#this was longer than i planned lol

[sleepy-achilles]

Hey we teeth rotten fluff the kids and the Undertaker?

The Family of Destruction- A week alone

Sorry Shawn. This is a daddy and kids week only

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-Monday-

Taker stares at shawn in horror. "Its only a week, taker honestly you will be fine" Shawn sighs. "Why can't we come?" Taker asks. "Because you're supposed to be laid up in a hosptial bed somewhere. Vince doesn't want to risk people seeing you." Shawn explains. Taker frowns. "You will be fine. I promise" Shawn chuckles kissing takers pouting lips. "Ill miss you" Taker mutters. "Ill miss you too. I said goodbye to the kids already when I put them to bed. Ill call you when we land, alright?" Shawn asks. Taker nods and kisses his husband one last time before he leaves.

Taker sighs and looks at their German shepherd. Charlie huffs at him before plopping down onto the sofa. Taker turns towards the stairs and immediately jumps at the two pairs of eyes staring at him around the corner. "You two are supposed to be in bed!" Taker yelps, holding his chest. Cassie giggles. 'We wanted to see papa leave' Leon signs. Taker doesn't like how that's phrased. "Why?" Taker asks slowly. "Doctors!" Cassie yells before running at the man. "NO!" Taker yelps before he's booking it.

Takers lucky its a big house and he's quick. "Daddy! DOCTORS!" Cassie yells running after him. Taker bolts towards his office with a smirk. He's in arms reach when the door slams shut. Taker grunts as he slams into it. "Leon" he groans rubbing his temple and turning his gaze down the hall to where Leon's stood with a smirk. Leon waves at him before teleporting away. Taker sighs as cassie grabs his leg. He looks down at the small girl. She looks at him with big pleading green eyes. "Doctors?" She asks. "Of course." Tsker huffs with a slight smile. Of course he knows she roped Leon into this. Probably threatened Doctors on him.

He's probably gone and tucked himself back into bed.

Leon had infact gone back to bed as his father gets mummified and given illnesses that could never possible exist.

----Tuesday-----

Taker yawns as he stares at the oven. Ah..he has to cook breakfast. Charlie barks. Taker turns to see Leon stood behind him. His oversized diesel shirt and some black shorts on making him look tiny. Leon rubs his eyes with a balled up fist and lets out a quiet yawn. Moments like this make Leon seem adorable and human. But taker is also sporting a bruise from that slammed door last night.

'You can't cook' Leon signs to him. "I know that, but what am I supposed to do? Papa is gone for a week" taker sighs rubbing his jaw. He watches Leon teleport away. "Of course." Taker mutters. He turns around and jumps as Leon is say on the counter holding a box of cereals. "Alright, I'll give you that, but what about lunch?" Taker asks. 'Sandwiches' Leon signs. Yeah that was obvious. "Okay, dinner? Ha got you there" taker smirks. Leon just holds up a takeaway menu. "You really have an answer for everything" taker mutters taking the menu. Leon just smiles. Taker shakes his head and lifts Leon off the counter. "Go get your sister. And walk, not teleport" taker orders. Leon hands him the box before walking off.

He had a feeling this was going to be a long week.

--Wednesday----

Taker is sat on the sofa when he hears the crash from Leon's room. "Out of sight. Out of mind." Taker mutters to himself. He glances at the doorway to see his little firey redhead. "What did you do?" He immediately asks. Her eyes widen and she looks down. "You know what, if I don't know I can't get the blame. Is he okay? Does he need help?" Taker asks. "No.." csssie answers. "Perfect. Come here and watch TV with me" Taker smiles holding his arms out. The girl smiles and rushes over, sitting in her fathers lap. "Papas match?" She asks. "Which one?" Taker asks.

He immediately groans as something hits his head. He looks to see Leon stood in the doorway, his hair stuck up as if he was a cartoon in a explosion. 'First hell in a cell' Leon signs. "Why? Because he won and I lost?" Taker asks. "Ooo, is he on about hell in a cell?! I love that match! Please daddy! Please!" Cassie pleads. Taker groans tilting his head back. "Alright! Come sit down" Taker sighs lowering his head to look at the tv. Leon smiles and rushes over, planting himself against takers side.

-

Goldust promised he'd check up on taker and the kids when Shawn was away. And he's glad he did.

He smiles softly at the scene. Takers head tilted down, resting against red hair, snoring softly. Cassie curled up in his lap, one hand grasping Leon's shirt the other rested against takers arm. Leon is snoring against takers shoulder with his arm thrown over cassidy. Goldust chuckles softly as one of shawns old matches play on the tv. He quickly takes a photo before moving to the kitchen. Take out? Goldust sighs, he's glad he brought some actual food over.

--Thursday--

"Go fish" Taker smirks. Leon glares at him and cassie looks at the pair nervously. Leon slams his cards down on the table, showing a royal flush. Takers eyes widen. Cassie leans over and slaps her 10 on Leon's. "Snap!" She smiles. Taker sits back confused. "How the hell did we all end up playing different games?" Taker asks. Charlie yips at them. Taker looks to see the dog playing his own game of black jack. "Are we not playing snap?" Cassie asks confused. "You said you wanted to play go fish" Taker tells her. "Yeah but I changed my mind and wanted to play snap" she shrugs. "And you didn't think to share?" Taker asks. "I forgot..it makes sense now why you kept saying go fish" cassie frowns.

Taker looks back at Leon. "Who taught you poker?" Taker asks. 'Who needs to know?' Leon asks. "Me, who taught you poker?" Taker asks again. 'Uncle kane and goldust' Leon shrugs. "Of course" Taker huffs leaning back, dropping his cards onto the table. He glances at Charlie. "Im not even asking" he states. Cassie looks at Leon. "Whats poker?" She asks. Leon looks at her and shrugs. "Of course. Knows how to play but doesn't even know what it is" Taker mutters rubbing his face. Cassie looks back at taker. "Can we get pizza?" She asks causing Leon to immediately smile. "No..because goldust left us food to eat and we will eat it" Taker tells her. Leon frowns. "Why?" Cassie asks. "Because what else will we do with it?" Taker asks. 'Bin' Leon signs. "Keep that up and you'll be in the bin" Taker retorts. Leon wiggles his eyebrows with a smirk.

"Can we atleast have ice cream?" Cassie asks resting her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. "Yeah, we got sprinkles and sauce aswell" Taker smiles. "Result!" Cassie cheers high-fiving Leon. Leon smiles. "Already, clean the cards and set the table, I'll heat up whatever goldust gave us" Taker yawns as he stands. He smiles slightly as both rush to do as their told.

Yeah, shawn was right.

--Friday---

Cassie tilts her head as Leon adjusts his grip on the stick. "What is it?" Cassie asks. Leon shrugs and pokes the figure harder. "Hey I was thin-what the actual fuck?" Taker pauses on the porch steps. "We found it when coming to get Charlie." Cassie states. "What is it?" Cassie asks looking up at taker. "Leon stop poking him with a stick" Taker sighs. Leon frowns at taker before jabbing him extra hard. "Ow!" He yelps. "What are you doing here, mick?" Taker asks pulling the stick from Leon's hand. Leon glares at his father. "Looking for goldust. And it's mankind now." Mankind mumbles. "So what are you doing on the floor infront of my house?" Taker asks picking cassidy up.

Leon tilts his head. "I knew you lived here and would know where I could find goldust. Something hit me, knocking me out" mankind whimpers sitting up. Taker immediately looks at Leon who just smiles at taker. "Ah right. Well, if you head towards the town you'll see a very bedazzled house. You can't miss it, its quite literally the only one like it" Taker tells him. "Thank you" mankind smiles before hobbling away.

Taker glances back at Leon. "We do not tell your papa about this" Taker tells him. Leon just nods. "Was it Leon?" Cassie asks. Taker glances at her. "But if papa asks we didn't even see him?" She asks. "Good girl" Taker smiles before clipping the back of Leon's head. Leon grunts and glares at him. "Never do that again. Especially outside." Taker scolds. Leon huffs but nods. Cassie pauses for a second before looking at her father. "What did you want to ask us?" She questions. "If you wanted to goto the park." Taker answers. 'Hell yeah!' Leon signs. "We can get more frogs!" Cassie cheers wiggling out of takers grasp and running inside with Leon to get ready.

"More...more frogs?" Taker asks quietly turning back to the house.

---Saturday-----

The trio only had today left. Taker glances at the house. "We should clean up" Taker states. "Papa will be home tomorrow" csssie points out, head buried in her colouring book. Taker glances at the kids before fully turning to them. "Leon?" Taker asks. 'Yes?' Leon signs without looking up. "What are you doing?" He asks. Leon looks up confused. 'Colouring. You?' Taker moves over and looks down at the page. "And that is definitely coming with me" Taker sighs picking the book up and closing the plans for a bank heist. Leon frowns and crosses his arms. Its not the first heist he's planned and if Taker knows his son, it's definitely fool proof.

Taker pauses and glances at cassidy. The girl sighs and closes the book, holding it out. "Start tidying." Taker tells them as he takes the book. "We can do it before he gets back tomorrow. He won't be back till nighttime." Cassie states. "You promise you'll both help?" Taker asks. Both kids nod with massive grins. "Alright fine. What do yall want to do?" Taker asks. Cassie looks at Leon. Leon tilts his head and smirks at her. Taker stares at them confused. Cassie looks back at taker. "We were wondering if we could just go on a walk with you?" She asks. Taker doesn't say anything. Just stares. "Uh..daddy?" She asks. "Seriously? No tricks or anything. Just a walk?" Taker asks. "Yeah" cassie nods. "Alright. Grab your shoes and I'll f-" "no. We get to pick the location." Cassie states as both kids jump down and walk off.

Taker furrows his brows and looks at Charlie. Charlie snorts at him before moving too his water dish.

-

Taker doesn't say anything as he follows his kids. Cassie is just ramblings about frogs and bugs and Leon is watching her intently. It's moments like this taker will miss when they grow up. He smiles softly and slips his hands into his pockets. Leon suddenly stops causing the other two to stop. 'Here' Leon signs. Taker looks around. Nothing but a few trees and and dead grass. "What?" Taker asks. He watches as the blonde kneels and rubs something in the dirt. Takers eyes widen as a old shed appears. "Wow! Kane was right the hex would work!" Cassie claps. Leon smiles as he stands. "Whats going on?" Taker asks as Leon moves to the doors. Cassie grabs takers hand and pulls him to stand infront of the doors.

"We didn't steal this. We have actually been doing favours around the valley to get it" cassie tells him. Taker raises an eyebrow in confusion. Confusion quickly gets replaced by a pulling feeling at his heart as Leon pulls the doors open.

A bike sits in the shed with a side cart on it. "You said you wish we could ride with you. With that we can! Safely as well!" Cassie cheers letting him go to move into the shed. Taker doesn't know what to say. Abunch of emotions run through him as his kids pull the safety gear out of the shed with small smiles on their faces.

He kneels down and smiles at them. "Come here" he whispers feeling tears build. Leon hesitates and grumbles as cassie pulls him towards taker. Taker pulls them both into a tight hug. "Thank you both. So much" he whispers kissing both their heads. "Um papa doesn't know yet..." cassie whispers. "Who cares? I'll deal with it" Taker chuckles squeezing them tighter. His heart skips when Leon, the no affection child, holds the back of his neck and gives it a slight squeeze. Taker pulls back with a smile. "Lets go for a ride" Taker tells them. Both kids smile and rush to get their gears on.

Taker wishes he had his phone on him because its honestly adorable seeing them in their mini gear and helmets.

---Sunday---

Taker doesn't know how the house became more of a state. What he did know is they only had a few hours to clean it. "Leon!" Cassie yelps. Taker rushes into the kitchen to see Leon drenched and stood in a puddle of milk. "And we've gotta go shopping..shit alright. Leon, go clean yourself up, cassie start picking up any toys. We clean the house and then go shopping. Move it!" Taker claps. All three rush off to their respected jobs.

It was going to be a long and unfun day.

-

Shawn yawns as he walks into the house. He stops as the first sight is a clean hallway. "Alright then.. " Shawn hums, stepping over the sleeping dog and making his way into the living room. He smiles at the sight. Cleaning products spewed out on the table, empty shopping bags stacked on the floor. He looks to his family and smiles. Taker is laid on his front, one arm hanging off the sofa, his head facing that arm. He looks so handsome Shawn can't help but move closer. Cassie is laid on his back, blanket huddled around her. Leon is laid squashed between the sofa and takers body, his head rested against takers butt with one of cassies legs drapped over his shoulders.

Shawn pulls a blanket off the back of the sofa and over Leon, kissing his head gently. He then plants a kiss to cassie temple before kneeling infront of taker. He gently kisses his lips. Taker mumbles before slowly opening his eyes. He smiles as he sees Shawn. "Hey.." Taker yawns. "Shh..go back to sleep, just wanted to say hi" Shawn whispers running his fingers through takers hair. "The kids.." Taker mumbles. "Fast asleep. Go back to sleep baby" Shawn smiles. Taker just nods slightly and closes his eyes. Shawn chuckles as Taker falls back quickly. Shawn turns to the mess they made trying to clean. He's not mad, not that he could be, he's just glad to be home with them.

He cleans up before taking a photo of the trio that would later be hung on the wall and stay there for the rest of time.

[lullabyashes]

Maybe I'm a sweetheart Tryna make my own scars Don't know what it looks like Just know what it feels like Scared to let it outside Scared of what I just might find

[gale-force-storm]

Anticipation

Rating: E Pairing: Gale x female!Tav Additional Tags: Regency AU, pwp, oral sex, PIV, gale being a tease Word Count: 7.3k

Read it on AO3

Tav has learned that her fiance, Gale, likes to take things slowly when sharing pleasure. He claims he's only being gentlemanly, but she knows he just enjoys teasing her. This makes it all the more exciting when his own restraint finally snaps.

Inspired by this post by the lovely @waterdeep-weavemoss

Tav tried to be as quiet as she could while descending the stairs heading to the study. It was late enough that no one else should be awake, not even the staff, but one couldn't be too careful. She thought back to the note Gale had slipped her earlier, which she'd hidden away amongst her things.

“My heart, I long for your touch. I will be in the study once everyone else is asleep. I hope you will join me.”

Her heart pounded. Gale put up an excellent front, acting the perfect gentleman when necessary, but she knew first-hand there was a passion simmering just below that composed surface. Even the first time they had kissed, he had shown such intensity. The way he had pulled her close, the small sounds he had made, the desire behind every movement of his lips and tongue against hers, it had stolen her breath away and left her aching for more. More which he had soon given.

She bit her lip, remembering the night when they managed to sneak away from a ball for a full hour, before they were even engaged. He had led her into a library, kissed her breathless, and brought her to completion with his fingers, muffling her sounds of pleasure with his mouth. Despite the rushed nature of the meeting, he had been so careful and methodical with her, like she was the only thing in the world he cared about in that moment. That feeling combined with the pleasure he'd given her was intoxicating, and it was that memory and the hope for more which drew her to the bottom of the stairs and down the corridor to the door of his study. She opened it slowly, relieved that the hinges didn't squeak, and peeked in. No lamps or candles were lit, but the curtains for the large window on the other side of the room were open, letting in ample moonlight.

“Hello?” she whispered. Upon getting no reply she entered entirely, carefully closing the door behind her. Was she too early? Or worse, too late? She looked around for a moment, trying not to fret, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and yelped, but another warm hand quickly covered her mouth, muffling the sound.

“Shh, it's only me, my love,” assured a rich voice in her ear. Instantly she relaxed, turning around to face him.

“Don't startle me like that!” she whispered furiously, swatting at his shoulder. Gale only chuckled.

“My apologies,” he murmured. He looked at her for a long moment, the heat in his eyes holding her in place. “I'm glad you came to join me,” he finally said.

