#a nice conference pick me up after a long drive
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(For all my Canadian friends)
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in this life and all the others !!!
alternatively — ☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩ john price prepared his daughter for everything and that included him being gone. what he didn't prepare himself for was her being gone.
simon riley x fem!price!reader — 𖦹₊˚⊹☁️
warnings — ⋆｡°✩ language. kinda ooc!simon but idgaf. reader may have some specific traits, sorry for self projection, it WILL happen again. kidnapping, allusion to death, blood, wounds, the usual yeeyay with their line of work. john is going through it. reader and ghost are already together.
author's note — ⋆｡°✩ hiii :) my first time ever writing for this fandom and i'm reallllly excited!! i hope you like this <3 fair warning, the reader's sense of style, hair length description, possible field of work may be specified so if that's not to your preference, i'm really sorry for it :( if you would like me to do something like this with some specific points and all, you can just ask me!! i'm sure i'll be able to work with that!! thank you so much for reading, i already love each and every one of you <3
☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩
it felt wrong to admit it now but when your mother first dropped you at your father's house, he didn't — well, he didn't exactly want you.
it wasn't as if he didn't love you, he did — you were his daughter. but his life had enough chaos to last him a lifetime and he was just fine with staying in touch with you through screens and only seeing you alternately on christmas, that too if the circumstances allowed him too
sure, he wouldn't be there at your parent teacher conferences or have you show him your report cards. he wouldn't get to see you perform extraordinarily in your extracurriculars or have you run towards him with whatever prize or trophy you'd get. he wouldn't always be there at your birthdays and sometimes, he might even forget to mail you a present. he might not get to see you grow up and he might only be just your father and never your dad.
he was fine with that.
so, what would it matter if his heart broke a little when his ex-wife, your mother, called him the night after they had signed the divorce papers and asked him to talk to you because you wouldn't stop asking for your dad? why would he be second guessing himself after hearing your small voice breaking in between as you asked him to come back? why did he get the sudden urge to drive to your mum's house and pick you up and apologize and let you choose the colour of the walls of your room in his house — your home?
but sure, he was fine.
he assured you that he was just a call away, told you to be good for your mom, eat your veggies, be nice and kind and then bid you goodbye. he tried hard not to pay attention to your cries as your mum took the phone from you and apologized to him, explaining that you just missed him.
'she just misses you, john,' and he was ready to break down then and there. you needed him, your dad, and he was refusing to be there. refusing to let that shadow of his work even fall on your shadow for a second. refusing to let you be a soft spot for him because that was the most dangerous thing a person in his line of work could ever have.
'she'll get over it soon, forget her old man and all,' he tried to laugh it off but his voice broke and before your mum could say anything, he hung up.
the next time he saw you, you were at his door, standing with your luggage behind you and your mother. he noticed that her own luggage was still in the cab and it didn't take long for him to figure out what was coming. he had tried to explain himself, explain why exactly he wasn't cut out for this and that he was very happy with seeing you every other weekend. all while you stood near the staircase and stayed quiet.
your mum left and left you behind with a father who didn't even remember his daughter's favourite colour.
he remembered the look on your face and the way you tried to make yourself as small as possible, taking the least amount of space you could. you had just turned ten, your birthday being one of many that john would eventually come to miss and he looked at you like you were still that same one year old baby who pulled herself up and walked to her dad.
he grabbed your luggage and one of your hands and walked you up the stairs and into one of the rooms down the hall. it was mostly empty, a twin size bed and a dresser drawer spread out with a wardrobe in the corner but he figured you'd be fine.
if he saw you pause at the walls being your maybe-favourite colour, he didn't say anything.
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"what do you mean?"
"john — "
"stop, just — stop," john took a deep breath, exhaling shakily as he broke eye contact with laswell and looked away. his hands ever so slightly shaking came up to fix his signature hat as he pointedly ignored ghost's gaze piercing him from where he was listening to everything at the back of his office. "what do you mean?"
"we're trying to locate — "
"that's my fucking daughter and you swore that this wouldn't ever catch up to her!" john snapped, his voice firm and sharp as he desperately tried to hide the tremor in his words. "you — you guaranteed that my line of work would never catch up to her and that she'd be safe and she'd be fine and now she is — "
he cut himself off with as soon as his voice cracked, looking away as he shook his head, shaking the concerned and empathetic eyes of kate and the blank stare of his lieutenant. deep down, he knew that she was doing everything she could to locate you — the whole base was. with soap leaving no stone unturned as he investigated the residence, gaz checking the cameras installed out the place and the street to find a trace of anything, kate herself flying down to the base to do everything she was capable of doing and ghost doing... something, everyone was on it.
but still, you were his daughter.
his daughter. the one who always waited up for him ever since you learned that your dad would be away for a while but he'd come back. the one who called him 'old man' but cried and got upset whenever he tried to have the 'when i'm gone' conversation with you. the one who made cards for every single occasion, cards he still cherished with his everything. you were his everything and you were nowhere to be found.
in a way he blamed himself, he always did. whether it'd be you catching a fever or not having all of your project supplies, he'd always blame himself. he'd continue to do it until someone — more often than not, kate — came by and knocked some sense into his head, told him that one shortcoming doesn't make him a bad dad.
his eyes glanced around the room, anything to prevent him from looking into the empathetic gaze of kate because it felt like she had already accepted that you were gone. you were not, you were just taken — taken from him and he needed to get you back.
he locked eyes with simon and took in his appearance for the first time since he came into the room. truth be told, nobody really saw him coming in, nobody even called for him to be in here. he just showed up and john knew that it would be futile to get him to go out — not that he wanted him to go. it was weirdly comforting, having simon in the same room as they discussed what to do next. maybe it was because they both had the same goal in their mind, get you back or maybe john had just grown familiar with his presence after countless mornings of him descending down the stairs to see him and you at the breakfast bar. whatever it was, john was grateful simon stuck around.
looking at him, everything was the same, not one thing out of place but john knew different, he knew better. he could see the small specks of blood decorating his infamous skull mask and the empty holster attached to his thigh. he could barely make out the dark spots on his glove but if he strained his eyes enough, he'd find them.
he wasn't looking at simon, he was looking at ghost.
john knew that ghost hadn't expressed one percent of what he actually wanted to express. he knew as soon as he stormed out of the room when laswell broke the news to the team and returned a couple hours later, gloves discarded somewhere and his knuckles stained with blood. he kept his mouth shut, mind running haywire as he tried to plan out anything, anything to get even a sliver of news about your whereabouts.
he could feel kate stare at him with calculating eyes and something akin to guilt swimming in them. he could feel simon stare at his form as he paced around the room, hands fidgeting as he fought the urge to call soap and gaz every minute.
kate's gaze didn't bother him, simon's did because it mirrored his hopelessness.
he was so lost in his own guilt and desperation and defeat that he didn't hear the footsteps thundering down the hallway, not until they were right in front of them and the door slammed open. it was only then he looked to see soap panting, a small piece of paper in his hands and he pointed to it back and forth and for a moment, john could feel the sickening sense of hope swell in his chest.
gaz was right behind soap, seemingly in a better position to speak than the latter and plucked the piece of paper from his teammate's hands and held it out for john to see.
"what — "
"we managed to trace the owner of the car that was seen going around your block more than eighteen times," gaz informed, eyes flickering to ghost who had now made his way towards their small group and back to his captain in front of him. "the car was brought under a very... creative way, three shell companies and we traced each one of them back to a single corporation."
"they have these warehouses, right outside of the town," soap continued, taking notice of the desperation in his captain's eyes and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "it's a very good chance she's there."
"how sure are you?" it was the first time ghost opened his mouth ever since he joined john and kate. his voice gave away nothing and to anyone, it must have sounded like he was just talking about any other mission but john knew that it took everything for him to keep his voice steady and strong.
"damn sure, lt."
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john remembered the first time he had the 'when i'm gone' talk with you.
you were eleven, and it killed him inside when he realised that he would have to make you understand the risks in his line of work.
he remembered the way you threw him the dirtiest look you could muster, the most withered glare set on your face as soon as he said the words and he had to stop and blink in surprise because goddamn, his daughter was scary.
he remembered the way you shook your head at his every 'understand?' the way you tried to run off to your room and you would've, if not for his arms shooting out to catch you before you could bolt. the way you told him to be quiet as politely as you could when he continued, denial in your eyes at the prospect of your dad going away and not coming back.
he remembered his heart cracking in two when you looked up at him with tears in your eyes and he almost stopped himself, cursing himself in his mind because you shouldn't have to sit here and listen to him telling you what to do in case his dog tags came back and he didn't.
you managed to get yourself free from his hold and rush upstairs to your room and he didn't have it in himself to call you back down and you both left it at that.
the second time he tried to have the talk with you was when you turned eighteen and he got shot on a mission.
the way you looked at him when he woke up in the hospital still haunted him on nights when he couldn't sleep and he knew that he was basically torturing you with this. going away and not providing any guarantee that he would come back but he couldn't.
he could leave tomorrow and say that he'd be back in time for christmas and there would still be a chance that he'd end up coming back home in a casket.
he couldn't give you the security of his arrival but he could prepare you in case anything ever happened and he did. he set apart bank accounts for you, under a different name and a different address. he brought two different apartments in the city, under a different name and a different address. he brought a small house and trusted that you would make it a home, under a different name and a different address. he made sure that you would be okay if he left, after he left and he knew he did a damn good job with it.
you didn't do the same.
he prepared you on how to live if he went away before it was time but he never prepared himself for if, god forbid, you were gone. he never had to because what kind of father would want to come to terms with the knowledge that their kid could leave before them?
"hey — hey, honey," he brushed the hair out of your face, his facade slowly crumbling away with his fingers came back stained with blood — your blood. his gun lays discarded next to him and he almost wants to go back and bullet a few more bullets in those bastards' heads for your condition. "you still with me?"
"dad..." you whispered, eyes fluttering close with fatigue and blood loss as your head rested against the wall. he could see the way you forced your eyelids to stay open, your grip on his hand weak and so delicate that he wanted to scream.
"i'm here, i'm here," he murmured, stroking your cheek to keep you awake while you both waited for the clear signal from the rest. his hands were shaking and he was sure that his heartbeat could be heard by everyone else on the comms but even then, he had to be strong. "i'm here, my sweet girl."
"you know," you forced these words out, eyes unfocused and dazy as you made an attempt to smile at his terror stricken face, "now's my turn to do the 'when i'm gone' talk. you already had two chances."
"NO! no — no, no," he shook his head, eyes blurring ever so slightly as the chaos over the comms became white noise to him. "we will never be having his conversation. ever. i'm supposed to go first and it'll be me. i don't care if i have to fight the fucking grim reaper for this, it'll be me and never you, you hear me? never — never you."
"when i'm gone," you continued as if he didn't practically tell you that he'd fight the devil if you went first and held onto his hand just a little bit tighter, as tight as your wounds would allow you to, "i want you to continue to invite simon around."
"darling — "
"no, please. i know you both and i know you'll just go away from the things that remind you of me and i don't want that," you talked quietly, your voice dipped in pain and john used his free hand to apply more pressure on it and when you didn't really wince or made a move to recoil back, his panic grew. "you both will remind each other of me and i don't want that to just hurt you more. invite him over, have tea, talk shit about me and — and just, keep him company. keep yourself some company."
"none of that is happening because you're not going away," john spoke sternly, his eyes determined and so confident that for a moment, he himself believed that you'd walk away from his alive and breathing. "we have years ahead of us and someone needs to be with me to make fun of riley for liking that stupid sitcom."
"i want you to be happy, dad," you continued, eyes fluttering close and stay shut for me even a longer time now and john panicked. "always happy."
"only when i have you," he shook you awake, your eyes shooting open at the motion and he almost cried in relief. he set you firmly against the wall and withdrew his hand from your grasp to talk over the comms. "lads, how's it looking?"
"positive, i believe. how's our miss soldier doing, sir?" gaz asked and john heard the occasional shower of bullets from his side and figured they were still stuck in the crossfire. "any damage to that billion dollar outfit of hers?"
"well, it's stained with blood now, so," john replied dryly and could feel gaz draw in a sharp inhale at that and figured he'd be out of the harm's way soon. "keep me updated."
he knew ghost was nearby, could feel his boots echoing in the almost empty hallways down the corridor and knew that you both were safe and secure. it was only when he looked away from the corner and back towards you that he noticed your limp hands and the way your head was slumped forward. he hands shook as he cupped your face and called out your name, almost hopefully.
"darling? honey, you gotta wake up," he spoke, almost inaudible and his own voice sounded foreign to him. it sounded too hollow and he hated that it looked like he had already accepted that you were gone. you were not. "come on, love. don't do this to your dad."
his hands were shaking terribly and blood smeared across your cheeks but he didn't care. all that he cared about was that you were there, still and so silent in his arms and you were not answering him. his could feel his heart break. he could make out exactly where it hurt him physically as he repeatedly called out your name and you did not respond.
heavy footsteps sounded from behind him and he didn't have to turn to know that it was simon — ghost, in that moment. he didn't have it in himself to turn. partly because you were here in his arms right now and if he turned, you being gone would be reality and he didn't wanna face that. partly because he didn't want simon to see you like that. blood trickling down the side if your head, face smeared with blood and a wound in the abdomen. no, john wanted simon to remember you happy, smiling and alive.
he wanted simon to have that much, even if his own last memory of you was you begging him to stay happy after your death.
and he thought about it. as he cradled your body close, rocking back and forth, he thought it was simply impossible. as if he'd ever be happy again without you here.
he didn't notice simon walk closer, didn't see him walk around to crouch in front of him and only realised that he was here when he called out his name. he couldn't even hear it clearly, high pitched ringing in his head and blurring images in front of him, the feeling of your blood on your hands, it was all just too much.
" — tain? captain?" simon called out, his eyes locking with his and john knew that it costed ghost his everything not to stare at you. his skull mask laid discared next to him, his signature balaclava in its place as he kneeled down. john could see the way his hold on his gun was too loose and the way his hands were trembling just the slightest bit as placed his gun back in his holster. "we need to get out of here."
"doesn't matter," john replied, his voice not giving away the turmoil in his heart and the war that was going on in his head. "she's gone, ghost."
"cap — "
"my daughter, she — fuck, my kid," john exhaled shakily, his hands carefully pushing away the strands of your hair out of your face. "lord, i don't have a child anymore."
"captain — "
"you don't get it, i'm not a father anymore!" john exclaimed, his voice breaking in the middle of the sentence as reality settled in. the weight of it seeped into his bones and he knew that he would carry its weight for the rest of his life. until he saw you again. "i'm not a dad, anymore."
he couldn't let you go, couldn't place you down and let you be gone from him. he couldn't accept it and why would he want to? what kind of father would he be if he just accepted that he was never going to hear someone call him 'dad' ever again? he'd never hear the words 'i love you, dad' or 'good morning, dad' or see your face smiling at him after he came back from a particularly long and stressful deployment or have you hug him whenever you got a nightmare or drink tea with you and simon as he joked about your relationship with his lieutenant. how was he going to accept this cruel and wretched version of reality?
"you'll always be a dad, captain," simon spoke quietly, his hand reaching out to smooth your hand down and just like his own hands, john noticed that it shook. "always gonna be her dad."
john couldn't do anything except watch. he tried to move, his mind screamed at him to move but his body caged him down. the dead weight of you — his daughter — weighted him down and for a moment, he was so sure that he'd feel this weight for the rest of his life. because, how was he supposed to forget the way you asked him to be okay after you? how was he supposed to be okay after you?
how was anyone supposed to be okay after you?
he blinked, eyes stinging with tears that he refused to let down and looked towards simon who was too quiet. john looked at him, watched him as he leaned down until his forehead was pressed against yours and felt an invisible knife twist around his heart. he could see the balaclava move and figured he was saying something to you but the ringing in head refused to let him hear anything, though, he thought that he heard the words 'come back' and 'don't do this to me' and felt his heart break some more. he had never — never — seen his lieutenant look so hopeless. so defeated. not when he found out that you both had broken up for some indefinite reason, not when he got injured on a mission and the only thing he asked for was you, not when you had made it your mission to paint his nails and only relented after his nails were a shade of wine red.
no.
john had always seen ghost so full of life around you. he had always seen his eyes crinkling at the corners as he spoke to you in low tones, always seen his shoulders dropping from their usual tense posture whenever he was around you. he had always seen him as simon around you.
john looked at him and realised that not only did he lose his daughter, simon lost the love or his life. he lost the one thing and one thing only that made him the happiest. he knew simon loved you even though he hadn't said the words out loud out, he knew he loved you. it was evident in the way only you were allowed to hold onto his mask for him as he adjusted his balaclava, in the way he always listened to you speak about anything and everything under the sun and never once interrupted you, in the way he always brought back something for you from his missions, ranging from a rock to a dried flowers.
john looked at him and realised that at any cost, he'd have to make it through this, for simon. for your promise.
for you.
he nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything and moved to stand up, your head lolled against his shoulder as he placed his hand under your knees while the other wrapped around your shoulders. he stood up as carefully as he could, as if any movement would cause you discomfort and held on tighter to push himself to be on his feet and — you whimpered, your wound pressing against his vest and your dad stilled, frozen alongside simon whose eyes shot towards your face as you stirred, your expression scrunched up with pain.
it didn't take more than a second for ghost to abandon his gloves and check your pulse as you went still once again, forcing his hands to stay still. john pretended not to hear him whisper 'please' under his breath as he placed his hand on the side of your neck, mainly because he knew he would break down if simon didn't hold himself together.
he looked at ghost who nodded and then he was already off, walking swiftly in front of john and you as he put on back his gloves and drew his gun to clear out anything that could show up, making a path from their corner to the evacuation point. john walked as fast as he could without jostling you and mumbled rapid apologies as you groaned in pain.
"we're heading out," ghost informed soap and gaz who were on the other side of the floot, drawing out any left hostile parties left. he filled them in your condition and in less than thirty seconds, they were running towards the three of you, panting and guns drawn. "she has already lost consciousness and we need to get her back."
john could only walk wherever ghost turned, his movements a bit too robotic and as they cleared out the building, the only thought he had was you, your safety, your life.
he doesn't remember much of the ride home but judging by the blood — your blood — on his hands and clothes, and the number of times gaz asked him if he was okay, he wasn't sure if he wanted to.
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"so, i pass out from the pain and blood loss and your first guess is that i'm dead?"
"well, when you put it like that — "
"there is no other way to put it!" you laughed, instantly regretting your decision to do so as the action pulled on your stitches. "fuck — that's a bit dramatic, don't you think? did you even check my pulse?"
"listen — i was not thinking. my girl was just laying there in her own blood, what was i supposed to do?"
it's been more than a couple weeks since you've been discharged from the hospital, stitches in your abdomen and the side of your head but it's mostly inconvenient rather than painful if you could be honest and john and simon both know this because you have expressed this opinion far too many times.
john and simon both disagreed.
you wish you could say that they had toned the whole scary-guard-dog thing down ever since you got discharged from the hospital but you'd be lying. if anything, their protectiveness dialled a few notches up. if your dad was busy with something, simon stayed with you and vice versa.
now, your dad was protective. you had always known this. if you thought that there was no way he'd be able to get more protective than he was before this whole ordeal, you thought wrong. you weren't allowed to get up from your bed unless it was to stretch your muscles — (simon volunteered to help you with that. you dad threw his boot at him. thrice and then one more time for good measure.) — or to use the bathroom. you were on strict diet for the first week, mainly consisting of fluids and lots of proteins alongside the years' worth of medicine you had to take. he stayed home, officially on leave until he was sure you wouldn't collapse after standing for more than seven seconds and then he stayed for an extra week simply because he wanted to.
("i think i can pick up the remote without popping out my stitches."
"'m not talking any chances, kid.")
and then, there was simon.
if you thought that there could be no more increase in the protective measures after your dad, simon set out to prove you so wrong.
he stayed with you even after your dad went back to the base and that meant he stayed with you. you couldn't move an inch without his hand coming up to stabilize you — you told him you didn't need it, he disagreed — or just straight up pushing you back to sit down, gently and doing whatever you were out to do. it made your life just a tad bit difficult but you knew this was coming from a place of love — and fear.
"i'm okay," you smiled softly at your boyfriend, hands intertwining with his as you both laid on the couch while your dad worked in the kitchen, occasional shouts and gasps announcing his continued presence. "i'm okay."
"the fuck? you are not," simon's eyebrows were furrowed and you fought the urge to lean up and kiss the spot until he relaxed, partly because it would put pressure on your stitches and you did not need another lecture on basic medical knowledge by your dad and your boyfriend again. "don't make me tie to your bed."
"don't threaten me with a good time," you laughed softly at his blank stare, squirming away as he poked one of almost healed bruises. "fuck you."
"you're injured, not now," you could practically feel the smirk behind his mask and gave him the best unimpressed look you could. "stop lookin' at me like that."
"when was the last time you slept?" you ignored his advances and slapped away his hand that was coming up to tug you towards him, looking him in the eye. "you look worse than me."
"i'm breaking up with you."
"no, you're not."
"no, i'm not," simon sighed, his hand coming up to run through his grown blonde hair that he had intended to get cut — not by you because he doesn't trust you with scissors anywhere near his head. "i slept last night."
"liar," you narrowed your eyes at him, taking in the dark circles around his eyes and the way his eyes were droopy and how his eyes remained close when he blinked. "i heard you watching that movie you told me you hated."
"i was not — "
"simon," you sighed and he stopped speaking, knowing he was in for a lecture from you about his sleeping habits and his biological sleep cycle — something you wasn't even sure existed in his body. "love, why haven't you been able?"
he stayed silent, his hands fumbling with your hands and twisting your rings around your fingers. he almost smiled when he noticed the ring that he had made for you on your ring finger, a small 's' in the middle with a semblance of a tiny heart next to it.
"haven't been able to," he replied finally, his voice gruff with faux annoyance directed at your ability to coax answers out of him just like that. "too much going on."
you knew what he meant by that. the last couple weeks have been hectic to say the least and you couldn't help but feel guilty about being a part of the reason for your boyfriend not being able to sleep. "i'm sorry."
"shut up, what for?" he rolled his eyes and placed a fleeting kiss to your cheek, very near to your mouth before leaning back. "i'd take a few sleepless nights over your bleeding out any day."
you didn't say anything, just tugged on his arms firmly enough to make him get the hint and settle back into the mountain of pillows you had brought down from your room. he looked at you, a confused look in his eyes but complied as you pulled him towards yourself and wrapped your arms around him, smiling when he nuzzled into the crook of your neck and finally, relaxed. he pulled back just for a moment, one of his hands coming up to squeeze yours when you frowned at the lack of contact while the other one pulled away his mask, leaving his face bare.
you had seen his face many times but each time, you found yourself falling in love more and more. you knew each and every scar that adorned his face, every inch of uneven skin. you had spent nights kissing all that he thought made him ugly and promised him that he thought so wrong. you said nothing as he looked at you once again, eyea squinting at you playfully before he was back in your arms.
"i love you so much, you know that?" you whispered, your hand playing with his hair. you could feel him press feather light kisses to your neck, his breath fanning over your exposed skin making a trail of goosebumps and you didn't mind it one bit. "you know that right?"
he hummed in reply, pressing himself as close to you as he physically could. you didn't stop playing with his hair, knowing how much it relaxed him and soon him, he went completely still next to you, his grip on your loosening just a bit as he went slack. you couldn't help but admire him when he was like this, his face free of the usual scowl that he pulled up with him at every table, the furrow of his eyebrow that you always kissed, the frown that he had whenever anyone spoke, it was all gone.
you didn't hear your dad come in, a tray of three steaming cups of tea in his hands and settled it down on the centre table, proud of himself. he picked up your usual cup, strawberries drawn on it with a few daisies in the middle spaces and gave it to you, smiling softly before turning to look at simon — who to his surprise, was fast asleep against your shoulder.
"he's knocked out," john remarked, making a mental note to make another cup of tea for simon whenever he woke up and settled back into his designated chair adjacent to yours. "never saw him this... relaxed."
"yeah, well," you sipped out of your cup before placing it on the side table, eyes flickering to simon's still figure before looking back at your dad, a small smile on your lips, "he's been pretty set on not letting me lift a finger."
"he's worried about you," your dad nodded and you couldn't help but feel your heart flutter. "never seen him so out of mind. you know he loves you, right? he would fold the earth in the half if anything happened to you."
"i know, dad," you replied, eyes locked on simon as he slept next to you. you could see his chest rising and falling with every breath he took, his lips slightly parted as he breathed in and out evenly. "i don't even know how i'm supposed to tell him just how much he means to me. i don't know where to begin."
"he knows," he stated, sipping out of his own mug — with small yellow crowns — and setting it back down. "you'll both make it, you know? don't need to see the future to figure that out."
you knew what he was talking about.
you'd make it. of course, you would. it was simon who held your hand randomly while you walked around your town. it was simon who made sure that you were always stocked up with your favourite candies and chocolates. it was simon who learnt how to make paper rings because you were singing that song about how you'd marry him with paper rings. it was simon, always.
and even if this lifetime was enough for you, you knew that you'll find yourself falling for him in every other life. in all the universes out there, in every version of reality, you'd find yourself in love with him. you knew this much, you felt it in your bones.
maybe in another life, you would've seen him from across the bar and he would've sent a drink your way. maybe you would've ran into him at a coffee shop and he would've asked you your favourite blend. maybe you would've been childhood friends and he would've always been in love with you.
it would always be you and him.
"yeah, i know."
☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩
#ghostehe — ★₊˚﹟🪐#call of duty — ₊˚⊹♡#simon riley — 𖦹₊˚⊹☁️#simon riley x reader#simon riley x you#simon riley x y/n#simon riley imagine#simon riley au#simon riley fluff#simon ghost x reader#simon ghost riley#simon ghost riley x reader#simon ghost riley x you#ghost x reader#ghost x you#ghost x y/n#ghost x female reader#ghost x fem!reader#cod x reader#cod x you#cod x y/n#cod x fem!reader
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Celebration
Male Reader X Dreamcatcher Gaheyon
Length: 2200+
Tags: creampie, quckie
A tiny follow up to my NNN fic. You can read it here if you haven't before. Happy 1 year smut writing anniversary to me.
What would be a cause for celebration? Getting a raise? Getting a new car? There are so many things that can fall under that category but your entire company was in the building for one main reason. The celebration of your successful partnership with apple.
The launch of the new iPhone, combined with your camera technology shot profit margins up 16%. Getting a cut of the sales, it was simple to say how much richer you just got. With that money, you instantly booked a fancy caterer as well as unlimited drinks for your employees.
Everyone was in as you told them to come and just have a good time. That brought you to the main conference room, plenty of workers were piled in the room as well as you and the girls. As a camera pointed at your face, your mouth opened as you began to give a small speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen. I’m sorry to have brought you all here. I’m sure the offer of great food and unlimited food sounded horrible to you all.”
A small chuckle left everyone’s mouth as you continued your speech.
“As everyone knows, this partnership helped our company reach new heights as our profit margins reached new heights. With that success, Apple has decided to continue working with us in the long run. So In honor of that, everyone here will be getting a pay raise as a thank you for all your hard work.”
