband of your pajama shorts, “take these off, sweetheart. be good like you always are”.

it was mortifying how quickly you scrambled to get undressed for him, so shamefully desperate for any attention he was willing to give. and you peeling off your clothing was all the consent touya needed to get to work. he may be an asshole, a complete scumbag, a toxic, manipulative piece of shit, but he was not a rapist — he does have some morals, although barely.

he shoved his fingers down into the folds of your cunt, eyes glistening at the slick that immediately soaked his fingertips, “such a good girl for me”.

you squirmed at his harsh movements, and the praise brainwashed you further than you already were — intoxicating your heart and convincing you that you were more than just his sorry little fuck hole.

touya wasn’t much for foreplay, after all this was about him, not you. he dropped his dirty sweats to the floor, freeing his long, curved cock and wincing as it shot up towards his abdomen.

he never makes any effort to ensure your comfort, thinking about his pleasure and satisfaction only — forcing open your legs and sheathing himself inside your pussy before you could comprehend that it was happening. strangled gasps and yelps of pain flew from your lips, your legs wrapping around him.

“you need to have some more respect for yourself, princess,” he grunted as he mercilessly fucked himself into you right from the start, “i’m starting think you like being my irrelevant little fucktoy”.

you let out a few pitiful whimpers, eyes watering from the burning pain that ripped through you as you stretched and adjusted to his size. it wasn’t that you liked being used like this, it was that you were all too hopeful that he’d eventually love you the way you love him. embarrassing.

“you’d do anything for me wouldn’t you?” he stared down at you, eyes hazy as he slowed down and leaned over you, spitting into your gaping mouth, “swallow it”.

he was trying to prove a point, and your soft lips clamping shut as you swallowed down his wad of saliva proved it perfectly — you would do anything for him.

“you love coming to my rescue, love feeling like you matter to me, love being a hole that i fuck,” he wrapped his fingers around the sides of your neck, squeezing tightly as he kept up his ruthless pace, “i wanna hear you say it, tell me you love me”.

a garbled i love you flew from your lips, followed by a plethora of pleas and begs that only made you look even more pitiful. just want you to stay with me, touya! want you to be safe! wanna help you feel good!

your confession and collection of pleas only fed his god complex — you were so obedient, so easy to break through with little to no effort. and it was sad, so sad that dabi almost pitied you.

he fucked you hard until you couldn’t even think straight, eyes rolling back into your fucked-out face as he pumped you full of cum and and his groans filled the room. then he walked into the bathroom to clean himself up, leaving your messy, abused cunt to leak his fluids all over your bed.

once he finally came back out he tossed you a damp towel, which you lazily used to clean yourself up. he grabbed his pants off the floor and began to get dressed as you stared at him with big eyes, eyes that begged if he was going to stay with you tonight.

and he decided that fine, he’d indulge you just this once, just to keep you complaint. he climbed under your sheets and let you curl up against his chest — so pathetic. he’d let you fall asleep like that, but the second your breaths slowed and small snores escaped your mouth, he slipped out from the blankets and took his leave.

oh how heartbroken you’d be when you woke up without him tomorrow morning, tears staining your gullible cheeks and hiccups racking through your throat. he could practically picture the pitiful scene. you’d sulk around for a couple weeks, chest aching that you weren’t good enough, and then as soon as you’d start to get over him he’d call you again.

undoubtedly, you’d come to his rescue and he’d fuck you senseless all over again. it was a vicious cycle, and he planned on playing this game for as long as you were dumb enough to believe you mattered to him.

[youwontlikethisblog]

Betty, My Betty! Part 2.5 (Hopefully the last one)

Alrighty, I think this will be my last post for tonight? This morning? But it is still in the same vine of Armando being possessive so he is the main subject of this breakdown but I will also be discussing Mario a lot here so this in an attempt to be the final post regarding this episode will be a lengthy one.

Again I accidently bought the bootleg version of the novela so some scenes and episodes are missing as well as the chapters aren't titled.

We are in the same episode of Armando reacting to Betty having a boyfriend.

Right now Betty is exiting her office, she just hung up the phone with Nicolas who warned her that they needed to pay a loan to the bank because their 24 or 27 days were up.

Mario is leaning over Armando's desk and Armando is leaning forward as they are both discussing and whispering (that part is so short you can't really pick at what they're talking about but you can imagine what it is. I'm assuming that while Mario was telling Armando not to question or judge Betty on her personal life that Betty was in her office on the phone with Nicolas and when Mario leaned forward to talk to Armando Betty was about to end her call so they are essentially talking about how to go about finding out who Betty's boyfriend is) something I cannot hear. As Betty fully exits her office Mario moves from being up front to in the back of the room by the doors that take us to the meeting room. He looks Betty down and up as if checking her out.

This small frame(I don't know if when they were whispering it was them arguing over Mario's proposal of the plan or if Mario hadn't proposed it yet and it was just them talking about how to find out who Nicolas is because again, since this bootleg version isn't the complete one some scenes are missing so I could be wrong about this one! but the episode I saw on NBC showed the exact same scene so I'm going by the first "(red)" in the paragraph above) allows us to depict Mario coming up or starting to scheme the plan.

We know Mario Calderon will screw anything that has legs, wears skirts, and breathes and consents that is(<-hopefully). Every woman who has had a seggsual relationship with him has said so. Marcela warned Paty about it before they got involved so I'm assuming that in this scene Mario is checking out Betty to see if it's possible for someone to really love(lust) her and if not than he needs to figure out a plan and a way to convince Armando to follow through said plan.

When you're writing a novel you write down the key points you want to make but as you imagine certain scenes you really delve into detail of characterization. You make sure that whatever happens in that scene that your characters behave as themselves. So you really spend time getting to know your characters. This is a general rule of thumb for any creative writer. The plus of being a novelist or writing literature is that you can really go deep into details and write scenes in really long poetic ways. I don't know how to write scripts but I've read some from TV shows I've watched and they are written differently than a novel. Scripts have more dialogue than poetic descriptions and they are usually blunt with what the writer wants from each character in that scene.

For example: (Take this with a grain of salt I don't know how to write scripts I am going off based on how I've read them)

Ana walks into the room. The camera focuses on her face. There's lighting outside and we see the lighting flash on her face.

Julian turns to see her. He is surprised to see her. He thought she was dead. He stands up slowly. The camera focuses on his face and then Ana's.

She smiles at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"Is that re-really you?" He stutters. He then walks slowly towards her.

In a script you write where the camera goes, where the actors move, the facial expressions, the mood of the room, and so forth. Yes directors do have a say on how they choreograph scenes and actors can add their own two cents but script writers have a pretty good idea of everything that is going on the scene and why it is. If in novel writing(that's not the correct term) we focus a lot on how the reader will imagine the scene and being able to correctly and artistically discribe it as well as how they will understand it because we are not focusing on visual cues like script writers but rather focused on using words to be able to paint a inner visual picture than in scripts the writer usually focuses on tone and movement. The same rule still stands though; show don't tell.

Why do I even bring this up?

This helps us understand that what is shown here isn't just an accident. We aren't being fed what we're told, we are being fed what we see. What we see is the final vision of the writer. Fernando Gaitan was the only one to write this novel and he wrote every detail with the intention of it to mean something.

I have no doubt that the actors added their own flavor as they are excellent actors and the reason why we were able to fall in love with these character. The directing is amazing as well. The scene cuts, the frames, and the choreo are amazing(tho some stills are funny and y'all know which ones) but the writing has a lot to do with it. If anyone is a script writer or knows what that's about correct me if I'm wrong!

I say this because what we are being told and shown is that Armando had feelings for Betty and not a crush like Betty did. He actually cared about her, as a friend. I know many don't agree with that because Armando was a crappy boss. We see them always interact as boss and employee but the reason why I continue to bring up the fact that he started to blur those lines is because we were being told and shown that.

Armando is mechanical. He is emotionless to the outsiders. As he once told Betty that she probably thinks he is a man of ice and later on in the future we see Betty daydream telling Marcela that she knows Armando acts like he's got a heart of stone but deep inside of him he needs a lot of love. However Armando isn't a man of iron and he tells that to Betty himself.

We are told this but what are we shown?

We are shown an erratic, often driven by emotion, and neutronic person. Now the people he has surrounded himself with aren't the most loving and welcoming people. They are pretty judgy and stuck up. So often the emotions he shows and knows how to distinguish well are anger, frustration, and most of all being erratic with the emotions mentioned above. These emotions drive him. The people around him think that he is a man of stone and that nothing moves him. However we then meet a woman who isn't like that at all or like any of the people he has surrounded himself with.

This person is kind, loving, respectful, and sweet to everyone. She loves her job, loves her friends, loves her family and secretly loves her boss. In a very poetic way Betty is color in an otherwise black and white world. She brings warmth to Armando and because they work so closely, how is he not supposed to be affected by this? How is he not supposed to be changed and moved by this?

He is an awe of her morals, of Betty's qualities and her general presence and though we aren't bluntly told this by the characters themselves we are shown this and it's not by accident and not by mistakes of post production.

Take a break if you need it.

It isn't an accident that we see Mario so much in these scenes just standing in the background taking it all in because he truly is the mastermind behind Betty's downfall. He truly mapped out and planned the way to seduce Betty and how to manipulate Armando and didn't even care if it hurt her or his best friend. What he cared about was that his best friend remained President because titles mean everything to him. As we saw in the past when Armando and him were arguing over the deal with the Panamanian fabric seller, while Armando focused on how it not only affected him and the major shareholders but everyone, Mario reminded him that he was also a minority shareholder, but a shareholder nonetheless. Armando's inner turmoil was that he was jeopardizing the livelihood of not only the company's shareholders, and his family but the entire company's employee roster while Mario was more focused on himself, telling him that he too had a lot to lose but not understanding what really weighted down Armando's shoulders.

Think about it, Mario in a sense is a leech. He gets the crumbs of women Armando doesn't want. If I'm not mistaken in the spinoff Eco Moda Mario himself says that women only ever showed interest in him because they wanted to get close to Armando. Mario lives off of the crumbs of Armando, not only with women but socially. Armando is one of the major shareholders of Eco Moda, he's attractive, charismatic, and an important figure in society and not only among the Fashion world like Mario is. Mario Calderon wasn't going to let his best friend lose the title of being President for anything because than it would be bad for him. It would be bad for his reputation to have been his close friend and accomplice to Armando while also being a part of a disastrous presidency term in the company.

Mario is charismatic, one could even say a lot more than Armando seeing as I myself even like him even when I know all of this about his character. I find him funny, charming, and at times endearing but of course that's when you look at him on a surface level.

Mario Calderon is despicable. He is downright selfish and egocentric down to the bone. He maps out this plan so easily because he knows his two victims well. He has seen Armando's disagreements with Marcela, he has witnessed first hand Armando's change towards Betty and silently observed Betty's interactions with Armando. He himself has thrown out his conclusions on Betty's actions by a simple snip bits of conversation that he's either been in the room to hear or heard from Armando himself.

Who better to make Betty fall in love than Armando? Because Betty has those feelings there and who better to do be the one to do this than Armando? Not only because those feelings are there but because Armando can stomach the job. The man who is confused about his feelings and behaving erratically and emotionally driven than Armando?

Because Armando proposes for Calderon to do it. At first Calderon is grossed out by the idea but Armando presents everything telling him he isn't the boss, that he has no morals and he was perfect for the job. Mario agrees with all of that, even asks for a bigger percentage of shareholding and Armando agrees. This gives us the understanding that Mario would be willing to seduce Betty.

I realize this contradicts my own personal opinion that Armando agreed to do this because it meant he was saving Betty from Nicolas but lets remember that Armando was afraid to face those feelings and he wasn't even aware that they were there. Here Armando and Mario weren't talking about love, as he thinks Betty is so in love with Nicolas that he is her eternal love and that Nicolas would take advantage of that and poison her against them, they are talking about seduction, meaning seggsual. Which I've said before Armando thinks lust is love and therefore that if he ain't wanting to jump they bones in that instant that it cain't be love therefore my mans thought he had no feelings for Betty(idk why bc we do get two scenes where he checks her out briefly (I am sure of this because it's the episode where Betty tripped and was limping and when Mario brought it up Armando asked if she didn't already walk like that, if he had been noticing her walk than he would have been aware of the limp but his eyesight went from the top of Betty's head all the way down. Do with that information what you'd like :)) and where he gets jealous when Charlie Zas kissed her cheek(someone once said that they were celos de jefe and excuse me ma'am jealousy is jealousy and a normal boss would not feel that. If my boss or manager ever did that I woulda done been fired in that instant))

Take a break if you need it.

Okay return back to this scene.

While Calderon does this mila second rundown of Betty, Armando and him share a stare. Either Armando wants the room to himself or is looking at him for a confidence boost. Then Mario nods and lets him know he'll leave them be.

Armando sticks to the script by not removing his trust from Betty. Instead he encourages her and congratulates her on doing things well.

In this scene while Betty has been entirely focused on the work at hand and being professional Mario was busy assessing the situation while Armando... is hard to read here. He is keeping himself composed rather than being emotionally driven or erratic or neurotic. In truth he is showing one of his best traits so far, composure. When he is sure of what he wants to happen Armando is really good at keep composure, feelings at bay, and controlling the situation. Something he later loses as he begins to get more lost and confused in his own feelings and understanding them.

Betty here is endearing, honestly I find Betty endearing at all times lol. She's super cute and such a good sport since her character is written to capture your heart, not by sympathy but by empathy. Again just like Armando how are we not supposed to be affected by such a sweet character? Constantly putting her feelings aside for Armando's, who hasn't done that? We empathize with her because at some point or another we've been her and ironically it's the exact same reason why we sympathize and empathize with Armando because at some point or another we've all been there where we let the worse get the best of us and we've learned to live with it and deal with it same as he.

As Betty starts to leave the office Armando calls her name, stands up in a slow but steady way showing us that he is the one in control in this situation. His tone is controlled but not enough where you don't hear that resent.

"Betty you didn't hadn't told me you've got a boyfriend"

Betty looks taken aback by this behavior of his. As she stares at him a bit shocked and rocks on her feet, seeming uncomfortable with this but also worried.

Armando proceeds to say "and that that boyfriend is Nicolas Mora, your friend from university. The one you've got in Terra Moda" Notice how now there is a waiver in his voice and he no longer is being as composed or in control of his emotions. As he for split seconds allows those emotions of jealousy and possessiveness to sweep through his tone of voice.

In this scene Armando isn't so much giving us body language as he is stiff, showing nervousness and discomfort himself, often we see this whenever Marcela is interrogating him but he is giving us tonality in voice.

Again the sequence as he names the list of what and who Nicolas is shows priority. First, Nicolas is Betty's boyfriend, that guy she's talked about who she went to university with, and she's got him working in Terra Moda. His priority: Betty has a boyfriend. He knows who said boyfriend is and he knows what he does.

Betty tells him that she doesn't have a boyfriend: "Ay ay no Doctor, eso no es cierto." Betty normally has a waiver her voice whenever she's nervous or scared so it's not unlike her to have it here, she smiles and chuckles nervously. In translation what she says is lost so by interpretation this is what she said "Hmm? No sir... um that's not true."

