#we’re young and the team is locked up long time

[preciouspatriots]

[mechaknight-98]

Paragon (NSFW) FT Yeji

author’s note Yeji is super hot especially in this dress. Been meaning to write her and I think I hit the right notes for this one

I got the call that the villain Light Fury was rampaging through the city. I groaned and suited up. I flew to Downtown

“Oh, Paragon you finally arrive. I was getting worried you wouldn’t show.”

My head was killing me so I responded, “Look light fury it’s barely Tuesday and it’s been a long week so can we hurry up.” I watched as the Villainess hesitated when she locked eyes with me. They held…concern no impossible no girl would interested in me especially not a supervillain as attractive as Light Fury. Huh, that’s a weird thought. I pondered, “Do I have a crush on my Archenemy?”

Lost in thought I didn’t see the giant plasma bolt flying towards me. It knocked me into an abandoned warehouse. It hurt but I was processing several different emotions so I just sat there for a minute.

“Do I like light fury ?” I ask myself.“No impossible I’m a hero. She’s a villain, but she's so smart, industrious, funny and we’re so close.” I say to myself.

“Am I a villain?” I questioned as I had teamed up with light fury numerous times to beat up on the worst of the Villains . Despite her being a supervillain it was quite often our values aligned. Unbeknownst to me light fury was flying to the warehouse as I was having my crisis.

“Like I almost killed my landlord yesterday for price gouging. I was so close to snapping his pencil neck. Although gouging his eyes out would have been more poetic. Listen to me I am one step short from monologing about the evils of the world and I don't feel anything except satisfaction because I keep feeling these unbearably strong violent ideations and antisocial tendencies. Am I just cosplaying hero to satisfy these cravings for violence I’ve been having.” Light Fury overhears me and is immediately taken back at hearing the hero she’s been fighting for the past 2 years having some very villainous thoughts, but she’d be remiss if she didn’t admit she kinda liked it when I flew off the handle. What came to her mind was their team-up where I nearly beat Dr.Cataclysm to death. almost single-handed. She saw the fire alight in his eyes and his heart race when they faced him. The rage and fire she got from me seemed to invigorate her making her powers stronger in the fight. She moved her hand into a skin-tight suit as she began to touch herself as she listened

“Maybe I should just finish the fight with light fury, turn her in, and call it a day, but she looks so hot today that new suit she wears makes her body look so good…what am I saying that’s my arch-villain and I’m drooling over her like I’m in high school again. I need a girlfriend.” I lamented Light Fury began to touch herself more intensely as she listened to my inner turmoil. The thought of corrupting her opposite excited her to no end. “What the fuck is wrong with me today. First, the landlord raised the rent, I almost lost it, and now I am lusting over my Archenemy. Get a grip, Hugo. I know I should go back to therapy…no that didn’t stop the rage I feel though. The only thing that quells that has been doing all the superhero stuff, but I’ve been getting worse.” I lament further

Watching me agonize and ponder my position Yeji stifles a moan escaping from her lips. The bottom of her villain suit and panties are gone as she further gives into her desires. His fingers dive in and out of her starving pussy.

“Hugo” light fury whispers. The first time she’s heard the real name of her nemesis. It excited her, but not in the case of perceived advantage but to be more intimate with the object of desires she has long repressed. Light fury gets a little closer now feeling herself burning up from arousal over my mental crisis and me lusting over her. She was also coming to terms with her loneliness and seeing such a strong and fertile young man who desired her…well her body reacted accordingly. I hear rustling and turn to see Light Fury standing in the corner of the warehouse shadows covering her. I turn to her terrified I ready myself to fight but light fury approaches me calmly her hips sashay with an eerily seductive quality. Seeing her half-naked paralyzed me as my body demands to fuck her but my mind rages against the primal part of me. As always her gaze is intense on approach but not of hatred. I see only one thing in her eyes…desire

“Little hero has been having some less than heroic thoughts about me. It gets me a little excited” She coos as she closes in on me her body pins me to the ground. I stiffen everywhere.

I’m used to being close to her but never with this feeling between us. She wraps her arms around me and brings me into her embrace. “Shush your worries.” She comes close. My resolve is hanging by a thread we both want each other but I… I can’t bring myself to…”Come, little hero.” She whispered in a seductive tone, and the thoughts I had been suppressing broke the floodgates. I rip Light Fury’s mask and my helmet off and devour her in a fervent kiss. The fiery Dragon queen as she was known by many greedily accepted my advances.

I run my hand through her auburn hair as the kiss between us begins to turn more passionate. Light Fury’s claws extended as she tore into my armor leaving me bare before her. She broke our kiss to appraise my body. Her eyes stopped at my crotch.

“Hmm, looks lit “Little hero” isn’t so little.” Light Fury says with a smile. Her hands reach out to my cock and I groan.

“Oh fuck light fury.” I moan light fury smiles maliciously as she strokes me a bit harder. One of my hands ventures down to her folds eager to reciprocate her passion and lust

“Yeji.” Light Fury says

“Huh?”I question

“My name is Yeji.” Light Fury responds

“Fuck Yeji keep going.” I moan as she gets a particularly substantial grip on my cock. Yeji smiles wickedly.

“Beg for it little hero Beg for your archenemy to make you cum.” Yeji says as takes a violent grip on my…no her cock. My body and mind have fully submitted to her whims.

“Please Yeji make me cum.”

Yeji grins madly fawning over the power she holds over me

“You can do better.” She admonishes

“Oh fuck Yeji please let me cum. ride my cock tills it’s spent in your pussy. Fuck me till I can’t even remember my name.” I moan desperate to feel her pussy on my cock. Yeji smirks before mounting me. She moans intensely as I fill her to the brim.

“Little hero isn’t so little.” Yeji coos. I groan as she holds me in place. Her pussy pulsated around my cock attempting to properly adjust to it. She groaned, and then she began to ride me. it started slow at first as we still were feeling each other out pawing at each other and getting to know each other's body. hers was tight and firm but bowed and curved in all the hottest and best places. Yeji smiled as his hands dug into my flesh. "Big Hero likes his Archenemy's pussy." she asks I nod breathlessly. Yeji takes it as a provocation to increase her pace which is par the course for her. Yeji is as unrelenting in riding me as she is in our fights perhaps more so here.

"You know Paragon you saved me before I became Light Fury," Yeji said as she sank further down onto my rod before lifting her tight sexy ass and slamming it back down on my crotch. I groan as she orgasms then and there. I continue to thrust in her extending the endeavor as I question her previous statement.

"Really?" I ask curious about previous encounters.

"Yes When Dr Cataclysm was collecting women for his vile experiment I was one of the subjects. His greatest success and his greatest failure." He called me." My blood boiled at the mention of Dr Cataclysm he had killed one of my closest friends and it took everything in me to let the Hero's association deal with him. He was a monster with no morals or guidance. few villains were as reviled as he was. In my anger, Yeji squealed.

"Oh Hero you're being so rough now. I love it. Did I strike a nerve mentioning the Good Doctor? Don't worry Big Hero. It was not your fault. The association made you stay your hand." Yeji says unknowingly. igniting the fire within me that burned brighter than any star.

"That fucking bastard hid among us like a wolf in sheepskin. He mocked us. and led us on goose chases while he preyed on the vulnerable. I should have ripped his throat out when I had his neck in my hands." I growled as I thrust into Yeji. She smiled seeing the color of my eyes change to the burnt Umber they would get whenever I was truly angry. Yeji was in bliss as I took my anger out on her. I fucked her harder and harder my senses dulling as pleasure and anger washed over me while using her. Yeji's smile was wicked and bright as I continued to thrust in and out of her tight pussy.

"I can feel you twitching harder Hero. Are you about to cum. Do it Cum in my pussy. Do it." Yeji mewled with a needy tone. Her words sent me over the edge as I dumped a load into her wanton pussy. As our bodies calmed down we stared at each other a confusing wave of emotions washed over us as the sexual tension dissipated.

"I can't believe I did that," we said simultaneously as our rationale came back to us. Yeji looked at me with a Vulnerable look.

"I am sorry Paragon. I shouldn't have done that to you," she said remorseful. I dismissed her.

"No, I was a consenting participant." I rebuked "Fuck...Why did you have to be so cute." I lament. Yeji looks at me with a surprised shocked look before blushing.

"Is that affection in your tone?" Yeji questions sternly.

I nod, "Yeah you are stunning, and had the circumstances been different I definitely would have asked you out."

"What's stopping Hugo from Asking Yeji out?" Yeji asks me with an innocent look

"Really? you know what screw it we're already this deep in. Hi Yeji would you like to get coffee sometime?" I ask meekly. Yeji smiles a more wholesome smile and winks at me. "I'd love to Hugo."

"Does tomorrow work?" she asks. I nod. "Great. Give me your phone so we can share numbers. I nod and conjure my phone to my hand.

"Oh, that's so cool," Yeji notes smiling. I smile brightly at her back, and we exchange numbers. I conjure my civilian clothes while she does a Carter twirl and turns back into her nice form-fitting black dress I assumed she was wearing before.

"You're drooling." Yeji teased. I nodded and rebuked

"Yes. Do you see how hot you are? Or is it only on me to tell you?"

Yeji smiles before saying, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

"I hope so because my goodness you are stunning," I reply

Yeji smiles then her face goes stern. "Okay stop it. you're too sweet." I nod and reply

"I am sorry this is just my first relationship...Being a hero and with my actual job. it doesn't leave time for much...Cavorting with others." as I explain Yeji's face softens.

"I never considered that, but yeah you keep your identity secret," Yeji affirms and I nod.

we both walk out of the warehouse. I use my magic to repair it.

"You know I don't know how your powers work?" Yeji asked with innocent curiosity.

"Oh no missy I am not revealing the secret of my powers. What if you're just using me to get to know my weaknesses?"

"Hugo I let you cum in me...Quite a bit I might add I can still feel it sloshing inside of me." Yeji laughs. I laugh with her and reply

"Well, I can't be too careful. We are still enemies after all."

[foreingersgod]

If you can could you do a Caitlin Clark x reader with angst? Thank youuu

votes are in! we’re going with angst to fluff for this one!

Regrets . CC

pairing: caitlin clark x reader

synopsis: caitlin says something to you during an argument that she immediately regrets

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

caitlin was a phenomenal athlete. she was good at what she did, blowing everyone away and breaking records, all while doing well in school and balancing the other parts of her life. you absolutely admired her for it, amazed by how perfect a person could be. she was so good to you, as her girlfriend, giving you equal support and love.

you on the other hand, were never an athlete, your dream was to pursue writing or journalism. you loved to write more than anything in the world and you knew from a very young age that that was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. you often wrote small stories in your free time or touched up on trending articles, trying to write as much as you could. throughout your college years, you’ve been interning and taking classes to get you into a good position for your career.

you’ll admit, it was a very competitive career to go into, but you were determined to succeed. caitlin was always at your side, too, rooting for you every step of the way.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

it was a tuesday night, you were at home cleaning and fixing up dinner. caitlin was still out, something about a meeting with a few scouts. she didn’t say much about and said that she’d tell you all about it when she got home.

so you waited patiently, finishing up dinner and waiting for cait to get home. you pulled out your laptop while you awaited her arrival, beginning to work on an important paper you were writing for your journalism course. as you typed away at the keyboard, you felt your phone vibrate. you pulled out your phone, curious to see who was texting you.

cait <3: really big news when i get home, can’t wait to tell you

your heart started to beat a little faster, eager to hear what it was. you knew how hard she had been working to get the attention of some of these scouts so you hoped it was finally paying off for her.

as you were finishing up a paragraph for your article, you heard the lock of the front door jostling, hinges creaking as it opened. your eyes darted to the door right away, watching as caitlin walked in, positively glowing. she hung up her jacket and took off her shoes all with a huge smile on her face. you found yourself smiling too, her happiness contagious.

“hey, babe” you swooned “how was the meeting? big news?”

she came over to you, standing behind the counter opposite of you chair. “YN, it was life changing! you’re never gonna believe it, it’s like a dream come true”

her eyes were wide with excitement, still shaking from receiving the news. she had you anxious as you waited for her to spill. you closed your laptop half way to give her full attention, pushing it aside.

“what?” you questioned “the anticipation is killing me!”

“well,” she took a breathy pause for dramatic effect “a few of the scouts that i was talking to approached me after the meeting. they were telling me about how they’re recruiting for the women’s olympic basketball team…and long story short, they want me on the team! baby im playing in the olympics!”

“holy shit, you’re kidding!” you leaped out of your seat, rushing around the counter to congratulate her “that’s amazing, oh my god, i’m so proud of you!”

you hugged her tightly, smoothing your hands across her back.

“thank you, i’m freaking out still, it’s so surreal” she felt like crying “we’re going paris, YN!”

she was still on cloud nine, starting to text friends and family to share the good news, but you had stepped back thinking you heard her wrong. you? the both of you? paris? while you were aware that the events would be an international occasion, you hadn’t realized it would be that far away. you had just assumed you would do a bit of long distance for the time being, caitlin going to play and you staying here to take care of things and focus on journalism. noticing you had pulled away, caitlin sent her last text and turned back to you.

“hey are you ok?” she asked “went all quiet on me”

“hm? oh yea i just,” you started picking at your nails, nervous to bring up the conversation “it’s just that you said ‘we’?”

her infectious laugh rang through your living room “of course, you’re my girl, i want you there with me”

“cait, you know i’d love to be there for you in person and come with but…but i can’t just go babe” you said, apologetically.

your entire soul shattered seeing the look on her face as you broke the news. she looked defeated, trying to laugh it off as a weird joke “what do you mean you can’t go?”

“don’t get upset” you said, sensing the tension growing “but a trip like that is expensive, and there’s things that i need to take care of, especially if you’re going to be gone…and i’m just in the middle of a really important part of my path in writing…i need to be able to focus on that right now. but we can do it, you know? we’d only be doing the long distance thing for a little bit!”

“are you serious?” she tried to keep her voice calm, instead raising it slightly “this is a huge deal for me and you don’t even want to be there with me?”

“that’s not true! i would do anything to go, but like i said, that’s an insanely expensive trip and i’m in the middle of trying to pursue this journalism thing so i-”

“you’re not going so you can write your silly papers?” she ridiculed “fine, it’s expensive, we can work around that, but you’re seriously telling me you’re not doing this so you can write?”

you were dumbfounded, her calling your passion just some ‘silly papers’ made you sick. you’ve been pushing yourself to every possible limit to work towards this, and you thought she was supportive of that, i guess this was bringing out her true colors.

“silly papers? caitlin, pursuing journalism is my dream, you know that” your nose scrunching in frustration “i’ve always been supportive of your dream, i’m constantly putting my own things aside so you can continue to do this”

“yea well that’s because i’m actually good at what i do” she snapped. her voice was laced with spite, gaze shooting daggers into yours. “i’ve got a real job, with real responsibilities, YN”

your body was frozen, feet glued to the ground, limbs unable to move. the way she was talking to you hurt, any support that you thought she had for you was gone out the window. you wanted to scream, storm out of the house and slam the door.

