#usually they involve screaming or talking v loudly

[knocknut]

u know something ive noticed is that when characters are drawn stimming its usually quiet stimming like hand flapping or with toys or if its mouth stimming its also usually pretty quiet i think we should draw more stimming thats loud as fuck and yelling and banging on the wall or jumping around in the backyard making faces or whatever is dubbed as 'cringe' lets do more of that

[lvlyhao]

『you’re dating him but he’s not your bias』

reaction fic; NCT Dream

A/N: this is nct dream’s reaction to realizing your bias is not him (and you’re a couple). gender neutral, got way too deep at some points and was NOT meant to be this long. enjoy.

note that english is my second language and i speak mixing slang, accents and spellings from 3283928 places so i did notice there’s practice written with both s and c down there so

just dont mind it pls

also, today’s photo theme is dream looking cute in low quality shots.

𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff (♡), angst (❆), comedy (☼), crack (⍢).

𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼: lots of swearing, my tough love for the neos, one mention of cheating that doesn’t actually happen, a couple of mentions of alcohol and drinking, some violence hidden in metaphors, me being chaotic, it got a bit more angsty and darker than i intended, but we do have all happy endings.

word count: 6.8K

pairing: nct dream members x reader ( includes mark, renjun, jeno, haechan, jaemin, chenle, jisung)

disclaimer: the characters in the story below do not reflect real people or present real facts. this is purely fictional, and you may not copy, change, translate or repost my work in any way. all rights reserved © cherry-hyejin 2021.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

Mark

oh, poor baby

i feel like he would be a little heartbroken 

just a little

not so much if it’s someone from dream, because they’re his little brothers, but if it’s one of his hyungs from 127 or wayv,,,,,

boy might cry

he’s not super dramatic about it or anything but i don’t see him as being super confident about himself

so he might think like

“do they think he’s cooler than me?”

and it’s silly, yes, he knows

but it’s just something that pops up in his mind sometimes when you bring him up

so for the sake of this fanfic let’s pretend you’re johnny biased

because gods know i am

at least when it comes to 127

mark would be divided into fanboying with you and being like “YO, HE’S THE COOLEST GUY ON EARTH OH MY GOD I’M SO GLAD YOU AGREE”

and

“a h”

<gives you a little tiny smile to cover up the sound of his heart breaking>

would constantly try to get closer to you when johnny is around, and just

showing off in little (kinda dumb) ways

complimenting you

being even more whipped than usual

like yes he’ll give you all of his watermelon slices just please don’t look at johnny like that again

i think johnny would kind of play into it with the whole “imma steal your s/o” thing

and he doesn’t do it to make mark jealous or hurt

we know he’d rather get hit by a train than ever actually upsetting his son on purpose

but we also know he’s johnny

cue “OH DUDE HE’S FLIRTING”

so yeah he might call you lil pet names (beautiful, cutie, you get it)

just to see you giggle 

(and see your soul leave your body)

might say he’s taking you out for dinner when he’s just driving you to get more ice cream for a movie night with the gang lol

and winks

expect a lot of winks

anywhere and anytime

which makes mark sometimes feel like he’s intruding???

and that you appreciate johnny more than him???

he genuinely doesn’t understand how you can date him and still not have him as your bias

don’t you like, love him above everyone else or smth lol

his “showing off” phase eventually fades tho

now every time you hang you with the boys and johnny is around, he’ll be a bit more distant 

he thinks he’s giving you space to interact with his friends but he’s just shying away from competing with one of his favourite people ever

and it’s a competition that Does Not Exist™

but he’s not 100% aware of that

and you’re not that dense 

so ofc you notice

and you wait till you two are alone to talk to him, and he BEGRUDGINGLY admits that you being johnny biased makes him feel kinda small and unimportant

he’d never try to make you change your bias or anything

he just needs reminders that he’s your #1 boy sometimes

which is fine by you

and by him

cus now it’s you calling him pet names all the time

and hugging him

and kissing his cheek

and praising his work

and blowing kisses from across the room

and just telling him straight up that no matter what, you’ll always go to him

(not that you ever had any chance with johnny lmao)

THIS GOES TO SHOW COMMUNICATING IS KEY, CHILDREN

COMMUNICATE

Renjun

wym donghyuck is your bias lol

literally are you fucking kidding him

don’t get me wrong ok

everyone knows renjun loves haechan

they’re bffs and could not live without each other

but at the same time,,,

what is wrong with you

who did he choose as his s/o gods help him

if it was jeno, or mark, or jaehyun, or winwin, or kun, or lucas, or yuta, or taeyong, or ten, or,,,,

literally ANY of his other members

he’d understand your point and be like “ok fine”

but haechan???? hmmm bestie no

he’s not gonna throw a fit

not after the first time you told him anyways

HE WAS SURPRISED OKAY

and he just whined very loudly after having laughed for 5 minutes thinking it was a joke

<flashbacks of that one time he had to sing the ottoke song with haechan on weekly idol>

if you don’t know that iconic scene, renjun had a whole ass meltdown in 3 seconds while yelling “aAAAAAH JINJJAAAAA” and getting ready to punch the living shit out of hyuck

for no reason other than the fact that it’s haechan we’re talking about and injun’s little body is filled with rage

BACK ON TRACK

would probably try to act all cool about it and be like “i don’t mind” but bruh does he mind

and it doesn’t help that haechan is such a little shit about it

he doesn’t even flirt with you

he just

constantly reminds renjun that he’s your bias—not him—and then constantly praises himself over you

“ah, y/n~ did you choose me as your bias because i’m the best vocalist? or was it because i’m the best dancer? mAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE OF MY OH SO BROAD SHOULDERS—”

(pause for injun to punch him)

(unpaused)

and ok in the beginning it was funny seeing him all worked up but now it’s just annoying to be in the same room as these two

haechan won’t let either of you live

and renjun just wants to

fight

so it eventually gets to the point where you’ll talk to renjun and jeno will talk to hyuck cus even the other dreamies are tired of it

except maybe for chenle, he always laughs his ass off when they start bickering

ANYWAY

your conversation goes something like “oh my god renjun i’m literally dating you, i don’t like haechan better or anything you little pile of fury”

while jeno sits hyuck down in front of him and jaemin and just

“bro why are you like this”

“bro”

no but renjun would apologize for going overboard with his protectiveness and jealous energy because he’s not generally like that

he’s angry all the time but never about something involving you, you know

he tries his best to treat you like the royalty you are

but something about hyuck being your bias makes him feel a bit like a castaway???

he’s very creative and as an artsy kid myself i know we’re very prone to feeling left out because we’re just different from the others

so he’d think maybe haechan really has a better voice

or better dancing skills

or he looks better

he is taller than injun after all, and has broader shoulders, and his hair is all fluffy and—

the whole thing just made him insecure about things he had settled with himself long ago

he was fine with being him

but not so much when it came to that

i don’t think you two would fight over it cus tbh i think renjun would really only get with someone who can be very understanding of him

and i think hyuck would actually apologize to renjun too

not when everyone’s around but like, maybe after dinner or something and he just needs to feel like they’re besties again

hyuck never meant for things to get out of control

he just really likes both injun and you as his friends, and aside from skinship his most prominent love language is,,,

teasing

he was really just trying (very poorly) to grow closer to the person his best friend loves so much—you—because renjun is SUCH a big part of his life it would just feel wrong to not be good friends with you as well

don’t tell them i said this but they hug it out

injun strikes me as someone that could take a bit of time to bounce back from something that hurt his pride or his sense of belonging

and his way of healing and bonding is just,,,

art

sure, keep being haechan biased, but also please read with him

and talk about his fantastic animal creations

and watch those buzzfeed unsolved alien theory videos because he really wants to discuss it and maybe even draw what he thinks the aliens look like

hyuck tones it down, you make sure renjun knows you like him for him, renjun starts to (secretly) appreciate hyuck’s talent along with you...

and now let’s take a moment to imagine the minute you watch their latest mv with injun by your side

and yes okay the first thing you see is CLEARLY how good renjun looks because holy fucking shit he’s an angel (and i’m clearly not renjun biased)

but then,,,,,,

wAS THAT A HAECHAN HIGH NOTE

(there’s always a haechan high note, just look for it)

and ok maybe he did scream a bit with you because of how good it all sounded

and you know what, it works out perfectly bc you two are my new otp and you were meant for each other

but we do have to mention the eventual happening of chenle saying like “oOoOoOoH y/N wErE yOu dRoOliNg oVeR hAeChAn AgAiN” after a special stage

and then you, injun and hyuck all attempt to choke him

i’m kidding

or not

Jeno

ah, lee jeno

aka samoyed boi

yes i do call him that no i will not stop

everyone is always writing jeno as being super protective and literally about to burst a lung if someone else ever does as much as look at you

but i just 

don’t see him that way

he’s a taurus and from what i know about taurus they can be v v jealous, yes, but they mainly seek comfort

so he’s fine with you biasing jaemin

as long as you’re not ditching him or anything lol

and ok, imma be 100% honest here even if it sounds like literal no fun (jenojaem wink wonk)

jaemin doesn’t flirt with you

not any more than he flirts with

every other breathing creature

ever

he’s really only platonically interested in you, never remotely romantic or anything lol

on the other side, he is in love with jeno

basically, if jaemin is your bias, jeno is his

so nothing really changes

we know how nomin are, okay

they hold hands, they stare deeply into each other eyes, they nearly kiss at least once every time they go live

it's just them

you gotta respect it bruh

i know this is the most boring reaction ever so let’s create the one (1) instance where jeno would actually dislike that you bias someone else

i think he would feel a bit hurt if you seemed to be more supportive of jaemin’s work than his

and it’s not something big or on purpose

it’s just something like going with him to a recording session but not going with jeno because you have homework

or after a very busy practise day going to praise jaemin first

even if it’s just three words

“you did good”

and then you’re going towards him, he’s gonna feel like maybe he doesn’t deserve your praise as much as nana????

i actually feel like, among the dreamies, jeno is the least confident one when it comes to his performance

he knows he’s not an awful rapper or anything but i think it can be a bit too much, being around such bright and huge presences like the others while his nickname literally means “no fun”

his members are just so loud and full of energy most of the time

and sometimes he just really needs to be quiet and observe in silence 

(yes i do know he’s chaotic and a crackhead, i’m just saying as we know he can be a bit introspective)

so what if you just

stopped seeing him?

did he become invisible to you?

did you finally fall for jaemin’s beautiful smile and stupid pick-up lines?

he’s not gonna let it show that he’s affected, though

earth signs are nearly always the ones to “stay strong” because we have this image that people are relying on us???

so we do what we do

bottle everything up and overwork ourselves bc we only got two modes

1. chill, super balanced and down to earth (ay for the pun)

2. please make us take a break we’re literally about to cry if we work for one more minute but we can’t allow ourselves to fucking take it easy

so yes you’ve guessed correctly, we’re going with 2

jeno is going to go so, SO hard on everything he does 

literally every single activity you can think of from dance practice to photoshoots to cooking for the dreamies

he stays up later than usual to get that one tricky move in the choreo just right

he works out more because he thinks he has to look absolutely perfect for when they shoot the mv

jisung asked for ramen? he’s making it but you bet your ass he’s spending over 40 minutes just chopping so

many

vegetables

AND STUFF THAT JISUNG WON’T EVEN EAT

but he’s doing it anyway for the reason being that it just has to be the Best™

and it’s not like he’s competing with anyone else to be diligent

this is just about being better than he was and showing himself—and maybe you—how painstakingly hardworking and driven he can be

maybe then you’re gonna acknowledge him as much as you acknowledge nana :((

:(((((

writing this is making me downright sad, jeno is so underrated and unaware of his power UGH

and i need to point out this is NOT about making you change your bias from jaemin to him, this is solely about having you recognize his efforts, even if you already do

if you just thought jeno was like going off in work because it was asked of him to, jaemin would DEF notice and talk to you about it

turns out it’s a habit of jeno to go extra hard sometimes and he needs someone to make him take a break

so it goes down like you breaking into the practice room when jeno and jisung were practising

the first reaction is confusion

the second is oh hey babe how are you

third is

a-are you dragging jeno and his bag out of the door while screeching at jisung to order pizza and doughnuts for everyone??

yes you are and i’m proud of you

so jeno is still confused and making those cute “hUh” noises he does omg i love him so much

and you’re just rambling about how much of an amazing artist he is, and you love his voice, and he’s a fantastic dancer, and his expressions and gestures are on point, and he takes such good care of the dreamies and

he’s perfect

and he knows jaemin must have talked to you, and he feels so vulnerable to have you know how on edge he’s been

baby boy just needs some rest

and that’s exactly what you give him, with a bath full of those fancy bath bombs and flower petals and candles at your house/apt

then a quick sheet mask while you massage his shoulders and keep saying how much you genuinely admire him

the mask might be ruined cus he started crying out of exhaustion

after that’s been done and you’ve hugged for at least like 5 min nonstop, you head over to the dorms, where hyuck was in charge of setting up a blanket fort while mork and nana gather board games, jisung gets the food and chenle

well chenle just had to make sure jisung doesn’t forget to order for someone and doesn’t break like 10 plates trying to set the table lol

this is way longer than the others so imma wrap it up

make it obvious and loud that you see and respect jeno’s hard work and he’ll be alright again

and maybe make those game nights a weekly thing when possible, it would make him very happy

he’ll never again feel sad when you praise jaemin cus now he’s sure he does enough, and above all, he is enough

Haechan

haechan = full sun

why would you ever bias someone when you’re dating the goddamned sun

does not understand

but also does not care that much

actually, one out of two really depending on who your bias is

if it’s one of the members he has that tom/jerry relationship with, prepare for so

much

complaining

and clinging

AND HE’D BE SO LOUD OH MY FUCKING GOD

donghyuck please stop screaming about doyoung not deserving to be your baby’s bias, it’s 2 am

on the other hand, if it’s one of the (few) members he,,,

adores with all of his heart and is not afraid to show it

ex: sungchan, jaehyun, taeil and yang2x

then you can bet he’s going to be right beside you whenever you feel like throwing a fit because he’s just so handsome and talented

IF IT’S MARK OSHDISJD

i’m going to write you as being mark biased ok? ok

i honestly don’t know if he’d feel more jealous of mark or of you

he loves you both

a lot,,,,

and he really doesn’t like it when mark blushes when you compliment him

and he doesn’t like it when mark literally just walks past you and you trip over your feet because bro tf u doing, that’s some embarrassing shit

lowkey done with you two

but also PAY HIM SOME ATTENTION

or don’t, he’s fine either way (cue crossed arms and staring at you from across the room until you come give him a kiss)

“he’s pretty cute but i’m cuter right baby”

pouty pouty pouty if he ever feels neglected

will be so fucking annoying lmao i can’t write haechan, i love him but i do understand why renjun is always trying to beat him up

he’d be a show-off in a different way than mark because he can be so petty

will take every chance he gets to pull a one-liner

will sing everything he has to say just so you know he can hit those high notes

what do you mean dream doesn’t have a schedule today

oh man, he could swear they did

because that is the sole reason why he’s wearing his most expensive clothes and shoes + makeup to walk around the dorms, yes

no he doesn’t want to impress you

shut up

will text you like every single fancam he sees on twitter

every

single 

one

and are they mark’s?

lol no, they’re his

he is so genuinely trying to make you a member of his sunflower cult 

<whispers> “tell me i’m your bias” 

“donghyuck what the actual hell why are you standing at the end of my bed in the middle of the night like a fucking demon child”

he really wants to act all cool and composed but he wants to be your bias so fucking bad

he’s a bad bitch all around and just does whatever

cus haechan privilege

and he tends to not care about what people say and think???

bc he knows he’s lee donghyuck

he’s fully aware of the effect he has on people

but you

not biasing him

naw, he can’t take it

will do anything and everything he can to make you say, JUST ONE TIME, he’s your bias

then you can go back to loving (his) mark

so for your sake, for his sake, for mark’s sake

just give donghyuck what he wants

i can promise he’ll keep being an ass no matter what you do

like yeah did you just buy him coffee and his favourite cake? well that’s sweet but iS HE YOUR BIAS YET

“aw babe thanks so much for taking a bullet for me but now please say i’m your bias”

if you still don’t do it, it’s time to be extra petty

will actually drop you for mark

his logic is something like: he can’t be your bias? pity, so he’s just gonna date him instead

and mark is mark so he has no idea what’s going on

everyone in 127 and dream finds this absolutely hilarious cus suddenly donghyuck seems to be doing his best to win over mark’s heart and i mean more than usual???? and he’s treating you like his bro????

<you leaving the dorms to go to uni or smth so you go to hyuck for a goodbye kiss> “no can do, i’m committed”

“i’m your partner”

“no that’s mark”

it’s not 100% a joke when i say i can see him getting down in one knee to propose to mark while making eye contact with you to

assert his dominance

and mark is just

“dude

what HAHAHA”

and you are so done, i’m so sorry you have to go through that bby

i don’t think there’s another way to fix haechan other than just admitting he was your bias for an era, or a comeback or something

like yeah with the other dreamies before him it’s bonding + healing time bc i wrote it all kinda angsty (lol sorry) but with donghyuck

no

“will you stop this if i say you were my bias during reload era”

“mark wasn’t in dream that era tho”

“yes i know”

i say he’s gonna take what he can get and now things can finally go back to normal

with the exception that something else comes along with hyuck being satisfied with you biasing him

he just has a full pass to fanboy over mark now too

what am i talking about?

new 127 mv is out

you: watching it beside haechan and going off about how pretty mark looks

him: going off even harder bc he’s whipped too

this is what a happy couple looks like 

but now i pity mark because he has you two idiots fanboying over him irl

savemork2021

Jaemin

nana is just such a chill and fun guy

i can’t see him being actually jealous or anything if he finds out you bias someone else

and so the two of you become insufferable together

bitch, i’m telling you

he (ur bias) is not gonna have one peaceful day ever again in his entire life

cus you know the thing jaemin does where he just looks at someone doing some random shit and goes “oOoOoH sExY”

yes that thing

he’s doing it to your bias 

and you’re doing it too

and your bias probably wants to run away to some very far away land

PLEASE IF IT’S JISUNG

i’m not gonna write this whole thing as if you bias him but let’s just imagine

two fully grown people

pilling on top of poor, poor park jisung playing games on his phone

“URI JISUNGIEEEEEE

MWOYA, MWOYAAAA~"

i genuinely think he would avoid being around you two at the same time

cus individually he can handle it

like yes y/n please let me go this hug has lasted for about 4 minutes now

or oh hi jaemin hyung my cheeks hurt when you pinch them that hard

but when you two are together

bruh

a power couple not bc you two are v confident or some shit but bc you can and will be extremely affectionate towards anyone that comes too close

and now let’s talk about how it would be if you biased jaehyun

jaemin loves jaehyun

they’re 2jae

2jae are soulmates

therefore,,,, it’s also kinda hellish but in a different way???

bc 2jae are on the end of that spectrum about the neos that know how in love the entire world is with them

they’re too powerful

they’re aware of their charm and they do everything they can to rub it in our faces

so the flirting between 2jae and you would be insane

and i mean insane

insane as in even johnny is kinda disgusted tbh bc

they’re doing a photo shoot with the 23 of them for some shit, idk don’t ask me

and of course, you had to tag along

but oh my god you three, please stop calling each other sexy/hot in weird voices now, the staff is staring

there are def rumours the 3 of you are a poly couple lmao

jaehyun denies everything on social media (throwback to saying “no way lol” when we asked if he REALLY slept in the same bed as jungwoo)

but every piece of content there is of you and jaemin or you and jaehyun or just them is so ridiculously flirty

you can bet there are compilations on youtube like 

“y/n being in love with 2jae for 8 minutes heterosexual”

ok i was having way too much fun with that, moving on

i don’t think he’d ever be actually upset about you biasing someone else

he trusts you and treasures you a lot so he doesn’t see the problem in you also appreciating another one of his members

bc gods know he does

he’s a bit in love with everyone so why shouldn’t you be too lol

one time he would feel a bit blue because of it???

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i think it’s possible he’d turn pouty or whiny or just kinda needy (not in a bad way, he just misses you) when he’s like

done with people

and needs some time away from everything

we know he’s an introvert, even if he acts very, very loud around the boys and it’s honestly just a matter of time until an introvert grows tired of being around humans

it depends on each person, of course, but there’s a 99% chance every once in a while he’ll start to feel too drained

and he’ll need a break to get his energy back

jaemin would probably want you around even when he feels like that, though

i see you being such a big source of comfort for him in a relationship

he enjoys taking care of people so please take care of him too

and for just this one day don’t talk about your bias that much, or don’t leave nana to go over to him to chat

and just cuddle him a lot

that will make him a smiley baby again

and then things are back to how they normally are

and by that i mean most neos hiding from you because they’re scared 

i don’t have a lot to say aside from that so let’s think about the neos that would be the most intimidated by your shared thot aura

dotae would be confused in different ways lol

taeyong would be just ????????????blush/awkward smile/hahaha??????

and doyoung might actually ask what is wrong with you

<points to jeno and his s/o> “why can’t you be like them”

mark would laugh-scream and slap his knee into oblivion whenever you two are cornering him

but then go super shy and be like “dUDE DON’T DO THAT”

resident confident gay jungwoo would rejoice in the attention and make so many goddamned jokes

a literal comedian i love him

i think sicheng and renjun would be on the same wavelength of repugnance towards you lol

chenle would deadass call you weird and tell you to leave him alone

shotaro and kun might faint (or kun will panic-scold you)

taeil is as confused by affection as usual (have you seen the face he makes when haechan kisses him LMFAO he’s smiling but like wondering wtf happened on the inside)

ten is not very amused but might play into it

yangyang: that’s disgusting, man (cue flashbacks to that live with renjun after the from home stage where renjun pretended to lick his hand and slick his hair back,,, catboy injun,,, you know the one)

xiaojun and hendery are such panicked gays they just turn to stare at whoever else is around and make that “help” expression like they’re on the office

haechan is haechan, kinda doesn’t mind it

jeno is used to dealing with this at this point

lucas and yuta love the attention but while yuta will flirt right back lucas is just gonna smile and try to jop his way out of there while screaming

sungchan will go hide behind haechan and say “hyung they’re being dumbasses again”

this turned into ‘how would nct react to you and jaemin being super flirty together’ and i’m not sorry

Chenle

chenle is so fun to write i love him lmao

okay so

he doesn’t strike me as the possessive type with anyone other than jisung (bc i swear he can be a bit jelly towards his bestie but i think it comes with sungie being the sweetest bean ever, he’s just protective)

he’s such a ray of sunshine and witty jokes and dolphin laughter i love him

back to the plot

he literally couldn’t care less about you biasing someone else

b u t

i will say there’s an exception

this exception is tall, kinda lanky, very awkward and born on the 5th of february

you’ve guessed it, it’s jisung

i think most of the time he’d tease THE SHIT out of you for it because c’mon

you had 22 chances not to mess up

and you still somehow ended up biasing jisung? lol do better next time

and this is not me and chenle hating on jisung, please—

he’d just find it funny that your bias is his best friend and

hold the fuck up

your bias is his best friend

oH NO NO NO NO NO

i think after realizing that he would lowkey try to keep you two apart because he’s somehow jealous of both????

and if he can’t help it then you can bet your ass he will be screaming all along

it’s his sweet, dummy jisung

with his sweeter and dummier y/n

what is he going to do

probably has a mini-breakdown with kun because like he’s always wanted you two to get along bUT NOT LIKE THAT

kun will just sigh like the tired father he is and pet his back while saying “there, there”

and a genius idea is going to come to chenle’s mind

you know the teasing thing?

well it’s upgrade time

he’s gonna turn into such a try-hard with tmi and embarrassing shit you two have done

and he’s not trying to stop you from being friends

he just wants you to like

know who you’re befriending

bc i think since he’s really really close to jisung, he doesn’t want you getting closer to him bc you like his idol side alone

and he doesn’t want jisung getting close to you just because you’re his partner either

if you had high hopes for each other and ended up kinda falling face-first into the ground bc it was nothing like you had imagined—

he’d be so broken

because he loves you so much :((((

so like, if you can get past the teasing and annoying barrier he’s putting up, he’ll be more than happy to have two of the most important people in his life being buddies

so get ready for it

if you’re the type of person to go batshit crazy when you drink, oh boy, oh boy

so you and the dreamies are just having dinner when lele feels like it’s the perfect time to disclose some of your drunken adventures

“hey y/n”

“yeah babe?”

“remember that time you got really really drunk on vodka and candy and wanted to call your mom”

“chenle the hell don’t talk ab—”

“but then you tried using the microwave as a phone”

“...”

“...”