Armando's tone is now accusing her. He seems angered by Betty's "denial" as he tells her "It's not true? I heard it-" we then get a frame of Betty's reaction. She is truly concerned over this as we later find out at the end of the day that she was worried that it could cause Don Armando to build distrust towards her. Again we are shown that Betty is keeping it all professional whilst Armando isn't.

"I heard when Bertha told you, right in front of me. [Y'all] started gossiping, didn't notice I was there. You both forgot about me, no Betty?"* He is shaking as if agitated and he sports a cocky smile because he feels like he caught her in her own lie.

[*]This could be taken in a double sense. In his eyes Betty was so excited about hearing that her "eternal love" called her that she forgot he was in the room and in a figurative way, Betty forgot him.

Betty's understanding of his behavior is rational. He's upset that she withheld vital information from him after she told him she had nothing else to hide(when he interrogated her the previous night) and this is related to a professional work related situation.

Armando now sports similar traits to that of Marcela when she is looking for reasons to act out on her anger. Armando is agitated as stated before and while Betty goes to explain herself Armando grabs his glass of whisky, not taking his eyes off Betty and drinks(cantinero, otro whisky!(Now his behavior here is very interesting because as he grabs the glass to drink from it he takes in a deep breath. At first I interpreted this for anger but after seeing it a few times I realize it's panic. While at first he was composed and sure of what he was feeling which was anger, now he is faced with uncertainty from feelings he doesn't recognize and he doesn't know where this conversation is going to head or how he'll react or feel so he enters panic mode)). She tells him that it was something the cuartel came up with because she once mentioned Nicolas and since then they haven't gotten it out of their heads that he is her boyfriend "I don't have anything with him."

Then relief starts to wash over him as Betty's final words are reassuring him that she doesn't have a boyfriend. In this frame Armando no longer has a drink in hand and he doesn't seem as tense as before.

"Definite? We're sure of that?"

Betty chuckles and nods and his tone of voice returns to being soft spoken and calm, even hopeful as he tells her "Okay, okay it was only curiosity." (What kind of curiosity tho?;))

Betty leaves his office and has a slight smile and was on the brink of a daydream when Sofia interupts her from doing that.

I have this dumb theory where Aura Maria and Freddy are in some way a parallel of Betty and Armando except that Aura Maria takes on the role of Armando while Freddy takes on the role of Betty and if y'all want I'll write a post explaining this.

Take a break if you need it.

Skip a scene we've got Armando interacting with Freddy. Usually everyone pays the burnt of Armando's anger and in this scene he looks anything but angry. He actually humors Freddy which allows us to know that after that conversation with Betty, he has one less problem(you know the one that topped all the others). He then laughs at Freddy(I find it ironic that Freddy told him that what Jenny and him have is strictly professional at which Armando laughs and repeats the same thing. The reason I find it ironic is because we as an audience know that what J & F have is not strictly professional and the conversation Armando just had with Betty wasn't strictly profession. In other words, Fernando Gaitan has a good sense of humor) and tells him to show him his lil dancy dance and leaves to go to Mario's Office.

When he enters his office he informs him he spoke to Betty about that infamous boyfriend.

"What did she say?" Mario asks.

"Well no, that she doesn't have a boyfriend." his smiles and says happily. He the catches him up on the gossip.

While Armando is now showing an array of emotion and excitement Mario is poker face, fidgeting with his pen and studying Armando.

He tells him "You know what this means? That I'm a happy man!" he chuckles and looks around the room as if really taking in the news and letting the relief settle in. "What a relief, finally some good news today, ah" he says the final part as if he were an italian chef. This lets us know that Armando is truthfully relieved to find out that Betty, his Betty is single and that he is still her special man.

In the previous post I talked about how Armando went about listening his excuses to start drinking early that day and how he basically went going from his smallest problem to the biggest one as he says that the one that topped all of his other problems was Betty having a boyfriend.

See, all his other problems were a cause of stress and anger, emotions he is very familiar with so they don't disconcert him however, jealousy or fear of losing Betty, are new territory for him that alone freaked him out but the fact Betty had a boyfriend was enough to just push the boy just close enough to the edge he needed a drink so early in the morning because it was anguish.

Mario tells him he has never seen him so relieved and happy to find out a woman doesn't have a boyfriend to which we pan out to see Armando roll his eyes and slouch against the chair, annoyed at Mario's insinuation once again.

Mario reminds him of the last time he saw that same expression on him which was when he found out some woman was separated from her husband. Armando then tells him not to diminish the good news because it meant Betty hadn't ommited any information from him.

To really bring this post to the full potential of it being analytical let us break this down.

Why was it important for him that Betty not omit information from him? Especially relating to something so personal and intimate of Betty's life outside of the office? (Again the argument that this is only about Eco Moda and Terra Moda are disproven in the previous post).

[EDIT: Sometimes as I write I've got two ideas at the same time and forget to finish writing them. It wasn't only important for the reasons mentioned below but because he does in fact want to know more about Betty as he later tells Bertha the same thing].

Armando went through the five stages of grief.

Anger, denial, anger, denial, more denial, and then moving on.

He did not accept that Betty had a boyfriend therefore when she told him she didn't he fully believed her, didn't ask more questions.

For Armando Betty's character means a lot. I don't mean the individual personification of Betty as a fictional character in this novela I mean as in her inner self and what she represent. To him Betty represent stability, comfort, unconditionality, honesty, and most of all fidelity and loyalty and the last three qualities are what he is always naming. If she withheld something from him it would mean that Betty was no longer that. She no longer would be an object of reassurance and comfort but like everyone else she'd become an unpredictable and untrustworthy individual in his life. Some one more that he needed to keep at arm's length or pretend around.

Armando has gotten a taste of being around someone who doesn't judge him when he is himself and doesn't hold it over him when he makes mistakes based on his neurotic nature or anger issues. Instead he has been around someone who understand he's like that, someone who is patient and knows how to call him out on it and how to handle his erratic behavior so he has learned to let his guard down little by little and found a niche of comfort in his assistant but if she lied to him it would take all of that away. It would be betrayal in his eyes.

That's why it was so important to him that Betty didn't keep secret from him. Especially seeing as they were forming a friendship that was based on honesty and respect towards each other. This explains why that was important to him. It's important for him to have trust in her.

However we ain't kidding anyone because his reaction was possessive over Betty because Betty has given all of these things to Armando, who has never really received them without some fine print, and he doesn't want to share her with anyone else. This is possessiveness and it is not love or romantic. It is a toxic trait because not one person belongs to someone and Armando feels that Betty belongs to him. Be it romantically, platonically, or work related, a person is a human being and they do not belong as an object or property to anyone.

Armando is a very emotionally immature individual and this shows us that.

Mario then proceeds to be his classical self, which is to sow the seed of paranoia in his best friend as he starts to point out that her friends wouldn't be saying that if Betty hadn't given them a reason. His hands clasped in front of him show a position of power. Right now he is holding the cards and he is well aware of that.

Right as he see the reaction he wanted from Armando he leaves him to ferment so to speak in the paranoia he has left in him. Armando becomes nervous all over again and susceptible to it.

He is left with himself and he says "Y quien es el.." now if you're hispanic or latino you'll find the humor in how that scene ends as he starts to sing in a sorrowful tone a very romantic and a song that I'd say most listen to when dealing with a break up "y en que lugar se enamoro de ti?"

Which translate to "And what is he like? and in what place did he fall in love with you?"

I won't read too much into that as I'm sure it was written in for humor or added in for the humor effect as we've had some pretty heavy emotionally driven scenes in this episode but I do think it's an ironic placement of humor.

Now to bring the final scene that I will be discussing regarding Armando finding out about Betty's boyfriend we come full circle with Armando asking Bertha about it.

He acts charismatic, composed and professional to get Bertha to talk to him.

"The subject is the following: I've got a long time working with Betty and It's just until now that I find out she's got boyfriend. Do you know who he is?"

"Well like really know? No, because she's so reserved"

He then with a pierced mouth nods. Again those feelings are creeping back up. I get it. He's feeling paranoia, distrust, betrayed, hurt, offended, scared, jealous, possessive and angry but this proves what I mentioned about Armando having his guard up at all times because he doesn't show any of this to Bertha, at least not enough where she picks up but because we as an audience are given so much detail regarding his character, we can.

Quickly he asks her "And you don't know how long she's been dating him?" brings us full circle again. The same tone he had with Betty when he told her that he was in the same room as her when Bertha said that she had a boyfriend, minus the smirk and actual reaction of his, once again proves that Armando knows when to show his reaction and how to be in control and composed.

Bertha proceeds to tell him the "actual" story in which she tells him "dating dating? No, but he does have her eating from the palm of his hand because she's stupidly in love with him." and we hear Armando gasp and say "No." we then get a frame of his face which shows us... the opiset of happiness, joy, relief, tranquility, peace, serenity but with someone trying to be composed.

Bertha tells him that Mariana read her the cards and said that he was Betty's dream man and that he was going to change her life and she was going to change his life. I don't care for that but for the sake of this breakdown I'll mention it.

We know that Betty's dream man is Armando, not Nicolas. However everyone else thinks it's Nicolas. Armando's facial expression shows someone once again panicking.

He not only finds out that Betty has boyfriend, now it turns out she didn't just omit something from him but lied when he asked her and to top it off she so happens to be stupidly in love with him and on top of all of that he is Betty's dream man and to finish it off, he will change her life and she will change his life in the mildest of riches, meaning with Betty becoming the sole owner of Eco Moda and Terra Moda, making her rish rish $$$.

This is when it no longer is just about his mixed up feelings for Betty but now the entire livelihood of his family and everyone that works for Eco Moda.

Eco Moda is Armando's pride and joy. He does love that company which is why he started that scheme in the first place because he didn't want to lose it, let his father down, prove Daniel right, and throw away 30 plus year of his father's work and life time(Also as we're told because of his goals). The company means a great deal to him and in ways he's not aware of yet, so does Betty.

However someone is aware of this, not to the deep knowledge that Armando has regarding whatever he thinks he is feels towards Betty but they've got some sort of idea regarding this and they innact and come up with a plan to secure the company, the presidency, and his statues and reputation.

Step one: Tell Armando that he needs to make Betty fall in love with him to secure the company. Women in love will do anything for the one they love therefore if he beats Nicolas to the goal we secure the company. It worked with Paty(he's stupid so his logic doesn't work)

Step two: Convince Armando that he is the right candidate for the job. If that doesn't work, manipulate him with paranoia and make him fear Betty. If that doesn't work, tell him you were sure that Betty was in love with him before you found out about Nicolas.

Step three: Tell Armando I will be in charge of all the corny details because he will freak out and get way over his head and ruin the plan.

Step four: make fun of him.

Step five: Go on a trip and write a letter that explains the entire plan in detail and leave it on my desk without telling my secretary to not let anyone touch it or go near it except Armando so that she can go into my office, and I know how she likes to be nosy, and she can then think it's in the wrong office and give it to her assistant who takes care of all of his stuff, literally, and she finds it, reads it and does exactly what I was afraid of and made my best friend afraid of as well and that will then bring her downfall, his downfall, therefore the entire company's downfall.

Step six: never realize how stupid I am or take full accountability for it and apologize sincerely for all the wrong and harm I have caused.

Obviously I'm not saying Armando is innocent or that he didn't do anything wrong. He did. He allowed his best friend to manipulate him when he said he wouldn't listen to him again(the panama thing), he allowed his best friend to make fun of Betty and was a coward to admit his true feelings not only to himself but to his best friend. He was a willing(felt guilty for it but nonetheless willing) participant in the plan.

By now breaking down these past episodes and scenes allows us to understand where Armando was coming from so we can sympathize just a bit for him and his confusion and how he was so easily manipulated by Mario, however this doesn't mean he isn't guilty. At the start of it he too to some degree thought no one could love Betty, (yes we later find out that he did care for her as he tells Mario that he feels endearment for Betty and he looks relieved to find that out. I will be breaking down that scene when I get to it) because of her physicality (I already talked about this but when the time is right I will go into deep detail regarding this part of Armando's character).

It is eleven AM. I have been writing this post for the past seven hours and I am beat and tired. I hope this makes sense.

Once again, 'til next time.

HAHAHA OKAY I FORGOT TO ADD SOME COMMENTARY ON THE REST OF THIS SCENE.

[Edit:

Bertha proceeds to tease Armando about him liking gossip and being Nosey. He gets annoyed at her but in order to get the information he wants he stays composed and tells her that he just wants to know about Betty.

"It's not that[I like gossip], it's just that this is about someone who is really close to me everyday-who I work really close with- and truth be told I am a little curious about Betty's life. You know, one just imagine her a little ugly and with boyfriend...? You know? Why don't you tell me the whole thing?"

At first he is a being defensive while trying to justify the fact he is being nosey. His tone then changes to endearing as he tells her "truth be told I am a little curious about Betty's life." and his face goes along with the tone as he says "you know, one just imagines her a little ugly-" he catches himself and say "and with boyfriend...?"

Overall what we have learned here is that Armando is really good at dismissing his feelings on the spot, suppressing them, and running away from them(I too do that and it's a pain in the butt). He does this as a sport.

Bertha then tells him "The thing is that Betty doesn't like it much for you to know about her private life." and this again offends Armando as he straightens his face and stares at Bertha in shock and as Bertha says "How is it, Sir..." and he quickly sits down to listen to her. "that this morning when we left your office she pulled me aside and told me that she didn't want you to know about her intimate life?" he rubs his chin, eyes still on Bertha and whispers "Really?"

Armando knows that Bertha can't tell half a gossip so instead of asking her to keeping telling him, practically begging her to tell him the whole scoop he manipulates her by saying "If this is going to cause problems then don't tell me. Let's leave it as is, Bertha, thank you." his tone is somber to tug at her strings, how could she possibly leave this man curious over this juicy gossip? and how could she not tell the whole story? Especially because it's her boss?

Bertha chuckles and tells him that she, of course is going to tell him, that she is dying to tell him. Armando then tells her "Well then if this is between us two it doesn't leave the planet, go on, tell me how did it go?"

Armando starts to bit his nail as he listen to Bertha start from the beginning.

She tells him word for word what Mariana said about Betty's dream man. She's obviously describing Armando, but to everyone else that's Nicolas, so the impression or idea that Armando now has of Nicolas is that he isn't some loser or nerd or some nobody but he is an important man who is the type of man woman lust over. They will have an intense relationship that will be strong and that the man is fundamental for her life.

This describes a man that is both important and that will be for sure in Betty's life.

Now Bertha goes on to describe the man Betty told them about. He is desired by woman,tall, handsome, strong, isn't rich but has money, has a big car, and his name is Nicolas Mora. However Betty clearifies that she has nothing going on with him, that she just likes him and she feels a strong attraction to him but that nothing has happened between them.

Then Mariana tells her that something will happen because it will change both of their lives.

Take into account that though Betty's life in a personal aspect hasn't changed much in the professional aspect it has. She's got a respectable job, a boss who values her work ethic and her enough to hand over his company which means she's could be rich. She's abandon some of her morals to collaborate with her scheming boss and is doing things that aren't morally correct.