Loud cheers could be heard all around after you said that.
“All of this couldn't have been done without you all so drink, eat, and enjoy yourselves. Cars will be available to drive you home should you require one. Have fun.”
With that said, the camera turned off and everyone clapped toward you. Once the clapping stopped, you found yourself surrounded by the girls. Dami immediately intertwined her hand with your own and kissed your cheek.
“Congratulations Kangdae. I think I speak for all of the girls here that we are proud of you.”
“No. I should be the one who is proud of all of you. If it wasn’t for Jiu, this deal wouldn't have happened. All the hard work you all put into it made this happen. I was just along for the ride.”
Jiu patted you on the back and rested her head on your shoulder.
“Ok ok. Enough of saying who did what. If we continued, we would get nowhere so let’s all agree everyone worked hard ok?”
With a nod, each of the girls picked up a glass of champagne and raised it. Following their example, you did the same.
“To Go Tech.”
“TO GO TECH!”
As you all downed the glasses of alcohol, Yoohyeon looked at all of you and smiled.
“As good as that champagne was. I think we need something a little stronger. How about a nice scotch?”
You already knew what Yoohyeon was asking for. A Certain bottle that had been in your office for a couple of years now, untouched.
“Yooh. I have been saving that bottle for a special occasion.”
Handong rolled her eyes at you and then spoke.
“I think this qualifies as a special occasion. We won’t finish it right now. Just let us all enjoy a glass.”
“Ok, what am I missing here? What bottle?”
Siyeon, always the last one to pick up on things, looked at all of you confused. Sua chuckled and gave Siyeon a small smack on the head.
“Kangdae has a bottle of 1928 Macallan. The anniversary malt just sitting in his office. You haven’t noticed it?”
“No! Isn’t that a $300,000 bottle of whiskey?”
“Yes, it is. Look, fine I will go grab it but please don’t finish it. I’ll be right back.”
Leaving the conference room, you found yourself at the elevator scanning your key card to give you priority. As the elevator dinged, a small figure stood next to you and took hold of your hand. The petite hand that held your own was Gahyeon so you just walked into the metal machine and ordered the button to the top floor.
“They told me to keep you company since some people came to talk to them but no funny business.”
“Of course. They want to try one of the most expensive bottles of scotch in the world.”
A small frown was on the girl’s face as she looked up at you. That face of hers was always a weakness of yours so you ducked down a bit and gave the girl a small kiss on the lips. At that moment, the ding from the elevator returned as you reached the top floor.
Walking out into the hallway, your legs brought you towards your office until you were face to face with the door. Pushing the wooden entry to the room, you made your way to the right wall and found your liquor bottles lined up. As your hand reached out for the brown bottle, your body was suddenly pushed. The sudden jerk on your body caused you to fall on the couch, looking up.
A toothy smile filled your friend's face as she walked closer and closer to you.
“Gahyeon. No funny business, remember?”
“Yeah. This isn’t funny business. What’s so funny about me sitting on your lap?”
Gahyeon did exactly that and sat down on your lap. The Chanel straps on her shoulders hit your eyes as they went farther down. Gahyeon had a gray skirt on, but in this position, it was very pushed up. Your eyes immediately noticed the uncovered fold on her lower half.
Your mouth began to water as the young woman raised your eyes back up to hers.
“Hey, Mister. No funny business remember?”
Gahyeon’s mocking tone was enough to anger you as you flipped your positions. Laying Gahyeon down on the couch, your hands pulled down on her skirt and exposed her lower half. Gahyeon didn’t even hesitate as she took off her blouse and bra.
Gahyeon was no stranger to sex in your office, so the speed she took off her clothes was faster than what seemed humanly possible. Wrapping your arms around her thighs, you immediately dig into one of your favorite meals. Your tongue repeatedly flicked on her folds as the woman let out small moans.
Bringing your hands to her folds, you opened her pussy and found the small nub which you knew would help you achieve what you want quickly. With each flick of your tongue on her clit, the more Gahyeon began to jolt around. Wanting to stimulate her more, you pushed one of your fingers into the woman's snatch.
Just one finger was already a bit of a struggle but when you introduced another finger, Gahyeon’s yells got louder. The combined efforts of your fingers and tongue brought your friend closer and closer to her peak. A sudden squeeze was felt around your head as the girl wrapped her thighs around it.
With each jump from her body, the faster you moved your appendages. Finally reaching her peak, Gahyeon yelled and squeezed your head as hard as she could with her thick thighs. A rush of fluids hit your tongue as you were quick to drink as much as you could.
Coming down from her high, Gahyeon loosened her grip on your head and panted for air. Cleaning your face of the remaining fluids, your hands took off your suit and other articles of clothing. Your cock twitched looking at the nude body of Gahyeon. When her eyes began to open once more, a smile filled her face as she saw your rod.
Without hesitation, Gahyeon got up and kneeled as you sat back down on the couch. Getting closer to your rod, Gahyeon wrapped her delicate hands around cock and stroked it. Her eyes seemed hypnotized as she continued to move her hand up and down.
“This cock of yours. I get amazed every time I see it. So what do you want me to do? Perhaps Kiss it?”
Gahyeon did exactly that and gave the tip of your rod a small kiss. The girl was normally the first to jump on doing anything with your dick, but this was the first time she was teasing you.
“No sweetie. You know what I want.”
“And what would that be? Maybe my tits wrapped around them?”
Bringing her chest up, her soft breast wrapped around your cock as the young woman began to move your length up and down between them. The soft skin from her boobs felt great as the girl just looked into your eyes. That dangerous smirk returned as she continued to play with you.
You finally got angry enough that you took Gahyeon’s face in your hands and glared at her.
“Suck my fucking cock you little whore. Get it ready for your pussy.”
“Yes sir.”
In an instant, the young woman put her lips on the tip of your cock and plunged her throat down on it. At first, the bops from her head are small ones until she gives you another smirk. Putting her hands on your legs, Gahyeon brought your entire length down on your rod. A bulge could almost be seen in Gahyeon’s throat as she swallowed your cock.
Gahyeon’s sucks began to speed up as you put your hand on top of her head. As you continued to guide her mouth down your length, Gahyeon suddenly stopped and pulled her lips off your cock. A grunt left your mouth as you gave Gahyeon an angry stare.
“Daddy. You said to get it wet so you can fuck my pussy. I think it’s wet enough. Besides, you know you love my pussy more.”
Gahyeon jumped back on top of your lap and lined her pussy up with your cock. A sudden plunge brought back into the familiar feeling of her snatch. Raising her hips, the young woman began to jump on your length. Putting your hands on her hips, you began to help her movements as she continued to fuck herself into your cock.
“Fuck, daddy. I love your cock. No one else can fuck me like you.”
A possessive nature took over as you grabbed Gahyeon’s face and made her look into your eyes.
“What do you mean no one else? Who have you been fucking beside me?”
“N-No one daddy. Just you.”
“It sure sounds like you have been. I better not ever see you fucking another guy. You got that you fucking brat?”
Putting your hand on her neck, the young woman began to look at you nervously as the hold on her neck tightened. Gahyeon’s pussy at that moment began to tighten around your cock as you continued to shove your length into her tunnel. Your speed increased as Gahyeon's eyes began to roll back.
You let go of the grip a bit but Gahyeon pulled you closer and tightened the grip on your hand once more. Seeing she liked it, you did your best to choke her as safely as you can while the girl bounced.
“I’M CUMMING.”
It was sudden but a rush of fluids shot from the girl's pussy as she began to jolt around like earlier. Gahyeon stopped bouncing as she laid her head on your chest. You knew that people were waiting for you so you decided to continue fucking her after a few seconds.
“W-Wait daddy. I j-just came.”
“Well, I didn’t you little whore.”
Throwing Gahyeon back on the couch m. You brought her ass up and shoved your length back into her tunnel. With your hands, you pulled her upper body and put both of your hands on her breasts. Giving her nipples a few small pinches, you pistoned repeatedly into her snatch as the girl yelled. It’s a bit embarrassing as you can already feel your cock twitching but with all the strength you had left, you fucked her pussy as her hands moved all around.
“I’M CUMMING AGAIN!”
Gahyeon gave you a slap to the face by accident but it somehow served as a catalyst for your peak to arrive. As your load shot deep into Gahyeon’s pussy, the young woman suddenly stopped moving as her pussy contracted around your rod. Gahyeon was milking you dry, and you were sure to give her all you had in your balls.
The strength in your body seemed to leave as you both lay down on top of the couch. As you both panted for air, the door to your office opened and the rest of the girls walked in on this scene.
“You two really couldn’t wait?”
The judging tone from Dami made you look down in embarrassment as your girlfriend walked closer to the two of you. Staring the two of you up and down, Dami threw your clothes at the two of you and laughed.
“It’s my day. Gahyeon you lost your day now and I get the rest of today. You better be ready, Kangdae. I’m going to make you so empty that you might cry.”
All of the girls giggled at what she said to you as Gahyeon began to put her clothes back on. She rolled her eyes but nodded her head in agreement with what Dami said.
You haven’t seen Dami give you a smirk like Gahyeon before. Should you be worried?
Guess only time will tell how you feel in the morning.
a/n- Thank you for reading. Thank you to anyone who enjoyed any of my works over this year. To be honest i have been debating if i should retire from smut writing and im still not sure but if i continue my work will just come out very slow. Thank you again.
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what about
nsfw
rain
all by himself
huh
jusy saying
Did someone say transmasc Rain with a breeding kink?
(It was me, I said transmasc Rain with a breeding kink.)
Rain sighs as he shuts the hotel room door, tossing his suitcase on the bed and flopping down next to it. He scrubs at his face with both hands.
It's been a long day, but not an eventful one. Copia had chosen himself and Cirrus to accompany him on this trip, this week long excursion to attend a series of press conferences. To expand the church's reach, Sister Imperator had said. The ghoul were really only needed for the sake of appearances. Not that he really minded; it was nice to get away from the abbey for a bit, to have a change of scenery.
But the nine hour drive to...wherever it is they are now had been tiring. Rain had tried to sleep, Cirrus had tried to read, but Copia had insisted on talking for nearly their entire trip. As much as he loves the Cardinal, Rain thinks if he never has to hear the man's voice again it'll be a blessing. He's impossibly grateful that they all have their own rooms, the silence is golden.
Rain lets himself enjoy it for a long while, basking in nothing but the hum of the air conditioner and the distant drone of traffic. It's soothing, simple white noise that helps to relieve the pressure between his eyes. It's late in the evening and Rain is tempted to simply crash in his clothes, but he knows he'll regret it. He's stiff and sore and the bathtub is calling his name.
He forces himself up after a short while, stretching long arms over his head and letting out a pleased trill when his spine gives a series of pops. Rain clicks on the bedside lamp, taking in the room as he toes off his shoes and shrugs out of his t-shirt. It's nothing fancy; a king size bed with all white linens and too many pillows. Pale blue walls and gray carpet. A low chair with a chest of drawers beside it, a flat screen tv perched on top of them. Standard, but comfortable.
Rain grabs his suitcase, on the hunt for his pajama pants and baggie of toiletries. Hotel shampoo always dries out his hair in a way he can't stand. Dewdrop calls him a princess for it, as though the fire ghoul didn't have a twelve step haircare routine himself. Rain unzips the case and flips the lid.
On top of his clothes sits a small drawstring bag he doesn't recognize, beige canvas. Rain raises an eyebrow as he picks it up, weighing the bag in his hands - not too heavy, whatever it is. Beneath it is a piece of paper, and Rain sets the bag aside. He unfolds the paper and smirks.
In case you miss me.
He'd recognize Swiss's scratchy lettering anywhere, even if the note wasn't decorated with little drawings of hearts and dicks. Rain tosses it on the nightstand and retrieves the bag, pulling it open and dumping the contents on the bed. He snorts.
It's a dildo. Of course it's a dildo. But it's different that the ones he has in his nightstand back at the abbey. Aside from the coloring - sapphire blue marbled with metallic gold, a surprisingly striking combination - it looks, somehow, just like Swiss. Not too long but nice and thick, complete with a fat knot that has Rain's mouth watering.
Suddenly, he isn't quite so tired.
He shoves his jeans and boxers off while he stares at the toy, tilting his head. He thinks about texting Swiss. About asking how he managed to find a piece of silicone that looks exactly like his ridiculously perfect cock. It's a question worth asking, certainly, but the sudden tingling between his legs tells him it can wait.
Rain picks it up as he slides onto the bed, settling against the cool covers and the wall of pillows. It even feels like Swiss, somehow. He squeezes the knot and imagines the sound Swiss would make - a tight groan, one that is permanently etched into Rain's mind. He's heard it so many times, how could it not be? That tingle graduates to a dull ache when Rain brings the toy to his mouth, licking up the length of it. He slides it between his lips and the astoundingly familiar weight of it on his tongue has him groaning.
His free hand skates across his chest, callused fingers catching on soft skin. Rain pinches a nipple as he starts to suck, swirling his tongue over the slightly pointed tip. Just like Swiss's. He's fucking his own mouth in no time, a slow in-an-out that he's intimately familiar with. His other hand travels south while he does, tracing lean muscle and slipping through soft curls. Rain groans around the dildo when he grazes his clit, already stiff and throbbing.
"Fuck, Swiss," he sighs, rubbing slow circles and giving the toy another long lick, "love your cock so much."
It's something he'd never say to the other ghoul, lest his already massive ego inflate even further, but here?
"Feels so good in my mouth," he breathes, sucking at the knot and playing those wonderful sounds back in his head, "gets me so fucking wet, every time."
Rain's fingers slides from him clit, down through his already slick folds. So much wetter than he should be after so little time, but that's always how it goes with Swiss. Rain gasps as he traces silky lips, teasing his entrance. He can't stop running his tongue over the toy's knot, mouthing at it as he slips a finger inside with a soft moan.
"Gonna knot me tonight?" He's panting already. "Yeah, I think you are. Think you're gonna get me all stretched out." Rain adds a second finger - he's already soaked, and the direction his thoughts are going only make it worse. "Get me stuck on it and fill me up, fuck."
Rain moans low in his throat as he crooks his fingers just so, hips rolling when he hits that one perfect spot. The heel of his hand works his clit as he stretches himself, quick and sloppy. Impatient. He's wet to his thighs now, probably dripping onto the bedding. He imagines Swiss's face buried between his legs, lapping at him with that impossibly skilled tongue.
"Shit, fuck," Rain moves his slick fingers back to stroke his clit, "inside, inside, need it."
He should probably feel a little silly begging into an empty room. But when he glides the toy through his folds to get it all wet, when he presses the head into his hungry cunt - all he can do is feel.
Rain isn't slow about it. He can't be, because Swiss wouldn't be. Not in the memory he's reliving. No, this requires a desperate, frantic pace. Deep, rough thrusts that hit all the best spots deep inside him. Rain closes his eyes and pictures Swiss over him - one hand on Rain's lower back, the other on the back of his neck, foreheads pressed together with Rain's legs around his waist. No words spoken, just harsh breathing, the sound of skin on skin and Rain's needy whines at each thrust.
"Swiss, fuck, oh Lucifer." Rain's fingers fly over his swollen clit as he fucks himself hard and fast. Every bump of the knot has him yipping, rocking his hips to meet his own movements. The tangle of arousal in his gut is volcano hot and unfurling fast; all he can see and feel is Swiss, and the cresting wave of pleasure inside him has Rain crying out. "Right there, right there, fuck yes!"
He's so close he could cry, shaking head to toe as he grits his teeth. But he can't cum like this, not tonight. No, tonight he needs -
"Give it to me, Swiss," he pants, thighs trembling, "give me your fucking knot, I need it, I -" Rain moans, high and feminine, arching off the mattress. "Fuck, fill me up, do it."
He's right there, he's right fucking there and his mind and body are filled with nothing but Swiss.
"Breed me!"
Rain cums hard, colors blooming behind his eyelids as he shoves Swiss's knot inside with a strangled sob. It's so close to the real thing he can't wrap his mind around it - can't believe that the image of Swiss's pained face and those choked cries are only in his head. The knot stretches him so wonderfully, the rhythmic clench of his cunt sending wracking shivers through every inch of his quivering body.
It takes ages for Rain to come down, twitching from head to toe as he tries to remember how to breathe. He's sweaty and boneless, his nerves are shot and his head is filled with static. The only thing missing is the heavy press of Swiss's body over his own, the scratch of stubble against his throat. Rain drags shaking fingers through his hair and imagines that's Swiss too.
Eventually he falls back into his own body, so loose and sated that he can barely make himself move. Rain manages to grab his phone off the nightstand, blinking blearily at the screen. His head is still delightfully fuzzy, a cum-drunk grin plastered on his face as he pulls up his texts.
R: hey
S: Hey Rainbow. You make it to the hotel?
R: mmhmm
R: found my present too
S: Ha, surprise! You like it?
Rain considers his options. He could tease, say it's better than the real thing. Or he could say it was ridiculous, that it's almost funny how Swiss is so impossibly full of himself. Or...
Rain cants his hips, spreads himself open and snaps a picture of where he's still stretched around that knot.
R: what do you think?
The phone rings almost immediately, and Rain laughs.
#miasma's work#the band ghost ficlets#though this is basically a full fic lmao#rain ghoul#swiss ghoul (in spirit)#transmasc rain#im not projecting youre projecting
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Aqua Teen Hunger Force #88: "Last Last One Forever and Ever" (aka "Live Action") | May 31, 2009 - 11:45PM | S07E10
This episode starts with the Aqua Teens all bursting into flames after finding out their water has been infected with fire. They try to warn Carl, who is currently farting in his above-ground pool with a stack of dynamite that he moved there so that the ants wouldn’t get to it. Carl ignores his neighbor’s pleas and it ends tragically, with the entire Eastern seaboard exploding.
Then: DAAAAAANG, we cut to a live-action version of the Aqua Teens’ house! it turns out this (and implicitly, every episode of the show) is a story being written by Don Shake, a man in a white jumpsuit that wears yellow dish-washing gloves. He’s played by H. Jon Benjamin. He’s at odds with his roommate, portrayed by T-Pain who vaguely resembles Frylock. T-Pain Frylock has been letting Don Shake slide on rent while he writes his awful stories, which Don promised Frylock a percentage on. Unfortunately, his stories are all bad, and they make him none money.
Shake confers with Frylock’s brownish exercise ball, who sounds like a little guy we all know and know some more. He tries and fails to give Shake guidance. The presence of a sword is established. Shake goes to his job at a bouncy castle house, run by Dr. Weird, whose voice we hear on the overhead system. We also hear Steve. It’s nice to hear from those guys again, isn’t it? Anyway, Carl tries to interfere in Shake’s creative process as well, urging him to add boobs and lesbos. Meatwad is so displeased that he advises that Shake do something to Frylock with the sword.
After a sword-related fake-out, we cut back to the cartoon reality, because Don Shake now knows how to end his story properly. The Aqua Teens are moving out of their house, and Carl is seeing them off, mostly to try and get their VCR from them. As they drive away, Carl solemnly says “truly… they were an Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”. Then he yells at them for leaving the emergency brake on in their u-haul as they screechily drive away. End of episode. End of series?
Live-action Carl was played by David Long Jr., who was selected as part of an open casting-call contest that was sponsored by Burger King. There are a couple of DVD Extras covering this, but I’m not sure if they’re on YouTube. It seems much harder to keep ATHF stuff on YouTube without getting copyright stuck. Try archive.org. I remember him appearing in promos, and I’m guessing the guy made promotional in-person appearances at Adult Swim events. Actually, now that I think of it, I am pretty sure the one promo I'm imagining with him was advertising a college tour that he was bragging about appearing at. Did David Long Jr. come to your college and give you the thrill of your life circa 2009? Please let me know. How did he smell? Better than me?
The live-action set design is wonderful. Meatwad’s room, which is actually Frylock’s exercise room in the live-action universe (he lets Shake sleep there) looks really great. It's sort-of a treat to see a real pile of sand in that closet. I don’t know why, but it is. I’m glad they didn’t chose to tidy up those elements that would make less sense in the live-action world. I would be more interested in visiting the ATHF house IRL than I would the Simpsons house, even though the Simpsons house has much more to explore. But maybe that’s just me.
After some light googling, I found out that this episode almost didn’t air on television; Mike Lazzo was so unhappy with it that it was in danger of becoming a DVD extra or a direct-to-YouTube curiosity. I’m not sure I ever knew that, and vaguely suspect that those claims are over-stated. What I did know was that the episode was actually written to be a series finale. I don’t think they were canceled, per se, but Matt and Dave seemed to be under the impression that they weren’t going to get picked up for more seasons.
I also found out that this episode isn’t very well-regarded among fans? This legitimately threw me, because I’ve always liked this one and thought fairly highly of it. I get it, I guess. It’s different, and it’s light on actual jokes. But you know I respect a St.-Elsewhere-style rug pull. It was a little undone by the fact that the show kept going. But what’re you gonna do? Stop watching cartoons?
MAIL BAG:
which of the original adult swim shows would you show to a date, if you were the dating type
Of course that depends on the date. I have an aversion to the act of sitting a potential partner down to make them watch something to make sure they also like it. BUT: I am also shallow enough to not want to be with somebody if they didn't like certain things. I guess I'd show her Minoriteam so I could find out how racist I'm allowed to be around her.
i dont get the teen vogue joke in your last article, but you seem pretty proud about it so I wonder what's the deal
It feels so long ago, so it's possible I might've even fucked up the reference-to-the-reference. But for a while there Teen Vogue got all popular for being leftist online, I think? I sorta forget exactly the nature of it, but there were lots of tweets like "TEEN VOGUE IS GOOD, ACTUALLY". But then I think they were anti-union or something and it all came crashing down.
Hello, im writing you an ASK ME ANYTHING message to let you know not to upload anything on Tuesday, for it is Tasty Tuesday and you should respect that. Happy February!
You will be pleased to see I heeded your words. Happy Februany.
If you're going to have nothing but Squidbillies for a while, does that mean you might update the 2022 blog in between to dull the monotony?
An interesting proposition but I simply do not know.
I’m enjoying your reviews of aqua teen. I don’t know when YouTube transitioned into a formula of “talk about x thing you like in depth for 7 hours” but your posts scratch that same itch I have. I like the show, dammit! I want to read some guy’s opinions of it, over and over again!
Hey! Thank you. That's nice! I am glad a handful of people read this blog and sorta like it! Plus: I love to speak my mind!!!!!
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“Welcome Home”
• Chapter 9 of “My First.”
See "My First" Chapter list here: My First Masterlist.
• See My Masterlist here: Lssugaluv's Masterlist.
• Chapter 8 link: "From Closures to New Beginnings."
Contains: Family fluff, worries, feelings, family time.
After the what seemed like a long car drive, you finally arrive to Atsumu’s place. He knew you felt a bit uncomfortable and offered you to stay in the guest room. He asked if it was okay if he can sleep with Benji for the night which you agreed on. You asked to shower and he let you borrow one of his t-shirts to sleep. He got Benji ready for bed, and changed him into his Pjs that you had for him in your bag.
The next morning, you woke up to Atsumu on the phone. "So you're telling me that I have to do a press conference?!" Said the man in a frustrated tone. Minutes later, he knocks on your door and asks to speak with you. "I spoke to my representative and he told me that Akira already broke the news about calling the engagement off. She's going off saying I cheated on her. And she already mentioned the press about you and Benjiro."
Atsumu rests his head on the bed stressed out. He continues with, "now I have to go out and explain the situation. But I don't know if I want too." You grab his hand and try to encourage him. "Obviously you don't have to say everything but I do suggest you to go out there. You don't want to seem like a cheater either." You both smiled at one another. Benji gets up from bed and comes to you and Sumu. "Mama, Papa, I hungry." He says as he rubs his tummy. "Let's make pancakes?" Suggests Atsumu.
You guys all entered the dark kitchen and fix up some pancakes. Atsumu couldn't get enough of how adorable Benji is. He also couldn’t get enough of you in his oversized t-shirt. “If I can wake up every morning to this, it'll be amazing." Atsumu quietly says and you simply smiled.
"Hey so I want to know if you aren't busy today?" You asked as you guys were cleaning up. "No, I have practice today at 4 though." You nod your head and as he asks why. "I have to visit the school board today at 12, to see where I will be placed. And then I have a couple of apartment complexes to view." Atsumu eyes shot up bright. "You want me to go with you?" He asks just like an excited little Benji. You giggled and told him no. "I will like for you to watch Benji. Maybe spend more time with him." He liked your suggestion and agreed.
"If I don't come back by 3 to pick him up, please drop him off at my mom's. I'll let her know since I'm going over to change anyways." He agrees and takes both you and Benji back to your parents. He waited for you to freshen Benji up and get his stuff ready. You handed Sumu the bags of supplies and told him everything he needed to know. "Please if you need anything or have any questions call me Atsumu." He laughed hard at you. "Y/n, I'm not some type of babysitter, I'm his dad. Don't worry, everything will be okay." He tried to help your worries go away. "Oh, do not forget to give him his pain medicine for his arm okay."
You gave Benji plenty of hugs and kisses up until he became annoyed. "Y/n it's okay. He will be in good hands." You look at Atsumu with a worried expression. "It's just. I never leave him alone. I only did but with my sister. This is hard." He gave you a hug and laughed at you. "Look at you being all mama bear. At least I know he has always been in good hands." You smile and wave your good byes.
Okay l/n sama, you will be placed in Inarizaki and work as a counselor there." You were so excited, you right away called Maya to tell her the news. "We need to celebrate!" Says Maya. You girls hang up and you meet up with the realtor. He took you to three different apartments. The first one was nice but it was a bit far from work. You needed something close to work, your parents home, and to a day care. You noticed the realtor on a phone call.
"I actually have another place to show you," you go to a very similar apartment complex building. You guys went to the fourth floor. "What do you think of this?" You did like it but you weren't sure. "It has the city view, it's close to your parents home and work. The day care is about a 10 min drive however." You looked around at the rooms. "It does have great space for my baby and I but it may be too much just for the both of us."
The realtor kept trying to convince you. "Well this place does have a play house where you can take your son. There's a spa, a pool, a gym, and they even have food courts!" You then asked for the pricing. That was when your realtor told you that someone was offering this to you. You heard a knock on the door and saw Atsumu and Benji walk in. "So, what do you think?" Says Atsumu with an amused tone. "I had a feeling you were behind this." You say as you lay a hand on your forehead.
"I'll allow you two to talk." And the realtor steps out. "It's nice but it may be expensive." He smiled at you. "I'll take care of the payments." You obviously refused. "Well, it's mine." And you sat there in confusion. " I bought it yesterday, so I owe mine and this one. Mine is on the 6th floor which is the top flooring here." You simply smiled.
"Look, I wanted you to live with me. But with all this commotion I'm having, I knew it was not a good idea. Plus, I already know you will reject my offer. But please, I want you and Benji to stay close to me." You took his offer and spoke to the realtor. "Sell all of your things in America, you will start fresh here." You thanked him by giving him a hug. Your arms were around his waist while your head rested by his chest. "Welcome home!!"