“or that other time you were equally as drunk and watched the make a wish mv and cried because you noticed the height difference between xiaojun hyung and lucas hyung”

yeah so now’s the part you get up to chase him around the dorms and try to land a kick

BUT WORRY NOT, HE’LL MAKE SURE TO EMBARRASS JISUNG JUST AS MUCH

he likes doing that when it’s just the three of you though

so picture this

movie night the girls boys

chenle would 100% pick the most terrifying horror movie he can find so that he could see jisung clinging to whoever’s closest to him

and then right before a jumpscare, he’d whisper like

“jisung”

“w-what”

“why don’t you do that thing you were doing while you slept last night”

(honestly, i’d be mildly scared if i heard lele say this with no context at all)

and then the jumpscare happens and jisung is nearly fainting and crying at the same time

but chenle is laughing

and trying to get out what he wants to tell you between wheezes

“he-he” <dolphin wheeze> “hE WAS SINGING CHEER UP BY TWICE WHILE SLEEPING” <more wheezes>

and look this is just gonna go on for weeks until you and jisung are over it

and stop being weird and awkward around each other

lele needs you two to be bros ok

so be bros

once you do adapt to being pals with your bias i think chenle would take the teasing down a notch just to make you more comfortable

and like he’s so happy now the three of you can hang out and there’s just no tension

happy chenle is the thing i love the most i swear to gods

and if you don’t adapt to it?

well,,,

i honestly think he’d be pretty disappointed, cus it means to him one of you isn’t ready to fully embrace the weirdness within????

and like what u scared of

jisung is a weirdo, what about it, so are you

either that or he’d think you’re maybe being judgemental

so yeah please accept jisungie and your dumbass boyfriend

then everyone can be besties

i love thinking about the three of you as just this hellbound chaotic trio

because chenji already wreak havoc wherever they go as the two of them

but now that you’re coming along,,,,

no neo would escape from your pranks ever again (and even members of other groups lmfao watch out sehun, i’m talking to you)

and it’s so incredible infuriating in a good way that it just turns to be endearing

you’re cute as fuck so no one gets actually mad with the shit you pull????

which is dangerous, someone should really keep an eye out on the three of you 

we don’t need sm to be on fire

well we kinda do cus they’re pretty bad but not my point

i said somewhere above that chenle would tone the teasing down but i don’t mean he’d stop

bc c’mon guys

he’s chenle

no limits here

but sorry, i really cannot write jealous!chenle cus his heart is just too pure and filled with joy for him to be jealous for real

last scenario?

chenle after a comeback stage: ya y/n, i was gonna ask how was my performance today but you were probably more focused on jisung’s arms right

jisung is choking on water somewhere behind you

Jisung

it’s maknae time <plays i.n’s maknae on top>

i don’t mean to picture jisung as being like

ridiculously innocent or just downright naive because i really dislike it when people do that

he’s a literal 19 yo and jaemin himself has said he’s not as innocent as we think lol

however

i do see him as being quite new to all things love 

i think you’d probably be his first partner and with first relationships comes a lot of other firsts

first kiss maybe, first time holding hands, first time being jealous….

first time being jealous, yes, focus on that

i don’t think jisung would be aware that like

you not biasing him is even a possibility

cuz you’re dating

doesn’t that come along????

ah poor baby i love him

if you biased chenle i think he’d be just

disgusted and weirded out but okay?? you do you i guess???

he’s comfortable enough with lele to not feel intimidated

but if it’s another member

ESPECIALLY one of the oldest ones

i think it would be a blow straight to his confidence 

you biasing ten, kun, taeil, taeyong, doyoung or johnny and maybe yuta would make him feel a bit hesitant and concerned

his first thought would probably be that you don’t like being with someone as young as him

and who knows, maybe you’re even younger than him, maybe you’re the same age, but what if you actually like older guys??

what about him then???

and jisung doesn’t mean to feel so worried and insecure, ok, pls understand where i’m coming from

first relationships normally take like a very long time to build trust and acceptance of the other person’s feelings bc it’s literally a whole new world for you

and that goes extra hard for jisung because he is so fucking whipped for you it’s still hard to believe you like him as much

and it absolutely does not cross his mind that you’d cheat on him with your bias, GODS NO

he really respects you and his hyungs 

so no, never

that’s not a thing that can happen

but you realize you’re too good for him and maybe see he doesn’t fit your ideal type?

well, yes, that’s what he’s thinking

probably goes straight to chenle or renjun (he talks about renjun so much asjahj) to vent and ask for advice

i think they’d be surprised to see what’s going on inside his pretty little head because it’s so obvious for everyone that you just adore jisung

and they do tell him that

however, i don’t think it would completely calm his nerves, and again, this has nothing to do with not trusting you

it’s just that

his hyungs are so cool…

HE CAN’T HELP IT OK

would probably try to mirror your bias (i’m saying it’s taeyong for the sake of what i’ve imagined ok) and like

grasp onto some of his qualities?

so in his mind taeyong is: nice, sweet, caring, amazing, perfect, smart, perfect, sexy, mature and did i mention perfect

i can see him trying some new rap styles that mimic tyong’s a bit???

like would lowkey learn his raps from cherry bomb and superm’s one and listen to recordings frequently to pick up on how taeyong does it

i think he’d also just change the way he acts in general to dodge a bit from his maknae image

so now he tries to speak with a more formal-ish language and learns random facts about things you like to seem more intelligent???

“good morning y/n, you look as beautiful as one of voiello’s paintings today :]”

“wait i thought that was a pasta brand”

he’s just trying to show you he can be mature and serious if you want him to

long story short, he’s not acting like himself (not that he’s childish, he’s just out of it) and you don’t like it, so you ask about it and wait for him to feel comfortable with sharing

when he does talk about it breaks your heart so much :((

you’re going to need some patience to try and show him you’d choose him, and not your bias, even if you had the chance

they’re completely different people and you love him BECAUSE he’s jisung, not for any other reason

please reassure him so he can go back to acting like his authentic self, i think it would be such a relief for him too

your words and affection are obviously enough for him, but if it ever happens that he feels especially low and insecure again, it would help if your bias talks to him too

and taeyong wouldn’t have a problem with it

actually, scratch that, taeyong probably knew what was going on all along

he just has that motherly 7th sense (ay) that is even more acute with the dreamies cus like 

127 has him, wayv has kun, but dream has…

the dreamies

and that, my friend, is terrifying

anyway he’d come to talk to jisung asking like “what’s wrong buddy :(“ and sungie would be a bit ashamed because it sounds so silly when you say it out loud

of course tyong wouldn’t judge him, and he just really has to tell jisung what is it you and he are always talking about

it’s him

“when they come around to talk and hang out here it all goes back to you, jisungie. they can’t spend one second without mentioning your name

it’s so cute; it’s always like ‘oh jisung would love this’ or ‘jisung likes it that way’

so please be kinder to yourself and let yourself see that they’re in love with you, not with me and not with any other member they ever mention”

jisung would feel 10000000% better

and smiley

and giggly

and oh my god do you really talk about him that much

LOOK HE’S BLUSHING

would just go over to your house immediately and hug you, burying his face on your neck from behind you

and not let go

ever again

the whole situation just teaches him a lot about accepting your love for him and not questioning it 

shut up i’m not crying

---

final notes: this was my first work after the humanity series and it was so fun lol i think next up is probs gonna be an ideal type scenario for ot23 (but if i really write it i’m gonna post it by subunit and its gonna be way shorter than this, don’t expect 23K words at once lmao)

if you’ve enjoyed this fic please consider reading my humanity series, which is a zombie apocalypse au with kun <3

[kanesthirstblog]

NSFW ALPHABET: ABE HARUAKI

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

Requires lots of aftercare but also wants to take care of you. Very clingly, like, will latch onto you and cuddle you for the rest of the night clingy. You should probably give him some reassurance or comfort, he seems like the type to stress about whether or not he was any good to you once the fun is over.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Hmmm... Totally the sappy kinda guy who tells you he loves all of your body and thinks it's beautiful and 100% means every praise he sings you about it. He loves everything about you from your soft hair to the tips of your toes.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

God. Just imagining him sprawled out on any surface with an exhausted yet dopey look in his eyes, covered in his own cum (and/or yours of course!) after a few rounds of sex really makes me feel satisfied. Really can't explain this one

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Secretly a bit of a masochist but also scared of being hurt so he never asks even if he really wants to.

Also secretly owns a couple erotic novels he used as "research" when you first brought up wanting a sexual relationship. Since you are his first, he would want to see how he's supposed to act in that scenenrio so he could please you properly. (But damn was he shocked when you wanted to be the dominant one. That wasn't in his books.) Haruaki learns the importance of communication that day.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Dudes a canon virgin y'all. This also excites me.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Secretly loves it when he's on his back so he can see your face as you ride him or peg him. He just thinks you're the prettiest person he's evermet and loves watching you even as you tease or toy with him.

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

He's a sappy guy. Would probably look at you like a puppy who sees someone they really love. Besides that he's have that dopey look like he's never been happier than he is in that moment, smiling up at you.

Once you've had sex a couple times he might start opening up more, cracking jokes and asking shy requests from you.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Yup. Makes sure he's nice and clean especially

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

He really tries hard to be romantic but he has 0 experience in this area and often fumbles his way through it by trying to be sweet and make you feel good. Very bad at saying romantic things and would probably give up after a bit before he dies from embarassment.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Tbh I actually think he'd barely masturbate if he did at all. This is partly because I actually have an asexual headcanon for him and partly cause in canon he seems really put off by sexual things if not being outright afraid of them.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Contrary to some of the fandom headcanons, I don't really imagine the sailor uniform thing as a kink. It just seems like a typical fixation or something that gets played up for laughs to a strange degree. But maybe thats my ADHD dumbass brain projecting my ADHD onto a fave. (Off topic but him knowing everything about sailor uniforms, from design to creation, being able to make them himself, getting happy any time he sees one, ect. Are headcanons I have because his weird fixation with them reminds me of my fixation on rocks, mushrooms, and jewelry.)

HOWEVER

Praise kink. Body worship. He'd love to be pet gently while you tell him how pretty he is. How you love his soft hair or his long legs or slender form as you lightly trail you fingertips down his body or card fingers through his hair. And he would do the same for you too.

Might at least try pegging, and then realizes he actually likes it when you hold him down and pound his ass.

Would be too embarrassed and a bit scared to bring this up but actually likes the idea being treated roughly. If you could pull at his hair and bite him even a little bit he'd practically melt in your hands.

Might try bondage if it's light. Soft hand cuffs or silk ropes are the way to go.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

At home. Anywhere is fine as long as its at home

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

The fastest way is probably being physical with him or just stripping for him. He gets embarassed and tries to hide but you know he's aroused, you can feel it when you sit on his lap.

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

He'd probably not be okay with having more than one partner. You might frighten him if he starts feeling like you guys are ganging up on him.

Public/semi-public sex is a no go. Especially since he is a teacher, he wouldn't risk his job on the off chance you both get caught.

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

I think he actually might no be very into oral at first. But will give or recieve though you may have to hear some complaint about it being kind of unsanitary or something. He's also kinda bad a giving oral but what did you expect? He's a virgin.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Personally prefers the slow and sensual kinda sex but you set the pace regardless so ultimately it's up to you. He won't be turned into a stuttering mess right away if you guys take it slow.

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

Alright with it as long as it stays private. You'll be the only one asking for these but try to get him in the morning before he leaves for work so you can corner him against a counter. Its best when his back is turned so you can grab his hair and lick along his throat, nipping here and there. He'd shiver in your arms as you trail a hand down to undo his pants

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

As long as it isn't a risk to him (would probably be too scared to try knifeplay) or job (no public/semi-public sex) you could probably talk him into it.

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

Hmmm... Depends I guess. I feel like he might only be active for a round or maybe 2 before he starts slowing down. You could still pound the guy into the mattress but he'll have those half lidded doe eyes cloudy with exhaustion. He'd wrap his arms around you loosely as if you'll help ground him to the waking world and try to hold you closer to him.

At that point you should definitely ask a few times before you start another round to make sure he's okay and reassure him that it's alright to stop now. Strikes me as someone who could easily fall into a place where he'd hide his desire to stop just so you can use him for your own fun since it makes you happy. That could be kinda bad for his mental health.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

You'd be the one with all the toys tbh. But you can sure as hell use them on him.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He's not much of a tease but if he's feeling playful, he might play up the innocent look of his. He really is a pretty innocent guy actually, but he knows you love that sweet look he's got to him and he will use it on you.

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

So damn loud. This guy would moan and beg loudly, scream your name and plead for mercy, for relief as you all but eat him alive. Might even cry and whine and beg. Oh, but he tries to be quiet so he doesn't risk disturbing anyone. He'd purse his lips and turn away from you while you play with his body in an attempt to stay quiet but he always gives in quickly. It's easy to turn this guy into a whimpering, begging mess no matter how many times you do this.

You'll know when he's tired because he will be unable to make much noise besides low pants and gasps. Probably best to wrap things up at that point before ya fuck him unconcious.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

I have a few actually.

-Has a hard time saying no to you. He's a bit cowardly and overthinks and he would be afraid to lose a first relationship. This is potentially hazardous to his mental health because he might say "yes" to something he doesn't want for fear of losing you. Consent is important though so even if it's difficult at first, keep checking to make sure he's alright.

-I actually headcanon him as a sex indifferent asexual. He can 100% live with sex or without it. Doesn't matter to him, though he's terrified of trying it for the first time.

-The first time you tried to get him in bed, you pinned him to a wall and he was terrified because he thought you were trying to shake him down or harass him. (Well, the latter part was true but not the way he expected.) And then you kissed him and he straight up broke, wrapped himself in blankets and hid under the futon for the rest of the day. Disappointing? Sure, but damn was it cute.

-I'm actually caught up on how he would take to dirty talk tbh since a lot of it I've seen or heard involves some form or another of calling your partner a slut or whatever. Seems to be popular. On one hand if he's secretly a masochist, he might be into it. But on the other, he also seems like he might take anything you say to him to heart and beat himself up over it and would ultimately not like it. Also probably would not be comfortable if he did the dirty talking and assuming he manages to make it through the night without apologizing to you for everything he says, then you'll hear it when you finish.

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

Mandragora patterned briefs. You cannot change my mind on this one.

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

Not very, so he's pretty chill about it.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Depends on how much you exhausted him but it usually doesn't take that long.

Bonus:

Some more cute Haruaki.

[mattkeepsrambling]

Random Rambling: Worst Movie-Going Experiences

Having been to as many movies as I have, it is not hard to believe I have had some bad movie-going experiences. These have nothing to do with the quality of the film in question. It has everything to do with the other people in the theater. Having the worst experience ever this past weekend, I began to "reminisce" about some of the other bad experiences. So here are my top 3 worst experiences in the theater.

#3 Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

As with all three of these, this involves a packed theater. It was the movie's opening weekend, and there were very few empty seats in the theater (this will come in to play later). My friend Mike and I were in the middle of the row about halfway up in the theater. There are a father and son somewhere in our row. Not a big deal. I have come to accept that parents are going to bring their kids to superhero movies, and on the whole, it's not a big deal when you bring your kids to the R-rated "Deadpool 2" that is a problem (that happened).

Anyway, the movie starts. The movie opens on a funeral scene and a coffin. The kid says, very loudly, "Is that Batman?" He then proceeds to talk insensately. Mike and I are not mad at the kid. It's the dad with whom we have an issue. When I see a Pixar movie, I expect kids to talk during the movie. It's part of the experience. This issue is that this dad answered every one of his kid's dumb questions and did not even attempt to keep them quiet. It was a pretty full theater, but after about 20 mins or so, I looked and found two seats further down and told Mike we should move.

#2 Avengers: Infinity War

Who listens to music while watching a movie in a theater?!?!? I am getting ahead of myself. in 2008 the MCU was born with "Iron Man." Over the next ten years, I would see every MCU movie in the theater (sometimes multiple times).

Avengers: Infinity War was to be the culmination of a decade of movie-going experiences. Mike and I were able to get tickets, but not next to one another. This was a world before you were able to pick where you sat. We were a row apart, but that row defined our experiences.

The asshole that sat next to me was listening to loud music on his headphones the entire movie. I thought he might just do it during the trailers. It was stupid, but nothing I was bothered by, but he had music playing for the entire two-and-a-half-hour movie. I had been waiting for this movie for ten years. This was going to be where all the movies I had been watching paid off. "Avengers: Infinity War" was my reward for a decade of loyalty. And this selfish jerk ruined it.

#1 Halloween Kills

Here it is, the mother of all bad movie experiences: the worst of the worst. Mike and I went to see "Halloween Kills" opening weekend. The theater was packed. The only two seats together were in the second row to the right of the screen. That was strike one, and I wish I could say it was as bad as it got, but it got worse. Much worse.

When you see a horror movie, things tend to be a little more vocal than if you were at other movies. At comedies, you get laughs; at action movies, you hear shock sounds and screams at horror movies. At least, usually, you do. At The AMC Market Arcade on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at 7:25 in Theater 3, there were no rules.

First and foremost, no one would shut up. It felt like everyone in the theater was talking besides Mike and me. The person sitting next to Mike was openly talking to the person sitting in the row in front of her. People on all sides were talking through the entire movie. In all honesty, there was probably only about 5 min where no one was talking.

As if all that was not bad enough, an hour into a one-hour and 46-minute movie, a guy comes in and sits next to me. And has a full-blown conversation with his girlfriend. It is not a stretch to say I was seething with rage. Usually, Mike and I stay through the credits. When the credits started rolling, I turned to Mike and said, "I need to get out of here." I could not sit in that theater any longer.

These experiences are why I prefer an early afternoon movie.

[deathonyourtongue]

Resurrection | 5

Summary: A ragtag team of Spec-Ops operators are brought out of retirement for all the wrong reasons. When the dust settles, only the best will be left standing. Pairing: Pablo Schreiber x OFC, Henry Cavill x OFC (listen, she gets with the whole team, okay? Don’t lie, you would too.) Word Count: 2K Warnings: Waterboarding. Dream sequence involving death and gore.  A/N: I’m reposting this for a few reasons. Mainly ‘cause I’m done having my fics in two places, wanted to re-work the cover, and most importantly wanted those of you who weren’t following me back when these chapters were originally posted to be able to take it in from scratch. I’ve also cleaned up a lot of the text as far as grammar, etc. goes, so it’s more polished.  ***ALSO: All the Portuguese translations are found in the links (read the address bar or the error that comes up when you click the link)*** Like what I do? Buy me a coffee (or a commission)!

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Gone are the suits and ties, and my heels are replaced by combat boots. 

The safehouse we use for interrogations is across town from the one we stay at, and it shows. Far from the posh of Knightsbridge, Dagenham is home to the largest diesel engine manufacturing site in the world. Soot and oil coat everything and at night, the area is a ghost town; perfect for our needs. 

On paper, all the governments in the room condem torture, but work in the business of terror long enough, and you know that’s all just to save face and keep the top brass’ hands clean. We’re not animals about it of course, but if Miguel wobbles a little in his seat, it’s only because we let Max drive and London roads are so winding.

“You know...We don’t technically have to take the bag off his head.” Flip murmurs, breaking the silence we’ve all been in since getting Miguel settled into his new surroundings. 

“You’re absolutely certain he’s never seen you, darling?” Max asks me, his face set in concentration. The rest of the team look up for my answer and I nod. 

“Positive. Besides, bag or no bag, if he knew me, he’d have recognized my call sign by now,” I remind them, relief shooting around the room as all the men recall that Miguel was privy to any conversation we had in the car, call signs included. 

“Alright. Who’s going in with you?” Rick asks, finally moving from his position against the wall and taking a seat next to Flip who looks all too eager to get a crack at our soon-to-be informant. Knowing he’ll be a liability if he reads the tone wrong, I look around, my gaze resting on Max as I smirk. 

“Beef. I owe him for nearly taking his head off earlier,” I answer, both Dom and Rick nodding their understanding. Flip looks somewhat crestfallen, but I know he understands. He, of all of us, is too close to the situation, and though I know there’ll be a time to turn him loose, this isn’t it. 

Max and I both stand from our seats, checking our handguns as we move towards the blast door that separates us from Miguel. Taking a moment, we focus our gazes on eachother, silently getting on the same page so that there’s no chance of Miguel thinking one of us is weaker than the other. 

With a nod to each other, I take a deep breath and open the door. Padded on the inside in order to mitigate any screaming or loud music we might use throughout our interrogations, the room is graveyard silent. Once the door shuts, Max moves with precision, turning the stereo on full blast, and I can’t help but smile at the song that comes on. While all of us are metal fans, it’s one of the most effective interrogation tools we have because those in the hot seat usually either haven’t ever heard metal before (and are immediately disturbed by it) or despise it to the point where they can only tolerate so much. EDM comes a close second, but in Miguel’s case, Metal is the right call as he flinches immediately. Catching Max’s eye, we can’t help but grin as we mouth along to the lead singer’s screaming, the song’s lyrics about lying and choking oddly appropriate for what’s about to happen. 

I headbang along with the double-bass as I grab a five gallon jug of water, hoisting it over my shoulder and letting Max handle the towels as we set things up. When everything’s ready, Max moves into position, arms crossed over his broad chest, his trademark scowl firmly in place. 

I count to three with one hand, and on ‘one’, pull the bag from Miguel’s head, immediately tipping his head back and holding it in place with my forearm as I dilate his eyes. Max and I both stay out of his line of sight for the few moments it takes for the drops to work, and once we see the tell-tale squint, we slowly move to our places. 

“Miguel, ta com cara que tá com sede, meu amigo.” I open, one eyebrow raised, staying just far away enough to be little more than a faceless blur to our informant. 

“Vai se foder!” He yells, trying and failing to get out of the restraints he’s in. 

“Ah, que isso, cara. Não fique assim. A gente só quer falar com você,” I purr, playing the “Nice Girl” routine even though everyone in the room knows it won’t last long. 

“Certo, é por isso que vocês me capturaram, colocaram um saco na minha cabeça, e me levaram a Deus sabe onde. Falar, uma ova!” 

“Já aprendeu Inglês, seu cafajeste?” I ask him, hoping he’s picked up a second language since the last time any of our governments dealt with him, more for the rest of the team’s sake than my own.

“I have,” he says, his accent nearly a perfect facsimile of anyone who’s been born and raised in London. Max’s eyebrow goes up in mild surprise, and if I know my team, the rest of them are all pressed against the two-way mirror, intent on listening now that they can understand. 

“Good, so we’ll do this in English, ‘cause fuck you,” I tell him in no uncertain terms, moving into his space so he can confirm that the woman he wanted to bang at the party is the same one who’s now holding his life in her hands. 

With everyone in the room discreetly mic’d up--including Miguel--there’s no need to turn down the music, and I use it to my advantage, wanting him as disoriented as possible so that he’s not focused on his words or the thoughts behind them.

“Three weeks ago, right here in London, two of our own were killed by a bomb that has your signature all over it. Wanna tell me who you sold that bomb to?”

Miguel laughs, a dry throaty sound that comes from too many cigars, and too much time around toxic chemicals; if one of us doesn’t kill him, I know for a fact cancer will get him in the end. 

“I sell bombs to many people. How am I supposed to remember who I’ve sold to a month ago, puta?”

I don’t have time to react as Max lunges in and connects with Miguel’s jaw in one of the most vicious right hooks I’ve seen him throw in a long time. 

“Talk to her like that again and I’ll dislocate the other side, y’cunt.” Max growls, teeth bared mere inches from Miguel’s face, leaving no room for interpretation of just how pissed he is. Without another word, Max takes Miguel’s face in his hand and relocates the joint he popped out, a scream coming from our informant as soon as he can open his mouth.

“See, Miguel, I’d like to think you’d remember, because this particular order had your initials on one of the plates, and I know you only do that when your order is for a single explosive device. Mass orders go through the factory, but the custom pieces, well...You’ve gotta take pride in your work, right?” I’ll give the man props, because if he’s searching for a lie, I can’t tell. His face stays unreadable apart from the discomfort from the light. 

I shoot Max a look just as the song switches over, and he nods. 

“Fuck this.” He barks, flipping a switch on the wall that immediately sends Miguel’s chair back into a 45 degree angle, the back legs hinged to the floor so he can never truly fall back, but feels  like he’s going to, just the same. With the lights directly in his line of sight, I can’t keep from smirking as I hear Miguel hiss and try to cover his eyes, the steel shackles on his wrists clanking loudly and only causing him more pain. 

“What is it, Miguel? Lights too bright?” I ask as I move to grab the first neatly folded towel from the pile. “Don’t worry, I got you.” 

Pressing the towel firmly against his face, I stand out of the way as Max pours the water from the jug. We both count silently in our heads, Max stopping at exactly the right number as I flick the switch to bring Miguel upright once more. 

Our informant coughs and sputters, screaming every vulgarity I’ve ever heard in Portuguese before spitting in our general direction. 

“THERE WAS NO NAME! IT WAS PURCHASED BY AN ENTITY!”

I roll my eyes, annoyed that a man who once gave up an internationally-wanted terrorist is now spewing bullshit about an entity. 

“So you sold your shit to a ghost? ‘That what you want me to believe?” I ask, feeling my own anger start to rise. I grab a fresh towel and Max and I repeat the process with surgical precision. It takes Miguel a little longer to cough up the water he’s swallowed, but when he’s finally able to speak, his voice is far more defeated. 

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. The entity I sold that bomb to is known as Cenere. I get a call with a location, date, and time for delivery. I get the specs sent via encrypted email, and when the time comes, I deliver, usually to a lock box in the middle of nowhere. That is all I know.”

Max looks at me and I know he’s itching to hit him again. I shake my head, squatting down in front of our informant so that he can see me clearly. 

“Is there anything else you want to tell us that may be important? For example, the location and date of the last delivery you provided for this entity?” I enunciate every word, my tone making it clear that I’ll be the one hitting him next if he tries to lie or get smart again. 

“L-last delivery was in Roma, by the Colosseum, a week ago.” He answers, still hoarse from inhaling water. 

“So whoever these people are, they’re planning another bombing,” I say, feeling the room behind me start moving; Rick and Dom looking up information, Flip packing our gear. We don’t have a lot of time. 

“Y-yes. The bomb that killed your amigos was delivered exactly two weeks before it detonated. That’s how they always do it.” Miguel adds, giving us an even narrower timeline to get to Rome. 

“Cut him loose,” I sigh, wishing Miguel could give us more to go on besides a location we’ll be getting to with zero prep time and even less information. 

Max moves towards him, a wolfish grin on his face. I close my eyes, knowing exactly what’s about to happen. 

“I sincerely hope someone strings you up by your balls and cuts them off with a piece of paper. This is for everyone you’ve had a hand in massacring. Especially my friends.” 

I don’t have to look to hear a few of Miguel’s teeth rattle to the floor. 

The room is starkly lit, the sickly blue tone reminiscent of a hospital. Empty aside from a plexiglass box filled with dirt and a pine-board coffin, there’s a feeling dread that emanates throughout the place. 

“Carmen? Carmen! Carmen, if you can hear me, you need to get me out. Get me the fuck out of here, Carmen. Carmen, please!! Please! I can’t-I can’t breathe! Carmen, don’t leave me here!” 