Armando's life has changed not only professionally but personally. For one he's begun to let his guard down and given more of himself to a woman he isn't in a relationship or knowingly attracted to, his relationship with Marcela is only getting worse and Betty is usually the center of their biggest fights, he has now built a friendship with said woman built on trust and respect, something he has never done with any other woman and of course professionally he has sunken his and his family's company into debt.

I'd say Armando's life is changing a lot and that's not even the peak of it. Betty's life is also changing a lot and they haven't even started dating.

Armando is aware of how Betty's life is changing on a work related level so he obviously believes everything Bertha is telling him because he knows things she doesn't know.

Impatiently and annoyed Armando tells Bertha to explain what she means by "it's going to change their lives." which again since he "knows" things Bertha doesn't, therefore Tweedledum has sowed the seed of paranoia and Tweedledee has given it the perfect terrain for it to flourish so Armando is now listening to Mario's voice that Betty could turn against them though the important thing to note here is that Armando isn't mistrusting of Betty instead he is really mistrusting of Nicolas, because again, who could really fall in love with "ugly" betty. Except that's a joke on it's own because the idiot was already having feelings for her.

They are interrupted by Guti Guti and this is where I will end this post.

Truthfully until next time. ]

[heyitssmiller]

Clandestine: Chapter Three

The first mission doesn’t exactly go as planned. Also, Logan has a thing for glasses, apparently.

@lumosinlove Thank you for letting me run away with your characters! <3

Again, @donttouchmycarrots is my hero and the best proofreader ever! This fic wouldn’t be what it is without her.

Clandestine Masterlist

.

The bank was quiet, save for the soft murmurings of tellers and customers. Sunlight filtered through the windows of the storefront, light and hazy. The office plant by the front door was growing way too big for its pot. There were a few people waiting in line, absently scrolling through their phones. Others were sitting in the waiting area, mindlessly taking in their surroundings. It was calm, peaceful.

Or it was, until a redhead came sprinting out of the men’s restroom, screaming “Fire!” at the top of his lungs.

The bank then descended into madness.

A man watched from the driver’s seat of his car as people frantically streamed out of the building and onto the sidewalk. He sighed, taking a second to rest his forehead against the steering wheel. “Damnit, O’Hara. This wasn’t part of the plan.”

29 Hours Earlier

“Good morning, cubs!”

“Fuck you, Black.” Logan muttered into his cup of coffee. “It’s too early to be that excited.”

Leo smiled a little and set a paper bag on the table. Logan stared at it. Where had it come from? He hadn’t seen Leo carrying it into the briefing room, but it was too big to stuff into his pockets. He didn’t have a bag or anything – the only thing he was carrying with him was a notebook and a pen. How did he manage to smuggle it in?

Logan was so confused, and it was still too early.

“I brought muffins.” Leo explained, opening the bag and handing one to Finn. “They’re cinnamon swirl.”

“Nut, did you make these?” Finn asked, removing the wrapper and taking a big bite. Leo shrugged.

“I like to cook.”

Black looked up at him in awe. “These are amazing.” He cradled the muffin in his hand like it was something precious.

“I can give you the recipe, if you want.”

Logan grabbed a muffin, looking up quickly at Remus’ snort. “He can’t cook.”

“Neither can you.” Sirius shot back, a little more hostile than his usual teasing manner. Logan glanced back and forth between the pair, tearing off a piece of muffin and popping it into his mouth. Fuck, that was good.

His partners had clearly picked up on the tension, too, but neither of them brought it up. Leo twirled his pen around in his hand, eyes moving from the pair to Finn. He smiled as the redhead enthusiastically grabbed another muffin. Logan snapped his gaze back to Sirius. “Can we get started, please?” He asked pointedly. “If you make me get up this early, we’d better be doing something productive.”

Finn laughed at him, nose scrunching. “Are you always this grumpy in the morning?”

Green eyes rimmed with dark, dark lashes glared back at him. Logan didn’t say a word but took a long sip of coffee instead, refusing to break eye contact. Finn let himself stare a little longer than he probably should have. He wasn’t lying when he told Logan he was a sucker for green eyes.

Sirius finally broke the tension-filled staring competition between himself and Loops and looked down at his files. Remus started the projector without a word, only speaking up when he was ready to begin his presentation. “We’re starting you three off with the easiest flash drives to retrieve – the two in the banks.”

He moved to a picture of the layout of one of the banks, pointing at a small room tucked away in a corner of the building. “So the safe is back here in this room. You can’t get back there without permission or an escort, which makes it a little trickier. The security system is also very high-grade, so I don’t think trying to break in after hours is our best bet here. There’s too many little things we might miss.

“The plan is to go undercover. Leo and Finn, you’ll be infiltrating this bank. Logan, you’ll be lookout. Leo, you’re going to pretend to be a safe specialist. Tell them the make and model of the safe Riddle uses is faulty and the company sent you to see if this one needs to be replaced. I don’t really care what you say, just make it believable.”

“What kind of safe is it?” Leo asked.

Sirius looked down at his notes. “It’s a… Tigerking Digital Security safe. Does that mean anything to you?”

Leo grinned. “Makes my job a hell of a lot easier. They’ve got a weak spot.”

“What am I doing during all of this?” Finn asked through a mouthful of muffin, crumbs stuck to his mouth. He swiped at them with his tongue before speaking again, “Distraction?”

“Yeah. It’ll have to be big – big enough to get Leo alone with that safe. How long do you think it’ll take to crack, Knut?”

He shrugged. “Ten minutes, tops. It’s got this small hole at the back where bolts are fed through. I can get a stiff wire through that hole and hit the reset button. Then I can reset the code of the safe and open it without leaving a trace.”

Finn smiled, mischief in his eyes. “I think I can manage a ten-minute distraction.”

That… that didn’t sound good.

Finn took one look at Logan’s fearful face and laughed. “Relax, it’s nothing too dramatic. I’ll probably just ask for whoever takes Leo back to look at the safe and then throw a fit when they say he’s not available. And then I’ll drag out our conversation to give our dear Nut enough time. Simple.”

“That… actually works.”

Finn scoffed, giving Remus a look. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Because you’re Finn O’Hara.”

Finn thought about it for a second, then shrugged. “That’s fair.”

“Nut, when you open the safe you need to replace the real flash drive with this decoy.” Sirius said, holding up a blue flash drive. “This op might take weeks or months – if Riddle comes to check on this drive, he needs to see one instead of an empty safe. Now, if he actually checks the information on the flash drives… well, we’re screwed. Hopefully it won’t come to that. He doesn’t usually check the flash drives unless absolutely necessary – it’s too much of a hassle.”

“And I’ll loop the security camera footage when you get there, so there won’t be any evidence of you tampering with the safe.” Remus said. “Get in, get out. Not too hard, right? And we’ll both be with you every step of the way. You’ll have microphones and earpieces so that we can all communicate.”

Finn couldn’t tell if the bouncing of Leo’s leg was his normal restlessness or nerves. His face was a mask of calm that revealed nothing. For someone who didn’t have any previous experience in espionage or conning people, he sure was good at hiding how he was feeling.

Finn handed him another muffin anyways.

The dimpled smile he got in return was nothing but genuine.

***

Remus sat down on his couch with his dinner, sighing to himself as he stretched out his back. It had been a long day, but he finally felt ready for tomorrow. Their plan was solid, the cubs were as ready as they were ever going to be, he had his video loop for the security camera in the safe room, the rest of his tech had been checked over and deemed ready to go. There wasn’t much else he could do besides get a good night’s sleep if he could.

That would be easier said than done, though.

Sirius chose that moment to throw open the door and close it loudly behind him. Remus glared at him. “Is that really necessary?” He asked, but didn’t add anything else on as Sirius slammed down a stack of hand-written pages onto Remus’ coffee table. 

“You want me to open up? Fine. There’s all you need to know about me.”

Remus looked down at the pages and instantly felt guilty. How long had he been working on this? “You didn’t have to-”

“You said you couldn’t trust me.” Sirius interrupted coolly. “I can’t get my brother to safety if you guys don’t trust me.”

It appeared that his brother was his sole motivation. For all of this. Remus could understand that. He’d stop at nothing if the safety of his own brother was put into question.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to do this.” Remus looked up at him, at the stiff set to his shoulders, the detached look in his eyes. He went too far the last time they’d talked about this, hadn’t he? “Look, we got along for over a week when you first got here. I think we can do that again, right?”

At Sirius’ skeptical face, he sighed. “This is on me just as much as you. I… I don’t trust easily.” He had to laugh at that massive understatement. “Perks of being a spy. But I feel like we can manage learning to trust each other the old-fashioned way.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“Getting totally, outrageously drunk and sharing all our secrets.”

Sirius’ straight face only lasted for about a second before he busted out laughing. “You go from wanting my entire life story to wanting to get drunk together?”

“It’s a failproof way to gain someone’s trust.” Remus said solemnly, cracking a smile when Sirius laughed again, incredulous. “But not tonight. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“This Friday, then?”

He couldn’t help but notice the hopeful look on Sirius’ face. Had he ever done this with someone before? Did he have any friends besides his brother previously? He put up this excitable, outgoing façade, but Remus honestly had no idea what lay underneath. He nodded decisively. “This Friday.”

Sirius hesitated, then spoke again. “Do you think they’re ready?”

“I think so. And we’ll be there if something goes wrong.” Remus met his eyes, trying to instill confidence into the ex-Snake. “No matter what happens, we’re going to do our best to get your brother out safely.”

“And what if that’s not enough?” Sirius asked, eyes haunted.

That was exactly why Remus hadn’t made any strict promises. There was no way to guarantee that they would get Regulus back. If Remus was in Sirius’ shoes, if this this was Jules instead of Regulus, what would Remus most want to hear?

“We’re going to do everything we can, I promise.” He said, soft but firm. “I know that’s not enough, but it’s the best we can do as of right now.”

Sirius stared back, then nodded. “Thank you.” He looked down at Remus’ food. “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”

Remus laughed, shoving him away. “Get your own, you leech. This is mine.”

“Leech?” Sirius demanded, dramatizing his offence. “I can’t believe you called me a leech. You were the one who offered to house me, after all.”

That was true. Even if he hated to admit it, Remus was lonely. He lived in this apartment all by himself, worked mostly on his own, and his family lived miles and miles away. And being a spy didn’t exactly make it easy to find friends. He was distrusting and cautious by nature, especially after... well. After he left fieldwork and transitioned to a desk job.

He didn’t know why he’d offered to let Sirius stay, honestly. He just got this gut feeling that it was the right thing to do.

And Remus Lupin always trusted his gut.

“Worst decision I’ve ever made.” He quipped, laughing as Sirius threw a pillow at him. Sirius was a horrible roommate. He left dishes in the sink, beard trimmings on the bathroom counter, and his shoes haphazardly strewn about the living room.

But he always had hot water on the stovetop in the mornings when Remus woke up, always let him pick what they watched on tv at nights, and always replaced anything he had used up without being asked. And, if Remus was being completely honest with himself, soft gray eyes paired with an even softer smile weren’t exactly a terrible thing to wake up to.

So far, this whole roommate business wasn’t too bad.

***

Logan hated nothing more than being lookout.

He watched on as Finn and Leo geared up, testing their mics and earpieces and making adjustments accordingly. He was supposed to be watching the entrance to make sure no Snakes entered the building. They were doing the first bank heist while Logan was stuck here, in the car parked on the street, where he couldn’t see what was going on or if his partners were in trouble.

Their first mission, and he was stuck outside.

Ugh.

“You ready for this?” Finn asked Leo as he discreetly tucked a wire under his collar and out of sight. Leo had his eyes trained on the building across from them, wrapped in his coat and a thick scarf, fingers drumming out a staccato beat on his thigh. He didn’t seem to have heard Finn.

“Nut?”

Leo swiveled his head to look back at them. “Hmm?”

“You ok?” Logan asked, watching the blond’s face for signs of nervousness or stress. But his gaze was steady, determined. For someone on their first mission, he was remarkably calm. Either that or a much better actor than Logan had given him credit for. But then his expression flickered and a shadow of doubt crept in.

“I’m fine.” He said, and Logan couldn’t tell if he was trying to convince them or himself. He reached out and gave the blond’s shoulder a squeeze, letting his hand linger before trailing it down his arm and pulling away.

“You’re fine.” Logan reassured with a smile and watched the resolve build back up in Leo’s eyes, causing the knot in Logan’s chest to ease up a little.

That was better.

Finn looked at him for a second, then took his glasses off. “Here, put these on. I feel like your cover story requires glasses.” He gently eased them onto the other boy’s face. Leo blinked rapidly, then squinted and widened his eyes to adjust to the lenses.

“Jesus, what prescription is this?”

“It’s not that bad.” Finn said, ruffling Leo’s hair in retaliation. He took a step back to see the finished product and whistled lowly. “Damn, maybe we should take those off again. We’re supposed to be unmemorable when we’re undercover. No one will be able to take their eyes off you with those on.”

Logan had to agree there. Soft blue eyes blinked back at them from behind tortoiseshell frames, looking larger than they normally did. Leo buried his nose in his scarf in an attempt to hide the blush caused by Finn’s flirtatious words.

The sight did strange things to Logan’s stomach.

Remus’ voice reached them through their com link, startling all three of them. “You guys ready to go?”

Leo took a deep, steadying breath. “Let’s do this.” He looked back at Logan, eyes fierce – a stark contrast to the soft look of only a few seconds ago. Logan sucked in a breath of his own. This kid sure was something.

“See you in a bit.”

“See you in a bit.” Logan echoed, grabbing the car keys out of his pocket and letting his lips twitch up into a smile at Finn’s cheery salute. He leaned against the car door and watched the pair make their way around the corner and towards the bank without glancing back.

He got back into the car and moved it around the same corner before putting it in park. His eyes shifted between the street in front of him and his rearview mirror, a book in his lap to keep from raising suspicions, and settled in to worry and wait.

***

Leo shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting and made his way to the front desk. Ignoring his pounding heart as best he could, he locked eyes with the teller and smiled. “Hi there. Is your manager here?” He asked, dragging his accent out slow and sweet like molasses. “I’ve got a few questions about your safes.”

She smiled back. “Sure thing. I’ll go grab him.” Leo thanked her as she left, looking around while he waited and trying his hardest not to squint too much in Finn’s glasses. 

“Nut, between the accent and the glasses - plus your looks in general - I think that girl is half in love with you already.” Sirius’ voice teased, causing Leo to flinch slightly. He needed to get used to hearing the voices of people he couldn’t see during these missions.

“She is not.” He muttered back as he pretended to rub his nose, covering his mouth as he spoke so that no one else could see it. His hand absentmindedly played with the old, frayed bracelet on his wrist.

“You can do better, Nut.” Logan chimed in, voice a little gruff.

“How do you know?” Sirius asked. “You can’t even see her.”

“I’m using my imagination.”

Sirius barked out a laugh while Remus just sighed and requested that they all stay focused. Leo glanced around at the lobby again. Finn was standing in line behind him, looking at something on his phone. He forced himself not to look at his partner too long and kept scanning the rest of the lobby. It seemed to be a pretty quiet day - there weren’t too many people inside. A few people were seated in the waiting area and some were waiting in line behind Finn. Leo saw the teller and a short, balding man who must have been the bank manager making their way back towards him.

Leo stuck his hand out when they reached him, which the manager shook with a fake smile on his face.