“As though I would turn down such an invitation from my betrothed,” she replied mischievously. “Especially when he's as enticing as you are.” She looked him up and down, pulse quickening at the sight. He was down to his trousers and shirt, the latter open and giving a tantalizing glimpse of his chest, bronze skin and dark hair peeking out teasingly.

“Me, enticing?” he asked, breaking her from her reverie. “Have you looked at yourself this evening?” He brought up one hand, running it through her hair. She was still dressed, but she had taken her hair down, and it fell past her shoulders in loose, dark ringlets. “You are stunning. Utterly irresistible.”

He curled his other index finger under her chin and pulled her into a kiss. Tav melted into it, into the feeling of his mouth against hers, the warmth as she pressed herself closer to his body. They were both breathing harder when they finally parted.

“So, Mr. Dekarios, what exactly did you intend, calling me down to meet you at such an hour? And unchaperoned, no less?” she asked teasingly.

While one of his hands was still buried in her hair, the other moved down to grip her hip, holding her close. Her own hands rested on his broad shoulders, one of them toying with his tied back hair which she longed to see let down.

He grinned in return. “I told you in my note, did I not? I long for you.”

Tav raised a brow. “That's not terribly specific.”

Gale chuckled again. “I know it will only be a month and a fortnight before we are wed,” he relented, “but every time I'm with you I am nearly overcome with desire. I was hoping you might allow me to slake my thirst, and provide a small taste of things to come.”

“Oh? And how do you propose to do that?”

“By drinking from the finest font in all of creation,” he replied. His grip on her hip tightened and he pulled her fully flush against him, leaning to whisper in her ear. “I wish to taste you, my sweet Tavrielle. I've shown you what I can do with just my fingers, now allow me to demonstrate how skilled I am with my tongue.”

Tav gasped, her fingers tightening on his shoulders. Neither of them were completely inexperienced, she knew. Gale's reputation as a former favorite of Lady Mystra's had preceded him, and Tav herself had partaken in a couple subtler and shorter-lived trysts, but no one had ever used their mouth on her before. She felt herself flush at the thought.

“Is that something you would like, dearest?” he asked, his breath against her skin making her shiver.

“Yes,” she sighed in reply. Gale’s grin was wolfish when he pulled away.

“Have a seat then, my darling,” he said, gesturing to a plush-looking armchair in the nearest corner of the room. Tav went and sat down, and Gale knelt in front of her, looking up at her with an expression so full of desire and wonder that it nearly made her dizzy. He pulled one of her feet into his lap and gently pulled off her shoe, placing it to the side. He then ran his hands up her leg to her knee and untied the garter holding up her stocking, slowly pulling them down and off. He folded them and placed them next to her shoe before switching to her other leg and following the same procedure. That done, he gently massaged her ankle, then her calf. He leaned in and kissed her knee over her skirt and looked up at her for approval. Tav took a shuddering breath and nodded. He started to pull up her skirt and petticoat, but a thought suddenly struck her.

“Wait,” she said quietly. Gale stopped immediately, looking up at her again.

“What is it, my love?”

Tav leaned down slightly and reached behind his head, pulling lightly on his ponytail.

“Might I untie this? I would so dearly like to see it down.”

Gale's slight concern melted into a smile. “Of course. Though if you do, you'll need to hold my hair out of the way yourself for the next part.”

Tav swallowed. “I'd be happy to.” She removed the tie from his hair with a short tug, enjoying the way the waves fanned out behind him. “You're so lovely,” she breathed, running her fingers through the soft strands. Gale leaned into the touch, closing his eyes briefly in a way that reminded her of nothing so much as a cat.

“Not half so lovely as you,” he countered, opening his eyes again. “Speaking of, may I?” He pulled lightly at her skirt.

“Please,” she breathed.

Gale smirked and moved his focus back to her skirt and petticoat, which he started slowly pushing up her legs together. Once they were pooled in her lap, not quite revealing her, he paused and began kissing along one calf, her knee, and halfway up her thigh. Tav resisted the noises trying to rise in her throat, what might have been moans coming out as quiet whimpers and panted breaths. When he switched to the other leg, she began to grow impatient.

“Gale,” she whined. “Please.”

Gale pressed a gentling kiss to her knee. “Patience, lovely. We have plenty of time before anyone else is awake. Let me savour you.”

With that he went back to his leisurely exploration, gradually kissing - and occasionally nipping - higher and higher up her legs. She spread them wider, making room for his shoulders, but this allowed her skirts to fall down between them, keeping her covered despite Gale pushing them further up. Finally they were hitched all the way up to her hips, a small pool of fabric settled between her legs. Gale placed his hand on the fabric, shooting one last heated look up at her before moving it aside and revealing her to him.

Tav might have felt self-conscious about the way he stared if his expression hadn't been one of a starving man presented with the most sumptuous meal of his life. He reached up and caressed one side lightly with a thumb, then moved the digit further, dipping it into the moisture that had been pooling since the start of his teasing. Tav held her breath as he used that thumb to hold her open while he finally leaned in and firmly licked over her center. Tav whimpered at the sensation, and had to cover her own mouth with her hand to muffle herself when Gale moaned at the taste of her. He licked again, this time ending with a flick of his tongue against the little bundle of nerves that set her aflame before pulling away slightly.

“Jove himself could not conceive of nectar sweet as this,” he murmured, almost seemingly to himself. Then suddenly he was pulling her legs up, hooking her knees over his shoulders before diving in properly.

Tav tried to squirm under him, but his fingers dug greedily into the plushness of her thighs, holding her firmly in place. One of her hands remained in his hair, gripping and holding it back from his face. The other remained resolutely over her mouth, muffling the sounds of her pleasure as Gale devoured her. He hadn't been lying about being skilled with his tongue. Every movement sent a new wave of pleasure coursing through her. The way he alternated between thrusting it into her, licking deep while his nose rubbed against her deliciously, and flicking it against that sensitive bud while he sucked on it, made Tav want to scream. A feeling not helped by the way he kept moaning himself, as though she was the finest wine he'd ever tasted. The vibrations rumbled through her, amplifying her pleasure. She knew she wouldn't last long like this.

Sure enough, within a few minutes she felt the telltale pressure building. Her hand tightened in his hair and, despite her best efforts, her sounds grew louder.

“Gale,” she panted. “Gale I- I'm close. So close I- ah!”

Gale increased his efforts at her words, his tongue moving more quickly, pressing more insistently. He moved his tongue in a toe-curling wave inside her, his nose rubbing perfectly against that sensitive point. She fluttered around him, right on the precipice. He moaned at the feeling, and that was enough for her to let go, choking back her own moans as she arched against his mouth, riding out her pleasure on his tongue. She shuddered as she came down, his continued movements too much for her oversensitive flesh, so she pulled him away by his hair. He rested his head on her thigh, looking up at her, face covered with her slick, grinning like a cat who'd just feasted on the richest cream. He stroked her thighs soothingly, pressing kisses into them as she recovered.

“You enjoyed yourself, I hope?” he asked with a cocky smile. She'd be annoyed by how smug he looked if that smugness wasn't so justified.

“You are far too good at that,” she panted.

“Nothing I do could ever be too good for you, my heart.”

“You're also far too charming for either of our own good,” she replied with a small laugh. “Come up here?”

Gale moved to give her room and she stood, her skirts falling back down. As she attempted to straighten herself out a bit and pull her stockings and shoes back on, Gale pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the worst of the mess from his face. He settled in the chair in Tav's place and pulled her onto his lap, nuzzling into her neck. Tav turned his face with a hand, pulling him into a kiss and moaning at the taste of herself on his tongue.

“You're incredible,” she murmured once she pulled away.

“I was about to say the same to you,” he replied.

“I was wondering,” Tav said, running her other hand slowly up his thigh. “Might you permit me to return the favour?” She could feel the eager press of him against her thigh, and it sent a fresh wave of arousal through her, knowing how much he had enjoyed feasting on her.

His hand landed on hers, gently pausing its movement.

“You don't have to,” he replied. “I asked to taste you as much for my own gratification as yours. You do not owe me anything in return.”

“And if I want to do it?” she asked, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Have you considered that I may enjoy the idea of bringing you pleasure, just as you do with me? That I may find my own pleasure in doing so?”

“I...” Gale licked his lips. “I simply don't want you to feel obligated.”

“I don't,” Tav replied simply. “The only thing I feel is desire.” She shifted, letting her thigh press more firmly against his harness, and she relished the gasp it drew from him and the way his hands tightened on her.

“Tavrielle,” he rasped.

Tav leaned in, letting her lips brush his ear.

“You aren’t the only one with a thirst to be slaked,” she whispered.

Gale groaned deep in his throat, letting his head fall briefly to her shoulder. He pressed a kiss there, nipping lightly before meeting her eyes once more.

“If this is truly what you wish, then who am I to deny you?”

Tav grinned. “Precisely.”

She let herself slide off his lap, settling on her knees on the floor in front of him. Her hands went straight to the buttons for the fall of his trousers, and she enjoyed the shuddering breath he took when she pulled it down and parted his drawers, freeing him. She licked her lips at the sight. He was already fully erect, jutting up eagerly from his lap. He wasn’t egregiously large, but he was by no means small either, and she pressed her legs together at the thought that she would be taking him properly in the near future. She wrapped a hand around him, pumping softly a couple of times and enjoying the silken hardness of him. She looked up to his face and found him flushed and panting already, one hand tightly gripping the arm of the chair, the other curled into a fist and pressed to his mouth, muffling him. Smirking, she held eye contact as she leaned in and licked up from the base to the head, and Gale let out a whine as his eyes fluttered momentarily closed. Slowly, Tav pressed her lips to the tip and leaned forward, letting his cock slide into her mouth as far as she could, and making up the rest of the distance with her hand.

“Tavrielle,” Gale panted. “Tav...”

Tav hummed around him in acknowledgement, making him shudder beneath her. She reached a hand up towards his where it still gripped the arm of the chair. She took it gently, guiding it instead to tangle in her hair. Gale hesitated briefly, but acquiesced to her silent request, slipping his fingers into the strands and gripping, pulling slightly and making her moan. Still aware of the risk of getting caught, low as it might be, Tav quickly began moving, sliding her mouth over him. She tried out different movements of her tongue to see what got the best reactions out of him, quietly humming and moaning around him and loving the way it made him twitch beneath her, clearly trying to keep himself from bucking up into her mouth. She moved her hand in time with her mouth, the other gripping and kneading at his hip. With all of this, it didn’t take long for him to begin tensing beneath her, his sounds of pleasure growing harder to muffle.

“Tav,” he gasped, “I’m- ah! I’m close to... Please I- how do you want me to...?” He looked down at her, eyes wide and pupils blown, face flushed and brows drawn in pleasure. Tav enjoyed the sight for a moment before letting him slip from her mouth.

“I told you before, did I not? I wish for you to sate my thirst as well.” With that she took him in again, grinning around him at his answering whimper. A few more pumps and clever flicks of her tongue and he was finishing in her mouth with a high, muffled sound, gripping her hair and twitching beneath her as she eagerly swallowed his release. She gentled the movements of her mouth, though kept him held there as he recovered until he pulled her off and back up into his lap, kissing her breathlessly.

“You are a wonder,” he panted between kisses. “Incredible. Perfection itself. I am the luckiest man in the world to have you as my betrothed.”

Tav laughed breathlessly against his lips, flustered and blushing at the praise.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said once he finally pulled away.

“Enjoyed in an understatement,” he replied earnestly, now nuzzling into her neck. They stayed like that for a few long minutes, enjoying the warmth and closeness, until eventually Gale sighed.

“I long to be able to hold you like this as we drift to sleep,” he said quietly. “I know the day will come soon, but it does not feel soon enough.”

Tav ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, scratching lightly over his scalp.

“But soon nonetheless,” she soothed. “And the wait will only make it feel all the sweeter, when the time does come.”

Gale sighed beneath her again. “I suppose you’re right. But until then, I’m afraid we should retire back to our rooms before anyone else wakes.” He held her more tightly for a moment before pulling back to allow her up. Tav sighed in return, knowing he was correct, but loath to leave the comfort of his embrace. Nevertheless she rose from his lap, checking her skirt to make sure it hadn’t been stained with any signs of their meeting. Gale, meanwhile, refastened his fall and stood. They stared at each other longingly for a moment before moving in for a lingering kiss.

“Mayhaps next time we can find a way to actually meet in a room with a bed,” she proposed mischievously. Gale chuckled darkly.

“A dangerous proposition, but a very tempting one. I long to spend an entire evening and night in bed with you.”

“Then I suppose we must find a way to make such a thing happen. Though for now, I fear we really should return to our rooms.” She leaned up and pressed one last gentle kiss to his lips. “Goodnight, Gale,” she whispered.

“Goodnight, my beloved,” he replied, gazing after her longingly as she quietly exited the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next time they found themselves alone together, they had planned it out more thoroughly, to hopefully have several hours alone together and the ability to meet in an actual bedroom. The others were all gone to a ball and not expected home until quite late. Gale pretended that some urgent business matter had come up which he regrettably needed to attend to, away at his office, and Tav had claimed to have a terrible headache which required her to pass up the ball in favor of some rest. She had insisted, however, that the others all still go. She would be sleeping, after all, and she didn't want anyone missing out on an evening of fun to watch her do so. Gale had even given Tara the night off, insisting that as everyone would be gone until late anyway, they had little need of her that evening.

Gale went out to supposedly ready a horse while everyone else left, and once they were gone he went straight back inside and up to the room Tav was staying in. He found her in front of the mirror, pulling the pins from her hair. She watched him in the mirror as he locked the door and walked up behind her.

“I had rather hoped to help you with this,” he said, reaching up to pull another pin out and setting it on the vanity table in front of her.

“My apologies. If I had known, I would have waited for you.”

They worked together quietly, the anticipation palpable, and soon Tav’s hair was down. Gale slid a hand into it and leaned down, nuzzling into her neck and making her shiver pleasantly. He moved out of the way as she stood, turning around to face him. A single step and they met in a heated kiss. Tav was eager, pressing into Gale and nipping at his bottom lip, but Gale was unhurried, keeping their pace slow and leisurely. He said nothing as Tav reached up to untie his cravat, but he chuckled as she started undoing the buttons of his coat.

“Eager, are we?”

“Are you not?” she asked, one eyebrow raised. Gale grinned in return.

“Oh, I am. But that does not mean we must rush, does it?” He pushed gently yet firmly, urging her to sit back down. Once she did, he knelt in front of her and began as he had at their previous meeting, carefully removing her shoes and stockings and setting them aside. Tav was hopeful that he would follow this up by attending to her with his mouth, but instead he stood, helping her back to standing as well.

“Turn around for me, please?”

Tav did so, and felt him undoing the buttons on the back of her dress. Once that was done, he helped her to step out of it and carefully placed it aside. Next were her stays, which he attended to with equal care. He pressed soft, almost chaste kisses to her shoulders as he carefully loosened the ties, until eventually this too was able to be removed. Before he could continue, however, Tav spun in his arms and pulled him in for a kiss. The anticipation was unbearable — she needed him to touch her. Needed to touch him. To see and feel and taste.

“Please,” she sighed, pulling away slightly. “I want you so badly. Please, let me-”

Her hands moved towards his trousers, but he caught them in his own, pulling them up to place kisses to her knuckles. Gentle as the action was, his hold on her was firm, and his lips slid into a smirk that only fueled the flames inside her. A smirk which completely betrayed the false innocence in his voice when he spoke.

“Patience, my love. I only wish to treat you with the proper care and attention. Too much haste would be untoward, do you not agree? If we are to anticipate our vows, I must insist on doing so in the most gentlemanly manner possible, with only the utmost conscientiousness. So, gentleman that I am...” He leaned in, still holding her hands between them, his lips brushing her ear. “I’m going to take my time with you.”

Tav couldn’t help but whimper at that, and she could feel Gale’s answering grin against her, followed by a kiss to her cheekbone.