A heartbeat--elevated and distinct--couple with the sounds of hyperventilation to turn dread into pure fear. 

“CARMEN, PLEASE! I’M GOING TO DIE! DON’T LET THEM KILL ME!”

Something cuts through the air with a distinct zing, crashing heavily onto the floor. The box, the dirt, and the coffin are all sliced neatly, trapped almost perfectly between thick sheets of razor-sharp glass. All except the first slice, where the side of the coffin has fallen away, trapped at a skewed angle below the dirt. 

Rick looks like a fish out of water, gasping for breath, tears flooding his eyes. Despite being segmented like some primal experiment, every part of him still heaves with breath, organs pulsing with blood they no longer have, intact structurally despite being completely separated. 

“Carmen, please!” It’s a whisper now, the life going out of Jake’s eyes even as the tears sweep his face.

A long, low horn sounds, finalizing the horror that’s come to pass.

I wake screaming, tears pouring down my face. Not realizing where I am at first, I don’t even see the boys as I fight with my lap belt and haul ass out of the seat, vaulting over Dom’s legs and careening to the bathroom to throw up. It’s rare that I dream, but when I do, it’s never good. This one felt too real; felt like a message from a man I’m certain we buried. The room spins and I heave out what little is left from lunch earlier. When I’m certain there’s nothing left to get out, I sit back, sobbing. 

Once my breath stabilizes, I stand up and wash out my mouth, swilling the jet’s courtesy mouthwash before splashing cold water on my face. Stepping out of the small bathroom, I’m met with utter silence and four sets of eyes staring at me with concern. I can’t bring myself to tell them what I dreamt, and none of them need an intro into nightmares, as all of us, regardless of how little bloodshed we’ve seen, have them from time to time. 

Still feeling the panic in my throat, I decide against taking my old seat, not wanting to be caged in. Instead, I sit behind Dom’s aisle, resting my head against the cool plastic of the window and looking out, my mind reeling. What if the bomb isn’t what killed him and Benj? What if they suffered? What if-- I cut off my own mental processing, not wanting to go down the dark alleys of my mind, wiping my eyes to stem the flow of fresh tears. 

I feel a hand at my knee, and looking down, find Dom’s hand reaching back through the seats. Though he faces forward, it’s easy to tell what he’s doing, and I lace our fingers together loosely, taking the much-needed comfort of his touch. He gives my fingers a gentle squeeze, and I turn my face away further, not wanting any of the guys to see me like this.

[overheardatthecontinental]

Talk Chapter 10

AO3 Link

Winston didn’t even need to give John a name. The moment he mentioned the bookie, John was off.

John tended to avoid socializing with anyone, let alone other assassins, but he was familiar with Dex’s. Everyone was. The bar was a few blocks away from the Continental and while it was part of the Underworld as much as the hotel, it was not a safe haven. Business could, and often was, conducted at the bar.

John slips in through the back, avoiding the bar floor entirely. Although he doubts its particularly crowded during the midday hours, John is well-aware of the prevalence of alcoholic assassins. He wonders what Helen would have to say about that.

A culture of widely accepted substance abuse. Lack of appropriate and effective coping skills.

He wonders if her voice will always live on in his head, even if he survives the week and successfully disentangles his life from hers. If he’ll grow old, alone, but hearing her in his mind. It might drive him mad but he is far more afraid of the day he stops hearing her.

John cuts through the kitchen to the back office where Oliver, the youngest of the Dexter brothers, collected intelligence and ran odds.

Usually, John stayed out of this part of the Underworld. Gambling had never been one of his vices. Even when his name was involved in the betting pools, he tended to just ignore it and just go about his business.

But this was different.

He doesn’t knock as he walks in through the open door.

Ollie Dexter has never been a true player in the game. His father had been fairly prominent assassin in New York, his mother a pusher for the Walkers crime firm in England. Both had retired when the boys were born but, since there was no getting out of the Underworld, they had chosen, instead, to settle within it.

Thus, Dexter’s was born.

The older boy, William, was decent in a brawl. He dealt more with the front end of the bar, often separating fights between drunk and aggressive assassins before things got out of hand. Ollie, on the other hand, rarely left the back. John was fairly certain the man didn’t have the physical strength to squeeze the life out of anybody, nor the knowledge of how to properly hold a gun.

He was a portly man with a large beer gut that was a direct result of being based inside a bar. He had receding blond hair that he kept oiled back.

While he usually dressed in a track suit, he was stripped down to a white tank top with grease stains when John walks in.

“Betting don’t open ‘til noon.” Ollie says, not looking up from the desk.

John doesn’t move.

“I said, the betting don’t open ‘til—” He looks up and his round face turns stark white. “Ah, fuck,” Ollie swears, jumping to his feet at the sight of the Boogeyman standing in his doorway, “Listen, John, it’s just business. You understand—”

“Give me the spreads.”

“Really didn’t mean anything by it…”

John shakes his head in exasperation. As if he doesn’t have bigger things to worry about than the lowly worm making bets on other’s misfortunes.

“The spreads.” John repeats expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah of course.”

Ollie pushes the papers across his desk, quickly trying to flip through the various sheets. He finds it after nearly a minute of frantic scrambling and tugs it out with shaking hands, passing it over to John.

He scans it, memorizing the names, the odds. Making mental note of organizations that might back them or strong alliances to be wary of.

Many of the names, he doesn’t actually recognize. New comers looking for an easy path to fame and fortune.

It won’t matter, he thinks. John had contacts in nearly every faction under the Table. He had sources who could get information on the highest members of the Underworld and others who could sink into the tiniest, ugliest cracks and listen for whispers.

John thrusts the paper back to Ollie. “You want to keep this pool going? I want daily updates on who’s being favored and who’s pulling ahead.”

Ollie’s eyes go wide, “Uh, yeah. Sure thing, Mister Wick.”

John leaves the office, taking out his phone. The odds were currently favoring an independent contractor called Verdugo.

John was familiar with the assassin even though they ran in different circles. Verdugo tended to migrate between several different cities with Los Zetas connections. Though he was not a member, he worked with the organization more often than not.

It seems that only chance had the assassin in New York when Helen’s contract went wide. Just another stroke of bad luck.

As he walks back down the hall, John types out a quick message to one of his Zetas contacts, asking for the location of Verdugo.

He slips out of the bar without notice but, it appears, he hadn’t been as careful going in. Three assassins are waiting for him in the alley when he steps outside.

John lets out a small sigh as he walks down the two steps.

They’re all young. He can picture Helen in his head calling them just babies. But they were all armed. Two hang back, each with a gun raised in his direction while another stands closer, holding a knife.

“Don’t suppose you want to make this easy for us, old man.” The one in front, their chosen leader, says expectantly.

He feels a twinge of compassion for them that he blames on Helen. They might be killers, he thinks, but they’re still young. He’d never been a good judge of age, but he’d put them all in their twenties. While he didn’t give warnings, as a rule, it prompts him to ask, “You sure this is your best idea?”

“There’s three of us.” The leader says, like it’s obvious.

“I can see that. It won’t make a difference.”

There’s a flash of anger in the leader’s eyes. Already, he’s taking the smack talk personally. He wouldn’t last long in the Underworld, John thinks. Whether by his hand or another’s, the kid doesn’t have what it takes. Not yet, at least. And with impulses like that, likely not every.

“Just tell us where your girlfriend is, and we’ll let you live.”

Bartering was never a good sign. It implied lack of training, which tells John this isn’t a kid from one of the schools. He hasn’t been trained. He’s likely just a street kid, trying to make a name for himself. Maybe a low-level drug pusher, trying to rise up in the ranks of his gang.

John takes a step forward and the kid holds up the knife in front of him. His eyes are wide, like he’s surprised that John isn’t bending to his will just because he has a knife, “Stop moving!”

“You’re holding that wrong.” John tells him.

The kid’s eyes flash towards the knife in his hand and John uses the moment of distraction to throw his palm into the open throat. The kid drops the knife and John catches it, spinning the kid around as he chokes. He grabs the leader by the hair and pulls up, exposing the neck further, and guiding him to stand directly in front of John as a shield.

He gags and John spins the knife, holding the blade just above the neck.

The back-up kid had brought stand in stunned disbelief at the speed that John had managed to disarm and counterattack their leader.

“Guns down.” John says, watching as the boy and the girl look to each other, before lowering the guns. “Kick them over.”

There’s a pause and then they listen. Metal skids loudly across the concrete, echoing in the alley. When the guns pass John, he pushes the leader forward. The kid stumbles towards his friends.

He looks back to John with a glare, rubbing his throat as he turns back around. Before John can offer a warning, the kid charges him, striking forward.

John steps to the side and lets the momentum carry the kid before he kicks out a leg. The leader flies, hitting the ground face-first, landing hard.

John has had road rash before. It stings like a bitch.

The girl screams as she rushes an attack, her movements slightly more controlled but too clinical. She knew the theories but didn’t have the experience. John blocks the first strike, and the second. She brings a leg up to kick him and John catches the ankle in the air, pulling it up and dropping her quick before she can gain any sort of control back.

From the ground, she tries to kick him as her counterpart attempts to dive for the gun nearest to John’s feet. John steps on the outstretched hand, narrowly avoiding the girl’s vicious kicks. She pushes up on the ground and flips to her feet.

John uses the moment to kick the face of kid reaching for the gun, noting the crack and the gush of blood pouring from the nose.

The girl tries to kick again, this time keeping her aim lower, more grounded towards his center of gravity.

From the corner of his eye, he notes that the leader is getting back to his feet, bleeding all on down his cheek.

He turns his attention back towards the girl. Her kick is well-executed, but she forgot the knife in his hand. He uses it to block and she cries out as the dagger embeds itself into the bottom of her foot. John holds onto it as she rips her foot away and turns to throw it at their approaching leader.

It strikes him in the eye-socket. For a moment he stands, in utter shock, pain etched on his face, before he falls to the ground.

The girl, now strongly favoring her good foot holds her ground. While clearly in pain, she doesn’t make a sound.

The male henchman clutches at his nose.

John looks between them, “You want to finish this or would the two of you like to get yourselves to a doctor?”

The girl growls out, “Fuck you—”

“Sasha! Stop.” The boy on the ground spits out blood, “Yu ne moxhet vernut’sya iz smerti!”

You cannot come back from death.

John looks to the girl, easily switching to Russian, “Slushay svoyego druga. Srazis’ v drugoy den.”

Listen to your friend. Fight another day.

She glares at him for a moment, the anger so clear in her gaze. And then it softens as she lets herself stumble back into the wall.

“Blyad!” She curses.

John picks up the gun at his feet, because he is likely going to need it sooner or later.

He leaves them in the alley, along with the body of their dead friend. He hopes that the small act of mercy isn’t in vain.

John wonders, idly, if Helen would be proud of him.

He checks his phone as he leaves the alley, having idly felt it vibrate during the scramble.

The message is from his Los Zetas contact, revealing Verdugo is @ Continental.  

Disappointing, John thinks, considering he can’t do shit about that.

He texts back if he leaves, for any reason, let me know.

The second name on the spreadsheet from Ollie listed Kate O’Connell. John knew Kate about as well as anybody. She’d been a hell of a munitions expert in the IRA back in the day. Until she’d been kicked out for being a drunk.

Another assassin fallen victim to substances.

Drunk or not, John thought, she was still brilliant. But she was better at war time ops, blowing up bridges to stop shipments or helping to fake someone’s death with a car bomb.

Unfortunately for Kate, most hits called for a certain level of stealth or concealment. John was fairly certain that Kate was shit at hand-to-hand and lacked the interest to put much time into weapons trainings. She just didn’t care much for anything below an grenade.

But that meant contracts were limited to either very specific requests for explosions, which were rare, or open contracts with no requirements, which were highly sought after.

John had read Helen’s contract. There was no stipulation that her body had to be in one piece.

He feels a wave of nausea at the thought and pushes it down, burying it deep until he can afford to let himself think of such things.

He knew where to find Kate without having to reach out to any of his contacts. She spent her days working at an Irish pub in Hell’s Kitchen. John makes his way back to the Continental by foot, calling for his car as he does so that it’s ready when he arrives.

He drives the rest of the way to the pub, parking far enough away that he won’t have to worry about Kate trying to set his car on fire. Again.

What was it she had said the last time? “Nothing personal, Johnny-boy. Just like to see shiny things go boom.”

The bell dings as he walks into the pub. Kate stands at the bar, chopping up garnishes. She looks up at the soft ding and calls out, “Heya, Johnny.”

He withholds a wince at the nickname as he makes his way to the bar. “Kate.”

Her reddish-brown hair is shaved to about half an inch. She had tried, for years, to grow it out but complained about the smell each and every time it caught on fire. It had only been in the past few years that she had given up and shaved it all.

“What can I get for you?” She asks, as he sits down, setting down the paring knife. John keeps an eye on the tiny blade even as she moves towards the shelves of alcohol.

“You got Blanton’s?”

Kate snorts, “This ain’t the Continental. I got Jamie, Bushmills, and Teeling.”

“Teeling, then.”

Kate grabs the bottle and a glass and pours a out a few fingers. “Don’t suppose you’re here to catch up.” She says, sliding him the drink.

John shakes his head, “Afraid not. I’m here to ask you to drop the Helen Kingston contract.”

Kate leans forward on the counter, “Now why would I do that? Four million is a pretty penny.”

“Self-preservation. You’ll never get close enough to hurt her.”

She regards him thoughtfully, “What’s she to you, then? I don’t buy the girlfriend thing everybody’s been talking ‘bout.”

“Why not?” He asks, genuinely curious.

Kate huffs, “Please. Aside from the fact that you know better, we both know you’re far too broken to ever invite another into your miserable existence. So, who is she?”

Fair enough, John thinks as he sips the subpar whiskey.

He answers with a truth, “She’s my best friend.”

“Hmm.” Kate hums and John can tell that she doesn’t quite believe him, “I don’t know, Johnny. You don’t seem the type to have anything more than casual friends.”

“For a long time, I would have agreed with you,” he admits, “Until I met her.”

The assassin inclines her head and John is now certain that she doesn’t believe, “Uh huh. Where’d you meet, then?”

“A café.”

“Spend a lot of times in café’s, do you, John?”

“On occasion.” He sets the whiskey to the side, “Drop the contract, Kate.”

Now the Irish woman rolls her eyes dramatically, “You—John Wick—are asking me to give up a substantial hit on someone because she’s your best friend?”

“I’m asking you to spare her, so I don’t have to kill you.” John corrects.

“And here I thought we were friends, too.”

“A friend wouldn’t target the woman I love.”

“Ah,” Kate seems to bounce a bit on her feet, “Now we’re getting somewhere. Your best friend or the woman you love?”

John inclines his head, “She’s both.”

“But not your girlfriend.” Kate confirms, “This unrequited, then? Because I imagine it might make it easier to move on from her if she were dead.”

John ignores the remarks, “Are you willing to drop the contract?”

Kate sighs, almost seeming disappointed in his one-track mind, and shakes her head, “No, John. I’m not.”

He nods in understanding, true regret in his voice as he says, “That’s a shame.”

For a moment, neither of them move.

Kate jumps forward, reaching for the knife from earlier. She grabs it just as John snatches his whiskey. John throws the drink up and into her face. Kate releases the knife and it sails past John in her momentary blindness.

John slips from his stool as Kate grabs the bottle of Teeling and angrily smashes it against the counter. Whiskey jumps in all directions as she jumps and slides over the counter with her makeshift weapon. She strikes through the air, slashing with the bottle.

John leans, avoiding it on his right, then again with the left as she attempts to cut him again.

With her free hand, she throws a punch. John blocks it with his forearm, kicking out. He strikes her side with his foot and she stumbles, quickly righting herself.

John rushes forward, slamming his hand into the base of the bottle. It flies from her grip, shattering across the floor.

Kate growls, jumping up and latching an arm around John’s neck in an attempt to choke him.

John grabs her arm before quickly spinning and bending forward before he loses breath, sending her falling to the floor.

She manages to roll back to her feet, prepared to strike out but John catches her head between his hands. With a quick turn, the assassin’s neck snaps.

He releases his grip and she falls to the ground, dead.

John feels a momentary twinge of sadness. He never wanted it to come to this, but that sadness is quickly overtaken with relief.

Kate would never be able to hurt Helen.

Although there were still hundreds of others willing to try. Others he could send a message too.

In the hours before John made his way to the Gilded Rose, he manages to wipe out nearly half the people on Ollie Dexter’s spreads, along with a few others who got in his way. It didn't feel like enough. His skin still itched from the knowledge that all his work hadn't put a dent into the people looking to do her harm.

But he does what he can in the time he has.

When he arrives at the Gilded Rose, there is blood marring the white of his shirt, having soaked through his suit jacket. He makes it a point not to change, even though he has a clean suit in his car.

Although he likely already knew, John wanted DeLuca to be very aware of how he had spent his day.

The host at the establishment looks at John with wide eyes as he comes through the door.

“Mist-mister Wick, sir. Mister DeLuca is expecting you.”

“I’m sure he is.”

“This-this-this way, si-sir.”

John follows the host across the main floor, avoiding stares from other patrons, as he is brought to a private room in the back.

A guard stands on either side of the door. One of them stops him, scanning him with a metal detector and giving a quick pat down for weapons.

When the guard is satisfied, he pushes open the door into the back room.

DeLuca sits alone, a glass of red wine in one hand and a phone in the other. He’s scrolling through some kind of feed that he closes as John walks in, setting the phone face down on the table.

“Mister Wick. Thank you for joining me.”

John doesn’t reply as he takes a seat.

“You are truly a man of few words.”

John gives him a pointed look. He isn’t here to waste time.

“Believe me when I say, I did not want it to come to this. I had hoped to have already resolved the issue by now.” DeLuca sets down his wine and leans forward, “Alas, you had to make things more complicated.”

“You took the woman I love from her bed and held her hostage.” John says, aware of the anger that line his words, “Did you think I would not retaliate?”

“I had hoped you would see fit to fulfill the bargain that we struck.”

“Bargain?” John questions, “You threatened her safety.”

DeLuca waves a hand, “You make it sound like it was personal. None of this is personal, Mister Wick. It’s just business.”

“And you’ll need to remember that it was just business when I tear you limb from limb.”

DeLuca’s nostrils flare and John notes a wave of fear breaking over the mafiaso. “I don’t think I need to remind you that if you kill me, the hit on Miss Kingston remains. And while your attempt to kill anyone taking the contract is admirable, it won’t make a difference. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

John knows this. He knows he can’t keep her safe forever, from everyone. It makes the hate inside of him well all the more with the knowledge that he can’t do anything about it. Not while DeLuca holds the contract that is keeping him in line.

“So, what do you want?” John asks.

“Italy.”

“I can’t give you Italy.” He snarls, stating the obvious.

“But you can give me the Camorra. There are still three days until Lorenzo D’Antonio and his daughter return to Rome. Three days for you to kill the family and dismantle the Camorra.”

There it is. John had expected as much.

John will kill the D’Antonio’s.

After killing a member of the High Table, John will be targeted both by what is left of the Camorra and the Table, itself. And there is no hiding from the High Table, not for long. Not forever.

He’ll be killed for this but Helen… she’ll be safe.

Without his name attached to hers, there would be no reason for her to ever be targeted again. She can go back to her practice and her house and find another person to take that Friday 4pm slot. Someone with less problems, who won’t follow her home like a stray.

Or she could move. Start over someplace new, where she might feel safer after everything that had happened over the week.

He’d set it up with the Executer months ago that Helen would be his beneficiary. She would get his money, his properties. She joked about stealing his books, but they would be hers.

Hell, she could retire if she wanted.

And Marcus, he was certain, would do him the final favor of looking out for her. Checking in every once in a while, to make sure she was safe and happy.

Maybe it was for the best.

Maybe this was how it was supposed to be all along.

“And you’ll drop the contract?”

“I’ll consider it.”

“That’s not good enough!”

“I’m afraid we’re in a precarious situation, Mister Wick. If I drop the contract, you’ll kill me.”

John wanted nothing more than to watch the life drain from DeLuca’s eyes. But he would forgo revenge if it meant keeping Helen alive and safe.

“I’ll give you my word that I won’t.”

“Schematics, in our world. You won’t kill me yourself, but you’ll hire someone else to do the job.”

John knew that would be too easy. And while he hated to go a step further, he wasn’t sure he had another option.

Besides, if the High Table went after him, which they surely would, the marker wouldn’t mean shit anyway. At John’s death, it would be returned to the Continental, written off as an expired marker and melted down to be recycled.

And, if by some miracle John lived, DeLuca would be unable to use the marker. The moment John fulfilled it; he would no longer be bound by the rules and he could kill the bastard.

“I’ll give you a marker. An oath, to you, that I won’t kill or conspire to kill you.”

DeLuca considers it, “A marker from John Wick is worth quite a lot.”

It was true, but John took a bit of pleasure in knowing that DeLuca would never get to use it.

“I’ll accept your offer.”

“I want the contract removed now.” John says quickly.

“The contract will be removed when the D’Antonio’s are dead.” DeLuca argues, shaking his head. “Although I admire your tenacity, you have nothing to barter with save a marker that, we both know, might never be used.”

The Syndicate heir seems to delight in the power he holds and John almost wishes Helen were here to break him down again.

DeLuca hands John a piece of paper. “This is Senor D’Antonio’s itinerary for the next few days. He is staying with his mistress in Manhattan. Gianna, at the Continental. Santino, of course, already lives in New York. I’ll be in touch when all three are dead.”

John folds and pockets the list as he stands, no longer being able to stand being in DeLuca’s presence.

“Oh, and Mister Wick?” John glances back, “Give my regards to Miss Kingston.”

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and Her Gunn (Part 112) "Sliding Safely Back Home"

@crystalbaby12 @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @5sosfam1dlover @rosefilledhearts-blog

Colson had immediately called Ashleigh; who called his Cleveland housekeeper, Lucy. On a Sunday, during Fourth of July Weekend; asking her to please come clean up the mess that he had made. The conversation between Colson and Ashleigh involved a strong talking to and the promise of him watching her LIVE tutorial regarding the difference between dish soap and DISHWASHER DETERGENT. Along with an even stronger suggestion of leaving Lucy a HUGE tip for her inconvenience and troubles. Colson had agreed easily. He didn't care how much it cost as long as he didn't have to deal with the ocean of bubbles he was responsible for.

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Sticky, soaked and gross, Colson was still irritated with Luna when he joined her in the shower. Pulling hard on her hair, he roughly fucked her from behind. Not saying a word amongst his grunts and moans. Alleviating some of his frustrations along the way as he made her wince multiple times from the hard slaps he'd landed directly onto her plump ass. Luna took her punishment like a Good Girl, bouncing off of his thick cock studiously. Making them both willingly explode for the other amongst the steam.

After rinsing himself off, Colson had pushed Luna against the wall. With his oversized, heavy palm against her collarbone, he kissed her hard. Biting her lip after.

"This isn't fucking over." He promised her before stepping out of the shower.

"UGH... I hate him so FUCKING much..." Luna had thought to herself as her body flushed in desire from Colson's threat.

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"I know she didn't do shit but still...." Colson's mind continued to throb. His stomach twisting at the thought of Luna's lips touching anyone else's but his, making the jealousy roll thickly throughout his body while he dried himself off. Adamantly trying to remind himself instead of the many times Luna had shown her devotion to him.

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Colson's attitude softened a bit more as they fell into their usual routine of getting stoned and doing other drugs together while getting dressed. They talked about what Colson expected from the game amongst other small things.

With light makeup on, Luna braided her long hair into pigtails. It was when she tossed on her cherished Rizzuto jersey over a knotted white T and black leggings along with her Yankees hat, that she caught a hard SideEye from Colson.

"I seriously hope he doesn't expect me to rep The Indians... Like, EVER... Because that's a hard NO." Luna thought to herself kinda baffled by his reaction.

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"Yo! You guys wanna kick it with Sid today?" Pete had asked once they had made their way downstairs.

"What? No. We're bringing Case." Luna scowled at both of them, killing their vibe.

"Fine, how 'bout a little micro dosing then?" Pete offered up a comprise as he pulled out a bag of mushrooms.

Before Luna could protest again, Colson's hand was down the bag and the mushrooms were inside of his mouth. Chewing with a smug look on his face while watching Luna's reaction.

"Fine." She had rolled her eyes as she grabbed her own small handful.

"Let the games begin." Colson declared as he rubbed his hands together with a diabolical smile while Luna chewed.

"You guys are the worst." She went on to sigh as she shook her head, both grinning as they agreed with her.

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Not being able to find her leather on their way out, Luna had grabbed Colson's oversized jean jacket off of the couch. With Casie in her beloved, clean, yellow T-shirt, they were out the door with Mod, Rook, Benny and a strongly protesting Pete to the idea of leaving Kevin behind.

"He'll be lonely and think I abandoned him!" Pete had shouted with wild eyes, he'd started micro dosing way before offering any to Luna and Colson.

"I talked to Kev, Petey... He's knows... He's cool. I set him up with a movie and everything." Luna had calmly reassured him.

Only being able to get Pete inside the SUV after convincing him it was for Kevin's own safety. That there just weren't enough seatbelts in Colson's Navigator to get all of them to Progressive Field safely. He continued to complain with worry for a majority of the ride until Casie told him to Calm It Down.

Phem, Noah and Caroline had caught an Uber to Hopkins for a flight to LA a bit earlier. Slim heading back to his own Cleveland house in the meantime. The plan being to meet back at Colson's for Family Dinner around 730/8ish to map out the upcoming week or so.

Leaving Kevin to chill at the house alone, watching Back To The Future with a blanket and a bowl of Doritos. Luna doesn't lie.

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

At Progressive Field, it's Team World V. Team Cleveland. Colson gets changed as Luna roams around the stadium with Casie, Pete, Rook, Mod and Benny. Grabbing enough hot dogs, pizza, sodas, french fries and beers to satisfy Chris Farley, minus the speedball, they head onto the field.