After thought:
Y/n finally settles in. So far everything is going well for her and Atsumu. They both have been focusing all of their attention on Benji. But what about them two? How far will their relationship go?
See you on the next chapter. 🥹
#haikyu fanfiction#msby atsumu#dilfatsumu#atsumu x reader#atsumu miya#atsumuseries#haikyuu!!#adult atsumu#dad atsumu#baby daddy#mom and dad#fluff#love#atsumu fluff#haikyuu boys#haikyuu fluff
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Night Adventures
Premise: Busy with work and raising their son, Max and Sienna struggle to get alone time as a couple.
Book: Open Heart (post series)
Pairing: Sienna Trinh x Max Valentine (M!OC)
Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff.
Words: 2,240
A/N: I’ve been trying to write this fic for almost 3 weeks now, slowly working away at it and I’m finally happy with how it turned out. I wanted to show a different dynamic to Maxenna’s relationship, and maybe role reversal. Hope I succeeded.
Submission for @choicesmonthlychallenge Flufftober prompt “Stargazing” and @choicesficwriterscreations Naughty or Nice event “Date night”. I’m also using Prompt 1 from this week’s @choicesflashfics which will be in bold.
Max Valentine couldn’t remember a time in his life when he had been this busy. Ever since starting his new role, he had learned that balancing his work and personal life wouldn’t be as easy as before. Despite all his experience, this new chapter was daunting. He felt out of his depth for the first time in his career.
It didn’t help matters that he and his wife Sienna seemed like two ships in the night. Between their busy jobs, social engagements and raising their ten-month-old son, they didn’t have time for themselves lately. Or a conversation that wasn’t about Noah, picking up diapers or groceries on the way home or doctor’s appointments.
He missed talking to her. The way they’d sent flirty texts throughout the day about nothing consequential. And yet it was central to who they were as a couple.
He and Sienna needed to make time for themselves, especially after everything that had happened a few months ago. It reminded him of how fragile a relationship could be if you didn’t take the time or make an effort.
“…I’ve updated your calendar with the trip schedule and sent your regrets to the university foundation gala. Want me to email Sienna the updates, or will you handle that personally?”
Celia’s voice broke through his thoughts, and he tuned back into the moment, wheels turning as an idea came to him.
“Email them, please,” he said, straightening in his chair. “Is there any way to clear my afternoon after four today?”
After all these years of working for him, she didn’t ask why just scanned the tablet in her hands.
“The earliest I can clear is at four-thirty,” she said without looking up, “but you have a meeting with your dad at six. It’s the only time he has available this week. I can get that moved to video conference, and you can take it from home.”
“I’ll take whatever you can give me,” Max said, reaching for his phone. “Thanks, Celia.”
Sienna Valentine rifled through her closet, muttering as she pondered what she should wear. Date nights with her husband were always fun, but they also ran the gamut from baseball games to blues clubs to dinners at Michelin-star restaurants.
She held a red dress against her and checked her reflection in the mirror. It was lovely, but was it too dressy?
“What do you think, Noah?”
She glanced down at her son, who was engrossed in nursery rhymes on a tablet while chewing his favorite plushie’s ear. “You’re right. Your daddy said to dress warmly. This dress doesn’t have enough fabric to qualify.”
Max had come home earlier than she’d expected. But, beyond a quick kiss for her and Noah, he’d been sequestered in his home office. She’d put her ear against the door a few times, heard people talking and left him alone. She hadn’t had a chance to grill him about what they were doing tonight.
She put the dress away and reached for a jumpsuit instead. But that didn’t feel right, and she was running out of ideas. This was their first date in so long, and she could feel the pressure.
He’d been right when he said earlier that they needed to make time for themselves as a couple. As far as Sienna was concerned, part of that was driving Max crazy with lust.
He wasn’t the only one with plans tonight, she smirked. Now, she needed the perfect outfit. She was getting desperate and hoped he could put her out of her misery.
Sienna watched the city lights recede in the distance as they left the interstate to take country roads, trees and darkness closing around them. She held a single red rose in one hand. Max lifted her left hand and kissed the knuckle of her ring finger, just above her wedding band and engagement ring.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” She twisted in her seat to face him.
“And ruin the surprise?” he teased. “I think not. I like keeping you on edge.”
He pressed a button to raise the partition between them and the driver. He framed her face between his hands, his thumb stroking her cheek, and she nuzzled against his palm.
“We still have maybe thirty minutes before we reach our destination,” he smirked. “How will we pass the time?”
“I can think of one way,” she teased and straddled his lap. “How about like this?” She teased his lips, the edge of his jaw, quick little kisses. “Or this?” She traced the seams of his lips, and he parted them for her.
When she touched her tongue to his, he groaned and tightened his hands around her waist. He took over the kiss, making her go dizzy from desire. She never wanted this moment to end.
By the time the car stopped, and the engine switched off, Sienna was breathless and languid. When the driver knocked on their door, she scrambled off her husband’s lap, giggling at how she’d forgotten they weren’t alone. Max helped straighten her clothes and smoothen her hair, planting a swift kiss across her lips.
He took her hand and made to open the car door before he stopped. “Some ground rules before we go out there.”
Sienna nodded since it didn’t look like he was opening the door until she agreed.
“We can talk about anything except Noah, parenting, pediatrician appointments and the like. Mrs. B knows how to reach us in an emergency, but you’re not checking in. I love our son, but tonight is about you and me. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed readily.
Their relationship was about more than being parents. What happened a few months ago had scared her enough to make her realize how much she took his love for granted. Relationships were fragile. They needed to make an effort. It was easy to forget that in the daily hustle and bustle of life. Tonight, they were just Max and Si.
Sienna slid out of the backseat of the car after Max and stilled. The sight before her eyes made her heart skip a beat. She felt butterflies in her stomach, tiny flutters like before when everything between them was new.
They were in an open field somewhere in the country. She could see the dark silhouette of trees on either side of a clearing lit up with soft fairy lights and a burning fire pit in the center.
A pair of white tents stood on opposite ends, one with its flap uncovered and two people in serving uniforms standing just outside the entrance. The other tent stood further away, flap closed and shrouded in darkness.
She shivered from the cold October breeze and from anticipation. He draped his arm around her, tucking her to his side and sharing his warmth as they walked over.
“Wow,” she whispered as they got closer to the fire pit.
There was a low table decorated with lamps, cutlery, wine glasses and all the signs of a fancy outdoor picnic. Padded seats and cushions on top of blankets covering the cold ground complete the setting.
“You like it?” he smiled, watching her take it all in.
“I love it,” she whispered, already reaching for her phone to capture this moment. “Every time I think I’m close to finally figuring you out, you end up surprising me.”
“This is just the beginning,” he told her. “There’s a meteor shower tonight, the peak time for this season. It should be starting around midnight. Astrologers say you must be away from the city lights to see it well.”
She swiveled to face him. “How long have you been planning this date?”
“Just today,” he took her hand in his. “Celia managed to clear my schedule for a couple of hours, and I used it wisely. The servers will leave shortly after serving dessert and come back around one o’clock to pack up. Our driver will return then too and take us back to the city. Until then, it’s just you and me and a couple of bottles of an excellent vintage.”
“I like that plan,” Sienna leered. “No wonder you hired a car for tonight. What’s the second tent for?”
“Just in case my wife is in the mood to seduce me,” he winked salaciously, making her laugh when he continued. “It’s too bloody cold this time of year to be doing it outside, Si.”
Max led her to the table, holding her hand as she slipped off her shoes and then took her seat. He scooted in after her, his arm slipped around her, and Sienna lay her head on his shoulder.
They nodded thanks to the server that poured them wine while the other served appetizers. Both servers left them alone after that, retreating to the tent.
“Here’s to us,” Max toasted, tapping his wine glass against hers. “I love you, Sienna. We'll have been married for two years in a couple of months. Every one of those days with you has been an adventure, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
Sienna could feel tears gathering in her eyes. “I love you, Max. I used to worry we came from two very different backgrounds, and you’d see that and find me lacking. But you make me feel so cherished, like I belong. I wouldn’t change anything either.”
They enjoyed their wine and the meal, talking throughout the way they used to; about their day, something they read in the news, gossip about people they knew and plans for their annual Halloween bash next week.
They were finally alone, and Sienna felt replete and pleasantly buzzed from the wine. She gazed into Max’s eyes, enjoying how his fingers combed through her hair before his lips trailed kisses down her face and throat.
“I like seeing you like this, carefree,” she confessed, taking a sip of her wine and leaning back. “Lately, you’ve looked stressed, and I don’t know why. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Work’s been hard,” he said. “I mean, I knew going in that the new job wouldn’t be easy. Becoming COO of a major global corporation is a big deal. I’ve given everything all these years to earn it, to prove I’m more than my name.”
“It’s huge, and everyone knows you deserve it because of what you’ve done, not who you are,” she cut in, placing her hand atop his in comfort.
He smiled in gratitude. “Now that I’m closer to my end goal, the stakes seem so much higher and the pressure intense.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “I’ve also never worked directly under my dad. He was always the big boss and then my boss’s boss. Now I’m part of his leadership team, but also his successor. Whenever I think about that legacy, I worry if I’ll be the Valentine to drive it all into the ground.”
“I’m sorry you’re feeling this way,” Sienna said after a while. “I wish I could help.”
“Just listening helps, Si,” he said, snuggling her close. “It’s only been a few months, and I know I’ll figure it out with time. But I wanted you to know because I’m going to be busier than usual while I do that.” He stared intently at her. “And I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you or our family.”
She was silent as she absorbed his words. “What happened earlier this year…I guess it scared both of us more than we realized. We’ve been tiptoeing around it ever since.”
“Yeah. I thought I’d lost you.”
“Me too,” she said, her voice whisper soft as she remembered the ugly fight, their brief separation. “Do you remember our wedding vows? We both promised each other today, tomorrow and forever. Well, I meant it then and still do. I’m completely in your corner, Max.”
She framed his face between her hands. “You take all the time you need to figure this out. Noah and I will be there for you every step of the way…today, tomorrow and forever.”
Sienna kissed his mouth softly, coaxing him with her tongue until he deepened the kiss. She circled her arms around his neck, falling back onto plush cushions and pulling him down on top of her.
Eager hands roamed over writhing bodies, tearing at clothes, digging into heated skin uncovered by greedy fingers, lips devouring until it became harder to breathe.
Sienna reluctantly let go of his lips, placing her hands on his shoulders. “How long before the meteor shower?” she asked, sucking in oxygen.
He checked his watch. “One hour, give or take ten minutes.”
Sienna pushed him back and jumped to her feet. She glanced over at the tent and then threw him an arched look. “How will we pass the time?”
He came off the ground like a runner hearing the whistle blow, and then she was running, her laughter trailing behind her. Max caught her at the entrance to the tent and threw her over his shoulder to carry her inside.
Later, they lay down in the clearing, wrapped in each other’s arms under a thick blanket and watched shooting stars streak across the night sky. They glanced at each other and laughed.
“This is amazing,” Sienna said, brushing his lips with hers. “But the last sixty minutes? Those were unforgettable.”
He grinned, tightening his arms around her. “Ditto!”
All Fics & Edits: @a-crepusculo @annfg8 @bluebelle08 @cariantha @choicesaddict5 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @headoverheelsforramsey @lucy-268 @jamespotterthefirst @jerzwriter @mysticalgalaxysstuff @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @takemyopenheart @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @trappedinfanfiction @vi-writes-stuff @zahrachoices
Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics
#open heart#open heart choices#sienna trinh#sienna trinh x oc#open heart fanfic#open heart fanfiction#choices fanfiction#choices fic writers creations#cfwc naughty or nice#choices fanfics#sienna trinh x max valentine#romantic fiction#short story
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the items from my recent work trip i'm going to claim reimbursement for, ranked & reviewed:
train fare from the hotel to o'hare - $3 to get from the loop to o'hare in about 45 minutes, the same amount of time it would have taken to drive (without the wait to get an uber or taxi). i support public transit.
parking at logan - but i don't think i green-line-to-red-line-to-silver-line support public transit (i also don't green-line-to-blue-line-to-airport-shuttle support it). $86 which is honestly reasonable for about 40 hours of parking. the sumner tunnel being closed is outside the purview of this review but if it weren't this would rank lower. accidentally parked on the roof during a heat advisory but got back home after dark so it kind of worked out, i think.
one night at a hotel in downtown chicago - hotel was nice enough but the building was about a hundred years old, which means the rooms were small. small enough that the tv was not opposite the bed, which you usually see in most normal hotels. small enough that the bathroom door had to be a double door, opening into the room. smaller rooms than the los angeles biltmore. appreciated that the conference room was above ground. catered food was good. paid $25 to check in early (??????) and this is called an upsell on the bill which i'm sure will make it real fun to justify. but also wouldn't have minded staying two nights. overall like $280 or so.
cab ride from o'hare to the hotel - this took about as long, if not a bit longer, than the train did. driver did not talk to me the entire time, which is a positive. views were uninspiring. $64
potbelly bacon egg and cheese breakfast sub - got this mainly because the line at dunkin was too long. that should've been a sign. $14 for this and an arizona iced tea, but the iced tea is the only thing i finished
items i'm not claiming reimbursement for because they are already paid for, but that i need to mention on the reimbursment form anyway, ranked & reviewed:
flight from chicago to boston: no one sat in the middle seat, so me and the guy sitting in the aisle seat got to spread out. my boss' boss sat two rows in front of me, but i pretended i didn't see her at all and she didn't make conversation with me on the plane or at either airport, which worked out because i was exhausted. read some le carre. got both pretzels and cookies from the flight attendant. could not smell the bathroom, despite being the same seat as below.
flight from boston to chicago: someone sat in the middle seat. flight was at like 8am and i closed my eyes for about an hour without falling asleep because it is a biological impossibility for me to sleep on a plane. opened my water bottle which lead to my water bottle spilling on my pants on account of the pressure difference. also read some le carre but not as much. could smell the bathroom.
items that i bought in and around my recent work trip but can't claim reimbursment for, ranked & reviewed:
hotel bar sazerac: love a sazerac, and this was a good one. i do not mind drinking at hotel bars when the bartenders are actually good at making drinks. i think if i'd ordered a margarita it would not have had much sugar in it. cannot reimburse because of alcohol on a federal grant
limes at wegman's: wegman's has pretty good produce. i needed the limes to make a baked chicken recipe (and a jack rose) on sunday night, both of which turned out alright. cannot reimburse because an item purchased to make food two days after i return is outside the purview of reimbursement for this trip.
iced tea at a o'hare: they only had green tea, but while i prefer black for an iced tea, green is a good change of pace. small size for $4.50 but that's airport pricing for you. cannot reimburse because both breakfast and lunch were provided, we have no reimbursement for snacks, and calling this dinner feels like a stretch.
qdoba burrito: order placed in the logan parking garage and picked up 20 minutes later. exactly as good, bad, and sad as i expected. the guy working there recognized me. won't reimburse because i don't want anyone to see my shame.
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By Your Side (Dieter Bravo x Reader)
By Your Side
Dieter Bravo x Personal Assistant Reader
Words: 2359
Warning:
Author's Note: Yay finally updated..like a month later oops.
Chapter 2
The Ranger Rover drives up to the security gate at NewburyPort Studios. Benny drives through onto the property, stopping at the office buildings.
Dieter was still sleeping. His body leaned against the door, his mouth hung open as he snored up a storm.
You couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of him.
“Di, come on we’re here.” You unbuckle your seatbelt and Benny pulls up in the very front. You grabbed your bag that sat at your feet.
“5 more minutes” he mumbled as he shifted his body in his seat.
Benny had hopped out of the car and opened your door for you.
“Thanks, Benny,” you say as you step out.
“Could you come back around noon? Think we should be done by then.”
“Noon got it. I’ll see you both later!”'' he nodded.
He closed your door for you and headed back into the car.
You walk around the back of the car, to get to Dieter’s side. You opened his door, which startled him awake.
“Come on sleeping beauty we’re here”
He unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out of the car. Stretching his body, he picks up his tumbler cup from the door’s cup holder before shutting it closed.
You and Dieter walked into the building, greeted by the doorman and the woman working at the front desk. You headed towards the elevators. The elevators open up, and the two of you enter inside. You push the button to the 7th floor, where the read-though was being held.
“How long are we gonna be here?” He says as the elevator doors slide shut. The two of you stare at each other reflecting on the door.
“We’re gonna be here till noon, then we’re out of here you”
He huffs, “Alright I’ll hold you to that. If we’re not done EXACTLY at noon, I’m dipping.”
The elevator dings, indicating you have reached level 7. The doors slide open, you walk out leading the way, while Dieter follows close behind.
As you travel around the hallway, you hear a commotion of people as you approach the designated conference room for the read-through.
The two of you walk into the room. There’s a long rectangular table in the middle of the room. Name tags and scripts were displayed at each seat around the table. Around the wall of the room were chairs for the people that weren’t directly needed at the table. That’s where you normally sat in read-throughs.
“Ah, if it isn’t our leading man everyone, Dieter Bravo!” Fletcher Wood, the director cheerfully announces. Everyone’s attention goes to Dieter, giving him a round of applause.
You slowly move, getting out of the way.
“Dieter! How are you?” Fletcher asks, holding his hand out for him to take.
“Hey, Fletcher. I’m okay. Thanks” Dieter shakes his hand.
Fletcher notices you standing off to the side, behind Dieter. He says your name, “ It’s Great to see you!”
“Hi, Mr. Wood.” You smile.
“We’ll be starting here shortly. You can take one of the extra chairs.”
You nodded at him.
“Dieter, there are some people I want to introduce you to!” Fletcher says as he starts to move further into the room.
“Do you need anything?” you ask Dieter, as you take his tumbler cup from his hand.
“Kill me now” he whispers to you.
“You’ll be fine…” You chuckle. “Be nice please”
“I won’t make any promises” he sighs before he leaves you to follow Fletcher to a group of people.
You made your way over to the large table in the center of the room, looking for Dieter’s name tag. Once you found his name, you sat in the chair along the wall that was directly behind his seat.
You checked in your emails and went on social media for a bit.
Not that much after, Dieter made his way over to you. He sat in his chair. He spun his swivel office chair to face you.
“Come sit by me,” he says spinning around the chair next to him
You look up from your phone.
“No,” you say flatly
“And why not?” he crunches his face, giving you a grumpy look.
“You’re annoying” you give a smile.
“Pff, that excuse is getting old. You need to come up with something better” He slouches in the chair, folding his arms across his chest.
“How about, we’re in a professional setting. You’re working, I’m working. We need to be professionals.”
“You’re not working. You’re literally on your phone!” he scoffs
“Yeah, well I’m required to be on my phone because it involves you”
“Can you just sit?” He says pushing the chair next to him slightly towards you.
“I’m already sitting. I’m fine where I’m at. Beside close enough to you”
“Please?” he says softly, in a sincere tone.
You look up at him. He was giving you a soft expression on his face. “Fine…” you huffed.
A cheeky smile creeps on his face, knowing he won you over and he got his way.
You get out of the chair and stuff your phone in your bag that sat on the floor. You take a few steps and then sit down next to Dieter. You both spin your chairs around, facing the table.
He gives you a smug look as he swivels the chair from side to side.
“I swear sometimes I can make you fold like a house of cards, easily…” he chuckles
“Only because you’re my boss. I gotta do what you say right?” you say as you place your hands in your lap.
“No. It’s not that. You go against me all the time, doing the opposite of what I want or ask, but sometimes you let me have my way.”
“What are you getting at?” you furrow your eyebrows at him.
He stays silent for a moment. “It’s just an observation…”
“Since when do you pay attention to anything other than yourself?”
“I can be aware of things”
You scoff. “No, you aren’t! You literally ran into a glass door the other day. Yeah, and you talk about being “aware of things”. You roll your eyes.
“I am aware of things…more than you think”
“Whatever you say, Dieter” you shake your head laughing.
“I’ll prove it to you”
“Okay like what?”
“Well for starters, you-”
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry I’m late!”
A tall, olive skin brunette came strutting into the conference room. Her long hair was styled old Hollywood glam. She wore a black satin slip dress that hugged her frame, paired with heels and dainty gold jewelry. Her eyes were smokey and her lips were colored a bold red.
It was Genevieve Le Blanc. Hollywood’s it, girl. She’s best known for her successful modeling and acting career. The film she’s best known for is The Detrimental trilogy, where she played a deadly assassin.
Dieter is a huge fan of The Detrimental trilogy. You’ve watched it with him on more than one occasion. Genevive Le Blanc was also his celebrity crush.
Dieter’s demeanor changes. He quickly sits up straight.
“Oh fuck, is that Genevieve Le Blanc?” Dieter slides his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose slightly, his mouth gaped open. His eyes widened as he stared at her as she strutted around the room.
You couldn’t help but stare at her either. It's like she stepped off the runway or on the cover of Vogue magazine. She was absolutely stunning.
She was hugging Fletcher, shaking hands with executive producers, and other people working on the production.
“Yeah. Dieter, she’s the female lead…” you whisper
“Since when?! What happened to Margo?” He quickly turned to face you.
“Margo Knight pulled out. Something about scheduling conflicts with other projects she’s a part of”
Geveineve glances in the direction of you and Dieter from across the room. Her eyes light up, smiling brightly and giving a wave. She excuses herself from the people she was talking to and starts making her way toward the two of you.
“Shit, she’s headed this way” he ripped his sunglasses off his face, setting them down on the table. He ran his hands over his body trying to get the wrinkles out of his shirt. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair. He held his hand to his mouth, to see if his breath smelled bad.
“How do I look?! Do I look okay?!” He gives you a panicked look.
“Oh, now you care about your appearance?” You raised an eyebrow.
“Quit fucking with me, I’m dead serious right now!”
“Well… you look hungover…”
“Gah- Why didn’t you tell me Genevieve Le Blanc was going to be in this movie?!” He yells, loud enough for only you to hear.
“I thought you knew they replaced Margo! I forwarded you all the emails; the important ones with information and details the studio sends about the movie.
“You know I don’t read those until the last minute!” He whines.
“Dieter Bravo!” She flashes her perfectly straight white teeth at him. You swear you saw them twinkle.
He quickly stands up from his seat. You do the same. Dieter is rendered speechless. He just stares at her in a daze. You’ve never seen him like this. Dieter Bravo doesn’t get Starstruck ever. Usually, it’s the other way around. People got Starstruck by him.
You elbow his side, hoping it would get him to snap out of the trance he was in.
“Genevieve, Hi” he displays a giddy smile.
You watched him as he stared at her. Slight jealousy and pain pull at your heart. God the way he was looking at her. You wished he’d look at you like that. He looked at Genevieve like she hung the stars and moon in the night sky like she was the most beautiful thing to ever walk the earth.
“Is it okay to hug you? I’m a hugger!” She asks him.
“Y-yes, of course,” He stutters out.
She embraces him in a hug.
“It’s great to meet you! I’m such a huge fan! When I was asked if I wanted to do this role, I took it in a heartbeat once I heard you were the leading man! Congrats on your Oscar win for Hunger Strike, by the way. That was well deserved! God, your acting in that was amazing! It brought me to tears!”
He was flushed red, blushing hard “T-thank you so much! That means a lot coming from you. I’m a huge fan of yours myself” he gushes.
“Thank you!” She notices you standing beside Dieter.
“Oh my god, how rude of me, Hi, I’m Genevieve!” She says pulling you in for a hug.
Introduce yourself to her. “I’m Dieter’s assistant,” you say pulling away.
“It’s nice to meet you!”
“Alright! If everyone can take their seats, we’re going to get started with our read-through of In The Name of Love!” Fletcher Wood announces.
“Looks like I’m sitting next to you!” Genevieve smiles at Dieter.
He looks down at the name tag, “Genevieve Le Blanc” scribbled in big letters.
“See you really aren't aware are you?” you whisper to him.
“Shut up” he says through his teeth, which causes you to giggle as you sit back down at your original chair.
MT: @icanbeyourjedi @sara-alonso @greeneyedblondie44 @hb8301 @alberta-sunrise @spacenerdpascal @ryleyrooroo @reader-s-cantina @nikkixostan @mindidjarin @tintinn16 @harriedandharassed
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How I got a macbook
The short of it is - I rekindled an old friendship about two weeks ago and while we were catching up, I mentioned that I needed a laptop since I was using my sister's own and my friend just offered me his macbook. I collected it later that day and have been using it since.
Side note: lately, I've realized that I don't need to tell stories (as in always relate the bridge of events) even if I think they're really interesting.
Not really piggybacking off my last statement, this is one of my favorites to date because I wasn't even wondering about the bridge of events, I just kept telling myself that I have the laptop.
The long of it is this:
I was at the library where I frequent to do work and pull smalls (a colloquial term for making small talk, but mine personally is always entertaining conversations).
I had a meeting at 1 pm, and I had asked one of the library assistants if I could use the conference room. He assured me that I could, on the grounds that I took pictures with the animals for the conservation exhibit that was going on at the time. I agreed, obviously, and headed for the adult section.
While walking to the adult section, this guy I had blocked back in 2020 because he was high quality garbage called out to me saying, "Hi Selene," and I was like, "Hi Frank," and then I beelined for the adult section because I. Was not. Doing dis.
Y'all, I was in mild panic mode because of all the places to see this dude? The library? Literally, no one goes to this one because it sucks and is in a terrible location. I go there because there aren't a lot of people, the wifi is decent, it's really convenient for my commute and the staff members are all really nice to me.
Why was he there? His sister was in charge of the animal exhibit and he was helping her.
But apparently, I was doing it because he followed me and we started talking. At first, I was like, wtf am I doing, then at some point, subconsciously, I decided we were friends again. The conversation was good and I caught him up on what I'd been doing lately since we hadn't spoken since mid-2020.
Stuff like this has been happening lately. Old, cool friends have been resurfacing, new ones have been appearing, and they all match my vibe these days.
My boss then messaged me to say that she'd be in office for the meeting, if I wanted to meet her there. I complained to my newly remade friend that it's kinda late for her to say stuff like that when I don't have enough time to make it there by one. He simply replied that he was going up on that side, so he could drive me there. Obviously I agreed because I didn't want to travel there.
Good thing too because I forgot the charger and the laptop has no battery. Had I stayed, I'd have had to go back home to have the meeting anyway.
We dipped out of the library at around 12:20 pm, and while we were just catching up in the car, I told him that I'd been using my sister's laptop (ironically, he had given her that laptop). He just told me that he had a MacBook he wasn't using, so I could take it when we came back after my meeting.
I was like, "Are you fucking serious?"
He's like, "Yeah. It's not a problem. I have like two other computers."
And I was like, "Thank you so fucking much, I really appreciate that."
We continued catching up, I went to my meeting, he picked me up after, and we went to his house to get it. I've been using it since, and in fact, it's what I used to write this post.
Also, if you're wondering about what happened to the conference room... I did forget about that. When I went back to the library the following day, the library assistant did complain to me that I set him up, so we're good now.