“You may undress me,” he continued, voice heated yet steady, like coals waiting to be stoked into flame. “However, I ask that you go slowly. Gratifying as your excitement is, we have several hours to ourselves, yet. We can afford to savour this.”

Tav nodded and took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself. Gale pulled back, his warm eyes dark with desire and sparkling with mischief.

“Can you do that for me, my dearest?”

“Yes,” Tav breathed.

“Very good.” Gale kissed her knuckles again, then let her hands go.

Tav began with his coat. Having already undone the buttons, she simply slid it off and placed it on a nearby chair. His waistcoat was next. Her progress was slow, both because of his order, and because the urgency of her arousal was making her fingers clumsy. Soon enough that too was gone, laid aside with the coat. She walked over to the bed, looking back at him.

“Sit for me, please?”

“Of course.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, and Tav knelt in front of him to take off his boots. As she did, she felt one of his hands slide through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp.

“You’re doing wonderfully,” he murmured softly. Tav swallowed and, unable to find her voice, kissed his knee in response.

Boots, then stockings and garters were set aside. Tav stood and reached for his shirt questioningly. He nodded. The linen was pulled out from where it was tucked in, and dropped aside. Tav took a long moment to admire him. Fit, yet pleasantly soft. Olive-skinned, with a delightful sweep of hair over his chest that she ached to run her fingers through. Pulling her focus back to the task at hand, she reached for his trousers, only for Gale to catch her hands once more.

“Ah- not quite yet, my love. May I?” He held both her hands in one of his, using the other to tug lightly at her slip.

“Please,” she said, unabashed in her eagerness.

Gale grinned, that wolfish smile that never failed to send a rush of moisture between her legs. He lifted the bottom hem, letting Tav pull it up and off the rest of the way, leaving her completely bare. Immediately his hands were on her, caressing from her hip, over her waist, up to her ribs and back down again as he stared at her with a heady mix of wonder and hunger.

“You are stunning,” he said quietly. “A greater masterpiece than any painter or sculptor could ever hope to create.”

Tav placed a hand over one of his and slowly drew it up to cup her breast. Gale licked his lips and squeezed lightly, enjoying the softness and weight of it. His other hand slid around her back and pulled her closer, letting him bury his face in her chest. Tav let out a quiet, pleased noise, her hand going to Gale’s hair and pulling it loose before burying her fingers in it, holding him close. Gale turned his head and began working his way across one curve with sucking, nipping kisses, eventually finding a nipple and wrapping his lips around it. Tav started to moan, but quickly brought a hand over her mouth, suddenly remembering that there was still staff in the house, and they still needed to try to avoid being overheard. Gale clearly was not concerned with making this easy for her, sucking one nipple while using his fingers to pinch at the other, leaving Tav to catch her whimpers with her hand. She leaned her hips forward, aching for contact, and found her thigh brushing against Gale’s hardness. He groaned into her chest and shifted forward, rubbing more firmly against her thigh and letting her feel plainly just how excited he truly was.

With a final nip to her breast he pulled his mouth away and pushed her back slightly, giving himself room to stand. He was flushed down to his chest and his breathing came heavily as he looked into her eyes. Tav placed her hands on his chest and slowly ran them down his body, one settling on his waist while the other continued down to cup him through his trousers, squeezing lightly and making him groan.

“May I?” she asked, voice no more than a breathy whisper. Gale looked at her for a long moment before finally saying the words she was aching to hear.

“You may.”

Buttons and ties were undone, fabric discarded, and finally he was bare before her. She had seen his member before of course, but seeing his body in its entirety took her breath away. She was sure her expression must mirror the one he’d had only minutes ago when her slip was removed.

Tav leaned in and Gale caught her by the waist, turning them around and laying her down on the bed, climbing up himself to lay over her.

“My beautiful Tavrielle,” he sighed, gently stroking her cheek. “I’ve been dreaming of your taste since the other night. Would you allow me to indulge once again?”

“Please,” she replied emphatically.

He kissed his way down her body while she tried not to squirm, and they moaned in unison when his mouth finally reached its destination. It was somehow even better than she remembered, the tension from his teasing slowness heightening the intensity of every sensation. She quickly cupped a hand back over her mouth to muffle the cries which came unbidden from her throat as he lapped at her eagerly.

“I cannot wait for the day when you need not muffle yourself, and I can fully enjoy the beautiful sounds you make for me,” Gale murmured against her before diving back in. His words drove her higher, closer to the precipice, and she knew she wasn’t going to last long like this. She fluttered against his mouth and he moaned, the vibrations rushing through her. He ran two fingers teasingly through her folds before sliding them into her easily. His lips latched around her sensitive pearl while his fingers curled inside her, rubbing against just the right spot, and all too soon she was shuddering apart, hips twitching up to chase the glorious pleasure of his mouth.

He finally relented once she started shuddering with the residual waves, and moved back up to lay over her once more. He kissed her deeply, the taste of her arousal lingering on his lips and tongue. He moved, and his cock slid through her slick, oversensitive folds, causing them both to moan. They broke apart, and it was clear from the expression on his face that the will to continue teasing her had fully faded.

“I need you,” he rasped. “My darling Tav, I need you. May I?”

In lieu of a verbal answer, Tav reached down and took hold of him, causing him to gasp. She positioned him at her entrance, and he leaned in for another kiss at the same time he pressed his hips forward, finally sheathing himself inside her. Their mouths parted again as they moaned, the sensation overwhelming.

“Oh Tav...”

“Gale, please move, I need-”

He heeded her request immediately, pulling back before pressing back in, grunting in pleased surprise when she suddenly snapped her hips up to meet his thrust, quickly burying him to the hilt. Their movements sped quickly, all trace of patience gone as they finally lost themselves in each other. They did their best to stifle their sounds of pleasure, and soon found that the best way to do so was simply to keep their mouths otherwise occupied, kissing over each other’s mouths and faces and necks and shoulders. Their pace was quick, Gale’s movements firm, though not rough. Tav luxuriated in the sensations, his warmth above her, the way his soft hair curtained their faces, the firm grip of his hands holding her steady for him, and of course, the waves of pleasure that flooded her with every thrust of his hips as he filled her perfectly again and again. By the time she felt him start to tense and his movements grow less steady, she was nearing the peak again herself. Gale groaned lowly as he took a moment to grind into her deeply.

“My love, will you let go for me again? I want so dearly to feel you.”

“Yes,” Tav gasped. “Close. So close. A bit more...” She started sliding a hand between them, down towards where they were connected, but Gale took hold of it, pressing it to the pillow by her head with their fingers wound together while his other hand took up the path instead. His skilled fingers worked her quickly, rubbing in small circles that had her racing towards the edge.

“That’s it,” he moaned as she tightened around him. “That’s it, my love. You feel incredible. Let go for me.”

His voice, rough with exertion and passion, pulled her over. His lips captured hers just in time to muffle her cry, and his as well as he tumbled after her, hips jerking as pleasure overtook them both.

All too soon, Gale rolled off of her, lying beside her while they both caught their breath. Their fingers remained laced together between them, a warm point of connection. Gale squeezed her hand, and Tav returned the gesture, turning to smile at him. She found him smiling back at her dreamily.

“Well worth a bit of subterfuge, I think,” she said.

“I couldn’t agree more.” He turned onto his side, leaning in to kiss her once again. It was warm and languid, though it grew gradually more heated as they went. Tav’s eyes were sparkling when they finally broke for air.

“How much longer do you think we have before the others return?” she asked, moving closer to press her body against his. Gale grinned.

“Oh, enough for one more round, at least.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite her previous exhaustion from the day’s festivities, Tav was practically buzzing with energy as she and Gale retired to his room. The wedding had been lovely, of course, as had the revelry after, but she was more than ready to be alone with her new husband. This would not be the first intimacy they'd shared — indeed, they had been quite insatiable over the past month or so — but it would be the first time they would be able to enjoy such intimacy without having to sneak away somewhere and keep quiet, lest someone find them out. The secrecy and clandestine meetings had their own thrill, of course, but she had longed to be able to devote herself fully to enjoying him, without having to keep an ear and eye out for unexpected company. Gale had kissed her fiercely the moment the carriage door had been closed behind them, hands roaming over her body as he held her close, and ever since she had been mentally preparing herself for whatever sweet torture he had in store for her.

True to the first time they had shared such pleasures, Gale had always been almost painfully slow and deliberate in his treatment of her, dragging their encounters out as long as possible despite the risk of potentially getting caught. He tried to play innocent, hiding behind the excuse of manners and gentlemanly behavior, but she was certain that he simply enjoyed teasing her. Thus, this being their wedding night, she expected even more teasing than usual. “I want this to be special,” he would say as he slowly drove her to madness, not touching her where she wanted until she begged him for it.

What she did not expect was for him to spin them around as soon as the bedroom door was closed and pin her to it with his body, kissing the air from her lungs as he ground his hips against hers. She gasped into his mouth, clutching at his jacket, caught off-guard by his sudden onslaught. She was finally able to catch her breath once his mouth left hers, moving instead to kiss and bite down her neck to her chest where it heaved at her neckline.

“This is unexpected,” she panted.

“Is it?” Gale asked, sounding genuinely confused, though he continued to mouth his way over her breasts. “It is hardly unusual, I think, for a man to desire his new bride on their wedding night.” His hands snaked around behind her, his fingers starting to work at the buttons on the back of her bodice.

Tav laughed breathlessly. “No, not that. You’re just usually much more, mmm... methodical than this. Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

Gale pulled back to look at her, then, and the fire in his deep brown eyes made her knees weak.

“I have the rest of our lives to take my time with you,” he panted. “But I have been waiting all day for this, and I need you now.” He’d gotten the first two buttons undone, but was fumbling a bit with the third, and he growled in frustration.

“How fond are you of this dress?” he asked, sounding impatient.

“Rather,” Tav said warily. “It was purchased specifically for our wedding. Why?”

“Then I’ll have it repaired for you,” he replied before firmly gripping the partially opened back and pulling hard at both sides. Tav gasped at the sound of buttons hitting the floor. A gasp which turned into a moan as Gale claimed her mouth again, simultaneously yanking down the front of her gown, the sleeves sliding down her arms. He pushed it down far enough to slide a hand down the back and pull roughly at the ties of her stays, untying and pulling them loose before sliding that down as well. That done, he yanked down the front of her slip and found his prize, his lips latching victoriously onto one of her nipples.

Tav cried out, leaning into the sensation, and groaning at the feeling of Gale’s erection rubbing against her hip. He didn’t pull his mouth away as he guided them both backwards towards the bed, spinning them again at the last second to push her onto it. She attempted to raise herself with her arms, but found the busk of her stays stopped her, sitting low as it was now from when Gale had pulled them down. Gale quickly undid the fall of his breeches and freed himself, his eagerness showing in the drops of moisture beading at the head of his cock. He shoved her skirts up over her hips and reached down with one hand, pressing his fingers to her entrance. He groaned at the wetness he found there, so plentiful that it was smeared over her thighs as well.

“I love how eager you are for me,” he breathed, bringing the fingers to his mouth to suck them clean before positioning himself and rubbing his tip through her slick folds.

“Please Gale,” she begged, canting her hips up towards him. Gale growled again, grabbing her hips hard.

“As the lady wishes,” he rumbled.

He entered her with a single firm roll of his hips, both of them moaning as he slid in all the way to the hilt. They paused for a moment, breathing heavily, reveling in the connection, before Gale began to pull out before thrusting back in roughly. He set a punishing pace, leaving Tav to writhe beneath him, nearly pinned as she was, clutching desperately at the bedding and crying out her pleasure. He’d never been this rough with her before, this wild, and she was loving every moment of it. The way he fucked into her with abandon, grasping hard enough at her hips that she wondered if it might leave bruises, it was overwhelming in the best way.

Gale let himself fall forward onto his arms, caging her beneath him. His mouth returned to her neck and breasts, and one of her hands moved to pull his hair out of its tie and tangle in it. She tugged, and his answering moan tingled deliciously against her skin.

“Gale,” she whined, clutching at his back, fingers digging into the fabric.

“Tav,” he groaned in response, nipping at her shoulder. “My lovely Tav.” He leaned up, bringing his mouth next to her ear. “My beautiful, breathtaking Mrs. Dekarios.”

Tav gasped at that, the words sending a new wave of heat rushing through her, straight down to her core. She felt Gale grin against her.

“Do you like it when I call you that, Mrs. Dekarios?”

Beyond words at this point, Tav could only nod, whimpering her assent.

“I’m glad,” Gale panted in her ear. “Because I very much enjoy saying it.”

He kept moving, his pace not wavering, cries falling from Tav’s lips at the relentless onslaught of pleasure.

“That’s it,” Gale groaned. “Let me hear you. You sing so beautifully for me. A melody for my ears alone. I’ve been waiting for this all day. You’ve never looked so radiant as you did, smiling at me at the altar. The first time I called you Mrs. Dekarios I feared I might embarrass myself, so intense was the feeling it brought.” He interrupted his rhythm briefly to give a particularly hard grind, as if for emphasis, pulling another long moan from Tav’s throat. “It took all of my will to wait until we were here, rather than simply taking you in the carriage.”

Tav gasped, the mental image making her clench around him. Gale grunted at the feeling. His speed remained steady, but he grew more forceful, the sounds of slick skin hitting slick skin filling the room. Short, sharp cries left Tav’s lips with every thrust, and Gale’s verbal stream of poetic filth and praise gave way to wordless moans, their voices rising in a symphony of shared pleasure. It didn’t take much longer for Tav to feel herself nearing the edge, her whole body pulled taught like a thread ready to snap.

“Gale,” she gasped. “Gale, so close. Please I- I need-”

She broke off with a moan as Gale immediately brought one hand down to rub her in exactly the way she needed. No more than a minute later she was sobbing his name, a powerful climax overtaking her. Gale followed quickly, grinding deep as his seed filled her, a choked moan tumbling from his lips.

They stayed there for a long moment, catching their breath and letting the stars fade from their eyes. Finally, Gale propped himself up to look at her, bringing one hand up to gently stroke Tav’s cheek. She smiled at him, soft and sated.

“My love...” he murmured, his quiet, enamored tone such a contrast to his roughness only minutes before. “My beautiful wife.”

“My darling husband,” she replied, smiling more broadly at the way he lit up at the words.

“That wasn't too rough, I hope,” he said earnestly. “I've been struggling all day to keep my hands off of you. Once we were finally alone I'm afraid I couldn't help myself.”

“Not at all,” Tav assured him. “In fact,” she continued, lips curving into a mischievous smirk, “as long as you have them repaired after, I wouldn’t object to you tearing open my dresses like that more often.”

Gale laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, leaning in for another quick kiss. “Speaking of, how about I help you out of these clothes properly?”

“Mmm, yes please.”

Soon they were both undressed, holding each other close in the bed, enjoying the knowledge that this would only be the first of many nights spent this way.

“My dearest Tav,” Gale sighed as he stroked her back, his brown eyes warm and adoring as they stared into hers. “I am the luckiest man in the world to be here with you. I love you more than words could ever possibly say.”

Tav kissed him, slow and heated. “How fortunate then, that you have more at your disposal than words to express it.” She rested her forehead against his, their noses brushing, her breath ghosting over his lips as she spoke. “Don't just tell me, my love. Show me.”