Mixing in with the other celebrities, Luna introduces herself to Dascha Polanco. Making an immediate friend as she genuinely gushes and congratulates her with a huge hug over her success through Orange Is The New Black and How she's Dying for the Last Season BUT NO SPOILERS, PLEASE.

Also being a NYC native, Luna finds herself having a LOT of things in common the actress. Starting off with the Bitching of The Bagel that includes huge, knowing laughs. They flow through to different HangOuts, common friends and experiences until the conversational river finally opens up to Luna's humble embarrassment when Dascha realizes who she actually is. Knowing her first and foremost by her photography and obscure reputation, it just so happens that Dascha is also a genuine fan of Dysfunctional Baggage.

Luna's new friend being wise enough to not to make a big deal out of her FanGirling Soul and to skip the verbal condolences with a simple look of acknowledgment. Breaking the verbal damn by asking Luna What Her Favorite Book Is to the artist's relief.

It's The Little Disturbances of Man. Luna's kept a hardback copy of it on her ever since she first read it when she was 10yrs old. Finding that it helps her humanize the masses when The World seems too mean for it's own good.

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Colson is busy introducing Casie to Anthony Mackie, who plays Falcon in the MCU. They're all huge fans and Colson's can't help his slightly spiteful mind snark to itself how Luna's missing out. He's still mad. At her. At Jackson. At the idea of anyone other than him being near His Girl. 

"She's gonna be saaaallttyy... I don't even fucking care. Fuck her..." Colson's mind abruptly shifts scenarios. "It may be more Jackson's fault... But that fucking bitch needs to realize what the fuck she's capable of on her own... Like, for real. Kissen' MOTHERFUCKERS and SHIT..." Colson feels his jealousy bubbles begin to simmer. Looking over Casie's head he catches Luna's eye not too far down the field. Their souls connecting instantly. Colson can feel her smile seep deep inside of him as she spreads her fingers wide to greet him like she always does. "FUUUUUUUCK Me." He pouts to himself as he feels his dick stiffen at the sight of her. Taking a gulp of air, he looks down at Casie. "Chill Kells... Focus. Kick this fucker out, then we'll deal with Luna." He pep talks himself before turning all of his attention back to Anthony, his daughter and the game ahead of him.

"Are you and AntMan friends yet? I don't believe that Captain just reeee-tired." Casie challenges as she rolls her eyes. "Annnnnnnnd, just so you know. Human is better and Carol Danvers is THE BEST." Casie cocks out her hip as she thrusts her hand onto it. "But I like that you can fly." She offers out with a slightly forgiving tone.

Colson and Anthony burst out laughing over the girl's questions and opinions. Anthony can't help but slap Colson's on the back. Reassuring him that he's got a Wild One as his roarous laughter continues before he squats down to speak with the girl.

"Yeah... I'm friends with AntMan... But he's tiny and annoying... And... Yeup, unfortunately, Cap's retired. He needed a break. He is like 500YRS OLD, you know!" Anthony chuckles as he throws his hands out to Casie's giggle. He continues on slightly serious as he looks her in the eyes. "Human is definitely better though and I don't care what the other Avengers's say..." Anthony leans closer to Casie. "You're right. Captain Marvel is THE BOSS... Her WHOLE body is an energy source!" Falcon goes on to laugh with Casie at his CoStar's undeniable powers. "And, Thank You." His tone lightens as he smiles at her softly. "I like that I can fly too." Anthony nods his head in solidification at Casie as his smile turns into grin, knowing it's more important to boost kindness, strength and acceptance inside a child over anything else.

After finishing up her chat with Falcon, Colson leads Casie over to his reserved seats. The mushrooms are just kicking in as he finds Luna and The Boys. Settling Casie, he kisses Luna with a forgiving look. With Casie muching, Rook and Benny drinking away and Luna beginning to feel the giddiness of the fungai with Pete, they all wish Colson a Good Game before he disappears again to find his team.

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Travis Hafners's daughter opens the game with The National Anthem at 5P. For as young as she is, she's perfectly on pitch and astonishingly commanding of the entire stadium. If she wasn't so young, Luna might've immediately thought to sign her.

Being leery of the Music Business herself, she finds herself going back and forth about it by the bottom of the First as her third eye opens. Not being able to decide on whether to leave the girl alone or to step in. "I know I'm not the only one to hear her power... Fuck, the game's being the televised... I COULD be a protective barrier between an impressionable girl and some much unnecessary Nastiness though...." Luna holds onto her thoughts. Choosing to consult Colson and The Ash's... And possibly Sammy before deciding on any type of action. Trying to focus on Colson and the game instead for the rest of the evening, the strong voice continues to sing in the back of her colorful mind as ideas manifest along with it.

The lineup is stocked with Cleveland's greatest, finest and most map worthy. The World's Team rounding out with a wide array of goodies itself. The game is filled with Ewwws & Awwws, whooping, clapping, screaming and even the occasional Boo. Cleveland is an unforgiving City, almost rivaling Philadelphia.

The Miz from WWE opens up the game by coming out looking like Wild Thing as The World's Team takes the plate. Driving the crowd insane by rocking thick, black glasses on the mound while he imitates Charlie Sheen’s stance from the iconic film. On The World's Team, Daddy Yankee hit a triple slightly past Colson in the first inning. He could've caught it but was too distracted by the signs in clouds. Thankfully no one caught THAT as the batter ALMOST ran out of his pants as he flew past first base. Making Casie point and laugh loudly with her adult company. Falcon from The Avengers hit a pop fly to The Miz, causing him to crash backwards into their second baseman Stephanie Beatriz as he made the catch. Successfully ending the first inning.

Rook and Mod miss The Funny while conversing with Casie and the Hot Girl Summer happening behind them. Being RockStars truly has it's perks... ALL of the time. Luna on the other hand is an avid sports fan, having caught Benny's eye and a couple of Pete's elbows to her giggly ribcage during the first inning. Cracking up together over the on field collision they had all witnessed. There's something about people from NY... They love their fucking baseball.

During the third inning, Jim Thome's son joins the game acting as a pinch hitter. Batting left-handed, the young boy points his bat at the pitcher, just like his legendary father used to. With that and a solid smack, he snatches a two-run single through center field that pulls Cleveland's Team within four runs at a score of 16-12. JR Smith enthusiastically welcoming the boy as he runs Home.

The announcer mentions The Hometown Anti Heroe's love of Ramen as Colson steps up to the plate with multicolored vision. Following the young Thome with a drive to right field that eludes Ryan Howard, The Great HomeRun Hitter of the 2008 World FUCKING Champions. Colson races around past third with his tongue wagging in determination as he finds himself sliding safely back Home for an InField HomeRun.

"MOTHAFUCKEN' RIGHT YOU DID IT!! YOU ARE A GOLDEN FUCKING GOD." His tripping soul excitedly screams at him as he hits a light peak.

Colson's HomeRun leaves The World's Team within a three run grasp. Smith hoisting Colson high in the air as Team Cleveland celebrates his epic run. Casie and Luna hooting and hollering as they ecstatically cheer him on along with with Pete, Mod, Rook and Benny.

Finally, in comes The Legend of Cleveland himself, Travis Hafner. The retired Indians slugger crushes a ball to the left, over the wall and nearly hits Mustard the Hot Dog mascot standing near The Corner. Who took the surprise gracefully. Had it been the Philly Phanatic and Victorino, there probably would've been a fight on Broad Street.

Cleveland’s comeback being only a run behind now as another one of The Indian's legends steps up to bat. Carlos Baerga nailing a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Bringing the score to 16-15 heading into the fifth.

The World's Team scores five fucking times in the top of the fifth. Luna losing her shit along the way as Mod, Rook and Casie look at her like she's crazy but Pete and Benny laugh in appreciation of her passion and knowledge. It's the shocking two-run homer by Falcon as his drive to the left slips under the glove of The Great Hafner that truly fucks her up. Screaming WHAT THE FUUUUUCK as she jumps up and Pete laughs while pulling her back down. Rooting for the other team, Luna's soul is torn as Yankees legend, Bernie Williams steps up to bat. With a solo blast to left, Luna silently exchanges a cheering look with Pete for their hometown team as he slams another HomeRun. Pushing the score to 21-15. The World's Team leading hard with six runs at the bottom of the inning.

Cleveland comes to bat one last time. Allie LaForce starting them off with a single and scoring Cleveland another run on a ground ball by Beatriz. It's JR's pop up that gives them their last out. Swiftly stealing Team Cleveland's hopes for comeback. Ending the five inning game at 21-16.

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Hanging out for a bit after, even with the loss Colson's giddy from the mushrooms and happy with his performance. He's in the middle of busting it up with Jamie Fox while Luna talks with Stephanie close by. Casie leaves Rook and Benny to find her dad. Standing next to him, she dangles on his arm while patiently waiting for him to finish his conversation.

"Anyone ever told you how smooth your daddy is?" A middle aged woman asks as she slinks up to the young girl.

Colson forgets about his conversation as he turns around and laughs loudly at her absurdity while Casie physically recoils. Offended by the stranger's words and grasping onto her father's arm, she recovers quickly.

"Yeah. His GIRLFRIEND." Casie fires back with a monotoned voice before perking up. "Hi, Looney!" She exclaims as her face shifts from a scowl to a relieved, bright smile before falling into a smug look that she smoothly shoots at the stranger from the comfort of Luna's presence.

"Hiii, Dilla." Luna coos with her own gleam, having observed the whole scene. "How are you?" She asks the woman as her grin sweetly widens while she acknowledges and glides past her with eye contact and a nod. "You guys ready? We should find The Boys, we gotta get home for dinner." She advises as she ignores the woman and collects her family.

Luna takes Casie by the hand as Colson slips his arm around Luna. Tucking her wounded shoulder safely inside of him as always. Walking away, Casie turns over her left shoulder in between her and Luna. Glaring at the woman, she throws up her middle finger behind her back with her free right hand. Smirking at the woman's shocked reaction before turning back around triumphantly.

On their way home from the baseball field Colson posts the playful picture Rook had taken of him, Casie and Luna on the way to the car out of the park. A smile curling up on his lips as he places the caption. Proving they're always better together.

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"Who needs luck when you got them skills and these two as your biggest fans 🏆❤️💎💯"

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"FUUUUUUUCK, I MISSED YOU!!" Luna exclaims with overwhelmingly vibrant enthusiasm as soon as she walks into the kitchen and sees Sam. Grabbing her into a deep, soul hug, she plunks a huge kiss on her cheek. Squeezing her hand, she drags her around the island to a cooking Ashleigh. "I missed you tooooo, Buddy!" Luna squishes her with a hug from behind as she smooches her cheek also. Noticing two women she doesn't know at the island, she immediately greets them warmly. "Hi! I'm Luna." She smiles at the women as she extends her hand to AJ's wife, Naomi and Dub's girlfriend, Natasha. "It's a pleasure." She beams at them.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. I hope she doesn't know I hit Her Dude." Luna immediately thinks of her mishap with Dub.

"More wine?" She asks as she tests the waters while still dragging Sam along with her to finally sit at the island as she fills the ladies wine glasses. "So tell me.... What's the story mornin' glories?" Luna laughs as she pours herself a glass of wine, figuring that if it's gonna be something... It's gonna be something.

Gathered in the kitchen, the four women talk about all kinds of different things as they get to know each other. Jumping from their individual careers and hobbies to fashion and politics and everything in between. Including the dumb shit their guys do. Sam smiling slyly while Ashleigh shrugs with a Fucking Men as she continues battering chicken. Potatoes are boiling to be mashed and green beans are sautéing. Colson comes into the kitchen to pick at dinner while Ashleigh swats at him. There's a bunch of them over and she's been air frying for over an hour now. Her chicken is NOT to be fucked with.

"What I tell ya, fucking men." Ashleigh mimicks a young Madonna as she clucks her tongue and rolls her eyes.

"Fugkin' MEN, WHAT?" He asks with his hands, imitating a horrible Brooklyn accent before he kisses Ashleigh's cheek.

Laughing at the two of them while shaking her head and standing, Luna watches Casie along with Ashton, Dub's daughter and AJ's two girls. Gazing out at them, she notices how they're very much

like their parents. Rolling and falling all over each other as they rough house around the huge yard. Still in the kitchen and spotting her Polaroid camera in her bag on the counter; Colson snaps a quick picture of Luna without her noticing. Setting the camera back where he found it, he plops a wet kiss in the side of her head to her tilted smile. Walking back into the living room, he shakes the instant photo in his hand. Watching as it slowly creeps into focus, his heart beats faster as it forms.

"FUCK, she's gorgeous." He can't help but smile to himself as he pulls on his wallet chain to tuck it into it's new home safely.

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"DIIINNNNERRR!!!" Ashleigh yells.

Those who aren't already in the kitchen come roaring inside. With almost twenty of them that are functional, they each help carry parts of their meal into the dining room with the expanded table. You'd think they'd be a hot mess but some how they function surprisingly well together. Each naturally gravitating to a job.

Luna counts plates. Sam grabs the green beans, Casie and AJ's daughters collect silverware as Colson places down the napkins. Slim pulls another bottle of white as Mod helps him with beers and lemonade out of the fridge. AJ collecting cups for the kids out of the cabinet. D gets Ashton milk as Rook happily snatches up the bowl of mashed potatoes, salt and pepper. Sneakily dipping his finger into it and taking a bite to Ashleigh's immediate ROOK. Pete strictly limits himself to butter duty, he's too high to handle anything else. Dub and Benny help with the salad, bowls and dressings as Natasha settles their daughter and Ashton at the table. Ashleigh handles the chicken with Naomi, making The Kid's plates first. Kevin's sat down for dinner before anyone, making Baze hop up to grab the Louisiana hot sauce from the fridge upon his judgmental request to everyone's equal shame and laughter.

Dinner is loud as always. Everyone talking over each other as they pass food and condiments during cross table conversations. The Three Dinner Questions are answered by everyone before they talk about the game. Filling Slim and Dub in on Colson's inpark HomeRun. The Boys eventually going on to bust each other's balls as usual while The Women continue to get to know each other and The Kids ask questions about EVERYTHING. Beers and white wine being passed along as quickly as Ashleigh's homemade chicken.

"So, you don't mind the air fryer?" She asks.

"This is air fried?" Dub asks in shock.

"What the FUCK is air fried?" Benny asks with such a panicked authority Luna can't help but laugh; she's never seen him react like that.

"You cook with hot air instead of grease." Ashleigh tries to explain.

"Fuck that voodoo ass nonsense, Ash." Benny drops his chicken and crosses his arms.

"You good, Benz? Cuz you're on some real weird ass shit right now, Pal." Luna lightly laughs again.

"Nah man, that shit ain't right... Fucking air fry... Just sounds like some voodoo shit." Benny sticks to his guns with his arms still crossed.

"What the fuck do you think a microwave is?" Sam scoffs at him. "Talk about unnatural? That's fucking electromagnetic waves verses air, Bro. Get it. Together." She rolls her eyes as she chomps into her chicken leg.

Benny thinks about science for a minute before picking his chicken back up. It's too delicious too deny. Even if it is voodoo chicken.

"Fucking Men." Sam mumbles to Ashleigh's laughter as she shakes her head and enjoys her chicken.

No one else is afraid of air fried chicken. Easily finishing it off. Benny eating five pieces of the devil's work alone. As they sit with full bellies, they start to talk about the up coming week. Colson and AJ having their girls clear the table so that they can work.

"I've got you guys booked for GMA this Thursday." Ashleigh informs Luna and Colson while looking at the calendar on her phone.

"This Thursday? Like four days from now?" Luna asks. "For what?"

"Have you not talked to Jackie?" Ashleigh sighs, sounding like Monica.

"No... It's the Fourth of July Weeknd. I figured she'd start tomorrow." Luna shrugs.

When Ashleigh sighs again Sam, AJ and Rook simultaneously stand up, grabbing odd things the kids had missed off the table and heading into the kitchen. Naomi, Natasha, Baze and Benny follow behind shortly along with Dub and D grabbing their babies. That leaves Luna, Colson, Slim, Kevin and a super stoned Pete. He still has is plate in front of him and is just hangen' out while he figures it out.

"They were supposed to contact her." Ashleigh explains.

"Here... Let's just fucking call her." Luna pulls her phone out and looks for Jackie's number, there's a slight attitude to her tone.

It's not directed at Ashleigh. It's more towards television and MorningTime Bullshit Talk TV. Luna's avoided things like this all of her career. Now it like she's Tom from Tom&Jerry; with fame and over exposure being the rake that constantly keeps smacking her in fucking her face.

"Hello?" Jackie answers on the second ring.

"Hey Jack, it's Loon..." Luna greets her friend. "I got you on speaker with Colson and his manager, Ashleigh..." Luna pauses for them to say Hello. "Uhmmmm... She has me booked for GMA Thursday? Do you know anything about that? Apparently they were supposed to hit you up?" Luna asks.

"Yeah, you didn't get my messages?" Her chipper voice slips through the speakerphone.

"What messages?" Luna asks as Ashleigh cuts her a What The Fuck look.

"The text, email and voicemail I left Friday evening, telling you about the booking... Is there a problem, Loons?" Jackie's sweet Australian accent asks suddenly concerned.

"Yeah. Luna's a jackass who doesn't answer her phone." Colson laughs as he smirks at her.

"Man, fuck you." Luna rolls her eyes but knows that it's true. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, Rolling Stone wants to book you and Colson in September for their October issue... I need whatever IT is...? I got a call from Kimmel for either Nightmare or Bad Things, they don't care which. One for something called Hot Ones. Oh! This is fun... I also got call asking for you to be a judge on RuPaul's drag show! I think you should definitely do that one!" She giggles after rattling off the long list.

"What the fuck.... Why? Ugh." Luna mentally sighs as she rubs her forehead in irritation.

"Hi, Jackie... This is Ashleigh, Colson's manager. I'm gonna take your number if you don't mind. Colson's going back on tour overseas in August, this way we can just coordinate their schedules together." Ashleigh steps in to help out. "Get them booked on the right things... And make sure everyone's communicating." She gives Luna a glance to her grateful smile and playful middle finger in return.

"That's a great idea!" Jackie immediately agrees.

"While we have her on the phone, let's get everyone in here so we can lock down the week." Ashleigh suggests to Luna's nod.

With Baze, AJ, Sammy, Benny, Rook and Mod back in the dining room, they go over the upcoming week. Monday, Luna and Colson are headed to the DMV for her Ohio ID, the courthouse to apply for their marriage license and to Colson's Cleveland jeweler to hopefully find their wedding bands. Deanna's expected in early Tuesday morning to finish the rest of the fittings. Casie is set to head back to her mom's Wednesday evening while Mod flies back to LA and Luna, Colson, The Boys, Sammy, Kevin, Pete and Deanna take off in the other direction to NYC. Thursday is GMA and other business. Sam agrees to call Mikey to see if he'll fly back with them Thursday night to record IT on Friday.

Feeling confident about the upcoming week, Luna takes Jackie off of speaker to talk to her privately. Ashleigh going on to present Colson with a handful of movie scripts as Luna heads out back.

"I need you to do me a favor..." Luna begins. "When I'm in The City on Thursday, I wanna get into my storage unit and pull the things I want in The Brownstone... Can you book movers and make sure it all safely gets there afterwards? I'll give you a key beforehand."

"Yeah... No problem, Loons. You want me to meet you there and help?" Jackie asks.

"If you wouldn't mind, that'd be awesome. Sammy'll probably be with me too." Luna answers.

"Absolutely. I'll meet you Thursday morning in Times Square, Sweetie." Jackie's Australian accent coos before Luna Thanks her and they say GoodBye.

Once off the phone with Jackie, Luna calls Monica. They speak on the details regarding the two new properties Luna's trying to obtain. Luna then goes on to ask Monica about the PreNump. It's ready to be signed, Luna informing her attorney when she'll be in town this upcoming week as they can schedule a meeting.

"I know you don't wanna do this Loons..." Monica tries to comfort Luna before she cuts her off.

"I don't wanna talk about it. I'll see you Thursday. Thanks as always, Mon." Luna quickly ends the conversation.

Walking back into the house, everyone is still gathered at the dining room table. Luna politely asks to talk to Colson and Ashleigh alone.

"What's up?" Colson asks with concern as he fills her wine glass.

"Did you happen to mention the PreNump to Ash?" She asks lowly as she looks over at their friend.

"He did... Why? Is everything okay?" Ashleigh's voice now holds it's own tone of concern.

"Yeah, uhmmmm... I just got off the phone with Monica. It's drawn up and we're set to sign it while we're in NY....." Luna trails.

"But..." Colson leads her as he lights a joint.

"You know I don't want this and I trust Monica with my life but I'd feel so much better if you brought Cyrus to look over it on your behalf." Luna explains to Colson as she takes a sip of her wine. "Do you think you can get him out there with us?" She asks as she turns to Ashleigh.

"I'll call him right now." Ashleigh replies, appreciating Luna's transparency as she calls Colson's private lawyer.

Colson and Luna sit and share the joint as Ashleigh makes the phone call. He gently comforts her worries about the PreNump before they start talking about how they want the performance on GMA to feel. Off the phone, Ashleigh reassures them Cyrus will be at the meeting.

After a while AJ, Dub and Ashleigh collect their families. Spreading Love and GoodByes as Baze and Sam head out with them. Slim not far behind. Leaving Colson, Luna, Casie, Pete, Kevin, Rook, Mod and Benny.

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Casie is tucked safely in bed after her and Colson's tradition of three books and their GoodNight Song. Mod is painting in the living room with Kevin. Benny, Rook and Pete are with them but deeply enthralled in a session of COD. Luna and Colson finally finding some time alone.

Sitting quietly by the edge of the pool, their feet playfully comfort one another's in the cool water as they sit shoulder to shoulder. Vance Joy is dreamily floating from Luna's phone as the moon beams down upon them. Sharing a joint, they go over the day's events. From their dry bubblebath to Colson's InPark HomeRun. Luna takes a deep drag off of the joint as the topic of Jackson finally comes up.

"I know why he kissed you, Loons, I'm a fucking dude." He deadpans as he looks over at her. "It was a pathetic last ditch effort to try to get you to change your mind." Colson looks away from Luna as he hesitates. "Which I hate that I get... Because I wouldn't wanna lose you either." He looks back into her eyes during his last sentence while he laces his fingers into her free hand that's resting beside him. Slightly squeezing it tighter along with what follows. "It's fucking disrespectful though. To you, to me... I still don't get why you had to go down there but I know you had good intentions... And it pisses me off because I feel like he takes advantage of that and your history together. And for real, I know it's not a big deal to you but you left him with a glimmer of hope when you kissed him GoodBye." Air quoting her on the last word.

Colson's now gripping her hand with a worrisome look. Luna finds herself in a unique position. Never one to explain herself but at the same time always knowing when to acknowledge that she's wrong, she gives Colson her own weird look. He's right... And, he's right. She has nothing to protest.

"I..." She begins to agree with him as Colson cuts her off, assuming she's about to argue with him as always.

"Aht." He puts his free hand up that's holding the joint hostage. "I told you. I'm a dude. I know what I'm talkin' about. So fucking stop. You wanna kiss someone GoodBye, kiss em on the God Damn cheek. Or Imma start kissen' bitches GoodBye too." He states firmly as he uses his joint laced hand to adamantly make his point.

Still holding onto Luna's hand tightly, he hits the joint finally. Staring out into the darkness just beyond the pool, they sit silently. Both thinking about his honest words. Puffing hard on the joint, he passes it to Luna. They catch eyes as she reaches for it. Like magnets, they're held there by each other's souls. Both of their blue eyes studying the other's. It's not they're normal challenging stare. It's more of a deep, inquisitive look into one another's truth.

"I'll fucking kill you." Luna lightly chuckles with that half grin that he loves as she holds his gaze and hits the joint seductively.

"EXACTLY." Colson retorts with a belly laugh before she lifts the joint to his lips.

Taking a full hit, he pulls Luna in by her jawbone and delicate neck. Kissing her passionately, he balloons her lungs with his smoke before releasing her. Luna's lungs expand beyond belief, taking Colson's WHOLE hit and the kiss he left on her lips. Exhaling, she coughs her head off.

"That's what you get..." He says with a slightly sarcastic tone as he rubs her back.

Luna proceeds to cough for another minute only for it to feel like forever as Colson shoots a couple more small zingers her way. Looking over at him as she's doubled over, losing a lung, Luna gives Colson the DeathStare. This shuts him up, leaving him to rub her back until she can breathe again after another minute or so.

"You're RIGHT." Luna slightly gasps out, Colson had hit her lungs too hard.

"Why... Wait... What??" Colson looks around the backyard in his honest confusion before scrunching his face up at Luna.

"I agree with you." Luna shrugs as she takes his arm and wraps it around herself. Nestling into him, she explains her logic. "He was disrespectful to both of us and our relationship... That's not cool. That's not fair and that's certainly not friendship. I would hope that you DO know that, THAT part of my life is bigger than Jackson..." They're both staring out into the star sprinkled and city line laced abyss as they talk.

"I do..." Colson sighs. "What are you getting at?" Knowing that Luna doesn't give details for no reason.

Sitting up, she turns to him. "I'd like for Opie to be at our Cleveland wedding. Along with his wife, dad and my niece and nephew..."

"I thought you didn't like kids?" Colson teases her under the midnight sky.

"I mean... I don't. Not REALLY." Luna lightly laughs at herself for a moment before thinking about it; she's slightly amazed by how many kids she truly interacts with and loves with her WHOLE heart without even realizing it.

"I'm teasing you, Buttercup." Colson pulls on her by the shoulders as he leans in closer to kiss the side of her head. "I know they're important to you... Invite who you need. Just not FUCKING Jackson. Or Tommy... Actually, you know what? Offer 'em both tickets to EstFest. On me." Colson looks at her smugly as he waits for her reaction to his new idea.