Onto the manifesting side of things:
I just wanna say that I did get kinda desperate cuz I'd been needing a laptop for about 2 years at that point, but with my job being WFH and I didn't have enough cash for the laptop I wanted (a MacBook, obviously), I kicked my affirming into high gear.
Ya girl was not about to be waiting another six months or indefinitely for what she wanted. Especially since it was messing with my daily quality of life.
I think I was affirming for it for about a week before it showed up, but what I always made sure to do was remind myself that the lack of options in front of me did not affect the manifestation itself.
i.e. I'm gonna get it regardless of what's going on rn.
Anyways, I got it. I wasn't even thinking about what the bridge of events would have been.
Ya fave Moon Babe,
Selene 💜 🌚
#master manifestor#manifesting#manifestation#motivation#law of assumption#loassumption#self concept#neville goddard
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Living with Losing You - 01/05/2023
I am going to CAPTASA!!!
OK, so what I just referenced above is an addiction conference in Kentucky. It happens to be at the end of this month, and it all works out because I need to finish recording too. Plus, I felt like last time I went it was just not enough time. I was only there for about four days. I am definitely excited to be going back, Kentucky has become a second home for me. I’m really grateful for that.
I didn’t up going in the office today which was good. Like I said, we have a lot going on, so it’s been nice to collaborate with people in person. Plus, I have started to go to physical therapy at our Mission Valley location. I mentioned this briefly in the last blog or a blog prior, but I’m feeling hopeful about my back.
It was raining pretty hard today, so driving home was a little bit scary. It’s funny because I thought leaving at the time I did give me ample time to avoid traffic and hopefully most of the rain, but I caught all of the traffic and the heaviest of rain. To the point where I felt like my car was gliding. I was grateful that I made it home safe. I worked from home for a couple hours, and then I met some of the team at Puesto and we had dinner together. It was really nice to talk to them and have a productive and fun time.
After that, I headed home, and just relaxed. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this, but the TV has not been working, and it’s been driving me crazy. I have tried almost everything, unplugging the TV, unplugging the router and resetting it, ran putting the Wi-Fi password, etc. Literally nothing is working and it just started when I got back from my trip. Truly #firstworldproblems.
Anyway, I’m glad tomorrow is Friday, and I have a couple things I need to do (besides work). I need to pick up Logan from school, and then I plan to go to Steele for practice.
Still have not bought my flights in/out of Kentucky yet, because I don’t know how long I want to be there for. Need to figure that out.
Miss you goober.
Rest In Peace, James Burton Nichols
10/1/1993 - 7/16/2022
Ps I also did a version of “Look at me now” with my portable mic I bought but I don’t think I should post it on here (lol) but I know I did you proud.
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Headshot
CONTENT WARNING: major violence, like MAJOR violence and graphic depictions of injuries. Read tags for further warnings.
—————
Anthony has had frequent visits with the dean at school. After the first few weeks, they stopped trying. Even the principal just gave up after a whole year’s worth of detention. Nothing changed in his behavior.
For the teachers, it was especially nerve racking when the infamous founder of the Avengers stalks into their classroom for a teacher conference about his behavior. Nick Fury wasn’t the most reactive to it, maybe a few stern glances his way, but no real punishment.
So, whenever Anthony did something outrageously violent and very abnormal for a kid his age and for his build, they would tell him to go to the office and stay there for a few hours to cool down. He would either go back to class, or be told to wait until the end of the school day and leave with everyone else.
Nick Fury enrolled him in the school with a note saying
‘Sorry in advance for the destruction. I’ll pay for it.’
And he was right to send it. It didn’t take long for the teachers to recognize that Anthony was some sort of superhuman. For his peers? They all passed it off and played it cool. They would say the walls were very thin, so any student could be thrown through them. After awhile, everyone learned to avoid eye contact with him at all costs and don’t go anywhere near him. They called him ‘Anthony Fury,’ for that reason. His infamous short temper with no relation to Nick Fury, as no one knew anything about Anthony and his legal guardian.
Look at him the wrong way, and he can lift you up without a second thought by the collar of your shirt and throw you back quite a distance. After awhile, everyone at the High School got used to it, but the teachers never did. They knew more than the students, but Fury commands they keep quiet about it. Besides, he’s a senior now, he’ll be gone before they know it.
After Anthony picked up and threw a kid through a wall during lunchtime, the supervisor immediately sent him to the office to cool his nerves as they rushed the nurses to the other student’s side. Any major injuries caused by Anthony had to be reported to the parents, but it was reported to them in a vague way. They would never reveal his name and would say he’s been expelled and is being dealt with by law enforcement and they will call if they are needed. None of that is ever true. It was by Nick Fury’s request that any damage Anthony caused be covered up for the time being.
Anthony, knowing how this goes by now, exhaled sharply and made his way down the hallway, heading to the office. Most, if not all the students lingering in the hallway looked to the floor and pressed themselves against the lockers as far away from the storming teen as they could.
When Anthony arrived, he sat down in his chair as usual, the staff at the front desk didn’t ask questions and let the teen sit down and pull out his phone.
—————
The teen lifted his head as the final bell ringed, signaling the end of the day. He threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder, holding his phone in his free hand, and pushed the door open, leaving the office and off outside.
Lord, save me.
A black truck was parked to the far side of the building. Inside the truck was none other than the man himself. Anthony immediately lowered his head, pulling up his hood, and stormed over to the truck, gritting his teeth.
Nick Fury rolled down the window, as slowly as he possibly could with a blank expression.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” The teen snapped, gripping the edge of the open window,
Nick had one hand on the steering wheel, he had his other arm resting on the back of his car seat, “I’ve decided I’m driving you home today,”
“Why?!”
“Because,” Nick began with a stiff head tilt, “it’s a Friday and we’re going to take a nice drive around the city together,”
Anthony groaned, shoving his head into his hands, “Is this about that kid today?”
“I didn’t check my emails today, but thank you for telling me. We can talk about that when you get in the car,”
“Nick!”
“Anthony, you’re making this a bigger deal than it has to be,” Nick tapped the steering wheel with his finger, impatiently, using his free hand to adjust his eye-patch.
“I specifically tell you not to pick me up-“
“Well, today is special,”
Anthony pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply through his teeth, “You look shady as fuck with these tinted windows pulling up at a High School!”
Nick raised a brow, his grip firm on the wheel.
Anthony didn’t fucking dare look behind himself, he could feel eyes on him. He had to pray to any god that would listen that no one payed any mind to the literal Avenger’s founder that’s picking him up from school. No doubt about it, some people from their angle probably saw Nick, but will play it off as a trick of their mind.
The teen exhaled slowly, staring at the ground blankly. Nick waited. There was a pause.
With a defeated sigh, Anthony opened the door to the passenger’s seat and climbed in, closing the door behind himself. He threw his backpack into the back seat and sat there, arms crossed.
Nick hummed, and turned forward, pulling away from the school and onto the road.
—————
It was a silent, awkward drive, as it always was when Anthony had to travel by car with Nick. He didn’t listen to music when he was driving, so it was just… silence.
Deafening silence.
Anthony tried mirroring Nick’s stern look as he stared ahead at the road. He still had his arms crossed and his brows furrowed, staring at the road ahead. However, it was impossible to match that stoic mask Nick always wore.
Silence…
“So, you’re growing up-“
Anthony groaned and leaned back in his seat, “Really?”
Nick clicked his tongue to his teeth, “We need to discuss this, this is a very important talk to have-“
“While we’re driving?!”
“Look,” he raised a hand, his eye still glued on the road, “I get that we already had ‘The Talk’ but this is a different talk. You’re superhuman, Anthony-“
The teen scoffed, “Never would have guessed-“
“Listen to me,” Nick said, sternly, “this is getting harder and harder to cover up. You wanted a normal teenage life, so I’m trying to give you options for one. I have you bank account and I’ve deposited a few loads of money. For anything you could possibly need if and only if you decide to leave for college,”
He turned his head to take a glance briefly at Anthony before turning his head forward again and continuing,
“Tony,” he shook his head, stiffly, his face still blank, not giving anything away,
“You need to control yourself,” that earned another annoyed groan from Anthony, but Nick continued regardless, “we need to work on these powers, alright? No getting out of it. This is important for you,”
“I know how to use my powers!” The teen raised his voice ever so slightly, gritting his teeth and gripping his biceps, his arms still wrapped tightly around himself,
“You know how to use them, you need to control them-“
“How the fuck do you control superhuman strength?! I would like to know!”
Nick narrowed his eye, not making eye contact, “Anthony Rossi, I don’t approve of your attitude-“
“You literally don’t even try to be my parent so I don’t even have to say it,” the teen snapped,
Nick exhaled slowly through his nose, his grip tightened on the wheel. His nose wrinkled as his lips lifted into a nasty scowl,
“I am trying to help you. This anger, you need to find a way to control it. I can’t constantly cover up for you, so I’m giving you options,” the man tried to keep his voice level, but it was getting harder and harder to do so,
“I’m trying to keep your powers undercover. We don’t want anymore scientists getting ideas on making more superhuman serums. It’s dangerous, and life changing. You understand more than me,” he sighed.
Anthony didn’t respond. He was turned away, staring out the tinted window and only looking at Nick through the reflection.
“Use your powers for something worthwhile,” Nick finally said after a short pause, turning the wheel, “not for backyard fighting.”
The teen stared out the window as they drove by building by building. He knew where they were going and he didn’t want to go, but Fury still had work to do and he wasn’t about to leave Anthony unattended someplace else. Yes, Anthony did have a room in the tower all for himself and it was technically his home, but even after a few years, he’s still not entirely used to it. He wasn’t sure how to describe it… it was something… uneasy. He just hated how loud it was sometimes, how bright it was because of the thousands of windows-
Well, as they always say, there’s no place like home.
—————
It started at a nearby plaza. A group of four people pulled guns out of the back of a van and opened fire.
Fifty were wounded, ten were already dead.
The people were scrambling for shelter in stores, the managers and clerks ushering people inside as they locked the stores to take cover.
They kept shooting, even with no people in sight. Shooting at the sky, at lamp posts, at store signs and steel doors to scare the civilians inside with loud cracks and booms.
One of the gunman was sitting in the back of the van, reloading their pistol as his companions laughed and joked, firing their guns with loud shots.
The van shakes.
The gunman inside froze.
The laughing outside stopped.
There were shots fired and a shout.
The sound of something hitting the ground with a loud thunk.
Another battle cry was heard, but cut off mid scream.
Another thunk. The sound of a body collapsing on concrete.
Faint incorrect whimpering and begging.
It turned to shouting for mercy.
Another thunk.
The man inside the truck didn’t dare move another muscle. He felt the blood pumping in his ears.
The truck rocked again.
Step… step… step…
Footsteps from on top of the vehicle.
The truck bounced up again.
Silence…
The gunman was frozen. He waited. After hearing nothing for a good few minutes, he loaded his pistol with a click.
He got up, crouching and slowly stalking towards the opening behind the van. He narrowed his eyes, it was dark out, only the bright light of the lamp posts bouncing off of faded grey concrete kept the plaza from pitch black darkness.
The man leaped out of the van, pointing his gun in all sorts of directions. He called out…
Nothing…
He looked around for his group…
No one,
No bodies,
Nothing.
He seemed to be alone.
He was walking backwards towards the front of the truck, pointing his gun this way and that. His breathing sped up. He used a free hand to feel for the van door. He grabbed the handle and yanked it open-
The man was pulled backwards by a pocket chain around his neck. The man thrashed and kicked, grabbing at his throat with his free hand, trying to find the chain around his neck to pull himself free. He was helpless.
He dark, looming figure tightened his hold on the chain and pulled back. However, the man wasn’t done fighting, he held his pistol with a shaky hand and fired it to the ground.
The bullet ricochet off of the concrete and fired back up on an angle into the man’s leg. The man let out a scream and toppled to the ground as the looming figure jumped back, the chain slipping off of his neck.
The man panted and clutched his leg, dropping his pistol. He fell to the floor, groaning.
The Tangle Web clipped his pocket chain back on his pocket and stepped forward, staring down at the wounded man. The blood from the bullet in his leg spewed everywhere and into the small crevasses of the concrete, creating a thick, dark red puddle where he lie.
The man was rocking back and fourth, staring up at the masked vigilante. He lifted a hand, his palm up, shaking violently. He was whimpering and muttering apologies, begging.
The Tangle Web stared at the man for a moment longer before yanking him up by his shirt collar, the man’s knees dragging on the concrete.
The man screamed and begged, eyes wide with fear. The masked vigilante opened the van door and tossed the man against the opening, their head falling into the cushion inside. The man tried crawling out before The Tangle Web slammed the van door onto his head,
Again,
Again,
Again,
Again,
And again,
Over,
And over,
And over.
The masked vigilante opened the door wide, the unconscious man falling to the ground, limp and unmoving.
The Tangle Web stared at the limp man, it was impossible to see what was going on behind that mask. His shoulders heaved up and down, chest expanding and falling heavily like he had just run five marathons in a row.
The masked vigilante grunted, taking a few steps back.
His open gloves palms clutched into fists.
—————
The next day, on the news, four criminals responsible for the shooting at the plaza were found tied up and hanging from a large web at the plaza. The web was hanging from a lamp post and a nearby building, covering almost the entirety of the plaza.
One man was dead and suffered from severe head trauma. A van door was found with his blood on it and a pool of blood was found at the tires.
Three of the men are being held in the hospital in critical condition.
#Tangle lore#The Tangle Web#Anthony Rossi#universe 67889 nick fury#writing#tw violence#tw guns#tw fighting#tw graphic#tw mentions of violence#tw gun mention#tw gun violence#tw blood#tw injuries#tw major injuries#tw head trauma#tw graphic violence#tw mentioned shooting#tw heavily implied shooting#tw swearing
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The Devil’s Lawyer - Bonus Part 8
Matt Murderdock x Nice Lawyer Reader : Cat POV edition ! (Bonus part 7 here)
(My second favorite POV. Because like Matt, I love cats)
The man was standing in the middle of the alley, blocking the only possible exit. The light shone on his back, making his shadow huge, and yet Cat thought he could see his red eyes.
He would realize later that it wasn't eyes.
Cat was not called "Cat" yet.
He had had many names in the past, long forgotten, given by his previous Masters before they betrayed him, hurt him and abandoned him, leaving him alone out in the cold.
For several years, Cat had been fending for himself. Despite his age, he had fought like a beast to conquer a vast territory, where there were the best dumpsters and places that were warm and dry enough to sleep.
And now there was a new predator.
Cat knew humans well. He was suspicious of them, with good reason. When he noticed the man's cane, he wondered if he was like those who had already humiliated him by fooling him with food, before beating him, laughing like the monsters they were.
Never again.
So he remained crouched in the shadows, certain that the man could not see him. None of them moved.
After a while, Cat decided he should try to run away. He was no coward. He could run between the man's legs. He had done it before, several times, savouring the distant cries of the idiots as he went to take refuge elsewhere.
The man did not shout. With one hand, with a swift movement, faster than Cat had ever seen, he grabbed him.
Of course Cat struggled. But the scent of the man was strange. Scary. He was smelling like blood, and death, and danger. Sadness too. Cat know that scent well. He realized that if he bit him, he might die.
But Cat was no coward. So he bit anyway.
The man sneered, but he didn't kill him. Almost gently, he patted his head, taking him with him.
Knowing he had no way to escape, Cat let him.
The apartment was cozy. Hot. The milk and food were good. The sofa was comfortable.
"Hmm. My darling might not like you on the couch." the man realized before picking him up and putting him on his lap. Cat let him. He had no chance against this predator.
But Cat relaxed a little. He felt that they understood each other. That the man was not going to hurt him.
The apartment smelled good. A mix between the scent of man and another one, a sweeter scent. It was his territory. The man was an Alpha. And he accepted that Cat was here.
The problem with humans was that the whole pack could make decisions, and obviously the sweet scent belonged to the man's mate.
Darling, or Y/N, looked surprised when she saw Cat. She asked the man, Matt, what he was doing here. Cat was wondering the same thing.
He waited for her verdict. Because he knew that mats and litter often decided the fate of animals. He had suffered from it, a lot.
But Y/N let him stay. How kind.
Several times she tried to touch him, and he pushed her away, but never hurt her. He didn't trust her. And he didn't know if Matt would like his mate to touch him. Predators like him were very territorial. They already shared the apartment.
Obviously Y/N was smart. She didn't insist, or not too often. As soon as he hissed, she stopped, without getting upset. She even smiled, saying he looked a lot like Matt.
Yes, Cat already knew that. They were two predators, two Alphas, they understood each other.
It took several weeks, and a conference in another State, for Cat to realize that he had been wrong.
"I don't understand why you have to leave." Matt said, with a weird little voice.
"Honestly ? Me neither. This conference isn't really important. But Karen insisted. I think she wants us to spend some time together. It's the perfect weekend."
"...I could come with you."
"Oh, yes, Karen will be delighted ! Please, you'll be bored, Matt."
"I will be with you."
"The drive takes seven hours. I remember the last drive out of town. Then the hotel..."
"I can afford a luxury hotel."
"The hotel is horrible, we only have one room, with only one bed."
"...You're going to sleep with Page ?"
"I'll take a shower before going home."
"You're going to spend seven hours with her in a car."
"Well, I'll take a second shower when I get there, with you."
Despite all his protests and Matt's sad look, Y/N kissed him before leaving, reminding him that she would be back home soon, and promising to call him.
That day, Cat understood that Matt was not the Alpha of the apartment. Nor of the relationship.
It was Y/N.
Throughout the weekend, his new Master was miserable.
Oh, he wasn't crying, not like Y/N when she wondered where he was. At the same time, she had the right to be afraid, since she didn't know where Matt was.
Matt knew where Y/N was.
He knew when she was coming back. As she had promised, she called him several times a day, when she wasn't texting him. Each time, Matt threw himself on his phone and he clung to it like a mad man, his ear glued to the cell, listening to his mate's voice, since he couldn't really be near her.
The rest of the time, he spent several hours wandering around the apartment in silence, or lying on the bed, his head in her pillow, which smelled like her.
Cat didn't judge him. He remembered how he was every time his previous Masters abandoned him. Even when used to it, it hurt. Deply. Because each time, he had decided to trust them, he had loved them, and he had really thought that they would keep him.
Matt was feeling like that now. Even if Y/N said she was coming back. So Cat stayed next to the man, purring on his laps to help.
On Sunday evening, Cat felt nervous, still standing close to Matt. They were both waiting.
What if Y/N didn't come back ? If she had left Matt ?
Cat didn't like that idea. He rubbed his head against his Master's arm, in solidarity and comfort.
Suddenly, Matt jumped up to stand in front of the door. Then Cat heard the keys. Before that, nothing. He would never have known that Y/N had arrived.
His Master's sense of hearing and smell were truly impressive.
"Oh Matt." Y/N sighed, smiling as soon as she saw him, passing her hand on his cheek before kissing him. "I'm back. I'm here."
The Alpha had returned.
Matt was happy.
And strangely, Cat was too.nHe didn't like his Master being so miserable.
Lying on the sofa, he listened to them while they were in their bed, happy to be together, Matt doing everything to mark her, with his smell and his teeth, which made her laugh and moan with pleasure.
When they were done, Cat slowly made his way into the bedroom, settling against Y/N.
This startled her, he felt it. So he didn't move, waiting. Then she put her hand on him and he relaxed, purring slightly.
"Matt, loo... I mean, Cat's here !"
"Hmm." growled his Master, not moving, his face in his mate's neck.
"He lets me touch him ! He... Do you think he's sick ?"
"He missed you too." mumbled Matt, who was already almost asleep. He hadn't slept all weekend.
Y/N didn't seem to believe that Cat had missed her. She was right, it wasn't entirely true.
Even though he was starting to like her, Cat was mostly worried about his Master. Matt couldn't stay without Y/N, like Y/N couldn't stay without Matt. Each time they felt bad, and he had to let them cuddle him.
One of the best moment of the day were when he found himself alone, being able to enjoy the calm of the apartment.
But since they couldn't live alone, Y/N ended up wondering if it wasn't the same for him.
"He may want to meet other cats. A cat lover maybe. A cat lawyer, whom he would have met in the court of cats. Then he would terrorize them..."
"I didn't terrorize you."
"He'd follow them around, and he'd end up winning their heart, by being annoying and too cute."
"Cat is fine on his own. And I'm not cute."
Matt knew him well. He was a feline disguised as a human. So in a way, he already had a cat "friend". That was why Cat recognized him when he was transformed and so tolerated him around him.
But the Alpha had the last word, as always. As it was out of the question to let him out alone, they were afraid that he would run away or that he would think that they were abandoning him, as they could not leave the door open and they were on the fifth floor, Y/N found a group of cat owners, who were meeting to allow the animals to socialize.
To support him, Matt accompanied them.
"He hates it."
"You mean you hate it, Matt."
"No. The place is awful, the people are awful. I guess the cats are okay."
"I want Cat to have friends. You know, friends ? He can't end up like you, you're a bad example."
"I have lots of friends."
"Oh ? Who ? Give me a name other than mine or one of your ninjas."
"... Nelson."
"Good. Tell me the last time you saw Foggy for anything other than work or talking about me."
"... Cat and I don't like this place. Let's go home."
Indeed, Cat did not like the place.
Every time Y/N tried to push him towards the other animals, he returned to settle on Matt's legs, who let him do it, surrounding him with his protective arms.
Being stubborn, Y/N forced them back several times, claiming that Chat was just being shy.
Cat was not shy. He didn't need friends.
All the same, he noticed an interesting cat, which smelled good. But without knowing why, he didn't dare approach them. He could have. He was not afraid.
But this time, without thinking, he jumped on Y/N and pressed his head against her stomach, purring very loudly. This surprised her. Matt too.
Shit.
"...What's happening to him ?" she asked, stroking him gently.
"I think he spotted a potential friend."
"Oh ! Then why isn't he going ?"
"I think he's afraid you'll sad and jealous."
"... What ?"
"Darling. You forget you got mad and cried a lot because you thought I left with Black Cat. In front of him. He's not stupid."
"... We're going back home."
Cat was a little scared after that that his Master would be furious with him.
Y/N too. The Alpha was smart, she knew her mate well. She asked him if he was going to be jealous, and if she should be worried about the cat's safety.
"No. Cat is our cat. He stays."
"So a cat is okay, but a child..."
"Darling. Never."
"I'm just trying to understand your logic."
Like every time he knew he wasn't going to win, Matt kissed Y/N to shut her up. And as always, as soon as they were finished, Cat came to settle between them in the bed.
In the morning, then came his favourite time of the day, when his Masters woke up slowly, lazily stretching, Y/N patting his head saying "Hello little baby !" before doing the same with Matt calling him "Big baby", which made him growl, then purr. Cat wanted it to last forever.
Unfortunately, there was what the humans called "work" and so they had to leave.
Although he always loved the quiet moments when he was alone, Cat then stood guard, protecting the apartment, and eagerly waiting for his family to come home.
The only intruders accepted were the Spider girl, her Spider friends, the quiet bald ninja, and the loud Foggy guy.
Tonight, while Cat was alone with her, Nelson called Y/N to ask her where she was, if she hated him, and what he had done to her to make her trap him like that, by offering him a drink for him to found himself alone with Murdock in a bar.
"He likes you. You're his buddy."
"He's going to eat me :" Foggy said on the other line of the phone.
"He can hear you, don't give him an idea. I had a hard time convincing him to agree to go and have a drink with you. Have fun !"
"He said you were cruel, because you didn't make your Cat do this."
"Foggy, go drink with Matt !" she ordered, hanging up, smiling proudly while drinking her tea and stroking Cat.
His Master's Alpha was as dangerous as he was. Well, his Alpha too. Their were a pack now. And he loved them both.
#daredevil#matt murdock#matt murdock x reader#matt murdock imagine#matt murdock fanfic#matt murderdock#dark Matt#earth 65#lawyer reader
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Kid!MC/Teen!MC Needs someone to go to Parent Teacher Interviews for Them and Guess Who’s Available?
Masterlist
The brothers being bad babysitters/dad figures is something I love very much, I bet you all could already tell that considering the Fic/Headcanon series I have going on. I would just like you all to know that Asmo’s section is based on a true story. Anyhoo~ onto the Headcanons!
Why? Why Him? (Lucifer)
Is MC really dumb, or are they just a kid? No one knows.
Obviously MC asked Lucifer, the only competent one in the house, the most professional, hard-working, controlled-
MC got their things together and gave Lucifer the run down on their teacher(s) before Lucifer got too absorbed in extolling his own virtues in an intense internal monologue.
News flash Lucifer, this isn’t a Shakespeare play, you can’t have a dramatic monologue or soliloquy about how great you think you are
At the actual meeting, if MC is in there, no, MC is not actually in there. Lucifer will speak to the teacher as if MC isn’t there. As someone whose not a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down kind of person, Lucifer expects the teacher to behave the same and not spare MC’s feelings.
Feelings do not deserve to be spared if MC is being a nuisance. No fake-kid/little sibling of his gets to be the class idiot!
If MC’s doing very well academically, he expects to be pointed at projects or tests they’ve done and the grade on it. It really makes him proud to see MC doing well.
Even if they’re not the best academically, if they’re not failing and they’re doing well in other aspects of school, he’s proud.
If MC really struggles in a school environment and just hates it there but they’re still keeping their head above water, they get a head pat of approval.
On the drive home, if MC came with him to the parent teacher interviews and everything went well, he just happens to turn onto the street that has a Baskin Robin’s or something of that caliber.
If they didn’t go, he picks something up on the way back.
No fun treats if MC is being a disruptive little heathen in class, no kid under Lucifer’s care is going to be the class Mammon. Not on his watch.
MC was busily stuffed their face with the treats that were gifted to them. Lucifer had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes at the kid’s blatant disregard for basic table manners when it came to sweets.
“Is everything the teacher said true?” Lucifer asked, MC looked up at him with a smile.
“Yep!”
“Good, good.” Lucifer held out his hand and patted them on the head. “You’re doing well. Keep it up.”
“Geez,” MC mumbled as they continued to stuff their face. “Can you get anymore affectionate?”
“Don’t be sarcastic, MC. It’s uncouth.” Lucifer said sternly. “Besides, I’ll have you know that many people enjoy my headpats. I’m quite affectionate.”
“Really now? Name one person.”
Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He and MC stared each other down, one pair of eyes much more nervous than the other. Spoiler, MC was still calmly eating their treat as they maintained eye contact.
“…Cerberus.”
“If you’re reaching for Cerberus, you’ve already lost.”
…his pride was under attack. Right in front of his desert…
“You’re grounded.”
“Worth it.”
*Rides by on a Skateboard* School is for NERDS (Mammon)
Pff! Stupid human! He’s not goin’ to some lame parent teacher conference-
Wait! What’s with that face?! Ugh… fine. MC’s gone and forced his hand with those damn puppy dog eyes…
Mammon does not dress up for this event, he dresses like he would every day, maybe throw on some designer stuff to let all the parents and teachers know he’s hot shit.