[northern-passage]

a little update.. what i'm working on/prologue changes so far:

no prologue! it’s chapter 1 now

removed the option to leave clementine behind. you have to take them with you :3c

removed height options (sorry!)

in general, edited the cc to flow better

combat preferences have been adjusted-- all still the same but i've made it more obvious how each specialty works mechanically which will hopefully make fights more intuitive to win (or lose, if you want)

genderlocked the sibling. officially a Sister

edited a LOT of dialogue; hopefully it's an improvement and feels more natural

restructured the wraith fight so that it's consistent with the fight in blackwater. with the changes made to the combat preferences this should make the combat system overall cohesive now <- i'm still working on this currently but i am HOPING to finish it by the end of this month.

i have pretty much rewritten the entire prologue. wasn't my plan at the start but here we are... so things are quite different. but also the same. i also streamlined a lot of the choices & branches and cut/combined ones that i felt were just excessive.

i plan to update once i've finished making & importing these changes, and i will probably limit the demo to chapter 1 (previously the prologue) until i get through and edit chapter 2 (previously chapter 1) because i really don't want to have the demo be inconsistent for however long it takes me to get through the next edits. hopefully this will not take that long, and then i'll put chapter 2 & and part 1/what's already been published of chapter 3 back up. and then!!! i will move on to finishing chapter 3.

i know this probably isn't the update you all were hoping for but i'm excited for the next steps with tnp :-)

[todayisafridaynight]

[thechibilitwick]

there needs to be more slightly fucked up shidou tbh

[pachimation]

an 8 page comic about childe visiting scaramouche after the sumeru archon quest

[ghostsy]

Let's Get Physical

WARNINGS: yandere, stalking, possessiveness, nsfw, dub/noncon, non-consenual implications, toxic relationship, implied imprisonment, misogyny, manipulation, gaslighting, depression, anxiety

read at your own discretion.

yandere ! BAKUGOU KATSUKI X READER

“Fuck–you tryna break my damn fingers off?” 

“Don’t be a baby. Besides, shouldn’t you be used to this by now?” She rolled her eyes playfully, smiling as her hands worked at his own, stretching his fingers backwards, and pressed her thumbs to his palm.

“Quit grinnin’, creep.” He sat cross-legged in front of her on the floor of his home gym, studying her as she worked. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and she stifled a smirk when he hissed. “Are you sure you even know what a grin is? Can’t say I’ve ever seen you give one.” 

“Shut the fuck up.” Still, a smile tugged at his lips, “Y’know, this could constitute abuse of power.”

“It’s called physical therapy, you manchild.” She placed his hand down on his thigh, and picked up the other to start her work, fingers massaging across the palm.

He puffed out his cheeks, “It’s called torture,” Grumbling as he averted his gaze.

“It’s called, Mr. Big Strong Number Two went and snapped his tendons tryna blow up an entire villain army by himself.”

“That’s a funny way a’ sayin’ thank you.”

“If I recall correctly, you were thanked plenty three months ago–when it happened–if your popularity numbers are any indication.” She caught sight of the twist at his lips, and gave a soft smile. “But, I suppose I can stand to add another. Thank you.”

He coughed awkwardly, red dusting his cheeks, “Yeah. Whatever.”

They settled into a comfortable silence, the occasional grunt and hiss interrupting, but not disrupting the peace. She placed his hand down, and went to sort through her gym bag on the floor beside them.

Pulling out a stretch band, she wrapped it around his fingers. He knew the drill by now, and as he began to stretch, brows furrowed as he strained, she let out a happy giggle.

“See! You can hold about three inches further; you’re getting better. Just a few more sessions with me, and a healing quirk can do the rest!” She clapped her hands together, and though he felt like screaming in frustration at the effort it took, when he caught sight of the glimmer in her eyes, he softened, letting out a sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t go expectin’ a five star Yelp review or somethin’ now.” She caught the flicker of amusement in his eyes, and a sly smile spread on her lips.

“Weren’t you banned from Yelp after–”

“Shut the fuck up.” Though, the look on his face told her he wasn’t too torn up about the jab.

And the comfortable silence resumed as the clock ticked by. He couldn’t remember when this had become familiar–when she had become familiar.

But he was sure that had he been forced to spend three months straight with any other stranger–or friend, for that matter–he would have thrown himself and them from his penthouse window by now. 

As they went through the motions, some easier than others with his…injury, he found himself sneaking glances at her face. He noticed a lot about her in these past months. Her nose always twitched whenever she’d present him a new technique to try; he’d chalked it up to nerves–cute–cute, that she thought to be nervous, as if he’d fail, he corrected himself. 

And right now, with her shoulders swaying back and forth to an inaudible song as she watched him stretch, he noted comfort, content. Her head bobbed with the motions––little thing never could sit still, could she?--and he found himself fighting a smile. Though, it fell pretty quickly when he saw her glance at the wall clock, and fumble to stuff her equipment into her bag.

“Oh my god, it’s late–I should–Good work today!” She gathered her things, and his brows furrowed as he watched her. There was a twist in his chest as he saw her scramble–where was she going in such a hurry?

“Where ya goin’?” He never was great at poker, but he still cursed himself for the way she furrowed her brows, catching the irritated edge in his voice.

She sighed, brushing it off as his usual grumpiness, “As lovely company as you are, it’s well past our time, and I have another appointment in the morning.”

“Since when?” Logically he knew that he couldn’t be her only client, but to hear her say it ground his nerves. After all, he was sure that it had been just the two of them for a while now.

“It’s always one injury or another. Y’know, for a job that means helping others, you heroes are pretty shit at taking care of yourselves.” She giggled, and while the sound eased his nerves, there was a nagging at the back of his mind.

“Hey, you eaten yet?” He trailed after her into the foyer, and a part of his brain mocked him for how pathetic he must sound–him, of all people, begging some quirkless nobody–no, not nobody, but still–begging her to stay.

She paused, turning to glance at him; a sheepish look washed over her face as she huffed an embarrassed chuckle, hand reaching to scratch at the back of her head. His eyes narrowed, but as he went to take her bag from her shoulder, she pulled from his grip.

“I’m sure I can grab a granola bar or something from the convenience store on my block, don’t worry about–”

“Fuckin’ dumbass, now who’s shit at takin’ care a’ themselves?” He ignored the knit in her brow, and moved towards the kitchen, “I got tons of shit leftover. Sit. Eat.”

She sighed, and brushed him off with another chuckle, “Maybe another time. I really should get some sleep. And so should you–rest helps the healing process. I’ll see you in a few days.”

He watched her for a beat, before deciding. He nodded, “Yeah, yeah. See ya.”

She flashed a smile and a little wave before heading out the door. He waited for a bit after it clicked shut, watching the hands tick by on the clock.

One minute. 

Two.

 Five. 

He shuffled towards his closet, throwing an old hoodie over his head with minimal strain. This isn’t creepy. He reminded himself. Idiot’s gonna get herself killed walkin’ home this late.

His face heated as he pulled up the hood. Wearin’ those spandex shorts–honestly, she was lucky he was a fuckin’ gentleman. He huffed, and headed for the door, following after her with the confidence of a man who had done so too many times before.

.♡.

“Damn, I’m jealous, if I knew all it took for some alone time with a bitch that hot was to snap my tendons–”

“Don’t be fucking gross.” He scoffed, shoving the other blonde, eyebrow twitching at the shit-eating grin his friend flashed. Maybe this was a bad idea; he scanned the men around the breakroom table–fuck, he shoulda just figured it out himself.

The other man raised his hands in mock surrender, “All I’m sayin’, bro, is if I were you, I’d a’ made a move the second a piece of ass that sweet walked itself through my door.” He turned back to the udon in front of him, digging in, broth splashing messily across his face.

He scrunched his nose in disgust, “Yeah, well I ain’t you. I’m not jumpin’ in the pants of the first bitch who opens ‘er legs for me.” He played with his own chopsticks, frustrated with the dismissal.

“Good thing too,” The raven haired man laughed, “Sparky over here’s probably got every disease in the book with the holes he sticks his dick in.” He tossed an arm around the other blonde, whose face twisted in mock hurt. 

“Least I can get it wet, Tape Boy.” The two shoved at each other, laughing, but the click of a tongue brought his attention to the unamused redhead at the end of the table.

“But she isn’t just another hole,” The shark-toothed man’s lip twisted at the last word, “This is the first time you’ve actually liked a chick. You should–”

“Who the fuck says I like her?” One glance at the unimpressed look from his friend had his face heat as he coughed, averting his gaze.

“You haven’t said shit since the incident,” The man began, “And the first thing we hear from you about the whole thing is if we know your physical therapist.”

“She works with heroes; sue me for thinkin’ you idiots might a’ met or somethin’.”

“Okay, but why are you askin’ about her schedule?”

He clicked his tongue against his teeth, shoving his chair back, “Forget it.” As he went to leave, the other two men jeered.

“Aww, come back! Embrace the feelings, bro!”

“Beautiful. Our little boy’s growin’ up!”

.♡.

He stormed into his office, huffing. Fuck it. If he was gonna be here, he might as well get some paperwork done. He collapsed in his chair, head to his hands as he groaned. The sound of the door opening caught his attention.

“You really need to stop stormin’ outta places before people can respond.” He rolled his eyes, ignoring the redhead, and turned to shuffle through the mass of papers on his desk. 

“Yeah, well Tweedle Dumb and Dumber needa learn to keep their damn mouths shut.”

“Ah. They don’t mean any harm,” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “Locker room talk, y’know?”

He scoffed, “What do you want?” Mood soured, his patience was running thin.

“I think I know that client you were talkin’ about–the appointment she had today.”

Now that caught his interest. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. But yer not gonna like the answer.”

.♡.

Bang! Bang!

“Oi, open up.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“I know you’re here, you bastard. Open the fuck up!”

BANG! BA–

“It’s five in the morning. I was asleep.” The man in question responded as the door creaked open, his red and white hair mussed, and sticking up in odd places.

He rubbed at his eyes, meeting the other’s gaze, much too intense for five in the morning–though, did the word calm ever really exist in the ash blonde’s vocabulary? 

“You break any bones? Strain a muscle? What? ‘Cause from here I can’t see shit wrong with you.”

“I’m confused. Should ‘shit be wrong with me?’” Jesus fucking Christ. He wanted to rip his hair out; there was obtuse, and then there was just plain annoying. In the years he’d known this man, he’d managed to toe the line perfectly. A talent, truly.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “You wouldn’t be hangin’ around my woman if it wasn’t…or you tellin’ me there’s another reason she’s been showin’ up at your door?”

“You have a woman?”

Are you fucking kid–

“I’m kidding.” Coulda fooled him. He met bi-colored eyes, dull as ever, and mouth set in a straight line.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re fuckin’ hilarious, now–”

A yawn interrupted him, “I’ve been informed of the situation,” Situation? “Nerve damage. Ice quirks will do that after a while. I apologize if I overstepped in my attempt to keep all my fingers intact.” A couple stiff, discolored digits waved in his face.

Yeah, sarcasm didn’t suit him. “Fuck off.” It was half a joke, but still–

“You showed up at my house.” Okay, he’d had enough. He turned to leave, but the other cleared his throat. “Though, a small piece of advice–”

“Advice?” He was getting angry again, which only flared up as a smirk formed on the other man’s face.

“Poor thing’s convinced she may have a stalker.” Shit. “I’m sure as the Number Two, you’ll be able to make her feel safe, won’t you?” Slimy bastard. 

He huffed, turning away, “Yeah, yeah. Fuck off back to sleep, ya damn space heater, I got it.” There was a hum as the door clicked shut.

He was left with his thoughts as he jogged down the sidewalk–might as well get his morning run in–but, still, why hadn’t she told him about her stalker? I mean…she trusted him, didn’t she? Ugh. This was getting annoying. He needed a plan.

.♡.

“Fuck is that?”

She hissed a bit as she took his hand into her own, palm stinging a bit from underneath its bandage.

“Oh, nothing,” She smiled sheepishly, “It’s what I get for letting my friend talk me into buying one of those fancy reflex hammers.”

At the tilt of his head and furrow of his brow, she clarified, “Real sharp at the tip, ads say that’s what makes it sleek.” She chuckled a bit, and he hummed in response. She watched him for a bit, his jaw flexing a bit in frustration.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today–what, no complaints to lodge?” She giggled, but the furrow in his brow had her creasing her own. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He snapped back to reality, pulling his gaze from where her fingers worked at his hands, “Sorry, just distracted, I guess.”

“That’s alright. What’s going on?”

He sighed, “Stopped by the office the other day–’parently crime’s been shootin’ up all around Japan.”

“And you’re upset you can’t help out yet?”

“‘S fuckin’ frustratin’, being the Number Two, and sittin’ around all day gettin’ massages while there are murderers and rapists and stalkers runnin’ fuckin’ rampant in the streets.”

She swallowed, but tried to neutralize her expression, giving a weary smile, “Oh? Lots of stalkers nowadays?” She focused her gaze back on his hands.

“Been tons a’ reports all over the city–victims are–”

“Victims?” The hiss from his mouth told her she was pressing too hard, “Sorry, sorry! Just…it’s all a bit scary isn’t it? And victims usually means…” She released his hand to sort through her bag, picking through the equipment, handing him a grip strengthener, and turned her gaze to meet his own.

“Nah, ‘s not your fault; I shouldn’t be freakin’ you out with all the details–”

“No! I mean, no. It’s okay. I want–I mean, I’m curious–what are the details?”

He gave her a look, and she cursed herself for her slip up. In the months she’d known this man, she’d realized he was one of the most annoyingly observant people she’d ever met, and while she usually found his borderline anal attention to detail endearing, she’d really hoped to keep this from him–he had more than enough on his plate already–to make him worry over someone like her would be selfish.

“The fuck’s wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yer actin’ like you’re bein’ stalked or some shit.” Fuck. Did he have some second quirk? Could he read minds?

“What? No, I’m not. I’m just…curious.” Yeah. Thank god she hadn’t gone into acting. At the unimpressed quirk of his brow she sighed, “I mean…It’s probably nothing, I’m sure I’m just–I’m just paranoid or something.”

“What the fuck? And you didn’t tell me?”

“It’s probably nothing!  And..well, you’re so busy–recovery, and tryna get back in the field so you can…I just didn’t want to bother you.” She took a piece of hair in her hands, twirling and tugging as she avoided his gaze. “It’d be unprofessional of me to–”

“You gotta report that shit, dumbass!” The grip strengthener creaked with the strength at which his hand clutched at it. “‘’Sides, it’s not botherin’ me,'' Her cheeks colored, “It’s my job.” Oh. Right.

She wrapped another contraption around his fingers, gesturing for him to stretch as she took the other from his grip, “I’ve got it covered. Promise,” She sighed, “And I did report it, I just figured you had enough on your plate. Seriously, don’t worry about it.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m walkin’ you home,”  She opened her mouth to protest, “Shut the fuck up. I ain’t askin’.” 

She sighed, but nodded,“Okay.” Her chest warmed a bit as a small smile pulled at her lips.

And the silence resumed, tense, but not with awkward or anxious energy, she realized. She snuck a few glances at him throughout the rest of their session. He really was a good man, wasn’t he? And, catching sight of the sharp curve of his jaw–handsome, too.

She chided herself for thinking so, but really–what was the harm in thoughts?--it was simply an observation, nothing more.

.♡. 

“It’s fuckin’ efficient. ‘Nuf said.”

“It’s fuckin’ geriatric is what it is.” She laughed, “What twenty-six year old goes to sleep at eight p.m.?” She craned her head up to catch sight of the red dusting his cheeks as they walked down the street.

“Call me geriatric all you want, but don’t come cryin’ to me when you’re fifty and yer face is saggin’ cause you never got a good night’s sleep.” She gasped, hitting him lightly on the shoulder as a smile tugged at his lips.

“You should know better than to call a woman wrinkly.”

“Good advice. Lemme know when you see one.”

She smacked his arm again as the two of them laughed, settling once she caught sight of the setting sun. “Thank you. For walking me home; it really–I mean, it’s–”

“Stop thankin’ me for givin’ a shit about you, you fuckin’ creep,” Her cheeks colored as she avoided his gaze, and he sighed, ruffling her hair a bit, “‘Sides, someone’s gotta look out for you; you’re sure as hell not gonna do it for yourself.”

She gasped in mock offense, “I’ll have you know, when I was younger, I was a certified blue belt in my–”

“Isn’t that really fuckin’ low?”