“Hi, how are you doing?” Leo asked, withdrawing his hand. “I’m Fred Decker with Tigerking Digital Security. I have on record that you’re currently using one of our safes, is that correct?”

“Fred?” Sirius’ voice asked incredulously. “Of all the aliases you could use, you choose Fred? Nut, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Remus hissed at him to shut up. Leo ignored it.

“Yes, that’s right.” The manager said, a bit stiff. “What’s this about?”

“There’s a recall on a few of our safes. I was wondering if I could take a look at yours and see if it needs to be replaced. Free of charge, of course. This is an error on our part, and we want to do all we can to fix it.”

The manager hesitated, then nodded. “This way.”

Leo followed the man through a set of doors into a hallway, spotting Finn out of the corner of his eye as he approached the front desk and sent Leo a quick wink. That, more than anything, calmed Leo’s nerves. If Finn was acting like this was just run-of-the-mill and not a big deal, then they must’ve been doing something right. The door closed behind Leo, blocking his vision of the lobby. He took a fortifying breath and followed the manager into the safe room, secluded from the rest of the bank.

“Here we are,” The manager said, then pointed to a safe wedged into the corner of the room. “And there’s your safe.”

“The camera in the safe room is already on a loop, Leo. You’re all set.” Remus’ voice said, steady and calm. Leo looked the safe over, stalling as he waited for Finn’s distraction.

“Fuck,” he heard through his earpiece. “Leo, you’re going to have to hang in there for a few more seconds. The planned distraction didn’t work.”

Leo swallowed, looking back up at the manager. “So there’s these holes in the back, see?” He said, figuring a sure-fire way for him to stall was to talk about the safe. He could keep up a conversation like this for hours. “They’re used to bolt the safes into the wall. A few of our older models have larger holes.”

He grabbed the stiff coil of wire out of his pocket. “Some thieves have learned that you can get to the reset button in these older models if you use a tough wire like this and insert it through one of the holes. Basically all I want to do today is see if a thief could potentially do that with this safe. Is that all right with you?”

“Yes, of course! If there’s a problem, our client would want that fixed immediately.”

“I’m sure they would.” Leo said absentmindedly as he started fiddling with the wire for as long as he possibly could. He straightened it out from it’s coil, looked down it’s length, and then pretended to straighten some kinks out.

Don’t panic don’t panic don’t panic-

Remus’ voice was a little more tense now. “Finn, where’s that distraction?”

Finn, who was in the men’s bathroom grabbing handful after handful of paper towels and shoving them into a trash can, grumbled, “I’m working on it, ok? Sirius was right - that teller definitely has a type, and it sure as hell isn’t me. I had to improvise.”

“What does that mean?” Logan asked warily. Finn could practically see him gripping the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip as he forced himself to stay put. “What are you doing?”

Finn grabbed the bottle of hand sanitizer on the bathroom sink and took the top off, dumping the contents into the trash can as well. He grabbed the lighter in his pocket (he liked to be prepared, thank you very much) and produced a small flame.

“Something stupid.”

He lowered the lighter to the trashcan and prepared to run.

Leo could hear the shouting from Finn’s distraction all the way back in the safe room. He looked up at the manager, pretending to be confused. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure.” The manager frowned, shifting from foot to foot nervously as he looked towards the commotion. “I’m going to check it out. I’ll be right back, ok?”

Leo waved him off with a reassuring smile. “I’ll be right here.” He messed around with the safe until the door closed, then hissed, “Finn, what the hell is going on out there?” He moved Finn’s glasses to perch on top of his head and shoved the wire through one hole in the back of the safe. He grabbed his flashlight to look through the hole on the other side, searching for a small red button.

“I might’ve started a fire in the men’s restroom.”

“You what?” Leo demanded, finally finding the reset button and moving the wire steadily closer to it. “You do realize that does the exact opposite of give me more time, right?” Sure enough, the fire alarm sounded, loud and clear.

“Fuck me.” Leo muttered as he jabbed the reset button with the wire. Someone - Leo thought it might be Finn, but he wasn’t sure - muttered something too soft and muffled to be picked up by their mic. Leo didn’t have the time to question it. The safe door opened with a soft click. He quickly switched the flash drive with the replica and closed the door again. The wire got recoiled and shoved back into his pocket, Finn’s glasses returned to resting on his nose. He climbed to his feet and made his way towards the lobby at a quick pace. “I’ve got it.”

“Nice work, Nut.” He heard Logan say, and couldn’t repress the jittery feeling he always got after a successful job. He exited the bank, looking around for the manager. He seemed busy as he talked to his employees in an attempt to get the situation under control. He caught Leo’s eyes and stepped towards him. “Mr. Decker! I was looking for you.”

Leo only just remembered to over-exaggerate his accent. “I heard the alarm and high-tailed it out here. Was it a prank?”

“No,” He said after a beat of hesitation, “Someone actually started a fire in the men’s bathroom. The fire department is on its way. Hopefully it won’t take too long and you can get back to looking at that safe.”

“No need, I already finished. The holes were too small for the wire, so y’all should be fine. Anything thinner than the wire I used will be too flimsy to press that reset button.” Leo glanced down at his watch. “I do have six more banks to visit today, though, so I’m afraid this is where I leave you. Thank you for being so cooperative.” He held out his hand for the manager to shake again and gave one last smile before walking back down the street towards their designated rendezvous, trying to look casual and not like he was running away from the scene of a theft.

Sure enough, a non-descript gray car was waiting for him, right where it was supposed to be. Without a word, he climbed into the back and sprawled across all three seats, throwing an arm over his eyes as Logan put the car into drive.

The three of them were silent for a few seconds before Leo cracked a smile and laughed. “The one thing – the one thing that could get me kicked out of that safe room too fast, and that’s what you decided would make a perfect distraction?”

Finn looked back at the back seat with a grin, which softened when he laid eyes on the blond. His hair shone in the late-morning sunlight, highlighting a streak of gray at his temple. Those long legs of his took up most of the back row, and even then he still had to bend his knees to fit all the way. His eyes were blocked by his arm, but Finn could’ve seen those dimples via satellite image from space. 

“Hey, cut me some slack. I was making it up as I went.” This sent Leo into another fit of laughter, causing Finn’s smile to broaden.

“Besides,” Logan added, “You’re quick with your hands. You didn’t need all ten minutes, you barely needed three.”

Leo shrugged, which looked really strange in his current position on his back. “Got lucky. Found that reset button faster than I usually do.” He adjusted Finn’s glasses, which were still resting on his nose. “Maybe I need glasses, too.”

“Shut up. Those glasses are a statement piece, thank you very much.”

Logan snorted, watching Leo’s hand reach over the center console to return the glasses to their rightful owner. “Maybe that’s why you’re a terrible marksman, O’Hara. When’s the last time you got that prescription checked?”

Finn gasped in offense. Logan glanced over briefly and noticed the tips of his ears getting red. Cute.

“How dare you! I am not a terrible marksman!”

“That’s not what your file says.”

“What?”

“The evidence doesn’t lie.” Logan said, struggling to bite back his grin. Finn was just so fun to tease.

“Screw debriefing. When we get back to the office, we’re going to the shooting range.” Finn crossed his arms over his chest sulkily. “Terrible marksman. How dare they. Nutter Butter, back me up here.”

Leo blinked at the new nickname, but he couldn’t say he minded it too much. Especially when Finn said it like that, with such unfiltered affection. He watched the redhead turn around in his seat to look at him with big Bambi eyes, only then remembering that he was looking for an answer from Leo.

He put on a show of thinking about it, then shrugged. “I dunno, Finn. The evidence doesn’t lie.”

“Et tu, Brute?” Finn whined. “Betrayed by both of my partners. Unbelievable.”

Leo wished there was another word for partner. Maybe he should refer to them as just coworkers now. The term partner was giving him ideas. 

Ideas he couldn’t afford to be having for the first and quite possibly the biggest op of his life.

“Also, you’re one to talk!” Leo looked back up at Finn when he realized he was talking to him. “Have you ever shot a gun before, rookie?” He stopped suddenly, then grinned broadly. “Oh man, please tell me you’ve shot a gator when you were back in Louisiana. That’s so badass.”

Leo arched an eyebrow.

“Just because there’s horror stories about gators doesn’t mean they deserve to be shot.” Logan said, switching his turn signal on and waiting for the left turn light to change from red to green. “They’re a big part of the ecosystem.”

“And they kill people.”

“Oh come on, when’s the last time you heard of someone being killed by a gator?”

“Literally last week, down in Florida.”

“Well, that’s Florida. Crazy stuff like that happens in Florida all the time.”

“Did you hear about that guy from Florida who made a beer run while holding a gator?”

Logan chuckled, glancing over at his partner in disbelief. “What?”

“You heard me! Apparently he walked in, looked around and asked ‘Y’all ain’t out of beer, are you?’ But then the story gets weirder!”

Leo just sat in the backseat and laughed at Finn’s dramatic retelling of Florida news as building after building flashed by outside their windows, feeling lighter than air. His first mission was a success. He grabbed the small, innocuous flash drive out of his pocket, twirling it in his hand. One down, six more to go. If all missions were like this, taking down the Snakes wouldn’t be so bad.

He should’ve knocked on wood after having that thought.

[ryscatto]

My big story

Soooo I am gonna use this tumblr account to host a story I’m working on. It doesn’t have a title as of yet, but it is a WLW Feedism story that features other kinks. I have outlined the beginning of the story but I kinda got distracted and started writing a drabble that takes place later in the narrative. I’ll let you know right now that it gets pretty extreme, so if you’re only lightly into this kink it might not be for you. I hope the people who it’s intented for enjoy it regardless.

Other kinks featured: Size/height difference Mild muscle worship Demanding feedee Mentioned vore Burps Furniture Breaking Stuffing Bloating Teasing

'I'm home!”

Ella dropped the keys in the bowl next to the door and grinned as she felt the building shake as her massive girlfriend ran up to her. Tess scooped Ella up as if she weighed nothing and smothered her head in kisses.

“Well someone's clearly happy to see me.”

Tess carried her over to the couch and lay down with Ella on her stomach. Ella noticed empty fast food bags littering the loungeroom and smiled.

“Been keeping yourself well fed?”

“Mhmmm!”

“Good girl. I do hope you've left some room for tonight though, I'd love to see you eat a whole heap.”

As if on cue, Tess's belly let out a deafening rumble. Ella giggled and pulled out her phone. “I'll order.”

-

Tess sat surrounded by empty bags, rolled up burger wrappers, and empty bottles of soda. She was panting heavily. Ella had unbuttoned her pants to let her poor swollen belly get some room, and she was overwhelmed at just how massive her girl had gotten. Her immense gut was nearly as big as Ella's entire body, and due to its currently stuffed status, was round and tight as a drum. Other parts of Tess's body had gotten fatter too, particularly her arms, which were now even thicker than Ella's thighs, but her belly held most of her weight.

“M-more?”

Ella was blown away by the sheer gluttony and greed of her girlfriend. She was so stuffed she could barely move, and here she was asking for more. Ella reached out and rubbed her huge gut affectionally.

“Awww, who's my big greedy girl? Of course I'll get you more. I have a treat for you~”

Ella grinned devilishly to herself as she walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Sitting there, taking up most of the room in the fridge, was a huge, multiple tier chocolate cake. It was so big that Ella had trouble carrying it on her own. But she was determine to make sure that her girl got her treat so she knew how proud Ella was of her.

Tess's eyes lit up as she saw the cake. Ella may have struggled with it, but when Tess took it from her, it was as if the cake weighed nothing. She may have been enormously fat, but Tess was still very big and strong. Getting as fat as she was did not seem to hamper her mobility or strength in any way. She picked the cake up as if it was a cheeseburger and bit into it, her eyes rolling back in her head with pleasure.

Ella watched in pride as Tess demolished the cake. She slurped, chewed nosily, and got icing all over her fingers and face. Ella put a hand on Tess's gut as she ate, and could actually feel it pushing out, expanding and getting more full against her hand. She wondered if Tess would ever stop growing. She hoped not.

When Tess had finished her cake, she licked off every crumb and every piece of icing from her fingers and face. She sighed happily and slapped her huge gut, making it wobble. “Ugh, you really know how to spoil a girl, babe. That was amazing.” She looked down at her gut, and gave it a wobble. “I'm getting really huge, aren't I”

“That you are. And I am so proud of you.”

Ella rested her body against Tess's gut, feeling it continue to swell. It was as if she never stopped growing, her body constantly churning up the insane about of calories she consumed and turning them into more plush, cuddly, jiggly fat. Ella frowned however, when she heard Tess whimper a little.

“Hmmmm, tummy hurts. Could you get me some soda?”

“Of course angel.” Ella walked back into the kitchen and found a bucket. Gone were the days where Tess could be satisfied by a single 2 litre soft drink. Ella had to pour a bunch of them into the bucket, being careful to do it slowly enough so that it didn't fizz up over the edge and get all over the floor. She carefully carried the 20 litre bucket to Tess, who didn't struggle at all to rest it between her boobs and tilt it back so she could slurp down the contents.

As Tess nosily gulped down her soda, Ella watched her belly expand and grow dramatically. This was by far her favorite part. Empty jiggly Tess was fun, so was Tess stuffed tight with food, but Tess swollen like a giant balloon with gas and soda was beyond anything she could have imagined. She felt the anticipation build inside of her as her girlfriend swelled huger and huger, the couch groaning  under her immense weight.

Eventually she ran out of soda, and let the bucket roll off of her gut where it bounced off onto the floor. She made a gurgling sound, looking over at her gut as it continued to swell. She had chosen to wear a button up shirt that day as she knew it drove Ella wild to see the buttons ping off, and before long the immense amount of gut started causing them to pop off one by one.

Ella got tired of just watching and hauled herself up onto Tess's belly. It was so much bigger than her now, and continuing to swell. Ella sighed happily and rubbed the taunt surface of the belly, enjoying how it had no give as it pushed out more and more underneath her.

Finally, the swelling stopped. Tess was silent. Ella traced circles in the firm surface of her girlfriend's belly. “Hmmm, you okay, my love?”

“BRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP”

It seemed the bigger Tess got, the bigger her belches got too. Ella laughed as Tess's belly deflated, her ears ringing from the immense noise she was being blasted with. The belch must have lasted a good minute, and Ella felt bad for their neighbours and hoped they wouldn't put in a noise compaint.

She was left with a still huge, bloated Tess, who was full of cake, soda, and untold other amounts of treats. Tess continued to let out smaller burps as Ella massaged her belly and cooed over her.

“Hnng, you're so good at spoiling me, Ella.”

Ella giggle and grabbed one of her girlfriend's cheeks, jiggling it. “It's easy to when you're so adorable! What do you wanna do now?”

Tess blushed. “W-would it be bad if I said I wanted pizza?”

Ella sighed, and rubbed circles in the side of Tess's churning gut. “Honey, I will get you pizza if you really want it, but are you sure you can handle it? You've had a huge amount to eat tonight, even for you, and I really don't want you getting hurt or sick.”

Tess grinned, pulling Ella up so she was straddling her belly. She looked utterly tiny compared to the other girl. “Trust me love, I know my limits, and I won't push past them. Do you trust me?”