“that’s really what you think, hm?” you sneered “that i don’t have a real job? that i’m not good at the one thing i’m passionate about? jesus fucking christ caitlin.”

somewhere in your body, you found the courage to move. without letting her get another word in, you grabbed your laptop and stormed up the stairs into your shared bedroom. she could sleep on the couch tonight.

the second you made it up the stairs, you slammed the door and collapsed onto your bed. you were seething with rage. for her to stand in front of you, after you’ve put your heart and soul into helping caitlin succeed, was like a punch to the gut. she knew how hard you had been working to make this happen, how many classes and workshops, how many late nights and meetings with publishers. she knew about it all and she still had the audacity to say such a nasty thing.

you pulled the comforter up over your shoulders, hiding below it, and sobbed in your pillow. you didn’t even bother trying to finish your article tonight, your headache too painful from the tears. about an hour went by, you had assumed, the sun going down outside your bedroom window. not once did you hear anything from caitlin so you thought she had left to blow off steam or made herself comfortable on the couch.

then there was a knock at your bedroom door. she didn’t have to knock, in reality, it was her room too. you didn’t answer at the raps at the door, nor when she called out your name. you didn’t have anything to say.

“YN, can we talk?” her voice muffled from behind the wooden barrier “i shouldn’t have said those things, i didn’t mean it”

you stood up, opening the door for her and resuming your position on the bed, pulling up the covers once more. she followed suit and sat down at the foot of the bed next to you. still silent, you waited for her to continue.

“what i said was uncalled for” her voice cutting through deafening silence “none of it was true”

“so why’d you say it?” she could tell you had been crying right away, hearing the stuffiness in your nose. it made her stomach turn knowing she was the reason why.

“i was mad. the second i got the news, all i could think about was taking you with me. i had the whole thing planned out. but i didn’t even consider what it would mean for you, to drop everything and go to paris with me. and that was incredibly unfair of me to assume.”

you remained silent, listening to her confession.

“baby, i don’t think your papers are silly and i don’t think it’s not a real job” her hands found the way to your legs under the blanket, rubbing at them tenderly to try and comfort you “i’m so amazed by how talented you are. you’ve put in so much effort into making a name for yourself and i admire you for that, i know you’re going to do amazing things. what i said was cruel and purely out of spite and it won’t ever happen again, i’m so sorry”

you sniffled, wiping the rest of your tears as you sat up against the headboard. she had looked horrible when you looked at her. hair messy from running her hands through it, face pale and flushed, it didn’t take much to realize how bad she felt for lashing out at you.

“i know you’re mad, and i’m upset that i can’t go either,” you spoke up “but if you’re going to make a habit out of saying things like that to me, i don’t know if-”

“i swear to god i’m not! that was a shitty slip up, but please, i’m being honest when i say that i’ll never do that again. i have never once believed that what i said was true, im so so sorry” she pleaded, grabbing your hand and kissing the back of your palm.

“i forgive you, but it’s going to take a lot for you to make it up to me”

“anything, i’ll do anything” she said “i can’t live with myself knowing that i made you upset. whatever it takes to gain your trust back, i’ll fucking do it”

you let out a small chuckle, knowing the real cait was already shining through. the caitlin that would go to the ends of the earth for you. her hand was still gripping yours, drawing small shapes around your knuckles and kissing them reassuringly. you tugged her towards you making her fall into the sheets beside you. you reached out, caressing her long strands of hair, silently admiring her.

the two of you remained there in bed without saying anything. the sun lingered in its final hour in the sky as you both soaked in each other’s presence.

you couldn’t stay mad at her for long.

[ts1m1kas]

Original Ask: the main concept is that the reader was hired as an intern in the media team for barca, she’s young, has a fiery tongue and can handle herself around players, and gavi ( who’s known to be a hot head cause he’s sergio ramos’s long lost son lol ) cannot help but melt everytime he sees her, pedri tries to nudge his best friend into talking but a funny incident happens that causes them to admit their feelings to each other. (@findingnemosworld)

Word Count: 904 words

(author's note: another request from @findingnemosworld whose ideas never fail to amaze me 🩷 apologies for the lack of fics, my inspiration seemed to disappear on me !!)

Being hired for a media internship at Barcelona Football Club was the best thing to ever happen to Y/N. Every day was different, and she had developed close relationships with the players.

Y/N had a reputation around the Barça office for being brutally honest with a fiery tongue. She voiced every thought that came into her head and never lied to anyone.

She had been tasked with setting up the training equipment for the session on that day. She walked through the corridors of the training complex, heading towards the equipment cupboard.

Pablo's coach had also sent him to retrieve a clipboard from the same cupboard that, unbeknownst to him, Y/N had been sent to.

What Y/N didn't know was that Pablo had been admiring her from afar for a while. Every time he saw her, he flushed red with embarrassment. He thought she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

Pedri and Ansu were walking through the same corridor. They saw Y/N collecting cones and balls to take out to the field for the team to use during their training session.

When Pedri saw him enter the same cupboard as her, he took his chance. He locked the door behind Pablo and ran back to Ansu, laughing.

Pedri was sick of hearing his best friend talk about Y/N. Every time the pair saw her, Pablo would try and drag him away in fear of making a fool of himself. In an effort to finally get the pair together, Pedri resorted to locking the pair in the cupboard. If that didn’t work, he didn’t know what would.

Hearing the door close behind him, Pablo spun around. His eyes widened when he saw the doors were shut.

"Hello? Who is it?"

Pablo recognised that voice. He'd know it anywhere. It froze him to the spot. He didn't want to believe what was happening to him at that moment.

"Pablo, is that you?" He heard Y/N ask. He finally saw her walk into view.

"Yeah, it's me. I think the door's locked itself, so we might be in here for a while." He replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh no. The team won't get their training equipment on time then."

She frowned. The idea of losing her internship made her sick. All she wanted to do was get the equipment and watch her friends train. 

“It’s fine, I’m sure they’ll notice we’re gone soon.”

Y/N let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding in. 

“How come you’re in here anyway? I thought you just had to turn up to training?”

Pablo laughed and shook his head.

“Coach wanted a clipboard, and I knew they were in here.”

Silence descended over the pair. Pablo wracked his brain, trying to think of something else to say to Y/N. His fear of embarrassing himself was growing larger by the second. 

“You look pretty today. Not that you don’t look pretty every day, just you look really-”

Y/N cut off his bashful rambling, “Thank you, Pablo, that’s nice of you.”

Since starting her work with the football team, Y/N had always liked Pablo. As she got to know him more over the years, she noticed herself falling for the young player rapidly. His humour and kind nature drew her in, and before she knew it, she was hooked.

Being locked in the equipment cupboard wasn’t where she thought she would finally confess her feelings for the Spaniard. However, she wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip through her fingers.

“Pablo, I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Before I tell you, I hope we can remain friends afterwards.”

His face dropped. Assuming the worst, he nodded at Y/N’s words, urging her to continue.

“When I first started my internship here, I didn't intend to form such lovely connections with anyone. But since we first met, I’ve found myself liking you more and more; what I’m trying to say is that I like you. A lot.”

Pablo was dumbfounded. Through his shock and disbelief, his heart began to beat faster.

“Are you serious?” Pablo’s mind was running at 100 miles an hour. “I feel the same, I have since I first saw you walk in through the front doors.”

Y/N’s face broke out into a grin.

“I don’t think we can remain friends, though. Pablo commented. “I would like you to be my girlfriend, though?”

Nodding ferociously, Y/N’s smile got impossibly bigger.

The pair moved closer together and Pablo wrapped his arms around Y/N. Just as the pair were settling down, they heard the click of the door handle and then footsteps. Looking up at the sound, they saw Pedri poke his head around the corner.

“I knew it!” He exclaimed, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for ages. You two were made for each other. I’ll finally be rid of Pablo talking about his ‘crush’ on you”

The trio laughed and Y/N and Pablo got up, making their way out of the cupboard. 

Pablo knew Pedri had locked him and Y/N in the cupboard, but he didn’t feel anger or resentment. Instead, he felt grateful for his friend and appreciative of the road ahead of him.

The three of them headed to the training field, laughing at the unusual events of the morning.

[alemonyoyo]

No Country for Young Humans - Chapter 5!

Hi guys! Got this chapter out a little earlier than expected. I am going overseas tomorrow, so I assume my upload schedule of every 2 days will get a little slower. Sorry about that.

Also, I would really appreciate any feedback on my writing if you have any. I've found myself a little unhappy with the way I write recently, so any tips to improve are wholly welcome <3!!

This one's a bit more lax than the previous chapter, hope you enjoy!

Missed the previous chapters? Check out the Masterlist!

Words: 2969

Tags: GN Reader, No use of YN, Flirting, Forbidden Romance (????)

Summary: A morning mission with your new trio goes down as well as you could hope for. But a stunning victory is interrupted by some concerning news.

Chapter 5 - The Search: Undertale Yellow OST: 066 The Train Problem

You pressed your back firmly against the wall of the building, feeling the warmth that its bricks held onto seep into the back of your shirt. Peeking your head around the corner you saw that familiar green tint. You still felt Ed’s presence by your side so you turned back to him, giving him a short nod. You both readied your guns, the air dry and crisp, not carrying a single sound with it as you rounded the corner of the building.

“Hands up, Virgil!” You screamed, getting into character. Ed was by your side, his larger pistol, more suited for his huge hands, was pointed directly at your prey.

“This is the last time you get away with stealin’ Mooch’s gold.” Ed’s voice commanded throughout the Wild East, if only you had such confidence. He played the role of the tough guy very well.

Vengeful Virgil, like the vermin that he is, scampered from side to side to get around you two, but was met with the fellow swoop of one of Ace’s cards slicing a shallow cut in his cheek.

“Not so fast, V.” Ace cut in, blocking Virgil’s only way to escape. “We’re not leavin’ till we get what’s ours.” Virgil panicked against the wall, trying to hide his fearful glance under the brim of his hat. But his snout was too long, and his grimace was extremely apparent.

“Y-you don’t understand, Feisty Three.” Well- you supposed that was correct. There were only three of you right now, but the others would be here with backup any minute! 

After agreeing to stay in the Wild East, North Star had given you the highest of privileges; to join the Feisty Five as its newest member! This was to Ed’s dismay as “The Feisty Six” did not have the same ring to it that the alliteration of “The Feisty Five” provided. But alas, you were happy to be a part of whatever game they were playing, title be damned.

“I think we understand just fine.” Ace said, taking a menacing step towards Virgil.

“She- she stole it off a’ me! Mooch stole *my* gold! I was just stealin’ it back!” He squirmed against the wall.

“Aha! So you admit to stealing Mooch’s gold then?” You smirked, the loophole in his words falling carefully into place. This was a confession! You could have him imprisoned! Your first bandit capture while on the team! “I oughta lock you up for just that. But running away from the law, trying to shoot our dearest sheriff? I think you might get *life* in jail!” You hammed up your accent, really getting into character.

“Sounds good to me, rookie.” Ed responded with a nasty smirk.

“Agreed, give him what he deserves.” Ace continued. With that, you pulled out a lasso you had been gifted by Ace, who had stepped you through Lassons 101 for the past couple of days. Virgil squealed pathetically at the sight.

As you readied your throw, you kept in mind all he had taught you. You whirled the lasso around your head, feeling the loop tug and pull against itself. Keeping your hand in position you threw the lasso with all your strength. It soared across the air gracefully, and you watched in awe at your own technical prowess.

“Um.” Virgil responded, watching as your lasso landed in a pathetic heap in front of him,

“That’s okay.” He started as he bundled up the coil of rope and handed it to you, returning to his frightened position against the wall of the building. “You can try again.”

You repeated the same steps in motion, though this time with far less confidence and much more embarrassment. Your loop flopped against the side of the building with a thunk, before tripping on itself and falling to the floor once more.

“No no, you have to twist your wrist! That’s what’ll keep the loop horizontal!” Ace insisted, picking up the rope from the ground. “One more, Virgil.”

You felt your face grow hot. You were lucky North Star wasn’t here to watch this pitiful display. He’d probably still be proud of you nonetheless, but the thought was highly embarrassing.

You held your hand at the base of the loop in the lasso. Swung it round; one, two, before lifting it above your head and allowing the loop to slip from your grasp. It launched forward, nicking itself over Virgil's hat. The lasso lightly fell around his shoulders.

“Okay, okay now pull!!” Ace whispered eagerly. You pulled the lasso taught, and suddenly the menacing Vengeful Virgil was captured! The three of you cheered as Virigil remained still against the building. Face blank and clueless.

“Let’s take this guy to where he’ll be stayin’ the night.” Ed offered.

“Sounds like a plan!”

You walked off happily, Vengeful Virgil in tow.

“Wow, can’t believe you caught him just like that! Those lasson’s are really coming in handy.” Ed gave you a light pat on the back, but due to his strength it felt like a poor-man's heimlich manoeuvre. “I’ve never even captured a bandit with a lasso! My hands are too big to hold those tiny ropes.”

“That’s because you lack class, Ed. A real Cowboy, a *refined* one let’s say, would use the standard traditional methods.” Ace replied, “*I* for one have captured all of my prey with a lasso.” Though you couldn’t see his face, you could feel the smugness of his expression dripping throughout his tone.

“And how many’s that?” You ask, feeling Virgil tug at your rope.

“... Three.” He mumbled. You tried not to giggle, but Ed took charge, his roaring laughter was infectious.

“Seems we all suck at this a little.” You chuckled out, finding all your embarrassment dissipated.

Eventually you made it to the jail in the heart of town. Ed walked up ahead and held the door open for you. Ace walked inside and unlocked the door to one of the two cells the jail held. You stepped inside, a momentary respite from the harsh rays. You pulled the rope to guide Virgil into his cell. It felt like having a dog on a leash. Virgil voluntarily walked into the cell, seemingly forgetting he was supposed to be the struggling criminal, captured by the mighty Feisty Three! You loosened your rope, coiling it up as Ace locked the cage. 

“See you later Vengeful *Vermin*.” Ace spat.

“Ooo good one.” You teased, chuckling at him.

“Oh shush. As if you could do any better, rookie.” You both laughed and left Virgil to rot in his cell for your predicted sentence of a lifetime.

“Good job team!” You congratulated the other two, beaming with the newfound confidence that a successful mission brought. “I think we’ve done some good today. We should find Star and the others and tell them to stop the search! We’ve already caught the bandit right?” The other two nodded, satisfied with the morning’s mission.

North Star, Mooch and Moray had been assigned to patrol the West-most side of the Wild East after Vengeful Virgil had escaped from the clutches of your group. It wouldn’t be too hard to find the three of them. 

You had been a little disappointed at first when you hadn’t been assigned a team with North Star, though he insisted it was necessary, you were sad nonetheless. You liked hanging out with him more than anyone. He’s what made this game of Cowboy truly exciting. Ace and Ed were great, and you were honestly becoming closer to them than you had anticipated this morning, but they didn’t have the capriciousness, the risk, that Star did.

The three of you had barely started walking down the road to the western section of town when you saw the rest of the gang walking back empty-handed. At your appearance, Mooch ran over excitedly,

“Oh, oh! Did you do it? Did you find him?” She scurried along the sand, looking up at the three of you.

“We sure did!” You said triumphantly.

“That’s great to hear!” Said Moray as they approached.

“All thanks to our newest recruit.” Ace butted in. You gave him a thankful nod.