“Shut up,” They laughed lightly, and she turned to him as they came upon her doorstep. “Well, this is me.”

There was an awkward pause, and he coughed lightly, avoiding her gaze, “Right. Cool. I guess I’ll see ya–”

“You wanna come in?” She surprised herself with the words, but the red coloring his cheeks warmed her chest and eased her nerves. This was fine. They were friends.

“You sure?” Despite all the rumors and all the gossip, he really was a gentleman. Well, she’d come to know that these past months, but like this was an entirely different matter. She wasn’t quite sure why, though.

“Yeah. I mean, I haven’t eaten yet–figured you might wanna hang out and yell at me for a bit about it.” She laughed lightly, pushing the keys into the lock, and brushed her hair from her eyes.

“I’ll do you one better.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’ll cook you dinner, and yell at you about it.” She opened her mouth, but a devious smirk spread across his face, “‘Less yer one of those losers with an empty fridge, and cabinet full a’ junk.”

She pushed the door open, “How dare you,” She flashed a cheeky smile as she led him inside, “Instant ramen is the food of the gods.”

.♡.

“You need to be more careful!” She chided as she wiped at the cut on his face, “You’ve only been back in the field for a month, you can’t just–”

A hiss interrupted her, and she pulled the alcoholic wipe away from his cheek as he sighed, “You rather I let a building fall on a buncha kids?”

She rolled her eyes, but resumed her work, “No. But, I’d rather you have at least an ounce of self-preservation–besides, I’m not sure how many wraps and casts and wipes we’ve got left in the budget.”

A sly smirk spread on his face, “Oh. I see,” He readjusted her in his lap as she wiped at his wounds, “Yer in physical therapist mode right now, huh? And here I thought my girl might actually be worried about me for a second.”

She smacked lightly at his arm, setting down her wipes to peck at his cheek, “I can be in physical therapist mode and girlfriend mode when it means you’ve gone off and gotten yourself hurt again.”

She rolled off his lap, tossing the bloody tissues in the trash as he trailed after her into the bathroom. She opened the cabinets, bending over to sort through the shelves. He grabbed her by the hips, and she shoved him off playfully.

“Not now, horny. I’m looking for a wrap.”

“Ah. Think we’re out.”

She stood, smacking him lightly, “See! What was I just saying?”

“I’ll head to the store in the morning, just come to bed,” He groaned, turning her in his arms, “‘M tired.”

She gave him a skeptical look before glancing down briefly, “I think your little friend may disagree.”

“Who you callin’ little?” His hands snaked down, pinching at the swell in her ass as she squealed, pushing out of his arms, and trailed into the bedroom. She glanced around, stopping once she spotted his closet door.

“Hey, where ya goin’?” He stalked after her.

“I don’t trust you. I’m gonna check for more first aid supplies.” She walked towards the closet, and, following her gaze, he pulled her by the wrist, bouncing her backwards onto the bed. She yelped as he collapsed on top of her, “What the hell? Get off! I can’t–can’t breathe–”

“Nah. Like I said, ‘m tired.”

She giggled out his name, trying to push the hulking mass off of her, “I’m serious! You’re–you’re hurt, we need to take care of–”

“We need to take care a’... what was it you said? My little friend?” One of his hands worked its way up her shirt as he readjusted them on the bed, “Only thing that’s hurtin’ right now is my ego…little, I should take you over my damn knee for that, y’know.” 

She laughed, sighing as his fingers made their way under her bra, “You’re so—you’re such a baby.”

“Oh yeah?” His thumb swirled her nipple as he smirked. Legs thrown over his shoulders, she looked up at him between half-lidded eyes while he worked off her shirt.

“Yeah.” She let out a breath as a tingling in her gut started to form. His canines grazed her neck, tongue flicking out to lick a stripe up the warm flesh.

“We’ll see about that.” He bit down, chuckling deeply at the whimper forced from her lips.

.♡. 

“Please–please–I don’t–I think someone’s here, I’m sorry to–to call you, but–”

“Stay right fuckin’ there. I’ll be there in five.”

“I’m–It’s pretty far, are you sure–”

“I can run. Stay on the–” She pressed the end button as at the sound of a bang–a door kicked open. The coat closet maybe? That means they were close. Too close. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, eyes squeezing shut, reopening with fresh, hot tears. 

Slow and steady, the sound of footfall was creaking down the wooden expanse of her hallway. Headed towards her, she realized. No. Please. She clutched her hand to her face, fingers pinching her nose to quiet the sounds of her breathing. This was it, wasn’t it? This was–

BANG! 

And then a frenzy of footsteps, crazed and seemingly unaware of their destination filled her ears. A shout. A shout? Wait…was that–but still, she didn’t dare breathe. Not until–

“Where the fuck are you?” The sound of her name being growled from a familiar baritone brought her back to reality, and she shakily pushed the door to the closet open from her place curled up on the floor.

“He–Here. I’m–I’m here.” The edge of her voice was cracking with tears as he pushed into the room, kneeling in front of her collapsed form. He gathered her in his arms, and the dam broke, snot and tears staining the soft polyester of his shirt as he carried her to the bed.

“Dumbass–scared the shit outta me–I told you to stay on the fucking–”

“Sorry–I’m sorry. I’m–I was just–I’m sorry…” She balled the fabric of his shirt in her fists as she sobbed. A large hand came to pet her hair, soothing her as it pulled the wet strands from her face, and tucked them behind her ear.

“S’ okay. I know. I’m here–you’re okay.” He sighed, burying his nose into her hair, taking a breath as his other arm soothed at her back. She sighed, gathering herself as she pushed a little bit out of his arms to meet his eyes.

“I–I just got home and–and all my drawers–they were open, and so I…” She sighed shakily, swallowing her tears, “Some of my clothes–my underwear–it’s gone, I–it’s getting worse, they’ve never–not until today–never come inside.” Her eyes shifted, “Well…I don’t think they have, but that’s…”

“That’s it,” She looked up at him, caught off guard a bit by the edge in his voice, “This shit is getting ridiculous. Yer movin’ in.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but a sharp look from crimson eyes killed the words in her throat. He sighed, readjusting her in his lap, taking her face in his hand as he pressed a peck to her jaw.

“I don’t wanna–I don’t wanna force ya, but shit, babe, this is…” He sighed, “‘M not always gonna be nearby on patrol, and if somethin’ happened to you, I’d never fuckin’ forgive myself. Even tonight–motherfucker got away from me.”

“I know,” She sagged, wrapping her arms around his middle, sighing, “I just…I feel so–this isn’t what you signed up for–I don’t want to be a burden to–”

“Shut the fuck up,” She jumped a bit, and his fingers spidered down her back in placation, “Sorry. Just…yer not a damn burden. I fuckin’...” She looked up to see red crawling up his neck and color his cheeks as he avoided her gaze, “I fuckin’ love you.”

He looked down at her now, and her breath hitched in her throat at the intensity burning in his eyes.

She felt heat crawl up her own cheeks, and a smile pulled at her lips despite herself–despite the situation, “Sorry, what was that?”

“I said I fuckin’--demon woman, fuck you.” He scoffed, but the hand at her back didn’t stop its ministrations, even as she giggled.

“No, I’m serious. I didn’t–I didn’t hear you, can’t you–ah!” He rolled them over, collapsing on top of her on the bed.

“Sorry. Can’t remember.” His hands trailed up her sides, and she began to squeal, laughing.

“Stop–Stop! Too–Too ticklish–please!” 

“Huh? What was that?” She shrieked, trying and failing to wiggle from beneath his assault on her sides.

“I said–I said I–I love you!” He stopped his torture, smirking down at her as she caught her breath.

“Damn right.” He dipped down, pecking her lips.

.♡.  

“And you’re sure it’s alright?”

“For the four hundredth time, yes. It’s more than fine; I’m the one who fuckin’ offered.”

She rocked back and forth on her heels in the elevator, various boxes and suitcases littered around the two of them as they headed for the penthouse floor. “I know, it’s just…”

“Stop that–I know that face; you’re fuckin’ fine–I love you. I want you here, you idiot.”

She sighed, nodding to herself as she watched the floors climb on the wall of the elevator. “Okay. Okay, yeah. I love you too.” Internally she calmed; it would be nice to sleep without waking up every hour paranoid that she’d heard the snap of a camera.

The sound of a ding pulled her from her thoughts, and she readjusted the boxes in her arms as the doors slid open, and the two made their way into the penthouse living room. She caught sight of the floor to ceiling windows, and set down her things while he worked to unpack. He nodded towards the bedroom.

“You’ve been here plenty a’ times. Feel free to take a shower or somethin’, and I’ll start on dinner. We’ll unpack as we go.”

She nodded, sending one more glance back to the expanse of skyline beneath her, finding that no matter how familiar she was with the view, her legs would never fail to shake with anxiety at the sight of the clouds hugging the edges of the buildings, obscuring her view of the bottom–of the rest of the world. She turned to head towards the bedroom.

“Gotta spare towel an’ shit for ya in there!” He called after her as she disappeared behind the door before he set her things down, heading for the open-floor kitchen. 

.♡.  

She stepped out of the shower, tightly wrapping a towel around herself, and swiped away at the condensed water clinging to the mirror to catch sight of her own reflection. She sighed, nodding to herself; this was fine. They loved each other–who cares that they’d only been together a couple months–they’d known each other longer; that had to count for something, right?

She groaned, moving into the bedroom to search for her clothes. Oh. Right. She thought to call for him, but, peeking out the crack in the door, found him, brows furrowed, chopping furiously at onions in the kitchen. Cute. She scanned the room, finding his closet door, and decided to search through his own clothes–he liked to give her shirts to wear, anyways.

She opened the door, stepping inside the large walk-in, and sifted through his drawers, pulling on a pair of boxers. She glanced around in search of a comfortable shirt, eyes catching on a small door–almost a cabinet–hidden on the back wall behind the racks. How curious. She kneeled down, and moved to open it, but–

“The fuck are you doin’?”

She yelped, hitting her head on the rack, hissing, and turned to face him, a sheepish look washing over her face, “Oh! Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to pry, I just–”

“I told ya I set shit out for ya.” The agitation in his voice set a strange feeling alight in her mind, but she brushed it off as his usual obsessive-compulsive nature. 

She rubbed at her head, half-sheepish, half soothing the pain, and smiled, “I’m sorry. I didn’t see anything out there. I didn’t mean to snoop. Really.”

He studied her for a moment, but huffed, and gestured with his eyes to follow him into the bedroom. He glanced around, finding folded up clothes fallen half-way beneath the bed on the dark-wood floor. He kneeled, picking them up, and handed her the shirt, moving into his closet to return the rest.

“Musta fallen off the bed. Sorry.” His voice was a bit muffled by the distance, “Didn’t mean to freak out on ya. Been meanin’ to seal that shit up for a while now. Damn rats keep gettin’ in.” 

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for not asking you.” She threw the black skull shirt over her head as he returned, shutting the closet door. “I know how you feel about your privacy, so…”

“Yeah. Yer fine,” He moved closer, kissing the crown of her head, “Dinner’s almost ready. ‘M fuckin’ beat. Let’s start unpacking tomorrow.”

.♡. 

“And there’s nothing? Not one clue?” She folded up her clothes in the bedroom’s new wardrobe. He’d told her that the closet was being renovated to fit the two of them, providing her an expensive but temporary solution. 

“‘M just as frustrated as you, babe. How do you think I feel, bein’ a top hero and still not bein’ able to protect my girl.” He huffed, handing her articles of clothing from a half-unpacked box as they talked.

“You’ve done more than protect me; it’s not your fault,” She sighed, fingers flexing, tightening subconsciously on the shirt she was holding, “I just…”

“I know, and…” He clicked his tongue, scanning her, “Yer not gonna like what I haveta say next.”

She swallowed, and he watched her throat bob, steeling his nerves. He was so close. He set the box aside, gesturing for her to join him on the bed. She sat herself in his lap, and he brushed her hair from her face, sighing, avoiding her gaze for good measure. Really draw it out.

“I think you should quit yer job.”

“What? Why would I–”

“Just fer now,” His hand soothed at her thigh, “‘An’ I can take care a’ things. Just ‘til shit dies down.” Yeah. That sounds good. And if shit just happens not to die down…Well, he was more than happy to provide.

“I thought you said you didn’t have any clues.”

Sometimes he wished he was attracted to dumber women. She pushed off his lap, and resumed her work, stuffing clothes inside the drawers with renewed anger.

He realized he didn’t appreciate her anger–did she not realize he was trying to keep her safe? It’s fine. He could fix that. He stood, hand to her shoulder to turn her, and calm her.

“Not any solid ones, but,” His eyes shifted, searching for the words, “Yer always comin’ back late–by yourself–if they found where you were livin’--you think they don’t know where yer workin’?” It was a bit hard not to revel for a bit in the irony–made him feel powerful–but it also made him realize just how weak she was, how unaware, how fragile. 

“Well…they haven’t followed me here.”

“Cause this place is maximum fuckin’ security,” He smirked, chest puffing a bit as a sort of sick pride bloomed in his chest,“‘Sides, ain’t no one’s messin’ with the Number Two. Heh. Love to see ‘em try.”

She rolled her eyes, pushing his hand from her shoulder, and made her way to the living room to retrieve another box, “I’m glad you’re feeling safe.” Okay, fine. Probably not the best time to be peacocking, but really, would a pat on the back kill her?

“That ain’t what I meant. Hey,” He trailed after her, “‘M serious. Sue me fer wantin’ you alive.”

She swallowed, avoiding her eyes. Whatever. He sighed internally. He really didn’t like scaring her. But honestly, she needed to learn: he was going to get his way–this was for her own good. He’d seen so much death and destruction in his short life, so much pain and suffering and–nevermind that–he would make sure she didn’t have to, no matter what she had to say about it.

“Hey,” His voice softened as he approached her, “Just…just promise you’ll think about it, alright?” He brought a hand to her cheek, and she leaned in, sighing.

She nodded, “Alright.”

.♡. 

Ring ring!  Ring ring!  Ring ri–

Your call has been forwarded to the voicemail for–

“Shit. Please. Come on…”

Ring ring! 

“Come on, come on.”

Ring ring! 

“Answer. Answer. Please answer.”

Ring ri–

Your call has been for–

“Shit!” She clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes darting side to side, and glanced over her shoulder as she sped down the dimly lit sidewalk.

Just her luck, she thought. Take on a new client, you said. It’ll be fine, you said. Who cares that they live in the middle of goddamn nowhere? The trains will still be running; it won’t be too late. Idiot. 

She huffed, heart threatening to beat out of her chest; every shifting shadow was a threat; every kick of a stray rock, every honk of a distant car horn–everything–was sending lightning through her nerves, blood roaring so loudly in her ears she could barely hear herself think. 

The fall of a raindrop on her nose had her jump, though she began to groan as the pitter-patter of rainfall filled the streets. But then—

“You look lost, pretty girl.” A deep, distorted chuckle cut through her resolve as if it were made of ribbons, and her legs sprung forward before she could think to turn around.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Not now; please not now.

Running frantically and without direction, she turned left then right then left then right then right again, lungs burning, and tears obscuring her vision, not knowing if her breath and voice were stolen by exertion or terror or both.

She slowed once she gathered herself enough to take in her surroundings. Where was she? And then, interrupting her thoughts, a slow, heavy footfall, too casual, too comfortable, started to make its way towards her.

“It’s rude to ignore people, you know,” No. Fuck. Left? Right? Where was home? Where was–“Hey, I’m fuckin’ talkin’ to you, bitch.”

Fuck it. Left it was. Her gym bag jostled on her shoulder, a stray, initialed gym towel flying from the partially opened side-compartment into the wind behind her as she took off. 

“Hey! Get the fuck back here!” 

She turned briefly over her shoulder to catch sight of the figure–dressed in all black, head to toe–and let out a cry, pushing forward again, “Please! Leave me alone! I don’t know–I don’t know what you want from me!” Right.