"No. That's not necessary." Luna answers after she hits the joint a few times before passing it back. "I may need to invite his mother though..." Luna looks over at Colson with a worrisome look. 

"Who's?" Colson asks with a slight attitude.

"Jackson's mom, Gemma. Out of respect." Before Colson can to begin to argue with her she reminds him of Old Codes to his understanding sigh. "I don't know though because of my Mom-Mom..." Luna trails at the end.

Their joint is long gone. Luna and Colson sit together quietly again, still side by side as they pass a fresh one back and forth. Saying what she needed to, Luna waits for Colson to speak.

"I'll make you a deal..." Colson finally breaks their silence as he passes her the joint. "I'll support whatever you feel is right for our private ceremony... As long as you let me record all of EstFest for a special Kelly Vision. Behind the scenes and all." He offers up his compromise with a cocky smirk.

The idea of recording their EstFest Wedding has been brewing in his head for a minute now. Knowing Luna hates feeling exposed, he had thought of a thousand different ways to convince her to do it. Now, Colson sees his shot free and clear and he's not missing it. In his mind, it also won't hurt his ego to have Jackson's Mommy watch as Luna takes him as Her Only either.

"Like all weekend?" Luna asks with a terrified look as she passes back the bone.

"ALLLL weekend." Colson grins as he takes a satisfied hit, knowing he has her on the hook.

"Fine..." Luna sighs, annoyed by whatever Buttercup shit just came out of his mouth beforehand and the fact that she's pretty sure Gemma won't dare come because of Patti but only mentioned it as a precaution; while simultaneously deciding it's all worth it to prove whatever point or loyalty to Colson that he needs.

"Thanks, Kitten." Colson pulls her closer with his draped arm still around her as he kisses the side of her head again, feeling bad for slightly manipulating her. "You can sit in on editing if you want..." He offers as he passes the shrinking joint.

"I'd fucking hope so." Luna scoffs before hitting it. "Considering you're basically talking about our wedding video."

"Shit... I didn't think about it like that." Colson admits.

"Yeah..." Luna exhales through her hit. "I didn't hire a photographer because it never struck me until now." She answers with her hands out as she yawns.

"No sweat, I'll hit up Wozy... I'm sure he'd love to do it." Colson reassures her with another kiss to the head.

"You ready to go tomorrow?" Luna asks him softly.

"Where? To the DMV or the courthouse?" Colson teases her.

"To the fucking courthouse, you Asshole." She chuckles as she slightly jabs him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Definitely. More than anything." He answers as he pulls her face in with his oversized hand to kiss her. "You?" He asks, letting his hand drop to fully study her as his eyes slightly darken.

"Absolutely." She smiles at him with That One Look, pulling him in now with both of her hands.

Luna kisses Colson passionately as his firm hands roam her body. With their tongues twisting inside their kiss, Colson pops back and grins against her lips. Pressing his lips onto her mouth with force, he breaks away slightly to grin again. This time wider. Rocking her slowly inside his hold as he begins to kiss her again, he picks up his pace. Realizing what he's doing, Luna starts to panic.

"Colson!! Nooo!!" Luna shouts as he throws them both into the pool.

Popping her head up, Luna spits out a mouth full of water at Colson. Making him quickly dunk her again. He pulls her up with his strong arms and plants a solid kiss on her sputtering lips. Still in their clothes, Luna wraps her body around his as they begin to heavily make out. Pulling off their wet clothing, they let the articles carelessly float around the pool as Colson guides her body to the side of the pool. Kissing all over her neck as he slowly pushes himself into her warm pussy. She gasps with a purring shudder as he hits her back wall.

"YOU. ARE FUCKING MINE." Colson's deep voice causes Luna to moan out in pleasure as he tangles his fingers in her wet hair and thrusts deeper inside of her.

The demanding authority in his voice has Luna bucking against him wildly. Pulling on his hair as she bites down on his shoulder and cums easily for him. Sliding safely back Home once more, Colson grips Luna's ribcage tightly.

"Oooooh, FUUUUUCK!!" He growls out as his body shakes and he releases himself inside of Luna while the water flows around their orgasms.

"Still mad?" Luna asks sweetly as she nibbles on his ear.

Not mad but definitely still hard, Colson drives himself further inside of Luna. She gasps again at his length and girth, her body twitches and she lowly purrs as her insides wrap themselves around him.

"This dick your only dick?" He taunts while pleased by her reaction.

"Mhhm..." Luna moans as she kisses him.

Unable to contain her desire for him, Luna starts grinding against Colson's solid dick. Leading them to fuck each other again feverishly in the pool. Sloppy, wet kisses land everywhere before Luna clutches onto Colson's body. Letting him take all that he wants from her. Again and again.

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

To be continued...

[letsperaltiago]

we’ll sweep out the ashes in the morning |CHAPTER 7|

Even in the middle of New York's freezing month of February, a scandalous familiar fire is ignited within Jake and Amy when they run into each other after years apart. Luckily there's nothing wrong with being caught up in a fire that has to die out soon, right?

Read chapter here or on AO3 

CHAPTER MASTERLIST HERE

Being a cop, experiencing so much harm, hopelessness, chaos and everything in-between, was the hardest thing he’d ever have to handle.

Or that’s what he thought right up until the moment Jake stood on the doorstep to Sophia and, weirdly, his apartment in an attempt to get himself to come forward and confess to what he’d done - or just knock on the door would be a good start. For the last minutes, he didn’t even remember how many at that point, he’d been restlessly pacing back and forth outside the front door to their, his and Sophia’s, so-called “home”. But it being Brooklyn it was probably just a matter of time before someone would call the cops on him since he did look kind of disturbed and creepy: he couldn’t keep pacing forever.

His heart was beating so fast; so fast he was absolutely persuaded of having never experienced any similar feeling before. Another thing he noticed, he could’ve sworn, was that he could hear every pumping movement his heart uttered, which made no sense considering he simultaneously felt lightheaded and like no oxygen was getting to his brain. Man, he had messed up so hard. Not only with Amy, but with Sophia too.

Nevertheless he didn’t get much more time to consider, suffer and make up his mind, in reality none at all, because a loud repetitive knock from inside the apartment beat him to it and completely threw him off guard.

“Who’s there!?” he could hear a woman’s voice yell from inside the apartment: Sophia, of course. Her sounding upset was an understatement. “I’ve been hearing pacing and mumbling for the past 5 minutes so don’t act like no one’s there! I can and will call the police!”

Oh, shit - no more time to think. He had to just jump, head in first and… do whatever he could. Either that or cops, probably from his own precinct, would be there to arrest him within 5 minutes.

“No no no, please don’t! It’s me Jake!”

The yelling and warning bangs from her side of the door seized but probably not because, if he knew her well enough, she was relieved. Not that he’d expected her to be though; he couldn’t even begin to imagine how she was feeling, abandoned by the person whom she thought she would spend the rest of her days with, and now, without her knowledge, he was back to make it even worse.

“Can we talk?” He called out.

Silence. 5… 10… 15… seconds.

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about, Jake. I think where you stand has been made very clear.”

Venom coursed through her voice, every syllable, word and sound, which Jake couldn’t even blame her for: he deserved it. All she’d done was love him, saying yes to loving him forever when he had asked her to marry him, and all it’d gotten her was being left on her wedding day; being cheated on though she wasn’t even aware of this. Yet.

“You don’t have to say anything; you don’t even have to look at me… I just need to-“ he cut himself off trying to think of the right words to say though he knew nothing would ever be perfectly right. “I need to come clean: lay it all out on the table. I’m a the world’s biggest dick, and I’m not here to try to convince you of the opposite… Let me just explain a few things, okay? Please, Sophia…”

A sigh full of regret put a period to what he had to say; what he could say as he stood outside the gates to confession waiting to learn if his admission of guilt would be welcomed. On top of this he also felt deep regret knowing he’d hurt an incredible woman, knowing he could’ve acted so much more wisely, but also at the same time not regretting every moment he’d gotten with Amy.

Then, to his surprise, the door swung open revealing an exhausted-looking Sophia clad in sweatpants and being the exact opposite of what he knew her for: put together, cool, always on the move, determined. He’d done this to her and, if possible, he now hated himself even more.

“Hey,” to say smiling felt inappropriate was some understatement as he put on a weak one, but he didn’t know what else to do. Scream? Cry? He sure did feel like it. The smile ended up being the less weird option although it didn’t earn him one in return and that was okay.

Another tense silence, one more than before now that the door was no longer present as a buffer between them, crept up the stairs to where they were by the front door. It immediately let Jake know that no, he probably shouldn’t expect to be let in.

“I don’t have time for small talk, Jacob. Get to the point.”

Jacob. Oh, he was in so much trouble.

“Eh- okay,” his hands shifted uncomfortably in his jean’s front pocket, he took a deep breath and then jumped into the freezing ocean of truth: eyes closed, head first, can’t lose.

“So, first of all, I know this must mean nothing to you which is far beyond understandable, but just wanna say, again, how so very sorry I am for what I did to you - to us…” he paused to see if he should expect some kind of answer, reaction, the bare minimum but alas no. The only moving she did was crossing her arms defensively in front of her chest as if she was gearing up for war. His most qualified guess was that this was his cue to continue.

“…and I’m not here to rub salt in the wound and this might be selfish, I’m not really sure anymore, but I need to tell you the truth. The whole truth.”

This to some extent seemed to catch Sophia’s attention, a sudden curiosity lighting up her darker than usual eyes as if she was a kid who’s just been told they’re going to be let in on a secret. Only this secret surely wouldn’t make her feel any good.

“A few months back, in February, something happened and I already should’ve told you back then but I didn’t because I was a confused and a huge stupid coward and I didn’t know how to tell you.”

From the look on her face Jake could tell that Sophia was slowly starting to put the pieces together. It was only a matter of words, no matter how carefully picked they were on his part, before she would crack the code and know. The secret would be out with taking it back being no option.

“Remember that night I said I was going to Shaw’s with a friend from work?” he tried, not expecting an answer but hoping she’d recall which would allow him to spare her from the details.

Then a look of realisation, the last puzzle piece falling into its designated spot consumed the look on his almost-wife’s face. He could physically see the microsecond it all came together in her mind and it felt like witnessing someone pulling the safety pin of a grenade, and now he had to stay, stand his ground, and handle the explosion.

“Y-you…” she stammered before closing her eyes as to compose herself after the shock of the truth bomb. “You… cheated on me?” he could tell the word was laced with venom, tasting horridly in her mouth as she couldn’t believe she had to say it. “And you didn’t even have the balls to tell me!?” within seconds her voice transitioned from disbelief to loud, ringing anger.

What else could he do but comply? He knew he was the traitor; the culpable; the one in the wrong.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t give a shit about your apologies! I was here, by your side, working my ass off for this wedding and us, meanwhile you were out and about screwing some chick?”

The flinch Jake’s face upon hearing Amy be put on a par with ‘some random girl he’d just screwed’ was in no way discreet, and Sophia of course noticed. It was indeed inevitable that their relationship was over Jake knew that Sophia knew him well - they’d been together for long and about to get married after all. Also, she was a lawyer so there was really no where for him to hide. Her entire demeanour quieted down upon internally analysing the facts.

Jake Peralta, a good guy with no scandalous past, goes out to get drinks with “someone from work” and cheats on her, flinches when she belittles this other woman…

“I know her, don’t I?”

Perhaps yes he was coming clean about everything but still he didn’t exactly feel like exclaiming the mystery woman’s identity. Alas the silence he met Sophia with was enough of an answer. The wheels continuously turned inside her mind, so loud that Jake could’ve sworn that he could actually hear it.

Jake Peralta. Good guy. No scandalous past or track record. Drinks. “Someone from work”. Flinch.

There must be feeling involved. She knows her.

“Someone from work,” Sophia repeated out loud as to speed up the answer coming to her. It was all one big mess in her head but somehow comes together forming a perfectly clear answer.

“Amy… “ she tasted the name on her tongue trying to find the second half of it. “… Amy Santiago. The girl you used to work with back at the Nine-Nine.”

Another silence; another answer; another soundless yes. Suddenly Jake wished he’d never told Sophia about Amy. The two women had never met, but of course Jake couldn’t enter a relationship without bringing home a lot of shop talk, which involved anecdotes and pictures about his squad: ex-partner Santiago who’d by then moved on to work with Major Crimes included

“I can’t believe you went out and screwed an old colleague while I sat at home like the good, naive wife-to-be!” She cursed loudly after having gotten over the big blow of the mistress’ reveal. Jake flinched having no defence as he knew very well that he deserved the rough treatment. What he’d done to her was inconsolable and unforgivable.

“Fuck you, Jake,” her eyes and words were equally life-draining as they dug into him like daggers. “Fuck you for being with me, fuck you for telling me you loved me, for you for building a life with me, fuck you for proposing and the biggest of all fuck yous for almost leading me into a what was already a dead-end marriage.”

By then, having already threatened moments ago but had only actually fallen in the midst of her last outburst, tears were falling on her cheeks.

“I deserve every single ‘fuck you’ you have to offer and I’m so sorry, Sophia. Really, I truly deeply am and, not that it matters now, but I did love you and still do… It’s just-“

“I’m not her,” she finished his sentence for her making it much simpler than whatever long, intricate explanation he would end up forming. And she suddenly looked very calm; upsettingly calm and settled even.

Jake froze. He knew he was thinking it but didn’t exactly expect Sophia to catch up on it so fast.

“You might be the world’s worst person to me right now, and I’m not about to forgive it…” Her eyes for the first time tonight, through the tears, showed a sign of sadness, regret even, rather than anger like she’d come to realise something. “… But I also know that you’re a man who does love and probably did love me, even though it doesn’t feel like it right now, which is also why I know you would never do this to me if there wasn’t someone you…” she halted as if the words didn’t want to come out of her. “… if there wasn’t someone you loved even more, and I don’t want to be with you if there’s someone out there you love more than me. I don’t want to waste my life being someone’s number two: I jut wish you’d told me earlier… Or simply in a way that didn’t include screwing around.”

Jake had never considered the fact that perhaps he had what resembled love for Amy, but hearing Sophia somehow explain his mess to him though she was the victim, it suddenly seemed more clear and obvious than ever before.

“You’re worth much more than I can offer you, Sophia… And I’m sorry I didn’t communicate that properly.”

“Well…” his almost-wife had seemed to calm down although the clenching feeling in his gut, guilt, would surely stick around for some time. “Just make sure to at least offer that Amy something equal her worth. Don’t be an idiot twice.”

Jake nodded trying to change it all in; the switch in tone and mood, all the new facts hitting him harder than a storm.

“Did she know?” Sophia quizzed again after a moment of silence.

“What?”

“That you had me?  That you were engaged?”

“Oh, uh…” Jake frowned hating that he knew the answer. Even though it didn’t matter he didn’t want what she did that night to represent Amy. But he couldn’t lie. Not anymore. “Yeah, I think… I believe I mentioned it.”

“Well,” Sophia took a moment to compose herself, grabbing the door as to get ready to close it. “Then perhaps you’re already offering her something equal to her worth.”

-

Between the confessing to Sophia and trying to win Amy back (is it ‘back’ if he never really had her?) Jake’s having a week from hell, and it very quickly turns out that talking to Sophia very surprisingly comes down to being the easiest task of the two.

It was a dark evening with clouds assembling threatening to spill rain and thunder covering the sky. Perhaps the weather knew how he felt; hopeless, somber, alone. After obviously not being able to stay in his and Sophia’s apartment anymore he’d offered to take the high road and move out - or at least move himself out along with a bag of clothes and bare necessities. The rest of his stuff would come around once he’d found a new place to call his own.

Until then he crashed at Charles’ which both he, Genevieve and especially nephew Nikolaj immensely enjoyed. Although he seemed not as happy and joking as usual, Nikolaj noticed, there was nothing better than spending evenings playing with his priceless collection of trucks and uncle Jake who always impressed him with conniving truck-sounds.

But as soon as the darkness and the moon reigned over New York, when Niko and his parents were fast asleep and the apartment was dead silent, Jake was left to himself in the guest room to ponder endlessly and hating himself so much more. At least during the day he could repress and distract himself from these thoughts and feelings.

The end of him and Amy, though he barely even knew what that meant anymore, suddenly seemed inevitable. Turned out that getting back in contact with a person whose trust you’d lost was harder than one would think - especially when you were obsessed, dying to be with said person, and she wouldn’t answer any calls, texts or voicemails which would allow you to explain.

Jake experienced this first hand as he dialled her number only to be met with her by now all too familiar voicemail.

“Ames, it’s me for the…” he took a brief glance at his phone immediately feeling slightly embarrassed by the sight of call list. “… 4th time today (20th time this week). Please, I’m begging you, pick up. I talked to Sophia and I’m-“ he searched his mind for the perfect words to say but they seemed so far gone, used up and meaningless by now. It already felt like he’d tried every way of wording possible to explain his renewed, honest intentions.

A deep sigh filled the pause before he preceded, slowly feeling himself slipping and giving up. “I miss you. I never meant to hurt you, and I know nothing will undo that I in fact did but please let me explain. I’m at Charles’. I’m staying here until I can find a new place to live and, yeah, Sophia is no longer in the picture. It’s just you, Amy. I just want you. Please call me back - or even just a text would be good too.”

He hung up before putting down his phone and turning over to lie sleeplessly, one more night to add to the list, in his lonely borrowed bed.

To no one’s surprise, least of all Jake’s, this declaration and plead number 20 wasn’t the one to convince Amy of giving him the time of day either. There was no way over, under or around the fact that she simply didn’t want to hear from him, and even less let him hear anything back. Though he was dying to explain himself, wanting nothing more than run to her apartment and kick down her door, tell her he wanted her,  he also knew that wasn’t the way things worked. Maybe in movies but not in real life with real people, real feelings and real consequences.

No matter how badly he needed and missed her he respected her wishes, which seemingly was not seeing him. Giving up on her felt wrong, unreal and excruciating when just five days ago he’d been lying in bed with her in his arms in the warm morning sunlight. And though he wasn’t officially about to back down and give in to the screwed up circumstances that had gotten them here, there sure wasn’t much motivation left in him but one thing: Amy.

Seeing Amy. Talking to Amy. Apologising to Amy. Admiring Amy. Touching Amy. Loving Amy, someday when that word seemed rational. Anything with Amy, he wanted it and would go to great lengths to earn it.

That, all that, he hoped, would be enough to mend them again someday hopefully soon.

[macybeckham7]

Fluff Alphabet- Trent Alexander Arnold

A- Attractive {what do they find attractive about the other?}

He finds everything about you attractive, but especially your accent. He just loves your voice in general and just loves listening to you speak.

B- Baby{do they want a family? why/why not?}

You are both still young but he can definitely see himself spending the rest of his life with you and starting a family of his own.

C- Cuddle {how do they cuddle?}

He loves cuddling you! You head resting on his shoulder as his arm wraps around your waist and squeezes you.

D- Dates {what are dates with them like?}

You both loving finding new places in Liverpool, you guys are always in a swanky new bar drinking and dancing just enjoying each other's company.

E- Everything {you are my ____ (e.g my life, my world...)}

You are my sunshine. You are always the reason for him being in a good mood and a big goofy smile on his face.

F- Feelings {When did they know they were in love?}

It was after your third date and he invited you to a family dinner, seeing you get on with his parents and grandparents, as well as some of the younger members he loved how quickly you fitted in. Seeing you with his mum just made him realise how special you were and how he needed to keep you in his life.

G- Gentle {are they gentle? If so, how?}

He is quite boyish, always treating you like one of his brothers, play fighting, tickling you or putting you in a headlock. He tries to make sure that he doesn't hurt you but he is always up for a bit of roughhousing.

H- Hand {Hand/Hold how do they like to hold hands?}

You both usually hold onto eachothers fingers or link your little fingers together rather than fully holding hands out in public.

I- Impression { first impression/s}

When he first met you he instantly fell in love with your accent and loved how down to earth you were. When you first met him you thought how sweet and innocent he was.

J- Joker{ are they into pulling pranks?}

He loves pulling pranks and getting you involved to pull one over on his brothers or getting your ideas to pull some sort of pranks on Ox and Hendo while they are away.

K- Kisses{how do they kiss?}

He loves kissing you! It doesn't matter where you guys are or doing he is always kissing you. It doesn't matter he'd kiss any part of you and any given time.

L- Love { who says I love you first?}

You both were nervous saying it first if the other person wasn't feeling the same. But you said it first after a match and he was so happy and overwhelmed he just cried on your shoulder.

M- Memories {their favourite moment together?)

After the UCL final, you ran over to him and just engulfed him in a massive hug, you both just couldn't stop smiling at each other. The after party was just you both dancing on tables both completely out of it. The thing about it all is the photos of you guys on the pitch with the trophy. He loved being able to have his dream come true with you by his side.

N- Nickel {do they spoil? do they buy the person they love everything?}

He usually spoils you with football jerseys, every match he asks you whose jersey you want to add to your collection. He usually gets who ever you have asked for and has even got the player to write a little message for you! He just loves your reaction every time he returns home with your favourite players jersey.

O- Orange {what colour reminds them of their other half?}

Red. He loves it when you are at Anfield wearing his jersey singing as loudly as you can, screaming for him.

P- Pet Names {what pet names do they use?}

'Baba' or 'sweetheart'

Q- Quaint {what is their favourite non-modern thing?}

He always says there is nothing better than reading a book or a newspaper, he knows he could get them through his devices but he loves physically holding a book and turning pages.

R - Rainy Day {what do they like to do on a rainy day?}

When it's raining outside it's game day/night. You usually invite the family round or Hendo and some of the boys. You play UNO or snooker or even chess, let's just say the day/night gets pretty lively!

S- Sad {how do they cheer themselves/each other up}

Whenever he is under the weather he calls you, just hearing your voice and listen to how your day has gone, just makes him feel happier

T- Talking{what do they love to talk about?}

He loves talking about football and golf, but also his family and you. (Very generic but I don’t know much about the guy 😂)

U- Unencumbered {What helps them relax?}

Playing chess, it keeps his mind of things that he is worrying about. Or he loves putting on some music and just dancing around the house with you.

V- Vaunt {what do they like to show off? What are they proud of?}

Lately it's been his UCL medal, whoever comes round he just shows it off, never letting anyone touch it and if they do he is instantly polishing it again. You just watch him as he just talks about the night, knowing how much it means to him as a player and a fan of Liverpool.

W - Wedding {when, how, where do they propose?}

He'd propose to you while you are on your annual trip to LA, he'd do it while you are on a hike to the Hollywood sign, on your little break you are gulping down your water, you turn around and just see him kneeling down with a ring in his hand.

X- Xylophone {What's their song?}

The Beatles. When you first got together you were always playing the Beatles around him, you were always singing a song of theirs.

Y- You {the ___ to my ___ (e.g the cookies to my milk, the macaroni to my cheese)}

‘You’re the Kanye to my Kanye’ - because you are both quite obsessed with each other.

‘you’re my she to my naniagans’ - because you are both always up to something that you shouldn’t be.

Z- Zebra {if they wanted a pet, what pet would they get?}

You get a British short haired cat which you both decide to call him ‘Gerard’ it was your idea but you were joking and you weren’t really expecting him to agree with you. But a year on you have a cat which goes by the name Steven Gerard.

[2-fandom-2-furious]

A Roadtrip with the Hargreeves Would Include

A/N: God I loved this prompt, thank you for requesting this. I wrote this under the pretenses that Klaus is sober and still working on helping Ben be corporeal, and that it takes place in a state of ‘almost canon but not quite’. The apocalypse? Don’t know her. Harold Jenkins? Never heard of him. I mean really, who needs the stress? (I’m just kidding, I only did it this way because I wanted this to be upbeat) Anyway, I hope I did well with this, and that you enjoy! :) (and sorry it’s so short gdjksaksdajhjgfhe)

-the whole trip takes place in a van

-could you have rented an RV? Very much so, yes

-did you? No

-honestly, considering that you as a group have 3 collective brain cells, it didn’t even occur as an idea

-so, van it is

-I want you to imagine a compilation of every kind of music taste and genre, forcefully smashed together and played through a barely-working set of speakers

-that’s the playlist you listen to

-everybody chips in with their own songs, and it is not good

-15 minutes on the road and it’s turned off

-(Klaus argues to turn it back on every time it’s even a little quiet in the van)

-Five wants to drive

-he almost gets to, tbh, but none of you are in the mood to get pulled over, so he gets shotgun instead

-all of the luggage is kept in the back by you and Klaus

-Ben has to sit on the luggage because there are no free seats, and he is pissed

-Klaus relays this to you often

-Luther and Diego argued for almost an hour before leaving over who was gonna drive

-Luther won, and Diego is bitter

-nobody thought to eat anything or go to the bathroom before leaving, so you end up stopping several times over the course of the first hour

-eventually, when you stop to get gas, everyone agrees that just stocking up on snacks now would be a better idea than stopping at every other McDonald’s

-so there you are, the Hargreeves and yourself, running free in a 7/11

-did you know they’ll kick you out if you drink slushie mix directly from the machine? Because Klaus knows, but he doesn’t care

-Allison goes absolutely buckwild buying Little Debbie cakes

-Vanya gets enough mini bags of lays to live off of for three weeks

-Luther buys one of the $1 hotdogs (that’s probably been there for at least a few days) to eat before getting back on the road, and everyone silently judges him for it, except for Diego, who judges him loudly

-Luther eats the hotdog in 2 bites, and you are simultaneously horrified and amazed

-every time you stop, Klaus manages to turn the music up again without anyone noticing, which is quite a feat considering he sits in the very back with you

-official seating chart: Luther and Five up front, Vanya, Allison, and Diego in the middle row, and you, Klaus, Ben and some luggage in the back row

-Klaus hisses at Ben and various other siblings a total of 6 times during the drive, and it never ceases to be amusing

-a few times you’ll be able to see and hear Ben (thanks to Klaus remaining sober) and his responses to literally everything are so funny

- Luther: *accidentally spills drink on himself*

- Ben: can we get an f in the chat?

