#which pedro character would you want under the tree?

[skyshipper]

@PSCENTRAL​ EVENT 22: 2023 WRAPPED PEDRO PASCAL CHARACTERS AS PRESENTS

[ezraspiderwick]

Time and Time Again

A goddess takes an interest in humans so she visits Earth only to find an immortal living between them

Max Phillips x F!Reader

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: Reader is a goddess, first time writing Max so he might be a little ooc, vampires, all my vampire research for this comes from a quick wikipedia search so it might be inaccurate, main character death

A/N: Originally this was a Multiple Pedro Boys series (thanks to @littlemisspascal​ for helping me plan it!), and now it’s a Max one-shot with the possibility to be turned into a series at some point in the future

MASTERLIST

Humans are interesting creatures. In a universe filled with millions of different life forms, they are one of the only species to evolve to think that they are the center of everything as if the story of the universe starts and ends with them. How could someone blame you for wanting to study this fascinating group of beings up close? 

Adopting a human form you descend into Earth, the planet they called home. You haven’t been in this part of the galaxy for a long time. During your last visit, the only life forms could be found in the deepest part of the oceans, so you marvel at how everything has changed in only a couple of million years. The most curious aspect of people is that depending on their geographical locations, they would have different traditions and beliefs, even going as far as to start wars because of them. 

Everything you saw made you arrive at the conclusion that humans are indeed interesting yet only in the same way an ant or a tree is interesting. There are small differences between them that you can notice if you stare for long enough, but really, they are all the same.

.

The last place you visit is in Europe, it’s a small region called Transylvania, which picked your interest due to legends of immortal beings living there. But during the couple of days you’ve been staying nothing had happened, so you are about to end your adventure and head to the planet you call home when something makes you change your mind.

Brown eyes lock with yours and for the first time since you are in a human body, you feel a chill going down your spine. Whoever he is, he’s not like others. The energy surrounding him is unlike any of the mortals you have found, it seems as if the atoms are vibrating. You blink and he is gone. With this sudden appearance, your curiosity is renewed, and you decide to stay in this world a little longer, excited to figure out what exactly is going on. 

At night, when the streets are devoid of people you get a chance to admire the infrastructure. To your right, on top of a mountain sits a splendid castle, its outline sharp against the night sky. To your left, small houses with doors locked and curtains drawn tightly as if there’s something or someone they wish to keep out.  

You sense him before you see him. The air changes and when you turn around you can see his wild eyes and teeth, which appear sharper than a regular man's. He’s the immortal everyone is afraid of, the one that locals call a vampire. He’s the reason crosses are hung on top of beds and children are warned from an early age not to go wandering alone at night. 

He closes the space between you, jumping an impressive amount, ready to attack. With a flick of your wrist, you freeze him mid-jump and for a second his expression changes from ferocity to surprise, however, he switches back almost instantly and snarls at you. He stays in the air for a couple of seconds more before you take pity on him and set him down on the ground. His muscles are tense under the spell, his breathing heavy and if anything there’s more ferocity in his eyes than a minute ago, so you don’t release him just yet. With him immobilized you take a better look at his features, his hair is short on the back and sides and spiky at the front, and on top of his brown eyes sit very expressive eyebrows that are placed in a permanent frown.

“If what you’re looking for is blood, I can assure you it cannot be found in my neck. But if at this moment that is a necessity to you, I might be able to procure you some.” With a snap of your fingers, a rabbit appears in your arms. “Will the blood of this little one be enough for you?”

He stops fighting against your spell prompting you to let him go, after all, he will not be an opponent if a fight were to ensue. He stares at you for a couple of seconds, his head tilted and a smile appearing on his lips, which gives you a better look at those sharp teeth. “You’re not human,” he finally says.

“Neither are you.”

“I used to be.” You wait for him to provide more information, but he deflects the conversation to you, his curiosity now freely showing itself in his expression. “What are you?”

“Maybe you’re not human anymore,” you take a step closer to him, “still your mind won’t be able to wrap itself around who I am.”

He licks his lips and whispers, “I’ve been known to be pretty smart.” 

You move towards him until there are only a couple of inches between your faces and whisper back: “I’m a goddess.” You expect fear or confusion to appear on his face, but the only perceptible change is the spark that appears in his eyes.

“And what is a goddess doing here on Earth?”

“Learning about humans.”

“And what have you learned so far?” The intensity of his stare makes another chill travel down your spine and you could swear he senses it as his smirk grows wider.

“That amongst all species in the universe they’re some of the most interesting ones.”

“They are weak.” His breath feels warm against your skin. “They’re only good as servants.” 

This is a take you haven’t considered. Of course, you have witnessed that some of them held positions that gave them power over others but you have also seen how they had angered the people they were supposed to lead, costing them their jobs or in some cases, their lives.  “How so?”

“If given free will they’ll make bad decisions.” He takes your hand in his. “They need someone like us to rule over them. Come to my castle, I’ll show you.”

“You seem very hopeful at the fact that I will be impressed.”

“Believe me, you will.” His gaze challenges you, and even though he is the one to look away first, it doesn’t feel like a win. “I’m Max by the way.”

.

The vampire’s castle isn’t as impressive as it would have been had you not seen builds like the pyramids in Egypt or a mausoleum in India. It certainly has its charm, albeit a sinister one. The place is made completely out of stone, the people bowing and avoiding your eyes as you pass. You have not experienced this in a long time. At some point in the past, you had been worshipped by an entire galaxy that had been destroyed in a tragic accident. Now, there is no one who remembers your name, or prays at you for help or forgiveness. 

He guides you to a large room containing a table full of food in its center. Your mouth waters at the sight and smell of everything, it seems as though the longer you stay on Earth the more human reactions your body experiences. “Please try it.” Max points to the food with what you have categorized as his usual smirk. Up until this moment you have not consumed human food as your body has no need for it, but seeing all these delicacies in front of you, the temptation to do it grows stronger. 

“I do not need to eat this.”

“Neither do I.” He says picking up a fork with a piece of pie on it, which he then moves in front of your face. “But what is the point of life if it isn’t enjoying the things one does not need?” You consider his words carefully, that was an angle to existence you had not thought of. Perhaps he has some wisdom in him after all.

The pie’s flavors fill your mouth, making so many sensations explode inside you that you have to close your eyes in order to focus on them. When you open them up after you swallow, Max has the biggest smile on his face and stares at you for what feels like an eternity, making the hair on your arms stand up, before taking a bite himself. 

You spend the rest of the night tasting a little bit of everything, and between bites, he tells you his story. You learn he was born a human to a poor mother and abusive father, leaving home as soon as he was able and working for a fisherman. One day in which he had not caught a single fish, he had to stay after sunset in the ocean, and a monster appeared and sank its teeth into his neck. He managed to escape by throwing himself into the water, but the poison was already in his blood, turning him into a vampire. He mentions but doesn’t linger on the fact that living so much can get lonely, and you find yourself agreeing with him. 

Once the food is finished he takes you to the roof where there’s a clear view of the night sky full of shining stars. You have been to some of those stars, and proceed to point them to Max. 

“Which one is your favorite?” He asks looking back at you once you’re done.

“I…I’ve never stayed in one long enough to consider it a favorite.”

“Do you have a favorite planet then?” You shake your head, when you have lived so much, choosing a favorite gets complicated. You could tell him about your home, about the planet you’re tethered to, where your powers are the strongest and where you need to go in order to recharge them. But a place that helps you survive is not necessarily a place that makes you smile. 

“Perhaps that can change. You like this.” He motions to the land in front of you. There is something different in his voice that hadn’t been there before, and it takes you a while to pinpoint what it is. It’s hope.

“I do.” His smile grows wider at your reply.

“Then stay here. Rule this place at my side. Be my queen.”

No one had asked you something like this before. If someone seeks your help with a problem, they are quick to dismiss you or forget about you when their problem is gone. But Max seeks your presence, he doesn’t want anything from you, he wants you. So you stay.

.

One night while taking a stroll through the castle’s gardens you turn to Max with a question that has been in your mind for a while now. “Do you miss being human?” He keeps walking yet by his expression you can tell he’s thinking of the best way to answer.

“Do I miss being fragile? Or not having control over my own life? No, I don’t.” He stops and turns to you. “It’s true that not always do I enjoy being this mix between human and monster, being feared by those around me. But if I wasn’t like this I would have never met you.” He steps closer and locks his lips with yours, as always there’s a metallic taste to him. You enjoy the way he bites your lip and pulls on it, with enough pressure it’ll leave a mark but it won’t hurt.

As time passes you agree with Max on his vision of humans. They are simple beings, with simple goals, and easy to control. Ruling over them brings you closer, he accepts and loves you exactly as you are, and you do the same for him. 

When you are an immortal you get used to loneliness at some point, and he changes that, he shows you how good it feels to be loved and to love in return. You tell him the secrets of the universe and he teaches you the advantages of having a human body, about pleasure and pain, and about how sometimes they can intertwine. True to his words he makes you his queen and worships you as one.

.

As good things tend to do, your perfect life ends. And it ends because of humans. One night, people of all ages, force their way into the castle with rakes and torches, shouting that they are going to kill the monster. With your powers having grown weak due to the amount of time you have spent away from your home, you aren’t powerful enough to stop all of them.

You’re trying to make your way to Max when you hear the scream. 

As you make your way through the crowd people try to stop you, they tell you that you’re free, that he won’t be able to keep you trapped anymore. Ignoring them you make your way to Max’s chamber where he is lying on the floor with a stake in his heart. 

You kneel and take his body in your arms, feeling the life draining from him. You wish you could do something to bring him back but even if your powers were full, stopping death, especially that of an immortal is not something you can do. 

While your tears fall on his chest, an idea sparks in your head. You may not be able to save his body but perhaps there is something you can do for him. You can keep his soul here. By giving him a part of yours, you’d be granting immortality to his soul. This is not something you have tried before, but in theory, it could be done. 

There are two reasons as to why you have never done this. The first is that you have never found someone you deemed important enough to share your soul with. And the second is that a normal human soul could not withstand the process. But he had been an immortal, as much as a non-deity could be one, so maybe, just maybe this could work.

You put your hand on his chest and close your eyes. Energy leaves your body through your hands and there’s a strange feeling in your chest. You hope this means this has worked as there’s no other change.  As he takes his last breath, you lean down and whisper “I’ll find you love, I promise.”

[forever-rogue]

Hello! If possible could I request from Prompt List 3 under fluff and romance? There wasn't a number, but it was, “You’re basically a marshmallow. Perfect for cuddling.” with any of the Marcuses! :')

I had to go with one Marcus Moreno because I am soft for him 🥺💕

Marcus Moreno x Fem!Reader ; warnings: none

Pedro Characters Masterlist 

»»————-　♡　————-««

"Are you cold?" the tone of amusement in his voice was evident as you turned and narrowed your eyes at your boyfriend. You huffed lightly before sticking your tongue out at him, causing him to break into a wicked grin and giggle wildly. You froze as you stared at him, mesmerized by his breathtaking smile and the way his eyes crinkled in the corner as he laughed, along with the dimples that made their appearance. Marcus Moreno was a handsome man, and how you got lucky enough to call him your own, you’d never know. 

“It’s freezing,” you insisted as you held out your arms and gestured to the glittering snow piled high all around you, “of course I’m cold! I wasn’t prepared for...this.”

“Honey,” he calmed himself from his laughter as he made his way over to you, finding it a small struggle from all the snow that littered the ground, “when I said we were going away for the weekend to the mountains in the middle of winter...what did you expect?”

“I dunno,” you pouted at him, crossing your arms over your chest as he held his own arms open to wrap you up, “not quite this much cold. I’m wearing like twenty layers and I’m still freezing, I have no clue how people manage to survive this. I thought it would be a nice quiet anniversary thing...ie.”

“Okay, now you’re just being dramatic,” he raised an eyebrow in amusement as he stepped closer and wrapped you up in his arms before you sighed contentedly, “sometimes I wonder if Missy learns from you or you learn from her?”

But there was a wicked little grin on his face and you almost instantly knew what he was up to. You pulled out of his arms and tried to create a space between the two of you, already holding up your hands in defense. Oh no - no, no, no. You knew him well enough to know exactly where this was going. 

"Marcus Moreno!" you hastily backed up and tried to behind a tree as Marcus reached down and scooped up a handful of snow, and quickly formed an almost perfect snowball, "if you know what's good for you, you won't do it!"

"Come on, honey," his voice was colored with amusement as he tried to run over to you but you weaved your way through some trees. You were both laughing as you tried to escape to safety and he started throwing some soft snowballs at you, "we're just having fun!"

"No!" you dodged another snowball, hastily leaning down and scooping up your own handful. You didn't even try to form it in anything before lobbing it over your shoulder at him.

"Nice try," he somehow had managed to evade you and make his way in front of you. You squealed in surprise as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you against his chest, "gotcha!"

"Cheater!" you giggled as you tried to pull out of his grasp, but he was feeling particularly devilish and started to tickle your sides, "no fair, no fair! You're playing dirty!

"I'm just having some fun!" he insisted as slowed down his assault before making sure you didn't fall into the cold snow from your breathless laughter. He brought you to feet and held you tightly against his chest. He gave you a gentle little grin before pressing a quick kiss to your lips.

“Very funny,” you playfully groaned as he rubbed your back in soothing circles. His touch was like fire, sending sparks up and down your spine. Despite how long the two of you had been together, nearing almost two years now, he still managed to make you feel like you were falling in love all over again. And in a way, you supposed you were; you were always continually falling for Marcus and the million ways he always seemed to dazzle you. There were soft flakes coming down and a few landed in his dark hair; you couldn’t stop yourself as you reached over and tenderly swept them away. Marcus couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your lips, “can we please go inside and get warm? I think there’s hot cocoa calling my name.”

“I suppose that’s fair enough,” he agreed, reaching down and grabbing your hand, trying his best to hold yours despite the thick mittens you both were sporting. You watched him struggle for a moment before he finally managed a gentle hold, “there.”

“Hey,” you said as he looked at you curiously with that boyish charm all over his face, “I love you. Like really, really love you.”

“That’s good,” a light tinge of pink rose up in his cheeks, this one decidedly not due to the chill of cool breeze, “because I really, really love you.”

“Enough to get me inside and warm?”

“Always.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

As soon as you stepped out of the shower, already feeling infinitely warmer and refreshed, you pulled on the softest and coziest pajamas you had packed. You’d brought a few...sexier pieces, but decided that those could wait for later. You doubted Marcus would mind, if anything they’d be a good surprise for later. RIght now all that was on your mind was getting warm and comfy. 

Eyeing the huge, fluffy white duvet on the large bed, you quickly gathered it up in your arms before padding down the hall and into the open spacious living room. The little cabin he had rented for your surprise trip was lovely and quaint, almost picturesque enough to be out of a movie. Ever the amazing man he was, Marcus has started a fire that was merrily crackling away and had set the television on Netflix.

“Honey?” he called to you from the kitchen, where you could already hear him chopping and cutting away at something. You threw the large blanket onto the couch before flopping down on it.

“It’s me,” you confirmed as you keened your ear and found that he was listening to some soft music in the background, humming along to it lightly. It was all these little things, so simple, so domestic, but so endearing that still managed to take your breath away and remind you of how much he meant to you, “love, do you need a hand? I thought we were just going to make hot cocoa.”

“Just making a little snack,” he called back, “just get settled and find something to watch!”

“Are you-”

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” you could practically hear him smiling as you burrowed your way under the big blanket, cocooning up in it so only your face was sticking out. Grabbing the remote, you started scrolling through Netflix as you listened to him messing about in the kitchen. 

Eventually you settled on a new show you’d both mentioned watching, getting it all set up as you waited for him. True to his word, it was only a few minutes before he came into view, a large tray filled with snacks and two steaming mugs of hot chocolate in his hands. 

“Marcus,” you shook your head in amusement as you slowly sat up, “you said a snack...this is….”

“This is the snack,” he moved his head in the direction of the tray before setting it down on the coffee table. He took a step back and pointed at himself, “and this is the whole damn meal.”

You burst into a fit of laughter as grinned sheepishly at you. You were beside yourself as he just looked so proud of his little joke, “Marcus Moreno - where on earth did you hear that? Who taught you that!?”

“I think I heard Missy say something like that once,” he admitted as he came over and you made room for him on the spacious couch, “or maybe it was on some show...isn’t that something the kids say?”

“I’m sure there’s some kids that do,” you reached over and gently touched his face, brushing your fingers over his cheek before kissing him softly, “but you’re right. You are the whole damn meal.” 

“And you - you’re basically a marshmallow. Perfect for cuddling,” he gently poked the big, puffy blanket. You lifted an arm and offered him some blanket so he could properly cuddle you and get warm as well. Instead of accepting your offer, he did one better and pulled into his lap and wrapped his arms around your waist as you made sure the blanket was covering both of you, “hi.”

“Hi,” you whispered before nuzzling your nose against his and gently kissing him. Even these types of kisses, so tender and slow, were wonderful. Every touch, every taste, everything was so sacred and intimate. You almost sighed contentedly into his touch as you wrapped your arms around his neck and laid against him, feeling his heartbeat against your chest, “you made a charcuterie board. How very fancy Mr. Moreno, are you trying to woo me?”

“Always,” he insisted as he traced featherlight, aimless shapes along your back, “I figured we could be fancy adults for once.”

“It’s greatly complimented by the hot cocoa,” you teased as you placed a few kisses along his jaw. You swore you could feel his heart flutter wildly at your words and kisses, which both was and wasn’t odd for him. You knew he was big into touch and gentle words, and he always relished in your praise. But today, in this moment something felt...different. Not bad...but different, “Marcus? Is everything alright, love?”

“I…” he paused for a moment and you pulled back, looking at him nervously. His soft brown eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions, but the corners of his lips tugged into a soft smile.  He brought his hands to the side of your face, cradling it gently as you just watched him with a reverent expression. It was the soft look on your face that caused him to finally break, “marry me?”

“I…” you looked at him with wide eyes as butterflies erupted in your stomach. Surely...surely he couldn’t have said that...right? His own expression was almost as nervous as you felt and maybe...he had said those two little words. You tilted your head to the side as you felt your eyes start to sting with the familiar burn of tears, “I...what?”

“I-I-I know it’s not...I had this planned out better,” he stammered nervously, “I had a whole...well, I guess not. But I just...I’ve been wanting to ask for so long and the timing just never seemed to work out, and I don’t want to wait any more.”

“Marcus…” he held up a finger quickly as he shifted slightly and reached into his pocket and slowly fished out a small ring box. You couldn’t help but laugh lightly as you realized that he must have been carrying it around all day, if not longer. He laughed nervously before opening the box and showing you the gorgeous ring that was nestled among the velvet inside, “oh Marcus.” 

“I’ve had this for so long now, and I just think it’s time,” he admitted softly, “I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you...you are everything. I never thought...I never thought I would love someone again, that life would ever get better than what it was, but then I met you. You came into my life, Missy’s life, and made everything so much better. There is no one I would rather by my side than you. I guess I should rephrase this better, but will you marry me?”

“Yes,” you whispered softly, overwhelmed by his soft declaration and the way he looked at you like you had hung all the stars in the night sky, “of course, I’ll marry you, Marcus. Nothing in the world would make me happier than being your wife. You and Missy are the best things that ever happened to me.”

He beamed at you before wiping away the few tears that had run down your cheeks before pulling the ring out of the box and slipping it onto your finger. It fit perfectly, like it had always been meant to be there, neither too large or small, but just...perfect. You couldn’t stop yourself from kissing him, melting into his touch, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask for so long.”

“How long?” you asked curiously, running your fingers through his dark locks, “how long have you had the ring, silly?”

“A while,” he admitted as you raised your eyebrows in amusement, “I bought after we’d been dating for a few months.”

“Marcus,” you threw your back with laughter, filling the room with his favorite sound in the world, “love, we’ve been together for two years now.”

“I know,” he admitted with a small grin, “I just...I never knew when to ask. I always knew it was you, so the timing didn’t really matter, but I wanted to do it right. And yet...I still didn’t really do it right.”

“You did,” you promised softly, “it would always be perfect because it’s you, and anything with you is just...right. I love you, Marcus. This was perfect, trust me.”

“I love you,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to your forehead, “now, let’s eat and drink the cocoas before it gets cold. We can celebrate more later, and tell everyone then.”