There was that ugly laugh again, closer than before, and she willed her burning legs and lungs forward. Left. Back on the main road, good.

“Aww, I just wanna talk is all. What,” The voice turned darker, “You don’t wanna talk?”

Terrifying implications aside, she was nearly annoyed with him–him?--annoyed with what little effort he seemed to put into hunting her like some animal, not having even broken a sweat in his pursuit. She tossed her gym bag from her shoulder, hitting him square in the face, running with renewed vigor.

“Ah-Fuck! Bitch!”

She turned down another alley; maybe she could throw him off her trail. Fuck it. Turning again and again and again until she could no longer hear the sounds of wet shoes slapping the pavement behind her. She looked over her shoulder: nothing. Looking left, looking right: nothing. Only the sound of rainshower pouring down as if angry in and of itself. Join the club.

The quiet was nearly unsettling, but she forced a sigh from her lungs, deciding to stealthily find her way out of the maze she’d created for herself without alerting her predator. Which way was it now? Ugh. Maybe…that way? She turned–

Slam!

Her face hit a brick wall–no–her face hit a warm chest as hard as a brick wall. Fuck. This was it. She was going to die, right? She didn’t want to die. She swallowed, chest tightening, and nausea building, but–

“Holy shit! You’re fuckin’ freezing!”

She looked up to find scarlet eyes wide with worry, his large hands rubbed up and down her freezing wet arms, soothing the hairs stood on end. She let out a shaky sigh as she studied his face, half in disbelief and half in sheer relief. Though, her brow furrowed, shaking her head a bit in confusion upon spotting the pink strap of her gym bag hanging loosely from his shoulder.

“What–Where did you find that?”

“Huh?”

“My bag. Where did you find my bag?” She was getting agitated. This was paranoia, right? She pulled from his grip, noting the slight narrowing of his eyes before they returned to their previous concern. Was she imagining things? He put his hands up in surrender.

“Woah, chill, chill! I was out fuckin’ lookin’ for you. Left my phone at home while I was on my run, just got yer messages when I came back, and sprinted fer my fuckin’ life into the pourin’ rain tryna find you. I just found the damn thing abandoned on the side a’ the road.”

He sighed, taking a wet and matted strand of her hair from her cheek, brushing it behind her ear, “Yer gonna send me to an early fuckin’ grave y’know. When I saw it layin’ there on the street, I thought…” He swallowed, avoiding her gaze, voice cracking, “I thought you were…”

How cruel she was. To throw such accusations. She fell into his arms, out of guilt or adoration, she didn’t know, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to–I keep making you worry, and–I just–I was so…” Her voice left her, sobs overtaking her body.

He comforted her in his embrace while the rain poured down around them, sticking their hair to their faces and clothes to their skin, stray raindrops catching on their eyelashes as they pulled away to find each other’s gazes. 

And, with tears and rain mixing on their cheeks, he brought his lips to her own, breath warming her cold lips before she pushed forward, arms tangling in his hair as his own locked around her waist, tight and close and safe. Safe. A shared thought between them, though, with two entirely different meanings.

.♡. 

“Gotta call the Commission. Had half the damn city out searchin’ for ya.” His thumb swiped over her cheek, eyes giving her a once-over–freshly showered with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, teacup steaming in her hands as she sat, in her silk pajamas and fuzzy socks, curled up on the living room couch.

She nodded, and he leaned down to kiss her forehead before excusing himself. The murmur of the sugary-sweet, altogether too happy movie he’d put on faded to the background as she turned to watch the skyline beneath her, a gray film obscuring the warm yellows and oranges that glowed in the distance. 

She sighed, mentally kicking herself for her stubbornness. He had warned her this may happen. And because of her arrogance, Japan’s best heroes were wasting their time searching for her when they had much more important things to be doing–real problems to deal with. How selfish. She huffed, swiping away a stray tear, and turned to smile at him as he returned.

“Yeah yeah. I owe ya one. Now fuck off, would you?” Ending the call, he fell into the seat beside her, hand rubbing down his face, exhausted. That’s your fault. 

She sighed, “Is everything okay?”

He looked at her, giving a weary smile, and her chest burned, “Mm. All good. We should be worryin’ about you, dumbass.” No, we shouldn’t.

She swallowed, scooching closer to him on her couch, “I was–I think that,” she huffed, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest, “You were right. I’ll–if it’s still alright, I can stop working for a bit. So you don’t have to worry–to worry about me too much.” 

Her cheeks burned in shame as she avoided his gaze, but the palm of his hand turned her face towards him. She nearly jumped at the emotion glowing in his eyes, burning with an intensity she’d not fully seen before, eyes locked on her own, yet, hollow, as if he wasn’t really looking at her. Through her? No…

“Fuck yeah, it’s alright. C’mere,” He pulled her into his lap, and she realized what it reminded her of, as he regarded her with the sheer glee a child would show upon receiving a new toy, admiring her like some possession. No. Maybe he was just getting worked up–that must be it. The day had been stressful, right?

He began pressing hot, wet kisses to her neck, “Just stick with me. I’ll keep ya safe, baby. Promise.” His teeth grazed up her flesh, and she felt goosebumps start to form.

She nodded, cheeks burning in embarrassment at her growing dependency, but the feel of his hand under her shirt brought her back to reality.

“Oh–oh. I was–I don’t know if…” She was tired. So tired. Her limbs and mind weighed with growing self-disgust and an increasing sense of helplessness. The last thing she felt right now was sexy.

“Lie down for me.” He flipped her on her back before she could answer, working off her shirt, and his hands pulled at the waistband of her shorts. He kissed down her sternum, leaving small bite shaped bruises in his path.

She called his name, hand to his shoulder, not pushing, but stiff, “Maybe we should–I’m not really–” He hooked his fingers into the side of her underwear and something jumped a bit in her chest. Fear. It couldn’t be fear.

He sat up as he peeled off the last of her clothes, “Fuck. You keep scarin’ me and scarin’ me…might gimme a fuckin’ heart attack one day.” He wasn’t looking at her, arms wrapping around her thighs to pull her legs around his hips. She squealed a bit as she was dragged further down, but didn’t protest.

She fell silent, he just loved her is all, this was fine. Didn’t she owe him at least this? Still, the thought didn’t sit right in some near-forgotten part of her mind.

He ripped off his shirt, defined abs and arms flexing in the moonlight before bringing his thumb to swirl at her clit, smirking when her hips jumped from the stimulation, muscles flexing and unflexing. She took her lip between her teeth, eyes slowly losing focus.

“That’s it. Fuck, that’s hot.” He took two of his calloused fingers into his mouth, tongue flicking out to wet the digits, drool dripping as they popped from his lips. Moving down to play at her lower lips, they forced themselves into her without warning.

She winced a bit at the stretch, but the roll of his thumb over her clit eased the burn. She tried to rationalize the situation in her mind. They’d had sex so many times before, why was this any different?

She swallowed as the knot built, thoughts flying from her brain as her legs tensed and shuddered against his hips, walls tightening around his fingers. Closer and closer. He sped his motions, rubbing furiously at her swollen bud. She began to tremble in anticipation, whimpers turning to open mouthed moans, head thrown back.

“You gonna cum, pretty girl?”

An alarm went off in her brain.

“You look lost, pretty girl.”

But it was too late, his fingers curled and pumped into her, hitting a spot that had her melting, and her eyelids and pussy fluttered in gratification as her eyes crossed, vision going white. 

When she came down from her high, he was pulling her to her feet, and towards the windows.

But, “What did–what did you just call me?” It came out quietly, meekly, and she briefly wondered if that was really her voice. 

She shivered at the sheer intensity with which he regarded her, either not hearing, or ignoring her question altogether. He spun her around, and gripped her hips harshly, pulling them towards him, forcing her to arch her back. Face and hands pressed to the glass, she breathed his name as he worked his cock from his boxers.

Why wasn’t he listening?

“You don’t gotta worry about nothin’ from now on,” He sighed, sliding his cock between her folds, gathering the wetness, and huffed a low chuckle, “‘Cept sittin’ pretty at home, an’ keepin’ my cock warm in bed. Sound good, baby?”

She was used to dirty talk, but this was…strange, “What are–”

On hand caught her hair between his fingers, tugging at the roots as he leaned forward, breath wet and hot in her ear.

“‘Sit here all safe and sweet for me, yeah?” The hand tightened, and she felt a few strands ripped loose.

“Ah—it hurts, I—”

“I asked you a question, pretty girl.”

“Yeah—Yes. Yes, but—”

His cockhead breached her walls, and she whimpered. No matter how many times she took him, she’d never grow used to his size. In some form of placation, he kissed at the back of her neck, and behind her ear. It wasn’t working. He pulled back, and the hand in her hair met her throat, fingers flexing as they felt her racing pulse.

“‘S all yer good for anyways, huh?” That stung more than his cock bottoming out inside her. Too big. Please. Slow down. Just—

“That’s alright,” he licked his lips, pinching at the fat of her ass, forcing a yelp from her throat, before he began to thrust, fucking her hard against the window. Wait—

Through choked moans and whimpers, “I don’t…ah–” His hips snapped forward, hitting that special spot inside her, and taking her voice. Please.

“It’s alright, I forgive ya,” He huffed a laugh, close to her ear again, “I love you, after all.”

.♡. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” She tried to stamp down the building irritation, but really, “I could have taken it myself.” Did he really think her that incapable?

“It ain’t a bit deal,” She watched as he worked, heavy weight on his shoulders as he squatted, “‘Sides, I was due for a gauntlet upgrade–was on my way,” He side-eyed her as he stood, “Said she’d fix it right up for ya. As a favor.”

The clang of the weight hitting the floor made her jump, “I mean…That’s nice of her–your inventor friend–but I still don’t understand what happened?” Her legs swayed back and forth on the exercise bench in an attempt to soothe her antsy nerves.

He moved to the smaller, hand weights, “Like I said…You knocked it off the nightstand last night,” Sighing as if her question were an inconvenience, “Thought someone broke in with the sound of it fuckin’ shattering.”

She didn’t know she moved in her sleep, or that she was that deep a sleeper. She also didn’t know that phones could break so easily, but she didn’t want to question him–he was going out on a limb for her to fix it for free, but still…

“Well…thank you, but I could have gone with you. I feel like I haven’t been outside in forever, and I’ve been getting a bit…restless.” He’d insisted on her near total confinement until this stalker of hers was found. Which he also said might take a while. What was a while?

“Maybe you can come with me when it’s ready, yeah?” 

She sighed a bit in relief, “Yeah,” Her eyes shifted a bit, “Thank you, though, for–”

“Like I said, stop thankin’ me for given’ a shit about you,” Wiping at his neck with a towel, he stood, and she followed him into the foyer, “Alright. I gotta head out. I’ll try an’ be back before dark this time.” She hummed, and he kissed the crown of her head, giving her a once over, and nodded to himself, heading for the door.

She sighed to herself as the door clicked shut, and turned, eyes scanning over the expanse of the penthouse. This was fine. She had plenty to do–she could make herself useful. Keep herself busy. Maybe then she could ignore the hollow in her chest that had opened who knows how long ago–she could make this work. She had to.

.♡. 

She nudged the closet door open with her hip, carrying the laundry basket inside. She’d gotten used to this routine, and she tried to reclaim some of the peace she used to feel in the silence. She began to fold up the articles, placing them in the drawers. With this impractically large, new closet, laundry day had become a strenuous task on its own.

He had told her she didn’t need to do all this, and in all honesty it did make her feel like a mix between housewife and maid. But what else was there? It wasn’t safe outside, he’d said. She just had to wait a bit more. She could do that. And she really didn’t like upsetting him–not after everything he’d done for her.

She lost track of the time, humming to herself as she worked, closing the drawers, and moving on to place the rest of the clothes on hangers. The lack of music in her ears had a bitter feeling pull at her heart–he’d just taken her phone without asking. He’d started to do a lot of things without asking. No. He loved her; he’d just wanted to do something nice for her. The bitterness melted onto her heart and burned.

How ungrateful.

She was nearly done now, just the back racks left. As she moved to set the basket down she caught sight of pink nylon–her gym bag on the floor, hidden behind the racks. The burn faded, and nostalgia took its place. She kneeled, pulling it from its place propped up against the since sealed shut cabinet–rats, he had reminded her.

She unzipped the bag, and sorted through the equipment. She pulled out the grip strengthener, smiling a bit, and turned it in her hands, finger running along the crack in the metal.

Crack!

“Oh shit!” He laughed, “My bad.” 

“Now, what did you have to go and do that for?” He handed it back to her, and she turned it in her hands, catching sight of the cracked metal, before looking up, and smacking his shoulder. 

“Asshole!” She laughed “You know how hard it is to find a quality grip strengthener?”

His brow furrowed as his eyes flickered to the device in her hands, “I dunno,” a sly smile spreading as he shrugged, “All I’m hearin’ is that you’ve never been taught what quality means.” He moved closer, and she shoved his face away.

“Don’t be gross,” Still, she smiled as she pulled back, “I’m still your physical therapist for one more week.”

“Yeah? And then what?” He smirked.

Her smile turned mischievous, “Huh. I’m not sure,” She looked into the distance, as if contemplating something, “Travel the world? Finally learn how to cook? Steal the moon? Who knows, I–ah!”

He pulled her into his lap with a force that had both of the tumbling to the floor, noses touching. A blink. And then they were laughing, her hands by his head, and his hands on her hips. They settled, and she caught sight of an emotion akin to admiration in his eyes,

“I got a few ideas of what you could do.” His eyes flickered to her lips, fingers flexing on her hips.

“Oh yeah?” She sighed a breath onto his lips.

“Yeah,” He puffed out a breath, but contained himself, flipping them over, and smirking as she squealed, “But we’re not leavin’ this room ‘til I show you what quality really means.” 

She hadn’t realized she was crying until her tears hit the cool metal. She can’t remember the last time he looked at her like that, with admiration that didn’t equal possession.

She sighed, wiping furiously at her face, and shoved it into the bag. What was the use of stewing over something she had no control of? But still, she couldn’t help the building anger in her chest as she moved to put the bag away. Hide away the memories.

She caught sight of the sealed cabinet, and paused. No. He valued his privacy. And he’d told her rats had gotten in through the wall. She’d never seen rats before. But, he also took her phone without asking, and told her it shattered. She’d never been a heavy sleeper. She tried to ignore the guilt that gnawed at her; it somehow felt wrong to criticize him–he was doing his best.

There was a familiar feeling of nausea mixing with the guilt creating an overwhelming wave of unease that poured over her nerves. Fuck it. She shuffled through her bag. Where was it? Where was it? There.

She pulled a reflex hammer from inside, turning it backwards, testing the sharp metal tip at its base with her finger. Guess you are good for something. She shuffled forwards, scratching at the sealant of the cabinet, brows furrowed in determination, and mouth set in a hard line as she peeled the rubbery substance from the creases. Almost. Closer. Closer. Done.

She sighed, setting the hammer in the bag, hesitating a bit as her fingers curled over the side crease–why was there no handle? It creaked open, and the smell of dust filling her nostrils had her sneezing. Collecting herself, she waved away the dust, squinting as it settled. 

Inside lay a wooden box of sorts–crate, maybe?--wooden something. Curious. She pulled it into her lap with some strain, prying off the top, and hissing at the sting under her fingernails as they caught on the edge. It fell off with a thump, and she peered inside.

What is that?

Her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide and trembling. An initialed gym towel. If he’d found it that night…why hadn’t he given this back to her?

And…polaroids? She couldn’t breathe. Was that–No. They were too blurry. Too dark. It couldn’t be…

No. No. No.

A few wads of hair–her hair? She couldn’t breathe. Her heart beat against her ribs, blood flow filling her ears like the roaring wave of unease. Except, it wasn’t unease. Were those her clothes?

This didn’t make sense.