“Oh, gettin’ the hang of the ol’ lasso already, are we sweets?” North Star inquired, catching up with the other two. You prayed that Ed nor Ace would speak of the pathetic display earlier today to save your ego. 

“I- I guess you could say that.” You mumbled, feeling yourself fluster at the other nickname Star had given you.. He was quite relentless with them; “Darlin’”, “Sweets”. All of which were spoken in his delicious accent and you happily drank them up.

“So, did you get my gold back?” Mooch asked. Your stomach dropped.

Shit, you had forgotten Mooch’s gold- The whole reason you were hunting this guy down in the first place! What sort of heroes were you?

The three of you fell silent, your expressions each uniquely blank. Embarrassment filled the silence in the air.

“You forgot, didn’t you.” Mooch responded flatly, highly disappointed.

“Ah, Mooch. You don’t understand. Today's mission wasn’t about gettin’ your gold back it wa-”

“It wasn’t?!” She interjected, stomping a foot down in the sand.

“Well- I- It was about *heart*!” Star tried to pull together some sort of moral, “Our team has stopped Vengeful Virgil from stealin’ from *more* vulnerable pockets. Thanks to your gold pouch, we were tipped off to that.” 

“It was a noble sacrifice, Mooch.” Moray responded from behind them, trying to push the conversation along. You all nodded with a melancholy facade, mourning the loss of Mooch’s most-likely-stolen gold. Her expression scrunched up and she crossed her arms but didn’t say anything.

The group was silent for an awkward moment, before North Star suggested;

“How about we go celebrate this victory of Justice over a round of drinks?” To that, the rest of them cheered, except for Mooch, of course. She remained disgruntled.

You followed the group as they bumbled along the path back to the saloon. Another great morning in the Wild East! And, you had a whole afternoon of adventuring to look forward to! This time as a group, so you wouldn’t be away from Star for too long. 

You were right outside the saloon, the relentless rays of the Dunes pounding down on your skin. The wind washed around your ears, and in the crashing of its waves it carried a small sound. A chant, maybe? Someone was yelling, but for fear or for joy you couldn’t tell.

“Uh, who is that?” Moray pointed out beyond the limits of the town. You all turned your heads to see a tall, blue figure kicking up sand as they ran.

“Martlet-” You let out in an astonished whisper.

“Who?” North Star inquired,

“She’s a friend of mine. From Snowdin.” You reply, confusion littering your tone. You hadn’t seen Martlet since the day of the duel. What was she doing here all of a sudden?

You fumbled down the saloon patio back onto the sand, meeting her halfway. Her run became a tumble as she nearly tripped over her own legs trying to stop herself from crashing into you.

“Oh my gosh!” She squawked out as she screeched to a halt. “They-They’re coming. You have to leave, they’re coming!” Martlet placed two feathered hands on your shoulders and shook you violently as she repeated herself. However, after a day out in the hot “sun”, it had your head spinning. North Star hurries himself across the sand in response to the violent jolting you’re receiving. He steps in between the two of you.

“Hey, hey, stop it!” His yell seems to snap Martlet out of her panicked stupor, she stops shaking. Now she seems frazzled, her eyes whizzing around the Wild East looking for a comfortable place to land that isn’t you or the man giving his all towards intimidating her. Star puffed out his chest, his eyes shooting daggers into Martlet. “I don’t care who you are, you have no right to treat our deputy like that!” He continued. The title of “deputy” rang in your ears like the bell in the centre of town. He hadn’t let *that* slip before.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” She started, holding her feathered hands up in defence. “This is just really important!” Martlet insisted, trying to get around North Star to face you. She scrunched up her face in annoyance when he wouldn’t budge.

“It’s okay, Martlet. Anything you can tell me, you can tell him.” You hoped this would placate any worry of hers, but instead it simply seemed to feed further into Star’s confidence, as he flashed a knowing grin to Martlet. Though, there was an evident light blush on his cheeks.

“Ah yes, me and the deputy are as tight as the knot in a lasso!” He crossed his gloved fingers. Martlet crossed her arms.

“Okay, sure. Look- You need to get out of here.” She said, turning to you. Her tone was deathly serious, a far departure from the dorky bird you had known previously. “The Royal Guard got wind of your little “duel” and they’ve decided to do a search of the entire Dunes!” 

“Shit-” You heard Star mumble under his breath. “How long do they have?” He inquired. 

You were too stunned to speak. You had been here for quite a while with no issue, and now you just had to get up and leave! You tried to get out any words but your throat held them back. Too panicked to say anything, you remained paralysed in silence.

“About an hour. I’ve taken a head start but they’re heading over from Hotland.” Your head starts to spiral, it’s getting hard to stand. Your mind is overwhelmed, waterlogged with the idea of your own capture. Possibly the Feisty Five’s capture for treason too- 

You were lucky that your run-in with the Royal Guard went so smoothly. But you got the feeling that the rest of the Royal Guard wouldn’t be as forgiving as Martlet. This was not good- This was horrible. This was the worst thing that could happen! Where could you even go from here?

Something pulled at your hand. Looking down you could see North Star’s hand slip its way into your own. Looking up at him, he gave you a smile. You felt your mind clear itself at the feeling of his fingers intertwined with yours. It was a small gesture, but it was more than enough to ground you to your senses.

“...I think it’d be best for you to head to Waterfall. It’s in the opposite direction to Hotland, and it’s far more cavernous and easy to hide in.” Martlet advised.

“I’ll come with you, sweets.” Star reassured you, his thumb running over your knuckles, “You ain’t never been to Waterfall, have you?”

“No.” You shook your head. Looking back at Martlet who met you with a worried expression. 

“I would love to come with you, but I have to join the search.” She turned away with a pained expression, “I’ll come find you at Waterfall when it’s over, but until then, stay in Waterfall.” She had quite a demanding tone. Perhaps she was more fit for the job of a Royal Guard than she thought.

You sighed, trying to let out all of the worries that fizzled in the base of your stomach, leaving you nauseous.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be like one of our adventures!” Star turned to you, “Exploring new places, hiding from the bad guys!” Though his voice was cheery, his expression was dampened with hesitation.It was clear that he was trying to quell your anxieties, so you attempted meeting him with a grateful smile.

“Yeah, I guess so.” You squeezed his hand.

“I gotta head off now. Good luck!” Martlet said before flapping her wings and setting off, soaring through the sky as if the ground never held her. You wished you had such freedom, to leap from gravity’s clutches at will, escaping from all those who sought you harm. But as soon as the thought crossed your mind, it left, ashamed. You had your freedom on the surface, and you let it go- This was your punishment; getting hunted down like meat.

“You okay, deputy?” Star let go of your hand, instead resting both of his arms on your shoulders. He looked right into your eyes, his gaze analysing every feature of your face, digging for any sort of apprehension. He wouldn’t have to look hard to find it.

“I- No, I’m not okay.” You sigh, “But I will be. I hope.” You look away from his unrelenting gaze, feeling judged.

“Well then, rookie. Pack as much as you can for the both of us and meet me out here in 10. I’m going to alert the others, okay?” You nodded with a huff.

“It’ll be alright, darlin’.” He brushed his knuckles on the side of your face. “I know this is scary. *I’m* scared.” His hand turned to cup your cheek, “But if we lay low, like real bounty hunters, I’m sure it’ll be just fine.” He ran a hand through your hair, brushing it out of your face. He turned and reluctantly walked off towards the saloon.

Fuck, you were scared- But the look he gave you, mixed with the feeling of his fingers against your cheek was a feeling worth fighting for. You turned away from the saloon, heading off to get some supplies.

You weren’t going to let the Royal Guard win.

***

“The locals around here say they haven’t seen anything, boss.”

“Keep trying. We need this soul more than anything, understand?”

“Y-yes.”

“Continue your search. I’m going to make a head start eastward.”

“Rumour says there isn’t much around there. Just an abandoned old town.”

“We’ll see about that.”

[loren91]

Young Royals and the three act structure, Part two

Here we go again! Last time we spoke about how season one is constructed within the three-act structure. If you haven’t read the previous post I’d recommend you do so, because I’m not gonna explain each plot point again. Now we shall look at how this applies to the rest of the show, and based on that make a small prediction about season three.

So now that we’re all up to speed, let’s get to it!

I wanna take a moment first to consider Wille’s Want vs Need in regard to season two. The Want hasn’t really changed - He still wants to be with Simon. Although we are now aware of his Need, because of how the previous season ended, his struggle now is more about how to get there. Essentially, coming to terms with taking accountability and committing to his values. Consider where he’s at the start of the season, compared to the end. In episode one he calls his mother and literally blames her and the court for everything. Missing the point that it was his own lack of communication that drove Simon away from him in the first place. He’s not ready to take accountability yet. That’s why he can’t have what he wants. In the end though, in episode six, that’s exactly what he does. He admits he was in the video with Simon, to correct what he did wrong. The emotional journey he’s been through this season pushes him to actively make decisions based on his own beliefs, not letting the crown manipulate him anymore. Wille has become fully aware of what he Needs.

We continue our structure analysis with season two. And I gotta be honest for a second, I struggled a bit identifying some of these beats. They’re not as grand as they were in the previous season, making the structure a bit less obvious. The way I see it, the second act this time around is veeery long. But once again, if you disagree with me, let’s chat!

Act 1

Act tension - Can Wille and Simon resume their relationship?

Sequence 1

Set up/Hook - Since this is season two, we already know most of the characters and there’s no need to go deep about what is plaguing Wilhelm, we know what happened last season. But when we catch up with him, it’s clear he’s had a terrible Christmas. He’s sad and alone in the castle, doesn’t speak to his mother, and is very angry at August. Then he returns to Hillerska.

Sequence tension - What’s gonna happen when Wille and Simon reunite?

Point of attack - Wille is eager to be around Simon again, but Simon is trying to avoid him and even asks for space.

Inciting incident - Wille finds out about Simon’s date with Marcus.

Sequence 2

Sequence tension - What is Wille gonna do with this new information?

Things are moving rather quickly here because again, this is the sequel, there’s no need to linger on the set up. So we are immediately faced with the first major plot point, the Lock-in - Wille calls the royal court and blames them for everything that’s gone wrong so far. He also makes the decision to actively fight them, by threatening to renounce the crown. This also establishes the royal court as the main antagonist for this season. August is still an antagonist, but no longer the main one. The main tension is also established.

Act 2

Act tension -  How will he win Simon back?

Sequence 3

The protagonist starts this sequence having learned something new - Simon is making attempts to move on. Wille responds with petty anger. Then we get a pinch point - Jan-Olof shows up to remove Wille from Hillerska. Demonstrating the royal court's power. 

Sequence tension - Can Wille stand up for himself against the crown?

Sequence 4

The build-up towards the midpoint - Felice advises Wille to be around Simon as much as possible, to keep trying, and that he does. Like bargaining with Simon about having a secret relationship, helping Simon get a spot on the rowing team, and confronting him about his relationship with Marcus.

Sequence tension - Is Simon actually moving on?

And here comes the dreaded midpoint once again - Wille sees Simon and Marcus kiss. He now believes he’s lost Simon forever. What we could call “A false defeat”. This changes his aim from winning Simon back, to attempting to move on himself. 

Sequence 5

Wille is trying to adjust to this new reality where he can no longer hope for Simon to come back to him. We could identify two pinch points here. One is the locker room fight, where Simon admits he can’t accept Wille's title. And the other is when Simon shows up at the ball with Marcus. Both of these remind Wille of the fact that he can’t be with Simon. 

Sequence tension - Can Wille let Simon go?

Again, some subplots advance here - Sara and August’s relationship intensifies.

Sequence 6

Starting with a plot point, a moment of reflection for our protagonist - Despite Wille’s attempts to let go, Simon runs after him at the ball. They end up kissing.

Sequence tension - They still love each other!

Wille is overjoyed by this turn of events, and for a moment believes that they can be together again.

Sequence 7

Just like last time, Young Royals drags out the drama by adding an extra sequence here. A pinch point - Another reminder of the royal court's power. Kristina telling Wilhelm that August is next in line to the throne after him. Their argument in the music room could also be accounted for here.

Sequence tension - Wille is starting to realise how much his title affects Simon.

Wille’s offer to give up the crown could be more considered as a character-building moment, rather than a plot point. And Simon’s decision after this is more of a plot point in his own storyline.

The crisis that serves as build-up to act three - August threatens to report Simon for the drugs, if he reports August for the video. Wille reacts very strongly and takes it as a personal attack. 

The end of act two, where the protagonist faces their biggest challenge yet - The aftermath of the field scene. Wille is alone again, Simon isn’t talking to him, and his title has badly hurt Simon once again. On top of all this, he has to do the speech. 

Act 3

Act tension - Can Wille do the speech?

Sequence 8

Here the protagonist will make a big decision - Though perhaps is more Simon making the decision, to have a secret relationship.

Then we have the last major plot point, the twist - Despite the fact that Wille absolutely does not want to do the speech, he does it anyway, because he can’t let August be rewarded. 

Sequence 9

Sequence tension - What is he gonna say in this speech?

The climax - Wille stops, considering the contents of the speech, and disagrees with it. He decides to admit it was him in the video. 

Resolution - The smile they share I guess? But it’s still an open ending since this monumental decision leaves us with many question marks. Preparation for season 3.

The show obviously consists of so much more than just these beats, like subplots and character-building moments. The purpose of these things should be to strengthen the characters, as well as add more depth to the main plot. Take our beloved fish scene as an example, it doesn’t really do much to advance the plot. But it’s a very good moment for solidifying Wille and Simon’s relationship! Which is important to keep us, the audience, invested in their story. 

Subplots are quite interesting and tricky to get right. They tend to follow the same structure as the main plot. It’s also common for subplots to cross paths with the main plot as well, and sometimes even fundamentally affect it. However, since the main plot should always focus on developing the protagonist, you shouldn’t let any of the other character’s arcs hijack it. But you also generally don’t wanna keep the two narratives completely separate, because then the subplot might end up feeling forced and meaningless. A great example from Young Royals is the drug plotline between Simon and August. Let’s break it down real quick.

Act 1 - the deal

Set up/Hook - August approaches Simon. Clearly, they are not friends. Inciting incident - August asks Simon to get booze for him. Lock in - Even though Simon initially declined the offer, he eventually agrees to help August.

Act 2 - the money issues

Pinch point - August returns and now asks for drugs, despite being late with the payment. Midpoint - Simon learns August can’t pay him back because August is broke. Pinch point - Simon gives August more drugs to sell, so he may pay him back. Crisis - August threatens to frame Simon for the drugs after the party. (The plot lines cross and affect each other)

Act 3 - the threat 

Climax - Wille manages to convince the others to frame Alexander instead. Resolution - Simon is safe (for now)

The reason why I don’t account for Simon going to see his father here is because I’d argue that them reconnecting is its own subplot, more related to Simons relationship with Sara, than it is to the August situation. It’s also an unresolved plot line still. Micke showing up at Lucia I suspect to only be their crisis point, or maybe even midpoint? Depending on how the rest of it plays out in season three of course.