If MC goes with him, he pulls up in his beloved car and takes up two parking spaces (pure evil.). Every parent present already hates him, but at least the other kids there are impressed with MC’s sweet ride. MC would have gained some street cred if Mammon hadn’t managed to trip up the stairs to the classroom in front of everyone.
He’ll act way to casual with the teacher, turning the parent chair backwards and sitting down so he can lean on the seat.
Mammon gets bored crazy quickly while the teacher lists and explains all the stuff the class is learning, so his eyes begin to wander to any and all displays in the classroom. Projects, annoying posters, class pet, anything is more interesting than this teacher’s explanation.
When MC finally becomes the main topic of the interview, he’s all ears. MC’s doing great in school academically? Ha! Nerd! Maybe giving MC a playful noogie and interrupting the whole interview wasn’t a good idea, but whatever.
If MC’s failing anything, or just isn’t that gifted when it comes to grades, it’s very much a “Aw man me too” from Mammon.
This teacher is speaking with the Great Mammon, the first demon in RAD’s history to fail three semesters in a row. If this teacher thinks bad grades will phase him, they’re dead wrong.
Grades don’t mean anythin’ about smarts anyway! I mean, look at him! He’s a fuckin’ genius but he can’t get through a history test without sobbing even though he LIVED THROUGH MOST OF IT.
MC gets treats no matter what’s up in class. Though, if MC didn’t go with him, he’s likely to forget and just order something for the two of them when he gets back home.
“Goddamn teachers and their rambling!” Mammon whined, grabbing a slice of pizza from the open box on his coffee table. “You owe me, MC! Ya really do!”
“Yeah yeah yeah.” MC said, they leaned over and rolled a pizza slice into a pizza-scroll then proceeded to eat it like a veggie roll. “How do you think I feel, listening to them every day? You know how long it takes to get to the actual class material?”
“Five years?”
“Ugh! Five years if I’m lucky! I swear, I know more about my teacher’s grievances with like… five of my classmates than I do about trigonometry, and guess which one’s on the test next week?”
Mammon winced in sympathy, then remembered he was supposed to be whining and went back to it. “School’s shit and a waste of money, ya should drop out as soon as you can and help me run my new business.”
“You mean your pyramid scheme?”
“It’s not a pyramid scheme, MC! It’s legit! It’s a multi-tiered marketing-”
“It’s a pyramid scheme.”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SOCIAL INTERACTION (Leviathan)
Everyone else must have been sick or something for MC to have asked Levi. He’d flat out refuse to go otherwise.
So, Levi couldn’t exactly go to the interview in his usual “I haven’t left my room or changed clothes in eight weeks” look. With the help of MC, he was able to find his military uniform at the back of his closet.
Asmo nearly fainted when he saw Levi in the uniform, not because “oooo, a man in uniform~”, it was because the outfit was so crumpled and wrinkled that it made it physically painful to look at. No time to iron and wash, the conference was in an hour!
Levi (and MC if they went with) rolled up to the school in a less than impressive ride, but one look at the uniform and all the other people present went “yep, time to be respectful (tm)”
For the first time in his life Levi was more intimidating than Lucifer! And he wasn’t even trying!
When the teacher starts explaining the course material, Levi spaces off in horror as he realizes he remembers literally nothing from school (AND HE’S STILL IN SCHOOL!) all that’s running through his head is “A squared + B squared = C squared” and “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”.
The actual interview was the least interesting part of the trip, the real stuff happened when Levi passed by some art on display in the hallway and something caught his eye-
Those colours… that hair… that adorable smile..!
IT WAS HER! LEVI’S PRECIOUS RURI-CHAN IN ALL HER GLORY!
Levi immediately started fawning over the art class fanart and by sheer coincidence, one of the kids walking through the hallway happened to notice.
The kid asked MC if their… parent and or guardian liked anime. MC responded with “obviously.” Levi then asked the kid if they drew his adorable Ruri-chan. The kid said no, and that they drew the My Hero Academia fanart a few rows down.
Levi was absolutely floored that there were two anime fans in one class, then his entire world shattered when MC explained there was more anime art inside the art room and other classrooms.
H-hang on… did that mean that… a lot of people here… liked anime..?
Levi needed a while to process. No snacks on the way home…
Levi and MC were sat in the back of their Uber, Levi, the Avatar of Envy himself, was having his entire sense of reality warped. S-so much anime fanart… in a school of all places..! What did this mean for the future of anime?!
“Levi. Stop.” MC sighed. “If this were an anime, the camera angle would be doing that thing where it’s right on the bridge of your nose and dramatic music plays in the background.”
“S-so many kids in your class like a-anime huh..?” Levi stuttered, weakly trying to smile. “Must be nice..?”
“Oh, that’s just my class. The other classes and grades have their fans too.”
“Oh… really?”
“Levi,” MC stopped looking out the window and looked at the otaku that was having a full scale silent mental breakdown. “Anime isn’t even a niche interest anymore. It’s a pretty casual thing to watch now. At least a third of my class watches- Levi?”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH! ANIME! A THIRD OF THE CLASS?! ANIME… HIS PRECIOUS ANIME… WAS BECOMING A NORMIE INTEREST! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
“Levi?” MC waved their hand in front of their spaced out demon’s face. “Leviiiii? Okay he’s dead.”
The Know it All (Satan)
Ah, a smart choice, MC. Satan would be glad to help further their education. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure that the human’s brain is fed all that sweet sweet knowledge.
Satan can’t dress himself normally, MC had to coax him into a suit jacket, but he still only wore one sleeve.
MC was coming along to the interviews whether they wanted to or not, it’s important to hear what they need to improve on from the teacher themselves after all.
The two arrived pretty early, so Satan asked MC for a tour of the school. It was pretty tame until they reached the library. Satan was horrified at the state of some of the books…
Their spines lined with duct tape… pages missing and torn… someone apparently used a taco as a book mark…
The first thing Satan does when it’s time for his interview is demand the teacher take better care of the library, even though they’re not the librarian. MC tries to explain this, but Satan is too distraught to listen to reason.
He enjoyed hearing about the course material, but he made it known if MC thinks the assignments are too easy that they need to be given more challenging work. THEIR BRAIN NEEDS TO BE STIMULATED DAMN IT.
It was up to MC to either agree with Satan and nod to the teacher, or make frantic eye contact with them to try and communicate “NO DON’T PLEASE”.
Similar to (ugh) Lucifer, as long as MC is doing their best, he’s happy for them.
…but if they are in any way in the running for valedictorian he is HELPING THEM WIN.
He decided to stop at a cafe or bookstore to let MC pick out a “congrats on surviving your pitiful school” present after the interviews.
MC gleefully perused the shelves of the bookstore, there were so many books too look at…
“I’ll buy you as many books as you’d like, MC, just,” Satan shuddered slightly. “Promise me you won’t treat them like those poor library books…”
MC put their hand over their heart. “I swear on the duct taped book spines that I will never treat a book like that.”
“Good… good…” Satan breathed a sigh of relief and went back to looking at his book about cats.
“Are you… reading a Warrior Cats book..?” MC asked tentatively.
“Yes, why?”
“Satan, put that back.”
“I Will Seduce the Teacher For the Sake of Your Grades, Don’t Worry.” (Asmodeus)
Oh MC dear! He’d be delighted to go! Just let him get ready~
Asmo may not be the best choice, but he was at least going to be the best dressed person at that conference. (And MC just had to come too so all the other parents could be jealous of how well coordinated their outfits are)
He teased MC a little by saying he was going to flirt with their teacher to make sure they passed the class, but he was just kidding! …but he made sure to ask if their teacher was cute, he needed to know!
While waiting for his turn, Asmo flirts with some of the single parents, if he doesn’t see a wedding ring, they’re fair game.
Once his time slot arrived, MC realized that Asmo is one of those “my child has done and will do nothing wrong ever” types. This may have ended up working in MC’s favour if they were a class nuisance.
If MC is doing very well in sports, clubs, grades, anything, Asmo is fawning over them and gushing to the teacher about how great, smart and adorable they are.
Asmo surprisingly does not exactly flirt with the teacher, he was just teasing MC after all. But um… if MC’s teacher just happens to be cute and young, he may turn up the charm, just a little. Enough to make the teacher giggle and make MC cover their face in embarrassment.
After the interviews Asmo will probably schedule a nice day out for the two of them, shopping, a movie, mani pedis, something fun!
The real weird stuff happens in the months after the interviews… if Asmo did lightly flirt with the teacher, MC gets quite a few questions about their guardian. Questions that ask if Asmo is single in not as many words…
Oh lord, MC’s teacher developed a crush on Asmo.
Nail painting night was supposed to be a fun occasion, but MC was hopping mad and embarrassed. Asmo didn’t seem to notice as he continued to paint the little human’s nails.
“And then I told Phenex to get lost. The nerve of that little monster, right MC?” When MC didn’t reply, Asmo looked up and tilted his head. “MC?”
MC’s angry face would have been much more threatening if they weren’t just so adorable, but it was getting the message across.
“MC..?”
“Asmo.” MC’s glare deepened. “My teacher wants to know if you’re single.”
Asmo blinked a few times, before he hit his tongue to keep from laughing. “Really now~. I knew they’d be madly in love with me-”
“WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIIIIIIIIIIIS?!”
Oh My Demon King is That a BAKE SALE?! (Beel)
Of course Beel said yes! He’d gladly go to MC’s parent teacher interview!
He even put on a nice outfit :D he ended up looking a bit like a secret serviceman guarding MC, the tiny president.
Beel stopped for McDonald’s on the way there, all the other kids were so jealous of MC when they stepped out of the car eating fries.
But a little something something caught Beel’s eye when he and MC walked into the school… was that a… bake sale?
MC quickly explained that the bake sale was fundraiser for their class trip that year and the snacks weren’t complimentary. He had to pay.
And pay Beel did. He cleared out the entire table. MC’s grade’s overnight trip was going to be decadent as hell. That was no longer a crowd funded thing, that trip was privately funded by a tall buff ginger secret service member and this tiny in comparison child.
Kids are incredibly blunt, just like Beel, so when a random kindergarten kid wandered over, looked up at Beel, and very knowingly said “you’re very tall”. Beel was like “yeah”. The kid then said “what’s it like being that tall?”
Beel’s response to this kid’s question was to pick them up and hold them for a few seconds before placing them back down. For just a few moments this kid knew what it like to be over 6’4. Of course, more kids swarmed in and asked to be picked up.
Sure it was cute, but Beel now has an army of kids ranging from kindergarteners to third graders.
Finally, the conference actually began. Beel snacked the entire time and dutifully listened to everything the teacher had to say.
After the interviews are over, he checks with MC to make sure everything the teacher said was true and that they weren’t lying. If all was well, the two made their exit.
They stopped at Wendy’s on the way home.
“I’m so full…” MC groaned, Beel held up a massive cookie.
“So I can eat this?”
“No. Gimme that.” MC took a very defeated bite out of it. “My stomach says no but my mouth says yes…”
“I don’t want you to get a stomachache, MC,” Beel said worriedly. “No more snacks.”
“It’s a little late for that. It’s past nine and I’m still eating, there’s no way I’m getting to sleep at a reasonable hour.”
“Oh…” Beel mumbled. “I may have not completely thought this through.”
“*Snore* Huh? Wha? MC’s Grades? Uh… Fuck…” (Belphie)
MC must be failing a class or something because why on earth would they pick Belphie otherwise.
They ask him to go while he’s delirious from just waking up from a nap, he sort of half nods and mumbles some gibberish before going back to sleep.
MC had to basically carry his ass to the school. Belphie drooled all over them in the waiting room, and when it was their time to go into the interview, Belphie had to be manually put into the chair and slapped awake.
He barely listens, he just sits and nods along with whatever the teacher is saying. The teacher could say MC brought an alligator to school and he’d just go “uh huh…” “mmmph… yep…” “really now?” then yawn.
The only thing that could possibly get Belphie to be interested is if MC is studying space. If they are, than boy howdy is Belphie suddenly interested in their education.
Other than that? *snore*
If MC is in fact failing or doing poorly, MC’s teacher asks to see another one of MC’s guardians at a later date. Their plan failed miserably.
MC drags Belphie out of the school and yells at him for not helping them. Belphie, still sleep delirious, tries to press the snooze button. MC does not have a snooze button.
“Belphie!” MC shouted, shaking the Avatar of Sloth awake. The House of Lamentation’s resident bastard was somehow sleeping standing up outside. “HOW COULD YOU?!”
“Eh?” Belphie half-snorted and looked around confused. “What’d I do? Where are we?”
“At my school! You said that you’d go to my parent teacher interviews!”
“…MC I don’t think I’d pass well for you.”
“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GO AS MY GUARDIAN!”
“Sheesh,” Belphie murmured while he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes. “You humans are so noisy.”
MC looked up at their dearest demon friend, and gave him their best glare. “I’m going to take all your fancy temperature changing pillows and switch them with normal pillows you traitorous bastard.”
#obey me#obey me!#obey me! shall we date?#obey me shall we date#obey me headcanons#obey me! headcanons#Obey me Lucifer#Obey me! Lucifer#OM! Lucifer#Obey me Mammon#Obey me! Mammon#om! Mammon#Obey me Leviathan#Obey me! Leviathan#om! Leviathan#Obey me Satan#Obey me! Satan#OM! Satan#Obey me Asmodeus#Obey me! Asmodeus#Om! Asmodeus#Obey me Beelzebub#Obey me! Beelzebub#Om! Beelzebub#Obey me Belphegor#Obey me! Belphegor#Om! Belphegor#Obey me MC#Obey me! MC
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Hello, I hope your day is going well! May I have some dialogue prompts between two parents who have a newborn son together after a one-night stand but hate each other? They're both celebrities, but the father is married, more famous, and more rude than the mother.
I can absolutely do this for you but since I don't do specifics like this I make them for everyone to use so it's just going to be Person A, Person B, Child A, Child B kind of stuff. I hope that makes sense.
1) "Nice, you're supposed to be raising a child. Not dating one." "They're not a child, they're twenty." "Aww, so when you buy our kid juice do you pick some up for them as well?"
2) "Day drinking, real nice." "Fuck off, it's your day with the kid. Not mine."
3) "You were supposed to be at the parent teacher conference today. But I can guess what you were doing. Well, more like who."
4) "I want full custody." "You're fucking high if you think I'm gonna let you and that slut you're dating raise my child." "Our child."
5) "At this point a monkey might be a better parent than you."
6) "You forgot Child A's game yesterday. They waited for you to show up, why didn't you? Were you out with Person A again?"
7) "You lost our child?" "I looked away for a second!" "At what? Some twenty something piece of ass? I gave you one fucking job. Watch our kid for ten fucking minutes. When my lawyer hears about this I'll make sure I get full custody."
8) "Full custody? With what income, hm? Cause I'm the one who made all the money." "I'll get a better job!" "Doing what? Cause last I checked you don't have the skills for anything big."
9) "I want full custody." "They're my kid too." "Yeah? Well you never act like it. You act like seeing them is a chore so why should you get custody?"
10) "Daycare? You're leaving our child at a daycare now?" "I told you I work certain hours, I can't watch them at that time so yes. And I'm paying for it so why are you getting on my nerves?"
11) "While you two are busy sticking your tongues down each other's throats like high schoolers our child is about be next to go on stage to graduate."
12) "I wish I never had kids with you." "Yeah, well you're no fucking treat either."
13) "How are we gonna do this? We're barely there for them as it is. How are we supposed to make time to run them back and forth?" "Maybe I should take full custody. I can work my schedule better than you can."
14) "You think you're a better parent than me?" "I don't think so. I know so."
15) "Our child's recital is this Friday. Do not bring that slut with you." "I thought we could carpool but if you insist on driving yourself I won't pick you up." "Ass!" "Bitch."
16) "I'm not going to keep driving Child A here if you're not even going to make time for them." "I'm sorry." "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
17) "Where's Child A?" "Person A's taking them out for ice cream while I finish a business call." "You let that dip shit lover of yours take them out?" "Of course, Person A's a responsible adult who our child adores."
18) "Child A's calling your lover their new parent. The fuck is up with that?" "What? It's cute." "Put an end to it."
19) "Your new significant other seems...nice?" "They are. What do you want?" "I was hoping I could have Child A for the holidays." "As long as you keep your lovers away from our kid. I don't want them telling me about another parent they think they have."
20) "You are always making me the bad guy." "They need to have fun. You were fun once too. What happened, Person A?" "A child came into our lives. One of us had to be responsible."
21) "The hell do you want?" "Child A thinks we're going to get back together." "Oh..." "We need to tell them about the divorce."
22) "I can't pick them up today so Person A's coming to get them." "Oh hell no! I'll be damned if I'm gonna let one of your lovers come pick up our child. You come get them. Now."
23) "Child A is sick. I need you to pick them up from school." "I'm a little busy right now." "I hear giggling, are you with someone right now? Our child is sick and you're worried about getting your rocks off with some young thing!"
24) "I think we should tell our child about our divorce." "Can you do it without me?" "I refuse to let you keep painting me as the villain. We do it together." "Yeah, okay, fine."
25) "Our kid is is suspended." "Why?" "Because they used colorful language at the teacher when they wouldn't listen. Great job, Person A."
26) "You're not coming to get them this weekend? I have a meeting planned. I rescheduled because you said you could take them this weekend." "I'm meeting with someone." "You're choosing your new lover over our child?" "No!" "Then come get them, I have important meetings with clients this weekend!"
27) "Stop letting our child tell people your lover is their new parent." "Why not? They love Person A." "Yeah, well, it stops now." "You're a bit old to be jealous." "WHO'S JEALOUS?!"
28) "I need you to meet with Child A's new teacher. Oh and don't sleep with then this time?" "I didn't sleep with their art teacher!" "Could have fooled me."
29) "You don't even see them you're so busy moving around from project to project." "I'm not letting you have full custody." "Then I'll get a lawyer."
30) "You know, we we're pretty awful together but we work well when it comes to our kid." "Funny, I was thinking the same thing."
#dialogue prompts#writer#prompts#fic prompts#write#otp prompts#writing#30 dialogue prompts#divorce prompts#love/hate#lovers to enemies#parent prompts#parent au
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Pyroclastic (Mike Zacharias x Reader)
Summary: Some would argue that the park is dead, but you know better; it’s livelier than it has been in hundreds of thousands of years, a shuddering, breathing monster finally rising to its feet after an eternity of slumber. Soon, it will open its mouth in an earth-shattering scream, and then, everyone will see.
Not dead; just waking up.
Rating: E (explicit)
Word Count: ~19.5K
Warnings: slow burn, friends to lovers, Eruri, implied Mobuhan, spelling Miche ‘Mike’, swearing, fighting, lots of nerdy shit, explicit sexual content, breeding kink
A/N: This is my contribution to the Smut Pile’s Apocalypse collab. I urge everyone to check out all the pieces on the masterlist. A big thanks to @pleasantanathema and @whats-her-quirk for being about as excited about this as I was, to @shadowworks for always encouraging me when I take on projects too big for my own good, and to @mindninjax who volunteered her husband’s expertise on this. I’m pretty proud of this piece and had a blast writing and researching for it. This is by no means scientifically accurate, but I did my best to make it realistic (as in I watched Supervolcano again and spent a lot of time on the USGS website). Also, I have been to Yellowstone exactly one (1) time in my life and was terrified the entire time which is where my fixation with it comes from.
Enjoy~
GLOSSARY
Caldera - large basin-shaped volcanic depression with a diameter many times larger than its included volcanic vents; commonly formed when magma is withdrawn or erupted from a shallow, underground magma reservoir.*
Pyroclastic flow - A hot (typically >800 °C), chaotic mixture of rock fragments, gas, and ash that travels rapidly (tens of meters per second) away from a volcanic vent or collapsing flow front.*
Tephra - pieces of all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano.
VEI - The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions.*
*definitions taken from USGS website
4 Y E A R S B E F O R E
Levi looks pissed when he’s on screen. He looks pissed all the time, but he looks especially pissed when he’s made to stand in front of pointed cameras and outstretched microphones.
You can’t blame him; it’s not actually his job to deal with the press, but some years ago, Erwin had twisted his arm this way and that and convinced Levi to take over conferences.
“They understand you better,” he’d said. “You enunciate better than me. We can’t have people misunderstanding me and panicking, can we?” The blond had purposely spoken with an accent thicker than usual, and Levi had called him every name under the sun, but in the end, he’d relented, and now…
“Dr. Ackermann! Dr. Ackermann! Is it true that this has been the largest earthquake in Yellowstone since Hebgen Lake?”
Levi squints, actually cringes at the question, then waves one of his small, bony hands. “Hebgen Lake was a major quake—7.2 on the Richter scale. This was only a 5.3, and yeah, it’s been a while since the park has had a quake larger than a three, but that doesn’t mean—”
“So, should we be worried about a supereruption?” Another reporter asks, and you clamp a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing as the light leaves your colleague’s eyes.
Levi’s jaw slides, and he pauses, no doubt to think about how to answer because this is a delicate question, one that the general public always reads extremely far into. He’s good at keeping his expression blank, at least, probably another reason Erwin requested he take over interviews.
“Listen,” he starts off, slate eyes locking onto the largest camera in front of him. “Yellowstone is a hub of seismic energy. It wouldn’t be the park we know and love today if it wasn’t shaking and letting off steam like it usually does, right?” This gains a few relieved chuckles from the crowd of journalists.
“Was this earthquake bigger than the ones we’re used to? Yes. Are we monitoring each and every tremor that we pick up? Also, yes. So, don’t make yourself sick worryin’ about sh—stuff you can’t control. We’ll let you know if it’s time to worry.” He sucks his teeth for a second, waiting for his advice to wash over everyone, then adds, “Keep a bug-out bag packed, though. Not because of the volcano or anything. Just because… The world is crazy and so are people, and it’s always good to be prepared.”
They take it as a joke, laugh a little louder as Levi steps down from the podium, but you’ve worked with him long enough to know he had made the comment with serious intent. It’s a lot easier to fly out of town at a moment’s notice when you already have the necessities packed, and though he won't tell them all the facts this early on, there’s a chance that they will eventually have to evacuate, yes.
“I fucking hate that big, blond bastard,” is the first thing Levi tells you when he’s within earshot, much less well-spoken in casual situations than when his face is being broadcasted. “Voht iff they dunt understahnd me, Lebi?” He mimics your boss badly then pantomimes an uppercut with a dramatic grunt.
“Why’d you make him sound Russian?”
“I was trying to make him sound stupid ‘cause that’s what he is.”
“I have four doctorates,” Erwin states as he falls into step with both of you, finally moving from his little hiding place behind one of the news trucks. “I’m not stupid. And, I do not sound like that.”
“That’s what you think,” Levi grumbles, doing his best to shrug away from the larger man when Erwin slings an arm around his shoulders. It doesn’t work, and Levi ends up stumbling to keep up with Erwin’s longer strides, which only serves to irritate him further.
“You looked good up there. I mean, you sounded good. Sounded sure, comforting…”
You shake your head at Erwin’s obvious struggle to just not be the big weirdo that he is, but it sure is painful to watch sometimes.
Governor Zachary takes over the conference, leaving the three of you to make your way inside the lodge that the emergency broadcast was set up outside of. Levi and Erwin bicker through the lobby then through the back doors that lead you to the jeep that you all swing yourselves into.
The sky is still a little dusty with shaken sediment, and some of the park rangers are setting up barricades at the mouths of a couple hiking trails leading to what is now a moderately large crevasse that’s opened up in the Biscuit Basin.
Other than that, the park doesn’t feel much different as you ride through it on your way back to the lab. The Summer sun brings with it your favorite 70 degree days, and if it weren’t for Erwin’s questionable driving, you’d be tempted to hang half your body out the window just to feel the warmth better. The faint smell of sulfur in the air is soothing at this point—the smell of activity, the smell of science, the smell of home. Geysers are still shooting boiling water to the skies. The mud pots are still bubbling like ominous cauldrons. That earthquake couldn’t have shaken too much out of place if all the geothermal spots are still behaving as they normally do.
The tires kick up rocks and dust as Erwin brakes dramatically outside of the base, right behind another familiar jeep that makes Levi roll his eyes.
“Great. The boy scout’s here.”
“Oh, be nice, you little grump,” Erwin chastises him. “Mike’s been nothing but kind to us since he started working here.”
“Yeah, except for the time he misjudged the depth of that puddle and—”
“Splashed you with mud, yeah, yeah, we know, Levi,” you finish for him as you slide out of the vehicle. “You bring it up every time you see the guy. We know.”
“And, didn’t he apologize afterward?” Erwin prompts.
Levi doesn’t answer, but you respond for him: “Profusely. Drove him back to the lab, offered him his spare change of clothes—”
“Useless,” Levi hisses. “The dude’s a giant.”
“Not his fault he’s…” You try not to sound too giddy when you step through the door and see the man in question. “Enormous.”
You don’t know Mike very well, one of the newer park rangers but with a background in geology which leads him to your neck of the woods very often. The few conversations you have had with him have all been pleasant. He’s soft-spoken but obviously intelligent with good instincts about both the park’s weather and wildlife.
He’s also the only ranger you’ve seen actually pull off the dorky park uniform, but that could just be because the different shades of green look good against his tan skin and bring out his light eyes. Even taller than Erwin and a little broader too, M. Zacharias (as his little, metal name tag reads) is a slab of a man, and yet, when he grins, it’s almost boyish.
“Hey, Mike, what’s up?” You greet.
He turns his head to look at you, flipping shaggy hair from his face, then offers one of the soft smiles you were hoping for. “Just came to drop off some samples for Hange.”
“Disgusting,” Levi mutters just for you to hear as he passes, and you shove him hard enough to make him stumble and flip you off.
“How’d the press conference go?” Hange asks, tossing a small, corked flask of mud from hand to hand—what you assume to be the sample—while twirling in their computer chair. The last member of your team, Moblit Berner, glances away from the holographic model he’s studying to hear the answer.
“I think it went well,” Erwin says. “Levi handled it like a champion, as always.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, old man,” the brunet bites out, joining Moblit next to the expensive projection table in the middle of the lab. “What’re we lookin’ at?”
“I’m just running the numbers from today’s quake. The possible effects it had underground.”
“And?”
Moblit is quiet for a beat too long.
“Mobs, what is it?”
You, Erwin, and Hange make your way over to the table, staring at the laser-lit park model and the chamber underneath it.
“Well, in most of the scenarios, it’s fine,” Moblit tries. “Nothing to worry about.”
“And, in the others?”
He looks to Erwin, as everyone does in times of concern. Thick eyebrows pinched together, your boss motions to the hologram. “Show us.”
Moblit punches a few things in on the app he uses to control the model, then takes a deep breath and lets it play out for everyone to see, including Mike who slowly makes his way over, curiosity apparently getting the best of him.
At first, nothing looks to change, just a living, breathing reenactment of what you were seeing today—every geyser, every fumarole, every little rumble, every minute rise and fall of the ground sped up to be detected with the human eye.
And then, it stops.
“Why did it…”
“Just watch,” Moblit shushes you.