Ella still looked worried, but she nodded.

“Okay good. Five pizzas please. And two garlic breads. Oooooh and maybe some ice cream if they have any of it.”

Ella pulled out her phone. “What flavour ice cream?”

“All of them.”

Tess's pizzas came very soon after they ordered them, and it took Ella several trips to get them all into the loungeroom. She was a little surprised when Tess didn't immediately dig into them like she usually did.

“What's wrong, Tess?”

Tess let out a huge yawn and slapped her gut casually, causing it to jiggle all over. “Feeling super lazy and tired right now, hon. I'm hungry and I wanna eat buuuut...” Tess looked at Ella with puppy dog eyes, which Ella knew she would never be immune to.

“Say no more.” Ella balanced the stack of pizzas carefully on the back of the chair, and climbed back up onto Tess's gut. It made her burp a little as she was still full of soda, but Ella could straddle it easily now like a sloshy beanbag filled with lard. She took the first pizza out of its box- this one was a meatlovers that was also dripping with mayo – and rolled it up like a wrap. The girls always asked the pizza people not to cut up the pizza, simply to make it easier for Tess to eat.

Ella held the pizza-wrap up to her girlfriend's mouth, and Tess began to methodically chomp away at it. She really was an eating machine, demolishing thousands of calories methodically and almost automatically. Ella had little time to get the next pizza out of the box and wrap it up before Tess was whining and begging her for more.

Five pizzas dissapeared in the same way into Tess's ridiculous belly, and she was still hungry. “More!” She demanded of Ella, who had stopped to rub the huge gurgling gut she was sitting on. “I need more now!”

“Okay baby, hold your horses. Here comes the garlic bread.”

Cheekily, Ella took a bite of the garlic bread herself. She'd always loved it, and would often pinch a bit for herself before throwing the rest to the gluttonous void that was Tess. Tess saw what she did, let out a desperate whine, and pulled Ella's hands over to her face so she could wolf down the garlic bread.

“Okay okay big girl, I'm sorry. I just wanted a little taste.” Tess winked at her to let her know that she wasn't that mad about the stolen food, and that it was just a part of the game she was playing. She finished the row of garlic bread, and waited for Ella to feed her the next one. She dispatched the greasy bread with ease, and wiped grease off of her mouth with the back of a pudgy hand.

“Ice cream time now.”

They had let the ice cream melt while Tess ate the pizzas, as it turned them into a thickshake like format that Tess was able to get down quickly. Ella held each ice cream tub up to her girlfriend's face and tilted them so she could gulp them down. She had no idea how Tess never got brain freeze, but there was so many things about Tess's body that she didn't understand that she had learned not to question it anymore. “You're doing so well, baby.” Ella cooed at her. “I don't know why I doubted you.”

Tess paused for a moment and let out a short belch, jiggling her gut. “I know you were just trying to look after me, honey. Thank you.” She reached out and gently stroked Ella's hair with one of her huge hands. Ella shut her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the sensation of being stroked. As much fun as she was having feeding Tess, she looked forwards to cuddling her in bed afterwards.

Ella dutifully fed her girlfriend more ice cream, until an ominous creaking sound started coming from the couch. The girls stopped and looked at each other in slight panic.

The creaking turned to a groan, and then a snapping noise. Both of them squealed as the couch snapped in half. There was a thunderous thud as Tess fell to the ground with Ella clinging to her belly for dear life.

“OOOOPS.” Tess let out a short bark of laughter, but then a look of concern overcame her face. “Are you okay baby?” She rubbed Ella's back with concern, making sure she hadn't been injured in the fall.”

Ella burst into laughter and couldn't stop. It was contagious, and Tess joined in with her, a deep belly laugh that jiggled her all over. Eventually Ella let out a happy sigh and stopped laughing, slapping the side of the gut she had been sitting on.

“I can't believe you broke the couch! We're never getting the deposit back.”

Tess snorted. “If the landlord doesn't give me back the deposit, I'll eat him.”

Ella blushed, the thought of Tess eating another person causing some confusingly arousing feelings to surface in her. “Let's hope it doesn't come to that.”

Tess smirked cockily. “You know I could do that, right? Very easily.” She let out a predatory growl, and Ella surpressed a squeal of delight. She loved it when Tess got all scary.

Tess slowly lay backwards, breaking more of the couch as she did so. Ella scrambled up onto the crest of her belly as she lay down, feeling it jiggle and undulate underneath her. “More ice cream?” Tess was back to puppy dog mode, her big brown eyes begging Ella for more food. Ella, of course, had no choice but to comply.

Ella gave Tess the rest of the ice cream, which had since melted to an almost completely liquid state. After the final tub of rocky road, Tess let out a loud sigh and a yawn.

“I think. I think I'm full.”

Ella hugged as much of Tess's gut as she could, squeezing her arms around as much of the soft expanse as she could manage. “I hope my big girl is happy now. I know I am.”

Tess smiled up at her. “Mmmhmm. I just hope the bed holds up under all this.” She grabbed the sides of her gut and gave it a jiggle, sending Ella all over the place. “Ah well. If the bed falls to pieces, at least you have this belly to lay on.”

Tess beckoned Ella to get off of her and stood up. Ella was amazed that she was still able to stand after all she had consumed. Tess was huge, not just in her belly but in height as well. Ella had never seen a person as big, and it made her happy to know that she was safe with Tess, that Tess was able to protect her from anything and everything. Her face was level with Tess's navel, and she pushed her face into that soft, jiggly gut.

Tess reached down and picked Ella up as easily if she was a child. “Bedtime now. Let's brush our teeth.”

The two girls went through their nighttime routine, and soon they found themselves in bed. The bed groaned under the immense weight, but held fast for now. Ella snuggled into Tess shoulder, which, while being extremely soft and cuddly, was also immensely broad and held powerful muscles underneath.

Ella rubbed her girlfriend's arm, which seemed as big as a treetrunk. “Flex for me, baby? I need to make sure you have muscles still under all that lard.”

Tess complied. While her arms were coated in soft, plush fat, when Ella squeezed, she could feel huge muscles underneath. She sighed happily and rubbed the arm, eliciting a growl of pleasure from Tess.

“What do you wanna do tomorrow, honey?”

Tess snorted, double chins creasing up as she turned to look at her partner. “What do you think, silly?”

“Hmmmm, I dunno.... perhaps.... eat?”

Tess opened her mouth in mock surprise. “How did you guess?”

Ella played along with the charade. “Hmmm, I dunno. Nobody would guess that you love eating.” She shrugged. “It's not as if THIS -” She reached out and slapped the side of Tess's belly, watching it sway from side to side. “-totally gives it away.”

“Hmmm I mean, I gueeeess so. I suppose my gut gives away that I love doing nothing more than eating, growing, and seeing how big my burps can get, right?”

Ella grabbed one of Tess's colossal love handles and shook, causing her belly to jiggle out of control. “You are SO huge babe, I hope you know that. I thought you were big to start off with, with how tall and buff you got. And then you got all hungry, and you ate, and ate, and ate. And you just keep eating. And growing bigger and bigger by the day. It's amazing. You're amazing.”

Tess squeezed Ella to her side gently. “You're amazing, honey. I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend or feeder.” She kissed the top of Ella's head gently.

“Hmmmm, y'know, the bed's feeling less comfortable to me at the moment.” Ella said teasingly. “If only there was something more comfortable to lay on, but I'm just not sure, right?”

Tess grinned, and one handedly flipped her girlfriend onto her massive gut. No clothes could cover the huge expanse of flesh currently, so her belly hung out in the open. Ella spread herself out as far as she could in a star shape, sinking into the plush fat like memory foam.

“Hey honey? Think you could give me some rubs while you're up there?”

Ella didn't have to be asked twice. She used her hands to gently knead and massage Tess's flesh, feeling it ripple under her touch. Tess let out a deep rumble of pleasure.

Ella continued to rub and scratch at Tess's titanic tummy, until snores could be heard coming from the huge woman. Ella smiled to herself and planted a kiss on Tess, before curling up herself in the lard and letting the warmth of her girlfriend's body send her to sleep.

[writeblrfantasy]

as promised, here is some snowbaz fanfic (k words) this was a birthday gift for my best friend last year, who has a ferret which i became intimately familiar with over phone calls. this actually holds up, or so I think? anyway, enjoy!

snow's new ferret

This was all Baz’s bloody fault.

“Let’s go walking round London,” Baz had said, because it was Saturday, and neither of them had homework, and he was trying to be romantic and spend some quality time with Snow for once. “We might even find a place with sour cherry scones."

“None as good as Watford's,” Snow had said, but grinned and hurried to pull his shoes on, tripping over his own feet.

Look where romance got him, because now Baz was hovering behind Simon in a pet store of all places while he excitedly chatted on the phone to Bunce. Both of them were squeaking and squealing over the small brown ferret in Snow’s hand. Bunce sounded like she’d have given anything to see it.

“Ooh, Penny, can we keep him?” Snow asked for the millionth time. Baz rolled his eyes.

“Yes, yes, of course! I’ll…” Bunce’s voice faded out as Baz stared the ferret down. Its beady little black eyes, eyes of a demon. It was creepy, but also strangely cute.

Baz glared at it, but its gaze never wavered.

Before he knew it, Snow was off the phone and smiling at him. “We’re getting it,” he said stupidly.

“Yes, I have ears, Snow,” Baz retorted, but Snow was already wandering off to the pet shop owner.

***

“Cherry Scone?” Baz demanded. “You named it Cherry Scone?”

“She, not it, Baz,” Snow said instinctually. He was too distracted by the ferret cradled in his hands. It already had a full cage set up in Simon’s room, decorated with stickers and beads. It was gaudy, in Baz’s opinion, and entirely unnecessary.

But Simon grinned and lit up looking at it, so Baz was okay with it, he supposed.

That was until the fateful Wednesday evening.

Baz had just gotten through a tiring day of classes, and all he wanted was a drink, some food, and to kiss his boyfriend.

A blood bag and leftover pizza was guaranteed to be in Simon’s fridge, but he didn’t get his usual hello kiss by the door. Instead, the Simon opening the door was distracted and fretting.

He was moving away before Baz could even lean in. “What’s wrong?” Baz asked, setting his bag down on the couch.

“Cherry Scone’s disappeared,” Snow said, looking under the blanket on the couch, carelessly moving Baz’s bag away to look there. “Can’t find her anywhere.”

“Don’t you and Bunce have schedules for watching it?”

“Her, not it, Baz,” Simon muttered, shaking his curls out of his eyes to search under the couch. “And yes, but Penny’s out tonight.”

“Out? Where?”

“New bloke she met on flinder.” Snow checked under the tv stand, behind the tv itself, then disappeared into Bunce’s room.

“I sincerely hope you mean Tinder.” Baz went into the kitchen to get said blood bag and pizza. After a drink and a bite, Snow still wasn’t out, so Baz followed to check. He found Simon on her bed, head in his hands.

“Snow? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find her anywhere.” Snow’s voice wavered, like he was actually crying. Baz’s heart ached. “She was just running around in my room, and me and Penny let her run round the flat after always checking the doors and windows are closed… I don’t know where she’s gone, Baz, she’s supposed to be in her cage by now, what if she-”

“Hey, hey, don’t go there. We’ll find her. We will. Come here.” Baz went to hold Simon close, and though he felt shame at feeling this way, there was nothing quite like the warmth of holding Simon in his arms.

Simon relaxed for a moment before tensing up again. “Can you help look? I know you’re not the most fond of her, but…” With the way Simon was looking at him, blue eyes wide and sad, how could Baz ever say no?

“Of course, Simon, of course.” Baz reluctantly let go and got up, leading the way into Simon’s room. He made a beeline for the cage, where, just like he’d guessed, Cherry Scone was safely sitting, the door still open. She stared up at him with those beady black eyes. Baz stared back, hesitantly lifting her out, at a distance in case she’d bite. She didn’t, but she did stare at him while he carried her to Simon.

“Was in her cage,” Baz said, handing her to him. Simon’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas.

“Oh, Baz, thank you!” He leaned forward and gave Baz the heated but chaste kiss he’d first wanted. Baz’s lips tingled, and he hoped for another one, he hoped Snow would put the ferret back in her cage and leave her there. Baz allowed himself to dream about a good snogging session on the couch, maybe with the pizza box open on the coffee table and the tv playing something insignificant in the background…

But Snow was already taking the damn thing to the living room, talking sweetly to her, promising some treats.

Over Snow’s shoulder, she watched Baz until Snow disappeared around the corner.

***

Normally, walks to the park were just that. Walks to the park.

They were often romantic. Baz and Snow had had more than one picnic date there, even with all the ants and bees. To see Snow, disaster that he was, get biscuit crumbs all over himself and still grin about it was more than enough.

Besides, there were a fair amount of plump birds in the park for Baz.

But of course, Baz should’ve known better than to think this park date would be like every other.

“I still can’t believe they make bloody leashes for those things.” Baz shook his head. Snow grinned, eyes sparkling as he looked down at the ferret, scuttling along on the ground.

You used to look at me that way, Baz thought, then berated himself for being so pathetic. At least Snow was still holding his hand and brushing shoulders with him, walking slowly and leisurely like they used to, and maybe if Baz turned his head he could steal a-

“Hey!” The warmth of Snow’s hand left his, and Baz opened his eyes from his daydream to watch Snow running after the ferret. She’d escaped his hold on the leash. Of course. It was bound to happen.

“Baz, c’mon, help!”

With a sigh of resignation, Baz jogged after him.

***

Baz should’ve known the words, “Love, could you watch Cherry Scone for the day? Penny’s visiting family and I have class, and you don’t, so…” would never end well.

But Simon had called him love, and he’d been looking at Baz with love in his eyes as he said it, and however could Baz resist that?

Now, he realized he probably should’ve tried much, much harder. He should’ve floundered up an excuse or something, “Oh, I need to go get kidnapped by numpties again, be back tomorrow, don’t forget to tell Fiona,” because this was utterly ridiculous.

How could Snow ever love something so determined to make life miserable? Baz’s mind helpfully placed himself in that spot, but he shoved the thought away, because Simon’s beloved ferret was currently terrorizing the kitchen.

“If you wind up in the actual cherry scones, I don’t think even Snow would forgive you,” Baz told it, reaching out and unsuccessfully grabbing it. It scrambled along the kitchen counter, jumping, looking like it was trying to climb the fridge. Baz cupped his hands and tried again, but it jumped, scratching him in the process. Baz swore.

“You really are a devil, aren’t you?” Baz snapped, running his finger under the tap. Where had the bloody thing gone?

A mighty clatter rang through the kitchen. Baz slowly turned around, dreading what he’d find.

The ferret had gotten into the jam jar. No, more like it had knocked the jam jar off the top of the fridge and landed next to the remains.

Baz swore again and bent to check it. It was fine, just covered in red, and the broken glass was far away. Thank god Simon wasn’t here; Baz shuddered at the thought of all that worrying. Though if it meant pulling Simon into his arms to console him…

“I have half a mind to just leave you here,” Baz said to it, grumbling as he picked it up. He took it to the bathroom, because Simon had told him it needed a bath sometime that day, so he wouldn’t question it. “But I love him too much for that.” He placed it in the bath, turning on the water. “If you make him happy, so be it. I can live with you.”