-Vanya naps for most of the ride, but when she’s awake she’s actually in a pretty good mood

-if you’re quiet, you can hear her hum to some of the songs when the radio is on

-it’s pure

-Allison planned a bunch of tourist traps to stop at and they’re actually surprisingly fun

-Klaus gives a very dramatic and enthusiastic telling of the time he got his foot stuck in concrete outside of a farmers market (which is a surprisingly explicit tale, you find) in front of a family with three small children. That gets you and the rest of the Hargreeves forcefully removed from the ‘Mystery spot’ gift shop

-but never fear! Allison planned a ton more than that, including, but not limited to: the international cryptid museum, Ben and Jerry’s flavor graveyard, and something only ominously referred to as ‘the thing’

-you stop at several small gift shops, just for the novelty of it

-they never got to do this as children, so it’s almost like they’re catching up on their missed experiences

-bittersweet, yes, but leaning much more towards ‘sweet’ than ‘bitter’

-the radio is only ever turned up to full volume once during the entire trip, and it’s because ‘Thrift Shop’ comes on

-Klaus, Diego, and Allison scream the words, Luther doesn’t know what’s going on, Five is annoyed, and Vanya is amused

-Only Klaus can see him at this point in time, but you know damn well Ben was also singing

- Klaus: The sneaker heads be like-

- Ben: Aw, he got the velcros!

- For his usual snark, Five is actually not too bad during the trip

-he’s still sassy as hell, but just,,, gentler

- he’s happy to be with his family (and you!) but for the love of god don’t point that out in front of him, he will commit a war crime

-Diego gets over not being the driver after 2 and a half fucking hours and gets involved in e v e r y conversation that starts up

-he also doesn’t hesitate to, rather enthusiastically, talk about boxing matches he’s won

-he’s won a lot of them

-inbetween Diego’s tales, Allison talks about Claire, and it’s pretty damn wholesome

- “Claire used to try eating stickers, especially the scratch n sniff ones, so we had to take them awa-”

- “LET HER EAT THEM, COWARD”

-Somebody added ‘Rocketman’ to the playlist, and Luther is Not Amused. He doesn’t just turn it down a bit, he turns that shit OFF

-No one comments. No one needs to

-halfway through the trip, one of you starts using horrendous amounts of slang and it sets off a chain reaction

- Klaus: sksksksksksksksksk

- Allison: ooh this tea is SCORCHING

- Vanya: sister snapped, wig flew

- Five: oof the callout

- Luther,  nearly trembling: please just stop

-overall, the trip takes almost an extra day more than it was supposed to

-everybody is bone-tired and cranky on the way back, except for Klaus and, surprisingly, Luther

-And Ben, of course, since the effects of the physical realm don’t really bother him that much, but,,,

-everyone sleeps like a baby when they get home, especially Allison, who is VERY happy she got to spend time with everyone with minimal fighting

[intj-and-enfp-blog]

the types as people i know (by an intj)

intj (not me tho) -“yeah i got into medical school quite easily honestly if you try even a little what’s the problem” -good at almost everything -gives the best advice -high standards for art and music -has never heard of taking breaks -really deep emotions secretly -science is art -unique humour that’s hard to describe? like they never tell jokes they just say things in a way that’s hilarious

entj -would 10/10 run for president -Gets Shit Done -speaks loudly -rly confident -has a lot to say -everybody knows them -incredibly creative but somehow approaches it ironically -gives great hugs -also shows affection by suggesting ways u can improve -they protec -they attac

istj -so intelligent i’m screaming -knows so much -huge but fragile ego  -friendly with everyone -glares at ppl a lot tho -wants power -everything has it’s order and don’t u dare change it -secretly sentimental -corrects ur grammar

estj -works 24/7 -cares too much about [insert franchise] -seriously don’t criticise it even jokingly -will cut u -studies law and philosophy -suddenly rly bad at arguments once feelings r involved -we talked about space and philosophy a lot when we were close sigh

istp -can’t plan for shiT -is in charge of planning at their job???? why the fuck -glares at everyone -speaks loudly -drives a motorcycle, the stereotype lives

estp -jokes in class constantly -somehow intimidatingly funny -asks annoying questions -reads the chat on ur phone while ur texting, out loud -asks u to repeat something slightly embarrassing u just did

isfp -so soft -wears black exclusively  -strong aesthetic -doodles in class -their writing is TINY -likes to talk about rly personal stuff or not at all -just wants to help -a hoe for vinyl

esfp -the smoothest person I’ve ever met -hilarious -ripped™ -eats chips at all times tho??? -amazing dancer -great taste in music -soft and affectionate af if they love u -u might be surprised how empathetic they r -rly dosen’t want to have to think about the future -either ready to party or wants u to leave them alone

infj -way too soft for everyone and everything -somebody help them -always on tumblr -reblogs cheesy motivational quotes -shy and in ur face at the same time -loves books but mainly as a concept -the best way to stay calm at a party is to find the local pet

enfj -way too soft somebody help them dear god -a teacher but can’t tell u when ur answer is wrong bc they don’t wanna hurt ur feelings -harmony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -politically correct -gives useless advice but feels great about it -wants to change the world and make everyone happy -life dream to be a parent

isfj -replies to ur message in 30 seconds -so sweet but it’s unexpected -likes intellectual discussions  -rly quiet usually -their partner is their number 1 priority tbh -loves history & greek mythology

esfj -everybody knows them -they know everybody -once got a social award just for being a nice person -good hair and nice clothes -always brings home-cooked meals in tupperware -is rly good with kids -asks u what u put as ur answer on a personality test -has their life together -no one knows y tho bc they’re always oblivious to what’s going on

intp -never in my life has anyone made me laugh so much -actual meme god -somehow both confident and awkward -incredibly intelligent but doesn’t give a shit about school  -that’s why dumb teachers were surprised to see them succeed academically after school -wings everything but get’s through with it

entp -smooth and funny wow -knows so much wtf -if u ask them about a topic they will tell u about it for 20 hours without stopping -science!!! -can’t decide on a career bc everything is so interesting and also so boring -i know 6 people who have a crush on them -oblivious™ to that -flirts with everybody

infp -strong ass philosophy on life -will roast both u and themselves  -angst -self deprecating memes -wants to do theatre but doesn’t -incredible at foreign languages -tbh soft but not v expressive with emotions

enfp -ppl think they’re Mysterious and Broody and Emotionless -bubbly if u get close to them -is actually a dog -rly soft -affectionate with friends -thinks about magic a lot probably -most emotionally intelligent person i know -the only person i actually like

[vividlybnha]

Tea and Text Bubbles

Warning: Fluff and v minor sexual mention

Word Count: 2775

Relationship: Inko x Toshinori

Author’s Note: This is my first time writing for them so I hope i got their characters on point!! <3

Toshinori didn’t recognize the new number on his phone. He didn’t even know anyone outside of the select few he kept in his life that would want to contact him. Before he could implore the numerous more possibilities of who wanted to contact him and why, his phone got another ping.

Hello! This is Midoriya’s Mother, Inko Midoriya. Is this Toshinori?

Toshinori could feel the whole world stop. He just faintly heard the pen clinking against his mug, along with his papers that dropped to the floor.

“Dangit.”

He could feel the eyes gazing at him from the other tables in the teacher's lounge. You’d think that even with all the years as a hero under his belt he would be used to eyes on him. His spine crawls with anxiety. And yet here he is.

After sitting down, papers and all he finally looks back at his phone. A few new messages appeared on his screen.

I figured that since you and my son have such close ties so should we!

If this is Toshinori that is?

Toshinori can feel his heart leap into his throat. Was social interaction always this scary? He presses the pads of his fingers into the buttons on the phone. After a minute of typing and erasing and more typing and then more erasing he finally found his words.

Yes, I’m Toshinori. I agree that we should have contact. :)

That seemed formal enough, mixed with a soft emoji. This is what normal adults did and he was doing it right. Right? God, he hopes he is doing this right.

“Oooh! Someone is getting contact!” Hizashi squeals in his ear as he bumps his hip. Toshinori flushes and waves his hands, fully ready to clear up the mess before it becomes any worse.

“Oh! The all-powerful All Might is going to be getting in contact? How sensual.” Nemuri drags one long nail up from under his sharp chin. He felt a cough rise in his throat.

It just got way worse.

“That's not it! I swear! It's nothing like that!”

Hizashi throws an arm over Toshinori’s leaning closer to read the text.

“Oh! With a smiley face like that, you can’t even lie!” He lets out a loud laugh and throws himself onto Toshinori.

Nemuri rest on his other arm, head laying on his skinny bicep. “A smiley face? How scandalous.” She is basically purring while Hizashi is throttling him.

Is this what his hero career has lead to?

He only sees the large hand when it pushes Hizashi off of him (which Hizashi responds with by dramatically flailing to the floor). Aizawa comes into the picture, scowling as always and Toshinori is so close to praying to him for coming to the rescue.

“Leave him alone you idiots. Can’t you tell he is uncomfortable?” He folds his arms in disapproval. Nemuri only cuddles closer into his arm.

“But you know how much I just love to teas-” And then with a swift hand pushing her face back she is sprawled across the floor with Hizashi. Both loudly complaining that they were just having fun.

Toshinori quietly thanks Aizawa with a look and Aizawa gives a subtle nod back. A man of few words, as always. He moves to pull the two heroes away from the absolute wreck of a scene until he brings a heavy hand to Toshinori’s shoulder and pats him.

“Good luck with that contact by the way.”

That throws him into a coughing fit but Toshinori doesn’t miss the little smirk Aizawa gives him as he drags his friends away and all Toshi wants to do now is hide under his desk and scream. But his phone gives off another ping and Toshi gives it all his attention. Anything to think about anything other than the contact.

I know this might seem a bit forward but how about you come over for tea?

There is another pop up of bubbles and then his phone pings again.

Or we can go out! Whatever you want! Sorry if this weird! You can decline if you want!

And usually Toshinori would decline and stay holed up in his house and only leave for work and errands but this time his fingers hesitate. Maybe it was the teasing, or maybe it was because this was Midoriya’s mother, or maybe something else entirely. Either way, Toshinori doesn’t know what prompts him to type the words:

I can come over. What time do you have in mind?

The bubble pops up again and Toshinori can feel the cold grip of fear on him. He should have said no, he should have never said anything, he shou-

Well, I certainly don’t mind anytime!

The bell rings and Toshinori realizes he is going to be late to his class.

The sound of the cab driving away is what brings him back to reality and he finds himself jolting in surprise. He doesn’t know why he is so scared. He has been here before, and not only here but inside their house. So why can’t his heart stop beating so fast? Why are his palms so sweaty and he can’t wipe the smile off his face? He isn't supposed to feel like this. In fact, he hasn’t felt like this in the longest. He has a routine since he was reduced to...this. And it primarily consists of teaching, sleeping, being in pain and brooding in his own home. None of those things required emotions of epic proportions.

So maybe that’s why he feels like he is having a heart attack.

The cool breeze pushes through his hair and he realizes where he is. He can’t back out now, can he? He is already here. Already staring at the door, his hand is just a few feet away. But everything feels so overwhelming.

He takes a deep breath, pulling a cough in with it and drys his sweaty palms against his pants. He tries not to go back into his argument that his clothes were too much. He brings his hands to the wood, it feels cool against his calloused hands.

If he was really counting this would be his first social interaction in months outside of the teachers and students. But he isn’t counting (though the thought still plagues him) and there is someone waiting on him.

It takes all he has to knock on the door, which sounds way too soft to be heard but he still hears the quick padding of feet. His heart is pumping so heavily in his chest, he’s almost afraid he is going to cough it up.

The door swings open with a very unexpected enthusiasm. The small woman stands, trembling slightly but a smile on her face anyway. She brushes the green hair out of her face (he definitely doesn’t notice how it lightly curls at the edges)  and welcomes him in.

“Well! Its, um nic-nice to see you!” She looks so soft and small standing there, fingers pressing into each other. She trembles in her place, sweat beads forming on her forehead. He can’t help but admire that even though she seems so anxious she is so eager and unhesitant. This woman was no doubt Midoriya’s mother.

“Mr. Might?” Toshinori lets out a startled cough when he hears her words.

“Toshinori or Toshi is fine with me.” She quickly nods, readjusting herself. She pulls on the shirt underneath the cardigan and Toshinori can’t help but notice the flowers on the fabric. Then his gaze travels to the small curl of her fingers, how they look so soft and dig into the cloth. And he tries to ignore it, he really does but he notices how she lacks a ring.

“Well, Toshinori!-” He stifles another cough and leans closer. “Are you, uh, hungry?” Her fingers move as if to curl with the tips of her hair but they stop short. She does small rolling movements with her fingers and suddenly her hair is levitating in the air. Toshinori has to hold himself back from touching.

She leads him to the dining room where he is hit with such a wonderful smelling aroma he can feel his non-existent stomach grumble. The sweets on the table look so appetizing. And then he can feel the guilt hit him.

“I can’t eat this...I’m sorry. I don’t want to seem rude but due to my health I have a strict diet a-“

Toshinori’s knuckles grow white with his grip on his pants. She had given him so much within such a little time. She had given him her trust, her home for the time being and now desert. And he couldn’t even eat it.

He threw his gaze to the side, hair shadowing his eyes. She must feel terrible, putting all this work into these sweets just to have it thrown out the window.

Though when her tiny hands grasps his sleeve cuff and she looked up to him with the most magnificent eyes, they aren’t shrouded with pity or anger or sadness.

“What can you eat?”

It was a caring gaze, one he hasn’t seen for a while. One that reminded him of Nana. One that he desperately wished he didn’t need to see. But nonetheless, he opened his palm, the stress releasing with it. And this time, when he smiled it didn’t feel fake.

With everything that had happened this school year, Inko should really not be surprised. Her life has thrown her more loops than ever before in this one simple year than ever before. And yet no matter what she still found herself shocked.

But still, no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t fathom how she was chopping up potatoes while All Might was rubbing spices into a salmon. Inko pushes closer to the table. Maybe she shouldn’t of let her friends talk her into doing this. Maybe she should have stuck to only occasional comments during their knitting sessions together. Though it's far too late now. Now she has All Might, the All Might back in her house and this time it's not for official business. This time he is in her kitchen and badly rubbing a salmon.

She was going to do this though. She had to. She wanted to know her son’s mentor, she wanted to be able to connect with him. If she couldn’t be the one to keep him safe she’ll do whatever she can to help. Even if it involved teaching All MIght how to rub a salmon.

“That's not how you rub a salmon.” Inko moved a hand to try and muffle the giggle that slipped past her lips. Toshinori turned to her, a frown on his face as he blushed.

“S-sorry! I never really cook so-“

Inko pushed her hands onto his larger ones. She could feel the veins and bones in his hands as they slightly protruded from his skin. She couldn’t help but run her palm over them, pressing her thumb into his rough skin before using her hands to push his into motions.

“Wh-what a-“

“You have to cover the whole salmon, make sure you really get the spices in there.”

This was totally her knitting groups fault. She would have never done this before. She could feel her face flush as she helped push his hands into the fish. After a measly few groups and now she can barely hold her tongue, much less her hands without her usual second-guessing. Although his hands were so warm and sweet.

She continued to help massage the spices into the fish. Toshinori leaning closer and glancing down at her. It’s only when his hip brushes against hers does she realize how close she is and how she should definitely finish the potatoes (and maybe stop fantasizing about hero).

She scrambles to the sink, flicking the faucet on and begins to wash her hands. “I’m gonna, i- uh, start the t-tea!” She barely hears his huff of an answer over the rush of water.

The silence is awkward and tense. Inko almost wants to push her head into her hands and scream. She doesn’t (because that would be very awkward) and instead pushes a breath through her nose and starts humming.

It's a song that she has sung about a million times. Times where she held Midoriya close to her chest and sang into his ear. Times where she didn’t know if she was doing it right. This whole single mother thing. Where she second-guessed herself at every decision. Yet no matter how many times she sings it she still feels the comfort of when her own mother did it for her. The warmth of her mother's arms.

Inko notices it but not really, she only catches a glance but she sees Toshi’s shoulders drop lower, the tension in him releasing. She can’t help but smile as she starts the fire for the tea.

At least she did one good thing.

Inko sets the tea on the table, the sweet smell of chamomile wafting through the air. She pushes Toshi his cup and he pushes out to take it. Inko gives him a bright smile and his face flushes but he still smiles back. The room is calm and quiet, it almost lulls Inko to sleep. She hums under her breath.

Toshinori leans back, tall shoulders against the back of the chair. He pulls the tea to his face, blowing up the steam that rises in swirls. Inko settles on the table, pulling the sugar cubes into the air and placing them into her tea. She doesn’t miss Toshinori’s glance at the use of her quirk.

“ So you’ve never made salmon before?” Inko blows the tea off. She watched his face, how his lips curved downward. She wished she could just wipe it away. Just take away all his sadness.

“Never really had the chance. With all the hero work and such I never got around to it besides-“ He pulls his cup to his face, just behind it a small smirk.

“-seems a little fishy. Don’t you think?”

It's a dumb joke. Absolutely terrible but Inko finds herself laughing anyway. She almost feels ashamed of herself for laughing, she definitely feels ashamed for what she says next.

“You finished?” And then she is doubled over laughing. She hears Toshinori snicker and then fall into laughter with her. She couldn’t help but push her hand out to steady herself, as her head drops back and she giggles and snorts. She didn’t expect to feel the warmth of Toshinori’s hand, the cuff of his evening shirt just barely touching her pinky. Although she couldn’t stop laughing Inko could feel her face flush, the tips of her ears burning. Yet she didn’t move her hand, she couldn’t bring herself to.

When her head finally resumed position on her shoulders, despite their jumpiness with her small giggles she saw that Toshinori was red and a small trail of blood leaked from his mouth.

“Oh, goodness! Yo-your bleeding!” Before Inko could stop stumbling over her words she scatters for the pink-tinted napkins. The panic increased with Toshi’s apologizes and pleads that ‘I’m fine! This always happens!’. Inko brought the napkin gingerly up to his sullen cheeks, fingers just grazing his warm skin. The look he gave her was so soft. She gave herself a second to wallow in his gaze. His blue eyes sharp and adoring. She would have forgotten about the blood if she hadn’t grown far too embarrassed.

The soft silence pulled so tenderly at Inko’s heartstrings as she dabbed at the blood. She should speak, say something, anything but she could only bring herself to focus on the corner of his mouth where the blood seeped from.

“I...I just, uh-”

There is a loud beeping from the kitchen and Inko quickly swivels out of her chair, face red and stuttering. “Oh! Th-the uh, foods r-ready! And I’ll be rig-right back! And uh, and yo-you can finish tha-that, um thought!” And like that she is gone.

Toshi brought a hand to his lips, fingers gently checking to see if there was any more blood. His hand came back clean.

He wanted to say he didn’t deserve this, he wasn’t doing his best with Midoriya or any of the other students. He had wanted to say he could still be better. Though the sweet smell of food wafts into the room and Toshinori can just barely hear her humming.  

He may be scared but that's okay. He may not be ready for this but he will be.

And he will make it through, smiling as always.

[thechildoflightning]

Ch2- Meteorological (September)

Title: Calendrical Consequences (Masterpost)

Fandom: Sander Sides

Pairings: Logicality, Eventual LAMP/CALM

~~~

Chapter Title: Meteorological (September) - Chapter Two

Summary: School starts back up and Virgil's doing alright, if having a bit more nightmares than usual. Add in a meeting with his counselor and Virgil starts to question what he's doing with his life.

Warnings: Nightmares, Kidnapping, References and Allusions to Past Abuse, Panic Attack, Chronic Pain, Prescribed and Safe Use of Medication

 ~~~

Meteorological (September) - Chapter Two

~~~

September 5, 2019

 Virgil was six. His mom had brought him to the park to play with the other kids. But Virgil wasn’t really into playing with the other kids. They were loud and always organized games that made no sense to him. He played tag with them for a little bit, mostly to appease him mom, but quickly found it uninteresting and decided to leave them.

Instead he went over to the big tree with the roots that were bigger than his body in some places. He found a cool stick and poked it into the ground, frowning when it fell down. He tried again, but it just fell over once more. He was about to make a third attempt when a voice spoke up behind him.

“Hey kid, need some help?” a women offered, kneeling to his level.

“Momma told me not to talk to strangers,” he whispered.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not a stranger, I’m Eliza’s Mom,” she explained. Her smile was warm and her simple blouse gave her a look of motherly affection.

“Eliza’s Mom?” he asked as he tilted his head to the side slightly.

“Yep, you played tag with her, remember?”

Virgil looked over at the group he was previously with. Frowning a bit at the kids who continued to chase after one another.

“Oh,” he frowned, “I thought her name was Abby.”

“Nope, but that's okay. The point is I’m not a stranger. Can I help you?” the strange woman asked him.

She leaned over a bit, inspecting what the young boy was doing. She raised her eyebrows a bit at the realization he was just repeatedly slabbing sticks in the ground. But really, he was six. Stabbing sticks in the ground was cool.

Virgil shrugged, “Sure. I can’t get the branch to stick up.”

“Let me help.”

She reached toward his hand to take the stick. In response, he held it out to her.

But instead of taking it, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him, clamping something over his mouth. He tried to scream, but his eyes got heavy and suddenly he was asleep.

“VIRGIL! VIRGIL! Stop her! That woman has my kid! Help! Help!”

-

Virgil woke up screaming.

“V, V, its Roman, you’re okay man.”

“What, what, Roman?” he whispered around choked breathing as he looked frantically around the room. His heart thudded in his chest loudly, droning at every other noise around him.

“Yeah man. You had a nightmare. Everything’s okay,” his roommate soothed.

Trixie was on him, putting pressure on him. He breathed deeply in reassurance. That was all over now. He was home and he was safe. He was okay. He was safe.

His heartbeat started to slow and the drowning buzz in his ears faded away. A tendril of shame clawed its way in instead.

“Right. Thanks. Sorry,” he muttered, face hot

“Not a problem,” Roman yawned. He was asleep in seconds.

Virgil just blinked at the ceiling and hoped that sleep would eventually take him soon.

-

Virgil woke up two more times that night. Luckily, neither seemed to wake Roman. In fact, when Virgil woke up in the morning for good, Roman was still snoozing away. Virgil could only guess he had gotten up to pray earlier and then fallen back asleep before his first class.

Virgil sighed and pushed off the covers before heading towards the kitchen. Patton was already at classes, but Logan should still be here.

He had started to heat up water for tea when Logan himself walked into the room. He was looking at something on his phone, flapping one of his hands absentmindedly and grinning wildly. He stopped immediately when he saw Virgil, shoving his hand into his pocket and clicking his phone off.

“What were you looking at?” Virgil asked.

“Oh,” Logan adjusted his glasses, “Just, a video of a fish. It's really quite unimportant. I just-”

“You don't have to justify your interests around us Logan. And we won't get mad when you stim.”

Logan nodded at the reminder.

“Would you,” Logan hesitated, “like to watch the video with me?”

“Sure,” Virgil replied.

Logan quickly joined Virgil and held the screen between the two before restarting the video. It was short, about twenty seconds, of a fish with long flowing colorful fins. As they watched it a few times, Logan took out his hand to flap it and even jumped. Virgil smiled at his excitement. It was nice seeing Logan become more comfortable stimming around them.

They watched it on repeat for maybe two minutes before Logan turned the phone off.

“What time is your first class?” he asked.

“I need to leave in about ten, fifteen minutes.”

The kettle started to hiss. Virgil walked over as he saw the steam rise.

The water was boiling. It would burn him if he touched it. But they knew that. They knew it would burn him. That was the point.

He clutched his arms right to himself and backed away breathing heavily. Trixie jumped up, pressing her paws against his chest. His gaze jerked to her and with a rush he snapped out of the flashback and returned to the present.

“Thanks girl,” he said, giving her a small treat from his pocket. Speaking of which, he needed to feed her. He would do that after his tea.

“Logan, do you want tea?” he asked.

“Yes please.”

Virgil filled two cups, dropping in Logan and his respective favorites. He then took out Trixie’s bowl and filled it up with her food, put some water in it, and placed it on the floor. She sat by it patiently, not moving until he gave her the command that allowed her to eat.

He sipped his tea slowly just as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took out the offending device and read the reminder that told him to get ready for class. Right, time to get moving.

~~~

September 11, 2019

 “Virgil, come in,” Michelle greeted, beckoning him into her office.

Virgil scowled, but followed, Trixie at his side.

Michelle held the door open as he entered, smiling at him in a way that was much too wide to be real. He took a seat in the small office and she started to close the door behind them.

He could feel the room closing in, trapped in the cellar.

Trixie whined and pawed at him, causing him to jerk back to the present. He patted her head.

“Thank you sweetie,” he told the pup.

The counselor took her own seat across from him and studied him carefully

“So, you chose your major,” she commented when it became obvious that Virgil wasn’t going to be the person to start the conversation.

Really, Virgil didn’t get why these meetings existed anyway. He understood that the school was trying to help each students “get settled” or whatever but did he really need this? He was passing his classes and on track to graduate. What more did they want?

“Yes I did. At the end of last year. Which you know.”

She shuffled some papers. For show, he suspected. Really, how much paperwork could this conversation involve? Plus, she wasn’t looking down at any of them.

“Well yes,” she admitted, “But I’m actually curious about what you want to do with your Creative Writing degree once you achieve it.”

Virgil froze.

“What?” he asked.

“Virgil,” she said, “What do you want for your future?”

-

Virgil walked glumly back to the apartment he shared with Logan, Roman, and Patton. With a groan, he shoved the door open.

He walked in, planning to flop onto the couch only to find Roman with a bowl of cheerios already sitting there.

Virgil just groaned again, causing Roman to look up.

“Hey,” Roman greeted, “long day?”

Virgil huffed in confirmation and joined him.