Trembling fingers reached inside, pulling out something soft and cotton. Was that..Was that her underwear?

It wasn’t unease.

It was freezing, burning, suffocating terror. But the break in, that chase, how–how had he–?

“Yeah yeah. I owe ya one. Now fuck off, would you?”

Owe ya one. Oh my god. Oh my fucking god. No. No. 

This made perfect sense.

She couldn’t fucking breathe.

What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck.

She dropped the article as if it had burned her skin, falling back on her hands as she scrambled away. She didn’t want to be near that box. She didn’t want to be anywhere near–

A sigh cut her off, and she had to will her frozen limbs to move. All she could manage was the slight turn of her head. It was enough.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and eyes cold–she didn’t know red could be cold–calculating as he scanned the scene.

He clicked his tongue, bringing a hand to his hair, tipping his head back as he ran his fingers through the locks. A slow, deep, building, familiar chuckle. His eyes snapped back to hers, and every nerve in her body burst with fear.

“Now,” He huffed a laugh, smirk pulling at his lips, “What did you have to go and do that for?”

[swordmaid]

i am wide awake thinking about that post canon jb au again when I should be sleeping …!!! such is the nature of the jbrainrot…

[ethersierra]

Nanofather Lore insanepost

Alright. We've seen my murderboard. It's incomprehensible. But for those who haven't, here it is:

It includes... a lot of everything. I couldn't begin to describe the journey I went on putting this together. Without further ado:

The Nanofather, also known as "The Weaver," "Creaky Man," and sometimes "Geltfrimpen" or briefly as "wily weaver," "dirty jeremy," "muck dweller," and "crusty man," is a recurring ominous character which appears most frequently in the opening segments of The Adventure Zone: Steeplechase. He says a lot of weird shit. And after 33 episodes, I believe I have a pretty good understanding of this shit. Take a walk with me, through this 8-part dive into what the Nanofather's deal is.

I will warn you, this is... insanely long. Turn back now.

1. The Foretelling [moments leading up to the weaver]

Back in episode 18 of Ethersea, Justin mentioned how he's the last of them who has yet to DM. Then, later in the episode, Griffin loses his train of thought and Justin prompts him with "Spin the... spin the yarn" and the riffing leads Clint to say, "weave," and Justin says, "step up to the loom... let the weaving begin at the loom."

In the next episode, as the intro song fades out, Justin interjects in a high falsetto song, singing "Weave another tapestry! McElroy Family and me," and the bit goes on for a minute or so. Later, in Ethersea 24, when trying to convince Griffin to reconsider what happened in the narrative, Justin asks him to "Check your loom, weaver!"

When Justin finally makes his Steeplechase debut, he initially struggles with starting the story. So, Griffin jumps in with,

Griffin: "Can I do what you usually do to me?" Justin: "Please." Griffin: "And be like [singing dramatically] 'The yarn-spinner takes the loom in his hands and weaves a magical tale. Take the wizard by his hands as he flies you around on his rug made of wings and a angel’s hair.'"

Every subsequent episode has the same opening. The recurrence of these instances have culminated in the persona of "The Weaver."

2. The Stew [in which the nanofather discusses various culinary topics]

The Nanofather routinely brings up the food of his world, in some way. This starts as early as episode 3, in which he says, "Perhaps a few more moments before the stew is prepared."

Other segments include advice about nano-nutmeg [12], clarifications about cilantro (called corriander in the UK)[29], and directing the addressee to search for pepperoni and green pepper in "the pyre" [19].

The other three instances of mentions of food directly address Shookles the cat. First, "Shoockles, your master calls. Where's the scum canteen? Fetch it from the shoof... my thirst is unslakable" [7]. Then, in the very next episode, says, "Please... the pollen broth. My throat became so dry... Fetch me the pollen broth, Shoockles" [8]. And most recently, he speaks rather dramatically, saying, "I believe I went… as far as I could… I don’t know if… it was far enough… I’m terrified to push it further… I believe this is the limit… Yes… no, that’s true… It’s true… The greater danger is hesitation, yes… I will add one more half-teaspoon of cumin, Shookles. Thank you, Shookles, I… should listen to your culinary acumen more" [22]. This is assumedly in reference to something he is cooking, perhaps the stew mentioned in episode 3. Perhaps all of these ingredients are being used in the stew.

Either way, these interactions tell us that the Nanofather has an interest in cooking, and that Shookles acts as an assistant to him.

3. Direct Interactions [in-character conversations]

There are several instances where the Nanofather speaks with our player characters, or appears within their world.

This first happens in episode 20, when the crew enters the lair of Geltfrimpen and hears a voice familiar to the players coming from the dragon. He says, "Excuse me for this, but I have to keep up appearances." He continues to speak with the boys throughout the scene as they fight the animatronic. He says, "I’m having trouble staying here," and within the scene, Justin describes that, "The sound seems to be coming from like... the entirety of Geltfrimpen. It’s emanating from him, not localized to any one point in the dragon’s body." Beef asks the Weaver if he could come out of the dragon, to which he responds, "Would that I could." When Montrose begins refering to him as Geltfrimpen, he says, "I am not Geltfrimpen. I am here. But I am not Geltfrimpen." Emerich asks for his name, which is met with "Would that I know," but because Beef had called him creaky man earlier, the voice says "Creaky Man will suffice for now, I suppose. A good amount of christening."

He goes on to explain his situation at their behest:

"I will do my best to tell you what I know. It takes quite a bit for me to be as here as I am. But I will try. Part of me is in Geltfrimpen. But I am many places throughout the world. Part of me is here. Part of me is imprisoned here, I think. And through this act, I am no longer... trapped here, this part of me. I’m able to be more concentrated, if that—if that is the correct word, else... elsewhere... I will not be here long, and then I will vacate Geltfrimpen for good. And I will be a little bit more myself, elsewhere."

The implications within this one paragraph are that he does not have much of a physical form, and is potentially some sort of spirit, but he can manifest part of himself at will in some places. Montrose asks if he has a home base, but he says, "I’m... scattered. More accurately, I think... shattered."

He follows with even more interesting information,

"I’ve seen you elsewhere, I was... in one of the vans, as you made the thrilling escape. I was there. I called out, but it was so loud. I have watched you from the porch of Ustaben. In the... the whittling I sat, a rocking chair... I couldn’t summon up enough voice to reach you, but I called out. I called out to anyone who would listen, honestly. But you three are the first who seem to... be looking hard enough to hear."

There have been two heists with van escapes. The first is in episode 3, when Gravel pulled up in a stolen truck/van (it is important to note that they use them interchangably). The four of them were the only ones in the vehicle. However, this escape was not very thrilling, so we are going to refer to the Gutter City heist.

Sticky Finger(s) Paul Pantry asks the three of them to steal a truck called the Clean, and notes that it is made of Hardlight. When the time comes, Emerich has attuned with the hardlight Short Doug and drives in one of the trucks with him [9].

The second thing the Nanofather mentions is an obvious reference to the Ustaben attraction, Whittle Around. In the setup episode, Whittle Around is established as having a porch where "grandpa" sits and whittles wood-- grandpa, of course, being a hardlight construct who was initially Eustace but has since been replaced [0].

The combiantion of these two implies that the Nanofather exists for moments within, or as, these constructs. His spirit seems to be able to travel between them-- to what extent this is under his control remains questionable. Perhaps he is living within the park itself, haunting it. This is given further support at the end of episode 27, when an arcade machine in the back of Poppy's Place crackles with static and we hear the Nanofather say, "act... quickly." Emerich however is unable to make further contact, and this is the last time he seems to interact with them. Montrose says that they "have a ghost in the machine"[28].

4. The World He Inhabits [what we know about the environment, the character, and allusions to mechanisms of communication]

In his first appearance, the Nanofather says to the audience (which may be moreso to the players/player characters? uncertain), "welcome travelers," establishing that we are not from the same place he is.

The world he lives in is fleshed out through each episode. Highlights include "quite a long day tending to the muck fields" [5], "I've missed the meeting with the rust council"[13], and the afformentioned scum canteen. He also says, in episode 6, "I have a new tale for you. Of a muck-dweller turned hero to his- to his people… I seem to have lost it in the last rust storm." This sets him in a sort of wasteland. He also says, or rather, sings, "I'm a neutron guy, you're my nega-girl, I'll sweep you through the ash waste as we make our way through the,"[10] before he cuts himself off.

It seems to be a world where things are rough-- he says, "to make it 37 years is quite a blessing"[13]. That implies his age is 37, or that he has survived 37 years in the conditions that he is in. Additionally, he says, "you will find it in the pyre"[19], a pyre being defined as "a combustible heap for burning a dead body as a funeral rite," implying that they either have to make their own fires or 'bury' their dead.

Notably, there seems to be a recurring theme surrounding weather and time.

"It's gotten so quiet, lately... in the nights... and in the mornings... and the cyber night, the time between the night and the mornings..."[14] "It seems the storms have come early this evening"[4] "The last rust storm"[6]

This implies that time is somewhat technologically controlled, and weather is on a cycle. The building of Steeplechase, or what we are to assume is, is like holographically augmented[31], and so are the inside skies of the park. It is plausible to say the environment wherever the Nanofather is could also be simulated.

5. Wall Breaks [speaking to the players]

These indicate communication from the nanofather directly to the players. They imply to us more about the world, but more importantly, the means of communication and lore surrounding it.

In episode 9, we open the episode hearing a different voice. They say, "Hello? …Hello, spirits?" and begin to knock. "Nanofather says the spirits can hear you through the wall. Spirits… are you there?" But they are interupted by a familiar voice-- "Kavecca!," the nanofather says. "Just another of his stories, I suppose," Kavecca amends. "Kavecca, away from that! You dabble with powers you do not understand!" This raises a lot of questions from the players, about who Kavecca is, why there is another person speaking to them, and what the fuck the 'nanofather' means. What interests me is the referral to their audience as "spirits"-- and what implications does that have? Are they between the world the players inhabit and Steeplechase? Are the players spirits? Also factoring in Blades in the Dark, which has ghosts in it, which have been altered into hardlight for Steeplechase-- maybe the hardlight kept some of that original intent. Maybe that's how the nanofather is able to inhabit hardlight.

In the following episode, we find the nanofather singing a song. What follows is pretty strange.

ohh… I’m a neutron guy… and you’re my nega-girl… I’ll sweep you through the ash waste as we make our way through the…. [click] …do you hear me, Travis? Travis: What? I’m sorry… I didn’t realize I’d left the horn on. Travis: Are you speaking, are you- talking to me? Fare thee well. [10]

First, in "I didn't realize I'd left the horn on," a horn is primarily UK slang for telephone. That could be interpretted here as a literal telephone or whatever line of communication they seem to share. Next-- he directly addresses Travis. This is the first conversation the players have with this character, and so far the only. But it isn't the only time he addresses them:

Clinton? Travis? Gribby? My three… my three favourite micro-nephews. Here to visit me. What a wonderful treat this is… Come. Let me see if I can’t find you a new tale… Griffin: Gribby! Gribby can only say his own name. Justin: Oh? Griffin: Yeah, that’s sort of his thing. Justin: Do you… how do you… I’m surprised you have insight into these three new characters… already. Travis: I’m trying harder and harder to just pretend like we are not on the call when he records that part. Griffin: It’s the only way to not be... ensorcelled by the tapestry he weaves. Clint: Not me. Not me. Did you say Clinton? Clinton… Travis: It sounded like Clinton. Clint: I wonder who that is. Justin: Clinton, Travis and Gribby are apparently, I’ve just found this out with you guys, is— did he say— Griffin: The micro nephews. [15]

This is interesting because Travis is the only one whose name is not altered, and he was specifically addressed before. What we also glean from this is that the nanofather views them as micronephews, so he has an alleged relation to them. Previously, he has called them children but it wasn't apparent until now that he was addressing them specifically.

In the intro with Kavecca, it is important to note that they are the first person to call the weaver "the nanofather." We know from his time as Geltfrimpen that the nanofather has no proper name. Nanofather is more likely to be a title, or rather, a signifier of Kavecca's relationship to him, such as being his child or grandchild. This would put Kavecca on the same family tree as Clinton, Travis, and Gribby, if they really are his "micronephews."

6. Descent Into Weirdness [tonally different moments and their implications]

Everything The Nanofather says is weird, but these are the moments that absolutely baffle me, or upon which he is commenting on the story somehow.

The first time he seems to comment on the events of Steeplechase is in Episode 16, in response to a plot twist at the end of the previous episode (in which the Barrister arrived to kick Emerich's ass but they got him stuck in a machine). He says, "Oh, that’s not right… [rustling paper] …Oh, but this doesn’t make any sense, it was… The story wasn’t like this …. Or… I-Is it changing?" He then follows this in the next episode by... just... breathe-whistling menacingly? Note that this episode takes place when they are travelling between layers, on the start of their Ephemera quest.

Episode 18 starts with, "Oh… Oh, they haven’t… even begun to fathom it… But you…. You swore, we both swore? You know they’re not ready!" I wonder who the "you"/"we" is in this. Is it us as the audience, the players, or perhaps Kavecca? Eighteen is the beginning of the time they spend in Ephemera, and at the beginning of the episode Krystal has an encounter with someone in the Gallspire. This adds on to the commentary in 16 and implies that there is something bigger at play...

Episode 20 presents us with a poem of sorts:

Ever faster, ever closer, ever never slowing down… Ever nearer, ever clearer, ever nipping at the gown... Ever spinning, ever grinning, ever hearing what they please. Ever growing, ever knowing, that they are the disease…

There is no direct indication of what this is talking about, but I think it's about Dentonic. They never slow down, they don't know when to stop dreaming! They will warp whatever they must to fit their narrative and they don't care what the casualties are.

When the Weaver makes his entrance into the world of Steeplechase, at the end of 20 and speaking through Geltfrimpen, these occurences get more frequent:

"Oh, I… I’m mostly… mostly… with them now… [chuckles] ah… ah… smaller than I… assumed…" [21] "Mostly… echoes… yet to be… I’m sorry, I know that doesn’t… answer your question…" [23] "Yes… yes, I was surprised too, Shookles. What? Oh… Oh, they didn’t hear…"[25]

25 ends with Gravel being arrested for Sticky Finger Paul Pantry's murder. 26 opens with, "…yes, but I’d assumed it was… consigned to legend! I never would’ve expected- i guess… my understanding is not… what I’d thought it was. Terrifying, in a way, but also… quite wonderful." I can't even begin to parse what he's talking about.

Then of course, there is 27: "No, no, not to the boat... Only one... one node per layer... I tried to maintain hopping... but it’s too taxing... too many...noises..." What fucking boat? And he tries to hop between layers- maybe the nodes are in the things he is inhabiting. Geltfrimpen, the arcade box, hard doug, eustace... The arcade machine and Geltfrimpen aren't made of hardlight, and these are the methods through which he has actually been able to speak (he could only see through hardlight)... maybe these are the "nodes?" I wonder what the noises refer to.

When things start looking down for the crew as they try to piece together what the fuck is happening, The Nanofather opens episode 28 with, "I’m not sure yet… I’m hopeful… Ah, Shookles… optimistic…or perhaps… perhaps optimism is just the last refuge of those… with nothing left to lose..." The Nanofather is referring to himself in this line, and the fact that he considers himself to have "nothing left to lose" implies that he has a strong connection to the events in Steeplechase, particularly to the crew-- which makes sense given their previous interactions. But what is at stake for him is unclear.

In episode 30 he says, "The thought had crossed my mind… But it can’t be long now…" I must say this is particularly ominous because I have no idea what the "thought" is or what he is waiting for. His salvation?

Finally, we have episode 31. His last appearance.

"It feels… like something… has frayed…"

In this episode, Kenchal Denton speaks to the crew a lot about cutting loose ends. And then he drops them out of a hovercraft into a desert that seems to be entirely disconnected from the electrical grid Steeplechase is on. And we don't hear from The Nanofather again.