***

Yeah, that wasn’t going to last.

Baz was simply sick of it. The bloody ferret had all of Simon’s attention, and nearly all of his heart. At least, Baz hoped there was still space there reserved for him.

Either way, she was putting Baz out of a job. Whenever Simon got anxious or sad now, he’d hug the ferret instead of reaching out to Baz. She was always in his lap, always being fed treats while he stroked her fur, always looking up at Baz with those evil eyes.

Baz was tired of it all. He was practically invisible to Simon now, and Simon would just nod and make noises whenever Baz talked, told him about his day. As if he didn’t think Baz would notice.

Bunce found it all hilarious. Simon was oblivious as usual.

As annoying and humorous as it was that Simon had chosen a bloody ferret over Baz, in some ways it did genuinely hurt. He hated to feel that way, but he hated more that the only kisses he got from Simon these days were when he did something for the ferret.

It was all building up to one fateful evening at Snow’s flat. Penny was on another date with that bloke from Tinder--Baz couldn’t even remember his name, but Bunce seemed to like him well enough, and Simon apparently approved. Baz would still need to meet him, give him an effective talk, before he had his approval as well. Bunce deserved only the best.

It was the same old situation. Baz had memorized this dance they did. Knock, Snow opens the door, distractedly says hi, because the ferret is in his arms, wriggling to get away. He puts it over his shoulder with one hand on its back, Baz comes in, Snow shuts the door. Snow walks over to the couch with the ferret, Baz goes to the kitchen--except tonight he doesn’t.

Baz instead followed Snow to the couch, ignoring the surprised eyebrow raise Simon gives him. They were going to have this conversation like mature, civilized adults. Baz would explain what was bothering him, hope Simon would make a change, and that would be that.

“Baz? What’s wrong?” Simon asked, and it hurt that that was more attention than Simon usually paid him these days.

“Nothing, I--”

Damn his default deflections. “Actually, something. I- ever since you got the- the ferret, I can’t but feel like, I, uh…”

After a pause that was definitely too long, Simon gently prodded, “What?”

It didn’t help that he was still absently stroking its back. “That you pay more attention to it than me,” Baz blurted. His cheeks immediately bloomed red. “I--just--you don’t smile at me as much as you used to, you’re always tending to it--her, you only kiss me when I feed it or watch it for you or find it when it gets lost--”

“Baz--”

“You know what, it’s fine, forget I said anything, Snow, I--”

“Baz--”

“Really, I’m good--”

“Baz!”

Baz finally dared to look up. Simon's face was pinched. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Penny did warn me, but I didn’t think it would…I don’t want to choose between the two of you,” Simon said softly, his eyes gentle and caring when he looked at Baz and goddammit Baz do not cry--

“Well you have been,” Baz snapped, because if he can’t cry, he’ll be angry. He felt himself go red, angry and defensive and hurt, and he cursed himself for drinking before this.

“I’m sorry,” Simon said again, shifting the ferret on his lap, and even that hurt Baz a little bit. “What would you like me to do?”

Baz floundered. He hadn’t honestly, expected to get this far. “Uh, make some time, like when I’m over, where you put the ferret away? It has to sleep sometime, surely.”

“Yeah, at night.”

“Well…can you put it in its cage when I’m here?”

After a breathless second, Simon smiled- at him this time, not the ferret- and said, “Yes.” He looked down at his lap one more time, smiling, and this time it didn’t hurt at all. Simon loved them both, and Baz knew that now for sure, even if he had always known it.

“Would you like to pet her before I put her away?” Simon asked, and Baz realized that he’d never really felt it. Yes, he’d picked it up to give it a bath and help it out of the jam mess--something he had still not told Simon about--but he hadn’t taken notice of the texture of its fur. He was usually too annoyed at it for that.

“Yeah, fine.” Baz scooted closer to Simon on the couch, feeling heat radiate off him, and as much as he wanted to just forget about the ferret and be close to his boyfriend, this would make Simon happy.

So he pet it. It looked up at him, quite distrusting, but slowly warming to him. At least tolerating him. “It’s--it’s quite soft.”

“She is.” Simon grinned, then finally, bless, got up to put her away.

The minute waiting for Simon to come back was the most agonizing of Baz’s life, like this was their first kiss and not their 1000th. Finally Simon sat back down, smiling, and leaned over, taking Baz’s hot cheeks in his hands to give him a long, sweet kiss. It left Baz’s insides warm, his lips burning, and all he wanted was more, more, more--

And Simon let him have more, he gave as good as he got, pushing closer to Baz, letting Baz lick into his mouth, giving one last long kiss before pulling away.

Baz was breathless. Simon was golden.

“Thank you,” Baz said, surprised to hear his own voice so low, panting the way he was. Simon smiled, his sun, his golden boy, and kissed Baz again.

Forget about bloody ferrets for now.

[pixieungerstories]

The Captive

It was pouring rain and the staff all knew that no one was going out in that to buy a skein of alpaca and a chocolate croissant.  Not even if they were made with the good chocolate.  “Go home, Ben. It’s been a long day.  You work hard and have earned some time off.”

Ben hesitated, “You sure, Elly?”

That was when the power went out.  “Well, I am now,” Elaina replied.  

In the faint light seeping in through the windows, Ben took off his apron and tossed it into the laundry hamper.  He had the lean look of someone who was a tall 98 pound weakling in high school and was now a daily visitor to the gym.   He had some muscle mass but would never be the bulky guy he wanted to be.   His thick dark brown hair was cropped close in an attempt to keep it from sticking up in odd ways.  This was an improvement over his previous cut where he looked like he was wearing a hat made of hair.  His cheekbones were sharp. His nose was a long and straight with a hint of the freckles he had as a kid.  His eyebrows were not thick but they were expressive.  All and all, he looked like someone who, should they need to be described in a single word, the word would be sharp.  Or possibly angular. 

He kissed Elly’s cheek on his way past, “Lock the door behind me, ok?”

She nodded and flipped the open sign to closed  When Ben left, she locked the deadbolt and put the security chain in place.  Normally at the end of the day, she would wash the kitchen towels, the linen napkins and Ben’s apron.

Straw into Gold was in an old three story house.  The kitchen was now a commercial kitchen.  The dining room was the cafe.  The rest of the house had been opened up to sell wool, yarn, dyeing supplies, spinning wheels and looms.  The fireplace was still there in the parlour, still working.  There was a circle of arm chairs arranged around it where the knitting groups could meet and not be near the cafe crumbs.  

Elly would have to wait for the last of the fire to burn down before going upstairs.  She dug out a book and a flashlight before curling up in her favourite chair to read by the window.  There was a flash of lightning moments before a crash of thunder rattled the window.  She muttered under her  breath, but otherwise ignored it.

Twenty minutes later she was scooping ashes into a metal bucket near the fireplace and thirty minutes later she was checking to make sure all the switches were set to off before letting herself through the staff only door to the basement.  There was a candle and a box of matches on the top step.  She tried to strike a match by feel when George laughed from somewhere below her.

“I could do that for you, you know.”

“Thanks,” she snarked, “but I happen to like having eyebrows.”  She made sure the candle was lit before carefully going do the steep and narrow stairs.  “How are you doing down here?  Any water getting in?”

George yawned hugely, showing off a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.  “Nope.  That weeping tile you had installed really made a difference.  I am warm and dry.”

“It’s getting a bit cold up there, think you could turn up the heat a little?”

George smirked, “Is there any of the boy’s baking left?”

Elly nodded.

George’s scales started to glow faintly, “I think arrangements could be made.”

Elly brought down all the leftover baking, a copper kettle full of water, a lemon ginger tea bag and a fancy cup and saucer that had been her aunt’s favourite before Ina had passed away a few years ago.  The cafe used all antique china, but there were still a few special pieces that spent most of their time in the curio cabinet in the corner.

The kettle was set on the floor and George wrapped his tail around it.  The floor and walls were all old masonry, so the risk of fire was low.  The only furniture down here was a large wingback chair in brown leather, and a small ornate side table in carved from a single piece of dark walnut.  The table currently had a camping LED lantern sitting on it.  George didn’t like the light it gave, but Elly had put her foot down.  She didn’t like the candle smoke.

She munched a slice of chocolate cranberry bread as she tossed baking at George.  He caught them out of the air like a dog snapping at treats.

Around a mouthful of brioche, he asked, “Would you sleep down here tonight, Treasure?”

 Elly froze, tea cup half way to her mouth. “I told you not to call me that,” she said in a deathly quiet voice.

George’s tail began to twitch in irritation.  “And I have repeatedly told you it is a term of endearment.”

Elly shook her head, “I don’t believe you.  When I came down here to tell you that Aunt Ina had died, you didn’t even know who I was talking about.  I have a name, use it!”

George narrowed his eyes at her.  Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by the sound of his tail knocking over the kettle.  Elly, jumped out of the chair and backed away from the rapidly spreading puddle of boiling water.  She snatched up the lantern and ran up the stairs.  George shouted after her, “What’s the point in learning your name when you are just going to be dead in sixty years?”

She slammed the door at the top of the stairs and thundered up the next flight to her apartment on the second and third floor of the house.  She paced agitatedly in her much smaller kitchen before using a match to light her stove and setting about making mac and cheese for supper.  She still had some roast chicken that she could heat up to go with it, but right now she needed the comfort carbs.

Running a yarn store wasn’t exactly what she was expecting from her life.  The store, or at least the property on which the store was built had been in her family for hundreds of years.  It had burnt down, under mysterious circumstances in 1912, but had been rebuilt on the original foundations.  In all that time, it had always been a wool store.  It was the last house in town and always would be.  It was built on the corner of a section of farmland that butted up against the town line.

The farm was currently being leased out as pasture.  The tenants didn’t actually pay rent.  They kept sheep and tended Elly’s flock with their own.  The sheep supplied some of the wool for the store, but mostly they kept George fed.  No one knew that though.  Officially the area was just prone to sheep thieves.

Elly’s family did well.  Their crops flourished.  Their businesses succeeded.  And every generation, one woman in the family would take over the yarn shop.

It was just bad luck that she had been the oldest unmarried girl in the family when Ina had died.  It wasn’t even like she was single at the time.  She had tried really hard to talk Jeremy into a quickie wedding when Ina got sick, but it hadn’t worked.

Then Ina was gone and her choices were either dump him or wait for the family curse to get rid of him some other way.  She walked away from her job, her boyfriend and being one semester away from getting her Masters in Library and Information Sciences.

Her mother had told her it wasn’t that bad.  Maybe she could sell off the yarn and turn the shop into a bookstore.

Ha!

Mom had married into the family.  She didn’t know what was in the basement.  Now Elly was trapped in this house without so much as a dog for company.  

She turned off the stove and dumped out her pot of boiling water.  Who knew when the power would be back on.  There was ice cream in the fridge that needed eating up.

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Onyx tells Mc she’s pregnant. They hosts a party for everyone to announce of Onyx’s pregnancy. How they announce it and how everyone react are up to you!

Written by @evoedbd

WARNINGS Mentions of abuse Mentions of miscarriage Potentially offensive attempts at humor

Chanouncement

Cali was good with weird. Completely fine. The last year had seen her life absolutely flipped on its head. Perhaps rolled over by a truck, chopped up, tossed into a woodchipper, fed to gulls, shat out across the country… the picture was quite morbid.

Cali had foolishly thought her life couldn’t get any weirder. After all, she was dating the nicer of two near identical twins, who both so happened to be supernaturally selected demon slayers. The “evil” twin had turned Cali into a well of Supernatural energy and used said power to give the demons a massive level up. That wasn’t all, she’d also watched said twin, whilst possessed, gut Onyx, the love of her life and watched Onyx emerge a dragon. If that wasn’t unusual and morbid enough, Cali had literally shouted her romantic love at a literal dragon, who had once been her five-foot nothing girlfriend. Cali had been dating a literal dragon. In love with a literal dragon. That should have topped the weirdness charts. But no, Cali had then become the next Envy herself, and thus the only human bridge between a mod girl reincarnated into a brown bear, and her dead girlfriend. If that wasn’t enough, she’d been part of a ritual to bring her girlfriend back into human form, and to top it off, Cali discovered that her blood was the literal key to her girlfriend’s soul and destroying it. Nothing too serious. Just casual lesbian disaster stuff. Only, neither she nor Onyx were actually lesbians. Both of them appreciated men. In the sexy way. In the “Onyx had dated a man who abused her until her twin sister had gutted him like a pig and stolen his supernatural powers”, way. That kind of bisexual… no wonder some people were a little intimidated by the Queer community. Between U-Haul lesbians not checking for demon possession and world ending bisexuals, that was all pretty scary.

Though not as scary as what she and her lady love planned to do. As fate would have it, if fate was a wonderful arsehole conscious, Cali had been delivered a further dose of weirdness in her unusual life. Weirdness in the form of her formerly dragon, formerly dead girlfriend discovering she was pregnant under the potent influence of ritualistic magic, which had restored her human form. Given that these circumstances would have been terrifying for anybody, even without the added fact that she was now vulnerable for a demon demi-devil’s possession and the prime target of an apocalyptic plot, it made absolute sense that Onyx was anxious. Cali had been there, she understood how end of the world pressure like that could mess with a girl, which was why it was imperative to bring the team up to date on the latest development… and no, that was not a kidney, not yet. Onyx wasn’t that far along.

So far, the plan of a joyful distraction had gone off without a hitch. The common area was alive with laughter flowing from the Sin Troupe. Alcohol flowed relatively freely, along with several bowls and bags of typical party food such as potato chips and popcorn. The floor was already littered with crumbs, mostly from the boys throwing scraps at Wrath between rounds of charades. One thing Cali had learned tonight was that for a group that entertained for a living, a group also responsible for concealing the fact the world was woefully fucked from the general population, they were horrific actors. Now the money and tickets made sense, for even the most deluded of fans would surely notice the cracks if it was left to their acting skills alone.

“Shaving! Um, WHIPPED! Oh! BDSM KINK SHAMING!”

“Moron.”

“Darius… how did you even get that from dancing?”

“Oh? That’s what it is? I thought Wrath was possessed.”

“She’s Britney Spears. Cal’s her circus boy.”

“Well we aren’t all DJs here, Malakai. How was I supposed to get that from whatever she and Cal were doing?”

Cali didn’t tune into the words after that. She was back to anxious, or perhaps the woman tucked under her arm was. It was difficult to tell with the bond so active, causing the teeth marks on her shoulder to burn with the heat of a dragon’s love. Try as she might, she was caught between two violent sensations. The magic of the mark; memories of heat as playful nips had become a serious bite, a possessive one from a Dragon unlike the world had ever seen, or ever would. It wasn’t like anybody had seen Onyx as a dragon… except two sold out nights of the Sin Circus, a carnival ground and a shopping mall full of super excited fans and everyone online. Ok, that was a lot of people who’d seen Onyx as a dragon. That could be a problem. Which led to the anxiety. The type which made sweat prickle in all the uncomfortable places and her stomach do terrified flips. She wasn’t even the pregnant one. Onyx had to survive a pregnancy, targeting and contain a literal dragon’s soul.