The outline of the ground fractures in several different places, statistics for different earthquakes blinking above. The known vents of the park—every geyser, mudpot, and fumarole—are rendered inactive, and under it all, that massive chamber everyone is always so worried about begins to bulge upward and outward, growing larger and larger until…
The map shorts out, flickering then disappearing entirely, leaving the six of you staring at the space where it was shining just seconds ago.
“Was that…”
Erwin inhales deeply through his nose before exhaling the word that will eventually bring the nation to its knees.
"Supereruption."
3 Y E A R S B E F O R E
Even through the thick headset, the whir of the helicopter blades is loud, a rhythm pulsing through the air strong enough to be felt in your chest right alongside your beating heart.
Thankfully, Mike’s deep voice is loud and clear when he speaks, nodding his head to the right, “Look down at about two o’clock.”
You follow his command, tilting your head and peering down at an empty field.
“I don’t see anything,” you say.
The microphone hanging in front of his mouth picks up his chuckle, and the sound of it echoes in your ears, making you grin albeit a little confused.
“Exactly. That’s a big spot for bison this time of year.”
“Then why aren’t they here?”
Mike lets the chopper hover for a while, both hands still on their respective control levers.
“Ground’s been moving too much,” he says after a few seconds of silent staring. You’d known the answer already but hearing the wildlife expert confirm it fills you with a little more dread than you’d originally harbored. “They feel things we don’t, the tiny quakes, the tremors. Stuff you only think the seismograph picks up—they feel all of it.”
“They know what’s coming,” you say more to yourself than to him.
Mike offers you one of those charming, close-lipped smiles. “When in doubt, trust the animals.”
A line you’ve heard him say a few times now. Mike loves everything that lives in the park, from all the common lake trout and sand cranes to the endangered grizzly bears and gray wolves.
Trust the animals, he says. Because he trusts them. Because he loves them.
“You wanna fly over the Grand Prismatic?” Mike asks, pulling you from your thoughts, and when you look over, you find your reflection in his mirrored aviators as he stares at you.
His mouth quirks up at the corners, causing yours to do the same, and you nod. “Yeah, always.”
It’s your favorite view in the park, the colorful spring from up above. Mike had learned that a few months ago, and now whenever you ride in the chopper with him, he makes sure to pass over the beautiful attraction just for you.
Nearly 200° Fahrenheit with a pH of 8.7, the pool, while still dangerous due to its temperature, is one of the more moderate dangers of the national park, tame in comparison to the Norris Geyser Basin with temperatures up to 459° (a thousand meters below the surface, anyway) and a pH of about two. It’s dissolved bones—human bones. And, would claim even more if given the chance.
You suppose that’s expected for a basin that’s sitting over a chamber of 1,500° molten magma.
The Grand Prismatic is just as stunning today as it is every other. Its outer orange and yellow rings darken to greens and blues the further inward you look, thick steam rising from all over but more condensed over the middle.
It was one of the park's biggest attractions, tourists flocking to the spring with their cameras, too stricken by the vivid chromaticism to listen or read about the temperatures and microbials that are responsible for the colors in the first place.
As you hover above now, just to the side of the steam, your heart aches. There are no ignorant tourists to take pictures of the pool, the boardwalks and trails to these hot spots now blocked off once it became apparent that the earthquake that took place last year was not the last of its kind. Your team as well as the park rangers went to the park board as a unit and suggested that tourists needed to be kept away from as many geothermal features as possible, all of you with the same fear in mind: someone (or many someones) falling in.
It's always been a risk, but now, with weekly rumblings, that risk has multiplied exponentially. All it takes is someone losing their footing on the boardwalk over the Norris Geyser Basin for serene sightseeing to turn into tragedy, and that's on a good day. Throw a 5.7 earthquake into the mix, and the park could lose an entire tour group to the heat and acid.
It's just not a risk any of you are willing to take anymore.
Most of the park remains open. Old Faithful continues to draw people in by the thousands. They sit and watch boiling water shoot into the sky every hour or so, clapping happily at the sight, unaware of the way you and your team hold your breath in wait, hoping for the geyser to go off on its usual schedule.
One day it will stop. One day they'll all stop. And, then…
"I can't believe it's all gonna be gone one day," you muse, blinking down at the prismatic pool for as long as Mike will let you.
"Nah," the man disagrees. "Not gone. Buried, yeah, but not gone."
You snort, turn back to him with a grin and roll your eyes. "Yeah, no big deal. Just miles of pyroclast and ash, probably snow when we get thrust into another ice age 'cause of the crazy climate swing..."
"Alright, alright, I get it. The sun dimeth and the land sinketh."
"Gusheth forth steam and gutting fire," you continue grimly.
Mike turns the helicopter back toward the landing zone, saying nothing else and leaving you to take in the sights below. You're grateful for the silence; it's good for processing, for preparation.
And, you're grateful for Mike, one of your best friends at this point—soft and kind despite his intimidating stature, smart as a whip, and just as stunning, if not more so, than the Grand Prismatic.
"Any idea what you'll do afterward?" He asks, holding a hand out to you to help you from your seat in the chopper.
"Not really. Survive, I guess."
You land just a little too close to him, your face nearly coming in direct contact with his broad chest, but Mike steps back just in time, making you extend your arm, still connected at the fingers, before he drops your hand.
"A feat all on its own," he says flatly, but he perks up as you both begin walking to the park ranger base. "Maybe you'll find another team to work on."
"I don't want to find another team," you tell him honestly. "This is my team. This is my home."
Mike hums, an understanding little sound, body warm when he gently bumps into you on the gravel pathway to the lodge. "Yeah, I know."
A geophysics major at UCLA with a specific interest in volcanology, getting to intern with the Erwin Smith at the Yellowstone supervolcano had been a dream come true. You'd expected to gain knowledge and experience—nothing more and nothing less. You'd lived out here for one summer during your graduate program, clocking the field experience you needed to get your degree and taking in everything you could.
Back then, it felt like all you did was ask questions and get in the way. By the end of that summer, you knew every variation of Levi Ackermann's irritated sighs, every different pitch of Hange Zoe's shouts and how they correlated with their experiments. Moblit had been the newest permanent addition and was even more nervous than he is now, trying and failing to keep up with Hange (which he's much better at doing these days).
They were all fantastic, but it had been the lead researcher who'd reeled you in. You'd never met anyone as passionate as Dr. Erwin Smith, captivated by the monster underneath the park and thrilled to share his brain with anyone willing to hold their hands out for it. Hell, he'd even helped you with your Master's thesis—hydrothermally altered mineralized systems and their seismic reflections.
When you graduated, the Yellowstone team was the first you reached out to and the first you heard back from. Erwin said you'd been a perfect fit even as a student (which you hadn't exactly believed but definitely blushed at anyway). Mobs, Hange, and even Levi seemed happy to have you back. It was like you were meant to be here. In this park. With all of them.
Studying the volcano and all of its properties has always been like breathing to you—natural and necessary. You move when it moves, every shake and tremor a heartbeat in your own chest, every shooting geyser like blood in your veins. The mudpots are your bubbling emotions, the fumaroles, your sense of building pressure and release.
You feel at home in the park because you trust it. Because you love it.
You don't have room for another team in your heart, but as you walk inside the lodge next to Mike, watching as he takes off his sunglasses and grins at one of the other rangers, you think you at least have room for one more person.
2 Y E A R S B E F O R E
The lab has two extra bodies in it—two extra unwelcome bodies who keep getting in your way and touching things as they ask questions that no one has the answers to yet.
“When did you say this was going to happen?” The rotund state governor, Dhalis Zachary, asks for the second time since arriving, picking up a sample test tube that Moblit immediately plucks from his hand with a nervous smile.
“As I said before, it’s difficult to place a concrete timeline on an event like this,” Erwin tells the white-haired man. “We don’t exactly have in depth records of the last three eruptions, so all we have to go off of is the earth itself and our simulations.”
At the edge of the projection table, Nile Dok, FEMA director, cautiously waves a hand through the holographic model displayed in front of him. He obviously doesn’t think anyone is watching him because the slender man jumps in surprise when you snort at your desk, and his angular cheekbones take on a pink tint of embarrassment from having been caught.
He clears his throat, straightens the knot that sits over it, then turns to face Erwin and prompts, “Three eruptions before. One was a lot bigger than the others, though, right?”
Erwin nods. “Huckleberry Ridge. Over two million years ago.”
“We’re hoping—if a supereruption is to occur—it’ll be closer to the size of Mesa Falls,” you pipe up.
“Which one was that?” Zachary asks.
“One-point-three million years ago, two-hundred-and-eighty cubic kilometers of erupted materials…” Levi lists off as he makes his way over to the table with a sanitary wipe in hand. He doesn’t like people in his space, doesn’t like strangers in the lab, even (especially) government officials (“They leave fingerprints, and they breathe on everything, and they waste our fucking time.”).
“Two-hundred-and-eighty cubic kilometers… That’s the best-case scenario?” Zachary looks to Erwin, eyebrows raised high over his wire glasses.
Erwin stares at him for a moment, contemplating the best and easiest way to explain this to someone who has no real experience in the field. Eventually, he settles on, “Moblit, can you run some simulations for me?”
“Of course, sir,” the mousy scientist agrees, phone in hand and pulling up the app before the boss can even finish speaking.
Everyone gathers around the table except for Levi who steps away from it, grumbling under his breath about coming back to clean it later. He at least hits the lights, making the model easier to see as Erwin starts listing off numbers and scenarios.
“The best case, actually, is only one vent opening, maybe two. It would be something comparable to Mount St. Helen’s, though probably a bit bigger, say point-five cubic kilometers of material. It would be necessary to evacuate the park and this region of the state at the very least.”
Zachary hums, “And, how likely is that?”
Erwin shrugs. “Hard to say right now. As the earthquakes increase, though, the likelihood of a small eruption like that, uh, dwindles.”
“Small,” Nile scoffs.
Zachary makes a similar noise, slightly louder, a little more offended, then rattles off, “Mount St. Helen’s killed almost sixty people. The blast, the ash, the lahars—” as if you don’t all already know.
“No one’s discounting the damage of the eruption,” Levi cuts him off. “But, if you’re sweatin’ at those numbers, all due respect, Governor, I don’t know if you’re ready to stomach the rest of this little light show.”
The older man cuts his eyes at Levi who squints right back at him, only turn and shuffle over to his desk when Erwin waves him further away, a silent way of saying ‘keep your smart mouth away from the authority figures’.
“Moving on,” you cough, twirling a finger to get both Erwin and Mobs to continue.
“Yes,” Erwin nods. “So, any eruption is dependent on how much magma in the chamber is eruptible magma. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean it will come out.”
Moblit punches in a few numbers to show what a small-scale eruption would look like, first with one vent then with two.
“With just that amount, even with two vents, it isn’t enough to completely destabilize the chamber.”
“And, destabilizing it would be… bad…” Nile states more than asks, brown eyes lit up by the model in front of him.
“No shit,” everyone hears Levi grumble from his desk, and Erwin huffs and looks at you, expression a little exasperated as he jerks a thumb back toward the grumpy man in yet another one of his silent motions— a plea in this case—'go take care of him’ which you do.
Levi is slumped in his computer chair, arms crossed over his chest as he peers over his desktop at the four men gathered around the hologram.
“Should’a just gone with Hange and the boy scout to collect samples when I had the chance,” he mutters.
“You hate collecting samples, especially sulfur samples. Which is what they’re getting now.”
“Yeah, well I hate these guys even more.” He says it quietly enough so that they won’t be able to hear, and even if they could, both Governor Zachary and Nile are too invested in the information that the scientists are giving them to pay attention to anything else.
“What’d they ever do to you?” You push, curious now because sure, Levi has always been the surliest of the team, but it’s rare that he’s surly and loud about it.
“Nothing. They have done nothing because they don’t belong here. They have no idea—no fucking idea—what’s about to happen.” You can hear his frustration even through his whispers. “Best case scenarios? Why are we even going over those? We know damn well that we’re not looking at one or two vents. And, we’re not lookin’ at Mesa Falls either.”
Letting out a long breath, you lean against Levi’s desk, ignoring the way he grunts in protest.
“I know. I’m sure Erwin and Moblit will prep them for the worst case.”
“There’s no prepping for it,” Levi hisses, gray eyes flashing. “We’re talking about—"
“…A nationwide cataclysmic event.” Both of you register Erwin’s voice at the same time and glance at the other group to find them staring at the lit-up simulation of the Huckleberry Ridge eruption.
“Which would pretty quickly turn into a worldwide problem,” Moblit adds quietly.
“Worldwide?” You hear Nile question in a low but very alarmed tone. “Because of the ash?”
“Well, yes, but, it’s not just ash,” Erwin clarifies, diving into his explanation of tephra and how dangerous it is. He reminds the men how far it traveled after the Mount St. Helen’s eruption since they’ve apparently latched onto that one, then challenges, “Now imagine an eruption about… six hundred times that size.”
“Six…” Nile swallows, turning his entire, slender frame toward Erwin and repeating, “Six hundred times bigger? That’s what we’re expecting?”
In his little rolling chair, Levi’s chest puffs a bit, finally satisfied that the gravity of the situation is beginning to set in. “Maybe they aren’t as dumb as they look.”
Erwin is about to say something, right hand lifted with his index finger extended in a very matter-of-fact way, but before he can manage to get anything out, the door to the lab swings open and Hange walks in, Mike just behind them carrying all the collected samples in what almost looks like a lunchbox.
“We’re back—” Hange stops, taking in their surroundings, the lack of lights, the bright projection, the grim energy, then shouts, “Hey, get some Pink Floyd playing! Like a planetarium in here! Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me…”
“Dr. Zoe,” Moblit clears his throat. “We were just going over the utter devastation a supereruption could wreak on the country.”
“Oh, were you?” Hange pauses, brow rising, lips puckering into a sour expression. “My bad.”
Raising a hand to your forehead, you laugh to yourself for a few seconds before shaking the untimely amusement off and making your way over to Mike to take the sample kit from him.
“Careful,” he warns jokingly as he passes it off. “Got some very fragile gas and mud in there.”
“Yeah?” You tease. “So, I shouldn’t, like, shake it or anything?”
“Definitely should not shake it. Here, here, just—” He takes it back, grinning broadly as he tells you, “I think it’s best if you let a professional handle such dangerous compounds.”
All the doom-and-gloom you had been feeling mere seconds ago evaporates entirely, and you let out a frankly embarrassing giggle as you watch Mike very carefully set the samples down on Hange’s lab table, making a show of securing them and whispering a final, “Stay,” so that you clamp a hand over your mouth.
Levi groans in disgust, and, at the same time, Erwin mutters an apology to Zachary and Nile for, “… employing a team of children.”
Your face heats in embarrassment, but it doesn’t keep you from smiling at Mike when he saunters back over, looking rather sheepish himself.
“Lunchtime soon, right?”
“Yeah, in a bit—”
“Please go now, for the love of God,” Erwin sighs. “And, take Levi and Hange with you.”
None of you need telling twice, quickly grabbing wallets and home-packed meals before rushing from the lab before your boss decides to murder one or all of you.
Levi steers Hange toward his car, leaving you alone with Mike which you don’t mind in the slightest. You take most of your lunches with him anyway, some of your breakfasts and dinners too, so this is simply part of your daily routine.
“I’ve got some sandwiches packed already. Wanna hit Mount Haynes?” He suggests, sliding into the driver’s seat of his jeep.
You point a fingergun at him and nod. “I like the way you think, sir.”
He takes a very specific route, avoiding any damaged areas, having to veer off of the actual road at a certain point to take a safer path he and other rangers have made. You watch the mountains of the park grow closer and closer, what you know to be the ridge of Yellowstone’s caldera looming nearer.
Mike parks at the base of your intended destination then reaches into the backseat to grab the aforementioned lunch. You have no intentions of actually hiking to the top of the mountain—don’t have the time or the will, honestly—but as soon as the two of you have worked up a sweat and are at a decent enough elevation to look out on the park underneath, you drop to the dusty ground and take it all in.
Even from this distance, you can see some of the gases and steam in the air. That’s the only movement there is, though, save for the occasional ranger vehicle zipping along. The land seems almost barren at this point. The grass is still green. The sun is still bright as it is every Summer.
But, there are no animals, no tourists, no real life. Instead, it’s been replaced with cracks and crevasses, with barricades and warning signs.
Trail Closed
Road Closed
Danger: Keep Out
It’s been almost six months since the park decided to shut down to the public, and if you’re being honest, it should have closed its doors long before. It took people dying to bring the board to their senses, an earthquake that shook the ground for minutes, the crust of the earth splitting right under the historical lodge that so many loved.
Fourteen casualties. Twenty-nine injured.
That’s what it took.
You barely recognize the park now, feel like the last endangered species left within its boundaries. It’s just the research team, some of the rangers, and the occasional outside visitor (board members, government officials, or press that gets waved away).
Some would argue that the park is dead, but you know better; it’s livelier than it has been in hundreds of thousands of years, a shuddering, breathing monster finally rising to its feet after an eternity of slumber. Soon, it will open its mouth in an earth-shattering scream, and then, everyone will see.
Not dead; just waking up.
“You look tired.” Mike’s voice may as well be carried by the breeze, light and low, refreshing as it passes over you, and you flash him a smile while nodding.
“Exhausted.”
He grabs a sandwich from the lunchbox, and you fish hand sanitizer from one of the many pockets on your pants, squirting it into your hand first then holding it out to the man beside you.
“Seems like you spend more time here than at your apartment.”
“Oh, most definitely.” You unwrap what looks to be turkey and pepper-jack and try to ignore the way your stomach flips at the fact that it’s your favorite simple-sandwich-combo and that Mike remembered. “Lot to do in the lab. Obviously.” You take a bite—no mustard, only mayo—and feel some of the tension between your shoulder blades begin to unwind.
“Figure you wouldn’t want it any other way, though,” Mike comments before chomping into his own sandwich.
“Right you are. I mean, end of the world, potentially. Scary stuff, but also…” You swallow, lick your lips and stare out at the landscape in front of you as you grapple with words. “It’s like… I’m terrified, but I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be. Like…”
This is how I’m supposed to go out, you almost say, but you’re smart to keep it to yourself. That’s a thought for you and you alone, one you haven’t shared with anyone because nobody else would understand except maybe Erwin.
“This is what you’re meant to do,” Mike supplies, and you look over at him. “This is what you love. I get that.”
And, he’s right. But, the park and volcanology—those aren’t the only things you love.
Mike sits there, legs crossed like an overgrown kindergartener, shaggy hair blowing in the wind, light green eyes so, incredibly warm and bright, and it feels like you can’t breathe anymore, like your lungs and throat are already full of ash that hasn’t fallen yet, tight with dying declarations you can’t bring yourself to make.
“Have you ever heard of Katia and Maurice Krafft?” You ask, and yes, your voice does feel somewhat strangled, the space behind your eyes burning just a little hotter than usual.
Mike shakes his head, takes another bite, and gives you his undivided attention.
“They were these French volcanologists who got really famous for the pictures and footage they took of erupting volcanoes. The recordings they got for the community were—I mean, they were pioneers. They changed the game. There’s photos and videos of them just—” you gesture nebulously with both your hands, nearly flinging your sandwich off the side of the mountain and making Mike reach out and catch your wrist before you can.
“Please, no feeding the park’s wildlife, ma’am,” he jokes easily, and you have to shove the sandwich into your mouth to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl. Mike shows the smallest of satisfied smiles, completely unaware of his own charm, and it’s maddening and intoxicating, and it’s all you can do to keep talking about the brave scientists.
“Anyway,” you continue. “Katia would get, like, within feet of lava flows. Just walkin’ right beside ‘em in her special heat suit. And, they’d wear protective helmets because of, you know—”
“Explosions. Falling rocks.”
“Yeah, exactly. They were just there, documenting it all happening, nerves of fucking steel. Katia was usually the one gathering samples and stuff while Maurice recorded, but he was right in the thick of it too. This badass couple learning and adventuring together.”
Mike eventually questions, “What happened to them?” but you’re sure he knows the answer when you deflate a bit.
“Mount Unzen eruption—got caught in the pyroclastic flow. Died instantly.”
“At least they were doing what they loved,” he says, and you nod.
You’re silent for a while, neither of you eating but both of you staring. You think about the Kraffts often, especially now with Yellowstone’s imminent eruption. Doing what they loved… They died for their research, and though you never got the chance to meet them or even speak with anyone who has met them, you have a feeling they wouldn’t have wanted it to happen any other way.
“Just so you know,” Mike gets your attention, and when you look over at him, your heart swells.
The sun is reflected in his eyes, making light green glow with more than just warmth and sincerity, and god, you’re so in love with him, you can feel it in your bone marrow. You ache for him, you pine for him, and you want to live for him, but how…
“I’d film you walking next to a lava flow,” he tells you. Despite the little smile playing at his lips, you know he isn’t kidding.
Tears prick the corners of your eyes, and you have to look away before any actually fall, but your sniffle definitely gives you away. You swear internally, berating yourself for getting emotional in front of Mike, though you can’t say you’re too surprised. Your stress levels have been through the roof, working non-stop for months now, the government breathing down your neck. People have died and the park is literally fracturing before your eyes, and you’re not ready to see it end—to see everything as you know it come to an end.
“Pretty dusty up here,” Mike comments while nudging you. You find him holding out a handkerchief, letting you take it then turning his gaze forward again to allow you a little privacy to dab at your eyes.
Mike has senses beyond the normal human spectrum. He has a sense for weather unlike anyone you’ve ever seen before, from thunderstorms and tornadoes to record snowfall and, on a few occasions, earthquakes. You can still vividly remember being in the lab the day of the fatal quake that damaged the hotel, seeing Mike suddenly look at the seismogram seconds before it started picking up the first tremors. Levi had called it “freakish”, but you had called him “incredible”.
It’s not just the weather, though. Mike has a way with people and animals too, like he can gauge their emotions and act appropriately. It’s how he knows what days he can push Levi’s buttons and get away with it, how he knows when Hange is too busy and overwhelmed to gather samples themself, so he gathers some for them.
And, it’s how he knows exactly when he needs to pull you into a hug, like when the team realized the chances of a small to moderate eruption were next to nothing, like when he had told you how many of those hotel guests had gotten hurt and died and you’d stared at him with wide, watery eyes, and like right now, as you think about Katia and Maurice Krafft, the fate they met and how yours might not be any different.
Will you die doing what you love? Will you be able to welcome it as bravely as they did?
You rest your head on Mike’s shoulder, letting yourself melt into his side, his arm sturdy and grounding where it wraps around you, and as you look out over the sunlit grounds, one last question plagues your mind:
Does a pyroclastic flow burn as hot as the molten feelings inside of you?
You can’t imagine anything does.
1 Y E A R B E F O R E
The message is broadcasted straight from the state capitol, Levi's expression grim as he reads off the paper hidden on the podium.
"I know all of this sounds apocalyptic—the ash and blackouts and probable climate change, and it is scary, but we still have some time, so there's no reason to panic. We just urge that if you haven't already started preparing, now's the time. Please."
A couple steps behind him and a little to the right is Erwin, standing tall and nodding at everything Levi says as if he's providing some kind of credibility.
"Considering we're looking at a VEI eight, the team of volcanologists at Yellowstone have recommended that all of Wyoming and its neighboring states evacuate, but I'll let Homeland Security go over all that."
As he turns to step back, the crowd of reporters and journalists begin shouting out questions, and Levi grimaces as he moves to stand next to Erwin who places a hand in his shoulder.
You can't hear everything being asked from where you're watching at the lab, but you can't imagine it's anything good judging by the way Levi's frown just keeps growing.
Fortunately, the vaguely familiar secretary of Homeland Security, Dot Pixis, takes the stand quickly, holding up wrinkled hands in an attempt to calm the crowd.
"We have some more very important information to cover in this address, so if you'll allow me…" He clears his throat and straightens a stack of papers on the podium, no doubt a huge list of protocols that the public will only half listen to.
You swivel back and forth in your chair as you watch the thin man on screen, his voice scratchy but strangely soothing as he outlines rationing, supply storage, and evacuation routes.
"We're also negotiating with our neighboring countries about opening borders. Now, anyone seeking refuge would still be required to fill out an application for a temporary visa, but—"
"God, you know they gotta love that," you mumble to yourself.
Hange, tinkering somewhere behind you, laughs and agrees, "Yeah, after decades of treating immigrants like trash, and now we're just knocking on their doors, asking for help. Ridiculous."
"Embarrassing, is what it is."
It was for whichever government official had to make that call, anyway. You're positive that had been a hard pill to swallow.
As far as you've heard, the foreign affairs part of this mess is actually going quite well. You'd accompanied Erwin to the big meeting with Canadian officials and watched him and Pixis plead a case for America, emphasizing just how bad the eruption will be "at home", then switched tactics at whiplash speed to go into how countries needed to work together since this wouldn't just be the US's problem in the long run.
It turned into a rather inspiring speech, if you're being honest, prompted you to text Levi a short, how is E so damn charming all the time? to which he'd responded, Believe me, you're asking the wrong fuckin guy.
With multiple government agencies now backing the states and setting plans in motion, the impending eruption seems even more real. You thought your stress levels were high before, that your sleep pattern left little to be desired, but oh, you had been wrong.
Case in point being Mike walking into the lab with a brown paper bag and slightly unpleasant expression as he asks, "Have you eaten today?"
Your glare has no real meaning as you grumble, "Had a granola bar this morning."
"It's nearly six," he groans, pushing you, chair and all, up to your desk and setting the bag in front of you. "Please eat something before you pass out."
"Okay, okay, Christ. You're more attentive than my mother."
"I met your mom last year, and you and I both know she would be hysterical if she knew how you've been treating yourself lately."
He has a point. In fact, you're glad Mike is naturally quiet and didn't bond too strongly with her, otherwise you have a feeling he would have called her by now to complain.
The chicken salad sandwich you bite into must be imbued with some kind of magic, because you let out an honest to god moan when you swallow the first bite.
"Oh my god, what did you put in this?" You ask as you blink up at your best friend.
Mike snorts and rolls his eyes. "Uh, actual nutrients maybe? Weird how your body needs those."
Hands too busy shoving more food into your mouth, you headbutt him right at the hip, just hard enough to make him grunt and sway. He steadies himself, glances down at you like he's annoyed but ends up breaking into a grin when he catches what you assume to be a piece of chicken salad dotting the corner of your mouth.
"What am I gonna do with you," he mumbles, wiping it with a gentle thumb.
Your body warms with both embarrassment and affection, but you can't quite find a response even as your head clears for the first time in about two days. You really do need to start taking better care of yourself.
The undeniable feeling of being watched makes your neck prickle, and you break Mike's gaze to find Hange staring at both of you, a not-so-subtle smile making their mouth curl mischievously. You have a pretty good idea of what they're thinking, and you're heart starts beating a little faster at the thought of them possibly speaking it out loud, but before they get a chance, Mike's phone rings.
You catch a glimpse of the name displayed before he picks it up—Gelgar—recognize it and tease, "One of the doomsday preppers, right?"