“Let’s wait until we get home,” you suggested, “I want to tell Missy first, in person, and your mom. Then we can tell everyone else. I want to make sure Missy knows first though.”

“She’ll love that,” he agreed, his expression soft beyond words, “she’s been pushing me to ask anyway...she’ll have her little I told you so moment.”

“As she should,” you grinned before moving off of his lap and grabbing your cocoas, “come on then, Mr. Moreno, let’s get warm and relax - I think I heard something about cuddles.”

“Anything for you, Mrs. Moreno.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[ohpedromypedro]

I Love It When You Say That

A/N: @manuphantom​ wanted a second part for More Than Okay, so here it is! The well awaited part 2 she’s been looking for. 😘💕 Big thanks to @bxbyriku​ for the Spanish translations, you’re the real MVP 😩🙌🏼

word count: 5.8k (this is literally 20% plot and 80% smut, sorrynotsorry)

pairings/characters: Pedro Pascal x f!Reader, minor oc for the fic.

warnings: smut smut smut, but passionate smut. oral (f and m receiving), unprotected sex with use of birth control by reader, lots of swearing, fluff if you squint

summary: no please, I suck at them

“Hello? Earth to Y/N?” Your coworker Zena snaps her fingers in front of your face, bringing you back to reality and out of your rapidly running mind.

“Huh?” You snap out of it when her hand invades your vision, looking at her with raised brows. “You said something?”

“Yeah,” she laughs, wiping down the counters by the espresso machines. “Asked what you were doing after work?”

“Oh,” you blush, shaking your head with a smile as you continue washing mugs at the sink. “I’m sorry Z, was sort of daydreaming. I...I have a date tonight.”

“You do? Who with?” She grins, leaning in close as if you’re telling her the biggest secret in the world and she’s a million percent into it.

“You wouldn’t believe me.” You laugh, playfully shoving her away.

“Try me.”

“Did I tell you what happened on my birthday several months ago?” You bite your lip, looking at her with a slight head tilt.

“Well your birthday was before you started working here, so no.” She laughs.

“Long story short, no one remembered, not even my own family, so I found myself sitting in a park miles from my apartment just crying, knees tucked to my chest and face burrowed in my arms. While I was there sitting under a tree an absolute mess, someone started talking to me, asking if I were okay and why I was crying under a tree; eventually after a few shoulder shrugs and head shakes from me in response to his questions, he asked that if he introduced himself by name would it make me feel more comfortable talking to him, so I nodded in response… Well, it was Pedro Pascal. You know, Prince Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones?”

“Okay one, I’m sorry you had a shitty birthday,” she frowned. “And two, you’re fucking with me, aren’t you?”

“See that’s the thing, it was shitty until by some Godly miracle Pedro Pascal happened to be in that same exact park as me and when he found out I was crying under a tree on my birthday, he went out of his way to make it better.” You bite your lip thinking about it, the smile on your face genuine. Z notices that.

“What did he do?” She asks with pure interest, occasionally glancing over at the coffee shop’s entrance for any new customers.

“Took me to dinner and a movie.”

“Cliché.”

“Yes, but it was delicious food and the movie at the drive-in was a surprise.�� You smile.

“Which was?” She quirks her head in question.

“His movie, one of my faves too, Bloodsucking Bastards.” You sigh dreamily and she just laughs.

“Let me guess, he’s a vampire in this movie?”

“Head vampire,” you smirk.

“Hot.”

“Right?” You laugh softly, giving your head a shake. “But... but that’s not all.”

“Oh? You fuck him?” She asks, eyebrows raised high.

“No!” You blush, hard. “But he did kiss me… many times. And...And when he dropped me back off at my apartment after the movie, he...gave me his number.”

“To keep in touch?” She grins, looking somewhat genuinely happy for you.

“Yeah! He....he sends me good morning texts every single morning…” you bite your lip with a smile. “And tonight is I guess technically our second date since he took me out to dinner for my birthday, but...this time our date is going to be spent inside for a more private, relaxing setting.”

“That’s romantic.” She smirks, hint of a suggestive tone in her words.

“Yeah, it is.” Your cheeks couldn’t be any more hot. “It’s also our first time seeing each other since my birthday cause you know, filming and such.”

“It’s nice that he still wants to see you despite being a busy bee with acting life.”

“It’s more than nice,” you grin wide, looking at her with eyes full of genuine happiness. “It’s beyond anything I could ever ask for, he’s...he’s more than just a silly celebrity crush, you know?”

“I understand that.” Z grins. “You’ve got to actually spend time with him, he took you out for your birthday for God’s sake, so yeah I can definitely understand that you’ll feel for him as more than just that.”

“He’s the sweetest, most caring, adorkable, and handsomest man out there.”

“I bet,” she giggles, hearing the bell above the door ding to alert there’s a new customer and going over to the front counter to greet them. “Hi! Welcome to-- oh, you’re...wow… May I help you?” She looks up at the new customer awestruck, Pedro Pascal himself standing there with a cheesy grin.

“I’m here not for a coffee, thank you, but just to pick up Miss Y/N over there.” He points to where you’re still standing at the sink washing and drying the coffee mugs and spoons by hand, humming to yourself. Z smiles when she looks over at you and decides to make this a little fun before she alerts you that he’s here.

“You must be the vampire guy she was telling me about. Bloodsucking Bastards or something?” She smirks, looking up at him with a small tilt of her head. “I prefer Prince Oberyn, if I’m being honest.”

Pedro laughs softly, giving his head a shake with an amused smile. “Yes, I am that vampire guy from Bloodsucking Bastards and I am honored that you enjoyed my role as Oberyn.” His eyes flick back over to you, watching with an adoring gaze as you place the mugs and spoons back in their designated spots after drying your hands with a clean dish towel.

“I’ll let her know you’re here,” Z murmurs quietly to him, seeing in his eyes alone how much he truly feels for you.

Z goes over to you and gives your shoulder a light tap, gaining your attention immediately. She has a look in her eyes that seems both mischievous and amazed and you can’t help but give your head a curious tilt when you look up at her. What she says next has your heart thumping in your chest.

“Your vampire boyfriend is here to pick you up.”

Your gaze quickly moves to the front counter and your eyes light right up at the sight of Pedro standing there smiling at you.

“Bye,” is all you say before you pull your apron off and toss it onto the counter, quickly grabbing your purse from the small associate break room so you can meet Pedro by the front counter. “Hi,” you smile widely when you step out of the work area, allowing him to right away engulf you into a warm embrace, which you happily return.

“Hey, hermosa. Ready for our date night in?” He grins, pulling back to gaze down at you while his hands rest on your waist, the two of you completely unaware that Zena is ducking behind the counter to secretly watch your interaction. If only she had some popcorn...

“More than ready,” you whisper, yet again another blush coating your cheeks tonight. “I’ve missed…” You bite your lip and move your gaze elsewhere, too nervous to say what you want to say in case of scaring him away for being so forward.

“I missed you too,” he says it for you, reaching one of his hands up to gently brush his thumb against your cheek so he can gain your attention again, a genuine look in his eyes. “Missed that beautiful smile of yours.”

“Awwwww!” Z chimes in, the two of you breaking your gaze to see her standing at the counter with a wide smile and hand over her heart, as if in an adoring way.

“Oh shut up,” you mumble with a shy smile and Pedro only chuckles.

“Come on,” he smiles, taking one of your hands in his own and sending a small wave Zena’s way, leading you out of the shop. “Let’s get to your place for our date, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You grin.

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

“Did you want something scary or not scary?” You ask Pedro with a smile, flipping through the movie options on Netflix.

“Depends, will the answer change whether I get to hold you in my arms during the movie or not?” He inquires with a soft smile of his own while carrying the few snacks the two of you picked out together into the living room. You blush at his response, but smile up at him when he places everything down on the coffee table.

“Do you want to hold me during the movie?”

“Yes,” he states simply, but with adoration and you can’t help but grin.

“Then no, the answer will not change depending on what genre you choose.” You reach out for his hand, gently pulling him down onto the couch next to you and bringing your freehand up to gently rest against his cheek which he leans into, just staring into his eyes for a moment while you admire his company. Ever since your birthday you just can’t help but to truly appreciate Pedro Pascal more as a person and there’s so much you wish to do to pay him back as a way to show your appreciation. “I owe the world to you, Pedro Pascal.”

“You are my world.” He whispers and your face says it all, you weren’t expecting that from Pedro Pascal himself, not yet at least.

“I am?” You whisper right back, tears already welling in your eyes.

“Fate brought me into that park on your birthday, Y/N… I never quite believed in it, at least not until you.” His own freehand comes up to rest against your now damp cheek, his gaze never leaving yours as he wipes away the few tears that escape your vision. “I knew from the moment I met those tear filled eyes the first time that you were going to change the course of the rest of my life...and boy was I right. You, I just…I can’t get you out of my mind. I film scenes with many wonderful and beautiful women, but none of them occupy my mind the way you do...none of them come close to you, your courage, your passion... I think about you and that bright smile of yours, that adorable genuine laugh that brought so much joy to my heart and ears when we watched Bloodsucking Bastards, your cute little giggles when something I said amused you and those eyes...like gazing into a whole new and beautiful galaxy. Such beauty, everything about you...”

You’re stunned, absolutely stunned. Your gaze is soft, but wide and full of adoration. This man who you’ve grown to love over the years because of his incredible acting skills and his downright glowing personality, is practically confessing his love to you without actually using the term, yet. You’re at a loss for words, unable to even comprehend any to begin with, so you respond by leaning in for a deep, passionate kiss, pouring every ounce of your emotion into it. Pedro’s response is immediate, arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you flush against his chest while kissing you with as much fervor in return. After a few long moments, the two of you pull back to catch your breath and he lets his forehead press to yours with a wide smile.

“I definitely missed your lips too… Such beautiful, kissable lips,” He murmurs, smiling when he hears your giggle.

“Ditto, mister.” You smile, moving your fingers to gently card through his hair. “I didn’t realize you felt so strongly for me…”

“Love is the only term that comes to mind when I look at you.” He pulls you against his chest with a soft murmur, sitting you sideways on his lap and moving to press his lips to your forehead.

“I…” You bite your lip softly, looking up at him as he cradles you against him. “I love you too.” You whisper, judging by his wide grin that he was hoping you’d say that.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” he hums softly, moving to give you one more deep kiss while holding you tighter against him.

Your arms move to wrap around his neck, pulling yourself up further where your faces are level with one another and letting out a content sigh when one of his hands instinctively grabs you by the leg and pulls it over his lap so that you’re comfortably straddling him. His other hand moves to hold you by the waist as the two of you momentarily get lost in your heated kiss, your lips molded against one another’s like the perfect puzzle pieces. You’ve never had a kiss this real before or one as passionate and full of love; everything about this moment screams that this is it, this is what life’s intentions are for you.

After several minutes of slow, passionate kissing and allowing your hands to freely explore one another, you pull back to breathe again, moving your hands to cup his face.

“I wish to show you how much I love and appreciate everything about you, Pedro…” You murmur quietly, moving your hands to gently rub circles along his chest. He hums at the soothing sensation, looking up at you while his hands stay seated on your waist.

“How so?” He muses, rubbing his thumbs into your sides and smiling at the way you melt into the feeling.

“With my lips,” you sigh contentedly, studying the way Pedro’s eyes light up with blown pupils at the mention of your lips being how you’ll show your love and appreciation. You smile. “I want to kiss every inch, crevice and curve of your perfectly toned skin, kiss every one of your cute little tattoos to mark my admiration for each of them and how they’re a part of what makes you you.” 

Pedro doesn’t let you speak another word, only presses another kiss to your lips while shifting to stand up from the couch with your legs wrapped firm around his waist. “Which way to your bedroom, hermosa?” 

“Second door down the hall on the right.” You breathe, carding your fingers through his hair and kissing him once more before dipping your head to start kissing along his jawline toward his neck while he walks the two of you toward your bedroom. His low groan makes you smile and urges you to leave a playful nip to one of his throat’s sensitive areas before finishing with a gentle kiss.

“Mmmm you’re a dream come true.” He sighs, opening the door of your room with a quick gentle kick of his foot against the bottom corner.

“That would be you, mister.” You giggle softly, grinning when he drops you onto your bed after getting the door kicked open and closed and moving to lay comfortably before him.

“Me? I’m just Pedro Pascal.” He chuckles, climbing his way up and along the bed until he’s hovering face to face with you, his lips finding his way to the curve of your jaw now.

“You’re more than that,” you say breathlessly, moving your fingers into his hair again. “You’re more than just the sum of what Hollywood makes you out to be… I love you for who you show me when we’re together, not only for what Hollywood shows. You are more than just Pedro Pascal the actor, you are José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal, the man I shamelessly fell even harder for after he saved my birthday from being the absolute worst one to ever happen to me.”

“You deserved every minute of what I did for you,” he murmurs against your skin, pulling back to gaze down at you with admiration. “I appreciate everything you say to and about me, hermosa. Every word.”

“I mean every one and I will always stand by them.” You whisper with reassurance, your lips finding his once more. “Now please, let’s prove to each other how true our words are?”

“Yes,” he smiles, moving away so he can rub his hands up and along your sides. “And you’re sure you’re ready for a step this big?”

“Yes,” you breathe, grabbing his hands and lowering them toward the hem of the comfortable sweatpants you changed into after arriving home from work, your eyes showing how ready you really are. “Please.”

Pedro smiles and nods immediately, lightly gripping the hem of your sweats and pulling them down and off your ankles, leaving you in just your black laced panties you wear beneath. His hands go for your cotton t-shirt next, sitting up a bit so you can help him to get it pulled up and over your head, a blush burning at your cheeks as his gaze takes in your form laid out for him, your matching bra and panties a pleasing sight to his eyes.

“You’re so beautiful…” He muses in a gentle tone of voice, gliding his hands along your soft skin and smiling when goosebumps start erupting from his touch. “Your body reacts so naturally to me…” He leans forward to kiss from the edge of your shoulder toward your neck where he nuzzles his face against it, his lips and teeth eliciting soft gasps from you.

“Pedro…” You tilt your head, your fingers once again brushing through his dark locks.

“Hmm?” He hums in an inquiring tone, moving his lips from your neck down to your chest to start kissing at the swell of your breasts.

“Oh…” A soft moan escapes your lips when he reaches your breasts, your fingers giving a light clench in his hair. “Please,” you whimper softly, using your freehand to start tugging on his own shirt, which he immediately leans back so he can help you pull it off and toss it to the side. Your hands go for his pants next, getting the button undone and watching as he momentarily moves to the edge of the bed to kick them off and let them join his shirt, now only in his boxers as he climbs right back over you.

“Better?” He chuckles, letting his hands gently roam along each inch of your skin they can reach.

“Almost,” you murmur, shifting your positions in a quick blink of an eye so he’s now laid against the pillows and you’re straddling him by the waist, your hands tracing over each inch of his sun-kissed chest. “Now it’s better.” You smile down at him before starting to trail kisses along his skin the way he did you, starting from his lips and working your way from his neck, along his shoulders, down his chest and over every inch of his stomach.

“Bebita…” He sighs pleasantly, watching you shower him with love and affection with that pretty mouth of yours.

You have him speechless from the way your lips move over every inch of his skin that you can reach in your current position, him wanting so badly to have his hands on you in some way, but enjoying too much of the attention you’re so willingly giving him. It’s something he doesn’t receive very often and he doesn’t have the heart or even want to stop you from doing it. When you start kissing down the center of his stomach toward the waistband of his boxers, his breath hitches and you can only smirk at the small sound when it escapes him.

You look up at him through your lashes as your mouth hovers just over his clothed cock, your warm breath hitting his hardening length through the thin fabric of his boxers and making him visibly shiver. You smile this time and lean forward to press a gentle kiss to his twitching member as your actions cause him to grow harder. Your gaze is trained on the obvious size of him beneath his boxers and you can feel your cheeks burning again knowing you finally get to feel and experience what you’ve only gotten to think or dream about before you met him. You’ve always had a hunch that he’s an endowed man, pictures are obvious evidence of that, but seeing it for yourself in this moment for the first time has you wetter than a waterfall.

You gaze up at him when your fingers reach for the waistband of his boxers, your eyes asking for permission before pulling them off, even though you already can tell he wants them gone. With a quick nod of his head and a gentle brush of his thumb against your cheek, you quickly slide his boxers from around his waist, your cheeks even hotter now as his entire length springs free. You feel your mouth water at the sight of him, immediately dropping your head to kiss at the base of cock before trailing your tongue along the entire underside of his shaft.

“Fuck,” Pedro gasps, his eyes wide and lust blown as he watches you work your tongue along his length. When you stop at his swollen, precum leaking head to swirl your tongue in circles and collect the few beads of cum dripping from him, he lets out a deep groan, his fingers moving right into your hair. “Bebita…”

“Hmmm?” You repeat the hum he made at you minutes earlier, smirking when you take his tip into your mouth and suck on it as if it’s a lollipop.

“Oh bebita, your mouth feels so good.” He breathes, moving his fingers through your hair toward the back of your head and choking on air when you suddenly hollow your cheeks and take him further into your mouth and down your throat, your fingers wrapped around the base of his length to hold what you can’t reach just yet. “Holy fucking shit,” he groans louder this time, his hips bucking up into your mouth.

“Mmm…” You hum around him in response, swirling your tongue a few times before pulling back almost completely then taking him right back into and down your throat, gagging a bit the deeper he goes.

You repeat your actions several times, breathing through your nose with every bob of your head and letting out a deep moan when you take the entirety of his length down your throat, your nose pressed right against his pubic area.

“Jesus, bebita, if you keep that up I’m gonna cum and I’m not ready to cum yet.” He groans, clutching his fingers in your hair. He watches as you slowly pull off his cock, your lips swollen and eyes glossy when you gaze up at him.

“Sorry,” you bite your lip, moving back up his body to press a deep kiss to his lips, gasping when he has you flipped onto your back and pinned to your bed beneath him.

“It’s okay, but now it’s my turn.” He smirks, kissing and making his way down your body until his face is level with your clothed core, his fingers massaging into your thighs before curling around the waistband of your panties and slowly pulling them down, revealing your pretty dripping folds for him. “Fuck… What a pretty little pussy you have, bebita.”

Pedro dives right in, doesn’t even give you a chance to say a word before he starts swirling his tongue in circles around your clit and sucking it into his mouth. Your moans are instantaneous and he hums as he pushes his tongue right into your aching heat, groan rumbling through his chest when he tastes the sweet juices of your pussy.

“You taste so good, bebita… I desire to wake you up like this every morning...” He muses as he gives his lips a small lick, going right back to sucking at your clit and slowly easing two of his fingers inside of you, giving them a few small scissoring motions.

“Oh Pedro. Please,” you gasp, cheeks burning again at his words, wishing you could wake up to this every morning like he desires. If that’s what he wants then he can have it.

“Mmmm yeah? Is that what you want too, bebita?” He rasps, moving his fingers in and out of you while gently curling them against your spongy walls, humming and sucking your clit back into his mouth.

“Mmm oh yes,” you moan out, giving your walls a squeeze around his perfect fingers and bucking your hips against them and his tongue. “F-fuck, please don’t stop!” You plead with a soft cry, dropping your hand to card your fingers through his hair as he pleasures you with his mouth and fingers.

“I won’t,” he murmurs, picking up the pace of his fingers and curling them right against your sweet spot, lapping and sucking at your clit to coax you toward that high slowly burning inside you.

“Just like that!” You gasp, squeezing around his fingers again and giving his hair a gentle tug. “Oh fuck it feels so good.”

“Yeah? Gonna cum for me, hermosa?” He coos, repeating his actions and earning himself another soft cry from you.

“Yes! ’m s-so close already, oh please don’t stop!”

“I won’t,” he reminds you with a small smirk, continuing his licks and sucks on your clit and the rapid thrusts of his fingers against that same spot inside you until you’re finally coming undone for him.

“Oh Pedro!” You cum the moment your walls clamp down around his fingers when his pace quickens, soft wails of pleasure leaving your lips the longer he gives your clit harsh sucks to extend the high of your orgasm even more. “Fuck! Yes!”

“Mmmm.” He groans against your folds, lapping up every drop of your release while his fingers give one more curl inside you. “You taste so good, hermosa. I could feast on you for hours.”

“I need you,” you murmur with a soft pant, your fingers loosening in his hair. “Please.”