Another neat trick writers may use with their subplots, is to parallel the main plot, either to highlight the themes of the story, or to explore alternative outcomes. For example, the Sara and August plotline at times resembles Wille and Simon’s plot, for very good reasons. Like how August and Wille are from similar backgrounds, yet they’re very different people. Especially at the end of season two. By that point the emotional journey August has been on, falling in love with Sara and reflecting on his wrongdoings, you’d assume he would have learned something or displayed some kind of character growth. But nope. Instead, he doubles down and causes further intentional harm to the people he’s already hurt. While Wille, in the same episode actively works to redeem himself to Simon. This is meant to strengthen Wille’s position as the protagonist we should root for, by comparing him to August, who remains to be an awful person. So even though it may feel like season two is giving more screen time to the secondary characters, that still has a purpose for the overall narrative.

Young Royals in general like to use their secondary characters to highlight the overall theme of the show. As @darktwistedgenderplural pointed out to me, widening the view of Wille’s Want vs Need to the want of being loved for who you are, and the need to be your most authentic self, we find that the same principle can be applied to all the five main characters. Despite all their journeys being unique, their wants and needs remain universal. They are all there to strengthen the theme of the show.

So what was the point of all this rambling? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the story consists of exactly three seasons. The way I see it, since the three-act structure can be found in every element of this show, each season is also meant to represent one of the acts. Season one is the set up, season two is the confrontation, and season three will be the resolution. If we try to map out the entire show that we have so far in the structure format, you can quite quickly find the pattern.

Season 1

Set up - Wille is sent to Hillerska where he meets Simon and falls in love. Inciting incident - The video is released. Lock-in - Wille does the statement and Simon breaks up with him.

Season 2

Pinch point - The royal court proves to be a major obstacle to Wille getting what he wants. Midpoint - Wille and Simon kiss at the Valentine’s ball, proving they still have feelings for each other. Pinch point - The royal court is still trying to manipulate him, making him do the speech. Moment of reflection - Wille considers how much his title affects Simon and chooses to come out.

My theory is that at the start of season three, we’ll get to the Crisis point of the over-arcing plot. Where our protagonist will face their biggest challenge yet and be at their lowest point before the climax. And hopefully, we’ll get a proper resolution this time around! (Something more than a cliffhanger at least, please and thank you)

So even though it’s sad that our lovely little show is coming to an end, I think it’s worth looking at the bigger picture here. The writers clearly intended for it to have three seasons so that we would have a satisfying story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There are so many examples of shows that self-sabotaged by running for way too long and not being able to keep consistent quality. But the Young Royals team got to stay loyal to their story and tell it in their way, and I think that’s beautiful.

Young Royals is a love letter to storytelling, and you can’t convince me otherwise ❤

[nerves-nebula]

i feel so bad i’ve been like borderline spamming you all month 😭 i’m just stupid and obsessed with the (also stupid) turtles and (also ALSO stupid) gay people. anyway

⚠️CW: uh. mentions of blood? is that one?⚠️

“casey, i don’t know if this is a good idea,” raph whispered, following the taller boy through the sewer tunnels. the water under their feet sloshed with each step, and casey’s hand tightened around his. casey’s duffel bag make soft clinks and thuds as they travelled with the flashlight on the human’s phone as the sole illumination for the dark sewer system, the already dark area pitch black in the night.

“oh cmon, don’t be a pussy,” casey laughed, throwing a tilted smirk over his shoulder. raph sighed, and silently prayed casey wouldn’t turn the flashlight in his direction, lest he see the warmth spreading to his cheeks.

—

it was too late for anyone else to be up, even donnie’s room was silent as casey crept in to attempt and sneak raph out.

“casey, i can’t. he has locks on the doors preventing us from leaving.” raph sighed, closing the door to his room behind them silently, with familiar precision.

casey gave his signature smile, something twisted and mischievous that raph knew used to send an amber alert inside his teacher’s minds, basically screaming ‘trouble!’

“how do ya think i got here, raphie?” he chuckled quietly. “i’ve known how to pick locks since i was eleven.”

raph still didn’t look too convinced. what if splinter woke up early, and expected raph to make breakfast, and he wasn’t there? what if donnie had another nightmare and decided he wanted comfort, only for his bed to be empty?

“hey,” the human whispered, leaning over slightly to match the red banded turtles’ height. “we’ll be gone a few hours, tops. you’ll be home in time in case anythin’ happens, ‘kay? you said you were havin’ a bad day, let me help.”

the room was silent for a few seconds, just the subtle sound of the water running through the surrounding pipes echoing softly through the room.

“…okay.”

—

raph looked behind him anxiously. he hasn’t been this far in the sewers for a while; not since he was young. he couldn’t tell if it was nerves, or excitement coiling in his chest.

“what are we actually doing?” he prodded the human, who was grinning ear to ear, showcasing the gap in his teeth that made raphs heart flutter uselessly in his chest.

“i already told ya, it’s a surprise.”

“i hate surprises.”

“not this one, ya wont.”

he couldn’t help the dull pang of irritation jolt through his chest.

“tah dah!” casey exclaimed, gesturing widely towards a dingy, rusted ladder screwed into the wall, leading up to a dirty manhole cover.

…

“a ladder?” raph asked dryly. he knew this ladder was here, it’s certainly not new, and it doesn’t look it either. really, nothing special.

he couldn’t see them, but raph had a feeling casey rolled his eyes. “no, dumbass. we’re going up!” he laughed.

he felt his heart stop. sure, he’s been up to the surface before, but never alone. he was always accompanied by his brothers at his sides, completing missions as a team.

but never with casey.

casey was different.

“you good?” he heard, and snapped out of it. his breath stuttered as casey, almost hesitantly, placed a hand on his shoulder.

he wasn’t used to that; being touched so gently.

it was weird.

“are ya dumb?” raph exclaimed. his voice bounced slightly off the walls, echoing down the worn tunnels. quickly, he whipped his head around, staring anxiously into the dark, making sure no one heard him.

“i can’t go out there casey. not with you.” he whispered. he longed to place a comforting hand on his arm when a slightly solemn expression cast over his features, but he refrained.

“well, why not?”

“because!”

“that’s not a reason, ‘nd you know it!”

he clenched his hands at his side, forcing a breath into his lungs.

the boy in front of him sighed, and there was a slight shuffling and sloshing as he leaned over, meeting raphs height.

“hey. just a few hours ‘kay? then we’ll get ya back home before anyone even knows you're gone.” he soothed. his voice was quiet, too low to echo around the tunnels. “i promise.”

he opened his mouth to shut the idea down again, before closing it softly.

“…fine.”

“you sure?” casey’s voice sounds…soft. casey is never soft. it’s unfamiliar; new.

it’s kinda nice.

“yeah, yeah i’m sure, c’mon. let’s just go.” the ladder is cold under his claws, the rusted metal grimy to the touch, and his grip almost slips off. he pretends to ignore the way casey’s arms are slightly extended, as if prepared to catch him if he falls.

the alley is quiet, but the city around them echoes with subtle noises around the area; laughter and music and shouting and footsteps.

new york is the city that never sleeps after all .

casey climbed through behind him, the sharp ‘clang’ of the manhole being replaced cued his exiting. the footsteps were heavy and blunt, hard and strong just like the man they belonged to.

he stopped behind the turtle, making sure to drag his wrist across his shoulder to alert him he was going in for a touch, before settling his elbow on his head, leaning on him the way he knows raph hates. “i didn’t bring ya up here for no good reason, yknow.” he said, grinning downwards at the boy he was using as an arm rest.

raph felt his face twist in question, looking up at him. he had assumed that, as great as casey was, he’s not the type of guy to do things for no reason. hes not that dumb.

…

okay he’s pretty dumb.

but a good dumb.

“i see you’re lookin’ pretty confused. are ya ready to hear my master plan? a.k.a. participate in the average, everyday night of casey jones?” he prods, unslinging his beat up, raggedy duffel bag from his shoulder.

the thing hits the pavement with a muffled ‘THUD’ and several smaller ‘clang’s. casey drops and rifles around in the modern day pandora’s box with low, muttered cursing, before pulling several things out.

the first, raph notes, is a worn down hockey stick. it’s wood has molded to showcase where casey keeps his grip, and the black paint across the toe is chipped and cracking.

next, is a clear bag filled with several pucks, dark and heavy. they thud against each other when casey shakes them slightly, before dropping them to the ground.

and lastly, casey pulls the third item over his head. it’s a faded, old hockey mask. it’s white with red stripes and deep eyes covered in a dark mesh. he slides the mask beneath his bangs, and tightens the straps behind his skull.

“what you’re gonna try ‘nd kill me? you look creepy as fuck, dude.”

casey gawks slightly, voice brimming with sarcasm. “no! if i wanted to kill you i would’a done it way earlier-“

“-you would have tried.”

“we’re goin on a mission!”

…

“huh?”

his hand grips the hockey stick with practiced familiarity, swinging it over his shoulder. “you said you were havin a bad day, yeah?”

(screaming, fighting. a flash of blue and the sick feeling of flesh beneath his fist. his stomach drops.)

(he’s already starting to forget)

“well, what’s a better remedy than beatin’ up bad guys! you’ve got your forks, right?”

“they’re sai, not forks, dumbass.”

“whatever. you’ve got ‘em, right?

“i don’t know casey, are they directly in front of you on my belt?”

“don’t be a smart ass, just grab ‘em.”

raph sighed, and unsheathed his twin sai. they felt familiar in his hands, the leather worn and eroded overtime with his grip; the work of constant training and fights. the balanced weight was grounding.

casey slugged the bag behind a discarded dumpster in the alley, stuffing the puck bag into his (frankly, giant) pants pocket, before turning his head back to raph. “you ‘nd your brothers got into a fight, right? well, this way, ya can fight people without feelin’ bad! because they’re the bad ones! so that makes you a good guy.” he explained. raph could tell that under the mask, he was smiling the crazy way he does all the time.

a sigh left his throat, and he gripped the handles tighter.

-.-.-

wind whipped by his face as he ran, almost bouncing when his feet hit the hard concrete of the next roof, his next landing target just ahead.

casey was just behind him, cackling madly and throwing comments towards him; light taunts and insults, while swinging his hockey stick wildly at his shell.

the moon was high, a gentle spotlight lighting the path towards their next victims. his knuckles were already bruising. it didn’t drag on his conscious as much as it usually did.

raph felt happy. not quite normal, but happy.

his ears tuned into every noise around him; the sound of his feet landing on the roofs, then casey’s right after, the wind and the birds and the cars and the screaming.

screaming.

pebbles dug into his feet as he skidded frantically to a halt. he heard casey curse, nearly losing his balance as he tried to stop himself, not expecting the sudden movement.

“raph, what the hell ma-“

“sh!”

they both fell quiet again. the ambient, suffocating silence coated his veins thick with adrenaline. he strained his breath, muffling it sharply.

he hated how he knew how to do that.

there it is again. noise that doesn’t belong. a clang of metal on brick, smashing of a glass and cruel, wicked laughter.

he dropped, crouching low and peaking over the edge of the railing, looking down into the alley below them, a dark ravine cutting through the city.

two men, and a young kid were crowded in the narrow space. the assailants towered over the boy, grinning in a way that made raphs stomach twist.

he hated how familiar it felt.

he didn’t stay long enough to know what was going on, not bothering to stop and assess the situation. the shoulders of one of the men crumpled beneath his thighs as he landed skillfully onto the scene, rolling off of him with precised grace. he heard casey yell something unintelligible, smashing his foot into the other man.

the fight was over quickly, the actions were second nature. twice left, once right. his fists followed the path he created easily. he stepped off of the man, now bloody, bruised and unconscious beneath his feet, and back towards casey. his breath left his lungs in sharp pants, adrenaline and exertion pulsing through his veins. he focused on that instead of the fuzz moving slowly in the corners of his vision.

he hasn’t eaten in a while .

“hell yeah, man! that was fuckin’ wicked!” casey’s hand landed roughly on his shoulder, shaking him excitedly. his mask was speckled with blood.

(blue mask, red blood. he pulled his fist back again.)

a small, tentative smile crept slowly up his face. this was different. his stomach was tight with something that felt warm, welcome in his mind, not just his knuckles. he was in the right.

they were wrong, and he was right.

the kid had long since fled the scene. raph prayed he didn’t have a clear enough memory to recall what he saw: a guy in a mask with a hockey stick beating the shit out of some guys with the help of a green, human sized turtle.

even if he did, no one would believe him anyway. he was a kid.

casey’s arm was thrown around his shoulders as they maneuvered back through the alleys of new york, smiling wide and laughing loudly.

he was the lightest he’s felt in…

however long. he can’t really remember.

the white hockey mask was pulled up over casey’s head, resting against his skull. it was nice seeing what little face casey let show beneath the curtain of thick, dark hair. the slightly hidden edge of his nose caught the moon, highlighting the slight crooked bump along the bridge.

—

“yeah, it was a nasty break,” casey whispered late one night. his voice was soft and gravely as he spoke. almost like it was a secret. raph wasn’t supposed to be out, but here he lay anyway, in caseys familiar tent, illuminated by an old flashlight he used as a makeshift lamp before he got an actual one. “you shoulda seen the other guy though. i only got one hit it, but shit, it was a good one.”

—

he felt warm.

“oh yeah, here, by the way. i was doin’ a food run last night, saw these. thought you might like ‘em.”

he was hit with a small package. it was bright orange and black, with big brick lettering standing starkly in electric yellow.

“they’re s’posed to be real high in protein ‘nd calories ‘nd all that shit. for…yknow,” casey told him. “those days.”

the days he got so hungry he couldn’t think. the days his vision swam with static and went black around the corners when he tried to sit up. when he couldn’t focus on anything but the twist of his stomach, and how easy it would be to just take one bite while he spoke to his brothers.

his chest was tight. he was warm and he felt fuzzy.

he wondered why.

casey lifted the manhole easily, and stepped back to let raph climb in first before replacing it. the tunnels were just as dark and gloomy as they were when they left. but something was still different. the air was less suffocating, his mind less overwhelmed.

this was nice.

the entrance to the lair came into view as they turned the corner, and the fuzziness in his stomach dimmed.

casey’s hand grazed his shoulder slightly, and he jumped, turning to look at him. the human grabbed his wrist, holding it softly; something easy to break out of if he needed to. “next time you’re havin’ a bad day, i expect to be the first to know. tell me, ‘nd we can go out again, ‘kay?”

“…” his face felt a little warm. was he getting sick? “yeah, okay.”

casey let go of him, and patted his shoulder, before turning, and ducking around the corner.

the lair was still silent when he crept in. the walls were cast in darkness as he snuck back into his room, closing the door quietly behind him.

a sigh left his lips as he settled back onto the old, raggedy mattress, curling his knees to his plastron under the cover. he felt lighter, like a hand had loosened the iron grip around his heart.

he liked it.

he liked how he felt around casey too, all warm and giddy, like the girls on the TV. he wondered why.

but whatever.

it was probably nothing

i’m 100% procrastinating someone please stop me (don’t actually tho) 🙏

We can go out again.,, dgdhxbc, ,aughauhgh,, fuckghh

[poledancingdinos]

Hostile Territory - Chapter 12

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Leah Coleman)

Word count: 3.5K

Warnings: canon typical violence, injury

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha​ @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @elizabetharegina @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @geralts-yenn @peaches1958 @avengersfan25 @sillyrabbit81 @summersong69 @identity2212 @liecastillo @lena-banena @mrsevans90 @confessionbrain-writings @eclecticfashionbookszipper @happydistraction

A/N: this was formatted on my phone on my way to a Loveless concert but I was determined not to be late two weeks in a row so please forgive any goofs

Masterlist

Day 147

After making a name for themselves as one of the top teams on base, Sy had decided to assign the base’s newest recruit to Ben to test out his skills before giving him a permanent team. Ethan was reassigned to One-Two but with his ability to charm the panties off a nun, he quickly made the best of the temporary arrangement.