Because no matter how much Mike denies it, just like he does now— "They're not doomsday preppers—" you know that his friends are a little odd. Extremely well prepared, but odd.
"Hey man, what's up?" He answers, stepping away from you. "Isn't it almost two there?"
You don't try to listen in, just look back to Hange and shake your head when their smile grows.
"Stop."
"What?" They giggle. "I'm not even doing anything!"
"You're thinking things, though."
"Well yeah, I'm always thinking things. How else would I have gotten this smart?" They flip their ponytail for emphasis and toss a wink your way, but Hange's voice gets oddly sincere when they tell you, "Seriously, though. You guys should get while the getting's good. I don't know why you haven't jumped each other's bones yet."
You splutter, look around frantically to make sure Mike isn't within earshot, and thank god, he's in the next room over.
"Hange!"
"I'm just saying! It's like watching Erwin and Levi from a few years ago. God, that was a nightmare."
"How dare you. I am nothing like—"
"Yeah, yeah. When do they get back in anyway?"
You both look to the TV that's still playing the live address, easily spotting your missing team members behind Secretary Pixis.
"Probably not 'til later tonight. Levi's gonna try to talk Erwin into getting a hotel, I bet, but he's gonna wanna come back to the lab and check everything before he goes to bed."
"How do you know he wants to come back?"
You show a sheepish grin, fishing the chips out of the paper sack Mike brought, then answer, "'Cause that’s what I’d wanna do."
*
It's late. Far too late to be at work, but being at home never feels right these days. It's too quiet, too still, too not the lab. The only time you genuinely enjoy being there is when friends are over for a movie or meal over the weekend. Other than that, you're not at all attached.
Not the way you are here.
Almost midnight, you move from table to table, working, organizing, just keeping busy. You're very awake, still jittery from the quake that shook the park at around three that day. It lasted for almost three minutes, splitting the ground dangerously close to Old Faithful, and the geyser hasn't gone off since which is troubling. If too many of the geothermal spots stop releasing pressure, the eruption will take place sooner than anticipated.
It's why you're here so late, pouring over the data, studying the numbers and possible effects.
You're not alone, though. Erwin is also shuffling around the lab, but he's focused on something else, a project of sorts.
"Can you come take a look at this?" He calls from the projection table, and you drop what you're doing to join him.
The model isn't lit up as a hologram, surprisingly. Instead, Erwin has paper blueprints laid, curling at the edges from being rolled up. It takes you a second to realize what you're looking at, but when it comes together, you inhale sharply.
It's a simple design, a square floorplan with a couple entrances. The only exit looks to lead upward, though, and it's easy to tell that means Erwin wants this to be underground. There are notes scribbled in the blank spaces, 4 meters down, bomb proof top, ventilation, generators, gasoline?, rations < 5yrs, medicine, vitamins, guns. The list goes on, handwriting sloppier and sloppier the more thoughts Erwin had at the time.
"You think this would be ready in a year?"
Erwin shrugs. "With the right construction team, yes. That one bunker designer…" Erwin snaps, trying to think of the name, but it doesn't come to him. "Whoever—He built ten shelters in two years."
You stick your hands in your back pockets as you lean over to look closer. It could just be your overworked brain, but it looks like a good design, something someone actually has a chance of surviving in.
Hearing your name makes you look up again. Erwin has you pinned with one of his serious blue gazes. "No one else will understand, so please keep this plan to yourself."
You nod but venture to ask, "You haven't told Levi?"
"No," he answers, mouth pulling downward. "It's… Going to be a fight."
"Understandably so. You're basically married to the volcano, though, Erwin."
"So are you."
His eyes are shining as your lips twist into a grimace. He's gotten to know you well over the years. You've always shared a certain bond over Yellowstone, one the other team members just don't have. To them, it's just a job, just science.
To you and Erwin, though, it's a religion. You're in love with the park, all its secrets and eccentricities. It's your home; it's where you belong.
"Assuming this does get built," Erwin starts, lifting a thick eyebrow in curiosity. "You would want to stay, right?"
"You mean, ride out a supereruption? Be the first to see the zone-one damage?"
Erwin doesn't answer, but he does smile, excitement dancing just below the surface of his stare.
You feel it too, the urge to throw caution to the wind, to take a chance that could very possibly get you both killed. The Kraffts flash through your mind again, their failed attempt at escape.
A breathless, "Fuck yeah," tumbles from your mouth before you can dwell on the consequences for too long.
It's time to either live it up or go down in ash and flames.
6 M O N T H S B E F O R E
Yellowstone is unrecognizable. The ground is mostly made up of large crevasses and smaller cracks, debris from fallen buildings left in piles with no one to clean them up.
The geysers are all inactive at this point, but steam is still rising from the springs, and the mudpots are still bubbling. It's the only thing that's keeping the volcano from erupting.
The ground shakes multiple times a day, the lab seismographs constantly picking up activity. The little ones don't faze you anymore. You and Mike secure the glass samples to make sure they don't break while Erwin and Levi basically hug their computers. Yours was damaged in the quake that prompted Hange and Moblit to leave—a 6.7 that caused Hange to fall into their desk, breaking their collarbone in the process. After getting Hange pain meds and a sling, the two of them were on a plane to D.C. that same night.
Every day is another risk taken. Now, it's just you, Erwin, Levi, and Mike.
The latter two spend most of their days dropping hints about leaving soon as well. Mike has already made plans to fly to Norway and join his not-doomsday prepper friends and brings it up often.
"You should come. See the tulip fields while they're still around."
"Gel and Nana have done a great job setting up the ranch. They wanna let as many people stay as they can."
"You'd really like them. They bicker like an old married couple, but they're good people."
Levi takes a different approach with Erwin, appeals to the other man's desire to help and protect.
"We really should head to the homeland security office. They don't know what they're dealing with."
"Dok is an idiot. They need a bigger brain over there for guidance or whatever."
"Your long-term plan will be better than anything those government fucks will come up with anyway."
Every time, you and Erwin gently wave them off with promises of "soon" and "just a little longer." Neither of you breathe a word about staying. Despite the fact that construction on the bunker has not started and you're running out of time, both of you are dead set on the plan: go down with the park.
You're found out before it can come to fruition, however.
The remaining team is sitting in the lab, busy with their own little projects, when Mike looks up suddenly, takes a deep breath, then says, "Earthquake," just as the seismogram starts going wild.
He pulls you from your chair quickly, dropping to the ground and bringing you with him to crawl under your desk. On your knees, your body curls in on itself and you lock your hands over the back of your neck as the floor beneath you starts to rumble violently.
You can hear Levi cursing from somewhere as the sound of glass shattering rings throughout the lab. You think another computer falls, models and books flying from shelves.
Mike huddles over you, one hand gripping the leg of the desk while the other protects your ribs. You want to tell him to shield himself, but you know there's no use. Besides, the weight and warmth is comforting even in the face of danger—his chest hot against your back, the epitome of a knight in shining armor.
It lasts for several minutes. The power cuts off, windows crack, doors swing open only to slam shut again. You know the lab is going to be an absolute wreck when it's over.
When the shaking finally settles, everyone crawls out of their hiding places. Levi warns, "Be ready for aftershocks," as if you don't know, and Erwin fumbles in his desk until he finds a flashlight.
The ray of light illuminates the damage. Just as you suspected, the place looks like a tornado blew through. Glass litters the floor along with the far-flung books and park models. Both Levi and Erwin's computers fell and disconnected, and your stomach drops as you think about all the potentially lost information.
"You okay?" Mike asks, pulling you up to your knees so he can look at your face.
"I'm fine," you tell him, his hands on your cheeks making you flush, so you distract yourself. "E, Levi, you guys okay?"
"Yes," Erwin answers first.
Levi shows his face, a deep frown making his brow furrow, as he looks at his desktop. "I'm pissed but uninjured."
The four of you spend the next couple of hours cleaning up what you can, pausing and taking cover when the aftershocks hit, then starting over as the lab sustains more and more damage.
Mike sweeps up the glass. Erwin focuses on getting the computers back on the desks safely then goes and checks the projection table. You and Levi collect the bigger items, setting books back on shelves.
You don't think about the mistake before it's too late, when Levi is already pulling out the blueprints that were hidden behind the stack of encyclopedias.
As he stills completely, you turn to look at him and find him staring down at the large, uncurled papers. Your instinct is to snatch them from his hands, but it's no use. He's already seen enough.
"What the fuck is this?" His voice comes out like poison as he immediately looks at Erwin.
The larger man glances at Levi, eyes trailing to what he's holding, then pales.
"Levi..."
"Is this a god damn bunker? Are you planning on staying in this hellscape?"
Erwin strides over to him and reaches for the prints, but Levi tugs them out of reach.
"Answer me," he spits. "Is that your plan?"
"I—" Erwin swallows thickly before answering, "Yes."
It's silent for a long time, and the more it drags on, the tighter Levi's lips get, gray eyes shiny with quiet rage.
This is what Erwin was trying to avoid, why he insisted on keeping the bunker a secret.
But while Levi is glaring at Erwin, you feel another gaze on you. Skin crawling, you chance a glance up at Mike, stomach churning when he looks away quickly and bites his lips. He knows. Somehow without anyone saying anything, Mike knows you’re planning to stay too.
Heavy breathing and the distant sound of rumbling earth is all that can be heard, followed by backup generators roaring to life and restoring the overhead lights.
"You too?" Mike finally speaks. “You wanna stay too?”
You chew on the inside of your cheek, unable to answer. He sounds so disappointed—defeated—and it makes you feel sick.
"Do you guys know," Levi growls, "How fucking insane that is? This is the dumbest, most reckless, selfish fucking thing you could do! And, I know it's all your thinking!" He drops the blueprints in favor of shoving Erwin roughly, making him stumble back.
"Hey," you step toward him, but the small man just turns to you and accuses, "And, you egged him on, yeah? Did you even think of us? How we would feel? Staying here is suicide!"
"I have a plan, Levi," Erwin says, raising both hands to his head and effectively disheveling his own hair. "If you just look at the plans. I know what we need to survive. I've done the math, I've studied the—"
"Jesus Christ, we're talking about an eight hundred degree pyroclastic flow! Tephra that will suffocate you. You really think being a few meters down during the eruption will be enough?" Levi is screaming now, his voice cracking, and you think you see tears at his waterline.
It makes the spaces behind your eyes burn, but it’s only partly out of guilt. The other emotion that’s welling up in you is anger, a betrayal you can barely wrap your head around, but it comes tumbling out anyway.
“Do you even know us? You think we can actually leave the park behind?” Your voice rises to match Levi’s, gains his acidic attention once again. “I don’t even understand how you can run away, after everything you’ve put into this place! How can you just—” You let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a cry as you raise your hands to your face and shove your palms to your eyes. “I get Mike because he doesn’t have anything fucking left here. He’s just been helping out—”
“You think I don’t have anything left here?” He asks quietly from beside you, and when you look at him with a watery stare, you find him wounded. His jaw slides forward as he sucks on his teeth, and fuck, his eyes are getting glossy too.
“See, this is exactly what I mean,” Levi gestures wildly at the two of you. “Mike and I have stayed because you guys won’t fucking leave, and now it comes out that you were never planning to. When were you gonna tell us? Would you have even given us enough time to get out?”
“Of course!” Erwin takes him by the shoulders, and Levi snarls up at him. “I was working up to it. I wasn’t ready to—to deal with this.”
“I can’t believe this. You really think a whole team of workers is gonna come out here to help build this? You wanna put their lives in jeopardy too?”
“We—”
“You haven’t even thought this through all the way! When did you come up with this? When you hadn’t slept or eaten in forty-eight hours? When your brain wasn’t fucking functioning at full capacity?”
Erwin stays quiet, and so do you because Levi has a point. Taking care of yourselves physically has not been high on either of your lists of priorities, and you’re sure your mental state has suffered for it. All the nights spent at the projection table, mapping out ideas, growing giddy over the idea of staying for the eruption. Was that just two people high off passion, becoming more and more unhinged with each passing day?
Quite possibly.
You expect the fury to be enough to push Levi away, that he’ll simply give up, drag Mike out with him, and leave you and Erwin to hunker down like you’d planned.
But, that is not the case.
Instead, he shoves a thin finger into Erwin’s chest, gritting out, “Pack your fucking bags so we can go to D.C. where they need you.”
Erwin takes a breath then slumps in defeat. Now, when faced with the obstacle that is his boyfriend, you figure he’s weighed the pros and cons and made a decision. Between his love for the park and his love for Levi, he’d rather salvage the latter.
Mike shifts next to you, grumbles out a low, “You too,” that makes the tears finally fall from your eyes. “I’ll take you on one last ride to the springs, but then we’re leaving.”
He stays true to his word, and you cry the entire time you’re in the chopper, headset smushed against one ear as you rest your head on the window and look down at the Grand Prismatic, the steam rising from it. It’s beginning to grow discolored with all the activity, but it’s more stunning now than it’s ever been.
Soon, it’ll be completely covered. All of it will. And, you could have been too, stuck underground for a couple of years only to be the first to step out into the pure destruction.
That’s not an option anymore, though, not with Mike looking as grave as he does, not with the way he shadows you in your apartment as you gather the necessities, like he thinks you’re going to bolt and run back to the lab, not when the two of you meet back up with a still-fuming Levi and a despondent Erwin to head to the airport.
The tickets are outrageously priced at such short notice, but that doesn’t stop Levi and Mike from passing their credit cards over.
“Two for Washington D.C.”
“And, two for Bergen, Norway.”
Boarding passes in hand, the four of you walk through the bustling airport together for as long as you can before you have to inevitably split up. Levi glares at you but still pulls you into a tight hug, grunts into your ear, “You’re so stupid,” before letting go and turning to Mike. “Keep her safe, boy scout. I’m trusting you.”
Mike nods, and both of them clasp hands as you turn to look at Erwin. Tears and pathetic sniffles return when you walk into his open arms, clinging to him and mumbling, “‘M sorry, ‘m sorry. I would’ve followed you.”
“I know.” He rubs your back and heaves a sigh. “I know you would have.”
He eventually disentangles you to hold you at arm’s length, wipes the moisture from your face with his thumbs, then shows a sad smile. “See you in a few years, yes?”
“Yeah.”
One more squeeze, and everyone turns away to walk to their respective gate. Mike’s hand splays across your back, warm, guiding you in the right direction, keeping you steady. He’s always kept your feet planted firmly on the ground. You figure, if there’s one person you’d like to experience the downfall of society with—above ground—it’s him.
S I X W E E K S B E F O R E
Norway is kind of incredible. It has a natural beauty that takes your breath away just like Yellowstone used to, but it’s vastly different. Everything is green, including the lights in the sky at night. You’re surrounded by rolling hills and mountains, and you just know it’ll be beautiful under thick layers of snow.
The once rustic ranch, now restored, is made up of several small houses and a farm full of cows and goats. It’s sad to think about the fate they will eventually meet (slaughter then stomachs), but you know it’s necessary to prepare for the coming years.
And, the owners have definitely prepared.
Gelgar and Nanaba are everything Mike described and more. Between taking care of the farm and setting up energy sources, they do their best to make you and the other arrivals feel at home. They’ve designed the ranch to house up to about thirty people, a commune of sorts (minus any cult-like vibes). Naturally, everyone pitches in and helps around the place. You find yourself cleaning a lot, but you don’t mind. It’s a nice, mindless task that keeps you from thinking too hard about everything you’ve left behind.
You also like to join Nana outside, help with the animals and enjoy the sunshine while you still can. Of course, this subjects you to endless teasing especially today when she catches you staring into the distance at Mike who's helping Gelgar fix a solar panel.
His shirt is starting to stick to his back from sweating, muscles straining under the damp cloth, and good lord, when did he get that broad? Sure, he's always been tall and fit, but working on the homestead has definitely made him more built. That along with the fact that his hair has gotten long enough to tie up in a bun has your mouth going a little dry.
"Like what you see?" Nanaba asks, accent thick, voice full of amusement.
You shoot her a look, face all scrunched up when you mumble, "Don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh?" She sticks her tongue out. "Don't be coy. I see the way you both look at each other."
"Tch."
"And, how both of you volunteer to cook with the other when it's your turn to. You move around each other like you know exactly where the other is. Two halves of a whole."
You roll your eyes. "We've just worked together for a while. We make a good team."
She's not wrong, though. Since coming to Norway, you and Mike have grown even closer. There was a period of time when you could hardly look at him, too guilty for trying to stay at the park, guilty for hurting him, but eventually the two of you fell back into your normal dynamic—joking, laughing, touching just a little too much, smiling when you think no one's looking. You even spent an afternoon together in a nearby field of flowers, just like he'd promised. With a picnic basket full of food, and a blanket to lay on, you'd admired the clouds overhead while enjoying the rustling grass surrounding you.
It's been your favorite day since coming here, had reminded you of the lunches you used to share on the mountain.
You're not brave enough to make any sort of move, though. Mike is just so good. There's a chance his affections are simply based in friendship, and that's something you're scared to ruin. He means too much to you.
"How long did you work together?"
"Like, four years, give or take a few months."
"And, you're still acting like nothing is there?" Nanaba tsks. "Ridiculous."
"How long did it take you and Gel to get together?" You ask, then quickly backtrack, "Not that that's what I want with Mike necessarily."
"Mhm," she smirks. "Gel and I did it backwards. Got pissed at a bar and fell into bed together. Then we started to get to know each other and found out we just worked."
Sounds about right, you think. The couple has an interesting back-and-forth, half bickering, half innuendo. You can always, always see the love in their eyes, though. That's what you want in life. That’s what you want with Mike. Even if you won't admit it out loud.
You turn your gaze back to the roof he and Gelgar are on just in time to see him making his way down the ladder. Once on the ground, he and the other man start striding over to you. Mike's face is red, sweat beading at his hairline, and Gelgar's pompadour is beginning to fall.
"Think we got it fixed up," Mike announces, lifting the bottom hem of his shirt to wipe his forehead.
You stare at his toned stomach for just a little too long, the lines of his hip bones leading into the waistband of his jeans.
Nanaba's words ring in your head again—fell into bed, fell into bed, fell into bed—and you fixate on the idea of you and Mike doing the same. To have him hovering over you, or maybe you over him, thighs on either side of those hips as his hands trail up your body—
You shake the thought from your head, letting your glazed eyes refocus on the men in front of you.
"Alright, I'm gonna grab a shower before dinner. Who's cooking tonight?"
“I believe it's Lynne and Henning," Nana answers.
Mike nods then heads toward the little house he's been living in, right next to yours, of course. He reaches out to let his hand brush yours as he passes, and it takes conscious effort not to grip onto one or two of his large fingers and follow him.
"God, that's painful to watch," Gelgar snorts.
Nana laughs and agrees, "I was just telling her the same thing."
"Oh, shut up. Ya' couple of meddlers."
*
A line forms every evening outside of the main house, the one Gelgar and Nanaba share. You and Mike stand together at the back, watching everyone in front of you. Some are families, some are couples, some are here alone. You figure, no matter their status, the ranch is a nice place to be—peaceful, home-y despite its size. So far, everyone gets along.
Only the kids complain about chores, about seven of them constantly running around together, but that’s to be expected, and honestly, you don’t mind picking up their slack. Life is about to get very difficult for them. They should get to be children for a little while longer.
Potato soup is poured into your bowl with a ladle, topped with shredded beef and green onions, then you and Mike retire back to your little cottage home to eat and watch TV. It stays on the same channel, world news, and there’s always a long segment that covers Yellowstone and what it’s doing.
It is not uncommon at all to look up from your food and see Erwin or Levi’s face on screen, speaking with experts, sometimes in interview-like settings.
Tonight, they’re covering a problem that’s been going on for some time, but everyone figured would resolve itself: some people will not leave the most dangerous zones, and it’s because they simply do not believe an eruption will take place.
Even with the evidence, the science backing it—even with actual federal authorities knocking on their doors and telling them to leave—there are many people who just want to stay put. It’s insane to you, makes your blood boil. Children have been taken from their homes to be placed in safer areas, which only causes the disbelievers to get angrier. They want to say “I told you so”, but that’s not going to happen.
What’s going to happen is getting burned alive in the flow that pours from the volcano. They will die a painful death, get buried under meters of fallout, ash, snow. There’ll be nothing to recover except for petrified, charred corpses.
Of course, the irony is not lost on you; you and Erwin were both willing to chance similar fates, but you still think the two of you would have been more prepared than these regular-Joes who think their front door is enough to stop a volcanic eruption.
“In the end, there’s no reasoning with people like this,” Erwin says on camera, a soft, sad smile playing at his lips. “When a person is so, uh… Dead set on staying, it will take an unstoppable force to move them.”
In your case, that unstoppable force had been Levi screaming at you while holding back tears.
“Unfortunately for them, this force is the eruption, and they won’t be able to leave when that occurs.”
“Because they’ll be dead,” the reporter states more than asks.
Erwin nods and answers with a grim, “Yes. Yes, they will be.”
They’re not trying to be subtle, obviously hoping that this will get through to the stubborn masses, but you doubt it will. They’re living on borrowed time at this point. Any day could be their last.
Mike is quieter than usual as he eats, barely even looking at the television screen, and you have a feeling he’s thinking about how close you were to staying alongside those stupid assholes. It’s still a touchy subject, one both of you do your best to avoid. You’re mostly happy to be in Europe, spending your days with Mike and his friends and everyone else running around here.
But, there’s also a part of you, deep down inside, that aches, that misses the park, that still wants to be right in the middle of the destruction. Watching it blow from so far away is going to hurt. This massive monster you’ve fallen in love with over the years will never be the same, and your last good look at it was that tearful helicopter ride.
You’re not resentful toward Mike or Levi for dragging you out of the lab that day, but you are grieving in a sense.
The program ends with Erwin giving one last warning— “If you insist on staying, I’d advise bomb-proofing your home, stocking up on several years-worth of rations, and installing one hell of a ventilation system. Good luck.”
Mike clears his throat and stands, grabbing his empty bowl as well as yours, then heads into the kitchen to rinse them off.
Sighing, you follow him, lean against the counter a couple feet away as you think of something to say that won’t sound too forced.
“Hey,” you start.
Mike gives a low, “Hm?” as he holds the dishes under hot water, finally glancing over when you gently nudge him in the side.
“Thanks for…” You take a deep breath, pinned by light green eyes, then try again. “Thanks for bringing me here.” He blinks but doesn’t say anything, so you continue. “It’s really nice. And, I’ve bonded or whatever with Nana.”
“But, you miss the park,” he says.
You shrug. “I mean, yeah. That park was my life, but… Probably dying in it was not one of my brighter ideas.”
He snorts, shuts off the water, then turns to you. Craning your neck, you take in his face—really take it in—the few strands of hair that hang freely past his jawline, the way his beard, no longer stubble but not exactly thick, forms around his mouth and connects with his sideburns, his strong, slightly curved nose, how his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. He’s so painfully handsome, especially all shaggy and rugged, and it makes your heart beat too hard and too fast in your chest.
Mike dries his hands on a dish towel, looking down at them when he tells you, “I’m glad we were able to get you out of there. It’s not something I’ll ever feel bad about. Even if you hate me for it.”
“I don’t hate you,” you scoff. “Never could. You’re my best friend, Mike.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” you smile, then think of Nanaba earlier that day and laugh quietly.
“What?”
You wave a hand, shake your head. “Nothing, nothing, just… Nana has… Ideas, or something.”
There’s no need to elaborate. Mike understands what you’re trying to say. He inhales then breathes out it out in a chuckle as he posts up against the counter next to you. “Yeah, Gelgar does too.”
“Guess they don’t know us very well.”
A silence hangs between the two of you, one that would normally be comfortable but is now a little thick given the subject matter of your conversation.
You and Mike. Just earlier that day you had been thinking about how scared you are to ruin the friendship, but the more you imagine, the more you get lost in the fantasy…
“Or maybe…” You glance over to see Mike nibbling on his bottom lip, eyes fixed on the ground as he continues, “Maybe they know us better than we know ourselves.”
He raises his head, gaze locking with yours, and you stop breathing. Because that stare is so hesitant, searching for something inside of you as if you have the answer, but you’re just as scared and confused as he is. Over four years of friendship—of good, meaningful friendship—is that worth risking just because you’re both curious?
Or has it all been leading to this since the start? Since those first, short conversations, since the meals shared with one another, the affectionate gestures. Mike has always kept your head on straight, looked after you with even more care than he had with the park’s wildlife.
You thought it’d all been one-sided pining, that he was just glad to have someone who understood him a little better than everyone else because you do. You understand his passion for the planet, you understand all his little fixations. You appreciate every eccentricity like he appreciates all your neuroses.
“Maybe so…”
Two very large hands are on your face, tilting upward, and your lungs begin to burn as Mike strokes just under your eyes with the pads of his thumbs. He has to lean down quite a bit, pauses just over your lips to let out a tiny huff of surprise, disbelief, awe maybe, then closes the rest of the miniscule distance.
He is very warm and very firm against you—feels good, all the comfort of someone familiar but still so new. Your lips fit together perfectly, and at last, you’re able to breathe again, mouths moving in an experimental back and forth, feeling each other out until he runs the tip of his tongue along the seam of your lips. Gripping strong shoulders, you let the kiss deepen, opening your mouth for him, and Mike groans when he’s finally able to taste you.
Hands fall from your face, moving down, down, down, brushing your ribs, settling at your hips, but his fingers are long enough to curl and dig into the meat of your ass, making you gasp and press harder against him.
Rolling his pelvis into yours, you very quickly find yourself pinned between Mike’s body and the counter. Your grasp travels to the back of his neck, pulling him closer—you just need him closer—and he must feel it too because he hoists you up and sets you on the countertop, making room for himself between your legs.
You feel too hot and too desperate, but it’s good, a release that’s needed to happen for far too long. All manner of geothermal metaphors swim through your mind, spurting geysers and boiling mudpots, and it makes you giggle against him, biting down on his bottom lip and smiling around the flesh as he lets out another one of those rumbling, satisfied noises.
“What’re you laughin’ at?” Mike mumbles, and for some reason, it’s strange to hear his voice so close, so quiet, as you’re pressed together, breathing each other’s air. It’s intimate and different, but it’s right.
“I’m just…” Another little laugh, “Thinking about the volcano.”
“When are you not thinking about the volcano?” You have a feeling he’s rolling his eyes, but he still grins and kisses you again.
“It’s all dirty things if that helps.”
Mike nods slowly, lips trailing from your mouth toward your neck. “Helps some.”
You tilt your head to give him better access and let out a little whine when you feel him bite down on a patch of skin just beneath the notch of your jaw, wrap your legs around his waist and do your best to rock into him because good god, you want him.
Fingers tangling under his loosening bun, you tug him back to your mouth, slotting your lips against his and sliding your tongue between his teeth. He presses you closer with a hand on the small of your back, squeezing the air from your lungs so all you can breathe is him.
“Mm, Mike, Mike,” you pant, barely breaking away only for him to chase after. You laugh, push his chest at the same time you gently tug at his hair, and he backs away just enough for you to get a good look at his half-lidded eyes and spit-slicked lips.