“Bebita…” Pedro coos, pulling his fingers from inside you and slowly making his way back up toward your face, leaving a gentle trail of kisses in his wake. “Tell me what you need.” He murmurs, pulling you forward off the bed and pressing his lips to your shoulders to leave a trail of soft kisses while his hands reach around to unclasp your bra. 

“I need you inside me, please. I...I want you to take what’s yours,” you plead with wide doe eyes, sighing in content at the feel of his lips kissing further along your skin after getting your bra pulled off and thrown to your bedroom floor.

“Yeah?” He grins, gently pushing you to lay back again while moving to press a deep kiss to your lips, settling between your legs with a low hum. “That all?” He smirks, hint of a tease in his tone as he kisses down your chin and toward your breasts, taking one of your nipples into his mouth and giving it a soothing suck.

“Mmm I want--” you moan, moving your fingers into his hair again after he takes your other nipple in his mouth and sucks the way he did the first time. “--your big cock, please… Want to feel how w-wide you stretch my tight little pussy and n-no condom either, I’m on-- fuck, I’m on birth control.”

“Joder, nena. ¿Dónde estuviste toda mi vida?” He groans deeply, moving back up to kiss your lips deeply while pressing the head of his cock at your entrance. “Are you ready for me, bebita?” translation: fuck baby, where have you been all my life?

“Yes,” you whisper, wrapping your legs firm around his waist when he starts to slowly push his hips forward, allowing your warm walls to swallow up his cockhead and the first few inches of his length. Your head tilts back with parted lips as he slowly fills you, finally letting out the loud moan building in your throat when he finishes burying himself to the hilt inside of you. “Oh Pedro...”

“Fuck you’re so tight, bebita.” Pedro hisses, giving your walls time to adjust to the burning stretch of his cock before starting his movements. Pressing his lips to yours once more after a few moments of letting you adjust, he slowly pulls his hips back, the two of you moaning in unison. “You feel so good, hermosa…” He murmurs into the kiss, one of his hands holding your right arm above your head while the other cups your cheek, pushing himself back inside of you with a deep groan.

“Oh yes, you stretch m-me so well…” You moan along with him, your hand in his hair pulling him further into the kiss as you start rocking yourself against him. “P-Please make love to me, baby.”

“Joder, te amo.” He groans, bringing both of his arms over to rest on each side of your head while slowly pulling his hips back again, pressing a deeper kiss to your lips and with more fervor than you’ve ever experienced when he pushes right back in, repeating the slow motions of his previous thrust.

“Te amo, Pedro…” You murmur into the kiss, both your arms now slipped around his neck and holding him close against your chest while he repeatedly makes his slow back and forth thrusts inside of you. “Oh g-god, baby...”

“‘m not gonna last long, bebita… Fuck, you feel better than anything I’ve ever felt in my life.” He buries his face against the crook of your neck with a groan, leaving chaste kisses as he lovingly fucks into you.

“Mmmm f-faster, please.” You moan, tilting your head sideways to give him better access to your neck while he kisses your sensitive skin, biting your lip at the groan that leaves his throat from your request before he starts picking up his pace. “Y-yes, like that, oh please don’t stop!”

“I love it when you say that,” he groans more, thrusting as deep as he can go with every gradual increase in his pace. “You love how good I make you feel, huh bebita? Finally get to feel the things you could only ever fantasize or dream about?”

“Mmmm yes!” You admit without shame, your eyes rolling back the faster and deeper he sends his cock inside of you, squeezing your legs tighter around his middle so your heels are pressing into his lower back. “E-Everything I’ve ever dr-dreamed it to be, oh god Pedro!”

“I love the sounds you make for me, bebita… Your beautiful moans and cries of my name…like music to my ears, music I wish to hear and cherish for the rest of my existence.” He murmurs tenderly while pressing a kiss to the shell of your ear, pulling back so he can gaze down at you as he gives your breasts a gentle caress and squeeze, continuing his deep and fast thrusts.

“I want...it too, I-- Oh…” You moan again, arching your back into his touch to your breasts and pressing your ankles hard against his ass, simultaneously pushing him even deeper inside of you. “Oh right there.” You groan, your fists balled up in the sheets.

“Fuck,” he grunts in response to the way you push him deeper into your warm center, his immediate reaction being to hit that same spot over and over again, both of you groaning at how great it feels. “Right here?” He grins, gently tweaking your nipples between his thumb and pointer finger.

“Yeah!” You gasp, rocking your hips against his own to match his forward thrusts into you, your head thrown back as a soft, deeper moan escapes your open mouth. “I’m gonna cum, oh god I’m gonna cum.”

“Cum with me, bebita.” He groans, leaning down again to kiss you with extreme fervor, one of his hands dropped so he can rub quick circles on your clit, eliciting a cry from you at the sudden attention to your bundle of nerves.

You kiss him harder now, throwing your arms around his neck again and hugging him closer as he coaxes the two of you toward your rising climaxes, your walls fluttering around him with his every thrust. “I’m so close I’m so close I’m so close!” You whine and with one hard thrust right against your cervix and a few more rubs to your clit, Pedro has you coming undone beneath him, your walls clamped down around him as you cum hard and in turn trigger his own release, your body trembling in his embrace as your orgasm rips through you. “Oh yes!”

“Joder bebita,” he moans as he fills you, burying his face in the crook of your neck while he continues his thrusts, still aiming for your deepest areas to help ride both of you through your highs. 

“Oh Pedro, I--” You groan softly, fisting your fingers in his hair at his continued thrusts into you, your eyes rolled to the back of your head. “--fuck!”

You’re the one left speechless now by how mind blowing sex with this man is, how intimate and passionate he is as he makes love to you and how verbal he can be, the Spanish spoken words and phrases the cherry on top of it all. You just can’t believe how lucky you are to have someone to love you like this, so intimately, and you’re even more blessed that it’s Pedro Pascal himself.

The two of you are panting by the time Pedro pulls out of you, his forehead gently resting against your shoulder while you both catch your breath, unable to contain the smiles wide on your faces. If you were able to read minds, Pedro’s thoughts would for sure make that smile wider and even your cheeks a lot hotter.

“Wow…” You breathe, lightly scratching your nails at the nape of his neck. “That was…”

“Everything you’ve ever dreamed it to be?” He teases, lifting his head to give you a playful smirk.

“Yes,” you giggle, leaning forward to capture his lips for a deep kiss. “I love you, Pedro…”

“Te quiero más que a nada en el mundo.” He murmurs against your parted lips, slowly pulling back and giving your thighs a firm massage. “Now wait right here for me, okay?” translation: I love you more than anything in the entire world.

“Where’re you going?” You pout and he just chuckles.

“Bathroom.”

“S’right there,” you point to the bathroom just off your room and again he chuckles.

“I’ve noticed, hermosa.”

Pedro gives you one more kiss before carefully moving off of you and heading to the bathroom to grab a nice warm wet washcloth to clean you with, giving himself a quick wipe down with a cloth of his own before rejoining you in the bedroom.

You smile when you see him reappear out of the bathroom, gaze landing on the washcloth in his hand and you become flustered at the thought of him tenderly cleaning you up after making love to you. He smiles down at you as he climbs back on the bed, taking the warm cloth and washing your sensitive area as gentle as possible, being sure to get your thighs too. You sigh softly.

“I’ll miss this while you’re away...”

“Miss it? I’m taking you with me.”

Other translations:

bebita: baby, hermosa: beautiful, joder: fuck, te amo: I love you (duh)

Everything taglist: @halefirewarrior​ @takemepedropascal​ @wildcard566​ @readsalot73​ @talesfromtheguild​ @msmona​ @oberynispunk​ @whiskeyxinxaxteacup​ @pedrosdoll​ @ah-callie​

Pedro taglist: @manuphantom​ @unadulterated-neckherolover @luna-longbott0m @hanelijoy​ @bxbyriku​ @lireandcampfire

[albertasunrise]

Coffee and Crisis - Chapter 1

So this is my first Mentalist Fanfiction with Marcus Pike. I loved the Mentalist and only recently realised that it was our dear Pedro that played the perfect Pike. 

Summary: Marcus has been pretty unlucky in love. With a failed Marriage and engagement under his belt, will his luck finally change when he meets a pretty, young English girl in his favourite cafe?

Warning/Content: Angst, Blood and Injury, 

Paring: Marcus Pike/ Original Female Character

§

It was a chilly day in September. The trees were almost bare of their leaves. Branches waving in the city breeze, sounds of wood knocking together joined the cacophony of city sounds. Marcus scrubbed a hand over his face as he approached the cafe that had become a staple in his morning routine, always stopping for a coffee and a muffin without fail before heading into the office across the street. This morning was no different except for one tiny detail. Her. His eyes locked with her's almost as soon as he pushed open the door, the small bell above jingling as the wood knocked against it. She was stood in line, eyes staring off towards the door as she waited to be served. He was instantly struck by her, giving her a smile as he pushed the door closed behind him and stepped towards her. She had dirty blonde hair that that was wavy and thick, sitting a little below her shoulders and framing her oval face. Her eyes were a seductive shade of green, accentuated my neat black eyeliner that flicked out at the edges and a subtle brown eye shadow on her lids. Her clothes told him the most about her. She was wearing a Retro Print Star Wars t-shirt that was tucked into her pale Levi jeans that were folded up at the ankles and a black, wool-lined denim jacket. He was instantly drawn to her. She wasn’t like the other women he saw here on a daily basis, tight work dresses, perfect hair and makeup with ridiculous heels that they couldn’t walk in. Not this girl, in her white converses and geeky, acid-wash t-shirt. Her eyes watched him as he came to a standstill behind her, glances and smiles being all they shared for a few moments as Marcus plucked up the courage to speak to her.

‘I like your shirt.’ He said finally, motioning to it with his chin.

‘Thanks.’ she replied, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear as she gave him a warm smile.

‘I’ve not seen you here before.’ He stated, quickly glancing at the muffins to make his selection before returning his attention to her.

‘I’ve just moved here.’ She replied.

‘You’re English!’ It wasn’t a question.

‘Yeah.’ She giggled, trapping her lip between her teeth ‘Well I’m half English.’ She continued ‘Mum’s English, Dad's Canadian so basically, I’m cursed to be too nice and apologise for everything.’

He laughed at her reply, his smile reaching his eyes as they held each other's gaze for a while. It was only broken when the Barista asked for her order. Latte and a Lemon and Poppyseed Muffin. She knew exactly what coffee Marcus wanted, asking his muffin selection for the day before getting to work making their orders.

‘So are you a Star Wars fan or did you just like the shirt?’ He joked.

‘Oh no, I love it.’ She replied, laughing nervously ‘I’m a huge geek.’

‘I’ll let you in on a secret.’ He said quietly, leaning towards her slightly as she looked at him with anticipation ‘So am I.’

She laughed at that, covering her mouth in embarrassment at her sudden outburst. Her laugh was like music to Marcus’ ears, her smile addictive and he found himself wanting to see it more, hear it more. The sound of paper cups scraping against the stone countertop then pulled their attention away from each other.

‘That's Seven dollars.’ said the Barista.

‘It’s on me.’ said Marcus suddenly, handing her the money for both orders.

‘You didn’t have to do that.’ she replied as she looked at him with surprise.

‘Call it a welcoming gift.’ he stated, giving her a genuine smile before holding the door open for her.

They came to a stop outside, Marcus holding out his free hand ‘I’m Marcus.’ He said, smiling as she took it and gave it a shake.

‘Ada.’ she replied.

‘Nice to meet you, Ada.’ Smiling he glanced across the street towards his offices ‘I better get going,’ he continued.

‘Uh yeah, same.’ she replied, her smile dropping slightly at the thought of them parting ways ‘Best not be late on my first day.’

So they parted ways, giving each other a small wave before Marcus sprinted across the street and disappeared through the tinted black glass doors. From that day on, he saw her every morning. She would wait for him and they would queue together, taking it in turns to buy each other's coffee’s whilst they talked about movies, books and art. Marcus learned that she’d studied it at college back in the UK but had decided against pursuing a career in it. He learned that she was a personal assistant but that she worked remotely from her apartment around the corner. She had been engaged to a guy she’d met in college. They’d been together for almost 7 years when she was offered the job in the US and he’d told her that he didn’t want to move with her. So they had ended things, her moving a few weeks later.

‘So have you spoken to him since you arrived?’ he quizzed, sipping his coffee.

‘I spoke to him a few days ago.’ she replied, taking a bite out of her muffin ‘He’s been dating.’

‘Ouch.’

‘No, I’m happy for him.’ She replied, her tone surprisingly genuine ‘He’s never done the dating thing really. Just sort of fell into relationships… Hell, he was single 3 days before we got together.’

‘What about you?’

‘Me?’

‘Are you dating?’ He asked, his question making her choke on the coffee she’d just sipped.

‘No. Wouldn’t know where to start.’ She replied, taking another bite of her muffin and shifting in her seat.

They'd both agreed to meet in the cafe earlier that day, sit down and have breakfast for once.

‘I attract odd people.’ She continued, sipping her coffee.

‘Odd how?’

‘Well, I’m a girl… who’s a geek.’

‘Ahhh.’ He replied, understanding exactly what she meant.

‘You’re the first guy I’ve met that has been normal.’ she replied, her cheeks flushing a little ‘I don’t meet many people working from the office in my apartment either.’

‘I imagine not.’ he chuckled, giving her his signature smile that made her knees go weak.

‘Well, Marcus.’ She started, standing and throwing her coat over shoulders ‘This had been lovely but I need to get to work. Those meetings aren't going to arrange themselves.’

‘Yeah… Right.’ Replied the agent as he stood suddenly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as he knocked it back.

‘I guess I’ll see you Monday.’ she replied, giving him a small smile.

‘Well unless you’re free tonight?’ he suggested, his brown eyes ever hopeful.

‘I’m free.’ she replied, pulling her bag over her shoulder ‘What were you thinking?’

‘Dinner?’ he shrugged, giving her a small smile ‘Take you on your first date in the US.’

‘I’d like that.’ She replied, her heart racing.

‘Great! I’ll pick you up at 7?’

‘Perfect.’

He was there at seven on the dot. Ada had spent much of the afternoon panicking about what to wear, knowing that it was a date but not wanting to overdo it. She’d fallen pretty hard for Marcus, the man invading her dreams and leaving her flushed when she woke up. She looked forward to their morning talks, missing them when he was away and over the weekends. When he’d asked her out, she’d almost passed out from the excitement but somehow managed to keep her cool. As soon as her day had ended she tried to figure out what to wear, realising that she had brought very little with her. She pulled a black lace skater dress her friend Liv had given her just before she’d moved. She wore it with some grey heels and minimal jewellery. She did smokey eye makeup and a subtle pink lip stain, her hair in a loose bun with a few loose waves hanging down to frame her face. When three soft knocks sounded on her door she felt her heart in her throat, hands shaking as she grabbed her bag and keys before opening her front door. She felt her nerves melt away when she saw him. He was wearing smart jeans with a Burgundy shirt tucked in and a smart leather jacket that fit him perfectly. He beamed at her as he checked her out, feeling his own heart flutter in his chest at the sight of her.

‘You look beautiful.’ He stated, watching her as she stepped out and locked her door behind her.

‘Don’t look bad yourself.’ She replied, winking at him as they made their way down to his car.

The restaurant wasn’t far from hers and after a fair amount of convincing on her part they ended up walking instead, arms linked as they talked about each other's days.

‘Here we are.’ he stated as Ada looked up at the sign and laughed.

‘A Canadian restaurant?’

‘You told me that you were half Canadian.’ He started, smiling sweetly at her ‘A colleague of mine told me about this place the other day at work and I knew I wanted to bring you here. Is this okay?’

‘This is perfect.’ She chuckled as he opened the door for her.

The inside reminded her of Christmas’ with her grandparents in Canada. The walls we clad with wood and decorated with hockey jerseys, pictures, sticks and pucks. It was the cheesiest place she’d seen in years and she loved it.

‘I feel a tad overdressed.’ She stated, looking around at the other people in there.

‘’You look perfect.’ He replied sweetly, grinning when she got all shy.

They ordered their food which, true to Canada, was oversized and terribly unhealthy. The conversation was easy, new subjects easy to find when old ones were exhausted.

‘So you know all about my dating history.’ she said suddenly ‘I bet someone like you has had women throwing themselves at you.’ She finished as she shovelled some waffle into her mouth.

‘Hah!’ He laughed as he took a swig of his beer ‘Well… I’m divorced.’ he started, smirking when Ada’s eyes went wide ‘We were young, foolish. She cheated on me with my first partner at the FBI.’

‘What a bitch.’

‘Yeah…’ he replied, shrugging as he took another sip of his drink ‘And then last year I met an incredible woman, Teresa and fell head over heels for her. We got engaged but later that day she told me that she was in love with someone else.’

‘Oh my god, Marcus I’m so sorry.’ Ada felt a pang of guilt at the man's story ‘I shouldn’t have asked… I’m sorry.’

‘Wow you really are Canadian aren’t you.’ He smirked, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

‘Shut up.’ she laughed, swatting his arm before returning to her waffles.

As they walked home, their hands kept grazing each other’s until he trapped her hand with his. They took their time walking back, hands swinging as they enjoyed the sounds of the city together. When they finally came to a stop outside her building she spun on her heels to face him, biting her bottom lip as she gazed up into his eyes.

‘Can I confess something to you?’ She asked, her eyes drifting down to their hands ‘This is the first proper date I’ve ever been on.’

‘What?’ His head shot back in surprise ‘Really?’

‘I never did the dating thing. I kinda met people and we just ended up together.’ She replied, looking away in embarrassment.

‘So how was your first date then?’ He asked, pulling her a little closer.

‘It was pretty good.’ She replied, green eyes sparkling up at him.

‘Only pretty good?’ he asked, giving her a devilish grin ‘What would it take to make it perfect?’

‘Hmmm.’ She pondered for a moment, a cheeky grin crossing her face as she stepped closer again, her chest flush against his ‘Perhaps a goodnight kiss.’

‘Oh really?’ he grinned as he laced his fingers around the back of her head.

‘Mhmm.’ she nodded, licking her lips in anticipation as he pulled her in.

He pressed his soft lips against hers, his left hand cupping her cheek and his thumb stroking her high cheekbone. She opened her mouth to deepen it, their tongues dancing together as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. She moaned against his lips as she felt a heat forming in her core, lacing her fingers through his hair as their kiss became more heated.

‘Did you want to come up?’

‘I’d love to.’ He replied, pulling away so that he could look her in the eye.

‘But...‘

‘But this is only our first date.’ He replied, pinching her chin with his thumb and pointer finger as he kissed her again ‘Let me do this properly. No jumping into things.’

‘Are you sure you’re not Canadian?’ She joked, grinning as he kissed her again.

‘Goodnight Ada.’ He replied, giving her one last peck on the lips before watching her walk away.

They spent most of that weekend texting like teenagers. They text about what they were doing, what they were reading. They even ended up watching Empire Strikes back and talked on the phone to each other during. They then continued to talk to each other as they lay in their beds, talking about their schedules for the week and possible plans for the weekend. When they finally said goodnight they agreed to have breakfast together in their favourite little cafe in the morning. Once again the day started as it always did. They stood in line together, ordered their coffees and muffins and sat at their usual table beside the counter. The conversation, as always, was easy and relaxed. They joked about how lame they were talking on the phone in bed like two smitten teenagers. Secretly though, neither of them had wanted to hang up. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of sirens, screaming and shouting suddenly erupted in the morning air and the door of the cafe crashed open. Two masked guys came screaming in, guns waving above their heads and sending everyone into a frenzy.

‘Everyone get down!’ they shouted, pointing their guns at the customers who were crouching with their hands above their heads.

Marcus instantly switched into FBI agent mode, his right hand wrapping around his gun as looked at Ada beside him.

‘Stay down.’ he whispered as he squeezed her arm and started to stand.

‘Hey, Jackass I told everyone to get down.’ Shouted one of the men, waving his gun at him as he spoke.

‘Let these people go.’ he said, taking a step towards them.

‘Who is this guy?’

‘Dunno but he’s clearly got a death wish.’ One sniggered,

‘I’m Agent Pike.’ He started, hand still wrapped around his gun ‘I work for the FBI. If you let them go I can help you come to a peaceful solution.’

‘FBI huh?’ the leader replied, tilting his head to the side as he studied the agent across from him ‘Well you’ll be useful.’ He stated, pulling the trigger and sending Marcus stumbling backwards

‘NO!’ Ada screamed as she threw herself to his side, catching him as his legs gave out beneath him ‘Marcus…. Marcus look at me.’ she pleaded, shaking him as his eyes darted around the room in shock.