Alpha was in charge of breaching the three story building while Bravo blocked the streets and provided cover fire. They followed textbook formation as they climbed the stairs, one soldier providing cover at the top of each new flight.

Once the five of them reached the top floor of the building, Rohan, Benjie and Jeremiah went left while Leah led Hall to the right towards the only remaining door. Leah tried the handle but when she found it locked, she moved aside and prepared to fire. Hall kicked the door down, stepping in and checking the entryway closet.

“Clear,” he called as Leah moved past him to the back left archway.

Hall proceeded to the room on the right when Leah heard a third set of footsteps coming from behind them. She immediately pivoted, firing two shots just as a man snuck up on Hall, a long blade poised to slice the recruits throat.

Hall startled, looking down to the now lifeless body of a young man then back at Leah.

“Coleman, look out!”

The warning came too late. Two simultaneous bursts of gunfire rang out, coming from opposite sides of the room and ending when she and her attacker slumped to the floor.

“Man down! Man down! Coleman is down!”

Leah’s body lay unmoving on the ground, not responding at all as Hall yelled for help. He moved quickly, clearing the back room as the boys arrived to help finish the sweep.

Sy momentarily froze in the doorway before throwing himself to his knees next to Leah with his weapon still drawn. He reached down with one hand, feeling her cracked plate.

“I don’t think she’s hit, there’s no blood.”

“Then why the fuck is she out cold?” Hall screamed in his panic.

Sy strapped his weapon over his back and leaned down, bringing his cheek to her nose and pulling off a glove to press two fingers to her neck. The four other men kept their guns drawn, forming a protective circle around Leah.

“She’s breathin’ and I can feel a pulse. Maybe she hit her head.”

“She was hit point blank, he couldn’t have been more than three feet from her. What if the impact fucked her heart or something?”

Sy didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to waste any more time trying to figure it out. He heaved her over his shoulders and got to his feet.

“Get us the fuck out of here, now!”

They move out, calling over the comms to check the status of the other teams as they did. When everyone was clear, they ordered an immediate return to base, packing away the captured targets. Unfortunately, the man they were searching for was not one of them.

Leah was loaded into the bed of the white pickup, the field medic quickly taking up position by her side.

From his usual spot in the passenger seat, Sy couldn’t look back without neglecting his watch sector, so instead, he kept his ears peeled for any sign of her status.

“Don’t move, Coleman. We’re gonna get you back to base, just stay with us and don’t move.”

Sy’s relief at Leah being awake was short lived.

“Fuck! No, Coleman, open your eyes, dammit! Don’t go back to sleep on me!”

“Talk to me, what’s going on back there?”

“She was awake and talking for about ten seconds but now she’s out again.” There was a loud thump as the medic threw aside her plates to access her chest.

Sy couldn’t help his focus flickering to the rear view mirror as he muttered under his breath, “Stay with us, Leah. We’re almost there.”

Back at base, Leah was transferred onto a backboard before her boys ran over to help carry her into the medical unit. Two medics were on her, moving her to the table and getting her clothes off to check her wounds. Everyone else was ushered out of the room as the medic ran every check possible but four worried boys hovered in the hall right outside the closed door.

Sy couldn’t get the image of Leah’s limp body out of his head. When he’d ordered the Reynolds to call for a chopper, the man had paused. Apparently in her few seconds awake in the bed of the truck, Leah had said, “Don’t let them Evac me or they will never let me come back”.

Her stubbornness would be the death of him one day, he was sure.

It went against every instinct in his body—both professional and otherwise—but Sy agreed, telling himself that he would wait until he had a diagnosis before having her airlifted out.

“What the fuck happened back there?” Sy growled when he found Hall outside. He’d stepped out of the humvee but hadn’t ventured more than a few feet away.

The young man shook his head, still staring at the ground. “I—”

“Look at me when I’m talkin’ to you!”

Hall was shaking in front of him, his throat bobbing as he swallowed, but he did as commanded.

“We were clearing the residence,” he began, his voice coming out rough. “I heard a shot and when I looked back, this guy was on the ground behind me with a big ass knife by his side. Coleman must have heard him because she spun around and put a bullet in him.” He cleared his throat, looking at his feet before remembering himself and looking up again. “But then another one came out of the room Coleman was about to enter and shot her right as she turned back. I dropped the guy but he had time to get a few shots off before he fell. That’s when I called for backup.”

“How did someone get in behind you? No one came out of the other apartments and we had men blocking the stairs.”

Hall shook his head. “I…” he ground his teeth. “He must have been hiding in the closet I thought I had cleared.”

Sy snapped, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming his back against the humvee.

“When you clear a room, you fucking clear it! You got me? That’s your fucking job. Because of you, Coleman could be dead on that table. Another fuck up like that and you’ll be lookin’ for a different career.”

Sy stormed off to remove his gear and clean himself up as best he could with a packet of baby wipes before putting on a fresh shirt and going back to medical. He met Ethan on his way down who told him that Leah had regained consciousness and was giving the medics the full weight of her sass which was reassuring to no end. She was being kept for overnight observation but they were assured that it was simply to allow for her to rest and have her concussion symptoms monitored.

Knocking as he always did, Sy waited until he heard a non-committal groan before entering. Leah turned her head and immediately tried to sit up when she registered her guest’s identity but Sy was by her side in three quick strides, pushing her back down.

“Oh no, ya don’t. You’re stayin’ right where ya are.”

Still pinned to the table by the shoulder, she raised her hand to remove the plastic mask covering her nose and mouth.

“M’fine,” she argued, although the slurring of her words made her weak protests all the less convincing.

“You ain’t doin’ that either, get that back on.” He batted her hand away, lifting the mask back over her face. “You ain’t leavin’ until medical gives ya the all clear. You don’t have to sit, talk or do anything other than rest. I was just checkin’ in on how you were feelin’.”

“I f—” She lifted the mask off her nose so she could speak more clearly but didn’t pull it all the way off. “I feel like someone took a sledgehammer t’my chest, thanks for asking.”

Sy couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her response though he had no doubt that that was exactly how she felt. Unsurprisingly, her shirt had been cut off again and the tattered remains were on the floor beside him. This time, however, the medics had bothered to help her get her jacket back on to cover her up.

“Do you remember what happened?”

Her eyelids fluttered, her eyes going glassy for a moment. Sy could tell she was trying really hard to remember but it wasn’t coming back to her. She released a frustrated huff before weakly admitting she couldn’t recall anything since lunch.

“I’m sure they told ya by now but you got shot. You were lucky, the bullets didn’t make it through your plates though the medics did say you have severe bruisin’ at the point of impact. Ya also have a concussion from hittin’ your head when ya fell. I expect you’ll be sore for a while, you’ll have to take it easy.”

“So, y’mean no pull ups on the bed frame?”

Sy huffed a laugh, closing his eyes as he let his head hang for a moment. Leave it to Leah to find exactly the right words to pull a smile from him at a time like that.

“I haven’t seen the damage for myself but I’d expect not.”

Without thinking, Leah unfastened the front of her jacket, exposing her stomach and neckline to Sy’s appraising gaze. He sucked in a sharp breath, pushing the fabric further aside to see the whole contusion while his fingertips simultaneously brushed against her soft skin.

“Fuck.”

It was bad. Really bad. She had at least six different shades of red and purple radiating from three identifiable points where the individual shots had struck her gear. One of them had hit above the swell of her breast—just at the limit of the plates that saved her life—with the accompanying bruise partially concealed by the fabric of her bra. The two other bruises were almost fully visible below the tight fabric where they spider-webbed over her lower ribs.

There was no doubt that every breath caused her excruciating pain.

Sy wanted so badly to bend down and trace the pattern with his lips. He wanted to feel the heat of her skin, to reassure himself that she was alright and allow his gentle touch to take her mind off the pain.

A shiver ran across her skin, her nipples pebbling and becoming visible beneath the fabric of her bra.

“That bad, huh?”

Sy pulled his hand away as if he’d been burned, realizing he was just casually brushing his thumb over her side.

He cleared his throat. “Stay put and get some rest. Those are your orders, Corporal.”

As Sy was about to exit the room, Leah pushed herself up and pulled the mask down again. “Cap.”

He muttered a curse under his breath, resting his palm on the wall while still gripping the doorknob. The longer he stayed in the room, the harder it became to keep his head on straight.

“I heard you were the one who carried me out.”

Sy straightened, taking a breath to steady himself before making his way back to where Leah sat.

“I did.” His eyes darted up and down, hoping to catch any sign of Leah feeling unwell before she doubled over and fell face first off the examination table.

“Over your shoulders?” she pushed.

He simply nodded, unconsciously inching his way closer.

“You carried my deadweight,” her eyes fell shut as her body swayed and her hands tightened around the edge of the table before her gaze fell on him again. “You carried me in full gear over your shoulders.”

“Yes, Coleman, I carried you down,” he sighed, his composure beginning to falter. He couldn’t admit that seeing her unresponsive on the ground was the single most frightening moment of his life. He couldn’t tell her that he would have carried her down a thousand flights of stairs if it meant keeping Leah alive. “You’re like a hundred pounds with all your gear on and soakin’ wet,” he said instead. “Anyone here coulda done the same.”

It was a desperate attempt to deflect the attention from himself but Leah didn’t let him get away with it so easily.

“But it wasn’t anyone else, it was you.”

The silence in the room was deafening as Leah looked up at Sy with a half hooded gaze, her eyes conveying so much emotion despite the fatigue in her features. Even at her worst, Leah was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

If there was ever a time to tell her how he felt, this was it. If any of the shots had hit just a few inches higher, he would have missed his chance completely.

All he had to do was say it. All he had to do was tell her how much he cared about her. And yet, he couldn’t utter a single word.

Sy had taken the last step, fully bridging the gap between their bodies. His hand reached out almost of its own accord to cup her cheek and it was all too easy to lean forward and press his lips to hers. There was a sharp intake of breath when they first made contact, Leah’s body momentarily going stiff, but she quickly relaxed into him.

Five months worth of bottled up emotions were poured into that kiss. It was a slow, gentle exploration of her lips and it was everything he’d imagined and more.

Somewhere along the way, Sy’s hands had found Leah’s hips, grasping the flesh of her ass. Leah’s legs were parted wide around his hips, bringing her core level with his crotch. Under better circumstances, he might have flipped her over and fucked her right there. His damn cock was definitely up for the task, sitting hard and proud in his pants. 

The relief of knowing she was alive and safe may have overpowered Sy’s common sense, but two hands pushing on his chest snapped him back out of his trance.

Leah’s previously ghostly white face now sported a deep flush. Her swollen lips were slightly parted as she took short lungfuls of air.

“I c— I can’t do this.”

Sy took a step back, the weight of his error sinking in. 

“Get some rest, Coleman. And get that damn oxygen mask back on your face, you’re wastin’ good air.”

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Leah alone. Feeling her eyes fall shut against her will, she quickly laid down, pulling the mask up and taking deep inhales of the oxygenated air. Though her head was no longer spinning, her world had most definitely been turned upside down.

Day 148:

She didn’t sleep at all while in the infirmary. The medics made sure to come check on her every half hour to monitor her symptoms which also kept her awake. Not that she would have managed to find a second of peace had they not been around. Sy had her mind racing, well, racing as much as her sluggish thoughts would allow. No, not even without the constant interruptions and the horribly uncomfortable medic table would she have fallen asleep.

She’d kissed Sy. Well, if one was being technical, he’d kissed her and she had reciprocated. And it had been… Wow. She could feel the hunger in his touch which was exactly why she’d had to put a stop to it. There were so many reasons why that kiss was a horrible idea. From what she had come to know of Sy, she didn’t think they would ever work out as an actual couple even if he weren’t her captain. It would be foolish to go through the trouble of sneaking around with him if it was going to end in heartbreak anyway.

That didn’t mean she didn’t still want him with every fiber of her being.

There was a visceral attraction to him, something she was completely unfamiliar with, but it was more than that, she was sure there was more to him than anybody around the base knew or saw. It almost felt like that part of him was just a performance and that the real Sy was hidden away. Maybe most people didn’t notice the way he was always watching and studying his surroundings when no one was looking but she did. When they were together, he wasn’t grumpy, crude or abrasive. When they were alone he was softer, considerate and caring.

Stop it, Leah. 

When another knock sounded from the door, interrupting her train of thought, she was so exhausted that she was no longer in the mood to play nice.

“Fuck off! I’m awake just like I have been the five hundred other times you’ve come in since last night.”

The door cracked open all the same and the light switched on, sending a sharp pain barreling through her skull. Her eyes flew open, struggling to adjust to the light which felt brighter than the sun.

Leah mustered all her strength and managed to roll onto her side just in time to empty her stomach contents into the trash can that had conveniently been placed by the head of the table.

“Someone turn that off, she has a concussion for fuck’s sake. Light can aggravate the symptoms.”

She couldn’t remember ever hearing Rohan swear. That was how she knew he must have been worried sick all night.

The light was mercifully switched off again, relieving the pressure in her head. Someone—she couldn’t tell who—caught hold of her belt at the back of her pants. There was a small lamp on the floor that provided enough light to make out the faces around the room but with her torso hung precariously off the table as she dry heaved, there was no time to focus on her surroundings. She was just grateful to whichever one of the boys had the foresight to keep her from falling. Surely that would not have been good for her concussion.

“I fucked up, guys,” she confessed in a breathless sob.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Leah. This wasn’t your fault.” Of course they had no clue what she was talking about. Why would they assume she was talking about the Captain?

When her breath slowed, she was pulled back onto the table by Benjie. He really was one hell of a sergeant—always thinking one step ahead. Ethan held a bottle of water to her lips, helping her take a few small sips.

“Medics said you could go up to your room,” Jeremiah informed her in a low voice, devoid of his usual cheerfulness or humor. Leah hummed in acknowledgment, throwing an arm over her eyes as she rested on her back. “That is, if you let one of us manhandle you a bit because there is no way you can walk in your condition.”

Fuck it, why not? Sy had had his hands on her, why not one of her teammates?

“When did Sy have his hands on you?” Benjie asked, his voice filled with concern.

Fuck. Had she said that out loud?

“Yes, you did.”

Dammit.

She could feel the men looking at each other over her body, wondering who was going to stick their neck out and voice the question they were all thinking.

“Leah?” Benjie’s voice was close. He must have moved from the back of the table to kneel by her head. “Did Sy do something?”

“No. He just had to carry me up the first time I got hurt, that’s all.”

Hopefully her odd choice of words would be attributed to the confusion from the concussion and no one would ask more questions.

“Well, if you’d rather it was him, we could go get him. Otherwise, one of us can carry you up or we could strap you to a backboard and no one would touch you at all.”

“I’ll take whichever one of you is confident they won’t drop me.”

She kept her eyes shut tightly as someone slipped their arms under her. Something was placed over her eyes, maybe a towel or a t-shirt, to protect her from the excess light.