All Cali had to do was make the statement that she had an announcement to make like a normal human being. She had to ignore the sweat trickling down her palms, tickling every crease, and how her heart skipped several beats in the past minute; rushing faster and faster until she could hear in her ears when she closed her eyes. Slower Blinks. She had to be normal.  Be normal. Be normal. Be normal.

All she had to do was make a single little announcement, that was admittedly life changing. It wasn’t like these people would judge. After all they were supernatural Demon assassins chosen by mystical powers based on the Seven Deadly Sins. If there was any group which were not judgemental it would surely be these people.

“I have channouncement to make.” she said with a rather high-pitched voice and a casual smile just a little too tight to be completely relaxed. In a room full of assassins she might as well have been waving a red flag saying terrified med school dropout alert. This was the time for the royal skill of fake it till you make it mixed with an impossibly large dose of denial. Anxious? Cali? Hah! No way. She had nailed it.

“What she means is we want to tell you something. Since we’re already playing charades, we want to try and see if you can guess.” Onyx chimed in, snuggling playfully under Cali’s arm. The mechanic grinned, letting her goofy affection conceal another wave of nerves. It was easier if she just stared at Onyx and let her face do what it would do. Give in to the muscles making her smile as she got lost in the most dazzling green eyes the world had ever seen. The dusting of blue eyeshadow really made those eyes pop, like emeralds offered to thieves on booby trapped pedestals. Hah, boobs! Cali liked those. Especially Onyx’s. No matter how Cali tried to avoid falling for the emerald trap, she found her gaze lingering, feasting on how the light shone across dark lashes and the rhinestone piercing just beneath Onyx’s right eye. It kept focus away from tender pink lips, from subtle little bites that portrayed a mix of excitement and nerves. Cali doubted the others would realise Onyx was anything other than playful. Afterall Onyx was a master of faking it until she made it, even to her closest friends. It showed in how loose her body was, how genuine her show stopping smile seemed. If Cali hadn’t felt the flickering within the bond, she may have bought Onyx’s act. That and the affection. How Onyx’s arm around her waist pulled that little bit too tight to be casual. Or how trimmed nails tried to dig into the grey fabric of Cali’s shirt; dragon talons clinging to the finest treasure. A scared girl seeking reassurance.

“Right. And to make it a team Envy experience, I’m going to tell Rip how to act.” Cali explained out loud, barely restraining her laughter as Ripley’s eagerness flooded her mind.

“Alright! I’m the best at charades! My acting is on point. Everyone thinks I’m a bear.”

Cali didn’t have the heart to tell Ripley that her “bear” act was entirely too adorable to be terrifying. Ripley may have the body of a bear, her soul, however, was still that of a tender human. Her soft eyes would strike terror into the hearts of the masses, along with her awkward attempts at snarls and finely groomed coat. Every gesture of her paws would see her painted pink claws drip sparkles, which admittedly might be horrifying to cishet folk. Ripley as always, was dressed for battle, wearing a fearsome checkered neck scarf, complete with an adorable little bow…truly, Ripley could intimidate the world into movies and cuddles. She could terrify little girls into dropping popcorn into her open maw as she scrolled an iPad and lamented the fashion she could no longer wear. She was oh so very, very terrifying. Cali had fallen for the bear terror for five seconds when they’d met, that was true. Then again, Cali had also believed Vinca a completely evil maniac who killed Onyx’s boyfriend, who was a loving and uplifting man, just to steal his powers and fuck with Onyx. She had assumed Dorran had loved and cherished Onyx until his dying breath. Cali had assumed Dorran had trained her, protected her, instead of abused her and hurled her at demons. Cali’s track record with assumptions was pretty horrific, actually. Horrifically awful.

She realised her lingering rage must have echoed through the bond when a soft touch to her forearm drew her attention. Once again, she was drawn into the trap of green, found herself beneath the crashing wave of Onyx’s gaze. This gaze, however, was different. It was sympathy and confusion, a jumbled mess of understanding which stood secondary to the fact Onyx wished to soothe. A small flick at the corner of Cali’s mouth let Onyx know the gesture was received, the storm had passed, at least for now. She didn’t need to keep her gaze on Onyx to know that the former Envy Assassin’s expression mirrored her own. Cheeky grins and eyes twinkling with mischief as Cali allowed her mind to sink into the images and emotions she needed to convey, needed Ripley to convey. Onyx was their awareness, her approval expressed in delighted cackles and birdsong laughter, by her touch on Cali’s arm shifting with her small body.

The bear started out stiff, walking in shorter, wider strides on hind legs as forelegs awkwardly extended before her in a zombie like attempt of curves. A few strides in, Ripley fell forwards, catching her weight on her forepaws, before attempting her waddling all over again. This time, poor Ripley tried to bring them to her back, only to manage to reach her hips; range of motion not allowing her any further. The awkward waddling, paws on hips appeared like something off a runway full of models who had indulged in too many illegal substances. The display had everyone howling with glee, even Ripley within the Envy Trio’s heads. Eventually, Ripley ceased the arms, instead waddling awkwardly around as crew shouted out their guesses.

“Zombies!”

“Onyx got a Runway offer!”

”Did you buy a petting zoo?”

Both Cali and Onyx laughed, shaking their heads to every shout. Ripley let forth a beastly groan as she lowered herself to the ground, then rolled onto her back. After some awkward shuffling, the bear eventually lifted her feet straight into the air, spread apart as far as her beastly hips would allow. The pose was awkward enough for a human, let alone a bear, with her little tail all fluffed up and her long arms gesturing in awkwardly small arcs across her rather fuzzy stomach.

“Onyx is getting a feature in a music video!”

“She’s designing for a dance studio!”

“Onyx has put on weight!”

“We’re meant to guess an announcement, moron, not state an obvious.”

“Cal, manners.”

“It’s true, she is a bit bulkier since she became human again.”

“You know, it’d be easier if you just told me what I was acting, instead of having me rolling around like a pregnant whale.” Ripley sighed through the bond, rising halfway before freezing. She seemed shocked beyond comprehension. Had she been human, Cali was sure Ripley’s face would have lost its hue. The Envy trio stared at each other. Onyx’s face had gone ashen with fright, concern filtering through her tight smile. Her apprehension flooded the bond, all her concerns jumbled together in a tide which threatened to wash both Ripley and Cali away. Fear that she might lose the approval of her sister figure. That she might garner disapproval or be judged for something beyond her control. That everyone would hate her. That she’d be alone again.

“Onyx is…?” Ripley’s question never came through completely.

The moment Cali realised what was happening, her mind was there. She stormed Onyx’s consciousness, shield raised to deflect every horrific thought and fear before she lashed out. Snapshots of fantasy, impossibilities given life for a few seconds. A scent more appealing and delicate than anything else the world could offer. Soft baby blonde hairs that appeared almost white against more tanned skin. Emerald green eyes glistening with nothing but utter adoration. The rush of family, how the feeling of their support could provide wings. Onyx, belly rounded, cheeks flushed and eyes twinkling with delight, toes kicking through a gentle stream. A loving smile from Vinca, the sharpness abandoned as she cooed over an innocent child. How tiny a child would be in Wrath’s large arms, yet how tender the brawler would be. Malakai’s warm smile as the baby traced his tattoos. Darius, dangling his chain just out of their reach as the babe giggled. Cal, strumming his guitar as the three men sung to the babe, who slumbered in an older Avi’s arms.

“Oh my god! Onyx is-” Again, Ripley never finished the though. Her eyes rolled backwards, almost as if she were being possessed in a hammer horror film. Her legs gave out, her body crumpled to the ground. Cali found herself swaying, her vision filled with black dots as the intensity of their emotions washed over the trio, sweeping them away in the tsunami. She clung to Onyx, fighting to keep the smallest Envy assassin on her feet. Onyx seemed to feel the same way, given how she clung tighter to Cali, preventing the Chinese woman from falling. A loud crash let Cali know that Ripley had indeed gone through the bowls of supplied snacks, along with the table they rested on. Chips flew everywhere, spraying across the penthouse along with shards of broken bowls. The laughter stopped, everyone half rising, half looking towards Cali.

“… That wasn’t part of the announcement.” Was the only thing Cali could offer to the expectant assassins. The room went eerily silent, enough that one might hear crickets chirping, or the din from the streets of Vegas echoing to the top floor of the hotel.

“She’s having a baby!” An entirely too cheerful voice broke the deafening silence, drawing everyone’s attention to Cal’s little boy. Avi stood in the doorway to the common area, his little yellow hood pulled up over sleep tussled black locks. His deep brown eyes shone like melted chocolate, filled with a tired child’s innocent delight and excitement. Cali couldn’t help but smile at the boy, giving him the smallest nod of approval, which only made him smile so delightedly that his white teeth stood starkly against his dark skin.

“How does that tie into O- oh…” Malakai started out confused, only for realisation to flood his rich eyes. His mouth fell open, brows arching towards his hairline as his gaze travelled between Avi, Cali then to Onyx. Cali couldn’t read him, couldn’t tell what that meant. Oh? That was ALL he had to say? Just oh? Oh, that was, OH, so very helpful.

“Oh?” Wrath began, her own eyes following the same path Malakai’s had.

“Ohhhhh…” She drew out, seeming to have reached the same conclusion he had. Cali felt herself bunch up, muscles rippling beneath her skin as if they were infected vines. Did they not realise what they were doing? Could they not see how Onyx shrunk away from them? Could they not tell how close to tears she was? It flooded Cali’s body, overwhelming her with its chill. As if winter had fallen for a thousand years across all her nerves until only an aching numbness lingered. The subtle tensions through her screamed her protective intentions as she angled herself defensively between the troupe and Onyx, shielding the anxious woman from such evident attention. If the troupe were going to hurt her, then they had better be prepared to face the wrath of Two Envy Assassins… or at least a sassy bike mechanic.

“Oh.” Wrath concluded. It was simple but telling, accompanied by the pinch of her brows. Confusion and consideration warred within her eyes, yet her face remained remarkably blank. It was enough to have Onyx’s breath escape shakily as she clung to Cali’s arm, squeezing until she was sure her nails would be biting through the colourful cloth of her hoodie. If Cali felt pain, it didn’t show, she simply stood silent. A guardian. A woman ready to fight tooth and nail to protect what she loved. The magic within her mark burned immensely hot, scorching Cali’s skin as its darkness flared, much like a panther swishing its tail in agitation. Despite everything, Onyx couldn’t help but lean closer, pressing her forehead into the mark she had left so long ago.

“Yeah. Big Oh.” Cal agreed, his own eyes shifting between everyone, calculating in his sharp, judgemental manner.

“A bad oh?” Cali challenged, unable to endure the strain of not knowing for a second longer. The calculating glances, the wide-eyed silence, everything screaming silent judgements. Cali couldn’t stand it, and if she couldn’t then she knew Onyx would be drowning. The blonde seemed to cower, tucking her head into Cali’s collar as the Asian woman unleashed her inner dragon upon every Assassin with a pointed glare. Cali’s arms encased Onyx, a fortress of flesh and bone protecting the scared princess. Despite her height, Cali found herself playing prince and dragon, both warring to keep the princess safe in their ways. It would be so easy to protect with nothing but love, to embody the princely hero and do no evil. Let the Princess make her own mistakes and swoop in to clean up the mess. However, Cali had always been more of a dragon. Someone to shield those she loved from harm with all her might, to try to prevent them ever leaving to make the mistake in the first place.

A universal flinch rolled through the Assassins, ricocheted like a bullet from Cal’s gun once they realised just how they had come across to the smallest yet brightest of their number.

“Girl, you’re gonna be a baby momma? I get to be an uncle?” It was Darius who brought the excitement. His seductive eyes shone with barely restrained glee; glee which bubbled through to his most dashing smile. His whole body appeared to vibrate, as if he was giving everything in order restrain himself. His glee was infectious, seeping into Cali’s muscles with a gentle warmth until they thawed. She allowed herself to relax a little, giving Onyx an opening to lift her head and give a shy nod. At that nod, sparks flew, igniting the warmth within every assassin. Darius practically flew forwards, wrapping his arms around Onyx and Cali in his excitement. Malakai was right behind him, scooping the three huggers into his humongous arms and giving a gentle squeeze. Finally, Onyx laughed with relief so potent it was as if the air itself heaved a sigh.

“I’m so happy for you.” Malakai whispered, lowering his head into the pack so that he could press an adoring kiss to Onyx’s cheek. Darius seemed determined to copy the gesture, planting his own lips to Onyx’s forehead in a few lazy pecks. Onyx giggled, squeezing whomever she could grasp. Cali didn’t kiss, not this time, she simply rested her forehead to Onyx’s temple, offering her own silent support.

“Congratulations, Onyx.” Wrath’s gentle voice was flooded with warmth, with unconditional love as she wrapped her own arms around the group, holding her team as if they may shatter under the intensity of her love. That thought was enough to make Cali smile. Wrath loved as she lived, hard and intense. When one had Wrath’s affection, they had the weight of her heart on their sleeve, the promise of an Arch Angel named for a sin. The warmth of Wrath’s hug was potent beyond the physical, it seeped into the soul. Wrath warmed from the inside out with her embrace, turning everyone mushy and relaxed. None relaxed further than Onyx, who trusted her weight to the men and women wrapped around her. Cali was perhaps the only one who denied herself the safety, instead raising her challenging glare to Caleb North. The only Assassin yet to give a reaction.

“Avi, cover your ears.” He finally began, letting forth a soft hiss of breath between his teeth. Long, callused fingers brushed through his supermodel locks, pushing them away from his glistening forehead as he waited for his ward to obey. Avi, innocently as ever, clamped his little hands over his twee ears. Only when Cal was sure that Avi was blocking his ears did the Sloth Assassin begin.

“I don’t understand how you’re all taking this so well. Especially you, Cali. Even a med dropout should -”

“I didn’t cheat!” Onyx’s outraged cry was enough to have everyone flinching. Onyx was a pool of wrath, sickly tar bubbling to a boil in a cauldron precariously positioned above the archway of a door. Or above the gates soldiers of shame might siege. Cali turned her focus back to Onyx, watching how her nostrils flared, reminiscent of her dragon form. Cali fancied she saw a haunted gleam in Onyx’s blazing green eyes, which had narrowed in utter fury, causing her piercing to gleam like a blade in the light. Gone was the whimpering, terrified maiden within that accusation. Onyx had already been that for two people. Now, Onyx stood confident, challenging the world instead of shying from an abuser. As terrified as she had been of her family’s reaction, Onyx was done running.

“I didn’t even think that!” Cal fired back, as if offended on Onyx’s behalf that such a thing were even considered. It was then Cali could see it. The concern waging war with cautious joy in his deep blue eyes. It was noticing that which kept Cali from lunging into the fray, instead giving Cal a chance to redeem himself in their eyes. Or dig his own grave.

“But pregnancy is stressful enough without adding demons, and the fact that you turned into a dragon! Ask yourself, with everything going on, is this really the time to start playing happy family? Is it safe? You see what I go through with Avi. What if you die, or die again in Onyx’s case? I’m worried about you. A child is a serious responsibility, not something to dabble with in the honeymoon phase of your re-“

“Honeymoon phase? That’s what you’re calling -” Cali fired up, her own dark eyes igniting with rage. Cal had dug his grave with construction grade machinery. She could feel the mark burning, instinctively knew it was the angriest it had ever been, as if rebelling along with the rest of her body. Her vision blurred, weakened legs causing her to half stumble. She could barely hold herself up, yet she wanted nothing more than to lunge at the Sloth assassin. Honeymoon phase? Is that what he thought? There was nothing honeymoon about dying! Nothing honeymoon about offering your soul to a lineage of power just to let the one you love have a single coherent thought!