The agent rolled his head to look at her, blood rushing in his ears as he tried to suck in a pained breath. He could feel his shirt soaking quickly with the crimson lifeblood that gushed from the bullet wound to his abdomen. Ada’s shaking hands desperately tried to keep pressure on it as she held him in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. She leaned him against the counter and tore her cardigan from her shoulder, pressing it down hard on Marcus’ stomach which elicited a pained moan from the agent.

‘Well I’m sure this isn’t how you saw breakfast going.’ he joked, placing a shaky hand on hers.

‘Not exactly no.’ She replied, smiling at him grimly as she watched her cream cardigan slowly turn red.

The phone to the cafe rang and the leader answered, screaming his demands to the police on the other end.

‘You will give us what we want or the Federal Agent that’s currently bleeding out on the floor isn’t going to make it.’ he growled, shooting a look at Pike ‘You give us what we want or Agent Pike will die… You have one hour.’ he finished, slamming the handset down on the counter and storming off.

Time seemed to crawl by. Ada watched the minutes ticked by, willing time to go faster as she felt Marcus slipping away from her. Half an hour passed and his skin tone had taken on a sickly grey shade, dark bags forming under his eyes as each breath came in short, laboured pants. She watched as his eyes start to droop, panic rising inside her as his head dipped.

‘Stay with me.’ she pleaded, lifting his head so that she could look him in the eye ‘You need to stay awake.’

‘Talk to me.’ he asked, leaning into her touch.

‘What do you want to talk about?’

‘’Will you go on another date with me?’ he asked suddenly, taking Ada by surprise.

‘What?’

‘I want to take you out on another date.’ he stated, giving her a weak smile.

‘Of course, I’ll go on another date with you Marcus.’ She sobbed, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

‘G-good.’ he stuttered, feeling his strength start to seep away.

‘And then afterwards I want you to stay with me.’ She continued, desperately trying to keep him with her a little longer ‘I’ll make you pancakes in the morning, I have a posh coffee machine that makes amazing coffee. Then we’ll spend all day watching old movies, eating junk food and making out.’

‘Sound’s good.’ He replied, smirking at her weakly.

Ada watched as he started to lose the fight, his lips taking on a startling shade of blue as breathing got harder and harder. A sudden cough painted his lips with blood splatters and her stomach sank. She knew the longer they waited, the less time Marcus had left. Grabbing a napkin from the counter above, she wiped the blood from his lips before placing a soft kiss on them. Marcus felt his heart flutter at the feeling of her soft lips on his, kissing her back before everything went black.

~§~

Chapter 2

[something-tofightfor]

Christmas in July v 3.0: 2021 Edition

The time has come, friends! It’s Christmas in July 3.0 for this blog. 

Every year, I do an event in the middle of the summer where I desperately try to ignore the 400% humidity and scorching, oven-like temperatures of the Midwest and transport myself to the cold, snowy months that I love so much. Year 1, I came up with Christmas in Wyoming for Logan Delos. Last year, Steel City with Billy Russo was the end result. This year? I’m including my followers and doing something different.

Below the cut, I’ve listed some of my favorite Christmas songs and holiday situational prompt suggestions for you to use. These are only a GUIDELINE. If you have something else you’d like to see written, please feel free to shoot me a message and ask before sending a request. (Added in artists next to some of the more uncommon songs so that you can take a listen if you want.)

*You don’t need to pick something from each category, but if you’re leaving character open, please specify if you’d like it to be a Ben character or a Pedro character. 

Requests will stay open until Monday, June 28th at 11:59 PM EST - unless I get an overwhelming amount of them this weekend and need to cut it off earlier. 

*Instructions for requesting under the cut at the bottom of the post. 

Characters:

Billy Russo

Ryan Brenner

Logan Delos

Benjamin Greene

King Caspian

Javier Pena

Din Djarin

Ezra

Agent Whiskey

Frankie Morales

*Open to other suggestions, too; feel free to send a message or DM to ask. No RPF - Pedro and Ben are off limits.* ** NO DARKLING. **

Songs: 

All I Want for Christmas Is You

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 

Baby It’s Cold Outside 

White Christmas 

I’ll Be Home For Christmas

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 

Blue Christmas

Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

Last Christmas 

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - Nsync

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out - Fall Out Boy

Ex Miss - New Found Glory

Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass - All Time Low

Christmas Lights - Yellowcard

This Gift - 98*

Prompts: 

Picking out / decorating a tree

Hanging Christmas lights / decorating the house

Making cookies/baking/cooking

Traveling for the holidays

Shopping for gifts

Ice skating

Mistletoe

Waking up on Christmas morning 

Going to a party

Snowball fight

Singing Christmas carols

Snowed in together

Ugly Christmas sweaters

Stuck somewhere in the snow

Holiday traditions - sharing with S/O or  starting a new one

Christmas Eve by the tree

Fireplace

Wrapping presents

Spiked eggnog/punch

Going to look at lights / decorations / holiday displays

How to request:

Send me an ASK. It can be anon or not, but I need to be able to keep it in one place, and messages tend to get lost. Feel free to send a message to make sure that I GET your ask, though. Tumblr sucks. * Asks through the mobile app don’t have a character limit the same way they do on desktop

Tell me if you have a specific style of story - fluff, angst, smut, etc … I’m going to try to keep these as lighthearted as possible, but we’ll see what happens. Some of these characters require deviation from pure happiness to seem realistic. Yes, I will include smut in some of these if requested or the scenario calls for it. If you would prefer NO smut, please let me know. 

Each piece will be at least 500 words long. 

 I won’t write pregnancies or children into the stories, unless they’re for characters that aren’t the main characters (or unless the kids exist in canon - Grogu, Emily, Cee, Frankie’s kid, etc.)

If you request a character and want it to somehow connect to a current or past story or pairing of mine, please tell me which one. (HCtS Logan, HNH Billy, Magnetic, etc.)

If you don’t celebrate Christmas, but still would like to request something, please let me know. I’m not well versed in other winter holiday traditions and customs, but I can definitely just make it more holiday/celebration themed and not overly Christmas-based.

I can - and will - look past canon in some cases, but won’t entrely disregard it. Please keep that in mind. 

[lannister-slings-and-arrows]

Pedro's character reactions to an unexpected kiss on the cheek from the girl he's been trying to woo forever but continuously got rejected by?

Din is a little flustered when after he hands you a cloth wrapped loaf of that sweet bread you had spend a hour talking about last week you lean over and kiss the side of his helmet. He had given up trying to get your attention after you continuously ignored his offers to spar. You had made it pretty clear to him that you just wanted to be friends- hadn’t you?

Whiskey has been trying very loudly, very obviously, very obnoxiously to get into your pants since Tequila had introduced you a month ago. Honestly, under any other circumstance you would have given in already, the man was exactly your type and office gossip said that that lariat wasn’t the only thing he knew how to handle. But you were new to your supervisory position and you had a team of three young female agents working under you to whom you were determined to give a good example. And that meant no giving in to that cowboy and his cheesy pick up lines and dazzling smile. Until one of your girls got herself into some trouble on a mission with Whiskey and Tequila and instead of charging in to fix it, he grabbed the back of Tequila's collar and stood off to the side to let her handle it herself. She emerged from the fight with only some cuts and bruises and a cracked rib, but smarter for it and with the kind of confidence in her abilities that only comes from hands on experience. So you cornered him as the three of them stepped out of the plane and kissed him. You figured he deserved some kind of reward for his help. What you were not expecting (but what you really should have been, this whole situation was on you and your own stupidity) was for Whiskey to blink down at you stupidly and watch as you smiled politely at the other senior agent and start to walk away. What you also did not expect was to hear a ‘swish, whooshing” sound and for your arms to suddenly be pinned to your sides. You looked down to see a lariat wrapped snugly around your middle and you sighed and rolled your eyes. You were tugged gently backwards and rather than fall on your ass and be dragged- which you were sure he would do- you complied, and found yourself face to face with a grinning cowboy. “There now, little lady, that wasn’t so difficult was it?” You tried, and failed, to put your hands on your hips and heard snickers from behind you. “I hope that wasn’t the last of that sugar you were planning on giving out, honey, or I’m going to be mighty disappointed.” You sigh, unable to resist smiling back at the grinning idiot in front of you. “Let me go and I’ll see what I can do Jack” you bargain. He shakes his head and tips his hat back with his free hand. “Now, sugar, a this cowboy knows not to let his catch go without some much stronger assurances”. You step closer to him, you can feel the heat he radiates and smell his leather, spicy scent. He grabs the rope around your middle and hauls you against him, wrapping his arms around you, holding you up right. “I knew you couldn’t resist me forever baby.” You know you should shove him away, make him wait longer for a smart remark like that but frankly, this has gone on long enough and you don’t want to. You allow him to pull you up on your toes so he can bend down and kiss you properly. You’ll get him back some other way soon. 

Oberyn grabs your wrist as you turn to walk away and drags you back to his side and into his lap. “Now was that so difficult” he asks, a slow and sultry smile on his lips. You blush and try to look away but a long and elegant finger turns your face back to his, and once your eyes meet his eyes you can’t look away- they’re as mesmerizing as the snake’s he takes his name from. “It wouldn’t be very chivalrous of me to not return the favor, and not only that,” he pauses, his face a breath away from your own now. “Since I have looked forward to this for so very long, I wouldn’t deny myself the pleasure for all the gold in Casterley Rock.” He kisses your cheek gently, first one, and then the other. His lips are soft, full, and you feel only a hint of a scratch from his beard. Its tantalizing and you want more, that feeling is just this shy of not enough, and he pulls away with a smile. You frown at him and he laughs, hugging you closer to his body and leaning back in to press feather light kisses on your chin, your forehead, and then the tip of your nose. He then releases you, puts you gently off his lap and walks away with a bow. “I hope you have a pleasant evening, my lady.”

Ezra smiles softy at you and just stares. For a full minute he says nothing, and while you’re sure he has been quiet for longer since you made his acquaintance two months ago you can’t think of quite such a loaded silence as this. You were about to break the quiet with a rough joke or something when he placed his hand on your arm and squeezed gently. You looked up to find him smiling brightly down at you and you resisted the urge to sigh in relief, instead choosing to grin back. Maybe a quiet Ezra wasn’t always an indicator of trouble. 

Catfish blushes. Like the kind of blush that you thought only happened in Loony Tunes cartoons. His whole face turns red underneath the patchy scruff that had scratched your lips. The friends he had introduced you to (you were positive those were not their real names- Pope you might accept but no one would actually name a kid Iron Head) had been teasing him about his homebody ways since his daughter had been born and you could see it was bothering him. You kind of thought they were being jerks so you did the first thing that you could think of to make them stop. The silence that followed your kiss and “hey babe, I’m gonna go grab a beer you want something?” was almost too comical for you to keep a straight face. Fish managed a quiet “no thanks” and touched your arm briefly before you made your way to the kitchen. All was quiet and then you heard a muttered remark from the curly haired guy- promting hard laughter from the group of men. They were poking fun at Fish again. Jesus you can’t win with buttheads like this can you, you thought, rolling your eyes and returning to your seat on the arm of Catfish’s chair.

Tovar pretends to be annoyed. As usual. He “harumphs” and glowers at the trees surrounding you and you laugh and walk ahead of him.

Max- you know when a dog is begging to go play outside and is just sitting there staring at you and you finally turn your phone off and like, he just lights up and looks at you like yes? Yes? Finally?? And is just so sunshine and thrilled? That’s Max. It’s almost annoying enough to make you regret it, which you tell him, which only makes him laugh and continue to be disgustingly positive about it. (Note, this is you don’t know he’s a vampire Max. The scenario changes completely if you’re in the know.)

Javier is frustrated. After weeks of trying to get into your pants, you decide now, of all times, while you both are being SHOT AT is the perfect time to distract him with this? You grin, lean over and kiss his now stubbly cheek before standing and laying down covering fire for Steve and Carrillo as they go charging through the narrow room. And all he can do is just sit there. Surprised and frustrated. Women.

Maxwell had been trying to get your attention since he saw you in the elevator two months ago. Every day it was expensive gift after expensive gift, nothing had worked and he was getting more and more frustrated. Was that diamond tennis bracelet not nice enough? Did you not like the show he’d managed to get those tickets to? What was he doing wrong!? So when you finally looked up at him with a smile and stood on your toes to kiss his cheek when he handed you a cup of coffee (just the way you liked it- he had been practically stalking you for two months, it did have its advantages) that one time the whole office had to stay a few hours longer than normal he was a little confused. After all this time and effort all he really had to do was bring you coffee? Seriously?!

[thethoughtsfromthreeam]

A Helping Hand

Pairing: Francisco “Catfish” Morales x Reader

Warnings: Smut

A/N: I don’t know why I’m taking so long in writing for Pedro’s softest characters - Catfish and Marcus Pike.  Still working on the next chapter of Sunshine, so hopefully I’ll have it ready for you for Thursday!

Reminder:  I ain’t ever seen Pedro Pascal in FUCK ALL, I’m just coming up with this as I go along, using imdb.com, wiki, and 84,000 tabs I got open to plan out this shit.  I also write soft versions of his characters so if you’re craving asshole vibes, I ain’t got any but my own to offer.

Tags:  @zeldasayer , @romanticgumchewer, @beskars​ , @coolmaybelateruniverse , @the-feckless-wonder, @lavenderl3mons , @pascalisthepunkest , @mandoandyodito​ , @randomness501 , @fioccodineveautunnale  

—***—

“Francisco!  Get out of there!  Did you even wash your hands!?”  You threw the towel at him as he scurried away from the bowls of cookie dough set out on the island.  He was laughing as he shoved another chunk into his mouth.  He could eat this shit forever; it was so good.

“But you know I love it so much.”  He mumbled as he chewed, his smile getting bigger.  God, he loved Baking Sunday, it was his favorite day of the week. The house always smelled good, you always baked tasty shit, and something about you in that waist apron did a number on him.  Yeah, these were good days.

Last night he had gone out with the guys for a few beers and when he said he was heading home early, they all started ragging on him.  It was all in good fun, they knew about Sundays and knew that they were going to reap the rewards, too.  But even if they were being dicks, he didn’t care, he wasn’t going to wake up late on baking day.  He leaned up against the far counter, looking at you as he swallowed, already planning on his next covert theft operation for more.  

He might have the brain of a military tactician, but you weren’t no slouch yourself.  You were ready.

“Hey Cat?”

“Yeah mijita?”

“You see that bowl the table?”  He nodded. “Go open it for me.”

He pushed himself off the counter and sauntered over, thinking he was going to get his taste even sooner than he thought.  But when he opened it, it was filled to the brim with chocolate chip cookie dough – his favorite.  He could feel his mouth watering at the sight.

“Now that’s yours, so keep your fingers out of my bowls.”  You smiled while pointing at him and he groaned in pleasure.  You must have made it last night when he was out, which made the most sense because if he was annoying now with his little sneak attacks, he would have climbed you like a tree to get this whole big ass bowl.  He walked around the island and yanked open the utensil drawer and pulled out a spoon.

“Oh, now you’re going to get a spoon?  You’re a dick, Cat.”  There was no malice in your words, and you said them with a laugh.  As he walked behind you, he laid a sloppy kiss on the back of your neck as a thank you.  Your smile got bigger, a little shiver running down your spine.  God, he always managed to turn you on in the littlest of ways.

Frankie sat at the table, eat his prize as you stood at the island, almost zen-like, as you rolled out the different doughs into small balls.  The calming familiarity of your movements, combined with the sunlight filling the kitchen, made for a moment of peace you found practically nowhere else but in Frankie’s arms at night.  Here was your heaven and you reveled in it.

When you two had saw the house, the cozy craftsman cottage was perfect in every way except the kitchen.  But given it had everything else you both wanted, you felt you could compromise and work with what you had.  Six months after you and Frankie had moved in, you went away for a weekend with your best friend and came home to a completely renovated kitchen.  The boys came and helped him get it done and you cried so hard, he was worried that you were upset at first.  Of course, he learned later than night after everyone left how thankful you really were.

As you walked through the familiar routine of Baking Sunday, you hummed a small tune to yourself.  One of Frankie’s bigger splurges had been on the professional level oven, letting you bake three or four batches of cookies at once.  Soon the mounds of raw dough were turned into warm and gooey cookies laying on the cooling racks.

You began to knead out the dough for the week’s bread when your phone pinged at you.  You looked over and saw it was a message from Benny, asking for a couple of loaves of your bread.  You smiled.

“Cat, baby, can you get me two more bowls from that cabinet?”  You pointed with your toe.  Then your phone pinged again, and you saw it was from Tom. “You better make that six bowls.”

“Why so many?”  Frankie grunted as he squatted down and began pulling out what you needed.

“Benny and Tom both just texted wanting bread and I’m going to say that Pope and Will are going to text soon, too.  Might as well be prepared.

“Well, will my favorite baker need a helping hand?”  He brought over the bowls and set them on the counter, giving you a kiss on the temple.  You smiled and nodded.  Together, you got the bowls prepped and seven loaves of bread ready to rise.  As you worked, you saw the texts from the other two and smiled while shaking your head.  

“Maybe you should start a group chat so they can send you their orders all at once instead of whenever the mood strikes them.”  Frankie covered the last bowl and placed it on the counter under the sunny window.  You could have proved them faster in the warming tray of the oven, but you liked giving them the full hour to rise so you could get your workspace cleaned up.

“Mm, maybe.”  You hummed as you started the dishwasher and began to wipe down the counters.  You weren’t a messy baker, but you hated a dirty space to work in.  When the kitchen was cleaned and ready to go, you glanced at the clock and saw you still had half an hour left.  Frankie was turned away from you and you could see his back muscles moving under his shirt as he dried the last of the trays.  God, you loved his back.

Without hesitation, you walked up to him and wrapped your arms around his waist, pressing a kiss between his shoulder blades before nestling your cheek there.  You could feel the warmth of his skin through the cotton against your cheek and you sighed contently.  Frankie put the last of the trays on the counter and toss the towel in the dish rack before turning around in your arms.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

He leaned against the counter and wrapped his arms around you as you leaned further into him, head resting on his chest.  There were times in his life that he felt he would never have moments or days like this again and here he was, experiencing them regularly.  He was thrilled to his toes and he bent his head to kiss the top of yours before resting his chin on the spot.  The hazy sun of the summer afternoon filtered through the windows, creating a cocoon, where time stopped, and the world centered only on the two of you. Here the silence was comfortable, and you were surrounded by the smell of yeast and sugar and Frankie.  This was as close to heaven as you two would ever get without dying.

As the magical aura of the moment surrounded you, you tipped your head up and propped your chin on his chest to look at him.  This man had you wrapped around his finger, although he was likely to say the same thing about you.  His soft curls rested on his forehead, free of the worry frown it sometimes held. The scruff along his jawline had hints of gray, as did his hair, but you loved it.  It gave him a soft look that fit him so well.

As you continued to drink him in, he smiled at you and his dimple appeared. God, that was so sexy to you and you couldn’t stop yourself from raising up on your tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on it.  It deepened as he grinned at your touch.  He expected you to kiss him on the lips next, but you instead placed a small kiss on his jaw, letting his beard tickle your lips and face.

You positioned another kiss on the other side of his face, then another on his chin, and a final one on his nose.  You pulled back and he smiled at you, his eyes sparkling with love and a little lust. He bent his head to capture your lips, but he was gentle about it.  He followed up with a series of pecks against your lips, ones that always made you weak in the knees and he knew it.  You moved your hands from his back to the front of his shirt, gripping the soften cotton.

Under your fingers, you heard his heart beginning to beat faster and you knew yours was matching his pace.  He kissed you again, harder this time and you respond in kind before pulling back to look at him.  The glimmer of lust in his eyes was brighter and his eyes were darker, the soft brown nearly black.

Letting go of his shirt, you pushed yourself out of his arms and stepped back.  His arms dropped to his sides and you could see his chest rising as his breaths grew heavier.  His eyes were glued to your chest, where your pebbled nipples stood in stark contrast against your thin tee shirt.  For all his bravado in many other things, it never failed to surprise Frankie that you were so turned on by him, that your moans, whimpers, and screams were his doing.