He sat on the floor, allowing Trixie to perform DPT. He needed the grounding method.

“You okay?” Roman asked as he watched his friend’s dog task.

Virgil shrugged miserably. Slowly, tears started to drip down his face in large drops.

“Woah, woah, woah, Surly Temple,” Roman said in panic, scrambling to join the older boy on the floor.

“Hey, uh, Virge? Can I touch you?”

Virgil just nodded and continued to silently cry. Roman wrapped his arms around Virgil and pulled him close, careful not to shift Trixie, allowing her to still perform her task. Roman had gotten a lot better about noticing things like that in the year they had known each other.

Virgil's tears eyes dried after a minute and he leaned heavily into Roman’s side.

Roman rubbed his back in comfort.

“Hey, what's up?” he asked, “What's going on?”

“I had a meeting with my counselor.”

“Yeah, I remember you saying that. But, isn't that supposed to be a good thing? She like, helps you and stuff?”

Virgil sniffled and swiped at his eyes.

“She asked me about my future.”

“Okay? Again Count Woe-lof, I'm gonna need a little more information. I'm not quite understanding.”

“I have no clue what I want for my future,” Virgil said with a huff, throwing his hands up.

Roman’s eyes narrowed slightly and Virgil could practically see his mind racing as he attempted to figure him out.

“Okay. Well that's okay?” Roman offered, “I mean yeah, you should probably start thinking about it, but you have time. No need to panic over it,” he attempted to comfort.

Virgil just gave him a look.

“I panic over everything,” Virgil said with a chuckle.

Roman shrugged and offered him some cheerios.

-

It was in this state that Logan and Patton found them in when they returned from their date. Roman excused himself to pray, Logan went off somewhere, and Patton joined Virgil on the floor.

“V, kiddo, are you okay?” Patton asked softly.

Virgil gave a small smile. Like always, Patton always knew when something was off. He may not always understand what or why, but he at least knew that something was wrong. It was a nice support to have.

“Yeah, I'm good. Roman and me talked, just got a lot on my mind,” he admitted.

Patton nodded, and after asking for permission, started to thread his fingers through Virgil’s hair. Virgil grinned softly at the action as his body relaxed.

“Hey, you and Logan got back early. Didn't go out for dinner?”

“Nah,” Patton said shrugging, “decided to just get back to the two of you. Lo’s not having a great day, and it's getting busier. And busier means louder.”

Virgil nodded in understanding. Then came to a realization.

“Shit, it's my night to cook,” he looked down at his dog, “Trixie-”

Patton waved his hand.

“Don't worry about it Virgil. I can cook.”

“You sure Pat? You cook a lot. And it's my night,” he protested

Patton just smiled, “Don’t worry, it's no problem. Plus you weren’t expecting me and Logan anyways.”

“I just don't want you putting to much on yourself like you used to.”

Patton gave him a wide smile and switched from petting his hair to quickly ruffling it. Virgil scowled and shoved the hand away.

“Thanks for looking out for me kiddo. Don't worry, I know now how to communicate my limits. It's really okay. I need something to do anyway.”

Virgil hesitated. It was still hard for him to accept help, but after years of practice it was getting slightly easier. Plus, his friends did seem so sincere. They seemed to genuinely want to help. So he relented.

“Okay. Thanks. Just let me know if you need help I guess.”

Patton just hummed and got to work.

Virgil shrugged and stayed with his dog.

Eventually, he directed Trixie up and left to his room that he shared with Roman.

He could fully admit that when the four of them had first started discussing rooming together he was inclined to refuse. His freshman year he had gotten a single dorm through his situation, and the idea of sharing an apartment off campus, much less sharing a room, scared him more than he cared to admit.

Plus, it meant sharing with Roman. And while the two were friends now, they weren't very close in the beginning. The two of them, unknowingly, were phenomenal at hitting each other in their most vulnerable spots.