“Enough.” Wrath didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to. The note of finality in her tone was more than enough to bring Cali’s instinctive outrage grinding to a halt long enough for her to take a soothing breath and blink away the haze from her vision. She felt Onyx do the same, even as Malakai, Darius and Wrath untangled from the cuddle huddle and respectfully gave the Envy assassins their breathing room.

“I think Cal is just as confused as we are as to how this happened.”

“The gay club doesn’t know?” Darius’ gasped interruption drew the eyes of the entire room, much like metal shavings to a magnet. Despite his crude wording, his shock that nobody else knew was evident, painted across his dashing face as if it were a canvas hanging in the Louvre.

“Darius. I’m not gay.” Onyx’s correction was gentle, delivered with an amused tilt to her lips.

“Errrmmmm, I’m bi.” Cali lifted a hand timidly, akin to how a child might raise it when unsure of the answer in class.

“I wasn’t invited to any club.” Malakai’s comment was delivered quietly, his brows arched in a mocking display of confusion. Wrath, dutiful as ever, simply crossed her large arms, muscles flexing deliciously with every subtle movement. Her head fell forwards, face meeting her awaiting palm as she bluntly informed everyone.

“There is no club.”

“Code then? So the Bi-bies are having a baby and broke the queer code? Like, aren’t don’t you queers have some form of secret club? How did the Lesbian not know? Aren’t you all meant to be experts on lady parts? Malakai might get a pass as a pan man. Queer people always seem to know everyone’s-”

“Darius.” Malakai began, stepping forwards. The sound of chips crunching beneath his boots was enough to draw a tiny snicker from Cali, though her amusement was quickly smothered by the exhausted frown on Wrath’s face. Her usually blazing eyes held poignant gleam. Something so deeply cut, as if her heart had once more been shattered. The mechanic didn’t even realise where Wrath’s mind had gone, not until she felt Onyx also tense beside her. Oh… that was too telling. The last time Wrath’s sexuality had come into the group, half the group had died. Her family had been torn apart as she helplessly cradled a broken heart heavy in a hollowed out chest. Darius had just toed a landmine; one he didn’t even realise he was prone to step on. Even Cal held his tongue, watching his leader with a softened expression that was all the more lancing. A joust of agony straight to Cali’s chest, or perhaps it was Onyx’s chest. At this point, it didn’t matter, both hearts beat to the same music, each complimentary and connected by the existence of music.

“Stop digging yourself into that hole, man, its deep enough.” Malakai concluded. Darius looked puzzled for a moment as he looked around the room before sudden realisation dawned in his eyes. Never had Cali seen him shuffle as awkwardly as he did then, steadfastly avoiding Wrath’s gaze.

“Right… but yeah, wow, congratulations baby girl, or baby momma now.”

“Thanks.” Onyx muttered, offering a small yet undoubtedly genuine flick of a smile.

“Cali, I gotta say, I did not peg you for… you know?” Darius powered on, earning several confused looks from the group. Genuine awe shone in his eyes, mixed with an overly heaped spoonful of respect. The concoction of emotions was potent, yet it only left Cali blinking in confusion.

“I do?” She drew the sounds out, shuffling awkwardly until she untangled herself from Onyx. With a flick of her chin, she attempted to clear a sweat slicked bang from her face, only to have it catch across her lashes. Her eyes watered, stinging with the saltiness of sweat, punishing her perhaps for not seeing what was going on. Where was Darius going with this?

“Like, wow. I guess we should have known you were packing from all the noise you two make, but I did not even notice.”

“Darius!” Onyx gasped, her tone scolding and scandalised even as the most awkward giggle imaginable bubbled in her throat. The beautiful slopes of her cheeks flushed brilliantly, showing through the layers of makeup in splotchy pinks. Only Cali knew that underneath, Onyx would be brighter than a tomato; her blush the embodiment of coals when left bare to the world.

“Noise? Packing?” Cali inquired, continuing to wipe at her offended eye as she tried to puzzle what Darius was saying.

“Like, your tuck job is insane! And it hardly looks like you’re wearing makeup at all! And your boobs, like, they look real, man.” He powered on like a trooper, gesturing to her chest area.

“Um… they are?” Cali’s questioning tone became even more befuddled. Why was he commenting on her chest? How did that tie into Onyx’s pregnancy? It was not like Cali was going to be providing breastmilk, so what else was she missing?

“Oh! I didn’t realise you were on treatments. That totally makes sense-”

“Hold on… do you think I’m-” Cali tried to interrupt. Treatments. Packing. Tuck job. Breast surgery. All of this pointed towards one thing.

“I’ve seen some bad tuck jobs in my day, I mean like, slipping from under the dress levels. Your tuck-”

“I DON’T HAVE A DICK DARIUS!” Cali shouted, sending the entire room into silence. Instantly, her hands flew to her mouth, covering it in utter shock at her own outburst. Embarrassed didn’t begin to cover it, she was utterly mortified. Both for her outburst and that her sex was even in question. Then, guilt washed over her. Guilt that she was embarrassed over an assumption, that she was even edging on potentially phobic behaviour. She had been born female; born the way she was meant to be as a person. That she was embarrassed as being mistaken for trans felt as if she was insulting the trans community somehow. That thought alone made her feel sick.

“…Oh.”

“We really needed to hear that. I don’t think downstairs heard you.” Cal’s particular brand of snark earned a soft snort from several people, which only made Cali’s cheeks burn hotter. Despite this, she uncovered her face, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m not trans. Also, that is so rude! If someone is trans you don’t just casually tell them you’ve made them! That’s so hurtful! Come on, man.”

“Not cool, Darius. Not cool.” Malakai added. The other assassins nodded, murmuring their agreement.

“Then how are you two so loud? We’ve had to invest in earplugs, and your noise has chased off four girls this week!” Darius’ lament was met by a loud scoff from Cali.

“Seriously? That’s what you meant by noise, Darius? You’re Lust, literally, and can’t think how to get loud without a …?” She trailed off, making several awkward gestures with her hand. Her fingers curled, forming a loose cupping shape as flicked her wrist back and forth, hand around the height of her stomach. Her gesture didn’t last long before Onyx’s shoulder playfully bumped into hers, earning a playful tap in return as the women swayed into one another.

“There have been noise complaints… and a cleaning bill for the elevator. Also, a note to visit lost and found. Something about clothing?” Wrath dutifully informed, fighting off the dusting of pink across her cheeks as valiantly as she could. Several pairs of eyes fixed upon Onyx, who suddenly seemed to shrink into Cali’s side. The Chinese woman felt Onyx’s body heat up, enough that she was convinced steam should have been hissing from Onyx’s ears like smoke from a coal train. In the heat of the moment, neither Cali nor Onyx had stopped to think about anything save each other. Clothes had been abandoned across Vegas, and the elevator… the memory of trees flooded the bond. Onyx climbing Cali like one. The dirt filled roots of the tree Onyx had gifted Cali when she was a dragon. Innocence and seductive depravity bubbled within the bond, only increasing the heat in both their faces.

“Can I be dead again?” Onyx squeaked, covering her face with Cali’s hoodie. The idea of Onyx dying again was agonising, enough that a sharp retort bubbled on the tip of Cali’s tongue. She swallowed it, pushing her tongue down into the cavity of her jaw to resist crying out. If she was in the position of being told to retrieve her clothing from lost and found, Cali probably would have felt the same way.

“Hold on. I thought we were discussing how Onyx got knocked up.” Darius cut in. Instantly, Cali was conflicted. His bluntness was a smack on the snout, though it did save them from a far more awkward conversation.

“Darius…” Cal’s hissed warning was enough to send a chill through the room.

“Which we are all crazy happy for, baby girl, but it is a big change.” The Lust assassin continued, earning a loud snort from Onyx.

“Yeah. Tell me about it.”

“She didn’t cheat, and we didn’t exactly plan for it. Nahara told us there could be a cost for restoring Onyx to her human form. The possibilities included a physical manifestation of the bond between the barer of the mark and Envy.” Cali explained. She stepped up a little, moving to wrap her arm securely around Onyx’s shoulders. Such lithe shoulders, despite their muscle, that bore the weight of the world. Such smooth skin beneath her fingertips as she massaged the curve of Onyx’s far shoulder, trying to ease even a fraction of her burden. Cali’s fingers traced odd patterns, even tickling down the divots of Onyx’s muscled biceps.

“Which arguably could be you. You’re both now, Cali.” Malakai commented, tone thoughtful. His dark eyes narrowed, as if he could read the answer from the bare air if only he focused hard enough. A large hand came to his strong chin, scratching at it thoughtfully.

“That’s what I thought too, but…” Cali trailed off, turning her gaze to Onyx. This was too close to Onyx’s demons, to the secrets she still kept. Cali desperately wanted to speak, yet she found herself tongue tied. Lost in the pain she saw in bright green eyes. Lost in her own loyalty. Could she even physically make herself betray Onyx in this way? Was it a betrayal to reveal the rest of what had been said? Internally, she pleaded, letting her emotions touch the bond between the Assassins. She needed Ripley to validate her, needed Onyx’s consent and understanding. She was falling, plummeting off a cliff with no wings to fly and no claws to cling to the stone she might be able to reach.

“She also mentioned something from the past could return to my future… well, our future.”

The moment the words left Onyx’s mouth, a soft grunt from the table drew Onyx’s attention. Ripley had managed to work herself into a sitting position, something which Cali found rather comical. The bears legs were spread apart, much like an awkward toddler, whilst her back was ramrod straight, akin to a woman forced into an impossibly tight corset. Ripley didn’t flood the bond with her words, she simply watched and listened, apparently trying to understand the responses from Wrath and Cal.

“From the past? When wer-“

“Dorran. Those weeks he increased your training.”

“WEEKS?” Cali exploded, viciously demanding an answer. Everything was red, hazy and hot, as if she’d been looking into the sun too long. Even behind her closed eyes, circles and swirls of color danced across her vision, hammering in time with her racing heart. This was worse than when she’d ridden her bikes to exhaustion or suffered sunstroke. Worse than the migraines that had occasionally followed. This was all of them at once, assaulting her body until only Onyx’s deceptively strong arm around her waist kept her standing. There was no question of whether or not she’d collapse, Onyx wouldn’t allow that, but the intensity burning through her was enough to make her remaining words slurred, gasped out between clenched teeth.

“He did that for weeks until h-” She never finished. Images assaulted her, striking her like books falling from a shelf above her head. An exhausted Onyx offering her best effort of a reassuring smile. She could take it. The deep barking voice. She’ll never learn if you don’t push her. How could she? Onyx wasn’t an assassin! She was barely on her feet. Its ok, Ripley, I can take it. Obedience… denied. She couldn’t. Not anymore. That harsh voice. Then I’ll do it myself. Go be useful. Hospital. Sirens. All my fault. All… Ripley. These were Ripley’s memories. It was sickening to realise this. Ripley had been part of it, she’d been right there and had trusted her leader. Trusted Dorran to protect Onyx. That sick man had used her connection to Onyx as a tool, had weakened Onyx with someone she loved unconditionally first… Cali’s tongue was bathed in bile, hot and thin, save for the chunks of chip swimming in the liquid. Dorran hadn’t even been man enough to do all the work himself. He’d manipulated Ripley too. With a soft snarl, Cali swallowed, refusing to let herself become any weaker than she felt in her directionless rage.

“Your abusive ex physically beat you into hospital? And caused a miscarriage? And nobody knew you were pregnant or that he was abusive? What the hell? Cal? Wrath? I though you two were assassins! How could you not realise what that piece of shit had done?” Gone was Darius’ amusement. His voice was raspy in his rage, scratching his usually chocolaty vocal cords. His eyes, which were usually dark, appeared almost black. Made of shadows and rage. He was half Wrath’s size, but the intensity of his demanding glare cowed even the brave leader, who was working her jaw in effort to find even a syllable of an answer. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes, trailing openly down her cheeks as she allowed her gaze to fall to the toes of her bright red boots. Wrath, who was so strong, could barely stand under the weight of her guilt. Her shoulders shook, slouched in defeat. She may have been their leader. She may have been able to punch the devil out of every man, woman or child she met, but she couldn’t fight off the most horrific truth yet. She had nothing. No answer to give. No justification, even to herself.

“That’s why Vinca killed him, isn’t it? She knew about the pregnancy when that accident put you in hospital. Remind me to send her a gift basket.” Cal didn’t have an answer either, but he pushed on. His own eyes bore an unnatural sheen, one Cali quickly realised were tears. He was close to crying in his outrage. An assassin he may have been, but he was just as helpless now as when he had been possessed. Forced to watch the past rolled out in painful memories. For all the people he had saved, he was clearly struck by the potential he had failed. The possibility he had never even known about. Someone he would have loved with his whole heart, even if it was a lump of coal, and yet was powerless to protect.

“Does she know about the baby?” Wrath barely got the question out before Darius was there, snarling once again.

“Like hell.”

“With Nitsa inhabiting her? After she got my blood? We barely got Rip back, we can’t risk it. I’m not even sure if we should let Yvette know. I’m sorry, Onyx, but until Vinca is safe, I don’t want to risk either of you. I don’t want to control you, or keep you caged, but-” Cali’s imploring was cut off by Onyx’s finger across her lips, silencing her with the gentlest of touches.

“I know, you’re looking out for me. You’re not him.”

“Needless to say, Rip and I will be protecting Onyx, so we won’t be out with you. I also really don’t want Onyx combat training, or up on the highwire.”

“Cali…” Onyx playfully whined, fixing Cali with her best attempt at Puppy Dog eyes. Internally, Cali swore up a storm, using words she was sure even Darius would blush at. The bike mechanic forced herself to gaze into them, willed herself not to crumble at the adorable attempt. If Onyx was bad, how was her child going to be? The idea of baby Onyx alone had Cali cooing, turning into a pile of Oriental mush. If she hadn’t developed an immunity by the time they learned this trick… suddenly, she found herself incredibly hopeful that Onyx could be the strict parent, because Cali could already foresee ice cream for dinner. But to get there, she had to get over this current hurdle. The hurdle of Onyx’s adorableness amped up to a million and directed at her.

“Yeah, no. Sorry. Drop out Doctor’s orders. No being ten foot in the air while pregnant.”

“But the show-”

“Will be there when you’ve had your baby and are ready to return. Your health, and the baby’s health, come first, Onyx.” Wrath reminded; her tone gentle but leaving no room for negotiation. She offered a gentle smile, tears still glistening in her eyelashes. Her warmth was back, encompassing the room with a calming presence. It was enough for Cali to relax, to finally let go of everything and trust her team. These assassins were family. Onyx’s family. Her family. No matter what, she knew they would do their best to protect one another. That they’d die before allowing anybody to harm the baby. That they’d go to the depths of hell, following after Wrath’s angelic aura, to save each other. That’s just what this family did.