You give him a flirty smile as you turned to walk around the kitchen island, letting your fingertips glide along the cool marble, and you walked over to the kitchen table.  Leaning against it, you crossed your arms under your breasts, pushing them up and from where you stood, you could see a bulge forming in Frankie’s pants.

“Cat, baby?”  The coyness of your smile was matched by your tone of voice.

“Yeah mijita?”  His voice had taken on a raspy edge to it, sending a little shiver across your skin.

“Come here, I want to show you something.”  You didn’t need to tell him twice and Frankie practically leapt over the island to stand in front of you.  You laughed at his grin, akin to a little boy at Christmas time.  You moved to sit on the table, letting your legs naturally fall open as you placed your hands on the table behind you.  Frankie wedged himself between your thighs and you sighed as you felt your jean skirt bunch up at the top of your thighs.  The warm air of the kitchen felt almost cool against the heat of your core.

“Mijita, you are killing me softly over here.”  He slightly bent down so his hands were flat against the tabletop and his lips level with your own.  You shimmed forward a bit so that the part of you most aching for him could feel his hardness and in return so he could feel how much he turned you on.  Frankie groaned at the contact and he rolled his hips to rub up against you.  You lolled your head forward to rest it against his, noses touching gently. Despite being warm, you body broke out in goosebumps as pleasure gentle coursed through your body.

After a few more rolls of his hips, Frank angled his face to kiss you, tongue darting out to lick along your lower lip.  You sighed as you opened to him and as your tongues began to dance against each other, you could taste the sugar and chocolate of the cookie dough.  You kissed passionately until you moved away, needing to take a breath.  His plush lips tried to chase you, but you tilted your head and instead he found purchase along your beck, just under your ear.

As you drew a ragged breath, your pleasure crowding out the air in your lungs, you moan when you feel him drag his lips down your neck in those soft kisses that you so adored from him.  Your nipples had grown harder and your core wetter with each touch of his skin against yours and you moved your hands from the table to his wrists, needing to feel him to anchor yourself.

“Cat.”  His name came out on a sigh and as he continued to kiss down your neck, Frankie was certain he was going to lose it if you said his name again.  He instead focused on covering your neck with kisses and he was grateful that you were wearing a v-neck shirt so that he could continue down into your cleavage, where he dipped his tongue between your breasts.  He could taste the faint saltiness of your skin, sweat from bread making.

You moved your hands to draw up your shirt, but he stops you, his warm palms almost too hot against your wrists.  He lifted his head so he could look you in the eyes – the brown in the them completely gone by now – and his teasing smile seeming almost predatory.  He was plotting something, and you grinned back, letting yourself fall back on your palms.  You knew he could see your breasts thrusted towards him and you bit back a smile when you heard the growl deep in his chest.

“Patience mijita.”  He pulled back, taking you in – a slight sheen of sweat now covering your body and he could see the crotch of your pink panties nearly soaked through.  His smile grew wider when he saw it and his mouth watered, wanting to taste everything you had to offer.  He stood back and drew himself up to his fill height and you shivered in want.

Before you could admire him fully, he dropped to his knees, placing those blazing hot hands on your calves.  You sat up and reached behind you to untie your apron, but he squeezed your leg.

“Stop.”  It was a command, but it was soft, and you stopped, an eyebrow raised.  “Leave it on.”

“Oh?”  Now both eyebrows were raised and you face was split with a shit-eating grin.  You could see the blush creeping into his cheeks. Your voice had a rasp to it that sent shivers down to Frankie’s toes, making them curl inside his boots.  But he shrugged as you put your hands back onto the tabletop, eager to see what he has planned.

He slowly let his hands drag up your legs until they rested on your thighs, the heat practically scorching the sensitive skin there.  You widened your legs, hoping to encourage him higher, but then he took his hands off you and you groaned at the lost of them.  But you were moaning again when you saw him push the apron up and you reached your hand out to hold the bunched-up fabric in your hand, out of his way.  He smiled.

He brought his hand up to the waistband of your skirt and popped open the button.  You helped by shifting your hips so he could drag the worn denim over your hips and down your legs.  Without the fabric around your hips, he brought up his hands and placed them against your inner thighs.  He pressed and your legs went wider.

You dropped your head back and let out a breathy moan as you felt Frankie’s tongue slide up the cloth of your panty-covered slit.  The extra pressure on your clit made your hips jerk and you could feel his smile against you.  He did it again and then a third time and by now your panties were so soaked, they clung to your core.  

He continued to pleasure you with his tongue, the once smooth fabric feeling rough against your sensitive clit.  Suddenly he stopped, and you whimpered, knowing you were so close to your climax.  You opened your eyes and looked down at him, noticing that he was watching you with lust-filled lust orbs.  Frankie raised his hands to your hips again and tugged at your panties.  Dropping the apron, you pushed up on your arms to give you leverage to raise your pelvis and he swiftly dragged the cloth down your legs.

The minute they landed on the ground, Frankie dove under the apron and back between your legs, licking furiously at your clit and the sudden rush of pleasure sent your whole-body vibrating.  You body bowed forward and your hands, seemingly on their own, yanked at the fabric to grab onto his head.  

The fine hairs of his head felt like silk against your skin, almost as silky as his tongue on you.  As you began to shiver from the building of your climax, he moved a hand from your thigh and sunk two fingers into your core, you wet heat surrounding him.  The soft fabric of the apron brushed against his neck and ears and added with the other sensations, his cock throbbed painfully.

“Oh god, Cat!”  His name ripped from your throat on a sob as you raced towards your orgasm, almost scared of how strong the waves of pleasure were that rolled through you. He pumped his hand a few more times as he sucked on the very part of your anatomy that screamed for attention and you screamed as the tension inside of you broke.  Frankie could feel your walls clench around his fingers, almost painfully, and he lapped up everything you gave him.  Your hips jerked violently as your aftershocks rolled through you in quick succession.

After what seemed like forever, you untangled your fingers from his hair and pushed him away; the sensitivity you felt was almost painful.  He rocked back on his heels and looked up at you, so incredibly turned on by the flush that colored your skin and god, that keening scream you gave when you came just sent a thousand watts of pleasure to his cock. He was so hard, and he wanted nothing more than bury himself so deep inside of you that he felt nothing else in this world.

He spent years chasing highs – the military, his helicopter, even the coke. But none seemed parallel to how he felt with you and Frankie was certain he could bed you every day until he died, and he still wouldn’t get enough of you.  He stood on shaky legs, every heaving pant out of your mouth making his skin feel tighter and hotter.

You head, which had been hanging down, rolled to the side and then backwards so that you were looking up at him.  God, this man was so beautiful to you and watching the lust on his face as he stood there just looking at you was intoxicating.  No man had ever made you feel so wanton and hedonistic as him.

You reached out an arm to drag your hand across the bulge in his pants and the heat of his erection felt scorching through his jeans.  His hips jerked at your touch and you could hear the hiss of his breath as he sucked inwards.

“Where do you want your cock, Cat?”  You raised your eyebrow at him, and he groaned.  You were the girl next door especially with that damned apron on, but god, your mouth was something out of his most deprave fantasies.  And you knew it.  “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”

He groaned at the pun as he moved forward.  You grabbed the front of his shirt to bring him close and he slightly stumbled against you, that heavy erection pressed up where you wanted him most. But you were always a generous soul.

“What do you want, Cat?  Do you want me to suck your cock or do you want to fuck my pussy?”  He moaned through gritted teeth.  God, you weren’t playing fair.

“Pussy.  I want to fuck you so bad.”  His eyes were closed now as he was willing everything in him not to come just yet, he had to feel you surrounding him.  He wanted to feel the wet heat that haunted his dreams.  He didn’t need to tell you twice as your hands made quick work of his belt and then his pants.  You reached inside his boxers and you pulled out his erection.

You let your hand ghost over his cock and Frankie grabbed your wrist, the grip almost painful.  You drew back and again, propped yourself onto the tabletop, pulling up the apron and widened your thighs in silent invitation.  He took it eagerly and notched his head against you.  You looked into each other’s eyes as he slowly filled you, your walls stretching almost deliciously.

When he bottomed out, you both paused for a moment and you bowed your heads towards each other so your lips could brush against each other.  Frankie wrapped his arms around you, drawing you closer to him so that you were flush from chest to crotch.  You brought your hands to his upper

You rolled your hips against him, flexing against his thick cock.  He took the hint and pulled back before plunging back into you.  You groaned at the sensation; the sound captured by his lips.  Soon his easy thrusts began to pick up steam and you pulled away from him to catch your breath, which he robbed you of with every movement of his hips.

Soon you could feel your pleasure building from gentle laps to cresting waves and you knew he felt it too because his hips began to lose their steady rhythm.  You tightened your thighs at his waist and your arms at his shoulders.

“Cat.  Make me come, I want to feel you.”  The words came out on a breathy moan and he buried his face into your neck, nodding in response.  He dropped a hand between your bodies and brushed his fingers against your clit. Your moaned.  “Yes, like that, baby.”

“Fuck, mijita, you’re killing me.”  He ground out the words as he began to thrust faster, his fingers matching pace with his cock.  “I fucking love you, you know that?”

“Yes!”  The waved broke and your orgasm washed over you, curling your toes.  As you bowed into him, your fingers clutched his arms even harder and you both knew your nails were going to leave marks.  “Cat, I love you so much, oh god!”

Like before, your aftershocks tore through your words stutter through you. You could feel Frankie stiffening as he came, his groan deep and guttural.  As the last of your orgasm petered out, you dropped your head to his shoulder, and he did the same to you.  Your heavy breaths mixed together between you.

After several long minutes, Frankie felt like sensation was coming back to his body and he slowly withdrew from you, even as your thighs tightened against the loss.  He kissed you gently on the forehead after he pulled away from you, before walking over and grabbing a paper towel.

After gently wetting it, he came back over to clean you up and you pressed gentle kisses to his temple and cheek as he did so.  He returned to wash his hands after slipping his cock back inside his pants.  You sat a few minutes longer to let sensation return to your legs before sliding off the table to put your panties and skirt back on.

Frankie came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder.  You laid your hands on his forearms and bumped your head against his.  You stood like that for only a moment before the timer pinged at you, causing you both to jump at the shrill sound in the quiet kitchen. You laughed.

“Hey Cat?”

“Yeah mijita?”

“Care to give me a helping hand?”

“Always.”

[dindjarindiaries]

So sorry about your cramps, those are the worst! 🥺 You should TOTALLY do a weekend getaway with Pedro to a small town plot filled with so much FLUFF. 🥺

Oooo (thanks hon!) I don’t do headcanons/fic for Pedro bc he’s my pal but lemme do some quick little ones for some of the characters!

These are extremely poorly done thanks to my scattered brain and the pain so please bear with me...

(also no they’re totally not based off the little city I live in a ha ha)

Din would take you there and just. walk around. with his hand in yours. letting you drag him around bc he has no idea where he’s going and somehow you always do and he’s like wait what’s this? and you’re like? a coffee shop? and he’s like? a bounty hunter’s guild hive? and you’re like sir... but really he’d be into the historical parts of the small town and he’d silently enjoy watching you be all excited. If you asked what he wanted to do he’d be like “looking at you is great enough” and you’d slap him and be like stop being cute and answer the question but the question goes unanswered because it’s true

Javier would also be a sucker for the historical spots and would probably be that guy who stands and reads the signs and won’t budge until he’s done. Javier Runs On Dunkin™️ (well any coffee) so coffee shops are his JAM. He’d love to just walk up and down the sidewalks of the downtown area with you and sometimes dip into bookstores so he can buy another history book. I feel like he’d also love a good chocolate/fudge shop though and he’d sample everything and buy you like a giant assortment of chocolates or fudge but ending up eating most of it after you brought it home

Frankie would just be the type to say “whatever you wanna do, babe” whenever you ask what he wants to do and you’re like sir... pls just choose something and he’s like I want you to be happy and you’re like it would make me happy if you did something! So he’ll be like fine let’s go for a walk in the park so after he buys you a coffee or tea he’ll hold your hand and walk you through the park and even though it says not to feed the ducks he will because they’re so cute and he can’t help himself and yes he’ll kiss you under a tree and carve your initials into it bc he’s cheesy like that

Marcus is like! show me the antiques! drown me in the coffee! you know what just take me in everywhere! and yes you’d stop in every single store and Marcus will probably buy at least one item from everywhere you go bc he feels bad and wants to support small businesses. He’ll be like “any chance you need an extremely rusted teapot?” and you’ll be like Marcus honey whatever just buy it and his arms will be full of bags by the end of the day but at least he supported small businesses!

Ezra would see an antique shop or bookstore and be like “this is an endeavor I must put all my time into” and he’ll spend an entire day just browsing. which is fine bc you’d love to browse with him too! He’d just be musing about the things he sees and not even really realizing he’s doing it so you just stand there like... wow your mind is amazing and you’ll comment on things with him and he’ll probably end up buying a few little things but it’s the experience that counts

Jack will be running all over the place like aMeRiCa f*cK yEaH! looking at the historical signs and you’ll roll your eyes and be like yeah bc America is as perfect as this little small town sir and he’s like I wish it was... but whatever he’ll get some coffee and buzz around even more like a little kid who needs one of those leash backpacks because he just drags you everywhere. But he especially loves seeing the random horse statues they have everywhere that are painted different ways because WHOAAAA that’s a fun concept!

[boog-shitposting-edition]

So I been playing a ton of Kenshi and watched all of the Mandalorian in a single day shortly before and it’s got me thinking about what makes what I consider a good action hero, because there was definitely a time where I thought the phrase “good action hero” was an oxymoron.

I grew up around some angry, unstable dudes who had that bad habit of watching horror movies and opining that in the same situation they would simply shoot the monster with the gun the character was holding. I got some views on the model of masculinity that sees the male ideal as functionally a tool for performing violence, condescension and occasional reddit-approved banter with all other emotional responses pared away or suppressed. This seems like a good way to manufacture a product for performing labor rather than developing a whole functional human being. So I generally veer away from that sort of thing pretty hard.

So I’m resistant to the Mandalorian at first, right? All the ads are basically star wars apocryphica and a power armored fighty gun boy. The last star wars thing I’d seen was The Rise Of Skywalker and my faith in the franchise is low. But it’s been a hot minute, the hype dies down, and my girlfriend is a better and more patient fan than I’ll ever be so we give it a go. And the first thing that really nails it for me is what a DORK the mando is. I’m delighted, his life is violence interdispersed with being an absolute buttfumble disaster. He slips and falls over things he could never have predicted, he burns his life down for a baby he finds in the desert. Pedro Pascal references Boba Fetts stiff menace and plays it off as someone who has no social skills other than stiff menace and it’s FASCINATING. Him explaining to the village woman who is obviously into him that he hasn’t taken the armor off since he was thirteen isn’t a badass declaration of martial devotion, it is the single saddest and most awkward interaction I have ever seen filmed and it hits all the harder for the fact that this is a character I’ve mostly ever seen as an action figure with a spring loaded missile backpack. Instead of being a faceless emotionless action-cudgel, Pedro amps up the body language in his acting to really sell you this heavily psychologically damaged, desperate, viking-space-catholic mess with no life skills other than violence and a devotion to his people’s creed that borders on obsession. Rather than paring himself down making him a psychological fortress, the Mando is an incredibly obvious walking raw nerve (”I’m not sad-” “Yes you are.”) So, Kenshi.

I’ve heard about this game on and off a few years and finally got it a few days ago. It’s been in early access since 2012, appears to be mostly getting finished by its modding community, and glitches like absolute woah. There’s no core storyline, just a post-apocalyptic setting with some surprisingly detailed autogenerated NPC interactions with some options for starting conditions and the sole goal of surviving. It’s essentially a rapid sequence of story prompts hidden underneath a closely interlocked system of XP grinding, survival mechanics and dismemberment algorithms, and is appallingly my shit.

My first run at the game got pretty far, went from a lone confused desert wanderer to a 13 man village running a tidy copper-mining operation to trade with the ant people. In the early game, fight mechanics are basically a death sentence; my first character immediately got her leg torn off by a goat and I had to restart. All skills grow only by excersizing them; you have to fight to get better at fighting, you have to LOSE fights to gain toughness, and when you lose a fight the consequences can range from “these bandits are stealing all your food” to “this monster is eating your leg/heart/head” to “these slavers are taking your character away and your game experience is Different now.” And while I was proud of myself for finding a way to survive, grow and thrive with a low-combat squad, once I tried the basebuilding mechanics that basically just meant my town was a source of free food and money for local bandits while my squad starved to death, unable to abandon our locale. So I got fed up and restarted.

As mentioned the game gives you different start positions; wanderer gives you 1 character, some money and pants. Guy and his dog gives you a dog, which is fun. Exiled officer starts you with good skills and the hatred of your former commander, which complicates things. Cannibal Hunters starts you already in a fistfight with 30 cannibals. It’s exciting times. But I figure this time I’d like to start my squad a LITTLE more capable of defending themselves, so I look at the Holy Sword start; you’re a bandit who starts with a stolen holy weapon, minuses in most skills, no money and a 20,000 bounty on your head from both major factions.

So I proceed to character creation and notice I can pick whatever I want for player species/subspecies with this start. There’s robot people and warriors made of stone and baseline humans and all sorts of fun options, but you remember those ant people I mentioned before? In game they’re called the Hivers, you find ‘em in 3 recruitable varieties (prince, worker drone and soldier) and they have an interesting in-universe quirk; ones that grow up in the hive are pheramone-addicted, chemically wired into the needs and wants of all of their fellows, but if you’re away from your kin for over a fortnight this addiction dries out incredibly fast and cannot be reinstated. Hivers who ever spend any time away from the hive are declared “lost ones,” and are often taken advantage of in the outside world as they long for a new community.

In survival sims I dont often play dedicated fighters, I always feel like being a brutal fight-beast isn’t really in the spirit of finding a niche to exploit and growing from a fumbling plebian to a major power. But I was already starting this game with my ONLY advantage being a nice sword. And the soldier hivers gain a buff to experience gained for melee attack and toughness, and a debuff to literally all else.

Manual labor. Science. Engineering. Farming. Cooking. First aide. In a setting that heavily prioritized your ability to survive using multiple vital skill sets, my character would start with negatives in his skills for putting on band-aids and FEEDING himself. So I gave it a go.

Getting more wild here, it turns out the Holy Sword opening also takes place in a time in the setting with more recent warfare, so a bunch of the starting villages are destroyed and it appears that more of the nearby cities are controlled by the factions that have a bounty on me. So my character CAN’T rely on other people or meet anyone to recruit at first. He can run, he can scrounge and scavenge, and as mentioned above starting characters can take lethal damage from GOATS so he can’t even hunt for food; the only way I was getting a meal was if I robbed someone or ran into merchants on the road I could hawk my salvage to for a scrap of bread.

He eventually finds someone willing to join him on his travels in spite of being flat broke, a shek named Ruka running from a dishonerable loss on the battlefield, and comparing their skills he’s so useless for everything besides combat that I assign him to bodyguard her. And again, this game’s appeal is that the survival mechanics make good story prompts, so imagine that in character.

“Fine, I need a change. I’ll join you.” “Thank god. Lead the way boss.” “What?”

Things regarding my characters bounty are starting to heat up in town, so we head north into hiver territory. We get attacked by bandits and heavily injured, my soldier gets knocked out, so Ruka picks him up and carries him until we find a hive town. I saw these guys all the time in my last playthrough, I survived by selling to them, they’re super friendly, should be fine. Ruka walks into the local shop and before I can have her ask for directions and a medikit the shopkeeper is already shouting- “SKREEE! LOST ONE! GET OUT! LOST ONES BRING MADNESS”

Apparently, my protagonist being a hiveless hiver means there’s a THIRD faction that’s hostile to him; his own goddamn people. Ruka has to leave him under a tree not just outside but like 50 feet from the edge of town, and just has  to hope none of the local wild megafauna eats him while she rushes back in to buy things from the now abruptly friendlier shopkeep.

I’m finally sitting there, having Ruka watch my soldier hiver sleep while she cooks scavanged meat and waits for him to finish healing, that I realize what the story being generated here is and it’s a good one; a Hive soldier whose only skills are violence, frantically scavenging and stealing to survive until he can find the one circumstance where he’s comfortable, sacrificing himself to protect others. He steals a sword that’s obviously important to two major governments, just because he knows it’s powerful and thinks that power will justify his continued existence as a hiveless soldier drone, essentially buying his way back into his people’s good graces by performing his function. Literally wandering the world until he found a single person who was willing to boss him around again and devoting himself to their defense to a state of pathological damage just to feel like he has a hive again. It’s sad. It’s badass. It’s deeply, unsettlingly pathetic.