“If you feel like you’re going to hurl, I’d appreciate a five second warning. Oh and, if you can, aim for the floor instead of my chest, that would be even better.”

Leah smiled, resting her forehead on Jeremiah’s chest. “I’ll do my best.”

Her future on base and her professional relationship with Sy may have been blown to shit but at least she still had four boys watching her six. If nothing else, they would make sure she landed on her feet.

Chapter 13

[tokiohotel4life7741]

Intolerably Yours

Warning: mentions of kidnapping, language and that’s all I can think of.

Debating whether or not to make a part two to this.

❤️~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~❤️

“Hey agent, we have a new case and I need you here as fast as possible!” I hear hotchner speak frantically from the other end of the phone.

“Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible, hotch,” I mutter as I hang up the phone and start getting ready.

It was around 5:30 am when I got that call from hotch saying i have to come in for a case, five in the morning. I know working at the BAU means i have to be available at all time and available i am, but it was just too early to deal with spencer reid, and i'm not saying that because of his rants and how he knows everything, no we graduated from the same colleague with the same credit we both have our phds in mathematics,chemistry, and engineering and are both incredibly intelligent. I go on annoying rants about any and every topic too and the team gets tired of having two geniuses on the team sometimes. The reason I hated Spencer is because he’s always thought he was better than me, and by always I mean since we graduated highschool at the early age of 12, he always tried to one up anything and everything I did, and I seriously despised him for that.

After two long minute of sulking i get up and obviously brush my teeth and wash my face, i put on my outfit which is black pantsuit and a pair of polished black heel, but i make sure to put a pair of running shoes in my go bag in case i have to chase the unsub. I put on some makeup which consists of concealer, blush, mascara, and some tinted lip gloss. I make sure I have my go-bag ready and I head out the door making sure to lock it. I go to my car and get in it

While driving to work I blast music to try and get the thought of having to deal with Spencer this early in the morning off my mind. I gasp as my favorite song comes on and i start singing along

We’re caught in a trap

I can’t walk out

Because i love you too much,baby

Why can’t you see

What you’re doing to me

When you don’t believe a word I say ?

We can’t go on together

With suspicious mind (suspicious mind)

And we can’t build our dreams

On suspicious minds

When the song finishes I feel more relieved. I finally pulled into the bureau parking lot, I parked and get out of my car. When I walk into the building and see no one is at their desk I walk straight to the conference room knowing that's where everyone was. I walk in the door an the first thing i hear is spencer mutter

“Look who finally decided to show up,”

Mind you I was only like two minutes and thirty seconds late.

I glare over at him annoyed by his audacity and i grunted back at him saying

“Well at least i’m not such a boring person that i show up fifty minutes early,’”

“Will you two stop,for once?” hotchner uttered annoyed

I look away embarrassed and listen to Hotchner explain the next case. A summary of the new case was, the unsub, probably a white male in his late twenties- early thirties, is kidnapping girls through the ages of 16-18 he gets close to them and bribes them with a party and alcohol and that's how he kidnaps them. When hotch started describing what the victims look like a chill ran down my spine and my breath hitched, everyone look at me when the young girls were being described, hotch said they had y/n/h/c, y/n/e/c, and were y/n/s/c and as the pictures were being showed the girls on the screen look a lot like me similar feature and all. Then Spencer gives the ‘great’ idea of using me as some kind of bait for the unsub, of course i say no but once everyone else starts agreeing saying i should go as ‘bait’ i give in and say yes

“Agent y/l/n should go undercover as a highschooler after all they do look a lot like the victim and we have enough time between now and when he’ll try to kidnap a girl again to register her into a highschool and everything,” Spencer explains

“That’s literally such a bad idea, what if i actually die,” i say worried

“Hopefully,” i hear spencer mutter under his breath loud enough for me to hear

“Fuck you, Reid,” i say loud enough for only him to hear

“Agent y/l/n you are not going to die,” Hotchner says to me

“Are you guys sure there isn’t a different, maybe better option?” I question being kinda scared by the idea of almost getting kidnapped.

“This is the best option agent Y/l/n, you look like the victims and you still look extremely young much like around the age of the victims” Hotchner responded.

As I look around I see everyone else nodding along to what Hotchner said, I sigh and come to the conclusion that if I wanted to catch the unsub this was the best option.

“Alright, I'll do it,” I breathe out after a few minutes of deciding “but I don’t think I have much choice anyways,” I mutter to myself so no one hears it, but to my demise hotch sort of hears it

“What was that,agent?” hotchner mutters to me

“Nothing, just thinking to myself out loud,” i respond

“Alright, wheels up in thirty agents,” hotchner says as we all hum in agreement

[cynicalone94]

Obedience

Read on AO3 here.

He has no idea how it had come to this. 

Except that he does. 

A violent drug dealer that he has history with had been found dead a few hours after a confrontation with the man that if he’s being honest had gotten a little out of hand. 

And now he’s on modified duty until his team can prove that he didn’t do it. 

Which means they have to figure out who did kill the scumbag from his long list of other enemies and provide enough proof. 

All while a notable alderman screams up the city with complaints that even drug dealers don’t deserve to be gutted in their homes by the police. 

Honestly, at this point the only reason that Voight hasn’t sent him home is the fact that they aren’t really sure it’s safe to do so. 

He’s trying to stay off the news sites and social media but its hard. There’s only so much he can do since he isn’t allowed to touch anything to do with the case. 

He’s about ready to make his way down the stairs and ask Trudy if he can help with something at the desk when the gate buzzes open, revealing Commander Jenkins, Deputy Superintendent Austin and a very uncomfortable looking pair of patrol officers. 

Jay’s stomach immediately twists.

Voight steps out of his office. 

“It’s been six hours.” he says, arms folded across his chest. 

“You know how it goes with public opinion cases like this.” Austin says, his tone sympathetic but his face anything but. “And in this climate we can’t be seen going easy on a suspect because he’s a fellow cop.”

“So be seen hauling him in for questioning.” Voight snarls. “Oh wait, he’s right fucking here. You want me to go make him camp out in interrogation in case we have any more questions that he hasn’t already answered?”

“Not enough anymore.” Austin says. “It’s time to make an arrest. Show the public that we won’t just close ranks and protect a brother in blue.”

An arrest?

“On what grounds?” Voight demands. “There is no evidence aside from the incredibly tenuous circumstantial evidence that he argued with the victim the day of the murder. A victim who, might I add, probably argued with a lot of people that day.”

“Nobody else was witnessed shoving him.” Austin says. “And Halstead doesn’t have an alibi.”

“You’re just pandering to the public to further your own career.” Voight hisses. “And all the better if it gives you the chance to take a dig at me in the process. But you’re hurting a damn good cop to do it.”

“We have a duty to uphold and honor the law.” Austin says aloofly. “And he had a duty to obey it.”

“Detective Halstead.” Commander Jenkins says, looking uneasy. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to hand over your badge to your sergeant.”

His weapon had been surrendered six hours ago, when it had first been discovered that Jennings was dead. Now his badge too. 

He unclips it from his belt, avoiding eye contact with the rest of his team as he reaches toward Voight. His boss locks his jaw, glaring fiercely at Austin but eventually reaches out and takes it from him. 

“Officer Tanika.” Austin says, no longer making any attempt to hide the glee in his voice. “Search and cuff him.”

This brings a round of protests from his team. Typically when a cop is arrested, being handcuffed in the station is avoided to allow them to maintain some level of dignity. 

Jay isn’t surprised though. Austin wants this to be some big public show. 

Wants to prove to the pubic that he, and by extension Superintendent Greenway, won’t stand by and allow police corruption to run rampant in the department. 

He steps out into the open, placing his hands on the back of his head while the young officer steps forward, searching him with shaking hands. 

He doesn’t know Tanika well but he’s worked with him a few times in the past. Knows enough to know that he isn’t any more okay with this than Jay is. 

But none of them have any choice but to obey Austin’s orders and go along with it until his team can prove that it wasn’t him. 

Voight doesn’t speak again until he’s been cuffed. 

“We’re going to find out who really did this.” he says, his words for Jay as much as for Austin. “And I hope you’ll be prepared to make as a big of a display of admitting that you were wrong when we do.”

“We’ll worry about that step when you do.” Austin says, but any idiot could see the heavy implication of if they do painted over his words. 

“How long do you think you can stall before taking this to trial?” Hailey demands and Jay can’t help but look over at her, pained to see the glassy look in her eyes. 

Hailey is the toughest person he knows but she can sometimes be an angry crier, especially when helplessness is added to the mix. And he knows she hates that her body reacts to the emotion that way. 

“You have to know that this won’t hold up in court.” Adam adds. “Voight’s right, you’ve got nothing.”

“I’m sure homicide will find the evidence that I need while you all scramble for nonexistence evidence trying to prove that your boy is innocent.” Austin says. “In the meantime, get him booked Officer.”

There’s less of a media presence outside the station than Jay had expected but the dozens of civilian protestors that have been there all day kick up plenty of fuss. 

Cellphone cameras still capture plenty of footage of him being shoved into the back of the patrol car and he hates that Austin is getting exactly what he wants. 

Public outcry hasn’t even been that high the few times that he’d been unable to resist the pull of the internet. 

Trent Jennings was a young black man supposedly murdered in cold blood by a white cop. That had given some rise to the level of protests that the alderman had been able to stir up. 

But no spin artist in the world could even try to paint the man as innocent which has made a lot of the protests lackluster at best. 

What it boils down to is that in no way does Austin ‘have’ to do this. He sees a chance to curry public favor and like a lot of the brass, wants to knock Voight down a peg. 

Jay just hopes the man has a plan to walk this back when his team is able to prove his innocence. 

Because they will. It’s only a matter of time. 

He’s jolted out of his thoughts by the squealing of brakes and crunching of metal as the car is t-boned, sending them careening off path and into a ravine. 

He immediately fumbles for the spare handcuff key that he conceals at his waistline. 

He’s not surprised Tanika had missed it, had planned on letting him know it was there before he was taken into the prison to avoid embarrassing the kid but hadn’t wanted to do so in front of Austin. 

He’s glad he hadn’t now as he quickly unlocks the cuffs, calling out for the young officer as he does. 

“Tanika? Hey, come on, talk to me. Are you okay up there?”

He sets the cuffs aside and presses up against the mesh security wall. The car is twisted and damaged but not so much as to provide him a way out of this backseat to check on him. 

Tanika is slumped against the steering wheel, blood running down his forehead and unresponsive to Jay’s calls. 

And then the screech of metal on metal gets his attention and he looks over to see a man in a black ski mask prying the door across from him open. 

“Who are you?” he demands. “What do you want?”

“You’re coming with us.” the man says and Jay looks down at the crowbar. 

It’s a decent weapon but its not a gun and he could probably take the guy. 

“I’m not here alone.” the man says. “You might be able to fight me off but you won’t get past the others.”

Jay sees the others but they’re far enough away that he’s pretty sure if he dropped this guy now he could get away, get to help before they got to him. 

But that would leave Officer Tanika alone with these people and he won’t do that. 

“If you let me radio for an ambulance for him I won’t fight you.” Jay says. “I’ll come quietly.”

The man glances up at the front. 

“He just arrested you. You’d do that for him?”

“He was just doing his job.” Jay says. “He’s hurt and he doesn’t deserve to die. Please.”

The man tilts his head but nods, opening the front door and grabbing the kid’s radio to hand to Jay.

“5021 George. 10-1 at 2650 W Fulton Street. Officer down, need an ambulance and CFD.” 

The radio is ripped from his hands as soon as he’s done and then he’s being pulled out of the car. 

His arms are jerked behind his back and secured with a zip tie. True to his word he doesn’t fight the man, allowing himself to be restrained and then pulled up the ravine.

Now in addition to solving a murder and proving his innocence, his team will have to discover who’s behind his abduction, where he’s been taken and come rescue him. 

Hopefully they can multi-task. 

[kassymalone]

Allow me to share with you, dear reader, a story of what happened today. There is no lesson to be learned in this story, no deeper parable: it is merely a snapshot of a moment in time.

So Manchester City (the football team, not the city) has won the treble (which seems to be a big deal if you’re into football), so naturally this is cause for Manchester city (the city, not the team) to celebrate.

On Friday some representatives from the business improvement district came by to warn us that if City won the treble, there’d be a parade that went right by our shop. Today, that parade happened.

It was a nice day. Even on the way to work this morning, they were starting to close off the roads in the city centre. At lunch time it was 31 degrees, an absolute anomaly in the north of England, with a powder blue sky and next to no breeze.

At around 2pm they started.

The vuvuzelas.

If you’re lucky enough to never have heard a vuvuzela (and you are lucky), imagine if someone made a goose out of cheap plastic, somehow turned the volume up ten times louder than you thought possible from such a little thing, and then gave it to a small child.

HONK, HONK, HONK-HONK-HONK, HONK-HONK-HONK-HONK, HONK-HONK. If you know the song you know it. The parade wasn’t due to start until 6.30pm, but around 2pm it started.  

The workers rolled the security fences out around 3pm, closing the road directly in front of our shop. Luckily we had already made the target for the day, because our business tanked after that. Not for lack of people - the people were gathering all along the road, staking out good places.

Fast forward to 5pm. The honking in unbearable, I have to close the doors just to hear the person next to me speak. We’re packing up early because of how quiet it’s become. Outside, a sea of powder blue (the teams official colour) is lining the street, the shirts looking like they drained the colour straight from the sky. Horns are honking, people are yelling.

I look to the doors. A child has climbed a lamp post, and is sat quite happily on the crossbar. I look away. When I look back, a couple of hefty young men have climbed another lamp post. The third time I look, they’re all shirtless. The street is getting busier and busier, the door to our shop is blocked by people.

At this point, the light is changing. All the shirts that took the blue sky left an angry slate grey in its place. The temperature drops rapidly. Horns are honking, people are yelling.

Thunder rumbles.

The sky opens.

The entire crowd cheers.

Not a single person moves from the spot they’d been staking out for hours. They cheer, chant, and jump in place, but they don’t move as hail the size of marbles rains down from above.

Finally, we closed. In the time it took me to cash up the tills, I managed to miss the actual parade.

“They weren’t wearing any shirts!” the young Indian girl working with me gasped “And it was raining! They’re going to get sick!”

What else would you do, stuck on a parade float in a thunder storm because people have been waiting literal hours to celebrate you? Might as well give them a show.

It was still raining when I locked the door, and that was long enough for me to get completely soaked. The parade was gone, and everyone else is leaving too - the die-hard fans following the parade route, everyone else ducking through back alleys and side roads. A blue river of people flowing towards the buses, trains and trams, squealing and splashing through the rain and cold, wet puddles, the kind of wet you forget exists until the next time it thunders.

The bus is so busy I seriously consider just walking home. Its an hour walk, in a thunderstorm, but I think about it. By the time I reach my stop the heat is starting to return, and the petrichor is almost suffocating. Students crowd in their doorways smoking, dressed in bikini tops and shorts and talking about Amsterdam. 

I finally open the door and a ginger cat screams at me. Some normality at last.

[satashiiwrites]

night writing output

My brain does not want to focus on rom-com.  It’s not happening tonight.  Instead…. Have some more space opera. 