But, the apartment was working out so far. Hopeful this whole “plan for the future” thing would too.

~~~

September 21, 2019

 “Roman was a genius for bringing this,” Virgil commented as he continued to hit buttons on his controller, knocking Patton off the platform again.

“No,” Patton whined as his character fell, “Yeah it is pretty fun,” he replied, turning to glance quickly at Virgil, “I never really got into video games as a kid.”

They two of them were sitting on the couch, blankets wrapped around them, as the clock steadily ticked towards morning.

Virgil snorted, “I can tell.”

“Hey,” Patton said, letting out an offended gasp. He then proceed to walk his character off the platform. “Okay yeah, I suck at this.”

“We’ll choose a different platform next time,” Virgil promised, “One you can’t fall off of.”

“Oh good,” Patton muttered, eyes narrowed on the screen.

He pressed a button and his avatar jumped.

“Wait, if that’s jump, then what’s attack?”

“Well there’s multiple attacks,” Virgil started to explain once again.

“Wait, what!” Patton exclaimed, looking at his controller in a mixture of shock, horror, and awe.

Virgil snorted again, “Yes, I showed you them. Do you want me to show them to you again?”

“Huh. Uh, yes please,” Patton then proceeded to walk off the cliff again, ending the round.

“Okay, let me choose a new map and then I will,” Virgil said as they were returned to the home screen. Virgil fiddled around a bit, going through the multitude of maps. He flicked between three particular maps before finally settling on one.

He then held up his own controller, showing Patton the different buttons and going through each one and what they did. Patton listened intently staring back and forth between Virgil’s controller and his own.

“Hopefully this map will be better,” Virgil muttered as their characters spawned on the screen. The two played for a bit longer, Patton finally getting the hang of it, before Patton spoke up.

“So, why are you still up Virge?”

Virgil sighed, “Nightmares,” he admitted.

“Wanna talk about it?”

He shrugged and pressed a few buttons. His character on screen threw a bomb, creating an explosion that knocked Patton’s character back.

“Same as always,” he said, “Just a bit worse than usual.”

He tried to blink back the encroaching memories from his mind. Images of blood and bodies and being trapped and taken. Images of promises that he was cared for and safe and that they loved him even as they turned around and abused him the next moment.

He had to focus hard on pushing the memories to the back of his mind. Sometimes processing through it all was just too much. And if he didn’t have the strength to process it, it would just be overwhelming and damaging. Sometimes it really was better to just put a wall up and push it away. Sometimes that was the only thing he could do.

This was where the distraction of playing

“What about you?” Virgil asked, “Pain keeping you up?”

Patton nodded.

“I took my pain meds, but,” Patton shrugged.

Virgil studied him, noticing how his face was drawn tight under his cheerfulness and how he moved as little as possible. It had always been hard for Virgil to tell how Patton was feeling. Sometimes the physical symptoms gave him away, because they’re wasn’t much he could do about hiding them. But Patton could hide the pain. And he was good at it.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil offered, at a loss for anything else.

Patton shrugged.

“It’s kind of just what chronic pain is a lot of them time. Hurt’s a lot, just trying to distract myself.”

Virgil could get that, that attempt at distraction. It was also something he could go along with.

“By killing your character every two seconds?” he teased.

“I’m not trying to!” Patton protested. It probably would have been more effective is his character didn’t die right then.

“Sure,” Virgil said with a chuckle as they continued to play.

They would distract for now. Distract until they could deal with it. If they could even deal with. Because sometimes distracting was all you could really do.

[astronomyparkers]

The Upside of Falling Down {V}

Warnings: Language, mentions of nsfw content, violence

Pairing: University!Peter Parker x reader

Word count: 4.2k

A/N: wow, I updated within a month instead of three months this time!!! Thank you all for being so patient with me; I’ve been so busy this fall but hopefully I’ll be writing a little more regularly now. Hopefully, at least. What I do know for sure, however, is that this is NOT the last chapter of TUoFD!!! I have at least one more planned, guys. It’s not over yet!! Thank you for all your kind words and support. All my love.

{masterlist}

“Do you ever have those moments where you’re like, ‘Wow! I feel completely okay about this thing that is about to occur in my life! I’m so prepared!’ and then that thing actually happens and you realize you were horribly wrong and you’ve never been less prepared in your life and you also start to wonder if going to live in Italy to be a mozzarella maker is a viable option?” Sadie tossed her bag over her shoulder and walked over to you as you exited the exam hall.

You raised an eyebrow at your friend. “Um…sure?”

Sadie blew a strand of hair out of her face. “That’s how I felt about that exam.”

You cracked a smile and rubbed your friend’s shoulder. “Come on, Sadie. It wasn’t that bad.”

“That exam just handed my ass to me.  I should just drop out now.”

“You studied for, like, a month.  Calculus is your best class.  You’re going to be fine.” You rolled your eyes at Sadie’s dramatics as you made your way to the little frozen yogurt bar just off of campus.

Sadie sighed and linked her arm through yours. “I would’ve been better if Peter had shown up to even one of our study sessions for the past week.  What’s up?  Did you two have a fight?”

That was a loaded question.  One you weren’t completely sure how to answer.

Really, all you and Peter did was fight.  You had never gotten along, even in the (frankly, much too short for comfort) time you knew him before you knew he was Spider-Man.  You argued about him not trusting you with his secret, about being forced to spend time together to ensure you didn’t tell anyone, and about Peter blurting out that you two were dating in a moment of panic.  The only time you weren’t fighting was when the two of you had sex.

And now you weren’t anything.  After you refused to talk about your hookup last Saturday, Peter had barely spoken to you. There were brief hellos and kisses on cheeks in the hallways to avoid suspicion, and the occasional walk back to your dorm, but in the six days since you refused to talk, Peter had said approximately sixteen words to you.

On one hand, you liked it.  You hated confrontation and discussing feelings, and usually you would be ecstatic to avoid talking to Peter, especially about those topics.  On the other hand, you were lonely.  You were shocked to find that you missed Peter’s companionship, after growing accustomed to it in the last month.  And you felt so guilty for not talking to him; you had never intended to hurt Peter with your actions.  And now you were hurting, for reasons you couldn’t quite place.

“Y/N?” Sadie waved her hand in front of your face. “Did you hear me?”

“Sorry, what?” You shook your head. “I’m sorry, Sadie, I zoned out.  What did you say?”

“I asked if you and Peter had a fight.  You’ve barely been around each other the past week.”

You sighed. “I…I don’t know.  We’ve hardly talked.”

Sadie’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really?  But you were all over each other for so long!  What was the last thing you said to each other before this week?”

You knew you couldn’t tell Sadie about you and Peter having sex without telling her everything else. “I don’t remember.  Normal stuff.”

“Huh.” Sadie opened the door to the frozen yogurt shop and walked inside with you. “Well, I’m sorry, babe.  It’s never fun when you’re fighting with your significant other.”

You sighed and grabbed a paper bowl before heading to the frozen yogurt dispensers. “Yeah. It’s really not.”

 Of course, you debated if you should be the one to approach Peter.  Maybe if you went and apologized, everything could go back to normal. Normal, as in, properly fake dating and hanging out all the time to prevent anyone from finding out Peter was an Avenger.  That kind of normal.

Except every time you thought about it, you decided against it.  You hadn’t done anything wrong; Peter was the one who was acting like a child and ignoring you.  If he wanted to fix it, then he could be the one to do it.  You couldn’t care less.

And telling yourself that almost worked.  The more you repeated it, the more you halfway believed it.  But half of a half doesn’t equal a whole, and you could never quite convince yourself enough for it to count.

 With you refusing to talk to Peter before he talked to you, another week passed quickly.  You were seeing each other less and less, until you barely saw him once a day.  Sadie could tell the radio silence was getting under your skin, but every time she asked if you wanted to talk about it, you declined.  The only person you wanted to talk to about Peter’s silence was Peter.

“If you’re so desperate to talk to him,” Sadie stirred her straw around in her drink, mixing the whipped cream in with everything else. “Then just talk to him.  It’s not that hard, Y/N.”

You leaned forward in your seat as you picked up your coffee cup, glancing around the packed coffee shop as you did so to avoid Sadie’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have to talk to him. He’s the one avoiding me.”

“Peter doesn’t seem like the type to ignore someone without reason.” Sadie gave you a look. “Maybe you did something to hurt his feelings.  You can be kind of oblivious about that kind of stuff sometimes.”

“Hey!”

“What?  It’s true!” Sadie pointed at you with her straw before licking the whipped cream off it. “Look, you’re my friend and I love you, and I love your drive, but sometimes you’re so focused on succeeding and being the best that you don’t notice the feelings of those around you. It’s entirely possible that you did something to hurt Peter.”

You wanted to argue, but you knew that Sadie was right.  Sometimes you were oblivious to how others felt.  You weren’t the greatest at picking up social cues and detecting emotions if someone didn’t outright tell you what they were feeling.  Maybe Peter was a lot more hurt over you not wanting to talk about the two of you having sex than you thought.

“So you think I should talk to him?”

“I think you should do what you know is right.” Sadie smiled at you. “Call him, Y/N.  Text him.  Send him a carrier pigeon.  Just communicate that you want to talk and that you’re—”

Sadie’s eyes went out of focus as something behind your head caught her attention.

“What is it, Sadie?” You turned around as she pointed to the TV the coffee shop had displayed on the wall behind your head.

“—taking place just down the street from Columbia University.” The news caster spoke as clips of some sort of explosion played beside her. “The motive behind the attack is unclear, as well as how many people are involved.  As of right now, there are three known perpetrators, who are being pursued by Spider-Man.  Let’s go to our live footage of the event.”

The TV cut to shots of a bank down the street from Columbia on fire.  There were civilians all around, as well as fire trucks and cop cars.  One shot was moving, following the path of Spider-Man as he chased after a large truck that you guessed was being used by the people who blew up the bank.

From outside, you could hear sirens coming closer and closer.  You and Sadie stood up and rushed outside, as did other customers of the coffee shop.  You could see the truck rounding the corner and continuing down the street toward you, and Spider-Man swinging above it.  Peter swinging above it.

Your heart was pounding in your chest as one of the criminals leaned out of the truck window and began shooting at Peter.  He was able to use his webbing to dodge each one, but with each bullet, he got closer and closer to being hit.

Despite having to focus on dodging bullets, Peter (you couldn’t think of him as Spider-Man, even with the mask and the suit on.  It was still Peter to you.) was still able shoot a large web in front of the truck.  It didn’t look like it would be enough at first, but once it was shot, the web expanded to cover the entire end of the street. The truck was going so fast that it wasn’t able to slam on the breaks, and it crashed into the web.

The force of the crash, however, did some damage.  One of the trees that the web was attached to became uprooted.  You didn’t notice until you were being pulled out of the way by someone as a large tree trunk fell right where you had been standing.  When you looked up, Peter’s masked face was staring down at you.

He was holding you close in his arms, tight to his chest, with one hand on your upper back and the other hand on your lower back.  Even through his suit, you could feel the heat of his hands, just like you had felt it on the night you had sex.

Cop cars were pulling up around you to arrest the perpetrators, and so many people were screaming, but Peter kept holding you as tight as he possibly could. “A-are you okay?”

You nodded your head quickly. “Yeah.  Yeah, I-I’m fine. Are you—?”

Your question was cut off by the crowd screaming louder as one of the criminals broke free from the officers, firing shots towards Peter before making a run for it.  One of the bullets almost hit your back, but Peter pulled you out of its path by turning his body and letting it hit his arm instead.

You screamed loudly as blood began to fall, camouflaging in with the red of his suit. Peter cursed in pain, letting go of you and shooting a web in the air before swinging off without another word.

Sadie rushed to you, words of concern and tears of anxiety pouring out of her.  Despite seeing her lips moving, however, you couldn’t process anything she was saying.  None of her words made sense to you, and the only thing you could hear, on an endless loop, was Peter’s voice asking if you were okay, shaking as he did so. The only thing you could see was blood dripping from his arm as he took the bullet that was destined to hit you.

 You stayed in your haze as Sadie led you to be checked out by paramedics, and didn’t come out of it until she took you back to your dorm.  Even then, you couldn’t think of anything except checking on Peter.  You had to make sure he was okay.  You had to know he didn’t get seriously injured because of you.

You had to make sure. You just had to.

But Sadie wouldn’t leave you alone, and you couldn’t explain your sudden need to talk to your fake boyfriend that you were supposed to be fighting with.  Instead, you sat through what seemed like endless hours of Netflix marathons and discussions of what happened and what could have happened, until Sadie finally went to leave at eleven that night.

“Call me, okay? If you need anything.  Nothing is too dumb to call about.”

“Okay, Sadie. Thank you.”

Sadie hugged you tightly and planted a kiss on your cheek. “I love you, Y/N.  I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I love you, too. Text me when you’re back at your dorm.”

Sadie nodded and you shut the door tightly behind her before pulling out your phone and checking it one last time.  

All day, you’d been checking for a call or text from Peter.  You didn’t expect much, really, just something to let you know that he was alright.  That he had made it home after that heist.  That he wasn’t permanently injured because he took a literal bullet for you.

That fact was hard to wrap your head around.  Peter had let himself be shot in order to protect you.  Instead of pushing you out of the way, onto the broken cement ground, he turned your bodies so you would be safe, and he would be injured.  It was almost as if he would’ve rather had himself be gravely hurt, if it meant you would be in no pain at all.

Except you were in pain.  Knowing that Peter did that for you?  It hurt. It hurt in ways you couldn’t even describe.  And it awakened emotions in you that you didn’t know you had.

Because for the last week, you hadn’t been feeling annoyance or anger towards Peter as much as you wanted to.  Instead, you missed him.  You missed his stupid questions and his dumb jokes.  You missed him walking slightly faster than you between classes, so that you had to half walk and half jog to keep up with him.  You missed the face he made while doing calculations in his head, the way he stuck his tongue out in concentration while reading long passages in your textbooks, and the way he ran his hands through his hair in frustration when he was stuck on an equation.  You missed him rolling his eyes at your questions about his powers, and the partially annoyed but more amused voice he would give cryptic answers in.  You missed him bringing you coffee and pastries to your study sessions, and arguing over who got to eat the last donut.  You missed him always letting you have it.

You missed the way your fingers brushed when he passed you test tubes in chemistry.  You missed the faint smell of mint and coconut that always seemed to follow him.  You missed smelling it on your sweater after he walked you home.  You missed the texts letting you know that he was home safe, and sending him ones to let him know you were safe, too.

You missed being his friend.  You missed being more than his friend.

You missed Peter.

With a sigh, you pulled a hoodie over your head and slipped your phone in your pocket, along with your key card.  If Peter refused to call you, then you were going to find him.

 It was pouring rain as you ran across campus to his building.  The feeling of symmetry did not go unnoticed by you as you remembered the only other time you had ever gone to Peter’s dorm.

Except this is different, you told yourself as you wrapped your hoodie around you tighter.  This is…checking on a friend.  Just a friend.

This time, with it being so late, no one was hanging around in the hallways to talk to you or tease you about being “the girl Peter had finally locked down.” Shivering, you quickly made your way to Peter’s dorm and knocked fast and hard.

“Just a second!” Peter’s voice called from inside his room.

You exhaled hard and locked your jaw before knocking again, this time louder and more forceful.

“Jesus Christ, Alan, I told you it was just a bruise!  Don’t—” Peter tore his door open with an annoyed look on his face.  The moment he saw you, however, his face went completely blank.

You were sure your face was the same.  You took in Peter’s appearance quickly as he did the same to you as all the anger in your body was replaced with concern.  He had multiple scratches along his collarbones and cheeks, with a nasty bruise along his jaw.  He wore grey sweatpants and a navy blue long sleeved t-shirt that gave the illusion that he was fine, but you could tell he was injured by the way he held his arm against his body.

“Y/N,” Peter gaped at you for a moment before his face became more guarded. “What—what are you doing here?”

Anger flooded back into you. “Are you kidding me?  What do you mean, what am I doing here?  You haven’t answered any of my calls, or my texts, and—”

“Jesus, keep your voice down!” Peter glanced down the hallway as your voice got louder and louder. “It’s late!”

“Yeah, I’m well fucking aware!” You snapped, crossing your arms in front of you. “I’ve been worried sick all day, trying to see if that bullet seriously hurt you—”

“For fuck’s sake—come in,” Peter opened his door wider and motioned for you to come inside, glancing around the hallway and shutting the door behind you.

It was hard to find somewhere to look.  Everywhere in Peter’s dorm reminded you of the hookup you had, which was the exact opposite of what you needed at the moment.  Finally, you settled on Peter’s face, even though that wasn’t much better.

Peter ran his hands through his hair roughly. “So what do you want?”

“What do I—?  I want to know you’re okay, you asshole!” You shivered again and pulled your soaked hoodie closer. “You took a fucking bullet for me and then ghosted me.  What was I supposed to do, just forget that?”

“Well, why the fuck not?” Peter raised an eyebrow. “You said you wanted to forget everything else that happened between us.  Why should this be any different?”

“This isn’t some dumb hookup, Parker, this is you saving my life!”

“And I’m getting kind of tired of doing that, so maybe try to stay out of danger once in a while!” Peter snapped, going to his dresser drawer and pulling out a Columbia hoodie before tossing it at you. “Here.  You look like you’re freezing.”

You grab the hoodie and pull off your own and tossing it to the ground.  Peter glanced at you as you pulled his hoodie on, and you went red when you realized that you were wearing the same bra you had worn when you had sex.

“I don’t go looking for danger, you know.” You replied hotly, pulling your hair out of the collar of the hoodie to cover your blush. “I’m not trying to make your life miserable.”

“Y/N,” Peter sighed, rubbing his eyes. “You don’t make my life miserable.  I just—you don’t exactly make it easy.”

“Okay, you have no right to say that to me!” You said incredulously. “After everything—”

“You mean after I saved your ass twice? I have every right—”

“I didn’t want to be in your life, remember?  I wanted to get our assignment at Thatcher State Park done, and then be done with you. But instead, I found out you’re Spider-Man, and you decided to stalk me—”

“I didn’t stalk you!”

“—and then tell everyone that we were dating!  So you don’t get to say that I make your life harder, because that’s your own damn fault!” You yelled, pushing your wet hair out of your face.

“Well I—you didn’t make this pleasant, you know!” Peter’s voice increased in volume to match yours. “For a month, you—”

“I didn’t make this pleasant?” You raised your eyebrows and laughed once without humour. “I’m sorry that I’ve been such a burden to you, Parker, while I was doing my best to keep your fucking secret!”

“I didn’t say you were a burden, Y/N—”

“I’ve been going out of my mind for two weeks, wondering what I did to piss you off and how to make things go back to the way they were, but maybe I should’ve just let it go.  Obviously, me caring about you is a burden, so—” You turned towards the door to go and Peter grabbed your arm.

“Y/N, wait—fuck!” Peter let go of you quickly and cradled his arm again. “Shit, that stings—”

You turned around as Peter rolled his sleeve up and grabbed a bandage off his desk.  Although his arm had begun healing since he’d been wounded (you assumed accelerated healing was part of the whole Spidey package), it was only halfway done.  Peter unraveled the old bandage, revealing the poorly stitched up bullet wound.  It wasn’t bleeding any longer, but Peter’s movement had torn a couple stitches, and the skin was pulling apart again.

“Let me—”

“I got it, Y/N, it’s fine—”

“Parker, please.” You sighed and walked towards him. “Just…stop being stubborn for one minute.”

Peter sighed but nodded and handed you the bandage.

You sat him down on the bed—you tried not to think of the last time you had been on (in) his bed—and began to wind the new bandages around his arm.

“Who stitched you up?” You asked after a moment.

“Me.”

“So that’s why it looks like a kid with a ‘my first sewing kit’ did it?”

“Fuck off.” Peter squeezed his eyes shut as you wrapped the bandage tighter. “I don’t need you to do this, you know.”

“I want to.”

“Why?” Peter opened his eyes and stared at you. “You didn’t even want to talk to me two weeks ago. What’s so different now?”

“Nothing, Parker, I just—”

“Don’t tell me it’s nothing.  I’m not an idiot.  What’s so different now?”

You exhaled angrily and looked up at him. “Why is it so difficult to believe that I care about you?”

“Because you didn’t before.” Peter’s reply was clipped and short, his voice hard.

“That’s not true.”

“Of course it is.”

“These last two weeks have been the hardest in a long time.  Do you know why?” You looked Peter in the eyes but he shook his head. “Because I didn’t have you there to get me through them.  I’ve gotten used to you in my life, Parker, okay?  You’re a complete idiot sometimes, and you talk way too much about stupid shit, and you’re so fucking annoying, and—and I’ve missed that. I’ve missed you.  I’ve missed us.”

Peter’s mouth was slightly open as he listened to you talk.

“And I-I’m sorry I didn’t want to talk about the sex after it happened.” You were never this honest with anyone, but you couldn’t stop the words from pouring from your mouth. “I just—I wanted to deny that there were any feelings involved, which was dumb, but I’m dumb, especially when it comes to emotional shit like this, and—I’m sorry, Peter.  I’m sorry.”

Your voice sounded unfamiliar as you confessed to Peter, and you realized that, for the first time, you called Peter by his first name.

Peter continued to stare at you for a moment before he finally spoke. “So—so you’re saying you have feelings for me?”

You sighed and finished bandaging his arm. “Yeah.  Yeah, I think I do.”

Peter’s jaw tightened as he nodded. “Right.  You know, Y/N, if you want to find a fuck buddy, you’re going to have to look somewhere else.”

You blinked and let go of his arm. “If I—excuse me?”

“I’m not just here for you to use.” Peter’s voice was hard and when he looked at you, his eyes mimicked his voice.

“I don’t want to—how could you even say that to me?” You leaned away from him in shock.

“Because I know you! Because you’ve been annoyed with me for the past month!  The only time you tolerated me was when we fucked.  And yeah, it was good.  Like, really good.” Peter’s cheeked tinted red a bit, as did his ears. “But like you said, I’m a complete idiot, and I went and fell in love with you, and I can’t do this to myself.”

“Wait,” You shook your head and blinked. “Wait, you—you love me?”

“Yeah.  And I know you don’t love me back, and you won’t love me back, and that’s fine.  But I know you.  So—so don’t pretend that you feel things for me when you don’t because that—” Peter squeezed his eyes shut and got up from his bed. “Honestly, Y/N?  That may fucking kill me.”

You sat on his bed in shock, not quite sure what to say.

Peter loved you. You.  He was in love with you.  He wanted you.  

But he didn’t want you.

“I—” You fumbled around your words, trying to find the right ones. “I don’t—Parker—”

“Back to the surname.” Peter laughed at a joke you didn’t see. “Look, Y/N, you should go.  Before I do something I’ll regret, like kiss you or fuck you again.”

“Peter—”

“We both know that won’t end well.”

You bit your lip and stood up, walking to the door.  Opening it, you looked back at Peter one last time.  He was watching you go with a tense look on his face.

“I, um,” You tucked your hair behind your ears. “I guess we go back to the way things were, then? Before—before the field trip?”

Peter nodded tightly, jaw still locked. “Yeah.  Back to the way things were.”

“So we’re in agreement.”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” You step out of the door. “I’ll see you around, Peter.  Sometime.”

Peter didn’t respond before you closed the door.  Then you wrapped his hoodie around you tighter, and began walking back to your dorm alone.

{part vi}

[littlepryingpandorica]

Project Rebuild Chapter 12

EXT. GARMADON’S VOLCANO LAIR - DAY

The Shark Army returns to Garmadon’s Volcano Lair, which is shaped like a giant shark fin jutting out of the water.

The instrumental version of “Coming Undone” by Korn plays in the background.

[Song: Coming Undone by Korn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiDY3UCAyiY ]

Multiple Flying Jelly Subs and Manta Ray Bombers fly into the caverns with lava flowing on the sides. Other aquatic vehicles can be seen entering and exiting the lair. Inside the volcano are hollowed out chambers for use of the different departments in Garmadon’s army. As the music plays, we get an epic, single take, tracking shot exploring the different areas in Garmadon’s Volcano Lair.

INT. VOLCANO ATRIUM - DAY

At the center of the Volcano Lair is The Atrium, where the Research and Development, and I.T. Departments can be found. Many I.T employees are busy working.

Hanging high above in the ceiling is a Dragon Skull on display. Beneath it is a plaque that says “IN LOVING MEMORY OF DEMIC”.

A lady with round blue glasses and a black Batman shirt under her labcoat walks through rows of computers, machinery and display screens. This is TERRI THE GPL TECH. She oversees everything.

She pauses at a display screen that reads “PROJECT SEPARATOR: GOLDEN POWER EXTRACTION AT 86%”. Beneath it is a loading bar to track the progress.

Terri walks over to the equipment connected to the display screen. She watches four golden BRICK SEPARATORS strapped to extraction machines. GOLDEN POWER is being drained from the Brick Separators, which flows into a War Hammer placed on a pedestal.

Content with the progress, Terri goes to her desk and continues working on the blueprints of a large shark-themed, humanoid mech.

INT. GARMADON’S THRONE ROOM - DAY

The walls of the Throne Room have murals of ONI MASKS. Lord Garmadon is sitting on his throne. He is crying tears of fire.

There are several Shark Army soldiers present, attending to Garmadon’s whims. Generals # 4 and 6, currently the only remaining generals, are also present.

But then we focus on a new character, a dark blue reptillian humanoid with a cobra-like hood and a long, brick-built rattlesnake tail. He has red eyes with spiral patterns. But his most noticeable feature is a large, faded scar that can be seen spanning across his entire torso. This is GENERAL FANG THE HYPNOBRAI.

Garmadon sobs loudly. He is an emotional mess with fire tears leaking out of his eyes and fire snot dripping from where his nose would be. His anger makes him look monstrous but his sorrow makes him look pitiful. He swings wildly between these two extremes.

Garmadon blows his nose on a piece of non-Lego tissue paper. It catches fire and he throws it at a pile of other discarded tissues. The pile of tissues also catches fire.

General Fang rolls his eyes and puts out the flame out with a fire extinguisher.

GARMADON: I can’t believe my own son would turn out to be the Green Ninja! Where did I go wrong? I did not see this coming at all!

Garmadon looks at old pictures of him and Lloyd bonding over evil acts. One photo has them standing on the giant non-Lego grass next to a “Keep off the grass” sign. Another photo has them gleefully riding the Ninjago Monorail as it is about to run over several Ninjago citizens tied to the train tracks. Yet another photo has the them playing a regular game of baseball, with Lloyd as the batter and Garmadon as the pitcher. But instead of throwing a baseball, Garmadon throws a kitten in Lloyd’s direction.

General # 4 snaps Garmadon out of his reverie.

GENERAL # 4: Actually, Sir, if you look at past prophecies, this should have been really obvious in hindsight.

General # 4 holds out the original fortune prophecy that says Lloyd would defeat his father.

GENERAL # 4: They even have an attack called the Wu-Cru formation. That really should have clued you in on your brother’s involvement!

Garmadon angrily glares at the general. General # 4 tries to verbally backtrack.

GENERAL # 4: Clued us! Clued us in!

GARMADON: You’re fired!

Garmadon slams down a button and General # 4 literally gets fired out of the volcano.

A Shark Army soldier offers Garmadon a cup of tea, perhaps in a futile attempt to calm him down.

Garmadon drinks the tea and immediately spits it out.

GARMADON: What is this? Green tea?

Garmadon throws the cup of hot tea at another nearby Shark Army soldier in the background. The soldier lets out a Wilhelm scream.

GARMADON: The only tea I drink is black! LIKE MY HEART! You’re fired!

Garmadon slams down the button again and the soldier is jettisoned out the volcano.

GARMADON: (ANGRILY) SOMEBODY BETTER GIVE ME SOME GOOD NEWS OR THE NEXT PERSON TO TALK GETS FIRED OUT OF THE VOLCANO!

General # 6 receives a message over his radio communicator. He nervously relays the message to Garmadon.

GENERAL # 6: Sir, your daily prophecy has arrived.

A large non-Lego fortune cookie is wheeled into the throne room and delivered to Lord Garmadon. Garmadon cracks it wide open with a swift karate chop.

The fortune prophecy reads "You will not conquer Ninjago City today. Better luck next time." Garmadon loses his temper at this. Everyone else in the room sees the fortune prophecy and stands completely still in fear.

GARMADON: AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

General # 6 drops to the ground in a fetal position.

GENERAL # 6: Just make it quick, sir.

General Fang hisses and put himself between Garmadon and General # 6. He speaks with an emphasis on the “s” sounds in his words.

GENERAL FANG: Sssssssssssir, you might want to firssssstt consssssssider replacementssss...

Garmadon is enraged, practically grinding his teeth in anger. But he pauses to consider the sense in General Fang’s suggestion. He composes himself, wipes the fire tears from his eyes, inhales and speaks to General # 6 in a polite tone.

GARMADON: Oh but before that, could you kindly call in the next batch of generals for me?

General # 6 radios in on his communicator.

GENERAL # 6: Hello HR? Lord Garmadon is requesting a new batch of generals. Okay.

He turns to Garmadon.

GENERAL # 6: They’re on their way, Sir.

GARMADON: Good!

For the third time, Garmadon slams down on the button and General # 6 flies out the volcano.

On cue, the new batch of generals enter the room. They all look exactly like the previous batch of generals but with genderswapped face prints.

All the new generals are uneasy and apprehensive. The Shark Army soldiers mirror their apprehension. They know what will happen next.

Garmadon glares down at the new generals. His eyes burn a bright red.

We go to Garmadon’s POV and in the center of each torso of the new generals, he sees a glowing golden aura. He stares for a beat then turns to General Fang.

GARMADON: General Fang, I’m not in the mood to invoke them one at a time. Take care of this for me.

GENERAL FANG: Assssss you wiiissshhh…

But then General Fang hisses to himself.

GENERAL FANG: You jusssst don’t want to deal with the messssss of fortune cookiesssss.

Garmadon eyes General Fang suspiciously.

GARMADON: What was that?

GENERAL FANG: Nothing, sssssssir.

General Fang slithers into position. He nods at Garmadon. Both their eyes glow bright red as though in synchronization.

General Fang turns to the new generals. They look terrified. General Fang begins shaking his tail rattle. The spirals in his red eyes begin spinning and he hypnotizes the new generals.

GENERAL FANG: Look into my eyessssss. I control you. Follow the Way of Lord Garmadon. Let anger ssssssseep into your heartssssss.

One of the generals looks away. He looks like a male version of the previous General # 2. Garmadon appears behind him, places his hands on the general’s head and forces him to look at General Fang.

GARMADON: Ah ah ah, can’t have you resisting now, can we?

GENERAL FANG: Follow the Way of Lord Garmadon.

The glowing, golden auras in each of the general’s torsos burn brightly. But in Garmadon’s torso is a dark purple aura. A wisp of his purple aura floats out of his torso and splits into seven snake-shaped wisps. These snake-shape wisps drift in the air and slither into the torsos of the seven generals. Their respective golden auras become tainted by the purple aura.

The new generals twitch in uncontrollable spasms. Intense percussive music plays in the background as this happens.

We see a shot from behind General Fang. He moves out of the way, revealing a very stern and angry-looking batch of generals. Each of their eyes briefly flash red. The Shark Army soldiers in the room cover their mouths in shock.

GENERAL FANG: Whom do you ssssserve?

The new generals speak as one.

GENERALS 1 - 7: All hail Lord Garmadon!

CUT TO: INT. NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY

The Ninja all jump out of their lockers. They have all changed back to their civilian outfits. They are all sweaty and panting as they run back to class.

Kai whispers to Lloyd.

KAI: But seriously, did you just have blab about your secret identity to your dad?

LLOYD: Later, Kai. We’ll talk about it later.

INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

The Ninja enter the classroom and try to return to their seats as inconspicuously as possible.

The words “Show and tell tomorrow” are written on the black board.

Ms. Laudita notices the Ninja and calls their attention.

MS. LAUDITA: Ahem! You were all in the bathroom for a very long time.

The Ninja all freeze in place and Lloyd improvises an excuse.

LLOYD: Yeah... We all got... diarrhea?

Lloyd shrugs his shoulders sheepishly and hopes Ms. Laudita will buy it.

MS. LAUDITA: Really? Simultaneously?

Ms. Laudita raises an eyebrow. All the other Ninja immediately go along with Lloyd’s excuse, all speaking at the same time.

KAI: Diarrhea like you couldn't believe!

ZANE: It was a most painful bowel movement.

JAY: I actually didn’t poop my pants this time.

NYA: Not as watery as usual but it was relentless!

Cole clutches his stomach and groans.

COLE: Ugh! I shouldn’t have eaten all that chocolate cake.

Kai turns around, bends over and points at his butt.

KAI: We had bricks coming out of our...

A disgusted Ms. Laudita immediately interrupts Kai to keep him from finishing his sentence.

MS. LAUDITA: Okay! That's enough! Just go back to your seats!

The Ninja all return to their seats but everyone else visibly inches their desks away.

NYA: (indignantly) Hey! We washed our hands!

CUT TO: INT. VOLCANO ATRIUM - DAY

A flashing light catches Terri’s attention. She looks at the computer screen as it finishes loading, flashing the sign “GOLDEN POWER EXTRACTION COMPLETE”. The Brick Separators have been completely drained of Golden Power. They are now just regular orange brick separators.

Terri gasps and runs off to Garmadon.

INT. GARMADON’S THRONE ROOM - DAY

Everyone in the Throne Room is still completely silent. All the Shark Army soldiers are afraid. They know whoever speaks next risks being fired out of the volcano. The new generals don’t seem aware of this.

Garmadon is pacing impatiently around the room. One general reluctantly raises his hand. It is the new General # 2, the one who previously resisted.

GARMADON: Yes, new General number 2?

GENERAL # 2: Sir, we’ve been sitting here in silence for several hours and I... generally need to do a number 2 so... can I go to the bathroom?

Garmadon narrows his eyes in anger.

GARMADON: It’s “May I? May I go to the bathroom?” You imbecile!

Garmadon presses the button again and we go to a distant shot of the new General # 2 being fired out of the volcano. Too late, he shouts his rebuttal as he flies through the air.

GENERAL # 2: Maaaaaaaaaaay Iiiiiiiiiiiiii????

GARMADON: Grammar is important even when plotting to take over the world. Now, anyone else have anything to say?

All the new generals squirm and shake their heads silently.

Suddenly, Terri bursts in through the doors, slamming them open. All the generals and Shark Army soldiers struggle to contain their gasps.

TERRI: Sir, Project Separator is complete. Your MEGAWEAPON is ready.

CUT TO: INT. VOLCANO ATRIUM - DAY

We go to a close up shot of the Megaweapon. Garmadon leans into view and admires the War Hammer. It glows with Golden Power. Garmadon places a hand on it and the glow fades away.

GARMADON: At last! The powers of the FOUR GOLDEN WEAPONS OF RECREATION are mine!

GENERAL FANG: What isssss it, ssssir?

Garmadon turns to General Fang.

GARMADON: Traditionally, a Hammer is a useful tool for building. But a War Hammer is a weapon of destruction. The Megaweapon is both. Infused with Golden Power, it now has the unlimited potential both to create and to destroy.

Garmadon lifts the War Hammer from its pedestal and moves toward General Fang in a vaguely threatening manner.

GARMADON: General Fang, how would you like to join me on my next attack?

General Fang’s eyes widen and he looks horrified at the idea. He instinctively clutches at the faded scar on his abdomen. He slowly starts to back away.

GENERAL FANG: Sssssoooo sssssorry but I musssssst decline.

Garmadon advances in a show of dominance.

GARMADON: Come now, you’ll be safe. I promise.

GENERAL FANG: Then why don’t you invoke it?

General Fang quips defensively. Garmadon answers as though talking to a toddler.

GARMADON: You know it doesn’t work that way. The powers of life and death are beyond even my abilities.

Garmadon wistfully looks up at the dragon skull of Demic. General Fang follows Garmadon’s gaze. Garmadon looks genuinely sorrowful for a beat. He shakes it off. Then he gives a demonic smile to General Fang.

GARMADON: But I have a good feeling about this one.

Garmadon grips the War Hammer in his hands and gives it a spin.

GARMADON: I’ll even let you ride in my mech this time.

GENERAL FANG: What mech? You don’t even have your sssshark mech anymore. The Ninja trasssshed it, remember?

Garmadon mutters to himself, not really listening to General Fang.

GARMADON: Yes. That Black Ninja packs a real punch. He has a spunk and willfulness that almost feels... familiar.

GENERAL FANG: And now your mech liessssss at the bottom of the ssssea.

GARMADON: Trashed. At the bottom of the sea. Heh.

Garmadon mulls over these words. He tightens his grip on the War Hammer and yells out a raging war cry.

GARMADON: AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

With all his strength, Garmadon uses the War Hammer to strike a wall of the volcano lair. Streaks of Golden Power snake out from the impact point and spread to the rest of the wall.

After a beat, the entire wall EXPLODES!

KABOOM!

Lego bricks rain down everywhere. Everyone except Garmadon panics. There is now a massive hole in the side of the Volcano Lair.

GENERAL FANG: Ssssssirr! What are you doing?

General Fang tries to shield himself from the falling Lego bricks.

Garmadon looks back at General Fang and gives a knowing smile. As though on cue, Terri hands him the blueprint of the humanoid mech.

GARMADON: Observe.

Garmadon holds aloft the Megaweapon. He looks at the blueprint then closes his eyes and concentrates. The Megaweapon begins to glow. Waves of Golden Power radiate out of of the Megaweapon and into the Lego bricks. Ominous choir music begins playing.

The Lego bricks and pieces float in the air and stack on top of each other, creating some sort of brick built structure. One by one the bricks snap and click into place. Slowly, the structure begins to take shape.

Close up on Garmadon as he strains to mentally build the new mech. Then close up on General Fang with an awestruck expression.

When Garmadon is finished, he sets the Megaweapon on the ground and collapses on all sixes. He is sweating and breathing heavily. Using the Megaweapon clearly takes a toll on him.

General Fang moves to Garmadon’s side and helps him up. Then they both stare at a giant, shark-themed but humanoid mech.

GARMADON: I call it the Garma Mecha Man. I’m sure Luh-loyd will come to his senses eventually but I will still conquer Ninjago with or without his help.

Garmadon turns to General Fang.

GARMADON: What do you say?

General Fang looks at the mech and gulps audibly.

General Fang looks back at Garmadon and concedes.

GENERAL FANG: Assss you wisssshhhh.

[nightwingswing]

“My little star” (Riddler x Reader)

Hello! Im back!! 💖

IM SO SO SORRY!!

Please forgive me, please.

I’ve been drepressed for almost all summer and also on an hard writers block for some time and now college just started and its even more stressful than before. Im sorry for the hiatues. Ill try to update as often as i can! I promise!

 For now, I’ll update “The family’s girl” next, following it will come “Stop that wedding!” and in between will come part two of “Notre Dame de Paris” (Hunchback au) So IF YOU STILL HAVENT VOTED for  (STW) and (NDdP) , VOTE NOW!

Requested by Anon!

Request:  We are lacking some Riddler, May v we hey some Eddie lovin' please?

Requested by Anon!

Request:  Could you write a Riddler x Reader? Pethaps he takes them hostage and....? Idk. Take it where you will! Please keep it SFW if you can. Thank you!

He may take you hostage in the future... who knows...he can become quite like Jon in stalker *wink wink* ;))

Tags: @hamsterforlive @plethora-of-things @wonderlace19  @cursedfaechild

If you want to be tagged or have any request, message me any time!!!

💖 Now, Enjoy!! 💖

It was a peaceful Gotham morning in your work, you were the head of the Gotham gazette. Your drive to get as involved as possible in the crime scene is what made you one of the best and more truthful of Gotham’s journalist. You always told the truth of the cases, making you also amongst the most hated people of Gotham.

The truth hurts sometimes.

But it also made you very respected in the hero and villains community. The first ones for your values and honesty, amongst the seconds because you didn’t demonize them. You treated them right.

You could kinda say you had a fan club.

Yep…

A pretty big fan club.

They even have a president!

…

Edward Nygma.

He was a big fan of yours, since you started on your College newspaper. He felt attracted to you on an intellectual level at first. He soaked in your work, drinking every letter as if it was water in a desert. He was so intrigued in meeting you … That knowing your drive to get into the wolf’s mouth you would come directly to his trap.

And he would finally meet you.

Eddie smiled at your new article that shone in his barely lit room.

“Soon…”

///*\\\

“(y/n)! Have you finished the paper in the new rector elections?” One of your coworkers asked.

“Here” You said as you gave her paper. “Parker will bring the photos later this evening.”

“Perfect.” She turned around and ran into the frenzy that was your editorial.

“(l/n)!” Your boss yelled. “Come here, now!”

“Coming boss.” You hurried to the office, a bit worried. Once inside you stood up in front of the table. “Is something wrong?”

“No. But we have received a note. The Riddler is about to strike! And you will be covering up!”

“Yes boss!” You smiled, reading the note. “I’m on it.” You ran to your spot and investigated the Riddler’s movement to discover where we will strike. You received an email that said:

“Riddle me this…Riddle me that…

If you want to find me

Tell me what I am...

·    Until I am measured

I am not known,

Yet how you miss me

When I have flown.

·       I never was, am always to be,

No one ever saw me, nor ever will

And yet I am the confidence of all

To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.

 ·       What time belongs to men twice a day?

 ·       At night they come without being fetched,

And by day they are lost without being stolen.

·       Whilst I was engaged in sitting

I spied the dead carrying the living

 Good luck, miss (y/n).

-R

Hmm…quite though…but if you want to find him you have to crack them…

After staying afterhours, you finally cracked the code.

“I got it!” You write down:

·       Time

·       Tomorrow

·       5:14, Upside down on a digital clock it spells “his”

·       Stars

·       Ship

Hm…. this is kinda…like..a meeting place?

Time: Tomorrow at 5:14 pm in the..the Starship! The boat stranded in Gotham!

“Gotcha!” You smirked and write down everything. Then you changed in your pajama and went to sleep.

Tomorrow you were meeting a criminal.

///*\\\

The Riddler was wearing his best suit, ready to meet the little star of Gotham. He grabbed the flower and drive to the boat, the shadows covering him until he made it to the boat. There he set a table and two chairs, a candle and drinks too.

“hm…ready.” He smirked. “I wonder if her mind is capable of matching mines...oh well, I guess we’ll find out!” He sat in the chair, his can on his lap and waited for her.

///*\\\

You arrived at the boat and carefully entered, making your way up.

“Riddler?” You asked.

“Hello Miss (y/n)” He smirked. “Sit down please.”

You entered the place looking around, it gave of a kind of love vibe. You shrugged and sat down.

“What is your plan?” You got your notebook out.

“Wow, down to business, eh?” He smirked and served a glass of (f/d).

“No thank you, and yes, that’s why we are here…no?” You raised an eyebrow and he smirked.

“Indeed. I see you solved my riddles.”

“I did. clever hide your location on riddles. Very your thing”

“Thank you, it was a challenge. See if you can measure to me. I guess you can.” He smirked.

“Thank…you?”     You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Now…I guess you want to know what I am up to?” Edward smirked.

“Well, obviously?” You raised an eyebrow and he smiled, his cheek got a bit redder.

“First, let me tell you, miss (y/n) that you look beautiful tonight! “He got a beautiful (f/f) out of nowhere and gave it to you.

“Oh... thank you…” You smiled and grabbed the flower, smiling and blushing. He smirked and got his bowler hat. “Now…what’s your plan?”

“Well, my beautiful maiden. My plan is and has always been prove I’m smarter than batman.” He shrugged his shoulders. “And destroy him, of course. But for now, I just want to know more about you, my dear. You know, you quite had the fan club back at Arkham.” He smirked.

“Oh? I do?” You felt flattered really. But for some reason, being idolized by the likes of the joker didn’t make you feel really…safe.

“Indeed darling. I, myself am draw to your truthful approach to the news.” His hand came to rest above yours, a charming smile on his face.

“Really? It usually makes me hated.” You looked at his green eyes thought the black mask.

“Nonsense, darling! People can’t stand the truth! You’re better than them! Smarter, more honest!” He said with so much passion as he clutched your hand in his. You blushed at the flattering speech.

“Thank you, Mr. Nygma” You smiled.

“Please, call me Eddie” He smiled loving.

“Okay…Eddie” You smiled.

You two keep talking for hours, exchanging riddles, theories and arguing about hot science topics.

After a wonderful 3-hour chat, he helped you down the boat and to your car. Before you could enter he pulled you flush against him, his hot breath mingled with yours. You blushed, and for some reason, your heartbeat had become faster and your cheeks burned in a blush.

“I like you, my little star...I like you very much…Maybe, maybe we could go out again? Tomorrow? There is a really interesting symposium in Bludhaven…maybe we could go, you know…together?” His cheeks became red as his green eyes looked around, shyly.

“Cute” You though as a smile took place on your lips. “Well…If any nothing comes up…. I don’t see why not.” You smiled.

“YES!” He though. “Perfect! I’ll send you a new note with the place and time!” He smiled exited.

“Great, can’t wait to know what you come up with!” You winked at him, making him blush. “Have a good night, Eddie.”

“Have a good night, (y/n)” He smiled before his eyes widened “(y/n) wait!” he grabbed your hand and pulled you in a sweet, chaste kiss. You froze in place, blushing madly.

As he pulled away a few seconds later, you looked at his dreamy eyes and blushing face.

“Now, Have a sweet night, my beautiful star.” He smiled dreamily, you smiled back.

“Good night” You smiled back and sit inside your car, a silly smile took place on your face and you couldn’t shake the warm feeling off.

“he was pretty cute...” You bit your lip before shaking some sense on your head and drove back to your home, to write that article you had to hand tomorrow.

He smiled one last time on the direction your car took before sitting inside a black car, that took off almost immediately.

“How was it, boss?” One of his lackeys asked.

“Perfect. Now, the other plan starts now.” He smirked evilly as his lackeys smirked back.

“Batman won’t know from where the hit came!” One of his crooks laughed.

“Down, down,down,down!” They cheered. 

Eddie thoughts drove of the cheering crew and to your beautiful smile, your soft luscious (h/c) hair. Yous beautiful mind, your enchanting eyes…he sighs dreamily….

“SHE’S SO PERFECT…GOSH I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I KISSED HER!” Eddie smiled and licked his lip, he could still taste your lip balm. “SUCK IT PENGUIN! SHE LIKES ME! SUCK IT HARLEY! I KISSED HER FIRST!” Eddie cheered himself. “SHES SO SMART! SHE CRACKED MY RIDDLES! HIGH LEVEL RIDDLES! SHE DESERVES MY LOVE! SHE DESERVES TO BE ON MY SIDE! SHE WILL ME MY QUEEN!!”

“Down, down,down,down! YAY!” They cheered loudly.

Edward smirked.” Easy boys…” He looked outside his tinted windows to see the characteristic shadow of the bat and his Robin jump in the direction they just came from.

Eddie smirked evilly.

“Riddle me this, riddle me that…who is afraid of the big, black, bat?”  

///*\\\

Bonus!

Meanwhile, at Arkham Asylum:

“THAT GREEN ASSHOLE THINKS HE CAN DESTROY THE BAT, TAKE GOTHAM AS HIS OWN AND TAKE THAT PLESURE FROM ME?! NO FUCKING WAY!” The joker screamed as he his fist against the bulletproof crystal as the other inmates looked at him with a bit of fear. “IM SICK OF HIM! OF HIS FREAKING ANNOYING RIDDLES!.unless…” The manic grin on the joker face became crazier as he let out a more than usual, manic cackle that sounded in all Arkham. “He thinks riddles are funnier than jokes? Hahahahahaha well see about that!” The Joker banged his blood-stained hands on the clean crystal, imprinting his handprints in it.

His catlike smirk widened, almost splitting his face in half.

“This is war.”

(so...Want a part two?)