But I also think it’s what makes a really really good gruff action hero!

Hypercompetence in violence is really interesting when you acknowledge the damage it can do to your humanity in the storytelling! The Mandalorian is unsuccessful in repressing his empathy response so he just tries to tough through the pain it causes him as best he can, until he meets The Child and it snaps. The Hiver is essentially playing pretend at being still valued as a product for committing violence, even in the face of being openly rejected for his previously esteemed role. This stuff is INTERESTING.

TL;DR version, a lot of these “supersoldier raised by the military/fight wizards/karate” characters are super boring and obnoxious when they’re put forward as power fantasies, and really interesting when you realize that being raised by Fight Wizards is why they’ve never had a girlfriend and called their handgun “mom” once.

[beakmanfans-blog]

Beakman's World/Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum story 5, Beakman's World, Episode 93, "Sight, Beakmania & Sound".

It is that time of year again, to enter the worlds of imagination. Again two worlds unite into unique ways, and surprising events unfold. Whether you wish to recapture your childhood, or you are visiting these worlds for the first time. We hope you will enjoy this fourth adventure, into the worlds of humor, science, and education. As with the earlier three version, these stories are presented in both English, and Portuguese. On our "Beakman Fans", and "Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum, Entusiastas" Faceboook pages.

This is a clip and paste image, by "Teary Eyes" Anderson, to go along with the fourth story in this series, also written by him. In the first 3 adventures in this series, the characters from the Unites States television show "Beakman's World" {O Mundo de Beakman}, visited the characters from Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum, the fourth story had the 'Castelo', characters return the favor, by visiting the "Beakman's World" characters. If you have not read these earlier stories here is a few quick links to begin your adventures into these worlds. As with the previous stories, and accompanying images, these were made for a friend's birthday.

Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum/Beakman's World, The Complete Fan Fiction Trilogy * https://archive.org/details/CasteloRa-Tim-BumBeakmansWorldTheCompleteFanFictionTrilogy

Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum/O Mundo de Beakman, A Trilogia Completa da Ficcao de Entusiasta * https://archive.org/details/CasteloRa-tim-bumOMundoDeBeakmanATrilogiaCompletaDaFiccaoDe

Beakman's World/Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum, story #4 https://www.facebook.com/BeakmanFans/posts/924363684408617

O Mundo de Beakman/CasteloRa-Tim-Bum, historia #4 * https://www.facebook.com/CasteloRaTimBumEntusiastas/posts/1998738060367719

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Beakman's World, Episode 93, "Sight, Beakmania & Sound".

Written By: Tyler "Teary Eyes" Anderson. Translated into Portuguese by, Otavio Almeida.

{Fade in, to illuminated image of the moon, on the wall.}

Don howling like a wolf: Owwhhaa

{Camera lowers to a darkened forest area, of Beakman's Information Center studio. Between the trees is a igloo surrounded with ice, and the two penguins standing outside.}

Herb: Don, your going to wake everyone up. Why are you doing that? We aren't at the South Pole anymore.

Don: Sorry penguin pal of mine. It's just that time of day, my instincts take over, and I think about our wolf friend, and how we would give him our fish left-overs.

Herb: I don't think he was a real wolf. I think he was a expedition dog, from the polar station, wanting to beg food from us.

Don: Either way, he woke us up every day at the right moment, to begin watching Beakman's World. And now here it is, time to start a new day, and to watch Beakman's World, from inside the studio itself.

Herb: Waking up to new science, and knowledge. The best way to start off your day, its a real howl. Owwwhaaa.

Don & Herb: Owwwhaaa. Owwwhaaa. Owwwhaaa.

{A penguin flipper is then seen pressing a button on the remote control, for the studio lights. An explosion type sound is heard as the lights come on, but it is Beakman yawning, sitting up, and rubbing his eyes.}

Beakman: Fast Fact, did you know that light has many speeds? Its speed depends on whatever environment it is in. Fog, gelatin, gas, or the vacuum of outer space. Each substance it goes through, it will have a different speed. However its top speed, is known as the "Speed of Light" which can only be achieved in a vacuum. However even something like a piece of paper can stop a photon of light. Catching these photons is how we see.

{The opening credits then begin. The camera then shows a overhead video of Information Center, Beakman getting off couch, Liza, Josie, and Phoebe waking up from their reclining chair beds. And a Lester wandering across the room, tripping over a footstool, then continuing across the room with his arms outstretched, as if half asleep. The Castelo kids, and their parents are seen rolling up their sleeping bags.}

Beakman: Good mourning Liza, I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed I was kidnapped by some goblin creatures, and told to teach them about science. Then they kept challenging me to card games, near their Hearthstone. Which of course I always won. I must have been doing too much research into your video game voice linguistic projects, and lost track of time, last night.

Liza: I always love falling asleep to voices. Their tones, and rhythms are like music, to loose yourself in, and pass into the world of dreams.

Pedro: I always liked falling asleep looking at the stars, or the moon, imagining I could use a radio, and contact life on the moon. And things like that. What do you enjoy dreaming of son?

Sancho-Esteban: I always dream about the adventures you had in the Castelo, and the time I got to visit it for myself. The Castelo is something magical, and wonderful.

Josie: Dreams are a way that our minds review our thoughts, categorize them, and try to analyze events, from a different perspective. Sometimes they are wish fulfillment, other times they are tasks that aren't completed. Now please hurry, and move these things to a distant corner, so we can begin the show. Children all around the world will soon be tuning into watch the show, and we haven't even picked our first question yet.

Phoebe: I'll go and check the mail room, and see how many new correspondences we have received. I'm sure there will be a great puzzler, in one of those letters.

Zeca: I enjoyed spending the night, here in the Information Center. It was like camping out, without the dangerous animals, or the having to go behind a tree, to use the restroom.

Maca: I liked seeing the stars from the skylight, and the lightly flashing exit signs. It was like being in a cave, and inside the big city all mixed together. However I didn't get much sleep, all I heard, the entire night was that guy in a rat suit snoring.

Beakman: Yes, he is like a lovable pet, that rarely does anything, which you ask him to do. But he does have his helpful moments. When he isn't sleeping, or looking for food.

Biba: Spending the night here was similar to the moments I spent with my scouting troop, back in my younger days. Earning badges, helping the elderly, learning to cook, and acquiring survival skills.

Phoebe, dragging two bags behind her: I was once a scout also, we sold cookies, tried to start fires, and made crafts. But I always forgot about the meetings, and rarely completed the tasks. If there was a "Badge of a Quitter", I probably would have gotten it. I think I got 6 skill completion badges, when I was young.

Josie: Move it along people, this episode isn't going to make itself. We still got research to do, correspondence to sort, experiments to check. And safety equipment, to put into place. Before Beakman starts his demonstrations. Do you remember what happened last time? He crashed through that wall over there.

Baba wondering around, after putting away her sleeping bag: Hello Gato, what are you doing now, reading?

Gato, seated at a desk, with his paw on a book: I have been reading this book for the last few hours. I did not want to wake anyone, so I began reading this Braille book.

Baba: You were reading in the dark? What is a Braille book? It sounds like it has a French origin. Is it a illustrated book?

Beakman, picks her up, and spins her round: From the questions of children, the education of the world can be achieved. Yes, that is correct, or at least partially correct. Braille was the name of a French teacher that lost his sight in his childhood. That will make a great topic for this morning's show.

Josie: Do you want me to get your French teacher's costume ready, for him to be our special dead guest scientist?

Beakman: Nope not today. I have a better idea whom can be our special guest for the day. All I will have to do is make a special phone call.

{Beakman walks over to a old style, rotary phone. Picks up the handle. Dials a number, and then places the handle back on the phone. He then lifts off the cover, showing a small cell phone under the larger phone.}

Beakman: You can never be too careful, with security around here. Once my phone was lost for an hour, and we had 30 pizzas delivered here a few minutes later.

Dr. Victor: Yes, Nino did something similar when you came to visit our Castelo, but they were expensive packages.

Nino: I apologized for that, already. I'm only half awake, what is going on, will we be on TV again like yesterday? I hope everyone at home in Brazil gets to see us. Including Dina, I think she is infatuated with me.

Pedro: As I recall you were the one chasing her around, with romance in your eyes, but she liked me more.

Nino: That was a long time ago, my relationship with her has become much better since then. I want to make her proud.

{A image of Dina appears above Nino's head, and he stretches his neck ready to kiss her.}

Zeca: I think they wear clothing, which is too similar to each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they dance in front of each other, and pretend to be mirror images of the each other.

Beakman: Okay, that's enough for now. I'm going to need Nino's help in a few minutes, after I finish my phone call. Off to the make-up chairs, your morning grooming, and remember to brush your teeth. A clay shaped rat fellow wanted me to remind you about that.

{Beakman then turns on his cell phone, and slides various sections of text into the center of the screen, and then quickly presses the "Send" button.}

Beakman: I just finished asking our guest teacher, to come onto our show today. Are you ready for a day of science today Nino?

Nino: Well I am still partially sleepy, but I'm glad to help you, if I can. You have always been a big inspiration to me.

Beakman: That's great I could always use a slightly dim witted assistant with my science demonstrations.

{Nino looks sad, and slightly confused, but follows Beakman. Next in the mail area everyone has gathered waiting for Beakman, and Nino.}

Beakman: Our first question for today, is from our special guest Baba. She asks, what is Braille, and how can it be read in books?

Nino: {Gulp}, I was never very good at reading.

Baba: He's answering one of my questions. Did you hear? Beakman is answering my question.

{Baba shakes Maca, as she questions him.}

Maca: I can't think, when your shaking me to pieces. He's already answered our questions before, or have you forgotten yesterday?

Sancho-Esteban: If you don't stop talking we'll miss the answers.

Mau: Oh sure Beakman answers their questions, and not ours. And we even have to wake up, before lunch time. I hope the show will be rebroadcast later today, so I can watch it after I am more rested.

Godofredo: I'm excited to watch the recording of a actual episode of Beakman's World. It is a dream come true. This is the best moment of my life. I can hardly control my excitement, I am shaking all over.

Mau: Settle down, or you will hear my fatal laughter, and then never hear anything again. Now do not disturb me, while I crawl back into our snot filled nasal tube, and take a nap.

Close-up view of Beakman: The word Braille, comes from the last name of Louis Braille the inventor of the writing system. Although there were several earlier writing systems that could be read by the blind. Louis's version was created with the intent of being simple to use, and to write. Earlier version of writing for the blind, or secret writing, involved raised {embossed} letters, or symbols. At the age of three he lost the sight in one of his eyes, and the other eye got infected, and by the time he was five years old, both his were blind. His teacher Valentin Hauy, at a school for the blind in France, tried to teach children to read with embossed alphabetic letters. This process was created by Hauy in 1784, but this proved to be difficult, to write and to read. A later writing and reading system was created for the French military in 1815, using raised dots to send secret messages. But this also proved to be difficult. At the age of about fifteen, Louis Braille began trying to create a version of writing, and reading which would be easier for the blind. When he turned twenty years old, he published a book about his new writing system. He later became a teacher, and eventually a professor. But his writing system was never taught, in his school, during his life time. But it became popular slowly, and soon after his death. Then is writing system began to be adopted around the world. There are also versions for mathematics, and music. Fast Fact, many countries are now creating money with surfaces that can be distinguished by feeling them alone. Come here Nino, close your eyes, and tell me if you can feel the difference in these four pieces of paper money. You can have two of them, if you tell us the reasons you choose each.

Nino: Well, these papers feel similar, and two of them seem longer then the others. I know that gold, and diamonds are more valuable then paper money, even though they are smaller. My guess is, that the smaller the paper money, the more expensive its value. I will take these two small pieces of currency.

Beakman: Well, congratulations. Here let me take the money you did not choose. You have chosen the Malaysian Ringgit 1, worth about 25 cents, in USA money, and the other is an Australian one dollar note worth about 75 cents, here in the USA. These other dollars were $100 USA, and the other was a 100 Brazilian reais, which I got during my last visit to Brazil. Thank you so much for playing. Yes, everyone that contributes to science is a winner in my book.

Maca: Wow, Malaysia and Australian money, I wish I could have earned that. Can I have them?

Nino: Sure why not, I just gave up a fortune, this small amount can't do me any good.

Maca: Thank You. Back in Brazil, I could probably trade them for $15, or more if I find the right buyer.

Nino: Huh? On second thought, maybe I should keep them.

Dr. Victor: Now, now, Nino. You already gave them away. It is not nice to ask for presents to be returned. What would Morgana think, if she knew?

{Nino kicks the ground with his toe, and walks away from the camera's view.}

Nino: Even when I'm a winner, it seems I loose.

Josie: Speaking of money that can be identified by the blind. Did you know that most people that are called blind can see something, whether its just shadows, or certain colors?

Beakman: Yes, that's right. Thank you Josie for steering me back to the topic at hand. The most common type of blindness is from proteins building up, on the inside of the lens of the eyes. Making a person's vision seem cloudy. Or like this.

{A thin piece of nearly transparent paper is placed in front of the television camera. Liza then rubs her face up against it, and moves her hands along it, making ghost type sounds.}

Liza: Ohhh, ahuuu. It looks a bit scary doesn't it? Things quickly going from shadow, to clear, then blurry again.

Beakman: Yes, thank you Liza for that hauntingly good representation of partial sight, due to cataracts in a person's eyes. Just like adding another piece of paper, cataracts, can get worse, and worse. Until hardly any light reaches the retina of the eyes. This condition seems to have first been diagnosed as early as 2,500 years ago, various treatments were developed, but surgery is needed for most of the advanced cases.

{Liza continues to wave her hand behind the paper, as more and more similar, transparent pages are added, making her hand less visible.}

Beakman: Another common type of blindness is called color blindness. This occurs when the color photoreceptors on the retina, are damaged or not working. The retina contains rod and cone receptors, but the color wavelengths of light are recognized mainly by the three types of cone cells. These cones are sensitive to the colors Red, Green, and Blue.

Phoebe: If you ever see the letters RGB, on a monitor, display, or on art store product. Remember that this is for the colors Red, Green, and Blue. A way to represent all the colors of the rainbow, with only using these primary colors.

Beakman: With color blindness, one or more, of these color receptors are damaged, or not working.

Zeca: What about the color yellow? Doesn't yellow and blue make green? I remember learning that, when I was as young as my son is now.

Beakman: In this RGB system of additive colors, yellow is created using a mixture of red and green. Another color system for painting, and printing of colors is called the "Subtractive Color" model. It focuses on Cyan (light blue}, magenta {purplish red}, yellow, and black {Key black}. Most comicstrips are made of these colors, including mine. Josie will you hand out the glasses please?

{Josie distributes sunglasses to the children, and their parents.}

Dr. Victor: No need for any sun glasses for me young lady. I have special glasses, of my own. Nino come here, you might want to see this.

{Victor then presses a button on his glasses, and three color filters slide down over his glasses.}

Nino: I'm going to go, and hang out with Lester. He is like me, downtrodden and misunderstood. Only he seems to understand my suffering. Its also fun listening to him play guitar.

{Liza, and Phoebe, walk infront of the camera, holding a large picture of a waterfall. Liza makes the waterfall sounds, while Phoebe makes a wind type sound. As they rock the picture slightly up and down.}

Beakman: Here is a photograph of a waterfall. Take a look at the various colors, with and without your glasses. These glasses separate the colors in a slightly different way, for each of these glasses. Correcting for various types of color blindness. The colors Red and Green overlap in most people's vision, but some people can not see the difference between these colors. For this reason, these glasses block light wavelengths that overlap in these people's vision. It in a way, helps them distinguish between the colors easier. After looking through your glasses, trade your glasses, with someone else, and see how the colors seem similar, but also different. For the people at home, we'll simply show the different color filters on the screen, so they can see the waterfall in its various color versions. Ray if you will, could you please put up the image for the people at home?

{The waterfall image is then seen with the various color changes, representing the different corrective colored glasses. Liza and Phoebe then flip the picture over, and on the backside is a negative version of the image, with colors reversed.}

Beakman: Now please take off the glasses, and stare at the center of the image for about 30 seconds. We will also now show this to the people at home, on their televison screens. After that time we will change the image to a black and white version of the image. But instead of seeing it as black and white, it will seem to be color. Because the other colors are tiring out your cone color receptors. They now see only in the colors that aren't there, making a optical illusion of color. But if you move your eyes away, and then look back at the image you will see that, it is actually black and white. This is called the color afterimage illusion.

{Liza and Phoebe, then pull on the bottom of the image, revealing the black and white image underneath. After the children and parents look away, and then look back at the image. Liza and Phoebe then look down, from behind the image, then look back up, and their eyes are crossed. They then tap the sides of their heads to try get their eyes to focus straight ahead again.}

Beakman: There are other interesting subjects about the human eyes that we could talk about. Floaters, little particles of cell debris caught in the jell of the eyes. These cause ghost like shadows, that pass back and forth across a person's vision. There is also "Visual snow", a sparkling of light and dark spots, that can be seen by some people, as they move from light to dark, or dark to light filled areas. Remember that even the colors that we can see, are only a small segment of the wavelengths of light. There are also gamma rays, x-rays, ultra-violet, and even radio waves, which we can only detect using electronics. Now with electronics, some people can recover some of their sight. With light sensitive devises attached to a person's skin, surgically implanted into a person's eyes, or attached directly to the brain itself. Speaking of electronical devises.

{Beakman then presses a button on his arm.}

Beakman's watch, begins beeping, and chiming: It's that time again, it's time for the...

Beakman: The Beakman Challenge!!! {His voice echoes through the Information Center.}

{Dr. Victor, pressing the button on his glasses again, and then in reverse, the filters on his glasses go back up.}

Dr. Victor: I see you've made a few improvements on your watch, since yesterday.

Beakman: Yes, late last night, while laying in the darkness, I found inspiration, to add a louder speaker. Sorry if it woke anyone. Speaking of inspiration from the darkness. Ladies if you please will you bring in the walls of sound?

{Josie, Liza and Phoebe push in wheeled plastic walls, and begin making coordinated zig-zagging paths through the studio. Then they leave them, and bring in a few more. Josie then hands everyone a noise clicker. While Liza and Phoebe begin blindfolding the children and their parents.}

Beakman: Here we have just created a echo maze. The object of this challenge is to use these little clickers, to find your way through the maze. You need to use the clicker to make a sound, and its sound will echo between the walls. This should give you enough information, to navigate the maze, even though you are blindfolded. This is similar to how bats, some birds, dolphins, toothed whales, and even underground animals like shrews echo locate. If you succeed in this challenge. you will receive, our special visitor gifts. Sound balls for playing catch blindfolded. And the shape shifting mirror 3x3x3 puzzle cube.

Dr. Victor: This sounds like something Nino would like to try. I'll go and get him. He should at least find that winning a prize, would be worth trying this challenge.

{Screen fades to black. Then loud banging, and guitar type sounds are heard.}

Don: I think I heard them practicing this event last night. I kept hearing things that went bump in the night.

Herb: Perhaps it was monsters under the stairs, or in the closet.

Don: Nope, not in the closet, Beakman keeps his skeleton over there, and his name is Bones.

Herb: That's why we have the night light on, to help keep the monsters away, and of course to find the restroom. Although I was hoping Beakman would give us a litterbox. But we can't have any litter around here. This is a laboratory, and everything needs to be tidy.

Don: I wonder what those noises were last night. If they were preparations for the challenge.

Godofredo: Sorry about that, those sounds were us, and Lester raiding the refrigerator.

Mau: Yes, it was difficult for the three of us to take things out of the refrigerator at the same time.

Godofredo: It's a puzzle how we all managed to fit inside, and empty all its food.

Mau: Speaking of puzzles, I have a riddle for you. What goes down white, and pops up brown or black. Gets hot, and then cold again. Answer correctly or fear the result of my fatal laughter. Ha, ha, ha.

Don: Is the answer, Food falling on the floor?

Herb: My answer is the stove. It is white on the outside, and dark inside. But I do not understand the popping up, section of the riddle.

Godofredo: I know, the toaster drops bread down into itself when it is white, and when the bread comes out it is brown, or black. Then the toaster needs to cool down.

Mau: Not fair, not fair at all. You were supposed to let them fail, so I could show off my skill, and petrify them with my fatal laughter. I guess I'll just have to continue singing to that music, the rat suit fellow, is playing.