Title: The First Spectre, Chapter 2: Eden Prime

Fandom: 911, Mass Effect, 911: Lonestar

Pairings: endgame Buddie.  Assume all other canon pairings may show up. 

Tags/warnings: long epic slow burn.  Space opera AU.  **FIRST DRAFT** biotic eddie diaz, commander evan ‘buck’ buckley, mshenko—>buddie. We’re in for the long haul here. 

His ground team consists of LT Diaz as well as a former colony boy marine who’s still wet behind his ears but is an Eden Prime local so hopefully will be useful on the ground, PFC Devon Jenkins.  Buck is a little unnerved by the stars in call-me-Devon’s eyes as they suit up.  “Sir!” He exclaims, snapping into a salute. 

Over Devon’s shoulder, Diaz is hiding a smile while pulling on his own armor but he doesn’t intervene, letting the young marine get over being star struck before they hit the ground is probably a smart move.  Diaz is a biotic as well as the senior officer of the marines onboard ship and he’s worked to get where he is, impressing Bobby along the way which was why he’d been handpicked.  Buck hasn’t had time to work with him yet but Buck is curious how they’ll work together given  Bobby was so impressed with him.  

Buck isn’t jealous that Bobby spent the last two weeks talking about Diaz.  He’s not.  Maybe just a little bit sick of hearing about how good his record is despite him being a biotic. A true marine—as Bobby has called it. 

This mission was going to prove whether or not Diaz was really all that and Buck wished that so much wasn’t riding on it. 

“Oscar Mike in two minutes,” Diaz says, grabbing his assault rifle and heading for the airlock like an old pro. He pauses in the doorway and arches an eyebrow at Devon who is still gazing at Buck in adoration while making eye contact, seemingly asking if Buck wants him to handle the kid and his hero worship or if he wants to deal with it himself. 

Show off, Buck mentally says but it’s without heat and he shakes his head indicating he’ll deal with this since it’s him that the PFC is gushing over. Devon is like a kid on too much sugar on Christmas morning and Buck’s about to tell him Santa Claus isn’t real.  He’s antsy and Buck worries he’ll shoot one of them by accident if he doesn’t get a grip. “PFC Jenkins.”

“I was serious.  You can call me Devon.”  The PFC practically has sparkles in his eyes as he stares rapturously at Buck, still not having his armor completely on. 

“Finished getting geared up.  Diaz was right and we’re going to be in the LZ in less than two minutes.”

“Yes sir!” Jenkins fingers are clumsily finding the catches on his armor, taking three tries to get his breastplate to snap in place and he still needs his gun and helmet. 

Buck watches him drop his helmet—twice. It bounces on the rubber mat flooring and almost brains the PFC who’d leaned down to pick it up. “Jenkins—“

“Devon,” the PFC insists again making Buck sigh. 

“Devon,” he gives in.  “Get your ass in gear.  We’re taking you as the local expert so keep your head down and if you see anything get into cover while Diaz and I take care of it.”

“But I have a gun?” Devon picks his rifle up and, for once, is able to latch it onto his armor in one try with the mag locks. Buck isn’t going to correct him that it’s an assault rifle not a handgun—he’s not a drill instructor and they don’t have time. 

“Just don’t shoot me or Diaz.”

“Never!”  Devon is turning bright purple he’s so scandalized by the idea. 

[filterpermanentlyattached]

...And the Fangs of Death

I did not even remember that this episode was second!!! Whew, what a way to start a season, here we go!

First of all, Flynn wearing his pajamas and robe in the Library just gives credence to the whole ‘they live there’ bit. Guardian to Guardian bonding is priceless. 

Ezekiel eating once again. Boy knows what’s important. Jenkins looking for backup in the wrong place, as he said, he’s there to watch the show. Then Jenkins getting upset they don’t all know the importance of Charlene, whom let’s be honest, they don’t know well at all. Ezekiel eating pizza like nothing bother him and he’s just enjoying what’s happening. Then he gets told everyone is going. 

The fact that the charm of “we’re the Librarians” works for Flynn has Ezekiel baffled and Jake frustrated. So cute boys, you’ll get there, he does have 10 years of Library experience on you. The thief is over and looking through logs with Flynn, and he keeps looking taking it all in, studying their options to see what’s happening. And again, Flynn takes Ezekiel with him. I know he needs him, but it seems like he’s letting his concern for Charlene outweigh his dislike for him, for a time anyway. 

Staying back in the ‘he remembers’ lane, Ezekiel will have to deal with all his trauma at some point. He did great yelling to keep the others going, but it still is very similar to running from the rage people. 

Back on track, he hacked through that footage pretty well and I’d really like someone to tell him good job at some point. Flynn being aggressive to Ezekiel because he didn’t get what he wanted, man leave the kid (realizing I’m only 8 years older than him, I still shall call him kid on occasion) alone, he is doing his best under pressure. And Ezekiel didn’t waste any time following Flynn when he just took off. I am so stressed as they run. Flynn pausing on the walkway to explain what he thinks will help, bro get across then explain. “I’ve spent my life on catwalks, I’ve got this. Go!” and he had the same look on his face that he did when he told the others there was a weapons cache, before locking them in a room. Also we need a backstory on spending his life on catwalks. A guy falling off the side, that was painful for him. Then he couldn’t even get back fast enough and no one even went to look for him. No one was there to pull him back. 

They may be “safe” in the infirmary but none of them looked back to see if they were all okay because Flynn was yelling. Ezekiel clearly looked like he was in pain. Then when Jake does look back, as Flynn finds the pendant, he doesn’t take in their youngest, he just shares a bit of a sad/concerned look. Boy was staying behind everyone to avoid suspicion. I’m worried about Charlene as much as the next person, I loved the original Librarian movies, but come on! Why did it take them sooooo long to notice Ezekiel’s injury?!?! Good grief, I know he hides it well and keeps himself calm and turns so that he doesn’t show anyone his arm, but they are supposed to be super observant. 

Wait, Jenkins never lies...just like Ezekiel...I could see our boy eventually being something like the caretaker. That’s just gonna float around in my mind now...

Ugh, Jake finally notices Ezekiel’s been bitten and Flynn doesn’t even look over right away. Too lost in his own thoughts. Until Jake has him sit down and the bite/blood are uncovered. Oh Flynn, feeling like giving up when he thinks he lost Charlene, you still have people in there my guy. 

I just love when my 2 favorite boys work together. Ezekiel comes up with a plan to distract, Flynn eventually perks up, the smelling him is a little excessive and reminds me of the Fables of Doom, but Ezekiel’s face was confused enough to make me chuckle. “Guys, I think we have a plan.” They are a good team and I love that Flynn finally gets the chance to see it up close and be a part of it. 

Okay, Flynn reaching out to touch Ezekiel’s shoulder, like he’s suddenly realizing this young man is going to go into a very dangerous situation and he can’t help, stings. “I could be wrong...” “At least then I’ll die happy, knowing you were finally wrong about something” (insert crying face) Flynn even looked like he was about to cry. Reality came crashing down on him. 

I love that Ezekiel is not even a little bit bothered by Anubis, just says woof and then moves around him. This kid deserves a raise!!! I don’t know what he gets paid, but it’s not enough. He will definitely need help soon though, he was struggling to turn the steam on in the first place. It’s pretty great that the other 2 finally come out of their safe room to help. Jenkins getting defensive and protective of his youngest, just perfect. I’m a little annoyed that none of the rest of them try to go over to him to see if he’s okay when it’s done though. 

The ball thing was a little silly and I can’t help but feel like, sure it might have been part of the werewolf thing fading but not gone, but I think he also may have just been playing with them. It made Jake happy, and I think that is usually his goal.

As much as I like the Flynn/Eve pairing, I do feel like she deserves better. She puts up with a lot from him. “We almost lost Ezekiel” man if that doesn’t tear at your heartstrings as either Dad Flynn almost lost his reluctant son, or just a team member who was valued and important. It’s nice for it to be acknowledged, but I also think that someone telling him how much he means, will go a long way. The others all know they deserve to be there, but the last we heard Ezekiel talk about it, he’s just there to steal stuff and is completely expendable. I need one of them to talk to him, and listen to him, at least once. 

[scoutdoesstuff]

last but not least, august 31st fic features a crossover because why not.

sam and dean get to meet ted lasso. this one was hard to wrangle and definitely exceeded the word count and still wouldn't wrap up neatly haha but it was fun to write.

a chunk of this is inspired by a ted lasso fic i read awhile back that asked what it would look like if ted was a witch, given richmond's uncanny good luck.

our last flavor on this little journey is Purr-fectly Very Berry, a pun i haven't yet managed to work into this story.

“Do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Lasso?” Dean Winchester asks, bleeding profusely from the forehead.

“I think that ghosts need to believe in themselves,” Ted answers with great enthusiasm as he mops up the worst of the mess on Dean’s forehead and roots around for a bandage.

“Oh my god,” Sam Winchester says, horrified in the bitchiest possible way and braced against the locker room to keep it from opening under the poltergeist’s onslaught. “We’re gonna die.”

TWELVE HOURS EARLIER

The one problem with being unbelievably tall is that people tend to notice you no matter where you go. It’s hard to go incognito when you’re literally a head taller — sometimes a head and shoulders taller — than the rest of the people around you.

“Do you think people are smaller here?” Sam asks as he and Dean size up the exterior of Richmond FC’s pitch. They’re eating ice cream cones in an attempt to look less conspicuous but the sheer force of the Americaness of their clothes probably undoes anything they try to blend in.

“Not the people,” Dean says around a chunk of his Cornetto, “doors. The doors are so fucking small here. And the cars? How do they move bodies in this town?”

“Huh, never thought of it like that,” Sam says.

“The club is locked down pretty tight,” Sam says, a little while later when they’re back in their weirdly damp hotel room, with his laptop perched on his knees.

“Probably due to the owner being stalked within an inch of her life by the paps,” Dean sighs, cutting out fake press passes.

“Yeah, can’t blame her for that one.”

“Her ex is such a fucking creep.”

“God, right?”

“Anyway,” they both say at the same time rather than admit they’d both spent several hours on the local gossip rags.

“Think you can pass as a sports journalist?” Dean asks, chucking a fake press pass at Sam.

“I’ve done weirder,” Sam replies, snapping his laptop shut.

SIX HOURS EARLIER

The initial plan had been to sneak into Richmond’s club house during a game. It’s easier to pretend to be a member of the cleaning crew, check for ghost weirdness or hex bags, and then get the fuck out when there’s a crowd to blend into at the end of the job. They’d set up their schedule, haggled their way into some tickets from a local hunter, and were set to handle whatever was upsetting the general vibes over at Richmond FC as a favor to Bobby right up until three fans suffered simultaneous heart attacks while watching a friendly between Richmond and another team.

Then the next Richmond match got cancelled out of a sense of respect or something painfully British which eighty sixed their whole fucking plan.

They’d had to improvise and the best they could do was as a weird American soccer fanboy journalist looking to get an exclusive interview with the Rebecca Walton and Dean just … sneaking in.

“I can’t believe this is the best we’ve got,” Sam had muttered on the way in, smashed into their too small British car.

“If I get caught, we pretend I’m your photographer that you forgot to mention,” Dean had said, smiling from ear to ear. He’d missed clean and simple B&E’s. Those were the best.

FIVE HOURS EARLIER

Turns out Dean didn’t need to break in. The head coach just fucking let him walk in the door.

“You seem like a sunny young man!” The guy says when he catches Dean skulking around the back parking lot. “Would you like to come in for some tea?”

It’s been a really long time since Dean hasn’t had anything to say back to someone. What do you even say to that? How does this guy grow a mustache like that in 2022?

“I don’t know if I’m much of a tea drinker?” Dean means to make it a statement but it comes out a question.

“Neither am I,” the mustached man replies, beaming. “I have secret coffee in my office!”

Dean could go for some American coffee. This is probably a trap, but Dean wants American style black coffee too badly at this point to care.

(Espresso is good, don’t get him wrong, but sometimes you just want something that feels like home).

Sam isn’t expecting to find someone like Rebecca Welton relatable, but he knows what it looks like when you’ve spent a considerable amount of time developing a considerable amount of control over yourself and your environment. They have nothing in common, but there are a few moments here and there where it feels like he’s looking in a mirror.

“So how does an American find himself interested in football?” she asks as they settle into her office. Her hair is perfectly coiffed. Her clothes are remarkably pressed.

“Uh, I have to admit that we call it soccer on my side of the pond,” Sam says, playing for time. She laughs obligingly. Sam can’t pretend to care about sports so he flips the question back at her. “What made you fall in love with football, Ms. Welton?”

She smiles obligingly again. And they’re off. Fluffy question meet fluffy answer. Rinse, wash, repeat.

TWO HOURS EARLIER

“It’s like my memaw used to say — all in the butter, you know?”

“Exactly! People don’t respect how fucking important the butter is! Is the European stuff here really as good as they say?”

“It is!”

They really should’ve been caught or at least called out a few hours ago when Rebecca and Ted had decided to reconnoiter for lunch and brought Sam and Dean along for the ride. Instead, they’d bought their bullshit about how Dean was Sam’s photographer. Now, Dean and Ted Lasso, head coach of the somehow not terrible Richmond FC, were having a heart to heart about baking.

Their lives were so fucking weird.

Sam gives in and asks Rebecca if she plays any strategy games.

They play chess while Dean and Ted yell about the differences of jam and jelly.

ONE HOUR EARLIER

The lights flicker violently.

“Oh, there’s Marvin!” Ted says.

“Marvin?” Dean glances over at Sam. Sam shrugs. That hadn’t come up in the interview at all.

“He’s named the poltergeist,” Rebecca explains.

“He’s named the what?” Sam and Dean say together, with rising alarm.

“He does that,” Beard says, speaking for the first time in about an hour and half, eyes not moving from his newspaper. He’d introduced himself to Sam and Dean and then somehow maneuvered his chair so that he’d become one with the farthest corner of the room. “You get used to it. Or you don’t.”

“He’s our poltergeist. I’m assuming that’s what you’re here for?” Ted sets down his mug and opens up a window that somehow looks out to another room. “He likes to have the window open when he does his little fly bys,” Ted explains with a wave of his hand after turning around to see Dean and Sam staring at him. “You guys are hunters, right?”

All Sam and Dean can do is nod, shell shocked, at this point.

“And you’re hear about the heart attack victims?”

Sam and Dean nod again.

“Great! Is there anything we do to help you with the whole great white whale hunt?”

“I’m sorry —“ Sam starts.

“Hold the fuck up —“ Dean continues.

“You knew? The whole time?” The both finish.

“Oh yeah, we just wanted you guys to feel like you had to full experience. I know the infiltration and costumes part is really important to the whole shebang — or at least that’s what my Ma told me when she was telling me to avoid you guys,” Ted says, beaming.

“You mother told you to avoid us?” Sam asks, eyebrows condensed into a unibrow of confusion.

“Oh! Not you you,” Ted says, quickly like he was worried he’d hurt Sam and Dean’s feelings. “Just hunters in general.”

“Why?” The Brothers Winchester ask slowly in union.

“Oh! I’m a witch,” Ted clarifies.

The lights go out.