7. Ties to Clint McElroy. [the ways in which this comes back to him.]

[post-discussion following the moment in episode 10 when the nanofather asks, "do you hear me Travis?"] Travis: Is that guy my real dad? Justin: You wish Griffin: Legally, you have to tell Travis, if the muckdweller is his real dad Justin: Not the muck dweller. The nanofather. Please- Travis: Oh, it's right there in the name! I should have seen it a mile away it's so obvious now!

Now, this may be a stretch. And it started out to me as a joke, but guys. The further I get the further I am convinced. The Nanofather is connected to, if not is, Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor.

Evidence A: He calls them "children" when he goes to tell them stories. Counterpoint: Clint can't be his own son. Counter-counterpoint: Clint's full name, according to Griffin on an episode of Wonderful, is Clinton Emil McElroy Jr. Meaning, he has a father named Clint.

Evidence B: When the Nanofather refers to Travis, Clinton, and Gribby, Justin later describes them as "these new characters," in the same way he insists that Clint McElroy his father and Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor are separate things [Spiritbreakers Live in San Jose].

Evidence C: The Nanofather hops between layers, in a similar way to how Clint hops between planes. And the Nanofather seems to be fractured, scattered, not his whole self. He is powerful but weak. He is able to speak to players, characters, and potentially the audience? It transcends the boundaries between the two worlds...

Evidence D: Justin is a big fan of the TAZiverse. He has shown this multiple times but the ones I remember most are of course, when he introduces "Taako from Television" in Ephemera (and other Balance things, implies it was a legend passed down, etc), and when Griffin introduced that he would be playing Indrid in Dust 2. Like of fuckin course he'd be excited to bring things together more in small ways.

Evidence E: There has been increased Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor activity, the most since before Ethersea. In April, Justin played the character Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor in a liveshow in San Jose (I was there hi!!!), which had initially been planned for November but was rescheduled. Both of these, though, fall under the time in which Steeplechase was active, so he was thinking about this character during that time. Additionally, the merch of the month for August is a sticker of Planeswalking Janitor Clint McElroy. And he was mentioned in Steeplechase Episode 26, when there was debate over whether something was said by Emerich or his player.

Travis: I think that was Dad. Justin: Oh. Well, I mean... yeah, I guess dad could be in it too, Trav. Is that what you’re saying? Travis: No, I’m just saying, I think Dad was making the observation— Clint: Oh my God! Is this an appearance by Clint McElroy, the planes-walking janitor? Griffin: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Clint: Okay— Travis: No, no, not yet. Justin: No, we can’t, we can’t. Travis: Don’t force it, don’t force it.

Evidence F: I didn't expect to find this one. Honestly I think it shows that I have gone too far as a person. But... guys this one drives me crazy. So. We meet Shoockles in Episode 4, when The Nanofather introduces him as "Cat bart... he's my cat. Bart Shoockles." And guys I was like haha that's funny there is no way this is related... But then I was on Clint's Instagram trying to figure out if maybe he had a cat, since I know Justin has one. And I came across a photo he took of a white dog, which I wasn't sure was his until I got confirmation from an old post on one of the boys' Instagrams. But... in the caption of the post with his dog, he calls him Homer. Clint McElroy has a dog named Homer. Let me just, direct you to the Simpsons family tree:

Finally, Evidence G: Justin would go really far for a bit. He likes to have fun and get silly with his family and he knows Clint would get a huge laugh out of this. And he would also do anything to get a good age joke on his dad.

8. Conclusion [how it all comes together]

The moment you've been waiting for. What does it all mean?

The Nanofather seems to play no real importance to the main plot in Steeplechase at this point, but he has huge potential to. More importantly, looking at the Nanofather gives us some insight into the state of the park and where the player characters find themselves. He works as both a narrative framing device and as a part of the story. He talks to the players, the characters, and the audience, truly bringing a special flavor to Steeplechase.

With everything we've seen and heard, there is sufficient evidence to say that the Nanofather lives within the walls of the park, travelling using its energy grid. He has only been able to manifest to the characters through the electronics and hardlight creations. When they arrived in Kidadelphia in episode 32, it was apparent they were not connected to the same electrical grid, and there was no hardlight. The fact that he was completely silent in both 32 and 33 supports this theory, because there would be no way for him to communicate with them. Either that or they were too late and he died.

He has found himself in a wasteland, with weather and times that are controlled electronically. He is scattered, does not have a name-- a shell of who he once was. If the Carmine Denton Nanofather theory were correct, this would be a beautiful picture: the guy who created a way for others to escape is trapped in the destruction that his creation wrought... Regardless, I am concerned for his wellbeing since it seemed like he was in a hurry.

The interactions between the Nanofather and the heist crew imply that there could be a larger plot with him, but I don't know how close that is to happening. The Nanofather is one complicated guy, and if they want to save him I... guess they'll have to never know when to stop dreaming.

Thank you for coming along with me on this long and gruesome ride. I started this way back after episode 30 aired, I think. It's been simmering for a month, my own personal stew of sorts... For those of you who have helped contribute to my madness, thank you, and to those who have watched in horror, I'm sorry. It's been a real one.

And now, to send you off, I present to you this excerpt from Episode 10:

Justin: Our friend and employee Jupiter is kind enough to help pull together recaps of this dumb stuff, but Jupiter, showing a lot of wisdom here, does not track the story of the nanofather […] Travis: I think they realize it's been so clear cut at this point that any child could keep track of all the nanofather/muckdweller lore.

[dravencroft]

Say, can you hear the chimes?

Tolls now for the end

Bells call out our doom

[odinsblog]

As cold weather sweeps across the U.S., some electric vehicle owners are learning a bitter truth: Low temperatures can stop the cars dead in their icy tracks.

The issue crystallized this week when some Tesla owners in Chicago discovered their EVs' batteries had died in sub-zero temperatures. Drivers also said some of Tesla charging stations weren't working, or if they did work that the stations were taking longer than usual to charge up their vehicles.

“I've been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car,” Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told CBS Chicago. “A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours.”

What happens to electric vehicles in cold weather?

Here's what to know.

Electric vehicles are less efficient in cold weather, with Recurrent's research finding that below-freezing temperatures reduced driving range up to 30% on 18 popular EV models.

An EV with a 200 to 215 mile range may only go 150 to 175 miles in the cold, Recurrent's Case said, while noting even that reduced mileage is often sufficient for most drivers. “The average person with an EV drives 30 miles a day,” he said.

Still, a shorter range in cold weather could be an issue for some owners if their EV runs out of juice miles earlier than expected, potentially leaving to hunt for an available charger or, worse, stranded in dangerously frigid conditions.

(continue reading) ❄️ 🚗​ 🥶

[cybergothvox]

Hello.

My name is Vox.

In this script,

I will be teaching you

About hypnosis

While also hypnotizing you

Everyone is hypnotizable

Even you

However,

Some people have trouble 

Going into hypnosis

And this is normal.

For this script

Do not worry

Weather you are really

Being hypnotized

Or not. 

Just relax

Focus on my words

Enjoy how they make you feel

Keep in mind

That hypnosis

Is not mind control

I cannot make you do anything

That you do not want to do

And you can wake up

At any time you need.

You may become

More suggestible

During hypnosis

And following the suggestions

Of a hypnotist

Feels very good.

So you may find yourself

Wanting to do

What is asked

Especially since

You and the hypnotist

Share a goal

And are working together

To hypnotize you.

But still

Your mind is your own.

While there are many theories

About hypnosis

Most agree that

At its core

Is a heightened state of focus.

Like right now

You may find yourself

Especially focused

On my words.

The sight of my words

Appearing on your screen

In short

Easy to read

Chunks

That make my words

Sink

Deep

Inside your mind.

It is normal to have thoughts

Of other things

During hypnosis.

If your mind wanders,

All you have to do

Is shift your attention

Back to the hypnosis

To the words

You are reading

And you will go

Deep into trance.

It can be helpful

To have a metaphor

To quiet thoughts.

For example,

Imagine your thoughts

Are written on a white board

Just as soon as they are written

They are erased again

Until your mind is clean

And blank

New things may be written,

But just as quickly

They are erased again.

Until your mind is clean

And blank

Of everything

But my words.

The typical hypnosis structure

Is made up of

Three parts.

Induction

Suggestion

And waking up.

The purpose of induction is

To bring you into trance. 

There are many ways

To do an induction

Explaining how

Hypnosis works

Is a common induction.

But anything can work

To bring you into trance

If it is used to draw your focus.

Trance is a normal state of being

You may notice it

In your daily life

When you become very focused

And lose track

Of things around you

All your thoughts

All your senses

Focused

On one thing. 

Once you are in trance

You may find yourself

Highly receptive

To suggestions. 

Suggestions

That deepen trance

Are used during induction

Such as

The suggestion

That you are very focused

That you are very relaxed.

But once you are

Deep into trance

Like you are now

Almost any suggestion

Can be made

And it would feel

So good

And so easy

To follow along.

I could ask you to do

Almost anything

And naturally

You would find yourself

Wanting to do as I ask

Wanting to think

What I tell you to think

And it would feel

So good.

However,

Since this is an introduction

I won’t spend too much time here

And instead

I’ll give you the chance

To think

About what kind of suggestions

You might like to experience

Next time you are in a trance.

And now,

It is time to

Gently wake you up.

Typically, a hypnotist

Should help you to gently return

To your normal state of mind

Or to what I like to call

“The waking world.”

Some people wake up quickly,

While others need more time

And that’s okay.

No matter how you experience it,

It is alright,

And just how you are meant to experience it.

Slowly, you will become more aware

Of the room around you.

What objects you can see.

What sounds you can hear around you.

You will feel normal thought returning

You may think about what you did earlier

What you may do later

Still feeling relaxed

Just gently allowing thought to return

And allowing your focus to shift to other things.

Gently move your limbs,

Stretch a bit when you feel ready.

And take as much time as you need to wake up.

You can always return here when you need to

But for now, you feel ready to continue on with your day.

[teruel-a-witch]

5.20/1.20 Hiking Date Turns Murder Mystery

One of those glaring occasions when a Mcdanno trope/storyline/date is repeated with a straight couple later. Looking at the episode numbers you can't tell me this isn't intentional. To add insult to injury it actually illustrates that Steve and Danny have a healthier and more loving/lasting relationship vs actual married people but sadly will never be recognised as such by canon.

A husband not screaming his wife's name was one of the main reasons Lou was suspicious about his distress not being genuine. It happens so fast yet Danny screams Steve's name 5-7 times at least. Unlike Clay, Danny actually loves his spouse partner.

So Steve and Danny are 5 times more married than the actual marrieds via the show logic. Just a typical frustrating case of the disconnect between Show vs Tell, where the writers keep telling us Steve and Danny are brothers but showing them behaving like canonical spouses.

[todayisafridaynight]

journalists underestimate the magnitude of my addiction and how far i'll go for the bit

[orcelito]

i've seen ppl talking about Meryl & how little we know about her family, but the geo-plant arc of trigun chapters 10-12 gives us some really useful pieces of info, i think

first, we see her thinking of herself as Cold Blooded, just like the dude that wanted Badwick to kill his own parents

[ID: Meryl stands with her gun drawn and a troubled expression on her face as she thinks to herself, "Exactly as you described him... the cold-blooded type..." In the next panel, she closes her eyes and wonders, "Am I really... any different?" End ID]

at the start of this arc, Milly wrote one of her massive letters to her family, while Meryl mentioned not knowing what she would write to hers. then we see Milly get PISSED at Badwick after she learns he threatened his parents at gunpoint, which leads to this page:

[ID: Meryl, held back by Milly, tells her, "Milly... I envy you... My father would have wanted me to get justifiably angry at a person who points a gun at his parents. That is an important thing." She flashes back to the moment in the chapter before where Milly is attempting to punch the son, Badwick. Milly calls in concern, "Ma'am?" Meryl continues, "But I... I just stood there and took it all in without even budging. I am such a cold person. I chose this path of blood and tears without thinking about the rest of my life. All I can see is what is right in front of me." The page shows the face of the father, dressed in basic battle gear, who is watching silently. Now in tears, Meryl laments, "Why could I not see... that when I closed myself off to him, something was wrong? I..." In the last panel, Milly stares down at Meryl in surprise as Meryl slaps her own cheeks and exclaims, "No... Nevermind!" End ID]

this entire situation is obviously striking something in Meryl's heart. some kind of insecurity she has about her distant relationship with her own parents. she shakes herself out of it, determined to not fall into a funk, and then jumps into defense of the land.

after the battle's over & the father's fallen to his ass, we see these pages:

[ID: In the first page, the father, off screen, tells Meryl and Milly, "There are no words to express how thankful I am for your help." Meryl replies with a smile, "Ah. There's no need." The father goes on to tell her, "Ms. Meryl... I know it was rude of me, but I overheard your conversation earlier. Having raised that rebellious son, I don't know if I have the right thing to say, but... All people are different, but the bonds between parents and children are inseparable. It is a great burden, but also the most precious thing in the world..." In the second page, the father concludes, "... Choose your own path, and walk it with confidence. All of life... is connected. You must live your own life, and your parents will love through you." As he speaks, we see Meryl listening to him with a surprised expression. End ID]

this entire arc feels like a metaphor for Meryl's own situation. after these pages, we see Badwick turning in the deed, then finding out that his parents were entrusting the property to him after all. he's the problem son, someone who separated himself from his parents due to his disagreements with them (likely stemming from his dead younger brother). yet at the end of the day, his parents still love him and entrusted their life's work to him.

Meryl sees all this go down, hears these words, and it touches something in her heart. so we see her go from talking about writing to her family like this in chapter 10:

[ID: A single panel of Meryl with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. She tells Milly, "That would be the normal thing to do... especially when I've been away from home for so long. But I don't know what to write beyond 'it's dry'..." End ID]

to this bit at the end of chapter 12:

[ID: Meryl approaches a mailbox with luggage in hand. She slips a letter inside, then sighs with a smile. Milly yells, "Maa'aam! What are you doing?! We're already late!" To which Meryl replies, "Ok! Ok! Ok! I'm coming!" End ID]

the experience was enough for her to accept that she might not be the closest with her parents (or just father? considering she only ever mentions a father in this all), but it's still worth reaching out even if she doesn't have much to say.

this arc is the most we see about Meryl's backstory in the manga, but I think we can draw a few things from it. we have a definite mention of a father, but no others. no mention of siblings or any other family members. she's distant from her father, too busy following her heart & goals, but she doesn't have a bad relationship with him. just Distant. she feels disconnected from him, even Cold, for her focus on her work & the practicalities in front of her. but even with that disconnect, she still cares enough about him to feel guilty when she realizes she's been doing this.

and then considering later, when we see the flashback of a man giving her the gun... i'd assumed that was possibly a senior at her work (probably tristamp giving me that perception, from Roberto), but keeping all the rest of this in mind... it really could have been her father.

i went looking to try to find that part. did not find that one exactly, but i DID find this one from trimax chapter 34:

[ID: A nearly bald man with a kind face and what appear to be shooting ear muffs around his neck tells Meryl, "Consider guns delicate. Women, most of all, should make use of them. One shot will level the playing field between you and a big, strong man." End ID]

if this is indeed her father, it would explain why she knows how to shoot like she does. perhaps her father taught her as she was growing up out of the wish to help her protect herself. maybe they weren't incredibly close, but he still clearly cared about her & wanted what was best for her and her safety. the kind of father that's content to let her do whatever her heart wishes, since her happiness is his happiness.

and then chapter 12 ends with this page:

[ID: A black framed page with a single panel at the center. The panel shows Meryl from behind, running with her luggage in hand. The text boxes to the sides state, "All of life is connected by a river... And the beginning of the river... is now." End ID]

she continues on her own path, not looking back, but she is still connected to the ones in her heart... including her father.

(Manga panels referenced from @trigun-manga-overhaul !)