{Camera then shifts to Nino sitting on a step, while listening to Lester play guitar. Lester's back is turned away from the camera, as he dances to the music, while he plays.}

Dr. Victor: Come along Nino, there is something I want to show you.

Nino: But I wanted to finish listening to Lester play guitar. He was going to teach me how to play it,  when he finishes his performance.

Dr. Victor: You can play with your rat friend later. I think you should take the time to join in with the rest of the group. Besides you might win a prize, if you can successfully complete the maze, and come out on the other side. All it will take is a little concentration.

Nino: Okay I will go, but I want to bring Lester with me. I know he is the only one that will not laugh at me, if I fail. After all he fails all the time, and that doesn't stop him, even with all those failures he was able to make such great music, and finish college, after several hundred attempts. Lester reminds me of that guy from the television show DuckTales, and now that I think of it, the Darkwing Duck television show also. He may crash the plane, or fail at some task, but he always tries, and he is helpful, when he is not eating or sleeping. I'd even feel safer riding with Lester in a plane, with him piloting the plane, rather then on a broomstick with aunt Morgana, she flies like a crazy person. Because of her hyperactive broom.

Dr. Victor: Speaking of Morgana...

Nino: I already promised not to ask for my money back, so I hope you will not tell her about my loss. Come along Lester, let us go and win some prizes.

Dr. Victor: Thunder and Lightning, that boy is impatient. But he will learn soon enough, anyway.

{Fade to black, then fade in, as Zeca walks past the camera blindfolded. Then into the maze of plastic walls. One hand outstretched, and the other working the clicker.}

Beakman: Notice how the clicking becomes quick when he is near a wall, and long slow clicks in open areas. Sadly unlike the children that made it through with only a minimal of reaching out, all the adults need to also feel the wall before they are willing to believe their own ears.

{Thump sound, and a frustrated groan, as Zeca crashes into a wall.}

Biba: You children all did a wonderful job at finishing the maze. Sadly us adults, were less skilled at using our ears to navigate. I tried to make a map of the area around me, in my mind. Then it got erased every time I turned another direction, and thought I was walking into a open area, when I really just crashed into another wall.

Pedro: I had as much trouble with finding my way through the maze, as if I had been using my hat to bounce echoes to my ears. I had to touch the walls several times, so I could go in a straight line away from the wall.

Zeca still in the maze: It feels like I'm about half way through the maze. I think I'm going to complete it, see it isn't that hard when you try. {Crash} Ouch, where'd that wall come from?

Josie: Remember this maze doesn't even have any dead ends, it simply turns in different directions, and ends at the other side.

Liza: With my excellent hearing I was able to make it through the first time without touching any walls. Did I ever tell you that I also learned violin by simply listening to it, and trying to replicate what I heard? That's probably why I am so good at hearing accents, and I'm a expert in linguistics, and dialects.

Phoebe: And then there's me, I'm the expert in rhythm. Ba-da-bop-pop-pow. {She then begins tap dancing.}

Beakman: Here he is, Zequinha has finished the Beakman Challenge!!!

{Zeca while taking off his blindfold, then covers his ears for a second, as Beakman's voice echoes even louder through the walls of the maze.}

Beakman: That looks like everyone has had a chance to finish the maze. Phoebe I think its time you get prepared for...

Phoebe still tap dancing around everyone: I'm on it boss. Bop, bop, chaw, ba-da-bum. Ring-a-ding, bomp shoo wap...

{She dances away, as Nino and Lester arrive at the maze. She circles Lester, whose back is turned away from the camera, as he watches her.}

Josie: Here are the prizes, that each of you have won. The sound ball, to encourage you to listen with, and learn about, the world with your ears. And the fascinating shape shifting cube puzzle, great as a decoration, or a great brain teaser, if you are able to solve it. Without taking it apart. {Using her foot, she then pushes a bucket of the toy parts, behind a plant.}

Liza: And here is your signed, and notarized certificates of completion. It says that you have officially completed the Beakman Challenge!!! And it is signed by all of us, as witnesses, and anyone else we could find, that wanted to sign it.

Beakman: Its even got a hologram of me in the lower corner, near my signature. It's suitable for framing, or laminating, and placing it with your job resume pamphlets. Everyone whom sees it will be suitably impressed.

Nino: Wait a minute, I want a award, and prizes also. Me and Lester can do the challenge also.

Beakman: Well, this segment of our show is almost over, but we will give both of you the chance. Nino you'll start here, and Lester can start at the other end.

{Beakman then leans over towards the camera, and then winks one of his eyes. He then shows his two hands crashing together.}

Liza: Right this way, my lovely little Rat fink.

{She then takes him to the other side of the maze, and blind folds him. Nino is then blindfolded by Josie. From overhead both sides of the maze can be seen, and the path, which will lead both people to the center. Then a animated version of a car crash is seen.}

Nino: Let me see if I understand, I click this sound maker, as I walk through this maze, listening to the echo. Is that correct? It sounds, hehehe, super easy.

Beakman: Yes, that is the Beakman Challenge!!! Can you do it? While you are trying to accomplish this, we will set up the next segment of the show.

{Nino then walks into the maze with his hands over his ears, and shaking his head, because of the loud echo of Beakman's voice. He then sneakily raises up a corner of his blindfold to see where he is going. The lights then begin to dim, and red spot lights, and alarms begin sounding. Nino quickly pulls the blindfold back over his eyes.}

{Fade out to black, and fade in to flashing red lights, and "Beakmania" sign.}

Phoebe: Its time to baffle, your wits. Tie on your thinking ribbons, and put on your thinking caps. Here he is, the man without a cape, that will swoop in, and confound your intellect. The one... The only... The Beakmannnn!!!

Beakman: Let us slip loose, the knots of ignorance. Untangle the string theories, and practical sciences. Stand on the shoulders of giants, and scope out new frontiers of knowledge. Now let's Cha-Cha-a-round da-dingos.

{Scene quickly switches to penguins looking into refrigerator.}

Don: Howl.

Herb: No Don he said dingo, not wolf.

Don: I'm howling because all the food is gone. It has all been eaten already.

Godofredo: See I told you, we ate everything. Lester and Mau ate nearly everything. I myself only got a few crumbs.

Mau: I think the rat guy hid most of the food in his suit, to eat later. If someone doesn't bring food soon we'll all starve.

Mau, Godofredo, Don, and Herb: No, owww, howl..

{Fade to black, and back to Beakmania, and envelope drum spinning. Josie opens door and voice of message is heard.}

Envelope drum: What do you want from me? I was paid for in full, at the post office.

Josie: First question Beakman, it says, "What is a dingo, and were do they live?"

Beakman: A dingo is a Australian dog. It is thought that to be descended from ancient dogs of Asia. They can howl like a wolf, or bark like dogs.

Maca: I've got a question Mr. B. Do dogs and cats have a common ancestor?

Beakman: Many people think that the cat {Felidae} and dogs {Canidae} branches of the Tree of Life, join at a animal called the Miacis. A long bodied animal which is now extinct. It seems to have had, retractable claws like a cat, but with a pelvis bone similar to a modern dog. Fast Fact, did you know that the Saber-toothed cat had large teeth to hunt its main source of food, large animals. It needed the long teeth to puncture the hides of the bigger animals.

{Liza then sneaks up behind little Maca, and pretends to be a vampire, ready to bite him on the neck. He gives her a disappointed glance. She then lifts up two giant saber teeth.}

Maca: At least with big teeth like that, it would be quick to brush your teeth.

Pedro: Are dogs really color blind?

{Animated sign "Myth Busters" appears, with a asterisk behind it, and below saying "Not to be confused with the trademarked television show, of the same name".}

Beakman: Most dogs have blue, and yellow receptors in their eyes. Unlike the three color in human eyes. This is sometimes referred to as color blindness, but they can still see colors, only fewer of them. They can also see various shades of gray. Sort of like looking through sunglasses that tint everything one color, and it becomes difficult to determine which color you are actually seeing.

Biba: What types of colors can bats see?

Beakman: Bats can see more into the ultraviolet, the higher energy waves, which we need to be protected from. They can see in the Red and Blue range of light, they do not seem to be as good at seeing colors like Green. However this possibly changes for each bat species.

Baba: Why do I have colors in my eyes?

Beakman: The colored part of your eyes is called the iris. Its color comes from various colored pigments of your melanin, the same stuff that makes up your hair and fingernails. A eye's iris can be brown, grey, or even black because of this. However if the layers of cells are not dense enough, the light gets scattered in the eyes, and colors like blue, and green are created, similar to the sky. There is also a yellowish brown pigment named Lipofuscin that gives eyes a golden brown type color. That mixed with the refraction from the thin layer of melanin can result in a greenish type eye color. Because of different pigment in various other animals, birds and many other creatures can have eyes that are colored differently then humans.

{A thump is then heard. Nino then groans. There is then a view of the maze from above.}

Nino: Am I near the finish of this maze yet? It feels like I've been blind folded for hours. Lester how are you doing?

{In reply there is a distant thump from another side of the maze, as Lester crashes into another wall.}

Beakman: Fast Fact, did you know that trees planted in the ground can still move? Here is a picture of a tree, and here is another picture of the same tree a year later. Can you figure out how it moved?

Maca: Did its roots raise up above the ground, and pull it along, like a evil Triffid, with the goal of ruling the world? Mahahaha!

Baba: The ground around it also seems like it has also shifted. Is that part of the answer?

Sancho-Esteban: I think it was a land slide, and everything on the hill seems to have slipped, or creeped, down hill. You can see that the house in the distance is at an angle, so the picture is tilted to make a slope look flat.

Biba: Yes we have smart children here, they have watched your show through the years, and have learned to analyze everything, to try and understand things that seem impossible.

Pedro: We are proud of our children.

Zeca: It is also important to have a good imagination, and think outside of the box. Imagine the fantastic, and question the limits of what is possible.

{Sancho-Esteban then puts his hand into a pocket and brings out a note.}

Sancho-Esteban: Beakman, I wanted to know if you could pronounce this word for me. I saw it in a article about human ancestry. The article was about how children can look, and act, like their parents.

Beakman: Well, if it's a pronunciation you need, we should give the paper to our resident expert on the subject, Liza. She can break down the word for you, and give you precise explanations of its etymology, and terminology. Answer the question of, if it was written in a rhotic, or non-rhotic language. And explain how the word was constructed, and its exact pronunciation.

Liza: Ahh, let me have a look at that paper. You can see that the phonetic notations are missing. For instance this letter 'e' seen here doesn't sound like a 'e' at all. It would more closely sound like...

{Liza, Sancho-Esteban, and Pedro walk away to a table, for a better explanation. While they helplessly look back at Beakman. Josie is then seen mixing the caged drum, and Phoebe pulls out a envelope.}

Phoebe: This question, asks what if a person can not read or hear, how can they learn, and possibly read?

Josie: This is it! It's my chance to play Helen Keller, get my wardrobe ready. I've been waiting years for this. Don't worry Phoebe you can play my teacher Anne Sullivan. I no longer have to play second fiddle, I can be the star of the demonstration, showing how she learned to read, write and talk. After she became blind and deaf.

Liza from off screen: Did I heard something about playing fiddle? I'll remind you, that I not only play the fiddle, I also play the banjo, and any other instrument that I can find...

Beakman: Hold on Josie, I think this is a topic we can leave for our special guest teacher, flying in all the way from Brazil.

Nino in the maze: Oh, no! I hope he doesn't mean Aunt Morgana. She was supposed to be spending time with...

{Nino then collides with Lester in the center of the maze. From the overhead view, they can be seen falling over each other. Then laying on the floor in a jumble of arms, legs, and a tail, as they try to stand up. Eventually they get tired, and decide to rest there a while.}

{A broom then passes the overhead view, the legs of two people can be seen dangling from the broom. The camera then shifts to Beakman, and there are crashing sounds heard.}

Beakman: It is now my pleasure to introduce a great teacher, that has lived through much of history. Meet many exciting people, and learned first hand knowledge about important moments in history. {He then looks at the children.} You might remember her from her educational theater plays, or even her self titled musical song. Here she is the one and only.. Morgana.

Phoebe: I wish he'd let us do all the introductions. Where's all the rhythm, where's the fun, and dancing?

Josie: Well, we better get the demonstrations ready. Lester looks like he'll be stuck in that maze for a while.

{Morgana then comes out of a door, with foam flowing out behind her.}

Morgana: Sorry about that fire extinguisher. Valdirene, my broom sometimes has a bit of trouble stopping. She becomes hyperactive at times, and it is a bit difficult to calm her down. She'll sometimes start sweeping the floor, and won't stop until there is a big pile of dust in the corner.

Phoebe: We could use someone like that around here.

Morgana: But she mostly bumps into things, and causes a mess.

Josie: That sounds similar to Lester.

Beakman: Shh, be quite, the teacher is speaking.

{Josie and Phoebe, pretend to pull a zipper across their mouths, and touch their fingers to their lips.}

Josie and Phoebe: Shhh...

Beakman: The question was, how can a person learn, or read if they can not see or hear?

Morgana: Before I left home, I saw that you already explained blindness. I will now explain hearing loss. Just like loosing your sight, hearing loss can be experienced in small increments, or it can happen all at once. Hearing is done by a small bone in the inner ear. The sounds cause it to thump on the ear drum, and send the signals to the brain. However, the ear drum, the bone, or the nerves might be damaged. And the signals from the sound waves, do not reach the brain.

{Phoebe then mime acts the part of the sound waves shaking her, then thumping her finger against the side of her head for the ear drum sounds. Then waving her fingers, she covers her head, as the signals go to the brain. Overlaid on her image is animation showing the various stages of the sound wave's journey.}

Morgana: If a person knew the words you were saying, they could watch your mouth, and guess what you were saying. This is called Lip Reading.

Liza at the table: Excuse me for a second, I'll be right back.

{She then walks over to Beakman, gives him a piece of paper, then returns to the table. Pedro and Sancho-Esteban seated there with their hands on their faces as if they can not understand a word of Liza's notations. Mau and Godofredo look over the edge of the table.}

Mau: Wow very interesting, at last someone with a real interest in words.

Godofredo: Imagine the many new tongue-twister phrases we can learn from Liza.

Mau: When she is finished with her current task, I think I will ask her is she has ever heard anything like my fatal laughter.

{Back in the center of the studio, Beakman unfolds the paper and shows it to the camera.

Beakman: Here is a diagram that Liza made showing the tongue, and mouth positions of various sounds in the English language.

Morgana: When people had only partial hearing loss. For many years only shouting could help. But about four hundred years ago. A new invention was created. It was a ear trumpet, which acted like a funnel. It amplified the sounds, and conveyed them into the ear. This allowed the person to hear words, and understand them directly. New modern versions, are things like hearing aids, which also amplify the sounds electronically, or bone conduction. The sound passes through the cheekbones usually, which can bypass the ear drum itself and reach the inner ear which can then send the signals to the brain.

Beakman: Fast Fact, did you know that after Beethoven lost his hearing, he would bite on a rod of metal, and place the other end on his piano to hear the sound through bone conduction?

Morgana: I meet Beethoven once, he was a kind man, but he was always busy. Constantly working and reworking things until they were perfect. If a person could not hear you at all, or you did not know their language, you could do what people have done since ancient times. They would make hand gestures towards each other. Eating might be like holding a sandwich, and drinking might be represented by lifting a glass to your mouth.

{Josie and Phoebe then show how they could pretend to eat, and drink.}

Beakman: This type of gesturing was also very popular in the silent days of films. It was called 'Mime' acting. Charlie Chaplin was a very popular comedian that used this technique, which could later have subtitles added, and be shown in many different countries. Making him one of the first world famous actors.

Morgana then clears her throat: As I was saying, this hand gesturing eventually developed into sign language. With different hand gestures representing letters in the alphabet, or different words, or phrases. One of the first people to create a manual of these gestures was Pedro Ponce de Leon a Spanish monk, in the 1500's. I remember him well. He was always so energetic, and he tried to teach children, of the rich. I would tell him that he should teach everyone, and not just the rich. But he would say...

Pedro looks down at his son: See, your father is named after someone famous.

{Liza then gives him a look of concentration. He then looks back down at the paper, and tries to follow her explanations.}

Adelaide flapping her wings, and breathing heavily, lands on a table near Morgana: I finally made it here.

Morgana: You should have stayed hanging on to us, as we landed.

Adelaide: No thank you, I've seen some of your landings. When Valdirene gets excited, there is no stopping her. There doesn't appear to be too much damage, from your landing. Where is Eduardina, did she get hurt in the landing?

{Nino at hearing that name, quickly wakes up, and tries to free himself from Lester, and get away.}

Morgana: Dina is around here somewhere. She's probably looking for Nino at this very moment. My goddaughter has always had a mind of her own. Where was I in my lecture?

Maca: Did she really know all those people? How old would she have to be, to have known everyone of those people?

Baba: I remember hearing she created a theater play describing her search to discover how old she was. I think the results were hundreds of years. But it is not supposed to be polite, to ask a lady about her age.

Biba: You were talking about deaf people learning with their eyes, through sign language. But what if they couldn't see? Please continue your story.

Josie: Ah, like Helen Keller. I could quickly put on a costume and explain.

Beakman: We will let our special guest explain that as well. However we will need the science demonstration that is on that table.

Adelaide: Please continue your story. I want to learn more about this subject. I've always been fascinated with your stories of the past.

Morgana: If a person is also blind, as well as Deaf, the next sense that they will use, is their sense of touch. In this case, the finger tips are how people learn the shapes of objects, and their surface features. We have now come full circle, with Beakman earlier mentioning the reading and writing system of Braille. Now I think Beakman has a demonstration for us, that the children at home can try with their parents.

Phoebe: The tools that you will need are these; A set of bolt or wire cutters. A parent, a piece of wood, and at least six round headed pins.

Liza: And a piece of paper. A thick piece of paper like this.

{She then picks up the paper from the table. It still has all of her notes and explanations on it.}

Josie wearing safety glasses: You'll need a adult to clip off the tips of the pins so that they are about 1 centimeter from the pins head to the end. These will then need to be pushed into the wood, in two rows, of three pin heads each.

Beakman: With these 12 pin holes, we can add or remove pins to create up to sixty-four different combinations of patterns. We only have to place them in the holes, or take the pins out of the holes, to create letters, words, or phrases in Braille. All we need to do is press the paper down on the rounded pin heads, and they will leave dents on the paper. We can move the paper slightly to the side and change the pins around, and press down on them again, creating another set of bumps.

{Beakman then unfolds the paper, revealing that the single piece of paper he was holding, is now several pieces of paper with bumps on them. He then places them on the table in front of the children. Beakman then reaches up behind his head and pulls out the original paper with Liza's notes on it. He then turns over the paper, to show a guide to translating the Braille into alphabetical letters.}

Beakman: You can also send secret messages, using this secret writing technique.

Sancho-Esteban: That was some pretty good magic. I saw Liza, and Beakman's hands the entire time.

Pedro: It's not magic... It's...

Everyone else: It's science!!!

Morgana: They probably watch his show a lot.

Dina: Speaking of watching this show, where is Nino?

Dr. Victor: He is sadly still in the maze. Although to be precise, he did go in with Lester at the other end of the maze.

{Dr. Victor then waves his hands in the air. And like magic, the moving walls slowly move away to show Lester, and Nino tangled on the ground.

Dina: There you are Nino, let me help you up. We were watching you on television before we left from home. You mentioned my name, and then I saw that you had won some money. Did you really think, I was infatuated with you? And if so, does that mean, your willing to give me the money you won?

Nino: Sadly I do not have the money any more. I gave it to Maca, I was tricked into giving it to him, I think.

Dr. Victor, you thought it seemed worthless, and then when you heard it might be valuable, you wanted to ask for the money to be returned.

Morgana shaking her finger at Nino: Nino, did you do that?

Adelaide: Very selfish Nino. Haven't you learned that giving, and sharing are their own rewards?

Nino: I'm a good guy. I did give away the money I won. And I'd do it again if I had something else that someone wanted.

Josie: Speaking of winning, since you and Lester went into the maze at the same time. The other person was in your way, and it is understandable that you only managed to get half way through the maze. But here is your reward. I hope you like your prizes.

Dina: Oh, what wonderful prizes you got. I especially like that shape shifting puzzle cube. Remember you just said you'd give anything you had away if you had something. Can I have it?