Honestly, staring at him now, you can’t believe you made so long without ever making a pass at him. He’s gorgeous, built like a roman statue only larger, with sun-kissed skin and a startlingly light gaze that threatens to leave you boneless.
“D’you wanna, maybe…” You swallow and blink up at him, too many questions suddenly invading your mind—is it too early for sex? Will he think you’re easy? What if it doesn’t actually work out? But, you bite the bullet anyway and finish, “Go to the bedroom?”
Mike is silent for a few beats, leaving you to second guess yourself and brace for disappointment and embarrassment, but then he clicks his tongue and answers, “Uh, yeah. Yes, let’s do that,” in a voice a little higher than usual, and scoops you from the counter.
Every little house on the ranch is laid out the same, so it does not take him long to find your room. He sets you down at the threshold, and from there, it’s a flurry of discarded clothing and stumbling to the bed.
“How have we never done this before?” He huffs, crawling over you, leaving wet kisses in his wake.
You’ve still got an arm covering your bare chest, but Mike doesn’t seem self-conscious in the slightest which comes as a surprise considering how reserved he typically is. Not that he has anything worth hiding—not the thin layer of hair that dances over his barrel chest, not the ridiculously cut abdominals or sharp ‘V’ of his hips, and definitely not the thick cock bobbing against his stomach as he moves. You would be intimidated if you didn’t know him as well as you do, but you’re sure that he’ll be gentle with you. Mike may be many things, but careless is not one of them.
He reaches your mouth, kisses you so deeply it makes you dizzy, and as he does, he very slowly pulls your arm from your chest, leaving you vulnerable—free for the taking.
His touch is soft enough to tickle as he brushes over one of your nipples, making you exhale against him and arch your back like a silent plea for more. He traces around the bud, makes it pebble before carefully rolling it between two fingers.
Warmth spills into your gut, makes you squirm on the bed, and a moan makes its way from your throat as Mike gently tugs at the sensitive flesh. He lowers his head again, lavishing the same kind of attention on your other nipple with his mouth. He nibbles and licks and sucks, and you wriggle and whimper beneath him, one hand trailing down his body until you’re able to close your fingers around the head of his cock.
Mike grunts, thrusts into your hand a couple times, enough to make precum drool from his tip, but before he can get too carried away, he says just above a whisper, “Let me get you ready,” then moves to lay between your spread legs.
Sliding his arms under your thighs, he locks them into place, and you release a shaky breath, feeling his eyes taking you in for several seconds before licking up your slit once then pushing deeper.
“Oh, fu—”
Both your hands shoot downward, one gripping the messy bun at the back of his head as you shudder at the sensation of his beard against your pussy. You’re wet in seconds, core pulsing as Mike uses his tongue to slowly open you up, then pulls back to flick over your clit.
“Mike—Mike—”
He hums into you, shaking his head slowly back and forth, no doubt making a mess of his face and you. You don’t have anything to say, just feel your throat tightening like there are unspoken words that need to come out, but you can’t think straight, not when he’s doing what he’s doing, not when you feel the tips of his fingers reaching out to spread your lips.
He is thorough bordering on methodical, makes sure you’re at the point of full body shakes before he gives you a break, and then, when your breathing returns to a normal rate, he starts all over again. There is a tightness in your gut that builds and builds then dissipates every time he stops, and he must know because when you whine in frustration, Mike just grins and kisses the inside of your thighs.
The same pattern is repeated with his fingers, just one at first, massaging your walls perfectly, then a second that makes your eyes roll into the back of your head. He rubs over the swelling tissue inside of you, seems to enjoy every little gasp and noise you make, including the unsatisfied one you let out when he pulls his fingers from you.
You can feel how damp the bedspread is underneath you, can see the evidence of your arousal on Mike’s face, and it makes you flush but doesn’t stop you from tugging him down for another messy kiss.
“You ready?” He asks, sounding just as breathless as you feel, and you nod furiously, bending your knees and planting your feet on the mattress so that you can lift your hips to his.
Mike chuckles, reaches down between the two of you to take hold of his length and taps your clit with his cockhead a couple times—simultaneously the most infuriating and most erotic thing you’ve ever experienced. Slowly, he lines himself up, just barely pushing forward, and when you bite your lip and squeeze your eyes shut, Mike tells you to, “Breathe, baby, open up for me.”
He already sounds wrecked, like he’s fighting the urge to just sheathe himself entirely, but he waits, giving you one inch at a time with periods of adjustment in between. You always sort of figured he was big, but this burning stretch is something you hadn’t imagined even in your lewdest of fantasies. You’re incredibly full, feel him in your gut and throat and everywhere, but it isn’t bad; it’s just a lot.
“Okay,” you stroke the forearm next to your head and nod. “Okay, you can start moving more.”
Mike’s brow creases. “You’re sure?”
“About as sure as I can be with a monster cock inside m-me—” Your laugh turns to a moan as Mike begins to pull out, eyes trained on your face for any sign of real discomfort, but your mouth just drops open, your own eyebrows raising at the feeling of his length hitting every one of your most sensitive spots.
“Holy…”
He pushes back in quickly, still mindful of what your body can take, and when all you do is cry his name and scratch down his back, Mike starts up a steady rhythm that has you seeing god.
That tightness is back, hotter than before, threatening to burn you up entirely as your cunt flutters and spasms and leaks around Mike’s length.
The sound of a hoarse groan makes you open your eyes, and you follow Mike’s line of vision to where you’re connected, see his cock sliding in and out of you, dripping slick and ringed in white cream toward the base. The sight makes you clench around him, and Mike swears under his breath then leans forward to gather you in his arms. Your head lolls back as he lifts you, sitting on his knees for just a second before falling onto his back and letting you drop onto him.
You choke, and Mike pants, but his hands are tight at your hips, moving you up and down his length like a sleeve. His pupils are blown wide when you look down at him, hair nearly entirely out of its tie, bottom row of teeth exposed as his jaw slides almost primally.
He looks completely lost in you, possessed as he fucks up into your pussy rougher than before. You bounce in his lap, whimpering his name with every thrust, growing in volume when you feel a finger press against your clit.
“You gonna come for me?” Mike grits out, rubbing a circle over the swollen bundle as his eyes flick from your chest to your face.
You nod, ignoring the burning in your thighs in favor of the sensation between your hips. “Yeah, I—I—Fuck, Mike—”
“Come on, baby, come on—wanted to see this for years, come all over my cock…”
You snap, legs shaking as your climax crashes through you. Your cunt pulses around Mike, coating him in more of your juices and making him groan and fuck you through it. You whine at the stimulation, swollen walls so sensitive yet taking everything he has to give you.
Every thrust to your g-spot makes you gush a little more, come a little longer, until all you can do is fall onto his chest and let him use you as he needs to. You leave marks on his pecs, bites and scratches, and Mike grunts at every one of them until he sits up and flips you once again.
“Where do you want me?”
“Anywhere, I don’t care, I don’t care,” you babble.
Mike inhales sharply then lets out a long groan as he pulls out and shoots his load onto your stomach. It’s warm and thick, some pooling in your belly button as Mike makes a trail down to your clit where he smears the last few drops. You twitch at the contact, hole clenching around nothing now, but you can already feel soreness settling into your muscles.
Mike gives you two little pecks on the mouth, then one last, longer kiss before rolling to lay on the mattress beside you, chest rising and falling with deep breaths.
This silence doesn’t bother you. It gives you time to come back to your senses, to reflect, to remember everything that was said which leads you to ask, “You meant that—about wanting this for years?”
Mike turns his head and smiles so sincerely it almost brings tears to your eyes.
“Well, yeah. Been in love with you pretty much since I started at the park.”
He says it so casually, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and maybe it is, but it still makes your breath catch.
“Seriously?” You turn to lay on your side, and Mike mimics the action, propping his head up with one hand while he lets the other settle on your waist.
He lifts an eyebrow and questions, “Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, I just… Thought it was one-sided on my end, I guess. Like, we were too good of friends.” Mike leans forward to gently headbutt you, and you snort to yourself, “Guess I was wrong.”
“We were both being stupid,” he mumbles. “But, we were also focused on other things, married to the job or whatever.”
Lifting your face makes him lift his, and you smile into another kiss, feeling happier and more balanced than you have in a very long time.
Without much more discussion, you and Mike get up to rinse off, sharing more soft touches under the spray of the shower before crawling into bed together. Falling asleep feels like coming home.
You don’t even mind the smug grin on Nanaba’s face when she sees you and Mike leave your house together in the morning, nor the teasing jabs Gelgar throws your way over lunch. You don’t know if anything is capable of knocking you out of your perfect, peaceful little world on this perfect, peaceful little homestead.
Except maybe a supereruption, of course.
E - D A Y
It happens right in the middle of the morning news. You and Mike are sipping on coffee, expecting the same report you’ve gotten every day— “Nothing yet, closely monitoring, blah blah”—but as the English news anchor tries to introduce the meteorologist, he stops, holds a hand to the speaker in his ear, then looks at the camera with wide yes.
“I’m—I’m getting news that the Yellowstone supervolcano has just begun to erupt, we’re cutting to the US address at Washington D.C. now—”
And just like that, Levi’s face is suddenly on screen, picking him up mid-sentence.
“... One vent open at the present time, but more will open shortly. Stay indoors, ration your food. This is what we’ve been preparing for.” He looks tired, and when you do the math, you understand why: seven AM in Norway is one AM in D.C., meaning Levi was probably woken up to make the announcement.
As always, you can make out Erwin’s figure behind him, hands clasped tight and shaking, and it isn’t until Mike puts a hand on your shoulder that you realize you are trembling right along with your old boss.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” he reassures you. “We’re gonna be okay here.”
You nod and let him pull you closer to him as both of you look back to the screen and listen to what your old colleagues have to say.
The news stays on for the rest of the day. At around ten, the second vent opens up. Then another. Then another. Levi keeps track, expression never betraying the fear he must be feeling, even when he delivers the message that a full ring around the caldera has opened up.
“Obviously, we can’t get in close enough to look, but we estimate at least two thousand four hundred and fifty cubic kilometers of eruptible magma will pour from the volcano. That’s the size of the eruption from around two million years ago, but it could be worse with the current number of vents…”
The journalists on site, usually so ready to ask questions and challenge Levi, are silent today, and you imagine they’re staring with eyes the size of saucers, not quite believing what they’re hearing because it’s happening. It’s finally happening.
You eat a quiet, solemn lunch at Nanaba and Gelgar’s, no one knowing what to say. You feel nauseous, stunned, not unlike losing a loved one. You’re able to forget the absolute destruction taking place in the states for a few minutes at a time, but it always comes back to you, punching you in the gut with the same, brute force every time.
The park. The lab. The forests. The towns. Cities, states, homes, lives, all wiped off the map.
Erwin takes Levi’s place as public speaker close to five, probably to let the other man get some sleep, and reports that the portable seismogram, still linked to the remaining seismographs located around the park, show that there are near continuous earthquakes taking place, “Which could either help should enough earth shift to block the magma chamber, or make things worse by disrupting it further.”
“E is not very good at keeping people’s hopes up,” you mutter, and Mike chuckles.
“Yeah, I see why he makes Levi do all the talking now.”
You both receive texts from the rest of the team, Levi’s coming at an appropriate time but the others reaching you at odd hours of the night when you’re nestled in Mike’s arms.
Neither of you sleep as reality sets in the rest of the way. That was it. The beginning of the end of everything you know. Everything is about to change.
You sniff, try to be as quiet as possible as the tears you’ve been holding back all day finally begin to fall, but Mike knows, feels your body stiffen as you curl into yourself.
He hugs you close to him but doesn’t say anything, just rests his cheek against yours and holds your hand.
There’s nothing anyone can say to make this better, no amount of optimism or determination that will make this any easier. Your home is covered in miles of pyroclastic flow, and as it hasn’t stopped yet, you know this is just the start. Soon, anything left alive will be suffocated by the tephra, people, animals, and vegetation alike. Though you won’t die where you are, everyone at the ranch will be feeling the effects soon enough.
Your mother calls from France where her and your dad decided to “vacation” for the next several years. She’s worked up about not being able to get through to you for almost an entire day, and even as you reassure her that you’re mostly fine, she hears the way your voice cracks and offers to fly to Norway.
“Mom, the airports are shut down by now,” you sigh. “We already talked about this. We can’t see each other for a while, but we’ll FaceTime until we can’t anymore.” Until the cell towers are knocked out, you don’t say.
“I just know my baby girl is hurting right now. I know how much you loved—”
“I know,” you cut her off, scared that hearing it from her mouth will just make you lose it again. “I know, but I’m okay here with Mike and everyone else.”
“You’re sure?” She sniffles, sounding a lot like you. “Cause your father and I will find a way to get to you if you need us.”
“I’m sure, Mom,” you tell her with a sad smile she can’t see. “Get some rest, okay?”
You share many calls like that, many ill-timed text messages until the eruption finally comes to an end six days later. The damage it’s done is incalculable—the entirety of the United states now covered in a cloud of ash that blocks out the sun.
It doesn’t reach you for a few days, but every time you go outside, Mike sniffs the air and mumbles something like, “Smells like sulfur,” or “It’s getting closer”, but after another week, the entire globe is covered.
1 M O N T H A F T E R
Everything is an estimation. Everyone knows that a massive amount of magma erupted, but they don’t know how much. Everyone knows that a large number of people have died, but they don’t know how many. There are too many mysteries, and it’s nowhere near safe enough to send search crews out.
Despite all the warnings, people are still trying to go outside—to see the ash, to review the damage, but even with cloth or medical grade masks, they’re breathing in the dangerous particles floating in the air, tiny minerals that turn to a cement-like substance in their lungs, and because of that, the death count is only rising.
News reports cut in and out, as do phone calls. Some texts never get sent or received, so all you truly have is your little home and Mike.
And, you cry, and you mourn, and you miss your friends and family—fuck, you don’t even know how you’ll survive so long without them—but you also revel in the fact that you’re safe. Not everyone can say that. The fact that you had almost willingly stayed in the most dangerous zone of the explosion is laughable now. There’s no way you and Erwin would have survived that, something he agrees with you on when you share a short phone call with him just to check how he and Levi are doing.
They’ll be staying at the Homeland Security compound for the forseeable future, but he assures you they’re well-prepared to brave the years-long gray storm.
Without any livestock to take care of, or mouths to feed other than yours and Mike’s, you find yourself with an abundance of free time. You still have power thanks to the solar panels and the couple of windmills set up around the ranch, but you don’t know how long that will last.
You both read a lot, do puzzles together, fall into bed both out of desire and just because there’s not much better to do.
And, that part of your apocalyptic life is kind of great. Mike is great. He takes care of you both in and out of the bedroom, is gentle with you until you tell him not to be, and then he’s more than happy to succumb to your needs. He’d invested in a frankly absurd amount of condoms before the eruption so he wouldn’t have to worry about pulling out every time, but every once in a while you want him like you had him the first time—desperate and passionate and completely raw.
That’s the feeling you’re experiencing tonight, staring at Mike from your place on the couch rather than at the book in your hands.
You see him smile before he actually looks at you, but when he does, he has a glint in his eyes you’ve gotten very familiar with over the last month.
“Need something, baby?”
You bite your lip to keep from grinning too bashfully and glance back down at the open pages on your lap. “Nuh uh.”
“You sure?”
“Mhm,” you nod.
“Really?” Mike puts down the wildlife magazine he’s perusing and leans closer to you. “’Cause it looks like you might want something.”
You cross your legs, flip a page you haven’t even read, and shake your head.
It’s a dumb game you’ve both started to play, who can hold out the longest. Of course, the longest record is one you both hold—four years and some odd months—but other than that, you usually make it two or three days at most.
But it’s hard with him walking around looking like he does, and for someone so quiet, Mike is mischievous and handsy, knowing just how to rile you up only to walk away and leave you to whatever you were doing before. He whispers in your ear, he grabs your ass, sometimes he’ll just stand right behind you in the kitchen and inhale, trace his nose up your neck so that you shiver and break out in goosebumps, then mumble a shameless, “You smell nice.”
He’s troublingly good at driving you crazy, and you realize this is why it took you so long to actually get together. You can’t imagine being this wound up and wanton in the lab with everyone there to see.
“You know,” Mike speaks again. You look at him from the corner of your eyes as he leans back against the cushions and nonchalantly kicks an ankle over his thigh. “A lot of people are dying. Like, thousands. Millions.”
Frowning, you nod. “Uh, yeah. Worldwide disaster taking place.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame,” he adds. His lips twitch upward for a second before he purses them, waiting for another couple seconds then stating, “Should probably start thinking about… Efforts to repopulate.”
Eyes widening, you tilt your head to the side in disbelief, a short, incredulous laugh bubbling from your throat.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Mike Zacharias!”
Reaching behind you, you grab a throw pillow and launch it at him. Mike shields himself easily, choking and chuckling as he tries to defend himself, “I’m just—saying! It’s something to keep in mind!”
“Trying to guilt me into sex—” You smack his forearms with the pillow again, “As if I’m not already easy for you—" smack, smack, “—by bringing up all the people dying out there. What is the matter with you?”
He gets a hold of the pillow and rips it from your hands then hugs it to his chest and stares at you with that uncharacteristically devious look. “Is it working?”
You scoff at him, gently kick at his thigh in one last act of defiance before responding, “I mean, kinda.”
And, that’s all he needs to hear before he’s throwing himself at you, pinning you to the couch even as you giggle and squirm, ridding you of the comfortable clothes you have on so that he can kiss and lick every part of you he can reach. He acts like he’s hungry for you, and you have to use all your strength to shove him off of you just so that you can work his pants off and return the favor.
Mike is all grunts and curses as you work him over with your tongue, a hand on the back of your head heavy but not pressuring. He trembles as you take him deeper, his tip hitting the back of your throat and sliding just a little further.
It always hurts your jaw, leaves it sore for a full twenty-four hours at least, but the way his jaw drops and his hands ball into fists make it worth it.
You use one hand to stroke what your mouth can’t reach, the other settling between your own thighs to get you to where you need to be, and only when Mike is panting and you’re dripping slick into your curled palm do you pull off of him.
He helps you into his lap, lets you take your time sliding down his length, because even after as much practice as you’ve had, it hasn’t exactly gotten easier. He’s still massive, and you still have to will yourself to relax around him, but once your muscles have loosened enough, you begin to rock your hips.
Mike lets you use him like that for a few minutes, knows he’s at the perfect angle to rub over your g-spot, so he just watches and leans forward to place teasing kisses around your open mouth.
“Feel good, baby?” His voice drips like honey as he grips onto you to aid in your movement.
Nodding, you dig your nails into his shoulders, then shift to start moving up and down his length. Mike takes it as his cue to take over completely, strong enough to lift and drop you as he pleases, and you both fall into a frenzy of motion, desperate to get off, to get each other off, to share that euphoria.
“Do you actually want to?” You ask in a daze.
Mike cracks his eyes open to ask, “What?” and slows down enough to give you enough breathing room to speak. “Do I wanna what?”
Making lazy air quotes with your fingers, you mimic his deep voice, “Repopulate,” then elaborate, “Have kids. Do you want that?”
Everything stops. Your hips still, as do Mike’s, and he stares at you, the lusty haze of his gaze clearing as he processes what you’re asking.
Feeling completely exposed, you try to rationalize, “I know, I know, we’ve only been doing this for, like, a month, and it’s kind of a terrible time to actually bring new life into the world, but if I’m gonna do it with anyone—”
Mike fists both hands in the hair at the back of your head, pulls you to him to smash your lips together. When he starts bouncing you again, your muffled moan is still loud in the small living room, and Mike’s voice comes out somewhere between desperate and destroyed when he tells you, “Yeah, I want kids. Want you to have my kids.”
“Okay,” you breathe, matching his rhythm, then again, “Okay.”
A switch seems to flip in Mike’s head. You watch and experience him devolve into someone—something—primal. He fucks you like he never has before, long hair hanging in his face, lip caught between his teeth as he groans around it, pistoning into you quick and rough.
“You want it?” He growls, pausing to suck a mark at the swell of your breast. “You want me to come in this pussy?”
Your heart stutters, jaw dropping slightly because Mike isn’t a vulgar man, never has been, but now, the way he’s looking up at you with wild eyes, you know all he needs is the right push, and he’ll lose it completely.
“Yeah, fuck, want you to fill me up, please,” you whine.
Your world tilts as he tosses you long ways on the couch, sliding back into you with ease and demanding, “Touch yourself.”
You grin slyly, “What, don’t have the focus?”
“Not really,” he admits, flicking sweaty hair from his eyes.
Two of your fingers find your clit, massaging it the way you always do when you’re desperate for an orgasm. It makes you clamp tighter around Mike, and you tell him again—beg for him— “Please, baby, want you so bad.”
He comes quicker than usual, shooting line after line deep inside of you until it starts dripping out around his cock.
He can’t stay inside you for long, unable to take the way you keep clenching and twitching from your own ministrations, so Mike pulls out and shimmies down your body so that his face is just above your cunt. At first, he just stares (like always), admiring your swollen folds and how messy you are, but soon he pushes a finger into you, attaching his mouth to your clit shortly after.
It doesn’t take you long. The thought of him fingerfucking his cum further into you paired with the actual sensation of it sends you over the edge within a few minutes, and the two of you are left sweaty and panting, too drunk off each other to really think about the gravity of what you’ve just done but enjoying it all the same.
The feeling eventually returns to your legs, some of the fog in your brain dissipating as you run your hand through Mike’s hair, and when you find that you can, you voice, “Can we even handle a kid? Or like… Can a kid handle the world as it is?”
“Kids are weirdly resilient,” Mike speaks, face pressed against your stomach so that you can feel the vibrations. “And, maybe there’ll eventually be a race of super babies or something—have enhanced lungs to deal with ash. Darkvision and shit.”
You snort and shake your head. “Dummy.”
He retaliates by blowing a raspberry just above your belly-button, grins lopsidedly when you squeal.
“But really, our kids’ll be fine. Volcanologist for a mom and an Eagle Scout for a dad? Doesn’t get much better than that.”
“Oh my god, you were actually in Boy Scouts? Does Levi know?”
Mike makes a little ‘pft’ sound and shoots you an unimpressed look. “Of course not. Like, I’d ever let that tiny, tiny man be right about anything.”
Your laugh is so deep and genuine, it makes your whole body shake. Mike raises his head to keep it from bouncing so much, but you can feel him staring for the duration of your giggle fit. Even through squinted, teary eyes, you can see his gaze is full of adoration, and you figure having two parents who love each other as much as the two of you do will at least make the hard life ahead of you a little easier for a child.
4 Y E A R S A F T E R
Heavy snow falls outside, adding to the thick layers on the ground and clouding the window you’re staring out of. The carrier is nicely heated, ensuring you and its other two occupants stay toasty as you keep eye out for incoming headlights.
“Think that’s them,” Mike says, and you swivel to look out his driver’s side window to see two dull beams of light growing brighter and brighter.
“Don’t know who else it would be,” you joke. “No one else is dumb enough to come back to this place.”
The only sign of your husband raising his eyebrows is the way his hat shifts slightly. “You’re right about that.”
Cinching fur-lined hoods tighter, you both slide out of the tram, boots crunching on ice and snow when you land on the ground. Mike circles to your side, opens the back door, then unbuckles and collects what looks to be a bundle of jackets in his arms. Two light eyes peer out between a beanie and a face mask, gloved hands reaching out and grabbing for you.
“You want Mama?” Mike coos before passing your son to you.
You settle him on your hip, rub his shielded nose with yours, hoping your body heat will help keep him warm out here.
It’s been winter for… Years, now, the ash from the eruption having behaved exactly as you thought it would, blocking out the sun, and sending the planet hurtling into another ice age. It was something not everyone was prepared for—the intense cold, the food and water shortage, the isolation, but you were lucky. You had everything you needed.
The other snow vehicle stops a ways off, lights left on as two figures jump out, recognizable even when completely covered up. One is nearly as tall as Mike, the other considerably smaller even up close.
Pulling his mask down, Erwin shows a brilliant smile as he stops in front of you and Mike, and Levi immediately protests— “Oi, cover your mouth, old man! You need it for more than just talking shit.”
Mike laughs, but still reprimands the other man with a pointed, “Levi,” and a nod toward the little boy you’re holding.
“Fuck—I mean…” Levi takes in a deep breath then apologizes over the whistling wind and falling snow, “Sorry, Huck.”
Bouncing him on your hip, you peer at your son and prompt, “Huckleberry, you remember Levi and Erwin from the computer?”
Though your team has seen him many times on Zoom and FaceTime, this is first time Huck is meeting any of them in the flesh.
Your son looks between them for a while, quiet as he sizes up both of the men, then he reaches out for Levi the same way he had for you just moments before. Levi makes a dissatisfied noise but still takes him from you, and once Huck is passed off, you shuffle to Erwin and wrap your arms around him, breathing into his chest and warming your face.
Your boss squeezes you tightly, mutters a low, “I know, I missed you too.”
It isn’t enough to drown out Levi’s sing-song baby voice, and both you and Erwin glance over to find him with his forehead pressed to Huck’s as he teases, “Can’t believe your parents named you after a volcanic eruption. That was pretty dumb, right?”
Mike glides over, places one hand on Huck’s head and the other on Levi’s, then sighs. “Please don’t criticize my wife’s terrible taste in nam—”
“Hey! You agreed to it,” you shout, taking the little boy back from Levi and glaring at both the smiling men. “Better shut up before you give him a complex. He can understand things, you know. He’s three.”
“Huckleberry Pine Zacharias,” Levi scoffs. “I cannot stand you guys.”
“I think it’s a great name,” Erwin interjects, lightly tapping Huck’s nose under his mask.
“Well, you have shit taste, too.”
“Obviously, if I married a little gremlin like you,” Erwin drawls easily, leaning into the punch that Levi throws into his arm.
“Anyway, we’re here for a reason, right? Other than freezing our asses off?”
“Yeah,” Mike nods, kicking at the snow on the ground like it’ll make a difference.
All of you know that buried beneath all the white is dried pyroclast, but under that…
Is what remains of Yellowstone.
“How do we even go about rebuilding?” Mike is the first to ask.
Erwin stares at his own feet, face scrunched up in thought for a while before looking back up and stating, “From the bottom. Everything starts with a good foundation.”
Levi just scoffs, but you and Mike lock eyes and share a hidden grin.
You take Huck back from Levi, leaning in for a side hug as you do, then suggest to everyone, “Well, then, now that we’ve seen a little of what we’re working with, we should head back to the shelter and start making a plan.”
“Yeah,” Levi agrees. “Gotta start getting ready for the next eruption due in seven hundred thousand years, right?”
“Right.”
After splitting back up into the two separate carriers, Mike follows closely behind the other in order to make it to their newly built bunker without getting lost. It’s perpetually dark from the never ending snow and cloud coverage, hazardous even with the vehicle’s tracks, but you can’t find it in yourself to be scared. Not now, not when life finally feels to be returning to something close to normal.
#aot x reader#aot fanfic#attack on titan fanfic#mike zacharias x reader#snk fanfic#the smut pile collab
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