[custardmylove]

☘ Requiem for Yesterday // chapter 3

warnings: none for this chapter! :D word count: 1.7k masterlist | chapter 1 | next chapter

Laventon nodded with a smile, “Right, First things first – let’s get these Pokemon back to the village! Then we’ll sort out your lodgings and find you some proper clothes and a meal and all that.” Kobii didn’t quite see what the problem was with that he was already wearing, but if the Professor said it wasn’t proper, he didn’t see why he had the right to argue against that, so he simply nodded along. “Follow me, then! Onward to Jubilife Village!” He grinned as he began to walk at a brisk pace further away from the beach, Kobii following diligently behind him. As they walked, he had some time to look around his surroundings, the most prominent thing he spotted was a tall mountain in the distance, snow covering it’s top. He shivered, a dark ring of clouds floated above the mountain with what he thought was lightning in its centre, although the back of his mind seemed to think it looked like a crack in the sky itself… It gave him a bad feeling and he tared his eyes away from the sight, opting to look elsewhere instead. Kobii could see what he assumed to be a part of the village Professor Laventon had mentioned, the tip of what he guessed to be a chimney in the distant with a steady stream of smoke floating out and into the sky. As they rounded a corner, they reached a large entrance in a wooden wall that seemed to only be a bit taller than Kobii himself, two men in a matching uniform were guarding the entrance. Kobii moved slightly to walk behind the Professor who either didn’t mind or didn’t notice as he walked towards one of the guards with a large grin. “Thankyou for your tireless work keeping us safe, my good guardsmen!” He announced. Kobii thought it sounded like he was buttering them up so he could ask a favour of them, but he kept quiet, noticing the guard’s eyes locking onto him as they stood more alert. It seems Laventon noticed as well; “This young man was of great assistance to me and my pokemon, so I hope you’ll my bringing him into the village for a bit!” He said as he placed a hand on Kobii’s shoulder. Kobii just tried to look as un-threatening as he could. The guards looked at each other for a moment before they nodded wordlessly. With a pat of his shoulder, Laventon began to stride past the entrance, Kobii following behind, trying not to look at the guards. When they walked into the village, he stopped, a strange feeling rising in his stomach. Looking around, Kobii felt like something was deeply wrong even though it seemed quite peaceful. There was a bunch of wooden buildings, he guessed they were houses, a crop field, a fenced off area to the far right. A bunch of people were around too, and they all seemed at ease. Some children ran around while adults of all ages talked in the streets, there was even a few more people in the strange red uniform standing around. Perhaps it was the large orange building that was at the end of the path right through the centre of the village, it stood as an imposing figure. Burying the unease, Kobii quickly caught up with the Professor who hadn’t stopped and had now started to talk to him as they walked.

“Jubilife village! It’s come a long way thanks to the fine people of the Galaxy Expedition Team! This road we’re on now is known to the locals as Canala Avenue.” Laventon explained. He was really trying to focus on what he was saying but as they walked, more and more people stopped what they were doing to stare at them. Well, Kobii to be specific, who shrunk in on himself a bit more, staying close to the other man. “The village was bult scarcely two years ago… There’s much to do yet and not many to do it. And since we know so little of the local pokemon, people hesitate to set foot outside the village.” He explained, now raising an arm to point at the big building Kobii had spotted before. “Now, that impressive building ahead of us is Galaxy Hall – Headquarters for this entire outfit!” Kobii guessed Laventon meant himself by that. After that, they stopped in front of a small wooden bridge, the Professor turning to face him quickly. “Oh botheration! I’d almost forgotten! I need to go explain that we managed to successfully recovered the escaped pokemon! Might I ask you to wait for me at the canteen?” He stuck his arm out to point at a smaller building than the rest, Kobii would guess it looked a bit more traditional than the rest, but only by a small bit. “It’s just past this bridge here, then to the left. The Wallflower it’s called!”

“Um, Su-“ Before he could even respond, Laventon gave him nod with his seemingly ever constant grin and turned around to run towards the big building from before, his white lab coat trailing behind him. Feeling uncomfortable with the people’s eyes still on him without the Professor, he began to make his way to the canteen when a quiet beeping was heard. On instinct, he pulled out the phone he had found earlier, a map now being displayed on the screen. Staring at it for a moment, he figured out that it was in fact a map of the village he was in now, a small marker on a building across the bridge, he guessed that it was the building that the Professor had pointed out for him earlier. Deciding that he would stare at the map later on, Kobii walked across the bridge and arrived in front of the canteen. He mused that it looked rather similar to a café, a table and chairs out the front. A hunched off man was in front of the door and he frowned as soon as he was visible. After looking Kobii up and down with a scrutinising look, which he found to be very uncomfortable, he spoke. “Well now, aren’t you awfully suspicious?” Kobii was trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t make him seem more suspicious when the man suddenly straightened and yelled at him. “The Wallflower’s for Galaxy Team folk only. We don’t have seats for outsiders. Move along!” He barked, his voice rough and intimidating for someone of the man’s stature. Kobii could already feel more eyes on him, the people in red uniforms now beginning to talk amongst themselves, about himself Kobii guessed. This was.. less than ideal. Before Kobii could even try and explain that he wasn’t here to eat but to wait for Laventon, the man turned his back on him, ending the encounter, and went inside the canteen. He supposed he knew why the Professor called it the canteen in the first place now and not a restaurant like he guessed. Focusing on the ground and trying to think of what to do that wouldn’t get the guards immediately chucking him out, Kobii was caught off guard by a new voice. “Who are you? I’ve never seen anyone dressed like you are.” A girl in a dark blue outfit walked up, a white bandanna keeping her hair from hanging over her face and a red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. ‘This is it, I’m going to be thrown out right away and the Professor will have to come get me.’ Kobii was then pleasantly surprised when the girl kept talking however quite casually. “What if you were attacked by a pokemon? You’d be minced meat in those flimsy clothes!” She huffed, crossing her arms as she looked over what he was wearing. Shaking her head, she opted to drop the topic. “If the guard let you through, you must have ties with somebody in the village…” She mused, and Kobii, full of relief of someone who didn’t stare him down like some complete alien, nodded. “Perhaps you’ve met Professor Laventon? He’s a scholar from a faraway place. His pokemon do get away from him at times, though. It does make me a bit worried for him..” Kobii relaxed more now that she knew Laventon, surely if the two were close then she’d have no problems with him either. “I suppose I’m hardly one to talk – I’ve had some trouble with pokemon myself.” She sighed, looking dejected. “Oh, really?” He asked to which the girl nodded. “I was hit by a pokemon move called ‘Thunder Shock’ not too long ago and had to take to my bed.” For some reason, the notion of a person being hit by such a potentially deadly move sounded unheard of to him but the girl in front of him spoke as if it was plenty common. “But the Professor…well… I do wonder how long he’ll last.” “O-oh, I’m sure he’s not that much at danger is he?” Kobii said, trying to put some faith in the man he had met earlier.

“Unfortunately it’s just as Akari says… I’m a clumsy sort of fellow, to put it mildly!” A familiar voice chuckled as the Professor walked up to the two of them, standing next to the girl, Akari. ‘So she’s the one that he mentioned when I was catching his pokemon for him.’  Kobii noted as Akari looked like she’d been caught red handed. “Professor!” She exclaimed, seeming a bit embarrassed to be caught publicly worrying about him, although Kobii didn’t think he minded a bit. “But everything will be quite alright now! Kobii here has agreed to help us with our Pokedex!” Hearing that, Akari frowned and looked between Laventon and him, turning to complain to the pokemon professor. “Excuse me? You plan to appoint him to the Survey Corps?” She placed her hands on her hips and continued, “You can’t just slap a badge on whoever you like without Captain Cyllene’s permission!” She chided. Kobii began to realise that Akari was probably one of the people who kept Laventon on track most of the time. “I’ll allow it.” A new voice added, a tall woman in a similar uniform as Akari walked up to the three of them, a stoic expression on her face and short light blue hair. “Captain Cyllene!” Akari exclaimed in the same fashion she had when the Professor had arrived only moments prior. “Assuming the individual can contribute to the Survey Corps, that is.” She then turned to face him, her arms folded behind her back. “I am the captain of the Galaxy Team’s Survey Corps. You may call me Cyllene.”

[writingpracticeonly]

I've Got You - Clint Barton x Peter Parker

A Request for Clint X Peter Safe NSFW (bromance, nudity, rectal temp, spanking, hand job) Peter is sick, thanks to a villain. Clint's turn to watch him. He helps Peter get undressed and takes his temp in his bottom. Clint loves Peter's butt and playfully spanks him, which gives Peter an erection which means Clint has to get rid of it with a hand job. They're not together. More of bros helping bros.

The younger Avenger had tried too hard to prove himself again. Peter had ended up being slung into Manhattan Bay and needed picking up by Tony. Tony flew over and picked the kid up after clearing up the mess he inadvertently made against Rhino.

Peter had been shivering since that fight and Tony suggested he stay at the Avengers tower to help warm up in case anything happened to him. Even though Peter had a stronger physiology than most people he was still able to get hurt and sick. The older Avengers took their time to watch over Peter as he was kept wrapped in a heated blanket and drying off. Initially, it was Steve, who was all too keen to give Peter a talk about being a responsible hero and trying to work together as a team, to not take too many risks and become another Tony Stark. Peter wondered what Tony was like before the Avengers joined, was he really that bad?

After it was Thor, who boasted about their battle and he spoke about how he was able to come in after ‘Parker’ was kicked across the water like a pebble. Peter felt embarrassed enough as it was getting kicked out across the water with the Avengers having a full view. He wanted to be able to prove himself and wound up in this situation.

Peter thought he was through with everything as it was starting to get late until Clint walked into the room and waved at the kid, “How you doin', champ?” Clint asked, Peter visibly relaxed at the sight of the playful archer, the two had been getting closer as friends recently. Clint had recently volunteered to work with Peter more and help him train and guide him through the hero life, “I’m okay, just feeling like I let the team down,” Peter’s brow furrowed together as he stood up, pulling the blanket around him tighter, something he forgot about until now was that he was naked under the blanket. His suit was soaked through so Tony took it to get cleaned through properly, “You didn’t let us down, you’ve been doing this since late high school right? And that’s what? 4 years ago, you’re still learning and experiencing life, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Clint smiled at the hero, he’d not long turned twenty, so he was still young to most.

Clint watched the young man walk around, he’d always admired Peter’s strength to never give up, he would keep going despite the odds, and his positivity was something the team also needed. It was something a lot of the older heroes needed… a spark of positivity… Clint watched his friend shiver as he walked around, a small frown of concern for him visible on his features. “Let me take your temperature,” Clint spoke, Peter froze and looked at Clint, “A doctor did that when I got in,” Peter spoke quickly, “What? Afraid I’ll stick it up your cute ass?” Clint smirked, Peter looked away, Clint chuckled, “Well, actually I’ll have to as that’s the best way to check your temperature given the circumstances,” Clint admitted, Peter froze and looked at the ground. The idea of his friend performing the procedure caused a small stir in his stomach.

Peter and Clint were close friends, they helped each other out with a lot of things, but was this overstepping? Or did Peter actually like this idea… as he was still young and experiencing his sexuality, the idea of an older man caring for him piqued his curiosity.

“I’m okay with that,” Peter spoke, a small pitch to his voice, uncertainty, or excitement, the older hero couldn’t tell but smiled reassuringly, “Hey, I’ll make it quick,” Clint smirked and locked the door, “We’re bros, I’ll help you out what anything you need,” Clint added as Peter nodded. Clint watched Peter pull the blanket open and saw he was naked, he moved to the kit on the side and pulled out the thermometer and prepared it for a reading, looking at the notebook next to the medical pack he made a note that another reading was being taken.

Peter moved onto the bed that he had previously sat on, it was more comfortable than the small mattress he had back at his apartment. Peter moved to lay on his side as he did for the doctor earlier today. Clint prepared with some petroleum jelly on the thermometer and after putting on a glove he gently rubbed some on Peter’s ass all while admiring the view. Clint put the thermometer gently between Peter’s cheeks and into his ass, Peter seemed to relax at the feeling but then felt the adrenaline run through him as Clint moved the thermometer gently and out of his ass. Peter’s face burned as Clint lightly slapped his ass with a chuckle, “Wasn’t too bad, was it?” Clint smirked as he moved away to clean up the thermometer and wrote down the number, he was returning to normal temperature so Peter would be fine after a few more hours.

Clint looked back around and saw Peter sitting on the edge of the bed covering himself, he noticed his hands trying to hide his erection. Clint smirked at his friend, “Need a hand?” Clint smirked, Peter’s face burned brightly as Clint moved in front of him, “That looks difficult to hide,” Clint smiled at his friend, “I’ll be okay,” Peter nodded, “Hey, I know that was torture, so let me repay in kind?” Clint smirked as the hero sat on the bed.

Peter hesitated, he looked down at his crotch, the idea made his cock twitch, and his brain fogged over with questions. Clint was offering to give him a hand job. Peter slowly removed his hands, allowing his hardened member to finally stand. A single drop of precum sat proudly on the top of its head. Clint grabbed the jelly he used before and rubbed some between his hands, “I’ll make it quick” Clint smirked as he clasped Peter’s cock, using the same phrase he did earlier, a gasp left his throat as Clint’s thumb rolled over the top and collected the little bead. Clint’s hand slowly moved down to the base; eye contact was kept between them.

Clint moved his other hand to gently grasp Peter’s balls. The moans that left Peter’s throat were sweet and soft, his heart began to race. Clint could read Peter’s face like a book, figuring out that he liked the tip of his cock to be gently caressed while his balls were gently rolled over. The older hero had the experience, that was obvious. Peter’s eyes closed, his mind clouded in bliss and euphoria, he never imagined this was how today was going to wind up.

Clint felt Peter’s balls tense, his hand slowly picked up a pace and Peter’s breath and chest increased in speed. Clint leaned in over Peter’s shoulder and smirked, “You’ve done good today, we all learn from our mistakes. Now be an even better boy and cum,” Clint instructed, Peter whimpered at the command, it was unexpected, Clint was showing a new side to him. Peter gripped onto Clint’s jacket as his release was close, “I can tell you’re almost there,” Clint smirked, Peter could only nod as he groaned.

Peter’s head flew back as he moaned, the older hero held the base of his cock and then slowly pumped the remaining few drops out from Peter. Peter jolted at the sensitivity, Clint smirked at his friend, his semen had landed on his hand and over Peter’s legs and stomach.

“There you go, that should help you rest,” Clint smirked, he grabbed some towels from the side and wiped his hand. Once Clint had cleaned up he gently cleaned Peter up who had lay back on the bed, “Thanks…” Peter spoke, breathlessly and was unable to process any other thought. Clint chuckled at his friend, “What are friends for?” Clint asked, Peter looked down and propped himself up on his elbows, “Don’t go falling in the water again though, that was silly what you did today,” Clint scolded Peter who could only chuckle, “Well, I might just have to do it again now anyway,” Peter smirked, Clint rolled his eyes as he finished cleaning Peter.

“Rest, and when you’re better have a hot shower, you’ll be back to normal soon,” Clint explained, his friend nodded and grabbed the thermal blanket again, as he lay his head down Clint looked at him. “You know I’ll be there to help you with anything, you’re my bro,” Clint added, Peter smiled at the sentiment, “I appreciate that, and this,” Peter smiled, “Night,” Peter nodded, “Good night,” Clint dropped the towels in the wash basket of his room.