{She leans close to Nino, and he begins to blush. She puffs out her lips as if she is about to kiss him. He pulls away.}

Nino: Okay take it, I probably wouldn't be able to solve it anyway.

{She then hugs Nino, instead.}

Dina: Oh thank you, this is such a amazing cube, I could spend hours just looking at the ways it changes shape, and reflects the light. I think someone that was blind, could probably solve it, if they knew the solution.

{Mau and Godofredo, then raise up behind Lester, whom is curled up into a ball, and sleeping.}

Mau: It is such a shame, I was not able to show Liza my Fatal Laughter.

Godofredo: Well, at least we know that Lester isn't going anywhere, he's sound asleep. If he stays asleep he'll miss the end of the show. Maybe we should wake him.

Mau: Leave it to me....

{There is then a loud pitched guitar type noise, and Lester is seen running away from the camera, and into the distance. As he leaves, his tail knocks over Mau and Godofredo. Nino startled by the sound tosses the ball into the air, and Adelaide swoops in to catch it, and then flies to a distant table. The kids then run into view, with their translated messages.}

Maca: Look Mr. B, we solved your puzzle message. It says. "Tune in tomorrow".

Baba: Mine says, "At the same beak time".

Sancho-Esteban: This last one say, "And the same beak channel".

Beakman: Bada-Bing, Bada-Bang, Bada-Boom. That is correct. Here's another autographed picture, and certificate. Don't look so sad Nino you still have your Beakman Challenge!!! Certificate.

Nino: Yes it is vary nice of you to have signed it. What does it say down at the bottom, it looks like a barcode, or something?

Beakman: Ahh, one last puzzle for you, my friend. Tilt the paper away from you, and you should be able to read it.

Nino: It says "Zaloom".

Beakman: And it was personally autographed just for you, look on the back.

{Nino then turns the paper over and tilts the paper again.}

Nino: It says "and Cassio".

{Beakman then looks over Nino's shoulder at the piece of paper. With both of them looking at the camera, they both wink at the viewers.}

{Fade to black, then slowly fade back in, to reveal that the penguins are now wearing glasses, in front of a studio made, igloo home.}

Don: What do you think of these color corrective glasses, Herb?

Herb: I don't see any difference, you still look black and white to me Don.

Don: Maybe they'll help us find some cute female penguins. After all don't you think they make us look cool?

Herb: We're penguins, we're always cool. But sadly, we aren't as popular with the females of our species.

{The camera turns slightly to the side, and shows a shelf with shoes on it.}

Tap: Can you imagine that, they want to be hip, and cool by wearing sunglasses.

Flap: It takes more then that to be cool. It requires dedication, attitude and a bit of that special magic from a person's personality.

Everyone: After all, glasses aren't magic, they're science...

{The staff credits then roll.}

[forever-rogue]

I would really love a super cute fic with Marcus Pike where it’s Y/N’s birthday and they celebrate! Marcus decides on getting her what she’s always wanted! A kitten! (It’s my birthday and I’m getting a cat in January) And then later on, Marcus maybe proposes to her and then they have passionate sex? I don’t know haha, just something super fluffly, but also super smutty. I love reading stuff like that and I honestly thought this would just be something super cute for the heartthrobs! Your work is simply amazing and I can’t imagine anyone else writing this. Thank you so much! ❤️

Sorry for the delay! I hope you have/had a happy birthday and enjoy your new fur baby when you get them. This is soft, but as always, it does contain some smut at the end so 18+ only!

Marcus Pike x Fem!Reader; warnings: smut

Pedro Characters Masterlist

»»————-　♡　————-««

As the sun filtered in through the sheer curtains, the room was doused in warm, golden light. Your eyes slowly fluttered open as you blinked away the bleariness and let your eyes adjust, fully ready to be greeted by your lover. Rolling onto your side to face him, a small sigh of disappointment escaped your lips as you realized that his side of the bed was empty. The sheets were cold, signaling that he had been gone for some time. You just hoped that he hadn’t somehow been called into work and dragged away from you. 

Slowly sitting up and stretching, you relished in the feel of your joints popping before sliding out from under the warm covers. Your feet slid into your slippers and you grabbed the nearest shirt you spied, which just happened to be Marcus’ as you walked out of the bedroom. As soon as you popped into the hallway, you were hit with the sound of cooking and rustling from the kitchen, accompanied by the delicious smell of what you were positive were bacon, pancakes, and coffee. A warmth settled over your heart as you realized that Marcus wasn’t gone at all, he was right there, at home, making breakfast for the two of you like he was keen on doing. 

You hastily padded along the hallway, ready to greet him and swallow him up with your love, but ever the FBI agent, he beat you to the punch. As you darted into the kitchen, he was standing there, a smile on his face and the biggest bouquet of tulips and daisies you had ever seen in his hands. 

“Happy birthday, honey,” he grinned at the shocked expression on your face as you stopped dead in your tracks, rendered speechless as you just stared at him with the sweetest smile he had ever seen. You slowly made your way over to him, your hands finding his face as you pressed your lips to his in a sweet, saccharine kiss, “everything okay?”

“Yeah,” you promised him, as you took the beautiful from him, admiring their sweet scent before putting them on display on the kitchen table. You sighed contentedly before going back to him and letting him wrap you up in a tight hug, “I just really, really love you.”

“I love you too, birthday girl,” he promised gently, “you have made me the happiest man and getting to spend my life with you is the best thing I could ever ask for.”

“Funny,” you teased as you reached up and carded a hair through his dark locks, “pretty sure I should be saying that to you.”

“It’s your birthday,” he reminded you with a soft kiss, which you chased with a few more of your own, “and we are focusing on you today.”

“We do that every day, Marcus Pike,” you giggled before burying your face into his chest, “you’re such a romantic. But I love it - love you - more than anything.”

“Mhmm,” he hummed in content before pressing a kiss to the top of your head, “now, let me finish breakfast so we can eat and then I have a surprise for you.”

“Another one?” you grinned at him, “the flowers are already more than enough, Marcus, really, and getting to spend the day with you.”

“Don’t you worry, honey,  I have a few surprises in store,” he tenderly traced your nose before giving it a gentle boop, which caused you to laugh at him, “now, go and sit down and I’ll get your coffee.”

“What if I want to help?” you playfully pouted at him as he steered you towards the countertop bar where you quickly hopped onto the stool, watching him with adoring eyes.

“Not allowed,” he insisted fervently, grabbing your favorite mug from the cabinet before preparing your coffee just how you liked, “you are not doing a thing today.”

“I love you,” you beamed at him, melting his heart as you were akin to a literal ray of sunshine in his heart.”

“I know,” he shot you a wink as he passed your mug.

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Marcus,” you jokingly groaned at him, “don’t you think this is a little much?”

“Nope,” he said excitedly as he tugged on the back of the blindfold he had insisted on you wearing. You were in the passenger seat, completely in the dark, literally and metaphorically, as Marcus drove to your surprise destination. After breakfast, he had told you a few more details about the mysterious surprise, but you were just as confused then as you were now. As soon as he’d pulled out of the driveway, you’d tried to keep track of the turns to see if you could figure out where your destination was, or at least in what part of town you were. But Marcus was no fool and was quickly able to figure out what you were doing and made it a point to take a few extra turns here and there, “besides, we’re just about there.”

“A man of mystery,” you grinned as he reached for your hand with his free one, lacing your fingers together as he rested them on your thigh, “one of your many endearing qualities.”

“I think you’ll like it,” he insisted as he made a final turn and smoothly parked the car. You tried to listen to see if you could hear anything to give it away, but of course, there was nothing.

“Honestly, there are very few things that I wouldn’t love as long as you were involved,” you promised. He made a small sound of content as he reached up and slowly moved to undo your blindfold. You let it fall to your lap as you eagerly looked around and studied your surroundings. You noticed a few people coming and going with dogs and animals in carriers and it slowly set in, “Marcus...the shelter?”

“Yes,” he nodded excitedly, “surprise! I know we’ve talked about getting a cat and I just...I like the idea and I figured what better time than now? And if...if we ever want to start trying for a baby, we’d have some practice with a cat.”

“Really?” you asked with wide eyes as your heart melted at the sight of his pink tinged cheeks. He nodded as you leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips, “I’d love that. I’ve always wanted a kitty...this is...perfect. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

“Good,” Marcus was relieved at your excitement. He was almost ready to go and spill the beans on the other part of his little birthday surprise, but luckily he was able to contain himself as his pocket suddenly felt weighed down, “come on, honey, let’s go and see if there’s a little one for us.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

You strolled hand and hand with Marcus as you walked back through the area where they kept all the cats and kittens. Many of them, the ones that were social and friendly with others were allowed to roam the large rooms and play with the other cats and humans that had been cleared to come in, all in the hopes of finding their forever home. 

Many of them came up and greeted you and Marcus, purring as they wrapped around your legs and offered gentle meows. There were some older cats taking advantage of sunlight and lounging in the windows. There were so many little blurs running around, and so many people getting to know them. 

But as you went around and scratched the ears of one big, soft looking black cat, lying on his side, absorbing the golden sunlight. He looked at you with big, golden eyes, taking you in and Marcus in before keening into your touch and purring loudly. You grinned as he closed his eyes into content and nuzzled into your touch. 

“Nigel,” Marcus read off the little placard that was near him, “he’s nine, and he likes other animals. His owner surrendered him because he wasn’t able to properly care for him anymore.”

“Hi Nigel,” you said softly as you continued to pet him, “I’m sure you had to go through that. You deserve the best home…”

“You like him…” Marcus deduced as you nodded lightly, “it doesn’t matter that he’s older, he deserves a home too. Besides, he could still have a very long life ahead of him, and he seems to like us too.”

“He does,” you agreed as Nigel turned his attention to Marcus, meowing gently for such a big cat as he studied him with wide eyes, “what do you think Nigel? Would you like a new home?”

Before either of you could say or anything else, a small white and tan little blur hopped up on the cat tree next to Nigel, looking at the two of you with big, green eyes before sitting down. She was small, a kitten still you had no doubt, but had such a curious little face. You exchanged a look with Marcus as came closer, seeking your touch. Nigel observed the little intruder for a moment, and you swallowed nervously, wondering if these two would get along. The larger cat nuzzled against the little one, and curled around him while making a soft sound. It almost appeared that Nigel was protective over the little one, making sure she was safe and sound. 

You looked at Marcus, wondering what the two of you should do. He met your gaze with an excited expression on his face, as he used a hand to pet each cat. Both of them practically melted into his touch as they purred loudly. He looked back at you with a surprised little expression as he shrugged innocently. 

“I love them,” you grinned as the younger one turned to you and garnered your attention, “I know you said one cat...but what if...what if we got two? These two seem really attached…”

“It would be a shame to separate them,” he agreed as you both realized what was happening. You weren’t going to expand your family by just one little family member, you were getting two new friends.

»»————-　♡　————-««

“That was delicious,” you set your fork down as you swallowed the last bit of dessert - it was pie, homemade to all your preferences by Marcus. You’d insisted all day that it wasn’t necessary, especially after the day you’d had, but he was just as insistent, wanting to do all of this for you. Little did you know that there was still a big surprise coming your way, “is there anything you can’t do?”

“Hmmm,” he tapped his fingers against his chin thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head, “no, I don’t think so.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re right,” you agreed as you moved to grab your empty plates to the kitchen to set them in the sink. Marcus beat you to the punch, taking everything from your hands as you playfully chided him with a kiss to his cheek. You sneaked a peek into the living room. Both Nigel and Alicia, as you learned her name was, were fast asleep on the back of the couch, wrapped up in soft, fuzzy blankets you’d gotten just for them. The excitement of the day and exploring their new home had tuckered them out; it was funny - they’d only been with you for a few hours, but they fit into your hearts and home like they had always been there, like they were meant to be there. 

“Honey? Can you come and help me real quick?” his voice sounded...different...was he nervous? You stood up and made your way back into the kitchen, hoping he was okay and nothing was wrong and - oh gods. A million different horrible things went through your mind as you picked up your pace and hoped that everything was alright. 

But as soon as you got into the kitchen, you stopped dead in your tracks as you found Marcus, on the floor on one knee, a soft grin on his face as he held open a small velvet box housing a gorgeous ring. Your hands went to your mouth as you realized exactly what was happening. Tears were already pricking at the back of your eyes as he looked up at you with a small smile. 

“Marcus,” his name was a soft, reverent thing spilling from your lips as he reached for you with his free hand, pulling you closer.

“Honey,” he looked at you, eyes wide and nervous as he searched for the right words. You held your hand tightly in his and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, seemingly rendered speechless, “I...umm, I had a whole speech planned, and I can’t - can’t seem to remember a word of it. I just….I love you so much, you have made me so happy, happier than I ever thought could be, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of life with you. You have made me the happiest man and if you should say yes, then you would make me the happiest husband. I...will you marry me?”

“Yes,” you breathed softly at him, as he pulled the ring out of the box and quickly slipped it onto your finger. He stood back up slowly and wrapped you up in his arms, peppering kisses along the side of your head before kissing your cheeks and lips as a few warm tears slid down your cheeks, “a million times yes, Marcus. I love you so, so much.”

“I love you,” he wiped away your tears, “happy birthday, honey.”

“This is the best birthday I could ever dream of,” you grinned at him, “thank you for this - everything, Marcus.”

You stared into those soft brown eyes, taking it all in as you wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him with a gentle, but fierce intensity. Marcus wasted no time in picking you up, as your legs wrapped around his waist and his lips refused to move from your lips. 

He made quick work of carrying you back to the bedroom, your hands fumbling around with the buttons of his shirt as he kissed along your jaw and neck. He placed you gently on the bed before pulling off his shirt and following suit with his pants and boxers. You grinned up at him before he came over to you, slowly pushing your dress up, pausing for a moment to make sure you were okay with it, before carrying on and pulling it up and over your head, throwing it in the growing pile of clothing. 

"You are so beautiful," he whispered before nuzzling his nose against yours and offering you a small kiss. You sighed against him as his large, warm hands worked to unclasp your bra and slide it down your arms and into the pile. He kissed along your jaw and down your neck, taking his time in showering your body in saccharine, reverent kisses. 

"Marcus," his name never sounded more sweet than when it dripped from your mouth like golden honey. You raked your nails up and down his back as he continued to kiss you softly. You arched your hips into his, spurring him on as he reached for the waistband of your panties and tugged them down in one fluid motion, "I love you."

"I love you," he whispered before he slowly pushed into you, in no rush at all to reach a climax for either of you as he set a languidly and leisurely pace. 

His eyes were glued on yours the entire time, his expression soft as he watched your face shift into a look of pure bliss. You held him tightly against your body as you moved with him, relishing in the soft praise and words he whispered in your ear.

"Marcus," you whispered his name before carding a hand through his dark locks, "'m not gonna…"

"Let go honey," he swiped his nose against your collarbone before trailing kisses along the column of your throat, "its okay."

Almost as if he possessed a magic tongue, and you supposed he did in some ways, you came undone under him. Marcus was close behind, whispering your name softly, as the two of your reached your peaks. He rolled over, lying on his back as he pulled you on top of him, giving you lazy kisses, as you basked in the afterglow.

"Happy birthday, honey," he whispered as he touched your cheek, "I can't wait to call you my wife."

"I can't wait to call you my husband," you grinned at him, "you are everything, Marcus."

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[luckymangaka]

Pete & His Cohorts

So a super blue moon the likes of Jan 2018 storytime for you all. 

I once took a creative writing course which one lesson half of was spent on a round robin. In this round robin, I didn’t know what to write about so I decided to hijack it to screw with the class. I invented Pete. Now, what was so wonderful about Pete and co was that everyone had seen my paragraph with a character called Pete and a general theme of red, telephone boxes, jam, blood, decapitated heads and so on. After a while Pete was everywhere, spouting confusion and annoyance among all. Pete was essentially a multiverse traveler who I used to fuck with other peoples narratives. Now just imagine this set to Khachaturian's Sabre Dance and you get the picture.

This is one of the total sets of paragraphs of one of the round robin's responses. Starts off average writing class stuff, then cue paragraph 4 and you have the rest of that lesson:

Tonight was the night! And oh boy was it an exquisite night. I'd been preparing for months so everything would be perfect and it appeared that the heavens themselves had conspired to make everything just right. See tonight was the night I'd be hosting the annual Christmas party for my family. The bunch of self-righteous gits. Oh did I mention, I was also going to kill everyone who attended.  

I opened my satchel packed to the brim with all the necessary tools for my oh-so-special party. I allowed my hand to very gently finger the hard bump skin of the grenades...and then she walked into the room breathless. Eyes sparkling, ? searching the room... A flash of panic licked inside my stomach...

I close my eyes and took a breath ''I will not let fear prevail'' I spoke softly to myself. Those words must have done the trick because in my mind something incredible began to happen. It was as if I cloud see the obstacles in my way. I could see the half dozen snipers lurking in the undergrowth. I could see the sheer drops into the laser shark-infested waters. And then with one final gasp of air I opened my eyes and stepped forward into darkness.

A curious woman stood before me drenched in Ketchup. A man in raspberry jam. They held aloft a man's decapitated head and it eclipsed my vision of the sun momentarily. I squinted, blinked and this vision had inscribed itself on a tablet above an old payphone. I was confused and dazed. What? And tried to [escape] but repeatedly [returned in] my [curiosity] wonder in a return to the box. Agitated I slammed open the door of the box [from the] inside and found the rest of the body and drowned in the blood of nothing [nobody] in the box.  

Suddenly the box opened. A man named Pete arrived. The same Pete from every story you've read so far. Pete apologises for the fact you've just seen a decapitated head and insist that it was not real. A plastic head covered in Ketchup. Do you want to know the big plot twist. -Name omitted- ? Is making a film and you're on the movie set right now.  

You look around. 'What the hell' you announce watching the set go by. This has to be the worst joke ever pulled on you. This sucked. 

My previous noteworthy Pete & Friends pargaraphs, each picking up from another authors work and mixing it into the pete stew:

As the blades cam down I slowly grimaced when the axe hit my neck. To wake I found myself here. Nowhere. Nothing exquisite but rather simply nothing. Wandering brought nothing. I think I was just dead. Yet I turned around and there was something in the distance. A telephone box. See through, simply there because of blotches of ketchup ( I think, too consistent to be blood) and upon closer inspection, Jam splattered like falling leaves on a pavement all over it. An old British payphone box. The operator would only let me call myself though.

Pete turned. Behind him the river had begun to thaw. That mid-summer breeze only allowing for a split second heat, as the sky lit itself in a firework display of comets. This comet shower was said to be small, passing over London tonight. Instead Pete learned, it had been miscalculated by a university stargazing student and led to the fall of London that night. Pete went to call his mother, only a payphone available as he lost his phone in running away from the hell storm of comets.The operator put Pete through to a raspy sounding voice that was evidently licking its fingers. 'Hello?' Asked Pete. The reply 'Raspberry'.     

 A large black sun. It shone through these trees, hiding a black cloaked object. The world fell away around Kaska to night. Kaska approached this object to have the sheet it sat under fall away, to reveal a payphone. Inside stood a man who called himself Pete. He said simply ne word ''Raspberry'. Then walked nback into the payphone and the box dug itself into the ground. Petes eyes like the sun had turned black in the eyeball. Kaska terrified wealked backwards and found she had stood in raspberry Jam. A trail of which led to a telephone box of her own. The caller on the other end simply requesting 'Not raspberry, Ketchup please'. The door slammed shut.  

The previous paragraph.

Pedro had Nick with him. Nick had brought all of them. Pedro helped pull Nick's dead body inot a body bag. Imagine killing someone over not bringing back the right jam on a shopping list, eh Pete?''. Pedro said to fellow officer at the scene of the murder. Totally a whackjob this one. Chipped in Kaska. You see, Nick's mother wanted strawberry, but instead sent for raspberry. She tried to phone Nick, but he got the wrong jam.

Pedro had Nick with him. Nick had brought all of them. Pedro helped pull Nick's dead body inot a body bag. Imagine killing someone over not bringing back the right jam on a shopping list, eh Pete?''. Pedro said to fellow officer at the scene of the murder. Totally a whackjob this one. Chipped in Kaska. You see, Nick's mother wanted strawberry, but instead sent for raspberry. She tried to phone Nick, but he got the wrong jam.

I had belly laughs all into lunch that day. More or less I accidentally created God and the rest of my class are playing the PR man role.